UA443 - Battledress Light Tone

Battledress Light Tone from Lifecolor

Battledress is the designation of the British field uniform of the Second World War period: a short blouse to the waist and loose trousers, both of woolen serge. This shade holds its lighter position, that is the tone of washed, sun-drawn fabric such as a unit wore after a few months in the field. The line also holds its counterpart in a darker position, so the two variants can be set side by side and the difference between a freshly issued and a served-out uniform shown on figures.

How wool behaves on a figure

Woolen serge is coarse and full, and light is not gathered from it into sharp points but spreads over the surface. The lighter tone therefore serves well as the starting layer onto which a deeper shadow is built in the folds and a gentle highlight instead on the edges of the collar, the pockets and the lapels. On the same figure the uniform is then clearly set apart from the leather of the equipment and from the canvas of the straps, and it is exactly that difference between materials that makes the result believable, more than the most precisely hit shade on its own.

Where you will use the shade

• woolen blouses and trousers of figures in 1:35, 1:16 and 1:9 scales
• the lighter, served-out position of the uniform beside the darker variant
• brightening the raised surfaces of a uniform painted in the darker tone
• textile items of kit: headgear, bread bags, rolled greatcoats

Who it is for

It will be appreciated by modelers of figures and dioramas from the European theater who want their uniform built from several tones instead of one flat area. It goes well with the shades of leather, leather equipment and kit from the same uniform line.

Stir the contents of the bottle thoroughly, close it carefully after taking paint out and keep it out of the reach of children.