Russian armour please help...

[snafu]

can anybody help a man becoming very frustrated. I just cant seem to get the green to look riight om my 10mm armour. whatever I try looks too dark, Ive tried the russian colors recommended by BF but Im just not happy. What do you guys use, In 10mm youre colors need to be brighter I understand that but how light do I go. Ive already painted two diff colors on my new armour and I darent get it wrong again otherwise Im going to have strip them back...

HELP PLEASE 

[Hertsblue]

Have you tried drybrushing a lighter shade across the detail? That usually lightens the whole model. Most of the sources I have show the colour as a dark forest-green. You could also overcoat the base colour with a light coat of white as the Soviets quite often painted on whitewash in winter.

[snafu]

the tanks are for summer unforunatly so cant use that white wash. Ive tried the drybrush but the problem seems to be the initial color, I think I need a lighter green to begin with.

[Kiwidave]

I've used Vallejo Russian Green, withj a green ink, then drybrush with a suitable dust colour.

http://kiwidave.pbworks.com/w/page/7780149/BKC-Russian-Armour

Might be to dark for your liking?

[snafu]

cheers dave, your right, thats what ive been using and yes too dark for me... 

[Kiwidave]

Maybe lighten up the RG with Bleached Bone (or similar)? Then highlight/drybrush?

[Gandalf]

Do you have any pcitures?

[nikharwood]

Yep - pics would help 

I'd try, as others have suggested, lightening the RG by a couple of tones - paint that, then drybrush, then wash & then re-highlight...and then make 'em nice & dusty with your weathering 

[Aart Brouwer]

What do you guys use

For my Soviet armour I use a drab olive acrylic which I often mix with lighter or darker browns. Soviet tanks weren't all the same colour, early war tanks were often brown, bright green or anything in between and T-34's could be very dark green, bleu-ish or brown till the end of the war. So don't strip your armour because of colour differences - neither did the Soviets in 1940-45  

You can make your own favourite shade of olive green by mixing it yourself. Add black paint to pure yellow paint to get olive, then add a touch of red to make it drab, and finally add white paint as needed in order to brighten it. Of course if you believe that all wargaming bliss comes out of bottles and cans, you'd better forget this.

Oh, and as mentioned: highlighting in a lighter shade of the base colour is the best way to make the whole thing look brighter as well as pick out details.

Cheers,
Aart

[nikharwood]

Of course if you believe that all wargaming bliss comes out of bottles and cans, you'd better forget this.

Aart, mate - that is a great quote 

[NTM]

What colour do you use to prime the models?
I have found that using white rather than black can brighten the finished item up.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

But black uc fills in all the hatch joints etc.

Ian S

[Hertsblue]

You can do the same job with an ink wash.

[Aart Brouwer]

I have found that using white rather than black can brighten the finished item up.

But black uc fills in all the hatch joints etc.

You can do the same job with an ink wash.

Yes, yes and yes. But don't most most inks cover all your model's surfaces more or less equally? I never work with ink so I'm asking. And doesn't ink leave a glossy effect on the model as well?

I paint all my stuff with acrylics (can't stand the smell of oils, that's just me) and I always dry-brush pretty thoroughly as a finish, even on the flat surfaces because dry-brushing with acrylic gives that special matt effect of weathered steel and iron.

Cheers,
Aart

[Kiwidave]

The inks can leave a satin-like finish, but I always give my figs a spray gloss varnish, followed by a matt one, so the effect of the ink is taken care of.