Figures
The kit comes with two figures which are reasonable for plastic injection moulded and take a little time to clean up but nothing apart from parting lines. I adjusted the arms on the tank commander to fit the pose as per the pictures. The character pointing into the distance needs no alteration just checking that he fitted when built and before the adhesive had dried. Both were positioned on the model to check that the interaction worked.
The figures were given a coat of Mr Surfacer 1200 sprayed from and aerosol can and left to dry overnight. I had decided to paint the figures with acrylic paints and it has to be said I’m no expert figure painter and am still learning to use these paints.
I start with the flesh giving the figures a coat of basic colour which is diluted with water. The eyes are the first items to be painted. I use a skin tone plus some white to paint in the whites of the eyes. Next comes some black for the eyeball and when that is dry a centre is added with a light blue colour. The skin was then painted with a darker skin tone for areas that were in shadow. The highlights were painted with a lighter skin tone. To get a more gradual transition between high and low lights I used intermediate colour mixes and used a thin wash overall to tie together.
The commander figure was painted with a medium green and shadow and highlights painted as appropriate. A wash was made and applied to tie together. The belt was painted in Saddle Brown and the top highlighted with an orange brown while the bottom part was painted with a dark brown. The cap was painted black, weathered and detailed with silver grey for the insignia and the cockade was the finishing touch in black white and red.
The kneeling figure was approached in the same manner but with a lighter green such as Vallejo 830 which I thinned and painted onto the dried white primer. This was left to dry and when I returned it looks as if the figure had had its light and shade added. I then went over the creases with a darker colour and left it at that,
The belt, holster and shoes were painted as per the belt on the previous figure. The cap was painted black and dry brushed with a light grey with a lot of care not to overdo it. The seams, pocket flaps and other edges were lined in with very thin black.
Using the same pigment as used on the Hetzer both figures received a dusting on the shoulders elbows and trousers. Finally the boots received a dusting.
Attaching the figures
Once I was happy with the figures I fitted them in their respective places and checked again that they looked right. Gator glue is then applied to fix both in place and put aside to dry after cleaning up any unwanted glue.
