It’s been a slow couple of weeks around here at Arkiegamer HQ. I did manage to finish up my 251/D, and knock off a regiment of Blue Moon 18mm ACW figures for Regimental Fire and Fury, but have only now gotten around to photographing them. I had posted earlier progress work on both of these little projects here.
These panel gaps are more 1980s General Motors than any-decade vehicle of German manufacturer. Still, those MG-42s should prove fearsome to my Chain of Command opponent.
No tripod!
Possibly ahistorical placement of Panzer Lehr division marking. + Panel line gaps.
Troop compartment. I’m particularly happy with the weathered wooden slats on the benches. Not that I managed to record the recipe for future use.
I think the Hanomag turned out OK, painting wise, but I need to do a MUCH better job of modeling on the remaining two halftracks from the Plastic Soldier Company box. I’m still a bit baffled as to how I got the panel lines so off, when it came to final assembly! Better track weathering and stronger use of color, overall, are two other areas that could be improved.
Yank general’s view
The private Yank soldier’s view
I like these Blue Moon figures. They’re not particularly realistically proportioned, it’s damned hard to get three of them on a 1″x3/4″ RF&F base, and they require more cleanup than the AB figures that I’m used to, but I like them. You’ll probably see more figures of this manufacture on the blog in the future, when I finally get around to starting my Union force.
This is not my best painting job-I’m regressing! Maybe I need to invest in a pair of glasses, or just be a little more patient. They look decent on the tabletop, though.
This particular regiment appeared in last week’s game as the 6th Mississippi. They acquitted themselves quite well for a newly painted unit!
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That’s all for now-I should have a couple of terrain projects to show in a few weeks, but updates are going to be iffy in the immediate future due to real life interruptions. Bah!
ArkieGamer 
Comments
Really nice camo job on the half track!
Thanks, man!
Very nice, Tim!
Thanks, Frank!
Yep, I’m in agreement…that’s a sweet 251! Nice job :)
The 251 is superb. I would stick a tutorial up for the painting process:)
Well, thank you. I try, to varying degrees of success, use the techniques described in Alex Clark’s “Small-Scale Armour Modelling,” which is an Osprey book. It’s well worth picking up-there are tons of tips on modeling, painting, and weathering, with great photographs, and very readable text. http://www.ospreypublishing.com/store/Small-Scale-Armour-Modelling_9781849084147
An airbrush is required for some of the techniques, but the one process I have been most impressed by is doing oil filters and washes, and they’re super easy to accomplish, and would ‘help’ any finish.
Basically, once you have your basic colors painted on to the model, you seal the whole thing with a satin (preferably) or gloss finish. This protects the original colors, and makes the subsequent oil paint applications easier to manipulate.
Then you apply a filter-I use a mixture of burnt umber and black that is _heavily_ diluted with odorless mineral spirits. The filter is brush painted over the entire model, with particular care taken to make sure all crevasses and crannies receive the filter paint. Once that’s done, you take some cotton swabs, or maybe a bit of an old tee shirt, dip it in clean mineral spirits, and use it to rub the filter off of the high spots, raised edges, and maybe the centers of large panels. That’s it. Done. You’ll be astounded at…and I don’t know how else to describe it….the tonality of the color, once you’re done. The filter adds a level of complexity to the base colors that’s hard to describe.
You can also do pin washes with the oil paints. To do that you use a slightly less dilute mixture of paint-I, again, use burnt umber and black, with a bit more black in the mix that I use for the filter-and apply it with a small round brush to panel lines, or any other areas that should have harsh shadows. Capillary action should just suck the paint into the panel lines, but if you get any of the pin wash paint in undesirable areas, you can just wipe it off with mineral spirits.
Drying time on oil paints is very slow. Even with these thin washes, you should wait at least 24 hours before moving on to other steps. Oh, and two tubes of oil paint should last you a lifetime of small scale AFV painting, so it’s pretty economical, in the long run.
I hate it when somebody tells a really good idea with pictures and experience. What makes it worse us when they post up stunning pics to prove the point. Now I ,m going to have to buy some oils and persuade the Mrs they are essential for my hobby lol
Well, as hobby outlays go, this one is pretty painless, so I don’t feel too guilty. :)
They (whomever they are) say not to get the cheapest oil paints, as the pigments aren’t fine enough for this type of work. I bought mid-range oil paints, and they seem to work just fine. You’ll also want some cheapo brushes to dedicate to the oil painting, as there are apparently some issues with switching back and forth from oil to acrylic.
It will be interesting to see if you like the technique after seeing it in person. Your WWII stuff has a great clean style, with bright colors, and I hope the oils don’t dingy it up, too much!
I think the vehicle as well as the unit turned out beautifully. The colour scheme and camo looks very good, the latter convinces through its smoothness. I can’t make out the problem with the panel lines you mention, but I have no experience with modern military vehicles.
Thanks! Though there are brush painters that can achieve the smooth transitions you see in the camo, I have to use an airbrush.. I have a love/hate relationship with the airbrush-they’re finicky, take a lot of time and space, and are messy, but, with a little practice, you can get some nice finishes.
The main panel line problem I’m talking about is the join between the upper and lower halves of the hull. You can also see it at the rear doors. Maybe it’s one of those things that only screams out to the guy that built it!
I’ll second your recommendation of the Osprey title, “Small-Scale Armour Modelling,” it’s a great book. As for your 251; another great job! :)
Somehow your comments were sent to the spam folder, 172fixer. Sorry about that! Thanks for the compliment, and the back-up on the book. I’ve found it invaluable. Much easier to refer to the book than search the internet for tutorials.
Hey, thanks for catching that! I’ve had a devil of a time posting due to the spam screw-up. Hopefully I’ve fixed it and can comment once again! :)
It appears to be working again!
Both subjects look really great, but I am obsoletely in love with the halftrack… those colors are so spot on! Which is hard enough in larger scales but in this scale it is more than great! Top notch work!!!
Thanks-glad you liked it. The colors are all Vallejo: Middlestone for the dunkelgelb, German Camo Brown, and some green that I can’t remember, right now makes up the 2nd camo color.
Of course, with the airbrush, the colors get diluted and subdued, and there’s an oil paint filter over the whole thing to further confuse the issue.
Even if it is just the basic colours and some filters… You still need to do it right to make it look good like you did!
Thanks for the confidence booster. :)
I need to tackle some allied vehicles and armor next, so we’ll see how I do with the greens.
Great looking 251 Tim. I wouldn’t sweat the seats too much, I still find wooden seat and tools never quite look how I want them too. The back join isn’t too bad either but you’re about noticing things in your (our) own build that we could have done better. I’ve got whole vehicles I don’t like after they’re done cause somethings off on them lol
Brent
Thanks, Brent.
I think I need to be a little less lazy and less ready to say ‘good enough.’ I mean, these models are just for wargaming, but I get to the end of the model, and the shortcuts I’ve taken are just glaring! Or at least they are to me. Given the investment in time it takes to do a vehicle, it’s silly to rush things.
When does your book on modeling and painting (and photography) come out?! You definitely have the requisite skills.
Lol even I have to draw the line somewhere, there’s things I’d do differently on the Abrams for instance.
On the books – The modern stuff finished just recently is going into the 2nd Skirmish Sangin supplement which is being proofed now and should be out in October. I’ve got a few more moderns to do for our own one, bout 6 months more work I think ….
Are you working on a rules set? I somehow hadn’t picked up on that.
I’ve got the Skirmish Sangin core rules-I’ll have to pick up the supplement, if only to drool over the pictures. :)
Lol yeah as it happens we’re working on some rule sets, they’re a way off being ready for publishing though but based around cores rules we’ve tuned over about 20yrs of gaming. Hoping to have a 1946 set, a Tank only Skirmish game as well as WW2, Modern and Sci-Fi Skirmish sets. Some or all could be free PDFs yet …….
But we should have some “Modelling for Wargaming” books out way before those, if it all goes to plan anyway.
Ah, excellent. I’ll definitely be picking up a copy! The rules sound interesting, too. I’ll keep an eye peeled.