SquigBait Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Greetings all, long time no post! This last weekend I went out to clear out storage from the Quonset at my mother’s place and came across a box of old 40k models (some are really old…). Of particular interest were some of my old Steel Legion models. Needless to say, my painting has dramatically improved in the last 10 or so years and as such these models deserve to be brought into the current standard. The missile launcher teams are still on separate 25mm bases… Needless to say everything is going to get stripped, based on scenic resin bases, and repainted. Since I do not have the money to buy a new army, why not revisit an old one? The question is what colors I should paint them. The standard for Steel Legion is of course the mustard yellow tan overcoats with black fatigues and helmet, and brown boots, gauntlets, and gas mask with the vehicles being painted in the two toned Ash Wastes camouflage in grey and pale green. Done up with proper bases, this would look nice as an army and would be a nice blast form the past. The bases I sculpted up that I intend on using, however, do not particularly fit the ash wastes theme, but rather a ruined urban theme. With that in mind I was digging through old fluff and came across the 339th “Iron Heads” regiment which was deployed extensively in urban combat and made a name for themselves in a protracted battle that took place INSIDE of a massive tank manufactorum which was still plugging away despite the active combat. The regiment took to battle against the Orks in Chimeras and other tanks fresh off the assembly line without any paint. The question here is whether they are in fact bare metal for more rapid construction or if the subassemblies are still at the very least primed in the standard zinc phosphate (pale to dark gray) or chromate (green or yellow) primers typically used in manufacturing as assemblies are made to prevent rust? As far as the Legionnaires themselves, being an urban combat unit I would think that their normally mustard coats would be exchanged for pale ‘rockcrete’ gray ones with the rest of their gear maintaining the standard colors. As it stands I have: Commissar Yarrick (the resculpt) Armageddon Commissar 2x Steel Legion Lieutenants (one of each pose) Plasmagunners Converted flamer troopers (chopping out the lasguns was a PAIN) Assorted various figures 7 squads as found in their original boxes (even though it is no longer a tactically optimized squad) 9 Chimeras 3 Hellhounds (the old pewter and plastic kit) 3 Armageddon pattern Sentinels (the old pewter and plastic kit) 3 Lascannon teams 3 Heavy Bolter teams 9 Missile launcher teams (in addition to what is in each squad) Armorcast Baneblade (the ‘premium’ version with pewter detail bits) Thoughts on this adventure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian_F_H Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Most raw steel has what is called mill scale on it. It is a thin layer of oxides that somewhat inhibit further rust. You would see shiny metal at welded and cut seams where the fabricator grinded away cutting slag and corrosion to allow a better weld and buffed off welding slag. Also shiny in scratches and gouges. You would see thermal discoloration around cuts and welds also, tho these are easily buffed off as well by the fabricator so should be uneven and jagged if present along cleaned areas. Most material sits in yards for some time awaiting use so rust is present anywhere the mill scale is penetrated and will spot rust if left to the elements long enough... All cleaned areas (weld seams etc) will rust more heavily than mill scale areas after a relatively short amount of time (within days if climate is humid and or saline and especially if otherwise corrosive) Sometimes fabrication materials will be pre primed or even fully pre painted. they will again be cleaned along weld and cut seams and suffer the same corrosion problems... Further there will be burned paint near these cleaned seams if the paint was left to close to the welding and cutting... If the metal is not painted it should have a great deal of markings from layout persons and fitters and Welders as well as from quality control persons. Typically soap stone, paint sticks, paint markers, sharpies are used. Often scratch notes and math as well as layouts for cuts and such. And almost always numbers representing origin of material (hear trace numbers) and also job numbers (probably a production serial number for the vehicle) and attention "person" relating to the fabrication supervisor responsible for the particular unit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquigBait Posted November 10, 2015 Author Share Posted November 10, 2015 Thank you for that excellent run down on steel used in a production setting, it will be a very useful point to look at certain things more in depth. What would be a good technique to represent the mill scale on the steel? I am guessing that to do this justice this is going to require a number of techniques including the use of pigments. As far as production marks, I can accomplish a lot of those by use of a micron pen. A fabricator general stamp would be something appropriate as well I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emicus Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Now my question is... Are Guard vehicles even welded? Because 50 million rivets are staring me in the face :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian_F_H Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Some probably are... Tho rivits look cool like casings and ejection ports for the supposedly caseless bolter... Since weilding is a more advanced form of fabrication than riveting... Still if you can't find anywhere you'd like to mark as welds (tho any hard corner without rivets are probably welded) markings are still made where rivet holes are drilled, and plates are still cut to shape requiring cleaning and resulting in heat marks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarriorFish Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 My understanding is that even fresh from the factory they probably have some layer on just to protect the metal and prepare for a proper paint job as part of the construction process so I don't think you have to use bare metal to have something as fresh off the line. Check out some WWII stuff for ideas on colours that might give that look as an alternative. Good to hear about you recovering models too, I always like a good rescue mission :) Looking forward to seeing your progress on them :tu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spafe Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 While I would assume they come with a primer or single layer of paint on, I think the idea for rule of cool of having unpainted metal withal the fab marks etc on them and bare welds etc would be a fantastic concept for the vehicles... esp if you have the sentinels, and maybe the hellhounds (bar one of two 'replaced panels') being painted in full to highlight that the factory makes chrimeras so they are what the regiment is using straight off the line... also leaving (or model wise, cutting) out some panels to show exposed internals as they haven't quite been finished before being used would also look awesome I think... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarriorFish Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Yeah, Rule of Cool always wins but it does sound like quite a bit of work so I was trying to come up with a way to avoid that if it's too much :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquigBait Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 Meh, I am more of a hobbyist than an outright player, so a bit more work never scared me… Taking a look at various techniques, it could be approached a number of ways. One way would be to lay down a general layer of rust and apply a mask (such as hairspray and salt) to the areas where the rust would be present and then give a general coat of a blueish gray overall. Touch up seams and other worked areas in bright silver for the grind marks and then give the whole thing a rub down with graphite to give the slight metallic sheen, going back with a pencil to mark scrapes and scratches into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulpine Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 I agree, bare metal, weld markings and rust.! If the tanks are 'in battle' then exchanged panels would look different? What I mean is. I would do them the way described above. However the exchanged random panels I would do painted, in cammo etc. Just one or two per tank. Urban bases. Check out my Steel Legion 141st thread. Hope it can help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquigBait Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 Thanks, I did take a browse through. Your converted Leman Russ is certainly interesting. Once I can start making some progress I will certainly be sharing pictures. I will probably be starting on the infantry and then tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulpine Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Really looking forwards to the pics. The Legion are a popular regiment. Recently they appear to be all over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquigBait Posted November 11, 2015 Author Share Posted November 11, 2015 They were my first Guard army as I suspect is the case quite a bit and people are digging them out of the boxes that have been stuffed away too long. Plus it is refreshing to see something other than Cadians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian_F_H Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 Steel legion are great, and some of gws best imperial guard models over the years all things considered... Really wanted to get into them back when the Armageddon codex came out... Really wanted to complete a full set of "forces of Armageddon" representing each of the 4 unique lists in the codex... Oh well, time and money for away from me... At least I can look at all the awesome stuff on the bnc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vulpine Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 Do you know... I think the Tanks would look normal. Just, I worked at Nissan for 7mnt. We had a contract to paint the floors in the city size factory near Newcastel. Cars had been painted and then loaded on a roller coaster style track for the interior, engine, macanical parts etc. so really, for the tanks to be taken off the line made but unpainted.. Does the AdMech spray the tanks after??? That can't be right? You would have to mask the tracks, weapons, hatches, windows, holes up. And interior would be a right faff. But... Rule of cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquigBait Posted November 12, 2015 Author Share Posted November 12, 2015 Maybe they chose to forgoe the painting step as that could potentially add days to the production time from end to end due to the desperate situation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarriorFish Posted November 12, 2015 Share Posted November 12, 2015 It's 40k, you can justify most things if you squint hard enough :P Maybe they have a special way of doing the paint on this planet? Maybe it needs a particular paint and the war has prevented delivery of it? Perhaps the rites need performing before the paint stage and then it's off to war once the machine spirits are satisfied without delay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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