Scrivsland: Fall Blau Painting Update

Sunday, 4 September 2016

Fall Blau Painting Update - 4th September 2016

A couple of months ago I got that itch that a lot of gamers get. I know I have mountains of figures in the mountain of unpainted lead, but you must just start something new.

Well, I've always had a soft spot for the earlier battles on the Eastern Front and decided that I wanted to paint some early-mid WWII Soviets and Germans, orders were duly places on Northstar and The Assault Group. In preparation for the figures winging their way over the Atlantic to me I made a start on some peasant hovels and awaited the postman.

The first package to arrive was the Northstar order on 22nd August:

Mainly Germans with a Soviet MMG from the Crusader Miniature range I could not get from The Assault Group.

A session of cleaning up the figures and sticking them onto bases ensued then they were given a coat of Rustoleum Flat Grey primer, I then set about painting them in small groups of six figures at a time.All paints are Vallejo Model Colour unless otherwise noted. I wanted a slightly less than uniform look, so although most of the jackets and trousers were painted Field Grey I added a few other colours into the mix.

Jackets: German Field Grey WWII, or German Uniform, or Luftwaffe Uniform WWII.
Trousers: German Field Grey WWII, or German Uniform, or Luftwaffe Uniform WWII, or Neutral Grey.
Helmets: Gas mask canisters, Cooking pots, Mugs, Ammo boxes: German Grey.
Bread bag: Khaki, or Stone Grey, or Neutral Grey.
SMG magazine Pouches, Shelter-half: US Tan Earth.
Rifle butt, Entrenching tool handle, Knife handle: Beige Brown.
Flesh: Medium Fleshtone.
Straps, Equipment, Exposed metal: Black.

Once base-coated everything was washed with Sepia Wash and allowed to dry. I then went over and highlighted with thin washes as follows:

German Field Grey WWII: Go over with German Field Grey WWII add a little Dark Sand then a final highlight with more Dark Sand added.
German Uniform: Go over with German Uniform add a little Dark Sand then a final highlight with more Dark Sand added.
Luftwaffe Uniform WWII: Go over with Luftwaffe Uniform WWII add a little Pale Grey then a final highlight with more Pale Grey added.
Neutral Grey: Go over with Neutral Grey add a little Pale Grey then a final highlight with more Pale Grey added.
German Grey: Go over with German Grey add a little Neutral Grey then a final highlight with more Neutral Grey added.
Khaki: Go over with Khaki then a final highlight with Pale Sand added.
Stone Grey: Go over with Stone Grey then a final highlight with Pale Sand added. Camoflage was painted on the shelter half using splodges of German Uniform
US Tan Earth: Go over with US Tan Earth then a final highlight with Dark Sand added.
Beige Brown: Go over with Beige Brown add a little Dark Sand then a final highlight with more Dark Sand added.
Medium Fleshtone: Go over with Medium Fleshtone then a final highlight with Ivory added.
Black leather: Touch up where required with Black then a highlight of Black Grey.
Black metallic equipment: First a wash with Gunmetal Grey mixed with Black and finished off with a glaze of Gunmetal Grey.

The epaulettes were painted German Uniform then a thin band of Ivory added each side, for the officers and NCOs the rang insignia was also painted on the collars in Ivory.

Detail was picked out by 'brown lining' with Windsor & Newton Nut Brown ink.

You'll see that I added quite a variety of uniform colours and I think that they have turned out quite well for that variety.

The figures were based using my usual method, although this is the first time I used the tufts from Tagima Miniatures and I quite like them. Hopefully, I shall have enough to see out this project.....

These 30 figures done in the past two weeks mean that I'm now about half-way through the Germans I have and can then make a start on the Soviets. Here are some close-ups.