I had an idea and ran with it. One night test mini, got through to shading and basing (it's still wet in this picture) to see how it could work.
C&C welcome as I puzzle though. I'll probably try to cover up the removal of the left hand from the gun with a green stuff wrap next time. That looks rougher than I would like.
What will this guy be, an Imperial Navy breacher? Or a stormtrooper? Something like that.
In terms of paintjob, I’m the anti-contrast paint guy, but I think you made it work on the leather and wood. I will say that for the metal armor I’d still recommend traditional metallic paint and black wash. I’ve really fallen in love with how easy the Vallejo Mecha color metallics are to apply. People really sleep on how good they are. While metallic and then blackwash might seem more time consuming I think it saves time on the backend by reducing the cleanup needed, since you can push the wash around while it’s wet and really work it into recesses and away from flat surfaces.
The lasgun paintjob im kind of half and half on. I understand how hard it is to quickly lay down reds. I’d recommend at least a very gentle drybrush of a hot orange (something like GW Trollslayer) on the corners. Really orange drybrushing applied just a little bit really brings out reds.
The rest of his colors are pretty subdued which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Subdued grunts can make leaders and special units stand out.
Thanks for the suggestion! I've been impressed with all the Vallejo paints I've used so far, but never tried the metallics. I'll pick up a bottle of the Mecha color.
Troll slayer is bold! I had some Wild Rider lined up but I'll grab someone even brighter and try pushing the highlights further.
I figure this squad will be kitted as shock troops. Although I reserve some artistic license around the edges because the banner needs to be used even if Shock Troops don't get to take a Standard. Maybe I can swap that guy out later if I do a Command Squad.
When I say a gentle application of shock orange I mean gentle. The youtuber fad of using makeup brushes isn’t a lie. I picked up some cheap ones and they are great for doing light and precise application.