Greetings readers, I’m tripwire, founder of The Hammer of Wrath, a Warhammer 40K hobby blog, and longtime reader of Tale of Painters. Garf, Stahly and the rest of the ToP band have given me the opportunity to share some of my models, and the stories and techniques behind them. Let’s look at my Tau Sept: Arashikage!
Inspired by Tale of Painters Mega-Painters project, and the release of the revised codex and expanded model range for the Tau last year, I kinda went crazy. I purchased two battleforce boxes, two Broadsides, a Cadre Fireblade, two Skyray/Hammerhead gunships, Longstrike and a Riptide. I’ll be honest, even though I ordered from an online retailer at a substantial discount, I cringed at the receipt.
Knowing that (in 6th edition, at the time) I could ally my Tau with my Space Marines, I began painting via force org to keep myself motivated. Staring down the barrel of an unpainted army can be daunting. but all I needed to start was an HQ and a troops choice.
As with all my armies, I decided to create a force of my own design. I’d seen some striking color schemes online, and decided to create a white Sept with red markings. After doing a test figure to see if the idea proved out, I painted my first squad of Fire Warriors.
I used an oil wash and wipe technique, instead of inks, to bring out the details and leave a weathered, grimy appearance. With the addition of “chipping” on the edges of the armor, I set the tone for my entire force – this would be a Sept that had seen campaign after campaign, with little down time to upkeep their kit.
Battle hardened soldiers need a grizzled commander, so I completed a Cadre Fireblade to lead them into battle. Like his warriors, his armor has seen the relentless test of battle, and his cloak is caked with the dust of a thousand worlds.
Once a playable allied force was finished, I continued to expand by completing the second set of Fire Warriors.
I marked this squad by painting their helmets with a red stripe. It’s always helpful to be able to differentiate between squads when you’re huddled up in a firebase formation! I equipped both squads with pulse rifles over carbines, for the additional range.
Once the HQ and the two troops choices from the battleforce boxes were complete, I painted the Stealth Warriors from both kits to fill my elite slot. I kitted them out with burst cannons, and gave the Shas’vre a fusion blaster for a little punch.
I was surprised to see the level of detail in these models. Often, GW paints them in a dark color scheme in the official materials, and the really fun panel detail in their armor is lost.
Next post, I’ll showcase the force’s fast attack slots including Piranha and Pathfinders.
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Does anyone know how many points this particular army is?
The opening shot is astounding, like something you would see in a magazine.
Awesome collection. I love the army shot the most.
Does the oil technique you refer to create the black line detail of the armor? Or that something else you do? The figures look great btw.
Yes, that's the technique that creates the black line detail. Essentially, you mix a dab of oil paint and some mineral spirits in a small tray until it has the thickness of skim milk. Using a brush, you wash the model and let dry for approximately 30 minutes. Then you wipe the model with a cotton cloth soaked in mineral spirits. This removes the oil wash on the high surfaces, but leaves the wash in the recesses and details.
I hope your Marine force is a White Scars one? Love the Tau scheme
Simple but effective colour scheme that allows for the battle damage to really come into its own. A very well painted army so far and I cannot wait to see the rest. Great work!