Miniatures Collecting Painting Figures

ariete

Private
Joined
Mar 10, 2017
Location
Italy
the purpose of this thread isn't to be a tutorial, you can check on youtube channel to find excellent tutorial videos about how paint figures, here i just want share my first experience about collecting and paint figures scale 1:72.

first of all, choose the goods to collect.
we've a huge assortment covering all historical periods, personally i prefer what was between 1850-1945.
this site is the place to check and have previews about the figures made by the several manufacters : plasticsoldierreview.com

once chosed what buy, you have to search in interent what are the cheapest retailer for your country.
i've been luck to find two internet retailers near where i live, so i contacted them and i could retire personally the goods; the human relationships remain a good point in make business and ask further discounts; anyway i would warning about shops beacause they seem apply, for the most, the same or more expansive price than what an internet retailer can however reserve. if you can visit dedicated fairs about wargame or anyway where they sell toy soldiers, i know they're excellent places to make great business, usually the goods are sold like in a clearance sale.
here a couple of the several retailers you can find in internet, they've good catalogues and cheaper prices :
https://www.drumandflag.co.uk/
https://www.michtoy.com/

(i'm collecting several boxes about the period i'm interested in. i like products made by Strelets, Hat, Caesar, Italeri, even if i have yet to find a retailer that suit me for Strelets goods ! )

moving on my first experience in painting, i'm going to show step by step the phases of my work (i meet everybody have to rich this topic to come forward with own knowledge, notions, advices, suggestions).

1. unboxing the product and remove the single pieces
what needs : TILE NIPPER
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2. remove impurity from the single item
what needs : TOOL FILE, CUTTER
(i prefer use the cutter lightly around the part to remove)

3. wash the items
what needs : DISHES SOAP, TOOTHBRUSH
(i left the items in a soapy water for a long while before rinse them with clean water)
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4. leave the items dry for a night
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5. paint the figures with primer
what needs : PRIMER, DISH as palette, BRUSH FINE TIP, PINCER to take the figure)
(i don't use primer in spray because i prefer make this step manually)
(i choose the white because i think is the best base we can apply to a model, details of the figure stand out)
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(more than an hand of primer to well cover any part of the item)
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6. paint
what needs : COLOURS, DISH as palette, BRUSH FINE TIP, PINCER to take the figure, CUP of water, RAG to dry brush)
(exist lot of tones and colours by several brands, me, because one of my retailer paint with it and i readed excellet reviews about, i choosed - the army painter - and i bought just the essential : black, white, red, blue, yellow and gun metal because it give a different effect than grey on the weapons)
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(i use a magnifying glass just to check the details of the item before paint, i can do the job quietly by the naked eye)
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(i paint the part of the items by colour i prepar before, there's not a rule but continue retouching)
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7. correct the item from smudges and mistakes and retouch the details
(i've no photo at the moment for this stage, i'll post in a second moment or editing this post, show my ability isn't the purpose of this thread; feel free to comment, share experiences, hijack the topic with your works or collection, i'm not the subject here but our passion)

8. cure the highlights and wash the items with quickshade

[i will update this post, if i'll have the permissions to do it, with other photos, step by step i continue this job]
 
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Napoleonicscrop.JPG


Many, many years ago I too painted military miniatures, mainly back in the 1960's and 70's. Here are some photographs taken by my old friend and traveling companion, fellow member @mkyzzzrdet, showing some of my 54mm Napoleonic figures that, although made in lead required much of the same work you describe. (Trimming flash and fitting parts and pieces before assembly; washing, fitting, assembling, filling and filing; priming and painting; etc., etc.)

Napoleonics 001crop.JPG


Unfortunately, I gave up on these before ever finishing the grand diorama of Napoleon surrounded by his staff that I'd originally planned; the two figures at left were finally finished for me by someone else and all now repose in a small glass case in my library/gunroom, and the typical great gray army of unstarted figures remain in a box in the closet to be discovered and hopefully completed by another when I am long gone! Below, detail of the backs of four figures.

Napoleonics 002crop.JPG
 
I love miniatures! I would fill an entire house with tiny soldiers as I used to do when I was a child.

May I ask you a question ?

Even a goofy person like me with some good and hard work can manage to paint them or I should ask someone else ? I would take a year to complete the painting !

PS: I may be wrong, are those troops from Germany of the WW2 ?

Edit: sbaglio o anche tu vieni dal bel paese ? La Lavazza ti ha tradito ahahaha
 
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PS: I may be wrong, are those troops from Germany of the WW2 ?

Edit: sbaglio o anche tu vieni dal bel paese ? La Lavazza ti ha tradito ahahaha
I'm pretty sure they are ca.1941-42 Tedeschi/Germans from Rommel's or Meese's Panzerarmee Afrika. (Keep in mind that @ariete has a particular interest in that theater of operations!)
 
Thank you @ariete for giving me the incentive to sort through my hobby room, I'd forgotten about these figures.
I painted them many years ago for my local model club to depict the various and confusing uniforms worn by both sides at the start of the Civil war.
They are 1/32nd scale figures painted in Humbrol enamels, at the time not many modellers used Acrylic paint.
Row 1 (left to right)
Louisiana Inf (Lee's Tigers) (C.S.A) 5th NY Duryees Zouaves (U.S) 5th GA Clinch Rifles (C.S.A) 4th Texas Inf (C.S.A)

Row 2 (left to right)
MD Guard Zouaves (C.S.A) both MD Zouaves Guard (C.S.A) 7th NY National Guard (U.S) 22nd NY Reg National Guard (U.S)
IMG_3110 (2).JPG
 
Thank you @ariete for giving me the incentive to sort through my hobby room, I'd forgotten about these figures.
I painted them many years ago for my local model club to depict the various and confusing uniforms worn by both sides at the start of the Civil war.
They are 1/32nd scale figures painted in Humbrol enamels, at the time not many modellers used Acrylic paint.
Row 1 (left to right)
Louisiana Inf (Lee's Tigers) (C.S.A) 5th NY Duryees Zouaves (U.S) 5th GA Clinch Rifles (C.S.A) 4th Texas Inf (C.S.A)

Row 2 (left to right)
MD Guard Zouaves (C.S.A) both MD Zouaves Guard (C.S.A) 7th NY National Guard (U.S) 22nd NY Reg National Guard (U.S)
View attachment 307448
Lovely miniatures! And full of details :smile:
 
in fact @rebel brit they seem to fit greatly for the study of the uniforms about what they refered ! they're 1:32 scale, so bigger rather than what i'm painting, but i assure @Pima it's the very first time for me and i think everybody can do own work quietly, anyway i meet to read something in internet and watch some videos on youtube channel before (search for this result = How to paint.. figure in scale 1_72 real WIP). Le Roy Merlin sell good tiny sharped brushes size 0 - 1 for 1.5 - 2 euro, here in Italy !

James N. the product is this
https://www.italeri.com/prodotto/1797
http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=1332
i used just one grid of three, just to try, finding then this hobby too much relaxing ... when i'll finish and wash the items, i'll post the final result.
(i bought the box for 4 euro in a sale, anyway i can always found it for 7 euro from the retailer near my home; in internet the cheaper price i saw for that has an average of about 9 euro, so less then what the official Italeri website propose, but in foreign countries can reach more then 10 - 13 euro / dollars .. just to reckon ! )
 
Ariete, looking good. I assume when you say you will be washing them that you mean brushing the figures with a watery black or brown paint to enhance the separation and folds in the clothing.
Are you planning on building a scenic base to display them?
 
Ariete, looking good. I assume when you say you will be washing them that you mean brushing the figures with a watery black or brown paint to enhance the separation and folds in the clothing.
Are you planning on building a scenic base to display them?

i'm so exciting for tonight because i'm going to make the last step !
i'll use the army painter quickshade mid-brown. being almost the subjects i planned to do in desert-tropical location, i bought that product.
here the last retouching result of today afternoon
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in reality everything is started as a try, then it seems i got a taste for it; it's an extremely relaxing job.
surely in first i would use them to show my uniformology studies, even if i would use them for any other activity you could do with, but i'll not create dioramas with them, who know one day i'll play with them ...
 
Great thread. One question---- Does the Misses know you are using her nice dishes for your painting project??

In the 10th grade, my best buddy said for his History Project he was going to make a diorama of Shiloh using 1/72 figures. I accepted the challenge and tried to find another topic. I choose the 31st "Dixie" Infantry Division complete with a company of Japs making a banzai charge against the GI's on an airfield where a "Tony" fighter was parked.
One thing I learned is that PLASTIC 1/72 figures are not worth painting. If you bend them anywhere---knee, rifle, bayonet or horse's leg---the figure flexes and the paint pops off. Sometimes a large portion will pop away exposing the bright color of the plastic. And I'm sure that I used Primer.

Did you say these were plastic figures?

Here are some LEAD figures that I painted many years ago to use for war-gamming.
The brigade on the left are the "Black Hats" and the right is Walthall's Mississippi brigade.

MiniFigures.JPG
 
I painted an Imperial Guardsman from Warhammer 40k with the colors if the Union Army. I will be painting my whole army like this.View attachment 309866

ahahah they look great, have you already gave the name to that unit of Blue Jackets ?!
(the variant Death Korps of Krieg of the Imperial Guards has a great stylish uniform on which have fun :D)


Great thread. One question---- Does the Misses know you are using her nice dishes for your painting project??

In reality i recovered this couple of that kind or they've would been throw out because lasts still intacts of that set of dishes !


One thing I learned is that PLASTIC 1/72 figures are not worth painting. If you bend them anywhere---knee, rifle, bayonet or horse's leg---the figure flexes and the paint pops off. Sometimes a large portion will pop away exposing the bright color of the plastic. And I'm sure that I used Primer.

i'm newbi so i talk you without experience but what i readed, and so plastic is reviewed as the best material to paint rathern than steel or lead. What's would make the difference could be the brands of the colours you use, if you wash the items before and dry for the night, how much primer you put on before, anyway, i fear the issue you mentioned is due to too small scale of the items we have to do rather than the composition of them. I had a similar issue recently, mounting singular pieces already painted of a gatling gun by HAT, when i assembled some elements, part of the paint pops off in certain areas, and i already wash the pieces with quickshade which should be also protective ...

Here are some LEAD figures that I painted many years ago to use for war-gamming.
The brigade on the left are the "Black Hats" and the right is Walthall's Mississippi brigade.
View attachment 309912

cool, are these figures by Streelets ?! how much is it cost a box in the US, an average ?!


becuase here in Italy summer has exploded in the last 2 days and the temperatures has started to rise drammatically, i ask you to suggest me if it's appropiate painting also with a so hot season and if i have to follow any rule about how mantain the open jars/vials of the colours !?
 
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