n order to paint all the tanks with some speed and keep consistency through each tank in the Company, we needed to streamline the painting process. By breaking the project down into manageable steps, success was assured. Since only one color was primarily involved, the plan was simple: a strong basecoat of color, followed by a drybrush, followed by details/markings, then finish up with a bit of weathering.

First up, the basecoat. Applying an even coat of color by hand is difficult. Not impossible, but difficult — it just takes time. So, we instead opted for the quicker method of using a colored spray paint applied over an undercoat of Chaos Black primer. The drab green went on nice and smooth with little to no hassle, just a few hours of patient spraying in the spray booth. We used two different slightly colored green sprays so that a few tanks would be just a wee-bit different. This was done to represent newer tanks recently pressed into service within the Company.

Next, some drybrushing was in order. A persistent and even drybrush of Bleached Bone over the entire tank helped make the edges of the vehicle stand out from a distance but not in a terribly harsh or detracting manner.

The red markings on the gun barrels, track guards, and hull sides were painted on using Mechrite Red. A few thin coats of this stuff did the trick nicely. Afterwards, the light stripe was applied onto the track guards with a careful hand and a few layers of thinned down Fortress Grey. With the bulk of the company markings out of the way, various details like gun barrels, treads, turret numbers, tank names, cupola gear, and army badges were then completed.

At this point, the tank is definitely suitable for the tabletop. However, going on just a few more steps will only make the tank look that much better. Besides, what's the point of painting a tank without doing at least some minor weathering? Scorched Brown was applied to the edges of the hull near the treads, inside grills, gun barrels, and various other places that might get oily or chipped. After this, Boltgun Metal mixed with Chaos Black was randomly stippled onto these areas for a simple but effective weathered look.

That's pretty much it for painting. Once one tank was under our collective belts, the other two were just a matter of following the plan's steps one at a time. A few more lunchtimes and a night or two devoted to weathering and details, and the tanks were all set for some Apocalypse-sized gaming action.