Conquistadors in Fantasy Wargames: What to Collect and How to Paint Them
Historical-adjacent miniatures sit in a really interesting space for wargamers and painters. They carry the visual weight of real history but give you permission to push colours, textures, and drama further than a strict historicals painter would allow themselves. Conquistadors in particular are having a moment right now, driven largely by the grimdark holy war aesthetic of games like Trench Crusade. Morion helmets, quilted armour, pikes, and matchlock guns translate beautifully into fantasy and alt-history settings, and if you want to see what that looks like at 33mm, the Cortez's Conquistadors set is a solid place to start.
So what actually makes these models satisfying to paint? A few things. First, there is genuine surface variety: polished plate sits alongside rough-woven cloth, aged leather, and wood-stocked firearms. That mix means you can showcase several techniques on a single model without it looking busy. Second, the historical palette is rich and period-accurate colours feel immediately convincing, so you are not guessing what reads as right. And third, the silhouettes are distinctive enough that even a basic paint job produces a striking result on the table.
Primer and basecoating
Start with a zenithal prime. Black rattle can from below, then a grey or off-white from 45 degrees above. This gives you pre-shaded depth before a single brush touches the model. For the metal armour, I then airbrush a thin coat of Vallejo Air Steel over the zenithal, which preserves the shadow information in the recesses. If you do not have an airbrush, a heavily drybrushed Ironbreaker over black primer does a reasonable job.
For the cloth and padded armour, block in your colours with a mid-tone. Historically, Conquistadors favoured deep reds, dusty yellows, and off-whites. A mix of Mephiston Red and Khorne Red gives you a base that shades well without going too candy. Zandri Dust works as an excellent starting point for the yellowed linen and leather.
Shading the metals
Once your steel basecoat is dry, wash the whole armour with Nuln Oil, then go back in with a careful targeted wash of Agrax Earthshade into the deepest recesses. This gives you a warmer shadow that reads as grime and age rather than pure darkness. After that dries, edge highlight with Vallejo Model Colour Silver. Keep those highlights fine and consistent. The Conquistador Veterans have particularly good armour definition on the morion helmets and gorgets, so those edges reward careful attention.
Cloth and leather
Layer up your cloth colours in two or three stages. For red, go Khorne Red base, Mephiston Red midtone, then Wild Rider Red on the highest raised weave. For the pale fabrics, Zandri Dust base, Ushabti Bone layer, then Screaming Skull on the peaks. Leather gets Rhinox Hide shaded with Agrax, then highlighted back up through Mournfang Brown to Skrag Brown.
If you want to push it further, a glaze of Guilliman Flesh thinned right down and applied to the cloth can unify tones and add a subtle warmth that looks painted rather than printed.
Basing for the aesthetic
The setting matters here. For a jungle or New World feel, go with dark wet earth, some tufts, and maybe a fallen leaf or two made from thin green stuff. For a grimdark holy war angle more in line with the Conquistadors Squad range, broken stone, ash-coloured rubble, and dark tonal basing pulls the whole warband together. I like to use a textured paste, hit it with Nuln Oil, then drybrush Administratum Grey over the top for quick, solid results.
OSL and special effects
The matchlock weapons and any supernatural elements in the grimdark version of this faction are a real opportunity for OSL. A glow of cold blue or unholy green from a muzzle or relic reads immediately as fantasy without destroying the historical feel. Thin your glow colours right down, almost to a glaze consistency, and build up in two or three passes around the light source. Less is more every time.
These models reward patience but they are not technically demanding. Get the metals reading clean, keep your cloth highlights tight, and base with intention. That combination will carry a warband from the print tray to the table looking genuinely good. If you want to pick up the heavy weapons to round out a force, the Conquistador Heavy Support models give you some larger surfaces to practice OSL and verdigris effects on the bigger gun barrels and armour panels.
