Bolt Action - Painting War - Season 1, Issue #1 - WWII German Army

by Patch

After seeing a bit of positive chatter around the various forums about this magazine, I decided to take the plunge and order it online. The magazine is the first in a new series dedicated to painting miniatures and in this issue Ruben Torregrosa "Heresybrush" takes the reader through step by steps on how to recreate WW2 German infantry in both 28mm and 15mm.

After some serious internet stalking I found a copy through North Star Miniatures in the UK for about $25 USD. A bit on the expensive side (especially when you throw in postage to Australia) but the content is top class, and unlike contemporary magazines the advertising is almost non existent so almost every page is dedicated to hobby goodness. In Australia, War & Peace Games is stocking it for $40 AUD, and knowing what Ian and the team are like, if you ordered one you would have it in just a few days.

I have been batch painting 28mm WWII now for the last eighteen months, and have finished four reasonably large armies; and am now working on my fifth. I traditionally make use of a few base colours and highlights with much reliance on washes to create depth. Torregrosa walks you through his technique which does not include washes, and generally involves three base colours with intermediate layers transitioning from darker to lighter over at least five stages.

The effect is similar to what I can create with washes-only if you think Danny De Vito is similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Classic! - Judson) The overall effect he achieves is incredibly inspiring and makes me want to pick up a brush and get started straight away. The magazine includes how-to-paint guides on all of the various uniforms used by Germany during the war, and even includes rank and shoulder slide guides for Heer, Luftwaffe and Waffen SS for that extra detail.

Detailed how-to-paint guides are included for the following German camouflage pattern: Splittertarnmuster, Winter clothing, Telo Mimetico, Eichenlaubmuster (Oakleaf), Palmenmuster and Platanememmuster. Basically, all the versions that any WWII painter would love to do, and he covers them all very well.

I will be using Painting War as a reference guide for many years to come; the techniques are relevant  to any miniature - not just Germans in WWII - but I have a feeling I will be painting Germans for some time yet. Like anything, you take what you need from it. I am comfortable when batch painting using washes and sacrificing perfection for speed, however I will be incorporating various methods, such as flesh tones, from Torregrosa and will follow his guides carefully when concentrating on that one or two really special miniatures you have as a show piece for each army.

Overall I was really impressed and I think this magazine is definitely a great investment if you are looking at improving your paint game.