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.

right now, my ultramarine army is being updated with new models and a face lift. I am switching over form the old Vindicators, razorbacks and rhinos to the newer builds, because they look much better. with some help from some friends i have began this laborous process, and have managed to get my hands on a few rhinos and a few razorbacks, and am dealing for one predator. i will post up a listing very soon of what is in my army, and get some pics up of the rest of the army, but i really wanted to get some pics up of the razorbacks and rhinos i am currently working on and hopefully solicit some feedback. ill start with the rhinos and move forward. the pictures i am posting now are just shots of how things are.

some have some detail, others aren't even primored. I recently asked for help on my paint on the forums and i wanted to get my recent project out there, that way those who want to post on it certainly can. andi GREATLY appreciate any and all assistance that is being offered. so here goes...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also in the works is an assault squad and a chaplain, a 10 man devastator squad with 4 lascannons, 4 plasma cannons, 2 heavy bolters, and 3 missile launchers. (i have to paint these guys up, but i have the heavy weapons for them) and a squad of bikes plus an attack bike with a multi-melta.

i also have another dreadnought, with missile launcher and twlc, but don't know what i want to do with him just yet. i think i may convert him over to a rifleman dread, but i haven't decided yet.

i am also kind of stuck. the paint on the rhinos and all the white scribing on them is a look i prefer, but it leaves the model lacking color.

also on the razorback with assault cannons, what do i do with the two huge gaping holes in the turrent. what do i do with them, do i just fill them in, or do i try to model something onto the assault cannon to fill in the holes?

Ok... First of all, you tanks seem to be in pretty good condition, and well painted; but lack elements that can make it look more realistic...
You could try to weather the tanks into more experienced looking (they are Ultrasmurfs after all).
Weathering is pretty simple and effective on... basically everything.

Also, thin those highlights down a bit, some of them seem to be pretty widely painted.
Oh, and I checked yoor space marines, and they look pretty awesome (I always have trouble painting marines... not enough detail for my taste).

EDIT: if you want some inspiration on weathering troops and tanks, check out this guys Imperial Fists.

if i weathered the tanks a little. (thinking mud on the treads, mabey a little more) would i need to go back and weather all of the marines to boot?

my spider sense is telling me that i would, but not sure and army cohesion is important, so i want to make sure the rhinos look like the squad they are delivering...

You could make the marines a "little" weathered, so you don't ruin them.
On the tanks, you should have dust, because I looked at the bases, and they don't seem muddy. You could however make scrapes on the tanks (like the ones on the Imperial Fists I showed you).

You dont have to do weahtering, but you can do a lighting trick called Color Modulation. I dont know if you have an airbrush or not, but this tutorial;

http://www.missing-lynx.com/articles/other/modulationmr_1.html

Is probably one of the best I have seen on it. IN my BA army, my tanks are heavily weathered, but my troops are not, I dont think it makes too big of a difference.

As far as weathering your troops goes, I am of the opinion that less is more. While I think from an artistic and showcase perspective the IF link that was posted looks great, if they were going to be shown individually, however, I think when shown as a group the weathering is a bit too much. Keeping it simple and less is more is much better.

Ashton

Redfinger wrote:You dont have to do weahtering, but you can do a lighting trick called Color Modulation. I dont know if you have an airbrush or not, but this tutorial;

http://www.missing-lynx.com/articles/other/modulationmr_1.html

Is probably one of the best I have seen on it. IN my BA army, my tanks are heavily weathered, but my troops are not, I dont think it makes too big of a difference.

As far as weathering your troops goes, I am of the opinion that less is more. While I think from an artistic and showcase perspective the IF link that was posted looks great, if they were going to be shown individually, however, I think when shown as a group the weathering is a bit too much. Keeping it simple and less is more is much better.

Ashton

This is another good way to do it.

Also, if you want a third way, just paint the top of the model brighter than the bottom... trust me, it'll look good.

OK, so here is my game plan, and i am going to post pics today.

so, if i read the tutorial correctly, i need to:

get some ultramarine blue ready to airbrush. mix a dot or two of black in it to darken it up. undercoat the model with that.

then, i am going to pick a location (probably about parallel with the angle of the front rhino plate) for a light source. then, keeping the airbrush in that general direction, i am going to apply a subsequent layer of paint to the model, probaby just straight ultramarine blue.

then, i am going to lighten the ultramarine blue a little, and then apply another coat to the model, creating a mix of coats as it were, that will create my natural gradient.

i will get some pics up soon! thanks for the advice guys. i have the day off work and am dying to try it since i have a few land raiders and a storm-raven for a friend of mine coming up.

Hpe this improves you painting a bit.

ok, so i started with a dark undercoat (this is on the rhino that was only grey primored) of french blue from Vallejo in their air brush paint line. (i screwed up and bumped the model with my arm, which is why there is a smear, i had to try to keep it from dying all screwed up) that coat went on fine as described. that's the first shot.

the second shot tells a different story. as best i can tell, i used a coat of blue that was WAY to bright, and i obviously missed the point of the airbrush tutorial, because i just ended up painting the rhino light blue in most places, i couldn't get a color modulated effect on the model. i did get a slight gradient from dark blue to light blue on the end of the model, but i think i am going to have to wash this model in asyurmen blue to clean it up and then go back to brushing it, as i dont know a way to darken it and still keep a color modulated effect on the model.

any thoughts or ideas?

on a completely side note, as frustrating as it is to have to deal with mistakes and trial and error, i am actually having fun on this project. i enjoy learning new techniques, so to answer your question sluggaslugga, it WILL improve my painting, even if it kills me.

The answer to the last picture is YES! You definetly should wash the tank.
The other pics look pretty... well... regular to me

You CANT be in a rush with this technique....Color modulation is a slow process that works with semi-transparent layers. A couple of mistakes to note.

Dont just darken colors with black, it looks blah, in the case of blue I would recommend darkening with a purple, or even a dark red, Vallejo Black Red would be a nice choice. Also, dont simply lighten with what, it looks chalky, use an ivory or pale flesh color.

When doing color modulation you have to keep in mind where your shadows are as well... in the pics you posted above you are off to a great start, now what you need to do is take all the edges that are opposite where the highlight is, and re-apply your base and possibly a shadow, this will help emphasize the direction the light is coming from.

Another thing that might help is to mix up some of a shadow color, black red or what ever color you would like to use, and then apply it to about the last(back) quarter of the tank, again emphasizing the light direction.

Hope that makes sense.

Ashton

ok, well, i got side tracked - (getting ready for modern in MTG! - GO DARK CONFIDANT EFF-TEE-DUBS) but i did get a little more work done on them. here is a pic update. i am just learning what color modulation is, and thanks to both redfinger and sluggaslugga i am learning a new technique to use! i need to go back and apply my dark undercoat again to the opposite side of the model so i can darken it up a bit and use that same color to hit the rear of the tank to give the impression of a natural gradient. i also brushed on a slight amount of ultramarine blue on some of the flat areas to get a solid blue which, in retrospect, was a mistake. in person, its hardly recognizable, but on camera, my slr is shooting full frame and i should have used my bounce card and not direct light to shoot, because the shade difference is VERY noticeable. overall, i can see the gradient now, and while it isn't perfect by any stretch, i think if i keep up on doing this i can learn this skill and use it well. hopefully before i get a land raider to paint!

also, the arrows were done by taping off the back hatches and painting them on with Vallejo model air white. the stencils turned out good. i recognize some problems in the process, like for one, i was putting WAY too much paint on the model with each shot from the air brush, and i had my needle back to far, so i wasn't exactly precise, but i am learning and next time, i will dial it in good and tight and keep the whites under control with very little paint and low air pressure, to let it fall on the model more than shoot it onto the model!

This modeling challenge is particularly tough for me. i am not good with an airbrush, and just recently picked one up, so this is definitely a learning experience, but one that if i can manage to get a control of, i can add this tool to my respiratory of existing tools and techniques to bolster my ability to create a great looking army.

thanks so much all who have posted, especially redfinger and sluggaslugga!

IMHO, you should correctthe mistakes on the arrows.

oh i certainly will, i will go in with a 10/0 brusn and a lot of watered down white and see if we cant clean them up a bit. right now, i just haven't gotten to it, but absolutely have plans to do so.

Soooo Scotty whats happening to those Mk1's?

well, i am getting rid of all of my MK1 stuff in an attempt to get more of the new stuff. I just cant look at the models the same anymore.

How can anyone, and i literally mean anyone want to play an old mk1 when the new ones are out and look great.

at first i didnt think it mattered, until i bought one and then started to tinker around by throwing some paint on it.

then i was blown away by how good it looked.

so yeah, the old vindicators, and the 3 old rhinos are going away, making room for dakka predators, new vindicators, and more rhinos and razorbacks.

that ought to give me enough transit and punch to field my ultramarines the way i want to field them.

why do you ask good sir?

I happen to like the mk1 rhino chasis a great deal.

I mean no offence. the MK1 has served me well for years, but i just really like the newer ones better. i like hte way they are built and they way they look better.

i do know a lot of people like the older ones because they are smaller and easier to obscure/block LOS, but i dont really play in tournaments, i mainly play at my FLGS just to have some fun and occasionally eek out a win, so for me, aesthetics are everything.

i do have a few people that are really interested in getting them for various reasons, and if you like them, then cool! i am glad your down with them, they just arent my cup of team.

please, take no offence at my earlier post. i got a little carried away.

You also should get a Land Raider, and try to make it the best you've ever done.

Oh I certainly don't take any offense, I have a pretty even mix. Let me consult my cabinet for a sec: 5 mk1s one still in cellophane and 8 mk2s assuming a few more aren't hiding in piles of sprues or boxes I haven't looked in lately. The new kits certainly are better. But the old ones have a sense of nostalgia. I've started to acquire mk1s. The only older model I refuse to get is the mk1 LR. Eff that hunk of junk.

AustonT - i totally get you. when i first bought into WH40K i remember buying two of them for 33.00 after i had to pay a significant markup to my NSLFGS. I had them for about three years, and then got rid of them when people couldnt get them anymore. they were terrible and looked worse than anything i could ever imagine.

Glad their gone.

As far as land raiders go, funny you mention that slugga, because thats exactly what my next major under taking is...after i get my razorbacks and rhinos completed (should be sometime in october, if not sooner) i fully intend to get a land raider, and make it the center peice of the army.

i really want a normal landraider, something with the twin lascanons and heavy bolters. It just screams codex and would fit well with the Ultramarines i currently have.

i will and will continue to update this thread with them.

Remember to convert the Land Raider. You x
Could make an order from FW

WOW, been a heck of a week. i have been working and finished another tatical squad and got them up and running with the already almost finished rhino to match. my next project is pictured below. I love chaplians, and i think the jump chaplain is a great model to bring to the table. I love their special rules, (although fearless can absolutely screw you over now) and i have always loved assault marines, so i wanted to put together a squad that looked like fun and would be fun to play. here are some of the pics.

I just posted a tutorial on my blog on how I do color modulation, feel free to check it out;

http://redmodeling.blogspot.com/2011/09/update-painting-vehicles-pt-i.html

Ashton

well, here is the completed assault squad, with their chaplain,, so now its back to tank to convert up some twin linked assault cannons, and a mount of twin linked plasma guns. hopefully that will look ok when i am done. here are a few pics of the assault squad, and will post more when i get the conversion under way.

I really love the 2 coloured chaplain, it's pure genius.
You should get a closer up of it though.

Now onto the critisicm.
Do you know how to make realistic faces for Space Marines? (apparently not).
I really don't like the sergeants Latino face (maybe that's just me though).

The key to realistic faces is lining with washes and lots of layering.

Try to make a Pale face your way, and I'll instruct on how to make it better.
Or I could just post my tutorial now if you don't want to bother trying.

well, it will be a little bit before i am painting another helmet less figure, how do you do it?

Ok...

You start by painting the Miniature Khemri brown, then paint it with a 1:1 mix of Tallarn Flesh and Khemri brown, then Tallarn flesh so that you can see a little bit of the Khemri Brown.

Then you basically continue with the same method making the skin lighter and lighter through Elf Flesh. and the final colour will only be a highlight. (I usually paint until I reach white, but you don't have to do the same)

It's actually not that hard.

After the paint has dryed, wash the recesses and shades of the skin with watered down ogryn flesh to give it some warmth, and vóila. You have good looking skin on your marines.

The speedpaint method is to paint the skin with Tallarn flesh, and wash it with Ogryn flesh.