Thats for you're not a "rivet counter" like me ...

According to the instructions since 1943 all buttons should be equal (Collar, button placket, cuffs, pockets, shoulder straps).









But how it works in life:

"The sky is high and the tsar is far ..."
(Old Russian proverb)

25. Day, Dezember 13, 2020


The button placket is painted ...:








I only noticed the uncleanliness on the collar and the lower edge of the button placket when I looked at these enlarged pictures here.
That has already been corrected.

So - now the buttons, then the Gymnastiorka is ready, and then it's Christmas break.


Cheers

26. Day Dezember 16, 2020


The buttons - I want them to look "used".

I use these colors for this ...



... and color each button in five steps:

First step:
The pins are given a thin coating of "brass".

Second step:
To simulate the embossing on the buttons, I carefully dab undiluted brass paint on after it has dried.

Third step:
Again after drying, each button is given a thin wash made from a 50:50 mixture of brass / black.

Fourth step:
Dry painting of the raised areas - again with "brass".

Fifth step:
Each button has a thin outlining with heavily thinned black.








It continues here from January 6th. Tomorrow I'll be flying to my loved one in Odessa very early morning.


I wish you happy holidays!


Cheers

Definitely good -regress..do stay well..Give that Citroen a shine!

27. Day, January 11, 2021


It's high time to pick up a brush again!

In order to get closer to the figure, so to speak, I paint the shoulder pieces today.

There is really only one thing to pay attention to:

In almost all cases, the "Pogonij" have a significantly darker color than the uniform material of the Gymnastiorka field blouse - which is also the case with our veteran ...:



Et volilà...:






Cheers

Because of different fabric, the inlet, they were moved off before washing the blouse - and the changing after each advancement...












Cheers

Silly question: were medals worn in battle? Or just in posed photos?

Always - orders and medals were part of the uniform.










But such "collections" as our friend carries them came together only after the war.

.........................................................................................

28. Day, January 12, 2021


While the epaulettes dry out in front of you - I can't paint the insignia and piping beforehand! - I turn to the leather gear of our hero!

And there we come across a detail that actually didn't exist:

Our veteran wears the insignia of a non-commissioned officer rank (I'll come back to that in more detail), but his leather gear doesn't match at all!

Actually, he ought to wear the team belt - either the 1932 model ...



...or the model of 1939...



... where the belt lock was often painted in green for reasons of "Maskirowka" ...:



Instead, our veteran wears an officer's belt with a two-pin buckle, along with the shoulder strap that goes with it, which was also only reserved for officers ...



... and the shoulder strap on the wrong shoulder, namely on the left, while according to regulations it was actually to be worn over the right shoulder!



These leather things could have a wide variety of shades, from dark brown ...



... over red brown..



...up to "leather nature brown"...



... depending on the production location and available raw materials.

In addition there were some that were manufactured in the USA as part of the lend / lease agreement for the Red Army.

I decided on a medium shade, which I mixed together from these colors ...:



The dark purple intensifies the shadows, and I've added more skin color for the lights.

So far so good (?)...:










Gruß

Good progess

Excellent photo references Martin. Some I have never seen before. Now wouldn't that couple dancing make a lovely vignette? Paintwork is looking really good so far!

Phil

29. Day, Januar 13, 2021


Today the belt is painted according to the same "knitting pattern" as the shoulder strap ...:









The "finishing touches", buckles and eyelets are of course still missing ...

Cheers

30. Day, Januar 14, 2021

Our hero's pogonij (shoulder boards) are ready!

The boy wears the insignia of a "Starshij Serzhant" (Старши Сержант / literally "older" Sergeant "), which corresponds to a British staff sergeant or our Hauptfeldwebel (NATO OR-7)




In the Red Army there was also a "younger sergeant" ("Mladshij Serzhant" / Младски Сержант), which corresponds to the British sergeant or our Oberfeldwebel (NATO OR-6).

If we take a closer look at the corresponding shoulder pieces, it turns out that the different shades of red of the piping (red = infantry) and the braid can differ considerably - everything is possible between light red / crimson red and dark wine red ...:




And so I did it...:





Cheers

Much useful reference material again Martin. Is it my imagination, or has the old guy got his helmet on back to front in that last photo?

Phil

You're right...