The Mini Manifesto

How to get a semi-convincing red glowing lightsaber effect on your Star Wars Sith models (it's trickier than you might think).

Prepare your airbrush (with a smaller needle if possible) and mask off the hilt of the lightsaber and the arm of your model to protect these areas from overspray. Start applying the fluorescent red at the base of the lightsaber making sure you cover evenly from all angles, and then with each progressive mix move closer to the center of the saber and add more orange, orange-yellow and fluorescent white to create a smooth gradient from red at the base of the lightsaber to orange/white at it's center point. Then do the same thing again moving from red at the tip of the lightsaber to orange/white at the center.

If working on a larger model (like the 1/6 scale Revan statue in the photo) you can do this gradient several times to help sell the effect even more. Fluorescent paint is very transparent so be careful not to build up too many layers. I would also add a drop of flow improver on top of your normal airbrush thinner to help the paint go through the airbrush easier. Finally add a layer of gloss varnish to sell the effect even more.

If you don't like red lightsabers, you can achieve the same effect with other colours too using the same basic principle. I use Green Stuff World fluorescents and sometimes Vallejo, but any brand should work ok. I suppose you could also achieve a similar effect by glazing with a brush, but I have not tried this myself.

I hope someone finds this useful and may the force be with you :)