20mm Modern Australians by Elhiem Figures

Moderns has been something I have wanted to do for a while but I couldn't pull the trigger.  A few friends were doing it in 28mm and Playing Spectre but the game didn't really appeal to me.  I am slowly losing the battle of Storage to 28mm in particular terrain.  28mm Buildings really do take up lots of space.

Motivated by something I wont quite yet reveal, I decided to go with 20mm for a few reasons.  The first being the amazing and huge range from Elhiem Figures.  The sculpts are awesome, well proportioned and the range is extensive.  I was particularly fond of the Australian Range.  The other reason for going for 20mm is storage and size.  I can have lots of buildings for a fraction of the storage space 28mm takes up.  My terrain will mostly be 3D printed and there is also a massive difference in print times between 20mm and 28mm.  The 20mm miniatures have that sweet spot for detail in sculpting that you can not get in 15mm.

Finally 20mm is terrific value for money! The figures a significantly cheaper than their 28mm bigger cousins.

I have painted up the first 4 of many Modern Australians for Afghanistan.  In 2014 the Australian Army went from their Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform (DPCU) to the Australian Multi Camouflage Uniform (AMCU).  I thought AMCU would be hard to paint however it was quite simple.

I was inspired by Jack Sarge's 28mm Aussies and adapted his recipe with a slight change. How I paint my Modern Australians is as follows:

All Vallejo Colours

Base Coat
Uniform - Iraqi Sand
Steyr - Green Grey
Gloves - Gunship Green
Boots/Knee Pads - Khaki

Wash with Army Painted Strong Tone
I then went over everything with highlights with the same Base Coat Colours

For the Camouflage I painted on the Following
US Field Drab, Yellow-Green, Russian Uniform WW2 then small dots of Cam Olive Green

20mm Modern Australian Infantry by Elhiem Figures

28mm USMC (Warlord Games) comparison with 20mm Modern Australians (Eliem)