Dollar Store Gaslands Project

[Rat13]

I've had a lot of time to think and plan what my next project would be after finally finishing my Robotech Tactics box. Having chosen my next project quite awhile ago however I've opted instead to do something else entirely at the very last minute. As a palate cleanser (because I really need something to help me forget that Robotech box) and for a quick hobby win I'm going to build and paint some Gaslands cars.

 

This idea really came about simply because I had hit yet another wall with my last project just as I was about to finish. Wanting something different I spur of the moment bought a three pack of cars at the dollar store. Knowing I had plenty of bits at home I thought a few Gaslands cars would make for a fun simple project. Turns out I was right too.

 

In the space of a normal painting session I had found all the necessary bits and glued them on too. For a little extra challenge I even ignored all my GW and typical tabletop bits for dollar store Final Faction pieces.

 

 

Luckily I got a nice day recently, so I was able to prime them.

 

Which of course brings us to tonight, in roughly one session I've almost finished the first car.

It still needs more "dirtying" up but its getting there.

 

The second car was also started.

I'm still thinking about a color scheme for this one. I'm mostly sticking to their original color schemes with just a bit of tweaking but with this one I'm thinking about doing something different. 

[KruleBear]

Great fun. That makes an excellent palette cleanser. 

[Rat13]

On 9/14/2022 at 6:46 AM, KruleBear said:

Great fun. That makes an excellent palette cleanser. 

My thoughts exactly, though I meant more like removing the bad taste that the Robotech box had left.

 

I had honestly meant this project to just be a couple of night's work before jumping into another "real" project. Then of course it languished on my desk for nearly two weeks. Simply put all my winter prep and repair work was finished so I imagined I had about a month or so to simply relax. Obviously that was my mistake as multiple projects and repairs (some of which were for neighbors and time sensitive) cropped up out of nowhere. When the evenings came around I was pretty tired and opted to watch TV or play a mindless game instead of painting. Caught back up again however I have returned to my desk again. 

 

The first car really only needed a bit of brown wash applied around the lower parts and the wheel wells. So it finished up very quickly. Looking at it after it dried however it's not exactly what I had in mind so I'll probably be returning and applying a bit of brown paint instead. 

 

The next car actually did recieve a little attention a few night's ago and was nearly finished but I simply forgot to post the progress. Tonight it didn't need much aside from the washes but at the last minute I decided to add a little more. Using a cheap drybrush I somewhat sponged a bit of metallic paint all over the car. Coming back with a brush and some Rust Brown (09072) I then added some rust in places. I'm not sure if the effect looks any good in the pictures but in person at tabletop distance I think it works.

 

The final car still needed everything painted and was the main focus of tonight's session. Like the other cars I decided to stay close to it's original color scheme. It painted up really quickly with the only real hiccup being deciding the gun's main color. In the end I decided to paint it the same as the car itself with some metallic details, I think it works. As with the previous car I also added a bit of rust to it.

Provided these look good tomorrow with fresh eyes all that remains is sealing them and grabbing some final pictures.

 

[Froggy the Great]

Very nice, the last one in particular!

[Rat13]

13 hours ago, Froggy the Great said:

Very nice, the last one in particular!

Thank you, I completely agree. I really thought the first car was my favorite but now that they're finished I prefer the oversized cannon by a huge margin. I'm not really sure if it's how I painted it or just the asymmetry of the car itself but I think it is the best from this batch. 

 

Thought about going back and adding some dirt to the wheel wells and side panels but decided not to. The brown wash didn't exactly give the effect I had hoped for but in the end that may be for the best. Keeping them "clean" means they won't stick out on differently colored mats and drop cloths come game time. 

 

Deciding not to change anything means that all they needed was some sealer and final pictures. So here they are, my dollar store Gaslands cars.

 

*The roof gun is not only repositionable but can be removed completely.

 

This ended up being a ton of fun and thanks to this spur of the moment project I feel ready to truly get back to painting regularly. It has certainly reinvigorated my creative energies and helped me achieve an easy hobby win so to speak as well.

[KruleBear]

Excellent progress