Greetings, Dust Tactics fans!

Winner of the Best Painted Squad category for our first Dust Tactics painting contest, Nam Nguyen, returns today with a detailed guide for a gritty and intimidating paint scheme for the Axis Heavy Recon Grenadiers.

This Axis squad will be available soon, but you can get a good look at the dynamic miniatures in Nam’s painting guide.

Preparation

Nam uses the following paints, listed here as a reference in the order they are applied:

Reaper Master Series Black Liner
Citadel Codex Grey
Citadel Chaos Black
Citadel Calthan Brown
Citadel Shining Gold
Citadel Mithril Silver
Citadel Devlan Mud
Reaper Master Series Brown Liner
Citadel Dwarf Flesh
Citadel Ogryn Flesh
Citadel Elf Flesh
Citadel Skull White
Reaper Master Series Blushing Rose
Reaper Master Series Misty Grey
Citadel Boltgun Metal
Citadel Badab Black
Citadel Bestial Brown
Citadel Scorched Brown
Vallejo Olive Camo Green
Vallejo Splinter Strips
Adeptus Battle Grey
Citadel Khemri Brown
Reaper Master Series Stained Ivory

Nam Nguyen on the Heavy Recon Grenadiers

Before deciding on the paint scheme for this model, I looked at the upcoming Operation “Cerberus” release. I wanted my models to fit in with the urban fighting theme and started by deciding that their bases should match their environment. I decided the armor would be grey. This makes them easily identifiable as German and helps them blend in with the ruined cityscape of Great Britain. I also decided I wanted these models to look like battle hardened veterans and reflected that with the many chips on their armor.

Step One: Basing

I started off with the basing. Many materials fit naturally on ruined city bases, and I used a wide variety: matchsticks (with the heads cut off), plaster pieces, cork, miniature barbed wire, textured plastic card, coffee stirrers, straws, and many grades of sand and gravel. Apply wood glue to the bases first, and add the other pieces. It’s easier if you add the larger pieces first, then cover the rest of the area with sand.

Step Two: Armor

I began my painting with the armor. Starting with the grey primer, I carefully applied Black Liner in between the armor plates, around the rivets, and in the joints.

The highlight is Codex Grey. Next, use a sponge to apply Chaos Black to random areas of the armor. This is the base of the armor weathering. The edges of the patches of black are highlighted with Codex Grey to give them depth.

Step Three: Brass

The brass areas consist of the emblem on the chest and the ammo belt. The first layer is Calthan Brown. Shining Gold is applied over all the areas of the basecoat. Then, I drybrushed a one-to-one mix of Shining Gold and Mithril Silver.

Last, the areas are inked with a watered-down mix of Devlan Mud and Brown Liner.

Step Four: Face

The first basecoat is Dwarf Flesh. Wash the face with Ogryn Flesh before reapplying the basecoat in all but the creases of the face.

The first highlight is a one-to-one mix of Dwarf Flesh and Elf Flesh. The final highlight is Elf Flesh. The lips are an equal mix of Elf Flesh, Skull White, and Blushing Rose. The eyes are filled in with Misty Grey.

Step Five: Gun

The gun was basecoated with Boltgun Metal before receiving a wash with Badab Black and highlights of Mithril Silver.

The scorched effects on the guns are drybrushed with Bestial Brown, Scorched Brown, and Chaos Black.

Step Six: Backpack

The backpack was basecoated with Olive Camo Green and highlighted with Splinter Strips before being washed with Badab Black.

Step Seven: Base

The base was drybrushed with Battle Grey and then Codex Grey. The metal areas were painted like the gun. I painted the wood with a Khemri Brown basecoat, a Devlan Mud wash, and a Reaper Master Series Stained Ivory drybrush.

Thanks, Nam!

The Axis soldiers promoted to Heavy Recon Grenadiers have all earned the right to wear battlesuits incorporating some of the greatest technology the Blutkreuz Korps have yet developed, and following Nam’s painting guide is one way to ensure your Axis infantry will look rough and ready once you get your hands on them.

The Heavy Recon Grenadiers will be storming the shores of Southern England soon. In the meantime, you can plan your assault or defense with other members of our community forums, or you can share painting strategies while you wait. Our community forums are filled with hundreds of examples of fantastic paint schemes for the detailed and exciting miniatures of Dust Tactics.