This WW2 Painting Guide shows how to paint the 2 New Zealand Division, and other Commonwealth/British, who fought in the Mediterranean. It solely uses Vallejo Model Colour range of paints.
I have used four sources: Battle Front, SHQ, Artizan Designs, and Crac des Chevaliers.
In the six years since I first published the first version of this article several of the sources have disappeared and two new sources appeared, so I thought I would publish an update. I have dropped out the Coat D’arms and the Colour party options and concentrated solely on Vallejo. It is sufficiently different from the original post that I have counted it as a new publication.

Personally I use black undercoat, with edges showing, a base colour and, only for those special occasions, a highlight. The Battle Front and SHQ guides are fairly simple, listing only the base colour. Crac des Chevaliers explicitly lists shadow, base and highlight. The Chevalier de la Terre mentions he uses a slightly darker colour for the shadow as he doesn’t leave black visible in 15mm. Artizan Designs often lists two or three colours and I assume this is shadow, base colour and/or highlight; it isn’t clear in the two colour schemes whether the missing shade is shadow or highlight.
Item | Battle Front | SHQ | Artizan Designs | Crac des Chevaliers |
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MKII Helmet and Helmet cover | ![]() |
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Shadow: ![]() Base: 50/50 mix ![]() ![]() Highlight: 50/50 mix base colour and white1 |
Khaki Drill Shirt, Shorts, Trousers | ![]() |
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Khaki Drill (Greener) Shadow: ![]() Base: 50/50 ![]() ![]() Highlight: ![]() or Tan variant |
Khaki Battle dress, trousers, socks, berets | ![]() |
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Shadow: ![]() Base: ![]() Highlight: ![]() |
Webbing and Anklets | ![]() |
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Shadow: ![]() Base: ![]() Highlight: 50/50 mix base colour and white1 or (alternate, lighter variant) |
Water bottle / Canteen | ![]() |
Shadow: ![]() Base: ![]() Highlight: 50/50 ![]() ![]() |
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Rank chevrons | ![]() |
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Boots | ![]() |
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Soldiers: ![]() Officers: ![]() |
Shadow: ![]() Base: ![]() Highlight: 50/50 mix base colour and white1 |
Wooden parts | ![]() |
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Shadow: ![]() Base: ![]() Highlight: 50/50 mix base colour and white1 |
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Buckles | ![]() |
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Cup | ![]() |
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Anti gas cape | ![]() |
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Leather Jerkin |
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Anklets / Gaiters | ![]() |
Notes
(1) Crac des Chevaliers sometimes uses paints from other ranges, so I have substituted the equivalent Vallejo Model Colour instead.
(2) Artizan Designs had the base Khaki colour as “973 US Olive Drab” but this appears to be mixing “973 Light Sea Grey” and “889 US Olive Drab”. I have assumed the text is correct and the code incorrect.
References
BattleFront: British Mediterranean Infantry
Broken link
Chevalier de la Terre. (2010). Painting British Infantry: Part 2. Crac des Chevaliers.
Farnworth, M. (2008). Colour Guide – British 8th Army. Artizan Designs.
Colour Guide to Painting the British Army in the Middle East and the Mediterranean
Pearson, S., and Rowell, R. (n.d.). SHQ Miniatures: Introduction to our painting guide No 11. SHQ