"Byzantine,Tagmatic (Nikephorian) Kataphractoi" Topic

For many more pictures and a detailed description of the arms and armour plus tactical use of the Nikephorian) Kataphractoi please feel free to pop over to my Just Add Water blog here
justaddwater-bedford.blogspot.com/2023/03/byzantinetagmatic-nikephorian.html:

Almost certainly the most attractive of all the units in an early 10th CE Thematic Byzantine army are, of course, the Kataphractoi. Fully enclosed in many layers of armour, invincible like a middle ages version of the battle tank. Well, not quite but that is certainly the impression they were meant to have on the enemy. One Arab soldier poet described the Byzantine horses as having no legs!

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My Just Add Water Miniature Painting Blog:
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Simply marvelous!

This has given me some ideas for future painting of my 15mm kataphractoi.

Jim

Spectacular! You made those Gripping Beast Kataphractoi come to life.

Oh my. Thanks for making my weekend! A great start to St. Patrick's Day when I saw these beauties. How do you arrive at your color schemes, and what type of paints do you use?

Jim and Big Red

Many thanks guys.

Perris0707

How do you arrive at your color schemes, and what type of paints do you use?

OK, now hold on to your hat! Vallejo (both Model and Game Colours), Andrea (vastly underrated- some of the very best paints for miniatures in existence), Some very old Foundry (the new replacement pots are crap when compared to the old) and Reaper too! All these manufacturers are mixed and matched together. I've recently started using Two Thin Coats paints which I find to be excellent quality but slightly satin.

Hope that helps?

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My Just Add Water Miniature Painting Blog:
justaddwater-bedford.blogspot.com

It does indeed. I had not even heard of Andrea paints. Two thin coats is interesting, as I have always been a "one and done" kind of painter. I really like how you get a subtle highlighting effect – like on the Kataphraktoi helmets for example. Thanks for the tips!

Also, do you paint your mail armor with silver base and a blackish wash over it, or do you use a black base with a metalic dry-brushing? Sorry for all the bother, but you get such great results that I can't help but ask.

Wonderful stuff. The shield design is amazing. Lovely shades of blue as well.

I am amazed at how much detail you are able to highlight. These figures probably look much better than their real life counterparts.
Simply beautiful!

Louie N and Legionarius

Thank thanks guys.

Perris0707

Also, do you paint your mail armor with silver base and a blackish wash over it, or do you use a black base with a metalic dry-brushing? Sorry for all the bother, but you get such great results that I can't help but ask.

OK, it's probably best for me to give my method for painting mail.

1/ Prime Matt Black (the whole model but especially the mail)

2/ mix 60-70% Andrea Matt Black with Citadel Leadbelcher and dry brush the heck out of the mail.

3/Same with pure Leadbelcher but with a lighter touch.

4/Same with Iron breaker bit with a much lighter touch.

5/A final extremely light highlight of Runefang Steel on the highest points of the armour.

6/ Now for tghe fun part (seriously!); splodge the whole lot with Badab Black wash. Don't worry about the wash running- you haven't painted anything else on the model yet.

7/ Clean up all the bits where the dry brush may have wandered a little and also where the Badab Black may have run.

***I don't usually use Citadel paints but I do find Leadbelcher, Ironbreaker and Runefang Steel to be quality metalics.

Perris0707

I had not even heard of Andrea paints.

Not many have. They are a the absolute flattest matt acrylics available anywhere.

In the UK:
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In the EU:
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In the USA:
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My Just Add Water Miniature Painting Blog:
justaddwater-bedford.blogspot.com