But the interest was still there in the back of my mind, and I read the occasional Battletech novel or played the occasional Battletech video game (Mech Commander being my favorite). Tastes and the gaming industry always change so that, by the time I was a teenager myself, both were waning in popularity a bit and were eclipsed by the rising juggernaut of Games Workshop. So, about 30 years ago, 8 year old me watched in awe as some of the older kids on my block played two games that would go on to be the basis for my interest in wargaming - Dungeons & Dragons and Battletech. To finish things off, I added some oil and gas spills to the engine deck and applied some gloss over the visors and headlight. I kept the wheels and tracks off to the end and added some Vallejo Thick Mud and other mud effects but, once the wheels and upper hull were attached, you really can't see it. I then applied an oil filter over the entire tank and added in some different pin washes.īeing vinyl, the tracks we simply washed with multiple coats of Vallejo European Dirt and Light Rust washes, then drybrushed with Vallejo Oil Steel, then given on final wash.

The oil washes blend in the underlying paint and the pigment gives it an ultra-flat finish, as well as adding texture. In the final wash, I added some Vallejo Rust dry pigment (I did this to the spare tracks as well). So, after applying decals and sealing everything, I started in with successive oil washes of Burnt Umber, Black, and Cool Grey. I attempted to add varying shades of red, orange, and yellow with a sponge to produce a mottled effect but I didn't like it. To mimic any metallic tones (such as on the gun barrel and tools), I applied Vallejo Oily Steel with Vallejo Shading Medium added - this tones down the harshness of the metal and blends it into the surrounding paint.

I painted the visors in jeweled effects consisting of blended layers of Vallejo Dark Blue and Light Turquoise, then washed with Secret Weapon Cool Grey. After chipping, I painted the gun barrels in Vallejo Dark Grey, as well as any tools/tow cables/tracks, and mufflers. Since I wanted to try a different tone of Dunkelgelb to reflect some late war paints, I did a 25/75 mix of Tamiya Dark Yellow and Wooden Deck Tan, with soft-edged splotches of Tamiya Red Brown and Tamiya Flat Green with a small amount of Vallejo Model Air Pale Green. I primed this with Kylon Red Oxide primer, applied a coat of hairspray for chipping, then airbrushed on Tamiya paints.

Meng world war toons mini tanks