The Aeldari Harlequins are one of the strangest parts of Warhammer 40k lore, a sect of cosmic jesters and acrobats who wage war on behalf of their trickster god to confound the Chaos power Slaanesh. The most sacred role in their eternal masque is the Solitaire, a lone jester who dons the mantle of Slaanesh and perform its role in the troupe’s many sacred and mystic dances. Now, one intrepid fan has given that ancient evil a new face – Ronald McDonald, beloved mascot of the global fast food giant McDonalds.
Ondrej Zajac, based in Germany, says there’s no deep lore underpinning this custom Warhammer 40k paint scheme. The model – which an ingenious Redditor nicknamed Ro’nald – “was painted for a friend and gaming buddy”, and was simply inspired by “joking about Harlequins and clowns” during a game. “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war between the fast food giants”, Zajac says.
He’s a skilled painter – you can find more of his work on his Instagram. “McDonalds has such a unique and recognisable set of colors that this was the most important aspect to nail”, Zajac says. He used an airbrush for miniatures to give a “pretty drastic zenithal highlight”.
If you’re unfamiliar with that technique for painting miniatures, it’s simply a white paint sprayed onto the model from above (the zenith) over a dark basecoat, to create a pattern of light and dark on the model before any colors are added.
He used Kimera paints and a miniature paintbrush for most of the rest of the work. “I don’t often use this brand of paint as it’s a bit more technical”, he explains. Kimera paints are very highly pigmented and matte, which “make it quite difficult to achieve smooth blends, and mistakes are more visible” than they are with other paints for miniatures. However, “it gives you a great degree of control”. Zajac recommends it for one off-projects, but not for army painting.
He matched the Ronald McDonald yellow with the Kimera colors Warm Yellow and Cold Yellow, while the red is “a blend of Kimera’s Red moving into more violet shadows”.
We asked Zajac if he planned to give more Warhammer 40k factions a fast food makeover – Wendy’s Sisters of Battle, perhaps, or a Five Guys squad of Space Marines? “I believe a certain Astra Militarum Colonel, known for his secret blend of herbs and spices, can stand up to the tyranny of Ro’nald”, Zajac hints.
Warhammer 40k minis make great painting projects for other fandoms. Check out our articles on Scooby Doo Inquisitors, a Hellboy Magnus the Red conversion, and Pokémon Tyranids, to see more of this kind of creative project- as Zajac shows, even a simple paint scheme swap can be highly effective.
Source: Wargamer
