DrUnK3n_PaNdA
Mongoose
So I've been painting minis for a long while, but always as part of the gaming scene, I've never looked into scale modelling, but recently I picked up a very cool trick from the scale modellers that makes all the difference in making your minis look like minis to making them look like soldiers. It also does a great job of covering your mistakes.
The trick is crushed pastel. Shave down a pastel stick of the appropriate color into dust and apply it with dry brush (It will take a few coats to get the proper effect). It comes out looking perfect for weathered, worn and dusty fatigues. Using black instead makes great weathering around greasy spots on vehicles or spots that would be stained from exhaust.
For a sample:
Before
After
Miniatures are Italeri "Modern US Infantry", Kneepads, shemaghs and the boonie/baseball cap are made with epoxy putty.
And as exhaust stains (The flash reflecting off the decals is ugly, I know, but try to ignore it!):
Cobra
The model is an Hobbycraft AH-1z. I had to paint over the cockpit because firstly it was ridiculously out-of-scale and also because there was no way I was spending ten bucks on some 1/72 pilot models that likely wouldn't fit because it was out of scale. In short don't buy Hobbycraft. Their AH-1 is an awful kit. It doesn't show, but there's nearly as much epoxy putty as plastic filling up gaps there!
(Please note the Helicopter is OBVIOUSLY not finished and the marines are still unbased. I find it's usually easier to paint vehicles in their main parts before putting everything together... and I always paint figures before I base!)
The trick is crushed pastel. Shave down a pastel stick of the appropriate color into dust and apply it with dry brush (It will take a few coats to get the proper effect). It comes out looking perfect for weathered, worn and dusty fatigues. Using black instead makes great weathering around greasy spots on vehicles or spots that would be stained from exhaust.
For a sample:
Before
After
Miniatures are Italeri "Modern US Infantry", Kneepads, shemaghs and the boonie/baseball cap are made with epoxy putty.
And as exhaust stains (The flash reflecting off the decals is ugly, I know, but try to ignore it!):
Cobra
The model is an Hobbycraft AH-1z. I had to paint over the cockpit because firstly it was ridiculously out-of-scale and also because there was no way I was spending ten bucks on some 1/72 pilot models that likely wouldn't fit because it was out of scale. In short don't buy Hobbycraft. Their AH-1 is an awful kit. It doesn't show, but there's nearly as much epoxy putty as plastic filling up gaps there!
(Please note the Helicopter is OBVIOUSLY not finished and the marines are still unbased. I find it's usually easier to paint vehicles in their main parts before putting everything together... and I always paint figures before I base!)