Cleburne1863 | 08 Dec 2017 1:55 p.m. PST |
Since I'm starting on a new batch of figures during my break between projects, I thought I'd bring you all along for the process. I've stripped, cleaned, and primed some old Dave Alsop sculpted original 15mm Old Glory ACW figures. My favorite line. I've had them for about 25 years. Decided to strip them and repaint them to a higher quality as part of a project I'm doing to update my army. This batch will be Confederates. C̶l̶e̶a̶n̶ P̶r̶i̶m̶e̶r̶ Pants Jacket Shoes Base Equipment Weapons/Flagpole/Instrument Flesh Hair Hats Blankets Brass/Metal fittings Wash Drybrush Seal
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Cleburne1863 | 08 Dec 2017 5:01 p.m. PST |
The next steps are painting the pants and jackets, as well as a few details on each. The colors I used are: Vallejo Light Grey Basalt Grey Chocolate Brown Field Blue Craftsmart Tan I use a mix of acrylic paints. Vallejo, but also a lot of paint from craft stores. Apple Barrel, Craftsmart, Americana, Folk Art. I collect a wide assortment of greys and tans (for shades of butternut) as well as blues for Union figures. I'm going for a relatively uniform look for these Confederates. Such as Gettysburg or the Army of Northern Virginia in mid to late 1863. So most of them are painted Light Grey. Its very light, but ends up being toned down after the Raw Umber oil wash near the end. For just a little variety, the Chocolate Brown was used for some civilian pants, Basalt Grey for some darker jackets and pants, Field Blue for a little bluer jackets, and finally the Craftsmart Tan for some butternut. The percentage of "off colors" is small. If I was painting the Army of Tennessee I would increase the amount of off colors, and add more butternut. Painting at this stage is very basic. Just slathering on the paint to cover the pants and jackets. After that was finished, I painted a few of the more pronounced cuffs and collars a medium blue color, as well as the NCO stripes and chevrons. C̶l̶e̶a̶n̶ P̶r̶i̶m̶e̶r̶ P̶a̶n̶t̶s̶ J̶a̶c̶k̶e̶t̶ Shoes Base Equipment Weapons/Flagpole/Instrument Flesh Hair Hats Blankets Brass/Metal fittings Wash Drybrush Seal
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Cleburne1863 | 08 Dec 2017 8:44 p.m. PST |
Now on to painting the shoes and bases. Fairly simple. Just a few colors Vallejo Flat Brown Americana Black Forest Green Craftsmart Tan First is painting the socks. Old Glory 15mm figures have a lot of castings where the socks are above the shoes and the pants tucked into them. Whether or not that is overdone, they are there on a lot of the Old Glory castings. I normally paint them a tannish white color. After that are the shoes. Keep is simple with black and a brown color for undyed leather. Finally paint the cast on figure bases green. C̶l̶e̶a̶n̶ ̶ P̶r̶i̶m̶e̶r̶ P̶a̶n̶t̶s̶ J̶a̶c̶k̶e̶t̶ S̶h̶o̶e̶s̶ B̶a̶s̶e̶ Equipment Weapons/Flagpole/Instrument Flesh Hair Hats Blankets Brass/Metal fittings Wash Drybrush Seal
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Noble Crow | 08 Dec 2017 9:12 p.m. PST |
Brad: Don't you know you have to get permission from your fans before you can take a break from turning out awesome scenario books. Also, I agree wholeheartedly that the original Old Glory figures are some of the best ever made. |
Cleburne1863 | 08 Dec 2017 9:27 p.m. PST |
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Frederick | 09 Dec 2017 10:45 a.m. PST |
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Cleburne1863 | 09 Dec 2017 1:59 p.m. PST |
Now to painting the equipment. I break this down into a number of stages. Now, its easy for Union figures. All the leather gear is black. For the Confederates I mix it up a bit. Most of the leather work is black, but a few I paint a reddish brown for natural leather. So at this stage I paint up in roughly this order: Sashes (if NCOs or officers) Belts Bayonet Scabbards Cartridge Boxes Haversacks Canteens Vallejo Flat Brown Beige Brown German Cammo Brown Field Blue Mahogany Sand Americana Black Folk Art Country Wood Apple Barrel Sandstone Leatherwork (bayonet scabbards, belts, and cartridge boxes) are mostly black with some Mahogany Sand for natural leather. The haversacks are mostly Country Tan, a nice off white. Canteens that are clearly Union are painted Field Blue for the bluish grey cloth covering. The rest are a mix of various browns for brown leather coverings or wood. Finally, the straps for the canteens are Sandstone, an almost white color. It makes a nice contrast even on the Country Tan haversacks.
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vagamer63 | 09 Dec 2017 8:42 p.m. PST |
Brad, Good to see you doing something really useful for the period other then writing up scenarios!! LOL!! Just can't beat them boys from Old Glory!! Now, what shade of gray are you going to paint that Sherman M4? Won't that come as a shock to them boys in blue?!?! |
Cleburne1863 | 10 Dec 2017 6:23 a.m. PST |
Oh, I painted that model a decade ago. It was Olive Drab with black camo in 3rd Armored Division markings for Normandy. I use the box for spare parts. |
Cleburne1863 | 10 Dec 2017 12:17 p.m. PST |
Next is painting the rifles. Pretty simple step. Burnt Umber for the wood. Any brown will do. Even a reddish-brown. Just silver for most of them to represent Springfields or any number of rifles and smoothbores. I had one stand of Enfields to paint to match some existing stands. I mixed a little of the Gunmetal Blue with back. Brass fittings on the 1853 Enfields were painted with Old Gold. Bayonets aren't blued, so they are painted silver. Vallejo Gunmetal Blue Old Gold Americana Black Burnt Umber Folk Art Silver C̶l̶e̶a̶n̶ P̶r̶i̶m̶e̶r̶ ̶ P̶a̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶ J̶a̶c̶k̶e̶t̶ ̶ S̶h̶o̶e̶s̶ ̶ B̶a̶s̶e̶ ̶ E̶q̶u̶i̶p̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶ W̶e̶a̶p̶o̶n̶s̶/̶F̶l̶a̶g̶p̶o̶l̶e̶/̶I̶n̶s̶t̶r̶u̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ Flesh Hair Hats Blankets Brass/Metal fittings Wash Drybrush Seal
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Cleburne1863 | 10 Dec 2017 3:29 p.m. PST |
Flesh tones and hair. Their starting to look like little people. I used to mix flesh tones, but thought they were too dark. So now I use several earth tones. Mainly from fantasy figure lines. I go for the darkest or sunburned skin tones to show soldiers out in the elements. Hair is a mix of blonde, black, and the majority brown. Vallejo German Brown Camo Americana Black Vallejo Games Heavy Skin Tone C̶l̶e̶a̶n̶ P̶r̶i̶m̶e̶r̶ ̶ P̶a̶n̶t̶s̶ ̶ J̶a̶c̶k̶e̶t̶ ̶ S̶h̶o̶e̶s̶ ̶ B̶a̶s̶e̶ ̶ E̶q̶u̶i̶p̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶ W̶e̶a̶p̶o̶n̶s̶/̶F̶l̶a̶g̶p̶o̶l̶e̶/̶I̶n̶s̶t̶r̶u̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ F̶l̶e̶s̶h̶ ̶ H̶a̶i̶r̶ Hats Blankets Brass/Metal fittings Wash Drybrush Seal
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Cleburne1863 | 11 Dec 2017 11:10 a.m. PST |
Finished up the final painting steps. Hats, blanket rolls, and metal fittings. Vallejo German Brown Camo Flat Brown Russian Uniform Green US Field Drab Mahogany Sand Field Blue Khaki Khaki Grey Basalt Grey Old Gold Gunmetal Grey Beige Brown Americana Black Burnt Umber Folk Art Barn Wood Hats and blanket rolls are where you get into variation that is so common with Confederates. Hats were mostly Burnt Umber and Black, with a mix of a few other brown shades. Hat bands, which really make them stand out, are German Camo Brown or Field Drab. Blanker rolls are a wide variety of colors. Basalt Grey and US Field Drab are my colors of choice for US blankets in the Civil War, so that's a common color. Black for captured US rubber blankets. Then more varieties of olive drab, khakis, red browns, even some blues. The cords or ties were painted German Camo Brown or Field Drab, depending on which looked better on the blanket color. Finally the metal fittings were painted. Some bayonet frogs were painted Gunmetal Grey, and other Old Gold. I wasn't worried about the gold being too bright for brass, or dull brass, since the Burnt Umber wash will dull it down. Also painted Gunmetal Grey were the canteen stoppers and fittings, as well as the cups. Belt buckles were Old Gold, but most of the blanket rolls hid them. Also Old Gold were the cuff buttons on some jackets, and the kepi attachment point buttons for the strap. That's it. Paintings all finished. Next is the wash and drybrush. That's what really brings out the detail. C̶l̶e̶a̶n̶ P̶r̶i̶m̶e̶r̶ P̶a̶n̶t̶s̶ J̶a̶c̶k̶e̶t̶ S̶h̶o̶e̶s̶ B̶a̶s̶e̶ E̶q̶u̶i̶p̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ W̶e̶a̶p̶o̶n̶s̶/̶F̶l̶a̶g̶p̶o̶l̶e̶/̶I̶n̶s̶t̶r̶u̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ F̶l̶e̶s̶h̶ H̶a̶i̶r̶ H̶a̶t̶s̶ B̶l̶a̶n̶k̶e̶t̶s̶ B̶r̶a̶s̶s̶/̶M̶e̶t̶a̶l̶ ̶f̶i̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶s Wash Drybrush Seal
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Cleburne1863 | 12 Dec 2017 4:34 a.m. PST |
Now to the wash to tone down the colors and add shadows. I use Winsor & Newton Raw Umber oil paint thinned with odorless turpenoid. I push a little out of the tube and take it off with a toothpick. Then place it in a disposable plastic cup. Then add a little turpenoid. I can add more turpenoid to thin it, or more paint for a darker wash. Apply liberally with a wide brush until the figure is soaked. Then let dry overnight. It can get shiny, but that's OK. That will go away with the final seal. C̶l̶e̶a̶n̶ P̶r̶i̶m̶e̶r̶ P̶a̶n̶t̶s̶ J̶a̶c̶k̶e̶t̶ S̶h̶o̶e̶s̶ B̶a̶s̶e̶ E̶q̶u̶i̶p̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ W̶e̶a̶p̶o̶n̶s̶/̶F̶l̶a̶g̶p̶o̶l̶e̶/̶I̶n̶s̶t̶r̶u̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ F̶l̶e̶s̶h̶ H̶a̶i̶r̶ H̶a̶t̶s̶ B̶l̶a̶n̶k̶e̶t̶s̶ B̶r̶a̶s̶s̶/̶M̶e̶t̶a̶l̶ ̶f̶i̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶s̶ W̶a̶s̶h̶ Drybrush Seal
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Cleburne1863 | 15 Dec 2017 11:39 a.m. PST |
Final wrap up for the figure painting. Final coat is Grumbacher Matte Final Varnish. Dead flat. Does not yellow. Never had the dreaded white frosting. After I finish painting the whole batch on the table, I may continue with how I base and flock the figures. Thanks for watching! I hope you enjoyed watching my process.
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Chevron | 09 Jan 2018 8:11 a.m. PST |
Great tutorial, that's for sharing. I've been painting ACW O.G.s for over 25 years so I'm always interested to other's techniques. They look terrific. |