RitterKrieg

*15mm Russian Infantry, step-by-step.*

	Step 1: Preparation


	Our minis for this tutorial consist of a mix of Russian 15mm Infantry from Battlefront. Work in groups of 4 - 5 figures at a time as most acrylic paints dry out quickly. Clean up any rough areas, remove any flash, and vents. Straighten weapons and bayonets. Re-detail any areas that may have been damaged. The DP-27 LMG Gunner on the left has had the ammo magazine re-scribed. Scratch build any parts you need. I tend to glue everything together before painting to keep handling to a minimum once painted. Once the mini is fully assembled, wash in warm, soapy water to allow the primer coat to adhere better to the mini. Mount your minis on something to avoid handling them too much. I use 2 or 3 inch galvanized roofing nails.

	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. You can use any color of primer for minis but the lighter colors will keep them from looking too dark when done. Keep the coat even and thin. One coat is enough but make sure to get all areas. I always prime outside to avoid the fumes! I use a VERY light, misting coat, being very careful not to put it on too thick. Better two thin coats than one thick. Let this air dry 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: Base coating



	We now mix up a suitable base color. A good choice would be any beige-brown to beige-green. Accurate colors in Vallejo could be Yellow Green 881, Dark Yellow 978, Khaki 988 or Khaki Grey 880. For these minis, we will use the Khaki Grey mixed in the following ratio: 3 x drops of paint 1 x drop of plain water 1 x drop of Windsor's 'Blending Medium' for acrylic paints. You can replace the blending medium with water as this will increase the dry time considerably. You will now have a pretty thin mixture and it may seem too watery but this is what we want. Using a 2 or 3 round brush, cover the entire mini except for the faces and hands (if you can help it). Boots and weapons can be left unpainted as well but do not spend too much time here. Be sure to not use too much paint. Allow to dry and recoat only if too translucent or you missed some areas.

	Step 4: The Wash



	Using your base color, add 1 x drop of black or very dark brown. Mix in and put a small dab of this color on your pallet. Add about 6 or so drops of water and mix thoroughly. You will now have a very, very watery green-grey or brown-grey colored paint. Apply this to all the painted areas of the mini. Blot any areas with your brush to remove accumulations. Allow to dry.

	Step 5: Shadows



	We now take our darkened base color mixture and re-darken any areas that need more color using a 2/0 or 3/0 good quality brush . Edges of tunics, elbow creases, strap edges, etc...etc...do not over-do, just the major deep shadow areas.

	Step 5: Highlights



	Using our base color paint (Khaki Grey) mixed with a small amount of white (3/1 ratio) we again take our 2/0 or 3/0 good quality brush and hit any raised areas. Shoulders, cuffs, tops of folds, etc...etc...again do not over-do, just the major top areas.

	Step 6: Flesh, Belts, Knapsacks and Bags.



	We now paint in any flesh areas with your favorite base color. I usually use 845 Sunny Skintone. Paint the face and hands as well as any exposed areas. Do not worry too much about painting errors on the helmet or weapons as these can be touched-up later. Two thin coats are better than one. While the flesh dries well, we will move on to the extras. I use a method to add shadows and highlights with a minimum of effort. I start with a thin coat of the base color. Once dry, I add a bit of black to darken and add a VERY thin wash onto the object. Once dry, pick out the highlights with a lightened base color. That's it! Your free to choose your own colors but these are my current choices for Russian 1940-42 Infantry. Paint up all the extra gear as follows: : Knapsacks: Stone Grey 884 Gasmask bags: Middlestone 118 with Beige Brown 875 leather latch. Belts/ammo pouches: Chocolate Brown 872. Overcoat/bedrolls: US Field Drab 873 Shovel: Cover, a mix of USA Uniform 922 and White 951. Handle, Beige Brown 875. Water Bottle Cover: Yellow Green 881

	Step 7: Face Detail, Boots, Weapons and Helmets.



	Now I like to move back to the hands and faces and complete them. I will be posting an In-depth tutorial on these if interest warrants (send in those emails!) Once done, I paint a shadow under the helmet with German Cam Black Brown 822 to slim down the face and head. Paint the metal parts on the weapons and the boots Black 950. Paint the wooden parts of weapons Liquid Acrylic 820 Mahogany (best) or Cavalry Brown 982 mixed with Black 950. Highlighting will be done after the flatcote. Paint the helmets and mess kit Reflective Green 890 mixed with Yellow 70915 in a 2 to 1 ratio. There will be a final shading and weathering of the helmet later.