Painting a plastic Hanomag – part 2: Spraying and Painting

Last time I assembled my Hanomag using the tools and glue from the Plastic Assembly Set. In this second part of the tutorial the halftrack gets sprayed with the new Bolt Action Colour Primer: German Dunkelgelb and gets painted.

Step 6: Colour Primer sprays – 2 spray action

Because I didn’t glue the gunner in place I was able to spray the Hanomag and gunner separately.

The gunner was sprayed with Bolt Action Colour Primer: German Field Grey and the Hanomag was sprayed with Bolt Action Colour Primer: German Dunkelgelb.

The Colour Primers have a unique formula combining the better of 2 sprays; primer and highly pigmented acrylic colour in one. To ensure a perfect result every time you use them we advice following these few steps:

1. Shake can well. Shake the can hard for a minimum of 1½ minutes. The pigment is heavy and needs to blend, which takes time. Don’t skimp on the shaking!
2. This is an important step. The maximum distance you should use a Colour Primer from is about 20 cm.
3. Move the can at all times. Using long, even bursts where you constantly move the can across the model will give the best result.

As with all Colour Primers just spray directly onto your plastic miniatures – no need to undercoat first, unlike a normal colour spray!

Step 7: Colour Primer sprays – 2 spray action

Here it is sprayed (the gunner has just been popped in for effect)…

Step 8: Halftrack highlight 1

Using a Wargamer: Large Drybrush I highlighted all the edges with Warpaints Skeleton Bone. I held the brush at a 45 degree angle, painting with the edge of the brush.

Step 9: Halftrack Highlight 2

A second highlight was added to the points of the vehicle with Warpaints Matt White using a Wargamer: Regiments Brush. The second colour is only applied on the joints, where the edges meet. This creates highlight effect.

Step 9½: black bits

I painted all the black bits with a mix of 2 drops Warpaints Matt Black, 1 drop Warpaints Oak Brown and 1 drop Warpaints Uniform Grey; sort of a dark brownish grey.

Step 10: lining with Warpaints Quickshade Strong Tone

Next step involves a steady hand and a tiny brush. I used a Wargamer: Detail Brush and painted in thin lines between each armour plate using Warpaints Quickshade Strong Tone. Don’t get too disheartened if you make a mistake, we’re adding a battle worn look at the next step – any mistake can easily be explained as “on purpose”.

Step 11: lining done

The Hanomag highlighted, with Strong Tone lining and black detail. Almost ready for gaming!

Step 12: battle worn look

I added a battle worn look using Warpaints Quickshade Strong Tone Ink and the upcoming Warpaints Quickshade Green Tone Ink. This step does take a little time, but makes all the difference. For this fine work I used a combination of Wargamer: Detail Brush and Wargamer: Insane Detail.

Step 13: black highlight

All the black parts were highlighted with a drybrush with Warpaints Uniform Grey. Notice I didn’t use any metallics, as I find a subdued looks better on a WW2 army.


Now it is ready for a game or two.

In the final part of this series of articles I’ll finish off the Hanomag with decals and paint the gunner…