German Tank Colours

Hi All,

I've been asked a fair bit recently about which paints I used on the King Tigers and Sturmtigers that I finished last week, so I thought I'd put it all down in writing for everyone.

Well, unfortunately it's as not as easy as just listing one paint for each colour, as I've recently taken to mixing paints to achieve the desired colours I want, and that's exactly what I've done with both the King Tigers and Sturmtigers.

I use Vallejo paints, mostly Vallejo Model Colour (VMC) and some Vallejo Game Colour (VGC).

As a reference, the Mobelwagons in the top photo behind the Sturmtigers were painted with non-mixed paints, these being Iraqi Sand, Reflective Green, and Chocolate Brown. You can see the difference in vibrancy, especially in the Dunkelgelb, between the mixed and non-mixed paints. There's no right or wrong when choosing paints, just personal preference.

• For the Dunkelgelb (Dark Yellow) I mixed the following...

Iraqi Sand (VMC 70.819)

Brown Sand (VMC 70.876)

Moon Yellow (VGC 72.005)

Now I don't have a precise mix ratio as I like to add paint until I'm happy with the colour, but as a rough guide it would be approximately 50/30/20. I add the Moon Yellow to brighten up the mix a bit, so that the Dunkelgelb doesn't look to drab and dreary. 

If I want the Dunkelgelb to not appear so stark, I'll substitute Middlestone (VMC 70.882) instead of the Brown Sand, as I did with the PzIV's below.

• For the Olivgrün (Olive green) I mixed the following..,

Olive Green (VMC 70.967)

Russian Green (VMC 70.894

Once again there's no precise ration, but it's approximately 70/30. I like the tint of the Olive Green, but it's far too light to be used by itself, so the Russian Green is added to darken it up a bit. Any darker green can be used for this I guess, I tried Russian Green first and liked the result.

• For the Rotbraun (Red-Brown) I mixed the following....

Red Leather (VMC 70.818)

Cavalry Brown (VMC 70.982)

Scarlett Red (VGC 72.012)

As before, the approximate ratio is 50/30/20. The Red Leather and Cavalry Brown make a decent red-brown mix, but is a bit too light for my liking, hence the addition of the Scarlett Red. It darkens the mix but still keeps the mix between red and brown to a nice ratio. 

A few more tips and tricks that I use...

A- I airbrush all these paints. You can brush them on, and many painters get great results doing so, but for me I prefer the speed and ease of the airbrush. 

B- I wash each tank after airbrushing, usually with Nuln Oil Shade from Citadel (Games Workshop). I don't thin it down, but I carefully observe each tank and use a brush to remove any excess wash, watching to make sure it doesn't pool anywhere it shouldn't. 

C- I then drybrush each tank using Pale Sand (VMC 70.837). I use a medium sized broad headed brush and go fairly lightly over the tank. As well as picking out the edges the drybrush will dampen the Olivgrün and Rotbraun slightly, tying the different paints together.

D- Decals! I run a slight drybrush over the finished decals also so that they wont appear so shiny. This can be with the Pale Sand or any other Dunkelgelb type colour.

Well I hope this little guide is of some help to you guys out there. If you have questions don't hesitate to ask! :)

Cheers.

Mat.

  

King Tigers

Hi Guys,

Just finished off (well, mostly finished, apart from spare tacks and the tank commander) some King Tigers. These are Battlefronts non-zimmerit version.

I decided to try my hand at a hard edge camo, using blu-tack as a masking agent. I'm satisfied with my first attempt, and learnt quite a bit through the process.

As on most of tanks, Doms Decals were used. The quality of these decals are great, and the Balkenkreuz are perfect, unlike Battlefronts versions, where the white parts seem to be off centre.

Anyway, these guys will be for Schwere Panzer Abteilung 506, hence the turret numbers positioned around the Balkenkreuz as this configuration was particular to that battalion. Company number before the cross, vehicle number after.

Hope you enjoy, and thanks for looking.

Cheers.

Mat.

Table Layouts

Hi Guys,

Just a quick post to show you some of my recent table layouts I've recently used for games.

The grass mat is from Games Workshop (the cloth backed variety, though not sure they even sell this anymore), as is the modular hill
The rivers, roads, railways, ploughed fields, walls, orchards, and 3 of the houses are from Battlefront
The other buildings are from Kerr & King
The trees and hedges are home made
The wheat fields are cut from a door mat.

Hope you enjoy, and thanks for looking :)

Cheers.

mat.

Sturmtigers

Hi Guys,

Just finished off a pair of Sturmtigers for my Germans. I'm quite pleased with how they turned out, though I doubt they'll bring much to the table performance wise. But, it might be nice to have something to scare my opponents out of buildings  ;)

The Mobelwagons in the background are near completion.

Next up will be some King Tigers, then it'll be the Luftwaffe's turn, with an Me-262 and Fw-190.

Cheers, and thanks for looking.

Mat.

The "paint one platoon a week" challenge, plus bonus Jagdtigers!

Hi Guys, been a little while since my last update, but I'm back with a vengeance! 

I'm glad to say my gaming and hobby mojo is sky rocketing at the moment, and I've decided to strike while the iron is hot and set myself a challenge. Simply put, it's paint one platoon each week. Not too hard when you thing about it, between 3 to 5 vehicles or 7 to 9 stands of infantry. I think the vehicles might be easier to accomplish, but I'll push myself with the infantry. When I want a bit of an easy week I'll just paint a plane or an independent character vehicle. 

I've set myself this challenge for two main reasons. One, to work through the backlog of unmade and unpainted stuff I have, and two, so I can use all this stuff in games!

Anyway, week one is done. I painted up three Jagdtigers. I love German armour, and the Jagdtiger is one sexy tank. 

Well, pictures below.

Jagdtiger 111

111 from the other side

Jagdtiger 112

Jagdtiger 101

Group shot 1

Group shot 2

Group shot 3

4th Armoured Brigade Modelling Update

Hi Guys, just wanted to give you a quick modelling update for my new project.

Well, the 8 tanks I started on the weekend are just about done. I'm just waiting on the decals to arrive to finish them off. I've also ordered more of the Plastic Soldier Company Sherman II box sets, along with one of their M5 Halftrack box sets.

So, until the decals and/or the other boxed sets arrive I can go no further. But fear not, I have something to keep me busy. I happily agreed to paint my friend Dave's British tanks for him, right up to the point of detailing (He can finish that off). He's got a bunch of Sherman V's, M10's, Cromwell CS's, and AVRE's, so I'll be a busy boy.

Anyway, here's a couple of quick pics of my Sherman II's and Sherman Firefly Vc's taken with my phone. I'll take proper pics with my camera when they're fully finished.

Thanks for taking a look. All comments and criticisms are welcome.

Cheers guys.

Mat.

New army project

Hi Guys, Mat here (Blackwolf), to talk about my new army project.

Well, it's been a while since I last posted something on this blog. Sometimes life gets in the way and the hobby takes a back seat. I'm happy to say my love for FoW never left, and I have been able to keep up with the hobby, buying Battlefronts books when they have hit the shelves and pouring over their website each week, as well as a lot of the fan blogs out there. Finding time for the hobby again has come at a great time, coinciding with the release of the new D-Day compilation books. How excited am I! As well as the 9.SS-Panzer Division now officially in the books (See earlier posts about my SS army), there are now lists for British Independent Armoured Brigades!