Wehrmacht Unteroffizier Early War

A non-commissioned officer of the first years of the war

The rank of Unteroffizier stood at the lower edge of the non-commissioned officer corps of the Wehrmacht and it was the rank of a squad leader, that is of a man who commanded several men directly in the field. Its distinguishing mark was a silver braid sewn around the edge of the collar and on the shoulder boards. The designation Early War refers to the period roughly between 1939 and 1942, when the equipment was still of prewar quality and differed from the later economy versions in a number of details.

What decides on a figure like this

The uniform of those years is gray-green, but its tone changes with the material and the wear, so it is painted in two or three shades of the same color. The collar and the backing of the shoulder boards were made of a darker green cloth and stand out markedly against the tunic. Added to that are the leather straps and harness and the boots, metal buckles, the steel helmet and the differing tone of the weapon. The set is therefore put together as a closed palette: it contains shades for cloth, leather, metal and flesh so that they follow on from one another and there is no need to buy individual bottles.

A procedure that has proved itself

With figures you work from the bottom up, that is first the base tone of every area, then shading in the joints and folds, and finally lightening the edges. Water-based acrylic paints make it possible to do that in thin coats, because they become tacky quickly and a further coat does not dissolve the one beneath. Flesh is painted last and most finely, because the eye finds a fault on it fastest.