How to Paint Salamanders for Aeronautica Imperialis
How to Paint Salamanders Aircraft for Aeronautica Imperialis
In this tutorial I will show you how I painted my Salamanders aircraft for Aeronautica Imperialis and Legions Imperialis. The aim was to create an olive-green colour scheme that looked military without becoming too drab, before adding the iconic flame motifs associated with the sons of Vulkan.
Paint List
- Nocturne Green
- Vulkan Green
- Warpstone Glow
- Nuln Oil
- Abaddon Black
- Eshin Grey
- Leadbelcher
- Balthasar Gold
- Agrax Earthshade
- Hashut Copper
- Corax White
- Gryph-Charger Grey
- Mephiston Red
- Evil Sunz Scarlet
- Wild Rider Red
- Troll Slayer Orange
- Yriel Yellow
- Lahmian Medium
Priming and Undercoating
I began by undercoating the aircraft with Chaos Black Spray. A black undercoat helps create natural shadows and works particularly well for Salamanders, as it adds depth to the darker green tones.
Painting the Green Armour
The aircraft received a basecoat of Nocturne Green, thinned slightly with water to improve the finish.
Once dry, I applied two thin coats of Vulkan Green to establish the primary colour of the aircraft.
When the basecoat was completely dry, I carefully painted Nuln Oil into the panel lines and recesses using a fine detail brush. Try to be reasonably neat, but don't worry if the wash strays onto surrounding areas as these can be cleaned up later.
After the wash had fully dried, I drybrushed the model with Vulkan Green. This was followed with a lighter drybrush of a 1:1 mix of Vulkan Green and Warpstone Glow. Finally, I added a final highlight drybrush using Warpstone Glow.
This sequence creates a rich olive-green finish that looks effective at Aeronautica Imperialis scale.
Black Details
The engine cowlings, weapon housings and selected armour panels were painted with Abaddon Black.
These areas were then lightly drybrushed with Eshin Grey to pick out the sharper edges and break up the large black surfaces.
Metal Details
With the main armour colour completed, I moved on to the metallic details.
Leadbelcher was used for the engines, intake fans, vertical lift thrusters, gun barrels, landing gear and any exposed mechanical details.
The lascannon coils and decorative panels on the wing tips were painted with Balthasar Gold.
The metallic areas were then washed with Nuln Oil, while the gold panels were washed with Agrax Earthshade.
Once dry, the engines and larger metallic surfaces received a light drybrush of Leadbelcher. The gold areas were highlighted with Hashut Copper.
Cockpit, Lenses and Running Lights
The cockpit glass was first painted with Corax White.
Two coats of Gryph-Charger Grey were then applied over the white base. I turned the aircraft upside down between coats to prevent the contrast paint pooling incorrectly.
Running lights and lenses were painted with Mephiston Red and highlighted with Evil Sunz Scarlet.
Painting Salamanders Flame Effects
The iconic flame motif is one of the defining features of Salamanders vehicles and aircraft.
First, I sketched the flame pattern onto the nose of the aircraft using thinned Mephiston Red.
Next, I painted Evil Sunz Scarlet inside the existing flame pattern, leaving a thin red border around the edges.
I then created a glaze using heavily thinned Mephiston Red mixed with Lahmian Medium. This glaze was applied across the flames and lightly feathered onto the green nose section. Take care not to overdo this stage.
Wild Rider Red was then applied inside the flames, leaving some of the previous colour visible.
Troll Slayer Orange was painted over roughly the lower half of the flame design.
Finally, Yriel Yellow was applied to the hottest part of the flames nearest the nose of the aircraft.
To complete the effect, I painted small patches of Nocturne Green into the yellow areas before adding tiny spots of Abaddon Black. This creates the appearance of burning embers or cooling coals within the flame pattern.
Applying Transfers and Decals
To finish the aircraft, I applied Legion transfers using Micro Set.
Transfers were placed on the wings and allowed to dry completely before handling the model.
This helps blend the decals into the surface and gives a more realistic finish.
Finished Salamanders Aircraft
The result is a distinctive Salamanders colour scheme that stands out on the tabletop while still looking believable as a military aircraft. The olive-green armour provides a solid foundation, while the flames add the character and identity expected of the XVIII Legion.
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