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I've been working on my Elysian Drop troops. These test models are done, but they just seem to missing somthing and I can't quite put my finger on it. There is alot of grey and not much to contrast, but I'm not sure if that's a bad thing. Maybe paint the armor black? Make the fatigues German uniform grey/green? Leave it alone because I'm crazy? What do you folks think?

Wow, it's tough to say...this is exactly how I want to paint them whenever I get around to ordering a couple squads. I think they look pretty good, but looking at it, it does seem like the need something else...

I think you need to define the shadows more. Perhaps a wash of some kind.

FTL

I agree with fasterthanlight. I also like to dirty them up a little, make it look like they didnt just come from the cleaners. I like to make my guard look like they have been on the battle field for a couple of days.

I usualy agree about making them dirty but I've intentionaly made them look new. I want to depict them as on a combat drop (rather then having already been in the field for a while), so in a way they actualy are "straight from the cleaners" Right now their fatigues are drybrushed up from a dark blue. Maybe a light wash of the dark blue base to bring out the shadows, or a black wash on the armor?

Bases need contrast. At the moment they just meld into your bases.

Paint the rims black and drop a bit of Snow on the bases and they should stand out some more.

Also the increased shadows are a good idea too.

I dont think they are missing anything. You dont always need contrast in your models.

You need to differentiate between the hard armour and the soft maybe do the hard plates flat Matt black and also any leather bits eg gloves boots belts .but leave the soft bits eg the pouches and padding that grey . And also you need unit markings eg 1/13 or D465 or simaler on the backs of there helmets swat style.

maybe a bit of colour on the helmet padding?
I dunno. I like how they look now, but I see why you feel they are missing something.

Not that I'm a great painter, but my motto is "The guardsman isn't painted until he looks like he's been wading through the gak." I typically heavy wash to make them look like they've been in a situation where they've needed to sleep in their uniforms for a few weeks.

Something else one of my friends does with his is paint the tips of the lasguns a bright red to make it look like the tips are kind of glowing. It might give you a bit of color. I don't think they look bad, they're just kind of, well, grey.

Metallics? Thats the first thing that came to my head when I saw them. Very nicely painted though, I like the bases a lot! The idea of adding snow sounds good too though.

The left hand on the centre model gets lost in the gun's grip. I think the visors could do with a little gradation of colour, perhaps - at the moment they look a pretty solid slab of red.

That's all I could suggest - I think they look great.

I think you need to define the colors more as has been said. The gloves blend into the gun, and the minis blend into the bases. Remember that black does has shades, so painting all the black parts the exact same shade of black makes everything kindda blah. I agree, play around with some wash on those guys and I bet itll fix them

All great suggestions. I am also thinking of inverting the colors- grey fatigues and blue/grey armor, which I think will help since I'll be moving the darker color to the exterior of the model.