"Detail at 1/100 Scale (15mm-ish)" Topic

I'm about to start painting some troops. I've purposely ordered as many "faceless" minis as I could to start with, so I wouldn't have to paint faces.

My question is this: How much detail is enough at 15mm?

is drybrushing and/or zenithal highlighting enough? Is it really worth it to do "three-up" highlighting on every color? Will a dark primer or a correct wash handle most of the shading?

My intent is to make a collection for (initially) solo wargaming 15mm sci fi, using Force on Force/Tomorrow's War as the rulesets, to be played on a card table (3' X 3') or other small surface (8 or 9 sq. ft.) with three (eventually seven) factions, in an Arctic/Polar (eventually Interplanetary/Interdimensional) scenario/campaign.

The figs so far include (with my new factions listed) Rebel Minis Earth Force Marines (blue), Rebel Minis Earth Force Red Guard (red/opfor), Rebel Minis Bio-hazard Zombie Hunters (irreg/insurgency), Khurasan Midtech Hazmat Troopers (rebel regs), Khurasan Armed Men in Parkas (irregs/insurgency), and Khuarasan Armed Men in Parkas HQ Squad (rebel regs).* So, if you happen to know the ranges, that's like one "Sarge" face out of about ninety figures. Everybody else is wearing a helmet, facemask, gasmask or NBC/MOPP suit. I am really trying not to paint eyelashes at 1/100 scale.

Since this is a small-ish scale and it's just for solo gaming on a small-ish table, how much detail is enough detail? Opinions are fine, and will vary, of course. I have no previous experience at other scales, except for painting dioramas about forty years ago.

Thanks, troopers. Cheers. 8)

*Why regs and irregs among the Insurgency/Rebels? Force on Force rules state that only Regulars can use a flamethrower, and a couple of the figs have them. Who knows, maybe by the time I read TW I'll find out that they're no longer a Regular-only weapon. Details, details…

Is it really worth it to do "three-up" highlighting on every color?

Horse for courses.
I only play 6mm sci-fi skirmish.
However I blend and shade and ink wash and pick out every detail I can on my 6mm.
Buttons, badges, eyes, facial hair, warts and all.

I am not the best 6mm painter by far.
I have seen some 6mm paint jobs that shame 25mm.

Some of my 6mm is quite basic:

Some of it a bit more fancy pants:

Do what makes you happy, be that one block of colour or a mini work of art.

Michael.

Honestly if these are for solo gaming you only need to impress yourself. From what I understand, if these all get _painted at all_, that's a pretty good standard for a lot of gamers. I bet they'd look great with a light base colour, a dark wash, and a few high-highlights and details dabbed on per mini. Use lots of contrast! At 15 mm scale so much is really just hinted at*, and that's coming from someone who usually paints a few display minis at a time, as carefully as he can.

* unless you're Jen Haley and sold your soul to the devil for inhuman brush control

is drybrushing and/or zenithal highlighting enough?
I FIND LIGHT DRYBRUSHING WORKS WELL IN 15mm ( I paint historicals though)

Is it really worth it to do "three-up" highlighting on every color?
NO-personally I think three up highlighting a bit crude anyway, prefer more subtle approaches.

Will a dark primer or a correct wash handle most of the shading?
YES. You might dry dark primer, dry brush white ( may need a couple of passes with dry brush if primer not allowed to dry fully before drybrushing) and then use "staining" technique, with paint diluted to a milky consistency, so it's almost like a wash, but with a bit more body. I use this a lot for 10mm and it works OK with 15s. Gloss varnish, magic wash, bit of drybrushing and final sealer varnish, job done. Just painted 20 10mm infantry like this, took about an hour of actual painting to get to point where they are ready for gloss varnish. Need to then allow at least 24 hours between stages, so batches ready at different stages.

Thanks as always for the benefit of your experience, my friends.

A-cleaning and a-priming and a-painting we go.

I want these on the game board, and out of the shipping containers.

Cheers.

My 15mm troops generally get primed dark, roughly block-painted, and then washed.

Looks pretty good when you have a couple hundred of the little bastards painted.

link

I don't paint faces. I do some light dry brushing and a wash. Faces are just painted flesh tone and washed. You really can't do much more then that. Well you can but its a big leap for most painters.

Never heard of the dark primer method. Seems interesting and a but harder then just washing the figure.

I've got to say my stuff gets block painted and dipped with occasional highlights added on difficult colours and some ink washes, faces or no.

I do three layer painting on 28s but my life's too short in 15mm.

John T

Thank you once again for the benefit of your experience, my friends.

btw, love the pics and examples, as well as the frank and succinct answers.

You've saved me no end of guessing. Cheers.

It's really up to you, don't forget that you may want to lighten your chosen pallet to get such small figures to stand out on the table. Or you can camo them up as I often do and subsequently lose/forget about them on the table :)