Skaven Doomwheel Stage-by-Stage

*Neek*

Behold - the Skaven Doomwheel...

Click here for my Doomwheel Gallery

Perhaps the most devious of the inventions of Clan Skryre and a fearsome sight on the battlefield (even to the Skaven, given how regularly it goes out of control...) After starting on this as a result of a poll held on the site, I finally finished it a couple of days ago.

Here are the steps followed: (Roughly...consuming too much pilfered Bugman's may have affected my memory...and I sometimes do highlights/ drybrushing and washes "out of order" etc.)

EDIT: Following the launch of the latest Citadel Paint range in 2012, please note that the colours listed below are from the previous range. I hope to have time to rewrite in the future, but for the time being, you can use the conversion chart/ list I made here or use the official Citadel Conversion chart here.

1. Assembly and General Tips:

• Remember to follow the instructions and assemble and paint the pilot and pilot's cage first. It would be extremely difficult to paint once you have glued the wheels and other parts on!  
• I painted up almost all parts before assembly. Trust me, it's easier...

2. Undercoat:

• All parts were sprayed with Chaos Black.

3.  Basecoat/ Layering:

• Pilot:
• Cloth: Red Gore, layered with 50/50 Red Gore/ Blood Red mix.
• Skin: Tallarn Flesh, layered with Elf Flesh.
• Helmet/ Armour: Boltgun Metal.
• Gloves: Snakebite leather, layered with 50/50 Snakebite Leather/ Skull White mix.
• Pilot's cage:
• Inner cage: Dwarf Bronze.
• Outer cage: Boltgun Metal.
• Steering column: Boltgun Metal.
• Pipes: Codex Grey. Drybrush Fortress Grey
• Tubes: Snot Green, Yellow, Regal Blue. 
• Compressor/ Tank: Dwarf Bronze.
• Pilot's periscope: Boltgun Metal/ Dwarf Bronze on the plates. Dark Angels Green on Lens, highlight 50/ 50 Darkangels Green/ Snot Green, and then 25/75 Darkangels Green/ Snot Green.

Lens detail

• Wheel units:
• Wood: Bestial Brown.
• Cogs/ Gears/ Wheelstuds/ Symbols: Boltgun Metal.
• Warpstone: Dark Angels Green.
• Outer Cage/ Blades.
• Blades: Boltgun Metal.
• Cage: Boltgun Metal/ Dwarf Bronze. (Clasps, coachwork)
• Lightning(?): Dwarf Bronze. 

Various parts, before Devlan Mud wash.

• Flag/ Pennant. (See "Custom Bitz" below for more info...)
• Wood: Bestial Brown.
• Symbol: Dwarf Bronze/ Boltgun Metal. 
• Cord: Bleached Bone. 
• Cloth: Red Gore, layered with 50/50 Red Gore/Blood Red mix, and then pure Blood Red.
• Cloth: Ice Blue, layered with 50/50 Ice Blue/ Skull White mix.)
• Rats: 
• Calthan Brown, drybrushed successively with lighter and lighter shades of Calthan Brown/ Snakebite leather mix. 
• Crew/ Crew Platform:
• Cloth (Hood): Gore Red (Hood), layered with Gore Red/ Blood Red mix. 
• Cloth (Robes): Codex Grey, layered with 50/50 Codex Grey/ Fortress Grey mix.
• Skin/ Feet: Dwarf Flesh, then Elf Flesh Highlights. (Horns are Skull White or Bleached Bone.) 
• Platform: Bestial Brown drybrush.

4. Drybrushing:

• Warpstone: 50/50 Darkangels Green/ Snot Green mix, then Darkangels Green/ Snot Green/ Skull White mix. (Drybrush this quite lightly so it doesn't overpower the darker greens.)
• Wheel units: 75/ 25 Bestial Brown/ Skull White mix on all wooden parts. 
• Wires: Gryphonne Sepia 

NOTE: All the above was done when the parts were separate, as was the Devlan Mud wash below.

5. Washes:

• First, Devlan Mud everywhere except Warpstone/ Rats for the base. 
• Use Thraka Green Wash on warpstone.
• Gryphonne Sepia on the rats. 

Pilot and Pilot's cage after Devlan Mud wash.

Wheels after Devlan Mud wash.

 At this point, the model was assembled, but not glued to the base.

• Then Rust wash: (25/75 Calthan Brown/ Blazing Orange mix, very, very watered down.) This was brushed onto most metallic areas. Immediately after applying , I then dabbed/ wiped away excess using a tissue, leaving the rust wash around spikes and gathered around areas where rust would naturally occur.
• Then Verdigris wash: (20/80 Regal Blue/ Ice Blue mix, again, very, very watered down.) This was brushed onto and around most Dwarf Bronze areas. Dabbed away as above immediately after application. 

Rust and Verdigris (Around Skaven symbol)

6. Base:

• Brush P.V.A. glue all over, being careful not to get too much on the model.
• Pour modelling sand over glue. Allow to dry.
• Brush with a watery Calthan Brown.
• Drybrush successively lighter layers of Calthan Brown.
• Final (very light) drybrushing of Fortress Grey. 

Custom Bitz...

• Pennant/ Flag. This is taken from the Skaven Warlord in the Island of Blood Set. I hate really extravagant back pennants (They just seem silly to me...especially for a tunnel-dwelling race!). Also, the huge and very dynamically modeled pennant that comes with the Doomwheel model could be used as an awesome army banner! 
• "Ratty Roadkill": Used a spear arm and a Plague Monk head from my Bitz Box.

Lessons learned?
I attempted a couple of things I haven't tried before - rust and verdigris washes. In both cases I didn't have any professional washes so I used watered down Games Workshop colours. I'm not sure they worked 100%, but I think they achieve the desired effect.
- Definitely test them on a small, out-of-the-way part of the model before using them on a larger surface.
- For the rust, the balance of Calthan Brown to Blazing Orange is tricky - too brown and it looks like mud, too orange and it looks too bright. I found about 25/75 CB to BO to be about right.
- Also, test the consistency of the mix once you have added water. Not enough and it will be like paint and impossible to remove, too watery and you won't get the desired effect. Experimentation is key!

Bases. I should have done the base properly before gluing the model on. The glue and sand was difficult to do with the model in place and I ended up getting it on the Doomwheel and other places I didn't want it to go.

For all that though, I have a Doomwheel to add to my fledgling Skaven force!

All comments and criticism or advice welcome.

*Squeek*