Dark Angels - Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer - Decal prep

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I'm still #paintingwarhammer on my Dark Angels Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer. I know I said it would be a while before an update, I suppose it has, but I've been prepping the decals. But, before that i actually painted one of the company numbers on the front wing, plus some paint scuffs. It's not too bad for freehand.

Here's the Photoshop mock-up again - slimmer, taller but I think I did an OK job, considering.

I was preparing the numeral on top too and the litany. I got confirmation this is the correct orientation from Nick Bayton.

I stretched the number 1 even more for the top down view, but viewing at an angle will foreshorten it. I also added the Deathwing symbol to the litany.

I did a mock-up of the track guards to try to work out what size would fit in the space available. This meant the litany could be scaled to fit 15mm wide. This is much better than the original 12mm version I started with. A 25% increase in scale really helps and the mock-up also allowed me to see that the Deathwing symbol just needed to be nudged off-centre due to the trapezium shaped light mount. It will also help me position the decals as there are points of reference on the mock-up I can use to align them.

I'll make these available as a .pdf should anyone want them

Dark Angels - Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer - Last chance to dance

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I'm still #paintingwarhammer on my Dark Angels Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer. But these will be the last pics for a while. It is almost finished, I've applied all the blessed verdigris, lenses etc. However, I wanted to see if a big number and text would look OK.

So I Photoshopped it on. Now the left is how I originally envisaged it, but the right is how Titans would see it. I can't decide which would be better. Regardless I'd need printable decal paper if I wanted to go down this route.

 

I was also speculating about a number in the centre of the quartered heraldry on the front.

And yes, a big number 1 will make that look better.

I bit the bullet and went with red lenses on the tank hatches, but they seem a bit lost. Do you think green ones would be better?

Green ones?

Red lense on the Multi-melta sill stay red.

Orange and red lenses on the heavy flamers. I'm not sure I want to Tamiya Clear them...

I'll lose some of the effect if I do.

The lights will definitely have Tamiya Clear Red X-27 added, but the lenses don't seem to need it, just a drop of gloss varnish.

This light will also be Tamiya Clear Red X-27.

And the back, still debating whether to add orange weathering powder in the grooves of the tracks.

It might be perceived as rust, which it's not. It's the red dust from Ferron Proxima. I may try and Photoshop that too...

Dark Angels - Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer - Battle damage

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I'm still #paintingwarhammer on my Dark Angels Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer. That's right I've not been put off  again and why would I? I'm painting loads of scratches on my Land Raider. Now this is just Citadel Rhinox Hide, or VGC Charred Brown. In fact I put both on my Pringles lid palette and the slight difference meant there was subtlety to the scratches. I'd only done the scratches on the left hand side at this stage, but sponged on damage  over most of the model.

It was then to go in with some pure white to add highlights to the scratch edges. However, the more I did, the more I felt it was unrealistic in places. So I did not do very much at all. I'll admit this is far from actual realism, but it's more realistic than I'd normally do and artificially adding depth with highlights just seemed too fake.

That said, some of the sponging is proper obvious and yet I couldn't bring myself to find a way to fix it.

The front access door got more chipping and scratches but made me realise how is a Terminator supposed to disembark from this. I know the top bit rises up, but not that much or it'll hit the Assault Cannon and even so the termie will have to duck to get under the door hinge. I won't even mention the Deathwing Sergeant with the massive angel wings on his carapace...

It's at this stage I start to feel it's the final stretch, but there is still loads more to do.

I want to add some sepia stains and marks to add some extra depth to the darker browns I've just added.

I just spotted that Mechanicus symbol needs highlighting, and the nameplate on the engine cover. 

I need to reconcile all the blessed verdigris and decide about the tracks - verdigris and red weathering powder, just weathering powder or none at all?

All the lenses need doing and smoke and heat bloom on respective weapons.

Are there any decals to add - that white/red quartered heraldry is looking mighty empty and clean, maybe even some scratches just to tie it in.

Do these tracks need anything else?

The door is ok, the track fairings work a lot better than the door though.

And do I consider that big number 1 and litany script on the top of the track covers?

I'm stuck though as I have momentum and I'm thinking too much about this. It is now considerably better than I hoped it would be and I must remember I kept on saying not to have high hopes for it as I may never even use it. Even if it was rubbish it'd be finished and it is far from rubbish now. I still wish I had done a massive off-centre angled Deathwing badge on the top but it just wouldn't work with the details on the doors.

Dark Angels - Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer - Moar bone

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity It comes to something when the project you were doing to avoid your most avoidable project becomes so much you tackle the more challenging one. Yes the Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer is back on my painting table.

I have been avoiding this for so long and yet I knew that this next drybrush/stippling of the pale cream colour would potentially solve most of my issues with helping it to progress.

Part elitist snobbery over drybrushing, but also partly genuine  dislike of the finish. But I am going to weather and battle damage it so I'm not entirely sure why I'm fretting.

This is part of the process and a reminder not to judge the model until it is finished. I do now had some new reservations about the inordinate amount of bone. Those two track covers in particular are screaming out for a big 1 on one side and perhaps some litany script with a decorative capital letter on the other.

That'll be another delay as I work out how to do it - print my own decals, make a mask?

Anyway, I think I've managed to get past this initial hurdle to a point where I can think about adding paint chips.

I am also hesitant [again] about the blessed verdigris. I always am. Part of me is always convinced it will spoil the finish but I have to be strong. I'm not going Sanctum Imperialis green so no need to worry so much. I can be selective if I want.

I'm umming and aahing over the [currently unpainted] turret lenses. I have the three choices of:

Tamiya Clear Green X-25
Tamiya Clear Orange X-26
Tamiya Clear Red X-27

Since these pics I basecoated them in Khorne Red in preparation for X-27 but I'm now thinking green would be more interesting. The Deathwing eye lenses are green...

The rest of the lenses are red and orange for sure, it's just the turret ones to think on...

Dark Angels - Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer - RED!

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I've been #paintingwarhammer Dark Angel Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer. As you can see it's very much lighter than it used to be and I've been adding in the red highlights.

Now I surprised myself with these pictures, they are starting to get where I want to be with this... Except it does not stand up to close scrutiny, I'm far from happy with the result with the bone drybrushing.

 

Now I know that with a bit more shading, some extra line highlights and the eventual weathering and damage it'll all be OK. However, despite trying to slog through this I don't think I have the motivation right now to persevere with it. 

I believe in both going with the flow and perseverance when it comes to the hobby. The path of least resistance is usually the most effective but once in a while slogging through with a project, reaching that tipping point where you overcome the obstacles and it just progresses.

Unfortunately, that is not this time. I think I'm just going to have to chip away with it little by little. Hence why I did the red, which I'm at least happy with. Next up will be to tidy up some of the bone and maybe then I'll feel happier with it...

The unexpected side effect of lack of motivation is lack of energy too. I've been really tired at night but mostly I've been going to bed at an earlier time, which is good. I've also been spending time with the boy, we've a little under 2 weeks now until he's off to Oxford so hobby really isn't a priority. On top of that the new blogger interface...😱 Yeah, this is not a great experience, adding images from my photo albums is really clunky and woe-betide you add the wrong one and have to go back into the album of 250+ images and view them in batches of 40, starting with the oldest! 😓 

Anyway, I've some content to add so I may have a few weeks of posts to write up, if I can get over my blogger hang-ups.

Dark Angels - Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer - Mo' Bone

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I've been #paintingwarhammer Dark Angel Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer. If you recall I saw this video by Artis Opus showing how to paint a Rhino and said to myself - "why yes, that's how I should approach the Land Raider". The reality is I far from the results they achieved and although I was realistic in what I hoped to achieve and part way there I'm still feeling disappointed.

Now I know I shouldn't judge it until it's finished. I mean I've been here so often - salvaging models or shifting my perception as I add and refine elements.

This is still very much the scruffy stage and although there are some tones and textures I think have come out quite well I'm hung up on the fact I have drybrushed this in places. Now I know I shouldn't look down on this technique - it can really work in places but usually I hide it with my texture paint.

But unfortunately I don't have that crutch to rely on. The doors in particular don't work for me, although they look far more yellow in the pics than they do in real life. I'm sure when I get onto the reds it'll definitely help bring it all together.

As you can see I'd tried adding the red rivets above, but realised there wasn't any point as then next set of highlights covered some of them up so this side hasn't had them.

I'm sure once all this 'messy' stuff is out of the way I can clean it up with some proper white line highlights in places and pin washes to define all the elements.

Then tsponge on some battle damage to further break the panels up and that should stop the focus being how the bone was achieved because there'll be the whole to consider.

And if all the red weapon casings look cool and they'll be a bit tidier then it should even things out.

I had seen a Deathwing Land Raider with an offset diagonal company badge across the back and sides but I can't find it now. It looked really cool and I was considering trying something similar but with the badges on the door and bronze engine it didn't seem feasible. Perhaps it's a blessing I couldn't find it. Anyway, I'm going to go off and do something else until I get my head straight enough to move this on. Why do I get so bogged down with these projects, I wish they could be easier sometime.