writes:The figures that were sent to me were in individual boxes that are similar to Perry Miniatures boxes. I liked the figures right away. Almost no flash, very cleanly cast. Figures are 50mm tall, from the bottom of the base to the top of the helmet, and 1-to-1 scale as claimed by the manufacturer.
I superglued the figures to 1-inch/25mm round metal washers, and undercoated using simple black acrylic paint and a large brush.
A lot has been said on this forum about undercoating with gesso, but I find that it makes no difference for the way undercoat stays on a figure, and it's much harder to achieve nice and smooth finish with gesso.
After the black undercoat was completely dry (best to leave it overnight), I started to paint the figures. Working from the inside out, I started with flesh and used the ordinary Caucasian flesh colors I always use. With a 0 round oxhair brush, I basecoated and highlighted faces and hands.
Next, I painted the uniform based on Soviet WWII colors. Using the same 0 round oxhair brush, I painted and highlighted with appropriate colors.
I don't care about precise names of the colors and brand names. Most of the colors in my bottles are not what their labels say anymore. I have a large variety of greens, browns, reds, etc. - most of them mixed right in the bottle, so I don't waste time mixing the paints when I paint. I just choose colors that look right for the job.
I painted helmets and a hat next, again using the same brush. This time I drybrushed lighter colors instead of highlighting. Cheap, natural-hair brushes are very versatile and tough.
Details like red stars, canvas bags, boots, wooden gun stocks, and belts were painted next. I used two colors for each item. A smaller, pointy brush was used this time. An even smaller brush was used for the eyes. Black metal was neatened up on submachineguns with black paint, and highlighted with a simple #2, everyday use pencil.
With figures almost ready, I painted the edges of the bases brown. When that was dry, I spread some watered-down white glue on the base with an old brush, and dipped the figures in a container with real dirt and some model-railroad ballast. It dried pretty fast under a 100-watt light bulb that I use for painting. After that, I spread that glue again here and there, and this time dipped the figures into a container that has a mix of various flocks and static grasses.
The figures were then basically ready. After spraying them with Krylon gloss varnish, followed by Krylon matt varnish, they are ready for gaming!
