Author: Felix

What camera should I buy?

On lots of gaming forums people often ask about which camera they should get for taking photographs of their painted miniatures.

My answer is quite simple, I would buy a cheap second hand Digital SLR. An old Canon Rebel (EOS 400D or 300D) would certainly suffice and can be picked up quite cheaply.

I have taken thousands of photographs of miniatures at home and at shows. The flexibility and ease of use that a DSLR brings makes it much easier to take decent, in focus and well lit photographs of your miniatures.

Imperial Guard Rapier

You will read a lot on forums and the like about the “importance” of macro when taking photographs of miniatures. That’s very much a myth. The key is having a high f stop, in other words the aperture is very small, as a result you need to keep the shutter open for longer. This is why you need a camera with full manual control such as an DSLR. It’s also the reason why you will need to use a tripod. With a standard 400 ISO (speed of the “film) you may find that the shutter is open for a couple of seconds, so hand holding the camera just isn’t an option. You could increase the ISO, but I have found with high ISOs on the low end DSLRs you do get a lot of “noise” and a grainy picture.

Lighting is just as important and wherever possible avoid using the built-in flash as this will wash out the colours of your beautiful paintjob. Too little light and you will find that the resulting images may be too dark or too noisy. In the main I now use the “daylight” work lamp I have for painting, but I also try and use natural daylight too. More on camera settings.

So what do you use to take photographs of your models?

Flames of War British Sherman Tanks

In a future blog post I will talk about setting the scene.

Prussian Bunkers

To support my Prussian ships I bought a Bunker Complex and the Tower Set. These are really nice resin castings which add a different dimension to games of Dystopian Wars.

The bunker complex to me combines elements of the Maunsell Forts that the British placed around the UK in World War Two and German Atlantic Wall bunkers from the same era.

Prussian Bunker Complex

Befitting of the largest empire in Western Europe is the Prussian Empire Bunker Complex. This fortifying structure will cause nightmares for your opponents as they try, in vein, to break down its impeccable defences.

I had a bit of trouble finding a Prussian Bunker and had considered getting the French Bunker or even the Russian one. However as I had Prussian ships I wanted a Germanic feel to the architecture and to fit in with the naval vessels.

I also got the towers, and they also for me are reminiscent of the Maunsell Forts, but also the Martello Towers of the Napoleonic Wars.

Prussian Empire Towers

For many years, the Prussian Empire has been able to intimidate neighbouring territories with their overwhelming strength and infectious influence. Their significance is perpetuated in their Tower Set – a menacing piece of architecture that will undoubtedly serve you well in battle.

Though I quite like the Prussian towers, I think Spartan Games missed a trick with the design of the Kingdom of Britannia Towers, as they look like castles, whereas I think they should have gone down a Martello Tower look.

I think the question is what colour should I paint these, thinking that grey is probably going to be the best choice.

I’ve not had a chance to really read or reflect on the rules, but not sure how these will play out in a game. They would appear to be either going to deprive the enemy part of the table on which the game is been played, or really need to be the main objective of the scenario, as in destroy the bunker.

Doctor Who: Tip Of The Tongue

As part of the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, there are going to be eleven short novels from famous authors covering (as you might have guessed) all eleven Doctors.

Doctor Who: Tip Of The Tongue - Patrick Ness

The fifth book is Tip Of The Tongue and features the fifth Doctor and Nyssa.

In 1945, a strange new craze for Truth Tellers is sweeping the kids of small-town America. The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa soon arrive to investigate the phenomenon, only to discover that the actual truth behind the Truth Tellers is far more sinister than anyone could have imagined…

Get Tip Of The Tongue at Amazon.

Get Tip Of The Tongue at Apple Books.

I did enjoy the both the last book, The Roots of Evil, and the one before, The Spear of Destiny. I was never a great fan of the fifth doctor, probably because I had enjoyed the Tom Baker years so much. I think that was about the time I stopped watching Doctor Who too. However I do intend to read this book and hopefully I might change my mind about the fifth Doctor.

Hussar Class Gunships

I mentioned in a previous post that I had got some Prussian reinforcements. As well as a blister of battlecruisers, I also got a blister of Hussar Gunships.

These are nice castings and there are three models in the blister.

Very cleanly cast. However no rear armament.

Here are the three Hussar Gunships.

After washing the resin, I will affix the turrets and give the models a white undercoat.

Warhammer Civil War

Throughout the Warhammer world, war rages eternal. Yet the most deadly and bitter conflicts are not wars of conquest against exotic foes, but the clash of brother versus brother!

This Warhammer supplement contains inspirational and evocative background about some of the Warhammer world’s most bloody civil wars. In addition, there are full rules for playing your own games pitting two collections of the same army against one another. Included are individual tables for every single race in Warhammer, allowing you to generate unique battles and victory conditions every time you play.

GW have released their Warhammer Civil War as an iBook.