Necromunda: Hive War (a Painting Challenge)

The Delaque figures remind me of a cross between Steampunk and Nosferatu and I wanted to keep the additional colors on patches and other elements a muted as possible.

I used Vallejo Dark Vermillion 70.947 on these coat patches (for want of a better word) and was delighted that when dry they were dull but still a noticeable color.

The brass fittings on the belt and inhalator were Vallejo 70.801, and all other metal parts were also Vallejo, Gunmetal 72.054.

The container of the respirators I used Bright Green from the Foundry range 25C and other points of color were randomly selected with what I had on hand.

I kept to a degree of uniformity by having all the weapon highlights the same Vallejo Royal Blue 70.809

The leather belts and other leather pieces were complete in a similar way to the overall coat using Chocolate Brown and Flat Earth highlights overpainted in a wash of Smoke.

At this point I also painted the coat linings in the same Dark Vermillion and the buckles in Brass.

The head and hands received several coats of white to prepare them for the only Contrast pint I will use. It’s an odd one and I don’t really know why I bought it, but I think it looks OK.  Contrast paint Dreadful Visage.

The entire model (excluding the flesh was coated in Nuln Oil to darken it all down.  I think this worked OK.

The flesh received two coats of Dreadful Visage and highlighted with White. The other colors were also highlighted over the Nuln Oil wash using their original colors. I don’t think they need an additional highlight.  The bases I kept simple with a black base coat and silver highlights picking out the raised features of the base.

I may tone them down with some form of “rust” paint, but at the moment I’m not sure.  I plan to do the same with the bases for the Esher gang so that there is some continuity between them. But that’s a decision for another time.

Other accoutrements were similarly treated and a few pictures of the Gang leader follow.

The pictures are not great (I was using my mobile camera quite close) but I hope they can be seen.

Lessons learned so far:

1. Don’t over work yourself.  I found after a long time painting I got a bit sloppy and had to redo previous work.  Take a break every hour.
2. Clean the brushes regularly.  By this I don’t just mean watching them, but actually taking time to use proper brush soap and get right into the bristles.
3. Keep a good point on your brushes. It seems obvious by on more than one occasion the brush started ‘flaying’ and mistakes were made.
4. Take your time. No need to “speed paint” as this approach is the exact opposite.
5. This works for Heroes, Leaders, Special figures. It’s not something I’ll do for mass combat units. But games Like Necromunda with a limited gang numbers does lend itself to a more measured painting approach.

Next up is something completely different, the wildly colorful Esher gang with LOTS of flesh.  So I want to think more carefully about how to achieve a nice flesh finish.

Happy gaming