Topic: 27th Battaillon Jagers Colour Scheme

['Mark']

Some of you might've seen my thread a few weeks ago, when I was looking for what to do with my new mordian army. The best idea was to create a Napoleonic Jagers regiment, one that I'm loosely basing on this.

For my list, see here.

Now, while I'm still not 100% sure I am going to make this army or not, I have made two test models that I'd like your opinion on. (I figured the Guard board was more suited for this thread than the painting board as I'm not looking for any painting advice, I just want to know what uniform looks best)

The things I'd like your opinion on:

1) The rifle, either the more 'clean' look or the rusty lasgun? (doesn't show too well on the picture, but I'm sure you can imagine how the barrel looks in real life)

2) White trim or yellow (or a third colour)?

3) Grey trousers or green trousers? (Don't mind the boots, they're meant to be black)

4) Abandon the idea and go for a red/white parade uniform?

Note that these are test models, I didn't try to get the best quality of painting on models that'll most likely be stripped again anyway.  I hope the pictures are clear enough (Sun didn't shine all day, so getting good pictures was kinda hard..)



EDIT: inserted better picture.

[Lt. Colonel Nightblade]

I like the yellow trim and the grey trousers.  I also like the lasgun on the left; the other one looks kind of monochromatic, which seems strange.  And I think it's a great idea, and that you should stick with it.  Maybe you should greenstuff the shako a little to make it more like the ones in your link.

[Commissar Fidel]

i like the white trim, the grey pants, the "clean" las gun, and the over all look on the model

Commissar Cadet Fidel

[Dr_Ruminahui]

I too like the yellow trim and grey paints better .  I also like the "clean" lasgun better - it better matches the image of parade troops.  However, I do like the darker green better (contrasts better with the yellow), especially if you give them grey pants.  As well, the darker & shinier black boots look better than the greyer ones of the figure on the right.

Actually, those are pretty good for test models.

Some suggestions:

The pants might look good with either a white or a yellow line down the outside seam (like the strip of red ribbon often seen down calvary pants).

In a related thread, someone suggested taking a dremel and carving down the caps.  I would strongly suggest that.  With the caps the Mordians have, to me they never look like anything than US Marines in Parade Dress (thus meaning that all modrians look the same), no matter how they are painted.  Change the cap, and you'll have a much more distinctive looking force.

Inquisitor Psychologis Ruminahui

[PaxImperator]

1. I prefer the clean rifle look.

2. Yellow goes great with green.

3. The grey trousers look better, but I'd try to get them slightly darker than they currently are. I'd try shadow grey layered over chaos black.

4. No. We've seen plenty of those. Being different is good.

Might I also suggest experimenting with applying tufts of static grass on top of a layer of painted sand? It looks better than the current football pitch look in my opinion.

[Lt. Helstrom]

I like the darker green best, and prefer the yellow trim, but I'm not too keen on the grey pants. Maybe you could make the pants white? Stark, clean white always looks good on parade ground models. Oh, and definitely stick to the clean lasgun. As for the shako, trimming down the caps might be a lot of work (and you'd definitely need a dremel to stand a chance), but I do agree with Dr. Rum that altering the look of the models a bit would be great. How about making plumes for them? If you take a short piece of nylon string and melt the bottom with a lighter, it will hold together; then you can trim the string down until it looks good as a plume.

[Captain Aurillien]

Well actually i'd advocate the top pic overall. The white trim looks much cleaner and I don't like the Grey pants and yellow trim.

[Col. Dash]

I like the grey pants and yellow trim with maybe a stripe running down the sides. The clean gun looks better as well.

['Mark']

- I must say that I'm drawn towards the grey trousers as well. The green looks good, the grey just looks better..
I don't think white pants would look very realistic, as they are meant to be light infantry... You don't go stalking through the bushes in clean white pants  

The grey trousers look better, but I'd try to get them slightly darker than they currently are. I'd try shadow grey layered over chaos black.

- Didn't have any grey, so I had to mix it... I could've done that a little better, I'll give you that. I'll go to the store Friday (maybe earlier) to buy some paints and greenstuff. (Really annoying that I can't really start painting before I've gone to the stupid store... )

- Good point about the darker green, I am often inclined to drybrush too bright.

- It seems that the vast majority of people prefer the 'clean' lasgun look. I actually seem to be the only person who even likes the rusty look... Well, I'll just put in a few rusty ones at random and give the majority a clean look.

- White, yellow, white, yellow, white, yellow.. I agree that the yellow suits the green better, but I find the white more formal looking.. I think I'll go with an overall yellow trim, and see if white looks good on my officers.

The pants might look good with either a white or a yellow line down the outside seam (like the strip of red ribbon often seen down calvary pants).

- Hah! That's the kind of ideas I need!    I'll try it out. Maybe it needs a little greenstuff to look good, unfortunately I can't test that now, but I'll let you know how it works out.

Might I also suggest experimenting with applying tufts of static grass on top of a layer of painted sand? It looks better than the current football pitch look in my opinion.

- Yeah, I was thinking about using gravel from the tennis court drybrushed with snakebite leather or bestial brown, with some static grass tufts.


- As for the caps, I now have three ideas for them. 1) Add some plumes to them 2) trimming them down like this: http://www.van-grinsven.nl/michel/hoofddeksels/documentatie/jagers01.jpg 3) use greenstuff to make them higher like in this picture: http://home.skyaccess.nl/1weeg667/Fotos/Winterbivak2005/011_27eJagers.JPG

What d'you think will look better?



EDIT:  p.s.  Thanks all!

[PaxImperator]

- Yeah, I was thinking about using gravel from the tennis court drybrushed with snakebite leather or bestial brown, with some static grass tufts.

I don't know quite how big that gravel is, but I have a gut feeling it's probably slightly too big. I use normal sand (stolen from a sandbox. Had to beat up a 6 year old to get to it) which I find to be just the right size. Some small sprue clippings can also be used to represent interesting small stones. They only look good when the majority of the base is sand though, the clippings all by themselves look too big. As for the drybrushing, I find it looks good to use at least two shades of brown to build up the highlights. It doesn't take that much extra time and the highlights look a lot more natural and less stark.

- As for the caps, I now have three ideas for them. 1) Add some plumes to them 2) trimming them down like this: http://www.van-grinsven.nl/michel/hoofddeksels/documentatie/jagers01.jpg 3) use greenstuff to make them higher like in this picture: http://home.skyaccess.nl/1weeg667/Fotos/Winterbivak2005/011_27eJagers.JPG

How about trimming them down and then adding green stuff plumes? I can only speak for myself but I think I'd have trouble getting a smooth finish and consistent on those tall hats.

[Sheepz]

I like the model on the right. Things I'd personally change though...

1) Hat: Make it either green as the unifrom or grey as the pants. Otherwise the model looks a little "3 stages".

2) Yellow stripe down the grey pants to match the coat.

3) Darker Lasgun casing. Maybe black?

All in all, I like your uniqueness of uniform, though.

EDIT messed up grammar.

['Mark']

- Yeah, I was thinking about using gravel from the tennis court drybrushed with snakebite leather or bestial brown, with some static grass tufts.

I don't know quite how big that gravel is, but I have a gut feeling it's probably slightly too big. I use normal sand (stolen from a sandbox. Had to beat up a 6 year old to get to it) which I find to be just the right size. Some small sprue clippings can also be used to represent interesting small stones. They only look good when the majority of the base is sand though, the clippings all by themselves look too big. As for the drybrushing, I find it looks good to use at least two shades of brown to build up the highlights. It doesn't take that much extra time and the highlights look a lot more natural and less stark.

Well, I haven't used it before, but I think that if I only use the tiny bits of gravel, it will look like little pebbles. But I could combine it with sand too, or use some green or brown flock.

- As for the caps, I now have three ideas for them. 1) Add some plumes to them 2) trimming them down like this: http://www.van-grinsven.nl/michel/hoofddeksels/documentatie/jagers01.jpg 3) use greenstuff to make them higher like in this picture: http://home.skyaccess.nl/1weeg667/Fotos/Winterbivak2005/011_27eJagers.JPG

How about trimming them down and then adding green stuff plumes? I can only speak for myself but I think I'd have trouble getting a smooth finish and consistent on those tall hats.

Heh, making them all look smooth and consistent by trimming them down will probably cause just as much trouble    I'm no hero with a file!  But I do like your idea.  However I could also add the plumes to the tall hats... what d'you think will look more special, the trimmed down caps or the tall ones?

3) Darker Lasgun. casting. Maybe black?

Well, I'm looking for a bit of a cheap looking lasgun. I think black will make it look too... high-tech. Other suggestions for the lasgun are welcome, of course.

[Lt. Helstrom]

If you're not going for white pants, I'll change my vote to white trim instead. I mean, models like this just scream for some crisp white, don't they? Don't they?

[Dr_Ruminahui]

I second the idea that the hats should be a different colour, but I don't think they should be grey - go with the same colour as the jacket (so, dark green).  I would still actively encourage dremmling the top "bulge" off them, so that the sides are flat - both so that they don't look like every other mordian, and so that they will look more like the hats you showed us.  If you have a power tool, this step would actually be quite easy. 

BTW, the tall caps would look better, but would still require you to trim down the hats (otherwise you would have a big bulge half way up the hat) and, as you would also have to green stuff them, would be more difficult to do than the shot caps.

Oh, another way to get rid of the top bulge would be to can the top of the cap off with a jewel saw or a dremel.  This might be more fiddly (I would have to try both to know for sure), and you definitely would have to green stuff the cap up to the desired height.

I think the taller plume is a good idea.  Drill a small hole on the top of the hat with a pin vise, then glue in a short bit of pin or paper clip (I think pin would be better, so the plume doesn't get too wide) of the desired length.  Then wrap this bit of pin in green stuff and detail it with a pin to make it look more feathery.  Should look good - though, if you don't dremmel the caps, it would look pretty silly, IMHO.

If you go for white trim on the uniform, I would also go for white trim on the pants (I still think yellow would look better, but they are your models, so you decide ).  I wouldn't green stuff the strip though - it would be much to easy to make the strip either irregular or too thick, and I don't think those risks (and extra effort) are worth it when almost the same effect can be acchieved with paint.  Just paint a black stip down first, and then the strip of white or yellow covering the black.  If a tiny line of black shows on either side, great, so long as it never gets too thick.

I don't think black lasgun would look too futuristic - but another option would be to paint the casing like wood grain - that might look cool.


Inquisitor Psychologis Ruminahui

[Captain Leonidas]

I like your first picture's uniform color best, Mark. Rifle green with white trims and gold epaulettes. Perfect 'jager' appearance. I would use this look and reccomend that you stick to that color 

['Mark']

If you're not going for white pants, I'll change my vote to white trim instead. I mean, models like this just scream for some crisp white, don't they? Don't they?

Yes, though I think the yellow looks better, it feels like such a crime not to include some clean white...


Thanks, Dr_Ruminahui, for your excellent suggestions. I've got a whole bunch of good ideas now, which I'll try out as soon as I can get my hands on some new greenstuff. I'll try the trimming down on some extra lascannon operators later today or tomorrow I've got as a left-over, hopefully I can get a pic up for you so you can see how that works out.

If you go for white trim on the uniform, I would also go for white trim on the pants (I still think yellow would look better, but they are your models, so you decide ).  I wouldn't green stuff the strip though - it would be much to easy to make the strip either irregular or too thick, and I don't think those risks (and extra effort) are worth it when almost the same effect can be acchieved with paint.  Just paint a black stip down first, and then the strip of white or yellow covering the black.  If a tiny line of black shows on either side, great, so long as it never gets too thick.

Sorry, with 'maybe it needs a little greenstuff' I meant adding some buttons or something similar, not make the whole strip out of greenstuff.

I don't think black lasgun would look too futuristic - but another option would be to paint the casing like wood grain - that might look cool.

I find wood grain not easy to paint, certainly not easy enough to use it on 100+ guardsmen + heavy weapons...

Right, I made another really quick test model yesterday based on some suggestions. The green and grey are both a bit darker (doesn't show too well in this light), I changed the lasgun, I added yellow trim to the trousers and changed the base - which looks terrible in this picture..   (I didn't paint his cap because I'm still searching for the right type of hat, I also didn't do the eagles, but you can't really see those from this angle anyway.)   I think it's quite the opposite of what Commissar Leonidas would've liked me to do, but it's not my fault he didn't post until today.

[PaxImperator]

Is it me or are your photography skills developping Mark?

I really like the test mini. The pants have come out just right in my opinion, and the green and yellow go together very well.

Now some suggestions:

-I think that blacklining the ammo pouches would make them look better.
-A black lasgun casing wouldn't look bad at all in my opinion.
-If the base's texture looks as plain in real life as it does in the picture, I'd consider another drybrush, probably graveyard earth, kommando khaki or bleached bone.
-I'd highlight the boots and lasgun with codex grey.

['Mark']

Is it me or are your photography skills developping Mark?

Photoshop I'm learning how it can actually improve the quality my pictures..

Now some suggestions:

-I think that blacklining the ammo pouches would make them look better.
-A black lasgun casing wouldn't look bad at all in my opinion.
-If the base's texture looks as plain in real life as it does in the picture, I'd consider another drybrush, probably graveyard earth, kommando khaki or bleached bone.
-I'd highlight the boots and lasgun with codex grey.

Heh, actually, they are drybrushed and highlighted. Just... poorly. It was a real quicky, this one. You're right about the ammo pouches, though. But thanks for noticing all this, if I miss this kind of stuff on a test model, there's every change that I'll miss it on other models too. 

I'll keep the black casing in mind, multiple people have suggested it now, so it's something I should consider.

[Lt. Colonel Nightblade]

I like the latest test model the best.  White is okay, but I don't feel you absolutely need to have it on your models, Mordian or no.  The bright yellow gets the point across just fine in my opinion.

[Captain Leonidas]

 I think it's quite the opposite of what Commissar Leonidas would've liked me to do, but it's not my fault he didn't post until today.

(Image removed from quote.)

Nevermind. As long as it is still rifle green, its OK. Still jager-ish look to me