My first painted miniatures (games workshop 40k marine and scarab)

[Okari]

Hello. Thought I would share the very first 2 miniatures I've ever painted; the space marine was painted first and then the scarabs were painted second. I really like the effect basing adds to a miniature, kind of like providing a background to a drawn character. I did a lot of reading up and watching videos and looking at examples before attempting these, and I can definitely tell I need to develop some muscle memory for my painting hand. Feel free to ask questions or provide some advice/pointers. The space marine looks like he does because I tried putting a sealant coat on him after the paint job to protect him (Citadel's Purity Seal spray can) but it didn't do what I wanted and, in my opinion, degraded the figure. If anyone has any better alternative products that would work to protect the miniature without compromising the paint job please please please leave a comment with your suggestion. Thank you.

 

 

[Bruunwald]

Coolness. Very good first work.

 

There are a few better alternatives to protecting your mini. Here are my favorite two:

 

Krylon spray matte sealer. Give it three light coats, spraying from about 18 inches away. Let it sit about 15 to 20 minutes between coats.

 

Or get yourself a pot of Citadel 'Ardcoat, and a Squeeze bottle of Vallejo's matte medium. Brush on the 'Ardcoat (don't worry if it looks really shiny at first). Let that dry for half an hour or more, then brush the whole thing with the Vallejo matte medium, except for the gun. The Vallejo stuff will take all the shine right off (you can de-shine your gun, too, if you want, but sometimes it looks cool if you leave it shiny).

 

Those two techniques should be fine. BUT... if you think the mini might get handled a lot, or is otherwise at greater than normal risk of chipping, there is one more technique that will make the thing practically bulletproof.

 

Take a cup, poor in some 'Ardcoat, then add a small blob of PVC glue. Mix it up well - REALLY WELL - then coat your mini. Wait until it dries, then brush on Vallejo matte sealer, as before. The thing could be kicked across a busy street into traffic and still not chip. (That's an exaggeration, don't kick your minis anywhere!)

 

 

EDIT: Also - always remember to let your paint job dry and set thoroughly before sealing it with any technique.

Edited June 1, 2013 by Bruunwald

[The Inner Geek]

I'm not 100%, but if you pick up some of that Krylon, you might try spraying the Space Marine with it. There are some techniques out on the internet for salvaging a 'frosted' mini. It looks like a pretty good job on the paint before the frosting though!

[Okari]

Thank for your suggestions both of you. sounds like the krylon stuff is what I will check out next. I think I'll try using it on a quickly painted scrap piece though, see how it looks.