Work in progress - Hydra Flak Tanks

While the Leman Russ was drying between sprays I decided to pull a couple of other models out of storage and work on them in rotation. (The KV2 turret to the left there is getting basecoated for my wife's Soviet Konflikt '47 force...)

Back when I started building this army GW hadn't released a model for the Hydra Flak Tank, and various conversion suggestions were floating around, the simplest of which involved a Chimera body without the roof and the quad gun from the Aegis Defence Line kit.

Mounting the quad guns is very simple as their base is designed to go into a turret socket the same size as several other GW models, and if you've any Rhinos then there are left over Razorback top plates. These were fixed to the exposed back deck of the Chimera, magnets attached to the guns and inside the mounting rings and some plasticard used to cover joins and build a simple rear to the deck.

The plan is to paint these up in stylised camouflage similar to that seen on mobile artillery serving with the British 8th Army in North Africa; I'd seen a scheme on an M7 Priest that I'd liked.

(Image from Tank Encyclopedia)

The vehicles were already undercoated with Flames of War "British Armour" spray paint (dating before I had an airbrush), so pulling them from storage I basecoated with VMC Buff and then added masking tape which I'd cut down the middle in a wavy line. The top section was sprayed with VMA Khaki Green No.3 (the dark colour in the Taurox's Caunter scheme) and the bottom section with VMA Black Green RLM70 (which seemed about right and was available).

Some touch ups were needed - I hadn't managed to mask the uneven surface detail perfectly, and "Sand Scorpion" unit markings added. (The small red/white number decals are from a Warlord Universal Carrier kit.) Tracks were still on sprue and had been undercoated black. These were basecoated with Vallejo Panzer Aces "Track Primer", roughly washed with some VMA Radome Tan and then drybrushed with VMC Oily Steel.

At this point I've added some chipping using VGC Charred Brown, and am much happier with the result using this colour than with the Black Grey I'd tried on the Taurox.

On to weathering and dirtying up...