The Dogs - Spring Clean Challenge 2026

The next unit is the Firstborn Iron Guard.  They are Chronopia models from the Target Games era of the game in the late 1990s.  I bought them new then and they have been sat in the collection ever since.

The Firstborn in my setting are a religious cult.  I’ve moved away from the background as written (which has some AoS hallmarks) to help them to fit into my quasi-Old World setting.  Here the Firstborn are a cult whose belief system centres around the principle that Humans were the first race, not Elves.  Specifically they claim descent from these first beings, hence Firstborn.  The Iron Guard are the shield bearers of the order, holding and defending on the battlefield.  They refuse to give ground to any inferior race, which is basically all of them given they know they were the first.

They have extensive understanding of forging and each man makes his own armour to the divine pattern handed down to them.  They are finished with a technique called “bluing” where the armour is gently heated in a flame to oxidise the outer layer of the steel.  This gives it a distinctive dark colour with a faint blue hue.

First off are the base layers (all AP Speedpaints unless specified):

• Spear shafts in Darkstar Blue Steel
• Armour in Enchanted Steel
• Plumes and loincloth bottom edge in Poppy Red
• Helmet Crest and spear butt in Darkstar Royal Gold

Next I moved on to the cloth.  The original concept has them in a monochrome chequered pattern but I’ve got lots to do so I’ll stay with the black and white but do it in vertical halves instead.

I started with a line of Vallejo Cold Grey acrylic down the visual middle of the loin cloths.  With something visible as a guide I then put the black on with AP Grim Black which gives a good layered effect when dry.  The Speedpaint white isn’t so good and just makes everything different shades of grey so it is necessary to go back in to restore the highlights with acrylic white.

With this stage complete the models were varnished with Mr Hobby Super Clear Matt spray.  This is the only varnish layer they will get and protects them as much as possible from handling in game situations.

This matt layer means the shine needs to be restored to the shiny bits like the armour.  I’m happy with the flat effect on the spear shafts so they will stay as they are.  Reshining is done by an overbrush (a sort of wet drybrush) with Darkstar Blue Steel.  Then the highlight layers are added focus moves from:

• broader upper surfaces, any parts that will catch light coming from above and to the left of the front of the model using Darkstar Steel
• to the highest surfaces; the upper faces of the shield rim, side edges of the shield, upper defined edges of armour plates and poleyns (knee protectors) and pauldrons (shoulder protectors) in Darkstar Baroque
• to the brightest points like the corners of the shoulder pauldron ridges, shield rim upper edges, spear points and blade edges.

Final highlights.  AP Firey Vermilion into the plumes.  Then a more complex process on the gold areas.

The shields were painted in parallel to the miniatures and added near the end.  There is a gold cog symbol on the shield which was first circled with the Firey Vermilion.  Then I overpainted most of the gold with Regency Gold.  A wash went over both red and gold using AP Warm Skin Shade and then a final highlight on the upper half of the symbol and central rivet.

The crest on the helmets received similar treatment.  Regency Gold on upper surfaces, a stripe of wash to help darken the junction between red and gold and then the Vallejo Gold as an edge highlight.

Finished.  No basing and no banner yet.  I’ve got to get the gubbins at Salute this weekend.

Shiny.  Well a bit dour, but still a bit shiny  🙂