Painting Figures for Hasbro's Battle Cry Board Game - Part II

Union and Confederacy head into battle.
We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract.

- Abraham Lincoln

Shortly after my first article on Battle Cry Figure Painting, Scott Brooks contacted me to discuss ideas on painting the soft plastic Union and Confederate forces. While some of the questions were practical, such as priming and protective coatings, it is clear to me that he had a wealth of new ideas and a completely different artistic bent. Rather than merge his ideas into my original article, I felt it would do justice to write a completely new article.

Scott, first of all, discuss what types of paints you used for your figures.

The paint I used is Delta Ceramcoat acrylic, the kind you can pick up in the craft section of Wal-Mart for about $1.20 each. I add a little water to thin it down a bit, and it seems to work just fine. Most of the colors I mixed myself, to get a tone and color I was satisfied with.

Starting from the base, discuss the techniques you use to paint the figures.

The Texas Regiment Marches.
The technique I used is fairly simple. I took some very thin black paint and applied about two coats, to make sure the black got into each crevice and bit of detail on the figure. Then, I dry-brushed the other colors on, like the blues, grays, etc., always doing the face and hands first. Finally, I went back and detailed smaller items like the crossbands on the uniforms, the rifle barrels, and cleaned up any areas that I had overpainted.

Did you use any historical references for your figures?

The regiment I painted in butternut and brown is supposed to represent a Texas regiment, based on a painting by Don Troiani. Being a native Texan, I couldn't resist! In fact, I've used several of his paintings from the book, Don Troiani's Civil War as a guide to make sure my uniforms are somewhat accurate.

Once I was through painting, I sealed the figures with Plaid brand clear acrylic sealer (also available in the crafts section of Walmart). I used about four coatings per figure since I knew they would be handled quite a bit during games.

How do you store your figures? Do you jam them back in the Hasbro box?

The Union advance.
I don't store the figures in the game trays after painting - I've found that Altoid mint boxes work great with a little cotton or felt material. The only problem is that the artillery figures will not fit in them; I found some storage boxes in the tool section of a K-Mart that works good. They were two for .99c. All the boxes will then fit in the bottom of the Battle Cry game box, underneath the cardboard tray.

Well, that's about it for my figures. I hope this helps anyone out that's considering painting the Battle Cry miniatures. I think it's well worth the effort, and it increases the interest and fun while playing.

Thanks for sharing your painting techniques and ideas with us, Scott!

Read all three articles on Battle Cry Figure Painting.

My hat is off to Scott and Brady for sharing their insight with everyone.