# How to Paint Starcraft Marines: Master Armor and Transparent Effects

> Learn how to paint Starcraft Marines in Raynor's Raiders blue using airbrush techniques, enamel washes, and tricks for preserving transparent effect pieces.

- Canonical URL: https://coreiten.com/en/article/how-to-paint-starcraft-marines-master-armor-and-transparent-effects
- Language: en
- Section: Tech Pedia
- Author: Sami
- Published: 2026-09-13T06:02:54+03:00
- Modified: 2026-09-13T06:42:27+03:00
- Publisher: CoreITen (https://coreiten.com)

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Getting a Terran Marine army ready for the tabletop often bogs down in tedious armor layering and ruined transparent effects. Applying the iconic blue of Raynor's Raiders can be achieved rapidly using a combination of airbrushing and enamel washes. Mastering these specific techniques allows painters to enhance muzzle flashes and crystals while perfectly preserving their natural translucency.

### Required Paints and Materials

To replicate this exact Raynor's Raiders color scheme and handle the transparent effect pieces, you will need the following scale modeling products and paints. Alternative Citadel colors are listed where applicable.

- **AK Interactive:** Black Night Wash (or Nuln Oil), Enamel Liquid Pigments Rubble Dust, Wargame Enamel Liquid Pigments Chaos Dirt, Wargame Enamel Liquid Pigments Dark Grit.
- **The Army Painter:** Warpaints Fanatic Deep Grey (or Eshin Grey), WPF Uniform Grey (or Dawnstone).
- **Green Stuff World (GSW):** Go Mango Air, Imperium Blue Air (or Kantor Blue), Summersea Blue Air & Maxx Formula (or Caledor Sky), Zima Blue Air & Maxx Formula (or Lothern Blue), Fluor Yellow-Orange Air, Fluor Orange Air, Maxx Matt varnish, OSL White Ink, Transparent Orange Ink, Yellow Ink.
- **Vallejo:** Game Color Black (or Abaddon Black), VGC Gory Red (or Word Bearers Red), VGC Dark Fleshtone (or Doombull Brown), Pigments Burnt Sienna, Pigments Burnt Umber, Polyurethane Gloss Varnish, Polyurethane Satin Varnish, True Metallic Metal Obsidian Black Base (or Leadbelcher), VTMM Obsidian Black Light (or Iron Hands Steel), VTMM Saphire Blue Base (or Grey Knights Steel), VTMM Saphire Blue Light, VTMM Ancient Copper Light (or Hashut Copper).
- **Other Brands:** Pro Acryl Tan Flesh (or Cadian Fleshtone), Pro Acryl Shadow Flesh (or Bugman's Glow), Scale75 Dispel Magic Medium (or Contrast Medium), Two Thin Coats Evil Eye Red (or Squig Orange), Two Thin Coats Fur Cloak (or Tuskgor Fur), Warhammer Colour Fuegan Orange, Warhammer Colour Gryph-hound Orange, Warhammer Colour Reikland Fleshshade.

### Step-by-Step Painting Guide

1. **Prime** the model with a matte black primer. *This establishes a solid foundation for subsequent layers and keeps the deepest recesses naturally dark.*
2. **Basecoat** the armor by spraying Green Stuff World Imperium Blue Air into every crevice. *This provides the primary mid-tone for the Raynor's Raiders color scheme.*
3. **Highlight** the raised parts by spraying GSW Summersea Blue. *This builds the initial volumetric lighting on the armor panels.*
4. **Apply** a second highlight of GSW Zima Blue Air on prominent areas like shoulder pads, knuckles, knees, and feet. *This creates a striking gradient that makes the armor pop on the tabletop.*
5. **Basecoat** select armor panels with Vallejo True Metallic Metal Saphire Blue Light, then glaze with thinned VTMM Saphire Blue Base. *This adds material variation to the suit and shades the metallics without losing their reflective properties.*
6. **Paint** the C-14 rifle casing with Warpaints Fanatic Deep Grey and the metallic mechanisms with VTMM Obsidian Black Base. *This separates the weaponry and internal mechanics from the bright blue armor.*
7. **Seal** the entire model with a coat of polyurethane gloss varnish. *This creates a smooth surface that allows washes to flow directly into the recesses without staining the flat panels.*
8. **Wash** the model with a black enamel wash, then remove the excess with a thinner-soaked cotton swab once dry. *This perfectly outlines every armor panel with deep black lining in a fraction of the time of manual acrylic shading.*
9. **Seal** the model again with a coat of ultra-matte varnish like GSW Maxx Matt. *This kills the glossy shine and prepares the surface for final acrylic highlights and weathering.*
10. **Drybrush** the armor with black and apply sponge chipping to the edges. *This simulates heavy battle damage and realistic wear and tear.*
11. **Highlight** the most prominent edges and chips using pure GSW Zima Blue. *This sharpens the battle damage and restores brightness lost during the weathering process.*
12. **Basecoat** the face with Pro Acryl Tan Flesh, wash with Reikland Fleshshade, and layer with a mix of Shadow Flesh and Tan Flesh. *This builds realistic skin tones while leaving the facial recesses dark for contrast.*
13. **Spray** the transparent orange effect pieces (muzzle flashes and crystals) with a coat of satin varnish. *This crucial step creates a primer layer for acrylics to adhere to without dulling the natural transparency of the clear plastic.*
14. **Wash** the muzzle flash and crystals with Fuegan Orange. *This adds immediate depth to the recesses of the energy effects.*
15. **Glaze** the center of the flash with GSW Transparent Orange Ink, and the recesses with a mix of Yellow and Orange ink. *This builds a glowing, hot core for the weapon discharge.*
16. **Apply** a thinned wash of white ink mixed with contrast medium around the muzzle, smoothing transitions with Fluor Yellow-Orange. *This creates a blinding, high-intensity ignition point for the Object Source Lighting (OSL) effect.*

### The Power of Enamel Washes in Batch Painting

Using an enamel wash over a gloss varnish is a fundamental game-changer for miniature painters looking to field entire armies quickly. Instead of spending hours painstakingly recess-shading every panel line on a Terran Marine with acrylics, the capillary action of the enamel wash does the heavy lifting automatically. The ability to simply wipe away mistakes with mineral spirits removes the stress of precision brushwork.

Furthermore, the trick of using satin varnish on transparent plastics solves one of the biggest headaches in modern board game miniatures. Typically, applying standard matte primer to clear effect pieces ruins them permanently. By utilizing a satin finish, painters can apply advanced glazing and OSL techniques to muzzle flashes and crystals while maintaining the premium, translucent look that makes these specific Starcraft sculpts stand out.

## Sources

- [taleofpainters.com](https://taleofpainters.com/2026/09/tutorial-how-to-paint-starcraft-marines-and-their-transparent-effect-pieces/)