I'm not looking to paint a fleet. In honesty I'm not looking to paint a ship at all. I was looking to paint the accessories. I want to run a TIE swarm and I want to separate each TIE with there own color. What type of paints/technique should I use? I want to paint the outside of the dial cover (plastic), the ship marker number (or a TL), and the peg th ship goes on.

Am I thinking too much into this? Will any type of paint work? Thanks, this thread is awesome. I have no talent to add, but I love looking.

I use Humbrol enamel model paints, but most here would prefer water-based acrylics. I would suggest using Citadel or Vallejo model paints as they are specifically designed for the job and easy to mix into different colours. Personally, I wouldn't paint the peg. I prefer mine in the plain clear. But you could colour-code the base or even the edge of the ship token that goes on the base.

Some folks have put subtle individual markings in the wing panels of the TIEs to distinguish them from the rest of the squad. You could try that also. A small chevron in the leading point of the hexagon or something like that.

Yeah, the Vallejo, Citadel or Formula P3 acrylic model paints would all work, though you'll probably want to prime the pegs and stands because the hard smooth plastic takes a lot of coats to get a smooth color and cover otherwise.. Enamels may not have much issue sticking, but I don't have much experience with those.

Another idea might be to get the colored plastic stands and pegs that FFG already makes and use those in different combinations rather then trying to paint that hard smooth plastic. Then paint the dials to match if you like.

Acrylics are easy to use, but do get some made for models, since cheap ones can be a pain with their coverage. Use a spray primer (white, grey or black all work, they make lighter or darker colors respectively easier to paint) to set up your dial covers and then try to get an even coat of acrylic on that. (or get a bit fancy and add a unifor part, too, like dark grey). Also get a dark ink like Nuln Oil by GW to bring out the beautiful texture of the dials!

To paint your numbers use markers on the edges. I, too, would discourage painting the pegs, the number and maybe base chit edges should be enough. Start by picking your pens and then try to find acrylic colors accordingly. try to avoid yellow if possible, it is always annoying to paint.