Warlord StuG III - Progress

I'm probably 6-8 hours into this project at this point - and I can see the end. I need to finish detailing - such as the shovel on the model and the bits, like the white tool box, in the last photo - and then do the next round of pigments. I'm also going to make the razor wire coils much less red, of course.

The base will get a bit more snow, mostly to soften the edges of the current piles, and a bit more Realistic Water in spots.

I'm debating a filter over the side panels as well. Although I'm reasonably happy with the weathering, as I wanted it to be heavy, I think the colour transitions are a bit stark. Pigments might be the answer but if that doesn't do it I'll go for a wash filter.

I added some small conversion detail -- such as the bent side skirt panel on the port side, the missing panel on the starboard side, and the toolbox, razor wire, and posts to the back. I also added some subtle details to the base -- for instance the branch on the port side extends across the tread rut and there are tiny bits of broken wood floating in the puddle where the tank would have pulverized it.

For now I need to wait for the second coat of mud to dry on the road wheels and skirts. A layer also went on the hull before the skirts went on.

After that... pigments.

Warlord Stug III Ausf. G

I got a chance to get my hands on some of the Bolt Action models from Warlord Games while I was at Adepticon. Given the simplicity of these resin and metal kits I was VERY impressed by the detail and quality -- and very excited to have something I could paint in a hurry. The total assembly and detailing time on this guy is less than one hour. The total time spent at this stage is about four hours.

A kit like this gives me something to work on while I'm working on more complicated build or detail projects -- like the 1/35 scale Dragon Smart Kit Marder III M. Ausf. sitting on the table. I spent more time assembling the engine on that kit that I will on this project when it's finished, base and all.

Another nice thing about the Warlord kits is that they're 1/56 scale -- making them large enough to do some of the quick and simple detail work that can make such a big difference.

The before and after shots here show the work I did to create the German forged steel texture. It only took me 30-45 minutes with my rotary tool, putty, MEK, and sandpaper to get this texture. But without it I'd wind up with a tank that had a glass smooth, very unrealistic finish no matter how well weathered it was otherwise. It's simple effects like this that really up the ante on a vehicle.

Next up for this one: the road wheels, and mud on the hull by the tracks. Then the side plates go on and final weathering starts.

1:100 Destroyed Sherman

I didn't realize just how much I had missed painting tanks until I was working my way through my second Manhattan, and still painting, about an hour after I'm normally asleep.

I am very happy with how the finished piece came together -- especially as it only represents about four hours of actual working time from start to photos.

The model is from the "Flames of War" line - although I added the tarp and wood. The tufts are from MiniNatur and the flowering tufts were custom made.

I might still go back and add a bit more of the Dark Yellow and Violet pigments (from Secret Weapon, of course!) but I don't want to lose any of the very soft dust effect I managed to achieve.

I will aim to get more photos of this piece taken with a better camera as my little PowerShot ELPH always makes things look flat -- even under the daylight lamps and against a decent background. Alas.

I'm going to allow myself to paint one figurine to paint for every two tanks in progress -- which means I can keep practicing my French style for figurines while not allowing my weathering and tank painting skills to get so rusty (no pun intended).


And now it's time to dig through my bins and find another tank!

CMON voting link

Post Adepticon rumination... and tanks!

I took the Old Japanese Man bust to Adepticon as my first major competition entry. As soon as it went into the cabinet I realized I'd lost. Here I was trying to compete with a bust done in the French style... against the guys that invented it. I've been doing this for eight months and they've been doing it for years. And how many tanks did I take with me? None. Zero. Nada.

Um... oops?

And that's when I realized that I hadn't painted a tank in eight months. EIGHT MONTHS!

I've taught my weathering classes and I've done some videos, but I haven't actually painted a tank in eight months. And so I picked up some "Flames of War" tanks at 1:100 scale and got to work. I also have a 1:35 Dragon kit on the table and several 1:48 simple resin kits on the way.

It's time to get back into the tank business!

I will, of course, continue to work on painting figures in the French style, but I'm a tank guy and it's time I started acting like one.

Day 1: FoW Destroyed Sherman - Base Coat

I will be making this one look long abandoned. Thus the extreme oxidization. Next up are details, pigments, and oils!

I have also done some work on the new plastic Sherman and StuG kits from FoW just to see which detailing techniques will translate all the way down to 1:100 scale. The answer is... not much. But I'll figure it out!

Japanese Bust - Final

I might add a few final highlights - I'm going to sleep on that and decide tomorrow - but this guy is otherwise finally finished. Over the course of the project I changed the colour of the inner kimono five different times. I even added stripes at one point. In the end I came back to the original colour to help tie in with the shadow glazing on his face. There are plenty of things I'd like to improve on but I'm happy with the finished product. For now....

Old Japanese Man Bust

More progress on the Old Japanese Man bust. The skin is starting to smooth out and I've added shadows to the cloth. The white cloth only has a base coat of grey. I want to smooth out the skin and add more contrast - and add some highlights to the kimonos.

I might also try my hand at adding a flower to the headband... but I'm not sure yet.

Japanese Bust WIP

Fresh from the Happy Monk model I decided to try my Asian skin recipe on this incredible piece. I really love the detail on the face for this one. This is my first bust and I don't think I could have chosen a more interesting model. It measures 1.5" overall with a 0.75" face. That's about 20mm for my friends outside of the Colonies.

I still have a long way to go - especially to get the skin as dark as I'd like it to be in the recesses - but I'm really enjoying the process.

And I'm painting again. This is a good thing.