HeavyTankBuilder

This post has been sat in my archive for far too long. I am not going to pretend it is new work - it has been up on my Instagram for some time but I thought I would show you some WIP photos and talk through some tips on making what is a very large project manageable. Hopefully of use to someone out there! Three Kinghts is a decent amount of work - but to be fair, you pretty much have an army once you are done.  To keep me motivated and to make the project achievable I broke it down into stages: 1. The Metal Skeletons 2. Panel Work 3. Bases 4. Weaponry. This approach will save you time and will help you get 3 Knights above table top quality quickly and efficiently. It won't feel like it as you go - but trust me when you reflect, you will have saved yourself some serious time.  There is also a uniformity you can't replicate from doing 1 then adding 2 later on... Take the pain and work in multiples....read on... 1. The Metal Skeletons: Army Painter Silver Rattle C...

Here is my latest offering now I am back into some kind of routine again.  This has served as a good warm up project, having kept it slightly simpler this time around by not doing a full interior.  There is a limit to how much effort I can repeatedly put into 35pt models!

These were finished quite some time a go but I have been off the blog for a while, now trying to get back into things.  They came out real well and work brilliantly as a pair on the table.  Hope people like what they see.  Probably the best FA option for SM.

Finally finished the Falchion and another model in line with the core theme of the blog.  I picked this up back in March at the Forge World open day, with a view to have it finished before wider release... anyway...  it's done now.  The techniques involved are covered in the Glaive tutorial.  This time around I have tried to apply some of the pointers and tips passed on from Matt Murphy-Kane and Mark Bedford from not only Warhmmer Fest, but the FW open day to.

All three drop pods are now complete.  Happy with the look and feel of them.  I think they fit in well with the Army and have served me well in the last few games.  I need to get better at the burn/re-entry marks made using the airbrush but that aside I think they are all good. 

Day 1 and 2 WIP photos.  All the sanding, cutting, smoothing and washing of the component parts has been completed.  My weathering has begun – the tracks have been given a light coating of sandy paste.  

After 2 weeks of 4-6hrs a day working on it the job is done.  I am really pleased with the results despite initial frictions with the model and paint application.  It has come out lighter and more worn than my other tanks, fitting in with it being an older, rarer war machine.  I am very keen what people think about the finished model and where I can look to improve on upcoming projects, namely more infantry elite units, a Storm Raven and a Fire Raptor. 

And this then would be the second project.   I have planned out my first 1500pts and would like to hit that before branching off and adding to the Army…that said I couldn’t resist leaving this lying around any longer and got cracking. The first stage saw me make sure I had all the bits and that there were no poorly formed parts, or anything broken.   Then came the tedious but essential job of stripping the parts from the casting blocks, sanding them all down, finishing with a wash in hot soapy water to remove any excess release agent from the construction process back in the factory.   The water must not be too hot or you will deform the parts – if you can put your hands in the water comfortably then the temperature is not too hot for the resin.  

This is my completed Rhino/Razorback with magnetized hatch for my first tactical squad.  I know they are not particularly popular vehicles but I am looking to build up a company this year and want a good few Rhino/Razorbacks/Drop pods to cover the fluff side of things.  I am very pleased with the final outcome and will talk through what's changed and come on since Part 2 posted a month or so ago.

The second squad is now complete.  Inevitably it has come out better than the first one due to reviewing and learning from the first group I put together.  This build uses new kit as well as a few components from the Sternguard box.  Again I have gone for Combi-Flamer and Flamer, however I have chosen to build a Missile launcher into this Squad rather than the more costly Lascannon.  In time this unit will get a Rhino as well, with the first Rhino now 99% complete and needing a write up for the blog. A change I made on this unit was to go a bit heavier with the VMA Light Sea Blue to get a better contrast after the oil wash and satin varnish was applied (these generally dull your highlights). The transfers on this unit came out really well and I think I have refined how I will approach transfers from now on.  The GW hard coat gloss brushed on seems to give better adhesion than any airbrushed gloss varnish when it comes to sticking in ...

  I recently revisited my Land Raider I completed a few months back having grown in confidence and ability with various different techniques.   I am really pleased I did go back because I think these additions have brought the model up another level.

Ultramarines Forge World Rhino/Razorback WIP Part 2 So a bit of a delay in getting this up, but her comes part 2 – exterior and turrets done, and now getting ready to oil/pin wash then onto weathering.   The VMA blues are great for Ultramarines and make it really easy to shadow/highlight the various parts.   (VMA Steel Blue, French Blue and Light Sea blue – VMA thinner 50:50 with Light Sea blue all at 20psi through the AB). The Ultramarines U was made using the tutorial provided by Buypainted.   A good compass and cutting tool were essential in getting an even shaped U – it took a few tries, but worth getting right.   Lining it up on the part isn’t as easy as it looks – again take time to get it right otherwise you will be repainting the blue…(only once for myself….)

Ultramarines Land Raider This is my first blog on a site I am still trying to understand!   So this is more of a test run for me more than anything else. Over the last year I have been sucking up as much information on painting vehicles as possible.   I took the plunge financially and invested in an airbrush from Iwata back in March having exhausted my brush skills when it came to vehicles.  Despite best efforts I could never get a smooth, thin finish on flat surfaces.   Enter the airbrush!   It solved that issue and opened up a total new avenue within the hobby.   Furthermore it took my painting up a number of levels.   This was actually my first fully painted airbrushed model. What you can see just off to the right is one of two old Falcon kits I practised on before moving onto this expensive kit.   Buypainted’s youtube channel gave me most of my early guidance and tips.   His Vindicator tank pretty much set the t...