Saturday, February 15, 2014

Ottoman Bombers

Here is the third unit of my Dystopian Wars naval support group - the bombers.

Zuhaf Class Mine Layers

They are supposed to be mine-layers but I plan to use them as bombers. I have magnetised the basing by gluing a magnet to the hole at the underside of the model, and also a magnet to the top of a standard flight stand stem, which I then glued to the base supplied in the box.


The white balance in this photo is a bit off, but the top part of the plane is painted in the same slate grey that I use for the armour of the ships, while the underside is painted in a lighter blue-grey.

The problem with painting imaginary planes (and ships, really) is that half the time I have no idea what the bits that I am painting are supposed to represent. So far I have painted pipes and coils and decorative bits copper, and bits that are supposed to be tougher (like weapons and gears and turbine blades) white metal.

I have no idea why there are these oblique panels on the top of the plane, but I decided that I would paint my roundel there - since the panel is oblique, it can be seen from both the top and from the side. I chose the WW1 Ottoman roundel that was easiest to paint.

With this unit done, my next job is the cruisers, which are a lot larger.

Sunday, February 09, 2014

Ottoman Frigates

Mizrak Class Frigate-Escort. The one on the left is flipped on its side to show the details on the under-surface.

Here are the second unit of my Ottoman force. They are supposed to be some sort of "surface skimmer", which to me is quite silly - I don't see how the gunnery officer is supposed to see anything to hit it, and shooting from a different height to your target must be a nightmare in calculation. The only advantage I can think off is that it makes you safe from torpedoes, but then again, small, fast vessels are hard to torp anyway.

I've chosen to base them onto the hex flight bases without the stems to reflect the fact that they are skimmers rather than flyers. The hex helps me determine their firing arcs.

I'm now working on the bombers that came with the set, and after them I plan to start on the first of the big ships. Those will be a challenge...