How to paint 10mm Yashigaru

Okay; so I've finished another two Yashigaru (getting through them). With their completion I decided, before I go any further, to write down how I'm going to paint this historic samurai army. To start with, below is a list of items you will need if you decide to copy my design:

Tools

1x very thin brush
1x slightly thicker brush
1/2x files
1x pair of clippers
50x small bases (I got mine from here)
A lot x blue, or white tac

Paints - (all paints are from Games Workshop)

1x Nuln Oil*
1x kantor blue
1x Steel Legion drab
1x Eshin grey
1x Ratskin flesh
1x Abaddon black*
1x Agrax earthshade*
1x Aldorf guard blue
1x White scar*
1x Balor brown
1x The fang
1x Kislev flesh
1x Leadbelcher
1x Ironbreaker
1x Rungfang steel

*If you have a lot of samurai to paint I recommend getting two pots of these colours.

Stage 1

Objective: The objective of this stage is to give the model an undercoat.












Stage 1.1 - Cover the entire model in Nuln oil. I use a 'shade' as it covers well enough and, because the paint is so thin, there is no threat of loss to the detail of the model.

Stage 2

Objective: The objective here is to cover the entire model in it's 'base' colours leaving no 'raw metal' showing. Throughout this process I'm was always 'touching up' base colours I've already painted, with the end result of having the entire model covered in a 'coloured paint'.

Stage 2.1 / 2.2 / 2.3 - I always start with the largest colour, on the model, and finish with the smallest. For the Yashigaru, blue is most prominent colour and so I applied a slightly watered down layer of Kantor blue making sure that all of the models armor - plus banner - was fully covered with no metal showing. Next I moved onto the wood, using a slightly watered down layer of Steel legion drab as the base colour before painting the models few areas of cloth with a slightly watered down layer of Eshin grey.













Stage 2.4 - Next up was the skin. When viewing, most people are drawn to the face, of any model, and so making sure a models flesh is well paint is of the up-most importance. I applied a slightly watered down layer of Ratskin flesh making sure that it covered all of the skin areas (don't forget the hands!).















Stage 2.5 - Finally paint all of the models metal with Abaddon black. Do not water this down as it has to be very strong.

Stage 3

Objective: To add 'depth' to the model it's important to add a shade or two. This will darken the shadows and highlight the raised areas with very little work for you. On models 25mm and upwards you will probably use a whole array of 'shades'; one probably for every colour. On a model of this size that isn't needed and a 'shade' that complements all colours should be chosen.

Stage 3.1 - Using the larger of my two brushes I applied a generous layer of Agrax Earthshade. I love this shade; it gives your models a very realistic 'dirty look' and I use it on almost everything. TOP TIP: If you find the shade gathering in a certain area wash, and dry, your brush and apply it to that area; the dry brush will soak up any excess paint and leave your model with just enough 'shade' to do the job without loosing detail.

Stage 4

Objective: This is the final stage of painting these models and this stage is all about adding 'highlights' to raised areas. For cloth and armor (i.e. bits of the model which are uneven) this stage is easy as a quick 'drybrush' will do the job (with 25mm models you have to be a bit more careful but with 10mm, it's not a problem). For plate armor and staffs (i.e. bits of the model which are flat and smooth) a lighter version of the base colour should do the trick.











Stage 4.1 - Highlight the blue armor and flag - using the drybrush method for the armor, and painting the flag with light coats of blue paint - with Kantor blue. Then highlight again with Aldorf guard blue and finally add a third highlight by mixing (50/50) Aldorf guard blue with White scar.












Stage 4.2 - Highlight the wood - by painting the wood with light coats of brown paint - with Steel legion drab. Then highlight it (50/50) Steel legion drab with Balor brown.
 











Stage 4.3 - Highlight the grey cloth - by painting the cloth with light coats of grey paint - with Eshin grey. Then highlight again with The fang before finally adding a third highlight by mixing (50/50) The fang with White scar.














Stage 4.4 - Highlight the skin - by painting the skin with light coats of skin coloured paint - with Ratskin flesh. Then highlight again with a mix (50/50) of Ratskin flesh and Kislev flesh before finally adding a light drybrush of Kislev flesh.













Stage 4.5 - Paint the black with Leadbelcher sliver before giving it a coat of Nuln oil.













Stage 4.6 - Once dry repaint the area with Leadbelcher, before painting the area with Ironbreaker. Finally add a light drybrush of Runfang steel.

And there you go! Two Yashigaru ready for the battlefield!

Painting EPIC Space Marines

Over the last couple of weeks I've been painting, mainly EPIC Imperial Fist Space Marines. As I missed the opportunity to do a 'painting blog' the last time around; I thought I would rectify the situation with the below, set-by-step guide, on how I painted my Imperial Fist infantry:

What you will need

• Plastic glue
• A small pair of pliers
• Hobby files 
• PVA glue 
• Builders sand
• Games Workshop snow flock
• Games Workshop green flock
• Games Workshop Skull White spray undercoat
• Games Workshop - Skull White paint
• Games Workshop - Chaos Black paint
• Games Workshop - Blood Red paint
• Games Workshop - Golden Yellow paint
• Games Workshop - Elf Flesh paint
• Coat 'D' Arms - Brown Wash (or, if you still have the old 'GW' Brown Wash that will be fine)

Preparation

Cut the marines off their sprue and file down any mould lines. Glue the models onto a stand and leave to dry overnight. In the morning, PVA glue the base and dip into a small box of builders sand; once again leave to dry overnight. 

Now the models are ready to be sprayed white; make sure that only a thin layer of paint (so that no detail is lost) is sprayed onto the models and leave to dry for twenty minutes. After this is complete it's time to start painting the stand of infantry.

Painting Guide

Step 1: As the base is going to be snow, first of all give the base a good solid coat of Skull White paint. Make sure that any parts of sand, missed by the initial white spray, are covered. You will have to leave the stand for around thirty minutes to dry.

Step 2: Paint the marines Golden Yellow, trying not to get too much paint on the white base. Don't worry too much about the base; it's best to make sure that all parts of the marines - apart from any weapons - are covered in yellow as the base can be tidied up later. You will have to leave the stand for around thirty minutes to dry.

Step 3: Cover the marines in the Brown Wash, again trying not to get too much brown on the base. You will have to leave the stand for around an hour to dry.

Step 4: Once dry, highlight the risen areas of armour (most of the model) using Golden Yellow. Leave the creases brown to create a shadow effect. This is the most time consuming part of the painting process; take your time as this bit will really make all the difference in how well your figures will look on the battlefield.

Step 5: Next paint the 'rims' of the marines shoulder pads Blood Red. Please note that the missile launcher, and the sergeant model, have no 'rims' around their shoulder pads and therefore shouldn't have any Blood Red applied.

Step 6: Now paint all of the marines weapons - and the round button thing on the back of the marines armour - Chaos Black. Try to be careful not to get black on any parts of the marines armour.

After this use Chaos Black to paint the 'rim' of the base.

 

Step 7: Believe it or not but the marines are actually complete. Now, tidy up the marines base by applying Skull White over any areas that have brown, black or yellow paint on. Leave to dry for thirty minutes.

Step 8: Once the white is dry, apply small clusters of Games Workshop's Green Flock to the base using PVA glue. Only a little flock should be used and care should be given to make sure that no PVA glue to placed on the marines themselves. Leave to dry for twenty-four hours.

 
Step 9: Finally, using PVA glue, apply Games Workshop's Snow Flock to the rest of the base. If you like you can cover the green flock as well as this will add to the 'snowy feel' and the green should still show through. Leave to dry for twenty-four hours.

And that is it. Any flock lying on the models themselves - which has not been PVA glued on by mistake - will disappear, of its own accord, after a few games.

Well done; that's one stand down ... only another sixty to go!

Toodle Pip!

Stripping models...

... I mean war games models and not 'cat walk' models (though, if I'm honest, I know what I'd prefer to do!).

Yes indeedy you may think that, because I haven't posted in a while, I've been a bit lax ... a bit lazy ... a bit 'can't be bothered'. Nothing can be far from the truth; starting in early September I've ventured into a crazy project of building four complete, and beautifully painted, EPIC armies. This has resorted in me buying and selling models ... and then selling and buying models, to which I haven't completed as yet. Still, through this madness of sending parcels and receiving them, I've been painting stuff up as I go along and, I'm glad to tell you, that it won't be long before a mammoth amount of updates arrive at your door.

I still haven't managed to find a job. On the one hand this is bad as I'm skint, but on the other I've painted quite a lot of stuff recently. My financial situation has resulted in me going native, by going back to my 'travelling scrimping and saving' skills which I honed over the last year. This has resulted in me purchasing a lot of painted models off friends and EBay (for my Space Marine and Ork armies). My 'lack of income' hasn't been the only trigger for this move; I have to say that Games Workshop's pricing structure has left me utterly confused and quite annoyed. This is obviously a conversation for another day however, if I was to say that a heavily disabled chimp, in a suit, could have done a better, and more logical, pricing structure I think you'll understand which side of the fence I'm sitting.

Anyway I digress ... where was I.

So I have been stripping models and, as this is the first time I've actually stripped a lot of models over a short period of time, my methods - and stripping products - have changed over the previous months ... therefore I thought I would share my new found knowledge with all those strapped for cash (that's you Greek-boy!).

Over the past few months I have tried three products and below are my thoughts:

• Nail Varnish Remover

Cost - At around £1 for a decent size bottle, nail varnish remover is certainly the cheapest alternative on the market (or is it ... check the Fairy Powerspray review).

Application - I filled a small jam-jar full of the stuff and piled in my models. These were then left overnight.

Results - Bright and early the following morning, I stepped outside to look at what had happened. The varnish remover had indeed changed colour (meaning that at least some paint must have been removed) however most models still looked completely painted. I got out my trusty 'old toothbrush' (where would the world be without the 'old toothbrush'?) and started to scrape away. Just like reading this post it took forever and was painful. The result was pretty good; most of the paint had been removed leaving all of the detail ready to be painted again

• Wilko - Paint and Varnish Stripper

Cost - Weighting in at £6, the Wilko's Paint and Varnish Stripper was indeed the most expensive. However the amount you get is good and, if you divide the amount per government health warning on the bottle, it comes to 57p per possible injury.

Application - Similar application required as varnish remover, though the stripper stuff isn't a nice flowing liquid (it has a similar movement property - and look - to slightly old PVA glue). The big difference here is that you don't need to leave it overnight ... it only needs leaving for thirty minutes or so! However, you do need to be careful where you strip your models because this stuff is lethal.

Results - Wearing rubber gloves - and using metal paper clips - to get said models out of the PVA mess can be time consuming. When you do eventually grab hold of your models they look no different, though they are covered in a white cream. When you start scrubbing, with your trusty old toothbrush, you realised just how powerful the stuff is. The paint glides off the surface as if it never wanted to be there in the first place; super glue is no barrier as pre-built models just fall apart and the glue can be wiped away. Once done my models looked almost brand new however, the effort required to make sure you don't spill the stripper, and the effort in protecting yourself (and you're dog if its stupid enough to try to lick the stuff) is very off-putting and time consuming.

• Fairy - Powerspray

Cost - Coming in at around £4, Fairy Powerspray is in the middle of the pack. However, due to the fact you use very little of the stuff I think, taking into account the amount you'll be able to strip with one bottle, its the cheapest of the lot.

Application - Just put your models on a bit of board and spray them all over. Wait thirty / forty minutes and you're done.

Results - When I first herd that a mate of mine was recommending this stuff, for stripping models, I thought he had finally cracked ... but now I see the genius of his proposal. Unlike the paint stripper above it doesn't, really, require any thought for where you strip your models (though I always do mine in the garden). Whats more, you don't need to protect yourself and, as a bonus, your hand comes away smelling of pine forests and apple trees (though I may have paid extra and purchased the 'Pine Forest Fragrant' bottle by mistake). Stripping is nearly as easy as the paint stripper, but without all the protective hassle; I couldn't believe just how easy the paint falls away. However I have saved the best bit until last ... IT STRIPS PLASTIC! Now I've only tried it on a couple of EPIC bases (so if you throw your entire plastic EPIC Space Marine army into a bowl of this stuff ... and it comes out in one big block, I assume no responsibility) but the results were staggering. Fairy Powerspray isn't as powerful as the paint and varnish stripper; it doesn't remove glue that easily and, if someone had applied too many coats of paint to a model (i.e. someone had Ultramarine Terminators and then painted them Black Templar's without stripping them first) then two coats - split a day apart to allow the models to dry - is probably best. But considering it does plastic, and considering you don't have to wear protective equipment it does a great job.

So to round-up. If you have a metal model that is covered in glue and many layers of paint, go for the Wilko - Paint and Varnish Stripper, though BE CAREFUL. If however you just want to strip normal metal, and plastic models which have had a couple of layers of paint, and a bit of glue on, go for the Powerspray. My varnish remover has gone straight into the bin as I'll stick with the Fairy from now on!

Toodle Pip

P.S. where are those catwalk girls again?

The rise of the White Rose

Having painted every Greek I own, it was time to look for another painting project to occupy my time. Having quite a big pile of unpainted miniatures, you would have thought the decision to be a long one. Actually, it only took five minutes to decide that the Esher Necromunda gang, which I'd purchased off EBay quite a few years ago, was next in line for completion.

If asked, many people would believe that EPIC Armageddon is my favourite wargamming system; and, considering that I own five armies and play at least once a week, you would have thought that they were onto a winner. But actually Necomunda is my favourite game system, it's just that not many people feel the same way (hence trouble getting a game).

As mentioned above, I'd bought this gang 2nd hand off eBay; therefore the first job was to put all twelve members into a jar of 'paint stripper'. These being the first models I've ever stripped, I was expecting it to be a little easier than it turned out to be. One faithful friend assured me that the paint simply 'dropped off'. After a few hours soaking, and a lot of brushing using a toothbrush (plus a few choice words directed at said friend) most of the paint had indeed come off.

Next up was 'cleaning and basing'. Fortunately, the previous owners had done a rather good job of cleaning the models and few mould lines could still be seen. For basing I'd purchased a 'Warhammer 40,000 basing kit' which is unbelievably expensive, only caters for around twenty models but has quite a lot of bits that are great for the Necromunda 'Hive'. I added milliput to each gangers base plus bent wire, metal plates, tubes, shells etc. Once dry I added a bit of sand and sent the whole gang outside to be sprayed black.

As my models were drying I contemplated a paint scheme. Within a very old White Dwarf magazine, I will always remember a Necromunda game, with an Esher gang called 'The Black Orchid'. I thought the name was rather good, however I couldn't just steal it. After contemplating 'The White Orchid', 'The White Rose', 'The Red Rose' etc I settled on 'The White Rose'. Now I suppose your wondering what on earth my gang name has to do with the paint scheme chosen. Well, as it turned out, everything; as they were going to be called 'The White Rose' one of the main colours had to be ... err white. I therefore decided to make the clothes a dirty white colour using Dheneb Stone with a very light wash (and I mean light) of Devlan Mud.

With the clothes sorted next was the skin colour. Normally I would even think about this as I'd use my usual female skin system of Snakebite Leather - 50% Snakebite Leather / 50% Elf Flesh - Elf Flesh combo. However, with the clothes already white, I was wondering whether all these light colours might impact badly on one another. Also, apart from 'fantasy figures', I have always painted white skin on all of my models without contemplating that there are literally hundreds of different skin shades - within the real world - that I hadn't experimented with ... until now.

A friend of mine gave me a link to a rather good 'skin' painting article (which can be viewed here) where I researched through all the material and decided upon a light Asian skin colour. After 'googling' more Asian women photos (for research you understand) I was surprised to find that almost every Asian female skin colour nearly always goes 'whiteish' when directly hit by the sun. This fact made one choice easy, I was going to highlight my base colour with Elf Flesh ... but what was I going to use as my base colour?

First up I tried Scorched Brown...





















Now, I think I can safely say that my first attempt didn't quite go how I planned; to me, This model looks more 'white' than 'Asian'. The first mistake was that I highlighted too much, but I also believe that my base colour was incorrect. On the plus side, I found out that Scorched Brown - 75% Scorched Brown / 25% Elf Flesh makes a brilliant combo for African skin.

For my second attempt I changed my base colour and went with Calthan Brown ...





















This mix of Calthan Brown and Elf Flesh, I think, has worked a lot better than my first attempt. It's still not perfect and, as my third model can testify, it's quite difficult to get the same shade more than once. Still the great thing about skin colour is that, because there are so many variations, it's difficult to get it wrong. On the down side because there are so many variations, it's difficult to get a match.

So what do you think?

Run out of Greeks

I suppose it had to happen at some point. With me currently out of work, I'm finding a lot of time to put paint to models; therefore I'm currently working through my huuuuuge pile of unpainted metal, plastic and resin figures until there are no more. First up the Greeks.























As you can see there are still quite a few hole to fill, but a lot of work has been completed:

- First up, I've painted a whole new hoplite formation (the ones with green plumes on the far left of the photo) of twenty-four models.

- I've started my final hoplite formation (the ones with yellow plumes on the far right) but need another twelve figures to finish the unit.

- I've added another model to the 'red' hoplite unit pushing my general out 'on his tod' awaiting a unit of twenty-three Sacred Band.

- I've added another five skirmishers to both the archers and javelins (making two units of eight).

- I've painted a statue of my general to act as an objective if required (well, if my army aren't going to 'hold' a statue of their general, what are they going to hold?)

So all-in-all a lot of work; however, as mentioned above, there is still a lot to do:

-need twelve more hoplites for my 'yellow plume' hoplite unit.
- need twenty-three hoplites for my Sacred Band unit.
- need sixteen more skirmish archers to allow for four units of eight.
- need sixteen more skirmish javelins to allow for four units of eight.
- need twelve different skirmish archers to act as a unit of Cretan archers.
- need twelve Greek heavy cavalry to act as two units of six (or one big unit).
- need twelve Greek light cavalry to act as two units of six.

So still a lot to do then! However, before I feel too depressed - considering that, in reality, I've only completed 60% of the army - lets have a closer look at the main new addition ... my third unit of twenty-four hoplites.









































Pretty nice even if I do 'say so' myself; with this third formation 'battle ready' I currently have 1318pts painted:

General 157pts
Light Armour 2pts
Total 159pts

24 hoplites 240pts
Light armour 48pts
Leader, musician 10pts
Total 298pts


24 hoplites 240pts
Light armour 48pts
Leader, musician 10pts
Total 298pts


24 hoplites 240pts
Light armour 48pts
Leader, musician 10pts
Total 298pts


11 hoplites 110pts
Light armour 22pts
Leader 5pts
Total 137pts

8 Skirmish archers 32pts
8 Skirmish archers 32pts

8 Skirmish Javelins 32pts
8 Skirmish Javelins 32pts

Grand Total 1318pts

I'm a bit gutted that I can't continue with this army; it's not because I can't afford to purchase any more models, it's because I can't get hold of them at the moment. All my models are from 'First Corps' and, as they aren't going to Britcon, it means that the next show them, and I, will both be attending will be Derby in early October (I could mail order more figures, but I'm a little picky on which models I use; therefore I like to have a look before purchasing). Rest assured, once October arrives I'll have my hands full of 'Greeks finest' and, hopefully, on the final push to get this army - which I started back in 2007 - finally finished.

Next on the painting table ... 'The white Rose'.

Toodle Pip!

Painting Greeks

Just as I'd promised, below is a twenty-seven stage guide to painting the core of any ancient Greek army, the hoplite. Twenty-seven! I hear you say. Fear not as most of the stages require little time; I reckon that two Greeks, painted using the below method, should take around four to six hours to complete. Before delving into the instructions, below is a list of paints that you'll need. Unless it specifically states, all paints are from Games Workshop:

Bleached Bone,

Dwarf Flesh,

Elf Flesh,

Tin Bitz,

Scorched Brown,

Snakebite Leather,

Skull White,

Codex Grey,

Brown Ink,

Burnished Gold,

Chaos Black,

Black Ink,

Chestnut Ink Wash (Coat d'arms)

Mithril Silver *1

Knarloc Green *2

Thraka Green *2

*1 - This paint is used for the sword of the unit champion, therefore it's not needed for these normal, rank-and-file, hoplites.

*2 - These two paints are used for the hoplites plumes (stages 18 - 21). You may not want to use green, which is perfectly fine. For my first unit of hoplites I painted their plumes red (Blood Red and Red gore) and for the second I painted their plumes blue (Ultramarines Blue and Blue Ink).

Finally, unless I specifically state, the paints at each step are not thinned down.

Stage 1 - Before painting I had to prepare the models.; this included super-gluing them together, and removing all moulding lines with a modelling files. The models were then super-glued to a Games Workshop 20mm x 20mm square base and, once dry, milliput was modelled onto the base. The milliput was left one day to dry before PVA glue was applied to the milliput and then builders sand was sprinkled on top. The builders sands was also left one day to dry before, finally, painting the whole model, and base, with Black Ink acting as a thin undercoat.

Stage 2 - First of all we need to paint the flesh. Flesh isn't the biggest colour on the model, however it is the most fiddly (the eyes for example). Dwarf Flesh is used to paint the eyes, neck, arms, legs and feet; as this is the first colour you don't have to be too neat, just make sure that all the areas are covered.

Stage 3 - Once dry apply a coat of Chestnut Ink Wash to all of the flesh areas.

Stage 4 - Stage 3 takes quite a while to dry, therefore you have time to start the cloth. As a undercoat, paint the sleeves, plume and skirt Codex Grey. Eventually these areas will be white but grey acts as a perfect shadow.

Stage 5 - Now that the skin is dry you can paint another layer of Dwarf Flesh. Paint 95% of the skin leaving only the creases dark.

Stage 6 - Apply a thinned down mix (50/50) of Dwarf Flesh and Elf Flesh over the skin leaving those dark creases.

Stage 7 - Once dry, drybrush the parts on the skin that really stick out - Fingers, elbows etc - Elf Flesh . Less is more with this drybrushing stage, therefore only pick out the minimal amount. You should hardly be able to tell the different between stages six and seven.

Stage 8 - I always feel that my troops fight better if they have eyes; whether you paint the eyes or not, depends on your own beliefs and skill but as along as you have a really thin brush it shouldn't be too much of a problem. First of all paint the eye Skull White and then add a small blob of Chaos Black. Try not to over think this stage; I find the quicker you go the better the result (and, as you haven't painted the helmet yet, there's lots of room for error).

Stage 9 - With the skin completed it's time to start the armour. The first stage is to apply a thinned layer of Scorched Brown (80% paint / 20% water) to all bronze areas (body armour, shin guards, helmet, spear point etc).

Stage 10 - To complete the armour a thin mix of Tin Bitz and Burnished Gold (15% water, 15% Tin Bitz and 70% Burnished Gold) needs to be applied over all the areas you've just painted Scorched Brown. Where the individual armour plates connect try to keep the darkest part of the gap brown.

Stage 11 - With both the flesh, and the armour completed it's time to finish the cloth. Using Skull White, paint over all areas in Codex Grey, leaving only the darkest crevasses grey. At this point most of your model should have paint on it; it should start to look like the end result therefore it's time to move onto the smaller bits and pieces.

Stage 12 - Next up, anything that's brown. Paint the spear staff, and leather belt, Snakebite Leather.

Stage 13 - Paint the areas you've just covered in Scorched Brown with Brown Ink.




















Stage 14 - While the ink is drying paint the sword - and the bit of metal that connects the model to the shield - in Chaos Black.

Stage 15 - Now that the Brown ink has dried paint the spear staff, and belt, in Snakebite leather. It's best if you thin down the Snakebite Leather as it will allow for a move even spread of the paint.

Stage 16 - To finish off 'all that's brown' mix Snakebite Leather with Skull White (adding a little water ... 40% Snakebite Leather / 40% Skull White / 20% Water) and apply to both the spear staff and belt.

Stage 17 - Using Black Ink cover the sword - and the bit of metal that connects the model to the shield - so that they both look shinny.

Stage 18 - The Plumes. The easiest way to do these is to paint lines on said plumes to divide it into segments; try to get between four and six segments on each plume. Once the lines are done fill in the squares (in my case using Knarloc Green) to make a 'zebra' pattern. Top Tip: The segment at the top of the helmet always looks better if it's painted in a colour and not left white. This stage is quite hard to say in words, therefore it's probably best to view the photo.

Stage 19 - Now that the segments have been painted it's time to highlight them. Depending on the colour chosen will depend on how you highlight. For this instance I started with an ink of Thraka Green and build it up from there.

Stage 20 - As an ink takes time to dry you can now start the base. Paint the top of the base in Snakebite Leather being careful not to paint the models feet.

Stage 21 - Now that the plumes are dry highlight them twice; the first time using Knarloc Green and Skull White (60/40). The second time using excatly the same paints however the split is more 50/50. To highlight genlty drybrush the small areas trying not to get any of the green paint on the white. With this stage completed the actual model is finished; now it's time to focus on the base.

Stage 22 - Apply a layer of Brown Ink onto the base. This will take at least thirty minutes to dry therefore grab a spot of lunch, a cup of tea or - if you're really motorvated - you can start the next two Greeks while the bases are drying.

Stage 23 - Once the base is dry, drybrush it using Snakebite Leather.

Stage 24 - Drybrush the base again, this time using a mix of Snakebite Leather and Bleached Bone (50/50).

Stage 25 - Drybrush the base, for the final time, lightly using Bleached Bone only.

Stage 26 - Add PVA glue, in little clumps, to the base before dabbing green flock onto it. After thirty seconds genlty blow the excess flock off the base.

Stage 27 - Almost there. Using Chaos Black paint the rim of the base ... and that's it. The reason why I add flock before painting the rim is because, if you do it the other way around, you have to wait for the rim to dry before applying the flock (orself the flock will stick to the rim).

Finally put down your brush and admire your handy work. At this stage I wouldn't recommend looking at the other seventy hoplites - that cover your painting table - that need painting as this action might damage ones confidence. However, with a few other bits and pieces, below is a until that you can create using this method: