Since I've had a few people ask me how I get the red on my jetbikes and really my Vypers, I thought I might post this explanation. Keep in mind, I'm only going for a quick, table-top finish on these guys.
It's not quite a full-blown tutorial but a simple step-by-step on how I get the look I have.
First step it to prime the model black. Then I go through and paint up the non-red areas (like the pilot and anything metal).
Second step is to basecoat the red areas. I don't think it matters what "red" you use really. I use an off-brand of paint for all my stuff.
The big part of this is that this red is OPAQUE. This is important because too many coats of a TRANSPARENT red will result in a loss of detail while you try to work up to a smooth finish.
Third step is to go in and wash down the model. Here I use the good stuff... the GW washes.
Delvan Mud for all the red.
Badab Black for all the black and metal parts.
I put it on fairly heavy overall. The only thing I have to be careful of is leaving streaks on the red, I try to make sure I don't have any. I'll go back and add a little more Delvan Mud wash around things like the gems and other elements I want to really stand out though.
Fourth step is to add the highlights on the red areas. In this case, I have another off-brand red that I use that's slightly lighter and purer in color than my basecoat. More importantly, it's TRANSPARENT.
If it was opaque, this wouldn't work as well. Since this color red is transparent, I can paint it on over the washed down basecoat and I can build up my highlight. I don't need to thin it or anything. It takes about 3 coats to get the pure red highlight color.
With each pass I make along the nose and edge of the wings, I don't go as far as the previous layer. This helps with the blending of the highlight color into the washed basecoat.
Add a few details and you're all done. Here are the two I have done so far, one more will finish off the Squadron.
Link: Follow my Saim-Hann army project
Part 2 of working with red can be found here. It's sort of a next generation article that shows how my painting red has progressed.
