French POW dio WIP **update: 2/26/09 pg 11**

 Those are incredible! Hilarious! I love the expressions. Great work, Steve. You rock!!

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Holy Bee-jeezus Belts!

FANTASTIC WORK! What scale are those? If they're 1/35 you're a miracle worker!

Hey Jim... thanks for checking in. Yeah, I'm finishing up with the civilians. Mandatory OT, and a great big Xmas show I played last night, had halted progress ths week.

Just got to finish the civilialns, the POWs, and then it's all about the 50 (or so) items to paint for the jarn bunk / storage. Gotta finish an RSO in there somewhere, as well, for a group build.

No problem, Steve! I'm happy to help, sincerely, becasue I know the feeling of looking at your soldiers after a few weeks or months and having them look like you left them on a beach in the south of France without sunscreen--man! What a tan! LOL!

Hee's a great place to start for a base color---Burnt Sienna + White.Makes a perfect base coat, or even a skin tone! Add a little Yellow Ochre to tint, and a little more Red to do lips, with all the highlights then added as you normally would.

Believe it or not, the whole shading issue doesn't take a whole lot of re-training;they don't stay as wet for as long, but it's worth it for me to have exactly that same finish that you sweated over for an hour, blending and touching up, two, six, or twleve months down the line!

Thanks, man!

I did some more thinking about it last night, and I really have no solid argument for oils. Other than their ultimate "blend-ability", there aren't many other aspects that I'm in love with. 2 or 3 days after painting a face, it will not look the same as when you applied the paint. I wonder if that's because the paint "sweats" out the carrier, and affects everything underneath. Perfectly feathered blending can later appear pixilated. I've just re-blended after this, taking advantage of their long drying time. I've chalked it up to my lack of proper technique. But it does seem a bit like taking advantage of a peripheral character strength to compensate for a principal character flaw.

I've just stood there, in Jerry's Artormama, looking at the artist grade acrylics and thinking to myself, "why aren't I using these?" Your vote is enough for me. I'll pick some up and begin my baby steps into the big pool.

Thanks again for the discussion, Karl. It's gotten my mind off of the "here and now", and has brought some focus to an underlying suspicion about this medium.

Steve

Stevem I've started using Windsor and Newton's Artist Acrylics. They seem to work pretty well--they seem to have a nice, super-fine pigment to them that allows for subtle shading and tone.

I don't seal my figures, and I've found that since using the acrylics, they don't "fade" at all. I've heard that Vallejo paint is the way to go, but I really HATE the paint bottles they use! Making you squeeze out paint just so you can even get at it? What a way to waste paint, IMO! WHat a shrill marketing strategy!

I hope these don't fade out on you--they really look spectacular! 

Yeah, well, thay can. I remember having this conversation before, and I still think about what we discussed. To me, it seems like wet highlights will definitely sink down, and disappear into wet mids and lows underneath.

As a result, I have tried a new approach, which doesn't really have enough time under it's belt to fully be judged. But, in the case of some of my latest dudes, I reapply the highest of highlites after a week or so of curing. Then, I hit it again about a week later. I move slow enough for this to not hold me back LOL!!.

That's where these current figures are.

Some of my older figures kinda seem pale instead of dark, but I guess I have tried a new approach to every set I've done. Additonally, I have only been painting figures for a couple of years. So, again, no real-time tested figures. But, I wonder if sealing the figures has anything to do with this fading.

I wouldn't be surprised if, in a year, I have fully moved over to Vallejo shading and hightlighting. Is that where you've moved? I just don't have the acrylic technique down yet. With your heads up to the fading issue, it's definitely worth considering making the transistion.

Steve

Steve, I have to ask you this--I see that you use oils to paintyour figures. I used to too.

Do you notice at al that, over time, the "white" of the oils seems to leach out and leave your faces a much darker shade--almost as if you hadn't even highlighted them?

I say this because I started looking at older figures and noticing this consistent phenomenon after reading t in another magazine/forum; I can't remember which? But my older photos really looked "dark" after a few months. The white oil paint reallly just absorbed into the base coat.

Look at some of your older figures--do they look darker than you remember them?

Hey, thanks Manny, Vespa. I appreciate your collective "eyes" for details.

Manny, Oberleutnant straight outta the TANK box (I drool over my own TANK collection); Obergefreiter 1 (pushing back farmers) is parts from my spares box... Warriors torso, with spare straight arms (to get the feeling of warding off), tilted a Warriors head for a look of confused authority (hopefully); Obergefreiter 2 is a Gunze Sangyo figure, straight OOB, with the addition of a Hornet head; Gefreiter is Warriors with Hornet head;

Obergefreiter 3 (laughing)

was originally this guy:

carved his trousers, resulpted some folds and seams, attached some spare arms and a Warriors laughing head, added helmet; Feldwebel is yet another Warriors figure, spare left arm, with an alternate head, tilted for incredulous expression.

That about does it, as far as any modifications go.

Thanks again for the comments, and continuing to check in on this thread.

Steve

Steve Your attention to detail really raises your figures up from the crowd. They have facial expressions...and are posed in ways that don't look kit like. And the materials liik like different materials, leather, fabric, metal etc.

As far as the historical accuracy of the uniforms go...as long as they look like something from The Great Escape, I'll accept them... uniform/rank details don't mean a thing to me!

A few points:

1. WOW

2. WOW

3. WOW...

These are some of the best figs I have seen in terms of expressions and purpose...their poses are perfect for the story (especially like the soldier telling his guys to, "Back off/calm down..."). Some serious figgies that will do your barn justice. Are all of the poses stock? Top Notch!!!

Doog- thank you so much... praise from the master

subxer- thank you, too! You guys is too kind. Seriously. Much better face painters out there, I just steal from them

Fast Heinz wrote:

Could i trouble you for a "How to" tutorial? Mmmmmmm? Please.

Heinz- I'm flattered by the request. Afraid there's not much I have to offer for a toot, just trial and error. I will see about snapping some shots when I do another one of the faces. Until then, I only have suggestions:

1) don't drink any caffeine within 2 days of painting a face

2) I use oils... for caucasian flesh tones, use Vallejo's Beige Red for a base. That's ajlafleche's discovery, not mine (Al- if you're out there, thanks a million for that. It's perfect).

3) Optivisors  Optivisors Optivisors

4) Hornet  Hornet  Hornet 

4) I smoke incessantly, as face painting can be nerve-wracking. Just keep the butts on the other side of the bench from the thinner. If I keep from blowing myself up, I consider that a successfully painted face.

Thanks again, gents, for the nice words.

Steve

Wow, simply awesome. Uniforms, equipment, faces, the lot. Ditto what Doog said, these are the best figures i've ever seen.

Could i trouble you for a "How to" tutorial? Mmmmmmm? Please.

Steve, these are unquestionably the best faces on any figures I have ever seen! 

The expressions are just simply amazing, stupefying, incredible, etc--all the superlatives apply!

What an amazing dio this will be--juston the strength of those facial expressions alone!

WOW--I'm seriously impressed!!

smeagol the vile wrote:

Eagles?  What about The Philllies!?

LOL! Yeah, well, the Phils don't need me at the moment. I missed the game today, but I heard that I hadda better Sunday than Donovan did. No biggie, plenty of fight left in him.

The germans and the barn are all gonna be supporting roles; the POWs = where I need to nail it. Wish me luck.

Thanks a lot, panzerguy. I appreciate you looking in, and your encouragement!

Steve

    Steve this just keeps getting better and better.  The figs are something else. And the expressions are priceless.

Eagles?  What about The Philllies!?

I cant wait to see those figuers in the building.  All that detail you put into it, and the WIP shots made it looks as if it was going to be some really serious drama kind of scene, but seeing the figures, its well, as you said earlier, quite human.  Cant wait!

Thanks smeagol (my Philly homie GO EAGLES!). I can only take partial credit for two of the poses; the one who is bent over laughing was heavily modified, and the one pushing away the farmers has someone else's arms from the spares box. I love my spares box, and sometimes I take it down from the shelf and open it up just to look inside. It makes me happy to read all the little baggies

("hands w/ weapons", arms left: sleeves rolled", heads germ: camo cover")

Justified Anal Retention is one of my favorite parts of this hobby! Thanks again... eyes are hard and I appreciate your compliments.

Steve

Interesting about the refitting from front to rear. I don't know why, but I just kinda assumed the guys out there on the line would be the last to get the reissues, and they would be the last to want to update to the less stylish versions. Although, that '44 Ike look-a-like tunic is pretty hip

Too often, that was the way it really was later on in the war.  The guys that needed the new gear the most were the last to get it...  Early on though, the German supply system was geared towards the line troops first... Once the war started to turn against the Germans, human nature took over... That's why you see pics from the Eastern Front of headquarters unit in the latest reversable camo and winter boots and a rifleman wearing a great coat stuffed with straw.

Happened in the US Army as well...

The M44 "Ike" tunics weren't that way because it was stylish though... It was simple expediency...  The ankle boots (Retreat Boots) used less leather than the jackboots (Marching Boots), the short tunics used less cloth and fewer buttons, etc..  Their quality was P*ss-poor, the amount of celulose (read: paper) had increased to about 45% wool and 65% celulose,  and they fell apart quickly due to poor material, less of it, and slave-labor manufacture... Even the use of the breast eagles changed to the BeVo-quality embroidery and the collar litzen were smaller and nad of poor quality.  Veteran troops saved the old shoulder marks and litzen to put onto the "new" uniforms to at least try to to look better.. As for "favorites", the M43 was the favorite among the troops...

Thanks a million, Hans. So much history and info out there about the feldblouse... almost too much for my pea-brain. Interesting about the refitting from front to rear. I don't know why, but I just kinda assumed the guys out there on the line would be the last to get the reissues, and they would be the last to want to update to the less stylish versions. Although, that '44 Ike look-a-like tunic is pretty hip

Senojrn- thank you very much for your heart-warming compliments. I will try very hard to not disappoint you with the rest of this build. No guarantees, tho

Thank you, Nick. These figs are all resin, so most of the work was done for me TANK, Gunze, the rest are somewhat-modified Warriors. And those Hornet heads make life a lot simpler when painting, I'm completely spoiled by them.

I just noticed an unpainted gas mask container strap. Dang it. Well, detail checking is why I snapped the pics in the first place. Next update should be the french civilians / farm owners. Some pretty expressive Nemrod figures.

Steve

Of the bat, I will throw the first couple of inaccuracies out there; the scene takes palce in summer 1940, and two of the squad members would appear to be wearing '43 tunics (?). I'm hoping to fool the public by considering them modified '40.

Nah, you're good to go... The M36 and M40 feldblaus both had the pleated pockets and the blue-gray-green (Bottle Green was actual color) collars...  I didn't see any M43s..  What would be rare is the M36 feldblaus still in front-line units...   Das Heer was especially good about re-equipping their troops from the "front to the rear" until around 1944... 

Just outstanding work on those guys...

Thanks Jim! Doog, thank you too... I appreciate you guys looking in here, and not acting bored Hans, I pretty much consider you one of the resident military accurists (did I just make up that word?). Between you and Manny, I'm gonna end up spending all my model cash on high-end, full color military uniform references books. Absolutely fine by me, I got enough figures in the stash to outlast me...

The context: the story for this dio is that a german squad has located, and is extracting, a couple of French infantry hideouts from the barn (not pictured, not finished). The POWs have raided the stored clothing within the barn, in attempts to go incognito, however they could only find women's garments (again, this is based on a war story of my late grandfather, a captain somewhere in the 28th). This has completely cracked up the squad. The farm owners (not pictured, not finished) are trying to argue their case to the leutnant, but are gettting cut off by Obergefreiter 1.  

I'm holding off these guys sealing up, pending any corrections that fire back- so please feel free. Of the bat, I will throw the first couple of inaccuracies out there; the scene takes palce in summer 1940, and two of the squad members would appear to be wearing '43 tunics (?). I'm hoping to fool the public by considering them modified '40. And, I don't think the make up of ranks make a lot of sense... no Schutzes. Ah, well...

Anyway... sorry for the TMI, here's a lot of photos (took them in natural room light, the available daylight was escaping me, which is why the uniforms seem to vary greatly. In real life, the uniforms are pertty much... well, uniform):

Believe you already met the Oberleutnant ("Simmer down gentlemen, simmer down... ... Damen, over here please..." )

Obergefreiter 1: ("ya'll just wanna back up offa the leutnant??" Some room to breath, peolpe!!!")

Obergefreiter 2, dragging one POW out of the barn by the sleeve: (heeeeey!!!! Look who I found paintin' her toenails!!)

His expression just cracks me up. God bless Hornet!

Gefreiter, escorting the second POW out the barn door. I broke off his Kar 98k barrel tip at some point, but the barrel is supposed to be jammed up the POW's caboose any way. I'll make sure it isn't noticed when final placement.: ("Move it, mademoiselle!")

Got himself a mole or two. S'ok... don't we all?

The Feldwebel squad leader (right Hans? ) stands in complete disbelief, as Obergefreiter 2 is beside himself with laughter ("Sie müssen scheißen ich..., mind yer weapon there, Erwin...")

That ain't a mole... I don't know what that is, but it's gone now. Might go back in and paint one there, tho. I kinda like the "human element" to it.

Just love love love this TANK figure... one figure's uniform is shaded in oils, the other in Vallejos. I hope the difference isn't too stark..

If you're still here, thanks for looking. All comments, critiques, and corrections welcome.

Steve

smeagol the vile wrote:

Heh, well Steven, just get to work.  Im sure you can easily get it done by your deadline. I know if I actuially spent every free moment I had at modeling, I would have alot more finished kits.

Your second signature, smeagol--that's from Rush, isn't it?

Great job on that soldier, SteveM!

Hans von Hammer wrote:

SteveM wrote: I skipped a rank and promoted him to an Oberleutnant, as the shoulder boards came molded with a single pip. I suppose that leaves me with the question of "would it have been" possible for a small squad to consist of an Oberleutnant, plus a few Gefreiters and a couple of Obergefreiters? Should or shouldn't there be an NCO, senior or junior?  Sure... Either rank could be a platoon leader, but there are no O's at squad level... German (Heer) rifle platoons were organized more or less the same as US Army infantry platoons, except the German Heer squad revolved around the machine guns (MG 42 from 1942 onwards, MG 34 prior to that) and mortar team, rather than the US pratice of the machine gun being a platoon weapon and the mortars in the weapons platoon.  There's one NCO as a Platoon Sergeant (Oberfeldwebel) and a squad leader (Unteroffizier or Unterfeldwebel)...  It's entirely possible that a Leutnant could lead a squad from his platoon on a patrol, along with the squad leader (Gruppenführer) , while the Oberfeldwebel stays back in charge of the rest of the platoon... A typical Heer Infanterie squad (three or four squads to a platoon depending on the year and division) would be made up of one Sergeant or Corporal, (Keep in mind that Obergefreiter and Unteroffizier are both corporals, but the Unteroffizier has a command) and a mixed bag of Privates (Shutze) and Privates First Class (Obershutze), Lance Corporals (Gefreiter), as riflemen, and Obergefeiter (Corporal) machine gunners and motar chiefs... There's also the rank of Obergefreiter that has a  chevron & pip instead of a second chevron. That pip denotes a Corporal with more than 6 years of service.. There's also a Stabsgefreiter (two chevrons and a pip) but that rank is administrative only.. Clear as mud, eh?

Gee, and some people think cosmological physics is complicated...

I hope you're all taking notes; SteveM might give a short pop quiz next week!