Base Bath

 

That step when you bathe the base of a mini in glue then sprinkle on (or dunk in) your favorite true grit concoction...

I always love this step in the hobby process because you know the next step is priming the whole model, then basking in the transformation before you from such a simple thing. Spray paint.

I don't have an airbrush, so I'm trying to get the most mileage I can from the rattle can.

I'm still unsure about the Sector Imperialis terrain... I think I originally sprayed them cream / off-white to set them up for a messy enamel wash, but then never got around to picking up the wash. I do have a good selection of spray primer colors to choose from, so thought I would try a couple combos -- half starting from the off-white primer then the other half primed black. I then hit them sparingly with a tan color called "Down to Earth" to hit zenithal details & add shadows.

I was surprised by the black undercoat -- leaving the tops black created this burnt creosote effect that I'm really digging, and will probably lean into with another round of black spray...

But I also don't hate the off-white pieces, and think the washes and brush phase will really make these start to shine. Originally, I was going to paint the whole set the same way but I thought a clear winner would emerge by now, and honestly there's enough sectors of imperialis to have 2 separate bases so might just do both... What do you think?