October Project: Day 4 Green/Grey Vallejo Base Undercoat - Part I

Vallejo German Field Grey (70830) is applied to the tunic areas (see below):

A bit dark so far, can you spot a lighter shade of grey? Panzer Grenadier close up number one (see below, rifleman):

Close up two (see below, MG ammunition carrier):

The Painting Guide. I didn't manage to get them all done in one sitting, fifteen done, seven still to do, so still on this stage ;) .

October Project: Day 3 Dark Green Base Shade

Today a base shade (overall uniform) using a Dark Green (Tamiya XF-61). This is a rough and ready wet brush covering 90% of the figure, leaving all but a back smudge around the face and boots (see below):

Painting Guide

Next: The Uniform Shade a lighter shade of Dark Green/Grey ...

October Project: Day 2 Black Undercoat

Left overnight, the PVA is 95-99% dry. Time to paint it black, in this case an Airfix Acrylic 33 that was left over (unused) from a starter kit (see below):

Note: These figures were initially started in 2009 (see below the project box and also here is my link [showing uncharacteristic foresight] to my original 2009 posts giving a most useful valid Painting Guide):

Next: Base Shade Dark Green Tamiya XF-61

October Project: Day 1 PVA Wash on the Figures

The unpainted elements of my Chain of Command, WW2 German Panzer Grenadier Platoon were put on the painting tray and given a coating of a watered down PVA in an effort to make them more rigid (see below):

Note: These figures were initially started in 2009 (see below the project box and also here is my link [showing uncharacteristic foresight] to my original 2009 posts giving a most useful valid Painting Guide):

Next Stage: Black undercoat ...

October Project: 20mm WWII German Panzer Grenadier Platoon

The Dark Confession:

I was found wanting when a fellow wargaming made a 'reasonable' request of me ... I had collected WWII 20mm figures in abundance for years, but alas I had not got round to painting the (vast) majority them ... and as I could not stomach playing with unpainted toys [the shame, the shame] I had so say "No". (Head hung low in dishonour) . Instead we had fun playing another era but this left me pondering. My WW2 collection spans back twenty years and really is my main historical interest, yet my lesser collections (aka other periods) seem to give a much better "return on interest" (ROI). So "What am I doing wrong?", I buy but I don't get round to painting so don't get round to playing!

:(

This is disturbing to me, especially as all that was required was approximately thirty three German infantry figures and maybe half a dozen support figures (FOOs, engineers or a HMG) maximum. I "maybe" could have found them by sorting through twenty or so boxes but they would have looked very much "odds and sods" and not in a "similar looking" platoon formation or st least with a consistent painting style. So as I said I had to offer my wargaming friend an alternative game of  Strategos II/Lost Battles ("aka ancients"). Needless to say my friend was less than impressed with my 'alleged' vast array of WW2 kit, so much so he has transferred his own modelling interests to the sexy 28mm ranges that abound saying he can find plenty of opponents in this scale with "painted figures".

I am 'disgraced' so I need to consolidate and "paint what I have" and stop collecting more clutter and filling up my loft with plastic. There must be over 500 unpainted Germans lurking up there in the loft, 80-90% plastic, of the nice "modern" well-posed variety. An action plan has been drawn up. The Revell German Panzer Grenadier boxed sets were chosen and sorted into a "must do" project box .. my next thirty day challenge. I must do something per day  to progress this project (no matter how small), so by midnight 4th November I should have a German Platoon suitable for "Chain of Command". Whether there is anybody left for me to play with is another matter.

Note: These figures were initially started in 2009 (see below the project box and also here is my link [showing uncharacteristic foresight] to my original 2009 posts giving a most useful valid Painting Guide):

Note 1: I will also have to sort out the likely supports from the various asset lists, but as mentioned earlier they can even be subbed in from existing "odds and sods" as a contingency.

Note 2: There also exists a second (Revell Late War [Ardennes] German Infantry) and a third (various metal German Infantry) project boxes, but they may well have to wait until the New Year.

Note 3: Once the German set is completed this would leave the US as the only partially completed Chain of Command skirmish force yet to constitute (again another the New Year project methinks)

Watch this space ...

Airfix "Das Boot" 1/400

Cue "Bas Boot" music ....

Although small, this ex-Heller (now re-distributed by Airfix kit) certainly captures the sinister shape and feel of VIIc U-Boat, aka the "scourge of the Atlantic". The 1/400 scale is slightly odd to fit into my other big naval modelling ranges (1/600, 1/720 and 1/700) but could comfortably "sit on the mantelpiece" as a mini-model to attract the attention of inquisitive kids and cats (see below):

If truth be told it was a bit of a whimsy purchase, spotting it marked as slightly damaged (scratched packaging and without the starter paints) at half price (£4.00) in a garden shop of all places I took a punt at it. 

This is its basic colour scheme but I feel the need to "weather it up a bit" to give it a North Atlantic patrol 'feel'. Time for a few dark Vallejo washes and a bit of rust. That can come later.

 :)

Now how do I get it on the tabletop?

FrostGrave .. OK so I bought the book ;)

"Shiny thing, shiny thing, alert, alert!", but as we all know resistance was futile ;)

So all it took was a  quick look on eBay [where I spotted it at a cheaper than the original RRP, a bargain, for want of a feeble justification/excuse] and much to my surprise or rather embarrassment (aka my wife's inquisitive "What's this then another toy?") The parcel arrived promptly at the door. Despite the third degree at least it's here now (see below):

The good news is that it fits in perfectly with my existing Dark Ages/Fantasy collections so there is no additional figure purchases required .. that is unless I want to and of course I always want to! 

Perfect  for a "beer and pretzel" style game night.

;)