Painting Sir Mordred: Blackened Iron, Dried Blood and Aged Bone
Updated: Oct 4
Sir Mordred is a 200mm dark-fantasy display figure defined by jagged armour, skull emblems, a vicious crowned helm and a long sword. The live Maximum Minis listing presents him as a fallen champion or threatening enforcer, which makes the sculpt especially well suited to a controlled, low-saturation palette with a few hard metallic highlights.
Original product image. The supplied model is an unpainted 3D-printed figure; some larger parts may be printed in PLA.
A palette built around blackened iron
Begin with a black or very dark charcoal primer so the deepest gaps between plates remain naturally shadowed. Build the armour from blackened iron rather than bright silver: layer dark gunmetal over raised surfaces, then reserve a cleaner steel tone for edges, rivets and the sharpest points. A thin blue-grey glaze on upward-facing plates can suggest cold reflected light without turning the armour blue.
Use a dried-blood crimson for the leather, cloth and flexible sections beneath the plate. Start with a deep burgundy, lift folds with muted red, and finish only the tightest creases with a small amount of warm red mixed into an ivory. Keeping the red dark prevents it from competing with the bone helmet and skull trophies.
Digitally coloured example for painting inspiration. The supplied model is unpainted resin.
Bone, brass and the crowned helm
The horned crown and skull details are natural focal points. Paint them from dark brown through khaki and aged ivory, leaving the recesses warm and dirty. Avoid pure white except for the smallest final accents. Tarnished brass on selected rivets and fittings adds a second metallic temperature; a brown wash followed by restrained golden highlights will make it look old rather than decorative.
Give the sword a different surface
To keep the blade separate from the armour, use a slightly brighter steel and pull fine horizontal scratches along its length. A very thin brown-black glaze near the guard and lower edge suggests use without covering the metallic work. If you want a more dramatic finish, add a narrow cold highlight along the upper edge and keep any blood effect limited to a few translucent streaks near the tip.
Cold ruined-stone basing
The architectural plinth benefits from neutral stone so the crimson armour remains the visual anchor. Work from charcoal grey through mid-grey, then drybrush a pale grey only across corners and cracked edges. Add small touches of brown grime around seams and feet. A final matte varnish over stone and cloth, with selective satin on metal and leather, will separate the materials clearly.
Creative lore: the Oathbreaker at Blackglass Keep
The following is imaginative lore, not official product background. Sir Mordred is imagined as the last guardian of Blackglass Keep, still enforcing an oath whose kingdom has long since vanished. The skulls on his armour belong not to defeated enemies, but to former companions whose names he refuses to let history erase.
Display and narrative ideas
As a display piece, angle a cool light toward the helm and shoulders while allowing the lower armour to fall into warmer shadow. For a narrative scene, place broken heraldic tiles or a snapped banner on the base to suggest a fallen court. In an RPG-inspired setting he could serve as a cursed gatekeeper or rival knight, but the large scale makes him best treated as a display model first.
See Sir Mordred at Maximum Minis
Sir Mordred is supplied unpainted and printed to order. View the full listing, price and current product details here:
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