Stormwall: WIP #2
Painting has begun on the Stormwall. Wow, there is a lot of model to cover, even laying down the initial metal base coats is taking a while. I am a slow painter to begin with, so increasing the surface area this drastically has really taken it’s toll. Below are a couple shots showing the base coats of Pig Iron and Brassy Brass. For the guns, cannons and some of the accents I mixed Thamar Black with the Pig Iron to give them a darker base. The Brassy Brass will be covered with Glorious Gold as I do for all my models. The Brassy Brass gives excellent coverage and provides a great undercoat for the Glorious Gold.
Pig Iron and Brassy Brass base coats
I have read a few articles now about which parts of the Stormwall people have left disassembled to facilitate painting. I like to paint my models as fully assembled as possible, so I left off only the metal guards that go on top of the feet and the hip plates. Having actually started painting I can tell you that for me I think this was a reasonable selection. The model is so large that the truth is to really have a really great access to all the parts you would need to paint it entirely in pieces, which in turn generates it’s own issues. Most of then the issue is getting both light and the brush into where you need to paint at the same time. Holding the Stormwall can turn into a combination of acrobatics and interpretive dance at times as you work out how to reach a brush into certain areas.
Lots of gold on the back
Speaking of holding the Stormwall: I had to find a new solution for holding the model while painting. For smaller models I use sections of a wood dowel and double-sided tape. For a the 120mm base, this wasn’t going to cut it. Instead I’ve ended up with a short section of PVC pipe with double-sided tape. This provides a very secure hold and I’m still able to grip it. It’s also steady enough that I can set the model down without it tipping over.
I’m not 100% sold on leaving the smoke-stacks and cannons solid silvers, seems like those rings should be gold, but I’m undecided for the moment. The next step will be covering the Brassy Brass with Glorious Gold, then I’ll probably go back and clean up the silver areas before shading and highlighting the metals.