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WWII US Marine Uniform Colors

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  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Toledo, OH
WWII US Marine Uniform Colors
Posted by chazsmith on Friday, September 9, 2005 12:47 PM
Guys:

Hi! I just bought the Verlinden 120 mm US Pacific Marine figure and was hoping that someone could give me some help with the uniform colors. I've never painted a Marine figure before and don't have a clue what shades of OD to use. I have a really good selection of Humbrol OD and a couple of of the Vallejo colors. I use a brush exclusively over a black automotive primer. I did a search on the topic which didn't find anything already posted in the Forum so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Charlie
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, September 9, 2005 7:03 PM
I would suggest using a lighter primer but that's a personal thing. White allows for brighter colors and is typically neutral, whereas darker primers will effect the tone of some colors and also could bleed through. But then agian, if you're going for OD a dark primer isn't so bad I guess.

161 U.S. Marine Corps Green isn't a bad place to start, if you're doing the standard issue Herringbone Twill utilities. Add 179 French Artillery Green with some white to the base for a good highlight color.

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Toledo, OH
Posted by chazsmith on Saturday, September 10, 2005 5:25 PM
HI! Thanks for the color information on my question - it's appreciated. I think I will take your advice to use the lighter primer and see how it comes out. I have white and gray but hardly ever use it so this should be a real learning experience.
I have the Humbrol 161 but I haven't been able to find 179 French Artillery Green for a couple of years. Do you know anything that's close to that color that I can substitute?

Thanks

Charlie
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 10, 2005 9:11 PM
I believe Testors Olvie Drab is pretty close to 179. I'm talking in the classic little square Testors bottles, not the Model Master color, though that may be the same color.

If black works for you, don't give up on it, but it's always nice to know you have options. I was in a figure modeling club some years ago and this old guy always primed in white. I know that a lot of the masters do too. I use white or gray and then I under coat each color in acrylic. But then I use oils almost exclusively for the final color, so an under coat may not be necessary for enamals. Something to play around with though.

I learned from one of Sheppard Paine's books how to mix OD from basic colors and that led to experimentation and a feel for the different shades of olive greens. There are four basic tone variances, as I see it. Red/brown, blue, yellow and gray. There are crossover tones between any of those of course. Most of the olive tones can be made with black, yellow and red, and lightened with white. The white also helps to gray it out. If it's too red, add more yellow and some black. You can then add blue to pull it blue, or you can add much more yellow or both yellow and blue, or some brown or more red. Then you can add more black and white to further gray it out. Takes a little messing around, but once you get a feel for how to get the basic color there's no end to what you can come up with. Plus it helps develop your sense of color matching when going off of color references, because sometimes the colors out of the bottle just aren't quite right.
  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Toledo, OH
Posted by chazsmith on Sunday, September 11, 2005 9:39 AM
Hi! Thanks again for more good information, lots to think about and try here. I think I have the Shep Paine book you are talking about - I must have bought 6 or 7 different books over the years to try to learn to paint figures. I've lost track of them after awhile so I'll have to find and look at that one again.
I usually build armour but really love putting figures into basic dioramas with them. I'll build a larger figure now and then just as a change of pace and really enjoy them as well. I started using black primer on my tanks and liked the way it left the black outlines around details so I started using it on figures as well. I drybrush my armour and figures so it's served me well over the years.

Thanks

Charlie
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 11, 2005 9:49 AM
Charlie-I'm just finishing up the same piece-mine had lots of pits that i didn't notice until final paint-so scope it carefully during prep. Also-I'm debating putting straps on the Garand but understand they were often removed-any clue?
  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Toledo, OH
Posted by chazsmith on Sunday, September 11, 2005 12:09 PM
Dan
Hi! I'm from Toledo - good to hear from you. Thanks for the headsup on the pits in the resin. I didn't spot that during the build but I'm getting ready to prime it so it should show up then. I had a problem with the shoulder ammo bandolier fitting correctly but I always encounter fit problems with Verlinden figures so it wasn't a big surprise to me. I don't know if you had trouble when you cut the casting blocks off but I took too much off the leg where it joins with the torso around the leftside shirt flare. I filled it in with putty and it looks like I didn't screw it up so I guess I was lucky It's really a weird fit, don't know whey they did the legs that way.

I'm not sure about the rifle straps but I saw an Osprey book on WWII Marines at my local Hobbytown that I'm thinking of going up to buy today. I'll let you know how the rifles look since I'll need that information as well.

Thanks

Charlie
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 11, 2005 12:26 PM
Charlie-I too had trouble with the legs/torso joint-I had to fill too! Wasn't easy around all that detail. I've done a lot of Verlinden stuff and this one seems like it was rushed into production. Speaking of straps-I am adding helmet straps-based on the "Thin Red Line" which I know is about the Army but I thought they would have the same use of straps-meaning-I will do them untied. Face wasn't that good-I added a 5 o'clock shadow and a cut with sweat smeared blood to cover it up a bit.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 11, 2005 1:55 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by chazsmith


I usually build armour but really love putting figures into basic dioramas with them. I'll build a larger figure now and then just as a change of pace and really enjoy them as well.


That's how I got started. It took me about 10 years before I started doing figures alone, but once I got into it I really never looked back. I still do an occassional tank though. Working here and there on AFV Club's M10, filling out the interior a bit. I build a few car models as well.

Verlinden has some really nice figures, and they have some not so nice figures. I've never experienced air bubble problems though. That's one thing they've got a pretty good handle on. My issues are usually with the stiff poses so many of their figures have, particularly the old ones. They do have some real gems though. I've not been happy with the way some of their sculptors handle wrinkles on certain types of clothing either. Thin clothing should have tight wrinkles, while thicker clothing should have billowy wrinkles, but some of their figures have billowy wrinkles when they should be tight. I'm a stickler for detail I guess.Grumpy [|(]
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 11, 2005 2:08 PM
Plymonkey-I build Verlinden's WWI trench raider-which was slightly stiiff-and the fingers were all the same length on the hands (your pinky should be 3/4 the size of your birdy). I tried carving the hands but resin's tough-I finally but a bandage on one hand-with a few other adjustments it came out alright! But, hey Verlinden, stop with the rats already!
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 11, 2005 10:02 PM
Heh, yeah, I remember that the arms seemed a little stiff and robotic on that one. Like I say, they have some real gems, but they have some stinkers too. They farm their sculpting out to several people, I know one personally and another throught the local shows, but not personally, so the quality varies from artist to artist, which is true, to some degree or other, with all resin kit manufacturers.

The first large scale kit I built was a Verlinden WWII German Infantryman wearing a poncho and wielding a Panzerschrek and a Kar 98. It was a great kit. Warts and all, they did pioneer the 120mm figure world.

If this is the kit that started this topic http://www.verlinden-productions.com/vp_htm_1801_2400/2197.html then it looks like a beauty. I may have to grab one.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 12, 2005 6:01 AM
That's the one-but see my earlier posts for some problems.
  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Toledo, OH
Posted by chazsmith on Monday, September 12, 2005 9:04 AM
Guys:

Hi! Thanks for all the discussion on the figure and figure building in general. I hope I can make this kit worthy of all they time you guys put into answering my question. I started priming the figure yesterday and may get a chance to do some painting on the uniform today.

Dan, I went to my local Hobbytown store yesterday but they didn't have the Osprey book I had seen there a couple months before. It's always the way, you have to buy it when you see it or someone else will snatch it up. I did look thru a couple of the campaign books (Tarawa, Iwo, and Pellalu) and only saw pictures of Marines with rifles that had slings - didn't see any without.

Thanks

Charlie
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 12, 2005 9:13 AM
Thanks, Charlie-I did paint the base as Iwo Jima-very dark volcanic rock (PS-they're making a film about Iwo in Iceland which has the same volcanic origin. Eastwood and Spielburg.). So I'll add the straps.
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