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Tutorial: Painting Star Wars Shatterpoint Battle Droids

Welcome to Painting Star Wars: Shatterpoint Battle Droids tutorial. Here I will present to you a Step-by-step of a basic painting process for Battle Droids.

Before we start, some notes:

  • This tutorial is sponsored by Rebel.pl, polish distributor of Star Wars: Shatterpoint and The Army Painter.
  • The entire preparation and painting process presented in this tutorial was accomplished using The Army Painter accessories provided by Rebel.pl
  • The tutorial is focused on basic techniques. Perfect for beginner hobbyists, eager to field their miniatures as soon as possible.
  • Please note pictures present a huge miniature under strong light that might result in a feel of messy, clumsy paint job.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

Miniatures Preparation & Notes.

In case you are totally unfamiliar with the hobby, I have prepared a short guide on Shatterpoint miniatures preparation and assembly, including some in-depth notes regarding priming and particular painting techniques. You can find it in the previous article: Tutorial: Painting Star Wars Shatterpoint Clone Troopers.

TIP: To better present the painting process I have kept one Droid on a separate base. If you feel it might be difficult to paint multiple miniatures glued to a single base, you can paint them separately, then glue together just before the Varnish step.



Undercoating:

I mounted the miniatures on a stick with a piece of Blu-Tack, then undercoated them with The Army Painter White Matt Primer.



Droid Armor:

With Wargamer: Monster Brush I have applied a thick layer of Ancient Honey Speed Paint over the miniatures, except for weapons. This created a strong, bright base color.

TIP: No need to worry about the weapons too much. The painting process was designed to cover any mistakes made at this point.



Next, with a softer Wargamer: Regiment Brush, I applied a solid layer of Soft Tone all over the armor. Washes, such as Soft Tone, provide strong pigmentation in all recesses, adding color depth. They also tone down the entire color a bit, which in case of Battle Droids, works to our advantage.



Weapons:

For weapons I went with the Grim Black. This Speed Paint was already tested during the Clone Troopers tutorial, so I knew it would cover any previous mistakes left on the painted areas. I used a Wargamer: Regiment Brush and did my best to avoid messing up the bright Droid armor.

TIP: This might be a difficult step for anyone not familiar with a brush. I recommend switching between different brush sizes and moving the miniature around for easier access. Speed Paints are thin, so you do not have to ‘lead’ the tip of the brush too much. Delicate touches will do.



Highlights:

To apply an overall highlight I Drybrushed Skeleton Bone all over the miniature. I used Masterclass Mighty and Moderate Drybrush for this, but it can be done with Wargamer: Large Drybrush as well.



Red Detail:

I used Poppy Red Speed Paint and applied it on top of chosen areas with Wargamer: Insane Detail Brush. As a Speed Paint the Poppy Red is perfect to cover bright paints underneath, including edges, previously highlighted with Skeleton Bone.



Next I applied a layer of Red Tone wash on top, to add depth and darken the color just a bit.



[Optional] Weapon highlights:

To make weapons pop, I used a Wargamer: Regiment Brush and applied a Dark Tone wash over them.



I then highlighted the edges with Mummy Robes, similar to how I did it in the Clone Troopers tutorial.



Bases:

For bases I applied a layer of Raven Black (air) with a Wargamer: Regiment Brush. Just like with Clone Troopers, I deliberately used air series paint for an extra messy end result.



I then applied a strong drybrush of Ash Grey all over the bases and feet of the miniatures.



Base Edges:

Finally I finished the bases with smooth, black edges. One layer of Matt Black, applied with Wargamer: Regiment Brush.



Lastly I sealed the paint job with Anti Shine Matt Varnish.




I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook or Instagram. I would also appreciate it if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Many thanks to Rebel.pl for sponsoring this content. Stay tuned for more Star Wars: Shatterpoint tutorials.

Tutorial: Painting Star Wars Shatterpoint Clone Troopers

Welcome to Painting Star Wars: Shatterpoint Clone Troopers tutorial. Here I will present to you a Step-by-step of a basic painting process for Clone Troopers, with few optional extras.

Before we start, some notes:

  • This tutorial is sponsored by Rebel.pl, polish distributor of Star Wars: Shatterpoint and The Army Painter.
  • The entire preparation and painting process presented in this tutorial was accomplished using The Army Painter accessories provided by Rebel.pl
  • The tutorial is focused on basic techniques and few extras. Perfect for beginner hobbyists, eager to field their miniatures as soon as possible.
  • Please note pictures present a huge miniature under strong light that might result in a feel of messy, clumsy paint job.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

Miniatures Preparation:

In case you are totally unfamiliar with the hobby, Star Wars: Shatterpoint being your very first step into the overall Wargaming, below are a few basic steps of miniatures build and preparation.

  • Using a Plastic Frame Cutter I removed all elements of a chosen miniature from the sprues.
  • I then used a Hobby Knife to gently scrape off any flash (mold lines residue). I kept the blade away from my hand and at an angle, sliding it towards my palm. This not only protected me from any injuries, but also left the surface smooth, rather than ragged.
  • Next I applied a bit of Super Glue and gently pushed the parts together until the entire miniature was built. (You can take time between parts to let the glue harden, or use Super Glue Activator to make the binding process instantaneous.)


Undercoating:

Undercoating miniatures is a topic on its own. Each primer color and technique of application has some advantages. For this tutorial I chose The Army Painter White Matt Primer and sprayed the miniatures around, mounted on a stick with a piece of Blu-Tack. This resulted in a durable, smooth surface, perfect for this kind of paint job. It also allowed me to skip an otherwise difficult first step – white armor.



Weapons & Under Armor:

With a Wargamer: Character brush I applied Grim Black Speed Paint over weapons and cloth. I then switched to Wargamer: The Psycho to apply more paint into recesses between armor and onto helmet visors.

TIP: This step is a bit tricky. A lot can go wrong. Fortunately, thanks to spray undercoat’s durability and smoothness, any bloopers can be erased using a toothbrush soaked in water. Simply soak the tip of a toothpick in water, then flatten it with a pair of pliers to make an ultimate bloopers eraser.



Blue Markings:

Next I applied Magic Blue Speed Paint onto shoulder guards and in selected areas on helmets and chest plates. I used Wargamer: Insane Detail and Wargamer: The Psycho brushes for this. Usually, when using thin paints such as Speed Paints I go with larger brushes, but here I aimed at precise application.

I then used a tip of a toothpick to scratch blue surface, adding some character with thematic battle damage. This wouldn’t be possible on most undercoats, but The Army Painter primers leave a really strong plastic-like surface.



[Optional] Weapon Highlights:

Using a Wargamer: Regiment Brush I then applied a highlight of Mummy Robes onto the top edges of the guns. Due to wider, more sturdy heads, I find larger brushes better for this kind of job. The key was to keep the paint to a minimum and slide the brush perpendicularly across the top surface of each gun.



[Optional] Weathering:

I then used a pair of tweezers and a piece of foam to stipple Oak Brown all over the armor plates. This broke the otherwise flat looking armor and provided additional detail to the miniatures.



Bases – Plates:

For bases I decided to keep them relatively simple, to make the miniatures stand out. First I applied a layer of Raven Black (air), starting carefully around the miniature’s feet, then expanding outwards. I deliberately used air series paint for an extra messy end result – free details on the painted surface. I used Wargamer: Regiment Brush for this and the next layer.



Next, using the same methodology, I followed up with Crow Hue.



I then drybrushed entire base with Ash Grey.

TIP: Drybrush is done by putting the tip of a brush in paint, then brushing the excess paint off onto a piece of paper, foam or some other material, then brushing the remainder of the paint onto the chosen surface. This can be done with either standard Small/Large Drybrush, or Masterclass for easier, faster application.



Bases – Sand:

For sand I applied Yellow Dune (air), followed by a wash with Flesh Wash paint.

TIP: Washing is done by applying Washes, or Inks in large quantities and letting them dry. The pigmentation goes into recesses, highlighting any raised areas.



Next I drybrushed sand and surrounding areas with Mummy Robes.


[Optional] Extra Base Detail:

To add depth I highlighted concrete plates edges with Mummy Robes…



… then thinned Mummy Robes with a bit of water and wiped the brush off with a series of semi random movements, onto flat concrete areas. I used Wargamer: Regiment Brush.



Base Edges:

To make the miniatures stand out and underline them, I painted bases’ edges with Matt Black. Wargamer: Regiment Brush again.



Varnishing:

Finally I sealed the paint job with Anti Shine Matt Varnish. This protective layer will keep my Clone Troopers secure from damage, while I game them into oblivion. With this I have finished the paint job.



I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook or Instagram. I would also appreciate it if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Many thanks to Rebel.pl for sponsoring this content. Stay tuned for more Star Wars: Shatterpoint tutorials.

Tutorial: Modeling Armada Ghost Fleets

Converting miniatures, am I right? There’s probably nothing more satisfying for Armada hobbyists, other than tinkering with their tiny resin ships. Adding bits and relocating parts to add more personality to one’s miniatures has always been an important part of the hobby, but with Armada it really takes a collection to the next level. This is doubly true for Ghost Fleets, that does not have dedicated miniatures. Still not everyone enjoys converting miniatures. There are many reasons for it, not having enough skill or idea to name some.

What if I told you converting ghost ships is far more easy than you might think? What if I showed you…

Before we start, some notes:

  • Instead of standard step-by-step I will present a list of tips on how to convert Ghost Fleet ships.
  • For this tutorial I have used original Basileans and Empire of Dust miniatures as a base, to expand upon.
  • Please note pictures present a huge miniature under strong light that might result in a feel of a messy and clumsy job.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

Hull Damage:

A good way to distinguish ghost ships amongst other fleets is to add significant hull damage. This can be done easily by cutting a chunk of hull with a pair of piers and/or drilling holes with a hand drill. The latter is perfect for damaging sails. For a natural damage look I drilled some holes then moved the drill bit up and down to produce a slightly more irregular shape.



Ragged Sails:

To add more dynamism to the sails and some key features I used a tissue trick. First I moisten a piece of tissue and form a basic shape. I then glued the shape to the ship with Super Glue. I followed by smearing more Super Glue on top of the tissue with a tip of a toothpick. Once hardened the shape made a solid foundation for some more advanced techniques.



Ghostly Mists / Phantom Shapes:

One of the most recognisable ghostly features is the body/hull distortion dragged by the etheric winds. A good way to represent this is by mixing PVA and Super Glue (cyanoacrylate) then smearing and dragging the resulting goo on top of ship features. The way I usually go about it is to apply some PVA glue on the surface, then apply Super glue on top and start smearing with the tip of a toothpick. I always try to smear the ‘glue goo’ in one direction to form dynamic shapes and interesting texture. Once the base shape is formed I let it dry and just let the goo do its thing.



Extended Hulls:

An interesting way of presenting a ghost ship is to take it out of the water. A ship drifting in the air has a truly menacing feel to it. The way I did it was to drill small holes in the underside of the ship, then glue metal wires into them. Once glued firmly I then bent the wires to look like floating under the ship.

Next I modeled an underside of the hull using a Hey Clay, which is a plasticine-like toy for kids. It dries firmly pretty fast, becoming semi hard and very lightweight afterwards. Perfect for this kind of work, with glue goo to further improve its durability and texture.



Broken Masts / Split Deck:

To greatly enhance the theme of battle damage I have added some damaged woodwork. Ice cream sticks, toothpicks and skewer sticks are all a good source of properly shaped wood. First I cut them into small planks and mast elements, then broken each in half to get that extra feel of splintered wood. Once glued onto the ship it was all covered with thin Super Glue. This increased durability, which is pretty important when considering gaming with such stuff in the future.



Skulls and Chains:

Either 3d printed or pieces of other sets, a few extra bits to add character. I fancied myself an anchor dragged on a chain behind one ship – simple stuff once special chains for miniatures are around. Same for any ghostly visages coming out of hulls and sails. Nothing that a bunch of 28mm scale skulls can’t handle.


These are basically all the tricks I used while converting Ghost Fleet ships. The end result can be seen below and in Armada: Ghost Fleets gallery.



I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below, or at Facebook or Instagram. I would also appreciate it if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Finally if you are looking for a professional miniatures painting service, be sure to contact me with this contact form. I always reply within 24 hours, after which please check out your spam folder.

Basing: Crimson Crags Bases

Welcome to Crimson Crags Bases tutorial. Here I will take you on a Step-by-step trip through the process of creating Crimson Crags themed Bases the same way as seen at: Gallery: Warhammer 40,000 Crimson Fists.


Before we start, some notes:

  • This one does require airbrush.
  • To better demonstrate the technique I used standard 50mm and 32mm round bases.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

Introduction:

The “Crimson Crags” is a name of a self designed Warhammer 40,000/Kill Team scenery setting themed around my Crimson Fists Astartes collection. The idea behind the setting is reinforced rocky ravines ravaged by war. You can see more examples of the scenery and basing in the Killzone Crimson Crags gallery. I have already covered painting Crimson Fists and modeling the scenery in previous hobby articles. Now is time to present to you the basing.



Required materials:

For this tutorial I will be using:

  • Super Glue
  • PVA Glue
  • AK Interactive Dark Earth Texture
  • Gamers Grass Brown Tufts
  • Dry Birch tree seeds
  • Stones…

Let’s get it out of the way – yes, I am using natural stones. I like to have my miniatures heavy and stable on the board, plus trying to imitate the effect with self made elements would be rather time consuming. These particular stones are something I’m being asked about a lot, so here’s what I can tell you about them. The stones I’m using are regular decoration gravel from construction/home/garden stores. They are sold in small packages for about 1-2€. Unfortunately I do not know the professional name for this kind of stone, but am sure you will find similar stuff in either Ikea, or other home/garden stores. Below an old pic for reference.


Step by Step:

Rocks out of the way, let’s rock! (You see what I did there?).

The modeling process is pretty straightforward, starting with base rock formation, after which the miniatures are mounted on top, everything gets undercoated then painted. Lastly the second part of modeling kicks in with textures and finishing touches.



Step one: Rock formation

I started by applying PVA glue on top of the base. There’s no need to keep this one smooth – a clumsy random layer will suffice. Next I applied few drops of super glue on top. Finally I put few flat stones on top. Both glues mixed under preassure, filling most gaps between the stones and keeping them in place.


Step two: Increased Volume

Depending on the size and future assignment of the base I sometimes add volume to the rock formation. Some miniatures have one leg slightly raised, or I just want to get a more dynamic posing for my Astartes characters. Having that in mind I applied a drop of PVA glue followed by a drop of super glue and added another stone on top.


Step three: Undercoat

Once the mix of glue dried up nicely I moved to undercoating. This was done with a smooth layer of Citadel Chaos Black spray primer.


Painting


Step four: Base Color

I started painting by airbrushing a strong layer of Vallejo Panzer Dark Grey (air), straight from the pot. I then applied a slightly thinned Vallejo Light Grey Green (air), followed by Vallejo Cold Grey (air). In both cases I tried to reduce the area of paint to add color differentiation.


Step five: Highlights

Next I applied a drybrush of Vallejo Medium Sea Grey all over the bases, followed by edge drybrush of Vallejo Wolf Grey. Finally I softly airbrushed Army Painted Strong Tone Quickshade onto the middle points of each individual stone on the base, and slightly around. All of this to add more visual volume.


Step six: Final Highlighs

I then stippled a bit of Vallejo Wolf Grey on the edges of each individual stone, to make them stand out a bit more.


Step seven: Ground Texture

Next I moved to my favorite texture of all time – AK Interactive Dark Earth diorama series that you can learn more about here. I applied a thick layer of the texture, let it dry than drybrushed Citaled Karak Stone on top.


Step eight: Leaves

Then I applied few small drops of super glue and put a Birch tree seed on top of each. Once dry, leaves got painted with Army Painter Soft Tone Quickshade, to add color depth and just some durability.


Step nine: Final Touches

Finally I repainted base’s edges black and airbrushed a strong layer of Vallejo Polyurethane Matt Varnish all over. Job done.


I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below, or at Facebook or Instagram. I would also appreciate it if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Finally if you are looking for a professional miniatures painting service, be sure to contact me with this contact form. I always reply within 24 hours, after which please check out your spam folder.

Tutorial: Kings of War Armada Sargasso

When it comes to spicing up your miniatures naval games, there’s nothing better than nice looking scenery. This is especially true for games full of finely detailed miniatures, such as Kings of War: Armada. Today I would like to take you on a Step-by-step trip through the process of creating and painting an alternative scenery for Armada – the Sargasso. These can be used as either Sandbanks proxy, or as something completely new, as you see fit.

Some notes:

  • This tutorial presents a pretty basic technique, but requires some rather high end materials.
  • Paints used in the tutorial are just what I’m used to work with. Please treat it as a proposal. I encourage you to test your favorite paints instead.
  • Please note pictures present closeups under strong light that might result in a feel of clumsy, messy job.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

Step one: Base

High end materials right from the get go. I do prefer my scenery to be durable and high quality, thus I went with laser cut translucent acrylics. That being said, there’s nothing preventing you from using a cheaper and more accessible material, such as clear plastic – maybe food packaging leftovers, or miniatures blister package? As long as it’s clear and sturdy enough you should be fine with any substitutes.


Step two: Dark Seaweed

I started by applying some Citadel Militarum Green Contrast in a random pattern all over the base. I used a large, soft brush and applied few large drops of the paint, then added some more to link them.


Step three: Bright Seaweed

Next I used a large, round brush to stipple Citadel Nurgle’s Rot paint on top of still wet Militarum Green. This was a bit tricky and I used a paper towel to clean the brush very often. The idea is to apply Nurgle’s Rot from the top by touching the previous layer, bot not smear nor mix the two paints too much.


Step Four: Seaweed Dots

Once the paint dried I decided to add more live to the mix. Using a large, round synthetic brush with a flat tip I stippled wet Vallejo Heavy Khaki paint all over the previous layer.


Step Five: Water Texture

Next I applied a thick layer of AK Interactive Pacific Blue. I usually go with Atlantic Blue instead, but this time I aimed at a brighter, more translucent effect.


Step Six: Waves

Finally I applied few lines of AK Interactive Water Foam texture. I then used a clean synthetic, flat tip brush to reduce volume and shape thin waves.


And that is basically all. Sargasso, Seaweed, alternative Sandbanks or some sort of awesome new Armada scenery is now complete.

I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook or Instagram. I would also appreciate if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Finally if you are looking for a professional miniatures painting service, be sure to contact me with this contact form. I always reply within 24 hours, after which please check out your spam folder.

Basing: Swamp Bases

Welcome to Painting Swamp Bases tutorial. Here I will take you on a Step-by-step trip through the process of creating Swamp Bases the same way as seen at: Gallery: Infinity Varuna.


Before we start, some notes:

  • This one does not require airbrush.
  • To better demonstrate the technique used I used standard 55mm and 25mm round bases.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

Step one: Undercoat

I started with a relatively smooth layer of Vallejo Elfic Blue. Any similar color would fit and I encourage you to experiment.


Step two: Underwater Plants

Next I applied spots of Games Workshop Militarum Green Contrast mixed with a bit of water, followed short by Games Workshop Nurgle’s Rot on top. I used relatively large, soft brush to ‘stipple’ Nurgle’s Rot on top of still wet Militarum Green. These paints do not mix well, precipitating and creating interesting patterns in result.


Step three: Water Effect

Once the previous layer dried, I covered entire base with a thick layer of AK Interactive Atlantic Blue texture and left it for half an hour to dry well.


Step four: Tufts

Finally, (after some black edge ninja painting) I applied some tufts. I used a mix of Gamers Grass Swamp and Dark Moss tufts to add volume to the base.


As you can see the process is super easy but provides an interesting, eye catching final result. I strongly suggest you take the process further and experiment with different colors and overall volume. I believe there is a lot of potential in this method.


I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook or Instagram. I would also appreciate if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Finally if you are looking for a professional warhammer 40k miniatures painting service, be sure to contact me with this contact form. I always reply within 24 hours, after which please check out your spam folder.

Tutorial: DIY Warhammer Rock Formations

One of the most exciting parts of Warhammer hobby is playing games on awesome looking scenery sets. Still not all of us can afford high end scenery outright, as usually the miniatures comes first. Fortunately a top tier looking scenery is not that difficult and time consuming to make from scratch as it might seem. On top of that it’s much cheaper than most hobbyists can even imagine!

In this article I will present to you an easy way to make highly detailed rock formation perfect for anything Warhammer and many other miniatures wargames as can be seen in Crimson Crags Gallery.

Some notes:

  • This tutorial is pretty basic, aimed at beginner hobbyists rather than advanced modelers.
  • Please note pictures present closeups under strong light that might result in a feel of clumsy, messy job.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

The Basics:

When making miniatures scenery with looks in mind a detailed texture and interesting shapes are usually my go to. These can be difficult to come by and might require a purchase of existing sets, but not in case of rocky formations. Fortunately for our wallets nature have come up with the best source of awesome looking, house budget friendly miniature rocks – Tree Bark. Unless you’re living on the North Pole there should be some sort of trees around. Bark, being the main source of shapes and textures, can be used as the main bulk of miniature rocky scenery, providing an abundance of layers to surround focus points with. This is why for the purpose of this tutorial bark and related know-how will be my main focus.


 

Bark preparation:

Depending on where you live and weather bark might come wet and dirty. In my case it’s early Autumn, everything is moist and hand picked bark does not cut it without some preparation. Because of that I started by drying bark pieces for about twenty minutes in a stove set to 100* degrees Celsius. Once dry I then brushed any dirt and residue with a hard synthetic brush. This left bark dry, clean and ready to use.


Composition:

I then created few basic compositions, using a pre-cut piece of hard paper pipe to measure overhangs height. This allowed me to fit any additional elements I had in mind, but also kept all the scenery at a relatively similar height. Once composed I drilled horizontal holes through entire scenery piece and put toothpicks through to ‘save’ the composition shape. 


Gluing:

Using PVA glue on bark can be lengthy whereas Cyanoacrylate requires multiple layers to build volume sufficient to hold dry bark pieces. Because of that I took the best of both worlds and glued the compositions firm with a mix of PVA and Cyanoacrylate glue. The mix not only dries much faster than solo PVA, but also leaves rough, textured layer outside. It’s perfect for this kind of scenery.


Sealing:

Dry bark tends to cheap and crumble a lot, not to mention it doesn’t take paint that well. To ensure durability and sturdiness of my gaming scenery I sealed the surface by applying a mix of PVA glue with a bit of water. This left the surface a bit smoother, glossy and much more durable. 


Extra detail:

Focus points are an important part of gaming boards, adding life but also variety to otherwise simple scenery. With sealing done I moved to adding detail. Because this particular set was meant for Kill Team and Warhammer 40k I added some damaged Space Marines vehicle elements, but depending on the game and setting – anything will do the job just as well. Simply pick a theme and follow up with proper details as you see fit. 


Basing:

In my opinion nothing ruins gaming scenery more than being wobbly. No matter how good it looks, it gotta be playable and lay flat on the board. I cut simple bases for the scenery out of a 2mm plasticard and glued them firmly under scenery pieces. Any flat, relatively sturdy material will do. I chose plasticard because it is very easy to work with and lightweight. 


Filling gaps:

Once based I filled gaps with Hey Clay. This one might come as a surprise to some of you, Hey Clay being a toy for kids. It is similar to plasticine but very lightweight and dries up to a semi-hard state in a matter of few hours. I found it very easy to work with and perfect for this kind of job. 


Initial textures:

Everything looked fine already but I wanted to add some variety on paper and HDF elements. For this purpose I stippled Citadel Typhus Corrosion on some of the flat areas. Any texture will do and this step can even be skipped completely depending on what kind of detail is being added. 


Undercoat:

There are few ways to go about it. Usually when it comes do Styrofoam and wood I tend to undercoat manually with thick acrylic paints. In this case I had entire thing sealed with a mix of PVA glue and water, which allowed me to go with a spray can. I sprayed everything with a cheap matt black spray. I always undercoat miniatures with Citadel Chaos Black. With DiY scenery I found crude cheap sprays work very well, providing a thick, hard layer and adding a bit of additional protection from scratches. 


Painting and Textures:

This one I will allow myself to skip, as there is plenty of tutorials and color recipes available on my blog already. Painting is more about personal tastes and available tools. One thing of note is AK Interactive Dark Earth texture. I used it on this particular scenery set and I really recommend this product to everyone. You can learn more about this godlike texture in this article here.

Anyhow – that’s it! Pretty neat looking rocky formations, in this case fit for both Kill Team and Warhammer 40,000, are done! I wasn’t saving on extra detail, but if I did, the entire set would cost me pocket change.


I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook or Instagram. I would also appreciate if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Finally if you are looking for a professional warhammer 40k miniatures painting service, be sure to contact me with this contact form. I always reply within 24 hours, after which please check out your spam folder.

Tutorial: Modeling Battle Damage and Dead Space Marines

Space Marines are the very core of Warhammer 40k universe, not to mention the most popular army. For this reason, be it on the countless battlefields of 40k, or dust covered remnants of Horus Heresy atrocities, there’s probably gonna be plenty of dead Marines laying around. These could do for a very thematic prop on a scenic base for one of your characters, or even for an emerging theme across multiple bases of your army.

Today I will present to you few basic techniques of turning Space Marines into battle ravaged ones.

Some notes:

  • This tutorial is pretty basic, aimed at beginner hobbyists rather than advanced modelers.
  • Please note pictures present a huge miniature under strong light that might result in a feel of clumsy, messy job.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

The Basics:

Before we fill the battlefield with uncountable dead Marines, let’s go through some basics. The techniques presented in this article can be used to create some outstanding looking bases but also to turn regular Space Marines into battle ravaged veterans. I focus on simple techniques that can be employed without high end specialist equipment and that do not require any advanced modeling skills. I deliberately used materials that are easily accessible and focused on presenting what can be done with a single out of the box Space Marine miniature without any outside parts. The goal is to take a cheap Marine and turn him into an awesome scenic base worthy of a character with low effort and fine end result.


Miniature preparation:

I started by cleaning all parts of flash lines and building a single Space Marine miniature. When gluing parts together I already had a pose in mind. This is why I glued Bolter hand in a rather uncommon way. Usually I would remove a limb or two, but in this case I just skipped on gluing one leg and left one hand.


Composition:

Once I had a build miniature in hand I could finalize the pose on a base. For this purpose I cut off the excess Bolter and a part of a backpack with plastic cutters. Looking back I wish I cut a piece of the left heel as well, thus leaving the intact leg less exposed compared to main body. Sadly I rushed through the process in order to drop the Tutorial as soon as possible.


Severed limbs:

Severed limbs are a good way to show large amount of damage done to a power armored fighter. I started during building phase by skipping on two limbs, but this can also be done later on by simply cutting the limbs off. Next I drilled holes into the the stumps. This was done to add depth but also ease the next step, which was cutting the edges with a pair of plastic cutters.


Battle damage:

This step can be done in a lot of ways including bones and cables sticking out of severely damaged Power Armor. I really wanted to keep the tutorial basic, thus concentrated on cuts and bullet chipping instead. I begun by drilling shallow holes, grouped together on one shoulder guard and one leg. Connecting few large and small holes adds additional realism. Next, using a hobby knife, I made some cuts on exposed areas and armor edges. The marine started looking like after a really rough day at work.


Blood and guts:

Next on the menu was the actual basing and the bloodied flesh sticking out of the armor. I used a mix of PVA and cyanoacrylate glue to mount the corpse on a base, then added just a drop of both glues into each wound to then rough it up with a tip of a toothpick. This created a nice wet wound effect, that can be further enhanced with a proper paint job later on.


Rubble:

I great way to fill empty space and set the corpse within a certain scene is to add rubble around and underneath it. For this purpose I used some decorative gravel obtained in a local house & garden store. Once again I applied a mix of PVA and cyanoacrylate, then slid few stones in place. The addition of cyanoacrylate makes the mixture harden rather fast, ensuring all stones stay in place without issues.


Finally I added a basic texture by applying AK Interactive Concrete. This is my go to when I want to build a volume of texture around a base. It can be further built upon with colored textures or simply painted for a great effect later on. Anyhow the miniature is now laying there, bleeding, power armor ravaged by enemy shots. Surrounded by rubble and own guts the Space Marine is ready to give his life for the Emperor and serve as a nice scenic base. Just like the one below…


Imagination is the only limit when it comes to modeling miniatures. On that note I would like to end this tutorial. Until next time friends!

I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook or Instagram. I would also appreciate if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Finally if you are looking for a professional warhammer 40k miniatures painting service, be sure to contact me with this contact form. I always reply within 24 hours, after which please check out your spam folder.

Tutorial: Painting KoW Armada Salamanders Fleet

Kings of War: Armada is a fantastic game, full of beautifully crafted miniatures. Still some wargaming veterans might feel intimidated by the unusual scale and plentiful detail of Armada ships. Today I will present to you how easy it is to paint Armada Salamanders ships as can be seen in Gallery: Armada Salamanders. All techniques presented in step-by-step tutorial can be applied to different colors to produce a variety of awesome color schemes for your fleet.

Before we start, some notes:

  • This tutorial does not require airbrush, but it is used for painting convenience.
  • You can use any paints, not just the ones I recommend. You can use this chart to compare paints between popular brands.
  • Please note pictures present a huge miniature under strong light that might result in a feel of speckled, messy and clumsy paint job.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

Step one: Undercoat

I started with a thorough layer of Games Workshop Chaos Black spray. Chaos Black spray is my go to choice when it comes to undercoat, leaving a solid, durable layer with detail intact. Some might consider adding a zenithal preshade on top, but the techniques used in this tutorial would render such practice irrelevant.


Step two: Hull base

Hull, being the largest and most detailed part of the ship, was my choice of where to start the actual paintjob. I applied a solid layer of thinned Games Workshop Warplock Bronze all over the miniature, except for sails. I used an airbrush, but this can easily be done manually.


Step three: Hull highlight

Next, using a medium size, soft brush I applied a highlight of Army Painter True Copper. Flatbrush was my technique of choice for this one, as it applied a solid layer of paint sparing most recesses, thus leaving some of the previous layer still visible.


Step four: Hull final highlight

I then applied an edge highlight of Army Painter Shining Silver to make all the detail pop and provide a bit more contrast between recesses and exposed edges.


Step five: Masts base

I left the Hull for a bit and moved on to masts, applying a thick layer of Vallejo 72.045 Charred Brown. Once again I would like to point out that the colors I used are my personal preference and you can use any brand, or even any similar color, to achieve similar results.


Step six: Masts highlight

Another step was to apply a slightly blurry highlight of Vallejo 42.043 Beasty Brown. By blurry I mean a thinned down paint applied with a relatively large, soft brush. You can see in the picture how this layer seem a bit misty, partially translucent and not as strong as usual base application. This can be achieved by keeping a brush barely loaded with thinned down paint and sliding its edge up and down the surface. If I ever decide to have a Patreon this technique will probably be the first thing I would like to do a deep dive into, but for now my chaotic description must do.


Step seven: Masts edge highlight

Due to masts shape they do not have edges on their sides, but they still can be imitated with standard edge highlight of Games Workshop Karak Stone. If you struggle with edge highlights check out this in-depth article from 2018, where I describe the process and share some related life hacks.


Step eight: Wash

Here’s where real magic happens. I applied a strong layer of Army Painter Strong Tone wash over the miniature. This is probably the most important moment of the entire paint job. Wash applied en-masse blends all the colors beneath, toning them down a bit, adding coherency and that extra juicy look. One thing to look out for is large drops of wash forming on flat areas and lower parts of the miniature, then leaving stains of very dark paint while drying. This can be avoided by removing the excess of paint with a soft wet brush few minutes after application.


Step nine: Sails base

Once wash dried out nicely I moved to Sails and lower hulls. I applied a thick layer of P3 Coal Black, which is something between dark turquoise mixed with dark grey.


Step ten: Sails highlight

Next I applied a flatbrush highlight of slightly thinned Vallejo 309 Periscopes. This exposed most texture of the sails why also providing a more juicy color overall.


Step eleven: Sails highlight

Another highlight was applied with a 1:1 mix of Games Workshop Pallid Wych Flesh and Vallejo 309 Periscopes. A much more visible highlight to build volume.


Step twelve: Sails final highlight

Final highlight was applied with pure Games Workshop Pallid Wych Flesh. Similar to edge highlight this one was applied to most exposed detail and edges on the sails. Looks messy and ugly, but everything goes according to a plan…


Step thirteen: Glaze

Glazing is a topic on its own that usually refers to rather time consuming and precise application of strongly thinned down paints. The way I apply glazes is more simplified. I apply them with a large, soft brush just like washes, except I avoid applying too much paint. This way I both smooth up and juice up the colors underneath. In case of Salamanders I used a 1:1 mix of Games Workshop Akhelian Green nd Aethermatic Blue contrast paints.


Step fourteen: Green osl

Final color range to add onto the miniature was Greens. I applied four paints one after another to build volume and then add depth to weapons and any fire elements across the fleet. In this tutorial I deliberately linked all the steps into one, as this particular topic was just recently covered in Tutorial: Painting Green Glow that you can read in order to get a better grasp of the entire process.


Step fifteen: Bases

The paint job done and sealed with a matt varnish the last thing left to do was a base. Again, this is something I covered before in KoW Armada Water Bases tutorial that I invite you to read in order to get to know the process. In case of Salamanders I simplified basing by applying one thick, smooth layer of AK Interactive Atlantic blue, then another rough layer of the same texture to finally add waves with AK Interactive Water Foam effect. Very simple while also quite effective.

This marks the end of the tutorial. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments below or via social media.



I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook or Instagram. I would also appreciate if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Finally if you are looking for a professional miniatures painting service, be sure to contact me with this contact form. I always reply within 24 hours, after which please check out your spam folder.

Tutorial: Modeling Smoke

Oh those sweet looking puff of smoke. Such a fine detail. So much character. So many conversion possibilities. Be it fumes from magic cauldron, engine exhausts or freshly tossed smoke grenades. There’s only that many Kill Team Moroch boxes a hobbyist can get their hands on, am I right?

What if I told you there exists an unlimited source of similar, miniature scale puffs of smoke and they come as cheap as a bottle of PVA and Cyanoacrylate glue combined? Witness Me!

Before we start, some notes:

  • For the purpose of this tutorial I will focus on Smoke Grenades, but the technique can be used to form a variety of smoke cones, not just the ones presented.
  • Please note pictures present a huge miniature under strong light that might result in a feel of speckled, messy job.
  • As usual, please take note that what works for me might not necessarily work for you.

The Basics:

Just before we turn everything milky white with miniature smoke, a word of introduction. I recently purchased a Warhammer 40,000 Phobos Kill Team to add flavor to my existing army. Inside there was a single piece that really got my blood rushing. A tiny grenade with a cone of smoke. Such a wonderful piece. I wished to get more to use as tokens, but also cut and re-purpose for other projects. Sadly this piece is rare across the 40k range and I was left with only one way forward: Completely back engineer and make my own miniature smoke.

Fortunately it wasn’t that difficult and today I bring to you a relatively easy step-by-step tutorial so that you can follow me into the smoke!

The method described here requires a piece of wire, wire cutters, cyanoacrylate glue, PVA glue, hobby drill, tweezers and some tiny balls. The latter can be made with Green Stuff, but I strongly recommend you to read this article and save yourself the hustle instead: Unlimited Tiny Balls for Modelling

Let’s get into it!


Step one: Wire

I started by cutting a piece of soft wire into smaller fragments. The size of these fragments depends on the size and complexity of planned smoke cones. I also found that double twisted wire works better than single line, because it holds the cyanoacrylate plus PVA glue mixture much stronger.


Step two: Mounting place

Next I drilled a tiny hole in the spot where I wanted the smoke to originate from. In this case it was at the head of a tiny grenade, glued firmly to a base.


Step three: Mounting

Using cyanoacrylate glue I then glued a piece of wire into the hole.


Step four: Shaping

Once dried firmly, I then shaped the wire to resemble a basic smoke streak. This can be done with either tweezers or by using soft finger pressure on a wire rested on a rounded surface, such as a side of a brush etc.


Step five: The Mixture

Next I applied some PVA glue and then cyanoacrylate glue onto the wire, in this order. I didn’t wait for these to bind…


Step six: Volume

… and glued a bunch of tiny balls around to form volume. This step requires some creativity and precision, but gets much easier with a pair of slightly wet tweezers and a bowl of ready-to-use balls. Once again I advise you check this article out: Unlimited Tiny Balls for Modelling


Step seven: Finishing touches

Finally I used cyanoacrylate glue with activator to add more volume around the wire and finalize the shape. Activated Super Glue does not run down so easily, allowing it to bind larger areas with a nice, smooth surface.


Done! Prime, paint and ready to play. Smoke away!

I hope you find this tutorial interesting. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments below or via Facebook or Instagram. I would also appreciate if you considered sharing this content with your friends, who might find it useful. Finally if you are looking for a professional warhammer 40k miniatures painting service, be sure to contact me with this contact form. I always reply within 24 hours, after which please check out your spam folder.