Highland Moss Guard Piper: Painting and Basing Guide

By Victoria Miniatures by Victoria Lamb | Published: 2026-11-03

Category: Guias Práticos

Paint and base the Highland Moss Guard Piper with a clear tartan plan, arm and base prep, and a highland base that reads at table distance.

Quick answer

Paint the kilt before you attach the right arm, then base the piper on its 25mm round slottas with low heather and moss so the bagpipes stay the focal point. Keep the tartan to two or three colors and check it from arm's length, not under a magnifier.

Why the piper rewards a different painting order

Most infantry kits let you paint body and arms separately without much thought. The piper is different because the bagpipes cross the torso and sit close to the kilt, so brush access disappears once the right arm and pipes are in place. Paint the torso, kilt, and pipes as separate sub-assemblies, then join them only when the tartan is finished.

Resin also changes the prep conversation. Hand-cast resin can carry fine flash and mold lines in places plastic rarely does, especially along the pipes and under the kilt pleats. Inspect those areas before any paint goes on, because fixing them later means repainting the most detailed part of the model.

Tartan trade-offs: simple reads better than accurate

A real tartan can carry a dozen colors and still look subtle at full size. On a 28mm kilt, that same pattern turns to mud. Choose a base color, one contrasting stripe color, and a thin accent line, then repeat the pattern at a consistent spacing. The eye reads repetition as tartan even when the sett is simplified.

The same logic applies to the rest of the model. A muted green-and-brown highland palette keeps attention on the pipes and the piper's face, while bright hose or a saturated bonnet can pull the eye away. If you want a display piece, add detail to the pipes; if you want a gaming model, spend that time on contrast instead.

Step-by-step: painting and basing the Highland Moss Guard Piper

Clean and test-fit the resin parts: Wash the piper, right arm, and base in lukewarm soapy water, then scrape mold lines from the pipes, kilt pleats, and arm socket with a hobby knife. Dry-fit the arm and pipes before painting so you know the final pose. Common mistake: skipping the wash and watching primer bead up on release agent. If the arm socket feels tight, sand the peg slightly rather than forcing it.
Prime in a thin, neutral coat: Use a light grey or off-white primer so both the kilt base color and the pipe details stay visible. Spray in short passes and rotate the model. Common mistake: flooding the pipes with primer and filling the fine detail you just cleaned. Check the pipes under a lamp after priming; if detail is soft, strip and re-prime rather than painting over it.
Block in the kilt and build the tartan: Paint the kilt base color, then add one contrasting stripe in even spacing and a thin accent line between stripes. Keep the pattern running vertically on the pleats and horizontally on the front apron. Common mistake: changing stripe spacing halfway through, which reads as random stripes instead of tartan. Step back to arm's length after each stripe pass; if the pattern disappears, increase contrast rather than adding more colors.
Paint the pipes and right arm separately: Paint the bagpipes, drones, and right arm while they are still off the body. Use a mid-tone for the bag and darker recesses for the drones so the instrument separates from the kilt. Common mistake: painting the pipes the same value as the kilt, which makes the whole front read as one shape. Leave the arm socket unpainted until final assembly so glue bonds to resin, not paint.
Assemble and touch up the joins: Superglue the right arm and pipes into place, then touch up any exposed glue or bare resin with the surrounding color. Check that the pipes do not obscure the face from the front. Common mistake: using too much glue and frosting the nearby paint. Apply glue with a pin or toothpick, not the nozzle.
Build the highland base on the 25mm slottas: Glue the piper to the 25mm round base, then add low heather, moss, and a few small stones around the feet, keeping the front edge clear for gaming. Common mistake: building the base up to the kilt hem, which hides the pleats and makes the model look short. Keep base texture below ankle height so the piper still reads as standing on the ground.
Seal and check at table distance: Apply a matte varnish, then set the model on the table and look at it from three feet away. If the tartan or pipes disappear, strengthen contrast on those areas only. Common mistake: judging the finished model only under a painting lamp, where everything looks sharper than it will in play. Fix contrast at table distance, not at macro distance.

Kit facts that shape your build

Highland Moss Guard Piper: The kit includes one piper, one right arm, and one 25mm round plastic slottas base, sculpted by Victoria Lamb and hand cast in high-quality resin. Because the arm and base are separate, you can paint the kilt and pipes before final assembly, and you can plan the base texture around a standard 25mm footprint.
Highland Moss Guard Piper