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