I'm still waiting for the last few figures I need for my Desert Raiders game so in the meantime with today being fathers day (ergo "Dad can do what he likes, even if its painting day") I have been 'tinkering' with a few peripheral jobs that needed my attention. I've painted some more Z-Gauge track (again ordered from Japan) which means I now have about 7ft, ample for my games. But the other odd job I have undertaken today is repainting my Mat-o-War. The mat is actually designed to be painted and is thick enough that you can paint each side differently. I've left the reverse side plain for now but the 'gaming' side has been given a makeover.
Back when I bought this mat I used an assortment of spray paints to 'desertify' the surface (yes, it is a word... albeit one I just mashed together) but it always seemed a bit too dark. Last year I also bought a load of hills from TSS but these are very light coloured and stand out quite starkly against the darker tones of the mat-o-war. I bought the hills in two batches and the colour of the flock covering them differed quite a lot so what I had was a mat and hills in various shades of sand. In an effort to bring them all together I have revisited and repainted the mat and hills using some new spray paints I bought specifically for the purpose.
I started with a dusting of Desert Yellow to give a consistent 'base' colour to the mat and hills. Over this I used several cans of Ivory/Ibis White from the Halfords vehicle paint range. These sprays are excellent value and I can't recommend them enough for this sort of job. The result is quite soft edged and suitably light in tone which now more closely matches my figure bases. The hills now blend much better with the mat although it has to be said the above picture doesn't do the finished look justice. You'll just have to trust me when I say they look much better.
The state of the lawn however is another matter.
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| "Don't worry darling, it'll grow out!" |
I started with a dusting of Desert Yellow to give a consistent 'base' colour to the mat and hills. Over this I used several cans of Ivory/Ibis White from the Halfords vehicle paint range. These sprays are excellent value and I can't recommend them enough for this sort of job. The result is quite soft edged and suitably light in tone which now more closely matches my figure bases. The hills now blend much better with the mat although it has to be said the above picture doesn't do the finished look justice. You'll just have to trust me when I say they look much better.
The state of the lawn however is another matter.
and that is what old newspaper is for - protecting your lawn/patio/floor from spray paint! :)
ReplyDeleteI'd have been shot at dawn if I tried that!
ReplyDeleteThey look much better remember you want the hills a little lighter than the mat as they are the highest points they should get more sun. The lighter hills will give you a sense of sunlit hills against a more shadow shrouded ground.
ReplyDelete