From Russia: Technolog Toy Soldiers

This all started with an exchange of information about Cossacks and the Ukraine. A friend in the Ukraine had some nice Cossack figures. They were made in Russia. He recommended the brand - Technolog. So it was that I looked for Technolog figures and hit a gold mine.

Technolog makes figures in the 54mm - 60mm (1/32 to 1/30) size. They also make a few 40mm sets. The 1/32 figures come in sets of four to six figures. These are “flat foots”. They stand on their feet rather than a base, like Lido soldiers. Ranges go from Ancients to futuristic Science Fiction. Each set has a handful of poses.

I ordered four sets from a Russian vendor on Ebay who goes by the name Chief Fly. These were the Zaporozhian (Ukrainian) Cossacks, Varangians (Norsemen), Samurai and Varan Aliens (Sci-Fi).

The four sets arrived today. They came in a mall box. Three were packed in small plastic bags, and one set had extra padding .The fourth came in fancier packaging. The Norsemen and Cossacks were cast in green plastic. The aliens were a dark hard plastic, and the Samurai were in a metallic soft plastic. Detail was excellent. The poses were nice, and the facial expressions on figures were amazing.

My first thought: these guys would be great for various OMOG games. Five figures is just about right for a team, with most battles using two to three teams per side. If you had enough, you could also make a very attractive Shambattle unit. Those Aliens would look great for a game of Laserblade, too.  (Neil Goodacre has known about Techolog much longer than me.) The foot figures would also be good for a game like the old Metagaming Melee or a modern version, Legends from Dark City games. I have looked at pictures of other Technology Sci-Fi figures. There is a lot of imagination and detail in them.

Here are the sets I acquired

  Zaporozhian Cossacks: a nice set of figures, the Zaporozhians were wild Ukrainians who gave the Poles, Turks and Crim Tatars many a thrashing. (They deserved it.) These figures are armed for the late 1600s to mid-1700s. I remember seeing Cossacks using flintlock pistols in a movie called Taras Bulbas. The Technolog figures are dismounted.

Varangians: a set of Viking types without the silly horns and wings. Nice detail on their chainmail coats. Ironically, Vikings civilized the Volga river area, built the city of Kiev and were ancestors of the Zaporozhians.

Samurai: it is rare to see one-piece plastic castings of Samurai. This set is exceptional. Good poses and detail.

Varan Aliens - these are bizarre, to say the least. Very detailed rendering of strange creatures.

Painting: Shading Uniforms and Other Tricks

Perhaps 1 out of 50 can paint miniatures that win competitions. They have the talent combined with experience to produce beautiful figures. This article is for the other 49. Though we might not be able to produce competition-grade miniatures, we can paint figures that look great. Here are some tricks I have used over the years. They work great even with crude figures, as seen in accompanying illustrations

Shading

Shading is the art of adding shadows and highlights to miniature figures. These replicate their real-world counterparts. Shading follows the normal ambient light. It is as if the light comes from above. Shadows and highlights are painted accordingly.

Highly-skilled artists can do amazing shading work. They paint each fold and highlight meticulously. Perhaps one in fifty figure painters has this high level of skill. But all is not lost for the rest of us. We can do an attractive job of shading that will make miniatures of which we can be proud. in this article, I will discuss some quick and easy tricks for shading uniforms.

Center and left figure with teal wash over light green; right with blue wash over blue grey

Shading fatigues

This is a trick I have used for years and it produced interesting effects. I paint the fatigues in a base color. For US troops circa 1942 - 1980, I use a sage or eucalyptus green. The paint is allowed to dry fully (24+ hours minimum for acrylics.) Next, I make a wash of a darker shade of green. For this, I use Olive Drab, Forest Green or dark Teal Green.. I give the figure a good wash, making sure the colors get into the folds and crevasses. Once the wash dries, I may go over some highlighted places with the original base color.

Base color

Shading color added

Finished figures (Left figure made with teal wash over grey, right with darker tan over khaki tan)

A greenish khaki tan is easy to do. Paint the figure a khaki tan. Wash with a thinned dark green. Let dry. Touch up highlights with the base color.

Four figures done with olive green over light green. You can vary the darkness. Compare with dark olive soldier and teal wash over light green figure.

As the above photo illustrates, the thickness of the wash can be varied for different effects.

For some figures, I take a medium blue-grey (more blue than grey) and paint the figure’s uniform. When it is fully dry, I give it a wash of a dark Navy blue. This works for Civil War figures. A thinner wash looks good for Air Force figures.

For painting Germans in field gray, I use a flat sea green. When it is fully dry, I give it a thin wash of dark gray. Done right, it makes a great feldgrau.

Shading: field gray tunic, stone gray trousers

If the Germans are wearing the stone grey trousers, I paint the pants light grey. When fully dry, I give them a thicker wash of dark grey.

Another German trick is to paint the figure grey, an then wash with Dark Teal.  It produces a very interesting take on Feldgrau (Field Grey)

For Afrika Korps, paint the uniform in light khaki. A more yellowish hue is also acceptable. When fully dry, wash with a honey-colored tan.

For the early olive Afrika Korps uniform, paint them a light olive. Follow with a thin wash of a darker green.

Afrika Korps early green uniform shaded. Even a crude figure looks better.

For the Afrika Korps uniforms that faded to brown, there are two options. Use a light to light-medium brown as the base color. When filly dry, try either of these. 1) a thin wash of a darker brown, such as cinnamon or medium brown. 2) A thin wash of olive green.

Heavy shading makes these figures look interesting.

Grassing the base

Get a good “grass” mixture (also known as ground foam). Scenic Express and Woodland Scencic are two good brands. You can use green grass and brown earth colors. I also have some playground sand, which is very fine.

Paint the completed figure’s base in a thick coat of paint.  Green for grassy terrain, brown for earthen terrain, and tan for deserts and beaches. I use acrylics.  Pour some of the stuff in a small container. While the paint is still wet, place the figure’ base in the container and swish it around. Make sure it is fully covered with ground foam. Let dry for at least 24 hours.

Afrika Korps with sand base.

Civil War Goober with grassy base

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Notes: Acrylics tend to dry flat, though some may have a slight satin finish. This is not a matter of brand so much as a particular color. Whether it is a factory thing or the pigment I do not know. Acrylics need to be given a protective coat.

The acrylics available at craft stores are affordably priced. Qualtiy varies. I have had good results with Delta / Delta Ceramcoat, Folk Art, Apple Barrel Colors and Anita’s Acrylic Craft Paint. I have had poor results with Craft Smart, the bargain brand sold at Michael’s.  Tamiya acrylic works well enough, but it is pricey. A bottle of it contains less than half what a bottle of the craft store acrylics contain.

I prefer to give objects a base coat of flat paint before using acrylics. I prime metal figures with a flat primer. For plastic models, I give a spray of flat enamel. I do not have to prime wood, which holds acrylics well.

This article shows applying shading to tan and green figures: http://www.thortrains.net/toysoldierart/flame1.htm

Color variations

Paint the Eyes on Miniature Figures: Easy Tricks

Many collectors of toy soldiers and wargame figures like to paint their own. One thing that many find daunting is painting the eyes. Though there are experts who can paint amazingly realistic eyes, the average hobbyist does a fair job of it. All too often, they eyes are bulging as if the soldier just saw a ghost, or they are varying degrees of cockeyed.

Do not despair. Here are some simple tricks that modelers have used for years.

Eyes are not that difficult using these trick

The Better Paint Job.

This one is pretty easy. Follow the illustrations below, numbered 1 through 4. The oval in the middle of the image represents the contours of the casting’s eye. In other words, it is the molded-in eye.

2) Paint a strip of white over the eye. It is alright to go past the contours of the eye.

3) Paint a line downward where the pupil should be, in the eye color.

4) Following the molded contours, paint the flesh color as shown. Then follow up with eyebrows..

Using this trick, the Sikh soldier's eyes look natural, not the "I see a ghost" from too much white

Even a crude figure can have a good set of eyes

The Simpler Paint Jobs

Maybe you find that a bit difficult. Here are two tricks that were used by factories that painted the old toy soldiers. It can be used on figures 50mm / 1/35 and above.

In both examples, the oval represents the contour of the eye as molded on the figure.

Large Figures 

This one is good for figures from 50mm on up. One company that used it to good effect was Elastolin.  If you have an exceptionally well-detailed figure, you can do it on smaller miniatures.

1) Paint over the eye, where the eyebrow should be. You could use black or brown, or the figure’s hair color.

2) Paint a black line through the eye where the pupil should be

You can touch up with skin tone if your lines are too long.

Small Figures

This little trick is great for smaller figures from 30mm to 15mm.

1) Paint a black or dark brown line over the top of the eye contour.

2) Paint a short line underneath where the pupil should be.

Do not fret if you go over the “line”. You can touch up with skin-tone paint.

These are all good tricks for painting the eyes. With practice ,you can do more advanced techniques. These tricks will get you started in the right direction.

This Elastolin warrior shows the simpler eye method for large figures.

Popular Armies for Military Miniature Hobbies

What makes a particular genre more popular among toy soldier and military miniature collectors? I have thought long and hard about this. Several trends are obvious.  The most popular genre in the US at this time are World War II, the American Civil War and the American Revolution.  50 years ago, it was the Civil War, The Revolution, the Wild West and Napoleonics. Since the mid-70s, science fiction has grown into a niche of its own, while the Wild West has receded in the US. Napoleonics are common wargame figures these days, though there are still collectors of 54mm and larger figures. The biggest change is the availability of figures from various eras. Compared to 1968, the selection available to hobbyists is overwhelmingly vast.

The most popular armies from these genre include World War II Germans and both sides of the Civil War and the Revolution.

I had wondered why conflicts such as the Crimean War and Austro-Prussian, Franco Austrian and Franco-Prussian wars were not more popular. They had a wide variety of troop types and uniforms Also, what with the popularity of British Regiments in the hobby, why so few French troops here in the US? The French have an awesome assortment of attractive uniforms and troop types from 1840 to 1925. And what of conflicts such as the Seven Years War?

I have answers:

From the Old Kingdom of Egypt to futuristic Science Fiction, there are figures and people who like to model them. “Niche” is a relative term when discussing any genre of miniature soldiers. Every army and era has its fans. Most hobbyists, myself include, enjoy several eras and armies. Some of the discrepancies can be explained by location. The Seven Years War is mainly a European matter and so is most popular among German, British and French collectors. The facet of it fought in North America and know nas the French & Indian War has a following, but nowhere near as large as in Europe. As a counterpoint, the American Revolution is big in the US but has a small following elsewhere. If you are British or European, ti is the Seven Years War. For Americans, the Revolution.  One might say, “Six of one and half a dozen of the other.”

The American Civil War is very popular in the US. Contrary to the “Blue versus Gray” thing, the uniforms varied and some where quite ornate. There is also a smaller but ardent following in Germany and the UK.

Napoleonics are also a large genre, even if they have waned a bit among US collectors. Napoleonics are popular throughout Europe. Part of that is the fact that most European countries got caught up in that conflict in one way or another.

But why not Crimea or the German wars of the 1860s and 1870s?

For a genre to be popular, a few things are necessary:

1) The war must have lasted more than two years.

2) There must have been a variety of units, troop types, uniforms and equipment.

3) There must be lingering controversies about the war, its conduct (strategies, tactics), or events surrounding it.

4) The war must have been well-documented

You will finds all of these elements in World War II, the American Civil War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Seven Years War and the American Revolution. Things are less controversial with the German-French-Austrian Wars of the 1860s and Crimea. Also, none of the latter wars lasted long enough.

A friend brought up Vietnam,, which is still controversial and lasted over 10 years. However, there is no great variety of uniforms, equipment or troop types. The gear and uniforms on both sides were pretty much standardized. We had M113s, Hueys., Cobras and M48s, green uniforms and M16s. The VC and NVA had PT76s, T55s, green, tan or black uniforms, Ak47s and the SKS. Not much variety. The same can be said of World War I. Though some uniforms in 1914 were ornate, by 1915 they were pretty drab. Tactics were limited mostly to trench warfare. There is not much controversy there as compared to World War II.

The American Revolution lasted eight years, had a variety of uniforms and some aspects are still up for discussion. The Seven Years war lasted seven years, had a wide variety of troops, uniforms and nationalities. Ditto for the Napoleonic Era. The American Civil War lasted four years and had an immense number of units and militias. We are still arguing over its ramifications.

Of course there are a few flukes in there. Nonetheless, it all boils down to length of conflict, variety, documentation and controversy.

One remaining issue is why the British regiments are more popular in the US than the French. France was the oldest ally of the United States. Here I can only speculate. The US hobby was fed by British makers such as Wm. Britains Ltd, Johillco and others. Few lines of French figures were imported. Then there is the matter of language. France never supplied our hobby as much as Britain, specifically England. Had French makers more enthusiastically promoted and exported their miniatures here, I am sure France would be much more visible in the American toy soldier hobby.

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The most popular World War II figures are Germans. That army has the widest variety of everything, from belt buckles to tanks. They remain the most controversial. American, British, Soviet and Japanese armies where much more standardized and had far less variety.

The American Revolution has a wide variety of uniforms and non-uniforms. Different militias that could afford uniforms varied greatly. Consider also the Hessians, who actually came from six different German states. Each group included several different troop types, from fusiliers to grenadiers to jager and artillerymen. It was not a matter of Blue versus Red, but every color in the book. Even the British varied. having Rifle units, Rangers in green and Scottish troops.

The Civil War used standard troop types such as Light Infantry, regular infantry, cavalry and artillery. Each state sent several militia units, and many of these varied insofar as uniforms and equipment. There were standard uniforms for Federal and Confederate national troops,. Militia uniforms were varied, and many were influenced by French military fashion. These included various types of chasseurs and Zouaves.

Medieval and Ancient armies, have large followings, but they are not as popular as the armies from the 18th through 20th Centuries. A most interesting variety are the Heraldic K nights. These figures feature authentic historical heraldry of real warriors. The heralds of old kept great records of crests and liveries.

One French unit that has a following worldwide is the Foreign Legion. There is a mystique to it and a lot of controversy about its many conflicts. Movies, novels and televison series helped popularize the elite French unit.

Among Medieval collectors, the later centuries appear to be most popular, circa 1350 - 1550. The Hundred years wars and Wars of the Roses dominate, thanks to well-documented histories and heraldries.

Ancient Collectors tend to favor Hellenic Greek and Romans armies and enemies, but close on their heels are Egyptians, Assyrians and Persians.

Viking Age collecting focuses mostly on Vikings and Normans. There are fewer Saxon figures. Irish figures from the era are notably absent.

Obituary: Roy Everett, O Gauge Railroader and Author

Roy Everett died last week. He was an electrical engineer of amazing talent, having worked on satellites and other advances technology. Roy was also an avid model railroader. His basement was home to a massive, exquisite O gauge railway. Roy called it his Little Lakes Lines. He invited local O gaugers to his home every so often to run trains

Roy’s layout was featured in model railroad magazines several times. He wrote a book for O Gauge Railroad magazine entitled “Animations for your layout”. It detailed the way to replicate a variety of animated scenes which he had on his own railroad. Roy’s animations were stunning. They ranged from a smoking billboard (like the cigarette add billboard on Times Square) to a fully operational amusement park complete with its own generating station and rides with accompanying music. One of the most elegant animations was the simplest - a little girl riding a swing.

Roy Everett was president of the Albert Hall, a music venue in the Pine Barrens.

I had the opportunity to run trains on Roy’s layout several times. The animations and scenery were spectacular. I remember how my little O27 chuggers were dwarfed by the large, full-scale models of everything from the Blue Comet to the Pennsy S2 Turbine. That was a lot of fun. Roy was very generous with his time, knowledge and his layout.

May he find joy and friendship in the next world.

Here is a link to his obituary: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/app/obituary.aspx?pid=188034403

Review- RR Track Software by Blue Mountain Software

Standard Gauge layout drawn with RR-Track

RR-Track 3D rendering of Standard Gauge layout

Track planning for model railroads used to be a “hands-on” thing. It involved drawing the plan on paper, by hand. Lionel and some other makers offered templates for drawing track. Of course, there were always plans that had been pre-drawn by model train makers or hobbyists. Most manufacturers included several track plans in their catalogs and instruction manuals. Entire books of layouts were also available.

You had two options: copy a pre-drawn layout or spend hours drawing your own by hand. Accuracy was not guaranteed by either method.***

Enter the computer age. Track planning has been made easier through computerized programs for that purpose. I first came across one of these when I bought an MTH train set.  There was a CD included in the set that had a copy of RR-Track layout planning software. The CD contained a version made for MTH for its Realtrax. track system. I loved it.  I contacted RR-track and upgraded. Eventually, I was doing plans for O, O27, Standard, S, HO, N, G and TT systems.

There were two type files: track and accessories. The track could be one of many track systems. For instance, O gauge systems include the superior tubular O and O27 as well as Lionel Fastrack and Supero, MTH Realtrax and Scale Trax, K-Line SuperSnap, Gargraves sectional and Ross switches. There are numerous brands and systems of track for each gauge.

Recently, I upgraded to the 5.3 version. Since I was a prior customer, I was able to upgrade for $60. The new version was a big update with lots of goodies. Here is what I found

Track systems: RR-track covers Standard,  G / Large Scale, O, S, HO, N, TT and Z Gauges.  Z and TT cover one track system each. Standard gauge covers two. The other gauges include a number of American and European track systems. For example, there are 15 track systems for O Gauge ,and 14 for HO!

Accessories: there are various kinds of accessories covered. Lionel Prewar, Postwar and Moderns., MTH Railking, Plasticville, American Flyer. Miscellaneous O, Pola and Piko G / Large Scale, and HO and N scale accessories. These include buildings, bridges and other structures as well as lighted accessories and trackside signals.

3D Standard Gauge Layout, another view

New and Old Features

The good. old features dominate RR-Track. Drawing is on a grid. Default setting is 1 square = 1 foot of layout space. The user can also opt for Metric ( :p ) One can view the plain track plan and then view it in a 3D rendering. The software draws plain pictures of terrain, track and everything from buildings to trackside signals.

The new system allows you to choose three options at the start: start a new layout, choose an existing layout, or pick from one of several you have worked on recently. It then walks you through a process to determine the layout size, track gauge, benchwork and then choosing a name for the file. It takes a couple more steps than the older versions. Benchwork is a new feature, by the way.

Now a separate piece appears in the screen. This has options such as Plan View, Component View, Terrain view, 3D View and Simulation View.

In the Plain View, click Objects and you will find the means to make generic scenery such as trees, lakes and roadways. There are a couple fewer tree types in the new version, but that is no loss..You can also draw generic buildings or basic shapes. I have found the Object menu valuable to making attractive and realistic track plans. You can also label track

Plain View is the layout map.

Plain View

Component View shows all track, accessories and parts used on the layout. (It saves as a txt file),

Component View

 Terrain View allows you to work contours. (I still have not gotten the hang of it, nor the trick to make elevated track).*

Terrain View

3d View is supposed to. show you the layout in a 3D rendering. You can change the view to other angles, etc. **

3D View

3D Print View

Simulated view allows you to pick a train and “run” it on the layout. This is a new feature. You can choose from a variety of locomotives and freight, passenger and MOW cars.  It really helps to run a locomotive with passenger cars to see if a train can pass without hitting scenery.,

Simulation View

I have tried two other types of track software - AnyRail and SCARM. They are okay, but in my opinion, they do not hold a candle to RR-Track. I have found RR-Track to be user-friendly and accurate. It is versatile. The RR-Track sections connect together smoothly, unlike the other systems. It is easier to connect and to move track around the layout plan. Accessing track sections is made easier thanks to a pull-down menu. In the other systems it involved scrolling up and down a long line of illustrated sections. RR-Track is the software of choice for track and layout planning. I have designed hundreds of track plans with RR Track, by the way. Most are posted on the All Gauge Model Railroading Page at www.thortrains.net 

Look at my work and see what you can do for yourself with RR-Track.

And so...

I recommend RR-Track. I love using it and have found the results gratifying. The few small issues do not detratc from its ease of use , accuracy and great results. Keep in mind that I have drawn hundreds of track plans and continue to use it. I enjoy using RR-Track.

Here is the link to the RR-Track website:

http://www.rrtrack.com/ 

Some considerations and advice

* I have found that in order to render a drawing  in 3D, it helps to first go to Terrain Vew. Click Action on the bar, then go to “new base”. Choose “rect”. Use the drawing tool to draw a green screen over the layout. When you go back to Plain View, the field will be a very light green. This green field is essential for viewing in 3D. This step was not necessary in earlier versions.

**3D view did not work on my computer. A work-around was to click Action, and the click Print View. The images appeared there, though not on the regular 3D screen. After looking, I would delete the Print View screen and make adjustments on the blank screen. Then I popped up the Print Screen image again to see if I got the desired result. If so, I deleted the Print Screen image and went to Action again. This time, I clicked Save View.  Images are saved in BMP format.

3D Print View

***I have tried to redraw the layouts that Lionel included in its catalogs and accessories. The track and accessories in RR_Track are accurate. The old Lionel artists were not. Some things that made it into the old drawn layouts from catalogs and manuals will not work in real life. To see examples of RR-track versus the old artwork, click here: http://www.thortrains.net/Liolay1/Lionel-classsic-index.html

Save often.  Old and new versions of RR-Track can get overloaded and crash after a while. This is not frequent, but it does happen. Save, save ,save!

I think it would be useful for RR-Track to add the Bachmann Plasticville HO and N structures to the HO and N accessory libraries.

RR-Track has other applications. I have used it for plotting maps for wargaming and battle games. With the addition of a few features. a version for wargamers would be a hit. Add trench lines, redoubts, bunkers, barbed wire fences and various fortresses. The folks at RR-track should consider making a mapping version for wargaming and other tabletop hobbies.They would find a whole new clientele beyond the railroad hobby..