Greetings to all…
Today I’ll be showing everyone the way that I decided to paint my first units from Spartan Game’s Dystrian Wars line. After getting the rule book for the game and reading the fluff on the EotBS I decided to create an elite unit from the Empire’s Crucible Army.
At first Haze Gray came to mind, go figure…but its plain and no upstanding commander would allow such an experienced unit to go unnoticed. Also with the temperature being what it is I decided to skip the airbrush and go with a brush paint job since my shop has no heat. So with Japanese honor being what it is, I decided on a scheme on par with parade colors that only an elite unit could utilize and get away with.
The unit’s main color will be Purple, conveying a regal and elite stature. The remaining areas will be steel giving the unit a more advanced look with key structural and power plant components staying true to steam punk tradition being an Antique Copper. Smaller trim areas will be Black or remain Wrought Iron.
Paint UsedFolk Art Wrought Iron (925)
Dioxazine Purple (463)
Purple (411)
Perfect Purple (2557)
Antique Copper (666)
Games Workshop Boltgun Metal (61-57)
Chainmail (61-56)
WashesGryphonne Sepia
Badab Black
Ogryn Flesh
ReaperTerran Khaki (09122)
Adamantium Black (09124)
SealantDelta Creamcoat Matte Varnish
PrimerAutomotive Grade Primer (Blk)
First, I’d like to note that the following steps are by no means the best way of painting tabletop miniatures, just the way I go about it. Some will even see a step or two that would be called unnecessary and that’s fine. I don’t consider myself an expert, just a hobbyist looking to share my work.
TIP: When working in such small scale remember to wash your brush out constantly. I work primarily with a Tamiya HF 3/0 Brush and I find that I wash it every 2-3 brush strokes before the paint starts gumming up.
Getting StartedAfter receiving my first units I found that Spartan Games casting was spot on with very little in the way defects that required any additional attention on my part. I did put a bit of putty on a small air bubble on one of my destroyers and sanded the bottom of the ship some. This of course is all minor stuff and I’ll not waste time detailing it here.
Base1. After the prep work and a thorough cleaning with soap/water and some 91% alcohol, I primed the unit with an automotive grade black primer. (Image 1) I’ve never worked with resin before but since it’s readily available at local stores and it worked extremely well on my pewter BattleMechs, I used it here. Another good reason is the primer is tougher and more resistant to scratching and washes.
2. After ample time for the primer to dry, I base coated the unit with Folk Art’s Wrought Iron. (Image 2) The color is a dark grey with a greenish tint to it. The reason I use it instead of painting directly on the primer is that pure black is an oddity in the real world as even shadows pick up a bit of color from the surrounding areas. The color also happens to reminds me of bare metal, something that wouldn’t be out of place on a naval vessel.
3. My next step is something I do on all my minis regardless of type. I use a matte brush-on polyurethane sealer on the bottom. (Step not Shown) At this point I’m done with the bottom area of the piece and ready to move on to color.
Main colors4. With the bottom dry, I proceed to paint the areas I want purple with Folk Art’s Dioxazine Purple. You don’t have to be too precise with this step as the color easily doubles as a shadow layer and as you can see from the picture it’s a dark Purple. (Image 3)
5. Next I use GW’s Boltgun on the areas I want steel, paying attention to avoid any panel lines. On this ship the amount of steel areas are less than on my Battleship and Corvettes. I had given thought to making the topside steel, but I felt it would be too much and I wouldn’t want my escorts out shining my flagship. (Image 4)
6. The wood deck is next and receives Reapers Khaki Shadow. I found the EotBS destroyer and battleship had a very detailed wooden deck that allowed me to paint each plank separately. Not everyone likes this look as some people paint the entire deck and then allows the wash to do the work. I’m not a fan of it; however my EotBS corvette had to be done this way since the panel lines were not as detailed as the others. So it’s truly up to you and your preference. (Image 5)
7. Finally for the main colors, Antique Copper goes on the larger power plant areas. I struggled with the placement of the copper because this is the first ship in my fleet to have more copper than the steel. Smaller areas like beams and trim can be skipped in this step because we will be dry-brushing the Purple areas and will most likely have to do touch-ups anyway. (Image 6)
8. The purple areas now get a layering of Purple on the main panels, leaving Dyoxian Purple in the recesses and darker/ shadowed areas. (Image 7)
Now with the main colors in place, this is the perfect time to look at the placement of them to get a feel of what the finished product will be. The reason I say this is that each model has different areas of panels and detail. What looks good on one may not look good on another miniature, making a unified paint scheme on a fleet/ unit/ lance sometimes difficult. If you’re satisfied with the locations of the main colors, continue on with the washes.
Washes9. At this point the steel areas get a wash of Badab Black, the deck gets Gryphonne Sepia, and the copper areas receive a heavy wash of Ogryn Flesh. Each wash is allowed to dry before moving on and additional washes can be used to darken areas up more if needed. (Step Not Shown)
Finishing Up10. The washed areas of Boltgun metal now receive a dry-brushing of Chainmail Silver on the areas that would get the most sunlight. Top, sharp edges and rivets…ect. If the areas are too close of small for dry brushing then highlights using a 3/0 brush can be used. This is a good time to hit any other trim. (Image 8 )
11. Now use Perfect Purple to highlight sharp edges for contrast using a combination of dry-brushing and normal painting.
12. This is the time to add the Antique Copper detail and touch-up any Wrought Iron areas. Larger panels gets Adamantium Black, it has a bit of metallic silver in the black giving the area just a little more than plain black. (Image 9)
13. Finally some Chainmail on the vents, doors, hatches and pilot house windows. Some Gold decals to signify the third ship in the squadron after a coat of Poly sealant and another coat after he decals go on.
With all the painting now finished, a coating of the polyurethane brush-on sealant is used on the entire miniature to give the paint job extra durability during tough game play. At this point any decals should be added and allowed to dry, then another layer of poly sealant over the decals. Finally a spraying of a matte sealant knocks down the shine and add just a little more in the way of protection.
Conclusion: The Yurgi Class is the 3rd type I had gotten for my EotBS Fleet and I don’t like the size difference between the Battleship and the Corvettes I already had. The Yurgi sets too low to the waterline making it lower than the Fujin Class Corvettes. Also the design made me use less silver than I wanted, given there were no panels that stood out enough to make solid silver like the Fujin Corvettes. Next go around I’ll try a more aggressive paint job. Overall I wasn’t too happy with the outcome, as the ship design never warmed up to me.
That’s it…a simple paint scheme for an elite unit. Also the final product does not have a matte coat yet, so Its still shiny.
If anyone has questions please feel free to ask. I’m on the message boards, allow PM’s and I have my e-mail out for all to see.
So until then, see you on the waterfront!
Stitch
