What minis are you going to use?

[Wulf Corbett]

Avalon Hill has a new collectible naval mini game coming out. That may prove a good source of ships. Hopefully it will be better than their current land mini game where the scale is all off and quality ranges from good to poor. http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=ah/aam/waratsea

I have some faint hopes, but given the type of plastic used in moulding, detail will not be great, and given thevariation in sizes of ships of WW2, I can't see them being to a constant scale. But I'll have a look...

Wulf

 

[Jellicoe]

Navwar and Skytrex have good ranges for the 1/3000 scale. They are reasonable, relatively good and readily available.

 

[DM]

Stronhold Miniatures also do some 1/3000 (its the old B&M Models range)

http://www.stronghold-miniatures.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_1_3000th_Scale_Ships_133.html

 

[Jellicoe]

Just as an example. On the left are an Iowa Class battleship and Essex Class fleet carrier. On the right are HMS Hood and HMS Indefatigable. And an ACTA Omega Class in the background for size reference.

 

[DM]

"Mountbatten Pink" is an interesting colour to use. I painted up my 1/600 Kelly using it but it looked pretty awful so she has reverted to light grey. IIRC one of the RN light cruisers was also painted in MP for a while.

Camo at night is another interetsing subject, with pale colours being the best to use (e.g. white or very pale grey S boats). I remember being on a ship less than 200 yards from a light grey painted frigate in the North Atlantic at night and we didn't see a thing until we put the searchlights on her. Black is verboten - sticks out like a sore thumb!

 

[Reaverman]

Camo was more used to break up the outline, rather than hide the ship

Well, that was generally the end result, but the experimentation that went into the testing produced some alarming results... General Mountbatton apparently had his destroyer squadron painted a rather deep pink!

The Northern Approaches patterns, however, were all about making ships look like icebergs. Which looks odd when one of them ends up bombarding the Normandy beaches...

Wulf

Agreed, but it was also used to make identification damn hard. It's similar to the Napoleonics, with some ships painting more gun ports that it had. You were not sure whether that was a 1st rate ship, or not

Edit- Does anyone know, whether we can buy GHQ ships over here?

 

[Wulf Corbett]

Just as an example. On the left are an Iowa Class battleship and Essex Class fleet carrier. On the right are HMS Hood and HMS Indefatigable.

Whose are those (manufacturer)?

Wulf

 

[Jellicoe]

Just as an example. On the left are an Iowa Class battleship and Essex Class fleet carrier. On the right are HMS Hood and HMS Indefatigable.

Whose are those (manufacturer)?

Wulf

Those are from Navwar. For the 1/3000 scale Navwar and Skytrex varry a little in detail between the different ships, but generally they are about the same.

 

[Wulf Corbett]

Those are from Navwar. For the 1/3000 scale Navwar and Skytrex varry a little in detail between the different ships, but generally they are about the same.

I thought so, I have the same minis. As I mentioned, the Skytrex/Davco minis look more detailed until you realise they're moulded side-to-side and have a mould seam right across all the turrets and funnels, etc, so I mostly stick to Navwar.

U-Boats are miniscule in 1/3000...

Wulf

 

[DM]

IIRC there was some obvious connection between the navwar and Skytrex ranges, since the codenumbers assigned to the models are in many cases the same.

 

[Reaverman]

Camo was more used to break up the outline, rather than hide the ship

Well, that was generally the end result, but the experimentation that went into the testing produced some alarming results... General Mountbatton apparently had his destroyer squadron painted a rather deep pink!

The Northern Approaches patterns, however, were all about making ships look like icebergs. Which looks odd when one of them ends up bombarding the Normandy beaches...

Wulf

Agreed, but it was also used to make identification damn hard. It's similar to the Napoleonics, with some ships painting more gun ports that it had. You were not sure whether that was a 1st rate ship, or not

Edit- Does anyone know, whether we can buy GHQ ships over here?

Actually, I've found a UK link for the same models.

http://www.wargamesemporium.co.uk/html/ghq.html

Does it matter that the scale is slightly out. I thought the game was aimed at 1/3000 or 1/6000?

Saying that, it is aimed at centre to centre?

 

[Jellicoe]

I thought so, I have the same minis. As I mentioned, the Skytrex/Davco minis look more detailed until you realise they're moulded side-to-side and have a mould seam right across all the turrets and funnels, etc, so I mostly stick to Navwar.

U-Boats are miniscule in 1/3000...

Wulf

Yep subs are a bit of an anticlimax in 1/3000... (and usually deformed) thats why you tend to get a few more in the packets. Landing craft are similar. I will stick to Navwar too, because I have large fleets already.

 

[Wulf Corbett]

Just as an example. On the left are an Iowa Class battleship and Essex Class fleet carrier. On the right are HMS Hood and HMS Indefatigable. And an ACTA Omega Class in the background for size reference.

I notice the Iowa's deck is in brown. My reading material indicates that it should be a dark blue. What source did you use for your colours?

Also, do you have an online source for carrier deck colours & markings? I can't find one...

Wulf

 

[DM]

Good stuff on US Navy schemes

http://www.shipcamouflage.com/warship_camouflage.htm

 

[Jellicoe]

IIRC there was some obvious connection between the navwar and Skytrex ranges, since the codenumbers assigned to the models are in many cases the same.

The part numbers are the same. As I understood it it was too make life easier for customers, I could be wrong though.

 

[Wulf Corbett]

Actually, I've found a UK link for the same models.

http://www.wargamesemporium.co.uk/html/ghq.html

NICE paint jobs there! Those are the sorts of camo schemes I'm working on.

Does it matter that the scale is slightly out. I thought the game was aimed at 1/3000 or 1/6000?

Saying that, it is aimed at centre to centre?

It is centre to centre, and no, it doesn't matter. It's a matter of taste, really (ranges look more realistic the smaller the mini), and space - like ACtA, big minis get in one another's way when you're close maneouvering, but it's much less of an issue in VaS.

Wulf

 

[Locutus9956]

I use GHQ myself, they may cost a little more than some others but they truly are stunningly good miniatures.

Oh incidentally Reaver, GQH will ship to the UK themselves (theyre pretty quick too and dont charge a ton of postage)

http://www.ghqmodels.com/store/military-models-wwii-micronauts.html

 

[Wulf Corbett]

Good stuff on US Navy schemes

http://www.shipcamouflage.com/warship_camouflage.htm

Hmm... so Deck Blue came in as of Measure 11. fair enough.

Wulf

 

[Jellicoe]

I notice the Iowa's deck is in brown. My reading material indicates that it should be a dark blue. What source did you use for your colours?

Also, do you have an online source for carrier deck colours & markings? I can't find one...

Wulf

No that must be a lighting problem (sorry) as they are unpainted. I have had them for years but never got around to it. Camo schemes varried considerably which is not surprising as ships were continuously repainted. There is a really detailed book on this, but the title escapes me at the moment. I will try an find out and see if there is something like that online.

I probably will just go with simple 2-3 tone grey. But in peacetime thouse ships with planking would look brown from the top - a bit :lol:

 

[Wulf Corbett]

No that must be a lighting problem (sorry) as they are unpainted.

Really? Carriers too? They LOOK brown...

I have had them for years but never got around to it. Camo schemes varried considerably which is not surprising as ships were continuously repainted. There is a really detailed book on this, but the title escapes me at the moment.

I have a modellers book from CLash Of Arms, but it's all in b/w... Plus some rather old (1970s) books on RN and USN camo, again in b/w.

Wulf