Why Painting Matters (Even If You Just Want to Play)

Painted miniatures make every game better. Not just aesthetically — though a fully painted army on a terrain-covered table is genuinely more immersive — but practically. Distinguishing unit types, identifying special figures, and reading the battlefield all become easier when your miniatures are properly painted. You don't need to be an artist. You need a process.

This step-by-step guide will take your 28mm infantry miniatures from bare metal or grey plastic to a clean, durable tabletop standard that looks great at arm's length.

What You'll Need

  • Primer — Spray or brush-on; grey or black depending on your color scheme
  • Base paints — 3–5 colors covering the main areas (uniform, skin, metal, leather, webbing)
  • A wash — Nuln Oil (black) or Agrax Earthshade (brown) from Citadel, or equivalent
  • A drybrush color — One to two shades lighter than your base
  • Matte varnish — Essential for durability
  • Brushes — A medium base brush, a detail brush, and a large drybrush

Step 1: Clean and Prep Your Miniatures

Remove mold lines with a hobby knife or file. These are the thin ridges left by the casting process, and they'll be highly visible after painting if ignored. For metal minis, wash in warm soapy water and let dry completely before priming. For plastic, a quick wipe-down is usually sufficient.

Step 2: Prime

Apply a thin, even coat of primer. Primer is not optional — it provides the adhesion layer that prevents your paint from flaking off the smooth metal or plastic surface. Hold your spray can about 25–30cm from the miniature and use short sweeping passes. Avoid thick coats; they fill in detail. Allow full drying time (at least 30 minutes) before proceeding.

Grey primer works well for brighter color schemes. Black primer suits darker uniforms and naturally provides shading in recesses. White primer is used when painting very bright or white uniforms.

Step 3: Base Coat the Main Areas

Apply flat base colors to each distinct area of the miniature. Don't worry about being perfectly neat at this stage — just get coverage. Work from largest to smallest areas:

  1. Uniform/clothing
  2. Skin (hands and face)
  3. Equipment and webbing
  4. Boots and leather
  5. Metal areas (rifles, buckles)

Thin your paints slightly with water (roughly milk consistency) for smooth coverage without obscuring sculpted detail.

Step 4: Apply a Wash

This is the step that transforms a flat base coat into something with depth. Apply a generous coat of wash over the entire miniature — or selectively over specific areas. The wash flows into recesses and creates shadows automatically, doing most of the shading work for you.

For WWII-era infantry in olive or khaki, Agrax Earthshade works beautifully. For grey uniforms or modern soldiers, Nuln Oil is ideal. Let it dry completely — at least an hour.

Step 5: Layer/Highlight

Re-apply your base coat color to the raised areas of each section, leaving the wash visible in the recesses. Then, optionally, apply a lighter version of the color to the very highest points. This "edge highlighting" technique is what separates tabletop-standard from display-quality, but even a single re-layer dramatically improves the result.

Step 6: Paint Details

Focus on the face — eyes, if you're brave, or just a highlight of flesh tone on the raised facial features. Paint metals with a dark metal base (Leadbelcher or similar) and optionally a drybrush of bright silver on raised edges. Paint any insignia, rank markings, or weapon details.

Step 7: Base and Varnish

Base your miniatures consistently — this ties your army together visually and helps them look like a coherent force. Apply PVA glue, dip in sand or basing material, let dry, then paint and drybrush the base. Add static grass or tufts for texture.

Finally, apply matte varnish. This protects the paint job during gameplay and removes any glossy sheen left by the wash. Two thin coats are better than one thick one.

Final Thoughts

Don't let perfect be the enemy of done. A fully painted army at tabletop standard beats an unpainted one every time. Follow this process, paint in batches of 5–10 at a time, and you'll have a force on the table faster than you think.