Yikes - what is that mess?

While it's not the best picture, this model doesn't look much better in person. Where did I go wrong?

This zombie is from the Weird WWII line of miniatures by West Wind. While I like the quirky subject and the price is great, a number of the models I've purchased have had very soft casting details. As you can see in the picture, the hands were pretty messed up and the face looked like it was melted by a candle. But, a good painter could still get good results. I, on the other hand, totally missed the mark.

So what can I learn? Here are a few things I could have improved:

All of my color choices are poor. While I thought I had a good match for Field Grey, I made the wrong choice for the highlights. Next time I work on a German soldier, I'll more towards grey than a yellow/green. Also, the choice of a greenish shirt beneath the coat was a real miss. Maybe a brown would have been better?

The contrast between skin colors and the coat is too great. The skin was supposed to be a purple/pale green that just fell flat. I assumed that purple and green would compliment the coat, but sadly, it was just wrong. The picture didn't capture the skin colors well but then neither did I!

Beneath a few coats of paint are my mistakes at painting blood stained clothing. Looked goofy, like he fell into a can of red paint! I tried painting some dark browns like dried blood as well, but that looked more like he was eating chocolate ice cream. Needless to say, I applied a coat of paint to hide the entire mess!

Finally, the coat blending is splotchy. This guy could have benefited from more blending. The boots are no better. Honestly, I could see the model wasn't going well but decided to just finish and move on.

While the end results is ok for a simple gaming mini, it's not what I was shooting for. I guess this will just be another piece of fodder in my small army for Incursion. Oh well - there's always next time!