Paul, thanks for that. I'll have to pick it up. Jerry, what colour did you use for the field grey? It's one of those colours that varies so much in original garments there's no hard and fast answer as to what's the right colour but sometimes I see a colour in someones pics and think "That looks right" but people never say what colours they've used to do it. Tonight I've been experimenting mixing paints and trying paints straight from the bottle and haven't really found one that looks what I think is right comparing them to original garments. They all seem to be too dark, bluish or too greenish. If I had hair I'd be pulling it out by now lol. Over the years I've never found the right mix or colour. I'm working on a large Normandy dio where the troops are predominantly SS but there are some Heer in there as well so timewise/colourwise the field grey would be the same sort of shade as yours. What do you suggest?
The dio looks superb mate. As I mentioned before the poses are ones very familiar from my experience of exercises in FIBUA and the painting is top notch. Very dynamic and above all realistic. With your choice of heads it also conveys the urgency of the action. I'll be watching your US dio with interest as well as that looks to be the same style ie fluid and unique. It's nice to see dios with a lot of movement in them and communication between the figures. You've nailed it. As you go along (one of the things I do like about your threads is how you detail what you're doing and how you've done it) can you let us know what colour paints you're using as it really is helpful to us. Keep up the good work!
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erichvon
Joined: January 17, 2006
KitMaker: 1,694 posts
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Posted: Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 09:34 AM UTC
yeahwiggie
Joined: March 24, 2006
KitMaker: 2,093 posts
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Posted: Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 12:59 PM UTC
Hi Karl,
there is just one little issue with those colors. There is no one Feldgrau!
And much of what we see today has been faded or discolored by age, exposure to wear and sunlight etc...
there is just one little issue with those colors. There is no one Feldgrau!
And much of what we see today has been faded or discolored by age, exposure to wear and sunlight etc...
erichvon
Joined: January 17, 2006
KitMaker: 1,694 posts
Armorama: 1,584 posts
Posted: Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 01:45 PM UTC
Ron, that's what I mean lol. There's no definitive one but when you see someones model built up and think that's the colour I want. That pic is actually very useful so I've saved it for future reference. I've got literally hundreds of photos of original uniforms but none where the colours are all compared like that. I've got a couple like that of MP 40 ammo pouches and bread bags all compared which are useful but this ones topped those. I've got a little notebook I write down all my colour mixes in and have done some paint sample cards in it (I know it sounds a bit anal but it does help as my memories crap and I used to forget how I'd mixed a particular colour) so it's invaluable in that respect as I can hold the cards up to the monitor to check them. Thanks mate!
jrutman
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
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Posted: Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 08:07 PM UTC
YES!!! Thanks for posting that pic as it is the best example I can think of to illustrate this problem. There are three officers jackets there and they tended to be made with better quality cloth. There is an early pattern with no pockets and more buttons and they always had superior cloth than later ones. There are a few late war tunics that have a pronounced brown color from adding ground up russian great coats to the wool mix. There also is one that looks to be the dungaree summer uniform?
The end result is,as stated above,there is NO perfect feldgrau color. To answer the question about what I am using the paint I use lately is Lifecolor. They have a nice believable color and in fact,have two feldgrau colors. One I like to use for officers as it has a bit more blue. I also used to mix paints but am getting lazier in my dotage.
Thanks guys,useful info. As you know I am happy when my threads offer up a wealth of intel about whatever topic I am building.
Model on!! With 3 inches of snow yesterday there is not much else to do around here! LoL
J
The end result is,as stated above,there is NO perfect feldgrau color. To answer the question about what I am using the paint I use lately is Lifecolor. They have a nice believable color and in fact,have two feldgrau colors. One I like to use for officers as it has a bit more blue. I also used to mix paints but am getting lazier in my dotage.
Thanks guys,useful info. As you know I am happy when my threads offer up a wealth of intel about whatever topic I am building.
Model on!! With 3 inches of snow yesterday there is not much else to do around here! LoL
J
panzerconor
Joined: February 08, 2012
KitMaker: 1,271 posts
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Posted: Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 08:54 PM UTC
That picture is my go to! Love the variety that you can get in that one color.
@Jerry I looked into the AK sets, and by God I need all of them- M-44, summer and winter camo. Got to shop smart and not get them all at once though. Going to go one figure at a time for a bit, and maybe practice on some of my Alpine ones I've got sitting idle.
-Conor
@Jerry I looked into the AK sets, and by God I need all of them- M-44, summer and winter camo. Got to shop smart and not get them all at once though. Going to go one figure at a time for a bit, and maybe practice on some of my Alpine ones I've got sitting idle.
-Conor
dhines
Joined: November 17, 2015
KitMaker: 407 posts
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Posted: Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 09:09 PM UTC
Hello Ron, that is an awesome grouping of uniforms. Are these yours, or taken from somewhere else? Thanks for putting them up to see the clour differences. Best regards....Dale 
jrutman
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
Armorama: 7,934 posts
Posted: Saturday, January 23, 2016 - 09:54 PM UTC
Quoted Text
That picture is my go to! Love the variety that you can get in that one color.
@Jerry I looked into the AK sets, and by God I need all of them- M-44, summer and winter camo. Got to shop smart and not get them all at once though. Going to go one figure at a time for a bit, and maybe practice on some of my Alpine ones I've got sitting idle.
-Conor
I can't recommend them enough! Like I said already though,it will take a little getting used to as they are thick. Make sure you take the lids off and stir them thoroughly as well. This is recommended for Vallejo as well.
J
yeahwiggie
Joined: March 24, 2006
KitMaker: 2,093 posts
Armorama: 1,359 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 - 12:17 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Hello Ron, that is an awesome grouping of uniforms. Are these yours, or taken from somewhere else? Thanks for putting them up to see the clour differences. Best regards....Dale
No, I found it only once and saved it. Of course no idea where.
When put next to the pictures Karl mentioned you get a very colourful mix! You'd have to watch the timeframe though, but you can go pretty wild with colors. Just think equipment weathered and worn, worn by veterans from '39 still soldiering on in '44.
Here are other pictures (source; MP44.nl A very good reference source btw.)
Breadbags:
Canteens;
Gasmaskcontainers:
And MP40 pouches (from atthefrontshop.com)
source; MP40.nl
.jpg)
Mix 'n match, fellas!!
Paulinsibculo
Joined: July 01, 2010
KitMaker: 1,322 posts
Armorama: 1,239 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 - 02:56 PM UTC
Thank you so much for all those photos.
They make very well clear that during the war the various production sites created a wide varity due to own interpretations of required colours. But it also showed the decrease in quality over the years.
But nowadays it is not so much different. I, myself, must admit that I wore the most faded uniforms myself for many reasons. As a young officer it added a touch of 'experience' while standing in front of all your gunners, later on it was just because the fit was more comfortable than the new ones. And due to the fact that they were worn so often they were washed more often, they faded more and more.
And during our tours we found out that the local staff in Bosnia, Afghanistan and elsewhere had their own interpretations of the laundry advices, which contributet to the almost complete disapereance of the camo print! I can imagine that for the Axis troops this would not have been much different.
The outcome of this series of very helpful pictures is that we can take all colours from all brands and thus create a realistic varity in the modeling world without killing the truth.
They make very well clear that during the war the various production sites created a wide varity due to own interpretations of required colours. But it also showed the decrease in quality over the years.
But nowadays it is not so much different. I, myself, must admit that I wore the most faded uniforms myself for many reasons. As a young officer it added a touch of 'experience' while standing in front of all your gunners, later on it was just because the fit was more comfortable than the new ones. And due to the fact that they were worn so often they were washed more often, they faded more and more.
And during our tours we found out that the local staff in Bosnia, Afghanistan and elsewhere had their own interpretations of the laundry advices, which contributet to the almost complete disapereance of the camo print! I can imagine that for the Axis troops this would not have been much different.
The outcome of this series of very helpful pictures is that we can take all colours from all brands and thus create a realistic varity in the modeling world without killing the truth.
erichvon
Joined: January 17, 2006
KitMaker: 1,694 posts
Armorama: 1,584 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 - 06:06 PM UTC
That is a brilliant site for reference Ron. I stumbled across it a couple of years ago and have found it be invaluable. Certainly more use than the various books I've got on German uniforms (and there's quite a few lol)as it shows not only good examples of various bits of kit but how it goes together. I bought some Preiser figures a few years back (quite good figures but expensive for what they are) and some of the bits in there I had no idea what they were so checked on mp44. I hadn't even realised there was such a thing as A frame bags let alone seen one in 1/35th before! This is one of the things that makes this site great is the sharing of information and links.
erichvon
Joined: January 17, 2006
KitMaker: 1,694 posts
Armorama: 1,584 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 - 07:01 PM UTC
This is quite a useful site for original German uniforms as it has several photos of each uniform. When I originally found it I spent two evenings saving pics as usually when I find a good site it vanishes (sods law)and then I regret not saving the photos. These photos are all of good quality and once again show the massive differences in colour. It covers pretty much most uniforms but as it's an antiques site, stuff does disappear when sold so it pays to check it regularly to add to your stash of reference stuff. As the photos are a decent size you can use the camouflage ones as a painting guide for the pattern front and rear!
erichvon
Joined: January 17, 2006
KitMaker: 1,694 posts
Armorama: 1,584 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 - 07:01 PM UTC
ahandykindaguy
Joined: August 20, 2008
KitMaker: 1,295 posts
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Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 - 09:15 PM UTC
Quoted Text
http://www.germanmilitaria.com/Galleries/Uniforms.html
Helps if I put the link in. Doh!
Thanks for the link Karl! Save n my reading list.
jrutman
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
Armorama: 7,934 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 - 10:56 PM UTC
Holy cow!! I saw the uniform tunic pic a long time ago already but the MP40 pouch variation one is new to me. Lots of colors. You can't go wrong,unless,maybe pink?
J
J
yeahwiggie
Joined: March 24, 2006
KitMaker: 2,093 posts
Armorama: 1,359 posts
Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2016 - 11:34 PM UTC
Quoted Text
http://www.germanmilitaria.com/Galleries/Uniforms.html
Helps if I put the link in. Doh!
Awesome link that too?
Well Jerry, I guess folks should fret less about what kind of field grey they should use for their uniforms or gear. I was kind of surprise to see that much variety too!
Those pics are on my hd and everytime someone wants to nag about wrong colors, I'll virtually slap 'm in the face with them! Hah!!
erichvon
Joined: January 17, 2006
KitMaker: 1,694 posts
Armorama: 1,584 posts
Posted: Friday, January 29, 2016 - 05:48 AM UTC
Thanks Jerry, I think I'll invest in some Lifecolour paints as what you've done with them is superb. I'm the same with mixing colours and getting lazy. I'd much rather have the right colour there in front of me rather than mix it myself. Whenever I've been in hospital I've kept the oramorph syringes as they've got the measurement markings on the side so are ideal for mixing in ratios but eventually I give up lol.
jrutman
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
Armorama: 7,934 posts
Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2016 - 03:30 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Thanks Jerry, I think I'll invest in some Lifecolour paints as what you've done with them is superb. I'm the same with mixing colours and getting lazy. I'd much rather have the right colour there in front of me rather than mix it myself. Whenever I've been in hospital I've kept the oramorph syringes as they've got the measurement markings on the side so are ideal for mixing in ratios but eventually I give up lol.
The good thing about the Lifecolor fieldgray is that they offer two colors. One is more for a fine fabric like maybe an officer would wear or an early war enlisted man while the other color is more generic. You can use these straight out of the bottle or lighten or darken them so your figs have some variety,as we saw in the examples of real uniforms above.
J
jrutman
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
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Posted: Monday, November 14, 2016 - 12:57 AM UTC
Starting to get a cool snap in the air again and you know what that means around here ?
Almost time to get back to the Ardennes and my "Duel in the Mist" series of dios and vignettes.
J
Almost time to get back to the Ardennes and my "Duel in the Mist" series of dios and vignettes.
J
americanpanzer
Joined: May 12, 2014
KitMaker: 542 posts
Armorama: 539 posts
Posted: Monday, November 14, 2016 - 01:35 AM UTC
you rock dude!! great colors, poses, and work on the figures!! I'm still learning to paint those crazy SS camo colors; got some great examples here;
I've found the same thing with equipment and colors (tunics, ammo pouches, canteens, etc.); those are ideal pics for reference;
keep up the good work and happy modeling
I've found the same thing with equipment and colors (tunics, ammo pouches, canteens, etc.); those are ideal pics for reference;
keep up the good work and happy modeling
jrutman
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
Armorama: 7,934 posts
Posted: Monday, November 14, 2016 - 05:03 AM UTC
Thanks Brian !
J
J
ahandykindaguy
Joined: August 20, 2008
KitMaker: 1,295 posts
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Posted: Monday, November 14, 2016 - 09:23 AM UTC
Jerry I am glad that you can do more than one diorama at a time, even if at the end of it all you end up junking them😭
The question I have pertains to your insignia, as they are always perfectly done
Are they dry transfers, decals or appliqués of some kind? Even the officers shoulder bars are perfect! Inquiring minds need answers?
The question I have pertains to your insignia, as they are always perfectly done
Are they dry transfers, decals or appliqués of some kind? Even the officers shoulder bars are perfect! Inquiring minds need answers?
jrutman
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
Armorama: 7,934 posts
Posted: Monday, November 14, 2016 - 07:49 PM UTC
Quoted Text
Jerry I am glad that you can do more than one diorama at a time, even if at the end of it all you end up junking them😭
The question I have pertains to your insignia, as they are always perfectly done
Are they dry transfers, decals or appliqués of some kind? Even the officers shoulder bars are perfect! Inquiring minds need answers?
Thanks buddy!
I haven't begun to work on this again quite yet. I am gearing up for the colder weather because that is when this battle occurred. Just getting myself lined up for the change of seasons I suppose.
Some insignia I paint on if will not be seen that much. Other times I use PE shoulder boards (like on the officer here) and also PE for arm and chest eagles of awards and badges,etc. I also paint stuff on if I don't have the decal or PE.
I prefer using decals for the collar tabs on WSS guys because they are pretty hard to paint,specially the officers because the patch is surrounded by silver but I have also painted those on sometimes as well.
HTH. Rather lengthy dissertation for me.
J
ahandykindaguy
Joined: August 20, 2008
KitMaker: 1,295 posts
Armorama: 1,191 posts
Posted: Monday, November 14, 2016 - 11:46 PM UTC
Thanks Jerry, I figured as much, but yours are so much clearer and better than most that I wondered what your deal was? 
I must practice more I suppose...now back to the building of things and the painting of stuff!
I must practice more I suppose...now back to the building of things and the painting of stuff!
jrutman
Joined: April 10, 2011
KitMaker: 7,941 posts
Armorama: 7,934 posts
Posted: Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - 01:56 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Thanks Jerry, I figured as much, but yours are so much clearer and better than most that I wondered what your deal was?
I must practice more I suppose...now back to the building of things and the painting of stuff!
If you are painting the PE then just make sure the layers of paint are very thin and this may make your stuff stand out more ?Plus,a light wash of middle gray around the edges makes the color pop more on the shoulder boards,etc.
J
ahandykindaguy
Joined: August 20, 2008
KitMaker: 1,295 posts
Armorama: 1,191 posts
Posted: Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - 06:47 AM UTC
Quoted Text
Quoted TextThanks Jerry, I figured as much, but yours are so much clearer and better than most that I wondered what your deal was?
I must practice more I suppose...now back to the building of things and the painting of stuff!
If you are painting the PE then just make sure the layers of paint are very thin and this may make your stuff stand out more ?Plus,a light wash of middle gray around the edges makes the color pop more on the shoulder boards,etc.
J
Thanks again for your advise good sir...I shall give them a go.
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