On the workbench: Eldar Dire Avengers – using the new gem paints

The last couple of weeks have been a bit slower than usual for painting, as I was waiting for some models to be delivered. That's no bad thing, because sometimes having a refresh means you can come back to the desk with a clear head (and I also managed to get a dozen Prodos Aliens finished, which I must photograph soon!), but this week the new figures arrived and I got stuck straight in.

So, here's some progress on a squad of Dire Avengers:


I'm pleased with the blue (I'll tighten up the highlighting later), which really pops in real life.

I also took this opportunity to try out the new GW gemstone technical paints. I must say, I was very impressed with these paints! They have a really nice finish, which is slightly glossy, and they create a nice shiny effect which would usually take 4-5 layers of highlight to achieve. I used the Spiritstone Red paint for these models, and I'll definitely be buying the other paints.

My plan is to use the gemstone paints on the smaller Eldar figures, and then paint the larger models with traditional effects. Although, to be honest, seeing these finished gems in real life the paint achieves a finish which is almost as good (or maybe even a little better...?) than what I'd usually do with standard painting methods!