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Foggy Morning at Krinkelt-Rocherath

Assembling the Figures

I first got out the three American figures and once again did a comparison to make certain that the 54mm Michael Roberts figure was not too large. I worked first on the Verlinden 1711 German tank commander. This figure is approximately a two-thirds figure leaning over the turret edge and pointing. As the figure stands too tall in the hatch, I sawed off approximately a third of an inch of his "legs". This got him where he fit appropriately in the Dragon turret hatch (which has no hole in the turret roof). Next I attached the head and arms. This figure was very easy to assemble and had only some small gaps to be filled.

The remaining figures were then assembled. The most difficult were the two Warriors’ GIs. The BAR gunner was especially difficult as the BAR split while removing it from the pour blocks and it had to be replaced with a Tamiya BAR. It was also tricky getting the arms and BAR to fit together naturally. It was also difficult to get the legs properly glued as there were no guide pins. The kneeling Warriors SS infantryman and the Nemrod figure assembled without any difficulty. Once the figures were assembled, I added wiring to the tank commander’s headphones as well as helmet and gun straps to the other figures. The straps were made from the foil tops of yogurt containers.

Painting the figures

I painted the figures’ flesh using oil paints. Initially, I painted a base coat of PS Flesh and that was allowed to dry overnight. The next step is to apply a thick coat of Raw Umber which is then promptly removed using flat brushes. This adds a dark stain to the flesh areas. I then made my flesh mix using approximately 60/40 Flesh Hue to Yellow Ochre with a small amount of Cadmium Red and Titanium White added until it looked right to me. I applied this base flesh color to the faces and hands. A small amount was then separated out and I added more Titanium White. This lighter flesh color was then added to those areas of the face that would be lighter (such as cheekbones and noses) and that was blended into the surrounding base flesh color. To this highlight color, I added a very small amount of red and painted the lips. I decided the figures needed some additional shading so I went back with Raw Umber and added that to the appropriate shadow areas with a small brush and blended that in. The figures were then set aside so they could dry completely before moving on to paint the uniforms and equipment.

The uniforms and equipment were painted using an assortment of acrylic paints from MM, PS and the craft type acrylics available at Michaels or Wal-Mart. My goal in this process is to vary the paints that I use so that the figures do not all look exactly the same. The primary colors used for the GIs were: MM Green Drab, MM Leather, Delta Creamcoat Timberline Green, MM Olive Drab, MM Field Drab, PS Scale Black.

For painting the German camouflage I find a specific color photograph or picture and use that as a reference, both for the pattern, and the colors to use. Don’t be constrained to use only paints labeled as camouflage colors. For example, the base coats of my two pea pattern camouflage figures were painted using PS Dirt and PS Mud. My 2.5 Optivisor is invaluable in the whole process of painting the figures, especially the German camouflage.

If any one desires a complete list of the exact paints used and where they were used, send me a PM and I will be happy to send you that list.