Hi!

I made a short tutorial on how to paint the not so often mentioned bases of the ships. I basically cover two different colour schemes. Advanced painters will know more intricate methods to colour schemes and dynamics but this should help the beginners. (Although based on the awesome paintjobs I see displayed here ai doubt there are that many)

For the absolute basic "Plain Starfield" you will need:

- black primer of your choice

- white acrylic paint

- toothbrush or a brush with stiff bristles

- varnish of your choice (I would recommend satin finish)

For the nebulae you will probably need an airbrush or skills using a regular brush (not me).

Plain Starfield:

1. Prime black and let it dry thoroughly

2. Flick white paint using the toothbrush (bend the bristles backwards and let go)

3. Varnish

4. Profit!

Blue Nebulae:

1. Prime black

2. Paint blue streaks with an airbrush

3. Paint small lighter blue areas (they do not necessarily need to overlap the darker blue)

4. Flick white paint as before but try build more "stars" in the light blue areas.

5. Varnish. This will bring the different hues visible nicely.

Hope this helps! It is very basic and nothing special really but it gives a nice effect (subjective!)

Good job! However I'm concerned that the paint might not stay, but instead be chipped and scratched when the bases are used. How durable would you say these bases are?

The varnish is the key to durability. I've used bases painted this way for several gaming sessions. I even have dropped them accidentally from the table to a concrete floor without any effect. If there is only paint you can expect wear and tear. Also if you play on a table made of sandpaper The trick is to varnish all around and not just from above. Varnishing the bottom of the base ensures an "enveloping" barrier which also sticks better.

Remember to let your varnish dry thoroughly!