I’m just past the year anniversary in my new house and have finally purchased my first piece of terrain. I was out on a relaxing Saturday shopping expedition and asked the wife to assist me in getting my groundcloth. We visited a fabric store and I finally settled on a couple metres of light green sweat pant material. One side of the fabric is smooth, the other side slightly fuzzy. The fuzzy side is the side I’ll be using.

When I had a chance I spread it over my gaming table to see how it looked. I even set out the miniatures I had painted for Battle of Five Armies, the 10mm scale Games Workshop game featuring the battle at the end of The Hobbit. I imagine once the movie is made I’ll have an easier time explaining it to people. Meanwhile both sides of the game have been painted for years yet I never played it. First I lacked the appropriately sized table, then I didn’t have a green cloth to play it on. Now that I’ve bought this cloth I hope to get a game in sometime soon, and when I do I will take pictures.

My plan with the cloth is to let it slowly accrue shedded flock and bits of Woodland Scenics coarse turf. To start it along I scattered a bunch of flock over the cloth then rolled it up. It needs a 1×1 piece of lumber to roll inside it so that I can store it upright, and I’m afraid when I do unroll it I’ll find it’s home to an infestation of earwigs, but at least I’m on my way. Next step, building some terrain.

Tyler

There are a bunch of different additives and mediums available for acrylic paint. They aren’t magic bullets and they aren’t indispensable. They are simply useful. Liquitex Slow-Dri is a useful additive that I’ve come to rely on more and more.

The first, and often only, use people come up for a drying retarder is to allow acrylics to be blended like oils. While this is respectable, it isn’t the only, or even best use available for the additive. Slow-Dri, like all drying retarders, slows the drying time of paint and allows the painter more time to accomplish whatever task they are attempting. This can include painting basecoats on rank-and-file figures. The following are some of the advantages provided by a drying retarder like Slow-Dri.

Any paint mix that includes Slow-Dri will stay open¹ on the palette longer. When painting a number of figures that require the same colour this is a great help, especially if the paint is a mix of colours that would be inconvenient to constantly renew.

Smaller, thinner brushes tend to dry quicker than larger brushes. This can be a problem when painting fine detail. Today I was painting some 1812 Brits and needed to paint some relatively fine lines on the crossbelts as a highlight. I used a thin #0 and mixed some Slow-Dri into the paint. This allowed me to make multiple strokes and achieve consistent, smooth lines without the paint drying in the brush. Later, when painting wood-grain I couldn’t managed a line of more than a centimetre until I added Slow-Dri to the mix.

If the brush is not cleaned often enough a clump of thickened, closed paint will form in the base of the bristles. While not fully hardened, this paint will not recover it’s properties with the addition of water and will effect the ability of the brush to both load and unload paint. I notice a stickyness to the brush while painting when this occurs. Even if the brush is washed frequently a little paint stays in it and builds up over a long painting session. Sometimes this is so bad that the brush must be cleaned with soap before it handles properly. Slow-Dri gives more working time between washing and reducing the chance that some of the paint will have dried in the brush and remain behind when washing.

Generally, acrylic paint is self-leveling. Given enough time the paint will automatically smooth out any brush strokes. Slow-Dri will give the paint more time to flatten out, leaving a smooth surface free of brush strokes.

This holds true with washes. Washes that dry too quickly don’t allow the pigments to settle to the bottom of cracks and recesses and are more likely to form rings of pigment around the washed areas. Adding a drop of Slow-Dri can really improve a wash’s performance.

All of the above can be achieved by adding a small drop of Slow-Dri when mixing paint. I fill an empty Vallejo bottle with Slow-Dri and add it as I need it. If you will never need the fast drying time required for glazing Slow-Dri can be mixed with your normal thinning mixture. If table space isn’t an issue, you can have a bottle of thinning mixture, a bottle of thinning mixture plus Slow-Dri, and a bottle of straight Slow-Dri. Just be careful as adding more than the recommended amount of Slow-Dri can have negative consequences; most commonly relating to the paint not drying.

Tyler

P.S. At the time of this writing I have received a small bottle of Liquitex Black gesso as a customer service gesture after letting them know I’d be repeatedly told by various stores that they had discontinued the product. Thankfully this wasn’t true. I like Liquitex because they provide a lot of free literature about their products and acrylics in general that has helped me to experiment and learn new techniques. I am not paid to endorse their products, they just happen to be the ones I use.

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1) Open is a term used here to refer to paint which hasn’t not tried to a point where it can no longer be used. This can happen before the paint has fully dried due to the nature of acrylics. Often once the paint has formed a thick skin it can no longer be used. Back.

I don’t like to review games without playing them. This is why, after purchasing it sometime in November last year, I haven’t written a review of Republic to Empire. After playing two games at Historicon I think I can give an honest assessment of the rules. For the record, I consider Barry Hilton and Clarence Harrison as “internet friends.” I was a fan of both of their gaming endeavors before receiving the rules. That being said, I don’t think it has affected my review. I will try to give details on the rules so that readers can make up their own minds.

The Book

Before you can understand the rules you must read the book. It’s the very first introduction to the game and it seems to have put some people off due to its sheer size. The book is a hefty 144 page, full colour, softcover. The key to its size is not the complexity of the rules, but the amount of colour photographs of wonderfully painted miniatures provided. Perhaps half of each page is pictures of miniatures, making the book roughly 72 pages of text. There is also a lot of explanations and examples given throughout the book reducing the number of pages of actual rules much less than the initial count would suggest.

I think the book is great. I like looking at pictures of games in action, it helps inspire me to keep painting for my own game. The book is well put together and layed out with excellent production quality. The book is priced to reflect this, but I appreciate the value of something that I can look at for reasons other than researching rules. Some people may disagree. At slightly over $50 CAD the book is not cheap and does not invite casual purchases. You either buy this book because you want to play the rules or you want something nice and wargamy to read. Either way, I think it is worth the money.

In addition to the rulebook a gatefold quick reference sheet (QRS) is provided. These six pages of charts replace the book during gameplay. This is great in theory, but it is a lot of charts and there is a learning curve when it comes to quickly finding the required chart. On the plus side, once this is mastered it really isn’t necessary to refer to the rulebook. The QRS is cumbersome and cannot compare to the simplicity of a single sheet QRS, but a single sheet simply couldn’t get the job done.

Command and Control

In the introduction to the rules, Mr Hilton gives command and control as one of his wargame hobby horses. When I first read the book I liked the detailed maneuver system but felt it was finicky and complicated. On my second reading I started to grasp the concept and was fully in support of the system. I felt that perhaps it played faster than it appeared. At Historicon this feeling was reinforced and amplified. After a short description of the rules all the players grasped the command system and started moving their figures. The only discussion became whether one order or the other was better for the current tactical situation. Moves were completed quickly and painlessly to the point where I wonder if the maneuver phase of Republic to Empire might be as fast as any wargame.

Essentially the movement system works like this: The main maneuver units are brigades. Players roll a dAv¹ for every brigade in their command. This is the amount of movement points the player has to work with during the turn. Working one brigade at time players decide if the brigade’s current orders are the one they want. If so, they pay to maintain them, make the movements allowed by the order with all the battalions of the brigade, then pay their remaining movement points to make any additional maneuvers they wish.

For example, on the Advance order the brigade may move their battalions however they wish as long as half the brigade moves at least a quarter of their movement towards the enemy. If the controlling player decides they then want to make additional movement with the brigade or individual units more movement points are spent. In practice this process flows naturally from deciding on a plan for the unit to executing it.

Brigadier quality can affect the number of movement points required to maintain or change a brigade’s orders. Higher command receive a set number of movement points depending on their quality which they can assign to brigades at the beginning of the turn. To which brigade and in which quantity are controlled by the command radius of that officer. Brigade and divisional integrity are maintained by requiring brigades to be within range of the divisional commander to change orders, and for battalions to pay additional movement points when they are out of their brigadier’s range.

During the game I soon found myself discussing the tactical need for maneuver, rather than the mechanical process. We were more concerned with deciding on the placement of our cavalry as a reserve, or how to move quickly across the bridge so we don’t create a traffic jam and be defeated before we even cross. To me, movement couldn’t be simpler without sacrificing the flavour of the period.

Formations are dealt with simply by using a form order and assuming that once the order is giving the battalion’s officers will take care of the rest. The usual suspects are in attendance, although Mr. Hilton does take some well-reasoned steps away from tradition with some of his formations. Why he does so is well explained in the book and worth reading with an open mind.

Multiple movements, called Exploitation Moves, at the battalion and brigade level are possible. They require large amounts of movement points but can turn the tide of battle if used correctly. In theory, soldiers can cover a lot of ground in the space of a typical wargame turn. In practice battlefield friction slowed down units that needed to maintain formation on terrain that rarely resembled the drill yard. Enemy fire and manuever, out-of-date orders from distracted commanders all conspired to slow down the speed at which formed men could travel. Exploitation Moves are used in Republic to Empire to represent those rare moments when skill, luck and circumstance aligned to allow grand, sweeping maneuvers.

All of this variety and detail exist in a system which allows a fast and transparent execution. At no point during the two games I played did the game mechanically bog down, for any reason in any phase. Turns flew by and the steps towards battle felt like a graceful waltz rather than the slow, boring slog they so frequently are.

Shooting and Combat Resolution

Shooting and combat are resolved using combat groups of four models. Each combat group generates one die, creating a base which is latter modified by various factors. The lists of factors seem massive at first glance but calm consideration reveals a secret. The charts are split between different unit types. Artillery and Infantry each have their own chart. Some modifiers are shared, some unique, and some effect artillery more than infantry or vice versa. By splitting the charts the QRF looks superficially more complex but is made simple in practice.

Shooting is very straight forward. After determining how many dice a battalion rolls every four or higher is a success. This translate directly into casualties on the target unit. Only when a unit has passed the 25% casualty mark do they start testing as a result of infantry fire, and only at 50% are stands removed.

While my initiation into Napoleonics was performed by one Bernard Cornwell I know that a rollicking melee was not as common as Richard Sharpe would have me believe. Republic to Empire deals with this apparently inglorious reality by making the lead up to battle interesting. If the French charge the British line, will they charge home in the face of the enemy’s volley or pull up short? How effective will that volley be, and will the British hold when they find that it didn’t stop the French? This drama is modeled by the rules with a number of command checks that require less time than it would seem. Since a 4+ is always a success and the modifiers don’t change the whole back and forth of seeing who will flinch first is quick and easy.

I’ve read some reviews that focus on the order system because it appears to be most complex. In reality, I think how combat is decided should be as important a consideration. I’ve played games where combats quickly became messes that slowed the game to a crawl and became so odious that players dreaded the phase. Republic to Empire keeps combat moving smoothly while still providing an interesting result.

Morale

Breaking the opponent’s morale is the key to winning at Republic to Empire. A broken army generates less movement points and become increasingly unwieldy. Units test resolve when certain conditions are met, such as receiving casualties from artillery or fighting close combats. As expected, close combat causes the most morale checks. The checks are fast and straight forward. Four or better after modifiers is a pass, anything less is a degree of failure. Units waver, retreat and route.

On Scales and Realism

Barry Hilton takes a bold and potentially unpopular stand when it comes to ground, figure and time scales. His rules on built up areas takes into consideration that troops didn’t fight over three houses representing a village, or a single farm with the scale footprint of a small town. His formations try to maintain historical and accurate dimensions while accepting the limitations of figure basing and the predilections of gamers. I think we all know that a single ranked unit would be more realistic in terms of depth to width, but we prefer the look of two ranks.

One thing to note about the rules is that there are no basing conventions. By counting figures instead of bases one could use figures mounted singly on 20x20mm bases against an army with 8 figures on a 60x60mm base. The small difference in frontage shouldn’t make too much of a difference to the game.

The rules are designed for large units in large armies on large tables because this is how Mr. Hilton likes to play. Playtesting was done with smaller forces on smaller tables and the game was found quite suitable. By modifying the rules slightly to accommodate smaller forces it’s possible to play interesting games with a couple of brigades per side. 28mm is the scale featured in the rules, though smaller scales would work fine by either increasing the number of figures in a combat group, or scaling the measurements to suit. There’s something very attractive about playing the game in 10mm using nearly 1:1 figure ratios.

In Conclusion

It took playing Republic to Empire to really understand just how elegantly it achieves Barry Hilton’s vision of a Napoleonic game which features realistic challenges to maneuver and command and control. After my first pass through the rules I considered Republic to Empire to be the game for detailed and intricate simulations and Black Powder to be for fun games of toy soldiers. Having played the game I discovered that Republic to Empire doesn’t have to be a brain burner. It can be a fun afternoon of pushing around figures.

Republic to Empire is available directly from The League of Augsburg or their US distributor, Eureka Miniatures USA. It takes some digging to find the rules on the Eureka website. I purchased the rules myself and no financial or other consideration was provided for this review.

Tyler

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1) dAv is an average die. In replaces the 1 with a 3, and the 6 with a 4. They are available online or at conventions, and can be simulated with a d6 as described above. One might try creating their own set by marking a normal d6 with an indelible-ink marker. Back,

As promised, here is my description of the game I played on my first day at Historicon. The game was Republic to Empire, presented by the writer Barry Hilton and graphic designer and artist Clarence Harrison. Barry Hilton is part of the League of Augsburg, a Scottish club that is frequently mentioned in hobby magazines as providing exception participation games at conventions. Clarence Harrison is a Virginian who began working with Barry on their previous ruleset, Beneath the Lily Banners, providing graphics design, art and rules feedback.

Unfortunately I do not have the memory to provide an accurate after-action report. With such a large group you tend to miss much of what your allies do since you’re all moving figures at the same time. I will do my best to give a feeling of the game. These pictures are from the 8pm game on Friday. It was my first time playing Republic to Empire, but I’d read the rules a couple of times.

During the game this monk wandered about the battlefield, followed by his faithful donkey. Small touches such as this lent a nice atmosphere to the game.

Clarence Harrison painted all the figures and built the table for the event. The game looked great. Here the French are in their starting positions on the Targus. This is two brigades of two battalions, with the second battalion starting off the table.

All the terrain, with the exception of the Games Workshop hills, were scratch-built by Clarence Harrison. You can see a step-by-step on Clarence’s blog and website.

For this game the Spanish began in the monastery waiting for Crauford’s Light Division to arrive. The scenario was based on a historical event slightly modified to create a better game. Essentially the British are retreating from overwhelming French forces and must hold this river crossing to prevent the French from overtaking them. Historical Marshal Ney saw that the crossing was held in strength and withdrew without a fight. In this scenario it is imagined that the French arrived early enough to try to force a crossing.

It was a lot easier to take pictures before the game. I was bouncing my flash off the, thankfully low enough, ceiling and it made my camera heavy and unwieldy. I was forced to put it down whenever I was moving troops.

Clarence’s bridge was beautiful with excellent weathering and detail. It was also constructed to be removable. Remember, in Spanish Js are pronounced like Hs.

The moderate telephoto of my 50mm lens shortened the perspective in this picture. The table is 6×8, and could easily work as two 6×4 tables. I wasn’t the only one taking pictures, though having tried to get some pictures without flash I felt bad for those that tried. It’s really hard to take pictures of games. Luckily the ceiling was the lowest of the entire convention, though still easily 10ft high. If I could, I would have loved to have both my flashes on stands in opposite corners of the table. I would have been able to use a smaller aperture and thus get better depth of field. I took around 80 pictures, which I’ve edited down to 14. This is excluding the pictures I took and immediately discarded.

Despite the large table the game moved fast, creating action quickly without the tedium of many turns spent only on movement. Everyone was able to get to grips with the order system which adds detail without overwhelming players in complexity. Generating movement points, maintaining orders and performing single unit orders and exploitations was much easier than I expected, even after reading the book twice. On first read it seems densely complex. On second reading you realize that it is really a case of “easier done than said.” Actually playing the game showed it to be even simpler and smoother than I was expecting.

Some nice surprises were planned by our Game Master, Barry Hilton. He did an excellent job of presenting the rules. He struck the perfect balance between explaining enough of the rules to get everyone going, and not giving us so much information that we retain nothing of what we’ve been told. He was an excellent Game Master and deserving of the award he won for it.

From this position the horse artillery was able to rush onto the small hill, unlimber and begin firing on the French across the river in the first turn. This is an example of the exploitation move which allows for the occasional grande maneuver. Although the French weren’t exactly happy, it felt appropriate.

As you can see, there were some very juicy targets for the horse artillery. Fortunately for the French their were in column of companies moving perpendicular to the line of fire. This prevented them from being considered dense targets.

Republic to Empire is a bucket of dice game that doesn’t really require buckets of dice. From a base number modifiers and multiplies are applied to determine how many dice are rolled, with 4+ required to hit. All modifiers are included in the GM’s screen, which comes with the game. On first glance it appears dense, but allows players to run the game without referring to their books. In reality it took a little less time to determine the number of dice to be rolled than it does in games such as Warhammer 40K.

Having bypassed the village defenders the French send in a force to secure their rear. After some sharp fighting it looked like the Americans were successful in holding the village. Unfortunately, although they repelled the French, they felt their position wouldn’t withstand another assault and retreated while the French were re-organizing.

The Fighting in Built Up Areas section of the rules appears to be an additional complication, but the abstraction Mr. Hilton employs makes the process of fighting over BUAs painless and straightforward. The round of combat took as long as a normal fight.

There was more to the game, but we end here for a couple of reasons. These are the pictures I consider acceptable, my flash batteries died, and my command finally made it onto the table. I’ll try to post some pictures from the second and third games I played. The second game was the same scenario with a slightly modified deployment and terrain layout and the third was a Battle of the Boyne scenario on the same table. That game was fought using the beta version of the second edition of Beneath the Lily Banners.

It’s not often that rules become more streamlined when they are made more realistic, but I feel that this is the case with Republic to Empire. I liked the detail in the ruleset when I read it. I agreed with Mr. Hilton’s goals to attempt a level of realism that is often missing in many games. The rules benefit from a strong vision of Napoleonic warfare coupled with an experience hand at playing games.

I would take any reviewer’s opinion with a grain of salt if they haven’t actually played the game a few times. Since Republic to Empire works with any basing standard, there just isn’t a good reason for not trying the rules. I was guilty of not playing the rules and liking it, but I don’t have any Napoleonic collection to use. Now that I’ve played it twice my appreciation of the rules has multiplied. Where before I wasn’t pushing the game on my club I’m now actively arranging a demonstration using other member’s collections.

Tyler

I’ve just arrived home from Historicon where I essentially spent the weekend hanging out with Barry Hilton and Clarence Harrison. On Saturday I played in one of their Republic to Empire games and decided that it was the best bet for a great game at Historicon and kept coming back for more. Also, at my painting speed it’s likely the only time that I’ll play this game in the next 10 years. I’ve been on the road since 9am and am working tomorrow. At some point this week I’ll write a report on my experiences at the convention. In the meantime, I leave you with this: We played five turns in two hours with about 20 battalions a side. Mr. Hilton’s rules are outstanding and Mr. Harrison’s miniatures and terrain were beautiful. I took around 150 pictures which I’ll edit down to about 20. I also have some pictures of the Perry twin’s Black Powder table which I will also share.

Tyler

This year instead of visiting Game Summit as a guest I’ve volunteered as an Ambassador in the Workshop section. Last year I had a great time attending workshops with Alex Nemes, practicing techniques on plastic Space Marines in the paint-and-take and competing in both the Golden Brush and Speed Painting Competition. I won both.

I had a great time and made some new friends at Game Summit, but if I have to be honest I felt that the Workshop was a distant fourth behind the Arena, RPG Den and Pavilion. This year is going to be different.

This year Alex Nemes is doing more than running a painting workshop, he’s running The Workshop entire. Under his leadership I am confident that the other areas of Game Summit will soon be jealous of The Workshop. He’s attracted new sponsors, secured new prizes and material. He is pouring all his energy into making Game Summit’s Workshop great and I’m happy to be a part of it.

In addition to all of this Mr. Nemes will be running a number of workshop to help painters of all levels improve. Even the most beginning painter who wishes only to field a minimally painted force in a minimum of time will benefit from Mr. Nemes’ teachings. To the right is a Chaos Warrior who’s flesh he painted in 20-30 minutes while discussing other painting concepts and also painting the cloak on another Warrior, seen below.

It was an informal planning session amongst the Workshop Ambassadors. We discussed the demonstrations and workshops we’d be running, and then Mr. Nemes showed us some of his techniques so that we could practice under his tutelage to make sure anyone coming to the paint-and-take will get the best, and consistent advice.

I’m sure Mr. Nemes won’t be thrilled I’m showing his work. It was rushed, using some old paints he’d borrowed from a friend that probably hadn’t seen a brush in over a year. Still, I’m not sure I could replicate these rough blends even now. My own attempt, the Ork Nob above, isn’t as smooth and has some issues with the placement of highlights and shade. Knowing the theory of highlight placement and actually putting it into practice are two different things. True improvement can only be made by applying theory, not just studying it.

It was really helpful to see Mr. Nemes’ brushstrokes. Watch it live communicates so much more in mere minutes than even the most eloquently written tutorial. Sometimes the smallest detail can unlock the key to massive improvements, something which can only be seen to be understood.

Tyler

Motivation failing. Want to paint Flames of War.

Now, more than ever, I am feeling the drag of dedicating myself to a single project. Even I’m losing interest in posting yet another image of partially painted Brits. Tonight I had no energy to paint but forced myself to paint the blue of the canteens and the beige breadbags. I’m glad I did. Even painting that little bit means that I’m a little closer to being finished.

I don’t even think it’s painting the same figures that is wearing on me. Rather it’s the lack of variety of blog posts that has me down. I hope, at least, that you found those few painting theory articles I’ve posted interesting. In reality, it means it’s been a while since I’ve posted WIP shots of my Brits.

For the next little bit I’ll only be sharing figures as I finish them. I’d like to start showing the unit as it grows, which is more interesting to me. I’ll also think of something else to talk about in the mean time.

Tyler

When I look back on my painting career I can trace the maturation of my painting style. From flood-washes and grainy drybrushing to edge highlighting to glaze transitions. When I started I thought highlights went on raised surfaces. This is not the worst way to paint but falls far short of reality. Reality, I have realized, is simultaneously the greatest army painter’s shortcut and competition painter’s distinguishing mark¹.

We spend out entire lives looking at things. Our brain is wired to notice contrast and interpret highlight and shade as three dimensional. Ever look at an aerial photograph of craters and think for a second that you’re looking at bumps?

If you tilt your head to the right until the light appears to come from the upper-left the craters your brain will start reading the craters for what they are. Our brains do this when looking at miniatures, which is why proper highlight placement is so important. With it the sparing, sharp highlights of the army painter make sense and the viewer will fill in any gaps. Without it the meticulous, seamless highlights of the showcase painter will look strange and wrong.

Now, I don’t have the space or energy to go into detail on every type of highlight. Sharp edges are highlighted differently than rounded curves. Cloth is different from metal. Daylight is different from a streetlight. Instead I will try to articulate some basic concepts behind the placement of highlight when painting a model. Specific situations can be covered later in specific articles.

Less is More Saves Time

No matter what you are painting an why, having to highlight less will save time and energy. At first this seems more important to the army than the showcase painter. In some ways this is true, but if you’ve ever tried to paint to a showcase standard you’ve probably experienced the fatigue that comes from realizing another little detail needs a highlight, midtone and shade.

Highlight only upwards facing edges and surfaces. Ignore surfaces that wouldn’t be catching any light, no matter how detailed. Shading will add depth there, not highlighting.

On the right is a figure I painted during a speed painting competition. I basecoated, shaded and highlighted the figure in an hour. I focused on the top of the helmet, shoulder pads, backpack and knees. I didn’t spend much time on the feet and resisted highlighting the top edge of the greaves under the knee. On the elbow that is visible I let the edge highlight trail off as the edge started facing down. It’s not the greatest model, but by focusing on only a few highlights I was able to achieve a smooth blend that probably cemented my first place finish.

Break Bad Habits

I started with Space Marines, back when I first discovered the hobby. Once I advanced beyond drybrushing I started picking out the edges. Every edge would get the same amount of highlighting, even the edge between the bottom of the greaves and boots. I thought it looked good, but struggled with the helmet. My little lines didn’t look so good up there and I didn’t know why. I thought I couldn’t make them thicker as thin lines didn’t show as harsh a transition.

Even more recently I started on the Dallimore Three-Layer style of painting. Every surface received a shade, midtone and highlight, even if it was downwards facing. It’s not like I could leave it undetailed!

I was so wrong, and sadly it wasn’t that long ago. Only very recently have I embraced the idea that highlights belong only where light would be hitting the model and should take on whatever shape is required to properly represent the highlight. Our brains interpret them as highlights and we don’t see any harsh transitions, just a three-dimensional object. It’s when highlights are placed incorrectly that we really notice them.

The Rule of Thumb

I can already think of a good number of articles detailing specific highlighting theory. For example, the exception where downwards facing edges can receive a highlight. In the meantime here’s a few things to keep in mind while highlighting:

1. Can you see the surface when looking at the miniature from the direction of the light source?
2. Flat surfaces receive the same amount of light over their entire facet.
3. Paint the entire miniature, not just each individual part.

The first one is simple. Remember that it’s a rule of thumb and that in a blue sky the sun isn’t the only light source. Look at the miniature from directly above and slightly to the side when looking for spots to put highlights. Depending on how many layers you plan to use highlight the surfaces that are visible from directly above and all directions that you are using for your light source the most.

A common mistake for large flat surfaces is to try to create a gradient on them. This can look good if done subtly, but if you’re only trying to paint a few unblended layers it won’t work at all. Simply treated like any surface, those flat planes facing upwards get a highlight. Those facing downwards get a shade. Pick out any upwards facing edges with an extra highlight and the result should be good. This is one I still struggle with and I haven’t had the opportunity to paint any vehicles or giant robots to test this theory on.

When trying to omit needless highlights it sometimes feel like you’re leaving the miniature unfinished in spots. Remember to step back from the miniatures, literally and figuratively and consider the whole. If there are nice bright highlights on the top of the shoulders is it important that the back of the knee is completely in shadow? If necessary, add an extra layer of shade in the deepest crevices, but if you have a gentle concave surface don’t be afraid to leave it plain.

Well, I hope that was helpful. I’ll be back with some specific techniques for dealing with glossy vs. matte and sharp edges vs. curves.

Tyler

 

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1) Art is always controversial and I know there are exceptions to any “rule.” There is even a style of highlighting where each individual muscle is highlighted as if it was lit by its own light source.

One of my pet peeves is trying to blend a heavy integral base into my preferred basing method. The majority of historical miniatures are cast with a thick base which rarely provides enough stability on its own. It does provide a large surface area for gluing, but often results in an unsightly lip on the finished base.

Lately I’ve been looking for ways to thin this base. For my WWII project I trimmed away the excess base, then ground away the depth with my Dremel. This was slow and messy work. I’m using a high-speed cutter bit in the Dremel and it seems that the soft metal has already dulled it, making the work even more of a chore.

With my 1812 miniatures I forgot about thinning until after I’d already painted eight miniatures. The Dremel was slow and messy. One small slip and the paintjob was ruined. In desperation I tried my razor-saw. I’d tried it before on the WWII miniatures with little success, but this time I stumbled upon a way to easily saw-off half a base depth.

When I paint I hot-glue two miniatures to a popsicle stick, then hot-glue that to a handle for painting. The miniatures stay there until painting is finished. I’d noticed that the Victrix miniatures were a real pain to pop-off the hot-glue. Normally metal miniatures come off easily, but not so with the plastic. After trying to saw the base off some painted miniatures without ruining my paint-job I thought that I could use the hot-glue as a vice. This way I wouldn’t have to handle the miniature and it would be held securely when sawing. The less something moves, the easier it is to saw.

It worked like a charm. The glue held while I sawed off the miniature. The finished edge was level and the bases will be much easier to blend into the base-work. Not only that, but it will be less of a struggle to get the miniatures off their painting stands after painting. I’ll just take the opportunity to thin the bases.

I’m looking forward to trying this with metal miniatures as well. I may need to score the bottom of the base so the hot-glue can do it’s job. Failing that, I can always use epoxy glue. After all, the part I’m gluing with be discarded, so it won’t matter that the glue is permanent.

Tyler