Showcase: Ultramarines Terminator Captain, Librarian, and Repulsor

Everyone loves a hero! And who could be more heroic than the mighty Ultramarines? This army was inspired by my recent Tale of Gamers project with Garfy. His magnificent Blood Angels are so well painted, you can’t help but feel inspired to build and paint some Space Marines after seeing his first-class work.

However, Garfy and I have very different painting styles. I’m sure he won’t hold it against me when I say Garfy is a ridiculously good artist. His work is refined, clean, and crisp. Every detail on a model receives care and attention. The hours of effort he puts into each piece are genuinely first class.

With that in mind, I knew I’d need to take a different approach to ensure my army fit within my own style and broader collection. If I were to analyse my painting style, I’d describe it as looser and sketchier, often incorporating battle damage and wear to give my models the look of seasoned veterans who’ve seen combat.

That said, with this army, I made a conscious effort to refine my work as much as possible. I want to improve my painting ability. I think weathering is a bit like seasoning in cooking: “add to taste.” Some people prefer a strong flavour (loads of grimdark), while others, like me, prefer a lighter touch. Believe it or not, that’s quite hard to achieve.

Weathering Space Marines with care

“Don’t you just sponge-slap it on?” I hear you ask. What’s hard about that, Dunk? Well… you can weather models that way, and it’ll give you strong results. But I prefer a more restrained approach. I think it’s important to consider the scale of the models we’re painting. Sure, some armour could be heavily damaged after a fierce engagement, but for me, battle damage on Space Marines should be more refined.

Here’s my thinking: Space Marines are humanity’s finest. They’re not like the Astra Militarum or other Imperial factions who make do with whatever gear they’re given. Space Marines are like knights in space, regal and noble. They have serfs who maintain their battle gear and armour between tours. So, while some damage is expected, their armour is often repaired after each engagement and worn with pride.

My approach to controlled battle damage

In this case, I took a similar approach to my recent Astra Militarum Cadian force but scaled back the damage. I picked areas to weather after the paint job was complete. There are pros and cons to this method: You can be more subtle and controlled, placing damage where it would naturally occur – on exposed or well-used parts of the armour. The downside is you paint a model to completion, then go back and “smash it up” with weathering. It takes more time and can be daunting, especially when painting large numbers of models. If you “overcook it,” you can easily ruin the model.

But if you’ve got the stomach for it, the results can be fantastic, and I’m super happy with how this force is turning out.

I wanted to share a few of the models I’ve completed so far and would love to hear your thoughts. How do you add battle damage to your models? Or do you prefer them sharp and clean? Both approaches are equally cool in my view. Happy painting!