Painting the LRDG Chevrolet from"The Sting of the Scorpion" by Battlefront for Flames of War

I have always had a particular liking for the way the LRDG adapted their Chevrolet trucks (1942 Canadian Chevy, right hand drive, India format to give them their correct title). Loads of stowage and MGs of various types and the hotchpotch uniforms of the crew make these interesting subjects to model and paint.

The models included in the “Sting of the Scorpion” wargame set, from the Flames of War range by Battlefront, are beautifully detailed and crying out for a proper paint job. I have never liked the way Battlefront painted these Flames of War models for their promotional material, black lining, little or no weathering and dry brushing in my opinion gave the impression of a rushed paint job and gives the models a basic and rather crude toy soldier like quality. I have applied techniques which I believe create a much more realistic and satisfactory appearance worthy of such well detailed models.

There is plenty of research material and photographs available of the actual vehicles and some inspirational larger scale models available on the web as a simple search on Google will prove. This research is important to be able achieve the weather beaten and eclectic look of the vehicles.



The first part of the job as always is to clean and undercoat the models. Games Workshop Skull White is more effective than black for sand/ochre coloured models and keeps the colour bright and clean. The models were then airbrushed overall Sand Yellow from the Vallejo air range of colours.

Once the basic colour has dried sufficiently it is time to start the shading of the truck. This is done with the excellent washes from Games Workshop. These need to be thinned and applied in near transparent layers to achieve the subtle graduation of the shading required for the LRDG Chevy. I employed the full range of browns through black and these were painted on rather than simply flooded or washed over the model. This is a time consuming task but the overall effect and the subtlety than can be achieved is well worth the effort.



The stowage and other detail on the model need to be picked out before painting it in detail. This effectively lifts the detail of the model and makes it much easier to paint. The tyres (tires for our American cousins) were painted basalt grey and then detailed with numerous washes of black before receiving a final layer of Devlan Brown to finish. This provides a fine weathered appearance that won’t need dry brushing.

The highlights for the model are simply a mix of Sand Yellow and white thinned to about 7 parts water to 3 parts paint and applied in layers. This is what gives the model of the LRDG Chevrolet its sun bleached quality. Once this is done the model is set aside to allow the paint to dry thoroughly before painting in the stowage. Again I referenced the colours of the equipment on Google before painting. The stowage is painted in exactly the same manner I paint my figures. Blocked, shaded and high lighted for effect.



A few stone chips and some peeling paint detail was added just to finish and give the model Chevy the necessary workhorse appearance that the LRDG vehicles achieved in the field.




These models will be available individually on Ebay Should you require any other vehicle painted to this standard please contact me with your requirements at lowlesr@hotmail.co.uk for a quote. All payments can be made, and are preferred, through Paypal, shipping is at cost.

The Accursed Getinmahbeli from Khurasan Miniatures

Jon from Khurasan Miniatures contacted me recently to see if I would be interested in painting the first of his new range of Mystri Island 15mm Lost World/Adventure figures. As the greens were available to view on line I jumped across to TMP to have a look. There, sculpted by Mark Kay, was a set of very well detailed and characterful 15 mm pot bellied cannibal women of the Accursed Getinmahbeli tribe that looked like they would be great fun to paint.

So a week later the pre production figures arrived. Standing at 15 mm high Mark has done a superb job of getting plenty of detail into these minis. The facial detail is probably the best I have seen on any 15mm figure. Cleanly moulded they required little or no cleaning up and after a quick dip in the cleaning solution and undercoating with Games Workshop Skull White spray it was time to paint.

I painted the figures with Vallejo and Games Workshop paints thinned with distilled water and an acrylic retarder. I started by blocking in the colours as on the Valiant figures in my previous post.


The most important area was obviously the flesh and this was done with Games Workshop Bronze Flesh.This was then followed with a coat of the Gryphonne Sepia from the new inks from Games Workshop. Further shading was added by blending Gryphonne Sepia with increasing amounts of Ogryn Flesh and Devlan Mud. Once dry I then highlighted with straight Bronze Flesh to which I gradually added Skull White to the basic colour. This was applied in very thin layers and the highlights built up gradually until I was satisfied with the overall result. As I have already said it is rare to find figures in 15mm with this level of facial detail and the extra time spent painting them is well worth the
effort.



The clothing on the minis, based on the attire of the actual Kalinga head-hunters, is just enough to protect the harridans modesty, little more than a loin cloth and an ill fitting blouse. I decided to have some fun and painted them in quite vivid and strong colours. The Vallejo range has an excellent level of pigmentation and blend well with Games Workshops skull white. I use Games Workshops white to lighten the colour as it has a non-chalky consistency and is extremely bright.

To finish off I placed the figures on Battlefront bases using Games Workshop sand and flock. As these figures are for publication, on the Khurasan Miniatures website as examples, I purposely kept the basing as uncomplicated as possible so as not to detract the eye from the figures themselves.



All in all superb figures to paint, real little “painters figures”, which are most unusual and a welcome break from the norm. For more information on this new range go to http://members.tripod.com/khurasanminiatures/mystriisland.html

M5A1 Stuart from the 2nd Armoured Division tank Company Boxed Set from Flames of War.

The commander of a M5A1 Stuart contemplates the fate of a British Centaur and its crew.

I have always had a particular liking for the M5A1. With its somewhat obsolete appearance and the idea that M5A1 crews pitted their 37mm cannons against the 88 armed Panthers and Tigers and won seems almost incredulous. I know they were fast and they took the German Armour from the rear but the crews must have had cahones the size of melons.

So when choosing the first models from the set to complete the choice was obvious. The Light Tank Platoon with the three M5A1 models was the first to the modelling bench.

What the models lack in size they make up for in sheer heft. The metal track set is well detailed and gives these little models a real feel of solidity when handled. The detail is easily up to what I have come to expect from battlefronts Flames of War range.

The turrets did need a little drilling with the pin vice to get the main gun to sit correctly (and firmly in the turret) and of course the resin parts did require a bit of fettling as per the norm with the flames of war range. It is always worth spending a little bit of time prepping the model prior to assembly followed by a few dry runs to test the fit and overall appearance before reaching for the glue.

Once base coated, using Games Workshops excellent spray undercoat, it is time to break out the airbrush. The models were then painted overall in Olive Drab before being dusted with various sand and earth colours, this when a good airbrush comes into its own, to begin the weathering process. Once the paint has completely dried it is on to the next stage and this is where you will either breathe life into the model or destroy all the work done thus far.

I always apply the decals at this stage, about half way through the weathering process, just prior to lining. Once the decals have been secured with Microset and completely dried I then apply various filters. Basically artist oils thinned with turps to tone down the paintwork and make the model more believable on the games table. This process has to be done extremely carefully as you do not want brush strokes or puddles of paint gathering on the model. When you have achieved the effect you want you will need to set the model aside for a day or two prior to highlighting and the final weathering with various powders and pastels.

The choice of pastels and weathering powders is important to the final appearance and should be applied slowly as too much is worse than too little in my opinion. Once you have finished with powder it is time to seal everything with a several very light and fine airbrushed coats of a quality matt varnish. Do not brush on the varnish or the powders will simply turn to mud and destroy the work. There is a real skill in this seemingly simple task but you want the atomised varnish to hit the model almost dry on the first two coats so as to preserve the weathered finish.

Worthy of special note is the commander figure. He has the finest facial detail of any figure I  have seen in the Flames of War range. He was a real delight to paint and worth the extra time that it took to bring out the detail.

The M5A1 from Battlefronts Flames of War range is a superb little model full of character and an excellent addition to anyone’s collection. Remember the Generals Paintbrush painting service is available to the gamer and collector. Email with your requirements for a quote.