Painting Process

• Much like paining other gaming miniatures, Warhammer 40K figurines require various painting techniques to achieve the best appearance. The primary determinant in choosing the technique is the type of model. Vehicles, bases and large units often rely on dry brush and airbrushing to achieve the weathered look of battle-scarred metal. Man-sized units, on the other hand, rely on several techniques, including undercoating and layering. The best paint will vary with the task. The ideal paint for an undercoat is not the best paint for dry brushing.
  
  

Undercoat Paints

• The best undercoat paint depends on the type of figurine. For large vehicles with few details, you may not need an undercoat at all. For any figure with few details, a black or white automotive spray primer is a good choice that dries quickly. For a miniature with multiple facets or tiny bevels, you should apply a bottle primer paint by brush. White undercoats result in more vibrant colors at the expense of contrast and shadows, while a black undercoat gives depth to the overall figure's aesthetic but dulls the tones placed over it.
  
  

Painting in General

• You can accomplish most general painting tasks for Warhammer 40K minis with the same paints. While some enthusiasts swear by Citadel paint sets for such tasks, the truth is that for general painting tasks, VGC paints offer a similar line of colors at a more economic price. Even those paints, however, are costly by comparison to craft acrylics. If you are going to apply an overcoat layer to protect your paint job, inexpensive craft paints produce virtually indistinguishable results in the end.
  
  

Dry Brushing and Details

• Dry brushing and detail painting (especially with metallic hues) requires a consistency that can be difficult to reproduce with acrylics. Because of the additional time and effort required to dry brush with inexpensive craft paints, it is often more effective to purchase the individual branded figurine paints for metallic accent colors such as gunmetal or rust. Citadel and VGC paints produce some of the best results for creating realistic weathered metal effects with dry-brushing techniques. For metallic highlights, branded colors are the best paints, but for bright colors, acrylics may still be the better option despite the extra challenge.