Friday 13 November 2009

Note to self: Painting and basing Revell German Panzer Grenadiers

Preliminary Steps:
  • Wash plastic figures in hot soapy (detergent based) water to remove any water repellent grease/residue left over from the plastic injection process, dry on towel. 
  • Need to cut back bits of "spoiler flash" with a very sharp craft knife, the Revell kit is good/excellent but it does suffer from fine flash lines that are best removed or will simply bug you at a later stage (you have been warned)
  • These are plastics so required the PVA treatment, I watered it down but it may pay to be braver and have a thick mixture. Cover the whole figure, it pays to have a clean washed figure to avoid PVA grouping and not giving a complete coverage
  • PVA is left to dry. As it dries it shrinks and gives the plastics added rigidity.
  • Undercoating with a solid black sealer (Games Workshop Chaos Black), although I await my first Xmas trip to Halfords (ubiquitous UK car/autostore shop) for some tough car [cheaper] undercoater!
Shade Painting Scheme
  • Undercoat of Tamiya Dark Green XF-61
  • Vallejo: German Field Gray - (102) 70830 over Uniform Area
  • Black (Games Worshop Chaos Black) Straps and Boots 
  • Vallejo: German Pale Camo Brown (144) 70825 Bags and Sacks and Waterbottles
  • Anita's Acrylics Metallic Black for Weapons
  • Anita's Acrylics Bark Brown for Flesh areas (this has replaced my GW Dark Flesh)
  • Games Workshop Scorched Brown for Gun Stocks 
  • Tamiya Dark Green XF-61 undercoat left for shade of Helmet and Gas Mask Container
Base Painting Scheme
  • 50:50 Mix of Vallejo: German Field Gray (102) 70830 and Vallejo: Green Gray (101) ??886 for Uniform Areas
  • Boots and Straps GW Chaos Black and GW Codex Gray dark gray mix
  • Bags, sacks and things German Pale Camo Brown (144) 70825 now mixed with Vallejo: German Camo Biege (103) 70821
  • Shiny metallic bits GW Bolt Gun (I try to keep it to a minimum, but the brush can slip) 
  • Mix of GW Tanned Flesh and Vallejo: (18) 70955 for the flesh parts
Highlight Painting Scheme
  • Vallejo: Green Grey Green Gray (101) ??886 for Uniform Highlights
  • Touch of GW Codex Greu for variation on blackish things
  • GW Bestial Brown for Gun Stocks highlight
  • Flesh highlight of Vallejo: (18) 70955
  • Bags, sacks and things highlight Vallejo: German Camo Biege (103) 70821 (Note: I should really go back and put a distinctive dark line on the water-bottle or perhaps do it a different colour) 
  • Helmet and Gas Mask Container highlight of Tamiya Dark Green XF-61 and Tamiya Yellow XF-3
  • Final fine black line touch up to add back in any strapping details that have been inadvertently lost 
Fine Details (omitted at present)
  • As I have the Flames of War German painting book I have teh potential to attempt rank insignia and other crazy things, as yet beyond my initial ambition. I may revisit this at a later date.
Varnishing the Finished Figure
  • I should do this but currently don't because I may come back and do some crazy insignia
  • Debating in my own mind whether it should be a one matt step or a two step (gloss then matt) process, I obviously need to try both and compare the results
Basing
  • Cheap PVA (kids art stuff) and sand mixture (literally the local beach and DIY mortar stuff)
  • Two stabs at it, first time leaves ridges round base of figure, second time to balance it up
  • Daub on cheap watery acrylic brown (leave to dry overnight)
  • Cheap watery black (leave to dry overnight)
  • Brown wet-brushed on leaving plenty of black gaps
  • Lightened Brown wet/dry brushed over the top
  • Highlight Cream dry brushed on sparingly
  • A third to a quarter of the base covered with watered down PVA then dunked in a scenic flock container
  • Static Grass if the base is big enough, two or three slightly watered down PVA globs followed by a dunking

9 comments:

Monty said...

Nice one, Geordie,

As you probably know, I'm going to have a crack at these buggers soon and havene't painted soft(ish) plastics for a good while, so the tip with the PVA is welcome; I take it that's just for the 'bendy' bits - weapons, arms etc? What I tend to do is run a thin film of super glue gel up these so as not to obscure detail which I find effective. Do you recommend I do the entire figure with PVA though?
All the best,
Monty

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

As radical as it sounds it is the "whole monty" Monty. It won't work if you just do an arm and a leg, it will flake and be disasterous.

As horrid as it seems you need the James Bond Goldfinger treatment. Why? Because the magic is that it shrinks, that is what makes it stiffer, the whole figure is under tension/

I actually worry that I have not put enough on! In fact I am going to revise my pre-treatment in the above to advise to wash in hot soapy (detergent) water.

This should break down any water repellent grease left over from the injection process. I hope the above makes sense, think of it as a shrink to fit jeans approach.

I hope this helps :)

Monty said...

It does, Geordie - damn this plastic sketch!

Thanks mate, hey, is all this required for Italeria's stuff as well?

Monty

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

Italeri: Hmm, I was going to say yes, but I have just picked up one of their sprues [the new American infantry set] and it seems as hard as Valiant's. That's a good question Monty!

It is probably a call on the quality of the plastic. The older manufactured kits might have bendy plastic. I have some old Esci Russians and had to I lay on the PVA very heavy.

I would have to experiment, but looking at this Italeri GI set if you varnish it afterwards I think you'll get away with it.

Definitely wash plastics well though whatever manufacturer as the grease from the injection process is a pain.

Paul said...

Sound advice about the PVA. I do mine at the end instead of the varnish

Monty said...

Thanks Geordie - much appreciated; all my troops will get the usual Army Painter treatment so it will be interesting how they like the dip...

Paulalba said...

Great report Geordie,
Excellent brush work and will follow your methods.
Cheers
Paul

Consul said...

I've got a lot of these in the roof from when me and my dad did 20mm WWII. Oh how I hate plastics...

Geordie an Exiled FoG said...

I sympathise

It is a different mindset/technique and frustrating at times however you can get good results

I'm still a fan of plastic in 20mm but ancients and Napoleonics I still go for 15mm metals. For some reason 15mm WW2 hasn't grabbed me