Friday, February 18, 2011

Comrades to Arms !

Greetings troops,

As my fellow troops know, I am currently raising a Russian Army for Flames of War.  I recently ventured down to the local game shop and used a Christmas gift card to purchase some items to assist with raising my 500 points for our escalation Eastern Front armies.

I was able to pick up a Soviet paint set since I was missing a couple of vital colors for the brave soldiers of the Motherland.  Next I grabbed a
  • Battalion HQ blister
  • Company HQ blister
  • LW Strelkovy Infantry Platoon blister
Now ... before you light up the comments field, I am aware that I need tons more to complete my 500 points but give me time :) Most likely will be adding a mortar platoon for my next point increase for May.

Here are some shots of the primed Battalion HQ and the color process beginning.  I have decided that this brave 500 point force is being raised to defend Steve-o-grad and have recently been "recruited" from the local areas.  I am still deciding how I am gonna base them.  I have figured that different companies (platoons for the rest of the FOW armies) will be based different to assist in telling them apart.






I also attempted a new technique that I read about on the FOW forums.  I usually paint the high areas and leave the recessed areas black to make em pop.  It looks great but takes some time.  So the new technique I paint all areas full color of requirement, then hit the mini with brown GW wash, let dry and then hit the high areas with the original color.  It seems to work .... The forum says to use Devlin GW wash but I have the brown wash and wanted to see if it would do the trick.

 New method on the left, Old on the right

 New Method (Left), Old Method (Right)

 Brown GW Wash applied on Left, None on the Right

 Old Method without the wash

 New Method with Wash on Left, Old Method with no Wash on right

 With Wash, Highlighting the raised areas with original color

 Old Method, No wash

 Old Method on Left, New Method with Wash and Highlight on Right

New Method on Left, Old Method on Right

Enjoy the simple yet primed forces of the Battalion HQ ... for the MOTHERLAND ! Let me know what ya think ?  The wash went quicker then hitting highlights alone ... but its a new technique ..... sound off which you like better !!


Keep the Paint Flowing and the Dice Rolling ...

Joe ... aka Mezz

13 comments:

  1. I'm glad another person is getting into Russians. My dad has Russians and I play Germans and so most of our games are Eastern front. Their is nothing better than screaming hordes of soviet soldiers and tanks.

    The paint jobs looks good too. Are you starting with an Soviet Infantry Horde?

    FYI my Dad has like 3 full Russian Infantry Companies with rifles and one full company with SMGs plus all their support. I don't think he has enjoyed painting since he finished them and he lost his eye for detail in the process. I personally can't wait to collect a Russian Army, but I want to do Cossacks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. looking good, I am working on a 600 point Russian force for our escalation league. I have been using the GW greyphone sepia wash on my Russians though they possibly could stand to be a little darker.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Both look pretty good. The newer style seems a bit more subtle in blacklining/creases, which depending on the style you want to achieve works both ways.

    Having watched a friend work through his pile of Russian lead the best advice I can offer is find the intersection of your personal tastes in time and visual appeal. Since you will have plenty to paint it's important not to get burnt-out painting at a level of detail that is maddening for you to keep up and see to completion.

    That being said, love the blog, and a great start to your Russians.

    ReplyDelete
  4. @ AKCraig ... Thanks! We don't have many Russians in my group which led me to choosing them. Infantry first since we are going 500 points to start. And with infantry painted early then the rest will flow fast.

    @ Matt D ... I am gonna grab GW Devlin Wash as recommended in the FOW forums. If Brown wash looks good then the new wash will be awesome.

    @ JMHahn ... Thanks man ! Yeah after trying this method it is a nice fit to my painting OCD, speed and overall results. It looks good with Brown Wash and can't wait to try the Devlin Wash. I really enjoy the adventure so far and look forward to fleshing out the forces.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Devlan Mud Wash is generally regarded for most GW gamers as 'the' magic wash. Ogryn flesh is ok, but if you want a good brown wash, devlan mud is definately the way to go. Ogryn flesh is really made for washing skin features.

    The old way currently looks better, but I think with a nice brown (devlan) wash they will pop much more!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dude, so good! Can't wait to see them on the game table! The fight is ooooonnnnn!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Joe,

    I think they both look good. I am blown away at your ability in mini painting. The wash looks good, and I favor anything that cuts time off of painting. If it can get something on the table quicker without sacrificing overall quality, then it is the right choice. Either way, I am excited joe and glad for the escalation.

    Sean

    ReplyDelete
  8. 500 points of russian infantry is only 200 stands of russians ;). I really like the way russians look on the table, even if they are just refrigerators with guns. What's cool about them is they always keep coming and by the end of the game you opponent feels guilty for kiliing so many conscripts.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am looking forward to driving the German horde out of the motherland!

    ReplyDelete
  10. @ Sean and Steve .... thanks guys! I am so looking forward to this escalation eastern front war !!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. @ Joyous Oblivion ... thanks dude ! I can't wait to try the Devlen Wash

    ReplyDelete
  12. They look the business mezz, you can even try highlighting before the wash, the wash will tone it done and then go back in and reapply the highlight again just subtly. I've found this works too.

    Great figs
    PP

    ReplyDelete
  13. I used this technique recently to finish up a bunch of French and Panzer Lehr in record time. Its my favorite way to churn out massive amounts of figs quickly (which you'll need to do with russians) The trick is watering down your ink to just the right consistency so it doesn't darken the base coat too much.

    I stockpiled a bunch of GW brown ink when it was discontinued a few years ago (literally.. i have like 8 bottles of the stuff) Its my favorite. I've been using Didi's Magic Wash from The Warstore on my Germans and I plan to pick up a bottle of brown when it comes back in stock.

    I'm not a big fan of Devlan Mud for 15mm infantry. Don't get me wrong, the stuff is great, it will definitely come in handy when painting your tanks. I just think the flow is too thick for the fine detail of infantry.

    Great work so far... keep them coming.

    ReplyDelete