Here on the Warcradle Studios Blog we are continuing to showcase Showdown at Retribution with another Step-by-Step.

Following on from the previous Step-by-Step on Tesla’s Head, Daz has continued to work on his Nikolai Tesla from the new Wild West Exodus Two Player Starter Set. This time, it's the turn of Tesla’s torso.

Have you picked yourself up a copy of Showdown at Retribution and want a little inspiration on how to paint your leader of the Union? Well, follow along with Daz and your Tesla’s armour will look just as striking!


Step 1: To start with, I applied a 50/50 mix of Umbral Umber/Heartfire as a base coat for the areas that will be gold. I made sure to leave a thin black line between the segments and the blue armour to aid with clarity and contrast later.

Step 2:  Then, after adding 25% more Heartfire to the Step 1 mix, I sketched the first highlight  in with the light source slightly off centre to add a little more interest.

Step 3: I then added a further 25% more Heartfire to the mix and refined the highlight areas.

Step 4: The next highlight was just pure Heartfire which I applied inside the areas I’d previously highlighted in the past steps.

Step 5: Next, I sketched in some rough light points with Cygnus Yellow.

Step 6: I highlighted the light points with an equal parts mix of Cygnus Yellow, Menoth White Highlight and Vallejo Fluro Yellow for some added punch.

Step 7: The final highlight was a Menoth White Highlight that I applied to the edges of the gold and the light points. 

If you want you can also add chips and extra light points to the armour at this stage.

Stage 8: Finally, all the edges and light points are tidied and then edged with Menoth White Highlight to clean them up. 

Job done!


Here we have the finished result, a fully painted Nikolai Tesla by Daz.


How do you think Daz’s Nikolai Tesla is coming on? Make sure to check out the first Step-by-Step on Tesla’s head and keep an eye on the Warcradle Studios Blog for more.

Have you picked up a copy of Showdown at Retribution yet? You can pick up a copy from your FLGS or Wayland Games online.

Make sure to share your progress on your Showdown at Retribution miniatures with us over in the official community channel for Wild West Exodus, The Dark Council.