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Saturday, July 23, 2016

WW II Soviet Vehicles

My favorite things about WW II painting is the vehicles.  They're a great change-up from my usual Dark Age painting and I turned to YouTube to learn weathering techniques. The variety of techniques is a bit overwhelming and I'm still learning.  

T-34/85:  My first tank went together fast.  My mistake here was using two washes. After the first wash, I thought the tank looked too bright and after the second, it was too dark! I now prime my Soviet vehicles a lighter green to better show off weathering effects.


Disappointed with how dark it turned out, I used a light drybrush and pigment dusting to take it up a notch in brightness. All in all, it'll do.

Lledo Diecast Truck: Pat's Wargaming with Silver Whistle blog showed us how to turn a cheap diecast into a sharp looking WW II vehicle.  I bought a Lledo "Days Gone By" truck off eBay for $6. Primed black, painted and weathered up, I've got myself a transport for Mother Russia.  Thanks Pat for leading the way on this very affordable option!


SU-76: I tried an improv here. I love "panel lighting" highlighs but I don't have an airbrush to achieve this effect. I tried to copy it by applying a thin glaze of light green on each panel, leaving darker green peaking around the edges. It looked pretty crappy in the early stages. 

Not to worry!  A wash and weathering pulled it together for a decent (if inferior to airbrushing) effect.

BA-10:  This is my last and  best effort.  Lessons learned, I'm using a nice light green and working up with thinned washes.  I think I'm getting the hang of it. The BA-10 is a fun kit and I run it in most of my lists even though it gets brewed up with regularity!








I've got a Rubicon T-34/76, a Warlord Games KV-2 and two GAZ trucks waiting for an airbrush. Buying an airbrush and all the things that go with it is so expensive that I keep pulling back at the last minute. Brush, compressor, painting booth, thinned paints, cleaner and on and on.  With a steady hand and wallet, I'm going to make the plunge. Soon. Very soon. 

32 comments:

  1. Looking great Monty. I'm the opposite, loved painting the figures for my CoC Germans but the vehicles are beyond me - I'll have to get reading some tutorials.

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    1. Thanks Ian! German vehicle camo is a beast if you don't have an airbrush. Even with an airbrush, it looks pretty difficult.

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    2. I don't have an airbrush but apply the camo parts with a sponge, you get a good effect but it's the weathering etc. I need to get down - I blame the 20-odd year layoff from the hobby that has hindered my progress!

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  2. Nice work and it's always good to try things - you learn so much.

    You should definitely get yourself an airbrush set-up, even if you end up just using it for priming and base-coating.

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    1. Thanks Tamsin, you're exactly right!

      Priming with an airbrush must be better than priming with a spray primer in my basement in the winter. The fumes!

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    2. Just a word of advice - for priming, get a brush with a 0.5mm needle. It won't clog as much. It's also fine enough or airbrushing 28mm vehicles. And buy some drying retarder - helps to stop "dry-tip" and can help with blending highlights.

      And an airbrush is infinitely better for priming than spray cans if you're doing it inside like me :)

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    3. Great advise, I'm adding them to the cart. Thanks so much!

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  3. My word Monty, these are a bit good! Tremendous results with the washes and effects, imagine what you could do with an airbrush.

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    1. Thanks Michael and I do look forward to giving an airbrush a go!

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    1. Thanks Michal, if we didn't live so far apart, you could run your new Heer against my Soviets!

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  5. Monty, these are fantastic models! An airbrush has little advantage over your skilled hand.

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    1. Thanks Jonathan, you are too kind! I apparently suffer from airbrush envy. I like the idea of priming with an airbrush in the winter (with a spraybooth fan routed out the window)

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  6. Your Soviet vehicle collection is looking impressive and your washes and weathering is spot on. Glad you liked the Lledo die cast vehicle.

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    1. Thanks for the pro tip. That is a nice savings and ends in a nice result too!

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  7. Looking most excellent Monty! Your hand painted vehicles already look way better than what others achieve with an airbrush. Now imagine what they'd look like if you'd use an airbrush. Personally I don't use a spraybooth but a simple dust mask.

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    1. Thanks Moterei, I can't wait to get an airbrush. I imagine it'll time to become proficient.

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  8. Stunning work mate! That first T-34 is amazing. I don't think it is too dark at all.

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    1. Thanks Michael, I appreciate that. It is probably close to the "true"color but I belatedly discovered the dark color hides most of the weathering effects.

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  9. Some terrific work there with the Soviet armour, and I especially like the truck.

    It looks ready to supply Leningrad via the ice road across Lake Ladoga - and I'm sure there's a scenario in that story!

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    1. Evan, you have the best imagination! Thanks man.

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  10. I like how that Suka turned out, Monty, nice work!

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    1. That's my favorite too! I love how the loader is looking out the back, probably talking to a farm girl.

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  11. Very nice looking vehicles Monty!

    Christopher

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  12. Very nice. The weathering really gives them depth.

    Not a fan of airbrushes myself. Too much faffing about cleaning every 5 minutes. They DO make things faster in the main though.

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    1. Dai! Love your blog, and your Soviets too!

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  13. I would be very happy with how these turned out Monty they look great. I love soviet armoured cars that BA-10 is a weird looking thing.

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    1. Thanks, the Soviets have quite a few "otherworldly" vehicles. May have to add the SU-152 to the collection just because!

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  14. Vehicles too are my favourite part of modern gaming but not a patch on your brush skills!

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