Ipswich’s local gaming store. No matter if you’re a wargamer, model maker, TCG player or boardgamer we should have something that is of interest to you.
Recently Warhammer announced an all-new paint range and its fair to say I was SKEPTICAL. They promised smooth and even coverage, they proclaimed they self-levelled and that this range would change the way you paint forever.
…Okay that last one was me adding some drama. I really wanted to get them in hand to see if the action backed up all the talk and I was lucky enough to get my hands on some early well in advance to stress test them in many different ways. Along with that I had the cool new Kaius Konorius sculpt to boot. A small thing on him, very nice and clean build. Very vulnerable to converting as the “U” symbol is very removable. If you haven’t picked one up I would!
Airbrush FriendlyLet’s get the ugly part out of the way first, I am in no way affiliated to Warhammer and this is NOT a paid advertisement…if they are reading however they are welcome to send me some….
Right, yes, they are in the traditional pots, I know many hate them but just clean them, be patient and look after your stuff and if you do really hate them that much you can decant them into dropper bottles.
ANYWAY THE PAINTS!
They are smooth, very smooth and as someone that has essentially built a career of using an airbrush I wanted to see if they passed that test and boy oh boy did they. I added the tiniest bit of thinner as a precaution. gave the Blue Gorkshroom 2 and the Blackstone Void 5 a go and whilst the prior flowed like a dream the latter left a little to be desired in the finish, it was a chalky which almost all Whites do when pushed through an airbrush, I will be keen to give some of the other colours a go but my prediction is the lower the number the better the application.
I can imagine a Coloured Zenithal will look great with these as will a Volumetric Colour Modulation approach as the shades fight for attention and build some deep shadows and bold highlights. Another usage when paired with the Airbrush could be some OSL or some clever blending on a power weapon, screen or Gemstone.
The big unique selling point was that they have amazing colour intensity and coverage, and this is where my scepticism came in, but again I have to eat my hat as the colours are incredibly intense and the coverage is on the whole pretty good, Bloodtoof Red 2 went over the Blue Gorkshroom in one coat, and it looked equally bold and bright, the more impressive is that the Blackstone Void 3 covered just as well, one coat straight out of the pot. Some of these will speed up your army painting form that alone.
Shading MediumWhenever a new medium enters the party, I am suspicious, do they work? Are they just cloudy water? And on this occasion, there are two?! Well, I had the Shading Medium to play with and again I am astounded by what it did to Gorkshroom Blue 1. It thinned it well enough that it flowed into the recesses effortlessly. Now a thinner will do this, but over an hour it will separate, whereas with the medium that wasn’t an issue. Note that the lighter colours needed a little more medium. You can see in the image that maybe 1 shading 2 isn’t enough and I’ll be retrying 1 shading 3.
Something I am really working on is my edge highlighting and more even edge highlighting to an ‘Eavy Metal style, so one chunky highlight, one thin highlight and a dot highlight. For me this is the best use for these paints. The pigment density and flow of the paint helps me to apply the highlights. I’m a steady hand so one pull of the brush and Boom! Edge highlighted. This means no additional texture or unwanted brush strokes.
Overall, I really think this could be a home run for Warhammer. Great paints. I would implore you to pick up some and give them a try, they shine most when used as a quintet or even a trio. The Medium I have tried is excellent and the smooth coverage is extremely user friendly, they fly through the airbrush and they layer for edge highlighting like a dream. I think if you are a Novice to the painting world, I would say jump in and let the numbers guide you to achieve some great results and if you are a grizzled Veteran like me, don’t fear the new thing. Embrace them and I assure you some will become a staple in your painting projects.
About the Author:
Wes is a local commission painter and store regular, you can check out more of his work in the store cabinets and on Instagram.
Want to have a chat or need some more information?
Feel free to give us a shout!
