Sci-Fi Robots (Part 2 : Painting Metal Bits)

Phase II: Let the Painting Commence

In hindsight I found this useful link in putting the robots all together:
Assembly (Pantheon of the Geeks)
Assembly (GMP)

Day 8: Airfix Acrylic Undercoat:

Still my favoured undercoat as (a) I have it to hand and (b) it is less dark than black and I will "wash" over the end result to highlight detail. I even conscripted a young helper to assist in the work (see below):

Day 9: Vallejo Black Wash:

Vallejo Black Wash to darken the figure and pick out the details. Plenty of liquid on the brush and make it "sloshy and sloppy" is my motto (see below)

Day 10: "Dry-Brush" Gun Metal Base Colour:

I usually fall into the trap of being more "wet-brushing" rather than "dry-brushing" but this time I chose a suitably old (knackered) brush and dutifully wiped 90% of the paint off by brushing it against the absorbent side of a cereal box (God bless Blue Peter they were spot on with the usefulness of cereal boxes). I also noticed I had forgotten to attach the "Infiltrator Leader's" antenna (see below):

Note: Inspiration was sought and came from online tutorials
Painting Tutorial (a) (TWG)
Painting Tutorial (b) (GMP)

Day 11: Vallejo "Brown Wash"

The thing that I am 'trying' to get used to with washes is that it is often "two steps forward one step back" as the wash seems to strip out some of the earlier "good" from the previous stage/layer of paint. I come from the 'old school' of three layers (shade, base, highlight), inking and a wash followed by a "ultra highlight". However Games Workshop seem to have promoted a Kaizen approach to factory painting efficiency .. which if truth be told gets results but takes a bit of the 'fun' out of things. Anyway having got my models shiny I proceed to dull them back down again with a "Brown Vallejo Wash" (see below):

Day 12: Highlighting Metal

Back to another dry-brush with Vallejo Gun Metal (see below, spot the difference or just re-work for the sake of rework?):

Close up of Droid Commander (see below):

Next I was going to put on some "brassy colours" ... but ...

Day 13: Confession

"Then I got distracted!" Press PAUSE but I will show you what I got distracted with next!

:)