I recently wrote about a nice collection of Turbo Dork metallic paints I won in the Reapercon 2024 painting competition.
Since I mostly paint fantasy miniatures, I wasn’t initially sure how to best use colored and color-shifting metallic paints. But, as luck would have it, I had traded a fellow painter at the convention for a large collection of CAV (Combat Assault Vehicles) miniatures from Talon Games. These mini mechs are the perfect specimens for my shiny, new metallic paints!
Preparing the Mechs
Many CAV models have top and bottom segments joined in the center by a post, allowing some poseability. I decided to prime these parts separately to ensure I got every little nook and cranny.
I used bamboo chopsticks to hold the upper halves and dowel rods plus poster tack for the lower.
Choosing Colors
Acrylic paints are most commonly used for miniature painting, and for good reason. They are non-toxic, easy to work with and clean up. They are also largely transparent. This often means needing multiple coats for even coverage. Sure, this may be more work, but it can be used to your advantage.
By layering different colors, you can vary the final effect. For instance, pink is the recommended base coat for yellow. The combo creates a more intense result with fewer coats than just using plain yellow.
The Turbo Dork paints are especially transparent, so mindfully base coating is critically important. In fact, each Turbo Dork paint includes a base color recommendation.
I chose color shift paints Ice to Never and Scarab for the two Cougar models. For the fiery Tiamat, effectively a walking missile launcher, metallic Redrum felt fitting.
Per the recommendation, I primed the Cougars in black, but used terra-cotta instead for the Tiamat (only because I didn’t have a red primer!).
While I liked the end result, next time I will go for the suggested red base. It would have produced a more vibrant finish.
Painting in Metallic
I was pleasantly surprised by how well the Turbo Dork paints worked in an airbrush (and how easily they cleaned up!). A ratio of 10 drops airbrush flow improver to four drops paint worked well. I just mixed with a brush directly in the airbrush pot and sprayed. As expected, it took about three to four coats to get complete coverage.
Clean up was a breeze. Just water through the airbrush, and it was ready to go again!
Painting Accents
I learned very quickly that painting metallic directly over metallic was a bad idea. Given the transparency of the paint, the metallic red was showing through the gunmetal accent. The result was decidedly pink!
This is where Golden’s SoFlat Black came to the rescue. A single light coat over the airbrushed metallic paints provided a neutral base for the accents. I used Bees Knees for the Cougar cockpits, and re-used Scarab for the Tiamat.
Detailing With Gouache
Next, I used a painting technique I saw demonstrated by Tangible Day, applying gouache as a panel liner for bringing out the details. Gouache is a watercolor paint; when painted over the entire model and wiped with a damp cloth, only the deeper recesses of the model retain pigment. This makes for effortless panel lining. Plus, it is a very low-risk process since the gouache comes off so readily.
One caveat, after finishing this step it is critical to apply a few coats of varnish; sweaty hands or any moisture could “reactivate” the gouache coat, and spoil the work. Here I used a matte varnish.
The Final Mechs
Finally, the basing: a coat of Reaper’s Desert Stone, dry brushing with Desert Sand, and some Tiny Tufts. And done! Overall, I’m very pleased with both the process and end result. While they may look a bit like toy cars, that’s not a bad thing.
The Turbo Dork paints were a real pleasure to work with. They produced a durable coat and rich colors. The mechs look good in the pictures, but still images can’t do justice to the striking color shifting effect.
I still have tons of unpainted mechs and many more TurboDork paints left to try. Next I’ll try weathering and chipping to create CAVs that have seen some combat. With how smoothly this project went, I can have a full battalion for playing CAV in no time!
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