It's time to take a break from politics. So I'm posting a step-by-step tutorial on painting a Tau Fire Warrior in my Ice Planet theme. I prefer to paint the pieces first, then glue them together. This allows me to get into the little nooks and crannies that form when you assemble the Fire Warrior. The only pieces I've glued together are the torso to the legs, since that doesn't cover anything. Here's a Fire Warrior fresh off the sprue.


I start by base coating the model with black primer. I prefer black to white primer, since I layer and dry brush up from a dark base to create the shadows in the model. White works better if you start with a light base and then use inks or washes to create the shadows. Since the jumpsuit of the Fire Warrior is black, I do a light dry brushing of Codex Grey over cloth of the model. It's a very subtle highlighting of the pleats in the clothing. I use Citadel Paints, since that's what was at the store when I bought my models, and I've stuck with them to keep consistent colors.


The next step is to paint the gloves, boots, rifle barrel, grenades, antenna, and Tau symbol Regal Blue. This provides the foundation layer of all the blue in the model. Note that on the gun barrel, I've left the seems black.


Now I do a heavy dry brushing of Ultramarines Blue on the gloves and boots. This gives them a nice, icy blue color while leaving shadows in the recesses. Because the model is so small, it is necessary to paint the shadows into the recesses and folds in order for it to be noticeable when viewing at a distance. I layer the rest of the dark blue with Ultramarines Blue. Since the rest of the blue is over hard plates, I leave a sharp, defining edge, rather than blending into dark.


Now I paint the main armor and backpack Codex Grey. Again, since the armor is a hard material, I leave a sharp edge, rather than shading, which is best used on natural materials, like cloth, flesh, or fur.


Next I do a layer of Skull White over the Codex Grey. This should be a smooth, solid white. I paint it on pretty thick so that none of the grey shows through.


Most of the painting is complete. What's left are the glowy bits. These are done in neon orange, just like the Ice Planet LEGOS. Parts of the antenna, the photon grenades, and the lenses on the rifle and helmet are painted this way. The first part of this is to paint them Scab Red.


Next I layer them with Blazing Orange. The layering here is a bit more exaggerated than in the rest of the model. For the larger glowy surfaces, there should be a bit of Scab Red on the edges.


Add a third layer, this time of Fiery Orange. This should very obviously only cover part of the Blazing Orange. Follow the contour of the surface getting painted, shifted to one side as though light were reflecting off of it.


The last step in painting. On the largest glowy surfaces, the large lens in the helmet and the power globe on the rifle, put a tiny dot of Skull White. This is the specular reflection off the glassy surface, and makes it look brighter and more reflective. This dot should be on the Fiery Orange, off to one side, based on the contours of the surface. Think of how light reflects off a Christmas ornament. This is also the point where I paint the Tau sept markings onto the Fire Warrior. I use Brazen Brass, and put markings on the right side of the helmet and rifle barrel, as well as the bottom of the left shoulder plate. I give all the Fire Warriors in a single squad the same sept markings.


That's it. The model is fully painted. Now, it is time to assemble the Fire Warrior. Glue the body to base (I've prepared a base ahead of time) and glue the antenna to the helmet.


Next glue the backpack to the model. If you are using a standard white glue, you will have to wait for the glue to dry between these steps, to prevent knocking parts off while you try to add new parts.


Glue the arms and rifle to the body.


Lastly, glue the grenade pack and head to the body.


The Fire Warrior is finished, and ready to charge into the fight. For the Greater Good!