Step 1: Planning

Before starting your Infantry project, decide what it is exactly you want to complete. This could be as small as a squad of figures or a Company - its up to you. This will allow you to gather the number and poses of figures you need beforehand and keep the project focused on a goal.

For this project, I will be modeling a German Grenadier Kompanie 1941-43 (could double as dismounted Panzergrenadiers) with a few attachments. They will be based for Schwere Kompanie but could be used for various rule systems including GHQ's Microarmor: The Game.

This Kompanie will consist of:

1 x GHQ Stand (Kompanie HQ)
1 x Forward Observer/Radio stand
3 x ATR stands
3 x Platoon HQ stands
12 x Squad stands (with LMG and rifle elements modeled)

This would model a Kompanie with Kompanie HQ with 3 x ATRs attached, and 3 x platoons of 4 x squads each.

As well, I will be modeling the following to use when Squads deploy into maneuver and fire teams or when causalities have been taken:

6 x LMG stands.
6 x Reduced Squad stands.

Attachments and additions to the Kompanie will be:

3 x Anti-tank (panzerjager) Infantry stands (to replace the ATR stands in later Kompanies)
4 x Panzerfaust teams (for use in 1943).
2 x 8cm Mortar stands (added 1943).
3 x MMG stands (MG34 on Lafette tripod).
3 x HMG stands (MG42 on Lafette tripod).

Kompanie HQ 

The Kompanie HQ will consist of 5 x figures:

1 x Kompanie commander Oberleutnant
1 x 2IC Hauptfeldwebel
1 x Unteroffizer
1 x Kompanie runner.
1 x Radioman (Funker).

I now base the GHQ on a small FOW base, turned upside-down (makes it super easy to pickup and makes edge-finishing not necessary - I don't know why this isn't the standard way!) Ignore the painted figures for now I will elaborate on the methods later.

The Kompanie commander is a Russian Officer taken from the Individual Infantry blister. I bend down the sides of his cap and add a drop of superglue to the top to look more like a 'Crusher'.

The 2IC Hauptfeldwebel is a German Officer. I changed the pointing arm to one gripping his field glasses and removed the map.

The Unteroffizer is again a German Officer. I changed the pointing arm to one at his side and removed the map.

The Kompanie runner is one of the new figures from the German Individual Infantry #2 G-525. I bent down the arm holding the Kar-98 and turned his head a little.

The Funker is a German Flamethrower taken from the Individual Infantry G-144. The wand and hose are removed with an x-acto and nail-clippers and the tank on his back is squared up to look more like a radio. You could also remove it altogether and add one made from square stock.

Forward Observer

Pretty straight forward, I used the Observer and a converted Flamethrower figure from the German Infantry Individual Infantry blister G-144. I added a KAR-98 from the rifleman figure in G-525 and a gasmask container made from an arm of a spare German Officer - keep the rest of him for a crew helmet on a vehicle.

ATRs and Platoon HQs

German ATRs are now available in the G-515 Early war AT weapons. I add an underused modified standing, firing rifleman from the G-144 blister. I remove his rifle, and base, with nail clippers, seperate his legs into a less ridgid pose and bend at the waist with needlenose pliars. Makes a great addition to LMGs and ATR stands and I for one mave many of these figures in the spares box!

Platoon HQs are based on a small 1/2 inch base I punch out of a sheet of magnetic material with a punch I made from a galvanized pipe. I use the standard officer figure, (only he is now a NCO) and the new NCO (great figure!) from the G525 blister and add one of the figures pictured, again from the new G525.

1st Line Squads

The choices for squads are now more varied, as there are more figures to choose from. The tough part is giving them an easily identifiable look on the game table to differentiate them from other squads. I, for one, do not like the look of labels on the game table but this is a simple solution. I prefer to make the number of men or their easily identifiable equipment the factor in identity.

For a basic German Rifle squad (or 1st Line in SK speak) I like to use a 1 x prone LMG figure and 3 x riflemen to represent the entire squad. This base could also be used as a Platoon in Microarmor: The Game, a half-squad in FOW or a flock of chickens in the legend of zelda

I used the standard prone LMG figure from G145, only trimming the stand to fit on the base (something I do for many figures). For the three riflemen, I use the running figure from the G144, the grenade arming fellow and advancing Rifleman from G525.

The attachments are fairly straightforward; I will be using the Schwere MG-34 and observers in G-145 Individual Heavy Weapons pack as well as the ammo carriers from the G525.

The Panzerfaust teams will come from G511, but the mortars are a bit tougher. The best mortar around is the 3" one from the UK N. Africa individual weapons in any of the following kits: UK-71, UK-74 or UK-76. Remove the 'Tommy' and add various German crew figures, I use the loader from the Panzerbüchse, the Panzerschreck and the standing rifleman from G525.

Step 2: Priming

I always prime in white using the paint pictured above. Its available at Canadian Tire but any white enamel spray paint that is not an imperfection-covering or filling type is fine. Normally, I do not use an actual 'Primer' as most of these are too thick of pigment and are designed to be sanded. I find darker colors are just too dark and make your minis look bland.

I normally begin by choosing a specific pose and paint all of them at the same time. This helps when trying to complete a large project. For this section, I will concentrate on the prone LMG. I trim any extra base material and remove any casting lines and injection ports left from the casting process with nail-clippers and an x-acto.

I then mount the minis on the standard 2 or 3 inch roofing nail with crazy-glue. These are help in a cardboard bow for painting. Find a spot with no wind outside. I use a VERY light, misting coat, being very careful not to put it on too thick. Better two coats than one. Let this air dry outside for about 20 minutes outside.

I then move the minis to a wooden cutting board or a spare piece of plywood. I put them into the oven for 20 minutes 150-170 Fahrenheit for 20 minutes so that I can move onto the next step without having to wait for the primer to cure.

Step 3: Basecoating

Moving on with the painting - finally - I now mix up my chosen color Humbrol 111 with Humbrol 90 added for scale. I wet the paint out with ample thinner (varsol or Turpentine) to get a slightly watery mixture. It should be thin enough to flow but not too thin to cover. I use a number 2 brush to apply the paint, drawing off any large accumulations.

I cover the entire mini with a thin coating, even the flesh parts. The idea is to have a very thin base coat when dry. The reason I stay with Humbrol enamels is that they have very fine pigment size, good coverage when thinned, are dead-flat and are PERMANENT when dry. Other enamels (read Testors) won't stand up to the wash procedure and do not thin as well due to the larger pigment size. Into the oven or wait 2 days to cure!

Step 4: The Wash

The next step is to shade and shadow the minis. I work with a group of no more than 6 figures at a time as this step tends to work best when the wash does not have too much time to dry.

One point I would like to mention, is that if your figures are on the sprue and you don't want to modify them in any way, you can paint them on the sprue without any issues instead of mounting on nails. In fact, if you are painting an army of them, its far more efficient.

Begin by mixing up a wash of black paint and thinner. It should be watery but not too diluted to show the separated pigment. One of the best paints I have found is the cheap small glass bottle Testors type as they don't have much of a 'bite' and wear easily (something you want with this step!). Also, they are reasonably flat.

I use a small cheap round brush, covering the entire mini. Draw off any excess and set aside to dry a bit. Move on to the next figure and keep them in order, this allows them to dry the same amount of time.

Once you have completed 6 or so figures give the minis about 2 minutes or so to dry.

Get out some clean thinner, a rag, and a 1/2" square-cut soft brush. DIp the brush in the thinner and wipe of most of it on the rag. Have a look at your first figure. If it has lost most of the wet look (the thinner has evaporated) it is ready for the next step.

Begin by sweeping the brush across the figure in a flicking-type random motion. Done right, it should take most of the wash off the raised areas and leave it in the shadows. It also blends and feathers the wash at its edges. If your brush is too wet, or the wash isn't dry enough, this will take off all the wash. Do not overwork the figure as it will eventually remove the underlying basecoat! Practice makes perfect!

Clean and dry the brush every 2 figures. Complete the group and set aside to dry. Finish the rest of your figures in groups of 6 or so.

Step 5: Final Shadows

After completing all of the figures with your wash, there may be some areas that you wish to darken. When doing the wash right, it will leave more of a haze than a dark, shadowed area. These areas may have lost some of the shading when you used the blending with the 1/2 inch brush or may be areas that just need to be darker.

For the LMG, this would include the separation between the tunic and pants, the underside of the MG34, the shadow on the straps etc. I also shade the base of prone figures.

Begin by taking your flat black and mixing in enough thinner to get a watery mix. I use a 3/0 brush for this work. Add shadow with the brush to the areas that need it and blend any areas that are too wide or mistakenly painted with a bit of clean thinner and a 1/0 brush. Take care not to overdo the amount of paint. In the picture, you can see that I have done the boots and gun with the same mixture. I do this because I do not want the layers to obscure the detail. ALL of my painting uses the same thinned down paint. You can also see the extreme minute detailed highlights that appear without any drybrushing with this technique (circled in red on the picture below).

Step 6: Boots, Belts, Straps, Flesh

If you have the patience and magnification, you can paint the straps and belts. This step isn't always necessary for gaming figures but really does set them off. Some of the web gear detail is missing on the earlier German Infantry casts and the German LMG is one of these as is the German Grenadier. These can be painted in by using reference photos to locate them on the figures. Again I use the 3/0 brush and thinned black. I also pick out the boots, belts, and metal weapons, priming them black for the later drybrush.



I now mix up a lightened flesh color (add white to any flesh color). I pick out the hands and fingers if possible. Sometimes there is a hint of a finger around a handle or trigger.

Keep the paint somewhat thicker here as you don't want to get it all over your earlier work. Just load up your brush and lightly touch off where you want it to go.

Faces deserve special attention. I load up a size 1 brush and wipe most of the paint off on a rag. Earlier, I covered the entire figure in the base coat. Now this helps to shade the face when you drybrush (the green/grey is not a recomended face shadow color but it works!)

I drybrush the face, toward the helmet, keeping the shading adound the eyes, nose, and edge of the helmet. Any flesh colored paint can be touched-up with Feldgrau later.

Step 7: Small Details

Now is the time to finish up the smaller details.

For the Helmet, I use Humbrol 91 mixed with black as a basecoat. Once this is dry, I paint the top of the helmet untinted Humbrol 91. Gasmask and mess kit are also painted untinted Humbrol 91. The Gasmask can strap is Humbrol 83, the ammo cans and mines are Humbrol 79. Water bottle is untinted Testors rust. Rifle is either Humbrol 100 or Testors Rust with a bit of black .

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