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I've been painting on and off for about a year and am happy with the table top standard I produce but I'm half way through my latest model and am wondering what should I try now to improve my standard from satisfactory to good?

Well I see sligtly wobly highlight on the thunderhammer so maybe you could try freehanding. Stuff like symmetric flames, icons and warning stripes on cables should improve your brush control (which is already good).

You could also try a bit more organic like deamons or orks.

Also you should try out more advanced techiques like feathering and wet blending.

What I really like about that model is those almost white like highlights on the shield's icon.

Definitely work on the eyes, make em look like lenses and thinner highlights.

Thank you for the thoughts, I think your right the eyes do look poor hoping to get them right on the next model. The picture does not really show the thunder hammer quite like it should, on the model it looks like glass (not intended) but the highlights are quite thick maybe needs to be redone. Well this is the finished model hoping it looks OK for a tabletop attempt?

I think its great... I put it into the good catergory now!

If this is a piece you plan on using in games I would suggest painting up a regular tac marine and practicing different ideas on them... you can always toss out a buggered up tac guy as opposed to an arm and a leg price Termie....

To up your game you may want to add some colour and shad variation to the blue armour, maybe some weathering.

Its in the high end of table top, you should be proud. Just keep painting and practicing on different models and you'll improve.

I'd say yours is less an issue of going from satisfactory to good and more of going from good to very good.

More than any "special effects" (although the eyes would look better with a glow or reflective effect), I think working on blending to get a bit more color variation and exaggeration of lighting onto that mass of blue armor would give the biggest boost to the overall impression. It's apparent, especially in the second picture, that there is already some there, but it doesn't pop like it could.