View Full Version : Personalized damage deck caddy
About a month and a half ago I purchased one of the Herrn Oberst's damage deck caddies, and I really love the way it fit together and the light birch material it's made from. After gluing it together with Elmer's, I felt it needed something to set it apart from other caddies that might be on the board. So I sealed it with a couple of coats of a brushed on, light-colored, acrylic-based stain and varnish combination. While it did darken it a little bit, I wanted something more distinctive. And since I really like the 'combatant' backgrounds to our avatars, I thought THAT might be a way to differentiate my caddy from others on the playing surface. The first photo shows an in-progress shot, and the next two photos show the finished product.
154489154490154491
All in all, it was a fairly easy process, and I like the way it turned out. I had debated using the vertical scribed panel lines to replicate an Iron Cross ribbon on one side and the ribbon from a Military Cross on the other, but I settled on the avatar background instead. For those of you contemplating a similar treatment, I think the sky's the limit - go wherever you're comfortable!:)
Thanks for looking.
All the best,
Matt
colby_bimore
01-07-2015, 09:27
Oh my, this is outstanding.
Thank you for sharing.
fast.git
01-07-2015, 09:55
Well done, sir! :thumbsup: Very nice. I like the taller walls of the new caddy.
Teaticket
01-07-2015, 10:00
Very nice!
Nightmoss
01-07-2015, 11:12
Looks really nice! Thanks for posting the photos.
Oberst Hajj
01-07-2015, 15:24
That does look really good! Nice work.
grumpybear
01-07-2015, 15:54
:thumbsup:Nice idea, looks good
Thanks for the encouragement, folks! :salute:
Were you to talk with the guys from my local miniatures modeling group, they would confirm how hard it is for me to build something simply "out of the box"...
Always the best,
Matt
Flying Helmut
01-10-2015, 15:19
Love the personalisation!
I couldn't decide which side to support, so I just painted the caddy with red ink, to match the damage cards
154684154685
Wow, Tim! I really like that look a lot...and I really like that you only painted the outside - it looks GREAT with the damage cards inside. And picking the letters for the decks out in white connects to the cards nicely, too. Well done, that man!
Always the best,
Matt
Flying Helmut
01-10-2015, 16:40
Glad you like it Matt!
The red/white scheme, matching the cards, is just the effect I was aiming for.
My second caddy I painted with orange ink, and it looks just about the same (don't have any pictures of it yet - recent camera trouble!)
rhodie80
01-10-2015, 19:25
Matt,
Great job. Can't wait to use it.
Jim
Some very nice work there. I recon they both look good. Furthermore you all have given me insperation to spruce up my own deck caddy.:fixit:
Flying Officer Kyte
01-11-2015, 00:54
They say the simple ideas are the best Matt.
I can see this starting a trend in card box personalized art.
Now where did I put those old plywood Rotary Cockpits?
Rob.
Rob, I'm looking forward to getting a couple of the rotary cockpits and doing something with those, too.:) And I want to get one of the Herr Oberst's advanced cockpits (and I'll probably leave it alone, hard as that might be...)
I'm also working on a homemade cigar box console - I'll post snaps of it when I get more done...
Always the best,
Matt
Flying Officer Kyte
01-11-2015, 23:54
Yes I will be interested to see any innovations that you make Matt.
You are right about the advanced cockpits in that they really don't need any enhancement.
Rob.
Rob,
I ordered the black WWI cockpit from the Herrn Oberst - it should be here any day - and I have an idea for a shield to place over the front to 'hide' what you're doing from 2-seaters flying too close on reccee (or neighbors' prying eyes). I'm kind of excited about it and will post some pics when I have attempted it (hopefully it will work the way I'm planning...:))
If I'm in luck, then the Bobby Burns adage about things which "gang aft aglee" won't apply...:p
I'll keep you posted.
All the best,
Matt
Flying Officer Kyte
02-18-2015, 23:45
I'll be interested to see it in action Harry.
Can't honestly say I've ever experienced the problem of voyeurism myself, but then the chaps I play with usually sit opposite sides of the table depending on whos side they are on, and if planes come over the mid point the people on that side of the table move them for each other, so no one ever comes round to the wrong side as it were. We did not agree this, but it just seems to have evolved.
Rob.
That's how we operate, as well, Rob. The idea of a shield is probably just my need to 'tweak' things...:p
I'll see how my idea pans out and post the results.
All the best,
Matt
Great work Matt!:thumbsup:
So my buddy Jim (rhodie80) wanted his damage deck caddie to be a little different from mine - he wanted bunting/drapery in natlonal colors instead of national insignia...
I originally thought I would do something with epoxy putty to make the drapery 3D, but I didn't like the way the epoxy was working, so I opted for simply heavy card stock and painting the bunting on the card stock and gluing it to the DDC...
Here's the Imperial German and Austro-Hungarian side
173743
And the Italian and generic British/French/American side
173744
Jim was very pleased with the finished result, and I must say I was surprised how much I liked it, too (given that I liked my original take on decorating the DDC...)
The bunting idea is (I think) another nifty way to set a caddy apart from another on the playing surface.
As always, thanks for looking!:)
All the best,
Matt
Oberst Hajj
08-19-2015, 18:54
Great work again Matt! If I had not seen the pics, I probably would have said I'd not care for it too much... but it does look really good!
Are these going to be back in stock any time soon Keith?
fast.git
08-19-2015, 19:44
Nice work, Matt! You continue to convince me that I want things I didn't know I wanted... :confused::eek::)
milcoll73
08-19-2015, 20:30
So my buddy Jim (rhodie80) wanted his damage deck caddie to be a little different from mine - he wanted bunting/drapery in natlonal colors instead of national insignia...
I originally thought I would do something with epoxy putty to make the drapery 3D, but I didn't like the way the epoxy was working, so I opted for simply heavy card stock and painting the bunting on the card stock and gluing it to the DDC...
Here's the Imperial German and Austro-Hungarian side
173743
And the Italian and generic British/French/American side
173744
Jim was very pleased with the finished result, and I must say I was surprised how much I liked it, too (given that I liked my original take on decorating the DDC...)
The bunting idea is (I think) another nifty way to set a caddy apart from another on the playing surface.
As always, thanks for looking!:)
All the best,
Matt
thats really sharp matt:hatsoff:!
Stumptonian
08-19-2015, 20:51
Missed this thread when it first went round.
Great stuff, Matt
Might have to get me one of those ...
:thumbsup:
Flying Officer Kyte
08-20-2015, 01:11
It certainly adds a certain something extra to what was already a very fine design for the caddy.
I am now wondering if an actual realistic hanger paint job might work with some National emblems superimposed, or would that be a caddy too far?
Rob.
Marechallannes
08-20-2015, 05:45
Wonderful designed, Matt. :thumbsup:
Maybe I try to paint my dammage Card caddy, too. :fixit:
Oberst Hajj
08-20-2015, 07:33
Are these going to be back in stock any time soon Keith?
Hopefully! Right now the Ares Giant KS is taking up all my laser time. I'll try and get some more of these (and the ACE cockpits) before I leave on my trip next month.
Flying Helmut
08-20-2015, 14:12
These new caddies are superb, Matt!:clap::clap::clap:
Whatever will you come up with next?
Oberst Hajj
09-02-2015, 16:02
Are these going to be back in stock any time soon Keith?
Bill, I just added 7 to the site.
Lt. S.Kafloc
09-04-2015, 07:20
Now I have to convince myself I really need one of those...ok I do.
Bill, I just added 7 to the site.Snagged one of 'em - thanks Keith!
I personally think the game's not the same WITHOUT a damage deck caddy! If Keith didn't make one, I'd have to have come up with an inferior version to use in our games...:p
I know you have a lot to do right now, but keep these puppies in stock, Herr Oberst!
All the best,
Matt
milcoll73
09-05-2015, 23:06
keith have you ever thought of making a caddy with 8 holes so you can keep discards next to the active deck and without the raised part under the deck but with a vertical cut out like a card dealers "card shoe"?
Not sure that would work/be necessary, Phillip - most folks seem to keep damage cards until they're 'boomed' or shot down, or until the game ends. In the former circumstance, they tend to get reshuffled into the appropriate deck, or when the game ends all are collected and replaced and shuffled for the next game...
Unless one is using chits to keep track of damage dealt in a WGF game, there would really be no need to have a 'discard' pile, and then, depending on whether you have one deck or more of A, B, C, or D, it's probably a better idea to shuffle cards back in anyway...
No need to make Damage Deck Caddies any MORE challenging for Keith to fabricate...:p
All the best,
Matt
I gather these could not be used for WGS - the damage tokens are too small and would fall through the holes!
Fantastic idea and the artwork is just wonderful :)
milcoll73
09-06-2015, 22:38
Not sure that would work/be necessary, Phillip - most folks seem to keep damage cards until they're 'boomed' or shot down, or until the game ends. In the former circumstance, they tend to get reshuffled into the appropriate deck, or when the game ends all are collected and replaced and shuffled for the next game...
Unless one is using chits to keep track of damage dealt in a WGF game, there would really be no need to have a 'discard' pile, and then, depending on whether you have one deck or more of A, B, C, or D, it's probably a better idea to shuffle cards back in anyway...
No need to make Damage Deck Caddies any MORE challenging for Keith to fabricate...:p
All the best,
Matt
must be our groups playstyle. i always use at least 2 A decks and dont usually reshuffle until the 2nd boom card rears its ugly face. subsequently we usually end up with at least 1 stack of "spent" cards for each damage deck in play. i just thought itd be nice to have a caddy to hold the active decks and the discards as well.
Oberst Hajj
09-07-2015, 08:35
keith have you ever thought of making a caddy with 8 holes so you can keep discards next to the active deck and without the raised part under the deck but with a vertical cut out like a card dealers "card shoe"?
I could look into it, but not sure how economically friendly it would be. The current design already eats up a lot of wood. Almost doubling the size would be a real challenge for production. Due how the parts have to fit on the sheet of wood, it might actually be cheaper to just buy two of the regular caddies and use one for the discards.
milcoll73
09-07-2015, 21:34
I could look into it, but not sure how economically friendly it would be. The current design already eats up a lot of wood. Almost doubling the size would be a real challenge for production. Due how the parts have to fit on the sheet of wood, it might actually be cheaper to just buy two of the regular caddies and use one for the discards.
ok. it was just a thought.
Flying Helmut
09-08-2015, 06:22
I could look into it, but not sure how economically friendly it would be. The current design already eats up a lot of wood. Almost doubling the size would be a real challenge for production. Due how the parts have to fit on the sheet of wood, it might actually be cheaper to just buy two of the regular caddies and use one for the discards.
Great sales pitch there, Herr Oberst!:thumbsup:
Everyone with a damage card caddy, BUY ANOTHER!;)
These look amazing. Did you guys glue this together or just snap the parts together?
I just used Elmer's glue to glue mine together, Ash - dry-fit yours first to get a feel for how best to glue the pieces, and then you shouldn't have any problems with it.
All the best,
Matt
Oberst Hajj
10-03-2015, 11:55
These look amazing. Did you guys glue this together or just snap the parts together?
I've been using mine for years without glue. They are designed to "snap" together,but gluing will not hurt it either.
They do, indeed, 'snap' together and stay together sitting on the table. What caused me to glue mine was the fear that, in picking it up and moving it from place to place, it might accidentally fall apart...and then I wanted to stain and paint mine to set it apart from others on the table, so gluing seemed a natural way to go.:p
But they do fit nicely together straight 'out of the bag' - so if you are planning on not being too physical with the caddy, no glue should be necessary.
All the best,
Matt
Flying Helmut
10-04-2015, 13:24
My two are glued with PVA wood glue (no, not glued to each other!!!).
I'd hate to have to play "200+ Card Pickup" if one were to fall apart mid-move over the table :eek:
My thoughts exactly, Tim - besides, the fit is so nice that if one is careful, the glue isn't noticeable at all - and it only takes 5 minutes to glue it together...
I have one glued waiting for staining and painting for my buddy Rick (The Blue Whale) as we 'speak' - I'll post pics of it when it's finished...
All the best,
Matt
Flying Helmut
10-05-2015, 12:25
Congratulations on the 1000 posts, Matt!:clap:
Are you going to start a thread in the Officer's Mess?:drinks:
I ended up putting a little wood glue just incase. It looks amazing, everyone in our grouped loved it!
The 3rd musketeer of our triumvirate, The Blue Whale (my good friend Rick), is getting his damage deck caddy back this evening at our bi-weekly Paint Night. He wanted something a little different from mine and Jim's (rhodie80), so I suggested wing splotches of lozenge and French camo...
I added the leader's stripe to the German lozenge side and the red/white/red stripe to the French side to 'spice' up the color a bit - both are 'legitimate' markings for planes and/or Escadrilles, and I like the way the color makes the background 'pop' a bit.
I trust Rick will be pleased...:p
Here is the Central Powers side of the caddy...
179678
and here is the Entente side...
179679
As always with these lovely little caddies, the sky's the limit to what sort of ways you can dress 'em up if you want to...I have a couple more ideas in mind for future caddies. And I think I might need another for myself soon...:p
Thanks again, Keith, for making and offering such a cool product!
And, as always, thanks for looking!
Always the best,
Matt
Nice Matt. Did you freehand those lozenges? Very impressive! :salute:
Karl
Teaticket
10-28-2015, 15:02
I agree with Karl, very impressive. When will mine be arriving? ;)
If I remember well, French aces used a blue-white-red stripes on their planes, is it true? (remember Vichy Dewoitine D.520 from 2nd series of WGS). May be it should be used on the Entente side.
And as usual: Great job! :thumbsup:
Oberst Hajj
10-29-2015, 03:41
More great stuff Matt!
Thanks for the kind words, fellows!:)
Dan-Sam, I was using the Osprey SPAD aces book as a guideline, and it shows top wing stripes of red/white/red for SPA 81 and SPA 82, so I went with that...besides, it wasn't so obviously something I'd seen before, so it makes it a bit unusual.
I have seen the red/white/blue stripes, too, and I think the Americans sometimes used one on their top wings, as well...
By the way, my friend Rick was quite pleased with the outcome, so 'mission accomplished'...;)
I shall post more pictures when I decorate another!
All the best,
Matt
Ah, blue/white/red stripes were not on the wings. I didn't see wings in that before, now it is clear :)
I'm not sure the designs were specific enough to indicate wings, Dan-Sam...:p No worries!
Sometimes I forget that everyone isn't attuned to the same wavelengths as I am...:)
All the best,
Matt
Don't worry, it looks still awesome :thumbsup:
Karl, I have a lozenge pattern that I use to trace the design onto the surface of the piece, and then I paint it by hand with Vallejo acrylics...it's taken from a link that Zoe Brain provided in a thread a while ago - I just printed it out and played with the size until I got it like I wanted it...
All the best,
Matt
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.2 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.