8th Army Uniform - 1/72 Scale Painting Guide

There was a time when I thought my Airfix sand-coloured plastic figures really looked the business with the exposed parts of the skin painted with good old Humbrol Matt Flesh - and of course to a 10 year-old kid they did.

And that kid still lives in my head, and even though various decades have passed since then, and even if I spend maybe a little more time painting my figures nowadays, I do still try and keep things as simple as possible,

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Drybrush & Wash Technique

The figures below were all painted using a simple technique that brings out the detail well and allows you to finish off a large number of figures in a relatively short time.




I'll cover the preparation, basing and undercoating in a separate post in more detail, but the painting technique itself is straightforward and simple as follows.

• Paint a large batch of figures in the base uniform colour. 
• Once dry, give them a very heavy drybrush of a much lighter colour to highlight the raised uniform areas, straps, buckles, rucksacks, etc. 
• Block paint flesh areas and weapons.
• Finally finish off the whole batch with a wash to bring out the details. 

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Acrylic Paints / Colours / Wash

Acrylic paints are the best for this job and I generally use colours from the Vallejo range.

For the 8th Army figures I've used the following.

• Vallejo Khaki - base uniform colour
• Vallejo Iraqui Sand - heavy drybrush.

There are various products on the market sold exclusively as "washes" or "dips", but I've found that - at least for me - the best option is to use a good quality artists' acrylic Raw Umber diluted with water to a consistency of milk. In this example I've used the following

• Van Gogh Acrylic Raw Umber

You just need to squeeze out a half-thumbnail sized blob into a bottle top or similar recipient, mix in water to get the right consistency, and paint a generous dose onto each figure.

The wash will settle into the folds and crevices of the figures and once it has dried you'll see a very pleasing and subtle highlight and shadow effect.

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Further Detailing



The 8th army uniform can range from sun-bleached sandy white to the darker hues of khaki brown and even green. This all depends on the issue of uniform, the amount of time exposed to the sun and elements, etc., so you might want your figures to have more variation.

You can use the same technique but paint in more detail before the final wash, and play around with variations on the straps, pouches, rucksacks, helmets, etc., using lighter browns, sand, other shades of khaki, greys, and so on.

Another option is to also try with different washes using deeper shades and / or consistencies of artists' acrylics.

If you want to certain figures to stand out, such as as officers or special units, or even whole squads, once the wash has dried you can further detail the figures by touching up certain areas, dark-line, highlight, etc., etc

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Colour Guide

The illustration below is a guide based on Vallejo colours for painting 20mm British & Commonwealth WW2 8th Army figures.

One final note : Boots

The British wore black boots but if you've ever walked around, even for a very short time, in dry dusty terrain you'll already know that whatever colour your boots might have originally been, they will soon become the exact same colour of that same terrain,

For this reason I prefer to leave the boots in a dusty shade to try and match the flocked base.

There are plenty of options for painting the 8th Army and many of us have various preferences for colours and techniques so please feel free to add any comments.

Speedpainting Esci Zulus - some progress on the horde of figures

This is definitely a quantity over quality job, and speed is of the essence, so I'm hoping to finish them all off and be ready for basing sometime at the end of the week.

I'll also give a runthrough here on the technique I'm using to speedpaint the figures. It works (well, at least for me) on painting very dark / black skin tones.

First step is to give a heavy basecoat of tough black-gloss enamel paint.



This is followed by a very heavy drybrush to bring out detail and highlight the raised surfaces.



I then prepare a wash using water based artists acrylics. The acrylics will bring out the shadows and highlights on the black skins.



I use Van Gogh which are excellent consistent quality and work really well. I used a mixture of Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna.



Mix the two until you get a thick but creamy consistency ... and yes, it does look like something disgusting that the the dog just dropped.



Finally add a little black to dip into for some slight shading when you paint the wash onto the figures, and the next day when they are dry you should have figures that look something like this.



You can then just paint up the details.



So I'm now about halfway there, most of the figures in progress are in the picture below.



Once I've got them based I'll add a final update on the Zulus and in the near future some pictures of them in action in the upcoming game.

Smallscale (20mm, 1:72 1:76) Paint Guide for WW2 US Uniforms

Guest Article by Antònio Santos - Smallscale (20mm, 1:72 1:76) Paint Guide for WW2 US Uniforms

By Antònio Santos










We have the idea that the US WW2 Army uniforms were all alike, with almost no variation. This is perhaps because of the primacy in modeling of topics related to the German army, leaving others in background.



The examples presented here have been made ​​with the help mainly of illustrations in books or magazines on the US Army (WWII). As for colors, I tried to select the most approximate, carrying out comparisons between the various options (color) brands, and other modelers, or publications related to the topic. Here I used acrylic-vinyl brand colors Vallejo Model color.

They are water-based colors with rapid drying and serve to metal or plastic.

They come in 17ml containers and are neither toxic nor flammable. The indications equivalent to Humbrol and Revell colors are the most approximate, and in the case of not being able to determine equivalence, have indicated a second option (2).

Keep in mind that colors have been chosen for the smaller scales, in this case 1:72.

FIGURES



They are five brands: Matchbox ; Airfix ; Heller / Airfix ; Revell ; Hasegawa.

From these figures half of them have been changed, some more, some a little less .. As I mentioned, I used acrylic and the good results that have contributed paintings are now my favorite, at least for the figures! For the faces and hands, I used the color 845 and once dry apply a wash, in this case with 874 color to enhance the shadows.

The other colors correspond to the instructions given in this article painting. All the paints here are diluted with water or alcohol, and dried pretty fast. Also stressed that when we use the paintings for the first time, you should remove the paint in the bottle with a toothpick. The reason is that, as much as we shake the bottle, the paint stays at the bottom, and so it might be a little more dilute than what we expected .

UNIFORMS

American uniforms had great influence on the military trends during the years following the end of the war, on almost every other army with their steel helmets and canvas equipment Both officers and sergeants all wore the same uniforms as the privates, and from a distance could only be distinguished by their individual weapon: whether it was a pistol, machine gun M3, one Thompson, or M1 carbine.

This first example is considered summer uniform and was used on D-Day . The color of the jacket could also be in olive green. The soldiers of the paratroopers divisions were carried in gliders and they also wore this uniform with the difference that they had the American flag on his right arm, near the shoulder




As a curiosity, because of the prestige of the paratrooper boots, the commander of the 82nd Division authorized the use of these boots for their soldiers. For that, it was only necessary to make a single parachute jump during training (not only did they have the right to use the paratrooper wings ).

This did not please the 505 Airborne Infantry too much and in response, issued a notice that any paratrooper conducting a single glader landing was authorized to wear leggings & boots !















Uniform used in the invasion of Italy (Anzio)





Jacket, like the first example, would be olive green. The American army used canvas with brass buckles painted black. Thick canvas was cheaper and more durable than leather during the time of the campaign.




The belt had a metal rings to fix the cartridge, the canteen, bags and bayonet scabbard.

 
Paratrooper, in this case, of the 82nd Division during the Normandy campaign (1944)





Use the characteristics as a paratrooper boots, special for diving, strongly tied with laces up the shin to protect the ankle while landing on the ground.




They were elite forces, they dropped behind enemy lines, charged with challenging missions, which had to resist until the arrival of the Allied forces (armored and infantry).

Among the paratroopers the usual place for the first aid kit was on the front of the helmet below the camouflage netting.



This uniform color, was used from 1942 and during the Normandy campaign, it became clear that it was not convenient for European forests and overnight subsequently it was replaced by the green uniform.








The Americans on D-Day also wore a camouflage uniform that was later abandoned to avoid confusion because they could be confused with the soldiers of the Waffen-SS who had a very similar uniform !!


This uniform was not very frequent, mainly used by the Corps in the Pacific, one very similar was used by snipers, or in some special missions camouflage consisted of five colors:.. Base color, khaki brown, dotted with brown and green spots, and two lighter shades of the same brown and green.



For these small scales, in my opinion the first three will be enough The helmet (M1) was usually covered by a net, avoiding reflected sunlight.

The tank crew, wore a fiber helmet with ventilation holes




Outside the tank for additional protection it was possible to use an M1 helmet.


Other features of the garments of the armored divisions was a lined jacket with front zipper.It was very popular with the troops and everyone wanted one a design still in style in both military and civil fashion!



This is the wool coat of the US Army.






With the arrival of winter, not everyone received the right clothes, so many had to improvise.






Before receiving white coats with a hoodfor camouflage in the snow, they took what they had at hand. Here are pieces of sheets. Additionally, some helmets and tanks, were painted white. When winter equipment was distributed, it also included some curious rubber soles (black) with an light edge to be placed on the outside boots the idea was to avoid direct contact with the frozen ground.



Turning to the figures, I refer to one that has a white layer This sheet paper is divided into three parts. Two lower and one for the upper body.The paper I used is plain paper A4 sheets, and each piece was crumpled and rolled in hand to form a small ball, eliminating the stiffness of the paper.

After unrolling, the pieces have sides cut to size and placed and glued individually. With a small knife the paper is fixed in place. Finally to harden the paper it has been soaked in SuperGlue (cyanoacrylate).





The doctor uses a waterproof jacket (1945). On helmets with netting, instead of a cross painted, some used a piece of white cloth, with the red cross placed in front.





Pacific Uniform





Marines wore a shirt that was different from those of the other forces. It had only one chest pocket, unwrapped and placed to the left side, where the Marine Corps insignia was printed in black.

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VALLEJO	HUMBROL	REVELL
818  Red Leather	062(2)	382
820  Off White	130	005(2)
830  G. Fieldgrey WWII	066	046(2)
845  Sunny Skin Tone.	061	035
874  Tan Earth	119	087(2)
875  Beige Brown	062	382
886  Green Grey	155	362(2)
893  US Dark Green	117	045
912  Tan Yellow	063(2)	088
914  Green Ochre	072(2)	088(2)+067(2)
922  Uniform Green	098(2)	037
938  Transparent Blue	014	052
940  Saddle Brown	186	380
947  Dark Vermillion	060	036
950  Black	033	008
951  White	034	005
980  Black Green	116	362(2)
982  Cavalry Brown	098(2)	037
984  Flat Brown	160	381(2)
988  Khaki	084	381
992  Neutral Grey	140	077(2)

In this article I have tried to be as accurate as possible , both in the colors and descriptions of the drawings. That does not mean that there are no errors or other possible better options (in this case colors! ) And I am available to receive any correction and / or suggestions, mostly about colors.

BIBLIOGRAFY
Tropas Aerotransportadas de Ejército de EE.UU.1940-90.Gordon Rottman. Tropas de élite,17-Ediciones del Prado.1994
Desembarco aliado y ruptura del frente. Stepthen Badsey.Batallas de la Historia,1-Ediciones del Prado.1994
The US Army 1941-45.Philip Katcher, Chris Collingwood. Men-at-army Serie,70-Osprey Military.1998
US Paratrooper 1941-45. Carl Smith, Mike Chappel.Warrior,26-Osprey Military.2000
The US Army in World War II(I).The Pacific. Mark R Henry,Mike Chappel. Men at armS,342-Osprey Military.2000
Uniformes de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale. Peter Darman.-EDDL.1999
2ªGuerra Mundial-Soldadinhos de chumbo.-RBA.Lusomundo-editores,Lda.1999
Modelismo Aplicado.-Graficas Reunidas,SA.1996 -Euromodelismo,109.-Accion Press.2001


Los dibujos han sido basados, principalmente, en información obtenida de estos libros y también en algunos catalogos (Italeri, Revell, Tamiya, Airfix) y revistas de Steel Masters.Antònio Santos,


© Antònio Santos, 05th-February-2002

santonino@net.sapo.pt