Orinoco’s Occasional Forge Fathers Project

I’ve not had much time to paint recently, but here’s 18 (there’s 3 off camera) more Steel Warriors to add to my force.  The step by step paint scheme is in the ‘Pure and Simple’ post from April 7th.

Next up armoured fighting vehicles

Same scheme that is detailed in the posts from 07 and 08 April 2022

Skin:

• The Green Primer and wash acts as the shade.
• Layer of Dark Skintone (Vallejo Game Color)
• Layer of Dark Skintone mixed with Tan Earth (Vallejo Model Air)
• Previous mixture with Barbarian Flesh (Army Painter) to highlight

Beard:

• Base of Green Grey (Vallejo Model Color)
• Layer of Green Grey mixed with Ivory (Vallejo Model Color)
• Highlight Ivory

Same scheme that is detailed in the posts from 07 and 08 April 2022.

I’ll go back and fix the purple on the weapons at some point.  Tried a few times but need to step back from it for now.

Same scheme that is detailed in the posts from 07 and 08 April 2022

Same scheme as the post from 07 April 2022.

For the bronze Bright Bronze (Vallejo Game Color) with a spot of Red Leather (Vallejo Model Color) was applied on top of a base of Gunmetal Grey (Vallejo Model Color) mixed with a spot of Panzer Dark Grey (Vallejo Model Air).  Silver was mixed into the Bright Bronze mix to highlight.

Next in the painting queue was some Steel Warrior Specialists that I had assembled a while ago but not primed.  This allowed me to use a different primer to try and skip a step.  The result was a bit darker, but for me close enough to stand side by side and just claim that the older one has been window weathered (apparently someone did this in a magazine once).

The lighting is slightly different as I had a led bulb’s driver explode so got rid of the whole batch and got a different brand that are hopefully more reliable.

This is just the first entry for the batch I’ve painted.  I’ll post the rest over the next few days.

What I did:

• Primed – Vallejo Russian Green Primer
• Washed – Paynes Grey Ink (Daler Rowney) homemade wash (https://www.beastsofwar.com/featured/gerry-can-how-to-make-diy-professional-washes/)
• Dry brushed – Pale Sand (Vallejo Model Color)
• Painted any cloth Green Grey (Vallejo Model Color) followed by a wash of Army Painter Strong Tone and another dry brush of Pale Sand
• Glaze* – Reflective Green (Vallejo Model Color) and some Vallejo Glaze Medium was applied to the armour to tint the highlights and smooth out the armour
• Anything that was going to be metallic was painted black
• Purple – Sam Lenz’s How to Paint Glowing Eyes – Painting With the Pro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOCaK3H-EmM  using Purple Ink and White paint
• Base – IDF Israeli Sand Grey (Vallejo Surface Primer) then rimmed with Heavy Grey (Vallejo Game Extra Opaque)
• Gloss Varnish
• Basing Material – Home made mixture of bird sand and stuff https://www.beastsofwar.com/featured/gerry-can-how-to-make-custom-basing-mix/
• Matt Varnish (Not really matt more of a satin but I’ve got tons of the stuff Vallejo Matt Varnish)
• Metallics – Base coated Gunmetal Grey (Vallejo Model Color) mixed with a spot of Panzer Dark Grey (Vallejo Model Air)
• Metallics – Washed with Army Painter Strong Tone
• Metallics – Highlighted with Silver (Vallejo Game Color) mixed with a spot of white

*At the moment when I’m glazing I put a drop of Vallejo Glaze Medium on my wet palette separate from the paint, then dip the tip of my brush into the medium then the paint and mix that small amount separately on another part of the palette.  I find that if I mix more than the amount I want on my brush the mixture absorbs too much water from the palette.  Conversely using a dry palette increases the working time considerably compared to just paint but the mixture is obviously drying out and becomes thicker over time.

As mention previously Medium Olive (Vallejo Model Air) is a match for Reflective Green (Vallejo Model Color).  The Model Color of Medium Olive does not match either.

The same method of painting as the rest of the armoured Forge Fathers in this project was used (see early entries).

The base was magnetised in case I want to use the Excavator Robot in Dreadball.

That’s all the Forge Fathers that have been sitting partially painted finished.  Next is 20 Forge Fathers that have been sitting built for a while and a trial of a different primer.

The same method of painting as the rest of the armoured Forge Fathers in this project was used (see early entries).

As with Bjarn the armour and equipment was originally intended for mining asteroids so I painted more glow effects on the drop suits compared to the other armoured Forge Fathers.  My thinking being that they act as scanners for the rock and locator lights for others.

(Disclaimer: No parachute pants were harmed in the making of this entry)

Same method of painting as the rest of the armoured Forge Fathers in this project.

Bjarn’s armour and equipment is originally intended for mining asteroids so I painted more glow effects on the drop suits compared to the other armoured Forge Fathers.  My thinking being that they act as scanners for the rock and locator lights for others.

Same method as the missile version which in turn follows the method described in the Ingulf post near the start of this project.

The Forge Guard with the lights on the chest wasn’t meant to have them.  He/She just happened to be in a batch of figures that were getting lights and was accidently picked up.

All the usual methods that have been previously used in this project were used again here.  Was tempted to do the chest piece in bronze, but thought it would be too much bling.

The Valkyr had been sitting partially painted for a while.  I used the same methods as before (See Ingulf) for the green, purple and metallics.

The tyres are Panzer Dark Grey (Vallejo Model Air) drybrushed with Pale Sand (Vallejo Model Color).

I re-highlighted the skin with mixtures of Dark Skin Tone (Vallejo Game Color) and Barbarian Flesh (Army Painter).

If I can find/paint the rest of my bikes I might put some sort of symbol on the front armour plate.

Same method as in the Ingulf post, with the exception that the Bright Bronze was applied on top of Gunmetal Grey.  Going for a purple glow effect rather than crystal lenses.  Pale Sand was dry brushed on the track to try and dust it down a bit.

The Helfather had been sitting base coated in Royal Purple (Vallejo Game Color) for a while, so I drybrushed it with Pale Sand (Vallejo Model Color) and layered it with, Tan Earth (Vallejo Model Air), Barbarian Flesh (Army Painter) and Ice Yellow (Vallejo Model Color).

Some old Plasma Red  Citadel Ink was then applied over the layers.

The problem with the ink I used was it was very water soluble, so when I varnished I ended up with spotting in areas as it reactivated.  Some matt varnish mixed with the ink might stop this happening.

The only difference for the metallics from the previous entries (See Ingulf) is that the Bright Bronze was applied on top of Gunmetal Grey to lighten it a bit more.

The green glow uses the same technique as the previous purple but with Daler Rowney light green ink instead https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOCaK3H-EmM

I’ll post the other stuff I’ve painted recently in the next few days rather than in one batch.