So far only the main colour is close to completion. I still have to work on the metallic and freehand.
My original plan was to use the salt weathering technique to add a heavily chipped look to the tank. However, for one reason or another, the water used to affix the salt never dried; in fact it was absorbing water in the atmosphere.
Weathering attempt number two went much better. I ditched the water and salt, and went with a can of my girlfriend’s hairspray. A few layers of this, paint, and water to aid in removing the blue, left a very effective, and far easier, effect. This technique provided realistic looking scratches, with a slight 3D bonus effect. The whole deal was sealed with matte varnish to prevent additional paint chipping away. All that’s left is to highlight the chips to make them pop.
Here you can see the effect in full. I applied a lot of scratches to the front: this is the rammy end after all!
Once the blue and chipping was completed and sealed, I moved on to the details and freehand. All the colours will be done before I move onto the next stage: oil weathering. The icons will be painted in whites and yellows, befitting the Thousand Sons colour pallet.
The gunner and missile have been painted separately, and are closer to completion. Here is the gunner, with near-complete metallics and blue. All that is left is the freehand work and detailing.
I’m also 95% done with the hunter killer missile, which has been converted to suggest it is host to a daemonic entity. I painted it like a conventional missile, but with chaotic influence, in the form of blue veiny flesh patches and a baleful yellow eye.
I plan to have this tank completed by the end of the month, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Better get back to work then…