Aztec Warriors: Painting Guide for Historical Wargamers

Quick answer

Start with a mid-tone skin basecoat, then block in cotton armor and loincloths before adding featherwork and shield patterns. Use a limited palette of reds, ochres, turquoise, and white to keep units cohesive. Finish with a matte varnish and simple basing that matches your existing terrain.

Prepare and prime your Aztec Warriors

The Aztec Warriors hard plastic box set builds up to 30 warriors with bow, atlatl, macuahuitl, spears, slings, and more, along with a variety of body and head options. Before painting, decide whether you want a uniform look or mixed weapon groups. Clean mold lines with a hobby knife, then wash the sprues in warm soapy water to remove release agent. Let them dry completely.

Prime with a light grey or white spray. Light primer helps bright feather colors pop and makes skin tones easier to build up. Avoid black primer unless you plan to paint in many thin layers, because it dulls turquoise and yellow. A common mistake is priming in humid or cold conditions, which causes a fuzzy surface that hides detail. Check the weather and spray in short bursts.

Basecoat skin and cotton armor

For skin, use a mid-brown or tan basecoat, then shade with a darker brown wash and highlight with a lighter tan. Aztec warriors often wore ichcahuipilli, a quilted cotton armor, which you can paint in off-white or natural linen. Paint the armor first, then the skin, so you can correct any overspill. Keep the skin tone consistent across the unit unless you are deliberately mixing ethnicities.

Loincloths and simple cloth can be painted in muted reds, browns, or undyed cotton. A common mistake is to paint every figure with the same skin tone and armor color, which makes the unit look flat. Vary the skin slightly by adding a drop of red or yellow to your base mix for a few figures. This adds visual interest without breaking historical plausibility.

Paint featherwork and shields

Featherwork on helmets and shields is where Aztec miniatures stand out. Use a base of turquoise, then layer lighter blue-green highlights. For red feathers, start with a deep red and highlight with orange-red. White feathers need a light grey base and pure white highlights. Paint shields with a solid base color, then add geometric patterns in contrasting colors. Common designs include concentric circles, step motifs, and stylized animals.

A common mistake is to paint feather patterns too small or too busy. At tabletop distance, simple bold shapes read better than intricate detail. Use a fine brush and thin your paints to a milk consistency. If you are painting a whole unit, consider a simple repeating pattern on shields to tie them together. For more Aztec army colors and historical background, Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy 141 includes articles on ancient warfare that can inspire your palette.

Finish weapons and details

Weapons like the macuahuitl had wooden shafts with obsidian blades. Paint the shaft in dark brown, then add a grey-black edge for the blades. Add a thin white line along the cutting edge to suggest sharpness. Bows and slings can be painted in natural wood tones. Atlatls, or spear-throwers, often had decorative elements; a small dot of turquoise or red can suggest inlay.

Check your work under a daylight lamp. A common mistake is to leave mold lines on weapons, which become obvious after painting. If you missed any, scrape them carefully and touch up the paint. Keep metal areas minimal, as Aztec warriors did not use much metal armor. This is a good time to paint any exposed skin on hands and faces if you have not already done so.

Base and varnish for durability

Base your miniatures with a texture paste or sand, then paint it in a dry earth tone. Add static grass or small stones to match your existing collection. A common mistake is to use too much flock, which can look unrealistic at 28mm scale. Aim for a simple, consistent base that complements the figure without distracting from it.

Seal the miniature with a matte varnish to protect the paint during gaming. Apply two thin coats rather than one thick coat to avoid clouding. If you used any metallic paints, a gloss varnish on those areas before the matte coat can preserve the shine. Let the varnish cure fully before storing the figures in foam trays.

Step-by-step painting sequence

1. Clean and prime: Remove mold lines, wash sprues, and prime with light grey or white. Mistake to avoid: spraying in high humidity, which causes a fuzzy texture. Checkpoint: the primer should be smooth and even, with no bare plastic showing.
2. Basecoat skin and armor: Paint skin in mid-brown or tan, then cotton armor in off-white or linen. Mistake to avoid: using the same skin tone for every figure, which looks flat. Checkpoint: vary skin tones slightly across the unit for a natural look.
3. Add featherwork and shield patterns: Use turquoise, red, and white for feathers. Paint shields with bold geometric shapes. Mistake to avoid: overly fine detail that disappears at tabletop distance. Checkpoint: step back three feet; patterns should still be readable.
4. Paint weapons and details: Wooden shafts in dark brown, obsidian edges in grey-black with a white highlight. Mistake to avoid: leaving mold lines on weapons. Checkpoint: weapons should look sharp and clean, with no missed flash.
5. Base and varnish: Texture the base, paint it earth tones, add sparse flock. Seal with two thin coats of matte varnish. Mistake to avoid: thick varnish that clouds the paint. Checkpoint: the varnish should be dry and clear before storing.

Products that support this project

• Aztec Warriors: This hard plastic box set allows you to build up to 30 warriors equipped with bow, atlatl, machuahuitl, spears, slings, and more along with a variety of body and head options. Gives you enough figures for a full warband and the flexibility to mix weapon types, so you can paint distinct groups for different battlefield roles.
• Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy 141: Theme: Roman Italy invaded, with articles on the Senone Gauls, Pyrrhic victory, and more. Provides historical context and painting inspiration for ancient warfare, useful if you want to expand your Mesoamerican wargaming into other periods.