On my adventure to a new gaming store this weekend I was introduced to a new hobby product, Acrylicos Vallejo’s Black Lava. Black Lava is a thick black paste that contains small stone fragments and can be used for all sorts of rough textures.
I bought it up thinking it would be superb for doing terrain. While I was right, I got to brain storming of all the different things this amazing product could be used for. Eureka! Black Lava is the miracle product perfect for mud on tank tracks and model bases.
To the right is a picture of Black Lava painted onto a base. This was a slot base so I filled it with green stuff first and then used a large flat brush to coat the surface with the Black Lava.
After letting it dry for a good period of time. I moved on to painting. Vallejo suggest 45 minutes to several hours of drying time depending on thickness.
In case you’re wondering how I painted the base: Paint Scorched Brown > Heavy dry brush Dark Flesh > Dry brush Bestial Brown sparingly to create unevenness > Dry brush Bubonic Brown > Dry brush Bleached Bone concentrating on only the highest points.
I highly recommend this product and I’m sure there are hundreds of uses for it. If I come up with anything else I’ll be sure to post. Thanks for reading.
Wow, that looks great! I'll have to go hunt for some of it- the way you painted the mud looks incredibly realistic
ReplyDeleteI want one of those! It looks very good. And like you said, suitable for tank tracks...
ReplyDeleteIt's very good - and can also be used on vehicles for added realism (i.e. muddy tracks, etc).
ReplyDeleteThat looks really good. What's the cost of it?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments everyone.
ReplyDelete@ Chris - I paid $12.95 for the jar. It's 6.75 fl. oz.
Interesting! I'd never heard of the stuff, but it looks brilliant - I'm definitely going to hunt some down and give it a try. Nice find!
ReplyDeleteWOW!
ReplyDeleteAnyone know if you can get it in the UK?
And - by the way - I just realised I didn't have a link to you. SORRY! Please consider this remedied.
- Drax.
Just wanted to say thanks for this post, because I went out and ordered some and it works great! Definitely cuts down on basing time.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a promising product and a great time saver!
ReplyDeleteSome questions though: How hard is the surface? Do the particles come off when drybrushing too strong?
How thick is the paste? Can you apply it with an old brush or do you need a spatula? As I like paint and prime my bases with the model attached, is it possible to wipe off the not yet dry paste in case you accidentally hit the feet of model? Thanks :)
@Stahly - This stuff is fantastic. To answer your questions:
ReplyDeleteThe surface after allowed to fully dry becomes rather hard and very durable.
No fragments or chips, once dry it all stays in place even under heavy drybrushing. This stuff stays in place better then basing sand with two additional coats of PVA glue.
The paste is thick, really thick, but it can be applied with an old brush. I use a flat brush with nylon bristles very similar to the Citadel large drybrush. This stuff can get a little messy, but clean up is really easy. Water alone will rinse the stuff away.
Yes, it is possible to wipe away the un-dried paste, but if using the Black Lava for basing I highly suggest that it be applied before the model is attached to the base as the thickness of the paste will make it very difficult to maneuver around legs or other bitz.
I have another post on it here: http://pitoftheoni.blogspot.com/2009/06/simple-basing-with-black-lava.html
Ok I'm coming to this party late - but this is a really neat product... Thanks for the overview!
ReplyDelete