First Contact - local farmers are introduced to Imperial war machines.

This is a Dark Angels Primaris Repulsor Executioner battle tank, which can carry up to six Space Marines and their gear, but the massive turret-mounted weapon is what really makes it stand out. 

As this is a hover tank, I figured it would look coolest in the diorama if it floated over the lake, pushing the water down and away so effectively that the lake bed is visible as it drives along. It would also create a bow wave big enough to threaten the little lakehouse dock. How would I achieve this effect? Well, that’s an update for another day! 

Much like the Land Raider, this tank is attached to the 4th Company of the Dark Angels. For this unit, I placed the 4th Company identification panel on the rear door, which again is a diagonal red stripe onto green. 

I used some more decals from the Dark Angels decal sheet from Forge World for the Angels of Death design on the flanks. When I’m doing decals, I prepare the surface with a light coat of Vallejo Decal Fix, and once the decal is nudged into the right position with the tip of a water-dampened brush, I set it in place with Micro Sol liquid. This gives it that painted-on look, and it can sometimes need a few coats. Once the decal is dry and looks like part of the paintwork, I coat it will AK Ultra Matte Varnish which knocks the sheen off the decal. 

Much like I did with the Land Raider, I goofed up the initial base-coating of this tank with my airbrush, and once again I redid the whole thing in Vallejo Model Air Olive Green.

Tank armour recipe:

• Vallejo Model Air Olive Green
• Vallejo Game Color Dark Green
• AK Decay Deposits
• AK Engine Grime
• Ammo Streaking Grime
• AK Engine Oil
• Vallejo Model Color Bronze
• GSW Liquid Pigments Black Soot (for exhausts and vents)
• Vallejo Model Color Bronze
• GSW Liquid Pigments Verdigris
• Vallejo Model Air Red

Repulsor panels

• Vallejo Metal Color Gunmetal grey
• Vallejo Metal Color Silver
• AK Track Wash

Guns and exposed metal:

• Vallejo Metal Color Gunmetal grey
• Vallejo Model Color Bronze
• Vallejo Metal Color Silver
• Citadel Shade Nuln Oil
• Dirty Down Rust
• GSW Liquid Pigments Black Soot (for barrels of weapons)
• Vallejo Model Air Red (for weapons armour plate)
• Tamiya Clear Green and Red (for optics)

Purity Seals:

• Citadel Contrast Skeleton Horde
• Citadel Agrax Earthshade
• 0.05 Black pigment pen
• Citadel Technical Blood for the Blood God

In the next update, I’ll be building the diorama base, which includes a grassy bank, a tidal wave, and a hand-stacked stone wall, and I’ll share a use for yoga blocks that doesn’t involve stretching.