Our Computers Gorilla is a big fan of the Deadzone models so I've been working painting up his Enforcers force in preparation for some epic lunch-time grudge matches in the coming months.

After some discussion we've decided on a colour scheme quite similar to the one used by Mantic Game and which is further inspired by the Cerberus armour from Mass Effect. The main armour colour will be a light grey, with some metallic black armour plates and a black internal skin. Then some yellow unit markings with also be added and also I'll be adding some Mass Effect style gun markings, such as the famous N7.

Enforcer models- Power Armour with a Difference
Being a heavily armoured and armoured elite sci-fi force the natural comparison for the Enforcers is the Space Marines of Warhammer 40,000, which are models that I've painted for many years. However the enforcers do have quite a different design style and the models do require a slightly different approach.

Instead of the gothic, grim-dark style of Warhammer 40,000, Mantic have gone for a more sleek, advanced style for the enforcer armour, which is made up of several layers of armour plate with a tight fitting internal sheath underneath. The armour plates and helmets also have quite a lot of engraved panel lines as well which is different from the mostly smooth surface of Space Marine power armour.

This means that when painting the Enforcer models you need to approach them differently than you would a Space Marine. Their layered armour will look best when you use different colours for each layer and I'd recommend that if you're planning on using a camouflage pattern that you restrict it to the top layer of armour only.

Also you need to be careful to use thin coats of paint, as the recessed detail on the armour and especially the helmets is quite fine and shallow compared to what you may be used and is therefore less forgiving than some other model ranges.

• Preparation

As these models are made of plastic-resin its best to clean off the mold lines with a sharp knife and use superglue to assemble them. Check here for our tips on working with this material.

• Priming

Once the models were cleaned and assembled I primed them with Citadel Chaos Black Spray, as it adheres very strongly to resin or metal models. I then gave them another thin coat of Vallejo Grey Primer.

• Main Armour Layer

Next I painted what will be the main top layer of the armour plates with insert paint name here. You can use either a brush or an airbrush at this stage as it doesn't matter too much if there is any overspray onto the other armour layers as these will be painted shortly.

I also used the same colour on the helmet visors and some of the raised details of the weapons.

• Second Armour Layer

I wanted to use a metallic black for the next armour layer but didn't have any in my paint rack at the time. So instead I made up a 50/50 mix of Vallejo Gunmetal and Black which gave me the colour I was looking for. This was applied to the smooth armour plates of the second layer and the helmets.

• Internal Sheath

The last layer which makes up the Enforcer armour is the tight internal sheath, for which I simply painted black. On some of the models, like the Assault Enforcer, this layer makes up most of the torso.

• Yellow Unit Markings & Copper

Then I carefully applied some thin stripes of Citadel Averland Sunset to make the yellow unit markings and insignia.

I also used some Vallejo Liquid Copper to pick out some of the power cables and weapons parts to add some more contrast.

• Apply a wash

I used my trusty 50/50 Citadel Nuln Oil/Agrax Earthshade wash and applied it to all the joints and recessed armour detail using a fine detail brush, as well as the weapons. Once it had dried I touched up any areas on the light grey armour plates where it had overflowed onto.

• Final Details

The eye lenses of the helmets I picked out with Mephiston Red and then I added a tiny amount of Averland Sunset in the centre to give a slight glow effect.

Then using the Army Painter Psycho Brush to add the white and red markings on the weapons.

That takes the models up to a good table-top standard and in Part 2 I'll take you through how to paint the energy blades, as well as adding some line highlights and weathering to bring the paint-job up to the next level.