WIP: Grot Tank Prep & Conversion

So, what's green and rhymes with "shot"? Well, "Grot," of course!

I've been prepping a squadron of Grot Tanks the last couple weeks and will be working on them one at a time alongside my Cawdor gang.

Through some combination of camaraderie toward underdogs and being enthralled by the wacky nature of Gretchin, I've always been a big fan of the Orks' short-statured brethren.

This tetrad of tanks will form the core of a 750-point all-Grot army, which will also include a few Kans and a couple blobs of Gretchin infantry. It's not going to win any tournaments, but the force should be a lot of fun and a good challenge.

I haven't gotten my hands on Imperial Armour Vol. Eight yet, but I hear it covers Grot Tanks. I also hear that like other tanks in the 40K universe, there's an option for a pintle-mounted weapon. The Grot Tank models don't come with those, so I thought it would be cool to add them.

So, I grabbed a spare shoota from the bits bin and got started:

Next, I used some Instant Mold to make a copy of an orky grip:

I also constructed a pintle to mount the shoota to with some 1-mm-thick plasticard as a base, and 0.25-mm-thick plasticard and rivets to add visual interest:

The pintle is mounted into a rectangular hole I cut into the turret to provide a stable footing. With the addition of some green stuff molded to look like weld marks, it'll be hard to tell it wasn't original after the paint goes on:

And here's the first tank prepped and ready for the spray booth (Note: The big shoota is attached for reference. I'm magnetizing the main weapons so I can switch between grotzookas and big shootas, and am currently working on building them):

Next up: My second batch of Cawdor models get a basecoat and some shading.

So, until next time, keep painting!

WIP: Cawdor Gang 2 Prep & Undercoat

The next two members of the Crimson Brotherhood have been prepped:

And undercoated:

For details on prepping, see here and here; for details on undercoating, see here.

Moving from left to right in the pictures above, we have the gang's standard Leader and a Juve. Neither model needed any gap or hole filling and both cleaned up pretty easily.

Up until recently, I'd never really liked this Leader model, having preferred the alternate Leader's more dynamic pose and better equipment (a boltgun and power sword vs. an auto pistol and chainsword).

But, as it turns out, the standard Leader also has a boltgun; it's just slung on his back:

I didn't realize this until I picked the model up out of the box to examine it while mulling over which gang members to paint next.

Needless to say, this Leader is growing on me, and I think I'll be less likely to relegate him to the sidelines as soon as I have enough credits to purchase a power sword and use the alternate Leader.

Anywho, I thought I'd also share a quick tutorial on prepping a model to attach to a resin base.

First, remove the slotta tab:

I use a small vice to hold the mini and a razor saw to cut the tab off.

After the slotta tab is removed, move the model around on the base to determine the best position for it.

Next, mark pilot holes in the model's heels:

Drill a hole approximately 2-3 mm deep into one of the mini's feet:

Make sure the hole is perpendicular to the top of the base, as it will help create a tight fit for the pins.

Then insert one of the pins into the model's heel, score the base with it where you want the model to stand, and then drill a hole 2-3 mm deep into the base. Again, this hole should be straight down into the base:

The pins should be 4-5 mm in length. The idea is for the pins to provide enough stability to keep the model firmly attached to its base. I use paper clips as pins.

Next, drill a hole in the other foot. With the first pin in the base and the second pin in the hole that you just drilled, line the mini up and score the second hole in the base:

After drilling out the second hole in the base, the mini is now ready to be firmly pinned with a little super glue (I glue the pins to the base and wait to glue the model until it's fully painted):

Next up: I've been prepping another project to work on alongside this latest batch of Cawdor models. I won't give it away, but it involves the color green and rhymes with "shot."

So, until next time, keep painting!