Hey, I am thinking of turning one of my Punishers into an FO, any tips on how to paint the black in a way that it doesn't look too dull (never painted a black vehicle before) and maybe the cockpit color? Should I go with flat white for the panels or should I build it up from a light grey tone for some shade in there?

Thanks for any help. I really miss the painting subforum :/

Black is a phenomenally difficult colour to paint. It's all in the highlights.

Whatever you do, don't go for a stark white. Also don't go for much past gunmetal grey for the TIEs. They're black, of this there is no doubt, but they aren't jet black. The biggest mistake many painters- really anybody designing anything is, is going for the loudest, brightest colors they can find.

Subtlety is where it's at.

The best way to paint something black is to paint it grey. It doesn't sound like it works, but it really does.

The best visual examples I have are from my Dark Angel Nephilim Jetfighter from 40k.

You can see there that, while the plane is very dark in colour, you can still make out the definition from the grey shading. It is an easier effect to get on a larger model, but I do the same thing for my TIE Fighters that I repainted.

Here's a better view where you can see the different shades of grey that were applied:

I paint with the Citadel paint line, and after starting with a base of Abaddon Black I add in several drops of what used to be Fortress Grey. This brings the colour up just enough above black that you can make see the difference. Do it one more and you are at a slightly higher shade that still gives the overall black impression.

Check out my TIE Fighter that shows what the result is on a smaller scale

Thanks! I've been wondering about this myself

You can highlight in dark blue or very lightly drybrush with a grey paint.

I usually use a charcoal for my black ships while possibly using a black wash at the end of the cycle.

The best way to paint something black is to paint it grey. It doesn't sound like it works, but it really does.

The best visual examples I have are from my Dark Angel Nephilim Jetfighter from 40k.

You can see there that, while the plane is very dark in colour, you can still make out the definition from the grey shading. It is an easier effect to get on a larger model, but I do the same thing for my TIE Fighters that I repainted.

Here's a better view where you can see the different shades of grey that were applied:

I paint with the Citadel paint line, and after starting with a base of Abaddon Black I add in several drops of what used to be Fortress Grey. This brings the colour up just enough above black that you can make see the difference. Do it one more and you are at a slightly higher shade that still gives the overall black impression.

Check out my TIE Fighter that shows what the result is on a smaller scale

Dude.

That is beautiful.

For what it's worth, I base coated my Poe T-70 in black, layered on a medium grey and light grey drybrush, followed with a black wash, and it came out quite nice, really. So, if you go black, just make sure to add some nuance is what I'd suggest.

The panels I'd consider painting a really light grey, first, then wash with a medium grey, and drybrush white, but I haven't tried any First Order paint jobs, so take that with a lot of grains of salt.

The best way to paint something black is to paint it grey. It doesn't sound like it works, but it really does.

The best visual examples I have are from my Dark Angel Nephilim Jetfighter from 40k.

You can see there that, while the plane is very dark in colour, you can still make out the definition from the grey shading. It is an easier effect to get on a larger model, but I do the same thing for my TIE Fighters that I repainted.

Here's a better view where you can see the different shades of grey that were applied:

I paint with the Citadel paint line, and after starting with a base of Abaddon Black I add in several drops of what used to be Fortress Grey. This brings the colour up just enough above black that you can make see the difference. Do it one more and you are at a slightly higher shade that still gives the overall black impression.

Check out my TIE Fighter that shows what the result is on a smaller scale

Dude.

That is beautiful.

Thanks