Scale Modeller Paints Tabletop Minis For the First Time | Star Wars Legion

[@i_am_stil_nameless.]

as someone who started out as a star wars legion player before getting into scale modeling I think it's really interesting to see that the scale modelers and miniaturepainters have surprisingly big differences in their techniques, mainly just in the tools they use and the millions different brands of paints anyways, thanks for this interesting view, love your videos

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks! It is amazing that we all find such different ways to paint little people!

[@jaimiewhiteside9358]

I'm primarily a miniature painter and found your channel because I was watching a lot of terrain making channels. This is a great video. It's very interesting seeing where the scale modelling and miniature painting skill sets overlap. More and more scale modelling techniques (oil and enamels) are being introduced to mini painters.

[@KathyMillatt]

I love seeing how other branches of modelling do things and then taking ideas into my own work.

[@ColonelSandersLite]

Funny thing - This used to be pretty much exactly the standard way of painting miniatures. It's the way my dad taught me when I was young. Only real difference is the acrylics didn't used to be popular. It was all enamel all the time (testors and humbrol and the like) unless you where into lacquers so there was more waiting for layers to dry. Think about the roots of this stuff and it makes a whole lot of sense. The typical gamer was something like a guy that was into model tanks or model cars or model planes or model trains and then got into DnD or something and found himself painting miniatures. Then something happened. A company, who will not be named, performed an epic dark ritual. They got marketing involved in mini painting. They pushed a pretty specific way of painting their minis with their specific product lines. Worse, they where virtually the only company around that insisted that you could only use their minis to play their games. So any dumb impressionable teenager could and did walk into their lairs to play their games and be bombarded with their models painted with their products by their artists in their specific style with their specific products which they could conveniently buy right then and there and so emerge a new cultist. The power of this dark ritual could not be contained. I think you know the name of the dread power of which I speak. For a very long time this point of view has dominated. Especially in the English speaking world. To be fair to them, they did do a lot of good. They got a whole bunch of people interested in leveling up their art skills and they helped them do it. My only real complaint is that they where careful to exclude anything and everything that they didn't sell themselves as a possibility unless it was an absolute necessity. Miniature painting is starting to undergo something of a renaissance now though as the vets are starting to dabble in other forms of art and they're bringing some of that knowledge back to the mini painting realms. Of course this has always happened to some degree but now they have a platform from which to be heard and an audience to hear them. I'll tell you what though. Want to see something completely different? Check out Dmitry Fesechko painting minis with oils. Not oil washes. Just, you know, oil paint. Like you use on a canvas. - v=mMFMFJQla6Y

[@jaimiewhiteside9358]

@@ColonelSandersLite oh yes 100%. I first started painting around 1990. And yes I was one of those impressionable youngsters. I had a break from painting at the usual time and came back to it a few years ago. The great thing these days is the amount of help and guidance available is astonishing. I'll check out your recommendation, I've been watching Marco Frisoni's channel NJM. He uses oils, inks, goache, etc.

[@WaylandersWandering]

I've been a tabletop wargamer for forty years and if there's one thing I've learned in all that time it's... They're your toys, paint them however you damn well please.

[@KathyMillatt]

That is great advice! Thank you.

[@TheColonelSponsz]

Very nice! I think you're now in a position to understand why there are so many "speed paint" techniques for miniature armies 😁

[@KathyMillatt]

Oh definitely!

[@joshuaburchett2938]

I will be utilizing the slap chop technique for Omega Squad which has blackened Clone Commando armor.

[@stephencameron4032]

Hi Kathy, great video, love the way everything came together, take care, all the best from Scotland, Stephen.

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@sleestack2723]

What a great video-love the openness from you in the video. Excited as always to see some of your WIPs and final products

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks so much!

[@mooglesmodelrailways]

I was briefly into DnD and Warhammer about 30 years ago. Had an undead army, all Games Workshop stuff. I remember gluing dozens of plastic skeletons together and adding shields and armour thinking 'cool' when I'd finished. Then thinking 'oh, I've got to paint all these now!' which took even longer. But that's when I learnt to undercoat in black and drybrush the colour on. Warning: it can get addictive!

[@KathyMillatt]

It is definitely addictive!

[@stephenrider6107]

You are a remarkable woman of many talents and I enjoy the projects you get yourself into!

[@KathyMillatt]

Thank you!

[@gungagalunga7761]

Love the tips! I'm watching your show because my son loves WarCraft but since he is serving in the US Navy active duty. It makes me feel closer to him and then I share what I learn with him when he finally comes home to do his modelling. Your tips are professional and appreciated from one old dad to pass to his adult boy. Thank you for sharing!

[@KathyMillatt]

Thank you so much. I’m so glad I can help in even a little way.

[@DarthMalaks_Missing_Lower_Jaw]

Great work, Kathy!

[@KathyMillatt]

Thank you very much!

[@i_am_stil_nameless.]

0.08 I get that that necron and middle space marine are from the start collecting guide, but I'm curious as to what that guy with the spear and shield is from, he looks really cool

[@CM-ARM]

Kathy it seems everything you touch comes out looking awesome. I just love your work. Keep having fun, Chris

[@KathyMillatt]

Thank you so much! 😁😁😁

[@SlamDuncify]

Welcome to mini painting. I’m an old crusty painter been hobbling for 37! Years to play on the tabletop. The great thing about it is paint em how you want. The best thing in the world is seeing how everyone paints they’re army. The only advice I would give is mini painters have a lot to paint so we try to get the best results versus time to paint. And you need some acrylic washes 😊 cheers and thanks for sharing.

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks so much! I have acrylic washes but I generally don’t like the way they dry compared to oils. Just personal preference as oils take soooo much longer….

[@malabuegirl]

Lovely as always

[@KathyMillatt]

Thank you so much 😊

[@ronm6585]

They look great Kathy. Thank you.

[@KathyMillatt]

Glad you like them!

[@ritasparrow3563]

I remember table top wargaming from way back when.Mostly 1.300 scale WW2 and Cold War,but some 25mm Napoleonic and Ancient.Great fun

[@KathyMillatt]

This is slightly bigger so easier to see at least!

[@FrankWarnerWords]

Hi Kathy, brilliant, looking so good. Looking forward to the terrains that you mentioned in last live. Thanks.

[@KathyMillatt]

Thank you!

[@diecast_MikeEspo]

WOW WOW and WOW . So KOOOOLLLLL !

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks! 😁

[@andrewrash1931]

Some other named 501st that I added to my legion army are Sgt. Denal who appeared in season 1 & 2 of the clone wars, as well as Redeye & Mixer who were the clones killed during that Mandalorian peace talks on the ship with the spider assassin droids.

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks! I do need to get a better list of clones for each battalion.

[@oldmanaz.6811]

We use acrylic wash and acrylic paints by Vallejo or other miniature paint producers. Oils do come into some people painting but rarely in mini painting. Also handles help to not rub off work. They do look good well done.

[@KathyMillatt]

Thank you. I’ve always preferred oil or enamel washes over acrylic because they flow so much better and my hand paints are all Vallejo. Just because something is rare doesn’t mean I won’t stick to it 😁🤣😁

[@WesternSignalman]

Those clones look awesome and I love the effort you into for research 😆 I was the same as you I painted my scout troopers the same as I would when railway or airfix modelling and although they came out pretty well but not quite the same standard as you see some of the table top models, I decided to try the method of priming black and then dry brushing white before painting the colours on top for my royal guards, I liked it so much I’m going to try the method on my layout now.

[@KathyMillatt]

It must take a long time to go white from a black base coat! It does give a great effect though.

[@WesternSignalman]

@@KathyMillatt true I haven’t braved doing any stormtroopers in that method yet

[@leonardocucchiara4782]

Thanks for the video! As a long time follower and a miniature painter myself it's really interesting to see you diving into these unknown waters. And I have to say you set yourself up for quite a challenge because white and yellow are by far the hardest colours to paint in miniature painting. I struggled with white for years and years until someone gave me an advice that literally changed the game for me and I so wished I had known this earlier! So if I may I'd like to give you that same advice. The major reason that white is hard to tackle is that all the white paints from the miniature paint brands are truly truly awful. They don't use true white pigment in their paints because it's extremely expensive. Instead they use substitutes which tend to turn chalky very quickly and also have poor coverage. Thats why sometimes when you paint white you feel like you need endless layers for the paint to cover properly. He said stop using these paints. Doesn't matter if it is Vallejo or Citadel or Army Painter... you name it. Get yourself good white artist paint like Schmincke or Faber Castell and thin it with white ink and flow aid. Using this paint was a revelation to me. No chalkyness whatsoever, beautiful smooth texture, good even coverage. 👌 Besides using a wet palette this was the most level up technique I ever discovered! Enjoy painting your army!

[@KathyMillatt]

Wow, that’s interesting and I’ll definitely have to look into that more!

[@rdc2724]

I've also build models on and off my whole life (I'm 58) but never made a figure. Recently I started with Bolt Action, a WW2 28mm tabletop game. I've just completed my first figure and I really had a lot of fun painting it and it turned out great! I've chosen to make thin transparant bases and I like them very much, when the figure is standing on for example a street you can hardly see the base!

[@KathyMillatt]

It is fun. I wondered about transparent but I want to magnetise them for transport so that didn’t work with acrylic bases. This gives me the opportunity to show off some vase techniques though.

[@rdc2724]

@@KathyMillatt Luckily I don't have to transport them so I don't have that problem. I have made my second figure today and to compare I temporarily glued this one to a non transparent base, and the difference is huge. I think the base distracts the eye from the figure. But that's just my taste, but to compare you could try one figure on a transparent base and see how it looks on the gaming table ....

[@monsvillerailways5736]

Nice work Kathy. Looks like a load of effort for each character. Are they the same scale to your gunship? Can you use them together? Have fun gaming with them. Monsville Railways

[@KathyMillatt]

Effort but fun! They are the same scale but the bases make me more likely to just use different SWL figures for that.

[@The_Rising_Ape]

To quote Obi-Wan, "You have taken your first step into a larger world." I think you've made a great first effort. A couple of tips if you'll allow me... the acrylic paint is coming off due to the oils in your fingers, either leave the minis on your priming sticks or get some nitrile gloves to avoid that issue. I would also make sure you thin your paints with a little water, they go on much smoother that way... in our hobby the phrase "two thin coats" has become a battle cry for a great many of us :) Can't wait to see your next foray into tabletop miniature painting and maybe a game or two. 💜

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks for the tips. I do thin my paints with water. All of them are thinned here. I still haven’t sussed how to temporarily tack them onto a base strongly enough to paint them but easily enough to get them off afterwards.

[@bryal7811]

Great first batch! There's lots of ways one can paint war gaming miniatures ('eavy metal, slap chop, or classic value painting method) but I wouldn't get too hung up on how miniatures are "supposed" to be painted. The skillset you used to paint the Mandalorian and Master Chief models can be used on these models too. That being said, if you're interested in further dipping your toes into mini painting, there's a really great video by Kujo Painting (Kujo Critiques - The Power Of Volumes) It's a great video that really helps articulate why so many mini painters pushed passed base coating and weathering!

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks. I will check the video out! I do love the skill mini painters have.

[@joshuaburchett2938]

I am predominately a miniature painter and am working to complete a Grand Army of the Republic using Star Wars Legion. My last couple of goals are to complete the LAAT gunship you did from Dark Fire Design and their AT-TE. I just watched your Gunship video. I will use that info for when I get the model from Etsy. I love the Clone Wars along with the Clone Troopers too.

[@KathyMillatt]

Brilliant! I want to do their AT-TE too.

[@carlstanford7607]

Great video and fantastic job painting minis for the first time. Enjoy playing with the miniature techniques/ paints. They exist for a reason just like with scale model techniques. Underpainting with speed paints is awesome (also called slapchop) for armies. Have fun with the process/ experimenting and keep going.

[@KathyMillatt]

I tried speed paints once so I do have a set but the white here seems hard with them.

[@troughtonchard]

Very nice…. Playing legion and imperial assault means I have painted many many clones and imp stormies….a real pain, especially (as you say) when arms , legs or heads fall off because the plastic doesn’t like the glue you’re using. Sometimes null oil from citadel is your best friend for filling those small black gaps. Great stuff as always Kathy hope you get to do some of the separatist army too

[@KathyMillatt]

I do have a lot of Separatist too but I’m doing my Republic army first. I’m looking forward to playing Spec Ops too.

[@brianmicky7596]

Hi Kathy Mistress, You just amaze me , can't wait for the next instalment, All the best Brian 😍

[@KathyMillatt]

Thank you! 😊

[@Snowdragon.]

Kathy if you ever have time, it would be cool to see you make a mini Star Wars chest set

[@KathyMillatt]

I have a few crates designed for my upcoming Kickstarter so you will see them in a diorama soon.

[@monham5041]

Good job Kathy. 😀

[@KathyMillatt]

Thank you! 😃

[@dougsundseth6904]

For cleaning up the mold lines on soft plastic figures, my best results have been achieved when I use a scalpel to shave the plastic off rather than trying to use a file or sanding stick. YMMV.

[@KathyMillatt]

That’s interesting. Thank you.

[@sirbachelorboredmen1314]

I very much love your narration, it's very passionate sounding lol

[@KathyMillatt]

Thank you so much!

[@AzraelThanatos]

For a black cloth, I've found that it works best to start with a dark grey, a slight highlight with a slightly brighter grey, then damp it down with a black ink wash (Between 1/4 to 1/3 black ink with the rest water). While I haven't done that with Legion as of yet, I'm working through a fantasy medieval army that's in a lot of black and white cloth. The brighter the highlight on black cloth, the more worn it looks as you go.

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks. These are mostly dark greys but they are dark nearly black. The trouble is there’s so little of the black showing, it’s mostly just in the undersuit.

[@AzraelThanatos]

@@KathyMillatt I was mainly meaning with Rex's Kama when you commented about it rather than the undersuit which isn't normal cloth if I remember right. I keep wanting to do a GAR force, but I'm kind of still dealing with some burnout from when I blitzed through an Empire force a few years ago. That was painful, but I did get a pretty easy way to do them that looked rather battleworn. Mid grey for primer, did the black and a basic undercoat of white for the armor before giving an all over wash before going with white drybrushes and then touching up the black and a light highlight of a gloss white.

[@KathyMillatt]

@@AzraelThanatos that makes sense. Yes his Kama may need a bit more work. The volume can seem overwhelming.

[@gabrielnguyen5580]

looks great

[@martinevans9757]

Congrats on entering the unending financial rabbit hole that is tabletop wargaming! Your first squads look great. Be assured, there's hardly a gamer out there who doesn't hate painting white armour with a passion. When I paint Stormtroopers, I start with a grey or tan base layer, then airbrush lighter layers, targeting the uppermost surfaces, until I get to white. Saves me a lot of time, and keeps things neater, because I can reduce the amount of brushstrokes needed to get to white. (Some selective edge highlights with an O brush is all I need.) There's a lot the scale model crowd can teach miniature painters. Also a big fan of oil and enamel washes on minis. Try Tamiya Weathering Master colours for really fast highlights on guns, pouches, backpacks, etc. :)

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks for the encouragement. I like the idea of a top down spray of a lighter colour. I do have a set of Tamiya eyeshadows (or weathering powders) but I’ve never really used them. I can see I will have to dig them out again.

[@ScaleMarkModels]

Great job, they look brilliant. 👍

[@KathyMillatt]

Thank you so much!

[@nekkidnora]

Look at all these handsome tiny boys!

[@KathyMillatt]

I do love me some clones!

[@TylerProvick]

Btw, some people are likely to comment that your basing doesn't match. This is another dogma. Feel free to ignore it. Yes - basing can pull an army together but unless you are playing on a specific table that matches your specific bases it's going to look weird anyway.

[@KathyMillatt]

I have the same thought. They don’t match the table I play on but I don’t want to do Geonosis. As a KZbinr, this gives me an opportunity to do loads of different terrain options.

[@jhoodfysh]

Nicely done Kathy, I do not play the games, but I have often thought about buying a mini set just for the fun of painting. I watch Jon Bias and James of Brushstroke Painting Guides to learn. Thank you for sharing, I appreciate it.

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks for the names. I’ll check them out. I must admit I bought them as much to paint as Play but I am enjoying playing too.

[@MSnell]

Welcome to Legion! If you really want to expand and customize your army, the 3D printing scene for this game is incredible. Check out Dark Fire Designs, Skull Forge Studios, and Anvilrage Studios, just to name a few. Pretty much any character you can imagine has been sculpted by someone in Legion scale at this point.

[@KathyMillatt]

I’ve already printed a tonne of 3D stuff for my dioramas but they will end up on the tabletop too. Is that a Gungan army I see on the side? 😁

[@docroberts1988]

Love it . I started a set of Legion but stopped as they were a bit small for me to see (half blind doesn't help lol ) I wish I had your skill set , I have tried a few different magnifiers but none are just right for me to get into the details ..

[@KathyMillatt]

I can never decide whether to take my glasses off or leave them on but I see a magnifier in my near future.

[@clonetf141]

Although its mot your style and prefered method of painting, I still recommand looking at how wargamers in general paint armies and their models. Its interesting, since we took oil amd enaml paints from scale modellers and use them slightly differently. Usually we use them for weathering and specific types of shading

[@KathyMillatt]

Very true. I’ve tried contrast paints and I probably need to find a quicker way given how long oils take to dry…

[@RobA500]

Nice work Kathy. How about doing the Bad Batch at some point with their more individual look.

[@KathyMillatt]

Great idea! I have them printed and primed and their ship half done so they are coming.

[@RobA500]

@@KathyMillatt Great, looking forward to that. I've been watching the new series streaming now.

[@musoseven8218]

Another great video👍✌️💜😊 I would have probably airbrushed on a matt or satin black as a base coat/primer so that all the "panel gaps" were done then layered/dry brushed on, either with airbrush, or brush, the whites on top 🤔👍💜 I admire your tenacity! I've always pondered similar, my brother used to paint LotR's figures and D&D figures, I'd be painting military models - different techniques. As you say though therapeutic 💜 I've looked longingly at Flames of War etc - although Im partial to Starwars, LotR's et al too. But I've not enough time and energy for my long term model railway aspirations and in a larger scale lots has to be built even for a modest layout. Ive also three RC boats to finish and two RC cars too🙄😄 More than I can chew? Probably and although I've been model making for 50 plus years, I never seem to speed up as I love trying new techniques etc and working through happy accidents 🤔😊😊💜✌️

[@KathyMillatt]

I love trying new techniques too and that does take more time. There just isn’t enough time in the world to build all the models.

[@musoseven8218]

@@KathyMillatt ✌️💜😄😄

[@douglasboyle6544]

"Starship Filth", thanks that's my band name now ;)

[@KathyMillatt]

It’s a great name 😁

[@pandamoto9790]

These are amazing !!! What blue color did you use ? Its perfect

[@KathyMillatt]

Thank you! It’s intense blue by Vallejo.

[@ericloken7445]

I've seen different attitudes towards minis painting : 1. Quick and simple - it's just meant for a game, they're gonna get banged up, knocked around, and dropped, so why bother getting fancy? An attitude i understand, but could never bring myself to adopt. 2. Looks good on the table, but don't look too close - similar to the first, it goes for something that looks good in the game, and takes nice photos from a distance, but up close they don't look so good. This is a quicker method, or good for people with less steady hands or poor eyesight (like myself). Interestingly this was used often for TV and movie special effects miniatures in the 20th century, it was easier and quicker which is of course important for a shows budget, and the resolution of the cameras - and TVs - of the day meant no one could tell the difference anyway. 3. High grade - these are highly detailed miniatures, whether just a grunt trooper or the hero commander, they are all done to the best of the painter's ability. I've seen some stuuning work. Of course when you drop one and it bounces off the table and lands on the floor... that is less good. 4. Mixed quality - probably one of the most common methods. The grunt troopers get simple paint jobs, they look good from a distance, but they aren't special and nobody cares. Then there is the more important units; vehicles and characters, or elite units. These get more attention, more effort is made to make them look good. And then - for some games - there is the centerpiece models: the dragon, the Imperator Titan, the Avatar of Khaine, the Demon Lord, whatever. The one (at most three) big model(s) that are the core of your force, meant to cause fear in your opponent, and to look gooood while doing it - those get maximum effort.

[@KathyMillatt]

I’m just grateful that clones are relatively simple. A dragon… that’s way harder!

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

This is how it starts. Next thing you know you'll be playing DND and legion 8 days a week

[@KathyMillatt]

I wish I had the time! I’m sticking to SWL for now but I need to play a lot more to be good.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

@@KathyMillatt I know the problem. There aren't enough days in the week!

[@latexborg]

Hello Kathy. What is the glue I saw you using. Another nice video

[@KathyMillatt]

I use a lot of glues. I guess this video was Tamiya Extra Thin cement.

[@herrofrwiends8475]

Could I have a link to everything u used, where u got the troopers. Please. I’m just getting into the hobby any advice?

[@KathyMillatt]

I used to put links up for everything but it took ages and no one really clicked on them so I stopped. The troopers are Star Wars Legion figures, the paints are Vallejo and Mr Color and the oil washes are artists’ oils.

[@herrofrwiends8475]

@@KathyMillatt thank you so much, I can figure it out from there. I really like your content, I have learned a lot. ❤️

[@shaneflickinger]

Pretty good for your first tabletop miniatures.

[@KathyMillatt]

Thank you so much!

[@mr.commonsense]

Damn!

[@ColonelSandersLite]

I'm thinking that shirt should go something like - Measure Measure Cut WAT??? Measure WTF??? Cut Measure AKLSJDHASDF

[@KathyMillatt]

I feel like that some days!

[@orion9026]

Wait did you not give Hardcase the Z-6? But that's like... Treason, or something!

[@KathyMillatt]

He doesn’t have it in the episode! Plus I rarely take the Z6 in game so he wouldn’t make it to the table.

[@orion9026]

Oof

[@vezhopkins714]

ace minis I dont think I would have the patients for them though XD

[@KathyMillatt]

It’s part of the fun but they do take time.

[@bugrahangunell]

Kathy i want to paint like you please teach me 😭

[@KathyMillatt]

That’s what the videos are for!

[@TylerProvick]

Welcome to miniature wargaming

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks! It’s been fun so far.

[@robertjensen1438]

Just a comment for the algorithm

[@gerdeguelle1967]

Nice videob

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks!

[@tobygreen7116]

paints models white looks blue damn illusions are crazy!!!

[@KathyMillatt]

Aren’t they just.

[@daveyjones5702]

this might be of interest: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6CxY6CVmJKqnLs this guy is a model builder too, and came up with this to paint the military figures that come with tanks and such. they are roughly the same scale as your SW: legion figures. also: as primarily a terrain builder (who does not yet own an airbrush) , i find dry brushing to be one of the most useful techniques in painting figures. an approach that has worked for me is: base layer > wash > several layers of dry brushing > if it turns out looking chalky perhaps a glaze to soften things out a bit. imo figures look best with exaggerated shades and highlights, and minimized weathering.

[@KathyMillatt]

Thanks! I’m afraid I think weathering and less dramatic paint effects are my style.

[@daveyjones5702]

​@@KathyMillatt i wasn't really talking about stylistic effects with that comment. what i meant was that there is a difference in the way the eye responds to figures vs larger objects. with figures it seems weathering is amplified and contrast is diminished vs painting larger objects, particularly at the typical viewing distance of a tabletop.