French Foreign Legion (WWII)

[ADM]

While still working with my Napoleonic project, I have a lot of work (cleaning and primer) before starting to paint figures so I'm also on something else with another place and another period of History to paint figures during this summer : The french foreigh legion during the campaign of North Africa against the AfrikaKorps of Rommel during World war two. This will be one of my next big project after the Napoleon period. I'm going to paint mostly metal figures with 4 guns (resin model of the french 75 of the battle of Bir Hakeim).
84 metal figures come from guilhem (3 sets with a lot of artillery crew) you can see here :
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=9928
29 metal are from SHQ (sand color on the photos), it's their British infantry range with the specific hat of the french legion who was equiped like British infantry
12 are plastic figures from the box HAT 8161 (WWI french 75mm) and also the trailer with ammo
I bought the 4 french gun in resin many years ago, it's the french 75 modified with modern wheel (for WWII) and low profile for the desert.

I have cleaned all the 125 figures, added some extra bases and they're ready for painting with a light grey primer.

[Bluefalchion]

ADM--

Your side-projects in between projects are bigger than many modelor's biggest ones! I look forward to seeing your Bir Hakiem defenders. Are you going to have Italians, too? Will it be a wargame like the Pacific one?

[Susofrick]

Was this you??? Should have guessed with the amount of figures planned to paint. Will be fun to follow this too!

[Peter]

I'm also looking forward to this side project!

[Lacc]

A big Project,very nice.

Good lucky in your work.
"vive le mort , vive la France"
Alfredo

[guilhem]

I am very happy to see your soldiers... but I dont understand why you use the hat french WWI artillerie team?

[Bluefalchion]

Some of the artillery crews at Bir Hakiem were from colonial levies from Africa. Such men could easily have been supplied with older or surplus equipment and uniforms, thus making the use of WWI French artillery crews plausible.

[MABO]

I am also interested in this campaign so it is good to see your wip. And all the figures looks fine to me.

[Hellboy]

ADM, what a big task! The number of figures is over overwhelming! I wish you lots of fun and success at work. Looking forward to more pictures in the future of this great project !!!

[ADM]

This will be a very big project with everything included (8th Army, Afrikakorps, Italians and so on, with all the vehicules tanks and material for the war in the desert.) But all this will be done later, it's not my priority for now. The French foreign Legion is just a start, the very first step.

The base color of the French foreign legion figures is Prince August 819 (Vallejo 70819 Iraqi sand), some jacket has been painted in 70921 English uniform and 70893 US dark green, because the legion had pieces of equipment of the british army (helmet, weapons, uniforms) and also from a green tropical uniform specific of the french foreign legion for this period.

The artillery crew from Hat is painting in WWII french uniform color (70% of 70921 English uniform mixed with 30% of 70982 cavalry brown), they won't be used as artillery crew because I already have the legion crew but they still serve along the legion for battle in North Africa.

I've added a black wash (5 to 10% of black paint mixed with 90 to 95% of water) on all the figures and guns, painted the ammo crate 70874 tan earth and the mortar 70893 dark green, they will receive a black wash too.

And now everything will be drybrushed.

[guilhem]

I love your soldiers... I am watching them with attention.

[ADM]

I will paint them as best as I can, they deserve the same attention you gave to details guilhem !

I've drybrushed the canons with Vallejo 70977 desert yellow, and the figures with a first drybrush (mix of 50% Prince August 819 and 50% Vallejo 70837 pale sand), at this point I was not satisfied, the color was too light, so I added a second drybrush over the first one with Prince August 819, and this time it suit my taste so I can move to next step. The jackets of 2 different colors and the french brown uniforms have been drybrushed too with the base color + white.

[Peter]

Go on! I can't wait to see them finished!

[ADM]

Many thanks Peter !

Now some painting with the webbing and pouch : Vallejo 70875 beige brown with wash and drybrush, and then I come back with black paint applied with a thin brush (3/0) to underline more details, this step appear to be more difficult on metal figures because of the increased debt of details, and more easy on plastic figures. I'm starting with socks (Vallejo 70921 English uniform with wash and drybrush).

[Peter]

Nice next step!

[guilhem]

I love your work...
Where do you find the pneumatic of the amunition box?

[ADM]

Many thanks for your support !
the wheels come from my spare box guilhem, I think it's from a german truck of the Afrikakorps, it's the ones who could match the best.

I've finished socks and painted legs too, the flesh tone is made of a base Vallejo 70860 medium fleshtone with a black wash and a drybrush 70955 flat flesh. African skin is a base Vallejo 70822 brown followed by 2 drybrush, medium and light, by adding more white to the base color. Then I come back with the thin brush to underline details, I do it after every step. Next will come the weapons, painting hat and shoes is always the last step because I use them to hold the figure between my fingers when painting.

[guilhem]

thank you for your answer for the wheels... it is great

I love se your soldiers... I cant wait to see the next step..
I will order other french legion FFL for september... for me and for clients

I wish ,paint my soldiers like you.

Also, just to inform you, I will Produce french motocyclist in september/october.
And then I wish produce senegal soldiers for the african army at Birhakeim (1940-1942)

[ADM]

You new product will be welcome for my project guilhem !

Rifles/machine guns are painted with Vallejo 70874 tan earth (for wood) and Citadel Boltgun metal followed by a black wash over these 2 colors and underlining the details with a thin brush.

Details like radio, ammo box, grenades, mortar shell are painted Vallejo US dark green 70893 followed by a black wash and drybrush.

for artillery shell : Prince August 801 Laiton (Vallejo 70801 Brass) and Vallejo 70893 US dark green for the bullet shells, and then covered by a black wash.

Now starting to paint faces and arms with the base color : Vallejo 70860 medium fleshtone (and 70822 brown for Africans), the same way I did for the legs.

[guilhem]

Excellent work...
but I think there were no african men in the légion in 1940-1942
Black soldiers were only in the senegalese régiments.