Imperial Navy Marauder Destroyers - Part III (Showcase)

 

Flying in very tight formation.

Skipping straight to the showcase of the Marauders, here they are. I was busy of late and had little time for posting any works in progress, but there's really not much different to how the Thunderbolts were handled. The canopy, trim, guns, all the same.

What is different with the Marauders comes down to the flying lights, exhaust soot, and varnishing.

The red and green lights are incredibly simple. Corax White, and then either Spiritstone Red (for the red of course), or Waystone Green (for the green funnily enough). And that's it. The gemstone paints really give a bright and glossy finish when applied over white, and it's a very little detail that really adds to these models.

Exhaust soot is much more apparent on these when compared to the Thunderbolts. More engines and some kind of vents on the upper wings couple with a greater wingspan to fill with something interesting just make it more natural to add black exhaust staining. This is again very simple: Abaddon Black drybrushed on. That's it. Obviously the brush cannot be overloaded, but it gives an excellent weathering effect that gives an appearance of an aircraft that's seen a good deal of use.

Next up is the varnishing. I attempted to use Vallejo Premium Airbrush Matt Varnish. It didn't give a matt finish. I possibly didn't shake the bottle properly, so I will attempt it again at some point, but using a brush managed to tone down the worst areas. At least there's no frosting.

About the missiles: painted exactly the same as the Thunderbolts, and I think better to have them than not. Makes it look a little more capable than a simple bomber. The missile heads are possibly too bright, but it provides a little bit of framing for the rest of the model and works ok.

In wrapping up I thought I'd jot down some thoughts on painting Aeronautica scale models in general. It's not something that fits my usual style of painting very well - details are simply too small to pay much attention to, and careful blending and edge highlighting is pointless. What really works well is the panel highlighting with the airbrush, recess shading to outline it all, and effects such as the exhaust soot. Some details really do help (such as the strobe lights). Drybrushing is sufficient for most of the model, or a simple base, wash, single highlight. I started to go beyond that in places and it was simply a waste of time - and I was beginning to lose motivation despite liking the look of them. It's the difference in scale that impacts things the most - it differs how light is expected to behave to the eye. The airbrush steps, and weathering, are the most important for aircraft. Titanicus is the same scale, but not familiar shapes and so they can be painted more like a Space Marine. Aeronautica Imperialis needs a slightly difference approach.

Let's see how I get on with the Thunderhawk.

-- silly painter.

Imperial Navy Marauder Destroyers - Part II

 

If brute force doesn't work, you're not using enough.

A little more work on the Marauders, adding some trim base coats and recess shading. Lots and lots of recess shading. And it's still not yet done.

The camera has a different lens on it right now, so the photo isn't quite as I would like, and travel soon will mean I'm writing this up earlier than it deserves, but it's still nice to see a photo of progress.

Drakenhof Nightshade has been used to border pretty much every panel, shade every rivet, and outline various details. It's precise work, so I've been using a good brush to make it easier but then have to be sure to clean it regularly as I go around the models. And it's still not done: the trim needs shading yet with Coelia Greenshade, and then there's Nuln Oil to apply. I'm also considering a mix of Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade to create oil streaks.

In other words, there's an awful lot to do yet, but the most tedious parts are nearly out of the way. Edge highlights are far less demanding, and then detail work will really start to bring the model to life. Recess shading gives outline and definition, edge highlights give some extra contrast, and details create interest.

I'll admit that I'm liking this model a lot more than when I first started. It certainly has some character about it, and I'm looking forward to putting the two I'm painting on display next to the Thunderbolts.

-- silly painter.

Imperial Navy Marauder Destroyers - Part I

 

Marauder "Lancaster" Destroyer

Hot on the heels of the finished Allarus Custodians, it's time for a bit of a change of pace by going back to Aeronautica Imperialis and finishing off the models I have for that - a couple of Marauder Destroyers. I wanted the motivational win of having done all models for a particular specialised games, and something not Space Marines (Project 20 is still ongoing in the background).

I'm also wanting to clear space for whenever the plastic Thunderhawks are released.

Fortunately the Thunderbolts provide an excellent reference for the colours to use, so there shouldn't be any particular difficulty in that department. Actually the most difficult part is going to be what should be metallic and what shouldn't.

So far not too much has been done:

• The Fang base coat (a spray can was available for this purpose and saved a good deal of time).
• Russ Grey to highlight panels with an airbrush.
• Fenrisian Grey to highlight the underneath of the aircraft.
• Death Shroud to make a few oil stains. I may have to increase this a little more later on down the line as it's not quite as visible as I'd like.

I've started to block in some metallic areas and already placed some decals as well, although they won't be sealed fully until a much later step. The silver colouring will likely take the longest of everything with these models, but I have to remember that the varnishing will dull them down somewhat.

These models also come with a peculiar problem: lack of components. There's enough space for eight missiles (four under each wing), yet none are included in the box. This seems to have been an oversight during design and production, but luckily I kept the spares from the Thunderbolts and there are just about enough to make up for it. Some missiles will be "against the rules", but look close enough that it shouldn't be an issue once glued in place with the rest. It's kind of annoying that not everything was included, but then I'm not too disappointed because fewer spare parts are now going to waste, so it balances out in the end.

-- silly painter.