This page and kitbash is another that I have been meaning to make for quite a while, but finding the time for it has always been a problem for me. So after finding some spare time I have finally got started with the figure and the diorama base that I wanted to make as well. As I have always liked the other mountain dioramas that I have seen made by my fellow modellers, so I had a go at making mine.
The diorama base for this figure is shown on my other page – Mountain, the main reason for this is that I keep this page to a reasonable size so that it is easier to load.
Headsculpt
The headsculpt for this figure is another DiD one, and this time it is from the Russian Rurik figure. Which like all of the headsculpts that I use for kitbashes it has been given a pastel wash to add some shading to it.
The first picture of the head is as it came from the manufacturer, and the others are after I have given it a Light Brown pastel wash as I wanted a light colour to the beard growth this time, after that I gave the head a drybrush of some Flesh pastel chalk
Uniform
The uniform for this figure is a mix of Dragon clothing that I have bought loose, I used a plain Dragon German tunic, a white three pocket windproof jacket which is I believe from the Alfons figure, and the trousers are from the Pieter Volpert set. In the last two pictures below I have applied some Brown pastel chalk onto the uniform to look like dirt.
These pictures show the basic pose that I wanted with the figure, where he is climbing up onto a mountain ledge. The only problem I found with the uniform trousers was with the pose, since the leg bottoms came up above the boot tops, so I have had to fit a pair of Toys Cityy puttees to cover the gap. I have also used a pair of DiD white gloves on the hands, which like the uniform also been rubbed over lightly with some Brown pastel chalk to add some dirt to them.
The boots are from DiD, which I have repainted a Brown colour to both dull them down and to take away the new look that they have. The reason for doing this is that although they do look good when brand new, for my kitbashes I much prefer to have a sort of used or weathered look to them.
Equipment
The equipment that I have used for this figure is also a mix of the different 1/6th scale companies, all of which has also been weathered to make them look like the soldier has had them for a while. In particular with the waist belt I have used here it is a Toys City one, as I have found that with a wash over the buckle with some Black acrylic paint, and once it is dry and wiped off it does help to bring out the buckle detail.
The rest of the pieces on the belt are as usual a mix of the different manufacturers, the Kar 98 ammunition pouches and breadbag are from Toys City, the shovel, mess tin, gas mask case and bayonet are from DiD. All of which have been also weathered to take away the new look that they had.
The weathering of the crampons was quite easy since they are made of metal, and for this I just scraped along all of the edges with my model knife to remove the paint. The straps were also repainted with some Model Color 873 US Field Drab acrylic paint. The fitting of the crampons onto the boots was at times a real trial for me, as I would have them almost ready to buckle up and the metal support at the back would come out. Which I then had to refit back into place, tighten up the straps and try to buckle up again. And at the same time make sure that the front part of the strap was over the toe of the boot. Note: I also lost count of the times that I stuck the spikes into my fingers whilst doing this. With the fitting of the crampons on my figure, I found some excellent help from Patrick.
Why I like some of the the DiD parts compared to the other manufacturers, is because of the metal pieces such as the ice pick above. Since I can add some more realistic wear detail to it with the metal, when compared to adding paint to plastic to get the same effect. And with the pick head as shown at the top above left, this was done by rubbing over it with some fine sandpaper. Also with the wood I rubbed over it with some Dark Tan shoe polish, which was then rubbed off with a soft cloth. I also did this with the ice pick head cover, plus the wrist strap was also repainted with some US Field Drab acrylic paint. Note: Hold the flat part of the pick head whilst sanding it, because mine was moving slightly due to the soft metal.
Another item that I wanted with this figure is a pair of snow shoes, and after seeing the superb 1/6th pair as made by Patrick, I had to see if I could have a go at making a pair for myself. Note: Patrick’s tutorial in PDF format is here. And both Heersbergfuhrer and fusilier1944 have made some excellent 1/6th scale snow shoes. In the other pictures I have made the snow shoes by following a tutorial about it, and from the reference pictures I have made the rings for the front and the wire clamps for the back of the boots.
These were test fitted around a pair of boots to make sure that they look the same, I then painted them with some enamel Gunmetal paint and when dry I fitted them to the snow shoes. The straps came from another pair of crampons which I also repainted with some US Field Drab acrylic paint. The last two pictures are of a boot fastened to the snow shoe as a trial fit, and of the shoes with the loose straps.
The backpack for the figure is a Toys City one which I have weathered slightly by using some fine sandpaper on it. The pictures are from the left top a brand new rucksack, the next three are after I have used the sandpaper lightly on it, the next two are after I have given the rucksack a drybrush of some Tamiya Light Sand and Rust weathering powders. The purpose of all this is to age the bag, plus add a slight discoloration of dirt on the bottom and the around the straps.
Weapons
The main weapon that I have used with this figure is the Soldier Story wood and metal Kar 98 rifle.
With this rifle I took the sling off and wiped over it on both sides with some Dark Tan shoe polish, which was then wiped over with a soft cloth to get a slight shine. I also painted over the sling edges with some Burnt Umber acrylic paint, as they looked too light in colour. The wood parts of the rifle was also wiped over with the same Dark Tan polish to darken the wood slightly, this was gently rubbed with the soft cloth as well.
I then drybrushed all of the metal parts with some Tamiya Gunmetal weathering powders, plus a very light brush over with the Tamiya Silver weathering powder to highlight the edges.
Assembled Figure
This is the figure on the cork base I made which was designed around the stepping up pose that I wanted with this figure, plus I have added all of the equipment that I wanted the figure to be equipped with. Note: With the final setup for the pose I decided not to have the crampons on the boots, so I have placed these under the lower flap on the backpack.
Many thanks to Patrick Kiser for all of the very detailed help with this Gebirgsjager figure.
I would like to thank RogueJK for his excellent help with my future German figures.