It's been ages since I posted and update to this army, but I've finally finished up a project that's been languishing for years. I've kept saying I was going to paint up my rhinos but pretty much every other project got in the way. First it was 40k troops, then it was land speeders, then a dreadnought, three epic armies and a large commission, >5k Imperial Fleet for BFG... you know things happened. Anyway I decided that the running joke had gotten too old and set down to paint these up. I still have one more, but it'll be a good while before he comes into play anyway. I've learned several things through this project. To start, tanks and khaki are a pain without an airbrush; you shouldn't try out new weathering techniques on models that took three months to paint; and crazy hieroglyphs are possible.
I nearly ruined Rhino 1 attempting to do chipped paint. While the technique did alright, it just didn't look like the chipping I'd done with a sponge. For those interested the writing on the right side DOES in fact translate. Both rhinos are listed as being the Regiment of Re. It then gives the names for the rhinos. Rhino 1 (kerew) translates as "the chariot of the Justified, much beloved of Osiris who is upon his throne, the lord of eternity. The second rhino (akhet) translates "the charior of the Horizon, much beloved of Osiris who is upon his throne, the lord of eternity. In middle egyptian writing the words ma'a kherew literally mean the true of voice and was used as a euphemism for the deceased. Akhet, the word for horizon, can also translate as tomb. I realize it's a little arcane, but I thought it would be nice to add a tad of humor in the naming of a vehicle that tends to get labeled as a death trap.
So here you are, enjoy the somewhat messed up rhinos: