Paras! -Finished! ...almost!

[panzerconor]

Diving headfirst into yet another figure kit. Dragon's Monte Cassino Defeners. I take some creative license with FJ's seeing as they used a number of different weapons and gear. These ones will end up going into a bigger Normandy diorama, but for now I'm just concentrating on the figures themselves.

I've been beating around the bush about getting this kit for over a year now actually...I kinda suck at being a decisive shopper.

Anyways, I've built 2 of them, and here's the first one:


IMG_1293 by ronoc29, on Flickr

Kept the right arm & gun seperate for easier painting.


IMG_1298 by ronoc29, on Flickr

I was kinda thirsty when I built him, and it shows in that he's got 2 canteens...


IMG_1294 by ronoc29, on Flickr

If you noticed the MP-40 pouch down on his shin, no, I didn't forget where to put it, I took some inspiration from this fella:

120722065449978562 by ronoc29, on Flickr

And up second is this guy:


IMG_1296 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1297 by ronoc29, on Flickr

And he'll be holding this:


IMG_1299 by ronoc29, on Flickr

This is the photo from WWII magazine that made me want to do that:


IMG_1300 by ronoc29, on Flickr
The article in the September/October issue is very good, and worth a read.

So that's about where I'm at now. Next up is a little detailing and undercutting, then time for primer.
-Conor

[deafpanzer]

This is way too cool... I never have seen those two B&W photos. Always learning something especially the magazine pouches strapped to legs. Count me in... have fun!

[Deano]

Im with Andy , watching with mucho interest!

Deano

[`Boots`]

Great work so far Connor......those B/W pics are terrific btw

[TRM]

Hey Connor!! Nice to see you back at it again!!! Nice choice of figs and I like where you are headed...Looking pretty good there, keep up the great work!!

[wbill76]

Nice set, off to a great start Connor!

[panzerconor]

Thanks for the comments guys, always a nice morale boost. As for the pictures, I've got a huge library of them on my computer. If I'm bored enough, or sick, or don't have anything better to do I scour the abyss that is the internet for WWII photos. Lotta cool stuff out there, most of which are totally new to me. Great source for diorama ideas as well.

Just a few of the ones I got...

92y6p1jtxub by ronoc29, on Flickr
(Normandy I think)


article-1244856-006E552500000258-577_468x306 by ronoc29, on Flickr
(Commonwealth infantry using a PaK)


captured_hand_grenades by ronoc29, on Flickr
(One of those grenades is not like the others...)


cassino2 by ronoc29, on Flickr
(Monte Cassino)

And this one if my favorite...

Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-576-1846-11A%2C_Italien%2C_Fallschirmjäger_mit_Bren-MG_in_Ruhestellu by ronoc29, on Flickr

But enough of all that haha, I threw together one more soldier yesterday, not too much special about him. I decided to save my remaining 3 FJ Hornet heads and use the kit's head for him, and on top of that, I like the helmet.


IMG_1302 by ronoc29, on Flickr

One more to go! Then it's primer time.

-Conor

[panzerconor]

Alright, progress. 

Splinter camo. It will make your back hurt from hunching over your desk, trying to paint ever-so delicately. At this rate, I won't be able to walk by my next birthday. Looking at the picture now, I obviously have to sharpen up the edges, but you get the general idea.


IMG_1309 by ronoc29, on Flickr

Before I did all that stuff though, I finished the last figure:


IMG_1308 by ronoc29, on Flickr
And gave him a base coat today as well! Tamiya paint though.. I've yet to accept that it's rubbish when used with a brush, and it shows.

I painted the skin tones and eyes as you can see. The eyes... Well, looking at the photos, I've got to go back and straighten that mess out. I didn't bother with trying to paint the eyes on the MP40 gunner. Not out of laziness, but because they're hardly even there, let alone accessible by even my smallest paintbrush.


IMG_1306 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1305 by ronoc29, on Flickr
(Attempted to give him a 5 o'clock shadow using pigments. Came out lighter than I thought it would.)


IMG_1307 by ronoc29, on Flickr

The skin tones themselves came out great I think, but like I said I've just got to fix the eyes. Right now the crouched down para looks like Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear...

And finally, the big picture:


IMG_1303 by ronoc29, on Flickr

Until next time, folks.

-Conor

[wbill76]

Making good progress Conor, will make for a great scene once you have it all pulled together.

[panzerconor]

Thanks Bill, still a lot of pulling until at's all together. Just need to find the motivation to go through and do the wheels on my 251. They're easy, but tedious.

As for the four paras, it's splinter time...which is a curse and a blessing. I never seem to get it right the first time, and I had some trouble getting the paint to the right consistency. If you look there's light green blotches and a few darker strips. I'm really happy with the shadowing I did though, that came out pretty good.


IMG_1320 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1321 by ronoc29, on Flickr

Did a wash on the ammo pouches, which only thinned away some of the paint. Easy fix though.


IMG_1322 by ronoc29, on Flickr

Better example of where I did a better job on the strips, and where they only came out as little blotches.

I'm trying this camouflage on the next figure:


So far just got a base coat on. Going to have to give it a wash or two to get the color right.


IMG_1323 by ronoc29, on Flickr

And finally, I'm digging this guy out of the grave he was in earlier this week. Apologies for the blurry picture.


IMG_1324 by ronoc29, on Flickr

So up next is more splinters, and cleaning up some of the messy bits I've already made. That, and hitting the ammo pouches with paint again. Seems like no matter how many times I fix it, there's always another empty spot. I know a lot of it is a bit shiny right now, but I've got a bottle of dull coat to tone everything down in the end.

At some point I want to try and recreate this photo...

Very cool, simple scene I think. But that's for later on.

Also, it's just occurred to me that I've got no Luftwaffe blue colors. Hmm.

-Conor

[panzerconor]

Alright, down to business. Lots of clean up, one new smock painted. But I just need an opinion on my Luftwaffe blue paint. Picked it up today and started using it, but I had the shakes in my hands so I had to stop before I screwed everything up. I think it might need more of a grey tint to it?


IMG_1326 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1327 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1328 by ronoc29, on Flickr

You can see why I stopped in the last picture, just got too sloppy.

Thanks for looking!

-Conor

[panzerconor]

Thank you sir, it is indeed tricky painting figures, but slowly and surely I'm getting the hang of it.

So I did a lotta stuff. I'm not calling them %100 done yet though. Weapons still need straps, and rifles need touch ups here and there. But for now:


IMG_1343 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1344 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1345 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1346 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1347 by ronoc29, on Flickr


IMG_1348 by ronoc29, on Flickr

Lacking eyes still. Don't know how I missed that...


IMG_1349 by ronoc29, on Flickr

The pouch around the shin looks good right now, but the leather paint on the straps should be dulled down. Too shiny I think.


IMG_1350 by ronoc29, on Flickr

An action shot, to see how they look when put in a scene:


IMG_1351 by ronoc29, on Flickr

Yes, epic.

AK light dust pigments mixed with a bit of their Summer Kursk Earth effect, and that was used sparingly here and there. Except one spot where I overdid it... Kursk Earth and European Earth pigments were used for dirt and what not on the lower pant legs and boots. The nature on the prone soldier's helmet it from The Scenic Factory. It's from a little bunch of ferns, but I clipped off a small piece, and clipped them up to use around his helmet. 

So for now, most of my work is finished, and I can move onto the poor guys:


IMG_1353 by ronoc29, on Flickr

But that's for later one
Thanks for looking!

-Conor