Cadre of Mesme Ukos Refresh

These guys just needed dusting and touch ups to bring back those vibrant yellows, reds & oranges.

Pathfinder squad 1 – all unit markings present and correct. The leader has tau writing on part of the helmet to show leadership. Everyone is this squad has 1 stripe on the helmet ridge. Orange is the colour for the pathfinders so everyone has an orange segment on their armour and the vehicle has orange in the “veins” in the camo.

My original basing scheme is still on these guys. I’ll have a think and work out a cohesive scheme for everyone once they are all done. The trees are made from garden twisty wire, yellow railway flock and Lichen is oranges, yellows & browns. I also used natural colours of rocks, the same yellow flock and for some abhorrent reason lost to time painted the base edge green…!

The drone snipers had a check up and dust off and touching the yellow up for brightness. Then they are ready to go back on display.

Aun’O Mesme Ukos, my first Tau purchase. The rocks on the base have glow in the dark paint on & I’m amazed that it still in fact glows!

my first ever attempt at a conversion is also in the photo – a Mickey Mouse Drone. It’s terrible and clunky but I keep it to remind me to keep trying.

My second photo is a Tau lookalike from the wonderful Black Scorpion Miniatures. I couldn’t resist adding them to my army.

Lastly is my forge world Sentry Turret.

All of these just needed a good dusting and they are ready to go on display.

The easiest units to sort out were my Kroot. I managed to get them all painted and marked up recently (as in within the last 6 years..). I forget my actual colours now, and my note seems to have departed ways with my sheaf of notes, but from memory – the flesh is a base coat of a darker brown with a flesh ink and a yellow brown sponged on to create the dapple or stippled look. The markings are daubed on to represent war paint in a forest-like green. The cloth is red gore with vomit brown and the green splodged on for camo. The shoulder pads are green and the weaponry is the standard army scheme of black, red gore, vomit brown and details in silver.

I checked them over for chips and damage, gluing on any rogue spines etc and grabbed a big brush (a big unused make up brush) and have them all a really good dust off ready for the mug shots. They have had all their markings checked and arranged into their squads which I refer to as:

1. Shaper squad.

2.  Release the Hounds

3. Krootox Crew

4/Y – Knarloc Beastie

My plan is to paint everything and then sort out the basing in one go to create a cohesive look across the entire force.

My idea for my Spring Clean Challenge started as a desire to finish painting something. Anything!

Then my husband showed me the new farsight model, and on our next visit into the gaming shop I may have accidentally ordered the box set with him in. Oh and another Tau I’d had my eye on.

So of course painting and finishing my long-neglected Tau army seemed like the perfect project to try and complete.

The first thing I did was get all my Tau out on the table, and find my copious notes on structure, paint scheme, terrain design and everything else that flitting through my brain.

Once on the table I arrange them by unit and take my project start pics.

May I introduce Aun’O Mesme Ukos (Commander Combination Spoon) and their forces….

My biggest job was working out my where I was upto all those years ago and getting organise to refresh and complete my Tau. The last thing I did was buy plenty of my original GW colours just before the big paint reinvention they did years back.

so I have lots of my colours, I luckily many have survived without drying up.

My basic scheme starts with a black undercoat.

My Tau skin is a mix of elf flesh and shadow grey that has somehow survived in its tiny mixing pot all these years! With mechrite red from citadel foundation for the eyes.

Vomit Brown and Red Gore are my basic colours, then I get fancy with certain colours and markings to help distinguish rank and unit type.

Fire warrior Squads, basic Crisis suits & basic drone squads stick to the core colours. With simple lines to denote Squad numbers.

Kroot have green markings.

Ethereals and top command units have Purple added.

Tanks and Broadsides have Golden Yellow added.

Stealth Suits have yellow, red and basic colours in their extra special camo.

Pathfinders have the yellow, and red of previous units plus blazing orange.

My Air Caste have orange jumpsuits and blue armour. Aircraft will have the addition of blue to the basics.