Following on from the last Step-by-Step on the deck and hull of the Retaj Portalship, Daz is back once again to pick up where he left off: the trimmings!

Adorned with vibrant bronze, gold and blues, follow along as Daz finishes the metalwork of his ship - getting it ready to launch into the seas of Dystopian Wars.

Gold Metalwork

Step 1 - To start, I made a mix of 50% Cygnus Yellow 50% Rhulic Gold to create a flatter more metallic yellow. Due to the traditionally weak pigment of both gold and yellow paint I applied this in two thinnish layers. Do not be tempted to go on thick with this as you'll be left with some nasty textures, unless you want it to look old and gnarly - in which case go for it!

Step 2 - To add shade and depth to the gold I made a wash of 50% Brown Ink 50% Caspian Flesh Wash and applied this quite heavily across the golden areas. Once saturated I pulled off any excess with a damp clean brush. You can use a hair dryer to speed up the wash drying process.

Step 3 - Next, I reapplied the base coat from Step 1 to tidy up and begin the highlighting process. I made sure that the darkest areas were left untouched to add contrast later.

Step 4 - I added 25% Radiant Platinum to the base coat mix and sketched in the next highlight. I concentrated on the edges and the large flat panels following the ‘dark next to light’ principals of NMM (Non-Metallic Metal).

Step 5 - Using pure Radiant Platinum, I finished the highlights. Once again, I concentrated on the edges and flat areas away from the recesses. Where dark and light areas met, I painted a thin line of Radiant Platinum to separate them and provide maximum contrast.

Step 6 - I applied a glaze of Bloodstone to smooth over the previous transitions and add depth to the shaded areas. Top tip - use your brush to push the glaze to where you want it to be the most concentrated rather than pulling the brush away from the target point.

Step 7 - Next, I applied a glaze of Umbral Umber into the recesses and darkest parts of the gold using the same method as the previous step.

Alternative View - Here you can see how the last two glaze stages really add depth and contrast to the gold.

Copper Metalwork

Step 8 - For the base coat I made a 50/50 mix of Skorne Red and Molten Bronze. Then, I added a spot of Umbral Umber to give the mix better coverage and applied the colour in two layers to ensure solidity.

Step 9 - For the first highlight I added around 25% Rhulic gold to the previous mix and applied this to any large upper areas of copper and along the edges to build definition.

Step 10 - I added a spot of Cygnus Yellow to the previous mix for the next highlight. I concentrated on the edges and any raised details that needed extra definition.

Step 11 - Using a wash of 75% Brown Ink 25% Turquoise Ink and I applied this liberally to the copper areas. Once applied I removed any excess with a damp brush.

Step 12 - Adding a spot of Radiant Platinum to our mix from Step 10, I applied a tidy edge highlight to the copper parts. I also picked out any fine raised details at this point.

Step 13 - Making a glaze of Red Ink, I then added a spot of the wash from Step 11 to deepen the tone. I then applied this sparingly across the copper areas, ensuring there was no pooling.

Blue Metalwork

Step 14 - To start, I applied a thin wash of Turquoise Ink across all of the blue areas to add a little depth to the individual plates.

Step 15 - To add some weathering at this stage I used Umbral Umber. I applied this with a rough piece of sponge, applying the sponge at different angles as I went across the model.

Step 16 - For the first highlight, I made a mix of 50/50 Trollblood Base and Menoth White Highlight, applying this neatly to all the hard edges and rivets.

Step 17 - Finally, I added 50% more Menoth White Highlight to the previous mix and concentrated on all the upper-facing hard edges and sharpest points. I also underlined all of the chips and dings to make them stand out more and sell the 3D effect.

And there you have it, a completed Retaj Portalship from the Retaj Battlefleet Set!

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