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Hello all,

Here are pics of my Tau Commander. He is an O'Mortal commander with a fully support load out.

Loving that dude you've inspired me to have a go at swamp bases for my tau!!

brother marcus wrote:
Loving that dude you've inspired me to have a go at swamp bases for my tau!!

Glad to hear it. It has been fun. Definitely a learning experience. Check out my P&M Blog for info on the water effects. I did some experimenting.

I will defiantly give it a look . I was thinking of mixing nurgles rot with my water effect havnt tried it out yet though, I am on a self inflicted toy soldier ban till after Christmas lol

Where are his weapons?

I love the colors on the commander and that base looks really slick!

 6^ wrote:
Where are his weapons?

He's probably a support commander and doesn't need weapons

I may have mentioned this in one of your earlier threads (I can't remember) but Secret Weapon Miniatures does some really good swamp bases. For my own swamp bases, I've found some good dead tree stump pieces at a model train store, which definitely add a lot to the ambiance.

Good work, though. I don't normally dig battle damage, but I like those scratches across his shield. Good stuff all around.

IndigoJack wrote:I love the colors on the commander and that base looks really slick!

 6^ wrote:
Where are his weapons?

He's probably a support commander and doesn't need weapons

Nail right on the head. Support commander. He can't shoot if he is using his gear anyways. He is there to act like a psyker that needs no test and to soak up fire (which they do brilliantly. Really hard to kill).

Jimsolo wrote:I may have mentioned this in one of your earlier threads (I can't remember) but Secret Weapon Miniatures does some really good swamp bases. For my own swamp bases, I've found some good dead tree stump pieces at a model train store, which definitely add a lot to the ambiance.

Good work, though. I don't normally dig battle damage, but I like those scratches across his shield. Good stuff all around.

Thank you,

Yes I am using the secret weapon bases. I am glad you like the scratches. I was unsure at first but just went with it. (These Tau are fighting a Tyranid invasion.)

you do the water-weathered effect so damn well you make it look like you arent even trying lol. Paint chipping is easy (bare metal undercolor, let it dry good and hard, paint over and immediately "scratch" it lol) but weathering from .. the weather lol ... thats not easy and ive never even been able to attempt it lol.

Superb work.

 Vineheart01 wrote:
you do the water-weathered effect so damn well you make it look like you arent even trying lol. Paint chipping is easy (bare metal undercolor, let it dry good and hard, paint over and immediately "scratch" it lol) but weathering from .. the weather lol ... thats not easy and ive never even been able to attempt it lol.

Superb work.

Thank you. I have worked hard on perfecting the effect. It is a mix of sponge weathering and oil washing with thinned down oil paints that gives the look. It's the best method I have found for that weather-beaten look. I may do a tutorial if people are interested.

That is an awesome conversion and the idea of a "support" commander is awesome a very Tau.

Another great addition to your exceptionally cool Swamp Fighter Tau.

 Medium of Death wrote:
That is an awesome conversion and the idea of a "support" commander is awesome a very Tau.

Another great addition to your exceptionally cool Swamp Fighter Tau.

Thank you sir!

How did you find working with the Commander? It looks to be a pretty good finecast model, not too many defects or was there a lot of prep that's hiding it very well?

There was quite a bit of prep work. The bubble situation is mostly over with, but there is plenty of flash and mold lines to clean up. The material is fine to work with and it glues and holds together well. Also this pose would not work with a heavier material. The model would fall over. The finecast is so light it allows for interesting sculpts. I will not be sad to see finecast go however...

Can you list the paints used? I could consider making a Tau army myself, but never had a good paint theme.

Like the weathering you have done, really effective

Zewrath wrote:Can you list the paints used? I could consider making a Tau army myself, but never had a good paint theme.

Sure!

I started by priming him by airbrushing Vallejo Surface Primer, then I base coated him with Badger Minitaire Swamp Ground and then I highlighted the green with Badger Minitaire Pestilence Flesh.

The white was done with GW Layer Ultuan Grey and then highlighted with GW Dry Praxeti White.

The orange was a 2:1 mix of Vallejo Game Color Hot Orange and Vallejo Beasty Brown, then highlighted with a 1:1 mix of the same and finally a highlight of pure Vallejo Game Color Hot Orange.

The black was Vallejo Game Color Black highlighted with Vallejo Model Color German Grey and then Vallejo Model Color Neutral Grey.

The cloth on the bonding knife is GW Base Zandri Dust highlighted with a GW Layer Ushabti Bone and finally a 1:1 of GW Ulthuan Grey and GW Ushabti Bone.

Before the weathering or the metallic paints I sealed it with gloss varnish and did an oil wash of Windsor & Newton #3 Burnt Umber diluted with mineral spirits in about a 1:5 ratio. (Very watery, kind of like skim milk). I then placed the decal on the shield and varnished it again with matte varnish to kill the shine.

The gold is Vallejo Liquid Gold - Old Gold and highlighted with a 1:1 of Vallejo Liquid Gold - Old Gold and Vallejo Liquid Silver.

The weathering is done with a small sponge. I sponged on Badger Minitaire Coal on corners and edges and anywhere else I felt like the battlesuit would be taking wear and tear. I then highlighted the most extreme edges of this with Vallejo Model Air Gun and finally Vallejo Liquid silver on the most extreme edges (Its really really shiny, looks awesome and makes the model stand out.).

The last thing I did was the lens using this tutorial from Advanced Tau Tactica: http://www.advancedtautactica.com/viewtopic.php?t=6790

My color choice was Vallejo Game Color Scarlet Red, Vallejo Game Color Bloody Red, Vallejo Game Color Hot Orange, and finally on the extreme edge a Vallejo Model Color Flat Yellow. I then brushed on gloss varnish on the lens.

I hope this helps.

I use a mix of different brands and colors in my painting as I have found that each brand has pros and cons. Badger paints are really good for airbrushing and the Ghost Tint line they offer is unique to their brand and something really special but I have noticed coverage issues with some of the line and their metallic line is pretty bad.

GW Paints have some of the best coverage if you use their bases and are excellent to brush on. GW paints mix well and they have high pigment counts, this is a double edge sword as they cover well but I have found trouble in using them in an airbrush with a fine needle without clogging. Many of the GW metallics are pretty awful at getting good coverage and an even coat. GW paint pots suck for many reasons but I like using their pots for washing.

Vallejo has a staggering array of paints over the Game Color, Model Color, Model Air and other lines. I love the dropper bottles and they thin and airbrush well. Vallejo dropper bottles have a much better value over GW pots as the GW pots tend to dry out. I use Tamiya and Secret Weapon pigments for some of my weathering. Vallejo also makes the absolute best metallic paints hands down[u] for miniatures in the Vallejo Liquid Metal paints. They are alcohol based and can be a hassle but are totally worth it. They look phenomenal and cover like a dream.

I also have started to use oil paints for washing as I find I have more control over where the wash goes. Also oils have a long drying time so I can clean up mistakes.

Boss Drachenfels wrote:Like the weathering you have done, really effective

Thank You!

This guy is awesome! I love Tau done with more muted colours and look like they have taken a beating, I've used a very similar scheme on my Battle Tech minis, looking forward to seeing more.

 Rabid Ferret wrote:

Zewrath wrote:Can you list the paints used? I could consider making a Tau army myself, but never had a good paint theme.

Sure!

I started by priming him by airbrushing Vallejo Surface Primer, then I base coated him with Badger Minitaire Swamp Ground and then I highlighted the green with Badger Minitaire Pestilence Flesh.

The white was done with GW Layer Ultuan Grey and then highlighted with GW Dry Praxeti White.

The orange was a 2:1 mix of Vallejo Game Color Hot Orange and Vallejo Beasty Brown, then highlighted with a 1:1 mix of the same and finally a highlight of pure Vallejo Game Color Hot Orange.

The black was Vallejo Game Color Black highlighted with Vallejo Model Color German Grey and then Vallejo Model Color Neutral Grey.

The cloth on the bonding knife is GW Base Zandri Dust highlighted with a GW Layer Ushabti Bone and finally a 1:1 of GW Ulthuan Grey and GW Ushabti Bone.

Before the weathering or the metallic paints I sealed it with gloss varnish and did an oil wash of Windsor & Newton #3 Burnt Umber diluted with mineral spirits in about a 1:5 ratio. (Very watery, kind of like skim milk). I then placed the decal on the shield and varnished it again with matte varnish to kill the shine.

The gold is Vallejo Liquid Gold - Old Gold and highlighted with a 1:1 of Vallejo Liquid Gold - Old Gold and Vallejo Liquid Silver.

The weathering is done with a small sponge. I sponged on Badger Minitaire Coal on corners and edges and anywhere else I felt like the battlesuit would be taking wear and tear. I then highlighted the most extreme edges of this with Vallejo Model Air Gun and finally Vallejo Liquid silver on the most extreme edges (Its really really shiny, looks awesome and makes the model stand out.).

The last thing I did was the lens using this tutorial from Advanced Tau Tactica: http://www.advancedtautactica.com/viewtopic.php?t=6790

My color choice was Vallejo Game Color Scarlet Red, Vallejo Game Color Bloody Red, Vallejo Game Color Hot Orange, and finally on the extreme edge a Vallejo Model Color Flat Yellow. I then brushed on gloss varnish on the lens.

I hope this helps.

I use a mix of different brands and colors in my painting as I have found that each brand has pros and cons. Badger paints are really good for airbrushing and the Ghost Tint line they offer is unique to their brand and something really special but I have noticed coverage issues with some of the line and their metallic line is pretty bad.

GW Paints have some of the best coverage if you use their bases and are excellent to brush on. GW paints mix well and they have high pigment counts, this is a double edge sword as they cover well but I have found trouble in using them in an airbrush with a fine needle without clogging. Many of the GW metallics are pretty awful at getting good coverage and an even coat. GW paint pots suck for many reasons but I like using their pots for washing.

Vallejo has a staggering array of paints over the Game Color, Model Color, Model Air and other lines. I love the dropper bottles and they thin and airbrush well. Vallejo dropper bottles have a much better value over GW pots as the GW pots tend to dry out. I use Tamiya and Secret Weapon pigments for some of my weathering. Vallejo also makes the absolute best metallic paints hands down[u] for miniatures in the Vallejo Liquid Metal paints. They are alcohol based and can be a hassle but are totally worth it. They look phenomenal and cover like a dream.

I also have started to use oil paints for washing as I find I have more control over where the wash goes. Also oils have a long drying time so I can clean up mistakes.

Boss Drachenfels wrote:Like the weathering you have done, really effective

Thank You!

Many thanks for your effort of writing such an in depth guide.