Here's to Broken Resolutions and a Better New Year

 So as this awful year draws to a close, it's unsurprising that a resolution made as recently as three weeks ago has been unceremoniously broken. I had wanted to get psyched up for future World War 2 Armored Fighting Vehicle (WW2 AFV) scale model kit projects by indulging in digital turn-based wargames via my traditional year-end PC gaming binge. Well, I still pampered myself with some gaming time but with old school Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) instead. The silver lining to this is there's still a link, however tenuous, to the hobby in the form of colors. Here's what I mean ... 

 Arguably, there is no better example of fantastic use of colors in an old school JRPG than The Legend of Heroes - Trails in the Sky by Japan-based Nihon Falcom. At the very least, it was one of the first ones I played which made good use of color combinations on its pixelated characters as well as world. I never finished my original run in my (PlayStation Portable (PSP) before it kaput. Luckily for me, a PC version was released some years ago on my go-to gaming portal i.e. Steam. So now I get to relive the world of Zemuria in glorious high-definition (HD), colors and all. 

Nihon Falcom's The Legend of Heroes - Trails in the Sky

In this make believe world, even the floors have delightful color combos ...

... well, not all floors but the game, more often than not, makes great use of colors

Turn-based combat is a key element in most if not all JRPGs

 One of my most treasured memories of JRPGs was (and still is) Final Fantasy Tactics on the very first PlayStation and subsequently Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions on the PSP. Both titles are sort of a sub-genre of your traditional JRPGs and is classified as tactical role-playing game (TRPG). Such games focus more on the tactical combat aspect than in the role-playing per se. So it was a nice surprise when I stumbled upon Banner Maid which was developed by China-based Azure Flame Studio. This is the closest I have come to in years, in terms of TRPG game-play in a JRPG inspired title. What's even better is the title makes fantastic use of colors (see below).  

Azure Flame Studio's Banner Maid

Apart from the protagonist (which isn't shown here) most of the female characters ...

... found within an alternate world of historical France are fairly voluptuous

Banner Maid is largely a tactical role-playing game ...

... that takes inspiration from the classic Final Fantasy Tactics

The game makes great use of colors for both its 2D anime as well as 3D pixel characters

 Meanwhile, Octopath Traveler is a more recent JRPG title that uses retro character sprites whilst also incorporating polygonal environments and high-definition special effects. If you haven't played old school JRPGs before, then it's quite likely Octopath Traveler would be your first experience of what it's like to role-play chibi-style character sprites in a make believe world. Barely having started a game on this title, I am already impressed with its use of colors. My first impressions are that each character's game world seems to have a color theme of their own. For example, the character Primrose uses warm and earthy hues to reflect her bio and backstory (see below). That's a great way to think of colors and I'm sure it'll translate into future creative endeavors in the hobby.   

Acquire/Square Enix's Octopath Traveler

Primrose is one of eight main characters you can play ingame

And so it begins, Primrose's journey in the land of Orsterra

Octopath Traveler is a role-playing game with "HD-2D" graphics ...

... a style that combines retro-character sprites and textures ...

... with polygonal environments and high-definition effects

 And so the year ends with a broken resolution. Moreover, you would agree it has been a terrible year with the ongoing pandemic. It can only get better, right? So with the new year upon us, I would like to take this opportunity to wish one and all a safe and happy 2021. Cheers!

Star Wars Speeder Bike [WIP - Basecoat as well as Topcoat Prep on the Hull Plating and Steering Vanes]

 If there was ever a case against painting scale model kits, then a simple photo comparison between the end results of this post and the start point of my previous Speeder Bike work-in-progress post makes for a deceptively strong argument for leaving it in its original molded colors. It's a lot of work for what at first glance seems to show no significant difference between painted and unpainted parts. But there are three reasons why I chose to paint: (a) better color accuracy; (b) improved realism upon closer inspection; and (c) a stronger, damage-resistant base on which to apply weathering effects. All also reasons (excuses) for me to upload, yet another, work-in-(not much)-progress post. 

Work-in-progress: Basecoat and topcoat on the Speeder Bike's Hull Plating & Steering Vanes

 While I took inspiration from the excellent Black and White Technique by Jose Luis Lopez, there is a key difference in application that makes my version a pale imitation of the original. For Mr. Lopez's technique to truly shine, the subsequent basecoat color must be applied in extremely thin coats so as to allow a clear contrast in shading. I instead applied a thicker basecoat, which greatly reduced the contrast in shadows and highlights. However I did so consciously because I was after a subtler difference in shading that was more a dullness of color for shadows versus a vivid highlight. That being said, it's inevitable I'll one day use the Black and White Technique as intended, just not today.

Shadowed areas of the primed parts were painted black to affect a duller and darker basecoat

Top down view: shadowed sections of the primed parts that were painted black

A brown basecoat was airbrushed onto the light grey primed parts with black shadow areas

 Admittedly the contrast achieved in my version of the technique ... even accounting for my take on the original technique ... was too subtle and would likely be buried under the subsequent weathering effects. So if you want higher contrast between the shadows and highlights, then you can't go wrong with the original Black and White Technique. In hindsight, I perhaps should've applied a slightly thinner basecoat layer. But at this larger 1/12 scale, the geometric dimensions of the kit itself can sometimes provide visible shadow and highlight contrasts without having to paint them in, which was the reason why I wanted to go for subtlety in the first place. So not all is lost. 

Recessed area on the side has a subtly duller/darker look courtesy of the underlying black coat

Similar subtle shading effects were applied on the rear section of the Speeder Bike

Best results of this shadows to highlight gradation can be found on the rear curved section

Shadowed effect is partly due to a dull vs vivid hue cause by different underlying primer coats

Either bright lighting or an overly thick basecoat masked the intended shadow effect

Steering vanes' interior sides are darker/duller vs the exterior sides 

Sadly this subtle shadow effect tends to fail under bright lighting

 After the basecoat was applied, it was time to protect this layer of brown paint with a clear topcoat and make it more damage-resistant to subsequent weathering techniques. I went with a semi-gloss topcoat as a compromise between making the surface areas smooth enough for washes to flow into the nook and crannies, and rough enough for weathering effects to adhere to the parts. As such, I may yet apply a flat/matte topcoat over the parts once weathering is done because I believe the Hull Plating and Steering Vanes looks more realistic (i.e. less plasticky) with a flat topcoat. Moreover, the subtle shadow and highlight effects are more noticeable with a flat/matte topcoat.

Speeder Bike's Hull Plating and Steering Vanes after a protective semi-gloss topcoat was applied

 At the end of this drawn-out process, the Speeder Bike is now prepped for the weathering effect as well as detail-painting process. Even if I don't complete that all I need to do in the initial weathering phase, there is still a good chance I can get most of it done prior to full assembly. The same goes for the detail-painting process. A lot of work lies ahead and most of it will only start next year as I wind down hobby activities for a but of a short break during the last two weeks of the year. I think I have one more post in me before 2021 comes a calling so it's not the end for 2020 yet. So see you then.     

Getting in the mood for some World War 2 (WW2) scale model kit projects

 Hello, my name is FourEyedMonster and I am a 'modelholic'. There, I said it. No, no ... not the kind that is addicted to ogling at Victoria Secret runway models. More the type that has collected (which sounds better than unnecessarily splurged money on) way too many scale model kits. And as much as I hate to admit it, possibly more model kits than I can finish in one lifetime. Weirdly enough, this personal admission is truer for 1/35 scale WW2 armored fighting vehicles (AFVs) than any other model kits from different genres. More to the point, I need to start working on an AFV soon.

German soldiers advance outside Stalingrad late in 1942 (source: The Atlantic)

Soviet soldiers in the rubble of Stalingrad, autumn 1942 (source: The Atlantic)

 And the oddity that's me translates this situation into a need to first get psyched for the genre before any AFV project even gets off the ground. Usually this would involve reading historical books as well as watching shows and documentaries about WW2. But with the year-end being my traditional PC gaming binge period, I am instead building up excitement about WW2 AFV model kit projects via turn-based wargaming of the digital kind. And to me, nothing epitomizes WW2 digital wargaming like the Gary Grigsby series i.e. War in the East: The German-Soviet War 1941-45 and War in the West.

Gary Grigsby's War in the East: The German-Soviet War 1941-45

Screenshot of the complex computer wargame that is War in the East

 Both Gary Grigsby games sport manuals with lengthy page counts: 382 pages for War in the East and 311 pages for War in the West. Being the type who meticulously pours over every inch of a manual before play begins, I have a ways to go before I get to truly enjoy these wargames as they are meant to be played. As a side note, my OCD tendencies has also caused me to complement my digital wargaming experience with two, even thicker, historically accurate books namely Atlas of the Eastern Front: 1941-45 by Robert Kirchubel and Atlas of the European Campaign: 1944-45 by Steven J. Zaloga. If you are into military history, you'll love both books. More on them in a future post.   

Gary Grigsby's War in the West

Screenshot of the equally complex computer wargame that is War in the West

 Still complicated yet less so than the Gary Grigsby's wargames are the Hearts of Iron turn-based strategy series. The third version is arguably more intricate than the latest iteration, with the former focused on micromanaging tactical warfare of military units while the latter leans more towards the management of a nations strategy during wartime. In this way both play differently which makes for a richer experience for digital wargaming enthusiasts who are already spoilt for choice as it is.    

Hearts of Iron III Collection with all the DLCs, a turn-based strategy game

Screenshot of Hearts of Iron III showing Germany prior to the start of WW2

 While both still at its core still involve battles between opposing armies at the division level, Hearts of Iron III requires micromanagment from the Brigade to Division to Corps to Army to Group then all the way to Army HQ level. In comparison, Hearts of Iron IV deals with military units at the Battalion level (bypassing Brigade) to Division and to Group (the latter two are levels a player can directly affect). But Heart of Iron IV makes up for this 'lack of detail in unit warfare' by having more fleshed out components in other areas ranging from politics, espionage, resistance, etc.

Hearts of Iron IV (shown here with the Waking the Tiger DLC)

Screenshot of Hearts of Iron IV with the player in control of prewar China

 Then there are those couple of digital wargames that I own, yet remain uninstalled due to lack of hard disk space as well as the graphical limitations of my personal laptop. Hybrid turn-based/real-time strategy games such as Graviteam Tactics: Operation Star, Graviteam Tactics: Mius Front and Steel Division: Normandy 44 are complicated wargames with fairly heavy graphic requirements. As such, these wargames would ideally necessitate a hardware upgrade on my part before I can run them at optimal graphic settings. Ironically, these are just the sort of games with a detailed enough graphical rendition of WW2 AFVs that would inspire me to work on a 1/35 scale version.     

Graviteam Tactics: Operation Star, a real-time/turn-based strategy hybrid set in Russia 

A battle in Operation Star during what I believe is in the early hours of the morning

Graviteam Tactics: Mius Front, another real-time/turn-based strategy hybrid

Mius Front depicts the incongruity of war in its graphical improvement from Operation Star

Steel Division: Normandy 44, a tactical real time strategy game

As its name implies, the first iteration of Steel Division focuses on the Western Front

 For times when I don't want to put too much thought into micromanaging, I turn to Panzercrops. Of all the wargames I have, this one is would be the easiest for a digital wargaming newbie to start with. This is not at all a slight to the creators. In fact I love this game, but it is undeniably a simplified turn-based strategy game that isn't as detailed and realistic as most of the titles mentioned above. Yet with that being said, Panzercorps is still way more complicated than your average real-time strategy game. Moreover its fun and in its own way contributes to getting me into the mood for AFV projects.

Panzer Corps Gold Edition includes all DLCs released for the base game

Screenshot of Panzer Corps, arguably the least complex of all the wargames on show here

 Even with all these games in hand, the -holic in me can't help but take center stage again, this time as a 'gamerholic' with seemingly more games than I have time for. Granted that I got most of them at huge discounts of ranging from 40% up to 90% off, I still have too many. Worse still, I have even more on my wishlist e.g. Steel Division II (which focuses on the Eastern Front), Panzercorps 2 (which has better graphics than the first iteration) and Tank Warfare: Tunisia 1943 (from the team that brought you the Garviteam Tactics series). Admittedly this is consumerism at its worst.    

Steel Division II by Paradox Interactive

In its second iteration, Steel Division focuses on the Eastern Front 

Panzer Corps 2, more turn-based goodness from the folks at Flashback Games

Panzer Corps 2 clearly has superior graphics compared with the first version 

Tank Warfare: Tunisia 1943, the latest real-time/turn-based hybrid by Graviteam

In-game shot of Tank Warfare showing Tiger tanks prowling in the desert night

 So I guess the -holic cycle has come full circle. It would be an even bigger irony now if this vicious circle requires me to complete some AFV scale model kit projects in order to get psyched up for digital wargaming. Hah! Now that's irony. Speaking or ironies, here's an apt quote about war in general to round off this post ... “It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets.” - Voltaire