Paint Recipe: Rebel Squadrons

It's time for some of the OG, most iconic squadrons in all of Star Wars, the Rebel alphabet soup. Soon to be followed by the much more grey, much more annoying to paint Empire. In this post I'll cover the paints I use to bring color to the X-Wing, the Y-Wing, the B-Wing, and the A-Wing.  

First up, is of course, the X-Wing. It would be silly not to. But even before that, I'll cover the paints that are common to all of the squadrons. Priming is quite important for these guys, as with any plastic mini. The little stands they have make for easy paint handles, and I wanted to keep them clear. Instead of using the airbrush or a rattle can I opted to brush on the primer. It doesn't have to be an opaque layer, just enough to get full coverage. One thing to watch out for with brushing on primer are bubbles. These are such a small scale that a bubble actually disrupts the look of the model. If you see a bubble, just go back over that area with a slightly damp brush, it should pop it. Obviously while the paint is still dry. I use a light grey since these will be painted with lots of lighter colors and you want it to be more vibrant. 

The base color is GW Pallid Wych Flesh. This is actually a great color for Republic squadrons too, just with a different wash. This color leans grey with a warmer tone to it. For Rebels, I'll use AP Soft Tone and lightly wash the whole model. Don't go too dark, you want to get that grungy look of Rebel fighters but not change the color to a khaki. If you do, don't worry too much, clean up comes at the end. 

Now onto the specifics, and back to the X-Wings. I used AP Dragon Red, which is a vibrant red without getting too vibrant. I went along the sides and added the detailing to the wings. Don't worry if you make some mistakes, or lines aren't too sharp, we'll deal with that later. Next up is a streak of yellow along the top of the nose. I use GW Averland Sunset, as it doesn't overpower the other colors. The nose got AP Ash Grey and then was washed with GW Nuln Oil. For the engines and the cockpit, I used AP Uniform Grey. Make the general shape of the cockpit with grey, then using AP Matt Black, go back in and paint a slightly smaller version of the shape you made. This is a much easier way to get the grey paneling around the cockpit window than if you were to paint the black first and then try to paint the grey around it. The R2 unit got a dab of AP Crystal Blue. 

Now that all of the basic colors are blocked in, go back with Pallid Wych Flesh and highlight the model. This is also a good opportunity to clean up any paint lines that aren't neat enough or where you got colors in the wrong place. You may have to go back in with Soft Tone, but try to keep that in the recesses as much as possible. Again, we're going for a grungy look, not full coverage. For the engines, I dabbed AP Warlock Purple. Despite what the name says, it's actually a vibrant pink that's perfect for the engine glow. Let them dry fully, then seal it with a matte varnish. This will help to protect the model from handling. I dabbed some gloss varnish on the canopy to give it that glassy shine.  

The WHY-Wings started off with the same basecoat and wash as the X-Wings. From there, the body in between the front fuselage and the engine pods got an extra wash with Nuln Oil. Using Matt Black, I painted in the "gaps" on the engine pods then cleaned them up with Pallid Wych Flesh. The canopy and the guns got a coat of Uniform Grey and was also washed with Nuln Oil. A tiny speck of Matt Black for the front window and that was done. I then went in with GW Flash Gitz Yellow for all of the yellow details. You don't have to get them perfect, just in the right areas. I went back in with the Pallid Wych Flesh to clean that up and straighten the edges, as well as to highlight the models. I painted a thin band of grey behind the yellow band on the engine pods with Uniform Grey. The engine glow and R2 units used the same paints as the X-Wing. They also got an all over matte varnish and a gloss varnish on the cockpit window. 

For my favorite of the bunch are the B-Wings. Same start, with the Uniform Grey applied to the engine intakes and exhausts, the guns, and the band behind the canopy, then all washed with Nuln Oil. For the blue I used AP Toxic Mist washed with AP Blue Tone. Don't go too heavy with the wash, you still want the pale blue color. I then put dots of detailing with AP Lava Orange, which contrasts beautifully with all of the other colors. Matt Black for the Canopy and then Pallid Wych Flesh to highlight the model and clean up any mistakes. I used Flash Gitz Yellow for the engine glow this time. Same varnishing techniques as above. 

And finally, the A-Wing, the easiest of the bunch (Easy A is a good movie). Same base, then with AP Chaotic Red I painted the racing stripe, the rear cockpit, and the engine cowls. I highlighted them with a very thin glazing of Dragon Red. The canopy was painted with GW Retributor Armor, and the canopy frame and guns were painted with Uniform Grey. Finally, the engine glow was Flash Gitz Yellow. Same varnishing techniques as the others.

And there you have it, all four classic Rebel squadrons painted up! Obviously, you can use whatever color scheme you want, but I went with the most iconic looks for the models, except the B-Wing, I went with the coolest scheme I found on image search. 

-The Space Dinosaur