Proto Melusine IV

I've had a few thoughts over the years about weathering a suit.

While I feel that Real Life^TM tanks are a good place to start with weathering references for these.
There is one small problem, its not a tank. I feel these suits would get a rougher time of it.
While a tank can go anywhere there is width enough in front or behind, or enough room to turn and/or there's something it can knock over to make width.
These suits can pretty much go anywhere a human could, providing there is enough clearance, or again there is something it can move out of its way.

So while a tank would recieve the vast majority its superficial scrapes and nicks around the front, down the sides, and where the crew walk or maintain the vehicle, there is still an awful lot of blank space that would break up these patches of wear.
A battlesuit on the other hand, I think would get scraped all over.
Places where plates rub, around hatches and maintenance ports, between the legs, on the outside of limb armour, manipulators, and high points.
Its also much smaller than a tank, meaning that the wear and tear would be more bunched up.

I guess thats just the way I see it. These suits scrabble up embankments, take cover in rubble, bash through woodland and forest, and scrape through doorways.
They're armoured like a tank, but they fight like infantry.

Of course, that only applies if you forget these things are made of ceramic, in which case the scapes could just be a slightly lighter or darker colour than the surface.

It also only really applies if you're me.

Pretty much put together, only the arms can be pulled back out, and I haven't fitted the aerials yet.
Only some grease marks and some dust to add, I'll do that once I've done the base.









Right now I have flagstones to cut!

Started on the base.
This is just the form the detail will be sitting on. The finished effect will be old weathered stone, overgrown with plants.



I really need to tidy my desk!