Armour textures on tanks

[Evil Eye]

As you may be aware, tank armour is usually quite rough up close- even flat armour panels usually have some texture to them, and cast pieces have a very distinct texture (especially Eastern Bloc tanks made in a rush- if you look at a T-34 it's exceptionally coarse!). However, this is less a question of "how?" (there are many techniques for making textures of rolled and cast metal armour in miniature) and more "should I?". On a 1/35 model it usually adds authenticity and makes the model look far more realistic than a smooth, flat surface. However at the roughly 1:56 scale of 40K, I worry that adding textures would at best look overscale or at worst look like the undercoat had gone wrong.

 

Does anyone have any opinions on the matter, and if there's any techniques to making textures without them looking too big for the (admittedly loose) scale?

[Marshal Loss]

Could do something like this to add texture

 

[Gederas]

.... Maybe thin out Typhus Corrosion a lot for texture?

[Master Commander Ajax]

you might wanna check out Night Shifts videos on YouTube. He tackles this topic in several videos, including this one.

 

https://youtu.be/TW65lwwfJqk

[Arkhanist]

Personally, I think realistic steel plate texture would look wrong on a marine tank. The whole aesthetic is now rather brutal lines and flat plates of adamantium & plasteel covered in ceramite as ablative layers, same as marines themselves IIRC. Battle damage and light weathering, absolutely, but ceramite is supposed to be smooth. Adding contrast by panel fades (either vertical or centre-out as Marshal Loss showed) is a common scale technique too.

 

For Guard type tanks, different matter of course, and heavy oil weathering etc drastically improves the look IMO, which does hint at texture. I have seen examples of actual texture being added to surfaces such as stippling into a thin layer of liquid greenstuff or putty for a sort of rough cloth effect, and I think it would still look like that on a tank at 40k scale though - considering model finger size to the plates, how much would you actually see of the roughness at 40k scale? (which is sort of 1/48ish for hulls, but 1/35 for the guns and hatches). I'd be tempted to try out a zimmerit effect instead, as it'd be more clear as an intentional effect, e.g.

 

Edited April 4, 2021 by Arkhanist

[techsoldaten]

One way to do it is baking powder and PVC glue. Thin the glue, mix the powder, and wipe a thin layer on the flat surfaces with the side of a popsicle stick. 

 

Wish I had pics of my old Guard army to point to. This technique creates a very thin, rough texture that can easily be drybrushed. As it dries, it pics up details well, my thumbprint was on the bottom of a Leman Russ. Pulling a stiff brush across the surfaces could easily add the cast metal effect.

[Firedrake Cordova]

You can create a "cast steel" texture with thinned down acrylic putty. Vallejo have a tutorial video on it: https://youtu.be/gUn2xnefo4I?t=179

Edited April 4, 2021 by Firedrake Cordova

[Evil Eye]

Personally, I think realistic steel plate texture would look wrong on a marine tank. The whole aesthetic is now rather brutal lines and flat plates of adamantium & plasteel covered in ceramite as ablative layers, same as marines themselves IIRC. Battle damage and light weathering, absolutely, but ceramite is supposed to be smooth. Adding contrast by panel fades (either vertical or centre-out as Marshal Loss showed) is a common scale technique too.

 

For Guard type tanks, different matter of course, and heavy oil weathering etc drastically improves the look IMO, which does hint at texture. I have seen examples of actual texture being added to surfaces such as stippling into a thin layer of liquid greenstuff or putty for a sort of rough cloth effect, and I think it would still look like that on a tank at 40k scale though - considering model finger size to the plates, how much would you actually see of the roughness at 40k scale? (which is sort of 1/48ish for hulls, but 1/35 for the guns and hatches). I'd be tempted to try out a zimmerit effect instead, as it'd be more clear as an intentional effect, e.g.

 

Thanks, this was basically what I wanted to know! I think I'll hold off on any textures for now.

 

Also top marks to everyone who suggested Nightshift- I love that channel and have been subbed to him for a while! Very fun to watch.

[Subtle Discord]

I can second that if anyone wants to add a level or realism to their vehicles the tutorials that Nightshift does are excellent. His techniques for creating authentic looking battle damage are great and I have plans to use them regularly in the future.