WIP: Cawdor Gang Basecoat

One of the things that drew me to Cawdor was their compelling backstory. There's something interesting about a group of religious zealots running around the underhive "purifying" infidels. I also happen to be a sucker for mid-90s GW minis, and these Alan Perry sculpts are certainly no exception.

When I started this project, I decided to name the gang the Crimson Brotherhood. I wanted them to have a monk-like feel rather than the court jester vibe they give off on the cover of their box. To represent this, I chose a dark red color scheme combined with earth-toned accents:

I ended up disassembling the Heavy for ease of painting:

The tunics are Vallejo Model Color (VMC) Burnt Cadmium Red (814). Pants are a 1:1 ratio of VMC Burnt Cad and VMC Red (926). It's a little difficult to make out in the pictures, but the Burnt Cad and Red combo makes the pants just a shade lighter than the tunic.

Boots, gloves, and masks are Citadel (GW) Scorched Brown, while the gaiters and undershirts are Vallejo Game Color (VGC) Khaki. Belts and pouches are VGC Earth.

Rope is VMC Sand Yellow (916), which is a little too bright for my tastes and will be toned down in future stages. The skin is a 1:1:1 ratio of VGC Dark Fleshtone, GW Rotting Flesh, and GW Bronzed Flesh.

Hair is GW Snakebite Leather, which ended up redder than I thought it would. I'm still going back and forth on it, but it might be funny/cool for the Crimson Brotherhood to be an all-ginger group of religious fanatics.

Metal objects have been given a basecoat of GW Chaos Black. I've decided to go with a faux non-metallic metal (NMM) look, so these parts will get a coat of either a grey (gun barrels and knifes) or camo green (gun casings and canteens) later on.

It's worth noting that once dispensed onto a wet palette, all paints are watered down in a roughly 1:1 ratio with an acrylic solution comprising distilled water, flow-aid, and slow-dri, also known as "Gunk."

Watered down like this, the paint can require several passes before you get a good, even coat (VGC Earth was especially tricky), but you end up with solid coverage and the mini's details intact.

Next up: shading and progress on the gang's bases.

So, until next time, keep painting!