Painting Vikings for 28mm Dark Age Wargames

By Victrix Limited 28mm miniatures | Published: 2026-10-27

Category: How-to Guides

Learn how to paint 28mm Vikings for Dark Age wargames with practical steps on basecoats, washes, and shield patterns. Perfect for Victrix Vikings sets.

Quick answer

Start with a dark brown undercoat, layer muted earth tones and steel for armor, then use a wash to bring out details. Finish with simple geometric shield patterns for a tabletop-ready warband.

Why muted colors work for Vikings

Historical Viking clothing used natural dyes that produced earthy reds, browns, greens, and blues. Bright, saturated colors were rare and expensive. Sticking to a muted palette keeps your figures looking cohesive and believable on the tabletop, while allowing shield patterns to pop.

Choosing between plastic and metal

Hard plastic kits like the Victrix Vikings set offer crisp detail and hundreds of optional parts, but the plastic can be slightly softer than metal. This means you need to thin your paints a bit more to avoid obscuring fine texture. Metal figures hold paint differently but are less common in multi-part kits.

Step-by-step painting process

1. Prepare and undercoat: Clean mold lines with a hobby knife and file. Spray a dark brown or black primer. Brown primer works best for earthy Viking tones and hides missed spots better than black. Check for mold lines under bright light before priming; they are harder to remove afterward.
2. Basecoat skin and cloth: Paint skin with a flat flesh tone (e.g., Cadian Fleshtone). For tunics and trousers, use muted red, brown, or grey. Keep colors slightly desaturated to avoid a cartoon look. Thin paints with a drop of water; two thin coats preserve detail better than one thick coat.
3. Paint metal and wood: Use a dark steel or gunmetal for helmets, axes, and spearheads. Paint wooden shafts with a medium brown like Dryad Bark. Leave shields for later. Drybrush metal areas with a lighter silver to highlight edges without needing a wash.
4. Apply a wash: Cover all areas except skin with a brown or dark tone wash (e.g., Agrax Earthshade). This settles in recesses and creates shadow. Wipe excess from flat surfaces. Let the wash dry fully before moving on; rushing can cause tide marks.
5. Paint shield patterns: Base the shield in a light color (bone, off-white, or pale blue). Add simple geometric designs: stripes, chevrons, or spirals in red, yellow, or black. Keep patterns bold for readability at arm's length. Use a fine-tipped brush and steady your hands together; a simple design looks better than a messy complex one.
6. Base and finish: Glue the figure to a 25mm base. Texture with sand or static grass. Paint the base rim dark brown or black for a clean finish. Seal with matt varnish to protect paint. Matte varnish reduces shine and makes the figure look more natural; avoid gloss unless you want wet-looking shields.

Product fact

Vikings: This exceptional 60 figure set of 28mm hard plastic Vikings has superbly detailed figures and a myriad of additional parts allowing hundreds of options when building the figures. The high level of detail and variety means you can create a unique warband without needing to convert, saving time on assembly.
Vikings