Hmm, you could make his shoulder plates silver.. but you'd have to re-do the OSL...

(whispered...)

"Im-o-tekh... Im-o-tekh... Im-o-tekh..."



Well, the silver head didn't make a big difference... but my sense of symmetry is now satisfied. If you like him, please vote!

Nice glow

Wow the silver head looks pretty good i think, contrasts nicely with the other metal and glad i could help

Looks fantastic Gits.. and yeah all I can think about when I hear his name is that damn mummy movie

now that, yes THAT, is awesome

I noticed you're gangster...



but nice work^^
turned out great ; )

That silver just tops it all off, its great!

@1-i: Thanks!

@polari: I always appreciate good advice whenever I can get it, so thank you!

@BLACKHAND: Thanks mate! I just can't get that chant out of my head either.... now I have Thing 1 doing it too.

@Matt: Thank you sir, I appreciate your enthusiastic support!

@IPS: LOL! Nice drawing. I think that's Trazen/Trajen "the Infinate" that's got all the other race bling on him... got him in the painting que as well. You do some seriously great work yourself!

@Vit: Thanks man, I wasn't sure but something kept pulling at me to get some silver on the upper part of the figure. It didn't make as big a difference as I thought it would, but it worked out OK, and that "thing" isn't tugging at me anymore.

Wow the detailing of the glyphs is beautiful, He really stands out as someone of importance.

Beautiful and, what I really like about your crons is that lack of weathering on the skull. Verdigris is beautiful but the sharp contrast of the silver reminds us of the whole, "Hey, we're living metal. We have lasted an eternity. Deal with it."

@M0rdian: Thanks! That was what I was shooting for. Got some great advice from polari and Iffy... she even "painted" it for me on a photograph to explain her ideas. I don't know how she did it... her pic looks even better than my final version... but it was the inspiration I needed to pull it off.

@graven: Thanks mate. They do get both sepia and green washes... but the green just ages them more than it looks like active corrosion. I must admit that I've been toying with the idea of doing some limited turquoise wash in the deeper crevices in order to simulate verdigris in more "stubborn" areas... but for now I'm limiting it to the cloaks and loin cloths... places not directly associated with the bodies of the necrontir/necrons.



Battle report is finally up... man they are a PITA to do!

Here's the link... http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/421419.page#3757573

Nice job Gits! He looks great, really stands out!

I love the cape!
And the rest of the blog!

Thanks Reaper!

Boys and I just got back from wyomingfox's place where we had a tremendously fun 6000 point battle. Wyfox and Thing 2 with 3000 pts of Nids (total) vs. Thing 1 and I with Necrons and Orks. We used some mission out of the battle missions book. We basically sat back and let Imotekh do his evil work. Worked pretty damn well too, which is good cause I don't think the rest of our armies did much save pick off a few gene stealers and gaunts. We only got through four turns before it was wayyyy past bed time and I had to get us home, so we didn't pick a winner... but the Nids were all over us... think it would have gone badly in turn 5. 3 bloody Tervigons on the table spawning gaunts EVERYWHERE.

Night fight lasted the entire game and Imotekh's lightning accounted for a lot of figures. Pretty dang impressive.

That Imotekh is awesome!

The tervigons really need a model. They can make victory seem impossible at times! Love playing with them, hate playing against them. But proxying just is a disservice to what is an awesome model. Not familiar with why imhotek would be so awesome though?

I've been paying against Necrons a fair amount recently and Imoteck is nasty he causes a storm that could fire lightning bolts at every unit on the board. My mate then added 3 Crypteks all with mind shackle scarabs and a lord with a war scythe! So the mind shackle scarabs means a randomly selected model in base to base contact has to take a leadership test on 3d6 and if he fails he then does D3 hits to his own unit with whatever weapons and abilities he has! The lord then usually does some more damage with the power weapon! As Blood angels, I don't even want to assault this unit!

@CK: Thanks mate!

@kanelorn: I agree. I do like the Chapterhouse carnifex conversion we have. It's huge and very imposing... very proper for the living tank that is the Tervigon. Wyfox has got a couple of carnifexes on large oval bases, which is about the best you can do without some kind of conversion.

If Imotekh's on the board, the game starts as night fight, each turn after that, as long as the Necron player rolls *above* the turn number, night fight continues.

Each turn night fight is in effect, Imotekh can "call the storm", roll a d6 for each unengaged unit and on a 6 they take d6, S8, AP5 hits from lightening. The first game my son and I played with Imotekh, he hit nothing. Yesterday, he took out 2 hive guard, 2 zoanthropes, well over a dozen each gene stealers and guants and put a few wounds on other monstrous creatures.

@Reaper: Thing 1 did have a destroyer lord with mind shackel scarabs but we never got to use him.

@Gitsplitta

Yeah, that's how the nid players felt.... and I don't blame them. I'm waiting to play him with my marines and watch my vehicles (on which my strategy is dependent) pop like popcorn.




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Pic of the 6000 pt battle at WyomingFoxes place. Nids vs combined forces of 'Crons and Bad Moons. Beautiful table, fun game. Didn't get to turn 5 before we had to skee-daddle so we'll call it a draw (Nids were "in the wire" when we quit though).

Wow, great thread!
Took like forever to read, and now I feel kind of.. hollow inside...
Anyways, you seem to be a great father and an inspiration to your "things", so I'm just going to say (like everyone else) "keep up the good work"

Great looking Crons, Eagles, Nids (and Mantis Warriors, though they are painted by the "house pro" and not the kids!)

Hollar from way over the ocean, up in the freezing north (that'd be Norway) and a Tau player that wouldn't want to face your kids on the table for fear of being stomped!

Hey hemmis, welcome!

Thing 1 is to the point that he's paining his own marines now. I'm still painting his 'crons but he's really be after me to teach him how to use the airbrush, so I expect he'll take those over soon enough. He's been really stretching his legs with some of his recent marine builds though... so I imagine he'll do the same with his crons once he gets a bits selection built up.

There'll be more activity here soon. I'm sure there will be some good "stomping" going on soon enough.

I'm looking forward to Thing 1's latest creations.

Got some doming resin (water effects) on the Secret Weapon Miniatures bases for my son's Necrons. Love the way it turned out. It also works for lenses for vehicle headlamps as well.


Base on an angle so you can see the surface of the resin.


Resin from a more natural viewing angle... crystal clear.


And with the figure on top.

Oooh! Resin water's worked a treat! Maybe a few more highlights on skulls just do it's a snappier contrast, would be my only niggle - maybe. Great job regardless.

Yeah... not sure what happened there. The final highlight on them was white, but it sure doesn't look like it now does it?

I was just looking at those bases on their website thinking should I re-base my berzerkers. Then I come to dakka and here they are lol

They look really cool Git's

Oooo that liquid resin looks great! I'm going to need to get some of that for my dungeon blog

I assume mixing in some watered down paint would work to colour it a bit?

No idea... but I don't see why not. Actually, if you didn't completely mix it in you might get some interesting "color tendrils" in the clear "water".

Not sure where it is on there, but Mike has some of almost exactly what your talking about with the mixed in paint in water effects on his blog, you might want to check it out.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/259854.page

Can you be more specific as to where? That's a 60+ page blog!

OK, here's a direct link to his tinted water effects post... didn't see where he gave his formula though. toxic pond

Ohhh, ohhh! Here's an idea worth stealing! water filled craters

and to the exact question... water filled crater with seeping toxic waste

Thank god you did that Gits, I was on my phone, and posting the link was hard enough

Cool effects!

I'd strongly recommend hanging around Mikes blog if your into terrain at all. He's super responsive and has some great stuff. Also just welcomed a new future-gamer into the world.

Yep, great blog... I was subscribed for a good while but then somehow got unsubbed. That's fixed now.

Happy Easter from Thing 2 & Thing 1! (Bad Moons & Doom Eagles respectively)

Gitsplitta wrote:Happy Easter from Thing 2 & Thing 1! (Bad Moons & Doom Eagles respectively)

Proppa!!!

Thanks for sharing my work Paul! And thanks for the kind words Gitsplitta. Steal away and pm me if you have any questions!


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One of these days I'll make a table if contents.

I will! Thanks madmarty... always love to spread the word about the great works of others!

Thing 1 has discovered the joys of raiding dad's bits box... and created this!



Cheeky little bugger took some of my best bits!

Haha, like father like son! It looks very nice, loaded up for death dealing

i like it!

Looks very nice.

Thing1's got his head on right.

You should be proud!

And seriously, don't keep your best bits in the box to be raided if you don't want them nicked!

Every time I see that head, I just think Zurg.

using a venerable dreads head, good decision!
idk how your kid is, but i think its time to introduce greenstuff!

Ah, but my GSfu is weak... he needs to be taught by a master..

Gitsplitta wrote:Ah, but my GSfu is weak... he needs to be taught by a master..

as said idk how old he is, but just explain how it works, what its for and show him a few tutorials about how to handle it and let him figure it out.
in a year or 2, you will be looking at a junior GD winner, in 10-15 years you will have your own GW sculptor

see it as a long term investment

DijnsK wrote:

Gitsplitta wrote:Ah, but my GSfu is weak... he needs to be taught by a master..

as said idk how old he is, but just explain how it works, what its for and show him a few tutorials about how to handle it and let him figure it out.
in a year or 2, you will be looking at a junior GD winner, in 10-15 years you will have your own GW sculptor

Thing 1's age is in the title of the thread Though he might be 11 by now.

Good call. Fixed that.

Gits,
I'm just going to add that my 4-year old is often right by my side when I'm painting. I may end up making a Gray Knight army for him sooner rather than later!

Go for it Anpu... it's a lot of fun. Just be patient with them... and remember that fun is more important for them than winning should be.

umm for like the thousandth time gits well done keep up the good work. also if in 2010 your sun was 10 wont he be 12 now?

He's 11 at the moment... 12 in a few more months.

And thanks!

yw. 300 dollars seems to go a long way in america, i earn up to 1250 new zealand dollars a year if the weather is good and i get to mow the lawns (which are i acre =/) every weekend like i do in summer (but i live on the west coast of new zealand in the south island and when i watch on the news and see Britain has had 2 centimeters of rain in the last 24 hours and is flooding i laugh because we literally get 3 meters of rain a year which equals 8 millimeters a day every day but we only get rain about half the time and when we get a storm we get like 2 centimeters of rain in 10 minutes). anyway i get about 700 nzd a year when i have done all the chores and i dont really spend it on anything small but i never have enough money to buy anything.

anyone wanna shout me

Cheeky little bugger took some of my best bits!

But, he did a blooming good job with them!

I wish my Dad did Warhammer, he might then realise the "potential" in it, rather than being a "waste of cash"

(I agree about the waste of money, from GW at least... )

yes i have to pay 129 nzd for a monolith and a heavy destroyer costs like 60 dollars? and 3 tomb blades cost more than 12 warriors and 3 scarabs. its a bit weird

Sweet blog gits, thing 1 is probably more talented thanmost of the players at my local GW ( sea of grey anyone?)

Thanks Legion. He hasn't been doing much lately... but that's OK. Now that summer's here it's all soccer and crew and scouts... oh, and his first chance to "drive" (the riding lawnmower)... that was a biggie.

Hey folks! Long time, no post. Thing 1 has been very busy doing just about everything except painting... however he has made a little progress on a marine he was painting just for fun.

His Birthday is this week and as is my wont, I usually paint up something for the kids for as part of their holiday gifts. This year, I'm working on several Necron items. Since he's safely ensconced in scout camp for the week, I think I'm fairly safe in posting what I've done so far.

I'll start with 3 annihilation barges, two of which convert to command barges. The prototype is finished (though a may add a bit of blue to the gun to break up all the bronze) and I'm working my way through the other two. Here's the finished prototype.

Annihilation Barge variant:


Command Barge variant:


These are steam punk influenced rather that super glowy, and inspired by some excellent models on other threads here on dakka. There's a lot of detail left unpainted, but I'm on a tight schedule so rather than painting lots of fiddly bits I'm counting on the over-all design and impact of the scheme to do the work for me. You can judge for yourselves if I was successful or not. I'll post a shot of all 3 when they're finished. Then it's on to the next birthday project!

Wow that looks awesome. Such a really good thread and idea. Can't wait till my sons are old enough to bring into the hobby!

nice job gits, definatly has the egyptian feel to it, and I like the way the blue came out

I like the scheme. The contrast of the blue and metallics is eye-catching.

That's beautiful, Gits. I really love the color scheme.

Weathering on the blue is really good. you'll have to demo that for me ( I'm better when I see it live)

He'll be pleased. I assume you can swap out easily on this kit between the 2 variants?

SL

Thanks gents. Yes, it's as easy as taking one out and putting the other in. They don't even need to be magnetized (though I may do that eventually for completeness).

for some reason if feels really steam punky to me
love the colors and nice interchangeable bits

DijnsK wrote:for some reason if feels really steam punky to me

but thankfully there aren't any cogs on it

I can get cogs from Zinge.... I can put cogs on it if you'd like! The kid would probably dig it!

Noooooooooooooooooo! [/vader]

Hahahaha that video was great! *goes back to lurking in envy*

That's pretty dang funny endtrans. Makes me feel guilty about referring to my paint job in that manner.

Thing is, you didn't just "Glue some gears on it". And actually, Steampunk Necrons could be awesome, and really doable. AFter all, a big part of Victorian England was the Empire aspect, and one of the areas that was all 'colonial' was Egypt.

Ooooh... that's a very interesting observation Anvildude... food for thought there.

I really love the color scheme, You've made it really work with these models.

The only thing I can comment on is the power weapon. I looks unfinished and not line most of your other representation on other models.. Done on purpose? IS this the final result?

Curious only.

It's a bit of a crude blending job I guess. Was experimenting with the new GW green washes. I didn't use an airbrush like usual. If I have enough time later on I'll re-do it.

Gitsplitta wrote:Ooooh... that's a very interesting observation Anvildude... food for thought there.

Use the steampunked necrons as allies to some praetorian imperial guard for full British Empire fun

endtransmission wrote:

Gitsplitta wrote:Ooooh... that's a very interesting observation Anvildude... food for thought there.

Use the steampunked necrons as allies to some praetorian imperial guard for full British Empire fun

Throw in some Kroot/Maori for some additional fun.

OK gang, I need an opinion.

One of the things that was pointed out was the the annihilation barge variant has this big blog of gold/metal in the middle without much to set it off. So I added a little turquoise to a spot near the ends of the gun barrels, primarily because this will be easy to weather and it does give some color to that region. However, this doesn't address what I think was the real issue which is the rear/center part of the gun (behind the barrels). Problem is picking out an appropriate part further back will make for tricky weathering and finishing... especially on the model where the gun is glued in place.

So... do I need to add further blue, or do you think this adds enough visual interest? Any and all comments would be very much welcome and appreciated. Please note the turquoise on the guns isn't finished yet... it's just got the base coat down.

Gits

I really don't think so. I mean when you look at it, it is solid. The touch of blue on the tips of the guns breaks up the blob at most visual angles you're going to see on the battlefield.

Thanks Brian, I appreciate the input. It is amazing how adding just that much breaks up the gold. Hoping to finish up the blue tonight... we'll see how long I last.

I looks really good to me. If you are set on adding more blue, you can add it in the magazines that come out at angles from the top of the gun.

I'm with Brian. The touch of blue on the end of the guns manages to break it up enough. Any more and you run the risk of it looking wrong. It's a functional war machine, so I think you've done enough

You could, if you're feeling adventurous, paint a few bright gold scratches on the dulled down gold and a bit of leaking oil might help?

How about changing the spine section from silver to turquoise? Not sure if you will be able to get in there and weather it though.

Do Nothing.. You risk overwealming the model with too much, It is a busy peice and painting it the way you did makes it more so.

OK, I'm sticking with just the blue on the barrel ends. That's manageable and does add a bit of flair without adding a lot of work. Adding some damage to the gold is tempting... but I'm afraid too time consuming at this point & I'm quickly running out of that.

Got the blues done last night. Some quick washing and the weathering and it'll be all done save for the few bits of green. 3 barges should put a bit of zip in his army!

Thanks for the comments all, very helpful. Keep your eyes peeled for a final pic late tonight!

All done.

Excellent work! Those blue tips really finish it off nicely. He'll be so pleased!

They look great, Gitz. I'm jealous.

I put a before and after shot in the DCM forum (I got these used). The difference is quite striking. I really enjoy re-vamping used models & turning them into something special.

Gitsplitta wrote:I put a before and after shot in the DCM forum (I got these used). The difference is quite striking. I really enjoy re-vamping used models & turning them into something special.

I know, RIGHT? There's just...something.

I'm with ya Brian. It's why I spend so much time on those crappy old original plastic beakies and early marine vehicles. Just something about giving a model a second chance at life that really makes me feel like I've accomplished something.

... and it's generally cheaper to re-vamp used models, which is a plus given the economy & GW's never-ending price hikes.



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Progress on the Tomb Stalker... build is complete, minus the antennae which may have to wait for a later installment. Going to take some time out for a shower and think about it a bit (thinking time in the shower is often very productive).



Here's a pic of the underside showing the extensive renovation and repair. Arrows are pointing to some of the less noticeable repairs.





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OK, got the antennae figured out...



This'll be fine for now. If we have breakage problems I'll look for a more durable solution.

Those barges are truly looking excellent Git's, you painting skills are improving rapidly.

Really looking forward to seeing the Tomb Stalker painted, is the kit very flexible for putting it in different poses as I fancy one of those.

I would assume so. I got this one used so I had to say in the pose... just repair responsibilities.

Painting has begun! Airbrushing is done, just waiting for it to dry before moving on.



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Tomb Stalker complete! Not half bad... Special thanks to Ouze for the extra leg bits.

... and the whole thing in-context... three barges, the stalker and a cryptek thrown in for good measure!

They look fantastic Gits, glad your boy liked em!

That Stalker is lovely Git's, the weathered armour effect looks spot on.

Totally fantastic Gits! a very unique necron scheme that really fits the aesthetic they have now as regal lords of the galaxy! I think it looks stunning together and that stalker is beautiful makes me want one myself....... :-)

my Dad had a sizeable rogue trader army back in the day, he even kept the rulebook! He stopped playing when I was 8, I'm trying to get him back into it.

Great job Gits!

Thanks guys! It's a really fun and satisfying scheme to paint. Pretty easy too! I'm going to be going over a lot of his older models and adjusting them to the new scheme. Mainly that means picking out areas to be changed to blue. Won't take me very long and should make for a seriously cool army when it's all said and done. I'll post my progress (not the WIP shots, just the finished units) as I go.

I feel sorry for the little one, as much as I really enjoy painting the eldest's Necrons... I just hate painting the little one's Nids. Just not the least bit interested in them (on the painting or gaming tables) so painting them is a chore. A chore, of course... that I'll be starting in late August as I work on his birthday present, but nothing that I look forward to. I've tried to get him to work on his own, but neither of them seems to have much interest in painting or modeling at the moment. *shrug*



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New 'Crons... Blue 'Crons. How do you do? 'Crons.

Would you, could you, in a room?
Would you, could you, in a tomb?

I would not, could not, in a room. I would not, could not, in a tomb.
I could not beat blue 'Crons with Spam... I could not beat them Sam - I - Am!



OK, now I'm just showing off.... But you can see I "converted" 2 tomb spiders and 5 wraiths to the new scheme in just a couple of hours today. Destroyers are next, then maybe the shoulder pads of a few commanders. Easy-peasy.

Looks fantastic git! keep the metal doom lords coming

That colour scheme looks awesome on them all. Great work!

They all look great and wow didnt realize how big the stalker is

As a whole force, that's mighty impressive! Kudos, matey.

Excellent scheme! Really look nice all together.

Love that gold/bronzish color what paints do you use for it? sorry if you already gave an explanation if so on what page is it on?

Thanks a bunch guys. Quite pleased with they way it's all turning out if I do say so myself!

The gold comes easily enough actually. Airbrushing with Vallejo air paints... Black primer, then the equivalent of tin bitz, then a general top-down gold (which is very yellow gold), then (recently) a tighter highlight of the same color (as per the bottle) which is NOT the same color (somebody screwed up the mix) but is a lot lighter & more silver. Then a sepia wash, a thraka green wash, finally a random dry-brush here-and-there of dwarf bronze.

Sounds like a lot but it's not all that difficult really.

More to come! Should be a really unique looking force when fully updated.

Wow, I bet those Necrons pop on the tabletop! Those colors really make them look like ancient arcane constructs! Can't believe I missed this thread!

Well Jon, you're partially to blame. While my treatment of the blue is quite different from yours... it was most definitely inspired by your work! So thank you!


... and I don't believe no one commented on my poetry...

Have you no souls??!!

Gits don't stress about the poetry! I once used the entire first half of Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby and changed it on one blog entry and not only did no one comment I'm pretty sure a few people stopped dropping by altogether! :-)

Looks stunning. Sorry the Technology won the day. They are truely amazing.None the less you have a very cool army for you to play as well even if he doesn't.

Happy Bday Thing 1

SL

Oh yeah... I plan on fielding this baby myself. He's actually got a number of units that are good (or have gotten better) so we should be able to make something reasonably competitive. I should make a point of trying to put some lists together and practicing with them so I can help him sort out his new army in 6th edition. I should have the paint jobs on the rest of his army fully updated in short order, they it'll be ready to start experimenting with.

Once he heard my suggestion (not my idea) that the Tomb Stalker could be proxied as a Triarch Stalker... he immediately suggested I build a "worm rider" to stand atop it (to approximate the driver on the real Triarch Stalker) holding on to a couple of chains like reins. Bloody fantastic idea... just have to sort out how I'm going to build the model! Guess some if my 40k/building imagination is rubbing off on him.

The only 'souls', Gits, are the Tortured Souls who have been exposed to your Vogon-esque "poetry".

Are you calling Dr. Seuss a Vogon Brian?? I have it on good authority that he's not even from that sector. Just look it up in "The Guide" if you don't believe me!

Gitsplitta wrote:Once he heard my suggestion (not my idea) that the Tomb Stalker could be proxied as a Triarch Stalker... he immediately suggested I build a "worm rider" to stand atop it (to approximate the driver on the real Triarch Stalker) holding on to a couple of chains like reins. Bloody fantastic idea... just have to sort out how I'm going to build the model! Guess some if my 40k/building imagination is rubbing off on him.

Like Father like Son.. Excellent. You would also need to make a Objective marker called a " Thumper "

SL

Now THAT is a cool idea!

Dune Crond... it's so obvious!

red fish blue fish one fish two fish... just saying

Well played cappy... *applause*

You can never go wrong with Dr Seuss.

I love the idea of the worm rider too. Very cinematic

Just finished reading your blog (started last night). You sir are an inspiration to the hobby and I have greatly enjoyed following the progress of your youngsters and yourself as you raise your lil' generals. Now I need to go read that mantis blog..

Anpu-adom wrote:

endtransmission wrote:

Gitsplitta wrote:Ooooh... that's a very interesting observation Anvildude... food for thought there.

Use the steampunked necrons as allies to some praetorian imperial guard for full British Empire fun

Throw in some Kroot/Maori for some additional fun.

That's quite racist coming from an American. That's like me saying throw in some fat good for nothing sacks of lard / Americans for fun.
In fact only 60% of americans are morbidly obese.
The fact that you are comparing Maori to cannibalistic savages is quite ignorant of the state of things even back 2000 years ago.
Not ALL Maori were cannibalistic, though granted they certainly did eat each other. My father was friends with the grandson of the last Maori cannibal, and he would be AT LEAST 100 if he were still alive. I think that a little consideration should be considered before saying something like that. Consider it this way. If you could say it to a Maori Kobe Bryant with a bad temper, and not get a least a little bit punched in the face, you can say it. The same goes for all racially offensive comments.




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Rawr

Lt.Soundwave wrote:Just finished reading your blog (started last night). You sir are an inspiration to the hobby and I have greatly enjoyed following the progress of your youngsters and yourself as you raise your lil' generals. Now I need to go read that mantis blog..

Very glad you like it Lt.Soundwave! Wish there were more inputs from the young'in... but he's into other things at the moment... which is fine. Besides, I'm having so much fun painting HIS Necrons that he'd have to fight me for space at the painting table anyway!

Good luck with the Mantis Warrior blog. It's a BEAST! But... very audience participative (is that a word?)... and as such, pretty amusing all-in-all. Take advantage of the OP where all of the major summaries, battle reports, etc. are linked. It'll make it a lot easier to digest.

Nemesor wrote:

Anpu-adom wrote:

endtransmission wrote:

Gitsplitta wrote:Ooooh... that's a very interesting observation Anvildude... food for thought there.

Use the steampunked necrons as allies to some praetorian imperial guard for full British Empire fun

Throw in some Kroot/Maori for some additional fun.

That's quite racist coming from an American. That's like me saying throw in some fat good for nothing sacks of lard / Americans for fun.
In fact only 60% of americans are morbidly obese.
The fact that you are comparing Maori to cannibalistic savages is quite ignorant of the state of things even back 2000 years ago.
Not ALL Maori were cannibalistic, though granted they certainly did eat each other. My father was friends with the grandson of the last Maori cannibal, and he would be AT LEAST 100 if he were still alive. I think that a little consideration should be considered before saying something like that. Consider it this way. If you could say it to a Maori Kobe Bryant with a bad temper, and not get a least a little bit punched in the face, you can say it. The same goes for all racially offensive comments.




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Rawr

An understandable reaction, if possibly misguided. I feel the poster was meaning to compare the Kroot to the Maori not, however, through the Cannibalism side (and really, Kroot are Cannibalistic? I thought they ate other species- and didn't even know Maori were even Cannibalistic, either- I'm not sure it's as common knowledge, especially in America, as you may think) and that Anpu was more likely using Maori for Kroot as they both have reputations as bad-ass tribal warriors. Fighters who use displays of savagery to cow their enemies before attacking furiously- that sort of thing.

Then again, Anpu might have been deliberately posting racists comments. I feel that's somewhat unlikely, though.


Speaking of, are Kroot really that dangerous? What's a common Kroot statline, anyways?

Nemesor wrote:

Anpu-adom wrote:

endtransmission wrote:

Gitsplitta wrote:Ooooh... that's a very interesting observation Anvildude... food for thought there.

Use the steampunked necrons as allies to some praetorian imperial guard for full British Empire fun

Throw in some Kroot/Maori for some additional fun.

That's quite racist coming from an American. That's like me saying throw in some fat good for nothing sacks of lard / Americans for fun.
In fact only 60% of americans are morbidly obese.
The fact that you are comparing Maori to cannibalistic savages is quite ignorant of the state of things even back 2000 years ago.
Not ALL Maori were cannibalistic, though granted they certainly did eat each other. My father was friends with the grandson of the last Maori cannibal, and he would be AT LEAST 100 if he were still alive. I think that a little consideration should be considered before saying something like that. Consider it this way. If you could say it to a Maori Kobe Bryant with a bad temper, and not get a least a little bit punched in the face, you can say it. The same goes for all racially offensive comments.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
Rawr

I'm terribly sorry that I offended you, and can only say that it is out of ignorance. Apparently I am ignorant of the Kroot fluff. I was also previously ignorant of any cannabilism/Maori connection.

Well I'm sorry that I have posted that, as the poster- Anpu-adom has explained his original intention with the post and must say that it is me who should be sorry.

And when I say cannibalistic it is cannibalistic as in the fact that kroot eat humans and were Maori to still Eat humans in their culture it would be cannibalism. All though who knows- maybe the kroot are cannibalistic as in many cultures eating someone was believed to give you a part of their strength- from my experience it still works too anyway sorry to adom, it was my mistake, not his, as I suspect that we're my father not deeply involved with Maori at a study of its linguistics level and it's culture as a result of the many years he spent with Maori- even though he is a white man- a pakeha he was given a Maori name and was offered to become for all intents and purposes a Maori, which has led him to install in me some of the knowledge he has.about the cultural matters. I suppose it's time
I payed more attention in history I suppose, so I don't make a Blunder like this again.

so again sorry for any offense I have caused you mr adom for my error of Understanding in your meaning and intentions, but I come from an area (though thankfully I don't live there any more) where communities of
Maori and pakeha are largely separated with little understanding between different races, so it took your innocent post to mean the worst. Im truly sorry.

Return apology accepted, Nemesor.
I can only thank the regulars to Gits's forum for keeping this one of the most civil corners of Dakkadakka.
Nemesor and I have exchanged further messages, and I can assure everyone that there isn't ill will on either side.

Let's all get back to admiring Gits's work and wishing that we were all his sons. *wink*

I knew you'd sort it out. I'm lucky to have such connsumate gentlemen as readers.


More updates in the works! Maybe a pic later tonight!

Not to jump in but no kroot arent cannibalistic the shapers direct thier kindred to certain prey species to take on the preys abilities and that particular group of kindred will evolve and take on traits of the prey ie. kroot hounds krootox and winged kroot

kroot statline reads

ws-4 bs-3 s-4 s-3 w-1 i-3 a-1 ld7 sv-/6

they get a 2nd attack because thier kroot rifles as well

Well... I finished up the modifications on a lord, cryptek, destroyer lord and one destroyer. Hope to get the last 3 destroyers done either tonight or tomorrow in which case I'll post a pic of the whole army. I'll eventually get around to re-doing the Monoliths, but to be honest they're not my highest priority at the moment. It's amazing how good the group of figures looks together. Think I just lucked into a paint scheme that *really* works.

The young'un got a ghost/doom's day ark for his B-day as well (which he's *really* excited about). going to try and figure out if I can build it so that he can use the same figure for both variants. It'll be a nice addition as he does have a ton of warriors and the ghost ark would be a nice compliment to them. Of course what HE'S excited about is the doom's day ark... but then he is 12. "Supporting infantry" is no-where-near as interesting as blowing things to kingdom come!

Gitz,
On the Ghost Ark/Doomsday Ark you seriously need to paint most of it in pieces. Paint the gauss flayers and ribs before assembling them.

I've magnetized my Ghost Ark/Doomsday Ark, and it's pretty easy.
Tactics wise, I'm looking at having 4-5 ghost arks total.

Thanks for the tip Anpu! Wow, that's a lot of Arks! I suppose as with most 40k units, having one of something is no where near as good as having a bunch of it.

You can pass this along to Thing #1 for sure.
With so many of the missions in the new book being based on objectives, you are going to need a lot of troops for a balanced army. Those troops need to be very resilient (something Necrons are good at), but Ghost Arks just make them better.
I like the think of Ghost Arks as a Light Tank that can fire at 3 different targets a turn, and then pop out and take an objective. Besides, it's fast in that you can move 12" in the shooting and still fire everything snap shot (and against vehicles, that's just as good as standing still.)

That makes me think that 1 good form of Necron army will have 4-5 units of Warriors in Ghost Arks.

Finally an update!

- I finished the last of the regular destroyers.
- I decided that the warriors needed a bit of updating, so I changed the "tube" on the front of the gun from scorpion green to copper & gave them a steel spine like the rest of the figures. The updated figure is on the right.



I decided NOT to put blue on the regular warriors or the regular scarabs as I wanted something in the army to contrast a bit with it... also the "lesser" troop types I wanted to keep a bit plain in comparison. With things like the crypteks and lords having blue pads it'll make them stand out a bit amongst the regular troops so I don't forget about them!


And the long awaited (hopefully) army shot. Just about everything's done now. Will plow my way through the last 20 warriors and eventually (no promises) get around to modernizing the monoliths.



It's a big pic. Feel free to zoom in, tell your friends, etc.


I plan on giving a sub-set of this a run in a few weeks at a doubles tourney with WyFox at our FLGS. Should be fun. Be interesting to see how it's received.

Good mix of old and new stuff to be sure. I really do like the colors too. I *almost* asked what was next

Thanks! It's an old Cron army that's being dragged into 6th Ed. Most of it held up pretty well though. Glad you like the color scheme. I'm quite fond of it myself.

Love the way you're breaking the 4th wall as it were having them step off the base
I wasn't entirely sure about the lack of blue on them but I think your rationale is good. Like the spines, too, it offsets them well.
On the subject of arks, one of my pals has based the "folded" crons as more infantry (he argues they're just reawakening - and they do look cool) and built the arks as doomsday.

New Battle Report up!

"Steamcrons"... or "Tombpunk" Necrons (whichever you'd prefer) vs. Mantis Warriors: 1500 pts

The link dosen't work....

Looking nice though!

Yeah, the link allows you to write a batrep, unfortunately not read one.

That's because apparently I never actually posted the bat rep. Damn. 3 hours worth of work down the drain...


Automatically Appended Next Post:
OK, let's try this again...

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/468184.page#4622848

I pm'ed you so as not to fill the thread with "link broken" posts Lesson for everyone though - when creating large posts - copy and paste the contents into a saved text file regularly. You'll thank me for it!

Yeah i always do it in word, only for batreps though. Those things take so long to write, its heartbreaking to see the net eat them.

Arakasi wrote:I pm'ed you so as not to fill the thread with "link broken" posts Lesson for everyone though - when creating large posts - copy and paste the contents into a saved text file regularly. You'll thank me for it!

See, the bugger of it is I DID that. I've had bat reps disappear on me before so I always cut-and-paste them into Word as I go so I don't lose them. The problem (I think) is that rather than "submit" it, I pushed the "preview" button... then got distracted by something else & when I came back it *looked* published. So I made the links for it on the other blogs, deleted the reserve copy and went my merry way.

In any case, it's up now. Hope y'all enjoy it.


On another note, I stopped by my FLGS yesterday to pick up some black wash & walked out with 3 crypteks, 1 lord & 10 tessla immortals. The have a re-sale room and all were half-priced (assembled but unpainted). Also got a good chance to talk to one of the guys who's a successful tournament player about how to use it all. Very enlightening. So, more Necrons to come... and at least now he's got an Elite unit for the FOC (other than the tomb stalker proxied as a triarch stalker).

^Wow. And I think I'm a sucker when I get tricked into buying my kid a bot-shot.

Well, I'm having so much fun painting them and for once I want there to be ONE competive army in the family..

Gitsplitta wrote:

Arakasi wrote:copy and paste the contents into a saved text file regularly.

...So I made the links for it on the other blogs, deleted the reserve copy and went my merry way.

I highlighted the problem areas Yeah, I don't clear out saved items for at least a couple of days (I imagine my other suggestion - checking your clipboard - may have expired too...) You need to be less trusting of both your software and your wetware

In any case, I did enjoy it - thanks for making the effort - twice!

Glad you liked it! And yes... highlights are well taken!

Hey mr gits, seen these bad boys?
http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/NECRON_CANOPTEK_ACANTHRITES.html

Meganula!! How cool is that?!

Don't like the "wings" though... I think they ran out of time on the project and just told the sculptor "get it done". Would need to make my own to make them look right. I also think the gun and the head need to be switched. Actually, I think the gun screws up the look pretty badly. I think I'd just mount the head and say that the heat beam came from the eyes & measure from there.

I like the rules but they take up a section of the FOC that already has way too many good choices. (FA) They would have been much better in some other slot... perhaps as an elite choice to give that part of the FOC some speed. I have the same issue with the Necron bikes which are cool looking and pretty decent in their own right... just not as good as the other options available.

Sounds to me like you should just build your own from scratch. Ooh, project!

No... I like them... a lot. They just need new wings and a modification to the gun area. No use going overboard... they're really neat models.

I think that they are cool models, but as you pointed out... they fit in an already crowded FA slot. They also seem meant to be anti-tank and anti-fortification units... something that we are already strong in. Cool, but they don't bring anything that we'd really need.

Began the next project... a pair of Necron fliers. I'm going to magnetize the bits (mainly the Tessla Cannons) so it can be fielded as either variant. Took me all night to assemble just one of the planes & I haven't even magnetized the guns yet. Pain in the @$$. Now I remember why I'm so find of buying and refurbishing used models... the bloody things are already put together when I get them!

Gits,
Both variants have the Tesla cannons. The parts you need to magnetized are the gateway or the gun underneath.

LOL! Figures.

On mine, at least at the moment, those bits seem to plug in securely without magnetization. I suppose that'll loosen up eventually, but for simplicity's sake I'll let sleeping dogs lie. I thought about checking the codex when I was contemplating the magnetization... but I was attacked by apathy and just went ahead and did it anyway!

Too apathetic to check codex, but not too apathetic to magnetise... Consider the irony... Looking forward to WIPs, anyhoo.

I need some advice.

I'm quite torn as to where the blue should go in relation to the vehicle. Had a good discussion with Iffy about it and while she made several very good suggestions, I'm still torn. I want it to fit in with the other vehicles, specifically the Barges as they're closest in design to it, but they don't need to be exact copies of the Barge design, or indeed each other (I'm thinking the fighters could be more individually painted...)

These are some of the best ideas that Iffy and I came up with.

1. Paint them very closely to the barge design.



The body would be gold and the wings blue, though I think I would leave the tips of each wing gold.

2. Essentially the reverse of the above. Iffy suggested some blue energy patterns on the gold, but as I'm NOT Iffy, I'll stick to the simple colors and chipping.

3. Paint them in an Egyptian style, with the body gold and the wing panels alternating gold and blue OR the reverse (but same pattern). Like the pattern you see on the Pharaoh's head piece. (Iffy's idea)

4. Make them look more like the "scorpion's tail" part of the Barge above... so the body is gold and each wing has say, the first 2 or 3 panels blue (working out from the body) and the rest gold.

5. Paint each plane in a different style or pattern. As all these options are counter-changeable... I could just reverse the pattern from one plane to the other.


I'd love some feedback on this as I'm really uncertain as to where to go.

Thanks,
Gits

Roll a die...


But seriously, egyptian stripes sound cool.

I think all the wing, or maybe leaving the tips (like 2 sections). With the inner part and the gap between plates still gold, I don't think it will overpower the scythe. Now if the center cockpit thing was teal, that'd be to much.

I should add that I think that all of the options above would look good... which is why I'm having problems making a decision about them.

 whalemusic360 wrote:
I think all the wing, or maybe leaving the tips (like 2 sections). With the inner part and the gap between plates still gold, I don't think it will overpower the scythe. Now if the center cockpit thing was teal, that'd be to much.

While i agree with leaving the tip of the wings gold and having the other panels blue, i diasgree about having the cockpit blue and the wings gold (maybe with details picked out in blue as well), i think that would look great!

However, pretty much all the options sound like they would look good Gits (sorry)...

Construction on flyer #2 began last night. Most of the body is done, should finish up quickly & then I just need to do the fiddly bits (weapons and such). Second one seems to be going together more cleanly than the first, guess even I get better with practice.

4. Make them look more like the "scorpion's tail" part of the Barge above... so the body is gold and each wing has say, the first 2 or 3 panels blue (working out from the body) and the rest gold.

This one is my favorite... at least in my mind's eye. But you are right, any would look really good. You wouldn't paint 6 rhinos all the same, and I don't see why Necrons wouldn't have a little bit of variation in their vehicles too!

I'm inclined to agree with the above; I love the pharaonic stripes idea but would worry it might look a bit 1k sons.

Gold body with blue wings, with 0, 1 or 2 of the tips gold would fit with any combination of your barges (matching the wings, prow or tail respectively). I think this would look good and uniform.

Blue body and gold wings - I just suspect this might be too much gold... maybe with 1 or 2 blue tips... maybe...

If you are going striped, I think blue body and then alternate gold/blue on the wings (to end in gold) would look best (again, trying to limit too much gold... - then again, your current stuff does have a lot of gold...)

For a different idea, how about body blue and outside crescents blue with inside crescents gold?

The original design is to have the models mostly in gold... the blue is kind of an accent, though in a few models (like the Tomb Stalker), the blue dominates.


I'm not sure what you mean by outside and inside crescents. You mean make the outer half of each crescent/wing blue and the inner half gold? Oh wait... I just walked over to do a little work on the model on your comments became obvious. Probably because I used the same turn of phrase. Outer being near the tips, inner being near the body. Your last suggestion is actually one of the counter-changed options from my original list... and a good one.


Building progresses on flyer #2. The main flyer with tessla is now finished. Just need to do the portal/death ray & I can start painting! No pics until I have some real progress to show, sorry. I love the way these look. Necrons are becoming my favorite army from a visual perspective. Funny how a few, well done new models can change your perspective.

Saw one somewhere where they left the inner most plates and the outer most 2 plates done in the metal colors, and the middle in the "secondary" colors. Looked pretty good.

I think you got what I meant Switch the blue/gold to taste. I thought suggesting checks or racing stripes might be going too far...

So... when I get around to actually painting these beasts... say, tomorrow or Saturday... exactly how much detail do you want to see? Do you want step-by-step photos so the technique can be fiddled with by you... or will "major progress" shots be sufficient?

I often wonder if I'm boring my readers with too many updates... which are mainly there to keep me motivated.

Personally i prefer as many pics as possible. I love to see how others go about things.

I mean if you really dont want to offend people with lots of wips, just spoiler them

I prefer step by step photos - if only to highlight the difference between any given step and the final result - which always seems to just come together right at the end.

I'd also err on too many updates than not enough - unless they are rambling off topic

I don't think it is possible for you to bore me with any thread

OK guys, not a problem. My route to getting that weathered gold is a bit unorthodox... just a bit, so the step-by-step may be useful to someone. Build is done on the second plane. Next update *should* have some pics!

OK, painting ensues... sort of. Just a couple of quick shots to be complete.

Built



Primed



The funny thing is the amount of digital manipulation I had to do to get the second picture to look something like what it looks like in real life. Photographing black on black does not make for a happy camera.

With luck I'll get some real color on them tonight before I go to bed.

 Gitsplitta wrote:
Photographing black on black

Well there's your problem right there

I probably should have changed the background in my light box but I was struck by a bolt of extreme laziness from on-high... go figure.

OH, and I think I've settled on a painting design for the flyers based on some pretty spectacular work done by another dakkanaught. Nicked ideas are always the most satisfying, eh?




Base Coat
Complete airbrushing with Vallejo Air "Rust". It looks flat in the photo but it's actually a metallic dark reddish brown, a bit lighter than tin bitz.

my favorite base color

SL

Agreed, that looks amazing even just basecoated....

First Highlight
Airbrush a 65-70 degree spray of Vallejo Air "Gold" (#1066). 65-70 deg = spray off perpendicular by 20-25 degrees. While I want the top surface to be lighter, I'm not too concerned about having a perfectly uniform coating as I want the gold to look worn and an uneven layering process seems to help with that.




Second Highlight
Airbrush with Vallejo Air "Gold" (#1066). Yes I know, same stuff. I bought a second bottle some months later and the formulation was very different, yielding a much more silvery gold. You could make your own by mixing the regular gold with silver to lighten the shade. I hope they haven't permanently changed the formulation as the darker gold is much more useful and you cant blend the lighter shade down to the darker one. Normally, I'd just do this as a straight up 90 degree spray, but with the big flat surfaces on this flyer, I opted for some edging instead. You'll note I also edges the circles inscribed on the wings... more on that later.

Gorgeous work as always, Gits!
I really need to put more time into my airbrushing. Results are just so good when you know how to use it!!

I love this scheme, by the way... I cant wait till the flier gets some turquoise on it!

WIcked stuff! I can;t believe I haven't followed this thread before!
I really like seeing the different steps people take when using airbrushes to get wonderful effects rather easily!

I REALLY need to get some vallejo metallics.

Hey guys, thanks for the comments. Yes, airbrushing is the "great cheat" of painting. I need to invest in some new needles. I keep working the tips back into shape with my jewelry tools but I never quite get them just right again.


First Shade:
Wash heavily with sepia. This must be done quickly so the sepia does not have time to pool. The first pass with the sepia tends to be very streaky, so you may have to go over it more than once, but on subsequent passes use water instead of additional wash. Take a large brush after washing and dip in clean water, then "paint" the upper surfaces of the model in order to smooth out and dilute the sepia coverage. Some lite drying lines (as seen here) are fine, but you don't want to have big blobs of sepia on your upper surface. Note the tone is now a bit dirtier and gentler... moving back towards yellow gold a bit and away from silver. Make sure to pull off any pooling sepia on the edges or bottom with a dry(er) brush. A very light spray of the model with dull coat before adding the wash will alleviate the streakyness some... but you'll still have to wash with water to get the right effect.

Wow thats looking really nice so far Git's I like the way you've done the step by step guide as well.

Already liking the weathered gold look so far Also enjoying the views of the flyer, helps me figure out my plan for those

@Gir: Folks seemed to want more detail than less & I thought a step-by-step might be useful.

@monkeytroll: The variations on the theme that you can do with this model is near limitless. I'm really struggling with exactly what design to go with on the paint job, but to be honest I don't think you can really make a wrong decision. I guess time will tell.


Second Wash:
Thrakka Green... or I guess it Bel-Tan Green now. Treated same as previous step. You need to "clean" most of the green off the upper surfaces with water after you've applied it or it can easily overwhelm the model and turn it green rather than just giving it a green cast which is the look were after. For both the brown and green washes, I do not dilute them on the lower parts of the model (that are painted with the "Rust") as the paint there is much darker and dilute washes would just disappear.



... and now you're saying... "But, Gits... it's GREEN!" Well, yes... not really but it does look that way. The next step will address that to a large degree, so hang on to your socks.

You may consider the socks to be well and truly grasped

Dont worry, DCMs are used to taking good care of socks.

As to the needles i agree, you can definitely bend them back into the right shape but they're never quite the same.

The green is a really nice touch! Looking good Gitz

Hmm... Methinks I smell verdigris a-coming!

Looking good Gits! How about doing the discs along the wing in the turquoise?

Thanks for the comments gents!

Dry Brush:
This is how we bring the red back into the picture. A very very dry brush of GW's "Dwarf Bronze" worked in to the surface with a large brush. This is rather random in placement as these aren't true highlights... just yet another irregular layer to bring the feel of the piece back to where I want it.

Nice step by step. Like where you are going with this.

SL

Sepia Wash
This last step is not usually necessary, but I think the broad expanse of flat areas required that I dilute the original sepia wash (in order to keep it a more even coat) a lot more than would be necessary with a normal model. When compared with the other models I've done, the flyers were more silvery green than golden brown... so I added one more Sepia wash to warm them up. Just one coat of sepia with one water wash to smooth it out. Then absorb the drips and done. Now the tone is correct and the golden color is back to where I want it. You can see how much darker the guns are below the hull... that's not a trick of the lighting, the smaller surfaces seem to keep more of the sepia than the big flat surfaces, so end up darker... even though the whole model has gotten the same treatment.

Looks great, Gitz. I can't wait to see what you do with the turquoise!

Me too! But we aren't quite there yet. I do the turquoise dead last because my decisions on it's placement, especially on this model... will depend on the overall balance I achieve with the other colors.

Next up... boltgun metal!

Cant wait to see it. Plus I'm 12 and you're son can paint much better than me even though he has someone to guide him.

Choosing what to cover up here is definitly going to be a challenge! Looking good Gitz!

Well, I know how I'm going to handle the wings and weapons, it's the fuselage that I'm not sure about.

@necronuser: My son's 12 now too. He hasn't painted much in the last year... too much else going on and my airbrushing his necrons kind of derailed things a bit. I'm sure if you practice, you'll be as good as he is in no time. I'll be teaching him how to airbrush though so perhaps that'll get him back into the swing of things.

Hey Gits, loving what you're doing with this scythe, I'm paying really close attention on this one. 'Cause I'm tempted to get myself a Spyder, and paint it up to the best of my abilities. Unfortunately though, that'll probably result in an army, and if that happens I will be getting a scythe...

Looking awesome already Gits, Keep it up!

I'm really liking the Necrons proto. Granted they're easy to like as a top list... but I'm just enjoying painting them and I don't think they need allies to be competitive, which is saying something. The new models are really interesting and very well done. They also lend themselves to coming up with a painting "technique" or system that is relatively easy to produce but looks great. You can go Egyptian, Terminator or GW style... not to mention coming up with your own unique scheme.

When I first started fiddling with the Necrons, there wasn't a lot on Dakka that was truly unique (neither is mine so I'm not casting stones), but as time has gone on some really spectacular color schemes and designs have started to appear in the dakka gallery. So take a look around and see what kind of inspiration you find!

That is a lively rich colour you have there. I like the deeper colour on the weapons too - serendipitous, let's say.

 Gitsplitta wrote:
Well, I know how I'm going to handle the wings and weapons, it's the fuselage that I'm not sure about.

@necronuser: My son's 12 now too. He hasn't painted much in the last year... too much else going on and my airbrushing his necrons kind of derailed things a bit. I'm sure if you practice, you'll be as good as he is in no time. I'll be teaching him how to airbrush though so perhaps that'll get him back into the swing of things.

Thanks, and i have been getting better but i guess i cant compare myself to your so since I've only been painting for about 2 week's.

 Gitsplitta wrote:


When I first started fiddling with the Necrons, there wasn't a lot on Dakka that was truly unique (neither is mine so I'm not casting stones), but as time has gone on some really spectacular color schemes and designs have started to appear in the dakka gallery. So take a look around and see what kind of inspiration you find!

Actually, It's not the models that inspired me to start the army, the other night as I was falling asleep, an image of a battered orange and silver tomb spyder filled my mind. The scheme looked great so the next day I painted up a scarab I had lying around. I must say, it's excited me greatly.

I've seen an orange-based Scythe in the gallery that's just phenomenal... so I think you're on the right track. Never argue with inspiration that comes through dreams.

Oh really? If you happened apon it, could you send me a link please?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/gallery/380415-scythe%20scheme%201.html

Was it this one?

Yes. It provided some inspiration for what I'm going to do with mine, though mine will be far less busy. I think the Scythe is perfectly set up for a 2 or 3 color pattern... 5 is pushing it a bit. I think his(?) design would have been better served by carrying the orange through on the areas painted pale yellow. That said, I still think it's a great paint job.

I really like the way the wings are done, I think I may copy that. Thanks for getting me onto that.

Glad to be of service!


Well, spent my early morning (the only time I have to paint recently) getting Scythe #2 caught up with Scythe #1. I'm trying to sort out at what dilution the Sepia will flow correctly across a large, flat surface. I'm thinking not too much... 3:1 paint to water seems to do the job while still leaving you enough pigment. If you're washing anything smaller, you can go with straight Sepia... but on the Scythes I think you have to dilute it to prevent it from streaking.

Have you ever tried to airbrush with a wash? I've always wondered if that would work and if it would increase or reduce pooling.

 Foolish_Hyena wrote:
Have you ever tried to airbrush with a wash? I've always wondered if that would work and if it would increase or reduce pooling.

I recently tried this and it was a disater. The coverage was nice and even but the wash no longer pooled in the low spots so it was more of a *tint* than a wash.

This would not have been bad but the accelerated drying process caused my base coat to swell and bubble creating a textured surface.

Unless I'm missing something I highly reccomend against this. A larger brush is the answer to washing larger surfaces and making them smooth

I've also done this and had a similar experience to logg_frogg. A tint is not necessarily a bad thing, especially in this case.. HOWEVER... spraying and clean up was a real mess. The wash tends to form a patina layer very quickly in the airbrush and can much things up very quickly. You spend a lot of time cleaning vs. painting... much more than usual.

Just a small update. As I've been tying up loose ends around the painting desk. As I've been converting things over to steampunkishness I just made a slight alteration of the warriors... repainted the hose looking things on the guns from green to copper and added some copper in the entrails of each Necron (which probably isn't visible).



As I'll be playing these Necrons in a tourney in a few weeks... expect a flurry of activity soon. Need to finish the flyers, paint up a squad of immortals and a couple of crypteks.

lol I love your probably isn't visible updates Gits.

They do look very nice though.

Yes, well... I've gotten lazy. One photograph is good enough. Especially for these guys who aren't painted to a very high standard... just enough to look nice. Nearly 40 warriors done, just have a handful to tweak and they'll be all set.

Horde armies are a menace. Still, I mean, you could be painting orks or something

Whew ! Got caught up on your blog finally LOL! Your Necron WIP is looking good and to your comment "Yes, well... I've gotten lazy. One photograph is good enough. Especially for these guys who aren't painted to a very high standard... just enough to look nice. Nearly 40 warriors done, just have a handful to tweak and they'll be all set."

Your army looks very good and very good tabletop quality! He'll I think people spend too much time making every figure awsome that by the time they are close to done there is another 40k edition is out ! Don't get me wrong I use to be that way but now concentrate on sargents,hero's and HQ now to spend more time on and troop choice just a basic tabletop level.
Sorry for the blabbing

Keep up the great work Gitz.

Thanks GDO, they're coming along. Will post some more work on the flyers soon.

Interested in what you're doing. Going to have a proper read so I'm setting up my subscription. Your original post struck a chord with me. I ended up getting my little bro into GW (there's 11 years between us) and my son is only 2 1/2 but whenever I'm looking at WD and the codices or inspecting my armies, he comes up, craning to get in close, going 'cooool!'

Well, a lot of the marine work is his... the necrons have been my baby (for him) as it's a lot of air brushing, but he's interested in learning that too. So one day he might pick that up as well.

Started making a little progress on the Night Scythe again. Got the edges done and some detail on the guns (still more to do there). I might add some detail to the blacked out edges eventually, but for now I like the contrast from the gold to the flat black, so we'll keep it simple.

Got my marching orders from #1 Son on how he wants the blue added. I must admit it's not the design I would choose, but it's his Scythe so I'll follow his wishes (I'm sure it'll be fine).



Have a tournament in a couple of weeks that I want to play this army in, so I'm trying to get the last of the painting done. I think it's a pretty good list... and lets face it, making a good Necron list is not difficult at the moment.

The underside of that looks beautful; crisp and menacing. Maybe, just maybe, tone down the copper pipes a smidge.

I think it's the flash... doesn't jump out that much in RL... but I will take a look at it and maybe give it another wash. I just want to make sure it stands out as copper amongst all that gold.

Made some good progress tonight. Blue is going on. Hope to have a decent update for you tomorrow.

OK folks... here's WIP 9. Kind of a WIP's WIP. Thing 1 asked for the scheme to the left... not what I would have chosen & I'll go as far to say I was a bit disappointed as I'd had a specific thing in mind for quite some time. However... his toy, his scheme. We both looked at it afterwords and agreed that it was lacking. So I made a few suggestions and the result in the right half of the Scythe. Not too bad.



Still lots to do. Haven't done much on the underside yet. Luckily it's simpler with fewer electrical diagram lines.

Well done! I really like the color scheme. Reminds me of a Egyptian Pharaoh .

Thanks madmartykmf!

OK, blue is blocked out. Now for the fancy stuff... highlights and wash.

Blue air brushed or hand painted.. I actually like the design

Hand painted. No way I'd get a pattern this tight with an airbrush. The chipping is going to be tricky... might have to combine sponge and brush work in order to avoid messing up the gold.

I need to get crackin' on these... the 20th is approaching quickly and I still have to do 10 immortals and a cryptek.



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Next step... blue is highlighted and washed with slightly dilute blue ink.



Getting close now, I can taste it! On to the chipping!!



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Things go rather quickly now. First chipping layer... Tin Bitz with a sponge. Also painted the lenses in front of the driver & his eyes.

The start of the chipping effect is looking great! I can never tell where your paint jobs are going, was wondering about the stark contrast between the gold and blue, but that brings them together nicely.

Finally done. I thought I'd post the whole process in one go before posting the final pics.

Built:


Primed black:


First coat of color - Vallejo Air "rust":


First highlight (45 degree angle) - Vallejo Air "gold":


Second highlight (15 degree angle) - Vallejo Air "gold", newer formulation with more silver:


First wash - 2:1 diluted Sepia:


Second wash - 1:1 diluted Biel-Tan Green:


Random dry brush with GW "dwarf bronze":


Third wash - Sepia (usually not necessary but with the big flat surfaces on the Scythe things had gotten much too green):


Paint details as your muse dictates:


Block out turquoise:


Edge highlight and 2:1 turquoise blue wash (P3):


First sponge weathering - "tin bitz":


Second sponge weathering - "dwarf bronze" and finish remaining detail:



All done!



There are a hundred little things I could continue to paint, but since a lot of folks like the look of the gold by itself, I decided to keep it on the simple side. Hope you like it.

That's a lot of steps! Dwarf Bronze and Tin Bitz for the weathering are OOP GW paints, right... do you have a stockpile, or an equivalent source? I also use those (for my basing) and have been wondering how I'll get more eventually... maybe ebay

The final product looks great, and seeing the steps it took to get there is awesome!

Gits... your idea of 'simple' astounds me.

Simply awesome, Gits... simply awesome.

Thanks guys.

@RiTides: I have no idea what I'm going to do when I run out. Vallejo makes equivalents to most of the GW colors, I suppose I'll go there first if I can't find them from another source.

@Anpu: Well, "simple" in that the techniques used aren't very difficult. Broad airbrushes, washes and dry-brushes w/ some simple sponging at the end. Total effect works pretty well together though... at least it seems that way to me.

looks great gits! i really enjoy the warm colors, tho i wish you didnt chip it, i loved the overly done and clean look of the blue. It still looks great in the end never the less! many props to your hands with a brush

@Ritides - http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m2320032a_Citadel_Conversion_Chart

This has all the new paint names that were old paints with changes. I haven't seen that much change in the dwarf bronze and Tin bitz.

Awesome, love the way you showed every step at once.

Kudos to Thing 1 on the blue placement!

@cormanda: Well, the rest of the blue in the army is all chipped, so I needed to continue it in order to be consistent.

@harklyn: Thanks! That's very useful.

@Vit: Well, it'd gotten spread out and since it's such a fiddly process I thought it best to re-post all in one go. I was skeptical... but he did all-right. The only thing that really bothers me is the head... with those tiny little eyes it just doesn't look good. I may go back and see if there are face plates that I can paint blue, which would give the pilot a bit of something to help focus the center of the model as well as helping with the eye thing.

Yeah that might be an idea, i didnt even notice it had a head

It's my personal opinion, but the Living Metal rule in the codex is my excuse to never having to show battle damage on my vehicles.
Once again, Gits... Thing 1 is a lucky boy. Is he playing in the tourney your mentioned?

Actually *I* am playing in the tourney. I figure it's tough to coach him up on how to use his army if I don't know how to do it myself. Besides... I want to show it off a bit.

I'm not sure that I'm really considering the "chipping" as battle damage... or even as damage really. May just be the type of stone that the Necrons use as part of their construction... has metal inclusions like quartz can for instance. Originally it started as damage (more wear than battle scarring), but I think my opinion of it is evolving as time goes on. Perhaps it's the metal elements in the blue stone that allow it to resist damage? Anyway... it's an artsy-fartsy decision & not rule based.

I did find a couple of raised plates on the head that I just painted blue and gave the treatment to. Looks better now. I still don't like the sculpt of the eyes & if I were going to make more of these I'd find a different head to use instead of the one provided.

Another Awesome peice of work!

Good Show!

SL

One more to finish off and I'll be in good shape.

Beautiful, just beautiful Gits...

The Scythe looks awesome Gits! Im still in love with the scheme- the turquoise is perfect.

If I might make a recommendation on Tin Bitz replacements....
The new GW color "Warplock Bronze" is supposed to be a replacement for it, but I find it severely lacking. Firstly, the color is just a little redder and brighter than the original. This I dont mind much, but its something to watch out for if youre concerned about exact matches. Secondly, and more importantly, the new paint is insanely thin, even after stirring, shaking, etc to make sure it was blended. The metal flakes settle out far too fast for my liking and even over a plain black surface it takes multiple coats to get an even color.
I recommend Vallejo Game Color Tinny Tin as a replacement. Its just about identical to Tin Bitz and the coverage is excellent!

Note that this is all just my experience, ymmv.

Excellent advice Ramos, thank you. My FLGS has got a good supply of a variety of different paint manufacturers including Vallejo, I'll give it a look.

Thanks for this, I havent yet decided if i am doing green gold or a purple gold, but i really wanted to know the technique you used you really do make it sound simple enough, have to dig out my old air brush and compressor and order the paints i need, and give it a crack. MY scheme will look nothing like yours i think, but the gold parts may well do....I must admit your Necrons really do look nice, one of the first things i noticed when i came back.

Thanks Baron. I look forward to seeing what you come up with. Once I finish off this particular 1750 pt army, they'll be due for another army shot. Then I think I'll be able to put them down for a while and concentrate on some other projects that have been languishing too long. Still more stuff to paint... but it can wait a while.

Second Scythe is complete!

They will fit in really well with the rest of the army! Great paint job again Gits.

They are looking very nice Git's, I think Thing 1 got it spot on by suggesting the blue it breaks up the gold nicely..

Mmmmm Croissants

Necron Croissants! Golden crispy! Humanity is history!

Next up... 10 Immortals and a cryptek. All purchased used... a bit sloppily assembled and not deflashed. Working my way through them now. Hope to start the airbrushing tomorrow. This is going to be close!

Necroissants, surely? Good job man. I am really impressed how similar they look, which I feel is always vital for the genercism of Crons.

Actually the croissant comment IS pretty funny. I remember a pic I saw on dakka with a couple of said pastries on flying stands that I thought was hilarious. I tried to get you guys a whole army shot but I was very unsatisfied with the results. When I get the immortals done I'll try again.

The painting system I use for the Necrons is very formulaic... so it's no surprise they look quite similar.

This project really has turned out well. I'm looking forward to the next few minis so we can all see the group shot.

Finished pair look stunning together. I'm a big fan of the weathered gold you got on these

Got the gold done on the infantry. And now for a few words from our sponsor... er, alter-ego.


I 'ad de "argh-teeste" wip out anudder tutorial ta go along wif da vehicle one so youz can see 'ow it looks wif da boyz.

1. Prime black (not shown).

2. Getz da paintz.



3. Ehr-brush wif Rust.



4. 30 degree-ish ehr-brush wif Gold (da actual gold kind).



5. Top down (0 degree) ehr-brush wif Gold (da not-so actual gold kind) for da eye-lites.



6. Full strength Seraphim Sepia warsh.



7. 2/3 strength Biel-Tan Green warsh.



Dat's it! Nuffin' to it! Me boyz 'z gunna take deez shiny boyz 'n make 'em inta BBQ grillz fer da 'arrg-vest festiv'l.

- Gits



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And because I'm on a roll (and the football game is still on)... got the spines done!





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Whew! Got even more done... but I'll save the pic for tomorrow night. Hope to have everything done save for the blue by then. Runnin' out of time but still on track...

Thanks for the step by step Gits, I may not own an airbrush yet but I like the idea that I could batch paint a force pretty darn quick!

Oh, and I love the difference that the steel spines make, are you going to do the pipes leading to the guns in copper?

"OY... youz gitz pay attenshun to dis 'ere Black Klaw 'ere! Regaler "Profit o' da Necro Waaaagh" e is. Knows me plans a'fore I do em. Good on yer mate. Youz c'n run wif me nobs whenever yer wantz. Now, back ta fancy-pants...."


Thanks Gits.

OK, long night of *really boring* painting trying to get all the details done. Getting closer... but not done yet. I think just the tessla effect on the guns, they eyes and the metal flakes in the blue and I'll call 'em good. OH, and the proper bases of course... these are just for painting. Here's a couple of close-up shots so you can see how things are progressing. These guys are little more greenish than I generally shoot for, but they're in the range of acceptable colors. The cryptek's got a ways to go yet... but he's coming along too.

I really like them, although the poses make me think of an 80s rock band for some reason

Haha! Called it!

Looking good Gits, keep up the good work

@graven: "Guns and Roses"??

I did some work on the cryptek before knocking off last night. Gem and orb of his staff are done, head is now silver, loin cloth is blue. He looks a lot closer to being done now. Also did some preliminary work on the bases.

Thanks for commenting guys!

Looking great! And quick too.

Ive been meaning to ask: What's the Copper paint you use?

GW dwarf bronze, vellejo air copper highlight, ogre flesh wash.

More axle rod than axl rose

Given the predominant color of the staff... Perhaps "Ruby Rod" would be appropriate?

This post brought to you by Gemini Croquettes.

Ruby rod? as in 5th element?

Yes indeedie.

Well, they're done save for the eyeballs. Going to let everything dry overnight and finish up tomorrow. Expect pics then.

Gits


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Finished before heading off to work this AM! All they need is a coat of varnish and the water effects. I'll have a pic some time tonight.

Necron lords of rock? Someone has to get on that.

Wow... 50 pages. Who'd a thunk it?

To celebrate... we have the completed Immortals unit. Have been having some great side-bar conversations with Major Tom about how to improve the look of my Necrons. For now, these guys will stand pat, but I'll be experimenting with some of Tom's suggestions on some crypteks and lords that are as yet unpainted.



I'm going to have to adjust my tutorials some. These were much too green as were the flyers. I fixed them up nicely with a Orge Flesh wash... but it was an extra step I shouldn't have needed. Think I know what's going on though and I think I've found a remedy. Time will tell.




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OK, water effects are in. The $64,000 question is whether they will be dry by Saturday. I think so... but it's always a bit nerve-wracking.

monkeytroll wrote: Necron lords of rock? Someone has to get on that.

I'll do the Iggy Pop one... he's always looked like a skeleton anyway.

Immortals look great, Gits.

Thanks Anpu.

Botched the water effects on an old cryptek & now he'll need to be re-based... but the new cryptek and immortals turned out fine. You kind of need it with these resin bases as just dropping them usually knocks the figures off the base (no room for a pin in a Necron foot). The water effects help hold everything together as I usually submerge at least 1 foot in the water.

Looking Flash Gits

So other than letting everything dry do you have anything else to complete?

Oh, and congrats on the 50 pages!

Now that I'm on my computer rather than my phone...

The thing I love about my son's Necron army is that it's not endless like the rest of my armies.

We have the following:

- Trazyn the Infinate (mostly done)
- 1 lord
- 2 crypteks
- 1 barge
- 1 ark
- 1 C-tan (partially painted)
- 1 box of Lychguard
- 1 spyder
- some warriors
- one destroyer
- 3 heavy destroyers

I guess the ark and the Lychguard are probably my top priority as well as finishing up Trazyn. Barge and courtiers next. Lastly the destroyers (meh), the spyder and warriors as he already has a ton of them. Actually, I might finish the C'tan fairly quickly... just because he has no finished elites at this point.




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I know you guys have been clamoring for this due to all the comments demanding moar Necrons!

Army shot... current level points out to 3400 pts.

Love the fades on the turq on the monoliths. Bee-autiful.

Thanks graven. That's the "old" paining style that I started with. I occasionally think that I should re-paint the blue on them to bring them up to date with the rest of the army... but I haven't convinced myself that it'd be worth the effort. Besides the gold doesn't really match either... so seeing as they're both distinct, they're probably OK the way they are (that's my excuse anyway).

Now you just need to find a opponent that has 3400 pt's of "want's to tests their Metal" and get it on!

Nah... big games are too confusing and too long. By pure points value, the most I could field at one time is 2710 (wargear non-withstanding). It wouldn't be a particularly effective army, but at the moment that's my highest point value version (that's proxying the Tomb Stalker as a Triarch Stalker).

We have a decided lack of elites, which is limiting our ultimate FOC usage. The Lychguard will address that to some degree... and we do have an old C'tan that I could finish up... but there's room there for something neat in the future. I'm not *real* excited about the necron elites... though I know there are some good units in there. So expensive though. Maybe a squad of deathmarks would do.


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So... I got a bee in my bonnet. Not a great job, but a passable one. I'm pretty chuffed that the base turned out so well. I tried to make it look like my skull swamp resin bases (even though I didn't have any in the right size) and I think it turned out decently enough. I couldn't do the water effects, so I painted it the same and then put a coat of gloss varnish on to simulate the shine of the water effects. On the table I think it'll mix in OK. I did his scythe in gold so it echoed the style of the rest of the army.

Most importantly we now have an Elite... albeit not a particularly good one.

Ah, missed the nightbringer due to Auto append, me likey!

Wow, he's looking bad-as! The only thing is that from the pic, the gold looks a little flat, which I suspect is the angle of the shot. Could we get another view, pretty please with a monolith on top?

OK, is this any better?



The gold on the scythe should be the same (or very close) to the gold I do on the rest of the army. Unfortunately the scythe itself isn't very defined... just kind of a scythe shaped blob. Thing 1 wanted the entire blade to be silver/steel colored but because I couldn't find a natural way to make the differentiation between blade and handle I just put a silver cutting edge on it instead.

Pretty cool, that second pic shows the washes on the gold better for sure. I see what you mean about the actual scythe itself though, it is just a shape really, never noticed that before.

edit: Oh, and Anpu - I reckon that's your Iggy Pop right there

Gits,
I don't know if I agree with you about C'Tan being bad. It's a whole lot easier for MC's to get cover saves now and the grenades+stealth ability is much better than it was in 5th. I wish I had a one to try out!

Hmmm.... I'll have to put some thought into it then. Any ideas on a good configuration?

To be honest, I hadn't put much thought into it. Stealth is a requirement, though. Gaze is tempting, but expensive. So is Transdimensional Thunderbolt, but I think that I'd go with Lord of Fire just to keep things cheap. I'd use them either as the spearhead or as a counter charge unit. Either way, keep them in ruins if possible. They'd also have grenades if it assaults or gets assaulted plus ignoring terrain during movement makes them the best at fighting in ruins, etc. causing fear is a nice bonus too.

Don't forget that it can toss grenades, is fearless, and causes fear!

I wouldn't be surprised if C'Tan Shards get re-costed and the option to take wings at some point in the future (probably in about 3-5 years when Necrons are where Tau are now).

Gits, that gold is..... awesome! I love it on your troops and i love it for the scythe! really nicely done dude! I think this Cron army is perhaps one of my favorite painted forces i've seen for them!

@Anpu: I'll give it a go and see how it works, thanks!

@Nerdfest: Thanks my friend. I've become quite fond of them as well. Still need to re-base some of those scarabs, but all-in-all I'm quite satisfied.

I concur - in that picture the gold is far better!

Oh, just realized one more thing! It's a character, so it can target specific models when it rolls a 6... very nice altogether.

Nightbringer is looking great, Gits!

A themed (albiet expensive) build for the Nightbringer would be Trandimensional Thunderbolt and Gaze of Death.
It's also a great build, too.
Squad you're about to charge has a powerfist, snipe it with lightning. In combat with a horde? After everyone is finished hitting eachother with sticks, turn them to ash and rgain health!

Dammit, now I need to go get me a Nightbringer... He always was my favourite C'Tan in the old dex...

Very cool! Thanks for the ideas guys, I'll have to give it a try.

Well, aired out the Necrons vs. wyomingfox's nids. We were supposed to quite at 5 PM, at which time I was winning... but we played another turn (turn 5), at which point I was still winning. Then I HAD to go but he whined until I let him do his movement phase of of turn 6 (he went first), where he would have won... however we never rolled for turn 6, so it might not have actually happened. So I figure I won at our supposed quitting time *and* the last "official" turn, while he won one in the unofficial extra innings... so I'm claiming victory SteamCrons!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Gits,
Battle report coming or do we need to pump you for details?

Nah, no pictures. In essence I'd badly misplayed the first turn, getting my C'tan shard and a barge killed for no good reason... then spent the rest of the game killing gaunts. I only actually killed one figure that wasn't a gaunt-type (one hive guard) the whole game. There was heavy cover so nearly everything had a cover save (typically improved by darkness or going to ground), augmented by 4 psychers who were just juicing the hell out of everything. It was pretty ridiculous. Add 6 hive guard who ignore LOS, cover, night fighting, you name it... two Tyrants, two Tervigons... I just tessla'd the crap out of everything and tried to survive. Luckily for me one of the Tervi's dried up early so in the end, wyfox was a bit short of scoring units even though he was closing in on my line with giant monsters that I couldn't stop & that kept regenerating their wounds.

I did one smart thing, put an objective in his back-field (we were playing short edges... thank God) that rolled-out as a higher point one. Then on turn 4 I zoomed a Night Scythe back there & deposited a warrior squad who knocked out the gaunts who were holding it & took it over. Other than that... my performance as a general was pretty unremarkable.

Wyfox sure has figured out the whole "synergy" and psychic powers thing with his nids though... holy crap... they're like an army of neigh-unkillable, jacked-up super soldiers coming at you.
My army was prettier though... and we all know that's what REALLY matters!


I continue to be impressed with the Necron dex. Even in the hands of a tactical numbskull like myself, I can put up a good fight with it. The flyers are stupid good but the rest (of my build at least) is pretty balanced though definitely powerful. I could see where if you had a tendency to roll a lot of 6s... you're opponent would really feel cheesed upon. Generally, I don't... so while I definitely get the benefit of the tessla and say, Imhotek's lightning... it's rarely a game breaker. It is however, enough to keep me in games in spite of tactical errors, etc. (which as a bad gamer, I appreciate).

I can see the humour at the sitting squad in the backyard, holding the objective while the rest of the army was getting chewed... Pretty good !!!

And your army is outstanding... The airbrush definitely helped you increasing your painting rate !!!

(Yeah, I know... It did that to me too )

for the Immortals unit, they're pretty scary !!

Well, the funny bit was that I was in HIS backyard, not mine. I let the wave of nids advance beyond the middle of the table, then shot a flyer across his lines to deposit a squad on the objective. Still, getting wiped was inevitable... I was just trying to survive long enough for the game to end.

Have to agree with you whole-heartedly about the Immortals. I really like the look of those models. I mean more than my paint job, they're just great models. Really substantial looking.

 Gitsplitta wrote:
Well, the funny bit was that I was in HIS backyard, not mine.

Yeah, I had got that, that's what was funny !!!

Have to agree with you whole-heartedly about the Immortals. I really like the look of those models. I mean more than my paint job, they're just great models. Really substantial looking.

Well, I have seen some friend's UNPAINTED Immortals, and they're much less striking than yours

Well yes... mine ARE quite spiffy!