John Brown's Painted G1940 Set - by Spitfire38

@jwo1984:

wow man they way you have them photo’d its like they are being assembled painted and presented straight out of a factory! they look so impressive all in rows together this must have been a lot of work! did you just paint one color at a time per unit just cause of the sheer volume of units ?  The british paratroopers and special forces look very cool! love the burgundy beret hats! hats off to you Spitfire!  are we going to see you tackle the germans or americans next??

Thanks jwo! The red berets for the special forces were based off of the British paratroopers that jumped into Arnhem in Operation Market Garden. Interestingly enough, the PIAT anti-tank weapon that this paratrooper has in the image below was the only anti-tank capabilities that the British troops had to fight off the SS Panzer division stationed in Arnhem. The consequences of bad intel…

As to my painting process: I always paint in an assembly line fashion unless I am painting a few of my personal pieces. I will go through and paint a certain layer on all the pieces, and then move on to the next layer for all the pieces. For example, the infantry begin with the base color of their uniform, which is followed by the base of the piece, then the rucksack, then the helmet, gun, canteen, entrenching tool, etc, and then the flesh. It’s definitely a process. It makes things efficient, conserves paint, and ensures a measure of quality control and consistency.

And John is having me paint the UK Europe pieces next, so you’ll see more of the British!

@John:

Spitfire, what color’s did you use on the Ocean Camo Spitfire fighters, so that I may paint one, since one was missing out of my pieces?

The green I believe was mixed, but a good starting point would be Folk Art’s “Light Gray” acrylic, and the green is likely based off of Folk Art’s “Italian Sage”.

Oh, sorry, the Ocean Camo! Right, that was the blue one. I mixed that blue from one or two blues and some white, so I don’t really remember the “recipe” for that. The dark stripes are a dark blue mixed with a dark grey to give it a deep tone.

Thanks for the feedback Cyanight!

I was just informed that this topic hasn’t been posted in for at least 120 days. What a shame! However, I bring you new work to spark discussion.

I’ve added the photos of the UK Europe pieces I completed for John on the earlier pages. Page 1 I believe. Glamour shots below!

My personal favorites are the green ground forces and the mottled camo on the infantrymen. Let me know what you guys think, or if you have any questions about the process or end result! John can answer questions about why he chose certain schemes or what he was thinking about these pieces.

@LHoffman:

Great work as always Spitfire. Ships are the best, I love em.

Thanks man - I think I’ve figured out the wooden decks + ink wash combo now. It seems to be the easiest combination of effort, historical accuracy, and aesthetic appeal.

Appreciate the input!

@R:

John-where did he get the Union Jack Decals?

Hi RD -

Many of the Union Jacks are from Fighting Pirannha Graphics - they come in many different sizes, which works well for the different pieces I paint. They have good customer service. Just make sure you order well in advance because they ask for 4-6 weeks to fulfill orders. Other than that, no complaints!

See Flags. http://www.fightingpirannhagraphics.com/misc.htm

@cyanight:

Wow, excellent work Spitfire.

Love the camo you chose for the tanks and mech.  Great job my friend :)

Thanks John, Cyanight. I appreciate it! I like the camo as well. Variations on a single shade sometimes make for the most appealing pieces.