Hi All,

I have been converted to the greater good and have sorted out my list to 1500pts.

The concept behind the army is a Third Sphere army surging outwards recapturing the worlds and outposts that were lost during the Damocles Crusade. This will be lead by Commander Shadowstorm (One of Shadowsun's lost sisters) and as a newly replenished army will have all the neat toys plus Auxiliaries.
I really like the colour scheme for Shadowsun so the entire army will be done as such.

Here is the first finished tester that I am finally happy with.
I purchased a box of GW jungle plants back when the Lustria campaign was on, so now is a good opportunity to use them.




Any comments, suggestions, criticism are welcome!

Lovely work - puts my Tau to shame...

(mind you, anything with paint on would put my Tau to shame.... )

Absolutely fantastic base and a very good start overall!! Can't wait to see more, much more that is.

Love the scheme! Just like the Shadowsun model!

Indeed, the base does look very nice. Do you have a board to match?

I really like the yellow detailing on the white. And the white is nicely done as well.

Will be watching ^_^.

love the colour scheme, very nice crisp painting.

Saw these over on the warhammer forum and got to say again, its a lovely job. Tau in white armour are particularly striking!

Keep up the good work.

Cheers,

Dante

Love it! Very crisp and neat paint job, lovely white color. Share the technique?

Almost finished my first test Kroot. Good fun to paint.
Even sculpted my first feather.
He still has a few bits i need to finish up - Base, woodgrain on the gunstock, etc


I am not happy with the 'gore/sand' on the blades, probably scrape it off and use greenstuff instead

Been working on a Devilfish, superdetailing the interior and adding magnets.

Here is the WIP converting

So you can see the interior detail, the right side plate will be detachable using magnets.


Working rear access door

Working side doors

Interior details - Hand rail w. straps, grenades, bonding knife etc
Going to add pulse rifles and other items (helmets and the like...) before painting.

WOW and WOW.

I love the hammerhead. How do you paint you Fire Warriors.

Arran

So the Dfish is 95% done, been working on it listening to the cricket.
Just the Base and Decoy Launchers left to do.








Detachable side

Spacious AND Functional

Very cool. The paintjob is very crisp and fitting and the detachables are way cool. Nicely done.

Very smooth and crisp. I really dig this colourscheme. Have you thought about some slight weathering as a to show off the clean paintjob even more?

Amazing work, the interior detail on the devilfish is outstanding!

I'm sure you, like me, often find yourself stressing over some minute detail and asking yourself "will anyone ever see this besides me?"

Thankfully the forums allow us to show off our work from every angle, and yours stands up very well.

Beautiful and clean painting.

The devilfish could benefit from some very limited weathering as has been said before.

I really like your jungle bases, are you going to paint those leaves?

All together really nice and characterful minis.

Gorgeous work on the devilfish! I´m liking the interior details.

As others have stated previously, your painting style is very clean and crisp.

Although, I had this image in my head all of a sudden...

"Welcome aboard the Tau Devilfish Busline. Please hold on to the handrails during takeoff and landing, and keep your hands, feet, and kroot away from the exits when they are closing..... Mind the gap."

Sp0n wrote:Very smooth and crisp. I really dig this colourscheme. Have you thought about some slight weathering as a to show off the clean paintjob even more?

Thanks!

Weathering. Had not thought of that. Where and how? I have not much exp doing weathering...
Anybody got links for a how to?
Im thinking just on the engines etc...

Flachzange wrote:Very cool. The paintjob is very crisp and fitting and the detachables are way cool. Nicely done.

Cheers.

YojimboJones wrote:Amazing work, the interior detail on the devilfish is outstanding!

I'm sure you, like me, often find yourself stressing over some minute detail and asking yourself "will anyone ever see this besides me?"

Thankfully the forums allow us to show off our work from every angle, and yours stands up very well.

Yep, I like the extra mile.

Metsuri wrote:Beautiful and clean painting.

The devilfish could benefit from some very limited weathering as has been said before.

I really like your jungle bases, are you going to paint those leaves?

All together really nice and characterful minis.

Agree on the weathering. Not going to paint the leaves, I really love the colouring they come with.
Will be giving the models a matte varnish which should kill the shine on them.

Xanthos wrote:Gorgeous work on the devilfish! I´m liking the interior details.

As others have stated previously, your painting style is very clean and crisp.

Although, I had this image in my head all of a sudden...

"Welcome aboard the Tau Devilfish Busline. Please hold on to the handrails during takeoff and landing, and keep your hands, feet, and kroot away from the exits when they are closing..... Mind the gap."

Lol,
I would love to see a city bus with Flechette Dischargers and a Disruption Pod!

Probably feel nice and safe!


Also
Decided late last week to enter something in Golden Demon NZ.
Figured it was time I truly sorted out my Basing scheme for this army.

So here it is...

Wow, those are beautifully crisp I take it you are working from a white undercoat?

Aquila

Love the paint jobs. Almost the same color scheme as my friend, only he used red markings instead of the tan. What method did you use to hinge the doors? Thinking about starting up a Tau army myself, and would like to do that as well.

nice tau stuff.

you know, the one thing i love about tau is how easy thier tanks fit together. for the life of me i always seem to get gaps every time i build a rhino...

Aquila wrote:Wow, those are beautifully crisp I take it you are working from a white undercoat?

Aquila

Yep, I originally tried to build up from a black undercoat up through grey to white, but it looked rubbish and tookan age.

Aduro wrote:Love the paint jobs. Almost the same color scheme as my friend, only he used red markings instead of the tan. What method did you use to hinge the doors? Thinking about starting up a Tau army myself, and would like to do that as well.

The side doors are pinned to make hinges. Just extended the pin vice drill bit out a far as poss and layed it against the hull. Slowly drilled out both the hinge and the door tab. Then carefully added glue to the door only, slipped the paperclip in and wholia!

lord marcus wrote:nice tau stuff.

you know, the one thing i love about tau is how easy thier tanks fit together. for the life of me i always seem to get gaps every time i build a rhino...

Lol, this one was kinda warped, had to rip out the rubberbands to get it together...

Like I said before, I really like the scheme. The white and tan really does make an eye catchin army when done correctly.

I especially like the banner dude, very cool idea and your bases. The effort you put into those is very well worth it and that grass/leaf stuff really make them look awesome. Works good with the white armour as well.

great painting, I like the lenses (yeah, its cos I suck at painting tthem) and the little bar-thing on the backpack

The banner looks really cool! I didn't think it would be fitting for the Tau but you really managed to make it look good! Kind of reminds me of some WWII Japanese diorama or something.

Pyro_Falcon wrote:great painting, I like the lenses (yeah, its cos I suck at painting tthem) and the little bar-thing on the backpack

I have to second that praise on the backpack. When I saw it my first thought was "unlicensed nuclear accelerator". My second was "must
copy".

Very nice painting. I really like the interior for the Devil fish, cosy. Hehe. Yeah, hope you paint more soon

Simple, elegant, perfect.

Excellent job

First Crisis Battlesuit finished - Fireknife Pattern

The extra details are cool, the crisp white paint and black lines are swank, but I don't like the angle of the one leg sticking out to the side. It looks awkward and unnatural to me.

i second aduro

Make that a third.

Fair Enough, But its a bit late to change him so will stay as is...

Broadside #1

Manga inspired Head

Armour Plating


Advanced Stabilisation System

ASS Gyroscope

SMS

Legs, Converted using Burstcannons

Sirath wrote:Fair Enough, But its a bit late to change him so will stay as is...

No! I say you must change him, so crack him apart, strip him down, and start over! My Word Is Law!

Sirath wrote:Broadside #1

Interesting assortment of parts. I'm curious to see how it all fits together. Especially that swank little gyroscope you made.

I have to agree on the leg angle comment.

Beautiful work.

Very nice detail on your painting. Your conversons are great, and I like that you are looking to do more than switch a head or an arm. This will be an awesome army to see on the tabletop when it is done. That head on a base would actually make a decent objective as some kind of sensor drone.

Meph

You continue with an awesomely crisp clean styling, with some really great conversion work that fits VERY well with the tau theme. Very impressed with this project.

Broadside Wip

That army is damn pretty. I like everything about it, even the leg. Its sad that the broadside gun is warped when you paint them so nice.

Fantastic.

EDIT the Gyro is flippin cool.

Shaman wrote:That army is damn pretty. I like everything about it, even the leg. Its sad that the broadside gun is warped when you paint them so nice.

Fantastic.

EDIT the Gyro is flippin cool.

Thanks,
Yeah, i would like to change the leg but the plastic glue has fused the pieces together...
Stupid warping, hopefully it is not detracting from the finished product.

I stole the idea of the Gyroscope from the GW website. Then improved on it.

Looking awesome.
My only critisism would be to paint the plants.
They just look odd with such a different finnish and level of detail!

I love it ! Are those aquarium plants ?

Where are you getting that circle tau sept symbol that you added to the chests of your first suits.

Alex Kolodotschko wrote:Looking awesome.
My only critisism would be to paint the plants.
They just look odd with such a different finnish and level of detail!

Thanks Alex,
Yep, This has been suggested before. I have experimented with painting the plants but it just looks poor.
I honestly do not see the issue with the unpainted plants, they are really nice colour.

Captain Engelhardt wrote:I love it ! Are those aquarium plants ?

They are 'Jungle Plants' released by GW for the Lustria Campaign

Ghost in the Darkness wrote:Where are you getting that circle tau sept symbol that you added to the chests of your first suits.

It is simply the FW shoulder pad symbol cut out.

Oh and BTW,

I have ripped the Crisis Suit off his base and removed his left leg.
I will reposition him and then post some photos so you guys can decide if it works better...

Cheers

You know, I do not know how I missed these but they are AMAZING. Lovely lovely tau there.

I wouldn't worry too much about the leg.

It's probably all mechanical anyways, it doesn't have to bend like a person's leg would.

::EDIT:: Wait, is it mechanical? I can't remember how big a battlesuit is compared to a tau's body.

Okay,
I was considering how to best represent Tau vehicle upgrades. The most common of which is the ever-handy Disruption Pod.
As Tau like aquatic aesthetics to their designs and naming conventions. [Hammerhead, Tetra, Manta, etc] The obvious leap was they would also model the defensive wargear to match aquatic structural adaptations.

This was the inspiration;


This is the concept in progress;






- I wanted a 'pod' structure, so both ends are rounded.
- It is constructed from a Shield Gen base, with plate from a Shield Drone as the top 'dome'
- This is connected by a barrel from a Sniper Drone Rail Rifle, then the cylinders from a Plasma Rifle.
- Finally the 'Spines' are paper clips.
- Plus a magnet to attach it to the Vehicle


Next part will be to paint it, going to try white on the 'domes' with Black on the rifle, gold accent on the cylinders and spines.

WoW Sirath! Everything looks great! While crazy paint jobs are the many, it's nice to see a clean scheme executed so well.

Keep up the great work!

@LBursley - Thank you for the compliment, appreciated.

Not 100% happy with how the disruption pod turned out.
So I made a new version;



Think it works better.

This thread is awesome. It's rare to see anyone put this much love into tau; Well done!

Awesome tau the tau player I play paint very bad which makes me feel better about killing them.

Don't care for the pod myself by itself. The fact you're posting pictures of it instead of an assembled Broadside makes me hate it all the more.

They are very outstanding Tau!

Sirath wrote:First Crisis Battlesuit finished - Fireknife Pattern

ok, you officially made me a Tau fan again!

holy crap those are some of the nicest and crispest minis ive ever seen. none are over done too. very nice work
and onto a more orky perspective, nicely painted tau reminds of how good they taste after a good WAAAAGGHH!

Hey,
Thanks for the feedback
Here is another concept-tester piece for an Auxiliary unit.
Based upon Sebastian Stuart's Naga from WD
Will 'count-as' a Kroot unit.

Sirath wrote:Hey,
Thanks for the feedback
Here is another concept-tester piece for an Auxiliary unit.
Based upon Sebastian Stuart's Naga from WD
Will 'count-as' a Kroot unit.

Well, you got me convinced and I believe that is gonna look great.
I like the much bulkier look of these guys compared to the kroot. The technologified tau look works nicely as well.
Im looking forward to seeing a squad of these.

Really nice work so far! And ontop of that, really superb use of parts!
About the naga, it is very fitting for a kroot - really subtle conversionwork but the big gun and antennae do underline the scifi aspects quite well.
I was just thinking of this 5 minutes ago when I was replying to people about my Slann conversion (http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/225167.page)
A few ideas that were thrown at me there was using Kroxigors as kroot-ox and the new stegadon as a great knarloc - since you seem to be very creative and talented, I tought Idd share those ideas, maybe they would see light of day faster in your hands than mine?

Hey

Love them all!

Especially the clean lines for the Tau - suits them very well. Love the interior of the ship.

Excellent.

How did you get such a good white i'm jealous.

your army makes me want to blow the top of my head off with a high-calibre hand gun.

sphynx wrote:your army makes me want to blow the top of my head off with a high-calibre hand gun.

i tried, but the gun just melted from all the awesome coming off of the screen.

please excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor

What really makes the models, are the bases. Great work!

Fantastic Job! A pleasure to look at.
I second the weathering comment. A few streaks of oil and soot on the engines/ exhausts will add realism.
But not to worry if it's not your bag. They look great as is.

Flachzange wrote:
Well, you got me convinced and I believe that is gonna look great.
I like the much bulkier look of these guys compared to the kroot. The technologified tau look works nicely as well.
Im looking forward to seeing a squad of these.

Thanks, I wasn't certain he would come together so well. Real happy with the results. Can't wait to convert some Nicassar next...

Innom wrote:Really nice work so far! And ontop of that, really superb use of parts!
About the naga, it is very fitting for a kroot - really subtle conversionwork but the big gun and antennae do underline the scifi aspects quite well.
I was just thinking of this 5 minutes ago when I was replying to people about my Slann conversion (http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/225167.page)
A few ideas that were thrown at me there was using Kroxigors as kroot-ox and the new stegadon as a great knarloc - since you seem to be very creative and talented, I tought Idd share those ideas, maybe they would see light of day faster in your hands than mine?

Lol, Thats awesome. I think the Skinks work really well as Fire Warriors.
I thought about either Kroxigors or Salamanders for the Kroot Ox. Probably will take me just as long as you Innom, I dont have any in my list [they are far to points-pricey]

tallmantim wrote:He

Love them all!

Especially the clean lines for the Tau - suits them very well. Love the interior of the ship.

Excellent.

Thanks

yermom wrote:How did you get such a good white i'm jealous.

Cheers Mate,

It is;

Skull White Under Coat x 2
P3 Morrow White + [Floor Polish & Water Mix] x2
Skull White + [Floor Polish & Water Mix] x2
Codex Grey in the recesses.
Touch up with P3 Morrow White + [Floor Polish & Water Mix]

sphynx wrote:your army makes me want to blow the top of my head off with a high-calibre hand gun.

Wow, that is... wow

corpsesarefun wrote:

sphynx wrote:your army makes me want to blow the top of my head off with a high-calibre hand gun.

i tried, but the gun just melted from all the awesome coming off of the screen.

Thats better.

P4NC4K3 wrote:please excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor

Thanks

Corey85 wrote:What really makes the models, are the bases. Great work!

Yeap, I love em. There was a few people telling me to paint the plants but i love the colour as is.

Apone wrote:Fantastic Job! A pleasure to look at.
I second the weathering comment. A few streaks of oil and soot on the engines/ exhausts will add realism.
But not to worry if it's not your bag. They look great as is.

Hrmm, does anyone know of a how-to weather article? I haven't done much of this.

Hi

What is the floor polish in the mix for? What does it add to the paint?

Personally I think they look cool as is without weathering - like they just came off the factory showroom floor in time to kick some butt!

Fits in with the Tau fluff I think.

And I also think the plants are good as is.

tallmantim wrote:Hi

What is the floor polish in the mix for? What does it add to the paint?

Personally I think they look cool as is without weathering - like they just came off the factory showroom floor in time to kick some butt!

Fits in with the Tau fluff I think.

And I also think the plants are good as is.

Thanks,

The Floor Polish acts in much the same way Dishwashing Liquid acts in the old GW inks. It smooths out the mix without diluting the pigment the way water does. It also brings colours together easier for blending.

sweetness, wow, what a great looking army, please keep the updates coming.

sweetness, wow, what a great looking army, please keep the updates coming.

Just knocked this Shas'ui together, WiP

Shas'ui Conversion finished;

I love it!

This is a great tau army!

this is why I refuse to start some armies because I lack the skill i would need to do it right by my mind. You sir have done a great job with minis that dont have a lot of variety, so keep up the good work.

Absolutely great work, such love and care and strong visual impact... even if I'm nearly boarding my devilfish with my weathering tools.

Your Tau look amazing, it's just that Naga creature I don't like. To me it looks too obviously like a Lizardman with some 40k weapons strapped to it. Try to create alien creatures which don't look like obvious conversion of existing bits. For example, take a look at the Nekulli by Apologist over at Warseer.

T_55 wrote:I love it!

This is a great tau army!

Cheers!

Ghost in the Darkness wrote:this is why I refuse to start some armies because I lack the skill i would need to do it right by my mind. You sir have done a great job with minis that dont have a lot of variety, so keep up the good work.

Dont get discouraged dude.

It has taken me some twelve years to get to this level. However, only in the last three have my hobby skills really gelled.
Stick with the armies you ARE good at. For example; I cannot paint an ork to save my life.

migsula wrote:Absolutely great work, such love and care and strong visual impact... even if I'm nearly boarding my devilfish with my weathering tools.

Lol

Malika2 wrote:Your Tau look amazing, it's just that Naga creature I don't like. To me it looks too obviously like a Lizardman with some 40k weapons strapped to it. Try to create alien creatures which don't look like obvious conversion of existing bits. For example, take a look at the Nekulli by Apologist over at Warseer.

Great link.
I can see what you are saying...

The Naga was a bit restricted by the lack of armour and sophisticated tech. I wanted to minimalise the amount of Tau gizmos as these 'count as' Kroot.

But point taken, What do you suggest i could add to move further away from "...a Lizardman with some 40k weapons strapped to it..."?

[The Question is open to everyone]

Hey All,

Here is the Painting in progress for the Naga tester.

About 80% done, really happy with the orange, but hate the scales.

I feel the Bone plus the gold clashes with the white and orange.
Going to have to repaint the scales. Totally unsure of the new colour though.

Would really appreciate some opinions...

Cheers

You want to create reptilian aliens right? You might want to try using Kroot, Genestealer and Lizardmen bits and combine them to create a creature. Look at these Loxatl for example.

The first color that popped into my head for the scales was a pale green/teal.

brado wrote:The first color that popped into my head for the scales was a pale green/teal.

I agree, all the colors are warm here.. a re-paint of the scales gives the opportunity for cool colors to enter this scheme. I'm liking the idea of blue as a tone with violet as a shade.

I dunno... red is too chaotic, and it makes it look almost like some sort of daemon. I think maybe trying a less bold skin color would work better.

I think red will contrast very well with the rest of the army, making them stand out as kroot should

Your Army is wonderful! I would love to see it across the battlefield!

I also think the scales should be a cooler color like blue or dark purple.

HOLY MOTHER OF LORD!!!! those interior detalis are absolutley amazing.


When I grow up I want to be able to paint just like you!

That banner looks freakin sweet too.

Some of the best Tau work I've seen so far.

I second the opinion that a blue or purple would work great to add some contrast to the kroot. When the scales are all you can see (from the back view), they look great, but they really don't look that great with the orange skintone. I think a mid-range blue or a lavender would offset the orange just perfectly (not to mention that orange and purple are probably the two least commonly seen colors in all of wargaming). Try basing the scales in black and fading them slowly up to a very light blue or purple, so the black still shows around the edges of the scales. I think that would look incredible.

Just a thought, but those unpainted pouches on the proxy-kroot's belt need some paint! You're probably working on it, though, but I just thought I'd mention it.

Malika2 wrote:You want to create reptilian aliens right? You might want to try using Kroot, Genestealer and Lizardmen bits and combine them to create a creature. Look at these Loxatl for example.

Cheers. They are nice, but are too quadruped.

Shrike78 wrote:I think red will contrast very well with the rest of the army, making them stand out as kroot should

Yep, thats the plan. I want the Auxiliaries to each be distinct colours.

LBursley wrote:

brado wrote:The first color that popped into my head for the scales was a pale green/teal.

I agree, all the colors are warm here.. a re-paint of the scales gives the opportunity for cool colors to enter this scheme. I'm liking the idea of blue as a tone with violet as a shade.

Nice colour theory.
So he will be a combo of;

Orange + Cool Colour + White + Vomit Brown.

I have just also seen this fella; I really do like way the metal is done. Must Plagiarise!

Fiendcrackar! wrote:I dunno... red is too chaotic, and it makes it look almost like some sort of daemon. I think maybe trying a less bold skin color would work better.

Have to disagree, the Orange is vibrant, not chaotic. The Bone is crap, maybe that contributes to the 'daemon' look.

AdeptSister wrote:Your Army is wonderful! I would love to see it across the battlefield!

I also think the scales should be a cooler color like blue or dark purple.

Thank you for the compliment. Blue... might be a goer,
I want to stay away from Purple as i have a plan for the third auxiliary unit...

Golden Eyed Scout wrote:HOLY MOTHER OF LORD!!!! those interior detalis are absolutley amazing.


When I grow up I want to be able to paint just like you!

That banner looks freakin sweet too.

Cheers Brother.

Chrysaor686 wrote:Some of the best Tau work I've seen so far.

I second the opinion that a blue or purple would work great to add some contrast to the kroot. When the scales are all you can see (from the back view), they look great, but they really don't look that great with the orange skintone. I think a mid-range blue or a lavender would offset the orange just perfectly (not to mention that orange and purple are probably the two least commonly seen colors in all of wargaming). Try basing the scales in black and fading them slowly up to a very light blue or purple, so the black still shows around the edges of the scales. I think that would look incredible.

Just a thought, but those unpainted pouches on the proxy-kroot's belt need some paint! You're probably working on it, though, but I just thought I'd mention it.

Danke.

The feedback seems to be headed for a cool colour. I have gone back over the scales with Chaos Black, looks soooo much better!
Its now a toss up between subtle highlighting with either Regal Blue or Shadow Grey.

For a moment I thought I was an Ork, until I realized the green skin was from envy.

Good god man, keep up the good work.

I'm eagerly awaiting an army shot that shows them altogether (or at least what you have done so far), they look absolutely stunning.

Keep the excellent work its supurb.

Cheers for the compliments+comments guys.

The Naga is almost finished. The scales are now black, hightlighted w. codex grey.
Will post new pics of him + a group shot of all wip so far in the next few days.




In the meanwhile, here is the army list i am working towards;

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/226853.page

bloody brilliant, im loving wat im seeing here, keep it up, more pics please.

This is the Naga finished.

these look great man, they blend pretty seamlessly together

awesome.
I think you have the right amount of savage warrior and high-tech devices blended together. Im also liking the way you replicated the tau colors on the high tech stuff, while the warrior himself looks totally different. It should look great together with the rest of your army.

Im guessing the base will get some of those leaves as well?

I really like the black scales, they tie it together excellently, I shudder to think what new Tau program involves implanting communication devices into humanoid reptilians skull and those tubes seem even more worrying.

Taco_bat wrote:these look great man, they blend pretty seamlessly together

Cheers, I am really happy with how the colours came out in the finished product.

Flachzange wrote:awesome.
I think you have the right amount of savage warrior and high-tech devices blended together. Im also liking the way you replicated the tau colors on the high tech stuff, while the warrior himself looks totally different. It should look great together with the rest of your army.

Im guessing the base will get some of those leaves as well?

Appreciate the Kudos :-)

The balance was tricky, as the Naga are 'counts-as' Kroot they really couldn't have any armour. So the plan was to make them techy but not too techy.

The base will be the same jungle base as the Fire Warriors.

Drunkspleen wrote:I really like the black scales, they tie it together excellently, I shudder to think what new Tau program involves implanting communication devices into humanoid reptilians skull and those tubes seem even more worrying.

I have to give kudos to all those who suggested colours for the scales. I tried blue but it looked too cartoony. So went with the suggestion of 'cool colour'
Black and Grey are pretty neutral so bind the vibrant Orange.

In a galaxy full of war, genocide and unspeakable horror... what is a little mind control and drugging of your soldiers?

how do you plan to paint your tau Shas'Ui? I presume a light blue-grey skin?

@ironKing - Yep, Traditional fishy blue...

Been following the Cricket? Go the Proteas!

Looks good, as has been said the black scales work well with the orange-red.

Wow, overall very nice painting and clever modeling. This has got to be a great looking army when all assembled.

Hey All,

Quick update, WiP of the Broadsides;

I'm redoing the heads, they didnt work quite right.





The Advanced Stablisation System - Gyroscope

Clean work on that I love the Gyroscope. Very interesting. It also makes the broadside beefier than it is already, which I think is very fitting.

Dam you Sirath! You've got me thinking about starting a tau army when my Eldar arn't even finished yet. I've even started thinking of colour schemes (well stolen yours but with red markings instead of tan).

Sirath wrote:

Apone wrote:Fantastic Job! A pleasure to look at.
I second the weathering comment. A few streaks of oil and soot on the engines/ exhausts will add realism.
But not to worry if it's not your bag. They look great as is.

Hrmm, does anyone know of a how-to weather article? I haven't done much of this.

A great way to get some VERY soft soot and oil stains without really doing anything heavy duty is to use crushed pastels. This technique is great for understated shading and 'dirtying'. But it doesn't come off looking like paint. Give it a try on something safe first before you go after these models.

The technique is simple. Go to an art store and buy a set of hard pastels. I bought a set of 'earth tone' pastels about 3 years ago, and I'm still going strong on them. Take a hobby knife and scrape the blade across the corner of the pastel. It will create tiny shavings. Do this over your pallete or just something that will contain the shavings. Next take an old brush. (this brush is going to be dried out and ruined after you are done) and pick up some of the pastel. Then rub the brush on the area you want affected. It will be very subtle, which is probably what you are looking for. If you want less subtle, just go get a little bit more of the shavings and reapply.

The pastel will wear off if it is on an area that will be touched quite often. It might be advisable to lock it in with a spray sealer. I would advise against painting anything on over it. The crushed pastel never really dries. Applying water to it or a brush stroke over it can smear it and ruin the effect.

I thought I had already posted on how much I like this project. I guess I haven't so I'll say that its a great project!

The specific things that are really working for me are...

Excellent color scheme, I loved how shadowsun looked, and making an army out of her scheme is just great.

Rectangular back banners. YES japanese style banners are definitely appealing on tau!

Basing. do NOT paint those leaves. They look excellent as is. Save the time. The oversized aquarium leaf being used as some sort of alien flora is great. I hadn't seen that used in a non-competition paint scheme. Please let me know if that was a pain in the ass to do, or if its fragile for a tabletop model.

Reposed battlesuits/fire warriors. Rest assured that the extra time you spent reposing will be noticed and appreciated.


Now go and continue to be productive!!!

@Flachzange - Thanks.
Yep, the Gyro does add that little bit extra.

@Hammerziet - Go the Tau!
I take it you are looking at doing the colour scheme from Cities of Death/Medusa Campaign? Its a nifty scheme.


@Shep - Hey Shep, Really appreciate the effort you went into, some really good stuff i will take away from you post.


Im keen to try the weathering technique, I will keep it on the back burner and pull it out once if finish a few more units [Im trying to get the army to a stage i can start playing small games]

Shadowsun's colour scheme is one of the best GW has done, it almost is a reverse of the traditional Tau scheme. It uses much the same colours - Ochre, Black and White.

I did not want to go overboard with the Japanese symbols and style. But touches of it are gold.

No way am i painting the plants. A few people have said that the plastic plants need to be painted. In all honesty, i cannot be bothered and actually like the colours the GW plants come with.

The plants are somewhat tricky, long story short - i pin them in to the bases.

Lol, i liek to do conversions, most times they are too subtle for the gaming public! ;-)

...and you keep productive with yre Vostroyans!

Broadside now with Head + Stabilisers

cool, an update!!!

Great to see a finished broadside... seeing all of the parts separate definitely piqued my interest.

It looks great all together like that. The extra armor works. And that head is great!

Wicked nice, Sirath.

Clean deadly looking tau Love the Broadside.

Your painting skill far exceeds many, I do love the work you've done with the Naga/Tarellian auxiliary.

And the Broadside, nice job with the spinning globe circlets on it.

I feel like I have seen these before...
Did you have some Tau in the cabinet at GW Sylvia park?
Although your probably sick of the 'wow' comments, your work is truly fantastic, that broadside with the gyro is inspired.
Only one little nitpick, I see abit of flash or sprue edge leftover near the neck of the broadside.
What else can we be expecting to see in this army?

Fantastic work Sirath, I love the interior detailing on that gunship. Really nice use of magnets as well, if there's one thing I love it's detial!

Really like your battlesuits as well!

Love your work, well done. I don't care for your head choice but it was well executed.

I love everything here, and wish I could paint my Tau to even 5% of this standard :( I do think the Lizardman looks too obviously like a WFB model with Tau gubbins stuck to it, if I were nit-picking.

Looks great, though I personally don't like the head. It looks way too thin, like the shockwaves from the guns compressed it or something!

Shep wrote:cool, an update!!!

Great to see a finished broadside... seeing all of the parts separate definitely piqued my interest.

It looks great all together like that. The extra armor works. And that head is great!

Cheers, they were sitting there gathering dust for too long.

Shortbus wrote:Wicked nice, Sirath.

viney wrote:Clean deadly looking tau Love the Broadside.

Gundam-Mecha wrote:Fantastic work Sirath, I love the interior detailing on that gunship. Really nice use of magnets as well, if there's one thing I love it's detial!

Really like your battlesuits as well!

Thanks fellas!

!? wrote:Your painting skill far exceeds many, I do love the work you've done with the Naga/Tarellian auxiliary.

And the Broadside, nice job with the spinning globe circlets on it.

I had to work at the painting skills, they really kicked off when was working for GW. Mastering any skill is about passion and hard work.

Krieger wrote:I feel like I have seen these before...
Did you have some Tau in the cabinet at GW Sylvia park?
Although your probably sick of the 'wow' comments, your work is truly fantastic, that broadside with the gyro is inspired.
Only one little nitpick, I see abit of flash or sprue edge leftover near the neck of the broadside.
What else can we be expecting to see in this army?

Lol, never sick of compliments!

You probably saw the FW squad i put in for Golden Demon. They got to the finals but that was it.
The gyro is stolen from the GW website, however i did upgrade their design!
Ha! You are observant, the flash is from a mistake, has been fixed. Cheers.

Well for Feb the plan is to finish;

2 Broadsides + 2 Shield Drones
Fix + Finish the Prototype Naga
1 More Fireknife Crisis Suit
6 Pathfinders

chaplaingrabthar wrote:I love everything here, and wish I could paint my Tau to even 5% of this standard :( I do think the Lizardman looks too obviously like a WFB model with Tau gubbins stuck to it, if I were nit-picking.

No worries, Hopefully the fix will help with this. Any suggestions on how to improve him?

SPARKEYG wrote:Love your work, well done. I don't care for your head choice but it was well executed.

tzeentchling wrote:Looks great, though I personally don't like the head. It looks way too thin, like the shockwaves from the guns compressed it or something!

Well the original heads just did not fit! The 'beards' got in the way of the extra neck armour.

I wanted a head that was almost 'no-frills' - that you get the impression all the $ has gone into the firing of the railguns. What i mean to say; there is no peripheral vision, no added sensors, everything is straight ahead with no added ornamentation.

Got bored with Painting white again, so knocked together the prototype for my Human [Gue'vesa] Auxiliaries.
Enjoy!

That looks promising. Good mix of fire warrior and cadian parts.

Wow, Gue'vesa too. This Tau army not only has good painting and models but every Auxillary!

Where is that helmet from?

It is a forge world cadian respirator helmet.

Stunning work, as usual. Can't wait to see the gue'vesa painted.

I'm not into Tau really and not keen on any of the paint jobs I've seen else where. HOwever yours are exceptionaly impressive.

The white is very strong and clean which is made very crisp with the contrasting black armour joints. The normal Tau colour looks great for the weapons adding colour and the nice detail of the white stripes look well smart.

The Lizardmen for Kroot look really cool as well.

Hey - just noticed the devilfish on page 1 has an inflight movie centre available for them!

;-)

Cool

Nice Gue'vesa! Is the backpack FW as well? I feel like the nightvision goggles are a little redundant with the visor on the helmet...but great execution, though!

Thanks all,

Ive had a couple of people say the goggles on the Gue'vesa look 'off'
Here is the same tester without goggles... better or worse?

much better, looks very streamlined now, before it seemed a tad cluttered (well for tau), but now its looks fine.
The little tau antenna on his helmet could have stayed though.
I also think the backpack could be more techy, I a way he still seems very imperialistic in a way, I thought tau had cushion-e type materials instead of bedrolls etc? Perhaps not, considering he an auxiliary, but still..?
cheers

really nice white

Personally? Better, i would think that head-lamp looking thing would act as a heads up scope\goggles, since he IS working with those techy tau.

Yeah, I liked the Tau antenna on the helmet, too - very characterful.

Really love this army. I just spent the evening re-painting a bunch of tau due to color matching problems and now I'm looking at this and feeling very jealous.

One question - what are you using for the tubes attached to the broadside railguns? I did something similar with greenstuff and it's broken in handling. I was going to replace it with guitar string but I like the look of the tubes better.

Krieger wrote:much better, looks very streamlined now, before it seemed a tad cluttered (well for tau), but now its looks fine.
The little tau antenna on his helmet could have stayed though.
I also think the backpack could be more techy, I a way he still seems very imperialistic in a way, I thought tau had cushion-e type materials instead of bedrolls etc? Perhaps not, considering he an auxiliary, but still..?
cheers

Possibly could be more techy, but i feel the Forgeworld backpacks are too cool not to use.

typhus wrote:really nice white

Thanks mate

Comrade Amadayeus wrote:Personally? Better, i would think that head-lamp looking thing would act as a heads up scope\goggles, since he IS working with those techy tau.

Have to agree, makes them look like special forces.

Death By Monkeys wrote:Yeah, I liked the Tau antenna on the helmet, too - very characterful.

The antenna sounds like a go.

lambadomy wrote:Really love this army. I just spent the evening re-painting a bunch of tau due to color matching problems and now I'm looking at this and feeling very jealous.

One question - what are you using for the tubes attached to the broadside railguns? I did something similar with greenstuff and it's broken in handling. I was going to replace it with guitar string but I like the look of the tubes better.

Thanks dawg,
The Tubes are made from an old computer mouse cord. I find thick guitar strings difficult to bend into proper curves.

Thanks, should have figured - I found some old computer cables ina drawer and cut them up, works great!

I liked the extra stuff on his helmet. Didn't look too cluttered in my opinion.

These are the best white tau I've seen. Very impressive, and your paint scheme has confirmed my suspicion that I lack the skill and the patience to do white tau justice.

Hey there, just read through this and your tau are amazing!
love the crisp whites and tans, and the broadside head is ace. The Gue'vesa is looking great, how many are you going to make?
Also, and sorry if this has been asked already, but would you mind sharing how you made the gun on the Naga?

WOW! Your tau are brilliant the detail you put into the dfish was great and your conversions are all fantastic, i'll deffinatley keep an eye on this thread.

I love all your stuff! Its incredibly made and painted!

I'm am now inspired to try and start doing heavy conversions...

I love the original human auxiliaries, i think that the extra stuff on his head makes him look suitably techy and tauish.

lambadomy wrote:Thanks, should have figured - I found some old computer cables ina drawer and cut them up, works great!

Good, random cables on models work well!

wiggles wrote:I liked the extra stuff on his helmet. Didn't look too cluttered in my opinion.

These are the best white tau I've seen. Very impressive, and your paint scheme has confirmed my suspicion that I lack the skill and the patience to do white tau justice.

I liked them too, was actually a bit suprised when so many people said they didnt like the goggles.
Dude, be happy, This white is killing me. Bitten off way more than i can chew.

It will be well worth it when finished, but i have taken to swearing while painting. :-)

Corndoggy wrote:Hey there, just read through this and your tau are amazing!
love the crisp whites and tans, and the broadside head is ace. The Gue'vesa is looking great, how many are you going to make?
Also, and sorry if this has been asked already, but would you mind sharing how you made the gun on the Naga?

Cheers brother, love the kudos, drives me to keep at these white b*stards.

The Gue'vesa are going to be a unit of Ten, counting as FW.

The Naga's gun was stolen from Typhoid_Garry on the Tau WiP forum. You can find the original work here

Mine is slightly different,

It is made from a Plasma Rifle, Cadian Grenade Launcher, Pulse Rifle + Plasticard.

littlewood93 wrote:WOW! Your tau are brilliant the detail you put into the dfish was great and your conversions are all fantastic, i'll deffinatley keep an eye on this thread.

Thank You. Glad you enjoy!

Ghost in the Darkness wrote:I love the original human auxiliaries, i think that the extra stuff on his head makes him look suitably techy and tauish.

Cool, I think the unit will have to have a mix of guardsmen with and without the goggles. Should please both camps!

I really like what you`re doing with this army! Especially the spiffy white scheme

R

Sirath wrote: The Naga's gun was stolen from Typhoid_Garry on the Tau WiP forum. You can find the original work here

Mine is slightly different,

It is made from a Plasma Rifle, Cadian Grenade Launcher, Pulse Rifle + Plasticard.

Awesome. thanks!
I may have to nick them at some point...you have been warned

Broadside Update

broads looks amazing!
very crisp clean paint job as allways, and the missiles in mid-fire look even better

allthough, i think 30mm caseless hampster rounds look better lol

Pretty good flame missiles

Really good job, but for some reason, to me, the missiles don't look that good. The flames don't look quite right, not that I could do anything close to that quality. It might be how you painted it.

EDIT: Overall, it looks really really good.

They look great - and will look even better when you've put the greenery on the base as the strong green will really offset the white and orange.

Great stuff!

Wow, I love the fire effect on the missiles. Great army.

I think maybe the missiles look a little off is because there are no lighting effects on the launcher or the rockets.

I like your bases a lot! what's that brown stuff you used to make "dirt?" I want to make a similar-looking base, with bits of ruined pillars and statues, maybe.

also, are these the gw jungle plants you were talking about? - http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat200192&prodId=prod1830001&rootCatGameStyle=wh

thanks!

Do you have problems with the plants falling off/bending?

I'm really looking for some new options for basing, and this looks *great*

JD21290 wrote:broads looks amazing!
very crisp clean paint job as allways, and the missiles in mid-fire look even better

allthough, i think 30mm caseless hampster rounds look better lol

Lol, Hampster rounds

cheapman wrote:Pretty good flame missiles

Cheers

The Bringer wrote:Really good job, but for some reason, to me, the missiles don't look that good. The flames don't look quite right, not that I could do anything close to that quality. It might be how you painted it.

EDIT: Overall, it looks really really good.

Yeap, could be better. TBH i struggled to get the plumes to this point without looking too fake.
Reasonably happy with them. Thanks for the opinion ;-)

tallmantim wrote:They look great - and will look even better when you've put the greenery on the base as the strong green will really offset the white and orange.

Great stuff!

Good point, the green does bring the white+black together and contrasts the warm colours nicely.

Wonder if i planned it that way!?

;-)

BloodofOrks wrote:Wow, I love the fire effect on the missiles. Great army.

danke!

Fiendcrackar! wrote:I think maybe the missiles look a little off is because there are no lighting effects on the launcher or the rockets.

Wow, that would be cool. I am far too lazy to learn how though. This army is uber time consuming so might leave lighting effect to a future army.

cerberez wrote:I like your bases a lot! what's that brown stuff you used to make "dirt?" I want to make a similar-looking base, with bits of ruined pillars and statues, maybe.
also, are these the gw jungle plants you were talking about? - http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat200192&prodId=prod1830001&rootCatGameStyle=wh
thanks!

cerberez wrote:Do you have problems with the plants falling off/bending?
I'm really looking for some new options for basing, and this looks *great*

Hi Cerb,

Those are the jungle plants.
The method goes;
- Smear Putty/Filler onto plastic base, building it up to provide texture + height
- After drying, use a pin vice to drill holes for the jungle plants.
- Paint Scorched Brown
- Drybrush Dark Flesh, Bestial Brown, Graveyard Earth
- Wash of Devlan Mud
- Using tweezers + PVA glue insert jungle plants into drill holes.
- Add some static grass+flock.
- Clean up base edge with Chaos Black.

Done

From first model to last (last thusfar ), this army is top notch. I love the interior work you did on the devilfish (page one) and how each finished model is unique and packed with detail. If there were a golden daemon category for "army"...

Really inspired stuff.

@Gitsmack - Thanks mate, really glad you enjoy the army

hey!
i was pretty serious about the hampster rounds




In the grim darkness there is only ....... explosive hampsters!

God DAMN, That's the one of the best Tau armies i've ever seen. Your sept and cadre is a glorious force for the greater good *Salutes*

My paint skills are so crappy (caffine supplied to my veins for years XD). I plan using a black basecoat, then with the armor use scarb red, then red gore, then some 1:1 mix of red gore and skull white for the edges.

My Tau army is as follows

- 12 fire warriors
- 12 fire warriors
- 13 kroot (i don't like kroot, gunna replace them with moar fire warriors)
- 2 XV8 crisis suits (1 in standard fire knife, another with plasma rifle/fusion blaster combo)
- 1 hammerhead tank (Love the tau tanks, so sleek)
- 1 XV8 crisis suit commander (frag-projector, plasma rifle, command and control node)
- 1 Etheral

Getting a Devilfish and some pathfinders next up, along with a broadside

Keep up the great Tau work XD

Based on some feedback, have rebased the Fireknife Crisis Suit -

Wow, that's just awesome. I marvel at your pinstripes.

Great update...

love the extra detail you put into the suits.

@Death By Monkeys + Shep - Thanks Fellas, really appreciate it.

The rebasing improves an already superb paintjob. I love this army.

Hey you already have a good entry into the new painting competition on Dakka.

Crisp and clean as before - good work!

@chaplaingrabthar + migsula - Thanks you guys.

@Deff Dread - Can't chuck him in unfortunately as he is already been posted up on the interwebs.

Might get cracking on another Naga model as an entry...whatcha rekon?

Broadsides are Completed!

Green on the base sets off the colours you've used perfectly.

Lovely.

The effects are a nice addition there: Overall these came out superb, crisp and clean

@ Tallmantim - Yep, I think the green really helps contrast, it doesnt compliment the white per se.
That is the job of the black, whereas the tan, red + green are contrast, to add a bit of vibrant colour.

Its a pretty simple pallette.

@Flachzange - Thanks buddy

Dear lord


Forgive my jealousy

Holy crap those are beautiful, I wish I could paint as well as you can, especially for your whites.

wow very cool
nice and clean
the missiles are particularly F'in awesome
nice job keeping your white so smooth and clean...
the fire knife almost looks like just molded colored plastic in some of the pics lol

Very nice,I have none of your luck appling white paint.So I give you two thumbs up and a,"for the greater good!"


Nice real nice!

Some great smoke effects on the missiles.

cerberez wrote:Dear lord


Forgive my jealousy

YES! Jealously FTW.

Ghost in the Darkness wrote:Holy crap those are beautiful, I wish I could paint as well as you can, especially for your whites.

Cheers, it is just patience and strong prescription glasses.

krusty wrote:wow very cool
nice and clean
the missiles are particularly F'in awesome
nice job keeping your white so smooth and clean...
the fire knife almost looks like just molded colored plastic in some of the pics lol

Appreciate the kudos, thanks.

Deff Dread red Edition wrote:Very nice,I have none of your luck appling white paint.So I give you two thumbs up and a,"for the greater good!"
Nice real nice!

Not sure it is luck, but insanity!

!? wrote:Some great smoke effects on the missiles.

Really!? I thought they were a bit slapdash...

forgive me if I missed the post but...did you ever get that gue'vesa painted up? That model is an inspiration! I'd love to see it with some paint on!

The white... wow... I need painting skills like yours. Then maybe I wouldn't try and repaint all of my minis every other month lol.

May I ask how you achieved your white? Any specific paints or combos that got you the very nice white?

One concern is this: how easy would it be to see these guys in the dense green jungles? Any specific fluff why these guys are in a jungle or is it just the cool factor?

Keep up the work. Now I hate you because you are making me want to start a Tau army and a White Scars biker army... darn you!

Those broadsides are... beyond words of speech or text...I love the system set on their backs and the one with the missiles being launched are amazing ;3

What is your next model going to be? Tanks? Large sqauds of special drones? Kroot? even a xv22?

Again, i salute you and your cadre of the greater good *Salutes*

-PS- what you think of the tau forge world super heavies? I would KILL to see you paint up a manta XD

Realy aweomse tau.
Where do you get these rocket things coming out of the rocket launcher on one of the broadsides.

great job on those broadsides!
All the extra details really mount up nicely and add a very specialized look to them.

I also have to comment on the smoothness of your white, Its downright fantastic.
Normally whenever I attempt something similar, it comes out mighty chalky, I guess I'm doing something not right...
Great stuff, hope to see more of it around.

Great work on these Tau Models Sirath, it's a very crisp paintjob and I like the colour scheme.

I'm currently working on my Tau army as well. Feel free to take a look in my blog by following the link in my sig.

Those broadsides look really great.

The conversions and the painting are both top notch.

Usually I'm not a fan of projectiles and explosions etc in minis, but you've pulled off the launching missles very well.

Congrats!

Stunning broadsides

I really like the firing missiles although personally I feel smoke would look more realistic but probably less cool. The insides of the Devilfish are great how did you do that? Is it a kit, a kitbash or an entire scratchbuild?

I bet you could make awesome stealth suits. Give stealth suits a shot ^_^

The extra details look extremely good. I absolutely love the interior of the devilfish. My scheme wouldn't stand a chance, Keep painting!

Blueshift 0 wrote:The extra details look extremely good. I absolutely love the interior of the devilfish. My scheme wouldn't stand a chance, Keep painting!

Will do!

Superscope wrote:I bet you could make awesome stealth suits. Give stealth suits a shot ^_^

I do not like Stealth Suits.
I do not like them in a boat, I do not like them in a moat.
I do not like them here nor there, I do not like them anywhere.

Llamahead wrote:I really like the firing missiles although personally I feel smoke would look more realistic but probably less cool. The insides of the Devilfish are great how did you do that? Is it a kit, a kitbash or an entire scratchbuild?

They came with Smoke from Armorcast but I couldn't get the paint scheme right.

covenant84 wrote:Stunning broadsides

Gundam-Mecha wrote:Those broadsides look really great.
The conversions and the painting are both top notch.

Usually I'm not a fan of projectiles and explosions etc in minis, but you've pulled off the launching missles very well.
Congrats!

Kagar wrote:Great work on these Tau Models Sirath, it's a very crisp paintjob and I like the colour scheme.
I'm currently working on my Tau army as well. Feel free to take a look in my blog by following the link in my sig.

Cheers Guys

s.j.mccartney wrote:forgive me if I missed the post but...did you ever get that gue'vesa painted up? That model is an inspiration! I'd love to see it with some paint on!

Not yet, will paint him shortly, just waiting on a few things from Maelstromgames.com

Shadow Nugz wrote:The white... wow... I need painting skills like yours. Then maybe I wouldn't try and repaint all of my minis every other month lol.

May I ask how you achieved your white? Any specific paints or combos that got you the very nice white?

One concern is this: how easy would it be to see these guys in the dense green jungles? Any specific fluff why these guys are in a jungle or is it just the cool factor?

Keep up the work. Now I hate you because you are making me want to start a Tau army and a White Scars biker army... darn you!

I have posted The 'How To' paint White earlier in the thread....

You are right about white standing out in jungle. My thinking is that the Tau are so young+inexperienced they have not worked this out. Kinda like the USA in Vietnam, completely out of their depth.

Superscope wrote:Those broadsides are... beyond words of speech or text...I love the system set on their backs and the one with the missiles being launched are amazing ;3

What is your next model going to be? Tanks? Large sqauds of special drones? Kroot? even a xv22?

Again, i salute you and your cadre of the greater good *Salutes*

-PS- what you think of the tau forge world super heavies? I would KILL to see you paint up a manta XD

If you want to buy me a Manta, I will spend the 6 months painting it!

Next;
Finish off the Naga Prototype
FW Shas'el
Maybe some FW
Nicassar

goffnob deffsmakka wrote:Realy aweomse tau.
Where do you get these rocket things coming out of the rocket launcher on one of the broadsides.

Armorcast.com

Krieger wrote:great job on those broadsides!
All the extra details really mount up nicely and add a very specialized look to them.

I also have to comment on the smoothness of your white, Its downright fantastic.
Normally whenever I attempt something similar, it comes out mighty chalky, I guess I'm doing something not right...
Great stuff, hope to see more of it around.

Floor Polish smooths out paint beautifully

Sirath wrote:This is the Naga finished.

First, Absolutely astounding. Not just these but the whole army. So good it both makes me want to give up and inspires me to try to out do it at the same time.

Now to this model. Incredible paint but the antenna bothers me a little.
How do you think the naga would look if the antenna blended into a high tech monocle?
Or maybe some cyber implants on the side of the head?

I know the model is finished and wouldn't dare suggest reworking over the glorious paint. I was wondering about one of the next nagas you do.

Kroot Standard Bearer

It's all looking really great Sirath, completely missed your final paint work on the Naga auxiliary, I went a subdued grey and tan belly, which subtly match my Cadre's desert blue markings.

Always admire your clean style, and the various mods on the suits really work well. The Broadside head is one of the more original styles I've seen.

best!
Tael.

Ok...a couple things.

First this Tau army is amazingly detailed and converted, bravo sir.

Secondly your colour scheme on the Naga actually inspired me to pick up my LIzardmen again and start painting. Shamelessly I am copying your colour scheme because it struck me as brilliant, though I am going with the brownish/yellowish scales you originally had, the black looks...less awesome but still good.

Following this thread excitedly

focusedfire wrote:
First, Absolutely astounding. Not just these but the whole army. So good it both makes me want to give up and inspires me to try to out do it at the same time.

Now to this model. Incredible paint but the antenna bothers me a little.
How do you think the naga would look if the antenna blended into a high tech monocle?
Or maybe some cyber implants on the side of the head?

I know the model is finished and wouldn't dare suggest reworking over the glorious paint. I was wondering about one of the next nagas you do.

Thanks focusedfire, The Naga is not completely finished. I am actually working on him atm.

He is a prototype so I welcome suggestions + feedback.

The back thingie and cables are not doing for me, so I am working on changing it, will post the WiP shortly.
When you say 'high tech monocle' or 'cyber implants' what are you thinking? Can you expand?

Shas'El Tael wrote:It's all looking really great Sirath, completely missed your final paint work on the Naga auxiliary, I went a subdued grey and tan belly, which subtly match my Cadre's desert blue markings.

Always admire your clean style, and the various mods on the suits really work well. The Broadside head is one of the more original styles I've seen.

best!
Tael.

Cheers Tael and Thanks for the idea for the Naga!
Grey and Tan belly huh? I have not seen that, pics?

Haha, the Broadside head was just on a whim, the original heads did not fit with all the extra armour around the neck.

Joyous_Oblivion wrote:Ok...a couple things.

First this Tau army is amazingly detailed and converted, bravo sir.

Secondly your colour scheme on the Naga actually inspired me to pick up my LIzardmen again and start painting. Shamelessly I am copying your colour scheme because it struck me as brilliant, though I am going with the brownish/yellowish scales you originally had, the black looks...less awesome but still good.

Following this thread excitedly

Do It!
Orange Lizardmen FTW.

I was thinking almost borg-style cyber implants or maybe shadowrun.

The monocle idea was along the lines of a prettier, sleeker, Tau high-tech version of Yarricks or Yriels eye-piece. A high-tech targeter that wraps part way around the skull and blends into the Antenna.

If I may suggest an idea for the cable.

Picture the cable becoming a recoil supression harness/cyber-link for the gun. Have the cable attach to the gun then a smaller cable splits off to go up and into the cybernetic targeter or skull implants.

It difficult to suggest some of the things that I think would be cool because I don't know if the model would hold onto the gun during assault or let it fall to his side on the harness.

Ignore the next if it isn't your style or what your going for with this army.

If you want to add an edge of darkness to the Tau goodness you could go for a neclace of cyber implants that gives just the hint of a Thrall/slave collar that connects to the skull plate. Nothing overt, just a hint of possible mind control. Of course the skull implants could suggest this also.

I hope you like these ideas or that they may be of some inspiration. I'd be nice to think I returned the favor of inspiration in some small part.


Sirath, thank you for sharing this incredible work with us.

focusedfire wrote:I was thinking almost borg-style cyber implants or maybe shadowrun.

The monocle idea was along the lines of a prettier, sleeker, Tau high-tech version of Yarricks or Yriels eye-piece. A high-tech targeter that wraps part way around the skull and blends into the Antenna.

If I may suggest an idea for the cable.

Picture the cable becoming a recoil supression harness/cyber-link for the gun. Have the cable attach to the gun then a smaller cable splits off to go up and into the cybernetic targeter or skull implants.

It difficult to suggest some of the things that I think would be cool because I don't know if the model would hold onto the gun during assault or let it fall to his side on the harness.

Ignore the next if it isn't your style or what your going for with this army.

If you want to add an edge of darkness to the Tau goodness you could go for a neclace of cyber implants that gives just the hint of a Thrall/slave collar that connects to the skull plate. Nothing overt, just a hint of possible mind control. Of course the skull implants could suggest this also.

I hope you like these ideas or that they may be of some inspiration. I'd be nice to think I returned the favor of inspiration in some small part.


Sirath, thank you for sharing this incredible work with us.

Thanks for the tons of ideas mate! Really appreciated

The cybernetics sound like a rocking idea, I will have to experiment!
- Time to raid the bitz box!

As to the the gun, I want to make it self contained, so am steering away from linking him by cable to his gun.

Mind Control eh? Sinister, Tau would never do that....
Im thinking the antenna on his head may fill that role thou!

Okay, Finished further mods on the Naga Prototype.
Was not at all happy with the original rebreather, looked too clunky.

So here is the 2009 rebreather! Portable, self cleaning, rechargable and connects directly to the lungs!

Looks really good best tau I've seen so far.

Although as already stated the antena on the Naga is a bit weird.

Ilovethe whole army myfriendlooks beautiful and though I pronbly couldnt do it as well can I offer a a tip?

On your fire Warriors Pulse Rifles be Careful that the Yellow/orange color that covers it doesn't get to thick. JUst saw it on some of them. It's not even bad to the point of mostly noticing just me picking out the only critisim I could think of. It might be just the pics too but anyway just wanted to say that.

But the army looks beautiful and I love the Kroot Banner where'd you get that?

Oh Yeah, forgot to compliment you on the Kroot Standard-Bearer. Absolutely gorgeous. Great work with the Green Stuff on the banner.

You keep this up you may get a lot of commission work. I don't know if thats something you'd be interested in but I bet there are some out there that would pay what your work is worth.

Beautiful. How many of these bad boys are you going to have in a squad?

Great work again, can you reveal how you created the gore / blood that is hanging from the blades of the flagpole the Kroot is running around with?

0_0 OMG! Awesomes!

Wait a sec arent naga from warcraft?
Lookin' good though.

Cheers Tael and Thanks for the idea for the Naga!
Grey and Tan belly huh? I have not seen that, pics?

Sirath, here is the current iteration of my Naga, I have since dropped the smurf blue scheme and gone for this more natural style (flaming camera's washed out most of the shading);


Naga Warrior with Pulse Blaster

You can see the concepts (from back in the day) through to the current style in my gallery now (fun feature that) : http://www.dakkadakka.com/core/gallery-search.jsp?u=13443
I came up with the name 'Naga' based on it meaning snake, for a time The Luong was a contender name for similar reasons. But Naga'la rolls off the tongue more easily.

Fluff tidbit;

This Naga warrior sports the open sighted Pulse Blaster, thermal regulator armor and head crest protection (embedded com-net). Naga with finer freckles tend to make great specialists and often sport the pulse rifles allotted to each la'rua. On that note, Naga place high respect on large markings, so it is pleasing and also unsurprising to them, that a Tau Shas'O rank symbol is an underlined filled circle. Such signs bode well in the eyes of the Naga.

I'm looking forward to a full squad of the red Naga you've put together, it should look quite dominating.

~ Tael.
Please PM any queries to me, so as not to go OT in Sirath's Blog

Wow you are doing a terrific job. The white looks so clean. Can't stand working with it but you make it look easy. Cant wait to see more.

Hey Guys,

Three modelling updates for ya, been a bit busy. Played in the NZ Nationals over Easter, managed to win 1st Overall w. the Eldar.

Have redone the arms for the Prototype Gue'vesa, using arms from the Forgeworld upgrade kit.


Also chopped in half the metal Cadian standard bearer; excuse the blu tac and the wolf banner [lifted from some old white wolf knights!]

...And here he is; The Nicassar Prototype.



Personal Note:
I am struggling to find Genestealer Heads w. Feeder Tendrils.
Have managed to track down 3 but still need 7 to complete the squad.

If you have any Feeder Tendril heads you would like to sell, please PM me.

Cheers







Anyways;
Really happy with how he is developing; the torso is a stealth suit, trident+net from a Dark Eldar Wych and Robes from a Dark Angels Veteran.

holy cow. That niscar thing is cool. Never hear of it thou. I guess its some vague reference.

I really like the the guevesa playing ith his tau gameboy.. very cool. And your gonna paint hem to you excellent standard. Awesome.

They are sweet. If I had feeder tendril heads and lived anywhere near NZ i'd give them to you for free. However I don't, so I wont.

Are the squid dudes meant to live underwater? How are you going to oxygenate them?

ahhhh cthulhu has managed to manifest his awesome followers to an awesome p&m log AAGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH, they will consume us all with awesomeness!!!! (jumps out window).
regards,
-Jason

Shaman wrote:holy cow. That niscar thing is cool. Never hear of it thou. I guess its some vague reference.

I really like the the guevesa playing ith his tau gameboy.. very cool. And your gonna paint hem to you excellent standard. Awesome.

Thanks dude, there is not alot of literature about the Nicassar. GW released one model - a Battlefleet Gothic ship. The most common thinking is they are octopus/squid type creatures.

I have added to the fluff i have found on the interwebz, will post it next.

Duh, no way it is a Gameboy, its SO a PSP! ;-)

s.j.mccartney wrote:They are sweet. If I had feeder tendril heads and lived anywhere near NZ i'd give them to you for free. However I don't, so I wont.

Are the squid dudes meant to live underwater? How are you going to oxygenate them?

Lame, move closer and buy some genestealers.
Not 100% sure how im going to do the hydration/oxygen packs.


Im open to ideas from the group!

D3str0y3r wrote:ahhhh cthulhu has managed to manifest his awesome followers to an awesome p&m log AAGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH, they will consume us all with awesomeness!!!! (jumps out window).
regards,
-Jason

Cthulhu eh? Who is that?

Maybe you could get the fuel tanks from the old IG tank accessory sprue and try to make a kinda deep sea divers air tank, but in reverse! So this one gives H2O to the squid dude! You could just model some tubing to cover his gills on his neck!??!

thats my suggestion. But I'm not going to move house or spend money on tyranids. sorry.

The Nicassar
Is a sentient race of Cephalopods from the ocean world of Sharif.
Situated on the western fringes of the Damocles gulf, 120 Au core ward of the former imperial world of Taros. They display advanced psychic abilities. The Nicassar are driven by an insatiable curiosity to explore and travel. It was this which led them into contact with the Tau, thus becoming an addition to the fledgling empire.

They continue to serve the Greater Good by providing vessels to scout and explore. Their Dhows are very maneuverable but have little interstellar capabilities. As such are often towed by other Tau ships into the warp.
Propulsion is provided by collecting solar winds in the Dhow’s Sails.
(Ref 1.A – Nicassar Dhow)

Homeworld
Discovered during the Third Sphere Expansion of the Tau Empire, Sharif consists of 80% ocean mass. There are no true continents, but hundreds of chains of volcanic islands.

Technology and Psychic Ability
The Nicassar are relatively advanced.
A lower level of tech than the Tau, but have explored further due to their sensitivity to the warp. This combined with a wandering instinct to flow with the tide makes the Nicassar a useful ally. Both as scouts and spacefarers. Primarily their psychic power manifests itself in telekinesis. This is used to propel and steer the Dhows and can be used to augment their strength in combat.

Physical Appearance
While Nicassar are Amphibians, they prefer an aquatic environment to prevent dehydration. In theatres with little or no water the Tau issue hydration packs to their allies.
On Land Nicassar carry themselves upright in a similar manner to most bipeds. Their Lower tentacles are used to move across terrain, while their two upper tentacles are for manipulation of their environment and the use of tools and weapons

Tau Empire Auxiliary
Once discovered, their entry into the Tau Empire was swift. However, not smooth nor complete. Nicassar have never been concerned with the greater good, oft displaying apathy to the guiding principle of the empire. This has led to conflict with the Ethereal and Fire castes, only the diplomatic skills of the Water caste have prevented a schism. It has been theorized this indifference is a result of the above mentioned wanderlust.

The Future
The Third Sphere Expansion is in its infancy, as is the Nicassar entry as a client race to the Tau Empire. The future of the relationship is unknown.

BEHOLD, HE WALKS!!

regards,
-Jason

Wow, nobody likes the fluff eh? ;-)

Sorry about the update hiatus fellas, been working on my Forgeworld Shas'el and spamming out the remaining Crisis Suits.

No picts at the moment unfortunately. My camera has decided to die, i'm in the process of purchasing a new one. Should be a week or two away.

Dave

I like the fluff, it's just that it's a bit well...short. What more can you tell us about them?

Your modeling work is awesome!

I like the fluff! Its like reading something out of Heavy Metal.

If I recall correctly the Narcissar were one of the first (if not the first) race the Tau incorporated into their empire.

good idea using Saurus as naga they look great as well the rest of your models. Damn i wish i could make my models half as good as yours.

Truly awesome conversions and lovely colorscheme. some of the best tau i have ever seen really. keep it up.

over and out avach

love the color selection

What ever happened with that FW Shasui? I really liked where that was going.

What ever happened with that FW Shasui? I really liked where that was going

which one is that?

This was the Shas'ui i was hoping to see painted.

Sirath wrote:Shas'ui Conversion finished;

Hey All,

Back in business, just bought a shiny new Fuji Finepix S2000HD!
Bit of an update bomb over the next few days...so stay tuned.

The Nicassar has progress, bulked out the tentacles, added the weapons.

Added sinister veins



With Sea Dragon Cloak



As you can see, I ransacked a Dark Elf Corsairs kit for bitz


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also started batch painting the last 4 Crisis Suits + Forgeworld Commander;

Flamers + Burst Cannons

Airbursting Fragmentation Projector




Suit Heads

Can't wait to see that alien painted,as for the Tau stuff it is looking good to.

Sexy stuff.

Just in case you ever write this up for display or for Dakka's Army Profiles, it's "reclamation"
(no "i" after the "a")..

Great work. Love the colors for the army and the conversions.

Battle suits looking good, Nicassar eh I'm not sure what that should look like, maybe more tentacles.

Glad to see this log back on the go again, its one of my favourites.

Seeing somebody else take an innovative approach at developing little developed races is always fun to watch.

Keep it up!

Cheers,

Dante

Deff Dread red Edition wrote:Can't wait to see that alien painted,as for the Tau stuff it is looking good to.

Hehe, me neither!!! I have the idea to paint him Purple...

malfred wrote:Sexy stuff.

Just in case you ever write this up for display or for Dakka's Army Profiles, it's "reclamation"
(no "i" after the "a")..

Lol, Splell not many weel huh?

Amended, thanks malfred

Yellow Fever wrote:Great work. Love the colors for the army and the conversions.

Cheer Brother

FlammingGaunt wrote:Battle suits looking good, Nicassar eh I'm not sure what that should look like, maybe more tentacles.

Yes, totally agree. Plan on adding extra 'leg' tentacles from the robes

Four tentacles Bad, Six Tentacles Better!

CMDante wrote:Glad to see this log back on the go again, its one of my favourites.

Seeing somebody else take an innovative approach at developing little developed races is always fun to watch.

Keep it up!

Cheers,

Dante

Thanks Dante, Glad you enjoy it.
Been following your work aswell, truly inspiring.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Finished the second Fireknife suit.








Also switched out the converted multi trackers. Never did like the converted ones.

A couple of people requested overview/group shots of the army;




While I was at it, took a couple of picts of my garage

All your stuff is great. In the group shot the white armour really jumps out. Its gonna be a very striking army.

Little bit of progress, redid the 'feet' tentacles



Opinions? Better?

Much better. I liked him before, but now he looks much more "proper" for some reason...

Good stuff all around, really liking that you´re spending time fleshing out the background of the Tau empire.

Hobdoglin @ WargamerAu has created these phenomenal concept sketches of Nicassar



They are crazy inspiring, Have added 'vents' to the suit armour. Also plan to have a Power Klaw toting Nicassar.

Some great models and awesome sketches. I really like the concept

Me to.Good work thus far.

Never before have tentacles been so cool. good work!

These look phenomenal! Are you planning on using them as showpieces or in games as well?

very inspired creations sir!

Been finishing off the last 5 battlesuits, should have pics up by Monday.

In the meanwhile, been busy with more Nicassar work;

Chests made from Stealth Suits.

Sea Dragon Cloaks

Crossbows, Daggers + Banner

Swords, Horn, etc

WiP Power Klaw w. integrated Particle Cannon.

Best psychic upright death-squids I have ever laid eyes upon!

Oh, man, that is underwater-dance-jam cool. But, if an aquatic species, would they use crossbows? Also, what are they "counting-as" that so few have guns?

Nicassar for the win!! That squad of 10 will be such a great addition to your army. Great work. GW should pay you money for being a genius.

im normally not a fan of tau models, but these look great to me
especially like the paint on the battlesuits...
cool stuff

Nicassars will destroy everything! Great artwork, and Conversions.

Power-tentacle-fist!

Awesome.

I cannot WAIT to see a fully assembled unit of these guys. Way to innovate into a dark corner of the 40K universe.

The white is awesome. But im also worried about WYSIWYG, as petelee said, not all have guns.

Wow, these are great I also appreciate the group shots from the previous page. It seems like the pace was really quick at the beginning! Do you have a target date you're aiming to finish by?

P4NC4K3 wrote:Best psychic upright death-squids I have ever laid eyes upon!

Thanks

petelee wrote:Oh, man, that is underwater-dance-jam cool. But, if an aquatic species, would they use crossbows? Also, what are they "counting-as" that so few have guns?

Dunno, Just seemed 'aquatic' to me! ;-)

s.j.mccartney wrote:Nicassar for the win!! That squad of 10 will be such a great addition to your army. Great work. GW should pay you money for being a genius.

They used to when I worked for them, but no longer strangely...

krusty wrote:im normally not a fan of tau models, but these look great to me
especially like the paint on the battlesuits...
cool stuff

Cheers brother

FlammingGaunt wrote:Nicassars will destroy everything! Great artwork, and Conversions.

Yes! 7 Pt squids with no armour save FTW!

Savnock wrote:Power-tentacle-fist!

Awesome.
I cannot WAIT to see a fully assembled unit of these guys. Way to innovate into a dark corner of the 40K universe.

Thx fella, not everything has to be 'dark + gothic with chipped + weathered armour IMO!

Werdes wrote:The white is awesome. But im also worried about WYSIWYG, as petelee said, not all have guns.

Pfft, 6 out of 10 should play. If I explain to my opponent what they are as I deploy them, should be no issue

RiTides Nids wrote:Wow, these are great I also appreciate the group shots from the previous page. It seems like the pace was really quick at the beginning! Do you have a target date you're aiming to finish by?

Yep, Was really quick, been super busy lately. But I am aiming for the NZ Grand Tournament in September.... its a big ask but I rekon its possible.

Speaking of which.

Finished another unit of Battlesuits. Toting Twin Linked Flamers + a Missile Pod each, most games will suicide by deep strike.

Yay so very clean!

Im glad there are painters out there that appreciate having their minis looking new!

WOW is all I can say the inside of Devil Fish Is awesome with the handles hanging from the ceiling. Plus the grass you used almost looks real. The banners that the infantry have are also really cool as well. Great job.

I cant say i like the posing of the crisis suit shooting both of his flamers at once, but your painting, and overall your army so far is astounding!

I'm always a fan of charming debonair space squid starship captains! That twin flamer battlesuit is just pure awesome sauce on a fiery stick I love it! The fire effects look absolutely terrifying any chance of a tutorial. I recently had a go on these myself... My attempt just seemed too flat.....and I'd like to see how somebody who got fire right did it!

LunaHound wrote:
Yay so very clean!

Im glad there are painters out there that appreciate having their minis looking new!

Lol, im not sure why EVERYTHING has to be chipped!! ;-)

jackvolerich wrote:WOW is all I can say the inside of Devil Fish Is awesome with the handles hanging from the ceiling. Plus the grass you used almost looks real. The banners that the infantry have are also really cool as well. Great job.

Cheers

Alexiosis wrote:I cant say i like the posing of the crisis suit shooting both of his flamers at once, but your painting, and overall your army so far is astounding!

No worries, its not for everyone.

Llamahead wrote:I'm always a fan of charming debonair space squid starship captains! That twin flamer battlesuit is just pure awesome sauce on a fiery stick I love it! The fire effects look absolutely terrifying any chance of a tutorial. I recently had a go on these myself... My attempt just seemed too flat.....and I'd like to see how somebody who got fire right did it!

Debonair + sauce and terrifying all in one post... legendary!

The Fire gouts are from armorcast.com, just painted golden yellow-firey orange-blazing orange-blood red. Then a wash of red ink.

Also finished my unit of Firestorm Pattern Crisis Suits - Burst Cannon, Missile Pod + Multi Trackers

I love the effects and the way they work with your clean army. Awesome stuff mate. It looks perfect

That's some really nice painting, especially the fire.

But how do the fins on the rockets fit in the missilepod?

Folding fins. I think the modern helicopter based rocket pods all have folding fins, if I recall my Gunship2000 days correctly

The battlesuit poses are extremely well executed, and the crisp white makes me want to cry

Beautiful stuff I always like dynamic poses and these really do look like stills from an action movie!

Cool stuff as always mate, I like the flamers too though can't help but feel that you should do some OSL on the weapons to really set the effect off.

Brilliantly clean painting as usual. Keep up the good work!

Cheers,

Dante

CMDante wrote:Cool stuff as always mate, I like the flamers too though can't help but feel that you should do some OSL on the weapons to really set the effect off.

Brilliantly clean painting as usual. Keep up the good work!

Cheers,

Dante

Cheers Dante, OSL would look good, but im noob at it and am seriously stretched for time. Will have to save it for my next project.

Llamahead wrote:Beautiful stuff I always like dynamic poses and these really do look like stills from an action movie!

Lol, naice1

Flinty wrote:Folding fins. I think the modern helicopter based rocket pods all have folding fins, if I recall my Gunship2000 days correctly

The battlesuit poses are extremely well executed, and the crisp white makes me want to cry

U got it! Tx

Werdes wrote:But how do the fins on the rockets fit in the missilepod?

captain.gordino wrote:That's some really nice painting, especially the fire.

It looked a bit rubbish as i painted it, but the testor's dullcoate has brought it together nicely.

Flachzange wrote:I love the effects and the way they work with your clean army. Awesome stuff mate. It looks perfect

Really appreciate it mate

Meanwhile;

Finished Shas'el Shadowstorm - Airbursting Fragmentation Projector, Missile Pod, Flamer, Stimulant Injector, Hard Wired Multi Tracker, Hard Wired Drone Controller + 2 Shield Drones.





Airbursting Fragmentation Projector


Flamer


Stimulant Injector

Wow nice Stimulant Injector, and of course the whole Battlesuit looks awesome

nice guys mate

- Quick Update -

Working on my Hammerhead and the Pathfinders' Dfish;

Marker Beacon

Flechette Dischargers

Man, you're cranking this stuff out lately! How did you make the flechettes?

I like how the cables mimic the scalp locks that the bare headed Tau have.

Sirath wrote:

tzeentchling wrote:Man, you're cranking this stuff out lately! How did you make the flechettes?

Yeah, bit under the gun now. Have two months to finish 1750pts.

The Power Cosmic wrote:I like how the cables mimic the scalp locks that the bare headed Tau have.

Wasn't intentional i assure you, just a happy coincidence. ;-)

UPDATE

Also finished assembling, converting, greenstuffing + adding blood to a unit of 21 Kroot.



Having a munch

Mr. Pointy

Kroot Hounds



I was going for a Vietnam type feel. All the Tau look hapless and out of place in the jungle, so I want the Kroot to blend in better.
What better than the unit entering a swamp?

the swamp wading kroot look great. Also the firing rockets and flamers are really cool.

Wow... extremely nice army!

i'm definitely stealing the idea for wading troops for my next army. Nice work.

Do you use multiple thin coats to make that white so clean? because it looks awesome!

That Shas'el is AMAZING - The pose, the head, the base and its wargear all fit together perfectly to make it look like it's real. And the shield is an awesome shape.


And well done on the rest of the army, of course.

This is, by far, one of the best Tau armies I've ever seen. Every model looks custom and really exudes the flavor of a Tau army. Great work. I can't wait to see how the Kroot come out. I don't think I've ever seen models positioned like your Kroot. What looks to be a simple conversion will add so much flavor to the unit.

Again, fantastic work. Can't wait to see more.

Flechette dischargers look like seeker missiles. Did you just add some plasticard for the 'grills'?

tcraigen wrote:the swamp wading kroot look great. Also the firing rockets and flamers are really cool.

EzeKK wrote:Wow... extremely nice army!

Thanks guys

king88mob wrote:i'm definitely stealing the idea for wading troops for my next army. Nice work.

No problemo, go nuts fella.

Gutteridge wrote:Do you use multiple thin coats to make that white so clean? because it looks awesome!

Yep,
- 2 Coats of Skull White Spray
- 2 Coats of Morrow White + Floor Polish
- Codex Grey in Armour creases
- Touch up with Morrow+Polish
- Vomit Brown Sept markings

It wrote:That Shas'el is AMAZING - The pose, the head, the base and its wargear all fit together perfectly to make it look like it's real. And the shield is an awesome shape.
And well done on the rest of the army, of course.

Hehe, The shield is direct from Forgeworld so can't take credit for the shape! Appreciate the kudos.

Sarigar wrote:This is, by far, one of the best Tau armies I've ever seen. Every model looks custom and really exudes the flavor of a Tau army. Great work. I can't wait to see how the Kroot come out. I don't think I've ever seen models positioned like your Kroot. What looks to be a simple conversion will add so much flavor to the unit.
Again, fantastic work. Can't wait to see more.

Cheers Cuz, this army has been a labour of love for me. Alot of time and energy [and $] have gone into it. So i'm glad you enjoy it and that I can share it.

I have tried to add minor conversions to each model, not sure where the idea for half-submerged kroot came from...

Still trying to work out how to do their bases thou.

Dal'yth Dude wrote:Flechette dischargers look like seeker missiles. Did you just add some plasticard for the 'grills'?

Exactly right. Bought a Sky Ray as I needed a Hammerhead

- Never buy a Hammerhead Kit people! The Sky Ray Kit costs the same but comes with an extra sprue!!! Stupid GW marketing department. Lol.

Sirath wrote:
- Never buy a Hammerhead Kit people! The Sky Ray Kit costs the same but comes with an extra sprue!!! Stupid GW marketing department. Lol.

Skyray kit still contain the hammerhead turrets?

Amazing work! I envy the clean whites! I've been painting White Scar esque marines and keeping the white clean is such a chore. Havent gone the route of basing in white though, havent had the time

Also, that Shas'el's flamer arm, specifically the shield, is amazing! I hope we can get a tutorial on how to make some of these awesome conversions!

Keep it up!

Exclamations! This is so. . .
Perfect.
Looking at the Kroot made me want to re-do my WIP army from semi-desert to jungle, just to copy you. I'll have to copy those flechettes, as well, if'n you don't mind. The only criticisms I have are that the commander looks a bit busy, you know? And that the AFP looks too large. Wouldn't just the barrel be coming out of t ForgeWorld arm?

Great idea for kroot, painting as usual unbelievably good.