"What has four tusks, four cannons and four thumbs? This guy" - Skorne Mammoth

Hey Rawrmachine fans (that's right, talking to both of you :))

Recently I've completed my first Hordes Gargantuan and thought I'd kick off a new painting series where I go though the various parts of the model and write a bit about which colour recipes were used.  Amongst it all I mention some of the delights and challenges of putting the model together and the experience overall - so 'ere it is, the Skorne Mammoth! (Mammooth! Meh-mouth!...)

Standing atop his Dragonforge base and about 5 pins holding him to it!

Let's get to it, after it was primed with black undercoat I started by airbrushing the skin but after that the remainder of the model was painted using two-brush blending.

Skin
Base - Bastion Grey
Shade 1 - Greatcoat Grey
Shade 2 - Coal Black and Greatcoat Grey. This was done heavily on the underside of the hands, frill, neck, armpits, chest and the base of the tail.
Highlight 1 - Beast Hide and a little Rucksack Tan
Highlight 2 - Beast Hide and Trollblood Highlight
Highlight 3 - Trollblood Highlight and Menoth White Highlight (used sparingly)

The colours were finally given a glaze of Beast Hide and Mixing Medium to tie the transitions together.

Skin hooks and Piercings
Sanguine Base, Murderous Magenta and Mixing Medium glazed over the areas and blended out.

Tusks and Horns
Base - 'Jack Bone and Gun Corps Brown
Shade 1 - Added Bastion Grey to Base mixture
Highlight 1 - 'Jack Bone
Highlight 2 - 'Jack Bone and Menoth White Highlight

Black (really anything black on this miniature was painted with the same colours!)
Base - Coal Black and Thalmar Black
Highlight 1 - Hammerfall Khaki added to base mixture
Highlight 2 - More Hammerfall Khaki
Highlight 3 - Moar! Hammerfall Khaki
Highlight 4 - MOAR ...well you get the idea

Gold
Base - Rhulic Gold (several thin coats to get good, even coverage)
Shade 1 - 1 part Red Ink, 2 parts Brown Ink, 3 parts Mixing Medium
Highlight 1 - Rhulic Gold (just to tidy up anything)
Highlight 2 - Solid Gold
Highlight 3 (optional) - Solid Gold and Radiant Platinum

I've gone through a number of variations with the gold and this one has worked the best so far but I've got at least one more variant to try out in the future.

Red Armour Plates
Base - Skorne Red
Shade 1 - Exile Blue and Umbral Umber added to Skorne Red (in varying amounts)
Shade 2 - Exile Blue and Umbral Umber
Shade 3 - Exile Blue, Umbral Umber and Coal Black
Highlight 1 - Ember Orange and Skorne Red

I've gotta say between the extremes of the brown and blue shades to the orange highlights, it really brings out the best of the red midtones.

Lacquered Gold
Base - Rhulic Gold
The gold is then given two coats of equal parts Red Ink and Mixing Medium
Shade - 1 part Red Ink, 2 parts Brown Ink, 3 parts Mixing Medium

Metal
Base - Cold Steel and Pig Iron
Shade 1 - Greatcoat Grey; depending on the area this was mixed with some Mixing Medium.
Shade 2 - Exile Blue and Battlefield Brown
Highlight 1 - Cold Steel
Highlight 2 - Quicksilver

These are by far my favourite colours to blend with, they give a real weightiness to the metal. (Note the spike on the left knee "HHNNNNNGGG")

That just about wraps it up, please make a mark in the comments section if you'd like any more info!