Showcase: Tau Sept: Arashikage by Tripwire #2

Greetings ToP readers. Tripwire here, with another guest post showcasing my Tau Sept: Arashikage. Today we’ll examine the fast attack slot, including Piranha and Pathfinders.

I’m glad the revised Battleforce box includes a Piranha. The small vehicle gave me the chance to test my Sept color scheme before tackling the Hammerhead and Skyray. It’s a fairly straight forward kit, and building two of them was fun.

I base coat all my models, vehicles and infantry alike, with an airbrush. It’s especially helpful on vehicles, as it covers the larger surface quickly and allows a smooth finish without any brush strokes.

As always I used a satin varnish, then applied an oil wash and wipe technique to bring out the details in the model, and create a grimy, used appearance.

Once the base coats were completed, I weathered the model by spraying matte black around the exhausts, and adding “chipping” to the paint by dabbing grey along the front facings, where the vehicle would take the most damage.

I complete most of my models in sub-assemblies. This allows me to reach areas that might be difficult or impossible on a fully assembled model. I painted all the details in the empty cockpit, then glued in the completed pilots last.

Filling the other fast attack slot in my army is a squad of pathfinders. This is a great kit, and was a lot of fun to assemble and paint. The variations available allow you to make several unique soldiers, and, as with most of the newer GW kits, the details are fantastic.

While I had settled on a color scheme for my Sept that was white with red accents, having all the units in your army bear the same colors can create monotony, and strip your force of character. A great example of break-frame color is the Dark Angels, and Deathwing Terminators. While the main force is Dark Green, the elite Deathwing stand in stark contrast in bone white. Following this, I knew that the pathfinders would be a chance to mix it up.

I painted my Pathfinders blood red, and decided that as a scout unit, they would be helmetless, to set them apart from the main infantry units, the Fire Warriors.

The kit contained dozens of extra bits, and multiple torso/weapon/leg combos to create unique and individual models. My favorite might be the scout with his carbine slung behind his back, holding a pulse pistol and scanning for threats.

This covers the fast attack slots in my Sept. Next installment, we’ll examine the remaining elite, the Riptide, and look at our first heavy choice, the Broadsides.