This was my first time making a figure for a campaign. I decided to do a straight out of the box build and follow the Tamiya painting guide.

Here is the set I took the figure from. It is the Tamiya U.S. Infantry set #35013.



Here is the figure after the basic construction along with the peanut butter jar lid that I decided to use as a base.



Here are two views of the completed figure.





Finishing figures is something that I haven't done a lot of. I guess practice makes perfect. I would like to someday be able to turn out figures like a lot of the ones I have seen posted by the other modelers. Hopefully my photography will improve as well.

Thanks for looking.

HARV

Looks nice, although I would suggest a bit more weathering on the model. Not washes exactly, but I find that plain old pastel chalks from Michaels (which I use) ground up into a powder, then dusted on with an old paintbrush can be used to create very nice subtle effects. Just a suggestion

You've done a very nice job using what can only be kindly described as "not one of the better figure sets on the market".

One thing I'm not too keen on is the bright red of the lid. Far too garish. A darker colour (black) would I think be better.

Those old Tamiya sets really haven't aged well - a case of the box art being far superior to the box contents.

Takes nothing away from your work though - well done.

- Steve

Randy,

Nice job and just in time. Keep practising and your figure painting will get better. I would also watch out for the groundwork, make sure anything you put on the ground is firmly pressed in, otherwise it looks like it is perched on top. That is the advantage of using putty or plaster as a base for the groundwork, you can push things into it and make uniquely shaped terrain.

Keep it up,

Chas

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the replies, kind words, and suggestions. I should have joined the campaign earlier so that I would have had more time to work on the figure. I wanted to add some details like a sling on the Thompson and a chin strap on the helmet. I also wanted to change the canteen and grenades for some with better detail. I also wanted to attempt to close the fingers around the Thompson for a more realistic look. However due to the fact that I wasn't sure if I would have time to do all of that I went with a straight out of the box build. Next time I will give myself more time.

I do have some pastels that I can use for weathering. However I am hesitant when it comes to weathering as it is an area that I need a lot more practice in as I am afraid of messing up. Maybe now that the campaign is over I will use this figure for practice.

The red lid did end up standing out more than I thought it would. I thought it might help draw attention to the vignette.

When I did up the groundwork I did use some drywall mud for the ground. However I let it dry and then added the details with white glue. I wondered when I did it that way if I should have added the rocks and log when the mud was still wet. Lesson learned.

Thanks again guys. I do appreciate the input and suggestions. I will keep them in mind for the next project.

HARV

Great!I want to see and the flame-thrower!