Painting WW2 Blitzkrieg Germans (pt 4)

Hi,
It's been a few days since my last installment. Work and life have gotten in the way of painting, but I got the chance to hit them again today.

Today I painted the boots using Vallejo Model Color Black Grey. This gives a nice very dark, almost black-ish colour; which after I use a black ink (most likely Formula P3 Armour Wash, as that's the black I have) it will look dark enough to be the black leather boots, but also give enough depth and shadow.

I also changed my mind about painting the webbing and pouches in Vallejo Model Color Camouflage Black Brown, and instead used the Vallejo Model Color Black Grey (same as for the boots).

Boots, webbing and rifle ammunition pouches now painted (front view)

Boots, webbing, and rifle ammunition pouches now painted (rear view)

The next step of the initial base coats is the rifles. I'm going to use Vallejo Model Color Gunmetal Grey for the metal parts, and then potentially more than one of the various Vallejo Model Color browns that I have.

While I do recognise that I've left a few gaps, which is made more obvious through my choice of using a whiteundercoat, hopefully the dark wash that I'll be using will hide these sins.

Comments and criticism are more than welcome.

Please note, that these six figures is the first painting project that I will have completed in it's entirety; so I feel that I'm going quite well for someone who is extremely easlity distracted.

Painting WW2 Blitzkrieg Germans (pt 3)

Hi,
Welcome back to he next step in getting some painting done.

I was trying to match the colours listed in the Warlord Games Painting Guide: Blitzkrieg Germans (used to be free a few years ago, but now UK2.5), and was having a few troubles with matching the German Camo Dark Green.

I mixed in some of my 'mystery grey' (believed to be Vallejo Model Color German Grey) along with an equal amount of Vallejo Model Color Camouflage Olive Green. This was applied to the helmets and gas mask cannisters.

The bread bags were painting using Vallejo Model Color Light Brown. While it appears to be way too orange, this will be fixed up in a later stage when I apply a dark wash to this part of the figure.

The mess tins, helmet bands, grenade sticks and entrenching tool handles were paining using Vallejo Model Color Beige Brown.

The water bottles were painted using Vallejo Model Color Khaki.

Detail of the equipment on 2/3 of the figures (yes, the entrenching tool handle was painted after I missed it)

The other 2 figures (sorry for the poor light, there is an open window - it lets in amazing light for painting... not photographs).

Next time.... raincoats / overcoats (on the webbing), rifles, pouches and webbing.

These are intended to be used for Chain of Command, and also the WW2 version of In Some Corner of a Foreign Field (now being sold as Danger Close).

Painting WW2 Blitzkrieg Germans (pt 2)

Hi,
Well, yesterday I started the patinting of the six WW2 Germans that came on the cover of the January 2020 issue of Wargames Illustrated.

The next step was to paint the pants & jacket. I started the pants with my very old mystery bottle of Vallejo grey (the label has fallen off a long time ago, I've had the pot since 2002). From some comparisons it appears to be Vallejo Model Color German Grey. I then added a few drops of a black, mixed it around then painted the jacket with it.

Pants and jacket now done.

Given the darkness of the colour, I'll have to resort to a black wash (or Army Painter Dark Tone) to get the appropriate levels of definition.

The next steps will be to do the leather strapping and various bags / pouches that the figures are carrying. I'll more than likely be using the Warlord Games guide for WW2 Germans or for WW2 Italians. The main reason for using a pre-published guide is to ensure that I get sufficient contrast between each of the different elements on the figure; so they don't turn into one big mushy grey mess.

COVID Painting...

Hi,
Seeing I have an immense readership of one (myself), I'll use this post as a handy way of keeping track of paint schemes.

The January 2020 issue of Wargames Illustrated had a sprue of Warlord Games "Bolt Action Blitzkrieg German Infantry". As usual I base my historical 28 mm figures on the 25 mm round Renedra bases. Plastic figures have a 3 mm diameter magnet added, metal figures have a 4.75 mm diameter magnet added.

Bases removed from the sprue, drilled with the 3 mm magnet glued in place.

I went through the different options that were available, and decided on 4 riflemen (one with a scope) one armed with a MP40 and one prone with an MG42. The machine gunner was originally intended to have a rifle, but I changed my mind. The machine gunner was also added to a 50 mm round base from Renedra (similarly magnetised).

All glued together, ready for undercoating.

I am undercoating all my figures the same way, using a white Vallejo airbrush primer, then after they are dry using a light coat of Vallejo sepia wash (from the 200 ml bottle).

All primed and ready for the sepia wash.

I paint the way that I was first shown, back at the Games Workshop store on Pitt Street (back in 1994); from the inside out. The flesh colour I am using is Vallejo Model Colour 'Flat Flesh' (018).

Wash and flesh done.

Stay tuned, as next time we start the uniforms...

DBA for MOAB 2020

Hi All (if there is anyone out there at all),

Yet again I'm looking to compete at MOAB. The army restrictions for this year are:

• Minimum of 4 warband bases
• Maximum of 2 knight bases

So, I'm trying to get together a list of the armies which are eligible. It would be made a bit easier if there was a database which held all the army lists, but there isn't. It might be something that I'm interested in making, but it would be a labour of love. It would be more fun in trying to workout the structure that would be able to cope with the options system of the list.

Anyhow… Here are the eligible armies

Book I

I/4a          Zagros & Anatolian Highland

I/7c          Early Libyan

I/8b          Makkan, Dilmun, Saba, Ma'in & Qataban

I/14c,d,e,f   Early Northern Barbarians
I/33          Villanovian Italian
I/36d         Italian Hill Tribes
I/49a         Early Vietnamese

Book II

II/65a,b      Tervingi & Early Visigothic

So.… it looks like I'm going to go with:

II/65a Gothic Army at Adrianople 378 AD only
1 x 4Wb (General)
2 x Greuthingi (3Kn)
1 x Alan (LH)
7 x Warriors (4Wb)
1 x Archers (Ps)

Greuthingi - Old Glory 15s Medium Cavalry
Alan - Some horse archers I have, which I suspect are Parthyaian Horse Archers (Plate 12 from Armies of the Macedonian & Punic Wars)
Warriors - Splintered Light Miniatures - Early Saxon Medium Infantry with Spear
Archers - Old Glory 15s Viking Archers