Resin printing has one problem: everything comes out in a single colour. Grey, white, aqua, depending on the resin. Gorgeous detail, but a grey figurine is a promise, not a result. The result comes later, with primer, brushes, airbrush and one hour at a time.
This is a gallery of what went from the Photon X2 build plate to the painting bench between 2023 and 2025.
Before the colour
The raw print is already a nice sight: you can read every fold, every lock of hair, every rivet. And it’s the moment you work out whether the piece is worth the effort of painting.
Then there are the supports. A resin print comes out hanging from a forest of sticks that have to be removed one by one, and every attachment point needs sanding. It’s the part nobody photographs, except me.
The colour
Every figure has its own technique. Base coats sprayed with the airbrush, highlights by brush, washes to darken the recesses, dry brushing to bring out the relief. On metallics, like Bender, the trick is not to use just one silver: same story as with plastic models.
My favourite
If I have to pick one, it’s the Anubis. Black armour with silver highlights, burnt copper on the bracers and collar, a deep blue on the kilt and a base with a teal water effect. All on a figure a few centimetres tall, covered in tiny decorations. It took a lot of fine brushes and a bit of extra long-sightedness.
