Litany of Hate

My latest project is complete.  My brother bought this Modified Ryza Patter Vanquisher turret from FW last year and I bought the hull from a friend who was selling off his guard army.  As with most of my vehicles throughout the years I added another step or process in painting this one.  On the one side, it means this tank looks better than those which came before, on the other side, it means most of my tanks look slightly different.  The turret is where my new techniques which were mentioned last post can really be seen, as the hull's lines were muddled my old paint which I could not get to come off.

Now, with what I learned on this tank I can make my next one look better, hopefully.  All of the filters and washes and such dulled out the modulation a bit more than I expected them to, so next time I will probably make the bright tone a little lighter.

Here it is, the Leman Russ Vanquisher Litany of Hate:

They see me rollin, they dying.

WIP: Vanquisher

Finally decided to start painting one of the Forge World turreted Vanquishers that I got last year.  Using this one as a testbed for some new techniques and thus a whole new sequence of steps in painting my armor.

The steps I go through will be
-Base color
-Modulation
-Decals & Scripting
-Filters
-Chipping
-Washes
-Streaking
-Pick out details
-Clear coat
-Powder pigments

The steps that are added with this tank are the color modulation, filter, washes, and streaking.  The modulation was made possible by my new Badger Anthem aribrush which I mentioned in my last post.  The latter are all made possible my AK Interactive's weathering line which I found at a local hobby store, Section 8 Hobbies.  They are all spirit based and thus allow plenty of time for clean up and add the ability to apply and then dilute and streak with the solvent while on the model.  I got this hull painted and stripped it as best I could, but it's still come out kinda rough with a few details with too much old paint.  The washes have allowed me to bring the lines out much better than if I had not started doing all this extra work.

As of right now I am on the streaking grime step, which is completed on the turret and the hull I will get to tomorrow.  Really glad I found these products, they really make the vehicles come out so much better with just a bit more effort than I already put into it.  Another new technique I used was doing the chipping with a sponge.  Overall, I think that technique worked out great on my Dust walker, but not as well on this.  I think it's better suited to light colored armor. For future IG tanks I will use it, but as a secondary effect to my brushed on chips and scratches.

Of course, it's not complete without an addition from the Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer.

I think my next project is going to be the repainting of my Baneblade, Zeal.  I was really happy when I first painted it, but as I have progressed so far it's time for an update.  Expect a finished summary of this tank this week.

Leman Russ: Judgement

Just finished painting the lead tank for my Armor Company and Armor Squadron 1.  The tank is called Judgement and it is commanded by Commissar Constantin Braun.  As this is a command tank it has some upgraded sensors and equipment, since it's the company leader I also gave it the GW command upgrade auspex/comms package.  Went about painting this tank in much the same way as my last Leman Russ Tough Bastard and every piece of armor since then.  A simple grey base followed by scratching, damage, and weathering.  It has the commander stripe with the roman numeral I for the squadron number.  Since it's commanded by a commissar it's also got the red and black stripe design on the side.

Here's a front view of the tank, there is a small medallion on the lower left and the name is below the turret on the flat of the hull.

The commander is the Forge World model and is a very nice sculpt.  He took some time to paint as there are a fair number of details to him.  In this picture you can see that I made the heavy stubber as a coaxial weapon as seen on many of the FW turrets.  I made that with a few small brass tubes.

I put about how much stowage as I usually do and of course my ridiculous whip antennas.  There are also purity seals and the like denoting the honors of the vehicle and strength of its machine spirit.  I did not add any mottos to this tank as it's got a commissar as a commander.  So, the only writing I have done is the name and the kill tally on the barrel.  It's a pretty high tally as this guy is supposed to be a company commander and should be pretty good at his job.  I will perhaps use him as Knight Commander Pask from time to time.

I generally apply much more pigment to the bottom of the hull than to to upper portion.  I will have it so that it rests on the edges of the track axel mounts and then lightly brush it up from there to slightly powder the top of the hull as well.  The top of the tank and turret get a little more in spots and streaks.  Where there are bullet marks and hit damage I add some black pigment.  I also add powder residue to the muzzle break because it looks cooler that way even though it's not all to realistic.  I use mig productions pigments, but you can use any brand you like.  I still have the same jars I bought in 2009 and will have them for several more years before they are gone.  They are ground extremely fine and cover and stay adhered very well, even with wargaming use.  I cannot speak for other brands as I have never used them, but Mig get my support.

Finally, a shot of 1st and 2nd squadron lead tanks together. Can't wait to have all 3 squadrons painted up.  3rd squadron will feature the Destroyer Tank Hunter as leader with 2 FW turret Vanquishers to form a tank hunting squadron.  1st and 2nd Squadrons are a mix of the new and old Battle Tank and Demolisher Kits a few of which have several main gun options modeled.  I can field at least 1 of any variant.

That's it for now, not sure what I am going to be working on next, I am currently waiting on some horses to use to make Rough Riders.  I may begin that project next week.  Comments and critique are appreciated, thanks for stopping by.