Painting moderns

[CarlLeyland]

Hi

I have arrived late in my war gaming life to the modern era, possibly because it feels like a busmans holiday but it has been a very pleasant experience. The rule sets are innovative and there are some very skilled modellers and painters out there....but

The drab colours are not something that I am familiar with and I was wondering if anyone has ever put a basic guide together? Basic tank colour base coats, basic uniform colours with the name or number of the paints used?

World war two is very well served with uniform advice but the modern era seems a little neglected? I maybe wrong and just searching in the wrong places of course....any guide would make an excellent sticky.

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

[carlos marighela]

Given it's such a vast area you might be better to define the specific armies and time periods you are interested in. Modern itself. might mean different things to different people.

Having just been painting some 1980s era Us Special Forces types, you might like my recipe for woodland BDU's.  All paints Vallejo:

I use a base coat of Stone Grey (70.884). It's a warmer colour than the title suggests. Over that I paint irregular shapes in German Camouflage Bright Green(70833)  9 alternatively Splinter Blotches I  (340)from the Panzer Aces range and  German Cam Medium Brown (70826). I then apply elongated squiggles of Black Grey (70.862) between and occasionally over the brown and green. Webbing equipment I use a mix and match combination of French Tank Crew (320) from the Vallejo Panzer Aces range and Green Brown (70.879).  For mix and match in my BDUs  I occasionally use Medium Grey as the base and Intermediate Green 70.891)  and Flat Brown (70.984).

For British DPM I favour Buff (70.976) as my base colour over painted with swirls of Intermediate Green or German Cam Bright Green and Saddle Brown (70940) and fine branch like shapes in Black Grey.

My efforts at Multicam have not been successful but there's an excellent tutorial or two on the site. I do have a recipe for MARPAT but I'd have to dig it out.

[Dr Bogo]

If you do come across the MARPAT recipe please share it, I've got a pile of Empress USMC that need painting!

[CarlLeyland]

Thanks Chaps!

Carlos your guide is great and I have copied it-very useful indeed thank you. I did not specify a particular army as I have been collecting a diverse group as FoF and Black Ops use a fairly small amount of figures.

I look forward to more guides as I will add them to my "how to" folder for future use....the colour of US Vietnam era M113's would be really useful as would an infantry guide.

thanks on advance!

[LawOfTheGun]

For Dr Bogo :-).
Desert MARPAT:
http://wfarcadia.blogspot.de/2009/07/painting-desert-marpat-tutorial.html

Woodland MARPAT:
http://wfarcadia.blogspot.de/2009/07/painting-marpat-tutorial.html

[Lowtardog]

I pinched the colours from cherno for desert MARPAT but first colour I use is deck tan rather than dark sand
Desert MARPAT:

Webbing       Iraqi Sand #819
Boots         Desert Yellow #977
Goggles         Desert Yellow #977
Vest (Coyote Brown)   Desert Yellow #977 (Sand Brown #876)

Base         Dark Sand #847
Color 1      Khaki #988
Color 2      German Camo Pale Brown #825
Color 3      German Camo Medium Brown #826
Drybrush      Iraqi Sand #819

[carlos marighela]

From memory my temperate MARPAT was green brown as the base with speckles of Splinter blotches and Black Grey. I omitted the smaller speckles lighter colour as it's really not visible from any distance but Stone Grey would be an appropriate colour if you wanted to add it.

Here's what they look like:

[CarlLeyland]

What amazing painting Carlos! Wow that is good....

[Dr Bogo]

Top stuff, now I need to get through my Empress marines before I can pick up any of those lovely Eureka ones as well 

[Warren Abox]

Yeah, that face paint actually looks like...well, like face paint.  Every time I've tried that it looks like really blotchy alien skin.

[julesav]

Vietnam era M113s are plain (post-war) Olive Drab. Vallejo 887 Brown Violet is a good option.

[sundayhero]

Very good work, Carlos !

[CarlLeyland]

Thanks Julesav...I have noted the colour for the M113. This is especially useful for me at the moment, thank you.

[carlos marighela]

Thanks chaps. If time allows this weekend I'll take some snaps of some of my other stuff and paint guides.

[Cherno]

Here is a good article for painting 3 col & Woodland camouflage: http://www.armorama.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=printpage&artid=145

The paints are interchangeable, of course.