New project......revealed

Afrikakorp in 15mm. A slight diversion, but one I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into. So how did this come about? Well it all happened a couple of weeks ago when I found myself taking on the Royal Navy, and giving them a bloody nose I hasten to add, that salty sea dog action can be found here the secret wargamer. Now whilst passing round the bottle of port the Secret Wargamer (who is that strange masked man?) happened to mention he was starting a new project based around the Western Desert in 1941 using the  Rapid-Fire rules. This immediately sparked an interest, so I stepped upto the plate, asked if I could join in. Some ten minutes later I found myself plotting the conquest of North Africa and Egypt.

Now a while back I had an interest in Late War 15mm using Flames of War, and had intended returning to this scale, but using the TOOFAT Lardies rules I ain't been shot mom, for company level games. So a quick perusal of the Rapid Fire rules revealed that the basing for both sets could be interchangeable. With my arch-nemesis planning on constructing a British force, I could concentrate solely on the Germans for the moment, which will be a welcome change from building up two opposing forces for a while.

Here a couple of photos of a test base. (Apologies for the awful pictures, I need to practice my photography more, particularly of 15mm figures)

I have gone for the light olive green uniform, rather than a faded desert look. For the uniform I have used Foundrys Moss palette No29. For the rest Battlefront came to the rescue again painting DAK infantry. I haven't followed the FoW guide religiously but borrowed ideas from it.

I do enjoy painting these 15mm figures. Due to their small size I can be rougher with the application of paint (as can be seen in the photos), than with 28mm models, but from a distance I think they still look good (my opinion only!).

Anyway the plan is to build the 5th Light Division for use with Rapid Fire, since it is smaller than the other DAK divisions and will make a good start point to build on.

      

New Project...a clue.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had started a new project.....crazy fool that I am. Well here is a bit of a clue as to what it can be.

More to follow soon.

Sarissa Buildings

Purchased these two MDF buildings from sarissa-precision recently and spent the last few days assembling and painting them. I found out about this company whilst browsing this site for Old West inspiration Cowtown Chronicles. I then missed out on seeing the buildings in the flesh at the Derby show, since a didn't attend in 2011. Having read further good reviews elsewhere I decided to make a purchase.

They are from the 28mm WW2 range, and they are Small Terrace No1 and House No1 respectively. Both come in kit form consisting of walls x4, base x1, upperfloor x1, roof sections x2, chimney x1 (but comes in four pieces), window frames and door frames. The internal window frames are already molded/cut onto the model. The brick work on the house is also separate, you get two lengths for the front and one for the back. There is no rear door on the house but there is on the terrace and neither have windows on the side walls. Both models go together very easily.

I have assembled them pretty much as they come except for the chimneys were I have added the chimney pots. I have on the terrace house used embossed plastic card for the roof tiles, though I now think the laser cut roof which comes with the model is excellent and paints up very well. Both models were sprayed with Halfords grey primer and it does not hide any of the detail, nor did any of the further painting using an old small house paintbrush (though I used acrylic paints, not emulsion). I did spray the internal walls before assembly.

Here are a couple of photos with a Bolt Action US Para for scale comparison.

The terrace main external walls I have sprayed with an old can of GW Roughcoat, before painting.

The external walls of the house I covered with a render product from 4ground (who also make nice laser cut MDF buildings & accessories). This product worked quite well but may have been even better if I had followed the tutorial on the 4ground site which I found after I had applied the render.

Overall 10/10 for this product from Sarissa. Plus good service and products were received very well wrapped and I mean well wrapped. There is obviously a lot of scope to do more with these buildings if you wish. I will certainly be getting more in the future. I particularly like the warehouse- city block.

Painting Fallschirmjager-a guide & observations

It is a little presumptuous of me to make out this is a painting guide so I would prefer to refer to this entry as a series of observations on painting 28mm Second World War Fallschirmjager. Listed below will be the paints used and sources/inspiration. I will begin with the jump smocks;

Revised 01/07/12

Since writing this post I've still not been completely happy with my version of Splinter camo. So out came the reference material, followed by the paints, brushes etc., closely followed by a prepared Artizan Fallschirmager. What I was not totally happy with was the base colour which looked too dark, so I set out to improve this detail.

And here is the first result;

The base colour for the smock on this figure is Vallejo 'German Camo beige' 821 (N.B. unless stated otherwise all colours used are Vallejo). I then washed this with GW Devlan Mud, and highlighted again with base colour 821. The brown 'lozenges' were then painted in 'German Camo Black Brown' 822, then highlighted with 'German Camo Medium Brown' 826 and finally 'German Camo Pale Brown' 825. The green was painted first in 'German Camo Dark Green' 979, then 'Luftwaffe Camo Green' 823, and finally a mix of 50/50 823 with GW Skull White. Once this was done I further highlighted the base color with a 50/50 mix of 821 and Skull White.

The trousers have been painted with 'German Field Grey WW2' 102, again a wash of Devlan mud, highlighted with base colour, and then a further highlight with 50/50 102 with 'Russian Uniform' 924.

N.B. The panzerschreck is painted 'Middlestone' 882 washed with Devlan Mud. Then Ogryn Flesh but only into the recesses, then highlighted again with 882.

Version No2;

Only the base colour is different on this figure. I've used Foundry pallette German Splinter Tan 85C, only. I have then washed in Devlan Mud and then highlighted in base colour. The Green and brown camo colours are as  above. I then highlighted the base colour with a mix of 85C and Skull White, 50/50.

The 'rain' splinters are Charadon Granite. I've decided the these are in. Though I try and make them smaller and more numerous than when I first attempted the 'rain' marks.

I'm not sure of Vallejo equivalent for Foundry 85C, but maybe 'Deck Tan' 986 or 'Splinter Camo base' 345 from the Panzer Aces range.

Both models together to give a rough idea of the slight difference in colour;

Much happier with how these two turned out. These schemes will now become standard. Though I might try using 'Flat Earth' 983 for the brown camo on some future ones just to see how that turns out. Flat Earth is recommended by some as the colour for brown lozenges/splotches on the smocks.

The original entry below for reference;
    
Splinter Smocks/Splittermuster- (both Army 31 and Airforce 41 versions). I used the Foundry palettes for this. These being German Splinter Tan (85), German Splinter Green (84) and German Splinter Brown (83). I do not use the Shade colour for either the green or brown, I just did not see the point in having three colours for the green/brown, BUT I have started using Vallejo German Camo Pale Brown (825) as the third and final colour on the brown. The Vallejo colour is more muted and I personally like the effect. 

Water Tan/Sumpfmuster 43- The base smock colours are all Vallejo. Starting with German Camo Beige (821), then highlighted with Khaki (988) and finally Stone grey (884). These are the colours recommended in the Flames of War supplement HELLS HIGHWAY, in the guide for Fallshirmjager. But for the green/brown I have used the Foundry palettes 84 & 83 as above (plus Vallejo 825). 

Notes: The Foundry German Splinter palettes are I believe no longer available, though maybe still be  able to be picked up at shows from retailers (I sure I saw one of the colours on a stand at the recent WMMS show). 

The green and brown colours may not be exactly right particularly the brown may be to light after I have applied the Vallejo colour but I like it.

The 'rainmarks' on the smocks. The jury is out on this one. I have painted on the dashes, and have gone from a dark green to a drab green/grey. Basically I use Games Workshop Charadon Granite (now called Stormvermin Fur). I'm not sure whether it is worth the time or effort painting these, but for the moment I will continue to do so.

Remember 'Splittermuster' is brown 'lozenges' with green 'splotches'. Sumpfmuster is green 'lozenges' with brown 'splotches'.

Early Jump Smocks- these are the easiest to paint. The problem I had was the colour. They are referred to as grey/green, green/grey or olive green? I have mainly settled on Foundrys' Storm Green (27) palette as the colour of choice. Early attempts at this were painted in Foundrys' Granite (31) palette. Granite is more grey (not surprisingly) and this was based on the illustrations in the Osprey Men at Arms No 139 German Airborne Troops 1939-45.

N.B. One trick I like to use to further mute the colours on the smocks (can be used on rest of uniform) is to apply a wash, dare I say a glaze, of GW's Graveyard Earth (now called Steel Legion Drab). This is something I have done for a long time and I find it pulls the colours together and dulls them down (hence glaze). But I do not have 4 parts water to 1 part paint, nothing quite so scientific. I thin the paint till I'm happy, generally by running the brush over newsprint, so as long as I can see the print but just make out the brown color I then apply to the model.

Trousers (Fieldgrey)- fieldgrey is a nightmare. I have used a combination of colours, and since there were variations in the actual colour, I believe I can get away with it. These are the combinations/colours I have used.

1. Foundry; German Late Field Grey (78) palette.
2. Vallejo; US Dark Green (893), highlight German Field Grey (810), highlight Green Grey (886) (reference Battlefronts HELLS HIGHWAY). A slight variation on this is to wash 893 with GW Badab Black (now called Nuln Oil), then highlight.
3. Vallejo; German Field Grey (810). Wash with Badab Black, highlight 810 and then with Foundry Storm Green (27B).
4. GW Charadon Granite (Stormvermin Fur), highlight Vallejo German Field Grey (810), highlight with Foundry Sorm Green (27B).
5. Foundry; Storm Green (27) palette. Though I will probably restrict this colour to the jump smocks at least for the Fallschirmjager.

Helmets- Vallejo German Field Grey (810) and then sponge on Vallejo Desert Yellow (977) or just German Grey (995) by its self.

Tunics - Foundry Storm Blue (39) palette.  

So there you pretty much have it. For bread bags/gasmask containers/ammo bandoleers etc. I have used mainly Field grey No 3 or 4 (see Trousers) or variations on canvas/khaki or grey. In the case of the ammo bandoleers I have also used one of the Camo smock patterns. 

For further reference I would recommend in no particular order.

Flames of War/Battlefront-books or the website particularly the Hobby section for painting guides flamesofwar.

Osprey books-ospreypublishing.

The kamouflage.net for camoflage patterns from around the world old and new.

The Mick Farnworth guides on Artizan Designs site-artizandesigns.

Histoire & Collections-particularly German Soldiers of World War Two.histoireetcollections. Also available from Amazon.

And whatever searches you can find on the net for other painting guides/inspiration.

These colours will be/can be used for Heer infantry, and no doubt I will. They are maybe not totally accurate but one rule I follow when painting anyfigures/period is; am I happy with the finished result. If I am then if the colour is perhaps a touch to light or to dark so what. Its a hobby and meant to be fun. I hope the above is of use.


    

      

8cm mortar with Fallschirmjager crew

Further fire support for my 28mm Fallschirmjager Platoon.

Once again Artizan Design figures.

With the addition of this support weapon this gives me a nice little Fallschirmjager platoon to use against my US Airborne. So know I'm going to start concentrating on terrain and what I want to paint as the mood takes me, plus a new little project which I have just started (much to my surprise!)