War engine twenty

 It's been a while since I painted a war engine, the last being a (yet to be named) Fureans Reaver, which I really need to pull my finger out and get weathered and added to the blog. Bad princeps! As this is going to be my twentieth Titan for Titanicus/Legions Imperialis, I want this to be a particularly special one. 

I've selected number twenty to be a Warmaster Heavy Battle Titan for Legio Metallica. It's the biggest engine I can include, at time of writing, and a kit I haven't painted before believe it or not. Just not gotten around to doing a Warmaster yet. So, with that in mind, last weekend I retrieved one I built a few weeks back, primed it up and started work on the metal skeleton.

I will not be rushing through this one. I mean, it's not like I do anyway as they always involve a significant time investment to paint purely down to size, amount of detail and all that trim! But this one I think I'm going to take my time on and just enjoy the process.

There's no plan as such beyond it will be for Legio Metallica and it will definitely have a suitably large banner, probably. Something inspired by the Titans of yore. I have a couple of ideas, but nothing really locked in yet.

The pose has some flexibility. Although the legs are fixed in place, this is the first Titan I have magnetised the torso at the waist and the head in addition to weapons. The torso simply because I don't think it will fit in any of my figure cases and leave room for other minis unless I transport it in two halves. 

I tested the magnets out and they are more than strong enough! The ones in the waist are a pair of 6mm x 5mm cylinder magnets with a fierce pull on them. The head because it was cool! 

There's a similar cylinder magnet affixed behind the neck ring in the torso and the head socket has a steel bearing inside. This means I can not only swap heads, but they can also be posed without any magnetic parts showing. This was a scale up of how I did the ball turrets in the Fire Raptors and not going to lie, I was rather pleased with that idea it worked so well.

Metal palette

I'm probably going to annoy the heck out of anyone that likes following recipes or lists sorry. I'm not following one for this. Instead I'm just building up the metals organically. No plan, no scheme, just putting metal paint down where I think it looks cool and focussing on texture above all else.

By texture, what I really mean is 'noise', disruptive marks and patterns in the finish that give the impression of stressed and burnished metals. My preferred way to create that is to use lots of different brands of metal paint. Not so much for the colour variations, although that's also important. But because they have different grades of aluminium flake in the paint. Some big, some fine. The carrier also makes them behave differently off the brush. So for example, I drybrush heavy GW paints like Ironbreaker or Stormhost Silver, but I brush paint or stipple Metal Series. Inks I also use to tint areas to create even more variation. So much so the camera often can't pick them up in photographs, but when you move the Titan around in the light you get a nice play of colours and effects to the eye.

Basically, I use everything in the paint box if it brings something different to the metal party, effect or finish wise. Even wax based paints like 'Rub n buff' or pencils. So no recipe to follow sorry. Just apply and have fun doing it.

You still want a list? Ok, here's a picture of some of what I am using. Please don't treat it as a definitive shopping list. Just use what you have to hand, that's what I'm trying to get across.  

So where I am right now is just blocking metal colours in, stippling, dry brushing, staining and otherwise creating a textured and noisy under skeleton. What happens next is I will apply some tints to areas of the legs to create some contrast, then give the whole frame a varnish wash (wonder wash) to give it some protection from handling, additional subtle tonality and a protective base for the oil paints I plan to add in the coming stages.

Wonder wash?

Probably worth a reminder if you have not been following for long. 'Wonder Wash' is a mix of varnish and inks that is used as a combination of varnish to protect and level the finish, and a subtle filter for underlying paintwork. The wash I use was mixed several years ago based on a recipe from scale model maestro and legend Phil Stutcinskas. I have included it below, but honestly you may be better off looking up online current day alternatives as many of these products no longer exist. 

• 750ml Acrylic pre-thinned floor varnish (see note below)
• 2.5 large pots of Agrax Earthshade
• 2 large pots Reikland Flesh shade
• 2 Large pots Seraphim Sepia
• 2 Large pots Druchii Violet
• 4 small pots Lamenters Yellow

The varnish, for those old enough to remember was 'SC Johnsons Klear' or in the UK 'Pledge multi-surface wax'. Both have either been re-formulated to such a degree, have been out oof production for so many years they are not worth paying exorbitant prices to track down. In principle it's a mix of pre-thinned acrylic varnish with a bunch of warm transparent colours to create a multi-tonal filter. Let me know if the comments below if you find a suitable replacement. I look forward to finding out what Wonder Wash 2024 looks like as I am down to my last half-litre.

On the topic of colours, I found this cool GW artwork of the Avenger Strike Fighter and am seriously considering replicating it, or maybe similar for the Solar Auxilia. I've a wing of Avengers built for Legions, just haven't painted any yet. I may use this artwork as inspiration.

 

That will do for now I think. Want to get back to painting more of the Warmaster frame before the wash goes on. The Mechanicum release day is this weekend, so I just know that will distract me. So with that in mind I shall redouble my efforts on the Solar Auxilia and Titan.

Let me know in the comments what you think of the Warmaster in games or as a kit?

More coming soon...