Tuesday 6 September 2022

Update

 I’ve been busy recently with real life - with family matters and an enjoyable but last minute trip to Yorkshire. Got back yesterday, in school today but managed to do some work this afternoon on six tankettes. I am underwhelmed by how the paint technique has come out-


I don’t paint afvs and would be delighted to get advice from you. The base green coat needs dry brushed or toned down or something! The cammo effect is not really great either. Help!

The tankettes will serve with Mark’s Little Soldiers eventually. A friend has written some terrific two page rules that I can’t wait to try. 

22 comments:

  1. I think you need to dry brush vehicles like these to bring out their angularity.

    Paint the whole thing a dark tone of your preferred colour, in patches if you are using a 2-colour or 3-colour scheme.

    Heavily dry brush all areas using a mid tone of your preferred colour(s).

    Lightly catch all the panel edges, rivets, raised areas and features in a light tone of your preferred colour(s).

    Paint all the tracks and weapons black then highlight with gunmetal.

    Practice on a bit of lego first.

    Jim

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  2. This may help.

    http://jim-duncan.blogspot.com/2016/04/your-car-is-ready-mlud.html

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    1. Thanks for the suggestions.
      Alan Tradgardland

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  3. Replies
    1. In keeping with the interbellum MLS toy look, why not look online at the paint scheme and outlines of tin litho toy tanks ?

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    2. Good timing from me and advice from you.
      Alan Tradgardland

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  4. Tradgardmastare -
    I reckon you're OK so far. Just unfunished. Field applied camo wasn't all that artistic, in 'real life'. What I'd do is outline the detail. There are two ways of doing this:
    1. Use a fine pen, rotring or sharpie or similar. No good on raised corners, but outlining hatches, inner angles, and such. You could do the same with a fine-pointed brush.
    2. Apply an ink wash. This will have three effects: tone down the contrasts, give a 'weathered' effect, and bring out the detail as the ink settles into the nooks and crannies. You can buy inks for this, but for years my go-to method was a wet mix of enamel black and turpentine. The low viscosity of the turps would make it settle nicely into the detail. Of course the downside of this method is obvious, and I don't use it myself.

    Whether or not you use either of these methods, I would also go the 'Jim Duncan' way, and dry-brush a very light colour to catch the raised details - rivets, outer angles (e.g. between hull and roof).

    Incidentally, uniform mass can make a big difference! If they all look more or less the same, they'll look pretty OK.

    Here's some of my work from several years ago...

    Cheers,
    Ion

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    1. Thanks for your suggestions.
      Alan Tradgardland

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  5. You can also dry brush dust or mud colors on the tracks and lower portions. it all depends what look you want. Some people prefer a more toy and shiny look.

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    1. Hmm shiny , non shiny…
      Alan Tradgardland

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  6. It depends on what you want. Unless you are careful, washes and drybrushing will make them look "realistic" which doesn't seem in keeping with the ethos of the figures.
    I think what you need is some sort of black lining between armour plates or around each colour on the camo pattern, between individual track links. It may have been better to work from a black undercoat. As it is, I'd experiment with pens to see if you can achieve a stylised look as seen on tinplate toys and paper flats.
    Neil

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    1. Tinplate, excellent suggestions once again.
      Alan Tradgardland

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  7. The all green ones are simple, just basically do what Jim say above...add a bit of yellow to the base colour and use a flat head style brush that's three quarters dried out over all the detail, then add a bit more yellow and do it again, then add minute a out of white and do it again! I try to use the same paint over and over so I am lightening the previous shade, rather than starting each shade from scratch. The same would work on the camo tanks but I would paint iver the camo, do the dry brushing on the base colour, then add the camo after. Of course, the point is well made that you are not aiming for "realistic" in the first place?

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    1. Green ones are the best in terms of simplicity.
      Alan Tradgardland

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  8. For the three colour scheme that I think you're looking for, TDG, I would actually start with a basecoat of yellow rather than green. Easier to put the light base colour on first and then camo with the green and brown. Also, it's worth Googling for Hausser or Elastolin period toy vehicles from the 1930s and trying to copy their look. I've got a small "War Toys" thread on my blog with a couple of pictures (command car and armoured car) : see https://hereford1938avbcwtng.blogspot.com/search/label/War%20Toys%201930s

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    1. Helpful link indeed.
      Alan Tradgardland

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  9. PS. also Googling "Lineol Vehicles" brings up a nice selection

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  10. I think ManofTin's comment is really useful as you really want a toy tank look. A couple of suggestions: try a darker green and brown and bigger patches of those colours. My impression of hard edge patterns is that the start at an edge and then 'wander' across the surface rather than appear as blobs. Finally, I think that covering more of the light colour would help.

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    Replies
    1. Interesting, to read how it looks…
      Alan Tradgardland

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  11. I usually ink after base coating tanks (sepia or brown, or the initial colour (like dark green)). Then I may highlight the panels and edges before adding the camo. The ink in the recesses +/- highlighting gives a lot more depth to the coloration.

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    1. Thanks, most useful advice once more.
      Alan Tradgardland

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