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Re: milky varnish: I don't know if you're still having this problem, but it's caused by the varnish drying at an uneven rate: probably the surface is either drying out too quickly before the lower layers, or vice versa. The usual suspects are temperature (too hot or cold), humidity / moisture, or simply putting on the varnish too thickly, or putting a second layer on too soon after the first.

Suggestions: Use thin coats (some varnishes you can actually water down a bit to get a thinner consistency if needed) try to varnish at "room temperature" (might be a bit hard given where you're at), and never varnish if it's raining. Also make sure the model is bone dry before varnishing: don't do it too soon after painting, and let the first coat dry fully before applying a second. If it does dry milky, I've heard you can sometimes buff it off with a chamois or cloth: alternatively, a second coat can sometimes smooth out the imperfections if they're on the surface.

Re: greenstuff as adhesive: Greenstuff, as you already know, comes in two parts: the base and the curing agent (I think yellow is base, blue is agent, I'm not certain on that). Anyway, if you add more blue, it dries harder and faster, if you add more yellow, it dries slower and softer. You want it slower and softer, because that also makes it stickier: try using 2x yellow to 1x blue. I've also had some decent luck using the so-called "greenstuff sandwich" - apply super glue to both pieces, sandwich greenstuff between them, trim and smooth off the excess. The greenstuff fills the gap, the super glue gives a strong hold. However, you have to make sure the greenstuff is fully cured before putting any strain on the joint, or you wind up with two ragged bits of half-cured greenstuff superglued to your model parts: a real mess.

Best of luck: I had two cousins go through Iraq with the Marines, and one friend who went there as an Air Force MP. Stay safe, game well, and come home soon!

Just Dave wrote:Live and Learn diesel, you've certainly learnt! It all sounds like very reasonable new methods, good luck!

(and in regards to skullkandy's suggestion, how about simply giving them a pay rise, I have to agree with mad rabbit)

What, you mean pay our soldiers an actual living wage that they can actually survive on? The hell you say! *sarcasm*

Corvus wrote:Have you ever considered going cross-service into the Air Force? Our NCOs tend to be a lot more professional and our culture is a lot more enlisted-friendly. Officers and NCOs for the most part treat their troops with respect. The only exception to this rule is if you are Security Forces, because that career field feeds on the tears of small children

Hey! My buddy is an Air Force MP! >:|

Diesel: Try putting the gloss coat on your gaunt before you give up on the scheme. As for the internal riblets: consider just doing an overbrush (like a drybrush, but with slightly more paint) of whatever grey you are using to highlight the black on them.

Another suggestion: try adding a small amount of the darkest blue you have to your black basecoat, then wash in pure black. That might make it pop a bit more. If you look here: http://library.galciv2.com/mvlib/ss/Fullview_Xenomorph.PNG part of the iconic look of Giger's alien are the blue reflections.

Another possibility: Intereference Blue. http://www.artsupply.com/golden/interference.htm Interference paints are expensive, and need to be thinned with water or acrylic medium, but a small amount goes a long way. If you mix some into your black basecoat, it will give the black an oily blue metallic sheen. With a good gloss coat, you may not even need to highlight: the varnish and the interference might catch the light enough for the tabletop.

XO: I hate to suggest something that could potentially ruin a fantastic model, but a VERY light wash of blue-grey could bring out the details on your chapter master. If you have glaze medium (NOT gloss medium, two very different things), I'd suggest doing a 1:10 mix of paint to glaze medium, then doing a wash into the nooks and crannies of the powered armor.
http://youngwolf7.com/?page_id=1448&page=2

I've never understood it when officers and NCOs act like phalluses to their men. If I were in a situation where some guys were trying to kill me, I'd make sure the guys trying to watch my back (who are all armed) at respect me, if not like me.