Cities of Sigmar are the ordinary people of the Mortal Realms: massed Steelhelms and Fusiliers in uniform, backed by wizards, war machines and the odd allied duardin or aelf. They are a rank-and-file army, and the thing that makes them look good is not any single miniature but consistency across thirty of them. Decide the uniform first, then paint it the same way every time.
The signature look
Deep blue coats and tabards over steel plate, warm leather, off-white shirts and a single hot accent colour - usually red - carried on plumes, sashes and banners. Gold is for officers and command, not for the rank and file. The overall impression should be a drilled regiment, not a warband.
Painting the uniform
- Undercoat black, then basecoat the coats and tabards Macragge Blue.
- Shade the folds with Nuln Oil, or Drakenhof Nightshade if you want the blue to stay cold and rich.
- Layer the raised cloth with Altdorf Guard Blue.
- Edge the sharpest folds with Calgar Blue, sparingly - too much and the cloth looks dusty.
A Talassar Blue contrast over Grey Seer collapses steps one to three into one pass and is the sensible choice for a unit of twenty. Army Painter's Deep Blue under Blue Tone gets you to the same place.
Armour is Leadbelcher, Nuln Oil, and a light edge of Runefang Steel. Leather goes Rhinox Hide into Skrag Brown; shirts and breeches take Zandri Dust, Agrax Earthshade and a highlight of Ushabti Bone. Skin is Bugman's Glow, Reikland Fleshshade and Cadian Fleshtone, with Kislev Flesh on the brows for the pale-skinned.
The accent that does the work
Pick one warm colour and put it in the same three places on every model: plume, sash and the cuff or trim of the coat. Mephiston Red shaded with Nuln Oil and edged Evil Sunz Scarlet is the classic. Officers get Retributor Armour over Balthasar Gold with Agrax Earthshade to settle it. That discipline - same colour, same places - is what makes a block of infantry look like a regiment.
City palettes
The free cities give you a licence to change the whole scheme without changing the models:
- Hammerhal Aqsha - fire-realm crimson and gold. Khorne Red into Mephiston Red, with Retributor Armour trim.
- Tempest's Eye - pale blue and bone. Fenrisian Grey over Russ Grey, with Ushabti Bone cloth.
- Greywater Fastness - industrial green and iron. Castellan Green, Athonian Camoshade, Straken Green edges, and plenty of Leadbelcher.
- The Living City - forest green and brown. Loren Forest cloth over Wyldwood contrast leather.
- Phoenicium - mourning purple. Naggaroth Night into Xereus Purple, shaded Druchii Violet.
Tips and common mistakes
- Uniform means uniform. Resist giving each soldier his own coat colour; save the variation for hair and skin.
- Contrast paints earn their keep here. Thirty infantry is exactly the job they were made for - see the contrast paint guide.
- Metal, then cloth. Painting armour first and cloth over it saves endless tidying on these overlapping sculpts.
- Banner last. It is the one place freehand pays off, and it is easier with the model finished.
Once you have chosen a city, open the scheme in the generator to try the alternatives side by side.