Monday 30 January 2017

Dark Angels - Drop Pod[s], Pod 1 weathering

I'd had the opportunity to get a good few hours concerted effort in resolving the edges on the doors but moreover I was happy with the result. However, the process wasn't without a new issue in overspill from the orange getting on the green outside of the doors, not to worry though as the doors were to receive some weathering that would potentially hide all my sins [until some Interrogator Chaplain tortured them out of me for his little black pearl].


In the mean time I also finished marking out the symbols on the sides, really quite pleased with the results, just Valejo Stonewall Grey, Army Painter Strong Tone [Agrax], Stonewall Grey and white. Obviously the rivets had also been done, I think I counted 165 are on each pod, add in the 150 holes on each door and it really is the repetition that can kill you with a pod. Regardless you'll notice some additional splodges of paint that got caught on the doors. Once again not to worry as the weathering would cover these up.


Sponge and Rhinox Hide as per Duncan's advice. I tried to be a little bit economical with it this time [compared to the damage on my Aquila Lander], only really catching the edges of the door.


I think both the Aquila and Euronymous suffered from too much weathering, Euronymous I fluff-excused the Aquila made a little more sense as it had crashed afterall but both seemed a little busy and had to be salvaged in one way or another to make me happy with it.


Interestingly the Dark Angel Codex features some painted miniatures that are clearly done at a 'tabletop' standard as opposed to the 'Eavy Metal team standard. As much as I approve of them showcasing a standard that's achievable by all in the Codex I was determined to do something better than the weathering on this at the very least.


So here's my first attempt with the sponge and Gun Metal on the left door.


And then I continued round the model, note where I covered up those paint smudges.


I added a subsequent wash of Strong Tone, just to make it less clean and unrealistic. I didn't go as far as I did with the Aquila and add Typhus Corrosion and then Strong Tone to blend it in as I thought the results were OK by themselves.


Here you can see the doors open and how the sepia wash on the door edges blended the oranges together. Compared with the piece of the crashed Aquila you can also see that the orange almost looks like my Ferron Proxima Red Planet Basing, unsurprising given the similar colours and yet unintentional. However, the result is most welcome and once again ties things together.


The fact is the pods, Aquila Lander and Euronymous run a fine line between process, effect and consistency. There have been slight deviations in process - choices in green and weathering that are completely different. The effects and how they’re consistent across the army was always a concern, not helped by the pod being started before I went all Verdigris Bronze on everything. And yet the inconsistencies are still valid as in reality not all materials are made at the same time so there will be differences in colours, some armour will be scuffed and reveal an undercoat, some will reveal bare metal. Some metals will be steel, some will be bronze etc.

I think 100% colour matching is really effective and I’d love to have that but for the most part my nids deliver on this front. As much as I’d be happier for the Dark Angels, who I consider rightly or wrongly, to be the army I put more effort into; they’re also the army I agonise over more intensely so I have to take success where I can find it. There’s little left to do on this, I considered litany markings before the damage but wanted it left without extra paint breaking up the strong green. There are some yellow pipes inside that I also don’t think should be black and yellow striped. They’re so small breaking them up with black would disturb their ‘silhouette’ in the model. There's quite a few more details I could pick out but I need to remind myself this is just a pod, I’ve another one to do and this is pretty much better than I expected anyways. So, it just needs varnishing and some of the dials/radar need Tamiya Clear Orange X-26 and it’s done…

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