PHOTOS TO COME!
I really love the Tommy's War figures and decided that this figure would be a fantastic addition for my DH.2, obviously the pilot would need to be from the 24th Sqn to be a DH.2 pilot for the period but really as I do not think he is based on an actual real person we can have a bit of artistic license when it comes to diorama.
Some information on the model from Tommy's War;
"Tommy’s War is a range of British and Empire figures modeled on the First World War.
Figure 18 of the Tommy’s War range is the second in the series to depict the newly formed Royal Flying Corps (the first is figure TW54017 and features a pilot in dress uniform) Wearing a 1913 pattern short leather flying coat this figure is suitable for any RFC pilot of World War One and each figure is supplied with a separate flying helmet which can be placed with the figure or nearby. The figure has been sculpted by Nino Pizzichemi and the box artwork is by Gunther Sternberg.
The figure is 54mm in height (1/32 scale) and is supplied unpainted, the kit requires assembly and is not suitable for children under the age of 12."I actually got him with 3 other figures to create a scenario called "First blood", "The tall story" or "The one that got away" to tell the story of an excited pilot telling his story upon his return to the aerodrome.
Now these figures really are beautiful, they are full of features and expression that stands out even on a 1:32 scale figure.
I started with the head as I wanted to try out a new technique that was shared by another modeller looking to branch out in to painting figures, it's also probably the part that makes or breaks a miniature. Getting the scary part out of the way would give me a confidence boost on the rest of the figure.
Now I used a mish-mash of techniques to get the finish.
First I gave the whole head a base coat of Vallejo Black Primer, once this was dry I then gave it a thinner coat of Vallejo Grey Primer and lastly a thin coat of Vallejo Air White.
This techniques builds shadow on the contours of the face and gives a nice affect later on.
Next I gave the face a very thin coat of Vallejo Flat flesh, once this was dry another coat was applied - the trick was to build the layers to the point where the black is no longer black but a very dark flesh tone.
Once the layers have dried I then used a then coat of MIG Ammo weathering effect Russ Streaks. This really gives a great flesh tone wash to the figure - you can also use the Vallejo Flesh Tones Wash to give a different shade to the skin if using the same techniques.
Next up was the hair, I used a base of burnt umber oil paint and once dried used Mr. Weathering Ground Brown and Mixed Black to add texture and depth. This was streaked across the hair to create dark roots and then fairer ends. The eye brow I used the same base but only the Ground Brown with a little dry bushing of a lighter burnt umber oil.
Finally once all the colours had dried I then used Tamiya Weathering Master powders G and H to blend in the colours and also add highlights to areas.
So this is where I am so far.
