Lighting styles in 15mm tanks

8 July 2021 9 Re.

I originally published this post seven years ago (in 2014). Since then, I have painted dozens (even hundreds) of small tanks and learnt from my mistakes. Therefore, I decided to update this article adding a few more pieces of knowledge based on my experience. In this article I would like to talk about some of the most popular lighting systems applied on scale models (or at least, how I understand them), with a special focus on small tanks in 15mm or scale 1:100. I will briefly review and compare a few of them. If you like this topic, do not…

How to apply name tag decals

15 June 2021 No re.

We started a new Mordheim campaign in the local club and I could not resist to paint a bunch of new models for my warbands: some hire swords and more Estalians. But I needed new golden name tags for the new members as I already used all I had. Thus, once more I contacted Scumb4g Kustoms to arrange a new sheet of name tags -gold letters for Marienburgs and Estalians, and silver for Witch Hunters). Furthermore, I painted a beggar with a paper hanging in the front. For this I wanted something special: a text saying Make Mordheim great again.…

How to paint 12mm (1:144) WWII tanks

1 June 2021 5 Re.

During the last weeks I have been painting several dozens of tiny WWII tanks in 12mm (1:144 scale) produced by Victrix Games, a new branch of Victrix Limited. I thought that my preferred scale for tanks was 15mm, but these lovely beauties took my heart. In spite of the small size, the level of details is outstanding and they permit a 1:1 level of game (= bigger battles).   And thanks to Victrix Games, now you can download totally for free a painting tutorial for each tank model. Each guide includes a complete step by step, with plenty of photos…

How to paint armed civilians in WWII

5 December 2020 4 Re.

As I already commented in my previous post, I had the great opportunity to paint the wonderful new 28mm range from JT Infamous featuring the WWII Polish Home Army and perfect for Bolt Action.We already saw how to paint step by step the armoured truck Kubuś, and today we will see how to paint the soldiers (or civilians).  Thanks to JT Infamous  and Wargames: Soldiers and Strategy you can download for free two detailed step by step painting guides showing how to paint a Civilian armed with a Molotov cocktail and SMG (originally published in WSS 101) and another civilian dressed with stolen…

How to paint the WWII Polish Kubuś armoured car

3 November 2020 No re.
Kubus

I recently had the opportunity to paint the wonderful new 28mm range from JT Infamous featuring the WWII Polish Home Army, which includes a very charismatic armored soft-skin, the Kubuś. The range includes a mixture of fighters wearing civilian and military garments that results in a very colorful army. If you are planning to start a new Bolt Action army, have a look at JT Infamous website! Thanks to JT Infamous  you can download for free a detailed step by step painting guide showing how to paint the Kubuś using acrylic and enamel/oil paints from AMMO: And stay tuned: soon…

How to decorate bases with plants

1 June 2020 2 Re.

One of the most important part of a miniature -although some times ignored- is the base. Even a poorly painted miniature will look more interesting when placed in a nicely decorated base. And vice versa, sometimes a  poorly decorated base might hamper the quality of a very well painted miniature. Today we will see how we can combine different materials to create interesting mixtures of grass and bushes in our wargaming bases. I will use as an example a German HMG team in 28mm by Kromlech Historical. If you wonder how to paint the German uniform, check this guide.  Remember that…

How to paint gladiators in 15mm, and different human skin colors

29 March 2020 3 Re.

Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant! (“Hail, Emperor, those who are about to die salute you”). Today, we are going to focus on how to paint different types of skin using some lovely gladiators in 15mm from Forged in Battle. I will also say a few words about how to paint other parts of these gladiators, so that you will find a complete step-by-step tutorial below. In the following lines I will describe how to paint three different types of skin: dark skin (African people), medium skin (Mediterranean and middle-east people) and light skin (northern people). This is based on my…

How to paint leather

26 January 2020 5 Re.

Last week we saw how to paint true metallic metals; and today, using the same miniature we will see how to paint different types of leather: black, dark brown and light brown (this recipe can also be used for canvas).  Once again, in the following lines I will describe my own method or recipes to paint leather. But this is not the best (or the worst) method to do it. This is just part of my own style. I would encourage you to check other tutorials and videos to learn different ways to paint leather. And this, you will be able…

How to make foliage camouflage for 15mm tanks

12 January 2020 No re.

Since I published the book Painting Wargames Tanks many people have asked me about how to do the tree branches or foliage I added to some 15mm tanks. Therefore, I  have finally decided to write a tutorial about it. I already shared some hints in the issue of The Weathering Magazine about Kursk, but I will explain everything more in detail here.  During the WWII many tank crews -specially Germans- decided to conceal a little bit better their tanks and other vehicles by adding tree branches and other vegetation. We can easily recreate this in our tiny models to add…

How to paint 28mm tanks for Bolt Action

22 October 2019 No re.

Today I bring something new to the table. Even though I have explained many times how to paint and apply weathering effects on 15mm vehicles (scale 1:100), I have never done it using a historical 28mm tank (1:48-1:56 scale); although I have explored previously bigger scales when painting Warhammer 40 000 vehicles (here and here). Taking advantage of a very nice resin model of an American heavy tank M34 from Khurasan Miniatures, I would like to give you some tips about how to paint your tanks for Bolt Action (or any other 28mm wargame), and specially to add a little…