how to paint space bears cavalry in text next to a painted bear with warrior sat on top holding a hammer and pointing

Space Bear Cavalry Unit Painting Guide

Welcome to Rogue’s Den Hobbies’ ultimate painting guide for the Space Bear Cavalry bears! In this step-by-step tutorial, we will show you how to transform your miniature from build and prep to a fully battle-ready figure - complete with bold red armour, realistic fur, striking metallics, and sharp lenses. Whether you’re new to painting miniatures or a seasoned hobbyist, this guide is your blueprint to mastering the Space Bears aesthetic.

Introduction

The Space Bear Makwa Cavalry unit is one of our favourite models in the Space Bears range. In this guide, you’ll learn how to:

  • Build and prepare the model
  • Prime and basecoat using high-quality products like AK Interactive and Colour Forge's matt black primer
  • Paint red armour using Citadel’s Mephiston Red, Flesh Tearers Red Contrast, and Wild Rider Red
  • Achieve realistic fur effects with Citadel’s Dryad Bark, Mournfang Brown, Deathclaw Brown, and Morghast Bone
  • Create striking metallics using a series of Citadel paints (Iron Warriors, Nuln Oil, Leadbelcher, and Runfang Steel)
  • Detail the tricky helmet lenses with Citadel blues and a touch of white for reflection

Let’s dive into the details of each step.

Tools and Materials

Before you begin, ensure you have the following brushes and tools:

  • Basecoating Brushes:
    • Citadel Large and Medium Basecoating Brushes
    • Size 1 Rosemary & Co. Series 33 for detailed basecoating
  • Drybrush:
    • Citadel Large Drybrush
  • Detailing Brushes:
    • Size 1 and size 0 Rosemary & Co. Series 363 for highlights
  • Additional Tools:
    • Magnifying glasses to aid with fine highlights (cheap ones are available on Amazon)
  • Adhesives & Primers:
    • Superglue for assembly
    • Colour Forge’s matt black primer
    • AK Interactive Black (for correction and a rich base coat)

Step 1: Assembly and Priming

makwa marine torso superglued to legs in saddle
  1. Assemble the Model:
    • Using superglue start by gluing the arms and head to the body.
    • Glue the armour panels to the bear.
    • Leave the soldier and their bear seperate for ease of painting.
    • Tac an area where the bear and warrior will join later so that the glue will bond to resin, not paint or primer.
  2. Prime the Model:
    • Prime the model using Colour Forge’s matt black.
    • Once the primer has dried, apply a coat of AK Interactive’s black paint. This step is essential as it helps to hide any future mistakes without standing out against 2 different shades of black paint.

Step 2: Painting the Fur

light brown paint being applied to a figure with fur on their shoulders and waist
  • Basecoat:
    Coat the fur areas with Citadel’s Dryad Bark.
  • Drybrush:
    Lightly drybrush with Citadel’s Mournfang Brown to start defining the fur texture.
  • First Highlight:
    Apply Citadel’s Deathclaw Brown to each tuft for a natural highlight effect.
  • Second Highlight:
    Finish the fur by just touching the tips with Citadel’s Morghast Bone to bring the fur alive.

Step 3: Painting the Cloth

paintbrush with red paint on a model of a brown bear
  • Basecoat: Use Citadel’s Khorne Red.
  • Shade: Apply Carroburg Crimson to add depth.
  • Re-Highlight: Reapply Khorne Red over the raised folds and the edges of the cloth.
  • Final Highlight: Use Citadel’s Mephiston Red to go over the same highlights, but smaller, to polish off the look.

Step 4: Painting the Red Armour

armour panels on a brown bear model being painted red
  • Basecoat:
    Use Citadel’s Mephiston Red to coat the red armour panels evenly.
  • Contrast Layer:
    Apply Citadel’s Flesh Tearers Red Contrast paint for a natural depth effect.
  • Re-Highlighting:
    Reapply Mephiston Red over the contrast layer to bring the color back up.
  • Final Highlight:
    Finish with Citadel’s Wild Rider Red for the final edge highlights, ensuring your armour has that crisp, battle-worn look.

Step 5: Detailing the Armour Trim

 the trim of the armour panels of a scifi brown bear being painted bronze

  • Basecoat: Use Citadel’s Warplock Bronze.
  • First Highlight: Mix a 50/50 blend of Citadel’s Warplock Bronze and Gehenna’s Gold, then apply to the edges of the trim.
  • Final Highlight: Paint Gehenna’s Gold on raised areas and the edges to create a worn, aged gold appearance.

Step 6: Painting the Leather Straps and Saddle

model warrior sitting on top of a leather painted saddle

  • Basecoat: Use Citadel’s Rhinox Hide.
  • Shade: Apply a light coat of Citadel's Nuln Oil.
  • First Highlight: Either glaze or paint chunky highlights with Citadel's Doombull Brown.
  • Second Highlight: Apply a second, thinner highlight of Citadel's Mournfang Brown. Stop here on the braided ropes/straps.
  • Final Highlight: Paint a final highlight of Citadel's XV-88 sparingly on areas where you think the most wear on the leather would occur.

Step 7: Painting the Wrapped Blanket and Bear's Teeth

 a paintbrush held to the teeth of a model brown bear

  • Basecoat: Use Citadel's Wraithbone - ensure each layer is fully dry before applying the next.
  • First Shade: Apply a light coat of watered down Citadel's Karak Stone - compare the thickness to one of Citadel's shades to get the right consistency.
  • Second Shade: Apply a second shade of watered down Citadel's XV-88 in the deepest recesses and at the bottom of the teeth.
  • First Highlight: Apply a highlight of Citadel's Wraithbone to bring the definition back.
  • Final Highlight: On the tips of the teeth and the sharpest edges of the blanket apply a final highlight of AK Interactive White.

Step 8: Finishing the Bear

 paintbrush against the iris of a model brown bear held in black gloves

  • Basecoat: Paint the eyes, pads on the paws, claws and nose with AK Interactive Black.
  • Varnish: Apply AK Interactive's Satin Varnish to the nose and claws to make them stand out from the other parts just painted.
  • First Highlight: Apply a dot of Citadel's Mournfang Brown to the centre of each of the eyes to form the outside of the iris's. 
  • Second Highlight: Then apply AK Interactive's Black to the centre of those dots to create the interior of the iris's.
  • Final Highlight: Place a dot in the far corner in each eye with AK Interactive's White to form a specular highlight, bringing the eyes to life.

Step 9: Painting the Silver Metallics

a paintbrush held against a model round shield with silver claws protruding out of the top

  • Basecoat: Use Citadel’s Iron Warriors.
  • Shade: Apply a light coat of Citadel's Nuln Oil.
  • First Highlight: Apply a chunky highlight of Citadel's Leadbealcher.
  • Final Highlight: Paint a final highlight of Citadel's Runefang Steel sparingly on areas where you think the light would hit the metal most.

Step 10: Painting the Black Armour

 a paint brush held towards a painted miniature figure

  • Basecoat: Use AK Interactive's Black.
  • First Highlight: Apply a chunky highlight of Citadel's Eshin Grey to all edges.
  • Final Highlight: Paint a thinner highlight of Citadel's Dawnstone to all edges.

Step 11: Painting the Lenses

 a paint brush held to the head of a painted miniature figurine

  • Basecoat:
    Start by painting the lenses with Citadel’s Temple Guard Blue.
  • Edge Highlighting:
    • With your thinnest brush, apply Citadel’s Baharroth Blue along the bottom, extending and widening thee stroke to the front of the lens.
    • Next, use Citadel’s Lothern Blue to refine the highlight, concentrating on the front.
  • Final Touch:
    Add a small dot of white at the back of the lens to simulate a light reflection.

And there you have it—the Space Bear Cavalry Bear, finished and battle-ready with clean lines and dynamic details. The model now boasts striking red armour, realistic fur textures, defined metallics, and detailed helmet lenses that bring it to life on the tabletop. Ready to add this epic unit to your collection? Grab your own Space Bear Cavalry Bears here!

 

You can watch the video version of this guide here:

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