Agree completely about Scottie’s build qualities. Top drawer stuff! His attention to detail is up there with the best, no matter what he says….. and his figures are pretty decent as well.
As to figure painting, if there is a secret weapon it’s a using a wet palette and learning to dilute the paint correctly……wait, that’s two secret weapons…..must be careful or I’ll go full python and mention the comfy chair next.…..in effect, the paint needs to flow off the brush, not be pushed or scraped off.
Weirdly, I find the skin easier than the clothing, at least, in the smaller scales (1/35 and below). I’m no Rembrandt, but have worked out a method that gives effective results with the minimum effort. A good base colour, rough highlights (nose, cheeks, point of chin, forehead) with a lighter colour giving decent contrast, a generous splash of skin wash, and Rob’s yer relative! The rest, five o’clock shadow, mouth, lips, teeth if they are there, and eyes if you really want them, is just window dressing. It takes a decent point on your brush, properly thinned paint, and patience. I always paint face and hands first, then proceed to “dress” the figure with the successive layers of clothing. That way you can tidy up the edges as you go.
I know I bang on about this a lot, but I think the biggest hurdle to successfully painting figures is simply the fear of painting figures. Everyone thinks it will be hard, so, it is hard……I’m not saying it’s easy, but it certainly is no harder than decent paint and weathering finish on a tank or aircraft. With a bit of planning and organisation decent results are within the reach of anyone that wants them. It does take time though. I would expect to spend about three hours on a 1/35 WW2 figure to get a decent result.