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Flames Of War

Plastic Fantastic
The Gallery section of our discussion forum is a great place to see the work of some very skilled and enthusiastic Flames Of War hobbyists.

We are very proud of our growing range of plastic models, so we were pleased to see two very talented painters showing them off to wonderful effect recently. So we've decided to reproduce some of the highlights here, to bring them to the attention of those of you who maybe don't frequent our Gallery forum very often. It is also a chance to comment on some of the techniques used to achieve these fantastic results, for the benefit of curious painters who might like to try their hand at something similar.

'DracoStandard', as well as running the official European Flames Of War tournament rankings, is a skilled and prolific painter.
DracoStandard's Comets

These Comets are a lovely example of airbrush 'modulation', using the soft-edged effect of the airbrush to gently apply smooth highlights.

DracoStandard has clearly also mastered other techniques such as oil-based 'pin washing' to add controlled and precise shading. If you're curious, you can find how-to guides for airbrush modulation and pin washing online, including a number of useful video tutorials on YouTube.

DracoStandard's Comets
DracoStandard's Comets DracoStandard's Comets

The tracks and road wheels nicely demonstrate the effects possible through the use of weathering powders.

Also from Nachtjäger, DracoStandard's German Jagdpanthers and Uhu feature expertly airbrushed camouflage and stencilled numbers. 

DracoStandard's Nachtjägers
DracoStandard's Nachtjägers
The hand-painted red lenses on the IR equipment are a particularly eye-catching feature. 
DracoStandard's Nachtjägers DracoStandard's Nachtjägers
DracoStandard's Nachtjägers

Finally, DracoStandard's Panther has a replacement turret straight from the factory, still in red oxide primer. This would have been an increasingly common sight in the final stages of the war, as German production struggled to keep up with combat losses. Note the dark grey heat resistant primer which was commonly used on German gun barrels.

Details like this are one of the joys of looking at the work of such accomplished painters - their historical knowledge and research skills are often just as much of a resource to newer hobbyists as their repetoire of painting techniques.

You can see more of DracoStandard's work at www.dracostandard.co.uk.


Our second featured painter, 'Hokkabaz', is from Turkey. 'Hokkabaz' is actually Turkish for 'magician', and I think you'll agree it is an apt name for a real painting wizard.

Hokkabaz applies many of the same techniques seen above, including airbrush modulation, oil washes for shading and weathering and sponge 'chipping'. He adds sharp brush-painted edge highlights, giving a distinctive crisp look, particularly on these Soviets:

Hokkabaz's Soviets
Hokkabaz's Soviets
Hokkabaz's Soviets
Hokkabaz's StuGs
Hokkabaz's StuGs
Hokkabaz's StuGs Hokkabaz's StuGs
Hokkabaz's American armour shows that airbrushed modulation doesn't need to be extreme to look super effective.
Hokkabaz's Shermans
Hokkabaz's Shermans Hokkabaz's Shermans

You can see more of Hokkabaz's great painting at miniplatoon.blogspot.com.

Thanks to DracoStandard and Hokkabaz for sharing their work with the community on our forum. And those, too, to all the others who do the same - we have singled these two out as an beautiful showcase of our plastic model range, but that doesn't mean we don't appreciate our other gallery posters too!

Keep up the great work, all!

~ James. 


Last Updated On Thursday, April 16, 2015 by James at Battlefront