December 24, 2019

Star Wars Legion B-1 Battledroids

Here's a batch of B-1 Battledroids I painted for Star Wars Legion. I followed Sorastro’s video where he almost exclusively used GW's contrast paints. This was my first time using the paint and it wasn't as easy to use as I imagined.

Here’s what I learned:

  • Don’t treat GW’s contrast paints like GW’s shades.
  • Unlike shades, contrast paints dry reasonably fast.
  • Unlike shades, contrast paints transition to a glossy, sticky phase before they fully cure with a flat finish. If you touch the paint when it’s sticky, it will lift the paint and the spot will appear as nothing more than lightly tinted primer.
  • If excess contrast paint is not removed, the final color can be much darker than you intended.

My technique was to first load my brush with water, wipe away the excess on a paper towel, then dip the brush into the paint and coat the model. I then quickly proceeded to wash out brush, load with contrast medium and wipe away the excess on a paper towel, and finally mop-up contrast paint from flat areas and high points on the model.

GW's contrast paints seem like an easy-to-use product for models that appear weathered. I'm not so sure about clean models, though. I have a box of Clone Troopers. Perhaps they'll be good candidates to explore that technique.

December 22, 2019

Imperial Fists Primaris Space Marine

After packing away my brushes for years, I finally got around to painting a few minis. I've always struggled with yellow, so I thought I'd try painting an Imperial Fist. Main colors (all airbrushed) are Vallejo Game Color Orange Fire for shadow, followed by Gold Yellow for base coat, then white ink for highlights and covered with a light coat of Moon Yellow. After sealing with Tamiya X22 clear gloss, I black lined the joints using Dark Brown panel line accent color (also from Tamiya). From there, I simply painted all the other details using a range of Vallejo Game Colors.