Well, so far 2021 has been a busy year for me...not as busy as 2020, but still busy. Last year I focused almost strictly on 15mm Sci Fi miniatures, painting over 2000 of all types (infantry, vehicles, ect), all between April and December. I painted almost every day, knocking off one project after another. By Christmas I was totally burnt out. Anyone who lives with me knows I have a bit of a compulsive personality: its all or nothing.
I still have a mountain of 15mm left to paint, mainly from GZG and Khurasan. However, over the holidays I took a break from Sci Fi and started a project that I never thought I would tackle: my War of the Roses troops, from Perry Miniatures.
Purchased back in 2016, it took roughly 2.5 months to get through the 4 boxes of plastic troops. I hate assembling plastic models, and I almost stopped the project due to my hatred of them. But in the end I managed to complete the project: 82 troops and 24 cavalry. Not a huge amount of troops by any means, but it was quite a change from 15mm for me (I have not painted 28mm in years).
In spite of my plastic kit-hate, completing this small project spurred me on to complete some of the 28mm figures I had sitting around the WIP bin...and then some. So far this year I have painted:
- (200) 28mm scale infantry
- (43) 28mm Cavalry and or Large Monsters
- (60+) miniatures repaired and others completed which were in a half done state..too many to count.
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| Iwata CS Eclipse Airbrush |
The airbrush is a device I have used for almost 10 years now. It is the single most important painting tool I own (apart from my hands). With it I can prime, apply base coats, highlights on larger monsters/vehicles and varnish completed figures. The priming and varnishing alone is a huge benefit since I can avoid using expensive and hazardous spray cans. This is a massive cost savings and has paid for the airbrush many times over.
The Eclipse is a good starter and mid-range brush. It is designed for either 0.5 or 0.35mm nozzles, allowing either broad or detail work. For extra fine work, I recommend the Iwata HP-B Plus model, which has a 0.25mm nozzle.
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| Iwata HP-B Plus Airbrush for extra fine work |
The application of basecoats is the primary cause of my high (for me) painting output. Personally, I despise the early part of the whole miniature process: block painting. After painting thousands of models over the decades, my patience is long gone. My goal is to get things done as quickly and efficiently as possible. So, when painting a figure I determine what the primary color will be and then apply it via my airbrush over the entire model. This does not happen in every case but it is my preferred method. Keep in mind that I am not aiming for showcase or award winning figures. My goal is what I call "Tabletop Plus". I define this as a good gaming piece that has some extra punch to it (highlights, minor conversions, minor hand drawn symbols, ect).
As an example, I recently painted 48 Citadel Dark Elf Warriors, in both spearmen and crossbowmen configurations. Each lot of 16 took about a day and a half to complete (barring assembly).
The process was:
- Prime the models in Vallejo Black Primer.
- Basecoat the in Vallejo Model Air Steel (much of the model is chain and plate armor).
- Pick out the remaining details, painting over the steel basecoat: Vallejo Black with German Grey Highights; Vallejo Red Violet with Vallejo Game Color Warlord Purple highlights; Vallejo Game Color Magic Blue and finally Reaper Tanned Skin Shadow
- Apply washes where applicable: Nuln Oil and Army Painter Soft Tone, both with a drop of Future Floor Wax to break the surface tension.
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| These were painted in a few hours with the process above. |
Brush painting metallics is problematic at best. They are typically very thick and require thinning. They are also prone to chipping and their unique nature (the aluminum component) makes chip repair very difficult. Blending and creating a smooth transition on a chipped surface is something I have yet to master.
For maximum quality Metallics are best applied via an airbrush. The coverage of Vallejo Model Air metallics in particular is super smooth and speeds up the whole project (assuming the base is a metallic), saving me hours of painting time. Normally, metallics are best applied directly over a Black Gloss Primer. The gloss creates a bright finish and the smooth surface allows the paint to work it's magic. However, in this case, since the models are so small, the the details were so fine that I choose a regular black primer instead. If you are painting vehicles though (of any scale), go with the gloss.
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| Vallejo Model Air Steel, I use this almost exclusively for metallics, best applied over a Black Gloss Primer |
Another nice thing about Vallejo Primers is that they shrink and fill in the gaps and create a smooth surface for painting. They are also a proper Primer (with glue in them) vs something like the old GW Chaos Black (which is not). I also use the Vallejo Black Primer as my regular black paint.
So, the point of all this is: if you don't have an airbrush, consider obtaining one. It takes time to learn how to best use it, and you will spend a lot of time cleaning it and unclogging the nozzle (while cursing) when you don't thin your paints enough. But in the end, if you stick with it you may find it becomes your most valuable tool and wonder how you ever lived without one.
Tip: Avoid expensive airbrush cleaners. Windex works great (any cleaner with ammonia will due...ammonia dissolves paint) for airbrush cleaning. Just fire it through the brush and the paint will dissolve on its own. Soaking the airbrush in a jar of Windex will also help unclog dried paint. For long term airbrush heath I recommend investing in an Ultrasonic Cleaner. They can be found on Amazon for a reasonable price.
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| Any cleaner with Ammonia will effectively clean an airbrush. |
The other secret of my success: Organization. Most of my paint collection is stored in Vallejo Paint Racks. They are organized by color, and with six of them everything is at my fingertips: primers, washes, paints, pigments...everything. If you have the space, invest in a paint rack system. Your output will improve dramatically.
Anyway, fantasy and historical figures will likely take much of my painting time for 2021. I have 60 28mm fantasy figures left to paint. After that my next project is looming on the horizon: my Perry Miniatures Agincourt figures. Almost 400 models in total. It is unlikely I will return to Sci Fi until 2022...but who knows.
