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When I began my major rehabilitation project, half the vehicles were the older MK I style, and I decided that I wanted my Ultramarines to use the newer kits. Instead, I broke out my Emperor's Children Brass etch and turned them into second line vehicles for my 30k force:

Rhinos:





The original Vindicator, which has held up amazingly as a model!





I also finally started painting my Betrayal at Calth Tactical marines. When you're army planning, 30 marines doesn't seem like all that much, but when they're sitting on your painting table they're quite the project! I decided to simplify my approach, and base painted them all with a mix of the Reaper Nightshade Purple (a near black) and Imperial Purple.



My goal going forward will be to layer Imperial Purple, and then maybe hit some highlights with Imperial/Amethyst Purple.

Nice work there. It certainly works to move the old-school original Rhinos to one specific force, especially a Heresy-era one.

That vindicator is looking swell, and I agree putting the older rhinos with a HH force is a good idea.

Azazelx wrote:Nice work there. It certainly works to move the old-school original Rhinos to one specific force, especially a Heresy-era one.

Stormwall wrote:That vindicator is looking swell, and I agree putting the older rhinos with a HH force is a good idea.

Thanks. I didn't want to combine the two, although my EC will have both the FW Deimos pattern rhinos and the MKI hulls, They're probably more going to be fated for second line duties. The vindicator is too cool a model to not find a use for.

I finally completed the Devestator squad, which was the last full squad needed for my first demi-company:



I also finished the captain, who is resplendent in all of his third edition glory:







One interesting fact here is that I used the new GW gemstone technical paints, and I really liked how they look. The green gen on his chest, the eyes of the backpack eagles, and even the power nodes on the sword are all hit with one of them.

I still have a few coats of Micro-sol to put on the dreadnought before it gets sealed and flocked, but I'm basically done with the core elements of the demi-company. I know I need two more dedicated transports, but with the Gladius formation being so popular used prices on DTs is surprisingly high. I might work through all the infantry I have, and then either buy a larger lot off ebay, or even just buy what I need new from Mini Market.

In the meantime, I'm making progress painting my Betrayal at Calth tactical marines. After them, I have the BaC termies, contemptor, and characters, and then four FW characters, and all of my EC stuff will be fully painted. As always, it feels good to see the end of a project.

I turned my attention back to my Emperor's Children, with the Betrayal at Calth tactical marines forming my CCW equipped tacticals:

I am loving the results from Army Painter. Also, pre-basing before priming.

Great work on those Emperor's Children!

Today's update is a bit scattered. I built and I'm working on the last of my EC from Betrayal at Calth, but hubris got the best of me. I declared them done, only to realize that I had forgotten the plastic Contemptor! I haven't taken the final pics, because I actually want to do an army glamor shot, so hopefully a teaser shot will do for now:



There's a store RTT on Saturday, and I'm kicking around the idea of going. With the Ultras not really up to 1850, that leaves my poor IG, or I guess AM. The more time I spend looking at that codex, the less excited I am to play IG in anything approaching a competitive environment. Still, tournaments are great motivators, and I had whipped up a list that included three vendettas as the only armor, but included a ton of psykers. The downside is that it included a battery of three earthshaker carriages, which meant it was time to pull the models I bought at the Adepticon Bitz Swap out of storage, clean them up, reassemble them, and start painting!

These had been painted with what I can only imagine was blue automotive primer. A long soak in LA's Totally Awesome loosened much of it, but there was a lot in the nooks and crannies. OH, and by the way, these models are nothing but nooks and crannies. Being used, and honestly probably not FW originals, they had some parts that needed repairs. All three got a simple drilled steel rod so the gun barrel can move up and down. All in all, it took a few hours, but they came out pretty decently:



A quick prime, followed by multiple passes with touch up primer, helps them look far cleaner:



And now comes the fun part: base coating a model with nearly inaccessible parts! I painted the wheels Boltgun, and the rest XV88. I gave it one coat so far:



My plan is to touch up the XV88, and then hit it with a dark, hard wash. the advantage to the nooks and crannies is that once base painted, a wash and dry brush back up should look great quickly.

Some updates to my Artillery:

A second coat of XV88:



A nice wash with a homemade, relatively thin brown wash:



A dry brush with RMS Green Ochre:



A final dry brush with RMS Faded Khaki, and some red on the Aquilla.





Automatically Appended Next Post:
I also painted the last of the EC models I have on hand. First up, the BAC terminators and hero:



Then the BAC Chaplain, which I feel is an underrated model



The BAC Contemptor, hiding with his friends:



Standard Bearer and Consul with Thunder hammer:



Praetor and Master of Signals:



Praetor with Jump Pack:



And then, while not completely new, I reconfigured one tactical squad to be a veteran squad with melta gun and missile launcher:





finally, some group shots of my complete (for now) Emperor's children army!

Nice work!

That headswap on the BAC Chaplain is enough to convince me to get him. What a lovely model, it really is under-rated.

Really digging the Proteus Land Raider, (I know I've said that previously.)

The Dreadnoughts and the Master of Signals is looking quite nice as well.

Stormwall wrote:That headswap on the BAC Chaplain is enough to convince me to get him. What a lovely model, it really is under-rated.

Really digging the Proteus Land Raider, (I know I've said that previously.)

The Dreadnoughts and the Master of Signals is looking quite nice as well.

Yeah, I wouldn't have pegged the head as the reason the model looked off, but looking at the stock model vs. mine, I think just a slight repositioning of the head really helps. I now like it enough that if (when ) I buy a second B@C box, I'll likely turn the model into something else, like a champion or other consul.

the Proteus is a cool model, but I'm mad at myself for ordering the landraider EC doors, when it takes the rhino doors. So, very technically, they aren't done, as I need to get the correct insignia on the Proteus.

The Master of Signals is just an old fashioned character model: some nice details and gubbins, and a pose that relates to his battle field role instead of looking like a generically heroic pose (possibly a reason I dig the chaplain... he looks like he's actually tracking an enemy and shooting his pistol).

JohnHwangDD wrote:Nice work!

Thanks!

I've been working on a few things, including crew for my new artillery:



This is a departure from my old (meaning since 2002) paint scheme for the praetorians. I switched from khaki trousers to dark blue, and I've switched to Reaper master series for the reds and yellows. This requires multiple layers, but also is a much richer shade. the other big change is the switch to white kit, which looks sharp! I made some of my choices 14 years ago because I wanted my stuff to look different, but over time, I've realized that there's a very rewarding, natural color scheme to these models.

Next up are a Master of Ordinance, an Astropath, and a Medic:



I picked up the two advisors at a swap meet, and since I already have a complete set, there's little reason to have a second Officer of the Fleet. Astropaths, otoh, are a fun way to add psychic dice to the army for 25 points! The Medic is a Chronoscope model, and I think brings a touch of whimsy to the army. While she's a little more 20th century and less steampunk than I'd like, I think she'll fit in nicely with a command squad.

I got a lot of prep work done recently. It's fall, which means it's time to focus on building and priming models to paint through the winter. Not only does winter make spray priming tough for apartment dwellers, it's also a time for week long trips to see family. That means painting time!

First up is a continuation of something teased a few months back: bases for forge world heavy mortars. I grabbed four of these at the Adepticon swap meet in 2015, and I'm glad I'm finally getting them ready for the table top. One of my true gaming joys is to run all infantry IG armies, and the artillery gives me a durable and hard hitting unit. While the multi mortars are probably better, I didn't see them for $8 a piece



At the same time I bought the mortars, I had grabbed an old battle for skull pass box, planning to use the goblins for kings of war. That project is on indefinite hold, as the thought of painting a couple hundred night goblins is... sobering. Still, I had a handful of dwarves that I planned on trading away, until last week, when I snapped up a box of 6th edition warriors for $15. Now I have a core of an Age of Sigmar army, even if I've never played the game.


I primed them with army painter Fur Brown, as I'm going to speed paint these little guys:



I decided to play up the dispossessed theme, and go with mostly drab browns and greens, with a richer green and gold as the heraldry to tie the together.

Great job on everything!

sparkywtf wrote:
Great job on everything!

Thanks!

I've been darting all over the place lately, and I completed a few amusing side projects, so I figured I'd share some stuff. First up is a series of minis I've painted as Christmas gifts. My mother, bless her heart, really likes when I paint her minis, and likes two things in particular: cycles or collections of basic themes, mostly notably the four elements, and the Reaper Christmas minis. So, here are some things I'd collected over the years that are close to it. I'd already painted her one of the old chaos warriors in purple for slaanesh, so that's why it's missing!

Khorne Chaos Warrior:


Tzeetnch Chaos Warrior:



Nurgle Chaos Warrior


Undivided Chaos Warrior:


Reaper Dust Devil (that's a type of air elemental, right?)


Halloween Sophie:


Pin up Sophie:


Some REaper Bones Scenery:



Finally, a peek at some current WIP. A plastic Dark Elf Sorceress, I think she was from Talisman? I'm going for an old school drow look.


And an OOP Hellhound, to be painted up using my new Savannah Brown layers as shown above on the Earthshaker Carriages. The real question is if I stick with strips like I have on my old Praetorian tanks?


For comparison, here is my legacy paint scheme (it's a chimera, not a hellhound, but they're close enough)


I think I'im going to avoid the hull stripes, but I'll probably be investing in some decals to have more points of interest on the tanks.

I was able to prime the heavy mortars with emplacements:



I laid down the first base coat which has helped differentiate the turf from the wooden planks:



I've been on the road for a few days, and I'm staying with a buddy. We want to try out Deadzone, which I pledged in the first Kickstarter, but never tried in first edition. An FLGS here in Cleveland had a second edition starter for 30% off, so I grabbed it for the physical rulebook, command dice, and play mat. Actually playing Deadzone requires building the terrain, so I got to work. I'd heard that mantic didn't provide enough connectors, and that is shamefully true. I have a good chunk of the walls left, and no more angles connectors. It's bizarre to me that they would market a product that leaves multiple wall sprue useless for lack of a simple half sprue of connectors. Mantic... Almost.

Still, the terrain looks pretty cool in a prefab, boxy style:



Finally, to help thank my buddy for putting me up, I painted his guildball alchemists for him. He them in primarily Cygnar colors, with green "magic." He's also going to base them more fully later. I think I nailed it pretty well, even if the faces aren't great:

I've been working on a job lot of different things. I painted up a bunch of marines while on the road in November, and then took them to my in-laws for decal application over thanksgiving. I get there, and realize I left my micro sol/set at home. Soon after we return to Baltimore, I realize I had left my Future Polish at the in-laws!

So... no updates on the Ultramarines. I have a new bottle of polish and I'll be applying some decals this month, but I've been working on some fun other projects in the interim. I built and primed five used chimeras, and then reassembled a Valkyrie, a Taurox, and a LR Destroyer. I got 32 Boer War Boers from Black Tree, which I've based up and I'll be using as conscripts. I also cleaned, assembled, and based 60 Kasrkin that need primed.

I did put a brush on a few things. First up are the Mortars:



I finally decided that I want to try some weathering, so here's a mortar with some chipped paint and mud/dust. I'll be adding some pigment after I seal it.



Finally, here's the set in their happy homes:



I also applied some paint chipping to an OOP Hellhound, and I really like the effect:

Good job on the chipping/weathering. I always shy away from doing it myself because I'm afraid that I'll ruin the paint job. I admire your bravery.

The underlying paint scheme was pretty simple, and more critically, monochromatic. I simply followed the GW video on weathering and it turned out great, albeit far better on the hellhound than on the mortars.

Really digging that hellhound, looks great Pol!

Well haven't you been busy! Mortars and weathering are looking great, you just need to paint those 5 Chimeras now

EDC

Damn, you've been busy! So much good stuff here. The Hellhound looks great. I've got one of those myself that has been half-painted for many, many years. I really like the progress on the Earthshaker battery, and the mortars look fantastic in their emplacements.

The Imperial Advisors look great as well. I might have to track down that Chronoscope nurse for similar duties next time I do a Reaper order. I always enjoy checking out old-school Chaos Warriors. Where did you get the shields on those guys?

Funny to see you working on BFSP Dwarves. I've got about 40 of the same on my paint desk as well, really close to completion, which I'm going to try and push through and finish before the new year.

evildrcheese wrote:Well haven't you been busy! Mortars and weathering are looking great, you just need to paint those 5 Chimeras now

EDC

That's on the docket, but I'm not sure when I'll get to them. They've been strippped, rebuilt, and primed black, so that shouldn't take too long. Still, I'm trying to stick with a "last in, first out" strategy. I find that it helps me stay focused to only buy models, especially new projects, if I have to work on them next. And in a preview of coming attractions, look what I got for Christmas:

Azazelx wrote:Damn, you've been busy! So much good stuff here. The Hellhound looks great. I've got one of those myself that has been half-painted for many, many years. I really like the progress on the Earthshaker battery, and the mortars look fantastic in their emplacements.

The Imperial Advisors look great as well. I might have to track down that Chronoscope nurse for similar duties next time I do a Reaper order. I always enjoy checking out old-school Chaos Warriors. Where did you get the shields on those guys?

Funny to see you working on BFSP Dwarves. I've got about 40 of the same on my paint desk as well, really close to completion, which I'm going to try and push through and finish before the new year.

The old hellhound is one of the great counter arguments against the hate that plastic metal hybrids tend to cause. It's a great piece that looks completely different with only a few metal components. The hellhound is also a tragic unit, with amazing models (original, FW, current) but underwhelming rules.

The mortars really do look neat, I've got the crew primed up and ready to paint, so it'll be nice to have them done soonish.

The chaos warrior shields came with the models in a used bin, so I'm not sure where they are from originally. I'd guess dwarf or wood elf, but a quick glance through Stuff of Legends comes up blank. For all I know, they aren't even GW!

2016 Year in Review!

I want to thank everybody that's been reading, and I appreciate all the comments. 2016 was a great hobby year for me, with multiple projects completed and 376 total minis painted! sure, 80 Mantic goblins helped to boost that number, but it was a very productive year.

Some of the highlights were:











2016 was a fantastic hobby year for me, in terms of completing projects, which I define as having only superfluous or minor units left, usually less than 10% of what is painted. Basically, I don't think you need to paint literally 100% of all the models for an army for it to be "complete," but what's unpainted must be trivial compared to what is painted. Under that standard, the following projects were completed last year:
KoW Ogres: I easily doubled the size of the army, and knocked out two Mega Forces from the kickstarter.
Bolt Action Germans: I added over 1000 points, and I also got way better at camo!
Cygnar: I finished up from odds and ends, and the army includes every pre-MKIII model
30k EC: I added over 60 infantry models

I did a lot of work on two other projects as well:
Ultramarines: originally a rehab project, I've been adding to the original lot in order to eventually field a Gladius. One full demi-company is complete, with another 30 some models painted but waiting on decals and basing. This is a priority both for logistics reasons and because it should lead to a reasonably effective 40k army!
Praetorians: my first and largest army, the IG actually got some love this year, with some artillery and characters. This will be major long term goal for 2017.

The only project I added in 2016 were Bolt Action British, and they were a Christmas gift from the in-laws. I plan to do them as a Polish Armored Division, so look for them to get off the ground this month. I did add significantly to the IG pile, with nine new vehicles and 65 Kasrkin.

For me, 2017 will be a hobby success if I start and complete the Brits, have a fully painted Ultramarine gladius, and I complete the currently built IG stuff (40 man blob, artillery crew, 60 Kasrkin, 5 chimeras, valkyrie, taurox, LR Destroyer) As a stretch goal, I'd add a second IG platoon, eight heavy weapon squads, and a sentinel squadron.

Congratulations on a great year! Really liked your ultras.

Very impressive output there mate - it's clearly been a very successful year!

Time for a long awaited update! Due to bad weather, I've been unable to dullcote or prime, so I couldn't really start much, or finish much. With a few breaks, I'm back on track. I'll be writing updates with some of my built stuff later, today is all about the completed ultramarines!

A terminator squad. this is a mix of plastic and metals, and you really can't tell other than by feel:



Additional heavy weapons, because at one point, you could take two heavies even at five men



Libby Terminator of 2nd edition vintage:





Terminator Captain of late 3rd edition vintage:



The legendary 3rd edition terminator Chaplain, I noted that this model is still sold by GW in Finecast, and there's a reason. It's just an amazing model. (this is metal though! )



Classic librarian. I didn't have a libby banner, but his backpack had a banner pole, so I made one out of decals. I painted over the axe to match the force weapon colors of arcane blue and orange.



Apothecary, another model that holds its own 20 years later.



A few heavy weapons, and one of my all time favorite models: the 3rd edition metal command squad sergeant. I think he really nails the role of a devastator sarge, so I modeled him up for my as yet unbuilt second dev squad.



A gladius friendly tactical squad, with combi-melta and melta gun:


And finally, two gladius friendly assault squads. These are actually metal bodies with the old BP/CCW arms attached.

Nice to see some old lead getting some love. And more Ultras are always a good thing!

I've been busier than just painting a few ultramarines in the last month though. I have my Bolt Action Brits completely built and ready for priming:



I also built and primed a 40 man "blob platoon," which fluff wise I'll be calling a shock platoon, with four meltas, plus a PCS with four grenade launchers. Also included are the crews for the heavy mortars:



For a more elite look, I have 50 primed Kasrkin, with four 10 man squads each with two plasma, a 5 man squad with meltas, and a PCS with four meltas:



Also stripped, rebuilt, and primed, are five chimeras:



I have plenty of work to do!