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A fair night's work, tonight:

1) The tankettes are done (going to have to think of a suitably Winterguard-ish name to call them) and waiting for their drivers and tank riders- safely out of the way of my flailing hands.

2) The tank riders are started base coating colors. I'm using three different skin colors and the jackets have their first coat of paint. In addition to the Blizzard Company figures (they have bits of armor and electro-death visors on their helmets) I'm doing up three Rifles, one Ranger and one Snow Pixie who are 'along for the ride'. I've always maintained that people (cats, in this case) are what make vehicles come alive, so I include them whenever I can. A buttoned up Tiger at Kursk probably didn't have a lot of panzer grenadiers hitching a ride, but short of that, I stick 'em on. The Blizzard Company figures get a different uniform pattern as they are yet another branch or corps within the Winterguard structure- in this case, they are my stand-ins for 11M Mechanized Infantry (or 'drive by shooters' as we used to call them).

Another lick of paint for their coats and then the detail work can begin with webgear, grenades, knives, etc.



Thank you for looking in.

More follows soonest.

Some work tonight:



Most of the common color basecoating is now done- all the troop-types (Snow Pixies, Rifles, Rangers and Panzer Pixies) have the same color (mostly) rifles, web gear and Ugg boots. Tomorrow night (hopefully) will see some of the troop-type specific colors filled in, like the shell holder for the Snow Pixie, the armor pieces for the Panzer Pixies, etc.

Something that shows a bit in this photo is my attempt to use different basic skin colors amongst all the tank riders- from Warrior Flesh to Dark Elven to Light Skin Tone- hit tip to Ezki for showing just what a great affect a little variation like this can add to a small unit!

More follows soonest.

 Meer_Cat wrote:
I'm glad you left a comment, Syro- I've never really tried to thin a factory made wash before! I tried my thinnest air brush 'oily wash' instead in a couple fo places and didn't like the look at all. Thank goodness for Vallejo Game Wash Pale Grey- same as I used on the coats of the Snow Pixies. It dulled down the shiny paint and decals and is pretty subtle- I basically painted it over the whole of the upper half of the vehicle and it is still hard to see. I may go back and stipple some more on the really obvious raised places: like hinges, grab irons and panel outlines.

...

Not sure if I'll be able to participate in the LOER this time or not- I can't find half the things I already had for my idea and can't haul everything out from where it's stacked in the bedroom in case these yokels actually start work. Venting, sorry- coming up on three months of bunker life, now. We'll see.

If I can refrain from throwing my toys on the floor, more follows soonest!

I'm happy to hear that you had such good luck with the Vallejo Game wash. Also, if anyone was going to throw your toys on the floor it's sadly more likely the workmen when they show up.

I really like the weathered look of the treads! Very realistic.

The variations in skin tone really do add visual interest to the unit. Nice!

Thanks for looking in and commenting, everyone!

Syro: I'm afraid I let my very good experience with GW washes limit my vision as to what might be possible- ie: if they didn't make it, I didn't use it (even after I started making and using my own black, brown and green washes). Now I've got more options and applications- the Doom Pixie hair is much better looking with a pastel basecoat, darker wash and very limited highlight drybrush! And tomorrow marks the 90-day anniversary, one quarter of a year, since coming home after Christmas and New Year's to find the apartment flooded again; at this point I'll accept some random breakage if the condo company (that the owner belongs to, I just rent) will only pull their fething head out of their fourth point of contact and _do_ something.

Wyomingfox: Thank you! If I have any small talents in any aspect of our hobby, I believe it is in making grubby tracks and tires!

JinJ: Also, thank you! I'm gradually working my way up to trying to detail faces a bit better, something beyond one-basecoat-fits-all and some flesh wash. The sky's the limit!

Tonight's work: the basecoating is complete, now on to washes, dry-brushing and (inevitible) retouches:



More follows soonest.

So, this lot of tank riders is done, and the last bits I ordered to finish these three vehicles have come in- so as fast as I can get them painted up, then everything and everybody can get glued on and this project is finished and on to the next.

Infantry like tanks around-even little bitty ones like these Renaults- because everybody else on the battlefield is looking to shoot at them and leave us grunts alone in the mud. Tankers like enemy infantry (they call 'em 'crunchies') except for those pesky panzerfaust and other types of tank killer teams out there- then they like infantry of their own to clear out the missileers.

Here's the first nine riders and drivers:













You've got one Ranger Scout-Sniper, one Snow Pixie, a couple of Doom Pixie Rifles and three Blizzard Company Panzer Pixies. This is the last time you'll see them on their temporary painting bases, next time they'll be loafing on their Kitty Karrier Tankettes.

More follows soonest.

Looking great Meer! This has been a big project, I'm impressed you are so close to the finish line.

Thanks Syro! Yup, I'm naming this set 'Kellie's Heroes' and will keep them together for display.

Oh, smart idea to put them onto bases for painting. They look good.

Thanks very much, Wyomingfox! That's a trick I picked up from one or more of the contributors here. I actually started the last three figures yesterday without attaching them to temporary bases and it's just so awkward handling them that I don't know how I managed to get anything done the first fifty years of my painting career!

I have a couple of different styles of painting 'handles' also- one or two that clamp to a base and others where you glue a magnet underneath the base and that sticks it to the handle, but I haven't really tried those to any great degree yet.

I'm hoping to really push to get the last pieces done and glued on, so that I can start taking photos tonight and get a wrap-up posted tonight or tomorrow of the whole Kellie's Hereos: Panzer Pixies project.

I already know what I'm tackling next and it includes a tank, Panzer Pixies and LEDs!

Awesome progress, really like the different hair colours and skin colours, such a nice variation in the minis and it looks great on the full squads.

Thanks very much, Olthannon! I greatly appreciate all those who drop by for a look and especially those, like you, who leave a comment.

Kellie's Heroes are done- three Scat Kat Traks with assorted Panzer Pixies, Snow Pixies, Doom Pixies and a Ranger Scout-Sniper. Lots of fun on this one and I'm still not burned out on painting Nekomimi Winterguard.

This batch of photos brought me up to an even 1500 I've uploaded since joining Dakkadakka.

The apartment is still torn apart- if anything, worse, as they've started the reconstruction (naturally without telling me anything, quite the sight to come home to tonight)- but I tried to make a bit of a photo platform. I really need to make a good photography terrain piece so I can do better justice to the models.

Anyways, here are some photos:



























Not good pics, I'm afraid, and I really want to show these off- but the best I can do until I'm better positioned to do an army shot.

Thank you for looking in. Next project may not include LEDs, as I'm testing now to see if any light will be visible. More follows soonest.

Tanks look brilliant en masse. The weathering is beautiful as well and really makes the little bursts of colour in hair or clothing pop. A very cool/unique project!

Thanks very much, Tzurk! It was a lot of fun and very different from my regular, more grim, efforts.

Congratulations of finishing them! They look great, even without ideal conditions for photographing.
It's ridiculous they they didn't even bother telling you, but does your apartment being torn apart mean they are finally attempting to fix the problem?

The tanks look great, the weathering is great. Hope your apartment doesn't stay torn apart for long!

Thanks, Olthannon, Syro! I'm going to use that panzer blue spray paint as a theme color for the Winterguard army- the other units with 'background' I've got will have other base colors.

Funny about the repair work- they show up unannounced last Wednesday, install all the drywall that needed to be put in and no one has been back since. I don't mind accommodating their schedule, would just like to know when they're going to be in so I can locm away laptops, shroud 3d printers, etc.

I have the next project already primered/basecoated and should be able to show some progress on Monday.

Thank you all for looking in, more follows soonest.

The squadron looks awesome, the colorful pixies really make the weathered tanks pop. Bravo.

Thanks very much, Wyomingfox. The next project is an armored vehicle that scales out a bit small, so it's perfect as another unit for the Panzer Pixies. I'm hoping to get some painting in tonight to have something worth showing and get some pictures up.




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Addendum: here's the next project, will be labeled under 'Vehicle Projects' although it will be manned (catted?) as you can see by Nekomimi Winterguard Panzer Pixies. I've actually foreshadowed this project some time ago and lo, and behold! someone printed it in resin and put it on Etsy.



More follows soonest.

Nice job blocking everything out, lines look clean and crisp.

Thanks for looking in and commenting, Wyomingfox! I'm glad it looks clean and sharp, because these intricate resin cast parts were a right bear to paint! Some very hard to reach spaces, especially in amongst the bogie wheels on the track sections.

For all that, the vehicle shouldn't require a terrible lot more work, then I can get on with the Officer Commanding and the crewcat.

Not a lot of painting time this week, but some forward progress on the Winterguard Sirocco Wind Tank:



This is still WIP, have a few doodads to attach yet and then some light washes here and there. I'm not going to grunge this one up (which is a hard decision, because I'm somewhat good at grunge). There's so much detail on this piece that I'd hate to hide it under gunk unless I just can't get the look right. I think some pin painting and light washes to highlight the rivets (or maybe just some highlight drybrushing) and that will be good.

As is typical for me, a little color to make the otherwise homogeneous paint scheme pop and there is still the crew to paint up (Panzer Pixie uniform scheme).

More follows soonest.

A difficult week, last week, but some solid painting yesterday and today. The Sirocco Wind Tank is complete, right down to its decals and burnt pipe washes. The crew are well along, although this isn't the best photo in the world:



They should be finished tomorrow, and final project pics posted. These are Panzer Pixies, but _crew_, the other Panzer Pixies with the lighter green jackets must be Panzertruppen Pixies. I think you can make out that the officer isn't wearing the standard rank-and-file UGG boots but instead has on Doc Martin patent leather man-killers. Among other differences.

I'm looking forward to showing you all the finished project.

More follows soonest.

Okay, the Sirocco Wind Tank and crew project is complete as of tonight. A really neat medium-sized vehicle and based (an exact replica, really) of a real machine, apparently used to snuff oil well fires.

On a side note, I was looking at maybe buying another one of these resin kits, but the price has increased from US$30 to US$65, so no. I don't blame the seller- everything costs more and it's a wonder most of these folks can stay in business, even on eBay and Etsy and related sites. It was the same thing with the Doom Pixies: the Tom Cat Assault Walker I paid $14 for a few months ago is now $45. There are still deals out there, but harder to find.

So, here are pics of the Sirocco Wind Tank, part of the Panzer Pixie Ensemble:

















I will mention that this is as 'clean' a vehicle model as I've done for a very long time- most of my stuff is extremely weathered and grimy, to hide my many mistakes. This type of tank though, I thought was more like the 'parade' type of vehicle that's never really fielded but saved to pass in review for fancy occasions.

Anyway, the end of one and the beginning of another, hopefully tomorrow.

More follows soonest.

That tank is realy cool and I love the pixie commissar!

Thank you, Wyomingfox! I remember seeing the original picture (that seems to be too big to upload here, I'll look for another) and thinking "I want to scratchbuild that!" and then somebody went a resin printed it out!

And the Commie Pixie was a first- hadn't done one of the 'peaked hat' officers before. They're slightly different from all the others because they get to wear tap pants under their four-pocket jacket (my photography isn't good enough to show that pretty minor detail).

I've got a couple more new items to knock out for the Doom Pixies and then can think about moving on to something else or painting up enough rank and file of the Snow Pixies and Rifles to actually field an army, if I ever get to play again. Starting tonight is the Feral Cat Main Battle Tank- another resin casting, but details to be appended in a bit (if I get anything done! )




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Here's a pic of the real thing in real life- I didn't realize the two jet engines could be independently aligned. I wonder if it is remotely operated, or where does the crew stand so they don't get sucked in?

Clearly on my Sirocco Tank this is why the Panzer Pixies don't wear mini-skirts!






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Also also- I may have to add a fuel bunker to mine. I'm assuming that's what the angular structure at the rear of the one in the picture is and it makes sense.

Wait, that thing is real?? What did they use it for?

 wyomingfox wrote:
Wait, that thing is real?? What did they use it for?

Putting out aircraft fires or something like that? A very cool machine whatever it actually is.

Exactly- it's the world's biggest candle snuffer! I think those are literally jet turbine engines, oriented so the thrust comes out the forward end. You'd hit the switch and FOOF! a localized and temporary vacuum as the air feeding the fire is displaced and the fire itself literally snuffed out. I'll have to do some more reading, was thinking oil well fires, but aircraft fires would need something special to put t=out- especially once the aluminum components start to burn.

I think the crew must have to stay inside the hull once the beast goes into operation- there's no way they could be exposed outside, what with a jet engine right in front of them plus the heat from the actual fire!

Of course, real people aren't Panzer Pixies, either.