Hey,

So after the response from my previous ‘Showcase’ article, I have decided to crack on with putting up some of my favourite projects, both from me and when I’m done (well it is my blog!), from other people whose work I really respect and adore.

This week it’s time for the ‘Sentinel in Maintenance’ piece.  This is something that I assembled and painted rather on a whim.  I know that sounds odd, but I went into a Games Workshop store, the Cheltenham one to be precise, where this project now stands proudly in the cabinet, and just decided to go ahead.

I brought a sentinel, largely as I say, on a whim, and the imperial armour how to paint tanks book.  I got it home and read it over again and again as I tried to digest some of the awesome techniques that they were suggesting.  While the subtlty of the paint scheme is somewhat hidden in these pictures, I hope a flavour of the piece can be conveyed at least.  I began by cleaning up the components I would use, just building as I went along for fun.  No complex sketching of ideas, or complex positioning of minis in a diorama for this piece, just plain ignorant old brute force.  I cut the shape of the base out of plasticard and used off cuts to form supports inside the hollow base.  Then I picked up a Forgeworld salamander command vehicle kit that was sitting unpainted in a box, and again on a whim (which I’m rather glad paid off!), I cut the corner off the cabin part and recessed that into the base.  Lots of puttying and sanding later, and all I needed to do was to clean up the titan crewman and add detailing to the floor.  The texture would be added by the airbrush, so I didn’t worry about distressing it or anything at this point.

Then came the ‘nel itself.  I assembled it in sub-assemblies, and sprayed the interior.  This had cold blues and whites sprayed across it, to contrast with the exterior, and the controls were all reassembled from plasticard and painted along with the upholstery.  The death korps helmet on the seat is genuine, I took a death korps trooper and cut away his head until the helmet was hollow.  I know you can’t see that, but I know it’s done that way!

Once the interior was done, washed with black and brown oil paints, sponged with charandon granite and highlighted white,  It was time for the exterior.  I began by airbrushing it black, grey, pink and white and adding transfers with microsol and microset  The pink gave it a rather nice slightly warm tone which it turns out helped to make the tank look green when it was then washed with a brown burnt umber Windsor and Newton series one oil paint wash.  It also got red, purple and black washes in points, along with more charandon granite sponging.  Finally a highlight of Titanium white oil paint finished the panelling off.  This paint is the purest, most vibrant white paint I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, and I love it, I’d highly recommend it.  The mini got a coat of purity seal or eight, and then I brush painted the metallics in citadel paints, with Vallejo metal medium highlights for that extra ‘zing’.  The re-worked roll cage came out really well here I thought, and with a few coats of ‘Tamiya clear’ paint (thank you Nigel Carman!), it looked kind of oily, like it’d just been rubbed down.  I like the effect, it is reminicient of a gun mechanisms, and I wanted that mechanical potential to really carry over into the vehicle.  It may be resting now, but you wouldn’t want to meet it on the battlefield!

Finally little details got painted, the techie got painted (the helmet is simply the undercoat with purple and blue oil paint washes – fantastic stuff, I love oils!), and then bar the singing and dancing (which involved more detail work and many a coat of purity seal/w&n matt varnish), he was ready to ship off to Golden Demon.    I had a bit of an accident at the event due to a bout of extreme idiocy when I tried to superglue the piece to it’s plinth so kindly supplied by Ben Jarvis, who you would have seen waving the slayer sword around on the stage later that day.  However, the damage wasnt terminal, and he got entered fine.  I truly thought I was in with a chance with this mini, in fact he was in my humble opinion, my best chance, but sadly the judges didn’t choose him to be among the final three, simply clinching a finalist pin.  Congrats to the winners though, there was some fine stuff there, and that land speeder done by the nice spanish chap whose name I’ve forgotten off the top of my head was absolutely ace.  Very very well done!

Anyway guys and girls,  I hope you liked a peek at this piece, as ever I’d be most appreciative if you could let me know your thoughts on my painting process etc.

Thanks!

James