Jackanapesink

I had the same problem with my HIPS field, and at one time, I saw a video on YouTube where a fella basically attached a board between the endzones underneath the gameboard. He cut a long 1/8" dado lengthwise in the board, and placed pieces of cardstock in it, spanning between the board and the underside of the field, which I presume offers support for the field, while not diminishing the vibrations. I haven't been able to find this video since, after multiple exhaustive searches, so I haven't gotten around to trying it myself yet. Another point of note is that the HIPS field--at least my 18x36--doesn't have support legs along the middle of the frame like the metal boards do, which I would guess also lends itself to the sagging issue. I would add those, too. I upgraded to the newer metal field, but still eventually want to get my HIPS field in playable shape. Please post your results if you try this repair!

Beautiful! Nice work! It looks like you used the chinstraps too?

Thanks for everyone's input! Just finished the decals--shoulder numbers included, they do look better--so next stop Facemasks! Cheers!

I just finished decaling my whole team, and I used my exacto knife--the back end--to lift and drop the decals, then the brush the form them into place. It's not the best job ever, but it works. I like the flat nature of the razor's point. Makes it so much easier to place the decals. I used the Testors decal set, which, while it won't harm the paint, is not as "aggressive" as other formulas. When I had a decal that still wouldn't lay flat, I spread my brush over it for 30 seconds, and it dropped right in.

Great, thanks! To clarify: Paint before bending? (And I don't know what TOC means...)

So I'm in the middle of tricking out my Road Bills team, paint is finished--and I'm debating whether or not the shoulder numbers are worth the headache (and eyestrain)--and I'm finished with the decals for the D. No, I'm not recreating any particular team or players, this is strictly for gameplay. I use a little poster putty to hold them in place as I work on them individually. Not only does it give me a visual sense of progress, but the cat can't knock the whole team onto the floor again! You can see I incorporated the "Mean Thirteen" and they mix really nicely. Of course, with the Tudor decal sets only including stripes and logos for ELEVEN, I'll likely have to hand paint those on my two remaining special teams players. A few questions I'd like to toss out there: 1) Are the shoulder numbers worth the effort? 2) On these figures, are the chinstraps a detail with diminishing returns? 3) How do you prep the facemasks? Do you prime them before rolling them , or after? Or do you need to prime them at all, just go directly to paint? Thanks for any advice you can give!

I've generally preferred to play with passing sticks, as they really help move the game along, and know the basics. Coach Shawn posted a few the likes of which I've never seen before...would love to know more about those, as well. Anybody else have any good input on making a new set of passing sticks?

I generally prefer to play with the passing sticks as it makes the game flow faster, but I've yet to make my own, and I note that Coach Shawn has a few more than I'm used to using...would love to hear more about those, as well. Anybody else have any input on making a new set of passing sticks?

I have something like these, but with adjustable lights on the corners...works great!

heheh, not a dumb question. YES, I was referring to the platforms...sigh...I can't get nuttin' right! The point was that there are two colors in the Tudor stable that seem to be right: the recommended "viper green", and "turf green" which just seems to be intuitively right, but is so very wrong...Cheers!

I was wondering about that. Even a "Fridge" figure would be hard pressed to weigh in at 4 ounces...LOL

Wow. Is there any better illustration of why having this forum is the best thing ever?

Doesn't it make you wonder? LOL

I just finished "decaling" my defense using the Tudor decals, and I would offer some observations to Kirk's advice, which is spot on. First, I never trimmed the flash from my figures before painting, which left the legs a little bumpier than I would have liked for the stripes. TRIM. Socks too! My first batch was done without any decal set, and while they went on, they also didn't seem to take as well--one stripe fell off when I began my second round of decals--so I'm glad I didn't get too far. I only was able to get my hands on Testors decal set, but it worked a charm. I brushed it on before and after each decal, and they look great. I didn't use a dish of water, rather, I used a wet sponge, which worked great, especially for the sock stripes, which I curled before I put them on the sponge, making the application much easier. I didn't need a q-tip or anything to absorb the added water, because they weren't soaking...the brush helped them into place. I gotta finish my offense, then figure out these face masks!!! Good luck!

Finally! An electric football forum! Sure, it was nice to browse the archived forums of ages past, but that was no replacement for the real thing. Looking forward to learning so much more! Cheers!