In theory, painting the bone on a black knight mount should be rather simple as I have already established the color scheme for the army. The reality is that each new model brings with it a new set of challenges and considerations. The challenge with these models will be that without the riders on them to provide some color contrasts, I need to add a little more depth into the paint scheme for each horse in order to compensate for the size of the model and lack of contrasting colors. The reason I am thinking this is that my experience has shown that the bigger the model, the more layers are required. In this case, the model is not that much bigger, so the number of additional layers in comparison to my standard skeleton should not be that much.
The first few steps in the process were done with all five models in the unit at one time. Each model was cleaned using hobby files and knives. In a few places I added a couple additional knicks, the idea being that they would give the models a little more character and individuality. The models were then assembled using GW plastic glue.
Once the models were cleaned and washed in warm, soapy water. Each one was mounted to a 25mm x 50mm George Base using Elmer’s super glue gel. The glue was allowed to dry for a day as I decided at this point to work on other projects. The next day, I used GW fine gravel and Elmer’s white glue to base each model. Again, I let the models sit for a day, giving the glue plenty of time to dry.
With the glue dry, it was time to prime the models. I decided to use a can of the new GW white primer since I am trying to save the cans of older GW primer for models I need to make sure don’t flake. I placed the models on some cardboard in the garage and gave them a couple of light coats. The humidity was low when I primed them and the can had been give a good few minutes of shaking. Needless to say, I still got a little bit of flaking on a couple of the models. Fortunately it was only on a few small portions and in locations that were not visible from a normal gaming perspective. Still it annoyed me so I gave the sections a gentle wipe with a cotton ball dipped in acetone. (Note: This is the only time and way in my experience to use acetone on plastic models) It helped, but didn’t perfectly fix the problem. With the acetone dry/evaporated, I gave each model a “wash” of skull white (3:1, paint:thinner).
The next session with these guys involved giving them a nice solid coat of Vallejo Desert Sand 3:1 (paint:thinner) using a size 0 brush. When applying this coat, I went over the model in detail and tried my best to make sure the model was completely covered. At this point, I placed the models aside for the day. (In this case, the decision to put them aside was not to allow for an extended drying period. If other responsibilities hadn’t taken precedent, I would have only given the models about 15 minutes before applying the wash.)
The next time I returned to these guys, I decided to work on the base before returning to the actual model. I begin the process with a thinned coat of dark flesh (3:1 paint:thinner). I next give the model a drybrush of charred brown (4:1 charred brown: thinner). Next, I applied a layer of bestial brown (4:1 bestial brown: thinner) and then two layers of bleached bone (4:1 bleached bone: thinner). After painting the base this way, I realized I had deviated from the formula I used for all of the skeletons. The good news was that the bases didn’t really look different, so I felt okay with leaving them as they were painted.
Next Time: Give that Horse a Bone?!?!
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