WH40K - Stormhammer Painted

Here's the paintjob on the Stormhammer.

Short version:

- undercoat of Citadel Black

- heavy drybrush on the tracks of Citadel Boltgun Metal

- base coat of Tamiya tan spray on the tank

- went around the cracks and crevices with a tan coloured felt tip pen

- plenty of dry brushing with Citadel Bleached Bone

- gun barrels and engines in Citadel Boltgun Metal

- a few transfers

- masked off an arrow head shape and dabbed in Citadel Skull white

- went round the arrow shape in dark grey felt tip pen (less successful)

- sponged on some Citadel Tinbitz, Boltgun Metal and other odd colours for that chipped look

- a very light spray of Tamiya tan colour for some 'dust'

- spray of Citadel varnish to keep the transfers on

Overall it still looks a bit sloppy but I think it's good enough for table play. Won't win any Golden Demons, but I have a lot more models to finish and I will stop here on this one.

Small versions of pics for link to Work In Progress and Librarium Online forums.

WH40K - Bull Grox

Here are the main bits of the Bull Grox (Baneblade recovery vehicle / engineer vehicle / wrecker):

Still not sure about the construction of the manipulator arms. I may cut them apart and extend them.

WH40K - TWTMG painting

I undercoated the Stormhammer with Citadel black and then Tamiya sand sprays. I tried to paint a digital pattern in olive and dark grey along the hull sides of the hull and turret, but it was a bit indistinct due to my use of cheap masking tape, which left a lot of 'bleeding' where the colours met.
My next bright idea was to outline the digital camouflage squares in lighter shades using paint markers, but the colours did not match the pen lids (too bright) and it was very difficult to get the pen around the rivets on the model.
So, the Stormhammer has been resprayed in sand.

WH40K - Project TWTMG 90% complete

The Tank With Too Many Guns - AKA the Stormhammer - is 90% complete.

I assembled a couple of crew in their hatches, left separate for painting. I also left the tracks off for painting separately. I also jammed several pieces of foamcard into the hull and under the (broken) turret ring. An old broken file down the middle, and now I can rotate the turret!

I added antennas and spotlights to the turret, but no stowage. The four sponsons on the hulls are standard for a Stormhammer: four twin linked heavy bolters and four lascannon. (So more fire power than four Chimera APCs in the sponsons alone!)

The rear dozer blades were more complicated to mount on the hull than I had expected. The support frames looked very long and flimsy, so I used the two spare Hellhammer guns and a lot of plastic bits to give the assemblies some bulk. The Hellhammer guns have sufficient 'heft' and resemble hydraulic equipment, so it works for me. It also leaves two small Imperial eagles showing for a bit more of a 'Guard' look.

I am considering placing fuel drums on the hull sides, between the sponsons. There is enough room, and as the idea of the fuel drums is that they are used for 'admin' moves, rather than in combat, I don't think they are too vulnerable to enemy fire. (The drums are used for fuel before the vehicle's own fuel tanks, and then dropped before going into combat.)

Next job - paint it and glue it all together. Then it's on with Project Bull Grox - The Baneblade Engineer Vehicle.

Here's the link to the post on the Librarium Online modelling forum.

WH40K - The Tank With Too Many Guns

I have started the conversion work on the Stormhammer, AKA The Tank With Too Many Guns.

That's the turret. It will sit more centrally on the hull, but it will not rotate. (It will in game terms, but the modelling is too complex for me to make it work on the actual plastic kit.)

I added a demolition gun mount to the hull, for the two glacis mounted battlecannon:

I was not sure whether to use long barrelled or short barrelled battlecannon for these weapons. I have now decided to use short barrels. They will be within the length of the tracks, making this behemoth look slightly more compact. This will also leave me the third and fourth long guns for modification of a pair of Leman Russ tanks. Perhaps the long barrels would look good on a 'tank hunter' variant, with no turret. I don't know - two Baneblades are enough for me.

I also decided I didn't like the single suspension arrangement of the front rollers. It seems to me that the first sharp turn would tear a wheel and half the tracks off. So I have decided to beef up this with parts from one tank. The Bull Grox will have a shorter track arrangement (the tracks are segmented in straight lines, making it much easier to cut them neatly. Good thinking Games Workshop!). Also, the Bull Grox will have dozer blades and manipulator arms, hiding the change to the front suspension.

Lastly, I blanked off the 'shrines' in the engine plating. (Personal preference.)

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Here are small versions of these pics, for links to the Librarium Forums and
Work In Progress.

WH40K and GI JOE = Titan Weapons!

I found this beastie in a toy store.

It is a walker for the GI Joe Sigma 6 line of small figures (the human figures are about 6 cm tall).

The machine comes as a bipedal walker, with four attachable weapons. The weapons are surprisingly functional - a push-button makes the claws grab, the mace pops forward, and the gatling gun launches safe plastic darts.

The proportions are more heroic action figure than WH40K, but there is serious potential for development into Ork Stompa or Imperial Titan here.

Here's link to the product at the Hasbro website.

WH40K - Old Crow Models

I purchased three vehicles from the 25mm range on the Old Crow Models website.

Samson Engineering Vehicle (tracked version)

Gecko Scout Car

Provider Transport

They are nice resin models, in a well proportioned 25mm scale. This makes them slightly too small for WH40K, but suitable as scenery, or for use in RPGs, etc, as props with 25-28mm figures. There was no extra resin to carve off, or flash to trim - these are top quality model kits at a reasonable price (ten pounds stirling)

They are moulded in parts - The Samson comes as hull, chassis(which can be different in other models, eg grav, wheeled or tracked), turret and several pieces to make the crane. The Gecko is just car body and separate wheels. The Provider is truck body, wheels, crates. All come with extra details in white metal, including exhausts, tow hooks etc. The website is pretty clear on construction and parts.

(Pics are taken from the Old Crow Models website and are owned by them.)