RaisingArizona Posted February 19, 2023 Share Posted February 19, 2023 Hello All, I am building a Tamiya 1:48 Mosquito and I decided to try to paint the pilot / navigator figures. This is my first attempt at figure painting. I viewed several videos and tried to copy the technique, and here is the result ... Can anyone steer me in the right direction on some tips and techniques. I am not real happy with the result. Looks OK at a distance, but close up doesn't look all that nice. I did coat it with a matt varnish, but till looks a bit shiny. I am going to see if I can get more matt finish with a different clear coat. Thanks, Steve 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 What i do is putva skin wash on the face ,and a grey wash on the uniform. Then dry brush with the base colour, it works for me . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondrome Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 Hi Steve, What kind of paint are you using? You should try to use water diluitable colours like Vallejo, ak 3d gen, citadel etc. And i would avoid glossy colours in general. As Homer says using the dry brush technique over the base colour to make highlights is good. And make a lot of practice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slackbladder Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 (edited) Steve I used to have the same problem when matt varnishing my old Warhammer figures, always made them come out shiny. I think all the super-duper matt finished figures you saw in the magazines were photographed before varnishing for this very reason. As these guys will be locked away in a cockpit there's probably no need to varnish at all if you can't get one that gives you a matt finish. I still use Citadel paints with the techniques mentioned above. Edited March 19, 2023 by Slackbladder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oileanach Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 On 2/19/2023 at 9:23 PM, RaisingArizona said: Hello All, I am building a Tamiya 1:48 Mosquito and I decided to try to paint the pilot / navigator figures. This is my first attempt at figure painting. I viewed several videos and tried to copy the technique, and here is the result ... Can anyone steer me in the right direction on some tips and techniques. I am not real happy with the result. Looks OK at a distance, but close up doesn't look all that nice. I did coat it with a matt varnish, but till looks a bit shiny. I am going to see if I can get more matt finish with a different clear coat. Thanks, Steve I recently had something similar. I got myself a bottle of Mig Ultra-Matt Lucky varnish. The name's a bit of a mouthful, but the varnish itself did the trick. It's pretty cheap, £2.96 from my preferred online seller (not sure if we're allowed to plug them?). Even with postage you'll be looking at less than a fiver. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 I always bin the stock plastic figures and buy pj productions resin ones. Much more detailed so look better once painted. 1/48 is difficult to get detail so don't try to do eyes etc. Just a thin line of black is enough. Vallejo matt varnish is great but better sprayed than brushed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sardaukar Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 20 hours ago, oileanach said: I recently had something similar. I got myself a bottle of Mig Ultra-Matt Lucky varnish. The name's a bit of a mouthful, but the varnish itself did the trick. It's pretty cheap, £2.96 from my preferred online seller (not sure if we're allowed to plug them?). Even with postage you'll be looking at less than a fiver. I'll second this varnish, recently I wasn't happy with the Matt finish from Vallejo as it was more like a satin, but mig ultra Matt sorted that out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilspen Posted April 3, 2023 Share Posted April 3, 2023 I think they look pretty good for 1/48. I agree with the previous posters, a spot of dry brushing and get some Mig Ultra Flat and I think you will be happier. The problem with taking pictures is the magnification shows up all sorts, that you cannot see with your normal vision and one can get too critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kapam Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 I too think they look okay, especially for a first try. My figure-painting method is simple but sounds a bit silly - keep painting them until you're happy. I'm being sincere - I often go "outside the lines" and struggle with an unsteady hand, but I keep going back over mistakes until I fluke a satisfactory look. Incidentally, I use mostly enamels because I'd rather not invest in a whole other collection of paints just for one purpose. Washes (acrylic or enamel) also help me get some basic detail to stand out, followed by touching up again with the main colours. Keep at it, you're doing well! 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now