Additional question, don't recall seeing it around the forum.... I need a recommendation for an airbrush. I've seen your fantastic works, and I want to play copycat, but I don't have the tools... so I'm looking for recommended (hopefully novice and wallet friendly) airbrushes.

@fistfulofforce has a lovely VSD painted black with the white lights. Mine (I'll try to remember pictures) was brushed after already having a black primer. While it looks good "on the table", when it catches the light, I a lot of brush strokes. I know an airbursh will fix that, but what else can I do in the meantime? Add more water/medium? Use a smaller/bigger/different style brush?

I use a Iwata HP-CS. Works great can get one at hobby lobby for under $100 with the 40% coupon. I use tamiya acrylics.

For a base coat or primer I usually use light gull gray or light ghost gray. White has never worked well for me.

As for a good quality brush Hobby lobby has a whole Brush section to choose from for nice quality brushes. They are not in the model section but in the actual painters section.

Yeah, I hit up Hobby Lobby often, get those brushes on sale (on sale again next week for anyone looking).

@fistfulofforce white didn't work well fro me the first time, totally obscured the Mold Crow's windows. Had no idea they were there till I saw other people's paints. oops. I was going to test it again, the rattle can slipped, and the nozzel/top broke off... guess it just wasn't meant to be.

Whats the secret to making your own glaze (just add water or some other medium, right?)? I was watching a vid and someone mentioned a Citadel glaze. Not sure if I should just get one that is pre-made, or try to make my own again. Don't have a pic of the first attempt, it's not bad so I may be on the right spot with that.

On 7/11/2018 at 6:09 PM, Mad Cat said:

Here are some quick steps to do a TIE fighter or similar.

• Basecoat the entire model light grey or light blue-grey.
• Paint the whole cockpit window a darker grey.
• Nuln Oil wash the entire model. Put enough on, let it flow into the recesses.
• Paint the solar panels black leaving the spokes and edges grey. Might want to get a bit more black paint on the cockpit windows too depending how much wash you put on.
• Highlight other grey areas with the base coat again using a detail brush and only catching the raised areas. The original basecoat will be darker due to the wash so this highlight gets details to stand out. Also paint the spokes on the inside of each panel (my least favourite bit of painting TIE fighters).
• Add red engine glow. For the guns add some orange or bright green dots .

I was actually looking for some tips as well and this right here is very good! I hope I'm not asking too much, but could you perhaps elaborate on what paints you'd use for this? Would you use Abaddon Black from GW for the black paint, etc?

1 hour ago, Hawkwing said:

I was actually looking for some tips as well and this right here is very good! I hope I'm not asking too much, but could you perhaps elaborate on what paints you'd use for this? Would you use Abaddon Black from GW for the black paint, etc?

Give me a couple of minutes to link my step by step

Here:

2 hours ago, Hawkwing said:

I was actually looking for some tips as well and this right here is very good! I hope I'm not asking too much, but could you perhaps elaborate on what paints you'd use for this? Would you use Abaddon Black from GW for the black paint, etc?

I used GW Calistra Grey as the base coat, Abaddon black for the solar panels and Sotek Green for the lasers. If you want a more blue grey colour similar to that used in ROTJ then Vallejo Intermediate Blue or GW Russ Grey.

On 7/24/2018 at 2:59 PM, Recon00 said:

Yeah, I have a complete lack of exp with these things (shades and glazes). I'm trying to watch vid's to learn the technique's and understand them more, but I'm very much befuddled about when it's appropriate to use what technique.

I want to use the battle wear and tear stuff I found on these ships (below) on mine but I'm not sure what that technique is called. I was going to take some hot needele thing and put some scaring on the models, but I like these things here that look like a cross between blaster marks and bug splatter instead.

@DUR are these yours?

I believe they belong to DWRR, and I'm pretty sure I saw a post from a year + back that said he had to leave the game suddenly. Not sure he's been back since that post.

They are certainly not mine: I don't own a single assault frigate on aesthetic grounds!

Ah DWRR! So close. Sorry, name confusion

https://dwrr.wordpress.com/2015/10/11/star-wars-armada-rebels-third-assault-frigate-joins-the-fleet/

The closest thing to a tutorial from him.

https://dwrr.wordpress.com/2015/11/16/dash-rendars-outrider/