How to Paint Aeronautica Imperialis

-


Aeronautica Imperialis Painting Guide – How I Paint Warhammer 40k Aircraft 

Aeronautica Imperialis is a specialist game set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, focused on fast-moving aerial combat between iconic factions. In this guide, I’ll show how I paint Aeronautica Imperialis aircraft using a simple, repeatable method designed for epic scale miniatures. These models are very different from standard Warhammer 40k or Age of Sigmar figures, with large flat panels, clean surfaces, and mechanical detail that require a more controlled approach to painting.

Aeronautica Imperialis miniatures are produced at epic scale, with a human figure standing roughly 6–8mm tall compared to the 28–33mm heroic scale used in most Warhammer ranges. Because these models represent aircraft rather than infantry, they rely much more heavily on smooth basecoats, controlled shading, and clean highlights to achieve good results.

These aircraft can also be used in Legions Imperialis, making them a flexible part of the wider epic-scale Warhammer range.

Most of my Aeronautica aircraft were painted using a combination of clean basecoats, careful recess shading, and drybrushed highlights. This approach works particularly well at this scale, providing a fast and reliable way to define panels, pick out detail, and produce clean, well-defined models.

It is a quick, reliable process that produces clean, consistent results. It can be applied across the full range of Aeronautica aircraft and adapts easily to a wide variety of colour schemes. If you are already familiar with the core painting workflow used on this site, this method is simply an adaptation of those same principles for vehicle-scale models.

I intend to continue adding material to this guide as time passes.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support the blog at no extra cost to you.

Brushes and tools used

The Citadel (synthetic) brushes are good relatively inexpensive brushes that I use for most of my basecoat and shading work. When I move onto highlights and detail and then switch to the more expensive Raphael and Windsor & Newton brushes. 

Recently, I bought a set of Army Painter Hobby Starter brush set (Amazon Affiliate Link). This set contains a Small Drybrush, Fine Detail & Standard (Medium) Brush. They are relatively inexpensive and are great for batch painting.

Brush care:

Once I’ve finished painting, I always clean my brushes with this to keep them in good condition.

Priming Sprays:

Adeptus Astartes

Space Marine aircraft rely on bold colours, clean panel work, and strong highlights to achieve a clear, consistent finish.

Ork Aircraft

Ork aircraft favour rougher finishes, strong clan colours, and simple techniques that emphasise character without losing overall consistency.


Aeldari Aircraft

Aeldari aircraft benefit from smooth basecoats, precise highlights, and clean lines to reflect their sleek, advanced design.


Tau Aircraft

Tau aircraft work best with smooth, controlled application of colour, focusing on clean panels and subtle shading.


Necron Aircraft

Necron aircraft rely on simple colour schemes and controlled metallics to produce a clean, coherent and durable finish.


Terrain - Epic Scale

Epic scale terrain benefits from simple textures and drybrushing to create clear, effective results at a small scale.

Aeronautica Imperialis Bases

Aeronautica bases should be clean and minimal, supporting the model without drawing attention away from the aircraft.


Related Articles


Discussion

Are there any guides you would like me to add to this hub?

Let me know in the comments, I’d be interested to hear what’s worked for you.

Happy hobbying!

If you’re enjoying the content, feel free to follow the blog, it really helps and keeps you updated with new tutorials.

Return to my home page.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aeronautica Imperialis - Faction Review - Tau Empire

-
Image
  Aeronautica Imperialis: Tau Empire Faction Review UPDATED October 2025 The Tau Empire were the third faction released for Aeronautica Imperialis, and I have always been a fan of this Xenos race. In Warhammer 40,000, they are a force that prefers to keep their army at range, with good manoeuvrability but slightly slower overall. How do the Air Caste compare to their Fire Caste brethren? Within this article are examples of aircraft with weapon loadouts. Each loadout includes the average damage the aircraft can cause in a single round of firing at each range. Aeronautica Imperialis Faction Guide - All Factions Explained My recorded games can be viewed on YouTube or try the video below. Faction Overview The main strength of the Tau Empire Air Cadre lies in its exceptional manoeuvrability, combined with solid durability and impressive versatility. Each aircraft type can be armed in a variety of ways, allowing the Tau to adapt to almost any aerial engagement. While Tau pl...
Read more

Aeronautica Imperialis - Faction Review - Space Marines

-
Image
Aeronautica Imperialis: Adeptus Astartes Faction Review UPDATED June 2025 The Adeptus Astartes, the legendary Space Marines, were released during the final year of Aeronautica Imperialis ' publication. At the time, I believed their arrival would secure the game’s future for years to come. Sadly, I was wrong. Just a few months later, Aeronautica was shelved in favour of Legions Imperialis . However, many of the Adeptus Astartes aircraft, along with several Imperial Navy models, remain available. As a result, the Space Marines now stand as the most vital faction for keeping Aeronautica Imperialis alive in the skies. Aeronautica Imperialis Faction Guide - All Factions Explained The Space Marines The Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, are tough, well-armed, and often outnumbered. They're an unsubtle force, more than willing to fly straight into enemy fire and emerge on the other side leaving only burning wreckage behind. While they lack speed and manoeuvrability, their dura...
Read more

Like