I have a bit of a problem (anyone that knows me will of coarse think this already)… I painted up a ton of FOW Soviet armor some years ago and have collected more vehicles that need to be painted. The problem is, I do not remember the colors I used on the original tanks…. So, I have been trying different schemes to try to get back to my original scheme (I am still not quite there).
I tried out a couple of color schemes, in an effort to find the right color choices (it is really about using the correct dry brush colors). I am still plugging away, but here are some units I did working towards the holy grail.
My intended approach for my Soviets is to go with a base green and muddy running gear. The muddy running gear allows me to crack out the tanks without the time consuming need to paint rubber rims on road wheels and differing track colors. With the large numbers needed for Soviets and the fact I normally batch paint these, every short cut is a blessing!
I sprayed the tanks with Krylon brown on the bottom and then Testors medium green on top. This gives a base. I then hit the lower areas with Vallejo brown pumice (red brown in this case). Once that sets, I cover the models with Vallejo black dip. This really stains the model almost black with a mottling effect.
Next starts the dry brushing. First is the green. This starts with a heavy wet brush and then is hit with a lightening dry brush. I then do the same thing for the lower mud areas. I hit these with some red brown. I then paint any details and add any necessary decals. Once that is all set, I hit the entire model with Vallejo Iraqi Sand to tie everything together.
As you can see from these samples, that even thought he base coloring is the same, I got different effects from the highlights and dry brushing. I have to keep at it, until I find the magic formula! However, it also shows that you can use basically the same colors on models and just vary highlighting to get different looks. If your looking for minor variations in your collect, you do not have to go with a totally different pallet, just vary your highlighting colors!
– Manteuffel