Welcome to my P&M blog! It is mostly a long, rambling journey in me starting and then abandoning projects as I take commissions instead. That being said, as of 2016 2017, I am pretty much done with commission work and focusing on my own projects. Finally!
My current projects:
FORGE WORLD METALICA & HOUSE RAVEN
For ease of delving into my silly P&M blog, here are links!
AdMech and House Raven on hold for foreseeable future because 8th Edition has kinda crapped on those two factions.
Blood Bowl
Orc Team - The Gouged Eye - DONE! 5/8
Custom Human Team - The Death Dealers! Starting them when the Gouged Eye are done! This includes two Ogres, one of which is getting a sculpted helmet.
Refs - After the teams!
Age of Sigmar
Nighthaunt - When these come out, I am jumping in. Probably go snow-themed because that isn't something I have done yet!
Khorne Bloodbound Skullfiend Tribe - next on my agenda after Blood Bowl teams! I have a HUGE display board idea in mind that is two or three chunks of floating skull-laden rock tethered with giant chains to some unseen mooring below. On top of two will be realmgates and my tribe will be pouring forth! I just got my last two sets of Blood Warriors and the gates, so next up is the raw materials for the base and I can start painting it all up.
Ogors Ironskin Tribe (backburner; pre-AoS army, needs conversion to round bases and updated Gutbuster rules)
Warhammer 40k:
Space Marine Army - Mentors Chapter still on hold; mostly because I am majorly indecisive.
Horus Heresy:
House Vyronii - The God Eaters (just waiting on decals... STILL! AFTER OVER A YEARALMOST TWO YEARS AFTER THE GAMES DAY PREVIEW!)THEY HAVE ARRIVED!; now saving up to get a Reaver Titan to wreck for the display board because I am super extra.
Night Lords Terror Assault & Drop Assault Vanguard lists - Ordering the last models I need for my Terror Assault list; DAV is on hold due to cost!
Lucius-pattern Warhound Titan - Legio Astorum; mostly just on hold because I am busy
COMMISSION PAINTING SERVICE I have been painting for over eight years. Check out my Facebook page.
Currently accepting limited commission work. If you need Titans, Knights, Superheavies, or tanks painted, I am your guy!
RECENT COMMISSION LOG
Iron Hands Land Raider Proteus & Ferrum-pattern Stormhawk (custom built by my client, predates the official model by months!) - DONE! Gerantius, the Forgotten Knight - DONE! Ork Stormboyz - DONE! Armorcast Throwback Imperial Knight - DONE! Bolt Action US Troops & German armor - DONE! Iron Hands Scouts, Vehicles - DONE! War for Tots Charity Model (2016) Ork Painboy on Plinth - DONE! House Degallio Imperial Knight - DONE! Blood Angel Terminator Librarian and Winged Chaplain - DONE! "Reclamation Project" Blood Angel Rhino-chassis vehicles (they started out in pretty awful shape!) - DONE! Three Freeblades, one House Terryn Baron, one House Taranis Knight - DONE War for Tots Charity Model (2017) Mentors Chapter Imperial Space Marine on Plinth - DONE! Hawkshroud Imperial Knight & Cerastus Knight-Castigator - DONE! West German Tanks - DONE!
Ordered my decal sheet last night. Very, very excited.
I have begun sifting through my bits boxes and narrowing down the needed bits. Also, one of these days I will post some pictures of display board ideas I am working on - just debating on the viability of using acrylic rods to suspend my Drop Pods. It would help me alleviate space issues and make the board look less cluttered.
Oh yea, here is the list I am working on in case the roster didn't make sense.
So, discovered I had an awesome axe head. Going to try to cast up some of these if I can - because I can't afford to buy a bunch of Chapter Master sets just for the axe.
Anyhow, I am pretty satisfied with how it looks though!
For now, I am working on more than just the Loganwing list posted, but also a Drop Wolves list that I will take to tournaments when I am able to get my hands on those extremely expensive Hyperios kits - an alternative I am considering is the Bitspudlo Torquemada Kit, but I would still need a radar dish set-up.
I am shy about two dozen bodies, give or take, as well as four Missile Launchers (at least, Forge World ones). I am thinking I don't have nearly enough Heresy Armor so I may find a way to get about ten more of them, along with some Phobos Bolters to put on the Grey Hunter Count-As guys. I will most likely have a whole lot of them on straps slung about them variously, with a few holding them True Grit-style with holstered pistols.
Anyhow, my desk looks atrocious... Ignore the Crimson Fist.
Well, the FAQ hit and robbed me of a lot of my want to do the Loganwing list. Thankfully, I had a Drop Wolves waiting for just such an occasion and will be shifting over to that. I will make a new army list (like the first one). I am still working on gathering supplies currently.
I have worked on a trade that might net me 10 Heresy suits, 10 Corvus suits, and a ton of Phobos Bolters (and Tyberos, just for style points). Hopefully, once I get that stuff in, I can get going on the construction.
Also, going to expand this out a bit to include the Tyranid commission I am working on and the Skorne I will be doing too. More on that later!
Those are the three lists I will most likely have on my bench. I own almost every single Skorne model, though, but I only really need painted what I want to take to tournaments (after I move to the Pacific Northwest). So, a display board and these three forces will be on the table after the Tyranids are done and the Carcharodons are started. They are a side project of sorts - though don't think I don't love my Skorne, but they don't motivate me like the Sharks do! That being said, they will be in standard red/gold colors, but I am going to try airbrushing them to make them stark and have them pop.
Got some shots of the 'Nid stuff. They are going to be on the table before I can get to the Sharks or Skorne, since it is a commission. The bases are almost done - just need the ground cover/scatter & moss with water effects added and the rim painted black. I have all those ovals - plus one I missed (was trying to get all the ovals done in one go). Furthermore, I have two Hierodule bases to do up, but they need a scrubbing first.
Anyhow, I will have work-in-progress shots all week as I start to get them primed and ready, as well as some finalized bases later on too.
(8) Grey Hunters (Rune Priest) Plasma Gun, Mark, Standard Drop Pod [190]
(8) Grey Hunters Flamer, Mark, Standard Drop Pod [180]
(8) Grey Hunters Meltagun, Mark, Standard Drop Pod [185]
(8) Grey Hunters Meltagun, Mark, Standard Drop Pod [185]
(8) Grey Hunters Meltagun, Mark, Standard Drop Pod [185]
Heavy: (5) Long Fangs 4x Missile Launchers Drop Pod [150]
(5) Long Fangs 4x Missile Launchers Drop Pod [150]
(5) Long Fangs 4x Missile Launchers [115]
[1998]
Most likely going to put this Drop Wolves list together and go from there. I have a bunch of stuff in a trade pending that would net me just about everything I needed to make this list happen.
Steadily grinding away at the Tyranids, which are priority one as a commission. The Carcharodons are still awaiting their latest additions - which I am trading work for some Forge World stuff and hopefully, that trade goes through so I can have all my bits just about ready. If you happen to know of a place to get affordable Power Axes, clue me in.
Also, going to be getting some test models together for the Sharks and Skorne, with the latter being the models I use seldom. The former will probably be my spare Marine bodies I am not using. Furthermore, I want to get some Frisket - that way I can print off designs and trace them onto it, then use said Frisket to mask off some Drop Pods with Polynesian tribal stuff on them, along with some Shark iconography. That will take some testing before I commit, but you will see any results I muster.
On an aside, going to re-do my army roster, as well as do some up for my Skorne.
Next stage on the Tyranids will be doing mass priming (Vallejo Acrylic Grey). Then I can start laying in base colors and washes, then I do the carapace colors, then details. During this time, I will be doing bases when able.
Got some ground cover in the mail today - I was going for some dark leaves, though not fully decomposing. Just old scatter. Also, water effects in action to make all the surfaces look damp.
FINALLY! I had been scouring the interwebs for Power Axes for ages and found some for a reasonable price!
Also, I am heavily debating on just how much I want to spend on my "Totem Bearers" - which are my count-as Wolf Standards. I saw some awesome shark jaw rings online that would look perfect on a banner pole. They are pricey, but if I can borrow one from someone I know who has one, I might be able to cast them out of resin. Fingers crossed.
Furthermore, I got just about the entire Tyranid commission primed now that I am done with most of the assembly stages. The Spore Pods are left to be worked on - going to try to magnetize or pin, depending on how easy it is to drill into them, etc.
Cool pic! Liking the subtle lens flare and also the dust cloud. I wanted to do stuff like that but I lost my photoshop cs3 disk a while back :( Don't suppose you know any other good programs for editing do you?
Commander Cain wrote: Cool pic! Liking the subtle lens flare and also the dust cloud. I wanted to do stuff like that but I lost my photoshop cs3 disk a while back :( Don't suppose you know any other good programs for editing do you?
Ate through a whole bottle of Flat Earth in one go with these guys. Getting the darker basecoat down before I put Khaki down on top, then wash them with Agrax, and then go back over with Khaki and some Iraqi Sand for a highlight. Then, I move onto the chitin shell area, which is black with green-blue stripes. The softest areas are going to be dark grey worked up to a lighter grey.
Long way to go! Still waiting on my friend to come through with the last of my Carcharodons pieces. After the Nids, I will get going on the Skorne. Still debating on the paint scheme. Red/Gold is nice and all, but ...eh? Maybe dirty, desert colors. Browns, rusts, patinas, etc.
Trying to wrap my tiny brain around doing digital sketches - here is some basic painting over a sketch I did a while ago. This is the rough draft - still a work-in-progress! Just getting the feel for it all so I can eventually do some Carcharodon character sketches.
EDIT:
Added another round of work to it. A long process of tidying it up!
Thank you! I will finish him off this week and I have some Dust stuff I am working on too. Also, should have some new 'Nid pics today/tomorrow - doing some more bases.
So, still in the purchasing phase of a few projects - rounding out my IG with more Vendettas, as well as getting the rest of the Sharks ready.
Also, putting some more work in on the 'Nids - they are slow but steady. Had an airbrush hiccup (ruined two nozzles in a week - don't ask), so I got delayed. I should have them done by December though, given my pace (lumbering).
Final pics of all the stuff will be better - I just like to get some shots while I work, so I am gloved up and without good lighting, but P&Ms are about the process, so I try to share it.
In those pics of the in-box stuff, I have: Chaplain Libby w/ Sword Thunderfire Cannon (need another!) 3x Stormtalons 3x Vendettas 1x Manticore
That gives me just about everything I need for my Guard, excluding a few Vendetta kits. Also, in an effort to magnetize the original flight stands, I ruined my old Vendettas bases. Going to try to cast the piece (that I get from the new ones) that the flight stands hook into and put them on my old ones, since no one sells those bits. The Stormtalons and Thunderfire are for my alternate 'Nilla/Wolves list that looks kinda gross.
Also, picked up six Power Axes, finally. That means all I need for my Carcharodons would be about two dozen armor suits (more Heresy, some Corvus), about forty bolters (doing Tigrus & Phobos), a few more Chain Axes, six Chain Glaives (which I will be making...?) and six "Totems", that will count-as Wolf Standards. I contacted Custom Minis about that, which would be pricey, but totally worth it. Each "Totem" will have a shark jaw on it. Now, I am looking for cheaper options, but barring that, I will be using them. They also make Shark Shoulder Pads, but with my preference for Forge World, I am not going to use them and instead go with decals.
Furthermore, I got rid of my old Assault Terminators and am now opting out of the original Loganwing list, because the change to Characters made them less good. Now, I am doing my Drop Wolves list and the 'Nilla/Wolves Drop List. If I do wind up doing Loganwing in the future, it will be with Cataphractii Terminators. They looks so, so, so, so, so good.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh yea, and I need to order some of their Combi-Weapons - just so I have them at my disposal.
1) Finished the Flyrant - had to mod up some TL Devourers for him, which are done. Now to prime and paint him!
2) Finished a Genestealer Brood - They were done in Black & Yellow (insert Steelers joke here); They were unique in this army, so I figured I would get them out of the way. Excuse the awful picture - Instagram is just plain awful for good pictures, but I will post a better pic when the army is finished.
3) Got a Shark Jaw ring from a friend, attempted to cast it - which failed a bit. I think I had too much mold release, because the teeth didn't come out. I will try again soon! These are for my "Totem Bearers" that are count-as Wolf Standard. Pretend the Combi-Melta doesn't exist.
4) My client traded me a ton of Grey Knight & Inquisition stuff I am now going to paint and try to sell - because I think that might be better than trying to swap it off as is; that being said, I did a bit of conversion work and assembly, then priming. Its going to be on the Swap Shop when its done - so if you know anyone looking to pick up some GK and Inquisition, it will be very affordable.
5) Sadly, I am still waiting on another client to come through for the rest of my Forge World stuff. He wants me to do a display board, two Catachan models, and some Ravenwing bases for him, but he hasn't been in contact with me recently. Until I get that payment, the Sharks will remain in my bits boxes waiting. I need about ~30 Bolters, holstered Bolt Pistols, more Chain Axes (no, really), and about ~25 more suits of armor (going for more Heresy and some Beakies).
Pictures below should illustrate the above, except the last tidbit.
Started building the Dreadknight today - it is now primed. Also, the torso is magnetized, so it can swivel and come apart, but holds without coming apart when moved around. Going to get all of this GK & Inquisition stuff painted up soon. Waiting on my Liquitex Airbrush Medium to come in. Had to order a new Nozzle Cap, Head Cap, and O-Ring for my airbrush, too. Years of use took their tolls and they needed to be replaced. I am swearing off "cheap" alternatives - so I am going for Medea Cleaning solution for my airbrush and not using Windex or Simple Green again. Also, not using Windex again to dilute, because that caused a lot of issues with my poor airbrush.
Anyhow, this is the NDK with some liquid greenstuff setting on it (I did a few more coats, trying to rid myself of those lines).
Attention readers - as you may (or may not) know, I am painting the GK because I intend to sell them. So, this is what I have up for pre-sale... if that is even a thing?
This is the makings of a decent force - with a mix of Inquisition and Grey Knight stuff that allows you to run just about anything with minimal additions needed, depending on your preference. It is all painted standard colors - nothing crazy, so it should be very easy to match to any existing army. Will gladly do a Display Board on request for an extra $250 (matching the bases, lighting, etc). The army will be available for purchase very soon! Let me know if you are interested. $1800 OBO!
On an aside, I have been working to get my silly airbrush back working. Had to replace a bunch of pieces - so expect some more pics in the next few days. Getting colors down on the 'Nids and assembling the last of the GK (just two Stormravens left now!).
Furthermore, this week I will be trying the shark jaws just one more time and if they don't work out right, I may bite the bullet and see what CustomMini comes up with.
One last detail - a hiccup in my commissions left me without the money to jump into the Sharks, so they are on the side-burner (with Skorne and Dust Allies on the two back ones and the IG in the oven, the 'Nids on the front burner, and my GK in the microwave). I just need ...$350 to round them out. Damn, Forge World stuff is expensive.
Finished off Winter Child. Didn't base him, because I have no idea how my buddy is basing.the rest of his stuff. Anyhow, not the best pics, thanks to my Droid being a pos.
Today, while plugging away on the 'Nid commission, I found some time to test some techniques on a spare (lol) Hellhound. Basically, one I don't plan on using and can just mess with, without feeling obligated to the paint scheme.
So, just dusted the Hellhound with browns and red-browns. Once dry, hit it with liquid masking. After, I did a cursory dark grey coat, then lighter grey, with some dusting of highlights. Nothing crazy. Then I picked the sucker clean of masking and threw on a heavy, nasty oil wash. Just before that step, I painted the metallics and rubbed some graphite on the edges of all the surfaces. My forces are all long-serving, near-ruined vehicles on a century long campaign on a world where re-supply and reinforcement has yet to arrive. So, I wanted grime and rust! Next step, adding weathering powders when its all dry - so pics of that will follow tomorrow-ish.
Anyhow, not sure this worked too well and the Instagram pics aren't great, but suffice for now.
Also, LIQUID GOLD ARRIVED! Now I can really get on the GK - no more excuses. lol
Some more WiP shots of the Hellhound. Added weathering powders to dust it up a bit.
Not entirely happy with it, but it was a learning experience for sure. That being said, I am not going to go full-force into the 'Nids and Grey Knights, so expect that and maybe some SSU Dust Warfare stuff, if I can land that commission.
So, I am thinking about trying a different approach. I am not entirely liking how dark the washes made the model and overall, with Carcharodons being my eventual SM army of choice, grey Guard seems less appealing.
I am leaning towards yellow, as it looks just stunning when done well.
That being said, my Allies are still up in the air (lol Air Drop) and I am thinking about color schemes for them too. Orange is tempting, or some other "notorious" color, to make them stand out. Just not sure.
Keep an eye out though, because the 'Nids are winding down now that the bulk of the airbrush work is done. The black parts are coming along and I am starting the green-blue steaks on the back. So, pics to follow this week.
So, for a few Dust Warfare units I am thinking of using these heads from Victoria Miniatures. And dare I say, I will use this color scheme:
Also, primed a Chimera today to try a new test color scheme for my Imperial Guard. I am going to try out dark orange with maybe a different color turret - white, blue, or grey.
Here are some shots of a few of the Genestealers I finished today, along with a shot of just how awesome Liquid Gold is. Last, a picture I thought looked cool. I use what seems like pints of Agrax Earthshade nowadays.
Commander Cain wrote: Great looking 'nids! They serve as good inspiration to finish my own pile left over from two boxes of Space Hulk minis...
Where did you buy the liquid gold? I have been wanting to try that out for a while now!
Glad you like the 'Nids. My client is very excited. I can't wait to see it all completed - which should be middle of December, ideally.
Scale Hobbyist has it, but I got mine from Michigan Toy Soldier. Take your pick, as both are great website. It goes out of stock quickly on Scale Hobbyist, it would seem - "Old Gold" being very popular, apparently. I love it! Keep in mind, it is alcohol-based and thus, you need IPA to clean brushes and thin it. Otherwise, its a breeze. Never have I labored so little over gold. Once dry, you can wash it and highlight with no issues.
So, I finished off some Zoanthropes (floating shrimp monsters!) and the Winged Hive Tyrant. The Tyranid Prime is in progress - fun model to paint! Also, getting work done on the Trygon. Aside from the Bio-Titan, those are the hardest Tyranids I have painted to date - all those claw bits and stuff!
Anyhow, working on getting funds for my DUST Allies - themed to the USMC. Just need a suitable orange paint and some AK Interactive washes (Rust, Grime, etc) and the AK Pigment Fixer (just want to try it out!).
They should be a much more traditional WW2 style versus "gaming" style. Excited to get them done, as we should be hosting a big Dust Warfare tourney in our neck of the woods soon, so it would be nice to play in it with something painted. However, commissions are priority and the 'Nids are coming down to the wire.
Also, I am getting a rather large O&G army coming my way. The client wants them done with a Celtic-style blue paint, from what I recall, so expect to see those sometime soon (end of Dec, early Jan).
For anyone following, you know I am working on accumulating stuff for my Carcharodons (as well as waiting out the Dark Angels Codex, to see if it is a viable alternative to Space Wolves for my Count-As Sharks). That being said, I just got my Cataphractii Combi-Weapons in the mail today (got them from eBay) - which I will be using for my Tyberos-styled Mk. I Terminators - they will not be Cataphractii, but have the studded look and whatnot. Anyhow, these are going to give me the much needed option for my count-as Wolf Guard Terminators. Very exciting! Just waiting on my Cataphractii Power Axes to come in the mail. I already purchased the little mircobeads to do the studs and have some bass guitar wire for doing extra wiring and whatnot.
Anyhow, the other shots are of the 'Nids I am working on for a client and some more work on the Grey Knights I am looking to paint and sell. Again, if anyone is interested, they will be going for cheap, so just contact me about it. The bases are all themed to urban ruin/decay.
Commander Cain wrote: Ooh, missed out on a lot! The Doom of whatever that name looks super cool.
Bases are looking great, wish I could convince myself to finish basing all my guys.
Glad you are back onto some marines, hope to see some more shots of those termies you made up!
Dude, when I get the Power Axes, I will try to get them going. I have the 'Nids to finish, a possible Malifaux commission up, and an Orcs & Goblin commission already on the docket. So, my stuff finds itself gathering dust too often.
The Carcharodons had a hiccup when someone fell through with a trade for work, but I am trying to get that last few hundred to get them done. Just need $175 for some Forge World stuff, a Thunderfire Cannon, and a few other tidbits.
Thanks for the feedback, too. Glad someone is following.
On an aside, I did a test model for my Allies with the color scheme I had wanted and for some reason, that camo doesn't translate well to the 28mm model size. Not sure why, but I could get it to sit in a way that was visually appealing.
SO! That means I take a new direction and really, it was my back-up already. SNOW! I am going to do OD Green w/ White Wash on vehicles (and some with White camo, maybe), and do standard winter uniforms. This means White jackets, black/brown boots and OD green pants, etc. Nothing crazy and based on historical stuff.
The best part about that is that I can do snow bases - which I am dying to do. I got scale bricks from Secret Weapon Miniatures and can't wait to do those and a nice display board for them.
I am telling ya now, snow is probably the hardest scheme to pull off well. I tried it myself way back when and it went very wrong indeed, good luck though!
Commander Cain wrote: I am telling ya now, snow is probably the hardest scheme to pull off well. I tried it myself way back when and it went very wrong indeed, good luck though!
Well, I know how to do the actual snow for my rubble-strewn bases. I am going to mix GF9 Snow & Woodland Scenic Water Effects and apply that. I hear it works really well.
As for actual snow camo/uniforms/tanks, yea, it will be a challenge. The uniforms are going to be white jackets, helmet covers, and a mix of white or OD Green armor. The pants will be the usual green-grey, as will the gloves. Really nothing complicated. Going to do blue-shaded goggles and whatnot. Probably going to use my airbrush to do a light/mid/dark basecoat for the white and hand paint the rest. Going dark-grey from the bottom, light grey at the center area and a zenithal spray of pure white, which I can pick out highlights with this same colors.
Anyhow, the vehicles will give me fits. Going to do mostly standard OD Green American stuff with a Worn Winter White Wash.
I will do this to achieve it, ideally (going to test it first):
1) Base Coat
2) Seal w/ Gloss
3) Hairspray
4) Airbrush White
5) Scrub under water
This should work! Also, going to pick up the following from AK Interactive:
- Winter Streaking Wash
- Light Rush Wash
- Pigment Fixer
- Dust Wash
- US Allies Dry Transfers
- OD Green Modulation Set
That should give me the chance to do really, truly realistic stuff instead of the cartoony GW type stuff.
On an aside, I finished off a Hierodule today. Now to tackle the Scythed one! Also, a Venomthrope. The lightning is awful and Instagram doesn't make it better. When the whole army is done, I will take good pictures with a camera that is not my phone.
Here are two more additions to the 'Nid Commission - a Scythed Hierodule (two pics) & Trygon
Should have a vast horde of Termagants up soon.
Furthermore, next week I am getting three Malufaux crews to paint. Ortega, Hoffman, and another (I don't know much about them) - so that will be fun! Going to try to do some serious detail on them and try to push myself as best as I can.
I'm glad that you appreciate the spore pod, Cain. I looked for a long time at spore pod conversions and "counts-as" models before settling on that one from Mr. Dandy.
Of course, all the work MNOP has put into properly painting the texture of the spore pod (again, sorry for picking this model, sir!) is what really makes it stand out now. Personally, I think he did a better job painting it than whoever painted the model on Mr. Dandy's site. But then, I suppose I'm a bit biased since it's in my army's paint scheme...
Been somewhat busy, in spite of the holiday nonsense. Started working on my Grey Knights that I intend to sell, as well as continued work on the 'Nids. On the Carcharodons front, I got my Cataphractii Power Axes and have started sketching out stud patterns for my standard Terminators (making them like Tyberos, but with Cataphractii weaponry).
Got some more work done on the GK. I will get more on the 'Nids next week. If you know someone looking to buy a painted GK/Inquisition army, let me know! I am not asking much for them.
The Chimera is going to have hexagrammatic rules on its sides in white or red, ideally. Not sure yet. The Stormravens need some decals on the stripe areas I am thinking, plus I need to round out the other details on them. The GKs are all in the gold stage - slowly putting down gold and washing it, then putting highlights. After that, I will do the cloth, seals, parchment, shields, etc. All the little details. Still haven't decided on if I want to put a glow to them or not - leaning towards no, just so they aren't over-the-top looking and can be added to existing armies without standing out too much.
So, I finally had a chance to take real, non-Instagram pictures for a change. First up, a Dust: Warfare BBQ Squad for my own use. Now, for those who don't know me, this is a big deal. Dare I say, these are the first models I have painted for my own use in about four years! Crazy. Anyhow, got 80+ infantry and over a dozen vehicles to work on, plus new stuff around the bend when the next Campaign Book releases soon. So, expect a lot of Dust stuff when I can squeeze it in.
No new 'Nid stuff - just plugging away on that front. Mostly getting the black portions done, then the grey fleshy parts, then the carapace green color will be last. Sadly, these are taking me much longer than I wanted. This is made worse by the fact I am jobless and struggling to find employment, while trying to maintain my painting. Hasn't been easy.
Also, nothing new really for the Grey Knights - but some better pictures. These guys are for sale! Looking for $1000 for the lot. That is it! Hell, that is almost retail for the stuff. If you or anyone you know is interested, let me know! I am in need of money and will have them done quickly when I have a buyer lined up. Otherwise, they are getting done when I get small moments here and there. Oh yea, a friend is hooking me up with some Eldar sword decals to use on the Stormravens, since they look pretty damn good (as I have seen elsewhere). That should break up the stripes nicely. That and skulls - always skulls.
On one last note, my client for the O&G commission has some custom bases on the way, so that should be fun. Can't wait to tackle that whole thing. 50 Wolf Riders and a slew of other models! Should be a blast! I love Orcs of all varieties.
Oh yea, the I also finally got the Ten Thunders box for the Malifaux commission. They should be a joy to paint with all that motion and atmosphere.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Also, here is my tentative Carcharodons Astra list that I will be building to:
HQ:
Rune Priest
Divination
[100]
Wolf Priest
Saga of the Hunter, Combi-Plasma
[120]
Elites:
(5) Wolf Guard Terminators
2x Combi-Plasma, Power Axe
2x Combi-Melta, Power Axe
1x Heavy Flamer, Power Axe
Drop Pod
[225]
(7) Grey Hunters
Plasma Gun, Mark, Standard
Drop Pod
[175]
(7) Grey Hunters
Meltagun, Mark, Standard
Drop Pod
[170]
(7) Grey Hunters
Meltagun, Mark, Standard
Drop Pod
[170]
(7) Grey Hunters
Flamer, Mark, Standard
Drop Pod
[165]
Heavy:
(5) Long Fangs
4x Missile Launchers
Drop Pod
[150]
(5) Long Fangs
4x Missile Launchers
Drop Pod
[150]
(6) Long Fangs
5x Missile Launchers
[140]
Fortification:
Aegis Defense Line w/ Quad Gun
[100]
[1850]
What I need:
(5-10) Heresy Armor Suits
(5) Corvus Armor Suits (Maybe)
(5) Pre-Heresy Missile Launchers
(5) Heavy Chainswords (for my "Threshers", count-as Mark)
Also, lots of holstered Bolt Pistols & Pre-Heresy Bolters!
When I am done doing commissions, which should be about April/May timeframe, I will start on these guys in earnest. Not missing much, but Forge World stuff isn't cheap and a lot of it comes in sets that feature a lot of stuff I just don't need. Anyhow, with these guys being my 40K want, my IG get thrown far onto the back, back burner. C'est la vie.
I had a chance to put my Mad Robot heads onto my Dust Warfare Allies.
I think they fit right on the Soldier 3 units and not so great on the Soldier 2.
For those wondering, yes I gave some guys mohawks. A nod to the 101st.
My Americanized FFL/Devil's Own
My Americanized Red Devil's
Some guys with Mohawks! Also, fixed that antennae.
Rhino, Ozz, and my Hammers
Also, I am still plugging away on commissions and stuff. I will have updates on that stuff later. Went through kind of a job crisis and had to put stuff on hold, but I am back in the swing of things for now.
Automatically Appended Next Post: And yea, a little blurry. My phone sucks for pics.
Dude sweet models. Extra applaud for the ravengers, very nice bases.
Very good models.
Oh and friendly advice, read my signature. Black and white is cool, but save it for showcase.
I take pics in front of a mottled background, because white (without adequate lighting) turns out too dark. Black seemed to give me issues, too and I finally settled on what I use.
When I take final shots, I actually set things up a bit better. Everything on here is with my phone, so they look pretty crappy.
Sorry for dropping off the face of the planet. Life isn't always sunshine and happiness, that is for sure. After a major financial meltdown, I am working my way out of the hole. Not easy, but slowly getting there. That means my Ogre Kingdoms are on hold until I can either sell some stuff or get some extra cash... somehow.
The Dreadmaw are being drawn up, so don't despair. Just need to push them back a bit. A lot a bit, actually.
Also, I hit the single worst painting slump in my life. This means my poor commissions suffered greatly. That being the case, I tried to break my funk by painting some of my own stuff - which I did. It helped... some. I will hopefully have even more Tyranids finished this month (hopefully, the last of them). Then I move on to the remainder of my Allies, the three Malifaux crews on my table, and then my Skorne.
Down the road, Ogres.
Here are some shots of the Allies I painted the other day - did them quickly, with no fuss. All I need now are some Dry Decals for their chests and they are finished. They are loosely themed to the 101st Airborne "Screaming Eagles" - so no non-Americans in my force, so my Action Jackson (as well as Red Devils, Devil's Own, French Foreign Legion) are all Americanized.
Going to get them all the bases done, then prime them all up, and start putting down the reds with the airbrush. Then, I will do up the gold trim, details, and whatnot.
Should be fun and I will try to update more regularly now that I am done with the Tyranid commission.
Units:
Max Cataphract Cetrati (Need to repair, replace bits)
Max Nihilators
2x Min Paingiver Beast Handlers
Max Praetorian Swordsmen w/ UA Tyrant Commander & standard Bearer
Minions/Mercs:
1x Max Gatorman Posse
1x Swamp Gobber Bellows Crew
1x Orin Midwinter
This is what I plan on getting to round out my Skorne force over the next year or two:
Mammoth
Catapract Incindiarii
Mortitheurge Willbreaker
Farrow Slaughterhousers
Paingiver Task Master
eMorg
Extras (mostl likely going to trade these off):
eEiryss Rhupert Carvolo
Going to try my hand at carving foamular board and stuff soon. Just need a paycheck or two to get some materials and whatnot. The general theme is desert for my Skorne, with a most likely traditional color scheme - though I have a few others I am considering. In one corner, I want a giant carved head that has been ruined and lost for a long while. On that, I will be able to put my Warlock. Beneath it, the rest of the army will be on the ground. Shouldn't be too hard to achieve, provided I can get the foamular looking right and find some good, cheap columns.
Here is some O&G I did recently, though sadly these are not comprehensive pics of everything - just what turned out clear enough to salvage from my crappy phone pics before I shipped this off to its proper home. That being said, here is what I did get shots of:
Those Spider Riders were too fun! I want some for myself.
On an aside, I have about 13 Blood Angels coming my way - the last models of a commission I did last year.
Also, going to start on the Malifaux commission tomorrow, so expect pics of assembly/priming and base creation soon.
Started a Malifaux commission. Doing the Ten Thunders, Ortegas, and Viktoria whatsits. I don't play it, so... yea, that is as good of identifiers as I can get for now. I will post some pics of them as I work on them.
Again, as always, excuse the crappy Instagram shots. They suffice for WIP stuff, but I will always try to follow up with serious pics when I finish.
Also, tried a technique for making moss on wood. Used some turf and glaze medium and it worked out all right. I think it needs some added color, but it will be fine for this.
So, here are some various things I have been up to. Mostly brainstorming up my Space Marines. With 6th Ed being so shooting oriented and my ability to create a Biker army a reality, I am looking heavily at the Storm Lords to replace my Carcharodons. While the latter was a dream army, my first love was always Bikers. Ran a proxy army of them through many 5th Ed games and was just not happy, but seeing that they are actually viable, I am leaning towards doing the White Scars successors because they are unique looking. My only worry is the canon concerning their helmet color. I think its just yellow always - though some folks think its company-based. That would be awful! Waiting on some more fluff for them before I 100% commit, but until then I have done some sketches for fun.
Also, I am (very) slowly working on those Malifaux models. I will have more updates Saturday, as I start wrapping up the Ten Thunders and moving on the the other two crews.
I know. Crappy Instagram stuff. Sorry! One day, I will not have such a crappy set-up and can do proper pictures. I swear, the white background isn't helping either.
Anyhow, like I said, this weekend I will post up some more work. And maybe, just maybe, that alleged White Scars supplement will come out someday and help me settle my Space Marine dilemma.
Oh, also. Sold my Dust Warfare army with hopes it can fund the remainder of my Skorne, as well as my dream Ogre Kingdoms army - the Dreadmaw Tribe! That will soon be what I am sketching, too, so expect that stuff to crop up soon.
Starting on a small Blood Angel commission - working on putting them together, cleaning them up, drilling barrels, and magnetizing the backpacks for either option.
I have 15 standard Assault Marines, five Death Company, and a Sanguinary Priest to do. So far, having fun. Has been quite a while since I did some Spehss Mahreens.
Backpacks are all magnetized between Jump and normal. Going to prime these guys up this week and start painting next weekend, most likely. During the week, I will try to get all the bases done and ready, too.
Lots to take in.... but i have to say... the really breif little explanation on the painting and weathering on the hellhound was inspiring for me! I am skratchbuilfing my first 40k model at the momment (Macharius) and am looking ot have a battered and bruised old war dog look to it! Your simple but really effective IMHO breakdown on how acheve your end result was really cool!!
Thanks mate.... and keep up those awesome art pieces!!
Lots to take in.... but i have to say... the really breif little explanation on the painting and weathering on the hellhound was inspiring for me! I am skratchbuilfing my first 40k model at the momment (Macharius) and am looking ot have a battered and bruised old war dog look to it! Your simple but really effective IMHO breakdown on how acheve your end result was really cool!!
Thanks mate.... and keep up those awesome art pieces!!
Cheers,
Thanks a bunch! I am glad you got something out of it. Its not really a tough technique and on vehicles it just looks great. When you get it up, post some pics and let us all see.
I agree it looks good! def going to give it a go.... i have a wee blog running on my project progress.. feel free to have a peek.. you will see i am still a little way off from painting...
They are painted up now. Tried to match the existing ones I had done a while back for the client.
All the Blood Angels are primed up and I am hoping to get down the first few coats of red today or tomorrow and, provided that falls through, this week.
Sprayed the helmets today. Going to putty them and spray the bodies tomorrow. Then, I get to start in on the details. Each kneepad needs a squad mark, the shoulderpads need doing. Metallics and eyes, too. The Jump Packs need to be done, including engine glow. Got to do the entire Sanguinary Priest - which was requested to be GOLD! That should be fun, because I have Vallejo Liquid Gold to use, making it a breeze.
The helmets, by the way, will be washed along with the armor, so they look a bit bright.
Yea, bad pic quality is my bread and butter. Ever since I went from doing commissions regularly to doing them for just locals for extra cash, I don't worry about the portfolio as much. That being said, enjoy these craptastic Instagram shots. No, they are not glossy - I had a harsh light on the stuff and for some reason, they had a hell of a shine.
Anyhow, going to try to round these out this week and get them 100% by next weekend or so. Tough given my new job, but I am trying.
Thanks! I know its a lot of stop-start and aborted projects, but I am at the mercy of my wallet and my work schedule. Still accumulating Carcharodons stuff. I am very glad I got my decals while I did, because they appear to be discontinued. Anyhow, working on a fluffy Forge World-based list for them to take to fun tourneys and casual games. The Ogres are on major hold, because I am just unable to fund them (need a new computer first). The Skorne got back-burnered when I took on a small commission for a local (Blood Angels) and run out of time to get to my LGS to play (double whammy). And I sold my Dust Warfare Allies, so they aren't getting finished (by me at least).
Anyhow, here is a shot of two of the ladies I painted for my friend's Malifaux gangs. The rest will follow as I get them finished up.
Automatically Appended Next Post: And as always, sorry about the rubbish pics. I desperately need a good camera to use. Right now, these are all mostly instagram/phone pics.
When I am done with the Malifaux stuff, I will borrow my girl's camera and take proper pics.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Some more shots of my WIP Malifaux stuff!
I got enamored with the idea of a chainmail drape over the Iron Armor faceplate. Plus, I am obsessed with top knots. So, that lent itself to this Sons of Horus battle brother.
Should have done a different Chapter. Red on red is a bit boring, Amazing that had I done it as a "U" for Ultra, not the omega for Sons of Orar, I could have done blue for the awesome contrast. Oh well!
Hopfully, this weekend I will get some painting done! Got those Malifaux crews and Blood Angels left to do, then I am commission free.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Testing out some stencils for my Dust Warfare Allies:
The smallest ones should work for my infantry! That is awesome.
Here is a series of images of me working on the blood portion of a speed-painted Grenadier X model from Dust.
Here is the finished Grenadier X - Though the blood didn't sit quite as I wanted, it was a fun diversion from the rest of my work. All in all, took me about a half an hour to do the whole model.
Here are some tabletop Blood Angels I painted up. Excuse the crappy pictures, one day I will own a camera that isn't a 2 year old phone.
Really, I need to set up a real photo booth. Right now, its direct lighting pointed at models with my old Droid for pics. Sadly, this is what I have to deal with for now.
Automatically Appended Next Post: And every single highlight has been entirely washed out by the awful lighting. Le sigh.
Just a quick doodle I added color to for no real reason other than to get an idea of what I am working on with some Marines. I have chosen to put the Sharks on the back burner - opting to save my decals and chain axes and stuff for a day when they are ready to be an Allied detachment or some such. For now, I am thinking that since a Bike army is out of the question and I really, really want a Drop Pod army (since I have seven Pods!), I am going to do a Pedro Kantor list with a whole ton of Sternguard and make it a semi-thematic list highlighting First Captain Raoul's mission to find his lost Chapter Master all while trying to survive on Armageddon in the process. So, with that in mind, I am going to work up some fiction and some more art, while I dig up the bits and pieces I need for 28 Sternguard Combi Weapons (lol) among other things.
Anyhow, just an update and my ramblings and a doodle.
On an aside, I am going to do a Carcharodons Kill Team. Couldn't give up on my Sharks entirely, but didn't find the idea of painting 40+ models in greyscale all that appealing. So, now I will have 5-10 models that I can lavish with detail.
The Marines Exemplar will be the main force - so for tonight I am going to use this pic and sketch out my color schemes for the Drop Pods and Stormtalons, etc.
SO! The issue I am facing. What metallics if any? Green or reddish-purple purity seals? Chevrons on anything? I am tempted to do some Rogue Trader homage stuff, but I dunno.
Anyhow, expect sketches and stuff while I wait for my Forge World bolters and Maximus armor to arrive.
EDIT:
Added stripes to the sword! Thoughts on the overall appearance?
Going to order the following paints:
VMA Scarlet Red
VMA Fire Red
VMA German Grey
VMA Grey
VMA Silver
Going to start building the models soon - using the Fire Red for the base color, Mahogany/Hull Red for the shading, and Scarlet Red for the highlights for my airbrushing. I will most likely go in and edge out with Scarlet red, too. Might lighten it with some white - not sure how this will look or not. I saw Les (APJ) did it on a CSM Chosen, which looked great. So, I will tinker.
The black will start with a base of black, then German Grey, then Grey. I will edge in Pale Grey (or something similar). Might do "glints" in white, if I am feeling frisky.
All purity seals will possibly be a deep green; red seals would get lost, but I am debating on purple ones so it doesn't read too Christmas-y. Tough choice!
First objective will be doing the Drop Pods (all seven!), and then by then I hope most of my Forge World stuff will arrive, along with some trade items. I have a 2005 Marine Captain (with the chainmail tabard thing and Power Fist) I am converting into my Pedro count-as.
Hoping to trade off my Stormtalon for some more tidbits.
Also, going to start working up a squad of dudes for my Carcharodons Kill Team. Haven't settled on a list yet, though, but I see lots of Crusade, Heresy, and Iron armor in their future.
Haven't 100% settled on the metallics for the Exemplars yet. Knowing they will be Raoul's 2nd Company, I am thinking Gold! Plus, I have VLG Old Gold, making it pretty easy to do.
I do with the Exemplars had a bit more info on them, but I will figure it out eventually.
Thoughts?
EDIT: Horrible Photoshop job, I know. But I wanted a general idea of how this scheme would look on some older armor. I have a lot of Crusade, Iron, and Heresy armor I plan on using, so I think it will translate over from the standard Aquila stuff rather well.
1) I have two Knights hopefully coming my way - one for a client, one for me, as per my whole Grimdark Painting advert on the Swap Shop. If i can get 2+, I will be making them into a freeblade warband of some sort.
2) I have tossed the Marines Exemplar, mostly because they just weren't established enough and I have this weird, irrational fear of Forge World undoing stuff and me needing to repaint, etc.
3) I am working on the Tiger Claws for a pre-Badab War army, including some fiction. I am up to around 3500 words and growing. So, I will post that sometime whenever I am somewhat satisfied with parts of it.
4) I am on holding status with my hobby stuff (excluding the Knights), mostly out of lack of space to work and lack of motivation to go to the LGS. I have purchased most of what I need to make my Drop Pod list though, so I can start whenever I get room to do it and all that.
Anyhow, that is all for now! I will hopefully start up pics of the Knights whenever they get to me.
Super excited to see your take on the knights! They look like a ton of fun to work on, so color me jealous.
Too bad about the Marines Exemplar, but good news on the Tiger Claws I'm always interested in reading fiction, so post away!
In the meantime, I'll hope for quick mail carriers
Here is part of my Tiger Claws fiction I am working on. I am at about 2100 words with a whole, whole lot left to go! I am just scraping the surface. This was more of a 'proof of concept' than anything, to get a feel for how I want things to be. I am going to work up an overview and a broader story arc and roll with it.
Bridge of the Strike Cruiser Bakasurra
Remnants of the Krodha System, 682.M41
They had been right. Fellow Astartes of the Storm Wings Chapter, with their dark, dark eyes and pale skin had told him everything when they met on the edges of the Segmentum Pacificus. In the aftermath of their brief, brutal campaign against the Eldar slavers, they had convened on the bridge of the strike cruiser Penumbra. At first, it had seemed a formality, for brothers honor one another after a glorious victory. Not to be, it would seem.
There it was that the somber 3rd Company Captain Lugus had told Vetala the tales of the Tiger Claws - or at least, what fragments remained. Clad in burnished nickel with a helm bearing wings and a skull visage set in crimson, he had taken Vetala aside as a courtesy, to let him be the first to know what fate had befallen his Chapter. The were gone - their world, their fleet, all their brothers. Spent and broken, lost to time and all but a legend.
When confronted with that truth, it became no more easier to accept, but to deny his own eyes would be futile. The accounts at the waystations, the hushed words with Rogue Traders and the scrutiny of a rather impish Inquisitor all told the same story in one form or another, corroborating what the Storm Wings Captain had said years before. Yet now it was not words that spoke to him, but what was before him.
Krodha was dead, their Chapter just a myth now. When was the last time anyone spoke the name of the Tiger Claws? Over a millennia had passed since they ventured off into the Warp, Vetala leading his Company out to confront an incursion of Eldar pirates. The very same that had built their slave empire that the Storm Wings and his brothers had shattered. They had waxed and waned, waves of Imperial forces crashing against them and breaking, yet it was at the hands of the Tiger Claws that saw them finally broken.
From the time they had left to confront this new threat, a mere two years had passed. Yet, to the Imperium-at-large, it had been fourteen centuries. The confluences of the Warp were fickle, though now it appears they had been downright capricious - consigning his Chapter to oblivion, but for the remnants that had accompanied him on what was to be a brief campaign. The brass-rimmed occulus ahead of him was opened now, showing the wrathful star in the distance, the black rock of his homeworld Krodha alight only when lashing arms of solar flares scorched its surface. Long gone were the verdant forests and endless fields of tall, sweet-smelling grass, gone were the crisp, clear oceans. Worse yet, gone were the people. His people.
Next to him on the deck of the Bakasurra strode his trusted Sergeant and friend, Naraka - both of them hailing from the same small village on the Dhaaraa river that wound its way through the central continent of Krodha a millennia ago. Naraka didn’t say anything - words were nothing now. Instead, he just placed a gauntleted hand on his pauldron. A show of camaraderie, a show of understanding.
“Close oculus, bring us about and get us clear. It is time we left,” said Vetala to the bridge. Naraka was not far behind, going to the upper dias as the ship prepared to make for the Nadir point in the system before translation. The servitors clattered and chimed with affirmations, the ship’s engines thrumming with power.
“Master Vetala, what is our destination?” That was Jaland, the ship’s captain, a blunt-faced warrior from the mesa lands of Atraiu who was a veteran when Vetala was but a neophyte. While Vetala may have been the senior most officer left in the Tiger Claws, few commanded such respect as Jaland.
“Where best we can secure our Chapter’s future, Jal. Set course for Holy Terra.”
Administratum Parade and Receiving Grounds
Holy Terra, 685.M41
They approached in a loose wedge made up of small clusters of various allegiance. Overhead, swarms of cherubim hovered lazily with banners and horns announcing the approach, while servo-skulls dashed here and there chronicling the whole event. It was a clumsy display of power, one unfamiliar to Vetala and his brothers, who wore their honor with a warrior’s pride. This was ostentation meant as a message.
“They are the Imperium, we are their servants,” the Captain said to himself as much as his companions. To his left was Champion Ashok in his armor layered in gilded traceries, his hands resting on the hilt of the ancient blade Asi. Beneath his decorative mask, a man's face held in the jaws of an Aghra, the tiger’s native only to Krodha. Draped across his shoulders was a pelt of the same animal, a rite of passage that marked him a veteran of the Chapter. Vetala knew the champion’s face would be set in hard lines, his disdain for this entire charade being the singular topic of his rage as they marched out to the parade grounds.
At his right was trusted Sergeant Naraka, holding high the last banner of the Chapter. The names of scores of battles sewn across it - only legends in the mind's of those who remembered their Chapter at all. At its center was a prowling tiger with claws and maw bloody, a last vestige of their Chapter’s history, now ancient history. If anything, it only made the display approaching seem all the more desperate.
Leading the wedge was a figure clad in a gleaming suit of silver, its surface etched with golden lightning bolts and a single, enameled "I" centered on his chest, the holy symbol of the Inquisition. Held in one mailed fist was a stave topped with a splayed double-headed eagle, while the other was hand held a scroll tube of ivory and bronze. Across his armor were seals of wax, pressed with all the icons of the Inquisition fixing to him parchments, as long as a man is tall, that streamed behind him in the wind.
For all of that, the most imposing part of this figure was his eyes that radiated a cold intensity that would make any mortal cower. It was for naught, for Vetala knew no fear. He knew power though, and that to cause any slight or disrespect would bring down swift judgement on his already suffering Chapter.
It took the entire procession the better part of an hour to finally reach across the massive parade ground. The Inquisitor passed off his staff to a nearby servant and opened the tube, revealing a parchment inside. Silence fell across all present - only the howling wind and low hum of power armor and servos could be heard.
Vetala steeled himself for the words to come. He pled his case to the envoys of the High Lords, to the emissaries of the Administratum and Mechanicum, asking only for the chance to rebuild, to claim a new home and start anew with old traditions and fresh blood.
Now came judgement.
“As the chosen voice of those who speak for the Emperor, I, Grand Inquisitor of the Ordo Malleus Eros Rathore due decree that the request for continuance of the Tiger Claws Chapter, honored though their past, has been denied forthwith. Word is final, unalterable, and unquestionable in nature - you are to serve loyally as ever you have until the end of your days, honoring the God-Emperor and his glorious Imperium with your final breaths.” The voice had been amplified by a dozen of the cherubim, the echoing words came from all directions and spread across the entire grounds.
The Inquisitor rolled and stored the tube, then strode forward to present it to Vetala. The Captain looked through him as he stood, arm extended and waiting. He didn’t reach out to take it, not at first. The gravity of the words took time to settle in his mind. When he did return his attention to the man before him, he wondered if he could kill him before his retinue could slay the three Tiger Claws. He reached out slowly, eyes set in a grim stare that was more than a match for the Inquisitor.
Vetala took the tube in hand, turned about face, and strode with his brothers from the parade ground back to their waiting Thunderhawk. They fell in step behind their leader, judgement made and their duty here done.Words had failed him. Words had betrayed him.
Now all he had left was his duty, to his Chapter and his brothers.
The roar turned to a blood-spewing gurgle as bolt rounds smashed through the greenskin’s throat and chest. Vetala swept his power fist around, coring another of the brutish creatures with a spray of viscera that coated the burning interior of the downed space hulk.
A whirring glove of blades and saws came at him, looking to take his head off. The sputtering monster he had shot finally fell away, dead or near enough. More bolt shells exploded in the Ork’s arm, sending the maniacal weapon careening to the decking, still closing and opening. Smashing into his back can yet another, with more behind it. Icons were turning red in his display as choppas started hacking into his backpack and pauldrons.
Without seeming to notice, the greenskin’s head fell from its shoulders. Then another. And another. Ashok had parted them without so much as a pause, wading through the warband with Asi burning off Ork blood, a kris in his offhand darting in and out of eyes and throats.
Naraka was not far behind, banner held aloft, his ancient Tigrus-pattern bolter pulping Ork skulls and brains with every shot. Somewhere, he had lost his helmet and a gash had been rent from cheek to chin, his mouth full of posthuman blood that flecked out as he roared a wordless battle cry.
Courage was never in short supply among his Chapter. Vetala had never once doubted that. As they scoured the downed hulk that the Bakasurra had ruined in orbit. The Orks had lost control, their junk ship burned and broke apart on re-entry. The task was not done; the Tiger Claws had to finish it. That meant bolter and flamer, sword and first. Nothing short of extermination would suffice, lest the beasts rise back up and continue their senseless slaughter.
Brother Rava muscled his way up through the crush of bodies, the air rippling around the nozzle of his meltagun after sustained firing. Ahead, a vast beast in heavy armor with giant pincers for hands was wading into the fray. “Rava, with me!” Vetala said over the vox. He turned Gandiva, his wrist-mounted twin bolters on Orks that were between them and their new prey. Naraka and Ashok fell in behind, hacking and firing into the waves of greenskins all around them.
A deafening roar erupted from the beast as he sighted the Astartes closing in on him and started running with a heavy tread, pincers slashing the air, opening and closing in anticipation of the killing.
Rava aimed his meltagun up and letting loose, but the shot was knocked off target and only served to carve a hole in the Ork line. Greenskins were instantly vaporized, turned to molten flesh and blackened bone. The giant armored Ork closed and fast, reaching down to snip Rava’s arms at the wrist, the meltagun falling to the deck.
Vetala shoved his brother back, smashing his power fist into the Ork’s elbow, blasting it with a contained energy field and blowing the arm apart. Naraka was dragging Rava back to the skirmish line that had formed up as Vetala’s wedge had pushed ever deeper in. From there, bolters were banging away. The were broken against the wall of mass reactive shells.
Another roar, then came the other pincer arm swinging down, looking to take Vetala's head clean off. He drew up his fist and deflected it, only just. Down it came, the brute force behind it immense, forcing a deep gouge into the pauldron on his right arm, ripping into the layers of ceramite. Ashok came in on the Ork’s blind spot, dragging Asi in a swirling arc that parted the bests legs at the knee and slashed up through what had to be a primitive, chugging power source on its back.
With such grievous wounds, it still battled on. It smashed its tusked face into Vetala’s helmet as it fall forward, slipping and twisting on bloody stumps. Again is bellowed, but it was the last it would utter, as Vetala swung down with a hammerblow from his fist, caving in the beasts head down into the center of its chest. Little arcs of lighting rippled across the ruined Ork.
Some enemies were cowed by the death of their leader. Not Orks, that was not their way. They only fought on and harder still, slashing about wildly and spraying death with their fat, ugly guns.
They died to the last.
More to come in the future! Maybe some models to accompany it and/or an Imperial Knight! Sorry for the oddball formatting, but I couldn't get paragraphs to sit right. C'est la vie. Anyhow, hope you enjoyed.
A client took up the 1:1 offer I posted on the Swap Shop! So, now I have a Knight of my own (one down, four to go!) and a Knight to paint for the client. He did the 1:1, which means he opted for the tabletop quality paintjob.
As requested, it will be predominantly red with white accents. It must have the visor head (the GK looking one, not the Boba Fett one). Going to magnetize the guns for him and build a nice base, too. Very excited to get it built and going. From what I have seen online, looks like I can leave the carapace parts off and airbrush them separately rather easily, so that is good. The client did request the whole thing look heavily weathered, so I am thinking salt & hairspray done in at least one layer. I will put down some dark red/brown for the red areas and black-grey for the white areas.
Should be a blast! Going to build the base and position the feed, as well as build the rest and get it all set to paint next Saturday, then paint it up that Sunday. Should be able to get it in the mail that week, I hope! Trying to get better at time management, so I set myself a tough goal to meet. Should be quite a challenge!
For my own, I have the hopes of getting a thematic Knight list together - so at least 3-5 of them with maybe a Guard contingent (which I already own). I was thinking of something akin to the Macharian Crusade or some such, where a big, sweeping crusade blows through a large swathe of the Imperium that was under siege and/or lost to some enemy, so a few freeblades got pulled in and started forming a spearhead. So an army of freeblades with some meatbags to help hold what they take. It affords me total individuality with each Knight.
Starting off, I was brainstorming colors!
Freeblade Jovan, Imperial Knight "Dawnbringer" - Most noble of the ragtag group, last survivor of a proud lineage/household
- Carapace Gold split with a Black crenelated stripe. Shoulders black with golden suns rising on them. Golden face (GK looking one), black neck area, gold chest plate with black crenelations, gun plate black, chainsword gold, Kneecaps black/gold quartered. Thigh armor black. Shin plates gold with black crenelated stripe across them. The rest would be oily steel
- Gold or Silver Trim (?)
- Shield would be black with a golden sun (thinking similar to Averland on that one)
- Reddish-purple purity seals and lots of them!
Freeblade Rathore, Imperial Knight "Castigator" - Another noble bloodline, working to recover his own personal honor
- Carapace Orage with black chevrons, one shoulder halved orange/black, the other checkered white/black, orange face (Boba Fett looking one), black neck area, halved orange/black chest plate, gun plate black, orange on the base of barrel, chainsword orange, kneecaps orange, thigh armor black, shin plates halved orange/black. As the other, oily steel undercarriage.
- Silver trim
- Shield quartered orange/black with an emblem (unsure on that yet!)
- Green purity seals, most likely
Freeblade [Name Unknown], Imperial Knight "Hannon" - Some say, he is a rogue, others a legendary champion... no one knows for sure.
- Carapace seafoam green with dark, dark red diagonal stripe, one shoulder pure dark red, the other white/black chevrons, seafoam neck area, seafoam chest area with a diagonal stripe of dark red, gun plate dark red, chainsword white/black chevrons, kneecaps seafoam, thigh armor dark red, one shin plate seafoam, the other dark red with some sort of heraldry. As others, oily steel undercarriage.
- Seafoam faceplate with a dark, dark red stripe down the center of its face - probably the GK looking mask
- Gold trim
- Shield seaform halved with red set with a trident or some such, not 100% here
- Reddish-purple purity seals - may do some custom ones that are extra, extra long
Freeblade Hania, Imperial Knight "Ghost Dancer" - One of a mysterious household that prides itself on their connection to the spirit of their machine, choosing a life devoted to their Knight over all else.
- Carapace in white with black trim, black/red striped chainsword; across the whole model would be hand-painted, semi-stylized chains, gun plate would be red, kneeplates would be red
- I am thinking of taking one skull mask and filling the teeth area and nose and making them blank, with glowing pale blue eyes
Freeblade [Name Unknown], Imperial Knight "Gisgon" - Another mystery, the Knight "Gisgon" appeared at the vanguard of a pivotal battle and has been a part of the crusade ever since...
- Carapace dark brown with single white chevron, one shoulder dark blue and white checkers, the other white with some sort of heraldry on it (maybe stencil work if I can find some I like), black neck area, unmasked face with blue eyes, dark brown chest area, gun plate dark brown with white stripe, chainsword in dark blue and white checkers, kneecaps in dark brown, thigh armor in dark brown, shin plates in dark brown with a single white chevron on one of them. Same oily steel undercarriage.
- Silver trim
- Shield halved dark brown with dark blue / white checkers (maybe)
- Reddish-purple purity seals
So, I have five distinct paint schemes just waiting for Knights to come in and get painted up. Some more difficult than others, obviously. Plus, these are rough ideas - the actual application would vary as I get my hands on them. But I wanted to be ready just in case I can score 2-4 more of them.
Keep an eye out for WIP shots and some more from the Tiger Claws fiction I am doing.
So, I started the Knight today for the client. Got it mostly built and the guns are magnetized. That was a bit more difficult than I thought it would be, but it works well and looks good now that it is primed. I will get some post-priming pics tomorrow or next week, when I start painting it.
Did a few hours of work today and should have this finished up this week (or at the latest, next weekend). Mostly tough for me to get painting time in during the week with my job and class, etc. Hopefully, though, I can find the time to do some, otherwise next Saturday I should wrap this dude up.
Here are some shots at various stages:
Base WIP
Base mostly done
Metallics getting put down
White layers (some stuff masked already)
CCWWiP
Sizing it up
The carapace parts WIP
Just getting an idea of how it will start to look; that is not attached yet.
So, yea, getting it done! If anyone likes what they see and want me to paint a Knight for them, check out my Swap Shop offer!
It is a really, really nice kit and I love the model. Having a blast with it!
So, my Marines are on hold for a bit. The Codex release schedule has me thinking I can wait out the new BA and SW codices to see if those fit my ideas better. With new Guard coming out and the speed/quality I am able to do now, I think I might be painting up some Guard and Knights and doing that for a bit. I have like 6000pt of Guard gathering dust, so why not? A lot rides on the new 'Dex though, and if I can get 2 more Knights.
On an aside, this weekend I will be finishing off the Knight I started last weekend. Very excited! I might be doing more for that same client, too. Maybe up to 3!
There it is. I think I only did a bit of weathering and touch-up afterwards. Going to get a hold of a good camera, not my phone, and do up some final shots before I ship. The client is sending another, which will be blue! Very excited to paint these models. This one, start to finish, took me about 12 hours or so spread out over 3 days. If I can get an army of them myself, I could have them on the table in no time flat!
Eagerly awaiting the new IG, now AM, Codex release. Brainstorming some paint schemes for my dudes and tanks! Pics to follow.
So, with the new IG coming out, I figured I would get an idea of what I wanted for them paint wise. I have a whole ton of Guard from back when the 5th Ed Codex hit. Hadn't played them since 2012 though, so maybe it is time. Would pair with my Knights rather well, I hope. These are the general colors I am thinking - with the fluff I used to have drawn up. They were a mechanized force that spent generations caught in an unsupported civil war on a backwater world. They had a lot of honorifics and stowage on their tanks and stuff. We will see what the lists for the new AM Codex looks like before I settle on too much.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Armor - VMC Golden Yellow
Stripe - VMC White
Jumpsuit - VMC Orange Brown
Boots - VMC Leather Brown
Belt - VMC Grey Green
Another Knight from a client! This one is going to be blue with yellow chevrons (outlined in black). Like the last one, the client is doing their own decals. Also, two additional bases added so all his bases for the Knights can match.
Anyhow, I am excited to do another one. Plus, this means I got another Knight of my own. Up to two, meaning one more to hit the trio I want to field.
Still debating on how I want my freeblade coalition to be painted!
Any ideas?
Automatically Appended Next Post: Also, if you have the Tiger Claws decals from this:
I have one more Knight to paint, but the client wanted me to make sure his bases all matched. Got them built and primed today. The Knight will be underway next weekend, so that is when these will get painted up.
Have had a lot going on, so I didn't get to the build for this commissioned Knight until today. Here it is - Knight Numero Dos. This one is going to be blue with yellow chevrons outlined in black. Should be fun!
Move was a success. Now in a new place with an entire room dedicated to my studio space - both standard art and my hobby stuff. Very happy about that!
So, after my brief hiatus from the Knight, I am back in full swing today and I got the base metallics mostly done. Just need to touch them up to tone down some of the weathering areas.
My client wanted bases for all his Knights to match, so I did up all four to be generic ruin/rubble type with some IG bits. Simple, nothing flashy to detract from the big boys themselves.
Going to get the carapace armor and details working on Tuesday if able, maybe Thursday, or worst case scenario next weekend. Either way, the second one will be done and I will get some higher quality pics of them both.
Also, holding off on all my personal 40k projects. I am basically skipping 6th Ed and just waiting for 7th now and also hopeful that Orks get a nice reboot. They were my first army and I am heavily considering them as my next. I sold them to fund my IG, for which I am also on the fence about selling right now. 6000pt or so would fetch more than enough to pay for a new Ork army... but I am just not sure yet. Ever the quandary in this hobby!
IhHave been pulling 45 hour / 6 day weeks plus I had finals last week. Been hectic, to say the least. Hell, I haven't even unpacked everything from moving, either. Crazy month!
That being said, here is some progress on the other Knight I had been commissioned to work on:
As for personal stuff - playing the waiting game again. 7th Ed will shake stuff up, so I am holding off on building my Marines and Guard. Still debating on liquidating the latter, for money to expand the Marines and branch out into Ogres for WHFB.
Some pictures of the Knights all finished up. Instagram pics aren't the best - if I have some time/patience I will try to get better pics, but my lighting set-up isn't great. C'est la vie.
The last pic is just awful. Tempted to splurge and get a light box of some sort, so I can take somewhat flattering pictures of my work. God knows these are lacking any of the gradation present in the blue, red, and yellow, etc.
So, for my own two, I am thinking of skipping on Freeblades and just going to Hawkshroud. Sadly, I couldn't find the House Griffith decals, so Hawkshroud is my second choice. I do love painting yellow, though, so that is good. Just loved the Griffith colors a lot more.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Better pics! Not great, but better than Instagram crap. One day, I will get a proper backdrop and lightning, but for now, these are the best I can muster.
And then there is this - something of a long-term project I will be working on. I want to add a bit more details to it and do up the colors I posted a bit back. May or may not sell my IG someday, but I need the practice with the airbrush, so this should help!
Lascannons are magnetized to the HB sponsons, which are also magnetized. The gun can be a Stormlord or Shadowsword, meaning all the parts needed to be modular are. It was a challenge, but I think it is nice to have those two variants available (the only two I liked anyhow).
I know it looks a little rough, but I did a few more coats and got it pretty smooth. Should only need minimal sanding. Filling up the mouth grill and taking off some of the little sharp bits from the mask's lines. Making it a bit different, just in case I feel like pursuing any of the freeblade options I had outlined a while back - though I admit, I am leaning more and more towards Hawkshroud just because yellow looks so awesome on the tabletop.
Tomorrow the Knights I did hit the mail and go to their new home. A local bud wants me to work on some Blood Angels for him, so that should be fun. With 7th hitting, I am going to jump back into actively wargaming again instead of just doing the hobby end of it. Looking at Orks and/or GK as an option. Both are armies I find entirely enjoyable to assemble and paint. Going to give 7th a bit of time to simmer while we all await FAQs for it. By then, maybe my IG will be somewhat along.
Still undecided on how to approach the color scheme. I am thinking dark red and light khaki, as I posted prior. Standard Cadian markings and all that, too, just in case I do wind up selling it off instead of playing it (likely).
Working on magnetizing some options for my count-as Pask. I had built this about 5 years ago now and just tucked it away. I have since cut the barrel of the Battle Cannon off and magnetized it. Now it can be a Punisher, Battle Cannon, and soon the Executioner plasma cannon, too. I am going to probably hack up and re-work the Battle Cannon to be a Vanquisher cannon (just extending it). The sponsons are magnetized to the hull - so I can run him with or without them, plus I need to cut the HBs off and magnetize that so it can be Multimeltas, Plasma Cannons, or HBs. Next step is to cut the Lascannon and magnetize that so I can do it, a hull Heavy Flamer or a hull Heavy Bolter.
SO MUCH WORK! But I am glad I have a chance to re-purpose this thing. In hindsight, I somewhat regret the hokey slicing/dicing battle damage I did when I first got into my Guard, but c'est la vie, I will roll with it when I paint this stuff up. On that note - it is going to be a Commissariat Tank Commander. So, black and gold with red/yellow accents. The rest of my Cadians (that I am keeping) will be done in that color scheme I posted prior unless I find something better.
Slowed down as my work picked up. This is where I am at with a few things, nothing major. Just the wee bit of Guard I am keeping for myself as a detachment. Prepping it for paint, but I got a lot to clean up and stuff before I get there.
Magnetized the barrel on my count-as Pask Commissariat tank and now it can be a Vanquisher! Also, shotgun Vets.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh.. and I have a commission inbound:
Blood Angels
2x Drop Pods
1x Baal Predator
1x Astorath
1x Vanguard Vet Squad
1x Sanguinary Priest
2x Furioso Dreads
And just because why not, I made a magnetized option for a Leman Russ Annihilator out of a spare Predator TL Lascannon. Doesn't look great, but I am not much on the whole kitbashing/scratch-building stuff. Mostly did it in case I wanted to (for fun) run the Armored Fist list from IA1. Doubt it will materialize, nut hey, the option exists (in addition to the Vanquisher and Punisher options shown).
Antony Robertson wrote: Some lovely stuff here, the Knights look superb and I really enjoyed the Tiger Claws fluff.
Antony
Thanks! I never did get around to finishing it. I have it all outlined somewhere, just lost the spark. My writing spark does that though - comes and goes.
Glad you like the Knights too! I am going to do my own soon and, fingers crossed, I will get to do House Griffith.
A friend of a friend is getting me the hookup! I will now be getting two of the limited edition decal sheets for Imperial Knights. House Griffith, here we come!
Everything else comes to a grinding halt for that (excluding commissions). I have been holding out on my two Knights just in case I could get these and now it looks like it should be a go.
Blood Angels commission! Excited to try my hand at these guys again. Also, the client let me have my pick of Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield from the Vanguard Vet box for my Carcharodons Biker Captain. Excited about that! When I am done with this commission, I will be starting my Marines (most likely).
Started assembly on the Blood Angels tonight. Got all five Vanguard Vets built as the client requested. Working on a Baal Predator. Going to see about magnetizing it if I can. Then I have a few Dreadnoughts to sort out and some Drop Pods to paint up (client assembled those).
The Baal is not actually fully assembled - did that for the picture. The Dreads are not glued down either. Got a lot ahead of me today. Going to try to get the reds done (ideally). Though honestly, I might do that tomorrow (or next weekend). I spent a fair chunk of my day staining and painting a piece of furniture (with milk paint, no less) to be distressed and put in my bedroom. So, that was draining in the muggy 90 degree heat today.
That being said, damn I love Blood Angels!
On an aside too - if anyone wants a Cerastus Knight-Lancer painted up - contact me! We can talk about doing the deal I did for the standard Knights; you send me two, I send you one painted up real nice!
Super crappy Instagram pic of the Blood Angels. It was really late when I snapped it, so sorry it isn't too hot. Basically just fleshing them out as I go. Next big step is to do a lot of the silver-based metallics. Gold will be roughly last. Thankfully, with Vallejo Liquid Gold, it goes on smooth and easy. Got to do the helmets and some details, etc.
Anyhow, I picked up this stupid kitch thing at Hobby Lobby for practically nothing ($12, when it was originally $60). I am sure I could have built a display board base cheaply, but this was a steal, so I am going to sand the sucker down and weather the wood parts and build up the recessed area with corks and an Imperial Sector kit I have gathering dust. Should be a nice, generic display board for my Astra or Sharks. Not sure which yet, but I have it and when I get there, I will be ready.
On another aside, I picked up some frisket for my Sharks, so I can do masked off areas of Xeric-inspired (Polynesian) tribal markings on my larger vehicles. I can print it, cut it out with an exacto, and airbrush over it. Ideally, I can find some cool Polynesian banding to stripe my aircraft wings with and maybe do some larger shark iconography on my larger vehicles. We will see how that goes, I will need to do testing. Worse case scenario, though, I have the Carcharodon Astra font that was used on the decal sheet, so I can make large-sized letters for stenciling onto the display board as a title.
Working on getting a light box set-up working. Not exactly having a lot of success, but this was snapped with my phone and adjusted a bit with Photoshop. Not great but a vast improvement over just using Instagram.
Meph wrote: Cool, looks better indeed. I'm looking forward to the details painted in.
Thanks! I am going to be doing work on them this weekend and probably the next. Hope they are done by then, but I do have Astorath and a Sanguinary Priest to paint and those will both take me a while (especially Mr. Grim with all those striated lines on his armor).
Now that I see them, I am thinking of going back in and adding some shadows with some Hull Red. They are looking a bit flat to me. I just need to go easy though, because these need to match an existing army for my client.
On an aside, I am going to try out a tinfoil set-up in my light box to see if that works. Sides and bottom with the models on a plinth raised above the bottom foil. I have seen this on other sites as an option for lighting and am curious if it works well.
Some WIP stuff. Been pressed for time, so I am lagging behind on the Blood Angels. The Baal Predator is almost done - just need to add battle damage, dust the bottom a bit, and add a bit of OSL to the targeter lenses. Doing the metallics on a lot of stuff and the Drop Pods are furthest behind - got to re-address the metallics inside and whatnot. Going to do flame streaks and all that later on. Really unhappy with Astorath's wings - I think I am going to airbrush them black and then to airbrush fades on the feather layers, then line-in for delineation afterwards. I think that will look pretty awesome.
Still waiting to hear about the Knight decals from my friend - hope they arrive sooner than later. Ordered a few tidbits for my Carcharodons - just need some bikers and I should be set to make my list (front page) and a few other variants.
This is awesome work em_en_oh_pee, i found this page by accident when i was googling for carcharodons drop pod lists and ended up here in the end. This is great work, the range of models painted make it really interesting, so looking through this blog was really interesting.
Your carcharodons list has provided some inspiration for mine, i was hoping you would have started painting some as they will be my first airbrushed army so was also looking for inspiration/tutorial. Alas you haven't started them, but your work currently is keeping me interested so i will check back often, keep it up!
Go figure. Glad you enjoyed my humble contribution to the hobby.
I am going to be starting up on my Sharks when I finish off these Blood Angels. I have a few purchases left to make - specifically some Ravenwing Battleforces and a Land Raider Crusader/Redeemer sprue.
I have the rest mostly lined up - got some Forge World stuff inbound (ideally). Going to be working on some frisket sheets for my larger models (Pods, Land Raider, Stormtalons) so I can have some Maori/Polynesian tribal designs on them in addition to the Shark decals.
I must admit I am nervous about getting rolling on my stuff - I am far too used to painting for others. When it comes to my own projects, I am a bit apprehensive (as demonstrated by the two years it has taken me to get my Sharks going!).
Anyhow, the BA shouldn't take me more than another couple of weekends at most. So after that, I am green light for the Carcharodons. So keep an eye out.
If you want to spitball some lists, feel free. I have a few I am tossing around. Hoping that FW gets out the 7th Ed updates for our beloved Chapter soon, too. Hope that doesn't change too much!
My Blood Angels client is having me re-work his Obsidian Knight. I am going to do airbrush highlights on the black areas and put on the bone areas. I will re-touch the reds and metallics after that. Then I will apply the decals - my first time using Micro Sol/Set. Pretty excited!
I made a trade with a local in NC. Sent him some of my extra Crusade Armor suits for some Maximus and Heresy armor. I now have some more goodies to spice up my Carcharodons!
I am eagerly awaiting the Space Wolf Codex before I start building, just in case some options exist in that which give me a better, non-Vanilla option to represent my Sharks if my Forge World Chapter Tactics and Character are not allowed (for local tourneys).
Since I have those Blood Angels and the Knight to finish, plus my own two Knights to work on, I think I am good to bide my time until that hits the shelves before committing to an Iron Hands variant of my FW list.
This guy was a blast! I can't wait to paint another Knight (or five!). They are officially my favorite model to paint right now!
Automatically Appended Next Post: Some shots of the last of the Blood Angels:
So, that is:
Astorath, Sanguinary Priest, 5 Vanguard Vets, 2 Drop Pods, 2 Furioso Dreads (with arm swaps) and a Baal Predator! All done.
Next up, hopefully, a personal project - House Griffith Knights! I am still waiting on the LE Decals to arrive from my contact in Germany. Fingers crossed they get here soon!
Jehan-reznor wrote: Nice job, but you photographed the drop-pods upside down because you can't close the doors?
Yea, that was the most practical way to get those details. Of the Blood Angels stuff, I assembled only the Vanguard Vets, Sanguinary Priest, Astorath, and the Baal Predator. The rest was assembled by the client.
Just taking stock of my Imperial Sector box. Getting a feel for the size/scale so I can work on display boards for my three current project armies (Sharks, Cadians, House Griffith).
Got some new inks to use when doing metallics. Also, some more VMC Oily Steel. I love that stuff! Plus, a hobby saw so I can try my hand at doing some more diverse bikers (adding FW armor).
Oh, plus got some new weapons for my existing Leman Russ tanks (going to magnetize) and new bases/stand attachments for my Vendettas. I put mine together 5+ years ago and they are busted, so I am doing some new ones to get them back in the sky.
Got my Leman Russ Demolisher magnetized to be Exterminators, in addition to my other various tank options. Working on getting my Cadians squared away before I start the Sharks.
Some shots of my WIP Company Commanders. Oddly, I don't have a list that uses them yet... but I couldn't resist making some more interesting Commanders for my wasteland Cadians. I need to grenstuff the cloak on the dude with the helm, plus clean up some lines, but then they are done. Might do some chains or ropes connecting the cloak if I feel frisky.
So, LGS is doing an Escalation League for WHFB, so I am actually going forward with my Ogres. Slowly, steadily. Also, ditching the old custom Tribe for the Ironskin Tribe. Did this up just because I apparently have too much free time...
My Carcharodons Astra are finally underway. Finally. Trying to make sure they are well-assembled, I will get some better pictures of all the bikes as I get them into their various sub-assemblies. So far, 4 bikes built and the Attack Bike sub-assembly too. Debating on how I am going to add some leg variety, but it should be easy enough to use arms, torsos, heads, and pads from my variety of Forge World armor.
Also, working on some dinky little Photoshop crap to put my army list on. Getting a feel for it and all that. For reference, "The Shiver" is going to be emblazoned on my display board in the Forge World font used for their decals. Can't wait to get to that point, down the road.
Oh, and also, my mediocre attempt at sculpting. I used superfine Milliput, because I didn't have green stuff (and didn't feel like ordering it and my LGS has been out for weeks). The green is from me washing over it to smooth out the texture with some watered-down Liquid Greenstuff (because I do have that on hand always). Doesn't look great, but I am pretty new to the sculpting thing.
That is for the Ogres. Going to do an ash wasteland for the Ironskin theme. Going to be picking up greenstuff and trying my hand at sculpting again. Really, really unsure of that. Going to add some chain and scalemail additions to my Ogres to show their relationship with the Chaos Dwarves. Plus, ideally, some branding/scarring on their exposed torso areas and arms. We will see how that goes when I get there (and by there, I mean when my FLGS finally gets some damned greenstuff in stock!).
Also, picked up some ancient Ogre boxes from the FLGS for a fair price. And grabbed some much more interesting looking cork tiles from Hobby Lobby. They are tighter, less rough. I am hoping they will break in a unique way now that the cork secret has been unleashed and now everyone is doing it (and some better than others). I have 100+ bases to do, so I am not sure those few sheets will work, but it is a start. I will post pics when I start using it (duh).
Started on the Ogres finally! This is four Ironguts in sub-assemblies. Slaughtermaster and Butcher in the back. Got to re-work the Butcher's leg so they aren't both peg-legged.
Commander Cain wrote: Very promising. Looking forward to what comes of this army of monsters.
I am hoping, hoping, hoping I can sculpt a bit of scalemail and chainmail for my Ogres to get a bit more of that Ironskin look. We will see. Mostly want the chainmail veiled helmets, if I can.
Here is the eventual build list, provided nothing radically shifts the game away from it:
Lord:
Slaughtermaster
Level 4, Armor of Destiny, Crown of Command, Ironfist
Lore of the Great Maw
[373]
Hero:
Bruiser
BSB, Ironfist, Talisman of Preservation, Heavy Armor, Look-out Gnoblar
[188]
Butcher
Level 2, Hellheart, Ironfist
Lore of Heavens
[188]
Firebelly
Level 1, Dispel Scroll, AHW
[147]
Core:
(9) Ogres
Bellower, Standard, Ironfists
[308]
(9) Ogres
Bellower, Standard, Ironfists
[308]
(12) Ironguts
Bellower, Standard, Standard of Discipline, Look-out Gnoblar
[561]
Special:
Sabretusk
[21]
Sabretusk
[21]
Sabretusk
[21]
(4) Mournfang Cavalry
Bellower, Dragonhide Banner, Heavy Armor, Ironfists
[350]
Rare:
Ironblaster
[170]
Ironblaster
[170]
Ironblaster
[170]
[2999]
In a slow-grow league right now, but that is my end-game build. Hoping to get the last two Ironblasters, the Sabretusks, and another Battalion soon. Just got to get money together for it.
Trying my hand with Instamold again. I had used it once to mixed results prior, but I am hoping just to use it for small detail textures like scalemail, chainmail, and fur.
We will see!
Plus, FIREBELLY! (first of two I hope to work on!)
Ogres looking good, I think they are one of my favourite WHFB armies and if i ever decided to do an army they would definitely be up there as a contender.
Also looking forward to the long awaited carcharodons!
I gotta say, I really like your metallics! I plan on trying to build up my Iron Warriors again, and I'd really appreciate some pointers, as well as perhaps being pointed in the right direction for some good paints (namely gunmetal, silver, bronze, gold, black, and yellow. )
uk_crow wrote: Ogres looking good, I think they are one of my favourite WHFB armies and if i ever decided to do an army they would definitely be up there as a contender.
Also looking forward to the long awaited carcharodons!
Thanks! Long-awaited is such an understatement. 2 years in the works! The next big step, since I don't have a case for them yet, is to start the Drop Pods. I will be holding off on the infantry until I get a case, probably. Hopefully, a quarterly bonus is heading my way and I can grab another Battlefoam 1520 to store it all in.
Kepora wrote: I gotta say, I really like your metallics! I plan on trying to build up my Iron Warriors again, and I'd really appreciate some pointers, as well as perhaps being pointed in the right direction for some good paints (namely gunmetal, silver, bronze, gold, black, and yellow. )
Thanks! I love metallics. For the Imperial Knights I did, I generally used VMC Oily Steel, with some VMC Silver used to pick out the upper highlights. I then go in with Liquitex Inks (which are made to airbrush) and go in for dark spots (with black) and grime (with ochres, browns). These give me good tonal range and visual interest too. Then, you can go back in and pick out the edges with raw VMC Silver.
For bronze, I use VMC Bronze. This stuff is fantastic! Pigment dense and goes on nice. I usually patina it with a watered down mix of turquoise and green.
When it comes to gold, I use Vallejo Liquid Gold series "Old Gold", which you can get on ScaleHobbyist for a good price. It is alcohol-based, so you have to clean it up with pure alcohol and can't use water at all. However, it goes on in one smooth coat, which is amazing! I usually just give it a shot of gloss and then wash it for depth - airbrushing ochre and brown, with some greens and/or purples too. Then I go in with a bit of brush work for edges (usually a mix of gold and silver for the final edge).
For black and yellow, I tend to go airbrush. I work the black highlights with grey, usually. For yellow, I work my way up from a brown to the yellow, then a yellow-bone/white mix. After, I go into the yellow with airbrush inks to add deep shadows.
Hope that helps!
This weekend, I am going to try to squeeze in some more time for the Carcharodons and Ogres! Work has been killer.
uk_crow wrote: Ogres looking good, I think they are one of my favourite WHFB armies and if i ever decided to do an army they would definitely be up there as a contender.
Also looking forward to the long awaited carcharodons!
Thanks! Long-awaited is such an understatement. 2 years in the works! The next big step, since I don't have a case for them yet, is to start the Drop Pods. I will be holding off on the infantry until I get a case, probably. Hopefully, a quarterly bonus is heading my way and I can grab another Battlefoam 1520 to store it all in.
I feel your pain in regards to drop pods, I am just about to start a Red Talons army, who are a 2nd founding successor chapter to the Iron Hands. I have 5 to make up and paint red and potentially 7 By making them in sub assemblies some time will be saved though. Looking forward to progress, I will be back!
Kepora wrote: Oh? You just airbrush the ink on the model to shade it? that's pretty damn cool! I'll need to look into these paints :3
Yup. The inks help me add some extra shades in some areas, re-establishing dark tones or tonal variance. I love them! I got all mine on clearance at Hobby Lobby for like $5 and they are HUGE dropper-cap glass bottles of ink made by Liquitex for all sorts of stuff, including airbrushing.
uk_crow wrote: Ogres looking good, I think they are one of my favourite WHFB armies and if i ever decided to do an army they would definitely be up there as a contender.
Also looking forward to the long awaited carcharodons!
Thanks! Long-awaited is such an understatement. 2 years in the works! The next big step, since I don't have a case for them yet, is to start the Drop Pods. I will be holding off on the infantry until I get a case, probably. Hopefully, a quarterly bonus is heading my way and I can grab another Battlefoam 1520 to store it all in.
I feel your pain in regards to drop pods, I am just about to start a Red Talons army, who are a 2nd founding successor chapter to the Iron Hands. I have 5 to make up and paint red and potentially 7 By making them in sub assemblies some time will be saved though. Looking forward to progress, I will be back!
It is going to be rough, I am sure. Even with the sub-assemblies. I have 7 total, but I may only make 5 for now. None of my lists call for that many, but I figured it never hurts to have more!
Let me know when you start, I will keep an eye on your progress.
Hobby Lobby? I've got one of those in Alexandria - an hour's drive away, though! Mind shooting me a PM with the names of the products, or links even? It'll make my search easier - the people at my Hobby Lobby aren't all exactly...competent.
Here they are at Dick Blick. I might order a purple and that red oxide. I have the Prussian blue, Transparent Burnt Umber, Carbon Black and... I think yellow? I can't remember. Not at my paint station.
All the Vallejo range are at War Store (including pre-order on Vallejo Game Air!) and Miniature Market, too (where they are super cheap!).
Did some more trial runs with greenstuff sculpting and adding instamold work to my Ogres. Taxing my patience! I need to go in and work over the back of the hanging chainmail for texture next.
Annnnnnnnnd more work! Mostly Ogre-centric right now. Going to (maybe) sand down the display board for the Carcharodons tomorrow, so I can get that started. Still on the hunt for another similar set-up to the one I got for them for the Ogres - that being a kitchy piece of framed "art" that is a flat surface with painted words and a nifty frame all in one. Saves me the effort of re-purposing a frame.
Anyhow, testing the crackle for my Ogre bases. Going for the ash wasteland area near the Plain of Zharr, because Ironskin Tribe and whatnot and it seems fitting. Might add some tufts and skeletal remains and all that, but not much else. I used the Instamold to get some more scalemail (or whatever sort of armor that is supposed to be) for my gutplates on the Ironguts. I wanted variety.
The banner with the hanging chainmail got some really, really crude chainmail sculpted onto the back of the pieces so it made sense. Though honestly, I am thinking about just starting that over and doing it by hand, for uniformity sake, because the front and back are just so different. We will see.
I got to get the various arms and stuff readied - so into sub-assemblies and stuck to pins-in-cork for ease of painting. Plus, I need to hack up some great weapons to make them look held by one hand for my Bellower and Standard Bearer.
Not that the picture is clear, but I am using some heads from the Ironblaster, Leadbelchers, and Stonehorn crew for my Ogres. Variety is important in this army, with so few options overall, they can get too similar looking.
Next big greenstuff adventure will be making holes in pants, if able. Wish me luck!
Annnnnnnnnnnd more! Best part of weekends off is I get a chance to be productive with the hobby.
Slowly getting the 1000pt list ready, then I will be expanding from there to the 2000 and 3000pt options with hopes of grabbing a case for the Sharks and Ogres on Black Friday from Battlefoam.
I have some adjusting to do on those ironfists on the casters - mostly gap filling and maybe reposing them up the arm a bit further. That is for next weekend though! Time to hit the hay and get ready for another work week.
At my LGS, there is a tournament and charity auction called the "War for Tots" - we are on the 5th one, amazingly. I was in the first, ran the second, and have painted models for it in the past. I know the 11th Company has hit it up a few times, too. Should be a bigger turnout this year than any other, I am sure. Last year, they pulled in $1002 for the "Toys for Tots".
This year, I had enough foresight to paint a model for it again (missed a few years due to commissions and work). So, I am somewhat revisiting a model I painted once before and had a blast with - the 25th Anniversary Crimson Fist model. Really quite a fun mini to work with, so I picked it up tonight and will be trying to find time to assemble and paint the bugger over the next few weeks (not in any rush, since it is due in December!).
The Ogres are still going strong - I need a case and some trays, though. Still working on improving with greenstuff and the next big, big project for that is my BSB's banner. Not 100% sure what I want. Scalemail painted haphazardly with the Ironskin tribe logo seems ideal, but... I am so, so new at building/sculpting, that is may be beyond me to do that and I just wind up doing some heat-shaped plasticard. Whatever works!
Also, next up in that project is an Ironblaster and a Stonehorn. Those are new to me - so I need to figure out the sub-assemblies and whatnot. Plus, I need to grab some raggedy tufts to use on the bases, now that I have the crackle look kinda under control.
More work done. Enjoying the Ogres - making sure I get them cleaned up and good to paint. The Crimson Fist for the Charity Auction is going to get primed and painted soon, too. Got him all mounted up and ready.
Also, if anyone is looking to get some work done - let me know. No commissions on the table right now and kind of want a break from my own stuff. Would love to do some Knights - especially the new FW ones. If you are interested, let me know and we can set something up!
Started getting some bases together, really seeing how the crackle medium works and I am honestly pretty happy with these. Going to prime them up, work them up with grey tones and maybe some purple glazes, then stick on some Silflor Desert Tufts and that should round them nicely. Oh, plus painting the bone piles on some of them. I figured a wasteland near the Chaos Dwarves would have bones and stuff.
Some more bases I am working on. Tried doing things a little different, for variety and to help spread out the crackle medium further, since I need a lot for all my bases and display board and don't really want to order more of it.
And because my guys are brutal, SKULLS on them bases.
It is amazing what some primer does to these bases! They went from kinda odd, but neat, to totally awesome! I can't wait to start painting these. Got to do up the pizza box base for my Stonehorn too! That will be nuts.
Stonehorn is in sub-assemblies. Base is ready to be primed. I have about 6-ish Ogres left to build and I need to make my BSB's banner still. Not quite sure how I want to do that.
Biggest thing I found out was you have to do at least a coat of primer down for the crackle to stick to the base. Otherwise, the pieces break off.
I haven't attached any models yet, I do that after painting. I can't imagine it will be too big of an issue. I will pinning the model to the base, so that will help.
One pot has done all the bases you have seen and a few other test ones and has a little leftover. I have a whole unopened one just for my display board. I hope that is enough!
Got my Stonehorn rider ready with his harpoon launcher and additional harpoons strapped to his back. Also, got a nice (free) rugged-looking frame and a piece of wood to fit it. I have since primed it with a dusting of white primer and am testing a swatch of the crackle medium to make sure it sticks. Not sure exactly how much variance I am going to put into the terrain itself though. May be a bit bland, because it is my first board and because of the nature of movement trays being big flat plates. Wouldn't be a good idea to have hills and stuff only to make my Ogres sit funny.
Oh no... what have I gotten myself into now? Yup... adding some depth to my display boards with this. First go round with extruded polystyrene sheets. Got a little saw thing and am going to do a very simple job of hacking it into useful shapes and whatnot. For the Ogres, it will just be to have a fissure in the ground or some variance in the depths, since the theme is cracked earth desert wasteland. For the Carcharodons, it will give me two or three tiers of a city, with ramps and stuff, ideally and a road. We will see. For the Guard, I might do some dug in portions for my stuff, but that is WAY down the line.
And I got some more Ogres built up, ready to post onto cork like the others. Leaving the hands off for ease of painting (also like the others).
I am ordering another Battalion box, my Sabretusks, and my last pack of Movement trays on Monday afternoon. That is IT for my purchasing for the Ogres, barring some new, crazy release. Fingers crossed we get something epic for the End Times (doubtful).
KingCracker wrote: Awww man those look fantastic. I've been a fan of the Ogres since their line came out. Not to mention those bases look the tits.
Thanks! They have been a dream army of mine for years. It feels so good being able to make them a reality. I have been enjoying it, though I do wish they would have expanded their line a bit. Having so few heads to choose from has made me get creative though. Going to need to start sculpting some facial hair soon, too, for variety. That should be a challenge.
Glad you like the bases. Going to be working on a display board for them soon, so that should be a big version of them. Can't wait to get that going next weekend.
I pretty thoroughly hate cork for basing nowadays. It has become quite old hat now. That being said, the blue foam board I got was too thick for this project, so I used it to bring some levels into the board. It will be entirely covered so as not to look anything like cork. Heh.
Also, I hate blue foam. It is a mess and I know I just need practice, but... ugh. I wanted to make some sort of stone-like ribs or something for this board, but I forgot just how HUGE Ogre units are and ran out of any reasonable space. As it is my first board, I need to not over do it. So, this is just two levels of cork on the standard wood base (primed white to hold the crackle medium) and some sand/ballast/water/glue applied to the edges of the cork to make it look like a split in the ground, basically. Going to apply the crackle medium tonight hopefully (or this weekend at the latest).
Had to order more crackle medium! Did too thin of a layer on the display board and the crackle on it is just too small overall. Going to add more dense patches of heavy crackle to make it fall more in line with my small bases. Plus, I ordered the last of my Ogres (Battalion, Sabretusks, trays) and needed to more crackle for their bases, too. Expect more progress when all that stuff arrives.
Carcharodons purchasing is almost done. Just need to get a LR Crusader/Redeemer sprue and they are basically done. With so many resin models, I need to spend probably half a day scrubbing them with soap. They are next on my agenda, though I do have a Dark Eldar commission starting sometime near the end of the year (a big one, too), so that of course takes priority when I get it.
Started getting some work done on the board. Wasn't entirely happy with the crackling, because it just went on too thin... but I ordered some more, just to layer up on it in some spots. Butcher is in the pic for scale reference.
Also, got a new wet palette, some more brushes (finally) and some Black Lava paste to try out on some bases in the future.
Got the display board frame stained up today. Hope to get it sanded and sealed up this week. Waiting on crackle medium and the rest of my Ogres to arrive before I can move onto the painting phase!
So, I got the display board frame done. Just a simple wood frame for art I sanded, stained brown, then sanded again, and waxed to protect it (I do a lot of furniture distressing/refinishing, so I have this stuff on hand!). The board fits ...so-so. I will need to tack it down after it is finished. Waiting on my Crackle medium to ship, hoping it arrives around Nov 10th or so, so I can finish the base crackle coat and get to priming it up.
Also, I had worked up an alternate ...saddle? for my Mournfang. Not anyone special, just my constant need for some variety. I don't mind two of the four having the same, but a pair or pairs - no thanks! So now I have this!
I didn't use the in-between thingy because... it broke. Stupid thing. Happy accident though, because I think this is more in flavor with the look for Mournfang Cav anyhow!
The remnants of my army should be shipping tomorrow or the day after, so I am hoping they get here by the weekend. I will be assembling a whole slew more of Ironguts and Ogres! Plus, I have two Ironblasters left to assemble (don't want to!) and my Sabretusks to work on too.
Still in the "what the hell should I do about that Battle Standard?!" mode... but I am thinking about honestly linking some small plasticard plates with wire and maybe having dangling plate/scale/chain of various types and maybe (just maybe!) a skull or some such. We will see. I also need to try my hand at sculpting fetishes and stuff to added even more decoration to my Ogres and their gut-plates, etc.
Yea, I am not in the craziest hurry or anything. Been wanting an Ogre army for many years, so I want to take my time and get it right. My big hold-up right now is waiting on the next batch of models and the crackle. When I get that done, I can start getting them painted, which I want to do all at once for uniformity sake.
Just got this from an awesome old toy / comic / junk kinda place and can't freaking wait to get him built and painted! Just a side amusement project, since I am a little burned out on my current projects (and still waiting on my stuff to arrive anyhow!).
Nothing crazy for this update. I was tidying up my desk area in the wake of the WiP display board and needed to get some Ironfists for the recently assembled Ogres. I am big on having as much variety as I can reasonably manage, so I did up a few non-standard Ironfists with existing ones. Just added new blade types or spikes or just shaved off existing ones to make them less obvious repeats.
I got the Crimson Fist set out and my wet palette, so next step is to lay in base colors for him and then start getting into the brush work. I feel like I will be a little rusty, but I should be starting that this weekend.
Waiting for the crackle to dry, but I finally got it in the mail and put some gobs of it down so I get a more varied, thicker crackle. I will post a pic later after it fully dries.
So, realized that I had less than 2 weeks to complete the Charity model for the local "War for Tots" tournament and auction. So, had to get going on it and managed to put down base coats and get the base pretty far along. The Ork head is done, but my crap camera on my crap phone takes some crap pictures, so pardon the horrid blur. When I am done, I will get some light-box pics with a real camera. For now, we just must suffer a bit of blur and bad lighting. That being said, the 2nd round of crackle is all dry now and I took a reasonable close-up of it. It isn't all like that, but the variation makes it kinda nice. I need to do a sand/glue/water mix and put it into some of the crackles and stuff and then it is off to prime the thing before nailing it down to the frame before I paint it (going to cover the nail heads with tufts!).
Anyhow, more updates tomorrow if I can get some more work done. Also, back to working on some 40k fiction. Re-working and tweaking my "Tears of Krodha" story about the Tiger Claws Chapter's fate before their assimilation into the Astral Claws. Going to center it around their Chapter remnants, their Captain-turned-Master, the conflict with the Inquisition, their petition to save their Chapter and the inevitable denial therein, plus all the in-between time (battles, encounters with other forces, etc). Lofty goal of getting it up to novella-size, but we will see how I do. I admit, I am no writer, but I enjoy the craft and maybe some folks will humor me and give it a read.
FINALLY some real updates. Nothing crazy good, but... progress.
First up, I used the Mournfang Great Weapons to make some for my Ironguts. Being as my tribe is the Ironskins, I am going emphasis on metal weaponry. Clubs and stuff are fine in small numbers, but I needed not only more metal, but more diversity. I can't stand a bland, out-of-the-box army (usually). Also, some more crackle bases for them. Used some instamold to get some nice fiddly bits to add to my gutplates, too, by just copying textures from other gutplates or other bits. So, now I will have loads of metal additions for my dudes.
Furthermore, working on a Cerastus Knight-Lancer. Got it all cleaned up and going to assemble this weekend, ideally. I need to put more time on that charity model first, though.
However, I did do the base, since I had my sand/ballast out and had already made a mess... so why not? Tried out two cork types on the base so the top layer is more like an asphault texture and the second layer more like rocky concrete with pipes and stuff. On top is broken flooring. So, the idea here is ruined city block - the idea being that my urban sprawl can cover a lot of diversity, so I can do all my 40k bases similar, but still be diverse. Should prove good, since I have three 40k armies to work on (Sharks, Cadians, and Knights).
Anyhow! One big dilemma, still, is the whole "House Raven or House Taranis" issue I am having (provided FW doesn't drop new awesome one out there), but I am leaning HEAVY towards Taranis.
So, for more than a while I was hoping to trade out for or get a sprue for the Crusader/Redeemer bits I needed for my Godhammer, to make it useful. No joke, I found them when I was cleaning my studio today. That is ...sad. Really sad, but hey, who am I to complain? Saves me like $30.
Also, got the Cerastus tacked together to see how it will look. It is all still in sub-assemblies for ease of painting. After looking through the new Horus Heresy book from Forge World and not exactly being thrilled with the new Houses they offer, I am leaning now heavier and heavier towards Taranis. Would suit me for both 30k and 40k, since they are the OG of Knights, so I doubt they have changed much in heraldry and whatnot.
On a note for that Cerastus - I magnetized the torso to the legs, so I can turn it as well as transport it easier. I also magnetized the ...elbow? The part that rotates left and right (not the shoulder joint, I am gluing that part!). Anyhow, pics below.
As for that Crimson Fist - I am going to work on him tonight, probably. I got a 4-day weekend next week, so provided he isn't done tonight, he will be by this time next week.
The awesome folks at Battlefoam are having their usual Black Friday sale, so I had to grab a case for the Carcharodons and a case for the Ironskin Tribe. Now I can start painting them! Yes, I really was waiting on cases so they don't get all messed up just sitting out in my studio area.
Also, Sabretusks finally arrived. Thanks to the folks as Dicehead games for getting them to me when they became available. Failcast stuff is flighty, but I got their 25% off sale price, so I couldn't complain!
This model is for the Charity Auction portion of the 5th Annual "War for Tots" tournament at Hit Point Hobbies in Aberdeen, NC. Hopefully, it fetches a fair amount, as all the proceeds from the auction go to Toys-for-Tots.
The "War for Tots" charity tournament and auction was a big success. I was there for the auction, since I contributed and it overall the auction pulled in over $1000! The tournament cleared about $1000 or more, so the Toys-for-Tots are getting a pretty fat check this year (double the previous year).
Here are some shots of the auction items donated (with my Crimson Fist present!)
Also, a local NC 40k player sent me some Witch Hunter decals for free! That was awesome of him and they will be going onto the Avenger Strike Fighter commission I will be doing soon for a Sisters of Battle army.
I need them in all the usual places for an Imperial Knight. So, one per shield, on the top of the carapace (on the pilot entrance), and one per banner (for two per Cerastus). So, the same size as the ones that go in those various places. Not sure on exact measurements.
Thankfully, I have seven Knights (or will shortly), so I need a whole slew of them at least.
So, small update. I did some more work on the Ironguts to get them prepped to prime/paint. The arm assemblies are ready to paint, then be glued on. Four of those are the customized ones from the Mournfang kit I posted a week or two ago. The Irongut by his lonesome shows my Instamold work I am using to get more variety - notably the gutplate and chainmail. The face had some work done to make it more unique as well. As for the heads - probably going to use those on the Ironblasters I have left to build.
For those keeping track, I am down to the two Ironblasters to assemble and probably going to grab one more Firebelly. The one I have, I think I am going to take off the Great Weapon and go the AHW route, since it reflects my list correctly. I love that big-rock-on-a-stick and all, but I got to stay true to my build goals, so expect some updates on that soonish.
In a month or two, I will have my cases, which means I can start painting without worry - yes, I am that anal about this crap.
Also, Spikey Bits posted up a pic of the Crimson Fist I painted for the War for Tots. That sucker got like 175 likes on Instagram. Totally made my day! I don't usually get a lot of feedback, so that was a nice surprise. Their picture was a lot better than most of mine. I really need a better lightbox setup... not just cardboard and tissue paper!
carlos13th wrote: If you get me the size measurements I could try to knock you up a slightly simplified version in photoshop.
I am going to grab a decal sheet and measure them... when I find my tape measure! It would be appreciated.
On an aside, did very little hobby stuff this week. Trying to trudge through my last two Ogre models, which are sadly Ironblasters. They are a drudgery to assemble. Trying to make each one different, which is tough given the base model is lacking in customization. That being said, I am just trying to finesse the small touches and really differentiate with the painting.
Though I did take some time and try making some holed/torn pants for my Ogres in that endless quest for variety in my models.
I got my Battlefoam order today. Now I can start painting the Ogres! The quality has certainly improved since I got my old bag in like... 2009? Loving these new black ones. Very sturdy! Now I have zero excuses for the Ogres, but I am in the middle of getting some new 32mm bases for my Sharks. Either way, expect personal painting projects soon!
Tomorrow starts an Avenger Strike Fighter for a client - pics of that to follow. It will be Adepta Sororitas themed, so it should be nice and menacing looking.
Also, got my last two Knights in - so now I am the proud owner of:
I am going to (try) to magnetize my Styrix so they can function in 40k as just standard Errants/Paladins, as well as retain the Reaper Chainsword option in case I am tight on points for the various Horus Heresy lists I plan on running.
Speaking of lists, here is a few I am hoping to try out someday (when it is assembled, painted, based, with a display board and mode of transit!):
Seven Knights on the table! That should look suitably insane! Hopefully, I can secure myself some decals suitable to the timeframe. I keep meaning to get up with Carlos13th about the sizes to see what magic he can whip up - but I will be damned if my time as of late hasn't been tight (obvious by my general lack of posts, right?).
Anyhow! Just a small update. Now that the crazy holiday times are over, I will be more productive.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Dave Taylor had these posted, which are basically what I would need! Damn, I hope he helps me out!
New blog up! Check the signature! Going to talk hobby as well as fitness - because, lets be real here folks, gamers are not generally known as the paragons of health. We can fix that! Lets get healthy together!
Started on the Avenger for a client! Going to be painting it up to the "Order of Our Martyred Lady" color scheme for an Adepta Sororitas army. Pretty excited.
Looks great. The FW fliers are a great, I loved doing the three I did a while back.
I read the few posts on your new blog. A nice little intro, I dont often see people merging fitness with their hobby. I've favourited it, so I'll check in every now and then
Zambro wrote: Looks great. The FW fliers are a great, I loved doing the three I did a while back.
I read the few posts on your new blog. A nice little intro, I dont often see people merging fitness with their hobby. I've favourited it, so I'll check in every now and then
Thanks! I am going to try to do a few updates a week or so.
Hooray for a real update! Finally had time to actually get some work done! I am laying in the colors and big areas on the Avenger Strike Fighter for my client. Got a lot of details and tidbits left to do, plus Sororitas decals. Also, managed to finally get allllllllllll those Ogres primed up. Just a few small things left for them - I need to make my BSBs custom banner out of some plasticard and stuff. Just not there yet - working on it.
In my absolutely smoothest of moments today, I dropped my Stonehorn and the effing tail spurs broke off. That is going to be a pain in the ass to fix! Otherwise, it was a pretty straight-forward, tedious affair. Next steps will be getting all the bases painted. That is just how I work - bases then models, then models glued to bases and put in cases.
Also, still need to solve my stupid movement tray issue. Going to most likely just grab a piece of thin sheet metal and magnetize all the bases. Fun fun.
Full steam ahead with the liquid masking! It came off with an eraser, so I am sure that with a coat this thick, it will keep the paint out. Going to airbrush the pieces tomorrow.
Also, some test decals. Going to do them on clear paper, I think since they are so small there is no way I can cut around it. We will see how that goes when I start getting all my Knights built and ready for them first.
Thanks to Dave Taylor for the decal images. I had to adjust them a bit, but they are awesome nonetheless.
And the Avenger Strike Fighter is done! Got it all finished up now that the base is completed. Got some better-than-my-usual shots due to my new phone being actually good, as opposed to awful. Also, I got an Ork Painboy ...just because. Should prove a fun exercise in seeing how well I can push myself painting wise.
Got some Blood Angels on the table now. Going to be doing a whole bunch of models. The client requested them match his existing force, so 25mm bases and not the 32mm ones. Also, I need to bring the other Terminators in line with the new ones, so going over those (he had someone else paint them, if I recall).
Captain Karlean was a recovery. Had to strip him with Super Clean. That pic is right before the second layer of liquid greenstuff was added to conceal the gap in the cape.
Also, trying to get a Warmachine / Hordes gaming group rolling in my area. So, expect ...something. Eventually. Debating on a 2-player box set to demo with or just getting another and pairing it with my Skorne. I need two painted battleboxes to get to be a Pressganger, which I would like to do... eventually.
More (slow) progress on the Blood Angels... Slowly filing, gap filling, and assembling to where I can prime and paint. Got a whole slew of bases to make, too. Sanguinary Guard are up next!
Got the Sanguinary Guard in progress. So, right now, basically everything is in sub-assemblies and ready to prime. Plus, getting the bases underway - this is the first step. I am not a big cork fan (anymore), but it works so well for these bases.I have a few resin ones for this client, just for some variety.
Ok... so, I am not saying I am ruling out the Carcharodons entirely, but I want to paint something more lively than grey. I was scouring Chapters for a yellow one that appealed to me...
Imperial Fists? Maybe someday as a Heresy army. Libators? Basically, people would think they were Fists. Scythes of the Emperor? Eh... not quite. Marines Malevolent? Oooohhh....
So, I am exploring them as an option. They fit my want for a pre-M35 Chapter, just in case I want to run them with my House Taranis army in a post-Heresy setting (their Heraldy covers the Heresy up to M35).
I cleaned up my studio and remembered I had Cadians and wanted to give them some eventual love. Still leaning towards the black/bone color scheme, but tinkering with the idea of blues.
Back to the Sharks - I own Tyberos, decals, and a slew of Chainaxes. No matter what, someday I will do some as maybe a detachment. But only when Forge World decides to properly update their CT and stuff.
Anyhow, inclement weather is killing my ability to prime for right now, so... until then, these freshly-built bases will sit until things warm up.
Haven't had much time to do anything of late. Between the Icepocalypse here in central NC and my lack of free time, the most I managed to get done was priming the Blood Angels, along with the Painboy I am going to do for a painting challenge. Also, I did some sketching recently and figured I would share. Commissar Krivo is a character I am writing fanfic for, which I will be posting... someday. The Knight is me seeing about alternate head designs. I did not like this one too much, because in hindsight it is like Knight meets Casey Jones, which sounds cooler than it looks.
Anyhow, that is all for now. Hope to get more progress on the Blood Angels this week.
Thanks! If you like my sketching and hobby stuff, I have an Instagram that gets some regular updates (oldhat02).
As for the bases, I use cork, ballast, sand and bits (usually track bits, Imperial sector pieces, and skulls).
The cork is the important part - mostly that is be used correctly, not just throw down and left by itself. I tear it and cut it, then added the ballast where it seems appropriate, then put sand down after. It creates a much more realistic look, versus just bare cork (can you tell that is a pet peeve of mine?).
Quick sketch because I haven't had much time to do any real hobby work, sadly.
This is Centurion Almog of the XII Legion "War Hounds" during the Cerberus Operation, M30. I am working on a short story set during that five hour period and I love sketching ideas out, because why not...? Anyhow, eventually will be a short story and most likely a few more sketches.
Oh yea, I did finally get a non-grimdark commission - Bolt Action! A Tiger, two Half-Tracks, and some Rangers. Those will be a nice change of pace from all the 40k stuff I have done over the years.
And I got a Hydra/Wyvern, btw. This means the Steel Host is officially viable for me and I am eager to work on my Cadians again for the first time since... 2012? Yea, something like that. Back to plotting camo schemes, squad markings and all that crap.
Just a few more quick pics of the Blood Angels as I get them rounded out. Plus, I got the Bolt Action stuff all primed up today.
Really, really excited to paint the Bolt Action stuff. Going with a basic 3-color camo on the half-track and Tiger tank and the US Rangers being relatively stock GI colors. Glad I have all those colors on hand already!
GOT THE DECALS! YESSSSS! Going to use them on commission work and for detailing my own. I already have a client lined up for Gerantius! Can't wait to paint that bad dude up in the near future.
On an aside, Blood Angels are almost done. I know, it has taken me an eternity. My client is awesome and patient and knows I work a M-F job, so has been very willing to wait.
I sketch at work on the down time and have been on a Marines Malevolent kick lately. Not a lot of Chapters with that mix of survivalism, pragmatism, and Darwinism. I contacted Nick Kyme to pick his brain and am still waiting to hear back. The new Space Marine 'dex is rumored to drop in August.... which is my birthday month. So, already gearing up to drop cash on new stuff. What is waiting another 4 months after waiting over 2 years?
About to start up my long-forgotten Cadians too. Been struggling to get a numbering system in place I can live with. I see mixed info online and got different info from GW Customer Service. Tempted to email Forge World, since they actually seem to have a better grasp on fluff. Anyhow, last sketch is based on that old Rogue Trader era Standard Bearer for the Imperial Army.
Next post will be final shots of the Blood Angels and the start of the Bolt Action stuff. Going to try out the salt & hairspray technique, I do believe, on the tank and halftrack.
Blood Angels are done. Didn't get a chance to grab pictures of them before I delivered them to my (local) client. Thankfully, he is local, so I will be playing him eventually and get some nice shots of them in battle.
That same client is having me do one of the new Knights for him (and possibly a Gerantius too), as well as salvage some old Ultramarines and make them all Blood Angel looking.
On top of that, good progress on the Bolt Action guys. Almost done with the commission - just need to finish the armor and dudes.
Waiting for confirmation from two pending clients, as well. Very busy!
On an aside, the rough sketch below is of a death vision of a Librarian during a battle against the Tyranids on Macragge. He saw the future in his last moment, seeing Marneus Calgar in M43, interred in the sole surviving Contemptor dreadnought, battling against Behemoth Resurgent. Behind him is the stasis tomb of Roboute Guilliman and at his feet, the Tyranids break against him as he defends his Primarch to the last.
Oh yea, plus.... X-WING HAS ARRIVED! I got my Empire and S&V stuff and can't wait to hit the tables with it. I am contemplating slight repaints, mostly to mark them out as mine. Got my case all worked out for now - repurposed an old, cheap gun case I had made into a Dust Warfare case. That crap is long gone now, so at least I am getting some use from it. Going to make slap an Empire sticker on it or something and call it a day.
After much deliberation, I think I am going to opt for the 110th Cadian "Shadow Corps" paint scheme. It is simple and visually appealing without being too traditional (khaki and green is overdone).
Anyhow, going to try to get my Steel Host started soonish. Thankfully, that is all just tanks, so that might go fast. It will include one Commissariat tank as the Pask stand-in, so that should be fun to paint.
My dudes will look similar to this, while my tanks are going to be probably a basic stripe camo with weathering.
I was thinking solid color black turrets though. Thoughts on that? Think it would look good with the camo bodies?
Because why not, I am working on decals for Impervious Rex. Just on the off chance a client wants one, I can now deliver. I am still not great with Photoshop (self-taught), but I think these would work given the way they scale down.
Working on getting the font for the chest banners and hammering out my House Mortan emblems too!
Got these unique emblems worked up for my House Mortan Knights. Ideally, I will be able to secure two more decal sheets and make it work. Otherwise, I will need to do more custom work, which I don't want to do for Heraldry.
That being said, if I do a Baronial Lance eventually, one of my guys will probably be a Freeblade unless I can somehow score threeLE Decal sheets to augment my current two, then five is doable. So far though, not looking too hot for me.
And because I am a stupid fluff-bunny, I am working on fluff for my House Mortan Lance. Here are the members, thus far and their Knights (most likely going to magnetize them, so some fudge room for weaponry/type):
Got in my first X-Wing game last weekend. My Decimator and Interceptor against a trio of A-Wings and a B-Wing. Soontir died because I can't read cards and then the Decimator proceeded to mop up. Thing is a beast!
On a 40k note, I got a new lamp! Not a great one, obviously, but still beats the crap out of my desk lamps i had prior. No more smacking brushes into lamps anymore. Also, got another Knight commission. Always makes me happy! House Degallio inbound with some custom stuff the client provided (fist and launcher).
Furthermore, finally got my color scheme ready for my Cadians and sketched up a test for the armor. Going to add squadron/company stripes on them, but the black turret / camo body is a go. I just need to assemble the Manticore, Wyvern, and buy a Hydra and I am good to go.
X-wing is a blast! And the decimator is an absolute beast! Can't really comment on Soontir... I can never keep him alive :(
If I'm honest, the green/grey doesn't look that great. The point of camo is to blend and break up the shape of the tanks. The green and the grey is quite a strong contrast, it sticks out more than blends. I know you're infantry is green/black, but I dont think it translates well over to the tanks.
@zambro - It is black, not grey. I didn't want to lose details in the drawing, so I used my darker grey markers. But it will be a match for the infantry, so it should fit nicely. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do hard or round stripes. Thoughts?
@GiraffeX - Thanks! I got more coming my way in a few months. The client was very happy.
First time doing a coastal-style water base. It was a lot of learning on the fly. I hope it works well for what the client wanted. Going to add a bit more water around the feet once I glue them to the base and paint on some whitecaps to make it look like it is sloshing onto the beach.
I've wanted to do an army based like that for ages but haven't figured out how to do it, I haven't picked up the army yet either but thats a different matter
GiraffeX wrote: That base looks amazing, how did you go about it?
I've wanted to do an army based like that for ages but haven't figured out how to do it, I haven't picked up the army yet either but thats a different matter
I just put down a thin layer of glue onto the base where I wanted water, mostly to eliminate the base texture. Then I sponged on various shades of green and blue, with white for the breakers. I let that dry then poured on a thin layer of water effects that I moved about with a stick. Hit it with a blow dryer and did it again, but in the 2nd layer I used some white pigment powder mixed into the water effects and just dabbed it onto the white areas to make more interesting breakers. However, I am not entirely satisfied with it, so I will be most likely using some melted plastic or something to build up more breakers against the toes of the Knight that is wading out of the water. That should a fun experiment. I may also sponge on some white paint onto the breakers too, to make them look more natural.
The rest is just standard ballast/sand mix with wood fiddly bits painted up. I am going to add some tufts and paint the rim before I call it finished.
Automatically Appended Next Post: So, I am never satisfied. I went out and grabbed some Liquitex Heavy Gloss Gel and added it to the existing stuff. Allegedly, it dries clear, meaning while this looks neat now, I will need to paint on the breakers after the fact. C'est la vie. It does look a whole lot more convincing now and I got to drag it around to make the Knight's toes have a bit of splashing around them.
Also, the Knight has been built and primed. Next up, metallics go down and then inks on that. The client provided a rather fantastic missile pod conversion that fits right in the top hole with a peg. It is just Valkyrie rocket pods, but I think it looks damn good. On top of that, he provided a nifty power fist looking thing to count as a Thunderstrike Gauntlet. It has a bit more Rogue Trader flare to it than the new one. Anyhow, I had to affix it a bit more than I like, because it dangled funny if I didn't glue it into the current pose. It can still rotate a bit at the shoulder, but nothing else. Going to give it an OSL glow in the palm and some chevrons on the back of it.
Anyhow, more pics as the gel medium dries and as I get going on laying in the base colors to get to the final white and yellow. I was going to put down brown tones, to give it a warmth, but then I realized it was near the sea and the yellow can have warm tones, but I am going to probably go cool tones for the white (blue/grey). Should contrast up nicely. Also, the client asked for a central chevron pattern and some other specifics for the decals.
Commander Cain wrote: Great looking water base so far! Maybe add a chopped up barrel or something being washed to shore for the impression of depth in the base?
Thanks! That is a tempting idea. I will think on it.
So, I had a chance to get some more shots of the base as the Liquitex Heavy Gel Medium sets in. I will need to paint the breakers at some point.
Also, some shots of the House Degallio Knight as I get the base colors set in. I need to hit the metallics (silver detail work, skeleton, bronze stacks, eagles, etc) and then gloss the whole deal so I can do some washes to pick out the lines and give it some depth. I think the client-provided Gauntlet and Pod look pretty cool and will give him some nice variety.
On a great note, a Dakka member Shade1313 hooked me up with the House Mortan decals I am desperately accumulating for my Household. This puts me at 4 total, just needing one more on the off chance I do go for 5 Knights.
Got these pretty much ready for... really any possible need. I doubt I will use half of these, but hey, better too many than not enough when it comes to printing decals. Going to try my hand at printing these as soon as I can. Just got to get two more Knights, which should be coming down the road via a commission (trading for work). I should have all four for this set of decals. Might add a fifth shield set-up just in case I do wind up getting another.
Tempted to work up some fluff and stories and stuff, because I am just that much of a nerd. Yup.
Anyhow, I am working on the other sheet now, which is going to be clear (the shield one is white sheet due to the text). That one will have text and stuff on it, along with a few special tidbits, on the off-chance I want to use them later.
Here it is, mostly done. Just need to hit the clear coats after I do some water effects on the feet and lower leg area. Going to try, try, try to get a "water-running-from-legs-because-just-strode-from-water" look. Yea...
Overall, had a great time. Good to be almost done with it. It proved a lot of fun, as Knights always are.
Ideally, I will have a Hawkshroud commission coming my way soon too. Along with another round of Blood Angels. I am almost done getting my House Mortan decals and stuff situated, too, so that is a plus.
Reclaimed some models for a client. They were Ultramarines once and will be Blood Angels soon! Going to do a Vindicator and some Razorbacks for him as well, all reclaimed/stripped work.
Pretty exciting. Also, finalized shots of the Degallio Knight tonight/tomorrow.
All finished! I was able to deliver it to the client in-person, since he is a local. Always good not to have to ship, so as to not risk the damage the USPS likes to inflict upon ...everything. Anyhow, he loved it and I had a blast painting it. Can't wait to start my own Baronial Court.
Next up, Blood Angels and an Iron Hands unique character, then after that sometime, a Knight or... six? Got a lot of things to tie up, then maybe my own stuff... eventually.
Thanks for the info on how you did the base, very useful
littlehorus wrote:That is one amazing knight! One of the best I have seen to date. May I ask what kind of colours you used for the carapace?
Thank you both!
Littlehorus, I just started up from a brown (Vallejo Flat Earth) basecoat and worked up through a bone color (Vallejo Iraqi Sand) into a pure white (Vallejo White). For the yellow, I worked up from brown (Flat Earth) to a 50/50 mix of yellow/brown and then a solid yellow (Vallejo Model Yellow). The black was just a black basecoat with a grey (Vallejo Neutral Grey) sprayed down and a mid-tone grey (Vallejo Black-Grey) worked in to ease the transition a bit.
So, the Blood Angel rescue commission is underway. Got the bases for the Terminators built and painted. Next up, I start airbrushing on them.
Also, progress on an Iron Hands character. The client wanted a reddish glow weapon and space wings, so that really was a nice change of pace.
Oh yea and now I am the proud owner of 5 sets of House Mortan decals. This means when I get building and painting, I am good to roll with my Knights.
Tentative background for my Knights:
Baron Gerulf
Knight Warden "Nightbreaker"
Gatekeeper Othmar
Knight Warden "Bloodfire"
Noble Huguo (Vassal of Othmar)
Knight Errant "Dark Omen"
Noble Ragna (Vassal of Gerulf)
Knight Paladin "Grim Hunter"
Herald Tancred
Knight Crusader "Voice of Doom"
They are a part of a larger warhost setting out on a campaign or something akin to that. I like the idea of vassals. The little shield emblems I posted a bit ago will reflect this for my army, just for fluff sake. Certain shapes indicating certain allegiances. Plus, I had planned to pair them off generally when running the Baronial Court formation to get the most out of my +1 invuln bubbles without needing to cluster the whole army up.
I am hoping a client comes through that will land me all the Knights I ever need for House Mortan too. Also, House Griffith decals are up for trade if anyone needs them and has Mortan to trade!
em_en_oh_pee wrote: All finished! I was able to deliver it to the client in-person, since he is a local. Always good not to have to ship, so as to not risk the damage the USPS likes to inflict upon ...everything. Anyhow, he loved it and I had a blast painting it. Can't wait to start my own Baronial Court.
Next up, Blood Angels and an Iron Hands unique character, then after that sometime, a Knight or... six? Got a lot of things to tie up, then maybe my own stuff... eventually.
Great job on the water effects you need to do a tutorial on that, like the painting theme on the knight.
Too bad the pilot didn't survive the water, because i can see the water in the porthole
Great job on the water effects you need to do a tutorial on that, like the painting theme on the knight.
Too bad the pilot didn't survive the water, because i can see the water in the porthole
HAH! Don't worry, he has scuba gear on. He is fine.
I can try a tutorial or... I can point you towards the one I used!
I combined this with basically all the other stuff I had read over the years. Putting down paint first, then adding water effects, then the gel. It worked!
I did paint white with a sponge onto the areas I thought would be bubbly or breakers. I think it really sold the sloshing effect.
So, some work done and some new stuff coming along.
I got the "Reclamation Project" rolling some more. The soon-to-be Blood Angel tanks are primed and ready to paint.
Also, I got a trio of Wyvern/Hydra kits today, putting me at 4 total. That means I need to assemble my Manticore, a Hydra, and triple Wyverns and my Cadians are basically ready to start. Debating on their basing currently - I am thinking overgrown ruins to suit their black/green camo scheme.
I have a Malcador and Predator Executioner to paint up for the Iron Hands commission. I am pretty excited to do these.
And speaking of the Iron Hands, check out the guy I dubbed "The Clockwork Angel". I had a blast painting this guy and can't wait to paint another character my client has shown me he jokingly calls a "baby Contemptor" and no joke, it looks like one. That should be fun too.
Updates, kinda. I just got another Iron Hands piece to paint. It is a count-as Stormtalon made from one of the Dark Angels flyers. Should be fun. Still plinking away at the Blood Angels, despite some airbrush issues (bent a nozzle and then problems with the paint action). I played some more X-Wing and finally started to do some detail painting / re-painting. Nothing major just yet, because I am not going to try to do too much to them. A lot of the reasoning behind it is to mark them as my own, not someone else's, so I don't ever misplace my ships. I am heavily considering painting a big red skull onto my Decimator, but haven't decided... for now, I am satisfied with the stripe and engine glow (not pictured, will post when I get pics).
The Lambda needs decals and some detailing still. I had to have one in red. It look so epic that way. If I ever get another Decimator (doubtful), I am totally doing it in black. May still even do that to my current one, if I get tired of it as is.
Also, Knight project is coming up. 5 Freeblades! That should be a real joy of a commission to do.
The only reason I never got into X-Wing was due to them being pre-painted but your re-paints look very nice. The Lambda is very striking. The Death Star play matt looks fantastic as well, not seen that one before.
GiraffeX wrote: The only reason I never got into X-Wing was due to them being pre-painted but your re-paints look very nice. The Lambda is very striking. The Death Star play matt looks fantastic as well, not seen that one before.
Yea, I just couldn't have stock stuff. The whole "is that my Decimator or yours?" issue aside, I got to be a unique snowflake. So now mine has some sick engine glow and a stripe. I really want another just to paint up black and red. That would be so menacing!
Also yea, the shuttle looks crazy in red. And the gaming mat is at my LGS. It wasn't bad. I hear really good things about the Grip Mats or whatever they are called. Stuff moves around less when bumped, which is a big issue (especially with 7 TIE fighters, for instance).
Today's progress pics, including "Operation: Rescue Base", which is me trying to salvage a rather horrible base a client got second-hand. It was just few bits glued down, primed/painted, and dipped. It was awful. I filled in areas with cork, ballast, sand, bits, and stuff. Masked the bits still attached (apparently, some stuff broke when it was shipped to my client), and then re-primed and painted it. Next after that is touching up the Cerastus that goes with said base, though I am still befuddled as to what to do. My client does not want me to re-paint it entirely, but it is damn tempting.
My lightbox kinda... fell apart. So, no good pics for a while (excluding the BA vehicles I got before). That is what I get for making my own out of a box and tissue paper. Next one I get is going to be a real one!
Anyhow, Blood Angels done. Iron Hands count-as Stormtalon done.
Next up will be some more Iron Hands and hopefully the five Imperial Knight project.
So, I want Grav-Cannons. But I hate the GW ones. I have FW Graviton Guns for all my Grav-gun needs. That being said, I was really, really contemplating cutting up and creating a unique pattern of over-the-shoulder Graviton Cannon for a Space Marine to lug around. And with that in my head, I resorted to the most crude option possible.... MS Paint. It just shows what I would use and from each part (and done in tried-and-true kindergarten precision).
My issue is... is it worth the cost? At $46ish per Graviton Cannon, that is.... expensive. I already have 4-5 Plasma Cannons for the base though. Maybe do one and cast them for personal use? Tough choice.
So! Progress report 7/17 - I got some X-Wing games in. Had a blast. Rocked out my custom-painted Decimator and Soontir for the win in a 100pt game. Then did a 2x2 game with some folks learning the ropes.
I am working on a Deimos Predator for the Iron Hands - same wonderful client as the rest of the Iron Hands stuff I have been working on. Plus, I got a mediocre shot of the delivered Blood Angel dudes. With my lightbox KO'd, I am going to be hard-pressed to get good shots for a bit. I need a real one, but money is a bit tight at the moment.
Anyhow, also got some Valkyrie decals for my pair of Vendettas, as well as got a trio of Wyverns, a Manticore, and a Hydra set up into sub-assemblies. Looking forward to getting my Shadow Corps Cadians on the table ....someday.
Client contacted me about the pending Knight commission and it appears to be ordered, meaning very soon that will be my focus. Five Knights - three freeblades, House Taranis, and House Terryn (with FW upgrades on this one!). That will be a whole lot of work, but I love Knights, so it should be a blast!
whalemusic360 wrote: You'd still have the gun carriage and two marines as well, which would be nice. I say go for it, at least once. For science!
Good point! Not entirely sure what to use them for, but maybe my bud who plays Iron Hands might have a use for them.
I am going to scour some bits retailers and see if I can find just the cannon before I commit, though. Not holding my breath, though!
If you end up ordering mulitples, let me know and I'd be happy to buy a set of the marines from you. Gives me some extra bits and you some cost offset.
whalemusic360 wrote: You'd still have the gun carriage and two marines as well, which would be nice. I say go for it, at least once. For science!
Good point! Not entirely sure what to use them for, but maybe my bud who plays Iron Hands might have a use for them.
I am going to scour some bits retailers and see if I can find just the cannon before I commit, though. Not holding my breath, though!
If you end up ordering mulitples, let me know and I'd be happy to buy a set of the marines from you. Gives me some extra bits and you some cost offset.
I would most likely keep the dudes. The carriages would be the oddball part. Not sure if I am going to pursue this project just yet, but I am still contemplating it. Just got to get funds squared away and some fresh casting supplies.
Also, small update:
I did a dry-fit on some bases for the Iron Hands Scouts I will be working on. All fit with only one needed a tweak. That is a miracle. The Stalker/Hunter is going to get dolled up soon, too. Looking forward to trying my gradient-style shading on the Scouts themselves to see if it works on non-vehicle models (it does, as Lil Legend always proves, but he is a pro and I am not on his level!).
I am now officially working on the long-awaited, long-anticipated Knight commission. I picked up 15 Knights from the client, along with extra guns and some FW House Terryn parts and will be returning to him five painted Knights! That will be one House Taranis Knight, one House Terryn Knight, and three Freeblades. I am very excited to do this.
The remaining 10 Knights are all mine. This was done via an old trade deal I was running for a "Buy 3, get 1 painted!" type thing and now I have a whole slew of Knights to paint and sell. This is made even better because I have two sets of LE Decals. I will be doing:
If anyone is interested in pre-ordering one, PM me!
So, I am currently trying to resolve a magnetizing issue. I had the idea that maybe a nail into the upper arm portion would actually hold better than using two magnets. Plus, it is WAY more economical (I think). This might also pave the way for me magnetizing my own Knights eventually, since it looks like it should be pretty simple drilling a hole, gluing in a nail to the upper arm, and then putting a magnet in the swivel section of the lower arm.
And since one of the Knights is Taranis, I had to "fix" the eagle-headed banner to be a more appropriate one. Now the Omnissiah should be happier.
you should look into ring magnets on ebay, I use 5mm diamtere x 1mm thick ring mags, with 2 mm hole. The strength of the pin and magnet will hold very well.
well good luck with this project. I shall follow closely
By making them in sub assemblies some time will be saved though. Looking forward to progress, I will be back!
