Happy new year! I’ve got a little flurry of posts planned, and this one happened to be ready first.
My recipes for Deathskulls Killa Kans are almost identical to the ones I use for Ork Boyz, but with some tweaks and additions at the weathering stage.
- Deathskulls blue armor/plates: Pick a recipe:
- Macragge Blue > Nuln Oil > Calgar Blue > Fenrisian Grey
- Kantor Blue > Nuln Oil > Caledor Sky (note this is a base paint) > Teclis Blue
- Thousand Sons Blue > Nuln Oil > Ahriman Blue > Temple Guard Blue
- Hoeth Blue (note that this is a layer paint) > Drakenhof Nightshade > Hoeth Blue > Blue Horror
- Thunderhawk Blue (note that this is a layer paint) > Nuln Oil > Russ Grey > Fenrisian Grey
- Trademark blue “hand”: Caledor Sky > Drakenhof Nightshade > Teclis Blue > Lothern Blue
- Metal: Leadbelcher > Nuln Oil > Ironbreaker
- Dirty metal: Leadbelcher > Agrax Earthshade > Ironbreaker
- Brass/bronze: Warplock Bronze > Agrax Earthshade > Brass Scorpion
- Skull decorations: Celestra Grey > Agrax Earthshade > Ulthuan Grey > White Scar
- Actual skulls: Corax White > Agrax Earthshade > Corax White drybrush
- Horns: Zandri Dust > Seraphim Sepia > Ushabti Bone > Screaming Skull
- Pink missile: Screamer Pink > Carroburg Crimson > Pink Horror > Emperor’s Children
- Misc. wires, lenses, etc.: These are a mix of Averland Sunset, Mephiston Red, Moot Green, and Abaddon Black > Agrax Earthshade > highlighted accordingly with Yriel Yellow, Evil Sunz Scarlet, Moot Green, and Eshin Grey; then add dots of White Scar to the lenses
- Snail on Skraggit’s base:
- Body: Screamer Pink > Druchii Violet > Pink Horror > Emperor’s Children
- Shell: Averland Sunset > Agrax Earthshade > Yriel Yellow
- Eyes: Moot Green > Agrax Earthshade > Moot Green > White Scar gleam
- Mushroom stems: Celestra Grey > Agrax Earthshade > White Scar
- Mushroom caps: Mephiston Red > Agrax Earthshade > Evil Sunz Scarlet
- Weathering and embellishments: These steps all happen after the rest of the mini is 100% done (including highlights); not every Kan uses all of them:
- Checks: Macragge Blue and Corax White; I wrote a little guide for these
- Hazard stripes, missile spirals, “hazard cables”: Averland Sunset and Abaddon Black > thinned-down Agrax Earthshade wash if it feels necessary
- Battle damage: Pick and choose among these options:
- Edges: Tiny dot/line of Rhinox Hide > mirror the same shape with a line underneath it of Calgar Blue/Caledor Sky depending on the Deathskulls Blue I chose (Warhammer TV reference video)
- Bullet holes: Some of the Kan parts come with bullet holes in them; highlight the edges of the hole in the appropriate color (e.g. Calgar Blue), then apply Leadbelcher to make it look like the paint was blown away
- Dirty chipped edges: Sponge the edge with Rhinox Hide > extremely lightly, and using a long segment of sponge, apply Leadbelcher to the same edge; don’t overdo it or it’ll look like you shat glitter all over the model (see the second segment in this WHTV video, or this one around 11 minutes in)
- Scratches down to bare metal: Line of Abaddon Black > thin line of Leadbelcher partly overlapping it but also underneath it (Brush & Boltgun tutorial)
- Built-up rust: In spots where it can accumulate over a long period, such as on and around bolts, apply thinned-down Skrag Brown
- Verdigris: Nihilakh Oxide
- Grime: Sponge on Rhinox Hide (I mainly do this on blocks of white and portions of the feet)
- Caked-on grime: Typhus Corrosion, in moderation, along areas of the feet
On my first Kan, Mukkit, I did dirty metal (Leadbelcher/Agrax) everywhere except the weapon arms and the viewport panel, and plain metal (Leadbelcher/Nuln) on those. I thought that might be a fun effect, as the “working” areas of the Kan would be dirtier in real life, but after all the finishing and weathering steps it’s pretty hard to spot unless you’re looking for it.
Like everything else about Killa Kans, painting them is a hoot. This is one of my favorite 40k kits I’ve built so far.