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July 21, 2026. Over the past week, I worked on the 3D-printed crew figures for my Polish K2 Black Panther build (from Glowel Miniatures). Since I primarily build tanks and aircraft, painting miniatures is a fun challenge, and I took some time to experiment with new techniques. ​For the flesh tones, I started with AK11603 Human Flesh Tone and experimented with subtle tinting using Vallejo Light Rust Wash (74.505).

I originally tried adding painted white pupils, but they looked oversized, so I removed them in favour of subtle eye-socket shading with Vallejo Saddle Brown (70.940).

After noticing the headgear was missing its headset microphone, I scratch-built one using 0.2mm lead wire, then painted the helmet in Vallejo Black Grey (70.862) and Italeri Flat Rubber (4861AP), and sealed it with AK Ultra Matte Varnish.

For the tanker suit/overall uniform, I used a zenithal shading approach airbrushing Tamiya LP-60 NATO Black followed by a white zenithal spray to establish shadows on the fabric folds. I then applied AK 11144 Emerald to match the real Polish uniform tint, mixing in white for high-point highlights and Black Grey for shadows.

​Tiny details like the Polish flag on the arm were painted using Vallejo White and Flat Red, with the rank/name patches picked out in Mr Hobby 320 Dark Green. After a pin wash using Tamiya Black Panel Line Accent Colour (cleaned up with spirit and swabs) and a coat of AK Ultra Matte, the commander figure was complete.

The commander figure is now finished and test-fitted in his hatch position behind the .50 cal mount! Work on the second crewmember is currently underway!