Airfix 54mm 8th Army

[MABO]

I recently met Egbert to see his many great works live. We had a very nice time and he basically and briefly described to me how he works with oil paints. He also gave me a kind of manual by Walter Fischer, who describes how he worked. Walter Fischer didn't tell me anything at first. But he was a gifted figure painter who came from the flat pewter figure scene and later also painted Historex figures.

I always find written texts difficult when it comes to describing craft activities, but in this case I could at least imagine a few things to the extent that I wanted to try them out. And even with acrylic paints, I felt I had made a bit of a leap here, given my modest skills.

This figure from Airfix found my fabulous wife on Utah Beach in Normandy. The colleague from the 8th Army unfortunately missed his landing zone completely, so I took him to my place.

I concentrated mainly on the skin parts and worked with three skin tones from the Vallejo Panzer Aces series. I tried to use the wet-on-wet technique with acrylic paints that Walter Fischer describes - as far as I have understood - for oil paints. I was very pleased with the result, as I had never been able to do this with a figure of this size before.

Not a big step for mankind but an important one for me personally, which I wanted to share here.

[Rich W]

Very nice!

[Minuteman]

This 8th army infantryman looks very good, and I like the flesh tones you have achieved very much. Fine work. Are there more figures from this famous Airfix set on your painting table?

I should add here that I have very fond memories of the Airfix 1/32 sets, in particular this 8th Army set and the Afrika Korps set. I had both, plus a couple of the 1/32 military vehicles that Airfix produced, as a Christmas present when I was 8 or 9 years of age. Such a great present, and one of the 'sparks' that set me on the road to my life-long involvement in our wonderful military modelling hobby.

[MABO]

Hello Mark,
I share the memories with you, as I like the bigger Airfix Sets as well. Unfortunately my dear wife has found only this one in the sand.

[Peter]

I like it very much how you painted this figure! Looks different when you use a wash.

But I have my doubt that this is an original Airfix figure because of the mould mark on his left leg. That is mostly the mark of a Hong Kong copy. Nothing wrong with that, because I paint some of them myself. Soon the results of that.

PS: I have the original ones to.

[MABO]

But I have my doubt that this is an original Airfix figure because of the mould mark on his left leg. That is mostly the mark of a Hong Kong copy. Nothing wrong with that, because I paint some of them myself. Soon the results of that.

PS: I have the original ones to.

Thanks for this info, Peter, I have to check
You are a real collector!
My son and me we also have some of the original Airfix Sets, but I think not the 8th Army.

[MABO]

By the way, Peter, I did not use only wash, I painted a basecoat, a dark skin colour as a wash and then I added a highlight colour on top when the darker tone was still wet.

[Bessiere]

Very nice Mabo. You have achieved a very subtle gradation in the skin tones and uniform that I think is only possible using a wet on wet technique. It worked out fantastically and I'm with Mark, you got that fresh off the boat skintone on this chap.

[Peter]

By the way, Peter, I did not use only wash, I painted a basecoat, a dark skin colour as a wash and then I added a highlight colour on top when the darker tone was still wet.

Sorry, I thought you didn't use wash but only paint. My mistake. But the result stays fine!

And about the 54mm figures, we can arrange something next year at the FIGZ. I think I have some spare figures. And yes I'm also a collector of 54mm figures.

[Konrad]

Your wife finds a single figure on this huge beach?
A long way from the desert of North Africa to the beaches of Normandy.
Has become very good, the little "latecomer".