Flames of War: Early Germans
A new year brings with it an old project, seen with new eyes and restarted with eager anticipation. For Christmas I picked up a copy of Battlefront's book Blitzkrieg about Germany's Early War campaigns. At the same time while I was browsing the Net I stumbled across WarpainterBrother's excellent Flames of War Early War Germans as well as TerrainGuy's incredible boards of the French countryside.
That did it. I'm hooked. I few years ago I picked up some Panzer Grenadiers and tried my hand at painting them. I used Vallejo paints and followed Battlefront's painting guidelines for Early War Germans.
At the time I thought that they were amazing. I was using a black primer, washes and highlights. I was especially happy with the helmet insignia.
But now when I look at them with two more years of painting under my belt, I can see that there are a few things wrong with them. In person, they appear somewhat darker than the above photos (due to less than ideal light... the bottom picture comes closest to show what they actually look like, but it is still brighter than they actually are). The washes have dulled and muddied the colors a bit. The subtle color choices may work well for 28mm, but for a figure that is half the size I should be trying for more contrast and a brighter pallete. The black undercoat dulls the figure. The net result is that the German infantry are just too dark and don't show well at the table. Following WarpainterBrother's tips that I have gleaned from the FoW boards, I will be embarking on a new project with a new strategy soon!
That did it. I'm hooked. I few years ago I picked up some Panzer Grenadiers and tried my hand at painting them. I used Vallejo paints and followed Battlefront's painting guidelines for Early War Germans.
At the time I thought that they were amazing. I was using a black primer, washes and highlights. I was especially happy with the helmet insignia.
But now when I look at them with two more years of painting under my belt, I can see that there are a few things wrong with them. In person, they appear somewhat darker than the above photos (due to less than ideal light... the bottom picture comes closest to show what they actually look like, but it is still brighter than they actually are). The washes have dulled and muddied the colors a bit. The subtle color choices may work well for 28mm, but for a figure that is half the size I should be trying for more contrast and a brighter pallete. The black undercoat dulls the figure. The net result is that the German infantry are just too dark and don't show well at the table. Following WarpainterBrother's tips that I have gleaned from the FoW boards, I will be embarking on a new project with a new strategy soon!
Very nice!! Love the helmet insignia!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ray! I think that I was happiest with the insignia. They were also among the first historicals that I had ever painted that were larger than 6mm. But that was a few years ago and I am a much better painter now. Over this weekend I will be trying out my new ideas on some test figures. My fingers are crossed...
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