"My first crack at 6mm" Topic

So, this is my first attempt at painting 1/285, ever!

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White primer
Base coat
Diluted black Wash
A little highlighting
A little black pastel "dusting"
Rust on the tracks
Attempted to do some chipping using silver paint

For my first time, I feel…."meh"….good enough for gaming, however, I want to get better and I know it's going to take a lot of time and practice.

I messed up with the Panzer IV's. I had to mix paints to get the color I wanted, but forgot to paint the turrets and didn't have any mixed paint left and tried to "eyeball it". Clear, it's not even close.

I feel I over did the chipping and after looking at it, I think at this scale it's not needed. I do like some of the faint chipping on the hull sharp corners, but I'll probably not do it much, if at all.

I HATED my highlighting and dry brushing. I do like the use if black chalk stick shaved into fine powder. I love that dirty look it gives. Would any of you recommend something else? A MIG pigment possibly?

Not happy with the color of my Shermans. They look too "light"….almost like they have been sand blasted. They don't look like they'd spent 6 months in the French country side.

Anyways, I'd welcome any advice, tips, tricks, hints…all that jazz.

Thank you

Very nice! I think you did over-do the chipping a bit

I like to give the tracks a brush-over with something like the GW texture base paints – for mud/dust

I think the Shermans actually look pretty good – the PzIV is a little more green than I usually do for NW Europe. I like to base them in something like dunkelgelb – I use Tamiya Desert Yellow – then add green and brown on top

Love to see how your work develops

Thank you Frederick

I like your suggestions for the tracks. I struggled there too.

Practice….practice!!

They look pretty good, I agonized over my first 6mm too, part it was forgetting the 3' rule – from gaming distances you'll be fine.

I usually skip chipping except for metal tracks, and just go with mud/dust weathering and some rust. You can use some heavier black wash too, these things were usually grimy. If you pick out a few other things (like shovel handles or tow cable) that also distracts the eye.

Hi, good to see that you have made a decision and jumped into getting some figures organised, I seem to remember you agonised on both scale and rules.

I think you painting is fine having regard for the 3' rule, but of course it is only natural to want look closely at things and digital photography is seldom kind in that regard. Accepting that the white balance on your camera is giving correct results and we are seeing on the screen what you have painted, I would suggest correcting the German base colour (as has already been said);

The contrast of the chipping is too eye catching. I would paint it back out with your base colour.

For weathering in 10mm, I just dry brush with a light colour (very gently to catch the high edges, this is easily overdone) and use a gentle ink like soft tone or sepia to knock back the painting, to get rid of the factory look.

I don't see the sand blasted look that you refer to, but if you are seeing it with the naked eye, them chances are that your dry rushing has put too much paint down.

The German tanks do need a dunkelgelb (panzer yellow or desert yellow) as the base coat. Your green can be the same green that you would use on Shermans or Russian tanks (Russian Green is a useful colour to have from the Vallejo range).

I doubt anyone has ever been happy with their first batch of tanks – so you are doing OK.

They are fine for a first effort. As noted above, I wouldn't bother with paint chips in 6mm.

A very, very light drybrush of a pale tan (I use Vallejo Iraqi Sand) helps pick out the details, sharp edges and highlights and looks a lot like 'dust'.

Running gear and tracks can just be slathered in mud colour.

For German camo green and brown, any old brown or green will do.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I will take it to heart.

Great start and some great suggestions. And, if unhappy, can either clean off (takes a bit of work), or paint over. Not sure where you are so suggestions on paints may not help much if not available.

Currently doing 15mm but even when I was doing 6mm I liked to prime the figures first with a flat black. For the Dunkelgleb give Tamiya TS-3 in spray cans a try. You can line up several tanks at once. Go with a light coat. The flat black can be used as pre-shading. If doesnt look quite right hit it a second time after it has thoroughly dried with another coat. For camo try Tamiya XF-61 Dark Green and XF-64 Red Brown in bottles. If you use an airbrush have other suggestions.

For the Shermans give Model Master #1911 Olive Drab or Testors #1265 Flat Olive Drab in spray cans a try.

The suggestions to do a bit of dry brushing really does help these smaller figures pop. Also look for areas to add a bit of color. For example the tarp on the back of the Sherman. Try a khaki color or even go with a camo net.

And just remember, we are our own worst critics!

I'm going to order some 10mm Pithead, paint them up and throw them on my table.

I like the detail of GHQ, but LORD almighty, they are so small. With a 8'x4' table 10mm shouldn't look too crowded on my table.

Assuming any painting techniques will apply to both scales.

Again, thank you all.

Pithead is very nice. It actually is a bit bigger then 10mm which is a good thing. They match up with the 12mm, 1/144th scale items like the prepaints from Dragon and the arrowhead (formerly wargames south) stuff.
arrowheadminiatures.co.uk

Yea, I saw those Arrowhead mini's….they look awesome and since I'm only playing (for now) Western Europe 44-45 I might just go with those.

Thanks

Nicely done.