I’ve recently been working on an Imperial fist army for our resident 40k tournament blogger, James Magnin- 40k Warmaster. His chosen faction - the mighty Imperial Fists poses challenges even to an experienced Commission painter.

We’re going to focus today on how Streaking Grime from AK interactive can help you paint an Imperial fist army to a high standard, in very little time. It’s a lot less time and effort than doing them in the Box-Art (Eavy Metal) way - that’s for sure!

PROCESS OVERVIEW - BEFORE/DURING/AFTER

THINGS YOU WILL NEED

A model you are going to paint
AK Interactive Streaking Grime
Gloss Varnish
An old brush
Some Cheap disposable wedge shaped make up sponges
Some old paper or a large cloth you don’t mind ruining!
Odorless Mineral spirits
Rubber gloves (optional)
Well ventilated area.

WHAT IS STREAKING GRIME?

Streaking grime is a product from AK INTERACTIVE. It is designed for use in creating heavily weathered affects on model vehicles mostly. It has been discovered by miniature painters too and used the way I’m going to show you today. There are several types of it now, and other manufacturers have now copied them. It’s not acrylic, which means you cannot wash it off a brush (or anything!) with water. You need to use White spirits/mineral spirits. This is not as scary as it seems. You just need one bottle of odorless mineral spirits and some old cloths. It does get messy though, so you also might want some gloves.

BASECOATS and DECALS

Before you use the streaking grime, you need to base-coat all parts of the miniature. You also need to add the decals/transfers. The model should be looking neat and tidy (but might look a little boring). You dont have to be totally neat, that is one of the great things about using Streaking Grime! it covers up small mistakes.

With the Dreadnought example below, I’ve used an airbrush to get some volumes and details already. This isn’t needed, but it helps model look much more interesting later on. (A topic for another blog!)

This process works best if the base-coats are bright and vibrant. It helps to go a shade or two lighter than you do normally. So, if you want something to look black, paint it in a grey base-coat. While painting Imperial Fists or any light colored Army like White Scars, it is hard to get a bright base coat. We will look into the secrets of this on another day. (Hint: Use a white undercoat!), but once you have that bright undercoat, the rest is plain sailing.

GLOSS VARNISH

The next essential step is to cover the model with Gloss Varnish. I have used Vallejo Gloss Varnish here, through an airbrush. You can paint it on if you dont have an airbrush. Mix it with a little bit of water, and use a larger brush. Try not to leave a coat that is too thick. The model will look wet and shiny after doing this - even when it is cured/dry

Now, leave the varnish to properly cure/dry. I would recommend overnight, or at least 1-2 hours in warm dry place. it should feel smooth and hard to the touch, not sticky or soft. It will still look wet, that is the shine in the gloss varnish doing it’s job.

The pictures below show the Dreadnought after it has had a gloss varnish.

USING THE STREAKING GRIME

Now, comes the fun, and scary part. You’re going to take streaking grime and smother it over the entire model, into every crevice, and over every surface. yes. All over your nicely painted miniature.

You will need a brush that you don’'t mind killing. Do not use a good quality or expensive brush. You can use this same brush again for the next time you use streaking grime though so keep hold of it.

When you have covered the model, it will look terrible.

You might be left wondering if you have made a huge mistake. Do not worry!

Trust the process and remember, that if all goes wrong, you can start again. That’s right. Another great thing about this method is that you can easily wipe off ALL of the grime with mineral spirits and a cloth. You will be left with the model looking like it did after the gloss varnish.

Once you have smeared streaking grime all over the model, you now need to wait. Leave the model to dry, for around one hour or until the streaking grime is not too shiny and wet any more. The longer you leave it, the more of a grim dark effect you get. So you can have fun experimenting.

USING THE MAKE-UP SPONGES

So, once we have waited for the model to dry, you will notice that the model is not shiny any more. The surfaces are more dull. This is the the time I chose to start working on it again.

WARNING: This is the messiest part of the operation. You now need to remove a lot of the grime!

You can wear rubber gloves for this stage, but you must work in a well ventilated area. You could also wear a mask. If you can, work near an open window or outside even.

Take a make up sponge and start wiping away the grime on the big surfaces and armor panels. If the grime is very dry, you might find it is harder to rub off. If you like this effect, keep going! If you prefer to take off more grime, then dab a small amount of mineral spirits onto the sponge and try again.

Repeat this process, and take your time. It’s fun! and very fast, so do not rush. Use the thin end of the sponge to get into the smaller spaces.

Use the disposable make-up sponge, and wipe the main areas of the model clean. I give more attention to areas like the head, shoulder pads, backpack and the weapons. If the sponge is really grimy, you can switch to a new cleaner one to tidy up. If you want you can also use cotton buds to get the same effect. Using a cotton bud means you can be more detailed and get into smaller areas, but it also leaves small cotton threads that you will need to pick off carefully with tweazers.

IT WILL BE MESSY

I used a big sheet of paper underneath my workspace so I could then just throw that away.

This process might take some practice. The main problem will be taking off too much, or maybe not enough. The good thing about Streaking Grime is that you can take your time. Acrylics dry fast and then you cant do anything but paint over them or completely strip them off the model. With enamel based products you can let them dry, then if you are not happy wit the result, you can put mineral spirit on a brush or cloth and wipe it all off and start again from the beginning. Why not try with a model you have lying round you are not using? This works for smaller miniatures too not just dreadnoughts.

THE FINAL LOOK

Notice in the pictures below the Grime has stayed in the recesses - especially the metallic parts like the weapons and the sarcophagus. It has also created shadows around features like the skull on the shoulder, the feet, and the parchments and seals. The whole model looks much real and interesting. Which is the Goal!

BEFORE - DURING - AFTER COMPARISON

Once you get the hang of this method, you will see how fast it is and what a cool, gritty, effect it gives. It creates shadows and highlights that would take hours and hours to do with the box art methods. This way you can do an entire squad in one afternoon, and catch your opponent off guard with a sneaky new unit.

This Dreadnought is not yet complete. After this stage I will apply a mat varnish, some glow with an airbrush to the lights, and then put basing materials down.

I hope you found this useful. If you have any questions or need more guidance, put a comment below and I’ll reply as soon as I can.

If you would like your models professionally painted by myself or another member of the Blasted Miniatures team - message us today to book a limited slot.

HOW TO: USE AK INTERACTIVE STREAKING GRIME TO PAINT GRIM-DARK IMPERIAL FISTS.