ww2 base colours - german, french, russian

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

I avoid sprays due to the potential for peripheral damage - so need to work outside. However figure painting is very personal so work the way you want.

[fred.]

My advice, try out a few things and see what makes you happy. If you're looking to get figures on a table that look pretty good from "wargaming distance" then that is a different challenge from getting figures able to be displayed on the Pendraken catalogue. 

This is very good advice. Generally with 10mm you are aiming to paint armies - therefore your painting approach should reflect that - rather than being based on an approach to produce large scale display figures. It is also a hobby to the approach has to appeal to you, and please you in its execution. For two main reasons, firstly its a hobby and the whole point is to be enjoyable, and also if the approach is a lot of effort, you will find that you will keep putting off painting to do something else!

[sultanbev]

Good points, yes.

I only spray my varnish outside, so there are many days of the year when you have to wait for the weather to be agreeable, which in the NW of England is, how, shall we say, variable!

I've had more trouble with brush varnishes than spray ones - the other issue is time, if you're running a painting service or painting loads of units, hand brushing varnish can't keep up with the volume of painting done, so sourcing a good spray varnish has always been important for me. As most of my painted stuff is getting on for 20-30 years old and still looking good, I'd say my methodology is kinda working.

I am convinced it is the undercoating that is most important, ensuring complete coverage of the figure, as at a molecular level the paint 'shrinks' onto the metal as it dries, so a complete coverage is like a complete skin which will have greater bond strength than a patchy undercoat would have. Thus it's less likely to rub or chip when handled, and as happens more often than we think, mishandled. Hands up anyone whose dropped a base of figures on the floor or knocked part of the edge unit off the table!  

I forgot to add that I leave 24 hours between undercoating and applying the first overall colours. Then same again after finishing, leave 24 hours before applying varnish.

Another point if you're painting a lot of figures, is to have a permanent painting table you can visit any time. Having to get out and pack away a painting area in a domestic household is such a pain! And batch painting by units provides greater incentive to get through them when you've an entire army to do. With a good routine in place, you can be basing a previoulsy finished unit whilst waiting for the current unit's paint to dry.

[hammurabi70]

So much useful information ought to be archived somewhere!! 

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Unfortuneatly we don't have one on here. Files will be stored a long time though.

[John Cook]

The German Feild Grey WWII (be careful - dont use Feild Grey it's green) .

Hi Kermit, Vallejo German Field Grey 70-830 is a shade of green which works well for German jackets c1940.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Hi Kermit, Vallejo German Field Grey 70-830 is a shade of green which works well for German jackets c1940.

Looks to green to me, but it is a matter of taste. I use the WWII specific one.

[John Cook]

Looks to green to me, but it is a matter of taste. I use the WWII specific one.

Vallejo 'Model Colour 70.830 German Field Grey WWII' is WW2 specific.  The 'feldgrau' of the German Model 1936 infantry tunic was a grey-green shade for which Vallejo 70.830 is about perfect, particularly for early war when the green was more pronounced.  No, I'm not colour blind   Trousers, on the other hand, were grey 'steingrau' and were a distinctly different hue from the tunic.

[henjed]

Sorry not to have responded to this interesting and in part amusing cornucopia of advice.  Still digesting it. 

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Sorry not to have responded to this interesting and in part amusing cornucopia of advice.  Still digesting it. 

Erm - CHEW FASTER.... Painting is very personal as is how much detail you use. You will find the best way for you. The colour blindness should cause no problems in WWII stuff, it's all drab colours greens browns and greys. One thing - don't rely on colourised photos, the colours will be wrong.

[sean66]

Erm -  One thing - don't rely on colourised photos, the colours will be wrong.

I also find a lot of uniforms in museums are wrong as well. A lot if these items have been in closets and such like for years then are under the bright spotlights in the display cases
for years.
This also applies to vehicles. one Hetzer in a Museum in Belgium springs to mind.

regards
Sean

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

This also applies to vehicles. one Hetzer in a Museum in Belgium springs to mind.

regards
Sean

To say nothing of a Tiger in a certain museum on the South Coast !

[Ariete]

Mark B said he avoids paints in a dropper as he cant stir them. I always found this a problem until I discovered glass bead "agitators on EBay. Buy your Vallejo paints [other brands are available] pop off the top, put in a bead, replace top and shake away to your hearts content. For larger containers use 2 beads.

[Orcs]

I also find a lot of uniforms in museums are wrong as well. A lot if these items have been in closets and such like for years then are under the bright spotlights in the display cases
for years.
This also applies to vehicles. one Hetzer in a Museum in Belgium springs to mind.

regards
Sean

Yep, The Afrika Korps field caps started out a deep green, and bleached almost white.  The other one I never realized until a while a go was the color of the 8th Army leather boots. Due to the abrasiveness of the terrain they quickly scuffed to almost completely white.  

[Ariete]

For German tanks it's dark Grey, Vallero do a colour called German Grey which looks about right. They may or may not have dark brown patches

Until 31st July 1940 all German vehicles including cars and trucks were painted Dark Grey with one third Maroon Brown. The order abolishing the application of Maroon Brown took effect after the end of the French Campaign.
Drew