Syro_ wrote:It's a shame seeing the BattleTech painting coming to an end, it's been fun. Thanks for sharing those excellently painted mechs with us Josh

Well, more of a hiatus than an end. That said, how many gamers can actully say that they've painted all their models?

cygnnus wrote:Love the Marauder! Like you, that was always one of my favorite of the original unseen. That said, I have always been most partial to the rifleman, even though it kind of sucked in the rules. Those AC fives just didn’t do it. Great work, as always!

Valete,

JohnS

The Marauder was, indeed, one of the best Unseen. The Warhammer and Rifleman are a close second and third. And while AC5s didn't pack a lot of punch, they only generate one heat, which at least keeps the ROF up.

Captain Brown wrote:More nice work JoshInJapan.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks, Cap'n!

inmygravenimage wrote:All great, and the Marauder is indeed top.

It's my favorite from this set. I wish Catalyst sold individual mechs so I could get at least one more.

Archer wrote:I to am sad to see the end of Battletech. Perhaps you have inspired me enough to stop procrastinating and get some of my favourites? Maybe...

As I said above, I'm stopping because I don't have any more mechs to paint. I'll bring the CAV models home sooner or later, and then it's back to stompy goodness!

Slinky wrote:Very nice work! Does BT tend to be played with any terrain, or just on the flat hex maps?

We used to play on a regular board with 3D terrain. The most important thing is mounting your models on hex bases because you have to pay for turns, but other than that it worked pretty well.

I finally finished the chupacabras:







The theme for the February paining challenge was Location, Location, Location. I tried to capture the feel of the American Southwest in their bases, but it didn't feel like enough, so I took the plunge and made a display base for them. The grass is static grass and tufts, and the cacti are (somewhat amateurishly) hand-scultped. The rabbit came with some Bad Squiddo minis that I have lying around waiting to be painted. As predicted, their tails are prone to snapping off, but I think they'll hold as long as I don't touch the models.

The painting challenge for March will most likely be Space Marines. While I have a bunch of SM models (as would any gamer as old as I am), I don't really enjoy painting marines per se. I'm considering using the models to explore Grimdark painting techinques-- extreme contrasts, weathering, and such.

I love the cactii I actually thought you'd used real ones! Great job all round dude.

 inmygravenimage wrote:
I love the cactii I actually thought you'd used real ones! Great job all round dude.

Thanks! I based the cacti on the stuff that grew where I lived when I was in the US. I'm honestly surprised that they turned out as well as the did.

The theme of the Dakka Painting Challenge this month (actually, every March) is Space Marines. Although I don't play 40K any more, and don't intend to, I have a pile of unpainted Marines, as does any hobbyist of a certain age. I wasn't really interested in painting something "new," but I remembered having these dudes:


I got them back when GW mail order would custom cast anything, as long as you had the catalog number. All told, I have about a dozen of models from this set, and for the challenge I have decided to paint one of each, and enter the ones I'm happiest with.

Rather than painting them in chapter colors, I have decided to give them all unique paint schemes, inspired by some of the color plates from the Rogue Trader rulebook. This first model is based on the fellow on the left:






I went with a high-contrast, muddy palette, based on my limited knowledge of the Grimdark style. Not bad for a first try, I think, but I see lots of room for improvement. The glowy eyes are kind of wonky, and I see that missed the little dags on his helmet, so I'll have to go back and add those.

I'm still trying to figure out how to paint Grimdark, so if anyone has feedback or advice, it would be most appreciated.

Okay, RT Marines are Marines I can get behind. This guy looks great, so I can't really thing of any way to improve him (aside from adding the helmet details from the drawing).

Great work on the first RT Marine! Can't wait to see the rest. Not being too sure on the specifics of grimdark painting, I have no notes.

Glorious!

Great idea, and excellent finished product

Nice job on the old-school Space Marine, and the cacti look really good!

Amazing throwback paint job! And I love the use of the old Rogue Trader art for inspiration!

Man, does that bring back some memories. Between this and the BattleTech stuff you did, you are really hitting the late ‘80’s nostalgia card hard right now. Absolutely love it!

Great stuff as always Josh(e)!

Valete,

JohnS

Solid start to the marines. God's I miss the old days. Nothing really wrong with the new days, just different is all.

I remember my very first introduction to 40k was the Space Crusade board game, a mate and I played that to death without really knowing that there was a bigger universe behind it all....

Great stuff. Always loved that illustration. Interesting fact: when it was used in WD it was captioned 'marines' but in the RT rulebook - the example here, they are 'human renegades'. Just dudes in power armour. The graffiti on the wall behind them.

Anyway love the paint job, can't wait to see the rest, and you've given me ideas since I have a few of these guys knocking around myself....

KidCthulhu wrote:Okay, RT Marines are Marines I can get behind. This guy looks great, so I can't really thing of any way to improve him (aside from adding the helmet details from the drawing).

Although the production methods were relatively primitive compared to today, models from this era certainly have a lot of "character," which keeps them fun to paint.

youwashock wrote:Great work on the first RT Marine! Can't wait to see the rest. Not being too sure on the specifics of grimdark painting, I have no notes.

I think I'll just try to keep with the super-high contrast, and not worry so much about the grime that seems to be the hallmark of the style.

bbb wrote:Glorious!

Thanks!

inmygravenimage wrote:Great idea, and excellent finished product

Thanks!

aku-chan wrote:Nice job on the old-school Space Marine, and the cacti look really good!

I'm pretty happy with the cacti, as well. My sculpting skills are rudimentary at best, so I'm especially pleased when things work.

cygnnus wrote:Amazing throwback paint job! And I love the use of the old Rogue Trader art for inspiration!

Man, does that bring back some memories. Between this and the BattleTech stuff you did, you are really hitting the late ‘80’s nostalgia card hard right now. Absolutely love it!

Great stuff as always Josh(e)!

Valete,

JohnS

It's been a lot of fun reliving my youth over the past month or so. I fondly recall staying up until dawn (or thereabouts) blasting away at each other's mechs.

Camkierhi wrote:Solid start to the marines. God's I miss the old days. Nothing really wrong with the new days, just different is all.

Agreed. It's been a blast revisiting these older models.

PaddyMick wrote:Great stuff. Always loved that illustration. Interesting fact: when it was used in WD it was captioned 'marines' but in the RT rulebook - the example here, they are 'human renegades'. Just dudes in power armour. The graffiti on the wall behind them.

Anyway love the paint job, can't wait to see the rest, and you've given me ideas since I have a few of these guys knocking around myself....

One of the best things about RT was just how sandboxy it was. Of course, we all ended up building armies of identically-painted models, but at first it was a free-for-all. Games like Rogue Stars get close, but don't quite capture the feel of the era.

Here's the next renegade:




Once again, my camera refuses to focus properly. I'm not as happy with the NMM on the weapon on this guy, but I think the highlights on his helmet work better than the previous model. I'm also rather proud of the stripes on the shoulder pad-- they look to be almost the same size! I'm not sure what to do with the insignia badge on the right shoulder, so I'm leaving that blank for now.

Next up, more marines! I'll also try to get some better photos for next time, as well.

I see you've got some of those Marines that are as old as I am! Always cool to see stuff like that get painted. Loving what you're doing with them so far.

 ZergSmasher wrote:
I see you've got some of those Marines that are as old as I am! Always cool to see stuff like that get painted. Loving what you're doing with them so far.

FWIW, I was old enough to buy them with my own money when they were first released, which puts you in the whippersnapper category compared to me

Ooh, the nostalgia is real! Yeah, I likewise was a buyer of such things with my hard earned pocket money. Alas, I had not the sense to keep them

 inmygravenimage wrote:
Ooh, the nostalgia is real! Yeah, I likewise was a buyer of such things with my hard earned pocket money. Alas, I had not the sense to keep them

Every year, either during winter or spring vacation, I clear out some stuff from the Closet of Infinite Possibility. Usually, I get rid of things that I know I'll never get around to using (like a massive backlog of unpainted 40K Orks), and for the most part it feels good. Some things I regret, even a decade later. My Skullz AdMech and Chaos Dwarf Renegades sets still haunt my dreams...

I finished a couple more of the RT marines. First, the missle launcher:




He was supposed to be a dirty off-white, but ended up yellow. The mismatched left arm is supposed to have been scavenged from a different suit of armor, but I'm not sure you can tell just by looking.

Next, the Death Squad marine:




I really struggled with the black armor, and I'm not entirely happy with how it came out. The skull on the helmet worked pretty well, but I had no clue how to best approach the "sword." What, exactly, is it supposed to be? Super-frozen soft-serve ice cream?

I have three more in this set, and I hope to have the next ready to show in a day or two.

I think you are doing yourself a disservice . I especially love the mad old chainsword.

Nice! I don't think I even remember ever seeing that missile launcher marine before...

Love these two. They are such funky sculpts, like the aforementioned sword. I have to go back and see how many of these RT Marines I kept. May end up with my own case of "purge regret."

These guys are coming out great, Josh. I think you're doing an excellent job, especially given how weird some of those sculpts can be.

Solid job on these marines. The old, eccentric sculpts really get to shine with a well-executed paintjob in the style of the era.

 KidCthulhu wrote:
These guys are coming out great, Josh. I think you're doing an excellent job, especially given how weird some of those sculpts can be.

Yeah, the more you look at them, the more odd they look to eyes accustomed to modern marines But Josh's paintjob has really brought out the best in them.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. These guys are definitely of the of their time, and I'm enjoying them a lot for their funk-value.

I finished this guy over the weekend:




As always, the Dakka SuperZoom makes the model look much worse than in real life. I went with a police car-inspired lack-and-white scheme for this one, with a red-and-yellow check pattern on his shoulder pad to add some color.

Two more left to paint. After that, I'll finish off their bases and decide which ones to enter in the Painting Comp.

I finished the last two RT Space Marines:



I wanted each model to have a unique color scheme, which is how I ended up with teal and violet. The violet guy is the LE2 Space Marine, the first ever released, and is the best model of this entire set. I wish the rest had been sculpted with the same proportions. Here is the entire set together:



I have to spruce up their bases a bit, and then decide which to enter in the Painting Comp.

Between these two models, I dug into the backlog and pulled out this model:


She is from Bad Squiddo's Amazons range. It was refreshing to go back to organic shapes after all those power armored dudes. I'm getting better at bronze NMM, but I'm not quite "there" yet.

Your RT marines are truly inspiring. It makes me want to actually work on the handful of RT marines I have.

I am not sure if I have been following your painting journey from day one, but I have been lurking for a very long time and I think it is time I say that your painting is really incredible.

I really appreciate your efforts to keep pushing your skills to the next level (as well as your photography). You should be very pleased with what you are able to achieve, one of the best painters that I follow on Dakka.

KidCthulhu wrote:Your RT marines are truly inspiring. It makes me want to actually work on the handful of RT marines I have.

Please do! I always enjoy seeing how other hobbyists approach the same models.

Archer wrote:I am not sure if I have been following your painting journey from day one, but I have been lurking for a very long time and I think it is time I say that your painting is really incredible.

I really appreciate your efforts to keep pushing your skills to the next level (as well as your photography). You should be very pleased with what you are able to achieve, one of the best painters that I follow on Dakka.

Wow, that's really high praise! I hope I can continue to live up to it.

Loving your take on the old-school space marines. Those sculpts always looked so squishy to me, compared to what followed. But they’ve got so much character and your painting is really just exactly the right style for them. Just all gritty and individual rogues, no two of them alike. Great stuff.

 theCrowe wrote:



Loving your take on the old-school space marines. Those sculpts always looked so squishy to me, compared to what followed. But they’ve got so much character and your painting is really just exactly the right style for them. Just all gritty and individual rogues, no two of them alike. Great stuff.

The original Space Marine (the purple one in this set) is a pretty solid sculpt that holds up pretty well even today. The rest seem to have been cranked out in a hurry. I can"t imagine doing a whole army of them, but as individual mercs they work just fine

GLORIOUS! Absolutely wonderful RT marines.

Exalted JoshInJapan.

Cheers,

CB

The color patterns almost make me think those old school Marines are pretending to be Harlequins or something. They definitely turned out good!

bbb wrote:GLORIOUS! Absolutely wonderful RT marines.

Thanks! It's always fun to go back and revisit the funky models from this era.

Captain Brown wrote:Exalted JoshInJapan.

Cheers,

CB

Wow, that may be my first ever exalt! Thanks, CB!

ZergSmasher wrote:The color patterns almost make me think those old school Marines are pretending to be Harlequins or something. They definitely turned out good!

Well, when Harlequins were first introduced, they were said to salvage vehicles and equipment, repainting them in Harlie colors and patterns-- somewhere, I still have a Rhino that I decked out in all sorts of colors and patterns. It may well be that there are Eldar hiding in these suits of power armor!

Continuing with my Amazon theme, we have Lehana, Amazon Champion:



Thea, another Amazon Champion:



An an unnamed Amazon Elite Guard:



And a group photo, including the one I shared last update:


These models represent a sort of back to basic project, in that I used my world-famous Paint Everything Brown (TM) method. As always, they look better in hand than in Dakka SuperZoom.

I still have several more models from this set waiting for paint, but they may be temporarily sidelined during the Painting Challenge for April. The theme is Doomsday, and I have a few options. I may put up a poll to help me decide which to choose.

Nice looking batch of models!

I'm a bit of a sucker for Amazons. I blame Wonder Woman these look ace.

youwashock wrote:Nice looking batch of models!

Thanks. They were fun to paint.

inmygravenimage wrote:I'm a bit of a sucker for Amazons. I blame Wonder Woman these look ace.

I've been a WW fan since I was a kid (Lynda Carter FTW!), and I loved Patty Jenkins' take on the Amazons-- Zac Snyder, not so much. I like that these models are identifiably female without being cheesecake.

Here's a sort of filler model that I cranked out in a couple of sittings:



This is the Sergeant from the first Space Marine Heroes set. He's been sitting, primed, in a drawer for a long, long time. I was going to paint him for the Dakka Challenge, but went with the RT dudes instead. I tried to do him in Grimdark style, and I'm pretty happy with how the turned out. He needs his chapter emblem, but otherwise he's finished.

Here's a shot with three generations of Marines, for scale:


The theme for April's Challenge is Doomsday. I haven't decided what I want to paint yet-- I have three different options that I'm considering. I think I'll put up a poll and see what the audience wants to see.

That's sweet! The SMH sarge is a great mini, and yours looks awesome. Hazard stripes and grime are killer.

 youwashock wrote:
That's sweet! The SMH sarge is a great mini, and yours looks awesome. Hazard stripes and grime are killer.

Thanks! The whole set is great-- they almost make me want to play 40K again. Thankfully, Xenos Rampant is a viable option.

So, I dug into the Closet of Shame, and was once again surprised at how many unpainted models I have. I reckon it's about time to cull again.

Here are my three choices for the April Challenge:
1) Dr Johan and his Doomray, from RAFM's Airship Pirates line:


2) William McLeod, Journalist and Jeff Reagher, Insane, both from RAFM's Call of Cthulhu line. (I'll probably only paint one of the Jack Nicholson dude)


3) Stalkers from Orzol miniatures (a KS I backed a couple of years ago). I have at least this many more models that were a little more difficult to get to


Which do you think I should enter in the April Challenge? Vote in the poll (it will be up for five days), and I'll do whichever wins the vote. Actually, I'll probably do all of them, but I'll enter your favorites.

I voted stalkers as I enjoyed your chupacabras so much. Let's see what other creepy weirdos you can muster

Sergeant looks great, pose and colour scheme kinda reminds me of the dawn of war box art. super cool

Beautiful marines, Josh. I really enjoy your painting style. Very muted and realistic looking.

Nice work on the marines.

Voted for the doomray for doomsday.

Lovely Amazons! Really nice Cool models too...

inmygravenimage wrote:I voted stalkers as I enjoyed your chupacabras so much. Let's see what other creepy weirdos you can muster

It looks like the Doomray is in the lead, but I'll do some work on the stalkers this month as well.

BarryScott wrote:Sergeant looks great, pose and colour scheme kinda reminds me of the dawn of war box art. super cool

That was a really evocative image, wasn't it?

JamesY wrote:Beautiful marines, Josh. I really enjoy your painting style. Very muted and realistic looking.

Thanks! I did it mostly with overbrushing using only downstrokes. I have nine more in this set, so I'll see if I can't make the next ones even better.

Nevelon wrote:Nice work on the marines.

Voted for the doomray for doomsday.

So has everyone but graven! The cannon is metal, and will require pinning to keep it together, but I already have some ideas about how to approach the painting.

Annie wrote:Lovely Amazons! Really nice Cool models too...

I think I have a few more models from this company in my Gallery...

I bought some 40K models for the first time in years:


They're being sold as monthly collectibles in bookstores. The first has a SM lieutenant and Necron Royal Warden, along with a tiny battle mat, and some dice. 2 and 3 have some basic troops and one pot of paint. The first two sets were ￥599 and ￥1,299, which are cheap enough for impulse buys, but every set after is full price (￥2,199), which would add up quick if I decided to go all in. Which I likely won't, as I don't really plan on getting back into 40K, but these will make a nice diversion if/when I get around to painting them.

It looks like Dr. Johan is the winner! I started assembly and priming last night. The good doctor is a one-piece metal mini, so no problem there, but the cannon required a lot of trimming and pinning to go together. I may or may not put up WIP photos soon.

All hail Dr. Johan!

It seems like nobody around my area is selling the Imperium magazines, which is a shame because there were definitely some issues I would have wanted. Looking forward to Dr. Johan, as he does look like a pretty interesting mini, especially with that death cannon thingy.

 ZergSmasher wrote:
It seems like nobody around my area is selling the Imperium magazines, which is a shame because there were definitely some issues I would have wanted. Looking forward to Dr. Johan, as he does look like a pretty interesting mini, especially with that death cannon thingy.

I haven't gone to the bookstore in a couple of weeks, but they had at least two of each issue (no. 9 at the time) the last time I went. I'm not sure that there are that many nerds where I live. That said, regular price is pretty expensive for the number of models in each one...

Dr. Johan is almost done, I should have him ready to share over the weekend. The cannon will take a little longer, though.

Dr. Johan is ready to take over the world:


The painted photos on the RAFM website have him in a while lab coat, but take a look at that Ming the Merciless collar, the natty walking stick, and the fabulous rings! This guy is ready to take over the world, and do in in style, with his black overcoat and pinstriped suit. The model looks a whole lot like Rob Halford, which is why his Van Dyke is brown rather than black or grey.

His integral base is detailed, but I wasn't really sure how to approach it. I went with a sort of marble effect, and would appreciate it if you don't look too closely.



I spend several painting sessions doing and redoing the NMM bronze until I could get it where I wanted it. I'm still not completely happy with the result, but that's probably a function of holding it six inches from my face trying to get the highlights right. Green is, of course, the color of mad science, and I was originally planning to have the glowy parts on the interior of the chassis, but I was never happy with the results. Instead, I put the energy tubes around the outside, and added some half-baked OSL around the joins. The barrel of the gun and the disk it attaches to are separate from the main body, and are weirdly asymmetrical. Maybe the original green got twisted when making the master? Or possibly it was sculpted that way? Either way, this is what I came up with, and you can't really tell at arm's length, which is the real test.

Here are a couple of photos of the Dr. and his Doomray, ready to take over the world!

I think both pieces came out very well!

Dr Johan's marble base works well with the somber color scheme of the character and the Death Ray is absolutely perfect! Really like the effort (and the result you obtained) getting the power glow and NMM just right.

Well done.

Love it! I’m sure he’ll be foiled by Doc Savage at the last minute, but until then, he’ll undoubtedly menace many a damsel in distress. With science!

Sleet,

JohnS

Screeeeeaming! Screaming for vengeance!

Sorry.

He looks awesome. Love the pinstripes. The doom-ray also turned out fantastic.

Doooooooooooommmmm!

Very nicely done.

Very nice gun. Do we think he's compensating for something?

That came out better than expected. You've raised the bar, Josh!

cygnnus wrote:Love it! I’m sure he’ll be foiled by Doc Savage at the last minute, but until then, he’ll undoubtedly menace many a damsel in distress. With science!

Sleet,

JohnS

Well, that's what they get for laughing at him. He'll show them! He'll show them all!

Also, "Sleet"?

youwashock wrote:Screeeeeaming! Screaming for vengeance!

Sorry.

He looks awesome. Love the pinstripes. The doom-ray also turned out fantastic.

Out there is a fortune, waiting to be had. If you think he'll let it go, you're mad!

I'm rather fond of the pinstripes, as well.

Nevelon wrote:Doooooooooooommmmm!

Very nicely done.

Thanks!

inmygravenimage wrote:Very nice gun. Do we think he's compensating for something?

Well, the model is quite tiny:


He'd probably actually fit into a suit of Marine armor...

KidCthulhu wrote:That came out better than expected. You've raised the bar, Josh!

Thanks, Kid. I still see a lot of flaws, but the next time should be even better.

V nice, well done

Dr. Johan looks nice and sinister, but OMG that death ray! Spectacular use of blending and light effects!

At current GW prices 2200Y per issue is not that bad. I guess bookstores will carry Imperium until number 20 or so, then drop it.

M.

Wow! That is a gorgeous paint job.

 Slinky wrote:
V nice, well done

Thanks!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

ZergSmasher wrote:Dr. Johan looks nice and sinister, but OMG that death ray! Spectacular use of blending and light effects!

I'm still very new at lighting effects, but I'm getting better.

Miguelsan wrote:At current GW prices 2200Y per issue is not that bad. I guess bookstores will carry Imperium until number 20 or so, then drop it.

M.

My initial excitement at finding these has faded. I don't play 40K anymore, and I'm not likely to start, but it will be fun painting these guys when I get around to them.

makeitorky wrote:Wow! That is a gorgeous paint job.

Thanks! I can see a lot of flaws, but every model leads to improvement!

Nice job on the Doctor and his death ray!

 aku-chan wrote:
Nice job on the Doctor and his death ray!

Thanks! I'm glad you like him!

Having finished Dr. Johan, I have moved on to the runner-up in the poll:


I got these guys in a Kickstarter a couple of years ago, along with several more of these military-looking dudes, and and equal number of civilian stalkers/bandits. I got them for Zona Alfa, but they'll work in any near-future, post-apoc setting. I used this set to practice painting camo. The guy in the middle was painted last, and I think he turned out the best. The models themselves are resin. The detailing is super-sharp, and mold lines nearly non-existent, but the weapons are all super-thin and will 100% break off in storage.

Very nicely done. Yeah I have a love hate relationship with resin, especially weapons, so I feel your pain.

Very nice JoshInJapan.

Cheers,

CB

They've come out really well, yes, and the basing sets them off perfectly!

Camouflage is a tricky one. Practice makes progress, though. Nice work.

And I hadn't posted on your stuff in a while, but that death ray is awesome!

Brilliant camo I'd say. Excellent as always.

inmygravenimage wrote:Very nicely done. Yeah I have a love hate relationship with resin, especially weapons, so I feel your pain.

Thanks. So far, every model in this set has remained intact, but I predict a lot of snapped-off gun barrels once they go into storage.

Captain Brown wrote:Very nice JoshInJapan.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks!

Slinky wrote:They've come out really well, yes, and the basing sets them off perfectly!

Glad you like them. I just used my standard white-glue-and-sand basing, painted in browns, but I do like having a couple different colors for the tufts.

DJJazzyJeff wrote:Camouflage is a tricky one. Practice makes progress, though. Nice work.

And I hadn't posted on your stuff in a while, but that death ray is awesome!

Thanks! I'm fairly satisfied with how the deathray turned out. I'm not so sure about the camo, but it was a good exercise, at least.

Camkierhi wrote:Brilliant camo I'd say. Excellent as always.

Thanks. I'm not wholly convinced that camo works at this scale, as it doesn't really show up at tabletop distances, but it was good practice.

I finished the last of the stalkers that came in the set:


These two are a lot skinnier than the first three, and have a lot more wrinkles in their clothes, which made them more difficult to paint. My technique for their clothes has been AP Army Green, then some splotches for the camo, followed by AP soft tone and then highlights. For the guy on the left in this photo, I used Strong Tone instead, and it pretty much drowned out the camo. Live and learn, I guess.



These two are have sniper rifles rather than AK's. The prone model is female, wearing what seem to be form-fitting yoga pants rather than the baggy trousers of the other models in this set. Seriously, her butt is fully on display, which is why I decided to hide her in the bushes-- it just seems inappropriate for the setting. In retrospect, I should have put her on a cavalry-sized base as she hangs of this 32mm round in front and back. Also, I probably should have just replaced the gun barrel with wire, as the resin is not likely to survive any handling.

Here is the whole set together:


I have finished two of the bandits that came with this KS, but have decided to shift over to these Chaos Dwarves for the May Challenge:


Here's the whole s

They look great! I can't wait to see what you do with those dwarves.

Yay! Love those old pre-“big hat” chaos dwarves. I went looking on eBay for a tenderizer or pulverizer, but danged they were spend. Wish I’d kept on old ones.

Can’t wait to see how they turn out in your hands!

Valete,

JohnS

makeitorky wrote:They look great! I can't wait to see what you do with those dwarves.

They are very old, very funky models, but they should be a lot of fun.

cygnnus wrote:Yay! Love those old pre-“big hat” chaos dwarves. I went looking on eBay for a tenderizer or pulverizer, but danged they were spend. Wish I’d kept on old ones.

Can’t wait to see how they turn out in your hands!

Valete,

JohnS

I still have my old CD warmachines. I'll have to dig them out someday and see if I can update their paintjobs.

I fell your pain, Josh. I hate extremely fragile resin for figures. It's just asking for it so it can ruing all your hard work!
I had a Warzone figure snap not that long ago because it got snagged while pulling a box out of storage.

M.

Oh yes, those classic chaos dwarves are awesome. I did have some swivel guns somewhere, but pretty sure they went in one of the "University drinking money" purges

Nice work on those Stalkers, love that game series, might have to have a look into Zone Alfa now!

Miguelsan wrote:I fell your pain, Josh. I hate extremely fragile resin for figures. It's just asking for it so it can ruing all your hard work!
I had a Warzone figure snap not that long ago because it got snagged while pulling a box out of storage.

M.

That's one of the advantages of metal, especially monopose. I just packed this set up this morning, we'll see how long they survive.

Slinky wrote:Oh yes, those classic chaos dwarves are awesome. I did have some swivel guns somewhere, but pretty sure they went in one of the "University drinking money" purges

I never had a swivel gun, but I do have a bazooka team, and both of the boar-centaur war machines.

Guardling wrote:Nice work on those Stalkers, love that game series, might have to have a look into Zone Alfa now!

Thanks! I'm not a video gamer, but I have read and enjoyed both Roadside Picnic and Metro 2033.

Painting has slowed down a bit, but I have finished these two bandits:



Given the Russian setting of Zona Alfa, it seemed appropriate to put these guys in track suits. The long, black Matrix coats just add to the ridiculousness of the models. I'm delighted by these guys, and I look forward to working on the rest. Before that, though, I need to get my Painting Challenge entry finished. Here are the first three potential entries:



The theme is "Mistakes Were Made," and these guys fit the theme in a variety of ways. I have written previously about my regret over selling their predecessors. These models are pretty old, so there are some slight miscasts here and there. Ad of course, I'm still struggling with NMM, so all I can see are the mistakes. Still and all, these guys are done.

I really like them. Nice and grim

I finished all the Chaos Dwarves a few days ago. Here they are:







The sculpting on these dudes is pretty rough in places-- in retrospect, I should have filed down some more of the lumps, but I try to use a soft touch with models this old. The NMM works for the most part, I think. I only have one photo for that last guy, as there isn't much to see besides his cloak. I'm happy with how his axe turned out, though.

Here they are all together (minus the cloak guy, whom I am not fond of):


I need to decide which five to enter in the Comp. I also need a second light source, as these guys are so stumpy it's hard to see their legs in photos using my current set up.

Great job! Good ol' Chaos Dwarves in scaled down Chaos armor. I much prefer these over the big hat ziggurat crew. What is it you don't like about the cloak guy? I think he looks pretty cool.

I am very envious of those old-school Chaos Dwarves. Well done, Josh!

Old-school cool is awesome; those models have great sculpts. Much better than the later stuff for Chaos Dwarves IMO. You did a good job on them too.

They look angry and short. All boxes ticked!

Great work, Josh(e)! As always, your naturalistic pallet really works well with those guys. Love the combination of the fantastic aspects of chaos dwarves mixed with the very realistic paint scheme.

And in particular, those original non-big hat model really work with that scheme.

And as always, I am sure you are much harder on yourself than anyone else would be with those paint jobs. I suspect the vast, vast majority of Wargamer’s would be absolutely thrilled to be able to paint that quality, and especially at the sustained volume you’ve been able to manage.

Valete,

JohnS

Chaos dwarfs looking great!

youwashock wrote:Great job! Good ol' Chaos Dwarves in scaled down Chaos armor. I much prefer these over the big hat ziggurat crew. What is it you don't like about the cloak guy? I think he looks pretty cool.

It's mostly the cloak. It looks like a blanket draped over the model, and it covers pretty much everything except the face and hands. There's another version of this sculpt with a coll, Chaosy helmet that I like much more.

KidCthulhu wrote:I am very envious of those old-school Chaos Dwarves. Well done, Josh!

I do love me some Chaos Drwaves, that's for sure.

ZergSmasher wrote:Old-school cool is awesome; those models have great sculpts. Much better than the later stuff for Chaos Dwarves IMO. You did a good job on them too.

I agree-- I never really got into the later, faux-Mesopotamian dudes.

inmygravenimage wrote:They look angry and short. All boxes ticked!

Mission Accomplished!

cygnnus wrote:Great work, Josh(e)! As always, your naturalistic pallet really works well with those guys. Love the combination of the fantastic aspects of chaos dwarves mixed with the very realistic paint scheme.

And in particular, those original non-big hat model really work with that scheme.

And as always, I am sure you are much harder on yourself than anyone else would be with those paint jobs. I suspect the vast, vast majority of Wargamer’s would be absolutely thrilled to be able to paint that quality, and especially at the sustained volume you’ve been able to manage.

Valete,

JohnS

You flatter me, as always. I'm old enough, and play rarely enough, that I have enough time to be a sort-of-perfectionist.

Flapjack wrote:Chaos dwarfs looking great!

Thanks!

I have a random selection of models to share this week. First, another Space Marine Hero:


I don't play 40K anymore, and likely never will, so I'm using these models mostly to practice lighting. The yellow on this guy is richer than on the previous one. I'm not sure about the OSL in the eyes, but the NMM on the bolter clip on his base turned out great.



Two more track-suited Stalkers. I didn't quite achieve Bruce Lee-yellow on the guy with the shogun, but I'm happy with the Adidas stripes on his pants.




And finally, a Chaos Thug for this month's Challenge. I love these early versions of Chaos dudes-- they feel more like the weird wasteland raiders from the Road Warrior than the later plastics. I'm not sure I nailed the NMM on his shoulder pad, but I'm happy with the greave and the giant hexwrench club.

I think that NMM is pretty smashing, actually, the light hits just right. Nice job on the SM too, colours look really crisp.

 inmygravenimage wrote:
I think that NMM is pretty smashing, actually, the light hits just right. Nice job on the SM too, colours look really crisp.

Thanks. I'm finding that this particular set of models is particularly vulnerable to lighting, as it were:




In real life, the armor looks more like armor than it does in these photos. The shield gave me a lot of grief. Why does he even have a shield? He has no sidearm, so he won't be able to use the shield and the giant mace at the same time. I tried a few Chaos-y effects before I settled on this Viking design, which both fits with the image of Chaos warriors as raiders from the frozen north and resembles some sort of hazard marker.




I'm quite proud of the NMM on this guy's helmet, but it really only works from one angle. His robes were supposed to be purple, but my mix ended up looking more grey.

Here's a group shot:

Wow those look stupendous. Your NMN is really really good. I agree that the shield is very strange. I feel like where it is belted to him it would just smack him in the butt constantly as he ran or fought?

As always, I love your photo background, very thunderstorm-y.

 makeitorky wrote:
Wow those look stupendous. Your NMN is really really good. I agree that the shield is very strange. I feel like where it is belted to him it would just smack him in the butt constantly as he ran or fought?

As always, I love your photo background, very thunderstorm-y.

I hadn't even thought about the placement of the shield. Now, I don't think I'll get rid of that image...

My photo backdrop is just something I downloaded and printed on the color printer here at work.

I finished the Champion of Slaanesh last night:




You can tell this is a Jes Goodwin model because of the little nubs on his gloves. I stuck with lighter, almost pastel, colors as befitting a champion of Slaanesh. I also tried a new technique on the sword. I think it worked better on the front than on the back.

Here are all four chaos dudes together:


I've not yet decided whether to enter the whole group in the Dakka Comp, or just the Champion. I still have a few days to decide, though. Next up, a couple more resin Stalkers for Zona Alfa.

Awesome. So much to love in the old Chaos range. You've done a great job on these guys.

You painted quite the team! They look great together. I can't wait to see what you paint up next.

Very cool, very retro. I reckon that champions of chaos absolutely fits the theme

youwashock wrote:Awesome. So much to love in the old Chaos range. You've done a great job on these guys.

Thanks! There was, indeed, a lot of weird and wonderful things in this range.

makeitorky wrote:You painted quite the team! They look great together. I can't wait to see what you paint up next.

Thanks! I have some Stalkers sitting on the table, primed and waiting for brush time.

inmygravenimage wrote:Very cool, very retro. I reckon that champions of chaos absolutely fits the theme

Agreed-- he's definitely fits the paradigm!

Looks great Josh! This is probably my favorite of all the recent chaos warriors

Amazing work, Josh. Your old school Chaos inspired me to work on my old school Chaos.

Now we can both be jealous of each other's stashes of ancient rare models

Nice crew. Excellent work.

Nice work Josh...some great color work.

Cheers,

CB

Syro_ wrote:Looks great Josh! This is probably my favorite of all the recent chaos warriors

Thanks! Back in the day, I wasn't a big fan of this model ( I was a devotee of Khorne), but it's really grown on me since repainting it.

KidCthulhu wrote:Amazing work, Josh. Your old school Chaos inspired me to work on my old school Chaos.

Now we can both be jealous of each other's stashes of ancient rare models

It would be so much fun to compare all our OOP stuff in person, wouldn't it!

Camkierhi wrote:Nice crew. Excellent work.

Thanks!

Captain Brown wrote:Nice work Josh...some great color work.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks! I'm trying to branch out from my Paint Everything Brown technique. I still can't seem to make myself do really bright colors, but these pastels worked out pretty well, I think.

As the summer gets hotter, I find myself slowing down. Here are a couple of almost-finished Oldhammer skeletons for the July Painting Challenge:



For the weapons, I'm trying to make them look rusty, but with the corrosion worn off on the cutting edges, implying recent use. It works better on the sworn than on the scythe. The shield need some wear and tear, as well.

Another skeleton, mostly finshed:



I'm experimenting with rusty NMM for this set. I think the weapons have turned out pretty well. The armor actually looks better in these photos than in real life, which is a switch.

I think that there is an excellent job on the rusty metal.

Beautiful rust. I really like the skeleton with the horned skull. A lot of really characterful models here - I'm trying hard not to get distracted into fantasy figures, and you're making that tough!

inmygravenimage wrote:I think that there is an excellent job on the rusty metal.

Thanks. I think I've figured out how to do the rust, but I'm not sure about the spots where the rust has worn off. I'll keep trying.

Scarper wrote:Beautiful rust. I really like the skeleton with the horned skull. A lot of really characterful models here - I'm trying hard not to get distracted into fantasy figures, and you're making that tough!

I've been on a fantasy kick for a couple of months, but I'll likely switch back to SF sometime soon.

 JoshInJapan wrote:

I've been on a fantasy kick for a couple of months, but I'll likely switch back to SF sometime soon.

No rush man, the skeletons are looking great.

 DJJazzyJeff wrote:

 JoshInJapan wrote:

I've been on a fantasy kick for a couple of months, but I'll likely switch back to SF sometime soon.

No rush man, the skeletons are looking great.

Thanks! I only have one more in this set-- I can't locate the horses for the chariot-- and then something different. It looks like I'll be painting more fantasy stuff for the August challenge, though.

You are hitting me right in the nostalgias with this stuff. Started out in WHFB with Chaos before switching to Undead, who remained my main army until I stopped playing. I may still have cow-skull-guy around here somewhere. Looking great!

 youwashock wrote:
You are hitting me right in the nostalgias with this stuff. Started out in WHFB with Chaos before switching to Undead, who remained my main army until I stopped playing. I may still have cow-skull-guy around here somewhere. Looking great!

I did the same, but in reverse. I got into WHFB with the plastic Skeleton Horde box, then switched over to Chaos because of the lower model count. This was in 2E, when a single Chaos Lord who got lucky with mutations could steamroller over entire blocks of infantry.

Here are my final photos of the skeletons. First, Longhorn:


Most of these models are from a time when everyone got a name, rather than a descriptor (leader, champion, etc.). I didn't do any more work on this guy except finishing his base. His pose is kind of weird--it will be hard to wield that scythe with his arms behind his horns like that.

Next, Hellblade:


In addition to finishing the base, I added some battle damage to the shield. Also, take a look at his elbows. Did you notice that he has patellae there? I think Aly Morrison repurposed the legs from a different skeleton model to make this dude.

Next up, Screamer:



NMM chainmail continues to be difficult. Also, I had to Liefeld his right foot to hide a miscast.

Lastly, an armored skeleton:


Not much to say about this guy. His armor looks better in these photos than in person.

Finally, a group shot:


I'm running low on inspiration at the moment, so I don't have anything on the painting desk. I'll probably paint up some classic Fire Dragons for the August Challenge, but I haven't been gaming for the last few months, and so I'm at a loss for what to work on. I'll have to dig in to the many Boxes of Opportunity and see what grabs my fancy.

Retro glory! I know what you mean, I find sometimes you just need to totally change tack. I've decided to tackle some marvel after not doing any supers for months. Be a creature of whim!

You've really brought out the best in those old sculpts, Josh!

I look forward to seeing what you find rootling through your boxes, you always seem to pull out something interesting

Very nice work JoshInJapan.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks for the comments, fellows. Painting has been slow this month, as we're in the middle of a heatwave. Japanese summer isn't all that hot, especially compared to the American SW (where I come from originally), but with humidity in the 80-90% range, 35C is pretty brutal, and mostly I just want to sit in a cool room and not do anything. That said, I have made a little progress.

First, this Stalker that I actually finished in late June, but just got around to photographing today:


He's from the same set as the track-suit guys I posted a while back, but he struck me as being more of a jeans-and-leather jacket type.

Next, three wizard shades for Frostgrave:





Northstar released these with The Maze of Malcor, and they've been sitting, primed and ready for painting, since last October. There are two more in this set, but I don't know where they are, and in fact I may not even have them.

Finally, a WIP shot of my entry for this month's Painting Challenge:


The theme is Some Like It Hot. These are going to be Burning Men, a foe that appears in [i]The Red King, another Frostgrave supplement. The skulls come from GSW, while the rest are Frostgrave Barbarians. The skulls alone were too incongruous, so I decided to try sculpting some flames here and there to tie the parts together. They turned out alright, but the proof will be in the painting, as it were.

They look amazing! I love the color choices for the woman with a flute.

 makeitorky wrote:
They look amazing! I love the color choices for the woman with a flute.

Thanks! I can't really take credit for any color choices, as all three paint jobs were based on the art from the Frostgrave supplement in which they appear.

This month's Dakka Challenge is Some Like It Hot, and I'll be entering some Burning Men made from Frostgrave Barbarians, for use in the Red King supplement. I started with barbarian bodies, adding flaming skulls from Secret Weapon and some hand sculpted flames:


I then painted up all the non-flaming parts using my trademarked Paint Everything Brown technique:


I had some time today, so I did up this guy to practice painting fire:





The fire is quite vivid, if not entirely realistic. The OSL works in some places but not in others. As is often the case, he looks better in hand than on the screen. I'll do them one at a time and see if I can't get better at this.

Looks very spicy 🔥 I like the variations in the flames,.feels very natural

Fantastic unit, Josh. Great execution of a concept.

Great sculpting and painting - Works really well!

Love em! Looking great

JoshInJapan,

The first one does look like it is bursting into fire.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks for the kind words, everyone!

I have pretty much finished the rest of the Burning Men, apart from basing:








I think I have the flames figured out, but the molten metal is proving elusive. I'm going to set these guys aside for a few days, and them possibly come back and see if I can't improve the weapons. Based on past projects though, this seems unlikely. Either way, I'll post another set of photos after I've finished their bases.

Here's a blurry group shot:


Next up, continuing with the fire theme, I'll be tackling this old Ral Partha Balrog Dragon:

Burning men look really good. The balrog model is so cool, can't wait to see what you do with it.

Dude! Those are freakin’ amazing!!!! The sculpting on the flames is excellent. The composition on the models is great and, again, I think the naturalistic palette really works. I’d’ve been tempted to go with supernatural fire, but looking at what you did, I really like it!

Valete,

JohnS


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Dude! Those are freakin’ amazing!!!! The sculpting on the flames is excellent. The composition on the models is great and, again, I think the naturalistic palette really works. I’d’ve been tempted to go with supernatural fire, but looking at what you did, I really like it!

Valete,

JohnS


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Dude! Those are freakin’ amazing!!!! The sculpting on the flames is excellent. The composition on the models is great and, again, I think the naturalistic palette really works. I’d’ve been tempted to go with supernatural fire, but looking at what you did, I really like it!

Valete,

JohnS

PaddyMick wrote:Burning men look really good. The balrog model is so cool, can't wait to see what you do with it.

Thanks! Having set the Burning Men aside for a few days, I find myself more satisfied with them than before. As for the Balron, he's proving difficult to assemble-- I'll have to dig out the pin vise and start pinning.

cygnnus wrote:Dude! Those are freakin’ amazing!!!! The sculpting on the flames is excellent. The composition on the models is great and, again, I think the naturalistic palette really works. I’d’ve been tempted to go with supernatural fire, but looking at what you did, I really like it!

Valete,

JohnS

One could argue that dudes with burning, screaming skulls for heads are already pretty supernatural...

Which is why the naturalistic look works… the juxtaposition of the supernatural with the naturalistic look works for me.

I mean it coulda worked with green or white/blue flames, but I like the look.

Valete,

JohnS

Your progress is always great to follow, the Burning Men are a great conversion/scultping result. Hope they do well for you in the Comp.

 Archer wrote:
Your progress is always great to follow, the Burning Men are a great conversion/scultping result. Hope they do well for you in the Comp.

Thanks! I am pleased with how well they turned out, especially given my almost-absolute lack of experience with sculpting. I feel like they will do well in the competition, but the competition has been pretty stiff recently, so who knows?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
With the addition of some scorched grass tufts, tThese guys are officially done.

Well done JoshInJapan, good luck in the competition. You definitely hit the theme bang on.

Cheers,

CB

Excellent fire effect! I'm finishing my entry for "Some Like It Hot" but my flames don't look as good as yours.

Nice work on those flamey bois!

Captain Brown wrote:Well done JoshInJapan, good luck in the competition. You definitely hit the theme bang on.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks! It was nice having something that literally fit the theme.

KidCthulhu wrote:Excellent fire effect! I'm finishing my entry for "Some Like It Hot" but my flames don't look as good as yours.

Flames are tricky. I think I have gotten the hang of them, but I'm far from mastery.

aku-chan wrote:Nice work on those flamey bois!

Thanks!

Continuing with the burning theme, I painted up this Balrog Dragon from Ral Partha:





I've had this model for decades-- he used to see a lot of action as a Greater Daemon for my WHFB Chaos army. Alas, years of storage took a terrible toll on his condition, and I ended up stripping and reassembling the model with the intent of entering it in the Painting Comp. I opted for the Burning Men instead, but since he was sitting on my painting station all ready to go, I decided to just get him done.

I based his colors on Smaug, from the Rankin-Bass version of The Hobbit. The runes on his sword are tiny and don't really look like runes, so I gave up trying to paint them that way and just made the sword look super-heated/molten. The yellow could stand to be brighter, but I'm getting tired of going back over it, so I'm calling it done.

The theme for the September painting challenge is "Suns Out, Guns Out." I'll be painting these ogres I got in a KS four or five years ago, and entering the best five:

Man, that model is SO funky. They really don't make them like that anymore. Awesome work on the sword.

The Burning Men also look quite good. The one with the hammer is a personal favorite.

Lovely retro Partha dragon. Great job , and excited for your ogres!

youwashock wrote:Man, that model is SO funky. They really don't make them like that anymore. Awesome work on the sword.

The Burning Men also look quite good. The one with the hammer is a personal favorite.

Agreed. The funk value of that model is through the roof. I'm glad you like the sword--I'm still not completely satisfied with it, but I'm calling it done.

The hammer reads are super-heated much better than any of the other weapons, I think.

inmygravenimage wrote:Lovely retro Partha dragon. Great job , and excited for your ogres!

Thanks! I enjoy going back and painting models that are (almost) as old as I am. I have the first Ogre assembled and based. He may be finished by the end of the week.

That dragon is fantastic. Excellent work on a sweet model.

The burning guys all look great, good fire effects for sure

bbb wrote:That dragon is fantastic. Excellent work on a sweet model.

Thanks! It was a pretty simple paintjob- mostly drybrushing, really. I hope he can see some time on the tabletop once it cools down enough to use the gaming table upstairs.

ph34r wrote:The burning guys all look great, good fire effects for sure

Thanks! They were a lot of fun to work on.

Nice rehabilitation there JoshInJapan.

Cheers,

CB

After many, many productive months of hobbying, I find that I have pretty much everything I will ever need to play any game that I'm likely to play. As a result, my pace has slowed, and everything I paint is for the monthly Dakka Challenge. This month's theme is "Sun's Out, Guns Out." These ogres, which I got in a KS several years ago, fit the description well:


These guys are a little different from the other ogres in my collection. My Oldhammer ogres, for example, wear pants. My Mantic ogres have a very exaggerated inverted pyramid shape, like classic bodybuilders. These guys are built more like sumo wrestlers-- broad shoulders and thick arms, but with a gut as well. They are all pretty samey, so the painting has been going pretty quickly. Pic Dump, ahoy!


All of these guys are Festooned With Skulls. They also have fur-lined wristbands and legwarmers. I figured these guys would be barbaric and primitive, so I went with a variety of browns and tans and avoided any bright colors. I struggled with the armor plates-- I gave the earliest ones have bone armor, but transitioned over to bronze NMM for the later ones, with mixed results. They are resin models, so I expect a lot of their weapons to snap off sooner or later.

Since these models are all essentially identical, they paint up pretty fast-- I'm doing them one at a time, over about four painting sessions. Since taking these photos, I have finished one more, and have prepped the final ogre and the dog, but ran out of superglue before I could assemble them. I am on track to have the whole warband finished by the end of the month. Then I have to decide which 1-2 models to enter in the comp.

Next month's comp is Halloween themed, and I plan to paint my Frostgrave Candlejacks. They are nifty models, and will be a good chance to keep practicing fire/lighting effects.

Nice looking ogres. Bug bunch of mean lugs.

Great colour scheme on those!

I love the blue flesh, really nice.

 JoshInJapan wrote:
After many, many productive months of hobbying, I find that I have pretty much everything I will ever need to play any game that I'm likely to play. {/quote]

That's a really impressive accomplishment! I may not be good enough at knowing if I'm likely to play my different collections