1:72 German Elite Infantry in winter uniforms (WWII)

Winter as an enemy in its own right

The winter campaigns of the Second World War forced out equipment that had not been taken for granted until then. Quilted reversible jackets and trousers could be turned white side out, and with them went hoods, mittens and overshoes. Elite formations received them first, so it is with them that a winter look is easiest to document.

Why winter figures hold together differently

In a frost soldiers behave differently and it shows in their postures. A group draws more tightly together, the shoulders are pulled up, the hands hidden, the faces tucked into the collar. The distances between the figures shorten and the rank breaks into a file, because the trail trodden by the first man is the only passable way for the others. So set the figures one behind another in a gentle arc and let only one turn aside.

Snow is built, not sprinkled

The most common mistake is a flat white surface. Real snow is churned up, dirty at the edges and darker around footprints. So shape the base unevenly, press the footwear of an actual figure into the prints before the material has cured, and complete the white paint with grayish and bluish shadows in the hollows.

Color guidance

The white side of the clothing must not stay pure white, otherwise it merges with the ground; subdue it to an ivory tone and lay the dirt on from the bottom upwards. Bare skin takes a reddish cast, which is very convincing in a winter scene. The last step belongs to gloss: a thin coat of gloss varnish on the edges of the prints and on the edges of the clothing imitates frozen damp and sets wet snow apart from dry powder.