That other tank.

OK, first a confession; I actually have presented these models in the opposite order to which I made them. The FT17 to Gunfortress conversion below was made first. In terms of conversion, I didn't actually do all that much, and it shows in the profile of the tank.

Naturally I wanted it bristling with guns, though in this scale it's easy to get away with just drilling small holes and inserting wire. To Ork it up a bit more, I fitted a large close combat device (chainsaw) to the front and patched the surface with 'teef plates'.

What I was most pleased with however, is the paint job. This nicely distressed effect was done as follows:

• Basecoat entire model in Gun Metal
• Overbrush in Natural Steel
• Drybrush with a 50/50 mix of Natural Steel and Silver
• Paint a deep Red onto all the armour plates, but not covering the edges or seams; ensuring the edges are left ragged and uneven
• Paint Bermellon Red (a bright red) onto the deep red in uneven patches and splotches
• Mix 50/50 Bermellon Red and Bright Orange to add a final layer of splotches
• After all other painting is finished, cover entire model with Badab Black wash

On reflection I think I should have added some sort of artillery platform to the engine cowling, or simply done more with the side of the hull to break up the shape. But it will fit in well with my other gunfortress (a 1/87th scale T26), and as a quickie it was OK. Moreover it gave me the idea to build the more ambitious Gargant below.

Indeed, here they are both together, with some Orks for scale. Impressive, though seeing this photo, I'm even more sure the Gargant needs a 'wash' too.