Finally got a chance to get a pot of this wonder elixir, I have to say, I wish I had sought it out sooner. this stuff does what I ded before, only better. what a great wash. and no need to thin it really.

Did up my Tourney Vader .. what do you think..

Also the red cockpit is intentional.. lol.. Red Lit interior, just to see what it looked like.

First used a white wash to lighten it some, then red washed. I hit it with the nuln oil and then let it dry. Once dry I hit it with some brush on gloss coat.. I think it's fine for what I wanted.

LOL.. I should have done the glass on the top as well.. I can do that later.. LOL

I know exactly how you feel. I also dig the earth shade too. But nuln oil is way awesome.

Null oil is about all the Empire need for a "repaint".

I haven't got any rebels, so I cannot comment on if it would work as well for them. They tend to be more white than grey, so I have my doubts.

I always liked making my own washes. 50/50 water/Future floor wax and add just a little of the appropriate color. For a 'black' wash I go 4:1 black:brown. Pure black can look fake and unnatural, so just a little brown smooths it out.

Never made them that way, sounds like a solid idea though. I come from a miniatures (lead) background and just some model building years ago. I have the confidence to do certain things but never thought of future was to make a wash.

I would recommend drybrushing some of the original colour (or close to it) over the wash to bring out details and mask any areas where the wash has pooled unevenly.

GWs washes are quite good, though many argue that their old series of washes was slightly better. I'm not quite sure where I stand on that issue, but I do recommend Army Painter's Inks instead. The name is misleading as they are not inks. They are cheaper however and are rumoured to actually be GWs old series of washes. A bottle each of Dark tone ink and Strong tone ink corresponds to Nuln Oil/Badad Black and Agrax Earthshade/Devlan Mud and will last you a long time.

The future, besides adding some clear acrylic to thin out the pigment, also knocks out the water tension of the wash so it will actually flow down into crevices instead of sitting on top. The trouble is that if it is over applied, it will flow down the model and leave unsightly puddles where it collects. It is important to get the mix right and then not over apply.

When GW discontinued the old washes I switched to the Army Painter ones, and they are pretty much identical to GW's previous washes, Devlin Mud and Badab Black I think they were.

The Army Painter ones come in dropper bottles too, which is ideal.

When GW discontinued the old washes I switched to the Army Painter ones, and they are pretty much identical to GW's previous washes, Devlin Mud and Badab Black I think they were.

The Army Painter ones come in dropper bottles too, which is ideal.

Some of the older washes were great flesh was undiluted was awesome for painting leather for example, there's no reason not to mix and match.

Glad you took my advice one way

I primarily used the old GW brown and black washes. I started out with floor wax and then GW came out with those. I loved the old GW washes. The new ones came out.....and I never looked back. I have found the new GW washes to be superior in all the ways that I've used them. I think I still have a half tin of the old brown, but I don't want it. I never understood the people that said the old ones were better.

Some where better in certain regards, flesh wash was worse for skin but better for leather effects.

Never made them that way, sounds like a solid idea though. I come from a miniatures (lead) background and just some model building years ago. I have the confidence to do certain things but never thought of future was to make a wash.

You paint miniatures... but never heard of "Magic Wash"?

Neither had I, until I started seeing references to it everywhere on the miniatures painting threads. Turns out it is great stuff, not to mention that it is cheap and easy.

The most common recipe for "Magic Wash" is...

4 parts H2O (aka water) to 1 part "Future" acrylic floor wax.

I keep a small bottle of pre-mixed "Magic Wash" on my painting table for ready use whenever I need it. Just mix it with a small amount of paint, to make any color wash you want. Wundergoat's comment about adding a little brown to your black for a more "realistic" shadow effect is right on!

If you are going for a "worn and weather-beaten" or "ragged Rebs" look, try some subtle "pin-washing" of small areas with some red-brown/orange. do this along some seams and plating edges, add some streaks and drips for a rust effect. Just be subtle and don't over do it.

Never used any commercial washes, so I have a few questions...

1. What is a "Nuln"?

2. How is it's oil collected?

3. Likewise what/where is Devlin and/or Badab?

4. Are the washes worth it?

1) Nuln refer's to the city in warhammer where they produce the empires best cannons.

2) by halflings riding sheep.

3)badab refer's to a region of space in the 40k universe near a real/warp space interface.

4) yes they are one of the few things GW did right recently.

Thanks for the history lesson Jebus..

Chris, I'll keep all that in mind. I have done weather effects, and such, but was mostly on 25mm figs decades ago lol. I painted a bunch of miniatures for use in D&D games, never got Into warhammer.. almost wish I had so I would have some mad painting skills by now, and wouldn't be so envoius of guys like RodentMastermind and MacrossVF1, and a few others here.. you guys have inspired me to do better, which.. I think I do ok, but I can use improvement.. I really cut my teeth on the wings of glory repaints I did a couple years ago. I got some great decals and found great sources for doing those as WWI interest is still pretty high these days and there are lots of references.

Thanks for all the tips and feedback guys, I appreciate it.

Remember no one's great right off the bat or even good, I look at my old stuff and cringe but at 17 I thought I'd done a good job.

You practice and practice just like all painters through history, paint or paint not there is no try.

I've thrown it on all my Imp ships, and a few of my rebel repaints. Really helps make the rebels look dirty

Re: "Magic Wash"

I like it so much, I have stopped using water to thin my paints, and now just use the "Magic Wash". Not only do I find that it thins the paint but it breaks the surface tension and flows better. Plus, as it dries, it adds an additional layer of protection to the paint job.

I also use "magic Wash" or just plain "Future" acrylic floor wax to prep model surfaces before applying decals and as a softener/topcoat on top of the decals. Yeah, it puts a shine on things but that can be taken care of with a matte "Dulcote".

I might go see if I can find a small bottle of future somewhere. Got me intrigued now.

After painting and modeling for 40+ years, I find I'm a relative newb.. lol I have skill and knowledge, and those are my best attributes. Old dogs can learn new tricks lol I think I wanna try some new things and see what I can actually do..