Tau Kroots see the "Painting Tray"

My Martian Robots have been "put on pause" as another sparkly item in the corner of my toy box caught my eye instead. After a very long gestation period (approximately in Earth/Terra-time a decade [hangs head in shame]) my Tau Kroot troops finally made it to the "painting tray" stage (see below, a wave of orange monsters descends into range):

As chosen by my youngsters [I would have gone probably with a boring WWII US Marine "green" option], with a bold "blazing orange to bright yellow" skin palette, ah the audacity of youth (see below, the starting shade coat of Vallejo Blazing Orange):

• Used Arfix Acrylic (01) grey undercoat
• Washed with Vallejo "Sepia Wash" 
• Base coat Vallejo Blazing Orange 

Rather than posting a step by step painting description as I have done in previous posts, I took some time out of blogging and just enjoyed painting them (see below, I started adding "yellows"):

The photos may just show "glare" but the Kroots are getting progressively more "yellow". I like the look of the primitive Kroot with barbarous knives, teeth and claws plus "space musket". A one shot then charge in tactic akin to Highland Warriors (see below):

Again, final yellow highlights to the skin, a Vallejo "bright yellow" of sorts (see below):

The result is a little less of the blog posting but a little bit more on the satisfaction, to paraphrase Elvis! PS: I hope some could see the irony of painting Kroots and using an old Tyranid Codex as a movement tray.

 ;)

Thoughts on Undercoating taking a Dip

When you have a magic bottle of "Dipping Formula Immersion" (Vallejo 73.300 Sepia Shade) what would be more sensible thing to do other than use it? As long as you don't get the dipping mixed up or out of sequence with the Doritos and the Carling Export (see below):

First up some old Games Workshop Empire Spearmen (Renaissance in my book) primed first with Airfix Grey Primer (Paint Tin #1). Then call on the "Sepia Shade" dip for some quite quick impressive results (see below)

Keeping with the Games Workshop theme but this time Science Fiction some Tau "Kroots" again get primed first in "Airfix fashion" (see below):

Then "dipped", which in my book is achead shoulder immersion (approximately a third to quarter of the figure), then spread the wash evenly in uneven measure over the figure with the aid of some rough strokes of the brush (does that make sense?). The darker chap to the far left is a tradition undercoating scheme of Vallejo Game Colour "Charred Brown". I am thinking I may be able to save myself a little paint work in lightening up the "washed figures" by comparison to the dark brown undercoat (see below):

I don't mind the greenish brown ting as these critters ferret around being grubby (no such thing as uniform, more tribal furs) and the Landsknechts themselves are a dirty lot too, once they have been in the field for a few weeks campaigning.

The washed figures once dried do give good definition to detail and have good shadow shade, let's see what they look like when a coat of paint hits them en masse ;)

Just Putting Pastic Things Together (GW 40K Tau Kroots) : Part VI

A bunch of carnivorous monsters under pseudo control of their Tau masters, though technically mercenaries. Bird-like in their representation and quite fun to put together (see below):   

I also like the antique looking weaponry they carry (see below):

With this latest acquisition of this pack I can bring the basic Tau army to a close and sit down to a winter of varied "painting" along with the hoard of recently assembled but not painted figures. If only I didn't get so easily distracted ;)