I move my existing two HaT war elephants to 60mm square Litko bases. The depth specified in the rulebook is an oddity - longer than the depth of a base width. By contrast in the smaller scales, the depth is the same as base width. The HaT Forest Elephant, as depicted in these models, is quite small and looks lost on the regulation base. Since my entire army scale is so unusual I will always be providing matched armies, I figure the move to 60mm square is forgivable!
The original paint job uses a slop-n-go patina of dark varnish-stain to create the effect of depth and wrinkles, but in keeping with my current treatment of the army the skin gets a full mid-grey coat. Then I decide that's not dark enough and wash that over with Army Painter Dark Wash, by Vallejo. These washes are new to me and something I'm still feeling my way to. Then a lighter grey for the main skin areas - everything other than folds and hollows really - then light grey for highlights. It's fashionable but doesn't really look like anything in the animal kingdom.
The howdah or turret is painted over with yellow because I want to repeat the original red but brighter. For a bright red, use a yellow undercoat, or so I was taught. I add black edges (very roughly) to give a panelled effect.
In fact the yellow looks so good I decide to keep one yellow - which requires a number more coats, because yellow ought to be basecoated white!
Highlights of bright vermilion for the red, and pale yellow for the yellow finish the Elephants off. The crew are more complicated - I keep finding more lining out that needs doing. In many ways it's a crude makeover but will do the job.
Filling the base with more terracotta color caulk, and piling on grey caulk mixed with small pebbles, is the next chore. Once reasonably dry flock is added.
The final task is to add winter-dark clumps of grass. Once those are dry-brushed I'll have completed the entire army.
Very nice work.
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