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Hey, I'm new to the hobby, but have already started modeling my first own units. In this Thread I plan to show my progress. Please comment and critique my creations, as they still leave a lot to be desired. When you have ideas for a model and would like me to work them into my next piece, feel free to write that aswell.

Thanks.

They look sweet!
Can you take some pics in front of a plain background? Just a piece of white paper.
Can't wait to see more. Keep up the good work

Thanks for the kind words. I tried to take better pictures, sadly I just have my camera phone to work with. I'm working on the next model, a huge demon of Tzeentch.

Interesting ideas, that second sort of screams iron warrior daemon prince.

Here is my demon of Tzeentch. The main sculpt is finished, and I put the first layers of paint on it. I had problems getting the right tone for the pieces of the armor, as it is my first time painting metals. How do you like my paintjob so far ? Any tips on how to make the metals look better ?

Very interesting work. Great to see.

I think your wayfarer of filth is awesome. It's a little hard to see what goes where and what different pieces are, but it works and looks cool.No further comments on that one, as it works=)

I think the Tzeentch-bloke is absolutely awesome. Great colours, and he is wonderfully strange and scary. Great job. However, his balance seems to be very much off, and that looks very strange. Perhaps it's the camera angles. But it really looks like he is about to fall on his butt. I'd like to have had him holding a staff of Tzeentch, but that's just me =)

I dont like your Hjormundir at all. I'm sorry to say that it does not look like a warhammer/40 miniature. And it does not work imho. In an attempt to be helpful I'll try to go into detail with what I feel is wrong. Please take that advice for what it is, free advice, and perhaps worth what you paid for it (nothing). By all means feel free to completely ignore my ramblings, do whatever makes you happy and you feel looks great and is chaosy for YOU. =)

1. You seem to have too many features and ideas squeezed onto the same model, and they clutter each other up. I would advice you to have more detailing on pieces and take more consequenses of added pieces. By consequenses I mean that if you add a big gun-arm with a sword on it, add a power-box to it. And some cabling that feed into the gun, perhaps feeding into the torso of the monster. Don't just have a load of great individual ideas, take your best ideas and make them primary features. Remove the least good ideas, so they dont steal focus from the great ones.

2. There seems to be a HUGE maul with offal on it, going straight through the miniature. To me it looks like there is no apparent hand or tentacle clump holding and swinging it. Although it is a deamon, and therefore most can be excused, perhaps consider, if only on the most basic level, how the miniature corelates to basic physics. If there is a big iron maul, what is swinging or holding on to that maul? Also the maul-thing seens undetailed. That aside, it could be a great and very scary idea, with the bloddy maul with victim-remains on it.

Also perhaps consider if you want to deviate completely from basic anatomy. Being demons, you can, of course. But it looks pretty wierd sometimes.


3. Too many tentacles and cable-coils obstruct the silouette of the miniature, and you can't make out the legs (or whatever) of the mini). There also seems to be stuck some blue tentacles on top of the miniature, that look odd.
The way tentacles work best IMO is that if they can be sculpted to look like they are working together on doing something. It looks bad if they are flailing wildlly. But if they are menacingly approaching your face, if they are holding on to the innocent asian girl, if they are prying open the steel door, that is very scary. It conveys an intelligence and purpose to them, that is very important in miniatures.

Cables. I think you have used toy-cables. And they are too long, and not bendy enough. A real-life problem when using toys for miniature-models. If they were real cables they would hang down and sag more. They end up bending in weird angles, considering what they are supposed to be. That looks bad. Perhaps use electrical wirering with a 1mm copper wire in them insted. It's what you use in Denmark to put in your walls for electrical switches and light switches and what not. It's dirt cheap, and the copper is easily bendable (very bendable with pliers) and it holds the shape because it is a solid 1 mm copper wire with plastic around it.


I've tried to give a record of what I think could be done in the future, modellingwise. It looks to me like your painting is great, and I particularly like the impressive green nuances on the nurlge-guy.
I've gone into great detail because you asked for critique,and I thought I could comment meaningfully and perhaps give some-what usefull advice. I mean no offence, so if you find me rambling, just ignore it =)


As for metals, I'd paint them fully with Leadbelcher, and then give a liberal wash with Nuln Oil, carefull that it doesnt pool. Then I would drybrush with Necron Compound. If you want a dirty look, you can also add a wash of Devlan Mud/agrax earthshade. But what you have done looks fine to me. The brass looks great. The silver perhaps look a little odd on one picture.


All that said, you ask for ideas to do next. I would love to see a demonprince with a sort of living battering ram/ rhino/angry triceratops/raging bull kind of feel =) Perhaps a slaaneshi flesh-beast.

First of all, thanks for the long answer - that was exactly what I was looking for.

I dont like your Hjormundir at all. I'm sorry to say that it does not look like a warhammer/40 miniature. And it does not work imho. In an attempt to be helpful I'll try to go into detail with what I feel is wrong. Please take that advice for what it is, free advice, and perhaps worth what you paid for it (nothing). By all means feel free to completely ignore my ramblings, do whatever makes you happy and you feel looks great and is chaosy for YOU. =)

You're absolutely right, I dont like the model myself very much. It just feels messy and clunky to me, and because everything is already attached, it is a nightmare to paint well. You're also right about throing too many ideas in there, thats why for the Tzeentch guy I tried to reduce the amont of things going on and focus more on each of those parts instead of cluttering the whole model with stuff. I'm already thinking of breaking Hjormundir down again in smaller bits that I can use for future models. I'll see.

I think your wayfarer of filth is awesome. It's a little hard to see what goes where and what different pieces are, but it works and looks cool.No further comments on that one, as it works=)

Thanks, he was very easy to build and paint compared to the other two, as there are only two colours going on basically, and I find flesh easier to paint than metals.

I think the Tzeentch-bloke is absolutely awesome. Great colours, and he is wonderfully strange and scary. Great job. However, his balance seems to be very much off, and that looks very strange. Perhaps it's the camera angles. But it really looks like he is about to fall on his butt. I'd like to have had him holding a staff of Tzeentch, but that's just me =)

Thanks again very much. He is going to wear a breastplate and helmet. The offbalance pose is supposed to show him in the move of thrusting forward with the spear/staff thing he'll get in his right. In the left hand ( the side he is leaning into), he will hold a big shield. It should look like he is trying to bring his body behind the shield while stepping forward, sideways like a spartan. I hope it all makes more sense ones the parts are attached.