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Hi,

I've been reading the forums for many years now, but with 2 small kids and a crazy job, it's been tough progress making a dent in the pile of lead.

We recently moved into a house and I've managed to carve out an area in the basement from which I can finally leave things setup. so it looks like I am well positioned to start making a dent!

I've been introducing my 6 year old son into my hobbies, and I'm hoping he will join me on this journey. He has already taken a liking to the fluff and has painted up a bevy of Space Marines, with some Ork stormboyz in the queue.

I've purchased the starter sets since 2000, so this plog chronicles my attempt to stay focused and motivated, spend time with my son, and do some painting!

Fantasy Battle Starter Sets



Warhammer 40K Starter Sets



Nicely filed. sorted, and stored






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So here are some test color schemes for both WHFB and WH 40K Orcs.

3 skin colours I am trying out right now (all over white primer):

Scheme A) Base Catachan Green, VGC Dark Green in recesses



Scheme B) Base Snot Green, Layer of VGC Sick Green (Will add more highlighting and shading)



Scheme C) Base Catachan Green, Wash VGC Dark Green, Dark Green + Scorpy Green, Layers of VGC Scorpy Green



All 3 together

Good luck! Plenty of models to build and paint here!

Got some more work done on the test orcs.

Managed to layer up the leather with some highlights and shadows. Pretty happy with the results:

Front



Back



Almost done the skin, just need to apply a final highlight:

Front



Back



A better pic of the leather here:

A great haul of starter sets, very jealous! And I am appreciative of the organisation of all the parts at the start!

Are you going to paint them in any particular order?

I applaud your organization and storage! I only wish I were that organized with the models I have on the shelf.

 mould2k wrote:
A great haul of starter sets, very jealous! And I am appreciative of the organisation of all the parts at the start!

Are you going to paint them in any particular order?

I want to do the 2000 Warhammer Starter and then the 2006 Warhammer Starter and most likely the Assault on Black Reach.

Lots of Orcs and Goblins and Orks, hoping to have perfected an Orc/Ork skin tone I am happy with and just work on my painting techniques in general.


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WinterHound wrote:
I applaud your organization and storage! I only wish I were that organized with the models I have on the shelf.

It's more a madness/sickness, but I'm hoping this PLOG can keep me organized and on the right track!


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Did some highlighting on the skin, worked it up with layers of Vallejo Game Color Scorpy Green.

Front




Side




Back




Did a final glaze of VGC Sick Green to tone down the highlights a bit. Pretty happy with the results.

Just need to finish the sword (want to add some blood effects), the face, and then the basing.


Front




Side




Back

Trying to paint more actively, stealing an hour here and there.
YouTube has been an amazing source of support: TableTop Minions, Kujo Painting, Maniac, and Vince Venturella are all incredible resources.

Having my own paint station setup is an immense help in stealing away and utilizing those 30 - 45 minutes of time.

Paint Station

Great idea for a Blog! I have all of the Warhammer Fantasy starter sets. Skull Pass was probably the best one, it formed the guts of my Dwarf and Goblin armies. I traded the empire in the 6e one away but the Orcs are still in my Orc army. Ach, those were the good days in Warhammer. Island of Blood I only got last year and I am painting it at the moment, but mostly for use in Dungeons and Dragons.

@Da Boss Thanks, painting all these minis will in theory help me to develop my painting skills and at the same time buikt the sets with which to entice the kids to play. At least that's the plan!

Trying to post from my phone for the first time...

40k Test Ork from Blackreach. I brought a lot off ebay a couple of years ago that had some preassembled orks, with mouldlines and all.
I use these as testers and to give to my kids to paint.

I "borrowed" one from my son. Here he is, I tried a Vallejo rust set with this Ork, I love the effect.

I haven't been a fan of Ultramarines. The GW style just seems so "clinical". But I've been checking out a few member Plogs including Nevelon, Lipsdapips and Crimson (amongst others) and they really bring them to life!

I randomly picked up some scouts and assault marines along the way, so I will take a stab at these as Ultramarines.

Spent some time updating the skin. I shaded them last weekend with the GW washes, but it made the skin all glossy.

I was pretty down after that, but spent a couple of hours working away at the skin, and managed to bring it up closer to where I want it to be.
Just one more set of highlights, and then will finish off odds and ends and the bases and call these guys finished!

Only taken me three years to get this far, lol.

As always, open to any feedback/constructive criticism! Always looking to improve.

There is a huge range on how people paint Ultras. Don’t feel compelled to stick to the stock scheme. I’ve seen them across the range from almost black to powder blue.

I still have a chunk of the 6th ed WHFB box kicking around the pile of shame. One of my projects to to base them up in groups on 40mm's and paint them as ghosts for my undead army. Not bad sculpts for the time, but I don’t play those armies.

Thanks Nevelon, I'm going to do some more digging and see what scheme(s) I like.

In the meanwhile I have been busy. Filed all the scouts and the majority of the assault marines over the last two days.
I hate mouldlines so spend as much time as possible removing them all.



I aim to wash and clip these, another blast from the past!

Almost everything is still there in the second edition starter, including all the cutouts.
I don't think the rulebook is there (not that it matters).

All the Black Templar are missing from the third edition starter, but the terrain is all there.

Looking forward to working my way through these over time!

Wow, that is quite a pile of models to do, hope you can keep focused! A lot of great exclusive models as well, such as the Scaven Rat Ogres, Ork Warboss, crashed Aquila lander (I hate myself for binning it after my hobby went on a hiatus..) and the Chaos Cultists. I'll probably try to hunt down some of these sets/parts of them when the budget allows and the painting queue is shorter (yeah, right, does that happen?).

Aww man, the 2nd edition set. That was my introduction to miniatures gaming. Such a great christmas, and playing afterward with my basic battlefield (some railway trees and a "bunker" made from the plastic form for a cutlery set, as well as felt ponds, rivers and chemical pits on a pool table). I still have all my blood angels from that time in a box, some day I will go back to them. I really loved the cardboard ruins that came with that set, it was enough terrain to play a decent game with. The 3rd ed ruins were obviously cooler (I split the 3e box with a friend from school) and the rulebook was way cooler (all the terrain tables!) but those cardboard ones were much more usable.
Thanks for the nostalgia kick!

Thanks @ Da Boss and @mcmattila!

I didn't realize how hefty those 3rd edition terrain pieces are, you could hurt someone with you threw them (just sayin")

I've been feeling pretty hobby motivated the last couple of days so trying to strike while the iron is hot.

I cleaned both the contents of the second edition starter set (all the grots are on sprue as are 90% of the Orks and Space Marines) and the third edition starter set (the ruins, trees, and Dark Eldar is all it came with).

I live near Toronto Canada, do I dare and try priming them in the cold weather over the next couple of weeks? I am thinking to try a zenithal with black and white primers and then paint these minis entirely with washes.

And for completeness sake here are the washed and drying contents of the 3rd edition starter. Hope to get started on clipping them later tonight.

Years ago I got this lot on Ebay. I put them in the Simple Green dip, and cleaned up mouldlines as best I could.

I then based them and primed them.

I am waiting for an order to arrive from Secret Weapon for their washes and acrylics.
I am looking forward to having fun painting them using only washes.

These will be just for fun so open to any advice/suggestions!

Looks like I'll find some time to paint with the kids this afternoon!

My son will likely paint these. He started these last year when he was 8.

Great progress so far, that's quite the selection of minis you have to paint!

Regarding spraying everything in this cold Canadian weather I find it is fine as long as the temperature isn't below freezing. It's 1 degree where I am so I took the opportunity to basecoat everything I think I will want to paint for the next 5 months

@ Commander Cain I think my priming window is over, but I will still be building some things in the interim.

I managed to get the skin tones on my zombies. I have never painted zombies before so totally open to ideas/comments/criticisms!

I started building the space marine scouts and assault marines as well as their opposition...

Those ebay rescues look like a lot of late nineties-early 00s fun. do I see the original chaos warriors regiment there in the back? I remember when they came out, they were revolutionary.

@ Da Boss Great eyes, they are indeed more test minis for me to practice newer techniques on. The cool thing is with so much information out there now, the average painting standard is much higher then 20 years ago.
So when I compare my minis to well painted minis they should do well, which is a good confidence booster!

More assembly has been done. Aiming to get more painting done this weekend.

I used Vallejo Game Color Inks for the Zombies.
The purple in particular for the shirt is quite saturated so I am at a loss for how to proceed.
Shade with dark blue then highlight?

Pretty happy with everything else. Skin was VGC Rotting Flesh, then washed with Secret Weapon Miniatures "Baby Poop" wash.

My first time putting together any sort of real multi-part Space Marines in the Scouts and Assault Marines so a learning experience.
I have assembled and primed a load of Assault on Black Reach Orks as well as a squad of Ork Boyz.

Between work and kids, life has been hectic.
But I keep chugging away.

Have filled up 3 Ikea display cases with minis that are primed and ready to be painted.
Will be building one more display case for my upcoming eBay miniature rescue projects.

In the interim I have been working on some old school Orcs & Goblins from the Empire 6th edition starter set.

Trying out the new lightbox, lately I have been busy painting some old Brettonian Archers and Orc and Goblin Archers.

I've been working on and off on these Orcs for the last couple of years.
They just need a few finishing touches, and then I will varnish them in the spring.

I started working on these Skaven from the Mordheim starter set last year.

Mostly done the fur, need to pick away at the rest of them.