Looking to get a citadel pot to do the ESB/ROTJ blue-grey TIEs and wanted to know if you guys think alaitoc blue was the route to go or had suggestions.

Alaitoc Blue is very blue. No Grey. Very Blue.


For the Blue Grey TIEs, I generally look at Dark Reaper. Its lighter shade for highlighting is Thunderhawk Blue.

Its a solid Blue-Grey as far as I can see

Its a little more difficult to tell here due to lighting, but here:



If you lok at the Right Group of TIE Advanced, the Lead Model is Blue-Grey, whereas the others are Flat Grey (Mechanicus Standard)... So it shows a point of Comparison.

More Blue-Greys

Again, Citadel "Dark Reaper"

These ones were WIPS, Pre-Washing, Detailing, and general fixup - mostly just Basecoats.

I use a Vallejo paint: Luftwaffe Uniform WWII. Sorry I can't provide feedback on the Citadel. Lately, mine have been coming out too dark as I adjust from making my own black wash to using Nuln Oil.

I'll have to look to pick up dark reaper then, that looks pretty spot on. Drakenhof nightshade wash I assume, Dras?

And no problem, WGNF! You three are the main painters of the forums and highly approachable and experienced, so it's why I reached out.

I'll admit I fumble around with the blue grey more than most, so what I've been using is a bit odd. Essentially, what I did was use 'the fang' grey, with a black wash, highlighted again with the fang, aldorf blue+Russ grey, then a super extreme highlight of ulthuan grey+russ grey. After that, you may want to use a tough of thinned blue wash to turn it more blue while keeping the grey.

Altdorf is a possible blue, the other one is just paint it grey and add on a thinned blue wash (Drakenhof nightshade is fine).

Phantom on the left was painted like that, with a fine line of ulthuan (or Reaper Ghostly white) added at some select points. It doesn't make a difference.

That's just my usual greys with some careful minitaire plasma wash and P3 ink. But, a thinned blue wash should accomplish it as well.

12 hours ago, Destraa said:

I'll have to look to pick up dark reaper then, that looks pretty spot on. Drakenhof nightshade wash I assume, Dras?

Eh, can go either way with that.

I personally find Drakenhof to be Too Blue for this application, and would default to Nuln still, but either way, there is colour correction involved... At least a re-highlight of Dark Reaper for the Regulars, and a Line edging of Thunderhawk for the Elites.

But I very much prefer my Blue-Grey on the Black/Grey edge of the Spectrum. If you want to maintain the Blue-Grey, Drak might be a good choice... To be bluntly honest, I don't *like* the Blue-Grey and paint it only on request

I used Fenrissian Blue which is light but the Nuln oil wash tones it down.

Intermediate Blue from Vallejo is almost the same.

Y'know, give me an hour or two. I'm going to slap up a page of Swatches

Here we go.



TOP ROW (L-R)
Mechanicus Standard Grey - Dark Reaper - Vallejo 70943 "Grey Blue" - The Fang - Skavenblight Dinge - Midnight Blue (Reaper 09019)

MIDDLE ROW (L-R)
Dawnstone - Thunderhawk Blue - (BLANK) - Russ Grey - Stormvermin Fur - Twilight Blue (Reaper 09020)

BOTTOM ROW (L-R)
Administratum Grey - (BLANK) - Alaitoc Blue - (Blank) - (Blank) - Snow Shadow (Reaper 09021)



So, Going down in Columns for the GW Colours are the "Base / Layer / Shade" concept for the GW Paints.

Mechanicus is the Base, Dawnstone the Layer, Administratum the Highlight, for example.

This basically applies as well for The Fang, Russ Grey, and the Lighter Shade Fenrisian Grey, which I have temporarily misplaced.

Its also the same concept for Skaven-Stormvermin....

And also applies to the Reaper master Series paints, which used to be sold in Triads - Midnight, Twilight, Snow Shadow being their Highlightable Blues.


All on a Freshly Black Sprayed Sheet. The Reapers are thinner than the GW Paints, so they tend to show more black through - I on;y put one coat down, where really, they need 2 to cover black well...


And, as you see, Alaitoc Blue is still very "Blue". It has the barest hint of Grey versus the other blue Triads (Macragge, Calgary, Altdorf Guard, for example)... But its Grey is very nonexistent. ...


And of course, for the Vallejo, its marketed as "Grey Blue", but its proper untraslated name is Azul Gris... So its Blue, With Grey... Rather than Grey with a Hint of Blue.