Showcase: Grot Tank

Annnnnd, we're back.

I've had few opportunities to sit down at the painting table over the past nine months. But as of this past Tuesday, I am officially unemployed.

The candidate I was working for lost her election. So it goes. I can say, however, that you should never be afraid to go after something you believe in. It will always be worth it.

Now that I temporarilly have some time on my hands, I've been able to finish up the first Grot tank:

I'm really pleased with how it came out. I was worried the tank was going to be too weathered, but I think it's going set the perfect tone for the scrappy little Grot mob I'm planning.

I followed a lot of the scale model tips and tricks laid out in Forge World's Model Masterclass volumes to finish the tank off.

After applying a liberal application of burnt umber oil wash, I applied rust and dust effects with mixes of watered-down paint and MIG Productions weathering powders.

The exhaust soot is straight powder applied with a cotton swab. I also added a light dry brush of a dark metallic color to the tracks to highlight their wear.

I snapped a couple WIP shots after the oil wash and thought it would be cool to pull a bunch of shots together to show the model's progression:

Keep an eye out for more regular posts for the foreseeable future.

Up next: Details of a special painting-related trip I was able to make back in April.

So until next time, keep painting!

WIP: Grot Tank Weathering

Subtitle to this post: A Hiatus From My Hiatus.

I got a few days off from work over the Thanksgiving holiday and took the opportunity to get some hobby time in.

The siren song of the Grot tank was too much to resist; one day I'll finish the latest additions to my Cawdor gang.

But first things first, some Grot tank progress:

I started by shading the metal pieces with watered-down Vallejo Model Air (VMA) Metallic Black (073) and then drybrushing highlights of VMA Aluminum (062).

Yellow areas received a drybrush of Vallejo Model Color (VMC) Sand Yellow (916), and brown pieces got a once over with VMA Rust (069).

I also detailed the pintle-mounted shoota:

And added a few transfers:

According to the folks at Heresy Online, the driver of this Grot tank likes speed (the "Wazza" symbol on the turret) and is a ruthless veteran (the "Grim" and "Skraga" symbols from top to bottom on the hull).

To lay down the decals, I started by brushing on some Future floor polish to the areas. This makes it easier to slide the transfers onto the model and then adjust them once on. I also used Vallejo Decal Medium (212) to further lubricate the surface and then Decal Fix (213) to keep them in place.

As you can see in the above photos, I forgot to take pictures of previous steps before moving on to adding paint chipping.

To achieve the chipping, I cut up old blister pack foam into small triangles and then lightly dabbed on Reaper High Density (RHD) Armor Grey first and then more selectively applied VMA Steel (065).

There's still plenty left to do before I put this bad boy together. I want to try my hand at an oil wash and then apply powders to simulate rust, mud, and dust. But I'm really pleased with how the weathering has turned out so far.

I have time off around Christmas, so I should be able to put in more hobby time.

Up next: Maybe a showcase of this fine little Grot tank.

So until next time, keep painting!

SIPtG on Hiatus

Well, the title of the post says it all.

The paints are back up on the shelf, the projects are mothballed, and the brushes are away in their case.

My longer than usual absence from the blog recently has been due to a new employment situation, which will also be keeping me away for a bit longer, thus necessitating the hiatus.

Last month, I left a cushy state government job to throw my support behind a gubernatorial candidate here in my home state of Maryland.

The campaign trail is a demanding one, and I generally work seven days a week for between 12 and 14 hours a day. Thus, any time I had to devote to paining toy soldiers has vanished.

The good news is that the campaign only lasts until either next June or next November.

So, keep an eye out for my triumphant return next summer or winter!

Until then, keep painting!