28mm MultiCam

Well here’s how I paint MultiCam in 28mm. At each stage I’ve included front and back views of the figure.

These are the paints I have used...
VMC Medium Grey 987
VMC Buff 976
VMC English Uniform 921
VMC Golden Olive 857
VMC USA Uniform 922
VMC SS Cam Blk Brown 822
VMC Ivory 918
and finally Daler Rowney Acrylic Artists Ink Sepia 251.

It’s an 8 stage process so here goes!

Stage 1 is to paint the whole uniform, body armour and webbing/load carrying equipment in VMC Medium Grey 987. Leave a small amount of black showing at the clothing joins.

Stage 2 is to highlight this colour with VMC Buff 976 as below.

Stage 3 is to lay on the first camo colour, VMC English Uniform 921 in a horizontal pattern, as below

Stage 4 we add VMC Golden Olive 857, again in a horizontal pattern as below

Stage 5 we add smaller areas of VMC USA Uniform 922, as below

Stage 6 we add flecks/swirls of VMC SS Cam Blk Brown 822, as below

Stage 7 is to add flecks/swirls of VMC Ivory 918, as below

Stage 8 is the last stage in my MultiCam method, we use Daler Rowney Acrylic Artists Ink Sepia 251 and a fine brush to line out and edge all joins and uniform seams, as below

It is a bit time comsuming but I’m quite pleased with the result.
Dougie

Varnish question again

Folks, I've had a few more enquiries about the vexed question of getting a fully matt finish to figures. This is the tecnique I use and it's always produced excellent results. I always gloss varnish first for protection to the figures then matt varnish and I always use a brush for figures. Gloss is standard Humbrol 35 Gloss poly and the matt is Daler-Rowney Soluble Varnish Matt.

Give the figure a coat of Humbrol 35, let it dry for a full 24hrs.

Make sure that the Daler-Rowney is well shaken and stirred and apply to the figure, multiple thin coats are better than 1 thick one ! Dougie

28mm Eureka Taliban Part 3 - Finished!

These boys now completed ! Dougie

Rogue Miniatures latest releases Part 3

Next stage, armour completed apart from a final wash and the Highlanders tarten completed, which is always a joy!
Dougie

Rogue Miniatures latest releases Part 2

Progress on these 3 getting the flesh done as well as furs which involves dry brushing washes and glazes. Dougie

Rogue Miniatures latest releases Part 1.

Rogue Miniatures are a figure company local to me specializing in single 1 off figures that need no introduction. Have a look at their website here . The figures are very high quality and when I was asked by the owner of the company to slap some paint on I couldn't say no. I have to apologize to Andy for not sorting this more quickly, but my new job, which was supposed to be part time has morphed its way into 40-50 hours a week. Sorry mate, I'm on it now.
The first 3 figures are an unpleasant chap from Eastern Europe/Asia with dark armour continually banging on about there being only one?!?, an immortal guy from Scotland and a John Bormanesque Arthurian knight.
Dougie

The figures cleaned up, based and primed.  I'm following my usual technique of doing the base before priming and painting the figure.

28mm Eureka Taliban Part 2

Got some work done on these guys, I followed my normal format and completed the bases before priming them black. You get a nice clean join where the figure meets the base, I know this isn't everyone's preference but if I want to add dirt/wear to boots and trousers/legwear I prefer to do this afterwards using washes and filters as opposed to painting the figure, drybrushing the base and getting the figures feet and legs covered in the earth colours.
After doing this I painted the flesh areas using my normal method and completed the hair. I was quite tempted to do one of those dyed ginger beards on one of the fighters but I wasn't sure as to the accuracy of this and whether its prevelant in Afghanistan. Anyone know?
With the Eureka figures the sculptor, Kosta Heristanidis, uses quite a nice tecnique for the eyes on his faces, basically 2 lids. This makes them easier to paint and you can leave off the joy of iris painting!
Dougie

 The group as they are now, as I mentioned in previous posts there are a couple of Empress figures masquerading in this group, a kneeling sniper with Dragunov, he's skulking in the rear row and the ISIS salute guy. Now these have standard eyes so I've had to paint them in, this is never easy and takes practice to avoid the cross eyed or bug eyed look lol. As this group develops I'll pick 1 to illustrate the various stages!

A closer view of a Eureka Talib

ISIS salute guy, the eyes are quite difficult to see but I'm happy with them !

28mm PIRA ASU

Is it me or are 20mm figures gradually shrinking ? I suspect its my eyes! I've been thinking for a while now that any new projects will be getting done in 28mm, I've got a lot of 20's and I'll need to supplement as I go, but for new ventures it's gonna have to be 28. In keeping with this I found some usable figures for low level skirmish stuff in Ulster, they're from the "Geezers" range by Killer B Games, here's the link Killer B Games , these boys are sold as 1970's armed robbers but they'll be masquerading as members of a PIRA ASU. You don't obviously get a wide weapon selection and I've done a small conversion to the player in the middle who was holding a money bag. I chopped the whole hand off and added a new hand in the stop position with a little greenstuff. They're based on pennies and ready for paint. The initial opposition will be Gripping Beast/MOFO from the Falklands range. Dougie

Capt Maynard - On the Seven Seas

A friend has asked me to paint Capt Maynard from North Star Military Figures Royal Navy Crew. He wanted to get my take on flesh and basing so here's a short tutorial on how I did him. Dougie

Neil wanted the Capt based on a 2p piece so the first stage is cleaning the figure, gluing him to the base and blending the cast base in with milliput.

The base was to represent a desert island so I decided on ground only and no vegetation. The base has been painted in VMC 873 US Field Drab. I then glue ballast on for the terrain, I use Woodland Scenics Dark Brown Ballast fine code B71. This is a good match to 873, use white glue to attach it and wait for it to dry. We then dry drush the base up in progressively lighter shades using the following colours;
VMC 843 Cork Brown
VMC 912 Tan Yellow
VMC 847 Dark Sand
VMC 837 Pale Sand
The edge of the base is then tidied up with 873.

I prime the figure in Matt Back, I use VMC but any will do.

I use a fairly standard triad system for painting flesh, this is my standard european version it can be easily enhanced by putting further shades on but this has just 3. The flesh areas are intitially panted with the shadow shade, VGC (Vallejo Game Color) 44 Dark Flesh. Leave the eyes black and the very darkest of shadows.
Next we add the main flesh colour which is Foundry Flesh 5A.
To highlight the flesh areas we use VGC 4 Elf Flesh.
To pull it together paint the bottom lip with VMC 802 Sunset Red, highlight it slightly. Only paint eyes if you're up to it and can do very small precise dots of white either side of the pupil. If they're too big you'll spoil the whole face, better to leave them black and in shadow! The photo below has the eye left black in the following shot you'll see I've added the white.

The white areas added and the eyes sorted.

Painting completed

The whole figure and base edge is given a coat of Humbrol 35 gloss poly for protection.

The figure then has a Matt varnish applied I use Daler-Rowney Soluble Varnish Matt for a dead flat finish and we're done. Next stop the Caribbean !

20mm basing discs

Quite a few folks have asked me what I use for basing my 20mm figures. The product's called Premier-Grip paper fastener washers and its, well, a paper fastener. You should be able to get these at a decent stationers or online. The last box I bought was £1.69 for 200, so they're great value! The disc is metal, very thin, which I like, sticks to magnetic basing sheets and its got a diameter of 15mm which for a 20mm figure is pretty much ideal for me. I use these on all my individually based 20mm figures and one's been used on my basing tutorial which is in the figure tutorial section.  Dougie

Woodland Pattern Tutorial

A short tutorial on how I paint US Woodland Pattern and its derivatives. The figure in question is a Mutineer Miniatures African Militia Boy soldier. He's painted using my normal tecniques, on a black undercoat. For the tutorial I'll be painting Woodland Pattern on his 3/4 cut off combat pants. All colours are Vallejo Model Color. Dougie.

1. The base colour 922 USA Uniform is blocked in leaving black showing on clothing joins and seams.

2. Apply horozontal blotches of 875 Beige Brown, use references to capture the "look" of the pattern.

3. Apply horozontal blotches of 847 Dark Sand, again use your references to get the "look".

4. The last stage is to add the black "squiggles" that characterises the pattern and you're done!

20mm African Flesh Tutorial

Here's how I do African Flesh in 20mm, again a 3 shade tecnique going from darkest to lightest. The figure in question is one of the superb African Boy soldiers from Mutineer Miniatures.

1. The figure based and primed in matt black.

2. Shadow flesh blocked in leaving some black showing in the deepest shadows, eye sockets etc., using Vallejo Model Color 822 German Cam Black Brown.

3. Flesh tone blocked in leaving some of the darker shade showing, the colour is Vallejo Model Color 872 Chocolate Brown.

4. A highlight colour is mixed using 50% 872 Chocolate Brown and 50% Vallejo Model Color 874 US Tan Earth and applied to the very highest highpoints.

5. Combine Vallejo Model Color 802 Sunset Red with a touch of 874 US Tan Earth and paint the bottom lip. Paint the hair, black normaly but the West Side Boys did sport some interesting dyed hair shades. You're done!

20mm European Flesh Tutorial

Here's my current method of painting european flesh on a 20mm figure. The guy in question is a Liberation Miniatures 20mm UKSF trooper from the Falklands, the fig is slightly converted, I've added the M79 grenade launcher. On 20mm I use a 3 shade method painting from darkest to lightest shade. Just to clarify I haven't forgot to paint his hands, he'll be wearing fingerless gloves so I've only painted fingers and thumbs! Dougie

1. The figure has been based and primed matt black

2. Shadow flesh added, this is Vallejo Game Color 44 Dark Flesh, I never add eyes on 20mm figures for personal choice, you need to be covering the flesh areas with this colour leaving the black undercoat in the deepest darkest areas, eye sockets, sides of nose. Also leave the bottom lip and any hair.

3. Main Flesh added, this is Foundry Flesh Shade 5A, block in the facial areas again but leave some of the shadow showing in the deeper areas.

4. Highlight flesh added, this is Vallejo Game Color 4 Elf Flesh, paint the highpoints, bridge and tip of nose, top lip if you can see it, highest point of cheeks, ears, edge of jaw and chin.

5. Bottom lip painted Vallejo Model Color 802 Sunset Red and hair painted to your preference and you're done.