PAINTING: Crusader on the way

With some hard graft over the weekend my Land Raider Crusader is almost finished.

I painted all of the sub-assemblies separately first and the attached them to the hull. That included the tracks, Hurricane bolters and all the hatches and weapons. When it came to painting the hull I ran out of Blood Angel Red and had to buy a new pot. Despite four or five coats of paint the finish is not as smooth as the spray colour on my other vehicles. If I paint more vehicles in the future I may have to invest in an airbrush.

The model feels strangely weighted with all the bits in place; the Hurricane bolters are really heavy and are on the outermost parts of the tank while the centre is lightweight plastic. I reckon the whole thing would fall to pieces if I had to transport it somewhere.

All that is left to paint on the hull are the lenses and viewing plates, a layer of extreme highlights and then some weathering. I also need to add the assault cannons and frag launchers.

I hope to have this model finished by the end of this week.