"Painting 10mm...just how much detail?" Topic

Hey folks

I'm going to get into some ww2 10mm gaming and I'm wondering if anyone can offer any tips/hints as how to best detail this scale.

Thanks!

For infantry, I do a basic block paint, then clear coat with an 80/20 mix of water/Future. Once dry, add 2 drops of black ink to a tablespoon of the same mixture for a blackwash. Infantry looks great.

For vehicles, remember the 2 foot rule. A basic paint job with larger areas of camo patterns than in other scales. A light dry brush of tan, then the same blackwash process.

If I can see it, I paint it.

Agree with McKinstry.

Anything less than your best, with as much detail as you can manage is a cop out.

Try to paint 1 or 2 steps lighter/brighter. I'd rather have something I can see than something that's truly realistic.

For British I prime black then a wettish dark brown drybrush, then a heavier wet English uniform, then I do a very light khaki drybrush after I pick out the webbing, rifles etc and the flesh then a W&N nut brown wash over the top…seems a lot but is quick to do

Anything less than your best, with as much detail as you can manage is a cop out.

A cop out? Your figures, your choice. Personally, if I always did my best, with as much detail as I could manage, I'd only ever being playing decidedly small skirmish games.

For me, realising that "tabletop standard" meant armies ready for the tabletop, rather than a few nicely painted figures and a cupboard full of unpainted lead and plastic, was an eureka moment. I'm sure there are some who can paint at their best and at a sufficiently rapid pace to get the desired result, but I'm not one of them.

Getting back on topic, in smaller scales I've found that too much detail, that looks great close up, or in a photo, can look messy when viewed on the tabletop. I'd suggest giving Cold Steel's approach a try, and see if it works for you. If it doesn't add detail until you've reached the right level to your own taste.

For WW II 10mm, I prime in white rather than black so that the already dull WWII uniform tones will be brighter on the small models. Generally, I am a big fan of the Future wash method outlined by Cold Steel, but again you want to be careful not to do too much that might overly darken the figure.

What do you use now that Future isn't sold anymore? Or is there another comparable brand? Or did you buy a bunch, cleverly anticipating Future not being sold in the future?