Sunday, June 22, 2014

Space Wolves Rhinos - WIP

I've started work on 4 Space Wolves Rhino APCs.  I started with the interiors first, base coating them in a black primer and following up with a dry brushing of Citadel Colour Chainmail. I then detailed the control panel.  I finished the interior with a gloss varnish on all the screens and lights.


I have finished the interior of all 4 and have begun work on the exterior. Using florists wire I added grab handles to the rear of each rhino. I ordered some Space Wolves icon sets from ForgeWorld and applied those to each hull before base coating them all in Wolf Grey base & primer from Army Painter. I based the side doors in Army Painter Daemon Yellow, and masked off some sections of the hull and based them in yellow as well. Aside from the base colors of grey and yellow I wanted to add some quality ornamentation.

I decided to create my own stencils to paint some ornamentation worth of the Space Marines. I started by making an impromptu lightbox with my desklamp and a sheet of plexiglass. Be careful when using incandescent lamps as I managed to significantly warp my plexiglass in the process. Using my lightbox I traced some iconography out of the Space Wolves codex onto a piece of masking tape.  I also printed out some more graphics I found online. With a hobby knife and some stencil sheets, I bought at a craft store, I cut these graphics into stencils. CLICK HERE for a tutorial.



On two of my rhinos I used the Army Painter Daemon Yellow primer/base coat to paint the medieval style wolf.

On another rhino I used one of my stencils, and a $10 airbrush from Harbor Freight, to create this:
I started by spraying black primer, from a distance, over the back half of the rhino. After that dried I set one of my stencils in place using Easytack and masked off the rest of the model.  I then sprayed the white, removed the stencil, and from a distance, sprayed white around the black areas to add the 'stars' in the black of night.  I will have to continue to clean up the rest of the model but I'm quite happy with the results so far.

FINISHED - Click here for my post with the finished models.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Imperial Guard Chimera

Catachan 2nd Company APC

After playing a game of 7th Edition 40K against a 30K Imperial Fist army I decided that my IG were in desperate need of armoured transport.  My choice was a Chimera.  It has been marked for the Catachan 2nd.  Those familiar with the fluff will recognize this as Colonel 'Iron Hand' Straken's company. 

Unfortunately I didn't have a camera handy for many of the steps in this build but I will do my best to explain my process.





First I made two tread guards for either side of the chimera. I created these out of sheet styrene and rounded them off with some modeling putty. I trimmed the ends with a thin strip of styrene and added pre-made rivets for detail. For added texture and detail I added some plastic netting to simulate metal tread plate. Not only does this give me a nice custom look and adds some real world detail, it saves me a lot of tank tread which I can use at a later time.

I also added some accessories from a Tamiya 1/35 scale accessories kit.

I wanted a heavy weathering effect on this model so I began by laying down a coat of rust colored primer. After that had dried I airbrushed a coat of AK interactive Heavy Chipping Fluid.  After that had dried I air brushed a series of Tamiya Acrylics: Nato Green, Nato Brown, Dark Yellow, and Flat Black.  Once that had dried I began chipping the camo pattern by rubbing a toothpick over the edges and other areas of heavy wear.

I followed up the chipping with additional wear by sponging on some Army Painter Gun Metal along the edges and other areas of heavy wear.

I also added army decals and rub on transfers which I chipped at with a toothpick.

I created a couple of mounting brackets for a shovel. These were made out of brass photo-etch scraps. The shovel I had in my bits box turned out to be a little too short so I cut of the spade and hilt and replaced the handle with a piece of styrene rod.

I applied a wash of oil paints (black and burnt umber mixed with Mineral Spirits) to each of the rivets, in all the grooves, over the details and across all the tread. Using a brush slightly dampened with mineral spirits I dragged the wash downward to create streaks of rust and grime. I picked up any extra wash with a toothpick.

Once the oil paints had dried I followed up by applying rust colored weathering powders from Secret Weapon Miniatures. These powders were applied by brush with mineral spirits.  I used the same process to apply dirt colored powders to the tank treads.

After I was satisfied with the weathering powders I applied MIG Fresh Engine Oil to the hubs and pistons to simulate leaking oil and grime. I also used the side of a pencil to highlight some of the sharp metal edges and the details of the tread.


I colored the lens of the viewports with a base coat of apricot followed by a coat of Tamiya Clear Red.


I created an exhaust effect by brushing a charcoal powder around the exhaust vents on either side of the chimera. I made the charcoal powder by filing down a piece of artists stick charcoal. This material should be readily available at any art store and is very inexpensive.

The interior was a bit more rushed and not as detailed.  I did however include a detail kit which I made out of styrene and green stuff, molded in silicone, and cast in resin.  I think it looks a great deal better than the bare interior that the kit comes with.


I magnetized the main turret weapons, except for the optional flamer.  I don't intend on using it and if I should change my mind later I will put one together.


Overall I'm pretty satisfied with the result.  I had nearly completed the dozer blade when my dog ate it.  It is still partially intact so I plan on piecing it back together later. I still feel like something is missing and I welcome any critiques or comments.