The Ultimate Guide to Painting Warhammer Tanks

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[@EricsHobbyWorkshop]

Thank you World of Tanks for sponsoring this video. Play World of Tanks here: tanks.ly/3HLrILR

[@franklinlatortuesod0mite603]

Hi. What colors do you use for the sons of horus ?

[@josephcox8156]

i was wondering, can you play multiple imperial guard regiments in the same army?

[@notreallydavid]

First, a word from our sponson...

[@EricsHobbyWorkshop]

@@notreallydavid nice

[@notreallydavid]

@@EricsHobbyWorkshop I do what I can. Send money.

[@woody5109]

From a guy who operated track equipment for 35 years, I can tell you, nothing sticks to tracks, the more their used , the shinier they get. Great video.

[@jamesloder8652]

*they're 🤦🤦🤦🤦

[@rileymitch33]

Dang thanks man that will help me out with my models to seem more realistic.

[@JLSCALEHOBBY1]

Yes and no….heavy equipment is different than military tracked vehicles…there are historic pictures from. Many different wars show lots of stuck and embedded dirt,clay,rocks,earth,grass…everything

[@CoolSmoovie]

7 months late, but most tanks in this setting are relics. Old. Kept in ships for decades or centuries. Sometimes in the field in battle for years at a time.

[@zacbru]

I always put some dirts and grimes in the recesses of the track and then get a pencil to make the worn parts shine.

[@lolsovs]

A small tip for getting crisp lines with masking tape; after the tape is on paint the base color along the edge. This will fill all the tiny voids under the tape giving you perfect sharp lines afterwards. It applies when painting walls in your home also. Also, your guide here is excellent. Simple yet effective techniques.

[@CB-zq1ky]

Thank you for this!

[@benweinberg3819]

I am literally assembling and magnetizing my first leman Russ squadron as this debuts--Emperor praise!

[@dragonking8085]

Same brother

[@nelsoj11]

I love Eric's videos, but you should probably check out Night Shift if you want to do tanks right.

[@raul-aurelianserban8295]

​@@dragonking8085BROTHER

[@HurBenny]

A Leman Russ squadron ? I may almost have a spark of pity in my heart for the xenos and heretics !

[@squeethemog213]

As someone who really prefers bigger models (like tanks, knights, redemptors, etc) these tips are wonderful. Man, thank you so much 🤩

[@BattlebrotherPhil]

I could never wrap my head around how some hobbyists get their tanks to look so realistic, but you explained it so well and make it look really easy!

[@colinlightfoot1516]

"Looks like a grown man's toy", if only I could get my wife to agree. Painting as well as you do would probably help lol. Thank you for this amazing tutorial; I'll definitely be using this for my CSMs!

[@the_guitarcade]

7:43-7:46 that almost made me knock my dirty paint water off my desk. I was rinsing my brush when you said, "It looks like a grown man's toy."

[@Le_Petomane]

Ive neve painted a tank after 30 odd years of gaming belive it or not. I think this is some of your best work honestly.

[@YalelingOz]

Thank you for that shading trick for the sides. I've been painting 40k tanks for 30 years, and I've never come across it before. I love it thought!

[@alexneal9534]

I'm in the process of repainting all my power armour armies this way. Enamel and oils are magic. Love the ice scheme chimera.

[@spinafire]

I love the simplicity of these steps. My only critique is that the tread plates that rub on the ground should be shiny rather than dirty. At 16:21 for example, you can use a cotton swab to rub the rectangular parts of the tracks cleaner. Bonus points for adding silver highlights to the wear surfaces.

[@ioni2285]

12:28 Actually the hole on the Rogal Dorn tank is a great idea. It greatly facilitates the installation of LEDs, or even RC modules.

[@sebastianwall3470]

Great guide. Another good thing to keep in mind is that doing the chipping, streaking and other weathering effects AFTER applying decals further integrates the decals into the overall scheme.

[@minipaintingforyou]

Now that’s a weird looking emperor titan… That airbrush gradient on the predator looks great! I used the same technique on Dropzone Commander minis, making sure to mask adjacent hard edges. The whole platoon was done in no time and looks just as convincing as yours. This is where an airbrush shines, gradients with very little effort! Thank you for sharing!

[@MrFredstt]

All three tanks were amazing but I loved the winter one. That color scheme just speaks to me. I also really liked that dirty, grimy desert one and the red/white stripe you paint on

[@jesseburson]

what are the normal scale for those? I make ww2 1/100 and 1/56 now but want to expand into Warhammer.

[@philhitchings]

If you apply little blobs of Blut tak (poster putty) and then apply some cotton wool tufts onto the Blut Tak any air-brush spray can layers applied over this will give a soft edge result to the camo pattern

[@JT-nr9vl]

I really appreciate seeing all three colors-as a beginner about to start painting my first tanks for IG, it really helps!

[@KepticVoid]

"This looks like a grown man's toy" absolutely love that

[@Sturmensky]

An excellent video with some seriously good tip! Though I had to chuckle, as I finished a winter-schemed Chimera not too long ago. Might have waited if I'd known this was coming lol. Given camo was brought up: if anyone's interested in the topic, I'd also like to offer another suggestion. If you prefer blended lines, but lack an airbrush, you can get a fairly good result by blocking in your stripes roughly, then drybrushing each colour over the opposing's border (e.g., if colours A & B are next to each other, drybrush A onto the B side of the border, then B onto the A side of the border), but don't worry about letting the paints dry. Follow with some sponge stippling on both sides. Depending on how many layers you do, or if you apply washes between to darken the prior layer, you can get effects ranging from smooth blend to a semi-dappled transition.

[@zentinelable]

Erics hobby workshop. Cmon... I am Spanish and I love your videos because of the content that you create and useful tips (your video on bretonnia inspired me to paint a very large bretonnia army applying the rule of cool). If anyone, after the amount of hours that you spend giving us this content for free, complaints about the pronunciation of Vallejo, then I am astonished to say the least...

[@WarGamesNewsRadio]

Currently painting my first Landraider and this was super helpful! 🤟

[@savagex466-qt1io]

That will be my next tank for sure. To me its just a classic. Id have it in my Death Guard list and probley be the only one but to me rule of cool first ! Regardless if Iv never seen anyone play it in years. Iv been saving this sic nurgle banner for some chaos space marines I want to have it displayed in a sic manner lol.

[@Kid_illithid]

Only ever watched you build stuff. Had no idea you were such a good painter! I just did an ork battleagon in a cadian camo scheme using rattlecans and silly putty for masking. I can’t believe how good it came out. I thought for sure I would botch it somehow but it might be my magnum opus so far. It’s emboldened me to try some big HQs like Ghaz or a greater demon, or maybe pick up a knight.

[@andrewwoodhead3141]

Quick tip for tracks ect. Get a pencil, one you ain't going to use again , break it up and save the lead centre. Grind the lead down to dust using a bit of fine grain sand paper. Use an old brush to apply the dust to the tracks. Buff using a cotton Q Tip. You want the working parts to look a little shiny, but not the whole track. Also works great for gunmetal , just apply to a coat of black.

[@Day_0ne]

I really liked your explanation of the light effect with the cube. I make and paint gunpla but like alot of the techniques miniature painters use.

[@unsuisseegare1291]

I'm not a warhammer painter, but the last exemples helped me a lot to paint my DAK panzer III, very good video

[@The_Modeling_Underdog]

Eric, on the next video: "So, I was watching Nightshift's channel last night. And his 'Chipping a tank for 72 hours straight' challenge looks interesting. We'll do it in 96 hours." About the airbrush, I've seen most 40k youtubers tend to use some coarse settings, worthy of "carpet bombing" the model with paint. The highlight effect on the first tank would have been more visible in the end result by fine tunning the needle movement, I think. The airbrush would have sprayed much less paint in a smaller space and the end result wouldn't have been almost lost under the effects. But, that is just my take. The last one was a proper "Western Desert Matilda meets its grea-great-whatever-grandson" crossover. Very, very nice. Great work right there, mate. Cheers.

[@scurillous6015]

Step 1: Own a airbrush

[@stanclaessens-b4r]

I have one I’m just morbidly scared to use it

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

I was about to paint some 10mm scale Soviet armor this weekend, so this video is perfect timing!! Thanks!

[@scoutcroot2733]

Perfect timing! Preparing to start on a Leman Russ but was uncertain how to approach it. 👍

[@MrSilver992]

Eric, your pronunciation of "vallejo" was excellent and thanks for this wonderful guido, i hope to apply it soon Greetings from Chile

[@porter-831]

Looks good, I think the winter scheme is my favourite because of the limited pallette contrasting with the decal and weathering. And I just love tanks. Also you can totally do camo with a brush without any masking. Depending on the style of camo, slightly frayed edges on the individual blotches just dabbed on with an old brush may even be a very desirable look! Though even clean edges are achievable, they just need a bit more time and focus.

[@simonleach6632]

Most schemes historically speaking were field applied anyway in less than ideal painting conditions so honestly an imperfect camo pattern does look more realistic, especially winter white wash, that was literally slapped on the tank from a bucket using whatever the crews could get a hold of, such as a mop or an oily rag tied to a stick, absolutely no finesse what so ever

[@BenjisHobbies]

Great video, Eric! Painting tanks scares me but you make it look so easy. Much love for the channel!

[@BookBurrow]

This is the best video on painting tanks I have ever seen. Great work.

[@veneficusvex914]

Thanks a bunch Eric, I have had an impulsor sitting on my desk for half a year, and this is the video that has given me the courage to just spray some paint on it and have a go! Good easy way to get some airbrush practice in too!

[@wanna877]

When you do the chimera tank, you add some white texture with a sponge. I wonder if dry brushing could replace both airbrush highlight and sponged texture, steps..... That could be quicker and easier.

[@Kirk.t.g]

They’re so beautiful!

[@hyperbene7711]

Great video! I particularly liked how you explained so clearly why the light color goes below the dark one - which is, as you pointed out, counterintuitive.

[@seanguy6]

Just picked up the imperial guard apocalypse box, just in time for this video thanks brotha 💯

[@fluminox13]

For camouflage I did, I used some Q-tips and kind of rolled and touched them on the tank. First paint it in the base colour and than use the Q-tips. Tbf, the tank was way smaller

[@Ambulantz]

The timing of this video 👌 My cousin and I were just talking about how to paint our tanka

[@GallantLee]

I think it was great you showed your technique across three tanks! thanks for this video!

[@danieljvanrensburg]

You know what, thank you very much for making this, I really, I mean REALLY needed to know what I'm doing lol

[@EricsHobbyWorkshop]

Awesome! I hope it helps!

[@danieljvanrensburg]

@@EricsHobbyWorkshop yeah I'm literally gonna repaint my tank rn, thanks for the handy tips, keep up the great content

[@tigobalkema6376]

Thanks for the tips! Not gonna use this on a warhammer tank, but a nice mk VI ww1 tank I bought

[@Mr_Waffle.]

I don’t have an airbrush or confidence, but I do like that weathering style so I’ll be trying it out, thanks!

[@edwardleslie787]

i've got so many unpainted tanks, and just found the airbrush im gonna buy. Thanks Eric, i'll definitely be rewatching this to learn

[@aleksanderandersson]

"Look at this oil wash seep into the cracks, you literally need no motor skills at all to make this happen!" Consider me sold! :D

[@legionnaireminis]

Learning some of these tricks over the years has made painting tanks one of my most favorite aspects of the hobby

[@michadolinski1656]

Very nice and informative guide!

[@alsmith5031]

This is excellent. However, I would like to ask about painting dark coloured tanks. I have a Spartan to paint for my heresy dark angels, and painting a big black tank is a little intimidating.

[@EricsHobbyWorkshop]

Highlight the same way with dark grey. For the edges, use bright silver for the chipping. Brown oil wash will add some dusty looking grime

[@alsmith5031]

@@EricsHobbyWorkshop thanks for the fast reply, hadn't expected that. Really appreciated. Will give it a go. It's the biggest single model I have attempted to date so hopefully it will come out well.

[@monsterofvalhalla3397]

Each of these tanks deserves a like... Great Vid. These 2 tanks on my shelf dont seem as daunting now. Thankyou

[@romeopainting5508]

That was very useful and simple to follow, great video! thank you for sharing!

[@matthewgagnon9426]

I do a very similar thing for my winter-themed tanks, though maybe not quite as well done as yours turned out! It's neat to see someone else do something similar to what I arrived at on my own, it shows I'm not crazy.

[@leochachuat5906]

Great video, it's amazing to see the results you get while keeping the process very simple. I was just wondering if it would be even better to add the transfers before painting the chipping for the chimera? It would make sense that these too are a bit damaged and worn out.

[@Mornomgir]

Good vid as always and some great paintjobs! A few ideas of my own here. A smooth finish for the first coat from a painting perspective might make sense but if you want a more realistic approach out of the box use a brush. Most combat vehicles are painted and repainted many times over that means the gritiness of the paint itself is part of the first weathering stage if you will.

[@johnkelley9877]

This was great and I like all three tanks but the winter scheme is the best I think. Thanks for sharing you techniques.

[@atlas6538]

Ohhh, that rogak dorn looks fantastic in that scheme

[@gregfougere7447]

Thanks for doing this Eric!

[@doguipreacher]

Applying transfers after weathering. A true professional.

[@EricsHobbyWorkshop]

Never let orthodoxy stop you from doing it how you want

[@doguipreacher]

@@EricsHobbyWorkshop Nor common sense.

[@EricsHobbyWorkshop]

@@doguipreacher what would common sense tell you to do if you had already weathered something and then decided to add a transfer

[@_Gondor44_]

I stumbled upon this right before I was getting ready to paint my land raider. Thank you!

[@savagex466-qt1io]

That was my fist codex ever. That old school imperial guard codex. Sic art in it.

[@jtrain9926]

Great vid, thanks for explaining that gradient theory, I'll def try it out on my 30K tanks.

[@cspo]

The cube demo is so good!!

[@felixguay6218]

Wow !! Really awesome !! Thanks for that video ! I’ll use your technique for sure ! 😁

[@cmbunit01]

Very, very cool. I've got some tanks for Heavy Gear Blitz to paint up and this couldn't have come at a better time. The inverse gradient effect is legit, I'll be doing that from now on.

[@forgottencameras]

I live in the general area near Vallejo, California and have been working with the general public for about a decade. The vast, vast majority of people here call it as you said, while the only people that pronounce it properly are people who are here from Mexico and speak little or no English. So, you're in with most of us.

[@ono1381]

Yeah got some leman russ that needed this, thanks Eric!

[@rataca100]

I feel like you shoukd have said to varnish before you did the enamel paint etc. Some of those mess up other paints as wrll as white spirit would strip as far as i know

[@TheKsalad]

My Rogal Dorn Battle Tank's first kill was a traitorous Baneblade, new model syndrome cancels out if you go after the biggest fish in the pond

[@av4l4nche31]

Very fun and cool video! Always nice to see some armor painted with some proper weathering.

[@benjaminjack867]

Always been intimidated by big models.....I have three tanks assembled and collecting dust. I needed this one!

[@dronessential]

15:45 "You literally need no motor skills..." Me: "Keep talking."

[@lawrences1347]

Painted 3 tanks for one vid! Very impressive.

[@halo43v3r7777]

A couple tips I’ve picked up from modeling scale armor over the years for anyone who cares: I like to do an initial chipping pass with a light highlight color, like the color you would use to do an edge highlight, both going over the edges and using a sponge for large open panels. Then take your rust brown color and fill in only the center of the chips leaving the outer edges of the highlight color showing through. You can also leave some of the light color chips alone without the rust too. I think this gives the rust chipping a very good depth and makes it more visually interesting. Also when using enamels to put dust or mud effects on, in addition to just slapping it on there, also consider grabbing a toothpick and quickly swiping your brush across it to speckle the paint across the running gear and lower hull to simulate dried mud splashes. Looking great as always!

[@jajazz98]

Eric, a question: •Can you paint minis with common acrylic paints? •Which model to take from wh40k Horus Heresy to beginner?

[@eater_of_garbage_]

Horus heresy isn't wh40k as much as 40k isnt aos

[@Saefogeo]

As a Spaniard, I assure you that we barely care about the pronunciation of Vallejo. It's a tricky one as you said, specially because the way we pronounce "j" comes from the Arabic languages (like the word "ojalá" for example, that doesn't even exist or can be directly translated to English) and it's quite hard to get right if you are not a native speaker 😜 PS: Those tanks look really well man. I'll take some notes about that chipping techniques. Specially because the only tank I have for 40K is a Plagueburst Crawler for my Death Guard and it'd need a lot of weathering 🤮😆

[@oaples8790]

Sorry for being out of topic but since you still have some of the old Tallarn and Vostroyan models, can you please show them off in terms of scale to the newer cadians?

[@gabrielemarino5162]

Really cool video, who doesn't love tanks? They're awesome, and you did them justice too! Especially love the IG tanks color scheme. But i also would love to see a video about your valhallans too, can you show us your color scheme? maybe a painting video? Thanks a lot for your work, it's really inspiring!

[@daniele0375]

Looks awesome! How would you shade without oil paints? Recess shade with nuln oil?

[@EricsHobbyWorkshop]

Yeah that would work! Especially if you gloss varnish first. Even thin acrylic paints work pretty well if you gloss varnish first then use a but if water when still wet to clean up the raised areas

[@daniele0375]

@@EricsHobbyWorkshop awesome! Thanks!

[@Kojak0]

Speaking of real world tanks and painting model tanks: don't overdo rust chips - it's rare to see much of them actually, especially older WW2 type tanks were they used lead-based paint in thick layers - that shit could almost take bullets and still hang on. Some rust spots will be present, but very sparingly. More common would be rust stains, ie were moisture has crept under the paint, oxidised and stained the surface - this is more evident especially around nuts and bolts. A more common wear is actually shiny metal wherever the crew and other people move a lot, like around hatches or ladders - these areas will lose the paint, and will not develop rust either simply because the wear takes that off as well.

[@jphanks]

Those tanks will look good at the feet of a certain Titan... 😛

[@tomtruesdale6901]

Very nice job on those tanks.

[@SVcreations43]

So excited to get these

[@Gaardian]

Can you just use a wash like seraphim sepia instead of a oil wash?

[@bulkbu6331]

Great vid, well put together and nice results with easy to follow steps. Banger!

[@forgefathervulkanhestan18]

I've had a Lemen Russ on my table since August 😅. But I'll paint it soon I swear!

[@dylantan3124]

Awesome help on how to highlight tanks but I have a question for black or dark coloured tanks ie black Templar armoured vehicles what colours would you use to put on the battle damage? Thanks for an awesome video

[@eurieus]

This is an amazing video, thanks for the tips, they look amazing. How you go about painting an off-white tank ?

[@MLaak86]

I'm going into the Heresy with Death Guard so, just wondering about what changes to these approaches would be good for painting mostly white tanks?

[@Chablar89]

Do you apply a gloss coat before doing the oil wash? Thanks for the great video

[@wokehammer40k]

Great techniques! Really inspired me to paint up some armor!

[@sam-6008]

Love the video Eric!

[@4nc3st0r]

How did you paint those Tallarn Raiders? And also your other guard minis? Would be great to see :)

[@calhill8385]

What enamel did you use for the sand??? Need that effect asap

[@GallantLee]

Why use oil wash as opposed to acrylic wash? I understand that you can move the oil wash aftewards, but could we not get a similar effect with acrylic when we don't need to push the paint around?

[@EricsHobbyWorkshop]

Acrylic dries so fast that it can leave tide lines. It also doesn’t have quite as strong of a capillary action

[@Spessart1ne]

Tanks are those weird things where you think it’ll be simple but it’s really hard to get looking amazing.

[@JoeHero40k]

Id like to see the camo done 😅 Possibly done in a urban camo scheme...😊

[@GarbachNL]

Thanks for another awesome tutorial!! Loved it!

[@magosmallen2973]

So here's my question. What if there isn't a transfer for the design you want on the model. What do you do then