With the next historical game being Spanish Civil War the enthusiasm rose to paint up some of the Empress Miniatures I bought back at Triples earlier this year. I picked up a lot of stuff Carlists, Brigaders and these Foreign Legion, all additional figures for existing collections. I picked up a couple of Panzer 1s and an Hispano Armoured Car but they are on hold until I finally get an airbrush (which is in the post now).
I've gone for the box to table format because a) it seems popular with you the readers and b) when I come to paint some more in 5 years time this will serve as a memory jog for what colours I used.
On the left the basic Empress 28mm figure, cleaned up, primed with Halfords Matt Black spray. If you haven't seen Empress stuff I would highly recommend it, great detail and character and lots of weird and wonderful ranges. They are quite expensive (@£7 for 4 figs) compared to most 28mm figs but still very nice. In the middle I have painted the cap and trousers 70823 (all Vallejo unless stated otherwise) Luftwaffe Cam Green and then on the right I have highlighted that with 70924 Russian Uniform WW2 and then a very light brush of 70924 and White 50:50 mix.
Next up is the shirt again in three stages, right to left this time. Base coat of 70924 Russian Uniform, an overbrush of 70886 Green Grey on the middle figure and then on the left the finished shirt with a 50:50 mix of Green Grey and White.
Familiar territory now for regular readers (if it ain't broke and all that) fig on the left has has a base coat of 70875 Beige Brown on the flesh areas,belts, rifle and leg strapping. The central figure has a highlight on the Beige Brown (none flesh areas) of that colour and 70912 Tan Yellow in a 50:50 mix. On the right I have added 70863 Gunmetal Grey for the metallic parts on the rifle.
The figures have now had red piping added to the hat, base of Citadel Colour Mechrite Red with a highlight of Citadel Blood Red. I have then painted the blanket rolls on the figures, I like to do a random mix of colours for these, although issued with green, I'm pretty sure after a bit of campaigning that would go out of the window. I paint these figs in batches of 5 or 6 but do the blank rolls one at the time, reach into the piles of paint pots. For me it gives the unit a more lived in feel. Whatever comes out is the base coat and a highlight or two added to that. The belts are probably on the light side, the modern Legion have black belts whilst in the SCW they were dark brown however after a while in Africa and then sunny Spain they would lighten off a bit, oddly to the same colour as the rifle ! That's my story and I'm sticking to it, after all I am trying go get figures on the table at a reasonable standard not win a golden demon.
My usual technique to finish of the figs, left to right, pick out detail on flesh with 70804 Beige Red, highlight with 70815 Basic Skintone and then a wash of GW Devlan Mud on rifle, belts etc and Ogryn Flesh on the Flesh. I have skipped the basing section as this has been detailed before on the Box to Table series.
A quite straight forward paint job I think more technique than detail. More SCW coming on the paint table next along with my airbrushing debut, gulp.
