Hello

Has anybody tried painting 6mm with enamel paint?   I was thinking it might actually make the figures pop more but was curious if anybody had ever tried it or is it just an insane idea?

Thanks!

Haven't use enamel paint for the last 45 years.

You are correct, it's insane!

:p

Hah okay.  Everytime I am at a hobby center and pass the neat little packs of testors I just cannot help but want to paint with them.

Brad

Give it a go then. I started wargaming in 1966 using Humbrol enamels on Airfix figures. There was an enormous range of military colours, but cleaning up with white spirit was not especially pleasant and was very hardwearing on the brushes.

Of course you can use enamels. I still do. Although the latest Humbrols are rubbish and i will be experimenting this weekend with AK Interactive Real Colour.

The trick is to get a good thinner. I've no experience with Testors but distilled turpentine is my preferred thinner for enamels and oils.

Then I think I might in fact give it a go.  I love the old school look of figures.   I plan on getting spencer smiths this year as well and of course using oils on them.    Hopefully my little prussians are going to arrive in the mail today from Baccus!   I have no patience.... :)

Hello Bradley!

By all means use any paint that you want. I think most 6mm painters simply use water based paints because they are very easy to use, dry very fast and offer a wide range colours. Most of your basic colours can be bought at discount stores for a song.

Getting figures to pop is more about technique, contrast, finish and basing. Technique is a variable that depends a lot on your skills, drybrushing, shading, outlining, etc. and of course your patience as these all take some time to do and learn. Contrast is simply using colours of a sightly different shade from what might be historical to create a nice difference such as darker or lighter facings etc. Finish like all of this is a personal choice, some do seem to pop more with a shiney finish, some a dull finish and yet others with a very, very, low shine, almost flat. I've used them all and like very low shine or dull the best. The most important, oddly enough is basing. Try to avoid any basing smaller then 60x30. You need room on your basing to let light in so that more light can get out. If possible don't over crowd your figures. Try to have some open space in front of and back of the figures. This allows you to use the same contrasting in your mini diorama, such as a bright to medium grass shade and a dark to medium earth shade. The Baccus basing kit gives you all of this.

Just keep in mind that your painting a unit, not single figures. Some people are extremely fast at painting 6mm with very little detail. When mounted properly with a good looking mini diorama they pop almost as well as those that were painted by a master. Also note that once a game starts nobody really notices how well or how badly your figures were painted and mounted.

Hope this helps you out in some way.

Best regards,

Glenn

Hello Glenn

Thanks.  I really want them to look nice but alas I am not the best painter.  Hoping when they arrive that I can bring some justice to them.  I hope they arrive at some point.  But baccus is so popular who knows what the turn around is now expecially after the holidays.  I love them no matter how long it takes!   Peter is really really great.

Brad