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Got carried away on eBay and found myself with over 200 orks to paint. Wanted a quick way to knock out the almost 150+ Boyz and found out about Quickshade while looking online. Local shop had it for $29.99, ouch. Seemed like a lot to pay for a can of polystain, especially when I was not sure I would like the results. Decided to experiment with the cheaper Minwax solution.



Got a 1/2 pint can of Minwax PolyShades Antique Walnut Satin, a bottle of odorless mineral spirits and some disposable brushes for $16. I found an empty salsa jar and after washing it made it my dip jar. After some trial and error I found 1 part PolyShade to 2 parts mineral spirits was just about right. So if you want to split this with 2 friends you can each get a 1/2 pint of shade for about $5.

I dip the brush in the shade then shake off the excess. I dab the brush on the base first, covering the base with a good, thick coating. I then dab the rest of the figure with shade. I give it a few good shakes over the trash can and set it aside. After letting it sit for 2 days I spray the figure with Testors Dullcote. Should do a pretty good job of protecting the paint.

Keep in mind this was a rush paint job on used minis. The flocking is green sand I picked up at the hobby store, 1.5 pounds for $2.49. Even my Boyz get names.

Left is before, right is after. Note the creases in the teeth and skin are shaded with brown. The figure overall has a dusky look. The bright green sand now looks like grass. The gun and chainsword look well used and in need of cleaning. I really like way it came out on the Boyz. Not sure how the brown would look on a space marine or eldar. They have 12 different colors that you can mix and match? At $7 a can, why not?




Good luck!

I think you could cut it 50-50 and it will be closer to dark shade.. I also can;t see spending what army painter wants for stuff I can get at home depot for a fraction of the price.. But good results by the way..

I did not cut my shade at all! lol they came out way dark but still looked ok. Think I'll give the 50\50 mix a try on the next group.

I started with 50/50 and it just seemed thick to me.

But of course feel free to adjust to suit your paint style, the figure you are working with and personal taste.