Star Wars The Black Series 6″ Custom Stormtrooper Commander

One of the first 6″ customs I created was the Stormtrooper Commander. I was inspired by the Sideshow Collectibles 1/6 Scale version, and I wanted to recreate the weathering and battle damage that I liked about it.

Sideshow Collectibles 12″ Stormtrooper Commander

The Hasbro Black Series 6″ Stormtrooper figure was relatively easy to acquire at a reasonable price, and I didn’t mind sacrificing one from my collection to get started.

Hasbro The Black Series 6″ Stormtrooper

First I took the figure out of the package and washed it. There is a minimal amount of dirt and oil on the figure from the factory, and washing it helps the base coat to adhere to the figure.

Next I painted all of the white parts of the figure with Citadel Ceramite White Base Paint.

 

I left the black areas alone and only painted the areas that were accidentally touched by the white with a black base (Citadel Abaddon Black). The black blends in nicely with the factory black so I saw no reason to coat those areas completely.

Next, I taped off the areas of the helmet where the stripe would go with tiny strips of masking tape. I found the tape at a hobby shop that specializes in model cars and trains, but you can find it in most craft and hobby stores.

For the blue stripes, I used Citadel Macragge Blue, a base paint. 

After the stripe on the helmet was done, I removed the tape and started working on the rest of the figure. I found that it was easier to do one stripe at a time instead of trying to tape them all off at once. The tape moves around easily and doesn’t stay on for long periods of time. Be sure to paint the stripes right away after taping the figure or the tape will start to peel and you will have to reposition it.

For the white leg stripes, I taped off the areas the stripes would be and painted blue around it. There were some areas that had to be touched up with blue, but the white covered them up nicely.

The stripes on the back were difficult to tape, but I was able to straighten the lines with another application of white base. Make sure when you are applying a touch up layer to mix a small amount of water to the paint to thin it out. If it goes on too thick it will cause the edge of your lines to be lumpy.

After all of the stripes were added and the shoulders were painted, I used a dry brush technique to add battle damage and weathering. I took an old brush that wasn’t too used up and without getting it wet, I saturated it with white base paint. Then I removed the excess paint by wiping the brush on a paper towel. I tested the brush on my pallet to make sure the paint was dry enough. 

I dusted the blue areas ever so slightly with white base. The idea is to emulate natural scuffs and wear by applying the brush in the same way that objects in the trooper’s world would scuff his armor. I let the brush bristles lightly dust the edges of the armor and the outer contours without applying pressure to the brush. It takes some trial and error to get the right effect, but I have found that I eventually got the feel for it and I was able to acheive a realistic effect more and more as I practiced.

For the blast marks and wear on the white sections of the armour, I used a black base. I took a fine tipped brush that was too used for intricate detail and saturated the brush in paint. I removed the excess, but I left more paint in the brush than I would for a dry brush technique. Then I ran the side of the brush along the edges of the trooper’s armour and lightly ran the tip across certain areas to create blast marks. This also took some trial and error to acheive the right look. 

If you are patient with yourself, you can learn which brush strokes produce the best effects. Each one I do (I’ve done about 3 or 4 Stormtrooper Commanders, all sold to other collectors) turns out better than the last as I learn what works and what just looks like a paint smudge. 

If you have any questions about these techniques, please ask!