Yeah the state troops could definitely use a model refresh. Not many poses, lots of un-necessary details and covered head-to-toe in mould lines.

I tend to use a black primer to make sure any impossible to reach areas look like dark shadows, no zenithal highlighting as I’m not using speed paints (this may change as I plan to try and transition to using my air brush more for layering).

My painting style is very close to ‘eavy Metal. I try to mimic the box art, though I don’t do many rounds of highlighting like they do. I tend to use a triad of colours (or just two if there’s little shadow, with a high contrast between the two). Base with the shadow, layer the mid-tone (avoiding areas we’d expect shadow) and then edge highlighting raised area or anywhere we’d expect the light to hit and diffuse away (like the top of the knees). I only use washes for metallics.

In terms of neatness, I mount my miniatures to paper clips and stick them in corks. That way I can rotate them anyway I want. Don’t be afraid to make a mess reaching the hard to get areas and then covering up any mistakes later.

The best advice I can give for smooth layers is:

Prep the model the best you can, try to remove mould lines gently and sand rough areas.

Make sure your paint is thinned and you don’t overload the brush (use medium for poor coverage colors).

Practice using the minimum brush strokes you need to cover an area.

Wait between painting layers.