What color / technique is this?

I have only recently started looking online for inspiration for painting, and boy I wish I would have started sooner! Anyways, I have found a bastiladon scheme that I really like, but neither me nor my roommate (another WHF player) can figure out what would go into painting the top scales (colors, when to apply the layers, and how it turns out slightly metallic).

I am a novice to intermediate painter, and unfortunately do not have an airbrush as it appears this painter did.

Any advice?

 

My guess is Eshin Grey base (GW), then couple heavy washes with green, maybe the Camoshade shade from GW. Then black wash to the recesses and the top armour parts.

The Bastiladon looks really cool, thanks for sharing! I'm thinking of buying one soon, and I definitely like the armour parts. I'd probably use something else than orange for the scales, I'm not saying that it looks bad, but I already have so much orange in my army, that I'd like to use some other colours as well.

 

Its object source lighting and you do not need an airbrush for it...

here are a couple tutorials for it...
http://handcannononline.com/blog/2011/08/05/tutorial-advanced-object-source-lighting/

http://www.the-vanus-temple.com/tutorial-osl-glow-effect/

obviously they are not lizardmen but you get the basic idea...I think my 2nd link is much more basic but it helped me...

In my opinion the green was pained on top of an already almost finished model, probably several layers (maybe not) and then thinned down the back shell color with medium to make a glaze and tone down the green...

I like it a lot and think I am going to try some for my bassy...

 

While I haven't painted with an air brush before, I am quite sure that this was painted with one. Looking at the base it seems as if the sprayed paint is all over it. Also the colours of the shell would be very easy to do with air burshing, and some of the orange at the feet also looks somewhat (sloppy and) air brushed. Not to mention the green glow on the glow of the solar engine.

The shining effect might just be source lighting but could also be gloss varnish like the GW Ardcoat. Dunno if that is air brush-able though.

Edit: If it is air brushed then determing the specific colours becomes harder due to how air brushing works... I think.

 

In the blog it is said that the Bastiladon was painted with airbrush. And while true that you don't need airbrush for OSL, it's much easier to achieve and make look good with one than with traditional brushes. But, if you master that without an airbrush, you'll be able to blow some minds.