Imagine the scene. It's the run up to TFNation, and I've decided to scratchbuild a Battlewagon. This process begins with a rummage through the cavernous bitz boxes I have, which will no doubt be a right nuisance to my survivors some day. This search presents a largely complete Rhino APC. I decide against using it in the project as Rhino hulls are on the lighter end of the tank spectrum, but I put it to one side. The battlewagon project continues apace, resulting in a well-received vehicle, and the week directly before TFN comes around. Rather than doing the Ork infantry I've putting off, I decided to work on the Rhino instead. Because I have brainworms.
The idea of Orks nicking other factions' vehicles is a grand old tradition, one that even the often po-faced GW is known to be somewhat supportive of. It's more the stuff of "Narrative Play" these days, but many an excellent conversion starts with this idea. Key to this is the concept of a "counts as" as a rules justification and work around. I.e. you could Orky up a Sentinel, and use it as a Killa Kan. Google that, those tend to be great. Doing up a Rhino like that is a fairly mundane example, and one that can be achieved with relative ease. Put a big shoota on it, rough it up, take off the roof, and you've got a "counts as Trukk". This is how my brain is, I consider such things to be a light and easy change of pace.
Possibly I'm under-selling my efforts, as the Rhino was an eBay rescue in all but name. The previous owner had the idea of merging it with a Gorkamorka era Trukk, and had to rip those bits out. It's not a bad idea, to be fair, but their reach exceeded their grasp. And they built it a bit wonky too. In their defence, they did put in some good bullet holes. After salvaging, the hull lacked the roof hatch and a door, no loss, but also a chunk of the front end and the weapon mounts. I toyed with the idea of building it out, before replacing missing panels with chipboard and gubbins. The gun barrel and three of the exhausts are resin pieces, while the wrecking ball assembly is off a poundshop toy. I'd used the same thing on my recent Battlewagon, but I dressed it differently here, placing a bead on one side of the arm to suggest a spool of cable. It's probably less obviously a wrecking ball than other examples, but I'm pretty sure it's the most durable one I've made. Painting followed in my usual style, with interior left muddy but basic.
The main thing of note here from a painting/modelling perspective was the use of Mod Podge to add texture, something which I had tried on the Battlewagon, but not as extensively as here. A Rhino features a lot of flat panels, as befits it's function of cheapo battle taxi, but as a subject that can work against me as a painter whom likes drybrushed models washed in gunk. Furthermore, as a vehicle "misappropriated" from an opposing force, a certain degree of wear only makes sense. Modge Podge when applied in rough or stippling manner solves that problem. The stuff seems to have an almost memetic variety of uses, I recommend it to scratchbuilders for adding texture to stuff. It's also useful for sealing and concealing the surface of wooden beads, like on the wrecking ball arm. I need to experiment more, but its looking like PVA glue, but better. Also: shout out to AK Dark Rust Deposits, it's good stuff.
A very pleasing end result, I must say.
Oh! And BTW, I did eventually do some infantry. Well, Warbosses. Perhaps not my best work, but definately table-ready.
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