Another wave of reinforcements advances over the hill and into the armies of our four Marshals. This week, we’re taking a look at how they’ve painted their rank and file.
Black Powder armies are built around large infantry units, each one representing a regiment on the battlefield. 28mm miniatures give you the opportunity to make each regiment unique by picking out things like facings, turnbacks and cuffs in appropriate colours.
We’ve asked each of the four marshals to share the paint schemes they’ve been using for their infantry regiments!
These guides all start with an undercoated model.
Kalon
I’ve stuck with the tried and tested Army Painter method for my infantry – I’ve been able to batch-paint and get some great looking results in no time at all!
Step 1: Paint the jacket with Flat Red, trousers London Grey, the boots, pack and shako in Black, the straps and braiding in Offwhite, paint the epaulettes in the regiment colour (in this case, Dark Prussian Blue).
Step 2: Wash the whole model in Dark Tone.
Step 3: Repaint straps and shoulder braiding in Offwhite, then paint the musket stock in Chocolate Brown, the barrel and firing mechanism in Oily Steel, then paint the sling in Buff. Finally, wash the musket with Dark Tone.
Step 4: Paint the skin with Flat Flesh, then wash with Flesh Wash.
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For next week, I’ve got some artillery to paint up, to give my army a bit of extra firepower!
Tobias
Napoleonics are all about the rank and file, the eye is immediately drawn to the serried ranks of figures, rather than an individual model. As such, I’ve chosen to use simple dry brushing techniques and line highlights to pick out the details.
Step 1: Paint the jacket/overcoat with Dark Prussian Blue, then paint the boots and pack in Mahogany Brown, paint the skin with Flat Flesh and the gun barrel, bayonet and czapka crest in Oily Steel. Paint the czapka plume in Dark Vermillion and the lining and crest with Old Gold.
Trousers and straps should be painted with Off White, while the collar, cuffs and facings should be painted Flat Yellow.
Step 2: Wash the whole model with Dark Tone.
Step 3: Use a line highlight of the original colour to pick out the details.
Next week, I’m adding another unit of infantry to bulk out my battle line. They should be able to tie up the enemy infantry while my cavalry works its way around onto the flanks.
Tom
Like Kalon, I’ve stuck with the Army Painter method to get my models on the tabletop.
Step 1: Paint the overcoat or greatcoat in Beige Brown or Pale Blue. Paint the Shako with Skeleton Bone. Crossbelts and trousers should be painted with Spaceship Exterior. Paint the skin with Barbarian Flesh.
Paint the musket barrel using Gunmetal and the stock with Burnt Umber. Haversacks should be painted using Werewolf Fur. Boots, small straps and hair are painted with Matt Black. Use Crusted Sore to paint the shako plume.
Step 2: Wash the whole model with Soft Tone.
Step 3: Highlight the crossbelt with Spaceship Exterior, the raised areas of the face and hands with Barbarian Flesh and the shako plume with Gory Red.
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I’m powering through my cavalry wing, ready to skewer some Prussians when we get our armies on the battlefield next week!
Marcus
I’ve taken on the challenge of speed-painting my whole army, to see how quickly I can get my army on the table!
Step 1: Paint the jacket with Prussian Blue. Paint the trousers and crossbelt in Off White. Jackets, collars and cuffs should be painted Flat Red, and the boots and shako should be painted black.
Paint the jacket buttons in Off White, and the musket stock Wood Brown. Paint the musket barrel, lock and bayonet with Platemail.
Step 2: Wash the entire model with Soft Tone.
For next week, I’m painting grinding away at a big pile of Landwehr. These conscripts are cheap and disposable, perfect for ploughing straight into the meat grinder of the enemy battle line.
Next Week…
The battle begins! Our four marshals clash in a mega-battle fought over our HQ Store’s fantastic terrain!
Dan Hewitson
