UMS "Agram" : Austrian Pikeman < Articles < Hobby

Austrian Pikeman

Dalibor Čavić, 22nd January 2021

In this short article I will try to show how I painted a historical figure in 1/72 scale. As a model, I used a pikeman from the Zvezda set 8061 17th century Austrian Musketeers and Pikemen. Zvezda is one of the most famous producers of plastic 1/72 figures and plastic models in general of highest quality, and the set of figures itself is very suitable for making a diorama of the Turkish siege of Vienna in 1683.

To start, the figure needs to be separated from the sprue with sharp hobby pliers. Care must be taken not to damage the figure. Therefore, it is better to cut away from the figure, and later cut off the excess sprue with a sharp hobby knife (for example no. 11). This is followed by the removal of mouldlines, and it is recommended to wash the figure in warm water with the addition of soap or dish detergent. Such figures are produced by injecting plastic into metal molds. To make the plastic easier to separate, the molds are coated with a mold releaser. Traces of this oil-like agent remain behind on the figure and can cause the primer and color not to be adhere well to the surface of the figure. Therefore, washing the figure is highly desirable.

After the washed figure has dried, I fastened it to a plastic stopper with "patafix" and painted it with a gray primer from Army Painter. When the primer had dried, I coated the whole figure with a layer of Nuln Oil wash (GW) and let it dry again. The wash itself did not have as much of a "preshading" role as I wanted it to highlight details on the figure that I would have to paint later. This step is not so necessary, but it makes painting easier.

After the figure was prepped, I applied the base colors to the figure. As a reference, I used an illustration and an example of a colored figure on a box (boxart) which greatly shortened my search process for historical literature. The colors I used are Flat Red + Black Red (sleeves and feathers), Medium Blue (pants), Black (hair, beard and shoes), Gunmetal (armor, helmet, sword and spearhead), Basic Skintone (face), Leather Brown + Biege Brown (gloves), Bone White + Biege Brown (socks), Biege Brown + Orange Brown (pike). All paints are from the Vallejo Model or Game Color series. Leather Brown paint from Revell was used for the straps.

I then applied Reikland Fleshshade (GW) to the skin and Agrax Earthshade (GW) to the brown parts. All other parts (metal, red, blue) I coated with Nuln Oil. Already after this step, the figure took on a satisfying appearance that will be enough for some wargamers to play. However, I decided to do two "highlights" for each color (except black). I got the "highlights" by lightening the above colors, with the second "highlight" covering a smaller area than the first (layering). The glazing technique for coloring was out of the question because the figure is quite small. Eventually, I arranged the base and coated the figure with a layer of varnish. I mixed matte varnish (Pebeo) and satin varnish (Ammo by Mig) and diluted it a bit with water.

Latest articles

Miniature Painting Workshop - 75mm Dwarf

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	On 09-10.05.2026. we held a new weekend miniature painting workshop. This time it was the turn of a dwarf in 75mm scale.

	

	




The workshop was held over two days (a whole weekend) and the participants painted a 75mm miniature dwarf. The focus of these lectures was painting various textures - metal, human skin, textiles and leather. Water-based acrylic paints were used in the workshop. For this purpose, the workshop leader, Ivan Knezović, chose a 75mm miniature dwarf from Durgin Paint Forge, sculpted by Carlos Perez Bugedo. The lectures were adapted so that the leader devotes equal time to all participants and can be adapted to all categories of miniaturists (from beginners to slightly more advanced).



	

	

	

	


The workshop took place as follows:

	First, the lecturer sits at his desk and explains and demonstrates each step in painting a miniature/model on his specimen. His work is displayed on a screen via a camera and projector, which the participants listen to, watch, and ask questions about.

	Then, the participants sit at their desks and apply the knowledge they have gained. The facilitator circulates among the participants and checks how each participant is doing. This way, he or she can adapt to each participant individually.




	

	

	

	The workshop will include the following thematic units:

	1. NMM (Non metallic metal)

2. Reflections of ambient colors on metal

3. Steel / gold

4. Face painting (male)

5. Adding vibrancy to the face (filters)

6. Extracting textures from fabric, metal and leather

	

	

	POWERED BY: Carta Magica, Fireball Figurines, Durgin Paint Forge, Playsupport
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	09-10.05.2026. smo održali novu vikend Radionicu bojanja minijatura. Ovoga puta na redu je bio patuljak u 75mm mjerilu.

	

	Radionica se provodila kroz dva dana (cijeli vikend) i polaznici su bojali 75mm minijaturu patuljka. Fokus ovih predavanja bilo je bojenje raznih tekstura – od metala, ljudske kože, tekstila i kože (leather). U sklopu radionice korištene su akrilne boje na bazi vode. U tu svrhu, voditelj radionice, Ivan Knezović, izabrao je 75 mm minijaturu patuljka tvrtke Durgin Paint Forge, koju je sculptao Carlos Perez Bugedo. Predavanja su prilagođena tako da voditelj posveti jednako vrijeme svim polaznicima i može se prilagoditi svim kategorijama minijaturista (od početnika do malo naprednijih).

	

	

	

	Radionica se odvijala na sljedeći način:

	Prvo, predavač sjedi za svojim stolom te objašnjava i demonstrira pojedini korak u bojanju minijature/makete na svojem primjerku. Njegov rad se preko kamere i projektora prikazuje na platnu što polaznici slušaju, gledaju, ali i postavljaju pitanja.

	Potom, polaznici sjedaju za svoje stolove i primjenjuju stečeno znanje. Voditelj kruži između polaznika i provjerava kako svakom polazniku ide. Na taj način, može se prilagoditi svakom polazniku ponaosob.

	

	

	

	Radionica će uključivati sljedeće tematske cjeline:

	1. NMM (Non metallic metal)

	2. Refleksije boja iz okoline na metalu

	3. Čelik / zlato

	4. Bojanje lica (muškog)

	5. Dodavanje živosti na lice (filteri)

	6. Izvlačenje tekstura tkanine, metala i kože (leather)

	

	

	POWERED BY: Carta Magica, Fireball Figurines, Durgin Paint Forge, Playsupport
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Ivan Knezović, 26th May 2026

We visited: Festival Svet v Malem 2026, Pivka, Slovenia

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	On May 23, 2026, we participated in the international plastic model making competition Festival Svet v Malem 2026 in Pivka, Slovenia.

	

	The competition is traditionally held at the Military History Park in Pivka.

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	
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	23. svibnja 2026. sudjelovali smo na međunarodnom natjecanju u plastičnom maketarstvu Festival Svet v Malem 2026 u Pivki u Sloveniji. 

	

	Natjecanje se tradicionalno održava u Parku vojne povijesti u Pivki.

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	
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Krunoslav Belinić, 26th May 2026

We visited: KupKA 2026

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	On May 16, 2026, we participated in the international plastic model making competition KupKA held at the Museum of the Homeland War in Karlovac.

	

	

	

	The competition was organized by the Slavoljub Penkala Modeling Club from Zagreb.

	

	

	

	

	Thanks to the organizer for an interesting competition, to the judges for some medals, and especially to my colleagues from the Maketarski Club Novi Sad - IPMS Serbia for the medal!

	

	

	
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	16. svibnja 2026. sudjelovali smo na međunarodnom natjecanju u plastičnom maketarstvu KupKA održanom u Muzeju domovinskog rata u Karlovcu.

	

	

	

	Natjecanje je organizirao Maketarski klub Slavoljub Penkala iz Zagreba

	

	

	

	

	Hvala organizatoru na zanimljivom natjecanju, sucima na ponešto medalja, a pogotovo kolegama iz Maketarskog Kluba Novi Sad - IPMS Srbija na medalji!

	

	

	
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Marko Paunović, 26th May 2026

Back to Basics Workshops in Gallery VN

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	In May 2026 we held our Back To Basics miniature painting workshops for the youngest in Gallery VN.

	

	The workshops were completely FREE for all participants!

	

	

	

	

	The Back to Basics method is a method of making models and miniatures that focuses on a fun process intended for younger ages, but everyone is welcome! In three separate sessions on Thursdays, participants (aged 7+) painted miniatures of their choice (knight, princess, king, wizard and barbarian). 

	

	

	

	

	

	

	1st session: Painting miniatures of choice, Thursday, 07.05. - from 18:00 to 19:00

	2nd session: Painting a miniature of your choice, Thursday, 14.05. - from 18:00 to 19:00

	3rd session: Painting a miniature of your choice, Thursday, 21.05. - from 18:00 to 19:00

	

	

	

	

	

	
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	U svibnju 2026. održali smo naše Back To Basics radionice za najmlađe u Galeriji i čitaonici VN.

	

	Radionice su bile BESPLATNE za sve polaznike!

	

	

	

	

	Back to Basics metoda je metoda izrade maketa i minijatura kojoj je fokus na zabavnom procesu namjenjenom mlađim uzrastima, ali svi su dobrodošli! U tri zasebna termina četvrtkom, polaznici (od 7+) su bojali minijature po izboru (vitez, princeza, kralj, čarobnjak i barbarin).

	

	

	

	

	

	

	1. termin: Bojenje minijature po izboru, četvrtak, 07.05. - od 18:00 do 19:00

	2. termin: Bojenje minijature po izboru, četvrtak, 14.05. - od 18:00 do 19:00

	3. termin: Bojenje minijature po izboru, četvrtak, 21.05. - od 18:00 do 19:00

	

	

	

	

	

	
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Krunoslav Belinić, 26th May 2026

Painting Faces at Tabletop Level

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	In this short article, I will describe two ways to paint faces on a so-called tabletop standard. The text follows two versions of the painting. One will use a store-bought wash, and in the second, slightly less contrasting one, I will use a wash that I got from regular paint. This way, the reader can choose which method suits them better.

	  

	The first step is to dye the base color.

	Left: Since I'm going to use a store-bought wash in this example, I decided to go for a darker shade of skin tone.

	Right: In this example, I'm going to use the color as a base for the wash, so I decided to go for a slightly lighter skin tone - and therefore a lighter base color.

	  

	The next step is to apply the wash.

	Left: I use a regular, store-bought Reikkland Fleshshade wash.

	Right: On a drop of the darker skin tone, I add two drops of Lahmian Medium and a drop or two of water. This creates my own wash, which I apply similarly to the example on the left.

	  

	Then comes the first highlight.

	Left: I apply the base color to the raised parts of the face and thus get the first highlight.

	Right: Just like in the example on the left, I use the base color as the first highlight.

	  

	Then the second highlight.

	Left: I get the second highlight by mixing the base color with a lighter shade.

	Right: I follow the same process as on the left, with the caveat that I never use pure white to mix the highlight, it's always an off white – with a minimal amount of some pigment.

	  

	The penultimate step is to outline the eyes.

	Left: This step is identical in both cases.

	Right: I outline the eyes with some off-white paint (to make my life easier, it's usually two lines).

	  

	The last step is to add shadows around the mouth and eyes.

	Left: In this case, you can use a darker wash like Nuln Oil or Druchi Purple.

	Right: I mixed black and purple and added two drops of Lahmian Medium and a drop or two of water to create a darker wash, then applied the mixture to the eye sockets, making sure not to get the wash on the previously drawn eyes.

	And the last thing is drawing the pupils – just vertical lines of dark/black color against the horizontal light lines for the eyes.

	 
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	U ovom kratkom članku, opisat ću dva načina za bojanje lica na takozvanom tabletop standardu. Tekst prati dvije verzije bojanja. Jedna će koristiti kupovni wash, a u drugoj, malo manje kontrastnoj koristit ću wash kojeg sam dobio iz obične boje. Na taj način, čitatelj može izabrati koji način mu više odgovara.

	  

	Prvi korak je bojanje u osnovnu boju.

	Lijevo: s obzirom da ću na ovom primjeru koristiti kupovni wash, odlučio sam se za tamniju nijansu boje kože.

	Desno: u ovom primjeru koristit ću boju kao osnovu za wash, tako da sam se odlučio za malo svjetliju nijansu kože – a samim time i svjetliju osnovnu boju.

	  

	Sljedeći korak je stavljanje wash-a.

	Lijevo: Koristim običan, kupovni Reikkland Fleshshade wash.

	Desno: Na kap tamnije nijanse boje kože stavljam dvije kapljice Lahmian Mediuma i kap do dvije vode. Na taj način dobivam vlastiti wash kojeg nanosim slično kao i na lijevom primjeru.

	  

	Zatim ide prvi highlight.

	Lijevo: Nanosim na izdignute dijelove lica osnovnu boju i na taj način dobivam prvi highlight.

	Desno: Jednako kao i u lijevom primjeru, kao prvi highlight koristim osnovnu boju.

	  

	Potom drugi highlight.

	Lijevo: Drugi highlight dobivam mješajući osnovnu boju s nekom svjetlijom nijansom.

	Desno: Pratim isti proces kao i lijevo, uz napomenu da nikada ne koristim čistu bijelu boju za miješanje highlighta, uvijek je to neki off white – s minimalnom količinom nekog pigmenta.

	  

	Predzadnji korak je iscrtavanje obrisa očiju.

	Lijevo: Ovaj korak je identičan u oba slučaja.

	Desno: Nekom off white bojom iscrtam obrise očiju (da si olakšam život, to su najčešće dvije crtice).

	  

	Zadnji korak je dodavanje sjena oko ustiju i očiju.

	Lijevo: U ovom slučaju, možete koristiti tamniji wash poput Nuln Oil ili Druchi Purple.

	Desno: Pomiješao sam crnu i ljubičastu boju te dodao kap dvije Lahmian Mediuma i kad do dvije vode da dobijem tamniji wash te smjesu nanio u očne šupljine pazeći da wash ne dođe na prethodno iscrtane oči.

	I zadnja stvar je ucrtavanje zjenica – samo okomite crtice tamne/crne boje u odnosu na horizontalne svijetle crte za oči.
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Marko Paunović, 20th May 2026

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Association of miniature collectors, modellers and tabletop wargamers "Agram"

Austrian Pikeman

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