Painting German WWII Three Tone Camouflage the Vallejo Way! [Shade-Base-Highlights and Washes]

As part of the preparation for the Pendrakon Battleground Middlesbrough Wargames Show, I had to practice my late-war German three tone camouflage painting scheme. The idea was to use Pendrakon 10mm miniatures for the Wargames Development (WD) "A Bridge Too Far" participation game. For my 20mm models I had previously used Tamiya colours (Sand, Matt Earth and Deep Green/Olive Drab, highlighted up with Yellow and White) but for smaller scales the Vallejo paints are a much better to paint with. The Flames of War (FoW) painting guide gives a very good Vallejo recipe (see below, this is "Issue Two" which was the "German" edition - with lots of Panzer (and other things German) painting guides):

The Late War German Three Colour Camouflage Vallejo Recipe:

Shade:

Y: Green Brown (879)

B: Flat Brown (894)

G: Luftwaffe Camo Green (823)

Base:

Y: Middlestone (882)

B: Chocolate Brown (872)

G: Reflective Green (890)

Highlight:

Y: Buff (876)

B: Beige Brown (875)

G: Russian Uniform Green (924)

Tracks: 

German Primer undercoat Cavalry Brown (987)

Brown Wash

Gunmetal (863) Dry Brush 

Black Wash

Final Gunmetal (863) Highlight

Washes: 

Watered down Black and Brown Vallejo "Dipping Washes" (the big vat ones) 

For my first subject matter "test case" I chose a couple of 1/200 Skytrex Action 200 WWII German AFV miniatures I had (see below, two Stug IIIGs, nasty when coupled with close support Panzer Grenadiers. I was pleased with the result but wanted some more experimentation before I jumped up to 10mm):

For my second subject matter "test case" again I chose some 1/200 Skytrex Action 200 WWII German AFV miniatures (they had been around for ages, purchased from a hobby lot on eBay and I have been meaning to repaint them for absolutely ages - no better time than now). In fact these were used in the WD "A Bridge Too Far" participation game I hosted with John Armatys at Partizan, Newark (Second Partizan in the vernacular I think) earlier this year (see below, a Panther [with added foliage] and a Pz IVH, looking for Shermans, or anything with a White Star on it for that matter. They are are old [1980s?] but I think they still hold their own!):  

I always thought the Skytrex 1/200 Action 200 AFVs were nice kits, but I was less taken with their infantry, although perhaps to scale they are a bit spindly. I do have the infantry but I prefer to use their early war 1/200 AFV models freely with Pendrakon's "slightly larger" 10mm infantry figures. I think it works really well for Spearhead and Command Decision level games, wheer a base is a platoon of infantry or a troop of tanks. I use this combination for my France 1940, Russian 1941-42 [while German things were painted grey] collections, however for my new Western Desert project [British, Commonwealth, Italian and DAK] I am going full in for 10mm (Pendrakon and Miniature Figurines being my current figure sources). I have not quite decided for late war, originally it was going to be big-boy 10mm kits in 1943-45 in Europe and the East. Quite unexpectedly though, I acquired two battalions (one Sherman and one Cromwell) worth 1/200 1944 British Armour and a 1944 Panzer Division's worth of German Armour (Panthers, Pz IVHs, Stug IIIs, Half Track 251s, Tigers, King Tigers and various assault guns). eBay, a blessing and a curse! The same old dilemma [same period and multi-scale hell], but in my heart I know I will do what I usually do and - collect both, so late war Eastern Front beckons in 10mm methinks [unless a large 1/200 set of Russians appear]. Which means I will have to double up on German 10mm late war kits - which I think I can live with (see below, I do like the way the camouflage blends into the terrain board):  

Practice run complete and I jumped up in scale to the 10mm Pendrakon AFVs (see below, a 10mm Stug IIIG - it is very nice, it naturally takes more time to paint but it is very satisfying and the metal pieces went really well together - nice casting Pendrakon!): 

When the camouflage painting is done there comes the tactical markings and/or national insignia, so do you decal or go free hand paint? I decided to give the free hand a go [it was only a single tank], with the aid of a new secret weapon! A Posca Art Paint Pen I had picked up ages ago, in a back to school sale (see below, sadly I discovered the pen nibs were a tad too large for meaningful detail work [OK for 20mm-25mm-28mm-54mm] but all I could get was a blob that was useful for the outer white cross area, so I could then fill in black and touch up round the edges (see below, the finished product, which in the end I am quite proud of):  

Altogether a satisfying project. I intend to finish the rest of the 1/200 German battalions (Spearhead and Command Decision Order of Battle) in this scheme.

15mm Madness Continues .. Pocket Money Toys

Now that my interest is "spiked" (as in active) in 15mm I am drawn to the 'Zvezda stands' in model shops. On a recent visit to Nottingham I acquired a KV2 (top left, a chunk beast), a T-26 (top right, delicate but both beautiful and easy to assemble), a BA-10 Armoured Car (bottom right, which was/is a 'work of miniature construction 'art' - very, very impressed) and finally a Matilda II (bottom left) which will probably be sporting Russian colours. Incredibly they snap together, although this time I also applied "liquid glue" ("Plastic Weld" which is well suited as it is very runny and slips into the cracks nicely). You probably spied my Russian leanings at the moment, I just love that 'wacky' Early War stuff (see below):

Still to come out of their boxes are the PSC 15m Russian T34's, Infantry and Heavy Weapons plus AT guns. I am just fascinated with the Zvezda range as they seem to be bringing out all sorts. I saw a M3 Lee in Russian colours, plus Russian Trucks and Stalin's Organs! Yes I will eventually catch up with the Germans too. Once upon a time 15mm was metal, criminally expensive for the numbers you needed but now its "cheap as chips" :)

The idea for the BT-'s and T-26's is to eventually field large formations (a dirty dozen plus - encroaching on my Action 200 Skytrex territory but they are too nice). Who knows I may play Flames of War yet! They are also "cool" for a ton of other rule sets too ;)

Gone Plain Bonkers .. WWII Scale Creep

I promised myself never to do this but put a simple bit of temptation my way and after twenty years of resisting the fatal lure I go bonkers and get a 15mm WWII army. Three in fact, US, German and Russian (the Brits had all gone otherwise it would have been four)! All from a local hobby store(?) called Boyes (rather a department store with local managers discretion to add esoteric collections here and there) selling off a large part of their 'toy line' as 'dead lines' (boo hoo). I guess it must have been a bit like the Hobbycraft experimentation with FoW and GW stuff (now dead). Well at a third of the RRP price or less the PSC 15mm (£5 a box) was too good a 'steal' and I even succumbed to their half price (£10) Perry's WWII 28mm Plastics lure, again put a hole in my wallet (blown the toy budget for the first six months of the year). That means I have the insane "biggies" of 28mm too (just two packs, one DAK and one 8th Army, for a skirmish in the desert).

Once started you cannot stop (see below for some pocket money Zvezda Russian tanks that appeared in my shopping trolley!):

Why?

I have a perfectly good unpainted hoard [and then some] in 20mm (1/72 or 1/76 if you like), in fact I also have micro scale 1/300 (or 1/285 if again you like) plus a 1/200 (Skytrex Action Force) vehicles and infantry and 10mm Pendrakon infantry.

Madness .. how can I defend the indefensible? I claim "hobby insanity"!

The Defence's case rests on "being sociable" as I have wargamer friends who collect in the respectable 15mm range and model in the 28mm for skirmish (Chain of Command) games. 20m WWII gaming seems to be a rather niche area, accessible to all but people seem to move on from it (though not grow-up). Well there's another two (or should that be five) 30 Day Challenges ahead of me for this year ;)

PS Fear not Paul I will get round to finishing off the Fairey Battle in time for the hundredth anniversary ;)

What (WW2 land) rules to follow?

Despite some twenty years of 'punctuated intensity' in the wargames hobby, dominated but not exclusive to the twentieth century (and again in particularly WW2) I have yet to find my ideal set of wargame rules.The concept of "set" can be expanded to include, scale of the models (20mm, 15mm, 1/300, 10mm, 1/200 etc.), the tactical/operational level of engagement the game would represent, the timescale of turn and the simulation versus game mechanics employed.

Yes I have lots of sets (in the purchased sense), but many have not made it to actions on the table-top. Those that keep coming to mind are defined as the "good", the "hopefull" and the "sinfull". All my own personal views of course, and in no way a criticism to those who enjoy a different way/taste to mine in the hobby.

Some "good experiences" of the ones played so far have been:

• Spearhead (and modified versions thereof, played with 1/300 or 1/200 kit, a fairly large sized battle of three to four battalions a side can be concluded in a club-night)
  
• The Command Decision Series (to be accurate mainly WW2 Command Decision Version 2 but Version 3 is in my possession and has been read, played originally with my 20mm kit although I am planning another go with this set using my 1/200 kit, provides a battalion/regiment intense slog-it-out feel to a night)
• Hell by Daylight (participated in various excellent 20mm Skirmish level games, always fun and leaving a feeling of authenticity in the mouth)
• Squad Leader transferred to tabletop (can work well, but mainly with those who have already played it as a board-game, it can frustrate gamers not familiar with it and the infamous Stalingrad scenarios, again with 20mm kit)

Those "hopeful" sets yet to be tasted/tested in the heat of a club battle:

• Battlefront (of which I have high hopes to use 20mm as well as my 1/200 kit)
  
• (Canadian) Great Battles of World War Two (which looks to have some great concepts, probably using 1/200 kit)
  
• Crossfire (which again looks to have good concepts and works for a good many people, a good 20mm prospect, particularly inspired by these chaps Tim Marschall and Lloydian)
  
• Megablitz (well a few 20mm tanks should stretch a fair way in the OoB here, a very high level way to run a battle. Not a case of where are my squads but what are my battalions doing?)

Those "hopeful" sets yet even to be purchased:

• Nuts! (skirmish)
• I Ain't Been Shot Mum! (Company)
• Flames of War (although very popular something tells me I shouldn't hold my breath on this one as I keep seeing it mentioned in the "points" competition sense, though their production quality seems excellent, so popular in 15mm, but a maybe for 20mm)

Ones that suited me not, as in they have "sinned" IMHO, or failed the 'wargaming environments' in which they were played in or perhaps personalities/style involved:

• Rapid Fire First Edition (which had a notorious nights of wanton death that sealed its doom at several clubs I have attended, artillery being a notorious talking point)

Nevertheless the search continues for that "perfect" set. Visual appeal is very important for me, hence my drift away from Command Decision 2 in 20mm as the models in some cases seemed almost touching (in extreme cases, platoons of tanks almost in hand to hand combat) and it didn't carry the realistic visual feel across to me.

However my recent 20mm painting may make me reconsider this due to its modelling appeal. :)