As the Dystopian Age takes its first steps into a 10mm scale with Armoured Clash, it can be daunting to begin painting such small miniatures. But getting a great-looking finished product doesn’t have to be so hard.

Daz has returned once again, sharing his tips and tricks of painting at epic scale, to make the process of painting your Armoured Clash armies easier. Follow along and you’ll be a pro in no time.

This first entry in our series of Armoured Clash Step-by-Step covers the gilded embellishments of the Crown, a necessity to make any army a majestic sight to behold.

Follow along with Daz as he showcases how. with just a few steps, you can give your miniatures the finishing touches they need to stand out on the tabletop.

All paints mentioned are Vallejo unless stated otherwise.

Basecoat and Initial Highlights

Step 1: I started by base coating the miniature with Citadel Chaos Black spray. I held the model under my painting light with the light shining from above and slightly to the left and took a photo. Doing this will make the miniature a little more interesting to look at when we’re finished.

This will be the picture we use as a reference for placing our highlights and shadows as we progress.

Step 2: I began adding colour by sketching in the first layer. I used Game Colour Gory Red, watered down to 3:1. As I’m not using an airbrush, it is very important to use thin layers. This way, the miniature will end up with dreamy-smooth transitions and with no surface textures.

Step 3: I repeated the above process three times to bring a solid basecoat of pure Gory Red. It’s important to remember that letting the paint dry completely between each pass will avoid streaking and the dreaded bald spots.

Step 4: For this next stage, I switched to Game Colour Bloody Red, and watered it down to around 4:1. Then, I applied a highlight to just the inside of the previous layer three times. Remember to keep paints thin, and allow enough time to dry before repeating.

Step 5: Once the next set of paint layers was complete, I applied an all-over glaze of Xpress Velvet Red, watered down to 7:1. This unifies the previous stages. 

Step 6: To finish the red highlights, I added Game Colour Dwarf skin to Bloody Red as 1:3, and watered the mix down to 3:1 (paint to water) to make the paint easier to control.

Step 7: I added more Dwarf Skin to the previous mixture to end up with a 1:1 mix, concentrating the paint placement on the upwards-facing planes and sharp edges.

Golden Elements

Step 8: I began by using a 1:1 mixture of Model Colour Flat Earth and Game Colour Glorious Gold. I used the image of the undercoated mini as a guide to help with placement. As with NMM, a high level of contrast is key, so don’t be afraid to leave the undercoat showing in the darkest areas.

Step 9: As a non-metallic colour has been added, I watered this down to allow for easier blending and a smoother finish. I applied this mixture inside the previous layer to create a smooth transition. I ensured that all edges received a solid highlight at the same time, to outline all of the details.

Step 10: Using a 1:1 mic of Game Colour Gold Yellow and Glorious Gold, I applied a layer in the same was as Step 8, reducing the area covered and outlining all of the edges.

Step 11: I added Model Colour Ice Yellow to the mixture in Step 10 (1:3). Then, I added some texture with small scratches and picked out the rivets.

Step 12: To unify the last couple of steps, I applied a glaze of XPress Bag of Bones to the gold areas. Don’t worry if you get this on the red areas, it doesn’t hurt to tone them also.

Step 13: For the next highlights I added more Ice Yellow to the last mix in steady increments, reducing the area of highlight with each pass.  I paid particular attention to the hard edges and upward-facing planes and rivets. 

Step 14: To tie the last step together, I applied a glaze of Bag of Bones and Game Colour Fluro Yellow at 1:1 to all the gold areas. 

Step 15: To finish, I picked out the highest points of light with a 1:1 mix of Ice Yellow and Game Colour Dead White. 

Weathering

You can also have some fun by adding rust, chips, weathering and so on. To add some interest I applied some verdigris using watered down Model Colour Blue Green. I did this in two passes. Although not a realistic finish, it breaks up the final palette and definitely draws the eye to the mini.

And just like that, you’ve made your miniatures shine. I hope you enjoy painting your Armoured Clash miniatures as much as I have mine!

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