Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Good day!

I finished my first of 9 Leman Russes as a proof of concept. I'm new to the hobby (about 6 months), but I think it turned out fairly well. Comments and critique encouraged; I want to be better!











After struggling for quite literally an hour, I finally got the images to work!

I'm going for an Ad Mech feel to my army. Lots of red, some black, and white highlights. Let me know what can be improved/fixed. Thanks for looking!

Nice job, you did really well. I like your colour scheme. The plasma gun is done pretty well.

It looks mostly great, but what's with that white thing on the front of the armor plate on the turret? If you're trying to paint a unit identifier, like as a white stripe? I know that's been in white dwarf recently, so I bet all the kids are doing it.

No one can paint a perfectly straight line, so you're going to need to use masking tape. My advice is that you're going to have a hard time extending the plate to match, so extend the stripe going rearward instead - Get a piece of blue masking tape, stick it to the back of your hand and remove, and then tape it to the turret slightly behind your white line. Then extend it a little, going from the direction of past the tape, forward towards the front (if you do the opposite, paint tends to get pushed under the tape).

I'd also recommend touching up that little blue splotch in the front and bottom of the tip of the cannon - it's a visual focus point, so it's more noticeable then a splotch elsewhere. You also might want to do some 50/50 devlan mud and wash the tip of the barrel once or twice to give it a burn effect.

The tracks look fantastic. The camera eye things are better then I can do, for sure. It's a great job overall, and a nice theme.

Yep, very cool. Good work.

If I had to improve it, I would add some detail. Maybe some transfers (stickers) to break it up a little. It looks a little plain yet painted well.

Thanks guys!

I'm definitely going to slap on some number transfers on the turret sides, maybe some other markings in other places.

@Ouze: Thanks for the tips, didn't even notice the blue splotch on the turret tip, I'll definitely clean that up. I'm a little confused, however, about the white stripe suggestion. Are you suggesting I simply make the white stripe thicker (extending it further to the rear) or extend along the top of the panel to the rear? Either way I think would look good. And to answer your question, they aren't squadron markings per se, rather just something to unify the top and bottom of the tank. Before I added the stripe, the turret looked too disconnected with the tank.

I'm probably going to put a layer of 'ard coat over the little lights around the turret now that I've looked at the pics better (its amazing how much you see with good pictures).

Blacksails wrote:@Ouze: Thanks for the tips, didn't even notice the blue splotch on the turret tip, I'll definitely clean that up. I'm a little confused, however, about the white stripe suggestion. Are you suggesting I simply make the white stripe thicker (extending it further to the rear) or extend along the top of the panel to the rear? Either way I think would look good.

I'd make it thicker, extending it to the rear as such. In addition to straightening out that line, it would have the added bonus effect of lining up with the white on the tank's body.

Ah ok! That does indeed look much better, thanks!

Nice work. Very clean, very crisp. It's certainly very decent for someone so new to the hobby!

Although I can see where you had the sponsons glued on, then yanked them off, I don't think it detracts from the model at all, in fact i think it looks pretty cool.

How'd you do the plasma cannon colour? I'd like to know the paints used

Looks nice. the highlighting was done well.

Looks great, but there are some bits that could have been cleaned up, such as the sponson marks, and the bits on the Plasma Cannon where it shows where you've ripped it off the sprue.

Aqua wrote:How'd you do the plasma cannon colour? I'd like to know the paints used

I painted the plasma area enchanted blue, then drybrushed ice blue, then a light drybrush of skull white.

I definitely think I'll have a second go at trying to remove the leftover sponson marks.

Thanks for the comments so far, all my other tanks will turn out better (hopefully).

Is that Heavy Bolter upside down?

Looks awesome , what paints did you use?

Valkyrie wrote:Is that Heavy Bolter upside down?

Now that you mention it, I have no clue. I think some of the bolters are upside down on my other tanks though...derr...

RaegMachine wrote:Looks awesome , what paints did you use?

Just GW paints, the darkest red (Gore red or scab red, can't remember), then another dark red (gore or scab), then blood red. Black, white, gold, and boltgun make an appearance wherever its obvious. Badab black on metal areas, devlan mud EVERYWHERE!

Blacksails wrote:

Valkyrie wrote:Is that Heavy Bolter upside down?

Now that you mention it, I have no clue. I think some of the bolters are upside down on my other tanks though...derr...

honestly, what difference does that make on a tank??? i mean, its not as though the gunner will be using the actual sight post to aim down (i realized after all the glue had dried that i used one of the "wrong" heavy bolters on the side of my Leman Russ.. its ejection port is facing the chassis of the tank)

Ensis Ferrae wrote:

Blacksails wrote:

Valkyrie wrote:Is that Heavy Bolter upside down?

Now that you mention it, I have no clue. I think some of the bolters are upside down on my other tanks though...derr...

honestly, what difference does that make on a tank??? i mean, its not as though the gunner will be using the actual sight post to aim down (i realized after all the glue had dried that i used one of the "wrong" heavy bolters on the side of my Leman Russ.. its ejection port is facing the chassis of the tank)

Nothing wrong with it, even GW glue their weapons upside down sometimes (check the Leman Russ Demolisher box, and even the Executioner sketch in the Codex)

The sketches in the codex are indeed opposite of how I glued mine. Oh well, I like it better my way anyways .

did you use spray to coat the red on your tank?? if you did then its good... if not you should consider using it... its great for giving a really nice and even coat...

anyway, it does look a little plain but nothing wrong with that... but i think you can work on better with your shadings tho... use thin washes of the darker red or even brown to create shading and try to limit them or concentrate them near recesses and crevices... and try to resist the urge of leaving blobs of the washes... even if the wash is relatively thin, the drying process will leave "craters" especially over large flat areas... as a guide, if your paint (or washes) is spread thinly and evenly across the model, it shouldn't pool up or form a blob...