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2024/03/27 01:40:36
Subject: Paint and basing advice to achieve 90s oldhammer look
Hello,
I’m an old school Warhammer modeller / player (based in UK), recently reborn into TOW and am slowly working my way through my ancient pile of shame to try and paint them in the style of the 90s bright colours with lush green bases that I first fell in love with.
With all that in mind, please could people give me some advice on the following 4 queries:
1)
Undercoat spray. I'm looking to get cans of black, white and (goblin/grass) green spray. I believe GW do a range of these but I've slowly switched from citadel to Vallejo paints and I was wondering whether anyone could please recommend any non-GW ranges for undercoat spray? Or perhaps the GW ones are the best? Especially bearing in mind that shade of green for the bases I'm looking for.
2)
With that shade in mind, inevitably I'll need to paint bases with normal (non-spray) paint at some stage. Please can someone recommend the best particular paint (eg one from the Vallejo range or otherwise) to achieve that 90s look.
3)
Basing ballast/flock/sand(?). I've tried flock tbh and yes it looks like grass but it isn't drybrushable to achieve the look of the old ‘Eavy Metal images that used to adorn the pages of White Dwarf in the 90s. I can only think I need ballast? But haven't come across any green ballast. Can someone please advise whether there's a pre-coloured solution for this that I can just glue straight on to bases? Or go how is it best (and easiest) achieved? And which glue?
4)
Spray on varnish. I want to seal the figures once I'm done to protect from chipping etc. In trying to avoid the glossy look, I tried a matt varnish years ago but (surprise surprise!) everything ended up too dull/matt. Metal wasn't shiny etc. Therefore I believe I'm best opting for a satin varnish? I've been told the GW one produces mixed results so please can someone recommend a particular product for this also?
Sorry it's a long one and help with any of the above is greatly appreciated.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2024/03/27 01:46:49
2024/03/27 02:18:01
Subject: Paint and basing advice to achieve 90s oldhammer look
1). I’d use a white spray primer for that 90s look - very bright and vibrant. Doesn’t matter who makes it. I’ve used primarily GW, but also Armory, and airbrushed primers (Vallejo). I don’t know of a goblin green spray. I always hand painted bases myself.
2) Cote D’Arms paints have all the original 90s era GW paint colors (they were the paint manufacturer for that era paints), with names that are pretty self explanatory (goblin green - bases and base edges, angel red - the orangish blood angels red from the 90s, Gunmetal - boltgun metal/armor metal, etc).
3) I believe it’s just green flock on the 90s bases. At least all mine are from that vintage. No drybrushing needed.
4) I used Testors Dull Coat spray, which is Matte. Then I’d use a satin or semi gloss by brush for the parts I want to shine. Nowadays I airbrush semi-gloss, then brush matte what I want to be duller.
All IME and IMO, naturally :-). Hope it helps.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2024/03/27 02:19:53
"There is rational thought here. It's just swimming through a sea of stupid and is often concealed from view by the waves of irrational conclusions." - Railguns
2024/03/27 07:41:13
Subject: Paint and basing advice to achieve 90s oldhammer look
White or gray primer would be my choice for oldhammer. IIRC there was a paint called "Smelly Primer" which we used back in the day, and it was a light gray tone.. can't remember what paint brand it was..
For the finest white primer, you cannot beat Mr Surfacer 1500 white spray, small scale modellers swear by it
As for the appropriate colors, as suggested earlier, Coat D Arms is probably your best bet. I was pleasantyl surprised by the AK Basic Paint set by Jose Davinci myself, these colors are very simple primary and secondary colors which feel very much like the GW Oldhammer paint sets of the era, even if their shades arent exact matches.
As for basing, I still have a tub of GW's basing sand, and once I basecoat it and drybrush it, the results can look very Eavy Metal'esque indeed. I bet you can still find those sand tubs on some FLGS's.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2024/03/27 07:42:55
2024/03/27 13:35:49
Subject: Re:Paint and basing advice to achieve 90s oldhammer look
All- thanks v much for the responses and info. Especially the Cote D'Arms info & white undercoat tips.
In terms of the flock/ballast/sand. The stuff I've been using is "blended turf" and I've got a feeling it was too fine. I might try some coarser scatter like this stuff:
You can see Duncan's basing technique at 13:20 mark. GW's old bases definitely used sand and not flock.
'It is a source of constant consternation that my opponents cannot correlate their innate inferiority with their inevitable defeat. It would seem that stupidity is as eternal as war.'
- Nemesor Zahndrekh of the Sautekh Dynasty Overlord of the Crownworld of Gidrim
2024/03/27 16:19:11
Subject: Paint and basing advice to achieve 90s oldhammer look
Ahh so smelly primer was a GW product! I misremembered in that case, the light gray primer we used was called something else then.. It was a glass bottle with a white plastic cap, it was the only range of miniature paints we had in Finland back then (this was in the late 80s, before the Citadel Paint Sets started dominating the market)..
But I'm 100% positive Eavy Metal used sand, not flock.. its this product, you might still be able to find it in some dusty FLGS's. The lid says it was still produced in 2007.. You paint it then drybrush it, boom. It has some larger rocks mixed in so you can add some visual interest to bases where needed.
Agreed that the Eavy Metal team used sand on bases!
I don't recall ever seeing flock, rather that the sand bases were painted Goblin Green and were often highlighted up to yellow-green, which looked similar.
2024/03/31 01:04:13
Subject: Paint and basing advice to achieve 90s oldhammer look
Agreed with everything said above - 90's WH 'Eavy Metal style used drybrushed sand for the base and always started from a white undercoat because the coverage of the paints at the time were mega-drek.
Be aware that Coat D'arms is a faithful stand-in for the original colours including consistency/coverage for the very first range from 1985 - 1992/94. If you are used to modern acrylics there is a significant learning curve going to what are more like glazes in terms of coverage for some colours (esp. yellow). They do however lend themselves very well to that smooth layering style 'Eavy Metal was renowned for. Depending on the exact colour matches you're looking for, Coat D'arms might be perfect or merely close. I don't have enough samples to say if Coat D'arms is a 100% match to the Mark II (hexpot) range but from what I've gathered they're slightly off. If you're not trying to match existing models it's probably not a concern.
In 1998 the range was revamped again but much more - the formulas, colours and supplier all changed. These are the infamous black topped, clear bullet pots "Made in France" that hardly anyone has working samples of anymore because the pots were terrible at sealing. The (recently discontinued) Vallejo Game Color line were supposed to be equivalents for these but in my experiments they did not have the vibrancy or punch of the French paints most of the time. If you're looking to do this late 90's style, then you're best served by getting professional artist's acrylics or Kimera Kolors. The 1998 paints do not match well to Coat D'arms with a few exceptions. Goblin Green is close while the '98 Snakebite, Dark Angels Green and Blood Red are far more vibrant in pigmentation for example.
There's some very tentative and not well substantiated information that the 98' range was made by the Colart Group, a well-known art supply manufacturer in France that also produce Windsor & Newton and Liquitex to name a few.
geekpie wrote: All- thanks v much for the responses and info. Especially the Cote D'Arms info & white undercoat tips.
In terms of the flock/ballast/sand. The stuff I've been using is "blended turf" and I've got a feeling it was too fine. I might try some coarser scatter like this stuff:
In terms of primers, the colour forge range looks good.
Cruentus- you mentioned paint-on-satin. Where can you get that?
Undead-Love-Machine-
Peace & f***ing. BELIEVE.
Sorry for the delay, I have a couple of brush on satins:
Army Painter Air Satin Varnish
Polly S Satin Varnish (very old bottle, likely of the same vintage as the old 90's citadel paints - I think they're OOP)
Vallejo also makes a satin varnish
I also picked up an 8 oz bottle of Satin Varnish by DecoArt Americana (they are sold in US chain hobby stores like Michael's/AC Moore/JOANN Fabrics - they make craft paints, and the satin works just as well as the more expensive hobby varnishes, especially as a protective base for a matte cover.
Finally, in that same craft paint aisle I found Apple Barrel craft paint, specifically 21477 Palm Leaf, which, when held up to my Coat D'Arms Godlin Green, is just about exact. 2 fl oz/59ml for $1.29. Plenty for all my oldhammer bases. Craft paints can be great in terms of match for paints for terrain and basing. (and I'm using 20740E Parakeet color paint as my highlight - very similar to Vallejo Scorpy Green.
Hope those help.
And to echo Fire_Forever, the CDA paints are old school formulations as well, so thinner and may require more layers and a different learning curve than the more 'modern' paints. Still, I like them because 1) they last way longer (i.e. don't dry out so fast), and 2) color match.
"There is rational thought here. It's just swimming through a sea of stupid and is often concealed from view by the waves of irrational conclusions." - Railguns
2024/04/12 10:58:54
Subject: Paint and basing advice to achieve 90s oldhammer look
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