“… Paint. There lies salvation.”
Paul Cezanne
April 2012 marks the biggest overhaul yet of Games Workshop’s already-formidable system of paints and technical materials for its Warhammer miniatures.
Not only has GW increased the sheer range of colours available to the miniatures artist, it has introduced an efficient painting protocol–by means of different types of paint–that will streamline the painting process, making it not only more efficient but also more pleasurable.
The core of the new line is the range of Base colours, heavily-pigmented paints akin to the old Foundation colours, but in a dizzying array of beautiful shades as opposed to the Foundations’ muddy hues. These 34 Base colours will cover black or white undercoating in a single layer, eliminating the need to paint and re-paint spray-bombed models in order to cover streaky results. Colours range from a beautifully-opaque white through a full palette of reds, blues, greens, ochres, yellows, and four metallics.
The next step in the painting process calls upon the 70 colours in the Layer range. These are slightly more translucent colours than the Bases, and are designed to be applied full-strength over the Base without any mixing. This broad array of colours to choose from ensures that just the right highlights can be chosen, and the fact that no mixing is required means that model after model will have exactly the same tones, no matter how many days elapse between painting sessions.
The 12 different Shades are specially formulated to glide over other paint layers, and to flow into the recesses of your models, providing effective and controllable shading. No more erratic and blobby inks to dry with uncontrolled blotches of pigment just where you don’t want them!
The new Dry range has a thicker consistency than the rest, ensuring that less paint will be wasted by wiping the brush while drybrushing. Fifteen colours ensure that highlights can be picked out quickly and effectively.
The new Glazes are translucent colours (red, yellow, blue, green) that can be washed across a painted area to augment the colour beneath. They can be used to great effect over the metallics, giving a tint of colour (blood-stained weaponry, anyone?).
The four new Textures solve the problem of basing by combining a gritty texture material with a coloured medium. One-coat coverage means bases are quickly tournament-ready!
The four new Technicals extend the range even further. The first, Lahmian Medium, is a colourless medium that can be combined with any of the Layers to form a custom-tinted glaze. It can also be used straight out of the jar as a sealant, forming an invisible matte finish over transfers and decals. The second of the Technicals is an old friend, ‘Ardcoat, which can be used to create a gloss shine on areas that need it. ‘Ardcoat also provides a smooth surface for application of decals and transfers. The third Technical is Imperial Primer, a black liquid primer designed for undercoating fiddly areas or touchups. And, finally, the fourth Technical is Liquid Green Stuff, that essential tool for filling gaps during model builds and mods. It’s water-based, so it can be easily applied with an ordinary paintbrush (remember to wash it out afterwards, though, or it will set up hard as rock).
Gorgeous new GW colours … beautiful new Warhammer 40K and Fantasy models … a marriage made in heaven. Ensure salvation this year by trying out these amazing new paints!
