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I've searched for tutorials but they all involve an airbrush, which I've never used and would imagine they're quite expensive.

We used to do it all the time. I still do. Thin the paint, get a big brush, and there you go! Thin paint is even more important, as the large panels can easily lead to brush strokes being visible.

Painting the detailed bits is about the same as any model.

I don't think Airbrushes are all that expensive anymore (relative to where they used to be).

Fortunately Duncan Rhodes has the answer, but the tutorial featured Blood Angels Rhino. However I will convert this into Ultramarine scheme:
-> Prime Black (when I played ultramarines I primed it Grey, it will work)
-> Take a large base brush, or if Citadel supplies are too expensive for you go for cheapest of the cheap flat brushesh that cost cents and start Basecoating it with Mccrag Blue.
---> Alternatively you can google for the closest blue color by RAL and buy a spray can of blue and spray it all. Althou I prefer the way of the brush
-> Apply wash in the recesses - in the blood angels video is Agrax in your case Nuln Oil.
-> Drybrush with Calgar Blue just like it is in the video - I usually take the edge highlight technique here, althou I do not draw all the edges to avoid looking like something from Tron movies.
-> Rest is common knowledge - tracks with Leadbelcher - Nuln Oil or you can go for weathering with typhos corrosion and etc - you can find them all in the net.





And one of the most iconic tutorials how to handle large stuff without airbrush:
http://fromthewarp.blogspot.bg/2012/01/7-tips-for-painting-vehicles-without.html

I would suggest a few ways:

Almost Airbrush:
Do the next best thing to airbrush and use a darker base paint in a rattle-can.
Liquitex are the inventors of acrylic based paints and their spray line is impressive (~$15 per can, look for sale coupons like the Michael's 50% off):
http://www.liquitex.com/spraypaint/
http://www.liquitex.com/Resources/AcrylicLiterature.aspx?taxid=104
You can also get different nozzles for varying spray patterns wanted (~$8).


Fuzzy Brush method:
- Typically you should prime starting with Black, it tends to be a bit more forgiving unless you want really bright colours.
- A large flat head brush is pretty much a must.
- Water your paint down well so there are no abrupt colour transitions, needless to say, multiple coats are inevitable.
- Start your first coat for "block painting" slightly darker than the intended colour and make each pass slightly brighter avoiding recesses. If the base colour is to be black or a dark blue, start slightly brighter (a little toward grey for black) and then black or brown shade the recesses.
- Washes are helpful for also adding a gradient in the recesses.
- You may want to look at "artist inks" which is really a high-flow, high-pigment acrylic paint made to act like an ink. It could work very well as a wash for brush painting.
- Some have primed white and then "painted" with the inks which is similar to a watercolour method where if you are careful all the shading and highlighting is pretty much done in one or two passes.
- Dry-brushing does the same thing as washes but for raised surfaces.

Note: Get all your "block" painting and touch-up done prior to shading: any painting after the fact will look bad except for possibly edge highlighting.

I didn't follow all the advice and I definitely should have but I'm quite pleased with the outcome.

Any constructive feedback welcome.

Looks good!

BTW basic airbrush that should be enough for basic work costs ~100e or so plus paints you use. Not that fancy but for vehicles base colour aplenty.

But seems you got non-airbrush vehicle painting worked out pretty well But yeah key with these big models is thinning, thinning, thinning.

Good even coat, first glance there is no brush lines which is no small accomplishment.

Zooming-in really close, I can see a bit of runs/sag but it is so slight it is not an issue.
Went a little insane with the black near the tank treads (again fairly slight).
Not sharp edge highlights but is good for giving the impression of a "working" tank rather than factory fresh.
I dislike painting Rhinos just less than drop pods so I can appreciate the work!

Looks great, For a tabletop game, you wouldn't notice any brush marks were there at all and you'd think it had been airbrushed!

Love the interior by the way