This is a bit of a double post. First I want to talk about a recent KickStarter I got in on. Late last year Anarchy Models ran a quick starter to get some stencils produced. Their campaign was successful and ended up unlocking 38 stencils. Their stencils are designed to be used as masks on models which are painted with an airbrush. You essentially put on a colour, stick a bunch of the adhesive stickers on, spray on another colour and pull of the stickers. What you will end up with is most of the model the second colour you sprayed with the shapes in the original colour. It’s pretty easy and pretty cool; you can also go a lot further using partial coats, multiple layers of stencils to build up all sorts of cool effects.

The stencils are made from a thin, slightly elastic plastic. It was a pretty good choice of material as the little bit of flex means they keep their basic shape, but can be stretched over bumps and shoe-horned into crevices. It’s also got a pretty good memory so, as long as you’re not too rough, they will go back to their original shape. The plastic and adhesive are also pretty robust so they’re fairly re-usable.

38 stencils mean there’s a wide range of choices ranging from a variety of camouflages, flames, grids and some more whacky things (pin-up camouflage, US states and steampunk cogs). A lot of the stencils also come in a couple of sizes for both larger (1:48 and 1:32) and smaller scale models (1:100, 1:160 and if you push it and are selective 1:300).

They’re now available for retail from Anarchy’s website and are well worth a look. They also have some videos if you want to see them in action or just know more.

Pros: Easy to use, reusable, sensibly priced, work as advertised

Cons: Sizes are not quite right for 32/28/25mm: the “Mini Classic Camo” is right for 1/100 and 1/72 and “Classic Camo” is perfect for 1/32. However, they’re just a little off for 1/48. Hopefully they bring out a mid-size at some point. The stencils can also lift from what you’re spraying. I don’t really blame the stencils, however. While paper will bend and fold nicely it’s not reusable. In order to be reusable you need a little robustness and so it has to resist folding/bending a little. You can minimise the lifting: don’t leave the stencils on for hours, be careful and thorough around major bumps/folds and try to put sharp edges near the middle of the stencil so there is plenty to hold it to either side of the edge.

Overall: 9/10

Dust Mi46 Walker Transport Helicopter:

As a start and a bit of a test I decides to camouflage up one of my Dust helos. The Mi46 can transport one KV-47 aero walker which is a super cool idea and would be really awesome. However, in Dust Warfare it uses a lot of points (40) and an all important support choice; the walker it can transport are also not particularly suited to airborne operations. As such it doesn’t get run alot and it’s not been a high priority item to get on the table. However, it’s a cool model and concept so I’m glad to get it going.

I started by priming this model white and then painting the underside with a sky blue. I then masked the bottom area with regular masking tape and spray painted the entire model green. I then applied the Anarchy Models “Classic Camo” stencil and spray painted the model tan. The result was the following. Which I’m pretty stoked with. I know I said above the size was not 100% right, but what I did do was select some of the better shaped designs from the “Classic Camo” stencil and also trimmed a couple down – which is really easy as the material is easy to cut with either a hobby knife or a pair of standard scissors.

I’ll finish with the colours (which are more for my benefit than everyone else and a brief on what’s next:

• Underside: Pale Blue (VMC 70906),
• Camo spots: Gunship Green (VMA 71014),
• Base: Sand Yellow (VMA 71028).

Next for this model is painting of the details (including interior), a gloss coat, some decals, a wash to bring out the highlights, chipping and rust streaks. I’ll try to post some more WiP shots, as I’ve been somewhat lacking in that respect.