Posting about SS camo is redundant by now, but I just wondered if anyone had any tips for painting it? I can never seem to get it right So anyone who knows what they're doing, I'm all ears for anything and everything you have to say

Thanks

-Conor

There are so many types that looking on HF may be the best option for what you are after.

Conor,

There are many 'recipes' available on the Internet for the right Valejo and other paint manufacturer's colors to use in creating SS "plane tree", 'oak leaf", etc. patterns on figures.

Your best bet though, in my opinion, is to find some good references material to study and try to duplicate.

You can find some good material on websites that cater to reenactors, 1944militaria.com, axishistory.com, etc.

There are also many good books available. Europa Militaria has a reasonably priced "Waffen-SS Uniforms in Color Photographs" that can still be found.

Practice is the only other possible recommendation. The more you try duplicating a pattern; the better you will do.

Good luck!

Rich

Hi

Osprey Publishing do a good book by Chris Tan that shows a good way of painting SS Como.

Paul

Paul- its Calvin Tan !
Link.

The book really is a great help when painting SS camo and he also has a website Perspectives in Miniature on which he has detailed the painting of various SS camos in various scales.

In addition to what Richard said, a lot of re-enactment and militaria companies do full color catalogues- I have a couple and they make for decent quick references when looking for a particular scheme, say, on a smock or something like that.

I still need to blend the colors, but I achieved this effect with an ab top coat and number 000 brush to add in the other colors.

put bold text here

And to make it even worse I have the book in front of me and I still got it wrong, there is no hope for some of us.

Paul

I would be cautious about using reenactors sites for a reference with SS camo. Yes I know most re-enactors strive for the maximum authenticity, but I have seen some repro smocks etc and some of the colours and patterns are a bit dodgy - especially the "pea pattern" kit. In my view the best reference is still original source material. Both the books mentioned are good, I have them both. Calvin's is particularly useful as it not only applies the concept of painting these patterns onto model figures, but also shows samples of the most common patterns.

+1 on the recommendation for Calvin Tan's Osprey book on Painting SS troops.

In so far as the actual painting techniques for camouflage using acrylics, Andy Evans' SBS on LW Splinter cammo on Historicus Forma is an excellent explanation:

Historicus Forma::Painting Splinter Pattern

Although the colors and patterns might be different, Andy's example on proper paint thining, laying out the pattern, and shading is useful.

One thing that is most difficult to do when painting cammo patterns is keeping the ratios of colors and shapes correct along with keeping the scale (size) of the pattern elements the same as the figure. A tendency is to start making the pattern elements larger as you get tired of painting - taking short cuts to speed up the process.

Another thing with using acrylics is to keep then very thin and use multiple layers to cover instead of trying to get coverage in only one pass. This will help keep the brush strokes from showing and the paint from getting too thick and "blobby" in spots ruining the smooth finish.

Here's a Hornet figure that I painted using Calvin Tan's pattern sequencing and Evans' advice on "paint management." The camouflage was painted with Vallejo acrylics and shaded using oils (and the rest of the details and flesh areas were also painted in oils). This guy was a practice piece I painted to get some mojo for a series of figures in WH Splinter that I painted later, but he proved to me the soundness of Andy Evans' advice.



At any rate, check out Andy's examples and methods. They can be applied to any camouflage pattern.

HTH,