This is my first attempt at finishing a figure, and it came out better that I expected but I could of course do much better, I still need to paint details and to add snow and leaves to the ground work and I can consider it done. could you guys help me point out some of the mistakes that are still in time to correct? this is a 1/16 figure from Dragon Thanks in advance.

Now that I saw the pictures I also remembered that I need to paint the camo in the sleeves and retouch the machine gun with some gunmetal

Ola Dragonslain

You are well on your way to have a stunning figure there mate.. I have a couple of questions though. The Poncho and the trousers the guy is wearing are US style and I beleieve the trousers belong with the Poncho and They had the same color. I dug up the box art of the 1:35 Ambush at Poteau set where the figure comes from. (Second from left)

As you can see the Trousers are similar in color as the Poncho. (Both brown)

What I really like by the way is that the poncho really has the poncho feeling around it. Very convincing painted I would like to hear how you did that.
Indeed as you stated you have to do the camo on the sleeves of the guy but also it is too glossy maybe a matte coat of varnish would solve that.
Really a nice figure Congrats on that.

The figure holds a pistol which is not like the German Luger. Do German soldier's use any other pistol during WW2? Just an obsevation, I'm no expert at this. Overall the figure looks to be a good build. Build on!

Cardinal

If you look at the boxart of the 1:35 set you will notice a couple of things.
The Machine Gunner Is wearing an American Style poncho and trousers.
The guys are smoking Lucky Strikes. (wich is not good visible in the boxart posted here buty I have the set at home.)
And of course the Pistol wich isn`t german neither.
Most likely all of this stuff are spoils of war. On the background is a M8 wich is most likely Abandonned Probably they have looted the vehicle and found the stuff inside. If the M8 was operational with the crew inside the Germans probably wouldn`t be standing there so relaxed and smoking.

Just a guess Ron Volstads boxarts often tell a nice story

Hey, that guy looks kind of familiar...
http://www.archives.gov/research_room/research_topics/world_war_2_photos/images/ww2_111.jpg

Kind of cool to have a figure so closely matching the real thing. Nice work so far, especially the face. It should come out nicely.

a bit off topic, but yes, they did, what exact model that is i do not know, i've got 2 or 3 books of german ww2 small arms, but that could be a german pistol

Thanks everyone, I followed the instructions inside the box for the colors, and it said the pants were light gray and I have seen some figures painted this way too. He obiously has some borrowed goodies from what allied soldiers left behind during after the ambush in the battle of the bulge. and the way I painted the figure... I just followed Shep Paine's book on making dioramas and it is really helpful, exept for the eyes where I used a technique I found in FSM in this month's issue.

very well done...
i like the eyes work...they're great...i myself coudlnt paint eyes that good...

There are actually at least three pictures with that guy in it during the advance in the Bulge. I am too lazy to scan it in but I have three.

Here are the pics of that guy
The one showed by Planadude:

A pic where most probably Ron Volstad got his inspiration from HE is both in the first and second pic:


Those are the three pics Shermiesrule was talking about

this is a very good 1/16 figure of DML and congrats for the nice painting...extra congrats to FAUST for showing us the awesome reference.
you can see another nice painting of the same figure in Eric(demodelbouwer) feature.
best regards

Thanks everyone, and thanks faust for the nice pics, I feel like my figure now has a personality! I didn't know someone like him existed!

I have read somewhere that the pistol is of Belgian manufacture. What type? I couldn't tell ya.

If I recall correctly, Germans main handguns in ww2 were the luger and P-38. And I think the pistol the guy's holding is definitely a Colt m1911 or m1918, also looted from the armored car.

the pistol is a FN browning HP.

they were originally made by FN, (designed by browning) and a small number were made in belgium pre war, once the war started the british adopted the design(its still our standard sidearm) and any that had already been made were taking into use by the germans.

it would not have been captured from the greyhound, but is in fact the germans own sidearm

cheers

joe

Like most of the guys here I liked the poncho. Good stuff Dragonslain. Just to add my 2 cents worth to GreatBrit, the pistol is very likely to be the Belgian version of the venerable Browning HPM or Browning High Power. In 1935, the Belgians manufactured 2 versions, a fixed sight one and one with a wooden stock with a sight graduated to 500 m. called Model 35.

When the Germans invaded Belgium they mfg. 200,000 of the Brownings under the name Pistole Modell 35(b), minus the stock. They were issued mainly to the Paras and the SS.

I hope I'm not being too nitpicky but you might want to color that little bit in the middle of the pistol grip, brown (that showing slightly above the hand) because most of the Brownings tended to have a wooden grip or at least a wood colored grip. There appears to be some kind of ties at hems of the trousers. Is it to be of a different color to contrast it with the pants?

Look foward to more figs. Dragonslain.

Yes Faust, those those are the three pics. I have always thought it was a cool set.