Splittermuster Camo Paint Formula

These posts will serve as an online reference for the various camouflage paint schemes that I use. While I do not claim to have developed these all by myself, I have tried to present them here as simply and clearly as possible. I remember spending hours searching the Internet for a decent technique or color reference and hopefully this will serve to hasten the efforts of others.

Unless otherwise noted I use Vallejo Model Color almost exclusively for my Imperial Guard.

Copyright note: Unless they are mine, I make no claims of copyright to any pictures or examples, nor is it my intention to do so. They are used here because they represent the best examples I could find of a particular paint or camo style. If a picture belongs to you and you don't want it shown here, I'll take it down...just let me know

Splittermuster

This pattern is usually associated with the German airborne, the Fallschirmjager. I think it works pretty well on GW Steel Legion minis.

BASE COLOR ratio 6:3:1	819 Iraqi Sand	986 Deck Tan	872 Chocolate Brown
RED BROWN ratio 7:3	846 Mahogany Brown	872 Chocolate Brown
MEDIUM GREEN ratio 5:3:2	888 Olive Grey	808 Blue Green	986 Deck Tan

I've found that the key to this pattern is to keep the brown and green in geometric shapes. Avoid round edges or clumpiness. Follow up the shapes with small, defined lines of the green. I use the pointed tip of a 20/0 brush for this. Whereas some would stick to putting these lines only over the tan areas, I like to go all the way through with very thin, controlled streaks that run the length of the model. Don't clump the lines too close together, from a distance it will still look cohesive. Remember, you cannot achieve the same detail on these camos as in real life. Shoot for a good, consistent paint job. Below are some very good examples.

Lastly, don't be intimidated by the complexity of these paint schemes. With patience and persistence you will be able to do it.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Titan Knight (5)

After some constructive input from Itkovian, I took another look at the whole "turret thing" and decided to go for the chin-mounted HBs. I covered the turret opening with another piece of thin plasticard and removed the headlamps on the front of the chassis.

I borrowed the exhaust from a Catachan sentinel and plopped it on the back of the chassis.

So here it is...again...ready for primer...I think...

I will prime this black as I intend to then go over it with a base coat of Fortress Grey. This model will also be my first attempt at some of the fun weathering techniques shown the the Imperial Armour Masterclass book. I HIGHLY recommend it. But first, I will need to look into an airbrush...


The war goes on,
Hessler

Titan Knight (4)

After a long weekend in the country, I am finally focused on getting some of these projects built and painted. Here is the final production post on my titan-knight. I finally settled on a lesser known variant called the Castellan. It boasts a battle cannon, twin-linked autocannons, and a chin-mounted, twin-linked heavy bolter.

What I've done above is create a cover plate out of plasticard to facilitate the smaller Predator-style turret. The whole was basically hand cut until the turret fit snugly.

This is the left arm, kitted out with the twin-linked autocannons. Just a simple job of taking a couple ACs(I finally have a use for these) from an IG Heavy Weapons sprue. The existing ports in the arms allowed them two fit almost perfectly.

I did the old "snip, snip" on the Predator lascannons and swapped in a couple heavy bolters. My only thought about the turret is that the stats on the Castellan call for the HB to be chin-mounted, indicating that they are fixed in position. So should I ignore that and keep the turret in a "fixed" position? The other option would be to literally mount the HB on the chin of the model, which would also look good.

My officer of the fleet serves as an example of the scale for all the weapons and upper body of the titan-knight. I think all is done with possible exception of some banners on the arms.


As always, C&C is welcome...

The war goes on,
Hessler

From The Workshop: Magnifier

How can anyone not love this little beauty? For years I struggled to see the finer details of my 28mm friends as I painted them. I would see these magnifiers in the store and think "someday..."

I finally went for it and WOW, what a huge difference. Where as I used to hold a mini up close to my face, I can now hold it at arms length with the same detail revealed. That, in turn, allows me to capture more light as I'm painting. Also, for what its worth, sit by a window when you paint. Painting in the sunlight offers a much truer sense of how your colors look.

I cannot imagine doing this hobby with out these. I challenge you to try them, you may not ever take them off. Also, they kinda look like the goggles from the SM Scouts (oh yeah!)

The war goes on,
Hessler

Mini Test : Pig Iron

This time I have tinkered with the Kolony Rebels from Pig Iron. The first thing that appealed to me was the "greatcoat" look of the figures. To date, these are the best non-GW option for a 40K greatcoat army. As you can see in the pictures below, the detail is great.


In order to give these an acceptable level of 40K'ness, I have snipped off the front 1/4 inch of the gun and replaced it with the barrel portion of a IG lasgun. On the left I have used a Catachan barrel and the right sports the Cadian barrel. I can think of no better IG icon than the trusty lasgun, it really makes the figures seem easier to accept.


Also I have swapped out the heads with the Pig Iron Kolony Winter heads. These guys are primed and ready to get in the painting line (good lord, that line is getting long).

All in all, I give these a thumbs up. At some point in the distant future I will be making a full army from these, as they have officers, assault weapons, and heavy weapons figures that match up rather nicely with IG loadouts. But that will all have to wait for now.

If you have any comments or questions about these minis, please feel free to let me know.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Mini Test : Wargames Factory

In my never ending quest for cool looking minis and potential IG regiments, I am willing to experiment with anything. This first mini test looks at the British Firing Line from the Zulu War range by Wargames Factory. The hint at the Praetorian Guard is obvious but how easily can one "40K" it?

Below I have assembled one of the figures in question. The main challenge from a modelling perspective, is that weapon swaps are rather difficult. The positioning of the hands doesn't allow form any "pistol grip" type weapons, like the standard IG lasgun. I added a lasgun from the FW Kreig Weapon pack and it fits rather nicely. The tricky part there is to be mindful of where you make your cuts on both the weapon and the figure.

A pack from the FW Cadian Squad upgrade kit fits in very well with the overall style of the figure and bulks it out a little so it can stand up to a GW guardsman. However, while it might be as wide as the real thing, it is not as tall. A side by side comparison proved our stand-in to be noticebly shorter.

All in all, these are a reasonable route to go if you are looking to field Praetorian Guard. Another option this kit offers is snipping off the heads and doing a head swap on a Cadian figure. It might be worth a try but I think it may be a little too small. If you go with at least a full squad or two, the numbers may offer some distraction from the shortness. And who can't use a few extra IG squads? I know I love 'em!

If you have any questions about these minis, feel free to comment or send me an email. I'll answer everything to the best of my ability.

The war goes on,
Hessler

Army Fluff: Wilde Männer

You can click Wilde Männer to hear the pronunciation

(this will take you to a different web site)

The Wilde Männer are a Germanic, tribal people that live in the untamed, forested areas of Sadoukad 16. They interact regularly with the civilized majority of the planet but manage to retain their own relative Independence, something they are fiercely proud of. Looked upon as simple, uneducated tribesman by the Imperium, the Sadoukad generals(and the Inquisition) have long known and respected the Wilde Männer as powerful psykers, capable of unleashing fearsome waves of warp-spawned destruction. When driven into the heat of battle, the Wilde Männer become so frenzied that they are able to ignore wounds that would bring a normal man to his knees. Often led only by their psychic powers, some Wilde Männer will cover their eyes or mouth in order to be guided by the mysterious energy that overtakes them on the battlefield. In spite of their great power, they rarely fall to the perils of the Warp, a fact that has been observed and pondered for decades.