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Ooh, that looks like a fun bunch of new kits you've got yourself, there. As I am on a bit of a Tau kick myself, I will watch this with great interest.

Wow. Looking forward to seeing your progress on all of this.

First Stormsurge done. It's a pretty well done model but I'm not at all keen on the open cockpit.

The new crisis suit kit is really nice. A selection of arms and legs plus a pose-able waist gives much better results. 25 pieces per suit is a bit much for a model that size though!

Interesting - all of the re-packaged Tau stuff contains rules, not just the new units.


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The Ghostkeel is a really well done model. Very easy to magnetise the weapons as well (although I only bothered doing the main gun).




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The new commander battlesuit actually isn't quite as nicely done as the new crisis suits, in my opinion, but still an improvement on the old one. The commander's extended/deployed hands do fit the new crisis suits.



And that's half of the assembly done!

No surprise updates to the stealthsuit mould.

Second Crisis squad.

Second Stormsurge.

Both of them have moulding issues in the feet.

Was it hard to magnetize the Ghostkeel, and what size magnets did you use? I have some 1/8x1/16" disc magnets in stock, would they work? Also, did you magnetize the Commander so you could switch between Coldstar and regular?

Very straightforwards - you can see the magnets in the top of the gun lying by his base. I used 3x2mm.

I didn't magnetise the commander - to swap between coldstar and regular properly you'd need to magnetise:
head
fins on arms
fins on legs
both backpacks
guns

I just got two commanders...

I actually really like the Ghostkeel model. Looks like a refreshing update, I bet the rules are pretty solid as well.

Have always wanted to try a Tau army, with these new models even more so!

The rules for the Ghostkeel are pretty good but the Optimised Stealth Cadre formation (ghostkeel plus two squads of stealthsuits) that gives them Ignore Cover, +1 BS and (as if that wasn't enough) lets them always use the rear armour value of vehicles they shoot at is just crazy!

Second commander done. I've used the slightly nicer fusion blasters from the Ghostkeel kit.



I've also got cases ordered. All of the new stuff will fit into three KR multicases with room to spare (I might need some Crisis suits, I really like the new model).

Congrats on getting all those new kits! How are the ghostkeel fusion guns different than the normal ones? Bigger/taller or longer as well?

 warboss wrote:
Congrats on getting all those new kits! How are the ghostkeel fusion guns different than the normal ones? Bigger/taller or longer as well?

They're about the same size but they're a two-piece design with more recessed detailing and more rounded edges (less boxy). It's a pretty subtle difference, to be honest.

 Scott-S6 wrote:
Second Stormsurge.

Both of them have moulding issues in the feet.

Why do you keep such models instead of returning them and asking for a properly casted one? It's not as if these are damn cheap or something.

 Hendarion wrote:

 Scott-S6 wrote:
Second Stormsurge.

Both of them have moulding issues in the feet.

Why do you keep such models instead of returning them and asking for a properly casted one? It's not as if these are damn cheap or something.

The first one had a very small defect (you can just see it on the right foot). The second is much worse.

I've sent hi-res pictures of the defects to customer service (not asking for anything in particular). We'll see what they volunteer as remedy.

The gritty "realistic" scheme looks great! The Ghostkeel should look fantastic painted up like that. I'll be sure to keep my eye on this log so I see it when it's done!

 Scott-S6 wrote:

I like the paint scheme, especially how they look used and worn out.

Thanks for comments guys!

Second stealthsuit squad:



These are the replacement stormsurge feet that GW sent me. It would seem that they've corrected the issue with this sprue.

Did they send just the feet or a full kit?

 warboss wrote:
Did they send just the feet or a full kit?

Just the feet, not even the whole sprue.


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Last Crisis suit squad



Just need to make up some drones now.

KR Multicases are here, it will be painting time shortly. The weekend should be dry but really cold (~2C) so it'll be primer in tub of warm water.

Drones assembled. Priming tomorrow!

This is very nice so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing them all complete. Will we see any games?

I see you went with the Fireknife configuration on your Crisis team. I didn't think anyone still did that. They'll look great painted, I'm sure!

TheCloverLord wrote:This is very nice so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing them all complete. Will we see any games?

I don't generally photograph games as it's a distraction but there may be a few photos.

ZergSmasher wrote:I see you went with the Fireknife configuration on your Crisis team. I didn't think anyone still did that. They'll look great painted, I'm sure!

I know that current thinking is twin plasma or twin missiles but the former has limited range and the latter has mediocre AP. I prefer more rounded/versatile units as they make your opponent's target selection process more difficult. (there's also the very real possibility that a future version of the codex (or even just a FAQ) will revert them back to two identical weapons = twin linked and I've been boned by stuff like that in the past...)

I've dug out my maths. on the twin plasma vs. plasma/missile.

Vs. Marines, squad of three:
0-12" - twin plasma kills 5, plas/miss kills 3.3
12-24" - twin plas kills 2.5, plas/miss kills 2.08
24-36" twin plas kills 0, plas/miss kills 0.83

Vs. Guard, squad of three
0-12" - twin plasma kills 5, plas/miss kills 5
12-24" - twin plas kills 2.5, plas/miss kills 3.75
24-36" twin plas kills 0, plas/miss kills 2.5

vs. AV 12, squad of three, glance/pen
0-12" - twin plasma 1/0, plas/miss 1/0.5
12-24" - twin plas 0.5/0, plas/miss 0.75/0.5
24-36" twin plas 0/0, plas/miss 0.5/0.5

Twin missiles mathammers out as the best overall but it doesn't have the same psychological effect on marine players as AP3+ weapons and it looks a bit goofy.

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And painting begins!



The workflow I used on the Riptides worked nicely on the Crisis suits.

Those suits look great already! How long did it take you to get that far on them?

I have been lurking around this blog for a while and your awesome Tau stuff has inspired me to start my own blog following the painting of all my Tau collection. I cant wait to get all the new kits like you have, your stuff looks awesome and keep up the good work!

Please check out my blog and tell me what you think.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/670437.

IXLoiero95XI wrote:I have been lurking around this blog for a while and your awesome Tau stuff has inspired me to start my own blog following the painting of all my Tau collection. I cant wait to get all the new kits like you have, your stuff looks awesome and keep up the good work!

ZergSmasher wrote:Those suits look great already! How long did it take you to get that far on them?

Thanks!

Sub 2-hours for the squad. That's approximately where they'll be left. Graphite stick on the sharp edges, basing and three coats of varnish will come later (I usually do the whole army in a big batch). Varnish will need warmer temps as well.




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2nd Crisis squad

Looking great but how do you do that battle wear/paint chipping?

With a sponge. You want a fairly fine sponge (think washing dishes type sponge rather than bath sponge).

You cut a slice out of it and then cut a slice out of that so that you have a sponge stick. Dip it in paint and dab it off on a piece of paper towel until you're getting speckles rather than blobs.

Apply to model.

It's one of the best effort/reward ratio techniques you can learn!

The main consideration is to think about what won't show chips/scratches. Rubber hoses, tyres, cloth, glass, polished metal, etc. either won't chip at all or won't chip the same way as the armour. So you have to plan your workflow to paint those things after you've paint and weathered the armour. Then think about which bits will get chipped. My Tau show weathering primarily on the exposed edges with no rust at all but my IG is supposed to look much older so it's covered in fine chips where rust has formed and been cleaned off as well as rust that hasn't been cleaned yet. There are also lots of areas on an IG tank that crew will grab/walk on/climb on and these will also show extra weathering.

This mini-guide runs through the very similar painting process I use on my IG:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/326362.page#5503194


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3rd Crisis squad.