Post a Comment On: Fawcett Avenue Conscripts

[Image] "Army" Predator for Rogue Trader Imperial Guardsmen The quality of the prime time NFL games continues to be rough this year (San Diego at Jacksonville last night - gag).  But it's good for hobby productivity. In the end it was still a relatively quick project - despite a very frustrating incident with the primer - but the "Army" Predator for my Rogue Trader-era Imperial Guardsmen is done.

[Image] Half-way point - basic colours and dry-brushing done, ready for the gloss-coating before decals are applied
To try and deal with the primer problem, I added basecoat of black acrylic paint before starting anything else.  It did not mitigate the problem completely, but provided enough of a cover so that the effect is not too bad. It gives some areas of the tank's deck the apperance of having been hit with molotov cocktails or a heavy flamer or something a few times. At least I didn't have to throw away the model!


[Image] Evidence of the "primer incident" lingers in the paint - annoying, but not as bad as I had feared Since the paint job was going to look "used" already thanks to the crinkling, I gave it some pretty hard weathering. 

I also had an incident with the decals - usually, I try and dab some dark gray with a sponge on the tactical numbers/markings to give the appearance of some wear.  I got mixed up, and "dabbed" really dark blue instead. So "wear and tear" suddenly jumped to "practically blotting out the front numbers" - OOPS! I had to paint them back in a bit, just so they would not disappear completely.

Here are some more pictures of the finished tank:

[Image] Side view of finished tank [Image] Close-up of the commander - the figure is from Old Crow [Image] The RT-era could Predator could still carry five passengers...not sure where, but hey - there is a door for them... [Image] View from a roving Adeptus Mechanicus servo-skull  
I was really pleased with the tank commander figure from Old Crow - I think he fits very well with the RT-era Imperial Guard trooper look.  This vehicle is now ready to face Dallas' "Red Star" Orks - or anything else we might throw at them (Tyranids, Eldar Space Pirates, rebel Guardsmen, protestors, etc).


[Image] On maneuvers with an Imperial Guard Tactical Squad [Image] The Rhino crew breathes easier, knowing something else can draw all the enemy fire for a change...
Since I know one tank is sure to get zapped, I want to add a second one, and I would like to add more Rhinos.  The problem with that approach is that vehicles in Rogue Trader cost big-time points (as well they should, given they are much hardier in the RT game than the current version).  Predators are 600 points each! Rhinos clock in at 370 points a pop.  A mechanized tactical platoon would drop over 1400 points on Rhinos alone - never mind some Predators to back things up.

On the other hand, it's not like these things are going into a tournament, so who cares? Also, we've been bodging it up a bit, using 5th edition vehicle rules where it makes sense - on that basis, the Rhinos (without power fields etc) are much more disposable, and should allow the game to run smoothly.

And now I know I have to "wash" the models before I build them...