"Army" Predator Finished

"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.

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!

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:

Side view of finished tank

Close-up of the commander - the figure is from Old Crow

The RT-era could Predator could still carry five passengers...not sure where, but hey - there is a door for them...

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).

On maneuvers with an Imperial Guard Tactical Squad

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...