Battlefleet Gothic - Paint advice!?

[RikuEru]

With Quarantine atleast partially making room and time for some hobbytime:

 

Are there any old White Dwarf Articles or Blog entries or something on how to paint the Imperial/Space Marine Ships from Bsttlefleet Gothic?

 

Of course I could just wing it... but some inspiration or helpful advice and tips and tricks is always nice.

 

Thank you got xour help in advance!

[Bung]

People paintet their SM ships in the colors of their Chosen chapter.

 

Are you looking for color shemes or actuall painting technics?

[Rik Lightstar]

The Battlefleet Gothic PC Games are good for colour schemes AND inspiration.

 

Rik

[Fajita Fan]

The old rulebooks weren't in color to my knowledge, I have all the pdfs of the rulebooks in grayscale. There were WD articles with pictures and you can probably find them seaching for pdfs, there are various sites that host old GW mags. 

 

Painting BFG is one of those easy projects with just base coating, shading, and drybrushing.  You can do line highlighting but it's important to remember you're talking about ships the size of multiple skyscrapers so scale can change your techniques.  Look at a city skyline and you won't really see line hightlights on the edges of buildings per say, dry brushing and stippling is probably the most straightforward way to do it.  My personal recommendation - and I am not a pro painter by any stretch - is to base and shade your model as usual but go one step higher for drybrushing than you might normally do.  If you're doing Space Wolves and basing your ships withe something like Russ Gray I'd shade it and then go upstairs to something like Ulthuan and skip Fenrisian gray.  I tried to do a couple of intermediate greens on my Dark Angels and I wasn't really happy, the huge ships with recesses kinda look better with dark recesses and soft but bright highlights, I'm not sure if I'm explaining this right.  I would also do the prow last in a color like red because that's a focal point. Really thinned contrasts to act as glazes might be helpful on the very complex ridges and bumps on BFG models.

 

Also tiny dots of colored lights look cool - teeny tiny pinpricks - and engine glow to taste of course.  I'm glad to see people still paint BFG, the few games I got to play were great fun!

Edited March 26, 2020 by Fajita Fan

[RikuEru]

People paintet their SM ships in the colors of their Chosen chapter.

 

Are you looking for color shemes or actuall painting technics?

Haha, of course the Space Marine Fliers would match my Space Wolves! :D

But some colour scheme examples for the Sector Fleets or so would be cool to decide whst i want to do with the Imperial Navy ships.

 

But yes, I was looking for any practical advice i can get - especially from our veteran members.

 

The Battlefleet Gothic PC Games are good for colour schemes AND inspiration.

 

Rik

See, this is why I love this forum.

That is just SO OBVIOUS advice.

...but I didn't think about it.

So thanks for that aswell!

 

The old rulebooks weren't in color to my knowledge, I have all the pdfs of the rulebooks in grayscale. There were WD articles with pictures and you can probably find them seaching for pdfs, there are various sites that host old GW mags.

 

Painting BFG is one of those easy projects with just base coating, shading, and drybrushing. You can do line highlighting but it's important to remember you're talking about ships the size of multiple skyscrapers so scale can change your techniques. Look at a city skyline and you won't really see line hightlights on the edges of buildings per say, dry brushing and stippling is probably the most straightforward way to do it. My personal recommendation - and I am not a pro painter by any stretch - is to base and shade your model as usual but go one step higher for drybrushing than you might normally do. If you're doing Space Wolves and basing your ships withe something like Russ Gray I'd shade it and then go upstairs to something like Ulthuan and skip Fenrisian gray. I tried to do a couple of intermediate greens on my Dark Angels and I wasn't really happy, the huge ships with recesses kinda look better with dark recesses and soft but bright highlights, I'm not sure if I'm explaining this right. I would also do the prow last in a color like red because that's a focal point. Really thinned contrasts to act as glazes might be helpful on the very complex ridges and bumps on BFG models.

 

Also tiny dots of colored lights look cool - teeny tiny pinpricks - and engine glow to taste of course. I'm glad to see people still paint BFG, the few games I got to play were great fun!

Any idea about a rough timeframe/magazine number I should search for!?

 

But thanks for the practical advice!

So Basic colour, shade to make the recesses darker and a lighter than normal, more contrasting drybrush highlight?

And an eyecatching colour for the prow.

Got it. Big Thank you for that already!

[Fajita Fan]

That's what I find works best, little lights are cool on some of the darker areas because they'll show up better.  This really depends on what you're looking for, I feel like I lost most of the effect of my shading by doing too many drybrush layers.  There are a ton of greens and I must've used them all on my DA ships. If you think the drybrush looks too light you can heavily thin contrast paints and blend things back down.

 

I don't know what issues but early 2000s before the articles about 3rd ed 40k are probably your safer bet.  You can also google BFG navies, it has a small but loyal community out there.  

[Bung]

You could get some real good painting advice looking at other similar sized games. Dropfleet Commander or the Halo Fleet game are just a few years old and there should be a some painting advice online.

[Firedrake Cordova]

The Imperial Navy battlefleets/battlegroups all have their own colour-schemes, so it depends which sector you want your fleet to be in.  The Gothic one is green (hull), white (prow), and gold (detail).  There's a tutorial here: http://thewildhost.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html.  Armageddon is bone (hull) and red (prow).

 

The models do lend themselves to washes and/or drybrushing.  The other option is to paint them in a more "realistic" style akin to how the military modellers do theirs (zenithal priming and glazing).

 

The old rulebooks weren't in color to my knowledge, I have all the pdfs of the rulebooks in grayscale. 

The paper rulebook had a colour section to it that never made it into the PDFs (when GW went on their merry dance of discontinuation of the Specialist Games stuff, I panic-bought a copy).

Edited March 27, 2020 by Firedrake Cordova

[Fajita Fan]

I keep getting mad, given how cheap that game was 10 years ago, that I didn't buy a fleet of plastic Chaos and Imperial cruisers when I had the chance.  The metal battleships were a pain in the ass, at least my battlebarge was pretty easy by comparison.  I could have just kitbashed a battleship from a few cruisers and I'm lucky the Mars pattern was a pretty solid choice because I didn't magnetize them either. 

[Firedrake Cordova]

I keep getting mad, given how cheap that game was 10 years ago, that I didn't buy a fleet of plastic Chaos and Imperial cruisers when I had the chance. 

If it's any consolation, my successful panic-buying BFG meant I missed out on a bunch of the Inquisitor models (including Eisenhorn). Doh.

 

Hopefully BFG is one of the ones up for re-release.  Unlikely to be cheap, but will almost certainly look better than the old models (which I still really like!) ...

Edited March 28, 2020 by Firedrake Cordova

[Bung]

I keep getting mad, given how cheap that game was 10 years ago, that I didn't buy a fleet of plastic Chaos and Imperial cruisers when I had the chance.  The metal battleships were a pain in the ass, at least my battlebarge was pretty easy by comparison.  I could have just kitbashed a battleship from a few cruisers and I'm lucky the Mars pattern was a pretty solid choice because I didn't magnetize them either. 

 

It wasnt really cheap in my eyes at the end. 30€ for 2 plastic cruisers was bad.

Especially if you compare to Dropfleet today, where you could get a starter fleet with 3 Cruisers and 4 Frigates for 40 €. And some of that stuff like the Scourge ships will make great conversion fodder if GW keeps the scale.

The metal ships from Chaos have been ok to build in my eyes, Worst metal models in my eyes were the Necron Cruisers with that small tail.

[Fajita Fan]

Wait, 30 pounds? I thought I was getting the plastic Imperial cruisers like 2 for $20.  I ended up with 6, a battle barge, a pair of strike cruisers, and a couple of smaller metal frigates to make the Armageddon list where you could combine marines and Imperial Navy.  I even have some of the tiny FW Thunderhawks somewhere in a box.

Edited March 28, 2020 by Fajita Fan

[Bung]

Euro € not Pounds.

30€ for a pack of 2 cruisers was the Last price i know from my old White Dwarfs.

Thats why me and some mates bought 4 Beginner boxes for the cruisers and split them.

[Fajita Fan]

Either way isn't a Euro higher than a US dollar?  I swear they were $10 each when I was buying the sprues in white boxes through GW direct to my store.  I never bothered buying the Chaos cruisers which was a mistake.  

 

This makes me want to pull them out, strip them, and start over.  My Imperial cruisers are in basically Space Wolf colors, I wonder how I'd redo them now.  

[Bung]

I was the Chaos player and loved the design of the Chaos Cruisers. Bought Nerons cause i had an army of them in 3th / 4th Edition.

This is my favorite ship and had been my first BFg miniature

 

 

Bought Nerons cause i had an army of them in 3th / 4th Edition but didnt playthem much, anything besides Empire and Chaos was either garbage or broken like hell ruleswise if you didnt play campaigns.

[Fajita Fan]

Color shifting paint would probably look cool on Chaos ships, I've got some from Turbodork I'm using on an AT psi-titan and a Legio Audax list.

[UtariOnzo]

Either way isn't a Euro higher than a US dollar?  I swear they were $10 each when I was buying the sprues in white boxes through GW direct to my store.  I never bothered buying the Chaos cruisers which was a mistake.  

 

This makes me want to pull them out, strip them, and start over.  My Imperial cruisers are in basically Space Wolf colors, I wonder how I'd redo them now.  

 

GW pricing hasn't been, and never will be, entirely consistent across currencies. Look at the example of some of the recent Spanish Codex scandals (paying a little more on the tag price, for less in the book after translation)

 

But back to the OP, in general light drybrushing, washes and spot colours work wonders.

[Firedrake Cordova]

@OP: There are some how-tos in the paper rulebook.  If you want details, I can dig them out (the Gothic colour scheme is Dark Angels Green and Snot Green).

 

I thought I was getting the plastic Imperial cruisers like 2 for $20. 

They were £15 for box of 2 in 2013 when GW discontinued them, so that sounds about right. :)

[Xenith]

Contrast paints will rock the hell out of BFG ships. Ignore any old WD advice and use those. 

[Fajita Fan]

Contrast paints will rock the hell out of BFG ships. Ignore any old WD advice and use those.

I actually just got more white primer to do exactly that if I can get my ships stripped, I think contrasts and some simple drybrushing might be a pretty effective way nowadays.

[Seahawk]

The rulebooks all have color sections showing how to paint ships; quick tip, drybrushing!  :lol:

[Xenith]

 

Contrast paints will rock the hell out of BFG ships. Ignore any old WD advice and use those.

I actually just got more white primer to do exactly that if I can get my ships stripped, I think contrasts and some simple drybrushing might be a pretty effective way nowadays.

 

 

Use the GW contrast primers, they're more gloss finish and 'slippier' if that makes sense. You'll have better results with the contrast. I dont even think you'd need the drybrush. just contrast, paint lights. 

[Hungry Nostraman Lizard]

If you have a can or airbrush, you can spray 'em gold or metallic to avoid having to do all the gun ports and such. Alternatively, spray them your primary desired color; say purple, and then do details by hand. Dry brush some metallics to give it that worn look. I have an album here if you want some inspiration.

[Brother Tyler]

For some odd reason [knowledge is power, guard it well], I saved [a few] of the old BFG web pages on painting.

 

GETTING STARTED WITH THE BASICS

 

PREPARATION

Before you start painting a model, you need to do a little preparation. First, check the model for stray pieces of metal (known as flash) as well as tabs that may have been put on the model as a result of the casting process. Then use a modeling knife or file to trim off any fine mold lines. Next, glue the model to its base. Note that if you want a clear base and are using sprays to undercoat your model, you’ll have to leave the base off while undercoating.

 

UNDERCOATING

Once you’ve assembled and cleaned up your model, it is ready to be undercoated. An undercoat is usually black or white and seals the metal or plastic, giving you a better surface to paint. You don’t have to use an undercoat, but we find that you’ll get better results if you do.

 

Undercoating a model is straightforward, just paint a layer of black or white paint (depending on whether your final ship color will be dark or light). Spray paints can be used to speed this up and give a more even finish, and the Citadel Black and White sprays are designed specifically for this.

 

When spraying, do so in a well ventilated area, preferably outdoors, as the fumes can be dangerous to inhale. Also, don’t hold the can too close to the model, as this will fill in the surface detail. Remember that two light coats of undercoat are better than one heavy coat, because the detail on a model will show up better if there is less paint on it.

 

PAINTING

Once the undercoat is dry, you can start to paint the model in the colors you have chosen. Make sure that the colors you are going to use are appropriate for the different areas of the vessel. For example, if you were painting metal, you would use a metallic color, such as Mithril Silver or Chainmail. Paint each area as neatly as you can, but don’t fret if you make a mistake – you can go over any stray brush strokes later.

 

HIGHLIGHTING

A good way to paint spaceships is by highlighting their detail with a technique known as drybrushing. To drybrush, put some paint on your brush and then, using quick strokes across some cloth or paper, wipe almost all of it off again. Then gently stroke the brush back and forth across the model. The paint will adhere to the raised areas, creating areas of light and shadow. Like undercoating, it’s better to use several light layers of drybrushing rather than one thick one. It may not look like it is working straight away, but don’t be tempted to load too much paint on the brush.

 

ADDING WINDOWS AND LIGHTS TO A SHIP

 

If you want to add a bit of life and a sense of scale to your ships, try painting on a few lights and windows. This is really a matter of carefully using a detail brush and dabbing on small yellow or white dots of paint to represent windows. To create the window effect, take your time and place them in a neat, orderly row. To add some lights, just do the same thing, only this time try painting the tips of antenna and other bits on your ships with reds, oranges, and yellows. Below are some close-up shots of a few cruisers to get you started.

 

 

PAINTING AND MODELING SHIP BASES

 

There are several different ways you can deal with ship bases. Just pick one of the methods below or develop your own as you see fit.

 

First, you can simply leave them clear plastic. Second, you can paint them black so they will be less noticeable against a black table (if you spray your ships black, the bases will already be painted). Third, you can jazz up black bases by dotting stars on them with Skull White paint or whatever other color you desire.

 

The names of capital ships can be shown by sticking on a name label or painting the ship’s name straight onto the base. This way, your enemy will know exactly who they are dealing with, and you can spread fear by the mere mention of a ship's name!

 

 

 

PAINTING SQUADRONS

 

In Battlefleet Gothic, many ships are often used in squadrons. By adding squadron markings to your ships, you can vary the color scheme of your fleet, giving each squadron a character and identity of its own, just like the larger ships. Painting your ships in squadrons also helps to speed up your painting, so it doesn’t take as much time to ready your fleet for battle. On this page, you’ll find some ideas for different squadron markings you can use.

 

The best way to deal with squadrons is to paint them all together. This will ensure that the squadron’s colors come out pretty much the same on all the ships and will give them a unified feel. As well as getting the colors the same, it is usually a good idea to use some sort of special markings to show that the ships belong to a particular squadron.

 

There are various squadron markings you can use, some of which are shown here. You can vary the number of stripes on a ship’s prow to show its squadron, or use different colors to distinguish between your various squadrons. You can also use other markings such as colored spots, crosses, diamonds, etc. depending on how steady your hand is. Different areas of the ship could be painted in a squadron color too.

 

 

The above articles were from the early 2000's, so things like contrast paint have changed the dynamic.

[Fajita Fan]

^ I love when people paint their bases and stems with stars, I should someday. 
 

 

 

 

Contrast paints will rock the hell out of BFG ships. Ignore any old WD advice and use those.

I actually just got more white primer to do exactly that if I can get my ships stripped, I think contrasts and some simple drybrushing might be a pretty effective way nowadays.

 

 

Use the GW contrast primers, they're more gloss finish and 'slippier' if that makes sense. You'll have better results with the contrast. I dont even think you'd need the drybrush. just contrast, paint lights. 

 

 

I do contrasts right over metallic and plain white primer so far, GW rattle cans are pretty pricey.