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War Machines of the

Tau EmpireVehicle AccessoriesAdditional parts such asstowage and crew make anytank appear more realisticand ‘lived in’. Tau vehicleshave a cleaner look thanvehicles from Imperial or Orkarmies, but the addition of acommander, and wargearsuch as sensor arrays, makethem look more individual.Weapon options can also bedealt with in a practical way.

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Tank Commander

Wargear We recommend specific places to attach the additional wargear thatcomes with the kit but feel free to put them where you like.

Attach the arms to the torso.

Glue the commander’sbody into the cupola.

Position thecommander’s head.

Use a Fire Warrior headfor a simple conversion.

Fit them instead of the Gun Drones.

Front wings/nose. Specially designedrecesses.

Under the nose.

Sens

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ines

Smar

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syst

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Gun

Drone

Seek

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Weapons optionsIf you want the option tochange weapons fromgame to game, why notassemble both the railgunand ion cannon, holdingthem in position on theturret with pins?

The commander is an optional detail that can be added during assembly. Alternatively, youmay find it easier to assemble and paint the commander before gluing him into the cupola.

Assembly TipsTau tanks have smooth, curved armour plates somould lines and blemishes from attachment pointslook obvious. There are plenty of unusual featurestoo, such as whether the model is mounted on aflying base or stands on its landing gear.

Assembling and painting sleek Tau tanks is different frombuilding angular vehicles. Here’s how to get the mostfrom your kits, including some basic and advancedconstruction tips, how to paint Tau vehicles and amasterclass by painter Chad Mierzwa.

BasingThere are a number ofways to base a Tau tank –it comes down to personalpreference. If you have amodel with its landinggear down, you can getthe best of both worlds by mounting it on aremovable flying stand.

Parts can be damagedif you clip them offthe sprue too closely.

Leave plenty of sprueattached: trim it flatwith a modelling knife.

This Sky Ray has been glued to a flyingbase, which has been flocked.

By drilling and pinning the model to itsflying base, it can be removed at will.

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Some parts on thekits, such as theDrones, are designedto be removed.Others, like theengines, can bemovable. Make a noteof which parts youwant to be able tomove, then take extracare not to glue themduring assembly.

Movable Parts

Engineclose-up

Mould LinesUnfortunately, mould linesand flash are an inevitable partof the plastic casting process. Theseare generally very easy to remove, asthey can be scraped off with a hobby knife.

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Painting your PiranhaThe armour plates on Tau vehicles look best withextreme highlights painted onto the edges. Tau usecamouflage patterns, but quite unlike those used byother races – it is much more geometric in style.However, you could take inspiration from othersources, such as animal hide (see Imperial Armourvolume three).

MasterclassChad Mierzwa has given this Hammerhead astunning paint job, featuring a fully paintedcrew compartment and a multi-layeredcamouflage scheme. Here’s how he achievedthese effects.

Stage 1

Apply several thin coats ofVomit Brown over a blackundercoat. Once dry, usea soft pencil to draw thepattern on the hull.

Stage 2

Start to fill in thecamouflage pattern.Paint some of the shapesBronzed Flesh.

Stage 3

Fill in the rest with a 1:1mix of Vomit Brown andVermin Fur.

Stage 4

Carefully paint in thepanel lines with BestialBrown thinned downwith water.

Stage 1

Catachan Green wasstippled in patches ontothe black undercoat.

Stage 2

Codex Grey stipplingwas applied on top ofthe Catachan Green.

Stage 3

A 1:1 mix of CatachanGreen and Shadow Greywas applied next. A finalstipple of CatachanGreen was applied tomute the colours.

Stage 4

Masking tape was cutinto rough lightning boltshapes and applied tothe hull.

Stage 5

The tank was paintedwith dark grey paint,then the tape wasremoved to reveal thecamouflage.

CamouflageCamouflage

Stage 1

Start by lining in the panellines with thinned downBestial Brown.

Stage 2

Apply extreme highlightsto the edges usingBronzed Flesh.

Stage 3

Highlight the prominentedges of the panels witha 1:1 mix of BronzedFlesh and Skull White.

Stage 4

Mix more Skull Whiteinto the highlight colourand apply to finish off.

Flat panel lines

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Crew CompartmentA wash of Bleached Bonewas applied over a SkullWhite undercoat. The seats were paintedCatachan Green, andhighlighted with RottingFlesh. The doors werepainted with a 1:1 mix ofCodex Grey and ChaosBlack, and highlighted withFortress Grey.

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T’au

Skull White

Au’taal

Scorpion Green

D’yanoi

Ice Blue

Ke’lshan

Golden Yellow

Vior’la

Blood Red

Sept

Col

ours

StipplingStippling is used to build up patches of colour suchas camouflage. Use a large drybrush and wipe mostof the paint off. Rather than drag the bristles acrossthe surface of the model, dab the paint on, creatingrandom patterns. With successive highlights, buildup some areas to get a mottled effect.

Use these colours to paint Sept markings on your vehicles.