Painting Tamiya Ww2 Figures: A Step-By-Step Guide

Painting 1/38 scale Tamiya WW2 figures can be a fun and rewarding project for history buffs and modellers alike. To get started, you'll need to gather the right supplies, including paint colours like Field Grey, Panzer Olive Green, Tamiya Black Green XF-27, and Tamiya Sky. You'll also need various brushes in different sizes to capture the finer details, such as the eyes and face. A steady hand and patience are also required to bring these historical figures to life, blending highlights and shadows to create a realistic effect.

Painting the face: use an acrylic base like Vallejo Basic Skin Tone or Tamiya Flesh XF-15, leaving the eyes

Painting the face of a 1:38 scale Tamiya WW2 figure requires a steady hand and some patience. It's important to use an acrylic base like Vallejo Basic Skin Tone or Tamiya Flesh XF-15, leaving the eyes for last.

Start by painting the entire face, excluding the eyes, with a suitable acrylic base colour. Vallejo's Basic Skin Tone 70.815 or Tamiya Flesh XF-15 are good options and can be used as is or mixed with other colours to achieve the desired tone. Some modellers prefer to use a grey primer first and then airbrush lightly with white from the top and black from underneath to highlight the light and shadow areas.

It's recommended to apply two or three coats of your chosen base colour, excluding the eyes. This ensures an even finish. You can thin the paint with a small amount of water to improve consistency and coverage.

Once the base colour is dry, you can add the details to the eyes. Use a fine round brush in size 0 to 00 to paint the white of the eyes, don't worry about being too precise at this stage. With an even finer 000 round brush, carefully paint the pupils, using a colour like Tamiya Blue X-4.

The final step is to use a 00 brush to paint the remaining acrylic flesh colour to shape the eyes and add definition. You can also add eyelashes with a very thin brush (000 sized or finer) using Burnt Umber oil paint.

Remember, when painting faces, it's important to take your time and work in thin layers, gradually building up the colours and details.

Painting the eyes: use a fine round brush for the whites, a 000 round brush for the pupils, and Burnt Umber oil paint for the eyelashes

Painting the eyes can be tricky, especially on smaller figures. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you paint the eyes on your 1:38 scale Tamiya WW2 figures:

Before starting on the eyes, add the main shadows to the skin around the eyes. It is easier to do this first, so you don't have to be too careful and can ensure that the dark colours get into all the recesses. That way, you won't accidentally get skin colours on the eyes after putting work into painting them.

Now, for the whites of the eyes, use a fine round brush in size 0 to 00. It is okay if you exceed the boundaries of the eyes. Do not use pure white, as this will look unrealistic. Instead, opt for light grey or off-white shades, such as Reaper's Weathered Stone.

Next, use a 000 round brush to paint the pupils. When the figure is looking straight ahead, the pupils will typically line up with the corners of the mouth.

Finally, add the eyelashes using Burnt Umber oil paint and a 000-sized round brush or finer.

Remember, the smaller the figure, the less detail you can include in the eyes, and people may not be able to see intricate details on small figures anyway. Adapt your approach as needed, such as by using a single-colour iris or a dark colour for both the iris and pupil on smaller figures.

Painting the helmet, arm guards and boots: use Tamiya Black Green XF-27 and Tamiya Flat Black

When painting the helmet, arm guards, and boots of a 1:38 scale Tamiya WW2 figure, you can use Tamiya Black Green XF-27 and Tamiya Flat Black (XF-1) paints to achieve a realistic and detailed finish. Here is a step-by-step guide:

Preparing the Paints

Before you begin painting, it is important to understand the properties of the paints you are working with. Tamiya Black Green XF-27 is a very dark shade of green, ideal for German aircraft camouflage schemes. It is an acrylic paint made from water-soluble acrylic resins, suitable for both brush painting and airbrushing. Tamiya Flat Black, on the other hand, is a true flat black paint with a dull sheen, perfect for achieving a matte finish. It is also an acrylic paint and can be applied by brush or airbrush.

Painting the Helmet and Arm Guards

Start by painting the helmet and arm guards with Tamiya Black Green XF-27. This paint is designed to cover well and flow smoothly, ensuring an even and consistent finish. You can apply this paint using a brush or an airbrush, depending on your preference. Remember to thin the paint if necessary, especially if using an airbrush.

Painting the Boots

For the boots, use Tamiya Flat Black paint. This paint is known for its smooth and consistent application, providing an opaque and scratch-resistant finish. You can apply this paint directly from the jar if using an airbrush, but if using a regular brush, thin the paint with water to avoid applying it too thickly. Apply multiple thin coats instead of one thick coat for the best results.

Finalizing the Details

Once the paint is dry, you can add further details to the helmet, arm guards, and boots if desired. This could include highlights and shadows to create depth and realism. For example, you could use a mix of Lamp Black and Titanium White to add highlights to the helmet and arm guards, blending the colours subtly.

By following these steps and using Tamiya Black Green XF-27 and Tamiya Flat Black paints, you can achieve a professional and detailed finish for the helmet, arm guards, and boots of your 1:38 scale Tamiya WW2 figure.

Painting the webbing and belt: use Panzer Olive Green and dry-brush Tamiya Sky to bring out the details

Painting the webbing and belt of a 1:38 scale Tamiya WW2 figure requires a steady hand and some careful attention to detail. For this step, you will need to use Panzer Olive Green as the base colour for the strap, belt, and holster strap.

To bring out the details, you can use the dry-brushing technique with Tamiya Sky paint. Dry-brushing is a simple way to highlight your models and bring out the details. It involves depositing trace amounts of paint onto a surface, so the effect is subtle.

First, load your brush with the paint, then dry it off on a towel. Next, dust the brush over the model, focusing on the webbing and belt. You will need to move the brush quickly and spin the model as you go. You can make this process easier by using a painting handle, such as the Citadel Painting Handle, which is affordable and useful for holding onto while you work.

When dry-brushing, it is recommended to choose a colour that is lighter than the base colour, so the highlighting is visible. You can also build up the effect by using multiple layers of different colours to add highlights to areas that receive the most light.

Painting the hair: use Desert Dark Yellow as a base and highlight with Titanium White and Cadmium Yellow

When painting hair on 1/38 scale Tamiya WW2 figures, using the right colours is essential. For this project, you will need Desert Dark Yellow as your base colour. This is a yellowish-brown colour, which can be thinned down to varying levels of intensity while retaining its pigment dispersion.

You can then begin to add highlights to the hair. To do this, you will need to mix Titanium White and Cadmium Yellow. Titanium White is a bright white that will help to lighten the Desert Dark Yellow base. You can mix these colours in a 1:2 ratio, or play around with the proportions to get your desired shade. Cadmium Yellow is a highly saturated, orange-yellow with excellent lightfastness and tinting strength. It was the first modern yellow pigment, identified in 1817 by German chemist Friedrich Stromeyer, and has been used by artists such as Monet and Munch.

When mixing your Cadmium Yellow and Titanium White, be sure to wear protective clothing and avoid inhaling any dust or fumes. These paints can be harmful if inhaled or ingested, and may damage fertility.

Once you have your desired shade, you can begin to add highlights to the hair, focusing on the areas where light would naturally hit the hair. Start with a small amount of paint and gradually build up to avoid overdoing it. You can use a small, fine brush for more precise highlighting.

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