If you’ve spent any time at a hobby desk staring at a half-painted Chaos Knight or a damp, dungeon-dwelling skeleton, you know the struggle. Most metallic paints are just too... happy. They’re shiny. They look like they just rolled off a showroom floor in a galaxy far, far away. But what if your model is supposed to look like it’s been rotting in a swamp for three centuries? That is exactly where Scale 75 Decayed Metal enters the chat. Honestly, it’s a bit of a cult classic in the miniature painting world, and for good reason.
It isn't just "dark gold." It’s a mood.
When you pop that dropper bottle—after shaking it until your arm falls off, because Scale 75 is notorious for separation—you get this thick, gel-like sludge that looks nothing like the bright, flakey silvers you're used to. It's a deep, brownish-bronze with a greenish undertone that perfectly captures the essence of oxidation. It’s the color of a graveyard gate. It’s the color of a discarded Viking shield.
The Scale 75 Decayed Metal Learning Curve
Let’s be real: Scale Color metallics are weird. If you’re coming from Citadel or Vallejo Model Color, the texture is going to throw you for a loop. It’s part of their "Metal 'n Alchemy" range, which uses a specific density of pigment and a gel-based medium. This means it doesn't behave like water.
You can't just slap it on. Well, you can, but it’ll look chunky and sad.
The secret to mastering Scale 75 Decayed Metal is thin layers. Because the pigment is so dense, it covers incredibly well even when diluted. I’ve seen painters try to use it straight from the bottle and get frustrated when it leaves brush strokes. Don't do that. Add a tiny drop of water or, better yet, a dedicated acrylic thinner. You want it to flow. Once you nail the consistency, you’ll realize it has a matte finish that most other metallics lack. That’s the "Scale 75 Look"—it’s sophisticated and realistic rather than toy-like.
Why the "Gel" Medium Matters
Most hobby paints use a liquid medium that breaks down quickly. Scale 75 uses a dense gel. This is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it allows for incredible blending. You can actually wet-blend this metallic into a dark brown or a deep green without it turning into a sparkly mess. On the other hand, the heavy pigments sink to the bottom of the bottle like stones.
If you don't hear the agitator ball rattling, you aren't ready to paint. Seriously. If you use it unmixed, you’re just painting with clear goop. Buy a vortex mixer if you’re serious about this range. It’ll save your wrists.
Real-World Applications for Grimy Finishes
Where does this stuff actually shine? Or, I guess, where does it stay appropriately dull?
If you’re working on Death Guard for Warhammer 40,000, this is your holy grail. Nurgle’s aesthetic is all about entropy. Use Scale 75 Decayed Metal as your base coat for all the trim on the armor. It provides a dark, oily foundation that looks ancient before you even apply a wash.
Another huge use case is historical gaming. If you’re painting 28mm Romans or medieval knights, their gear shouldn't look like chrome. Armor in the field was greased, dirty, and worn. Mixing a bit of this into a standard silver gives you a "tarnished steel" look that feels grounded in reality.
- For Bronze Statues: Start with a black prime, drybrush this metal over the top, then hit the recesses with a bright turquoise verdigris.
- For Steampunk Gears: Mix it with a bit of copper to create a heat-stained, greasy mechanical vibe.
- For Fantasy Swords: Use it in the deepest shadows of a blade to simulate "pitting" and age.
The versatility is wild. It’s one of those paints that acts as a bridge between "true metallic metal" (TMM) and "non-metallic metal" (NMM) techniques because of how it reflects light. It doesn't have those massive, chunky flakes that make miniatures look like they’re covered in glitter. The mica flakes are ground incredibly fine.
Comparisons: Scale 75 vs. The Competition
I’ve tried almost every "dirty metal" on the market. Vallejo has Tinny Tin, which is great but much more reddish-orange. Citadel has Balthasar Gold, which is a solid base paint but lacks the complex greenish-brown undertones of the Scale 75 version.
There is a specific depth to Scale 75 Decayed Metal that feels "heavy." When you look at a shoulder pad painted with this, your brain registers it as heavy iron or cast bronze. It’s a psychological trick played by the desaturated color profile.
Pro Acryl has some fantastic metallics that flow better out of the bottle, sure. But they are often too smooth. If you want texture—not physical clumps, but visual "grit"—the Scale 75 formula wins every time. It’s the difference between a new car and a shipwreck.
The Problem with Separation
We have to talk about the elephant in the room: the separation. You will open a bottle and see clear liquid. You will shake it for two minutes and still see clear liquid. This is why some people hate this brand.
But here’s the thing: that high pigment load is exactly why the color is so rich. It’s a trade-off. You’re getting professional-grade artist pigments in a hobby bottle. To fix the frustration, drop two stainless steel mixing balls into the bottle the moment you buy it. It changes the experience entirely.
Advanced Techniques: Glazing and Shading
Because it dries so matte, you can glaze over Scale 75 Decayed Metal with ease. Most shiny metallics repel glazes because the surface is too slick. This paint has enough tooth to grab onto inks and thinned-down contrasts.
Try this: paint an entire area in Decayed Metal. Then, take a deep purple ink—something like Druchii Violet or a diluted artist ink—and wash it into the shadows. The purple against the greenish-bronze creates a "chromatic aberration" effect that looks incredibly high-end. It’s a trick used by Golden Demon winners to add interest to boring metal surfaces.
You can also highlight it by mixing in a bright silver like Speed Metal or White Aluminum. Don't use a bright gold to highlight it; that’ll kill the "decayed" vibe. You want to keep the highlights cold and sharp to contrast with the warm, dirty base.
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A Note on Airbrushing
Can you airbrush it? Yes. Should you? Only if you hate your airbrush.
Just kidding. But you do need to be careful. The gel medium is thick. You’ll need a lot of flow improver—probably a 50/50 mix—to get it through a 0.3mm needle without clogging. If it does work, it provides the most beautiful, smooth transition of dark metal you’ve ever seen. It’s perfect for knights or large vehicles where brush painting would take a decade.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Project
If you're ready to add this to your arsenal, don't just use it as a standalone color. Treat it as part of a system.
- The Agitator Essential: Buy 5mm stainless steel bearings. Drop two in. Don't skip this or you'll be painting with translucent slime.
- The Black Primer Rule: This paint looks best over a gloss black primer. The gloss underneath helps the fine metallic flakes align, giving you a smoother finish despite the matte nature of the paint.
- Mixing for Variety: Mix it 1:1 with a dark brown (like Rhinox Hide) to create an "oxidized iron" color that looks even more ancient.
- The Drybrush Hack: If you’re in a rush, this is one of the best drybrushing metallics for terrain. Because it’s thick, it stays on the tips of the bristles without running into the cracks.
Scale 75 Decayed Metal is essentially the "industrial grime" of the paint world. It’s not for every model—don’t put this on a High Elf—but for anything that’s seen a battlefield, it’s indispensable. It forces you to paint with more intention. It forces you to think about light and age rather than just "shiny gold."
Once you get past the initial frustration of the thick medium and the heavy shaking, you’ll find it’s a color you reach for constantly. It’s the bridge between a "painted toy" and a "scale miniature." Stop settling for bright golds and embrace the rot.
Key Takeaways for Use
- Texture: Gel-based and thick; requires significant shaking and thinning.
- Finish: Unique matte metallic that accepts glazes better than almost any competitor.
- Best For: Grimdark aesthetics, weathered armor, historical bronze, and base-coating gold areas that need deep shadows.
- Compatibility: Works perfectly with acrylic inks and oil washes once fully cured.
To get started, apply two thin coats over a dark base. Avoid the temptation to go thick. Watch how the greenish undertones interact with your overhead light. You'll see why painters keep coming back to this specific bottle despite the extra effort required to mix it. It simply looks more like "real" metal than almost anything else on the shelf.