My latest unit just finished up. Painting coming along at a good pace. I have to say that the Perry plastic Zouaves painted with transparencies were even more successful than both the Union and Confederate infantry, and those came out pretty well in their own right.
One thing I figure out with regards to two of the primary uniform colors I've been using. Contrast Stormfiend and Speedpaint Blood Red both work better if they are diluted a bit with acrylic medium. I used them at full strength on my first batch of Union infantry, and the color is excellent but it tends to be somewhat blotchy in some areas where it might have been put on too thickly.
The diluted versions here are much smoother and even.
Here's the full color palette for the 5th New York:
These first two colors were perfect for the jackets and baggy trousers.
On the jacket trim, I reverted to using traditional red mini. paint. Primary reason being that Speedpaint is too thin and liquid to control on very thin, fine details. It would seep over onto the blue. So for that I Used a Citadel Color layer paint.
I found that plastics for some reason seem to provide a better, smoother finish for Contrasts and Speedpaints than metal minis. do. Not quite sure why this is, but something about the differences in the two surfaces creates a difference in how they look. Both are good, but the plastics are especially good.
Overall I'm really happy with how the unit turned out. 20 models with command painted in just a couple afternoons.
checks out some 10/15mm railroad tracks for wargaming.
