KILO SQUAD - QUICK PAINTING MODERN US INFANTRY

Just to show that it’s not all WW2, here are some shots of 11 modern US infantry I’ve just finished.

The models are Caesar Miniature plastics, and they are excellent, good poses and well proportioned. After undercoating, the soft-ish plastic took the paint well. The only drawback is that a few of the weapons won’t straighten due to the plastic’s memory, but it’s a small price to pay given the small price on the miniatures.

I set myself the task of finishing this squad in a single evening of work. With the radio on I started by spraying them all black, then giving them a light over-spray of mid-brown. That obscured some of the detail so I washed a mix of Devlan mud and black liberally all over, to give me the basic undercoated models. 

Looking at some Google reference I mixed up a basic uniform colour from drab green, grey and light brown (various manufacturers), and once the first wash was well dry, carefully dry-brushed this base colour all over. Next, I picked out the black guns, goggles, boots (some I left as tan desert boots), gloves, equipment etc. Then the flesh was added to faces (and few gloveless hands). By now they were already looking good, but a few more details were needed. First kneepads, gloves and support weapons in grey/green and then, with my finest brush, dapped on some light earth coloured spots as extra camo. This was by far the most time consuming part.

The final touch was ,thin, wash of Devlan mud on faces and over the armoured vests and webbing.

The repeated washes had made them look a bit shiny so it was back the spray cans for a quick (and careful) overspray with matt vanish.

Whilst the miniatures were drying, I dry-brushed 10 pennies with sand yellow, (having prep them earlier with sand, black spray and mid-brown again. Then I added flock and various bits of scatter.

The dried men were scalpeled off their moulded bases and super-glued to the heavier pennies, so they should stand up better now. In all, two and a half hours had passed, 11 men were complete, an England had beaten Wales 1-0.

Above, Kilo Squad ready for action. Eleven men including a SAW, Javalin missile launcher, Stinger AA missile launcher, Officer (kneeling) and 2 M203 grenade launchers - in an evening.

Up close they won’t win any painting competitions, but on the table, at a gaming distance, they look the business – which is what I was aiming for.