Today I want to showcase my Victrix Macedonian Successor Heavy Cavalry for my Macedonian army. So after the last post about the Light Cavalry, today we look at their elite counterparts. Besides that, it’s the very first unit I painted using the Games Workshop Contrast paints.
The kit
The Victrix Macedonian Successor Heavy Cavalry is an all-plastic kit. The quality of the sprues is very high. Building the miniatures is a real pleasure. All about you can build 12 miniatures, with some variety. For example, you can choose short or long spears. Personally, I prefer the long ones because I will use this unit as shock cavalry.
How to Paint
- Priming
I primed the miniatures using Vallejo white.
- Base colors
Human flesh: Contrast Guilliman Flesh
Tunics: Contrast Magos Purple
Leather: Contrast Snakebite Leather
Helmets, spears, and armor: Vallejo Brass (801)
Tip of the spear: Vallejo Gunmetal (863)
Horses: Contrast Basilicanum Grey, Contrast Black Templar, Contrast Snakebite Leather, and Army Painter Matt Black for manes and tails.
Saddle: Contrast Snakebite Leather, Contrast Gore-Grunta Fur
All wooden parts: Vallejo Panzer Aces Old Wood (310) - Decals
For my Victrix Macedonian Successor Heavy Cavalry, I used decals from Little Big Men. You can get them directly by Victrix.
- Basing
In the fourth step, I applied watered-down PVA to the bases and covered everything with sand and grit. After several hours I applied another coat of watered-down PVA to seal the grit. In my experience, this helps hugely with the problem of grit getting lost while using the miniatures.
Then the grit got a base coat of Vallejo Tan Earth (874), followed by a heavy dry-brush of Vallejo Iraqui Sand (819). After that, I added a lighter dry-brush of Vallejo Pale Sand (837) to add more depth to the base.
After adding some grass tufts, the bases were finished. Because I chose a more arid theme for my Macedonian army, I used tufts that match that kind of environment. - Sealing
As usual, I sealed the finished miniatures with Army Painter Aegis Suit Satin varnish. Because I didn’t use any glossy shade this time, there was no need for any matt varnish.
THE FINISHED MODEL
Verdict
I was very excited to use the Games Workshop Contrast Paints on some models. And I am very pleased with the results. The Contrast paints themself work like a charm, and the Victrix Macedonian Successor Heavy Cavalry are highly suitable for them. The miniatures have many small details, so the contrast paints could flow into the recesses and do their magic. I am especially pleased with the horses. They look absolutely fantastic. And keep in mind, I just applied one coat of Contrast Paints to them—no dry brushing, no highlighting, just a quick base coat, that’s it. I am definitely happy to have this new tool in my toolbox.
But let’s go back to the kit itself. The unit looks spectacular on the gaming table. Indeed a great addition to any suitable ancient army. I don’t want to repeat myself, but Victrix did a great job again on this fairly priced kit.
What are your experiences with the Contrast paints? Let me know in the comments, and as always, happy wargaming.