Dark Angels 6th Company

The 4th Company is complete, what now? Well, I have zero grav weaponry. It's something that is really needed in a modern list. I am not one to delete a squad just to make room for another. So, I have decided to bring in some reserves! Now begins the start of the 6th Company Reserves.

I have gone with a complete grav load out for this squad. If you're gonna do it, do it right, yeah? I have decided to carry over the weathering effects from my vehicles into the the squad level. I will say the brown filter for Dark Green from Mig is quite wonderful! Just like a tank, I painted them up nice an neat with decals, sealed them, and went to town. Just remember, their scale usually means, that less is more. Going overboard is easy and can be too much.

                     

 

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...

Four Color Camo Scheme on Chimeras

Two completed Chimeras in 4 color scheme

This time I want to show you how to do a four color camo scheme. It's actually quite simple. Even more so if you have an airbrush. If you do not, then do not worry, you can do the same thing with standard spray cans. Here is the final look of my Chimeras. I would love to show you what I had envisioned from the first Imperial Armor, but I don't want to cause any issues with the big guys in Nottingham.

There are a few rules to remember when using spray cans. These are basic pointers, if you already know these skip to the next paragraph. You want to spray the paint on lightly. Spray the paint on from side to side or up/down. You also want to begin spraying before you actually get to the model and carry through till you completely pass the model. Keep the can about a foot away from the model, too close can be too thick, too far can lead to it drying too soon, very not good. Check the humidity in the air, this too can cause bad things to happen with the paint.

I first primed the vehicles with black. Any brand of black will do, although I used Army Painter. This is just a base coat for the paint to adhere to. This initial layer was left to dry overnight. I then used a grey. In my case it was the remainder of my Adeptus Battlegrey, now Mechanicus Standard Grey. I also used Reaper Ash Grey later on for other vehicles. I tried to give the tank a good coverage of the grey. I wasn't too intent on making sure every nook was painted. As I put other layers on, they should get those locations I missed. In addition, having some of the black, or other future colors, peeking through gives it some variety. While this layer was drying, I laid out a strip of Tamiya Masking tape of about 8-10 inches in length.

I then randomly placed the tape onto the tank. The designs can be completely up to you. Be creative if you wish. Cut holes into them to let other layers through. Go round, or add more than 4 sides to each piece. You can vary the sizes from small to large. These will mask the grey under the tape from any other colors that we may put on. When it is finally done and all the tape is removed, the grey will have the appearance of being the last color put onto the tank. When the tape is placed onto the tank, be sure to burnish the edges down to prevent the future layers from seeping under the tape. For this you can use most anything that is smooth and rounded. I used a sculpting tool. Once I was happy with the placement, I proceeded to add the next layer of paint. The next layer happened to be leftover Tamiya Desert Yellow in a spray can. Tallarn Sand is a good replacement. I sprayed this onto the tops and sides of the tank. I didn't go for the bottom of the tank or the bottom of the 'wings' either. Then while that layer was drying, I again got the tape out and cut more designs. I then airbrushed on Graveyard Earth, which is now replaced by Steel Legion Drab. I got the tape out again, but this time I went for varied stripes of tape. Another point, try to have your tape pass over, contact, or in some way contact your previous pieces of tape.

Finally, the last layer of paint was a dark green. I went back to a spray can of Army Painter. I want to point out one thing here. Ultimately, you want to use a spray paint that you also have in bottle form. If you have to do any touchups for any reason, you want the colors to match. This is one of the reasons why using an airbrush is preferred over a spray can. This last layer I tried to get a good coverage over all the tank. In the real world, this layer would usually be the base layer that all the other colors are then added onto.

I let this layer dry after approximately 30 minutes and proceeded to remove the tape carefully. Using an exacto knife to lift an edge on a mask piece, I removed it with tweezers. Here you will see that around the first pieces of tape that there could be raised spots where the paint has built up. You can break these down with a fine sandpaper.  

The next step I took was to complete any extra paining. The guns were painted and washed. The pouches were painted and washed too, the shovels, etc. I then sealed it with a light layer of gloss and applied decals, sealing it again. The gloss coat allows for the decals to settle easier. In addition, the weathering layer is much easier with a smooth coat. 

Using oil paints for weathering is the part that gives most people pause. As they work so much differently than the standard acrylics, many people don't like to step out of their established comfort zone. In this case it was extremely simple. Get a can of turpenoid and a small tube of Van Dyke Brown or even Burnt Umber. Squeeze out a small amount of the paint. I put mine into the lid of an old jar and poured out some turpenoid to create a wash. You may need to experiment here to get the consistency you like. Then, using a detail brush just touch around the rivets with your wash. The paint will fill in the area around the rivet like magic. It'll make you wonder why you never tried it in the first place! Even better, if you went to far or don't like how it came out in some spots, you can wet a qtip with turpenoid and just wipe it away. Here is where the gloss coat really helps you out. Another trick you can try is to dampen a flat brush and lightly drag it down the sides of the vehicle pulling the paint down to create a nice effect akin to rain washing down the side.

Knowing these simple to use tricks, you can change things up and try different combinations. Go for a striking color shame if you wish. This can also be used to great effect of Tau and Eldar craft as well. Imagine a large dragon template cut out in tape and placed onto the edge of a Wave Serpent.