Why I choose to use Minwax vs traditional washes.

Over the years I have experimented with many different miniature scales, genres and painting techniques. During this period my style of painting seems to be in perpetual change:  I do not hold to a single painting method or style.  This has resulted in my use of different products for different miniature types, which can change depending on my mood at the time of the project.  In the case of 15mm Sci fi miniatures, I have found that when completing Army Scale projects I tend to use Polyshades Minwax vs traditional acrylic washes to complete both figures and vehicles.

Polyshades come in a variety of earth tones and is both a wood stain and Polyurethane varnish.  Army Painter Dips are basically the same thing as Minwax, with the price being the main difference.  I have tried all of them and found no difference at all in quality (although I find the Army Painter products thicker than Minwax).

The closest color matches are:

• Army Painter Dark Tone - Tudor (this is my go-to)
• Army Painter Strong Stone - Antique Walnut
• Army Painter Soft Tone - Pecan

Why would I use such a product?  It has a few major disadvantages vs acrylic washes:

• Oil-based, requiring mineral spirits to clean up and thin.
• Long drying time.

Lets go through these one at a time:

Oil Based

Yes, this is a pain in the ass.  However, a quick trip to the Dollar Store will solve a lot of headaches.  I use small plastic painting pots with plastic lids, 8 to a pack and a small dropper bottle that I filled with mineral spirits.  The small pot allows to me to use just the mount of stain that I need, which can be thinned in the pot by the dropper bottle.  No fuss or mess.  I keep some paper towels handy and usually work on top of an old Pizza box.  This keeps the mess contained.  Oil based stains are also much more forgiving than acrylic washes.  If it gets in an area that you would prefer to avoid it is a simple thing to wick it away with a brush.  

Drying Time

Oil Based stain can take up to 24 hours to dry.  This causes painting projects to be placed on hold while the product cures.  There are 3 ways of speeding this up:

• If the day is hot and dry, put your models out in the sun.  They will generally be dry within 3-5 hours.
• Another option is to use KLENK'S JAPAN DRYER.  This is a product that you can generally get at a local hardware store.  It is a hardener and speeds up the drying of oil based products.  I generally add a few drops to my paint pot mix.  This product is also very useful if the weather is damp or cool.  Sadly I do not know how much time this speeds up the process since I generally use the last method. 

• The final method is to bake your miniatures.  This only works with metal miniatures.  Do not try it with plastic or resin models (thick resin like Old Crow models seem to work fine though).  You have been warned.  Set your oven to 170 degrees and leave the door slightly open.  Place the models on a baking sheet and go relax.  Within 40 minutes they will be dry and the stain cured.  

Now, I do not use Minwax on all of my projects; for single figures and models with bright colors I use traditional washes and other techniques (such as working in triads, with a shade, base and highlight 56color).  The color palette and the desired effect dictate my approach.   

Tudor is close to Dark Tone, but it is really it's own color.  I find it a good mid point and looks more natural than a brown or black (brown can look like spilled coffee and black is often too stark looking IMO).  Tudor works best with earth tones, and perhaps a dark red.  While it is possible to use it right out of the can, I always thin mine before use (no more than 3:1).  1:100 scale figures are already very finely detailed and it does not take much to actually bring out the contrast and shading.  Too much can cause pooling problems and obscure details on the figure.  It is best to examine larger models after application and remove any pools which occur.  Quite often I will add a highlight in the post wash stage of the figure, to bring out details which I want to pop out.  

When painting vehicles and large models I generally apply a Gloss Coat before using the stain.  This is not necessary, but I find the end result is better.  This is especially important when working with large flat surfaces.  The gloss surface tends to prevent pooling, allowing the wash/stain to flow into the model's recesses naturally via capillary action.  If a model contains too many large horizontal flat areas I often avoid this whole process and use a traditional acrylic pin wash instead.  Model geometry plays a large part in what I do and how.

Now, why use this product vs acrylic washes?  Minwax does not stain the base color of the undercoat as much as an acrylic wash does and is forgiving to work with, especially if you gloss coat the models first.  Its shading effect is more subtle looking (at least to me) vs acrylics, which may be what you are looking for.  Again, it depends on your base colors and what you desire.  This is not a method for high end painting, but will give good tabletop quality results quickly.  

In the end it is a matter of choice.  On 1:100 scale figures both products work well, if properly thinned and applied in a measured fashion.