Monday 21 September 2020

Back into late XVII c: Spanish officer in Flanders 1670'

 Hello guys,


After some months of model making and WW2 painting, I have just finished a Spanish officer in the Spanish Netherlands in 1670'   It will be one of the commanders of my brigades/battalias in the gaming table.

The miniature is a civilian gentleman by North Star 1672, slightly converted. I added a spontoon blade to the tip of the model's stick, and also a sword under his coat.

The base is resin with a wrapped flag and a helmet laying in the ground, and some static grass and tufts.

As you can see, a simple model with simple painting. Next in the painting table, some more officers with maps and a table (WSS/Marlburian officers from Foundry/Casting Room Miniatures).











Wednesday 9 September 2020

Bolt Action Normandy '44: Panzer Hotchkiss H39

 Hi guys,

I am back again, after several weeks of painting holydays, in August I did not paint any 28mm soldier, but I built some model kits, a 1/35 German Midget submarine, 1/700 destroyer Z-25, and finally a 28mm tank, a resin one, by Rubicon Models,  "Panzer" Hotchkiss H39,  a French light tank in captured in laaarge numbers by the Germans in 1940 and then put into service.





As I already have a "completed" German army in Normandy 1944, I like adding new toys for them, and I fell in love with an illustration of an Osprey Campaign book, dealing with the battles around Cherbourg, where a column of Beutepanzers or captured tanks, advanced with some infantry:


In Normandy there were several Panzer brigades armed with obsolete French tanks, which gave initial support to the infantry divisions in the firsts hours and days of the invasion, so I NEEDED at least one of these beauties in my army !

I painted a similar tank (well, a tank hunter) 7.5 cmm Pak 40 auf Geschutzwagen 39 (f) a couple of years ago, you can see it here:

https://spanishleadpainting.blogspot.com/search/label/Normandy.

Well now lets talk about the model, It comes in resin, super high quality resin, indeed, the best tank model in resin I have ever seen, so highly recommended. The detail is crisp, clean and very accurate in my humble opinion, so I could´nt be happier with my purchase.

The painting was made by primming the model in dark grey with Ammo Mig spray can, and then airbrushed with paints of the same brand; dark yellow modullation paints, and camouflage colours in green and brown.

Then I applied gloss varnish with the airbrush, and applied the decals, just Balkenkreuzes in turret and rear of the tank,  another coat of varnish in order to protect the decals... and then the funny part, the weathering!

-tan filter

-oil dots fading 

-pin washes

-chipped paint in two tones

-streaking grime with enamels

-dust and dirt with enamels

-dust and mud with pigments

-oxide and smoke with pigments

-matt varnish

-grease and oil in enamels (as they are glossy, I applied after the matt varnish, because I wanted them to stand out)

-Graphite to the tracks.


I have not done the base yet, but I will probably do one to match the rest of the army, I hope you like it!