Latest project - Teaser [Ork]

As the title clearly states, this is just a teaser for my latest big project that'll hit home soon!

Rusty STANK! (Under construction) [Empire]

The trusty Warhammer Steam tank, often comically referred to as the 'stank', is a model that I've admired since the old metal variations that were on the scene a few generations ago. The new plastic model is nothing short of 'fun' and the construction of my first has left me wanting to create a unit to flatten the battlefield. 

However, as I don't play, I digress.

For the current update, here is my Stank from the a chapter of the 'Order of the blackbird'.

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I was aiming to create a metal and wood beast expertly constructed in the forges of the Empire but subject to the rot and degeneration subject to the early days of history. I pictured the early tanks that lumbered across the trenches in WW1; not elegant and clean, but muddy and black from sot.

This pictures are from an earlier edition and the shield motifs have since had some work done on them.

The red and white represent the 'Invicta', the flag of my home county of Kent and the insignia of my chapter of the army - these are the colours and design of my University. Whereas, the red and blue were the colours of my brother's University and the subject of his chapter.

The coal bucket is a personal favourite touch. I've replaced the hook to the top of the chimney so that the detail at the base is more visible.

This gold detailing and the tiny minature shield are normally hidden behind the coal bucket and I wanted this out on show.

 
This is an area that needs serious repainting; although the flash in this photo has washed it out considerably.

Once again, the heavy amount of rust on the pistons and around the hatch can be seen.

The expensive and personal rifle of the commander shows no wear and tear and clearly stands out from the rest of the model.

A 'behind the scenes' picture of the rust going onto the model. I admittedly used a heavy amount of rust on this model and at one point it was pure rust and wood - thankfully some of the detailing has brought out other colours.

Warhammer 40k Kanz [Ork]

First up is a model I painted a while back over the space of a week. As someone who doesn't so much enjoy building armies but rather particular models, I had wanted one of these guys for a while. I like models that aren't too excessive in size and have a lot of character and detail that can be brought out in the painting. 

In terms of the colour, I wanted to go for something bold that would make the rust and earthy colours stand out; as I had never painted with yellow on a large scale, I decided that that would be the best shot. The purple armour was a later idea that was added to bring out a little more character - the idea of having a 'Royalz' clan was just too inviting.

The model below are not the final model as since these photos were taken I have touched the model up and added more detail in order to have him entered into a painting competition.

 I wanted his pose to be in character with the known confident aggression of the Grots. He's big and tough now he has a skin of metal and beckons the challenging in for a fight - "Wut? U fink u can take me?"

In hindsight I should have added a considerable amount of battle-damage and general wear and tear tot he model as he's currently looking far too clean in these pictures.

The base is coated in the specialist paint brought out by GW last year and it works well once you've experimented with the correct thickness. I've personally found that a generous amount of black/brown/sephire ink is required to bring out the cracks. The photo below shows the difference between black ink (central) and brown ink (bottom left).

The teeth on the arm were free-hand and later had black outlines added to bring out the detail. Annoyingly the detail of the ammo within the ammo-drum was entirely lost due to a thick spray and I had to take a knife to recarve these.

I'm very big on making models look old and used. Almost every figure I paint is coated in rust and this Kanz is no different. I also wanted to experiment and show off the different types of metal that were used in it's construction - so whereas the generator and spikes have rusted, the hatch has oxidised.

Again, these hazard strips were free-hand (and a bad case of free-hand). I experimented with a few different techniques and none really worked due to how small the area is to paint. I settled with this until I had time to go back and give it another shot - not my best work.

The back of this model brings out some more of the colour. As I said, I'm a big fan of bringing out colour even in the smallest models, so having all these different wires around the model meant I could go crazy putting blues, greens, and reds into an otherwise yellow and purple figure. A model that is normally shown as very earthy with a single coloured armour (typically black or red) is now a rainbow of colour.

Little bits of detail, like this power box, is the sole reason I paint my models in parts before assembling it. Getting to this little powerbox and bright blue cable above would have been hell had they not been separate from the model itself.

Again, my crude attempt at wear-and-tear on the jaw was a quick fix. I think when I touch this model up that'll be one of the thinks that gets repainted.