Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So work continues, albeit slowly. Though this time I have a valid excuse! Ive been working- or at least trying to get a job.

Im currently an on-call driver helper for UPS, helping out with the holiday season. I pretty much just drive around with the driver, and hop out and help deliver packages. But that's not the biggest news- Im trying to go to Japan!!

Ive been working on the application for the JET program for the past couple weeks. If Im successful, Ill have the chance to go to Japan to teach English for a year (maybe more). The essay has been chewing up most of my time. Max 2 pages, and they want alot of stuff, so I need to choose my words carefully. As it stands now, all I need is an intro/conclusion paragraph. All the main body is done. Im really really hoping I get in!!

As far as 40k goes, blues on the boyz are done, as are their heads and arms for the most part. I went with various facepaint designs, and even two slightly different skin tones. One tends towards white-green, while the other is a much richer color.

All the boyz need now are their browns and blacks finished, a couple of metals touched up, then assembly!

Unfortunately, my dad has my camera, and I cant take any pics of the current stage. Ill try to get some pics up later tomorrow or monday!

Thanks for reading!!

Good luck on the essay, let me know if you need a proof reader. Though if you go, I'll have to ship my unpainted models elsewhere (or on a long boat ride).

Lemme know if you need to change the day of our meetup, ya big workin fool

Good luck with the application

Thanks you guys!! And WM, itd be great to have another set of eyes look at it. Unfortunately, I procrastinated on it a bit. Due date was rushing to meet me and I had to get it sent off fast. Ill keep ya in mind for next application, if youre still willing? Ill definitely start it earlier next year, especially if I dont get in. As to our meet up, Saturday's still fine- I have weekends off!

Just shipped it out next-day air, so they should have it tomorrow morning! Now its a waiting game :/


As promised, I have some WiPs using my good camera (my dad put the XD card in backwards >< Im glad nothing broke!)





Right now Im working on a tumblr.... I figure I might as well try to do some of this new fangled social media stuff xD
Updates to come!

Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving!

Got in a game of 40k with WM360 today- my first game of 6th ed. Needless to say Im outta practice! (also need to get an actual army painted )
It was a small 1000 points game between his Dark Angels and my Red Orks, and right away I was doing just awesome with a double one for my SAG Mek's first shot. Poof! Off he goes with one of the lootas! Boyz and MANZ + Warboss assaulted the Libby and Assault termies, managing to kill them without losing too many to overwatch and much higher inits!
It finally ended with a small group of Assault Marines backing slowly away as MegaNobz tried (and constantly failed) to get an assault off. The Warboss challenged and beat the SM Libby, and the Dakkajet failed to impress as it constantly missed the Assault Ram WM decided to run (A very cool model, I might add)!
All in all, 8 victory points to 6.

Got to play Zombicide too, and I really like it! Still a looooooong way to go on painting them all though!

Also, I managed to finish the Shoota Boyz just in time for WM to pick them up!









Some of the arms didnt quite fit, so needed a little extra convincing, but in the end I think it worked well.

This, combined with the zombies which Ill upload later, finishes the second wave of commissions for WM360. Next up is the beginnings of a Red Scorpions force!

Thanks for reading!

Was a fun game indeed! Bit of a challenge with the shorter table allowing faster assaults and my super point heavy flyer zooming off pretty quick! Good practice all in all. The orks and eldar are now chilling on their shelves. Need to get something for the stand alone games like Zombicide and Dreadfleet though.

As promised, pics of the Zombies!
While Im not an exceptionally big fan of the walker/runner sculpts, I LOVE the Fatty/Abomination ones!

And we killed the Hawaiian shirt wearing shoebee twice!

Hahaha Yessss!

Thanks to Daaaaaave and his Mighty Mollys! (aka the only wounded survivor all game xD )

Today I got the award from Nerdfest's Golden bathtub painting competition in the mail, and let me tell you it looks awesome!


He really outdid himself with this- It's gorgeous, and just so full of character! I cant wait to see what next years trophy will be!


But anyways, on to business:
Today we enter the Badab war!

The next stage of commission work for WM is a Red Scorpions Army- one that I'm told will appear at Adepticon come April! I cant tell you how exciting this is- I might not be able to make it to the convention, but I can present some of my work there! So Ill be making it my best effort to push out some of my best work to date- trying out new techniques and ideas Ive picked up over the past few months whilst reading other people's blogs.

Heres a test marine I just finished airbrushing- I think Im finally starting to understand the Zenithal highlighting technique.


I think its a bit bright for the Scorpions, so Im going to test out an area and wash it with Badab Black (Oh how fitting, haha), but overall, I think its a good base. Thoughts?

Right now I've about half of the total list on my desk, including a Libby and a Razorback. The latter will be an interesting challenge, as Ive never actually completed a vehicle model before!

Thanks for reading!

It's about a third, actually. There are the termis too. You saw my test model, it was kinda bright too. I do think a tone darker would be better though. Cool prize for a cool model though!

Hey, Ramos, you feel like doing a Fire Hawks army while you're at it?

I got firstzies, getcherown!

Now, now, kids, play nice- Plenty of me to go around

@YB: Im always up to more work if you're interested! Just lemme know!
Oh! And WM should be shipping out your Fire Hawk with the group of flyers hes sendin ya. Sorry- I kept forgetting to drop it in the post xD

@WM: Test model stage 2 done:



left side is just the zenithal coat, right side is the washed area.

The wash looks ugly sitting on top- I think Ill try darkening the colors when I do my next test spray. This was actually just pure Codex Gray at the top highlight- I figure adding in some black should darken it up nicely.
Then its a little bit of targeted washes in the recesses and we should be in business!

Sounds like a solid plan. It's hard to make such a boring color look good. I think once you get the details colors it will help make it pop.

Ramos, are you sure you don't want to paint the Scorpions a bit more like the original Red Scorpions?


You know that would be way more fun to paint.

Oh, yeah, I definitiely vote for doing the Termies in the Angstrom Incident pattern!

And no worries, Ramos. RL has been keeping me far too busy to even think about the Hobby....

@WM: Definitely- 99% of the paintjobs Ive seen in progress rarely look right till the last detail is painted- Heck I think even breaking up the plates by painting in the flexible joints would improve it! All a work in progress- I think Ive got a good recipe for gray that doesnt look boring. Adding in a little Charadon Granite gives the armor a bit of a greenish-gray tinge that just sets it off.

@Ice: Ahhhh I remember seeing that guy!! (Oh god.... the Minotaurs armor looks nightmarish to paint!)
I love the Angstrom Camo- Think I might do a test pattern on one of the marines I have floating around here somewhere....

And Ive given thought to a Fire Angels army- perhaps as an Alternate-Alternate-Alternate player for the Wardens at Adepticon some year. I rather like the white on them rather than silver, and the camo pattern is quite intriguing. Yet another test marine to find!

@YB: I hear that, man. Keep sane! I know how RL likes interfering with hobby time!
As to the Termis in Angstrom camo.... we shall see- WMs got full control over the scheme. Im just the guy with the brush!Could definitely be an interesting take on the army's scheme.


Todays been all about the interior of the Razorback + assembly of all the other guys.



Back ramp is magnetized- Worked out perfect for how I wanted it! Now it holds closed even if I shake it around a bit.



Almost done here- just a little more color and a few more details. Then a bit of weathering and sponge chipping and its on to priming the hull!

Looks great! Angstrom would be reserved for the vets, ala Gits tranquility snipers.

@WM: Sounds good. I'm sure we'll get to them sooner or later then


So I got the Razorback primed- fortunately we had a decently warm day!

Also, I got the blues down onto the Libby!


The Razorback and marines will have to wait till a few supplies come in the mail (taking their time >< ), but at the moment are all primed and ready to go!

Thanks for reading!

Nice work on that panel Ramos!

Still not sure how I feel on banners. I'm going to keep the faith though. I'm interested to see what else you do with it. Glad to see the brass getting used.

@Gits: Thanks man!

@WM: I kinda like banners on certain guys. Like capes, it conveys a feeling of authority and importance. Plus you can do all sorts of freehand on em!
Besides- We can always swap out the pack if ya end up not liking it.

Work continues on the Libby!

So I decided to try out a new technique on the Force weapon utilizing my airbrush





NAturally it isnt perfect, but the concept is promising.
I just need to figure out my airbrush- its been spattering a lot lately. Replaced the needle, and that helped. Now I think its the pressure- I spray right from the compressor's regulator, so im limited in range. Might invest in a storage tank soon.

As to the libby's banner- I may yet repaint it. The white just looks too splotchy to me... :/

Airbrushes are great for power swords. The only swords I've ever done that were worth anything were using an airbrush. Yours looks pretty good Ramos. I bet you can't see the spatter when you looking at the fig on the table, can you?

Thanks Gits!
And I can, a little... though maybe Im just looking for the spatter. Its more evident on the pink to white border than anywhere else. I think next sword will be just based in the pink.

What can I say- Im a little bit too much of a perfectionist- Im never entirely happy with my work

Not much work on the Libby, save for a swap on the banner. I ended up swapping it out to one of the smaller winged skulls (I think this one was from a Termie kit...)
I did, however, get a pair of objective markers plotted out:



The first is something of a favorite theme of mine- the downed infantryman next to a banner. Im planning a little bit of blood effects around the leg stump and bullet holes (this guy's seen better days), and Im going to put the banner from the liby at the top of that pole.



And here we have some sort of Imperial shrine.... thingy. Ive no clue where it came from- Baneblade maybe?

Anywho- Got the Razorback basecoated with Charadon Granite, and currently waiting on compressor to cool before basing any of the marines. It seems that the water trap that came with it doesn't work well, and when it gets hot it likes spitting out a little water.
A different water trap is on order- so I should get it before long. Till then I have to pace myself with ab work! ><

"Them dern Mantis %@!*^'s shot my leg off!"

It's from the Bastion kit, actually. It goes in if you don't want the heavy bolters (for some reason). I have some cool candles from Maxmini that would look cool I can send over in the next wave if you'd like a few.

Hey... hey!!! No call for that... be nice.

We were visiting our sick mums in the hospital anyway... couldn't have been us!

(those are awesome Ramos)