ETL IV: The Second Vow

I made a second vow for the Bolter and Chainsword painting contest. I decided to add two more vehicles that had been sitting in my 'to do' box for the last few years, a Stygies Pattern Vanquisher, and a Mars Alpha Pattern Exterminator. Both of these are Forge World items made of resin to add to plastic kits.

Overall, the pieces were in great shape with little to no bending to be done. The lone exception was the auto cannons on the Exterminator looked to be cross-eyed. There were some excessive mold lines but nothing that required major surgery. The rear end, near the exhaust pipes on the Exterminator needed some additional puttying and sanding afterwards, but for the most part the tanks were easy builds.

One of the dust filters for the back end broke at the hose, so it was set aside. I added some extra stowage to the turret from my extensive bits box. These were painted separately and glued on later. This made access to the turret and the bags much easier when painting. More so when it came to the weathering as well. 

When it came to painting, the Exterminator was done up just like the Punishers. Although I did not do the initial fading on the panels this time. What I did do was to use oil paints for the fading. This is accomplished after all the base paints, decals, and gloss coats has been laid down. Using oil paints, you then place dabs of white, yellow, blue, and brown onto the tops and sides of the vehicle (other colors can be used as well to get differing effects). The lighter colors generally get placed in the center of a panel with the darker ones near corners or the base of the tank. Then, with another clean brush dipped in thinner (odorless terpenoid is preferred) mix the colors together. Usually pushing out to the edges so the darker colors gather in the crevices or near the bottom. The lighter colors then do their job and lighten the underneath panels so slightly. This gains you a couple of advantages, one as a filter it can level all the paints and decals beneath it, second with it being washed out with the thinner, the oil paints can change whole tone of the tank. It is a gradual effect. 

There are a few little details added to the vehicle, a burst rivet that has rusted through for example, extra support on the sponsons. The treads had to be done twice. The first time seems to have been wiped out by the final gloss/dull coating. So I redid them and set the powders with water. Things you learn. Oh, you can set weathering powders with thinner. This will allow you to wipe it away later on. If you set them with water, you may not be so lucky. Water tends to make powders permanent. Learn from my mistakes!

                         

The Vanquisher got a different paint scheme than normal. Going through the first Forge World book, I got some ideas. I ended up liking the paint scheme for an Imperial Thunderbolt done in greens. I simply ran with the idea in the greys I am using for my army instead. I will let you figure out the order of colors this time. The darker of the three greys is the Vallejo Black Grey from their model paint range. I love their colors and the dropper bottles. Yet, I've been groomed with the GW colors, and being colorblind... that is another post.

The Vanquisher got the most additions. Just little things I added here and there. The most obvious being the prow and maybe the rucksack in the back. Still, for me, this is one of my better results with regards to painting tanks. Many things came together to make it stand out.

I did not like the empty storage bin that is normally there on the old Leman Russ tanks, so I gave it a lid. Doing that made the other side look empty, so I added one to that side as well, rivets and all. I also added some reinforcing to the front around the lascannon too. The old Russ kits didn't always fit snug and left some gaps. Adding the extra armor strips filled those in while making it look a bit beefier. The ram in the front is from an old Ork war buggy I had sitting around. It looked the part to go with the Kanak style.

With each kit that I work on, I try to add a new trick, or try a new concept. Some work out like the axe handle, some not so much, like the jerry can (not extremely happy with it). But each step gives me an idea of what does and does not work. Or something that I may want to improve upon. Not every painter comes out with award winning items on their first try. They all had their stumbles along the way. I am just trying to get better and with each project. It's good to get out of your comfort zone sometimes.

Leman Russ Punishers

In order to create space in my backlogged inventory, I have been working on the many kits that I have accumulated over the years. I am now working on some Russ kits I got back when Apocalypse came out. GW had a great deal on a three Russ squadron for $100 or so. Sucker me, I picked it up even though I didn't have an Imperia... Astra Militarum army. Anyway, these kits are for other variants that I will post in the near future. What I have finished recently are a pair of Punishers.

Everybody was in to the Executioner with its plasma cannons. I thought the Punisher was getting neglected. Besides what help the Militarum more than multiple shots, besides twin-linked? These have been sitting on my shelves for a couple of years before I grabbed them and put them together.

I went for a bit of Urban camo for these guys. They were primed black as usual, then Mechanicus Standard Grey. I added a touch of a lighter grey and hit the larger plates and sprayed vertical lines down the side for some pre-weathering. I then added some irregular shapes cut out from my Tamiya tape. Administratum Grey was then used. A touch of Pallid flesh (now Wyche Flesh) was added and again hit large open areas and added vertical stripes again, but trying to hit the same stripes I used for the darker grey to enhance the effect. It's difficult to see the result as it's quite subtle. Then decals, base colors, a coat of gloss spray, then the weathering. 

Just as for the Macharius, I followed many of the tips from the Forge World book.

Macharius Vulcan

I am trying to stick to a schedule of completing a unit per week. Since I finished the Dark Vengeance models, I've been focusing on building the items I already have in house. I am sticking to a moratorium of no purchasing until I clean out many of the shelves/boxes I have of unfinished kits. The Macharius Vulcan was ordered a few years ago and has been sitting around sitting in bubble wrap for some time. Since I've gathered more confidence in my weathering abilities, I figured let's go ahead and pop this guy out, and try a few things. 

For the size and detail, the model itself came in just a few pieces with the body being a top and bottom. The sides/tracks were separate parts and the turret was one piece as well. The extra fiddly parts were the twin-linked heavy stubber (three parts), the two exhaust pipes, three pieces for each sponson (flamer or heavy bolter or stubbers), engine cover, two cupola covers, and the extra tracks sitting at the back of the tank. Being resin, there was some warped spots with the stubber a bit crooked (still), and the chassis itself. I soaked the entire body into very hot water and fit it together until it cooled. It went together quite easily afterward. 

I wanted to stick to a basic grey. Using my airbrush, over a black primer, I sprayed Mechanicus Standard Grey, then added a touch of Fortress Grey, then a light flesh color. I tried to follow the steps utilized in the Forge World Masterclass's Earthshaker Emplacement. I then painted basic colors onto any metal parts or items of such, weathered it, and sealed with a gloss coat. An oil wash was then used and dragged down the side of the tank or blended on the horizontal surfaces with a brush using thinner. Since the vehicle was sealed, the original paint is protected from the thinner and the gloss really helps the oil paint to spread freely over the model. 

The main thing to practice with weathering is to do it in layers. Complete a layer, let it dry, then add another layer, and maybe another if desired. A single step of weathering can have a good effect, but if you were to add another and another layer, you then get a more realistic look and feel to the vehicle. Much like I stress the three layer effect of painting, base-shade-highlight, you want to follow multiple layers with vehicles and tanks too. Part of this was accomplished with the lightening of the base colors during the original airbrushing. The sponge effect was used to add paint chips and the weathering with oil paints and pastels over the top of that. 

Finishing a tank of this size and detail to this level really encourages me. I experimented with more weathering. Future floor wax was used to get an oily effect as well. What you really want to accomplish with each kit is to try a new technique or work on a difficult one to push and increase your abilities. With what I gained here, I plan to bring out and build my three Baneblade variants I've been sitting on since not too long after Apocalypse first came out. But first, I have to finish my Command Squads...

Arvus Lighter

I've been dabbling with the idea of FFGs Dark Heresy RPG. If/when I start, I want a flyer to be used for theatrical effect. Unfortunately, Forge World no longer makes the Aquila Lander. This would have gone great with the crashed lander terrain. So I settled for the next best thing, the Arvus Lighter. This is a simple little flyer with no weapons of any kind. It's basically a flying truck. I painted mine up with a bit of dash with arrows on the wings. I also painted up the pilots helmet to resemble my own that I painted this past December. 

I used Astronomicon/Administratum Grey as the base. A drop of white for the panels all over a black primer. Trying to leave the panel lines dark. Charadon Granite/Dryad Bark was sponged on for wear spots. Oil washes was used extensively inside and out. It is so much easier with oil washes to get much if the weathering going. Give it a try at least once.  

On the vehicle, I pretty much had everything pinned, the wings to the engines, engines to the fuselage, fuselage halves together, and rear landing legs to the body. I used large paper clips for the pins, no little ones this time. Overall it went together fairly nice. There was some warped items, but utilizing hot water, I was able to get a desired shape.