I have been working on a diorama to display a King Tiger build in a snowy background and wanted some figures to show how cold it was, the “Cold Wind” set from Master Box is ideal for this purpose as they look very cold and portray this facet better than anything other figures I have seen. Below are pictures of one of these figures from the set which is getting close to being finished but is in need of some weathering and washes. As figure painting is something I avoid for the most part I would like your feedback on where I am at thus far.

sweet!!

A worthwhile investment is buying Dragon Gen 2 sets just for the equipment and weapons to use on other manufacturers figs. That will really dress up your Masterbox figs.

Biggles: I agree about the weapons but not on the equipment as MasterBox actually shapes most of the equipment in this figure set to fit the figures, Dragons equipment sprue being generic looks excellent but involves a lot of work to get the items to look natural when on the figure. The weapons supplied with this set are not bad and only requires drilling to be done to improve the look of the muzzles.

Thank you Joe I will take it that you approve.

I think you have the overall look of your theme going very well before the washes,ect.
Maybe an experiment with tiny wisps of cotton swab blowing from his mouth with the winds' direction?
J

Thank you for your comment Jerry but I am not convinced that will work, can you guide me to an example where this method has been used?

I have always wanted to try it. I saw something similar used by Shep Paine but it was for a wisp of smoke from a small camp fire. If you are patient and don't overdo it I think it can be done convincingly.
J

Darren- really excellent work thus far- I like the pose of the figure- he looks quite miserable and weighed down with equipment- I can just imagine him trudging through the snow.

Thank you Karl pictures of the second figure will be up soon as well.

Here is figure 3 and 4 which means I just have one more to go.

Darren, not looking bad at all! I know how " fun" figures can be sometimes.
First off, what paints are you using, they are looking a little glossy, another point at the moment is to ad more defined brush shading to the appropriate areas, this can ads a lot more depth to the figures, I feel you need to spend a little more time on your personal equipment also, its easy to not put as much work into these as the rest of your figure, but they are just as important. its all in the detail. one way you can improve your water bottle, for example, is adding a slight highlight to the fixing strap. and working some shadows into the edge by the strap.
another note is your white camo poncho, as opposed to a wash, some dirty white shading would have been better suited.
I hope this helps in any way! looking forward to more. J

The glossy look is due to the wash I used and I have not added matt varnish yet. One thing I will do next time is remove the straps and replace them like I have down with the weapons slings as I think they look much better. Thank you for the feed back.

Geeze, just looking at the figures makes me cold hahaha. Good stuff

-Conor

Hi Darren,

So windy and so freezy lookin'... Cool painting, Darren. Can't wait any longer to see when the KT was ready to show up and get freezed along with the troops in your diorama

Cheers


Garry

Thank you for the comments and if you check the King Campaign you will see the King Tiger that these figures have as company.

Here are all the Wehrmacht figures that will be included in the diorama with my KingTiger, the figures are all part of the MasterBox “Cold wind” figure set which I think are excellent. The figures are finished apart from a little weathering which will be added when they are applied to the diorama.

Don't wish to hijack your thread, but I recently picked up Zvezda (usually a dark horse ), # 3672, early war German infantry winter,, and they are surprisingly very well done. I would say better than Masterbox, but not quite Dragon quality, as their weapons and equipment definitly need to be replaced.

I applaud your decision to keep with the kit issued with figs as the "feel" of the equipment looks good and conforms very well with the figs' postures. I think this is way more important than having the more accurate gear. I don't like to see heavy gear"floating" around a combat fig. These guys aore that stuff so often and for long periods of time that the gear became second nature. You can tell the difference between a new recruit and a vet by the way they walk with it. The recruit has stuff banging all over and looks very awkward just walkig a few steps.
J

Biggles; i have no issue with your comment as I am very pleased with MasterBox, ICM, Zvezda, and MiniArts figures as they have some very original releases. Dragon produces excellent weapons and I wish they would release them as a stand alone item as I think they would fly of the shelves, as regards kit the improvement is paid for by figures that have kit bouncing off of them unless the grinder gets introduced to the figures.

Jerry; Thank you I stuck with the kit in the set as it is moulded on its rear face to fit the figures contours and because of this a much better option to my mind.

I don't mind introducing Mr. Dremel to Mr. Figure for Mr. DML's accessories. Extra work, but worth it in the long run for better detailed and sharper equipment.

Looking good Darren. Only a couple of things I'd change which are real easy. First loose the rank chevron oon the sleeve of the guy carrying the MP40. He's also carrying a map case so is more likely an officer or NCO. Second minor point is the guy with the K98b over his shoulder. looks like his shoulder boards are an off with with coloured piping? Might be the camera. If they are only officers shoulder boards are silver or grey and its unlikely he would be carrying a K98 and wearing an enlisted mens cap. Much better to have them the same colour as the greatcoat with white piping. Just a bit of advice that shouldn't take too much to change.

Chris I was under the impression that the rank chevrons indicate he is an NCO and that was why I gave him the map case, the setting for this figures is near wars end in Hungary. The shoulder boards are Wehrmacht and according to the instructions I followed correct for both of the figures that display them. If I am wrong in this the set is from Alliance Modelworks who produce some excellent decal sets for 1/35th scale figures, the set I used is LW35035 German WWII Wehrmacht Uniform Insignia and Devices.

Hi Darren the rank chevron with a single stripe is probably the same as our corpral, two chevrons would be a Lance corpral (may have those back to front). German ranks are slightly different but its low down the rank structre. NCO's are distiguished by the silver braid around thier collars and shoulder boards
Enlisted men should deffinatly have field grey shoulder boards with white piping. Early in the war and on earlier model greatcoats the shoulder boards would have been bottle green with different colour waffenfarbe for the service they belonged to.

Fair enough I believed silver was for tank crews as it is in the set for tank crews again by Alliance Modelworks

Tank crews themselves would have had pink piping around black shoulder boards for enlisted men and NCO's, oficers would be pink on silver shoulder boards. For your figures which I presume are panzergrenadiers I'm not sure what the colour piping would have been. However by the late stage of the war you are depicting the piping for all branches of service tended to be white. Some Elite units tried to retain thier services colours but generally it was white.