The Yanks Are Coming!

Although I never posted my completed 15mm WWII British troops last year I'm now finally got round to some US troops.

I've had a (now OOP I believe) Bolt Action Rapid Deployment paint set for the WWII US forces stored away for such a job. Designed to get everything painted quick and simply it should do the job nicely, and the corners cut to get there will even be less noticeable on my 15mm than the intended 28mm!

It's very much the same process as my Tommy's - with a base coat and shade. The shade in this kit however is oil based, so we'll see what difference that makes (other than the lingering smell of white spirit!)

The colour guide is on the back to make things simple(r). Not being an expert in this era I did have to look up what the M43 uniform was compared to the scheme on the box art. A different (longer) style of jacket seems as per the front box art. My Plastic Soldier Company troops seem to match the rear examples so I went with that

It took very little time for the base colours to be blocked in. The guide seems like a throwback to about 15 years ago before the larger variety of shade mixes came out and gaming forums were full of different homebrew recipes for Dip. "Dip the entire figure in the mixture and shake off the excess (or even paint it on)" Ah, those were the days! Interestingly a lot of tabletop painting youtubers have been liking the oil wash again (although as more of a shade than a pure dip) - things going full circle a bit. I chose to brush on. 

The results came out OK predictably enough. Webbing blending in a bit with lighter jacket, but it is what it is. I did go over the flesh with skin wash as per the British troops as the faces were very pale.

I'm not sure if there is a big advantage in using the oil based shade over the water based one in the end in the finish when compared side-by-side with the Brits. I'll probably finish off this set of figures with the oil for consistency but move to water based after that and save the oil wash for trying out those other "new" techniques.