Short Tips – Fast Painting 1:35 Vietnam War Helicopter Pilots

Base Colors – Quick and Clean

• Uniform / Flight suit: Use olive drab tones like Mr. Color Green C303/C304 or Tamiya Khaki for fast and consistent coverage.

• Flak jacket / Leather vest: Apply Dark Brown or Olive Drab—dry-brush a lighter shade to simulate wear.

Skin & Accessories

• Skin tone: Choose a standard Flesh tone; tint slightly with red or brown for realism. 

• Sunglasses: Paint with black lenses and add silver/gold frames for instant detail.

Boots & Headgear

• Boots: Dark brown is period-appropriate, but black also works depending on referenced photos. 

• Helmet: Use the same khaki or olive drab as the uniform for cohesion.

Speed Painting Workflow

• Airbrush base coat: Go over entire figure with uniform color (OD or khaki) for fast coverage.

• Wash & highlight: Apply a quick dark wash to crevices, then a light dry-brush highlight on raised folds.

• Detail selectively: Only pick out key areas—face, helmet, patches, sunglasses—to save time yet boost realism.

Efficiency Tips

• Work in batches: prime, base-coat, wash, highlight several pilots at once.

• Use fast-drying paints (e.g., lacquer or acrylic) and thin, consistent coats to speed up layering.

• Skip perfection—prioritize impression: as long as basic colors and contrasts are accurate, the figures read well from a distance.