Ciao all,
These are the recently released DML Armored Infantry. This is my first attempt at figures in a very, very long time. My photography is bad also. Hope you like them and comments are welcome.
Ciao for now
Rob

They look good to me but weird against that backdrop It looks like you took the photo outdoors with a flash.

Ciao Pat
No, I took the photo in natural light with my back yard as a back drop. Photography is one of many of my short comings. Appreciate the compliment, though.
Ciao for now
Rob

Nice pool.....

Ciao Dave,
Thank you, but I expected you to come down and take a dip by now. I'm just glad that I'll be able to use it again soon.
Ciao for now
Rob

Rob ,

Really nice job on the figures Like the faded look on the pants , though you might need a wipe of putty on the bottom of the m-41 jackets there is no central seem were the legs join . Better put some drinks on ice we're all coming around for a dip


Best wishes ,
Jerry

Looking real good now. I got a couple sets myself to build. Would you mind telling us what paints you used for these?

Thanks
Matt

Rob,

I haven't tried the Gen 2 set yet, but you may want to add the ammo pouches (I think Dragon has them as separate pieces?) to your guys. Right now, you're showing them with the M-1936 pistol belt, but if they're going to be carrying M-1's, they'll need the 10 pouch M-1923 cartridge belt. The M-1936 suspenders are already molded on.

Also, most of the web gear until introduction of the M-1943 field jacket/trousers not issued in numbers in NW Europe till late Fall '44(the green stuff) was varying shades of tan/kakhi, not the green.

For what it's worth,
Barry

I think they look really good. Great shading, and escellent work on the faces.

I do agree with the comments on the web gear though, it should be OD#3 (Kakhi) instead of OD#7 (Green). I think the M-1937 wool trousers could be a little greener too, but they look alright as is.

Aside from what Barry and David already mentioned, they are looking pretty good so far. Looking forward to further progress photos. Thanks for sharing.

Do the wrists come hollowed or did you cut off the hands and do that yourself?

Ciao everyone,
That's what I like about the big "A," good comments and good information.
Thanks for the kudos, and yes, my pool is open to all those who model (especially Models . Seriously, thanks for the info.
Jerry - you mean the horizontal seam on the jacket, right? There is a seam sewn into the bottom of the Parsons Jacket (at least as far as I understood.) Oh, yes. The drinks are on me!
Matt - I used Vallejo and Model Master acrylics for base colors. For washes, I use cheap, craft store tempura paint. It just seems to work well for me.
Barry and David - I have to admit that you caught me with the green web gear. I painted them green for contrast. They are a work in progress, so I haven't added all the gear yet. Takes me forever to just complete one figure.
Barry - I use either cork or tan earth (both Vallejo) for the pants in honor of Kurt Vonnegut (God rest his soul!) because he described the color of the uniform pants as "Dog poop brown." Just kind of stuck with me.
The one thing I hate is that the uniforms are too uniform in color. I try to break it up, but they still are much too similar. I was thinking about using a very very subtle wash on the uniforms, giving each a dissimilar tint. What do ya'll think?
Again, thanks for all the input.
Ciao for now
Rob

Ciao all,
Thomas - thanks for the compliments. I try hard, but too bad my photo taking skills are terrible.
Alan - no, the hands are separate in the Gen2 figures from DML. Really makes for great separation lines for painting.
Ciao for now
Rob

Hi Rob,

That's the fun, or pain depending on how you look at it, of painting WW2 G.I's.
You are correct that putting a dark brown, thinned wash over the web gear can give just enough contrast between the subtle tans/khakis. I do the same myself and it usually works out. The wash also automatically creates contrast in the folds and such which is, as Martha would say, a good thing.

Don't forget to highlight the metal fastners on the pouches. Makes a big difference.

For the most part, the WW2 G.I. was in a brown army.

Regards,
Barry

Ciao Barry,
You got me thinking.....I went to olive-drab.com and looked up the web gear. According to them, Khaki was pre-war, OD #3 was start of war and OD #7 was 1943. Maybe I could let it fly if I made them for the Italian Campaign, late 43, early 44. That would explain them wearing the jackets (or cold summer nights in the high elevations) and the color of the web gear.
Ciao for now
Rob

Not quite...

"Kakhi" was never a color specified by the Army. The only things specifically called "Kakhi" was the Kakhi service tie, the Kakhi service shirt, and the Kakhi service pants. OD#3 was the color specified for web gear, including canteen covers, cartridge belts, haversacks, etc. until LATE 1942 and 1943, where manufacturers were given contracts for OD#7 gear. This gear however, didn't make any impressionable entrance into the war until very late in 1944 and 1945.

The M1937 wool EM uniforms were specified as being mustard brown, and are a green-brown mix. to fix the color a bit, you may want to try ODish filters. Here is a photo-


Just nitpicking, but those aren't Parsons jackets either. The Parsons jacket was discontinued by 1941, and was replaced by the M-1941 field jacket, which is depicted on the figures. Differences are relatively minor however, and are not altogether too noticeable. They are really horrible as a field jacket, being WAY too thin. The failures of the M-1941 field jacket are why the Army started work on the M01943 field uniform which replaced the M-1941 field jacket.

Ciao David,
The Parsons Jacket, M41 and M1941 field jacket are all one in the same. The figures are wearing the Parsons Jacket.
As for the colors, I am no stickler for the exact color. Weather, wear-and- tear, and different manufacturers all provide varying shades of colors. But, I do believe that the supply system pumped new items in faster than expected, especially with units and men coming fresh from the States and into the line. They would have the latest and greatest (and probably, cleanest) of uniform items.
Ciao for now
Rob

Hi Again Rob,

Sorry for not being clear , the seem around the bottom of the jacket is fine I was refering to the join of the legs which gives the impression of a vertical seem on the bottom of the jacket which of course is not their since it is the back made from one piece of fabric

Hope that is clearer, great work I look forward to the finished product are you going to put them in a dio?
Oh yeah , I think the colour is about perfect myself.
Jerry

Actually, the Parsons jacket was made with a heavier fabric ( 8-9 OZ. cotton twill, in contrast with the poplin of the M-1941.) for the shell, and a different wool flannel for the interiot. They also featured flaps on the pockets and slightly different details on the back.

They were however, regarded as the same thing as the M-1941 field jacket by Quartermasters, and were all generally called "field jackets".

Khaki was the term widely used by the troops who wore it, however (though in American civilian lingo, Khaki refers to what the Brits called Khaki Drill, the light tan color used on Army warm weather "Chinos"). Anyway, my Dad's old service jacket--not the M41 Parson's, but the wool four-pocket jacket most soldiers reserved for Class A wear--was chocolate brown, with no hint of green in it (indeed, troops who needed to spruce up their uniforms for inspection often used black coffee as a dye). Point is, with hundreds of contractors supplying the uniforms, the wool fabrics in the early war uniforms ranged from brown to olive.

Ciao all,
Again, thanks for all the great comments.
Jerry - I get what you are saying now. I didn't realize how noticeable it was until you mentioned it and I looked at the photos again. More eyes on is always better. Appreciate the tip. They will be going into some sort of dio (I'm thinking Italy late 44 or 45, with a building and tree as a backdrop. I built the new DML M2, but was kind of unpleased with the results - not the model's fault, but my own shortcomings.)
Gerald - I too believe that colors don't have to be exact. I try to get close, but I am not fussy about being right on. Interesting about the "Khaki" color, though. Something for me to think about.
This is what I like (and missed) about this website. I'm always learning from someone. Thanks again
Ciao for now
Rob

First, great looking figures, I like especially the faces.

The "correct" color for khaki was discussed here (IIRC), and this following site was linked there.
What is khaki?
I think that really hits the spot about the snipe hunts that are held over the ultimate correct colors.
And the writing style is just so funny I spent a good hour or so just reading the site. Priceless!

Yep, Rollin is a pretty funny guy. If you want more of that, go to the "new" page, and read through the rant archive.

I'm sorry to say, but the figures won't really work for a late 1944/45 scenario either. By then they would have been issued the M-1943 field uniform and the service double buckle boots.

those figures sure look great, hey how do you paint the eyes?
Thaks in advance/

Ciao tracklink2,
Thanks for the compliment. In fact, it's really easy. I paint the entire face with all the shading. Then I take the finest brush that I have and paint a white slit across the eye that fits within the socket. Then a small dot, always trying to get them just off-center (I think it adds interest and animates the figure.) If I overdo the white or the dot, I just go back over the eyelide with a darker shade to blend it into the shading. Oh, remember two things; The eyes are always the width of the mouth, so you have to offset them evenly, using the width of the mouth as measure. Second, it's better to make them too small, than too large.
Hope it helps.
Ciao for now
Rob