How to Flock 40K Models

Today I have been mostly flocking Space Wolves.

I have a very different approach to Games Workshop when it comes to flocking. I flock my Warhammer 40K models before undercoating them and I'll explain why.

When I was a teenager with my first Warhammer 40K army, I was terrified of flocking my models. I'd just spent a whole day on painting a fantastic model and Games Workshop wanted me to take an old paintbrush and apply PVA glue onto the base, apply flock and then paint said flock.

When your old paintbrush is frayed, PVA glue is likely to stick to the carefully painted parts of your model and painting the flock, once it is stuck on, is really difficult without flicking paint on the model you just finishing so lovingly painting, it's no wonder I didn't bother flocking my models.

From the looks of the Warhammer 40K armies I've seen around Warhammer World, this is a problem for a lot of kids and a lot of adults as well. So here's what you do:

You need some PVA glue, a tub of Games Workshop flock (I love this stuff) and a medium sized paper clip.

You can see in the photo (left) how I've bent the paperclip to create a handle and an arm to push the PVA glue around the base.

Take the lid off the tub of Games Workshop flock and pour some PVA glue onto the lid. Think of this as your palette.

Use the arm of the paperclip to scoop up some PVA glue and put it into the centre of the model's base. Keep applying PVA glue in this way and push the glue using the arm of the paperclip until it covers the entire models base.

The paperclip arm takes a little getting used to at first, but it's a surprisingly useful tool to push the PVA glue about rather than painting it on. The paperclip arm can also be laid flat and moved sideways to gently push PVA glue up to the edge of the Space Marine's foot.

Next you're going to dunk your model in the tub of Games Workshop flock. Don't worry about the sand sticking where it's not wanted, that's easily fixed.

Give the tub of flock a quick shake so that the larger stones come to the top, then hold the model in the tub and tip the tub so that some of the larger stones roll up to and over the lip of the model's base, before completely submerging it in the sand. Give it a gentle swish around to pick up some of the smaller grains of sand for a more even coating.

Take the model out of the sand, turn it upside down, give it a gentle tap on the underside to get rid of any excess sand or bits that aren't stuck on very well.

Finally, take your paperclip in hand and use the arm to scrape off any sand that's stuck in the wrong place. If you're fussy about the presentation of your models, you can push some of the stones deeper into the PVA or away from the edge of the foot to better show the finer details.

Now put the model to one side and leave to dry for 24 hours. PVA takes quite a while to dry properly and the last thing you want is the flock coming off in the middle of painting your model.

Once dry, it's time to spray undercoat them using Games Workshop Chaos Black spray paint followed by a watered down coat of Chaos Black paint applied with a large brush. Then your miniature is ready to paint, flock and all.

More on how to paint your flocked miniatures tomorrow.

I also made some Wolf Scouts today using parts from the Space Marine Scout box and the Marauder Horseman box.

They're not as good as my original Wolf Scout conversions, but they're simple conversions and they do the job.

I quickly flocked them as well, so hopefully they'll be dry for undercoating tomorrow.

You can expect more daily updates throughout the week as I build, flock, spray and paint my Space Wolves army in record time!