Have you ever wondered what would happen if you painted non-metallic metal using metallic paints? In this video I take Vallejo’s TRUE METALLIC METAL system and push it into “display painting” territory by thinking exactly like NMM: focused light, clean highlight planning, and those secondary reflections that sell the illusion. I start from a black spray and a sapphire blue base, then I darken everything down with Sapphire Blue Shade to give myself a proper canvas. From there it’s all about sketching highlights first (don’t overthink it), letting the real light interact with the metallics, and then controlling it with deliberate placement. I show two ways to re-emphasize shadows: with the brush for control, and with the airbrush if you’re careful (and yes, even a “shitty airbrusher like me” can get a decent result). Then I change hue for the secondary reflections using the Ultramarine Blue triad, keeping the alignment consistent across panels. Highlights are built with Light Sapphire Blue, blended with simple 50/50 mixes, and I finish by pushing the brightest points with Light Sterling Silver—this one is an absolute must because it behaves like the “pure white” of the set. I repeat the same logic on the red fist (Ruby Red + Shade), introduce warm reflections with Forge Red, and even mix across triads (Ancient Copper Light) to get the exact tint I want. Same paints, more advanced decisions—massively better results.