Dark Lords of the Sith
Darth Vader - Part 3: Mostly Black
The final steps of Vader are really simple. First up I washed the whole model with Nuln Oil. Once it was dry I did it again for good luck!
Next I used a brush on Vallejo Matt Varnish. I applied this first to the base then, when that was dry, the rest of the model (if you have a proper way of holding your model you could do this in one hit)!
All of my models get a coat of mat varnish when completed. This is as much for the unified mat look as the protection it offers to the paint job. With Vader however, this is an important step as I’m aiming to make a distinction between the black fabric and black armour of his outfit. If you’ve not used this kind of varnish before, don’t be alarmed by the milky look you get when it’s first applied.
The milky blue lines seen above disappear as the varnish dries and contracts so it’s important to give it time to fully set before handling the model further.
Once I was happy the varnish had dried, I worked over all of the armoured areas with Nuln Oil Gloss. Specifically this was the helmet, shin guards, chest and shoulder guards and the control boxes on the chest and belt.
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