Like i said in an earlier blog post i am not an expert at painting Warhammer. Far from it First Paint: Redemptor Dreadnought (yes, I’m learning too)
Like I’ve said before, I’m no expert at painting Warhammer—far from it. The point of this series is to actually get some painting done and share what I learn (and mess up) so you don’t have to. Consider this a friendly chronicle of wins, whoopsies, and practical tips for Warhammer 40k / Warhammer 40,000 hobbyists around Lithgow and the mountains.
Today’s victim hero is the Redemptor Dreadnought for the Ultramarines—a proper unit that looks like it eats Orks and Tyranids for breakfast. I’m leaning towards playing Orks myself (WAAAGH!), but there’s something about the chunky charm of a Dreadnought that made it my first model for this series.
The bare-bones kit list
- Redemptor Dreadnought kit
- Macragge Blue, Chaos Black
- Base Brush (Small)
- Plastic glue (use proper model glue—more on that below)
- Cutting mat, paper towels, palette, water
- LED magnifier, clippers, small file/nail file
Build notes
Use quality plastic glue. A generic multi-purpose glue from the supermarket took ages to cure and parts slipped. Switching to proper hobby plastic glue from Games Workshop solved it—faster set, cleaner joins, and a Dreadnought that doesn’t look sad. Also: only cut parts as you need them. I got excited, clipped everything, and turned the build into a 3D jigsaw. The instructions are clear, but don’t make it harder than it needs to be. A quick file on those little plastic nubs (sprue gates) makes a cleaner finish.
Prime and first coat
I went with black first so any missed spots read as shadow. Let it dry properly—guides say five minutes, but I found 15–30 minutes safer before the next layer. For the first Macragge Blue pass, I thinned the paint to a wash-like consistency. It won’t go on perfectly even at first, but it settles as it dries, and you’ll avoid clogging the crisp details. Next time I’ll hit hard-to-reach areas first; finding them later, after big panels are blue, is messy.
Expectations and mindset
I’m a digital/canvas painter by trade, but those tricks don’t map 1:1 to miniatures. That’s okay. In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only… practice. Thin coats, patience, and not giving up. Mistakes happen; we learn and move on.
Pop in and say hi
We’ve got basics in stock and we’re friendly to both brand-new and experienced hobbyists. If something’s out, we can order it straight from Warhammer. Swing by our computer shop at 85 Main Street, Lithgow—we also do gaming computers and phone repairs while you browse sprues. If you’re nearby, we’d love to see folks from Lithgow, Katoomba, Bathurst, Leura, Oberon, Portland, Dubbo, Zigzag, Bilpin, Blackheath, and even Mellow Bath. And if Roboute Guilliman inspects your edge highlights—tell him they’re “artistic directives.”