OK i dont understand something. When I paint my figures I use Tamiya paints (and all the figures are from tamiya as well). But when i paint the figures the colors look nothing like they do on the box. For example im painting the U.S Army Assault Infantry Set and when i paint the squad leaders shirt/jacket it comes out a brightish yellow color instead of the darker yellowish like on teh box. the same goes for all the other figures. I know im using the right colors because this also happens when i use the flesh color..and theres only one felsh color to use. It looks more like peach instead of flesh. Do i have to add something to them to make the colors look darker? Im lost

Fuel21,
The box art is usually a "guide" for painting. The paints, whether they are Tamiya or any other brand, are rarely an exact match to the box art out of the bottle. You really need to experiment on a pallette or an old figure. Be adventurous, mix a few colors to get the tone you really want. Flesh colors are different on real people, so you don't want your figures to look exactly alike either! The same goes for uniforms and equipment- there were so many different suppliers and manufacturers during the war, the weather had an effect on colors, and so on..... just use your imagination and have fun! Hope this helps.

I agree with Robert. Keep in mind that painting faces can be quite difficult. If you look at real people they are all different shades and colors. You will not see anyone whose face is monotone. If I were you I wouldn't even use the Tamiya's flesh paint. Mix your own base color (usually brown with some yellow and perhaps red) and then apply shadows and highlights. Experiment and most importantly have fun. This after all is just a hobby.

Yo paraphrase the Bard, "First ditch all the Tamiya paints."

Seriously, Tamiya paints are at best near matches (notice how there are no FS numbers?) to standard colors. If you must stay with acrylics, go to another brand, PollyScale or ModelMaster, have a much better range, are color matched to original samples and don't dry as bloddy fast as Tam paints.

Agree on the flesh tones. Mix your own, using your hand as a guide. I use Burnt Sienna and white in varying levels of mixture to get base, shadows and highlights. Consider learning to use oils for your flesh tones, too.

ok sweet advice guys. Thanks for the help

I have posted this link several times recently as I believe its a really good site and has good advice on figure painting, both faces and uniforms.
Figure articles on missing Links
Hope this helps

You may also want to lighten up any colors you do use with a little white, this is something called "scale Effect" where colors will appear lighter the smaller they are. Like everything uniform related, it's an art not a science, mix it until you're happy. It may take a few tries, but stick with it.
HTH