(The end of) The End of the Road

 

Corporal, we don't have time for this...

....annnnd done! Well that was fun, relatively easy, and something different all in one. This has already  taken up station in my display case though the car itself isn't glued in place meaning I might be used as a Centaur or the like at some later date. 

The car looks as though seen a lot of miles from this end.

Like the bricked road, the rooftop Aquila worked perfectly with the dust wash.

Even OD green blends well in the desert once it gets dirty enough.

For once my dirtily painted infantry look clean when compared to their surroundings.

My only complaint with this project is right here. 3 layers of matte varnish, 2 of dust wash and inexplicably nothing will adhere to that line over the decal on the fender. It can be easily explained away as one of the Guardsmen ran a gloved finger across the fender, leaving a line in the dust but still...I just find it irksome.

This is probably my favorite view of this little diorama,

End of the Road (pt. 4)

 Damn. That was one hellova puddle!

That turbine will never crank over like that...

Not too much to report this go round. Decals have been applied, the car revarnished, and the (potentially first) layer of dust wash applied. Once dried, blended and then varnished (which always lessens the dusty appearance) I'll see if I want to apply another layer of dust or not. To date I've not added more than one, but we'll see...

It's the 501st Legion...erm, no. Those guys are fighting for the wrong Emperor. So then 501st Transportation company? 501st Regiment? 501st vehicle? Who the hell knows. 

Unless it looks bad when dry, I may not even try and blend the back end, as that's always the dustiest part of any vehicle. 

*****

On a totally unrelated note, I spotted this seemingly pristine M-60 out in Front of the Newport Tennessee National Guard post and had to stop for a few pics. 

More close by to me is the Kingsport Tennessee National Guard post which also has an M-60 out front. However that vehicle is sadly neglected and rusting into oblivion quite unlike this one. 

End of the Road (pt. 3)

Ready for decals...or is it?

The Imperial Standard Transport Mk VII, based on a civilian pattern, is utilized for the transport of military officers, dignitaries and other persons of considerable rank. Primarily only the Guard's senior officers use the Mk VII, as wealthier persons and officials have far better options available to them!  Other patterns are also used as patrol and pursuit vehicles for Arbites, enforcers and the like. The Mk VII however was designed with military use in mind, and is thus built to a higher standard (supposedly). 

Nope the camera always finds more need for touch ups...

LOTS of touch ups!

Armor plating and projectile proof windows have been added to a sufficient level to ward off small arms fire. However heavy and/or anti-tank weaponry will easily penetrate the vehicle. The Mk VII's small size and likely the erratic path of travel due to a panicked driver are far more liable to help ward off such attacks than the armor itself would. The Mk VII has the same standard power plant of the civilian models, which with the added weight of armor makes its performance sluggish at best (if an officer needs a speedy transport, he/she'd best secure a Valkyrie). Also of note: the Mk VII's fuel consumption rate is abysmal even by Imperial standards.

Note the concealed heavy stubber just to the upper right of the turbine.

Additionally, a heavy stubber is hidden in the vehicle's front. The weapon itself is woefully inaccurate as it is fixed forward and 'aimed' via the steering wheel. It is fitted with a single ammo drum which can only be reloaded after first removing the driver's side front wheel (maintenance of the gun itself only gets worse from there...).

Instead it is intended to scatter or at the very least distract any would-be assassins or insurrectionists looking for an easy kill. That said, more than one over-enthusiastic (and posthumously court-martialed)  officer has ordered his driver into a suicide charge under the misguided assumption that the Mk VII is an effective assault unit. 

'Does it have a trunk? No need for that, we'll just strap your suitcase to the rear bumper instead!'

In terms of ergonomics, like the rest of the Imperium the Mk VII's designers don't believe in those. Laughably referred to as a 5-passenger sedan, the front seats the driver and a bodyguard or similar flunky. Whereas the cramped rear seat normally seats a single occupant, or else two in tight quarters. Passengers of above average height will find themselves sitting diagonally, or else with their knees jammed into the seat in front of them if they don't have the whole seat to themselves. 

Whilst the seats themselves are comfortable (at least when compared to those on the average Chimera), larger than civilian model tires were added to 'improve traction and off road performance'. However the wheel wells weren't enlarged to accordingly necessitating a much stiffer suspension, giving the Mk VII a (quote) 'bone jarring' ride on even decently maintained paved surfaces. Unpaved roads are best if avoided, and when venturing off road...the Mk VII usually gets stuck well before losing sight of it.

The End of the Road (pt. 2)

The dust wash on the road will be toned down a bit after this is matte varnished. However currently it's 30 degrees Fahrenheit and dropping so...there will be none of that tonight!

As you can see, I've finally started work on this little project after gathering the bitz necessary way back in November's part 1. Really this progressed far quicker than I anticipated, and as such only the staff car remains to be painted. Admittedly though, that will take a bit more time than the two Guardsmen and their base did (especially as the car will in the end be as dusty as this road is).

Anyways, here are a few close ups of the project so far:

Yup, it's a dead end alright. The double white lines separating the lanes of the road (which is undoubtedly much wider than this base) are almost obscured entirely by the desert sands. 

An overhead view of where the desert scrub meets the road.

I do wonder if that Uplifting Primer has a catechism of navigation? I sold my copy years ago for 3-4 times what I'd originally paid for it, so I can't consult the book to see myself. 

There doesn't appear to be any dead ends on that map, though you have to wonder just how close they are to that dashed 'front line'. 

Clearly this officer has somewhere to be. 

Another view of the same.

After the primaris ancient scrollwork debacle, I took special care in painting on the M and A, luckily the P is obscured by the driver's hand.

Hopefully I'll be able to get the staff car primed, painted, weathered, and the whole diorama varnished and complete soon! Though as I remarked to Neverness earlier, I am debating on whether or not to glue the car in place, or keep it separate to use as a (sort of) Centaur proxy.  

The End of the Road (pt. 1)

Chill out, I'm not talking about the end of this old blog. 

it may not be as flashy as Zzzz's Inquisitorial hot rods, but it makes for a good IG staff car.

Once painted, this will likely get a post unto itself.

The road goes on forev-oh wait....

For something a little different for myself, I've decided to do a simple little 40k diorama. Mounted on a 170mm x 92mm textured resin base, and featuring one of the Wargames Exclusive 40k cars (the purchase of which I'm blaming on Zzzzzz). I'll also be using two of the DKK minis from the Kill Team starter set. 

The officer. 

The DKK minis presented something of a problem, that being their backpacks. Normally IG backpacks have always been in the 'I want' category, but with the KT set, the omission of said packs leaves a gaping hole in the backs of the guardsmen. As these two will have recently exited the car, it's a bit stupid to think that they first donned their packs before doing so. Thus a little conversion work was needed.

And his beleaguered driver.

First, using the edge of a sharp knife, I shaved off the pack straps so as to look like the strap instead goes around his neck and under the collar. Rarely having any success with my mortal enemy (green stuff), I instead trimmed down a thin piece of plasti-card (almost feels like plastic paper), and glued it into place. Once dry I then used the blade's edge to file down the card's edge into a smooth transition to the rest of his body. 

The Commissariat said they'd shoot me if I was late.

Hopefully they were joking...

Conversions complete I then needed to set the mood. Conveniently, the KT sprues have a myriad of options for the arms/weapons of each models, most of which are interchangeable with the others. So it was relatively easy to create the sense of consternation and confusion felt by these two Guardsmen. 

Well its no wonder that this poor fucker got lost,

both of his maps are blank!

The officer, no doubt worried about getting admonished or worse yet executed for arriving late to wherever it is that he was going, is checking his time piece. Whether his pistol is out to 'encourage' his driver to correct his navigational error, or more practically a precaution due to being lost somewhere near the front line is a mystery. His driver meanwhile, frantically scanning both full sized and pocket maps, is pretty much self-explanatory. 

the 25mm bases will go away once the two guardsmen are painted.

Overhead view of the tentative positions.

Now that I have all of the needed parts assembled.

Painting may commence!