e - The Hang Glider and Metallics

Finalist comicbkguy writes:

Most of the work that will be covered in this update will be done in metallics. Before getting to those though it is important to finish what little areas that still need standard paint. If I have to go back and work with standard colors after I have started using metallics, my brushes and water supply will both be polluted with tiny metal flecks which will show up on the piece.

The first thing that needs to be taken care of is the ammunition globe for the flamethrower. In my original proposal I stated that I wanted to paint this with a glass effect instead of just painting it as a metallic. I mainly wanted to do this because I think it would look good. But it also seemed like a bad idea to store a flammable liquid in a heat conductive material like metal, and then put that right next to a flamethrower. Glass probably wouldn't be any better, but like I said I also thought it would look cooler.

For the color of the globe I chose green. My basecoat was GW Dark Angels Green. After that I tried to simulate light reflecting off of the globe in a manner similar to the technique used to put a sheen on gems. The only real difference here is that the shape is quite a bit more rounded than a gemstone, so I am placing my highlights in the areas of the globe that I think would receive the most light instead of one end or the other such as would be done on a gem. My first highlight was Vallejo Deep Green, my second Vallejo Park Green. For the third I used an even mix of Park Green and Light Green from Vallejo. Then a straight Light Green, and after that my last coat was Light Green with Vallejo White added to the mix.

I decided to add a splash of color to the piece by painting the ammunition hose that runs between the globe and the flamethrower a fairly bright red. I basecoated the entire length GW Red Gore and then painted over everything but the deepest recesses GW Blood Red. I applied highlights to each section of the hose by mixing a small amount of Vallejo Deep Yellow into the Blood Red.

The last thing to do before getting on to the metal sections is to paint the cloth portion of the bellows at the back of the flamethrower. I basecoated the area with GW Chaos Black. I highlighted this with Vallejo Grey-Green and then hit the uppermost parts with Vallejo Neutral Grey.

There are quite a few areas of metallics that I have put off as I painted the rest of the bat. I want to finish all of those before getting to the gun. So I carefully hit all of the metal fittings and joints that I have skipped over with Chaos Black. Then I make a heavy pass over all of those and the frames of the pilot's goggles, which if you recall were left black so that they could be finished in metallics later, in GW Boltgun Metal. I am careful to leave the edges and deepest sections of all of those items black. My first highlight on all of those areas is a mix of equal amounts Boltgun Metal and GW Mithril Silver. The final highlight is straight Mithril Silver.

The final item left to be painted is the flamethrower. I basecoat it in GW Tin Bitz. I then highlight it out toward the uppermost areas with the following mixes in sequence: Tin Bitz and GW Brazen Brass, Brazen Brass, Brazen Brass and GW Dwarf Bronze, Dwarf Bronze, and for the last highlight I add a small amount of Mithril Silver to the Dwarf Bronze.

After completing the gun there is one more thing that I want to do and could not do to this point. So I carefully clean my brushes and waste water containers before moving on to this final step. I mix a very dilute mixture of black paint and begin to slowly layer the mixture onto the barrel of the flame gun. I do this to add scorching to the gun and as I do it I add more to the end and carefully thin it out as I move backward in order to fade the effect out further back. I then repeat the process on the central spar which the gun is attached to the side of. I did consider scorching other areas of the piece, but I decided that even though some of them might qualify for the treatment, if I over did it, it would detract from the look that I have established. I think in this case less is more and just establishing a little scorching is enough weathering for the piece.

At this point the paint work is finished. All that remains is to seal the piece after the last of the paint has dried and to base and flock it. And those things I will cover in my next and final report.