Damn nice work! Love how you put that bright color pallet together!

Moltar wrote:The guy on the far left has my vote for both camo and OSL, but I think the OSL is too much around his eyes, but looks good on the bolter.

Ok, this one was from the first batch of camo-ed Marines... IRL the camo doesn't show enough compared to the other two...

OSL is too much though, I do agree !!

Gitsplitta wrote:I think the one in the center has the best gradient and differential between source and glow, but it's too large an area. The one on the left looks best but I think the center of the glowing thing needs to be a shade or two brighter. (i.e. advice I got from MjrTom) The gradients on the left and right models arent big enough (in color change).

I agree with Moltar on the eyes, way too much glow. Also there's no color change gradient which makes it look less like glow and more like an airbrush accident.

Man that sounds harsh... sorry Yggs. You know I've been struggling with the airbrush OSL too. It takes an incredibly delicate touch to get it right (a touch I don't have yet, though my last experiment was the closest I've ever gotten). I think Tom's right though... you really need a significant gradient in shade between the source and the glow if it's going to be convincing. That middle one really nailed that part.

Yeah, I know... I also know I'm still struggling too... The part I've underlined seems especially true...

I haven't been able to airbrush really small areas. I've been blaming the airbrush for now, but I'm not even sure that's the case...

Problem is :
- if I don't thin the paint, it dries just outside the nozzle and the airbrush rather "belches" than "sprays"
- if I press the AB from too close, the thinned paint is too liquid and flows into the recesses
- if I spray from a bit farther, the paint cone widens, and I end up with large areas being sprayed over

I just cannot find the right mix of pressure, paint consistency, and finger practice to make it work !!

The middle one, I've finished with a brush and highlighted the source with pure white... And it looks better indeed !!

GiraffeX wrote:I'd say the left one with the middle ones eyes.

In regards to the camo thing I think it might make a difference if they had a display board to blend into

Lol, it's not in the 1500pts - contract we've agreed upon with my friends lol....

Though, why not, for a Armies on Parade contest next year ??

IceAngel wrote:Wow, cool stuff Yggs. Awesome Chosen guys. As for the camo guys I'm going to agree with GiraffeX and will also add. I don't think you should go with red guns. Red helms only, go with one of the darker camo colors for the gun color.

When you talk about red guns, do you mean the plasma coils ?
If not, then they're already supposed to be in the last colour I'm airbrushing on the model, that means brown...

MajorTom11 wrote:Hey Raph,

The problem you are having with your osl is the glow is equally as intense as the light source, what you want to do is reduce the glow by like 70-80% outside of the eyes and plasma coil themselves... Give that a try and I bet you will be happier with the results.

Think of a lightbulb next to a whit wall, the bulb itself is intensely bright white, but the wall, even a few inches away is always a dull orange ish color.... It is never, ever as bright as the bulb.

Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner btw!

I do get the theory in this, and I think I've quite nailed it with a brush, but still cannot get it to work with an airbrush... I'll try some more !

Scarsminimadness wrote:Damn nice work! Love how you put that bright color pallet together!

Thanks ! I'm just sad most of the paints are now discontinued... I'm going to struggle if I ever find time to expand the army !!

With the eyes, it is too small to paint the source glow... you should only be putting a light, very tranparent general pale glow with the AB if at all, and doing the source by hand. The plasma coils though you should be able to use the AB on everything -

 Yggdrasil wrote:

Problem is :
- if I don't thin the paint, it dries just outside the nozzle and the airbrush rather "belches" than "sprays"
- if I press the AB from too close, the thinned paint is too liquid and flows into the recesses
- if I spray from a bit farther, the paint cone widens, and I end up with large areas being sprayed over

I just cannot find the right mix of pressure, paint consistency, and finger practice to make it work !!

Wow! maybe you could share what airbrush and paints you're using and people can help you more?

What i think the right solution is, turn down your air pressure? And don't thin the paint as much?

You want to be holding the airbrush very close, and then depress the lever only slightly so only a very very fine mist comes out. try it on some cardboard first.

I can't say enough about Vallejo airbrush colors, especially scarlet red... it's quite transparent. And pre-made with the perfect thinning for the airbrush.

MajorTom11 wrote:With the eyes, it is too small to paint the source glow... you should only be putting a light, very tranparent general pale glow with the AB if at all, and doing the source by hand. The plasma coils though you should be able to use the AB on everything -

Just wanted to save myself a lot of time by airbrush-OSL-ing most of the army !

If you say I will never be able to paint the eyes that way, I'll be damned !

However, I've already figured out I had to highlight the source with a brush...

I'm going to have to try some more grrrr

Meade wrote:Wow! maybe you could share what airbrush and paints you're using and people can help you more?

What i think the right solution is, turn down your air pressure? And don't thin the paint as much?

You want to be holding the airbrush very close, and then depress the lever only slightly so only a very very fine mist comes out. try it on some cardboard first.

I can't say enough about Vallejo airbrush colors, especially scarlet red... it's quite transparent. And pre-made with the perfect thinning for the airbrush.

Here's the airbrush & compressor I've bought :



I'm pretty sure they're kinda crappy, but not enough for me to think I might just be using them the wrong way...

As for paints, I'm mainly using GW ones, as other brands are not really available where I live, and I usually prefer to "see by myself" the paints, rather than ordering them on internet, where the hues can differ a lot from the picture !

As for the pressure, I usually keep it around 25-30 psi... Is that too much ?

Thanks for looking into it !

Is it dual-action? Might make it hard if it's not... and yeah you should try lowering the pressure, I know at least that too high of a pressure can cause the paint to dry in the nozzle to fast (causing you to need to thin it more and then get the other problem).

Sure you can use GW paints for everything, but the Vallejo line is worth it for some colors... I find that different paint products might have the same hue, but still be completely different paint.... there's so many variables in transparency, thickness, etc. Really the only answer is to experiment. Anyway Vallejo airbrush scarlet red I would recommend highly!

I would recommend getting at least a couple bottles of Vallejo so you can see what a pre-mixed airbrush paint is like. If you want to blend your own, an airbrushing class I took a couple of years ago at Adepticon recommended P3 paints as they can be cut with ethanol (which Vallejo can't).

Meade wrote:Is it dual-action? Might make it hard if it's not... and yeah you should try lowering the pressure, I know at least that too high of a pressure can cause the paint to dry in the nozzle to fast (causing you to need to thin it more and then get the other problem).

Sure you can use GW paints for everything, but the Vallejo line is worth it for some colors... I find that different paint products might have the same hue, but still be completely different paint.... there's so many variables in transparency, thickness, etc. Really the only answer is to experiment. Anyway Vallejo airbrush scarlet red I would recommend highly!

Yup, it's dual action...
Ok, I'll try lowering the pressure... Let's pray it helps !

As for paints, as mentioned it's hard (well... nigh-impossible) to find any store less than 300kms from home that sells Vallejo, or P3 paints...
And it's hard to choose on the internet !
But I might try the "Scarlet Red" you're mentioning....

Gitsplitta wrote:I would recommend getting at least a couple bottles of Vallejo so you can see what a pre-mixed airbrush paint is like. If you want to blend your own, an airbrushing class I took a couple of years ago at Adepticon recommended P3 paints as they can be cut with ethanol (which Vallejo can't).

That could be an idea too...
As for paints that are thinned with anything other than water, I'd gladly stay away from them (again, time & resources are limited)...

I suspect P3 can be thinned with anything you want... it's just that thinning with ethanol has some advantages (dries on contact so less likely to drip or smear).

Uhuh, I didn't know that... Could be interesting...

Still have to assemble my next models...

In the mail today, I also received something from FW that I had ordered in GD : a trio of Plague Toads !!!

 Yggdrasil wrote:

As for paints, as mentioned it's hard (well... nigh-impossible) to find any store less than 300kms from home that sells Vallejo, or P3 paints...
And it's hard to choose on the internet !
But I might try the "Scarlet Red" you're mentioning....

That color in particular you will not go wrong, and the metallics are awesome, they are a lot less glittery than other brands. As far as I know those are the ones I would try ordering from the internet first and then branch out if you like them. Otherwise you should still be able to use the colors you have when you figure out the thinning... but if Vallejo airbrush colors don't work in your AB, at least you know something's wrong because they are precisely formulated to do that.

Lol ok, you got me convinced !

Nothing much today, work hasn't been really forgiving this week...

Am trying to finish building the Bike Squad...

I've been disappointed by the "Ravenwing Bike Squad" box, TBH : the bikes are the 2000-ish sprues, and they start to show their age... Hopefully the DA sprue alongside do help to make up for it !

It is poor indeed. Almost as disappointing as the overnight £5 price hike on da vets. My local hobbycraft still has them at the old price but I just can't justify it :(

I hadn't noticed the price increase... They're 20£ / 26€ nowadays, were they ever cheaper ?

Something that strikes me also is that if you only buy the "DA Veteran sprue", it's "only" 12£ / 15€50, which makes the Space Marine command sprue at 8£ / 10€50, which is quite a lot !!!

DA vets were £12 before the last price rise, £15 after. Tbh they've always been good value for money, that's why they're my preferred source of parts. I'm not convinced though that at £20 - so admittedly in line with other 5-man boxes - I can justify it. 2 boxes is another full squad however. Sigh.

Let's hope we get some more when the new DA codex is released !!!

On second thoughts, it might prove useful to hoard a few Vets & Ravenwing sprues BEFORE it is released, in case they just stop selling those !!!

I have 5 robed marines if you want them? was going to use them for LoTD marines but gave up on the idea and I can't foresee a use for them in my own force, any other bits Yggs hunting for? anything to progress this beautiful work i'm seeing from you!

 nerdfest09 wrote:
I have 5 robed marines if you want them? was going to use them for LoTD marines but gave up on the idea and I can't foresee a use for them in my own force, any other bits Yggs hunting for? anything to progress this beautiful work i'm seeing from you!

I could use some more Robed DA indeed... But my priorities for now are :
- finish my bike squad ;
- build & paint a Tactical squad ;
- build & paint a Librarian...

Also still struggling on the loadout for my Tactical squad :
- Sergeant : got a nice idea with Power Sword, but not really effective game-wise... I'd rather have PF + Combi-Weapon, or Power Axe, but no modelling ideas...
- Special weapon : Plasmagun ?
- Heavy : Plasma Cannon ? Or do I go to other weapons ?

My thoughts would be:
Power Axes are cool and brutal in 6th. Maybe use a khorne berserker axe with the teeth cut off? Or I can just chuck you a power axe. Then again, you could use the da vet power maul.

Plasma guns: they are great, but depends what broke you want your specialist to do, and what role your tac squad to fill on the battlefield. However, if nothing else, cool osl potential.

Plasma Cannon: I honestly would stick with MLs. They can be both anti-tank and anti-infantry. Versatile as you ever need really.

Plasma depends on your local meta. IF you have a bunch of people jumping on the TEQ bandwagon, then plasma is very, very useful.

Can you snap-fire a plasma cannon? Can't remember the rules for a blast template. I'm just thinking that if you're squad is likely to be on-the-run... you'd be better off with a heavy weapon you can snap fire.

Can't Snap-Fire blasts
But either way, plasma cannons are good, nothing beats them in sheer MEQ killing power, or awesome looks (at least, in the DA Codex, CSM Exoplasma look cooler and are even nore killy )

inmygravenimage wrote:My thoughts would be:
Power Axes are cool and brutal in 6th. Maybe use a khorne berserker axe with the teeth cut off? Or I can just chuck you a power axe. Then again, you could use the da vet power maul.

Plasma guns: they are great, but depends what broke you want your specialist to do, and what role your tac squad to fill on the battlefield. However, if nothing else, cool osl potential.

Plasma Cannon: I honestly would stick with MLs. They can be both anti-tank and anti-infantry. Versatile as you ever need really.

Problem with power axe is the rule of cool... A lot of the "regular" SM power axes look quite dumb ! I only like the SG one, actually (the one I've used on my Tzeentch Icon Bearer)..
I'd also tend towards a Combi-weapon / PF combo, but it's quite expensive (35pts) !! Is it worth it ?

Another problem, I have to admit, is that I've built a cool-looking Sarge already... But he's only wielding a Power Sword ! (And oh my, Power Swords suck in 6th :( )

As for the special, Plasma gun should do :
1. I love Plasma weapons !
2. They fit in well with the DA theme (and DV box) !
3. They are nasty gamewise !!

Heavy : I'm not so fond of the ML models... However useful they can be ! I was also thinking about MM or Lascannon, for a bit of Anti-Tank power... And they can snap fire !

Briancj wrote:Plasma depends on your local meta. IF you have a bunch of people jumping on the TEQ bandwagon, then plasma is very, very useful.

I'll probably be facing CSM, Necrons, and maybe Orks... I guess a few S7 shots cannot hurt !

Gitsplitta wrote:Can you snap-fire a plasma cannon? Can't remember the rules for a blast template. I'm just thinking that if you're squad is likely to be on-the-run... you'd be better off with a heavy weapon you can snap fire.

Matt.Kingsley wrote:Can't Snap-Fire blasts
But either way, plasma cannons are good, nothing beats them in sheer MEQ killing power, or awesome looks (at least, in the DA Codex, CSM Exoplasma look cooler and are even nore killy )

Indeed, no snap firing with Blast weapons

I'm quite concerned with the deviation rolls, however... Even with a BS4, it can go far from its intended target !

All in all, my Tac Squad should be the only "regular" Troops squad in the army, so it'd better be versatile...

Thanks for the various opinions guyz...

*************************************************************************************

In the mean time, I've finished building my Biker squad !! One "rank & file" with a frag grenade in one hand (nothing special about him), and the other one... is a bit more special !!!

I've come up with the idea of a biker that stopped to take aim with his gun, and unleash hell onto his prey...

Here's the result :



I'm really happy with how it turned out ! It took a few hours to tweak & GS the model, but it looks convincing enough to me... Do you guys agree ??

Yes, it is a most excellent model. Rock and roll!

That looks great, Yggs!

That conversion and pose is very convincing Yggs. Great work

Looks great Ygg's

For the tactical squad I'd go plasma and most likely las cannon if they are on foot, if they are in a rhino multi melta might be the preferred option.

Power swords aren't that bad as long as you don't send them off against AV2 guys, best in a squad with a flamer for an anti troop role. You could then give him a combi flamer and melta bombs.

Pretty boss lookin' there son... go for the gusto on this one!

Love that pose - it looks, in the best possible way, unconverted. Outstanding.

Briancj wrote:Yes, it is a most excellent model. Rock and roll!

Matt.Kingsley wrote:That looks great, Yggs!

RiTides wrote:That conversion and pose is very convincing Yggs. Great work

Thank you guyz ! At first I was really doubtful I could model it the way I had imagined it, but the bike kit proved more adaptable than what I had thought at first...

I'm glad I tried ! (oh, and I also had a spare set of biker legs, in case everything went wrong with their repositioning...)

GiraffeX wrote:Looks great Ygg's

For the tactical squad I'd go plasma and most likely las cannon if they are on foot, if they are in a rhino multi melta might be the preferred option.

Power swords aren't that bad as long as you don't send them off against AV2 guys, best in a squad with a flamer for an anti troop role. You could then give him a combi flamer and melta bombs.

I'm almost settled for plasmagun for the special...

Still struggling with the heavy :
- love the looks & S7/AP2/Blast of Plasma Cannon, dislikes no snap firing ;
- love the looks & S9/AP2/Snap fire of Lascannon, thinks it less effective than MM ;
- like the "melta" AP1 of Multimelta, but dislike looks & ranges ;
- like the versatility of ML, but dislike the models & "cheap" feeling it inspires ;
- like the looks of Heavy Bolter, dislikes its poor firepower... Actually, I have always thought that HB should be S6 AP3/4 / Heavy 3, and Assault Cannons something along the lines of S4/AP5/Rending/ Heavy 6-7...

As for the Sergeant... As the initial army is "only" 1500pts, I feel it should be pretty reliable, whatever the situation... So Power Axe probably seems like the most effective weapon, cost-wise...
3x S5/AP2 attacks (ok, at I=1) do seem pretty reliable... And, one of my foe will be Slaaneshi Marines, so I'll be striking last anyway !!!

Gitsplitta wrote:Pretty boss lookin' there son... go for the gusto on this one!

Hey hey... I'm glad you like him !

inmygravenimage wrote:Love that pose - it looks, in the best possible way, unconverted. Outstanding.

Hey, that might be a reeeeeally nice comment, after all ! Looks natural ? All the better

(Also... your avatar makes me think of someone I've met on FB )

23/11/2012 update :

Nothing serious here, just settled on the Tactical squad heavy : he'll be armed with a Lascannon !

Am building it ATM

[edit : Or not. Maybe I'll build & paint both a PlasmaCannon AND a Lascannon gunner, after all... ]

Yggs , your chosen are amazing . I look forward toseeing how the bikers turnout

Thank you Neil...

AS for bikes, they'll end up camo'ed and with awful airbrushed OSL, most probably

Hey y'all, a minor update on the Tactical Squad & Librarian... They are fully built !

As for the first squad, I tried to make minor conversions on each of them to avoid twins in the army...

Here's the tactical squad :



And here's the Librarian :



I'm aiming at basing them tomorrow morning, then beginning painting this weekend...

Wish me luck !

Looking forward to seeing them painted up ygg's

Nice! Also looking forward to paint

Great looking squad!

Squad looks great, and that was a quality pose on the plasma biker

Can't wait to see these painted up

Hey, thank you guys !!

Bases are drying by now, I hope I'll be able to spray the first layers in a few hours...

That is, if "significant other" allows me to

Great looking build! No doubt they will be excellent when finished. Looking forward to seeing what you wind up with.

 Skalk Bloodaxe wrote:
Great looking build! No doubt they will be excellent when finished. Looking forward to seeing what you wind up with.

Thank you Skalk !!

Nothing I can be proud of (and certainly not something my god*a** airbrush can be proud of), but I've made some progress on both the Tac & Bike squads - not to mention camo-ing the Librarian cloak...

Here are the pics, still WIP :





Hope to do more by Friday (Doomsday anyway )

Cheers !

Oh wow, that OSL is amazing! Looking good man!

Group looks good together Yggsie. Bikes are looking quite nice too!

Tyranid Horde wrote:Oh wow, that OSL is amazing! Looking good man!

Thank you ! Still have to brush-paint the sources in bright white, and they should do...

Gitsplitta wrote:Group looks good together Yggsie. Bikes are looking quite nice too!

Only problem is, there is one static biker (with plasmagun), while the other four are quite dynamic... Don't you think it's strange ?

I guess I don't see it. They look fine to me.

The camouflage looks really good! I'm always impressed with camo patterns (the ones that look good anyway) because of the intense effort and attention it requires. Bike squad looks like it is really coming along as well.

That is some full on osl mate, looks like they've been fitted with LEDs! Would love to see a shot of one on a black background, just to complete the illusion. Masterful work.

Gitsplitta wrote:I guess I don't see it. They look fine to me.

Ok, great then

Skalk Bloodaxe wrote:The camouflage looks really good! I'm always impressed with camo patterns (the ones that look good anyway) because of the intense effort and attention it requires. Bike squad looks like it is really coming along as well.

Thanks Skalk !! Though camo doesn't really take that much effort, I'm really cheating with 1. an airbrush, 2. some masking paste & blister foam !!

You can see an example a few pages back, though I might try & write down a tutorial in some time, if there really is demand...

inmygravenimage wrote:That is some full on osl mate, looks like they've been fitted with LEDs! Would love to see a shot of one on a black background, just to complete the illusion. Masterful work.

Lol, I'll try to, though I'm not sure that'll help much TBH ! Still have things to do on them however.

I also have to thank you, as you seem to be almost the only one who sees it as OSL, and not "airbrushing stains"

+++++++++++++++

No new update since that, job pretty much got in the way... Not to mention my best friend & "his" addiction to coop Borderlands 2 !!

I'll be away from home for a week, so don't expect updates any time soon...

I'll be leaving you on those fine words :





That is, if we're still here in a week

Cheers,

Yggs.

That is awesome. Borderlands 2 is amazing isn't it? Have you checked out all the downloadable content?

Great game!

Seeing how it's alreadt 12/22 in parts of the world, I'd say we missed out on this:

lol nice one skalk! unfortinatly we are still here, but my school was suprisingly cool enough to have a zombie apocalypse themed assembly!

Coming on nicely Yggs..

As to the biker poses, I'd say the plasma guy gunned ahead just so he could get first shot

IceAngel wrote:That is awesome. Borderlands 2 is amazing isn't it? Have you checked out all the downloadable content?

Great game!

Nope, except for the Mechromancer character pack... Which is insanely awesome !!! And the "Anarchy" game mechanism is really funny to boot !

We're playing the game coop with my best friend, so we're quite slogging due to our different agendas... And Halo 4

Skalk Bloodaxe wrote:Seeing how it's alreadt 12/22 in parts of the world, I'd say we missed out on this:

Indeed ! Glad we're still here !

Rogue Wolves wrote:lol nice one skalk! unfortinatly we are still here, but my school was suprisingly cool enough to have a zombie apocalypse themed assembly!

That looks nice ! Did anyone avoid dying in there

monkeytroll wrote:Coming on nicely Yggs..

As to the biker poses, I'd say the plasma guy gunned ahead just so he could get first shot

I bet he did...

************************************************************

Quick updates :

First 700pts are done !!!

Here was the state of the 3 armies on the 4th of January (Necrons is by my FLGWHC manager, Slaaneshi Marines by a colleague, and Camo-ed Angels by me)...



We did a small 3-way game, 500pts each... Best moments :
- My 2 plasmagun bikers killing themselves when shooting the first salvo :(
- My Librarian killing 3 of his fellow Tactical Marines in HtH, due to the Necron Triarch special gear (psycho-something scarabs ?) : failed Ld test, 1d3 attacks (rolled 6), 3 hits (3+), 3 wounds (4+), power weapon....

I guess I'll have some practice, and luck-mongering exercises to get !!!

As for January, I decided to paint the Terminator squad... Here are the pics :

Assembled :



Camouflage done :



Finished !!



Now, I'm off to building a Nephilim jetfighter... Pretty underwhelming rulewise, but... What else can I bring to defeat the upcoming Heldrake & Nightscythe ?!?

Until next time...

Very cool indeed buddy. Only thing I'd suggest is maybe a spot of white at the "top" of the lights to complete your insanely full on OSL.

OSL is just full on madness! Love it

R

I just had to laugh at your plasma misfortune... My sternguard plasma cannons and combi-plasmas wipe themselves out all the time! Usually on the first shot of the game. Nice to see the tradition is being kept alive.

Yggs, I like how you gave the terminators glowing knee pads. That's a nice touch.

 IceAngel wrote:
Yggs, I like how you gave the terminators glowing knee pads. That's a nice touch.

They are sore from kneeling to the corpse god

I like the bikes - much more dynamic than the usual poses without being OTT.

Hey Yggsie... I didn't know you were in a dance company! LOVE the outfit... and the haircut. (psst... you should trim your finger nails though)



(this was on the wall of my kids' school hallway)

inmygravenimage wrote:Very cool indeed buddy. Only thing I'd suggest is maybe a spot of white at the "top" of the lights to complete your insanely full on OSL.

Actually I think the camera just smoothed the contrasts, but I might have to take a look : the last points were "almost white", but not completely... That could help indeed, thanks !

Red Skullz wrote:OSL is just full on madness! Love it

R

Hey, thanks

Gitsplitta wrote:I just had to laugh at your plasma misfortune... My sternguard plasma cannons and combi-plasmas wipe themselves out all the time! Usually on the first shot of the game. Nice to see the tradition is being kept alive.

Yeah, that was so sad... And, lucky as I was, we rolled to see who would deploy in the middle of the two others... Guess who ended up in the midst of it ?!?

IceAngel wrote:Yggs, I like how you gave the terminators glowing knee pads. That's a nice touch.

Hey, glad you noticed !!
I went for glowing skullz, as it's way more GW-esque that way.... Skullz, SKULLZ, SKUUUULLLLZZZ everywhere !!!!!

SilverMK2 wrote:

 IceAngel wrote:
Yggs, I like how you gave the terminators glowing knee pads. That's a nice touch.

They are sore from kneeling to the corpse god

I like the bikes - much more dynamic than the usual poses without being OTT.

Yeah, DAs are heretics after all....

Thanks for the bike

Gitsplitta wrote:Hey Yggsie... I didn't know you were in a dance company! LOVE the outfit... and the haircut. (psst... you should trim your finger nails though)
(this was on the wall of my kids' school hallway)

I didn't know either !!! lol

***************************

On second thought, I've just noticed I haven't posted some close-up pics of the finished bikes & Librarian... I'll have to catch up with that soon !!

Oh btw yggdrasil all this talk of plasma reminds me...

 inmygravenimage wrote:
Oh btw yggdrasil all this talk of plasma reminds me...

Spoiler:

Thanks graven

I REALLY need to build one of those one day... Totally worth it !!!

**************************

Side note : Assembly has begun on the Nephilim Fighter !! Much easier that what I expected !

Some parts will probably be a bit brittle (aerial pods, tail fins, for instance), but I expect it to be build in a few hours !! Gotta love me flyers lol !!!

NEPHILIM Fighter !!!!

Sorry, I couldn't resist using some of the bitz from the Dark Talon to "gothify" it, it would have been too plain / dull / boring otherwise...

Pic is a bit dark, but as I always come back home late these days, it's hard to take it with plain daylight !!

Hope you like my personal touch (antennae, seals, parchments, etc...) :



Next is a Razorback w/TLLC and a Rhino... Yeah !

Nicely done Yggs.

Yeah that does look really nice.

Thank you guyz !!!

Here it is, undercoated, with its Razorback friend



I'm off to a one-week skiing holiday, so I won't be able to paint them until before the 18th of February... Too bad !!

Enjoy

Hi all !!

Ski went nicely, I even started snow-boarding (and I'm not even dead )

As for models, progress has been "quite" significant, with the camouflage pattern being finished on both the Nephilim and the Razorback ...

Here are a few "in progress" shots (could help to show how it works too ) :


Black undercoat, light grey highlights, first Maskol layer


Right before peeling off the two maskol layers - camouflage looked nice as is


Razorback in the process of having the Maskol peeled off... So that you can see th difference !!

No picture of the final result, though I'm a bit disappointed by the patches. I think the colour patches are a little too small for vehicles... And, the result in pic #2 was looking good too !!

Still, I now have to add the OSL on details, and it's done !!

*******************************************************************************

Horus Heresy mini-review : "Shadows of Treachery".

I'm not going to go through each and every novel, except for "Prince of Crows", by Aaron Dembski-Bowden.

It's a real pleasure to read, and the character of Jago Sevatarion, First Captain of the Night Lords, is a really interesting and fleshed-out "hero".

Chosen moments :

"I am a son of the sunless world, and Eighth Legion to my core. Of course I'm lying, Trez. It's what we do."

"The rest will dissolve into the void, harassing Imperial supply lines, burning worlds, carving fresh skinning pits at the heart of cities. Just like the old days."

"This is why the Imperials always win," Sevatar mused aloud. "They don't get in each other's way. Discipline may be dull, but it has undeniable military application. How long until we can fire boarding pods?"

"I'll be there in seven minutes," promised Sevatar. "Eight if there is resistance. Nine if resistance is carrying bolters."

The resistance was carrying bolters.

It was really a fun read, giving great insight into the Night Haunter's past, and the Night Lords' way of warfare...

I really like ADB's novels, and this one was no different. Everyone of you guys should have a go at one of his !!!

Until next time,

Yggs.

That's pretty cool Yggs. Hope you had a nice holiday. I think Thing 2 and I will go skiing this weekend. Winter won't last forever!

So how 'bout skiing ?!?

As for me, I've been lazy with my models... Still have to airbrush the OSL & model the flyer base...

I only have a few days for it, I just NEED to get off HALO 4 lol !!

But it's just too hard...

My youngest and I just went skiing today as a matter of fact... we had a *very* good day on the slopes! (considering we're both still learning and/or remembering how to ski)

How about you Yggs? You have nearby mountains to ski on? Ours is more of a ridge line. Not bad for southern Wisconsin though.

Lol, glad you enjoyed it !!

As for me, I do have some small slopes, something like... 2-3hrs from home, in the east ?

But if you want some real skiing (as I did last week), it's rather 5-6hrs of driving to reach the closest stations in the French Alps... Can be a bit bothersome, but... Once you're there, the pleasure is on a Slaanesh-scale !!

I believe it. When I was in college I went skiing in the Rocky Mountains a couple times (Steamboat Springs Colorado & Jackson Hole Wyoming). Nothing like real mountain skiing. I'm not in good enough shape for a trip like that now... but I might be in the not-too-distant future, especially if the kids remain excited about the sport.

Skiing in the Alps.... THAT would be very cool.

Well, I hope they'll keep excited about it ! The only problem with that sport is its prohibitive cost !!

But all the family can enjoy it together, and that's something important I guess...

Also, you should try snowboarding ! I'm a real beginner at that, but it's definitely awesome !!


Automatically Appended Next Post:


Also... Progress of the month is complete !!!

That's 900 out of 1500pts...

3 months to go, 600 pts left...

Land Raider : still debating about the version... I like the dual TLLC of the "standard" one, but am disappointed at its transport capacity... I like the Redeemer, but will the Flamestorm Cannons ever get in range ? Crusader is my least favourite of the 3, but carrying 8 Terminators can be helpful at times... Any thought, considering my main adversaries will field Necrons & CSM ??

Razorback, Rhino and Whirlwind : That's for Troops transports, and as for the Whirlwind... I've always wanted to field one of those !! I'm pretty sure it'll be quite useless, but hey, 65pts only !!

Deathwing Knights... I bet you can't go wrong with them !

Ok guyz, no real hobby updates, but I just can't help sharing that cake I cooked yesterday (pic is before baking) :



Avocado-chocolate Cake of Nurgle !!!

Yummy

That's a cake?? It looks like avacado chocolate pudding of Nurgle to me.

Lol, actually this was before being put in the oven...

So it looks a bit liquid, I agree...

Nothing much to report today, except for my Nurgle 40k Codex !!!



Looks like I'll be going back to my Daemons after my DA-ish army

Very exited to see you Nurgling it up again Yggs!

I forgot to comment but you did an amazing job on that plane. Yowza!

Thanks Gits !!

It seems I've been away for quite a long time... Though I've been far from idle these last weeks !

Here's what I've painted since February :

TLLC Razorback :

Custom Belial with Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield :

Deathwing Knights Squad :

And here's what is left to paint :

Whirlwind-Reliquary :

Land Raider (Dedicated Transport for the Deathwing Knights) :

And, as a small bonus : A Land Speeder Vengeance ! I didn't like the front turret much, so made a custom one with a SM vehicle hatch, some optics and a HBolter...



What do you think about that turret ?

Also, you might notice the LS is quite "plain" compared to the other vehicles... But I just ended up using too many bits on the first ones, I wanted something less... crammed with details !!! Hope it won't make too much of a difference once painted

As for the challenge, only the Land Raider is relevant... Deadline is the 31st of May, so I'm confident it will be done by then !!!

Would you like to see the army list ? I don't have a lot of gaming experience, so any feedback would be appreciated...

Until then,

Yggs

So good to have you back my friend! The razorback looks kind of like your pudding!

The marines are glowing wonderfully. I like the turret, but I don't have a clear idea of what you replaced so it's hard to say yea or nay. I might recommend mounting it a bit lower... it sticks up a bit like the head of a crane over marsh weeds. It would be more menacing mounted lower.

 Gitsplitta wrote:
So good to have you back my friend! The razorback looks kind of like your pudding!

The marines are glowing wonderfully. I like the turret, but I don't have a clear idea of what you replaced so it's hard to say yea or nay. I might recommend mounting it a bit lower... it sticks up a bit like the head of a crane over marsh weeds. It would be more menacing mounted lower.

Hey hey thanks Gits

Here's for the turret :



I think it stands out too much from the hull of the Speeder to look good in the "original" model... But I also agree with your point, I just couldn't find any round bit that would go right into the turret and help me being lower... I guess I'll have to make do with that uh...

Dammi! I've missed so many updates!

The DA look great, Yggs! Maybe a bit too glowy for my liking, but that's just me. The camo on the fighter and razorback looks awesome!

And you also got a LE daemons codex... Usually I'd be jealous but I have one, too, lol (even though I probably shouldn't have).

Also like what you've done with the turret, makes it look a bit less ridiculous

Yours is better. Can you just cut the middle section of the post and then re-glue it?

Yours is suitably bonkers, I approve. My favourite is the reliquary whirlwind. Might have to steal that for SoB!

I'm not a fn of the vengeance landspeeder at all, the base model by GW just sucks . Your take on it is better, but I think the heavy bolter is just too big still. Blocks too much line of sight for the driver, maybe if it wasn't on the stand it might look better, but it's your model, so go with it .

We finally discovered why the dark angels "jink" so much......the pilot has to see around the gunner

Paint job is top notch by the way.

Matt.Kingsley wrote:Dammi! I've missed so many updates!

The DA look great, Yggs! Maybe a bit too glowy for my liking, but that's just me. The camo on the fighter and razorback looks awesome!

And you also got a LE daemons codex... Usually I'd be jealous but I have one, too, lol (even though I probably shouldn't have).

Also like what you've done with the turret, makes it look a bit less ridiculous

Yeah, the overstretched OSL is a bit done "on purpose", so as to have a sharp contrast with the camouflage... I imagine they're at night, so the light do show more than enough !!

And yup for the LE Dex... I just couldn't resist

Gitsplitta wrote:Yours is better. Can you just cut the middle section of the post and then re-glue it?

Hey, I could do that... At first I thought the extra height would be "relevant", so that the HB can aim upwards and downwards without any problem, but it does look less nice like that, I agree... I'll try and see what happens !

inmygravenimage wrote:Yours is suitably bonkers, I approve. My favourite is the reliquary whirlwind. Might have to steal that for SoB!

Sure, you can ! It was kind of a PITA to manage to get the Dark Talon reliquary parts on the sides of the missile pods, but it's manageable...

Thanks for the comment, I did put a lot of heart into it, I'm glad someone noticed

Theophony wrote:I'm not a fn of the vengeance landspeeder at all, the base model by GW just sucks . Your take on it is better, but I think the heavy bolter is just too big still. Blocks too much line of sight for the driver, maybe if it wasn't on the stand it might look better, but it's your model, so go with it .

We finally discovered why the dark angels "jink" so much......the pilot has to see around the gunner

Paint job is top notch by the way.

It does block LoS indeed, but I tried to glue them as though the HB was linked to the driver's oversized eyelens... Does it show ?

So, here's a general view of the army so far...

Still pondering on entering the Armies on Parade comp...



Cheers

Yggs.

Seen like that, I think the camo actually really ties everything together. Great job - now hurry up and finish already!

Do you mean the grey one on the grey display board ???

 Yggdrasil wrote:
Do you mean the grey one on the grey display board ???

The grey one has some really excellent camo scheme going on.

 GiraffeX wrote:

 Yggdrasil wrote:
Do you mean the grey one on the grey display board ???

The grey one has some really excellent camo scheme going on.

Hey, hopefully it won't stay that way for long !

My "close" GW store just annouced the "Armies on Parade" timeline - Entries are expected before the 14th of September... So I'm pondering on taking part in it, or not...

Prizes are up too !!!



I think I might have a chance to win 3rd place ?!?

Now is...

********************** UPDATE TIME !!!! ***********************

Land Raider "Leviathan" :

Here are a few WIP pics :



And the final result (!!) :

Land Speeder Vengeance (2nd picture is finished version) :

Crashed Aquila terrain :

This piece of scenery I had in my closet for YEARS !! And it struck me last week that I HAD to finish it... It took me less than 5 hours for that result, which I'm pretty proud of !!! It has given me ideas for a Guardsman army scheme... Or a Pre-heresy Death Guard one... Or for some Tau.... Aaaaargh !!!!

Battle Report !

With our challenge coming to an end (paint a 1500pts army between November & May), Denis & I decided to organize a small skirmish last night... With my brand new Aquila shuttle serving as the objective !

Army lists were :

Night Stalkers (counts as Dark Angels) :

- HQ : Commander "Baruch" (counts as Belial)
- T1 : Deathwing Squad "Sorath" - Assault Cannon, Chainfist
- T2 : Tactical Squad "Chemos" - Rhino, Vet. Sgt w/ Power Axe & MB, PG, PC
- E1 : Deathwing Knights "Arioch" - Land Raider w/ DW upgrade, MM
- FA1 : Nephilim Fighter "Azaradel"
- FA2 : Ravenwing Attack Squadron "Ephrael" - Vet Sgt. w/ MB, 2x PG

CSM :

- HQ1 : Lucius
- HQ2 : Dark Apostle
- T1 : 10 Cultists, MoS
- T2 : 6 CSM, MoS, PP, PG
- E1 : 6 Chosen, MoS, various power weapons
- E2 : 6 Possessed, MoS
- FA : Heldrake, Hades Autocannon
- HS : Forgefiend, 2x Hades Autocannon, Ectoplasma Cannon

Mission : Crusade, 3 objectives

Deployment :
- DA : Tac squad, Nephilim and Land Raider on the field ; Belial & DW Terminators in reserve (DW Assault on Turn 2), RW Sqdn outflanking
- CSM : Warp Talons in reserve

Well... Should I post it here ?!? Just tell me !

Hope you're enjoying a great weekend !

Cheers,

Yggs.

Ouch... I think I hurt my eyes.

Pretty cool mate.

Yeah, those camo patterns really make my eyes swim too. That means that they are effective at breaking up the outline of the vehicle, which is their intent.

However, for a gaming piece, I'm not entirely convinced that it is a good idea to make the model disappear from view. Ok, call me crazy but the audience wants to SEE the model.

Yggs, are you going to do something to do those LR tracks? Because they appear to be screaming for some muddy pigment and/or colour.

Thumbs up for finishing some terrain! I should do that one of these days.

Gitsplitta wrote:Ouch... I think I hurt my eyes.

Pretty cool mate.

Thanks Gits !

JB wrote:Yeah, those camo patterns really make my eyes swim too. That means that they are effective at breaking up the outline of the vehicle, which is their intent.

However, for a gaming piece, I'm not entirely convinced that it is a good idea to make the model disappear from view. Ok, call me crazy but the audience wants to SEE the model.

Yggs, are you going to do something to do those LR tracks? Because they appear to be screaming for some muddy pigment and/or colour.

Thumbs up for finishing some terrain! I should do that one of these days.

Yeah, I know what you mean with the "want to SEE the model", I get that line pretty often actually !! Well, I guess you're about right... But I wanted to try a camo-ed army, so here it is !

As for the LR tracks, they're covered in the same layer of airbrushed "earth" paint than the bottom of the vehicles & the sides of the tracks, the intent was to have a rather "dusty" coating, rather than a "muddy" one...

And yeah, YOU should get to those terrain !! I was astonished at how fast it was to finish it !! Makes me want to do some more !!!

Very cool Yggs! Excellent work!
Sorry it took me so long to post here.

Great work with the airbrush, especially with the nephilim.
The only thing that bother me is the abundance of OSL on the termies and razorback.
It looks great but there's maybe a bit too much of red. But that's just me...

And yes, you should post the battle report.

I am looking forward to the batrep too, it's hard to follow in French on fb!

Igandris wrote:Very cool Yggs! Excellent work!
Sorry it took me so long to post here.

Great work with the airbrush, especially with the nephilim.
The only thing that bother me is the abundance of OSL on the termies and razorback.
It looks great but there's maybe a bit too much of red. But that's just me...

And yes, you should post the battle report.

Thanks Igandris, it's been long since I heard from you !

I know I've been pretty "heavy-handed" with the OSL... It's a deliberate choice, made to somewhat counter the "I WANT TO SEE THE MODEL" that JB mentioned in his earlier post !

I also understand that it cannot appeal to everyone ! TBH, it wouldn't be my favourite army anyway... But it's playable, and can be painted fast lol !!

inmygravenimage wrote:I am looking forward to the batrep too, it's hard to follow in French on fb!

I thought you were the one speaking French ?!? I'm disappointed


********************** BATTLE REPORT **********************

As a reminder :

Mission : Crusade, 3 objectives

Deployment :
- DA : Tac squad, Nephilim and Land Raider on the field ; Belial & DW Terminators in reserve (DW Assault on Turn 2), RW Sqdn outflanking
- CSM : Warp Talons in reserve

Warlord Traits :
- DA : The Hunt (Belial cannot choose)
- CSM : Master of Deception (and rolled 6, so three units infiltrated : Chosen, Possessed, CSM :( )

Dark Angels deploy first, play first.

DEPLOYMENT / TURN 1 :





DA: Rhino get in cover in the Ruins, Nephilim & Land Raider move forward, DW Knights disembarked but fail their charge roll ). Shooting kills 1 Chosen, 2 Possessed.

CSM : All units rush forward, Heldrake gets an "Immobilized" result against the Rhino (which I've completely forgotten to try & repair throughout the game ) with Hades Autocannon. Possessed charge the DW Knights, strike last due to charging through cover, and are obliterated by the DW Knights. First Blood !!!

Turn 1 thoughts : Ok, I didn't do much, but one squad (Possessed) is down. Immobilzed Rhino's not much of a big deal, as I wanted the Tac Squad to stay alive to capture OBJ 1 in the late game.

TURN 2 :



DA : Outflanking Ravenwing Squadron arrives from the left, shoots at the Forgefiend & destroy it in melee (unsaved Melta Bomb ). Nephilim gets an "Immobilized" result against Heldrake ("Yeah ! It crashes, right ? No ? Its speed is "stuck" ? WTF is that result ?!? lol). DW Knights reembark & move towards OBJ 2. Belial & DW Squad, as per the "DW Assault' rule, arrive on Turn 2, right in front of the "Lucius, Dark Apostle & Cultists" blob.

Oh, and Tac Squad Plasma Cannon Gets Hot ! (1st time, there will be others...)

CSM : Chosen charge the Rhino & destroy it, Lucius & Blob fail their charge. 2 DW Terminators are shot down : 1 by the CSM squad with a bolter, 1 by... an Cultist autopistol !!!

Turn 2 thoughts : Things went equally bad & well. Destroying the Forgefiend was a bit lucky, but the Chosen are also dangerously close to my Tac Squad... Also, 2 Termies down are a bit tough !

TURN 3 :





DA : Fearing for my Tac squad, I rush the RW Squadron backwards in support, and open fire on the Chosen with everything I have : Tac squad, RW, Land Raider HB ! When the dust dissipates, 1 RW biker lies dead, liquefied by its own plasmagun, as well as 3 Chosen. Only one Chosen left, I feel better now (Though the Plasma Cannon Got Hot! again )
Lucius, being on the front of the Blob, is wounded twice by the DW Terminator Assault Cannon ! Oh, and my Terminators fall back a few inches, in the hope of getting an additional shooting phase (with a lot of sarcasm from my buddy, who claims that the Emperor will abandon me for that move ! Ok, I deserved it lol).
The Land Raider MM scores a direct, half-range hit against the Heldrake, but damage is saved (Demon 5++ !! ) ... Maybe the Emperor did abandon me already...

CSM : Heldrake Vector Strikes the Nephilim & destroys it. The last Chosen charges the Tac Squad : Overwatch fire ends with ZERO hits (17 bolter shots), except for the plasmagunner who overheats its gun... but his armour saves him. In melee, the 9 Marines fail to kill the Chosen, and the fight comes down to the 2 power axe-wielding Marines ! The Chosen kills 1 Marine, and is in return slain by the Vet Sgt.
On the right flank, Lucius and his Blob manage to get in contact with Belial & the Terminators. Belial & Lucius get into a duel, and Lucius scores 1 wound against Belial. Belial retaliates by a Thunder Hammer strike against the swordsman, but... the wound is save by the armour's 5++ ... Around them, the Terminators smash 5 cultists.

Turn 3 thoughts : Ok, the huge melee has begun. And Lucius' special "duel" rules are terrific... Hopefully, he has no AP2 weapons, so I should be able to stall him, if not kill him ! Loss of the Nephilim was tough, as well as a few 5++ saves that my gaming buddy pass EASILY !!

TURN 4 :



DA : Without any threat to dispose of, the Tac Squad closes in on OBJ 1, and the 2 remaining bikers move towards the melee. The Land Raider Lascannons rip the Heldrake out of the sky (both weapons find their mark), but in the resulting explosion & crash, the Flying Demon kills another Terminator, while leaving the exposed Cultists unscathed !! The Deathwing Knights disembark & charge to assist in the large melee. I activate their "special power", meaning they all strike at S10 and AP2. Lucius kills Belial, but the remaining Terminators & Knights obliterate the Dark Apostle & last Cultists, leaving Lucius surrounded by 7 angry Terminators !

CSM : The Marines squad seizes OBJ 3, and the Warp Talons eventually arrive from reserve. Their Blind special arrival is ignored by all of my remaining squads.

Turn 4 thoughts : I now have (and probably will until the end) one Objective, but it's the same for my opponent. I have First Blood, but my Warlord is slain. I have to ensure I can capture another objective if I want to win !

TURN 5 :



We roll for Night Conditions, but they don't appear either...

DA : My mobile units fall back & try to get a bead on the CSM squad, killing a few of them (Plasma Cannon overheats for the 3rd time !!!). Lucius challenges his opponents, but I decline the challenge, trading the loss of honour for a larger number of troops striking against him ! Once again, I am the target of well-deserved nicknames & insults lol !
This seems like a good option though, as the DW Knights kill Lucius. They consolidate towards the Warp Talons, while the two surviving DW Terminators consolidate towards OBJ 2 (as Belial is my HQ, they count as Troops !)

CSM : The Warp Talons charge the DW Knights, while the CSM shots bounce off my Land Raider (during Turn 4, I had already pointed out that Plasmaguns & Bolters couldn't harm my LR, so that he could shoot towards my bikers ; second time, he didn't get the warning).

Turn 5 thoughts : Situation is much better than at the end of Turn 4 ! I now control 2 Objectives, and both Warlord are down. I shrug off the Warp Talons, claiming that my 4 DW Knights are more than enough to bring them down without a sweat ! Of course, it wouldn't be that easy....

TURN 6 :

We roll for the end of the game, but the fun continues ! And hilarity ensues...



DA : My firing units finish off the CSM, and the RW bikers get to claim the Objective (well, just deny it... But that was a jest )
The Warp Talons & DW Knights trade blows, killing each one of the opposing warriors (damn 5++ Demon saves ! )

CSM : Being less lucky on his save rolls, my opponent loses 3 Warp Talons while killing one of my Knights.

TURN 7 :



The last Warp Talons (who never failed a Morale test) get killed, leaving only the DW Knight Master alive. The game ends, as my opponent has no other unit left.

End game :



I end up controlling 2 objectives, and the First Blood & Slay the Warlord objectives, while my opponent only score "Slay the Warlord".

Victory for the Night Stalkers !!!

Great batrep et c'est necessaire pour toutes les autres

Is it readable and understandable ? It's my first one, so...

Definitely. Great job.

I guess it's better in English, even if your French is pretty great

CHALLENGE COMPLETE !!!!

Reminder : The goal was to paint a 1500pts army in 7 months, with 500pts in the first two months, then 200pts per month. End of the line was 31st of May.

There were 3 contenders, here's a (partial) result :

Denis' Sons of Astral (Slaaneshi CSM Warband) :

My Night Stalkers (Dark Angels successor chapter) :

Julien's Pink'crons (Necrons) :

*********** NO IMAGE YET *******************

Yeah !!!

Genial!

Cool beans!

inmygravenimage wrote:Genial!

Gitsplitta wrote:Cool beans!

Thank you guyz ! Hopefully, you two are still following my infrequent updates uh

Had a few minutes this afternoon during the missus' nap, so I set myself on Powerpoint to embellish the Army Shot...

Here it goes :



What do you guys think ? Isn't it too... clogged, maybe ?

Hey guyz, quite a few days since I've been here...

But I've not been idle either !!!

Here are the latest pieces :

Whirlwind-Reliquary finally got some paint !! I wanted something a bit less "funky" this time, to show the proper respect to that relic !

So I ended up only painting the camouflage on a few parts of the hull :



In the end, it might be one of the best vehicle in the army (painting-wise, of course)...

Here's the final result :

Spoiler:

In hindsight... I think the whole army would've looked much better if painted that way... Don't you agree ?

During its first (and only) battle, it sadly hasn't done much... ALL the shots scattered off their intended target It did survive the battle unscathed though

Drop Pod is complete! Here are two pics :

Now, I have to get to work on my Armies on Parade display board... Damn !!!

Whirlwind for the win! That thing looks boss.

Love the whirlwind, Yggs! The green glow is fantastic. Nice work.

That's a GREAT looking whirlwind. Good use of add-on parts.

Moltar wrote:Whirlwind for the win! That thing looks boss.

Yup, love that model !!

Yellowbeard wrote:Love the whirlwind, Yggs! The green glow is fantastic. Nice work.

I tried to scale down the OSL with the airbrush, and it looks kinda better overall

Briancj wrote:That's a GREAT looking whirlwind. Good use of add-on parts.

Actually, the choice of Nephilim vs. Dark Talon was made by the fact that I wanted the side panels for the Whirlwind... lol


In a few words : lol, thank you guys !!!

As I said, I'm really pleased with how it turned out : less camouflage means less "realistic", but the overall effect looks more... "stunning" !

I hope its second battle will see it fare better than the first...

I'm also tempted for the future of this army :

Add a DW command squad ;

Add a Devastator Squad in Drop Pod (who does that ? The Night Stalkers, of course !!!

Add a Fallen squad, either as a Company Veterans or a Command Squad

I've also begun building a small Tau army, based around 1 unit I love in each slot : 1x Cadre Fireblade, 1x Riptide, 7x Fire Warriors, 10x Pathfinders, 1x Broadside ...

But still cannot decide on which to work first !!!

Wow, excellent Whirlwind Ygg's. I think that same camo to black ratio would look fantastic on one of those fliers if you ever got another.

Do you have a weapons load out in mind for your devastator drop pod unit? Perhaps some multi-melta's or extra glowie plasma cannons?

Man, your Whirlwind is great!

I especially like the conversion work on it (and the OSL too).

IceAngel wrote:Wow, excellent Whirlwind Ygg's. I think that same camo to black ratio would look fantastic on one of those fliers if you ever got another.

Hey, who knows... The DA flyers aren't that great game-wise, but I'm tempted by a Stormtalon (as allies ?)... It could look good indeed !!!

IceAngel wrote:Do you have a weapons load out in mind for your devastator drop pod unit? Perhaps some multi-melta's or extra glowie plasma cannons?

Nope, still struggling with that...

Some of the factors are :

I'd like the Librarian to be able to join them, to show their "first in" tactic & "grizzled veterans" status. But that would reduce the squad size to 9, thus preventing me from combat-squadding them

Plasma cannons, as Blast weapons, can't be Snap fired. As they will ALWAYS disembark from their Pod on Turn 1, that's a wasted turn of shooting (even if snapfiring is already kind of a waste). I like them, but you see the problem...

As I want them to be some kind of reckless "veterans" (before joining the Company Veterans or 1st Coy), I'd gladly toss in a mix of weapons, but that would reduce the squad overall effectiveness. Especially if I cannot combat-squad them due to the Librarian's presence

So for the moment, Plasma Cannons are out. I'd like to put a HBolter in (just because I love the looks of that weapon), and am still pondering the other 3 weapons... A multi-melta or two would be cool, since the reduced range wouldn't be much of a problem if they drop right in the middle of the foe
Lascannon looks great too, and ML are great for their versatility....
Help !!!

Hyenajoe wrote:Man, your Whirlwind is great!

I especially like the conversion work on it (and the OSL too).

Thanks mate... It's not up to your standards, but I'm trying nevertheless

I'm not sure a single 1 in 6 chance of hitting is worth eliminating plasma cannons. Statistically, you're not even going to hit once with things that can snap fire. You could add in a few guys with bolters to act as meat shields & give your sergeant a combi-weapon so they can fire at infantry that might think about charging you after you land.

 Gitsplitta wrote:
I'm not sure a single 1 in 6 chance of hitting is worth eliminating plasma cannons. Statistically, you're not even going to hit once with things that can snap fire. You could add in a few guys with bolters to act as meat shields & give your sergeant a combi-weapon so they can fire at infantry that might think about charging you after you land.

Yup, I can see your point... But what if my Librarian gets the "Snap fire with full BS" power (Divination, IIRC) ? That would be awesome uh ?!?

Oh, also : I already have some Plasma Cannons dudes in the Tactical Squads... So I thought : Time for a change !!

And meanwhile : one of my NCOs offered me a Daemon Prince "objective" a few weeks ago, before he left to another regiment (nice of him uh ?).

Here it stands, now with paint :

Heavy flamers... Pod comes down near infantry, everyone deploys forward 6", 4 ASSAULT HF lay waste to whatever's in front of them with S5, AP 4 goodness. Add a Sgt. w combi-melta or PP and a Libby w/ a shooting power and you have a SM burna death squad.

Hmmm... I like that idea...

Yeah, but Devs can't equip HFs...

...

YET !!

Oh poop...

 Yggdrasil wrote:
Yeah, but Devs can't equip HFs...

...

YET !!

Sternguard can....

Just for giggles, if you ran Space Wolves, you could put a Long Fang squad in a drop pod w/ Logan Grimnar whoc could give them relentless, and it wouldn't matter the load out. "Allies" maybe?

Always wanted to do that....

Oh wait! I have Space Wolves now!

@YB: 2 HF is not the same as 4 HF. Don't think it would have the necessary terror factor without four. However, with sternguard, you could army every other guy with a combiflamer... that might put the terror back in!

Wait... Logan Grimnar can GIVE "relentless" to his squad ?!? That's tough !!!

As for Sternguards... Dark Angels CANNOT field Sternguard either !!!

Vacation time !!!

Nothing really fancy around, except my Tau force which is slowly being built...

Special highlights :

A "Krootched" (short for "crouched Kroot" )

Some new BL fun !!

And a bit of calm poetry in the grim darkness of the Old World :

Until next time !!

Love that little bit of zen you've got going on!

I completely agree with Gits! What did you use for leaves?
And what's this about Tau? I'm intrigued.

The leaves look like Secret Weapon Miniatures leaf litter... Granted I could be mistaken

Aka "Oregano".

 Briancj wrote:
Aka "Oregano".

This is oregano?!


I've been had!

Interesting. I wonder what that is, before it gets dyed.

Isn't it obvious? Yggs hand cut and dyed each one of those leaves himself.

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

Gitsplitta wrote:Love that little bit of zen you've got going on!

That must be the holidays creeping up on me

Igandris wrote:I completely agree with Gits! What did you use for leaves?
And what's this about Tau? I'm intrigued.

Tau... Tau...

Well, I'd bought a few boxes back when the army was released, mainly Fire Warriors & Kroots, but ever got to painting them...

Now, with the recent releases (plastic Pathfinders, plastic Broadside, Riptide), I've taken the bait once more !!! But now, I'm aiming at REALLY building a, if small, playable army nonetheless...

I already have the basic force organization in my mind :
- HQ : Cadre Fireblade ;
- E : 1 Stealth Team / 1 Riptide ;
- T : 1 FW Squad, 1 Kroots Squad ;
- FA : 1/2 Pathfinder Teams ;
- HS : 1-2 Broadside(s).

So that's that !!!

Alfndrate wrote:The leaves look like Secret Weapon Miniatures leaf litter... Granted I could be mistaken

Briancj wrote:Aka "Oregano".

Alfndrate wrote:

 Briancj wrote:
Aka "Oregano".

This is oregano?!

I've been had!

Briancj wrote:Interesting. I wonder what that is, before it gets dyed.

Actually, you guys are not SO far from the truth... But cheaper !

Here's my solution :

IceAngel wrote:Isn't it obvious? Yggs hand cut and dyed each one of those leaves himself.

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

Yeah Ice, don't look at the spoiler, and you'll be right

Love the bright colours man, so rare to see someone choose that kind of palette. The camo stuff is great, don't get me wrong, but I love the bright pieces!

Hope you enjoyed your books (I liked vulkan lives myself)

 San76 wrote:
Love the bright colours man, so rare to see someone choose that kind of palette. The camo stuff is great, don't get me wrong, but I love the bright pieces!

Hope you enjoyed your books (I liked vulkan lives myself)

Thanks San, glad to see you here

I'm currently reading both the Soul Drinkers & Eisenhorn Omnibuses, so "Vulkan Lives" will have to wait a bit...

As for the Hobby, here's my latest piece, a gift for my best friend's 30th birthday :





He's dropped from the Hobby years ago, but has always been a fan of the tiny Gobbos !!! So I thought a Gob Shaman would please him ! As for the colours, his love of orange & purple is a usual target of our jokes, so I wanted to continue the pun with the model...

A a review for the model, I'd say that it's a great model overall (as most of the plastic-characters GW has released seem to be).

The various pieces fall in place neatly, and allow for nice 3D twists. My only concern is that they are hard to convert. This one is a bit different in that the cloak seems "almost" optional, the staff could be replaced by pretty much any weapon, and I guess that you could also convert the arm with bone to hold something else... As for painting, there are a lot of various textures (clothes, fur, skin, bones, jewels, rocks) that can allow some different techniques to be used. Some places are hard to reach if you build it before painting though (inside of the cloak, mainly).

Build : 4,5 / 5
Conversion potential : 3 / 5
Painting : 4,5 / 5

Overall rating : 4,5 / 5

That model was a lot of fun to paint, and would definitely earn a place in a Goblin army !

Looks great mate - particularly the fade on the cloak. . I'm sure your friend will love it.

ibid, love the way the cloak looks against the ground cover.

San76 wrote:Looks great mate - particularly the fade on the cloak. . I'm sure your friend will love it.

Gitsplitta wrote:ibid, love the way the cloak looks against the ground cover.

Thanks you guys !! Though most of the credit is due to my... airbrush (though I'm the one handling it, it (he?) seems to be doing all the work by itself )

I've also been working on my Armies on Parade display board today...

Here's a first look at it (still very WIP, bastion & models for show only) !

I think the board needs some nice hand crafted Ygg leaves.

The bastion glows with an inner light....

IceAngel wrote:I think the board needs some nice hand crafted Ygg leaves.

Hey, Ice... Actually, THAT is a mighty idea !!!

I'll try, maybe... A last stand on a stranded outpost, with the leaves blowing in the wind of decay... Thanks !!!

Gitsplitta wrote:The bastion glows with an inner light....

Lol Art, that's almost what a buddy told me two days ago : "your bastion looks... kinda ethereal / spooky / creepy !"

I guess I missed the point

I think it's kinda cool actually...

The board is looking great; did you model that texture?

Gits is spot on, the bastion does look glowing. Kinda like on a computer game with bloom effects turned way up!

Alfndrate wrote:

 Briancj wrote:
Aka "Oregano".

This is oregano?!


I've been had!

Nope those are Birch seed pods.

Briancj wrote:Interesting. I wonder what that is, before it gets dyed.

See above.


Awesome work Yiggs it is seriously good looking stuff.

Gitsplitta wrote:I think it's kinda cool actually...

Oh, great then !!

San76 wrote:The board is looking great; did you model that texture?

Gits is spot on, the bastion does look glowing. Kinda like on a computer game with bloom effects turned way up!

The texture is the Realm of Battle board... I haven't done much to it besides a brown spray coat, and 4 layers of drybrushing...

As for the glowing... If it looks creepy, then that's 40k enough to me

Galorn wrote:
Nope those are Birch seed pods.

Briancj wrote:Interesting. I wonder what that is, before it gets dyed.

See above.


Awesome work Yiggs it is seriously good looking stuff.

They are not dyed, and are juste dried parsley (or hand-crafted, hand-cut, parsley leaves for IceAngel over there )

Thanks for the nice comments

 Galorn wrote:

Alfndrate wrote:

 Briancj wrote:
Aka "Oregano".

This is oregano?!


I've been had!

Nope those are Birch seed pods.

Briancj wrote:Interesting. I wonder what that is, before it gets dyed.

See above.


Awesome work Yiggs it is seriously good looking stuff.

Link to an article explaining how to make your own...
http://www.reapermini.com/Thecraft/24

Nice tutorial

Quite a large update, today...

*********** TAU **********

For those asking (there's at least one ), here are a few pics of my (now mostly assembled) WIP regarding the Tau I'm currently building :

PATHFINDERS :



That new box is really impressive ! Full of options & different poses for the arms, it was really fun to build ! The new drones look nice.

AND : THE TAU KNOW HOW TO KEEP THEIR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER !!!! (see Shas'ui on the right of the picture).

That's a big win in my book

KROOTS :

I also had a few Kroots left in a box, enough to make an 11-strong squad... As usual, I couldn't help but create some variations in them, so went through the PITA of having two of them kneeling !

My GS skills are still subpar, but I think I managed to repair the ankles & knees damages while cutting the legs...


As you can guess, this one can count as a Shaper, hence his superior gear...

I intend to play my Kroots with sniper rounds, so I had to at least have a few firing at the enemy

All in all, I'm pretty happy with them, and can't wait to put some paint on them...



*********** GOBLIN SHAMAN **********

I've put the Goblin Shaman on a stand, so here it is, done & complete !



(Yeah, my BFF's name is Will, you guessed right )



*********** ARMIES ON PARADE 2013 **********

Latest Hobby-related objective is the local Armies on Parade competition !!!

I've decided to bring my new Night Stalkers army, dutifully painted over the course of 8 months, under the lights again

Here are a few pics :

Progress on the board :

I chose a "hill" tile because of the "3D feel" that would help in showing the various components of the army, and specifically that tile mainly because of the half-slope platform - I thought it was perfect to add some piece of scenery to the board. In the end, it won't, but that was the idea.

Here with paint :


Here with scenery :


Details on the buildings :

Bastion 89 - Front view - Complete :



Bastion 89 - Top View :


I'm still struggling about the top hatch : I've built (and painted) the "relay" that fits in that place, but can't decide if it's best with or without it... I'm really proud of my worn paint on the hatch, but I like the relay too...
What do you think ? Maybe you need more pics to compare ?

Bastion 89 - Side view - The "Wall of Regimental Tags" : before / after :


I imagined that IG regiments would proudly paint their regiment name & unit during their tour in the outpost, AND I wanted to fiddle with decals, so I had some fun in that side wall...
Sadly, the Valhallan Commissar isn't too fond of its flock deteriorating an Imperial building

Blending the buildings into the board :

Bastion 89 - Front view


Bunker 89 - Side view



Well, phew.... That's about it for today... Can't wait for it to be finished !!!

Thanks for passing by

Yggs.

The board is looking excellent Ygg's, I really like the idea you've done on the outpost with the graffiti. The weathering is great as well on both the bastion and the bunker.

I'm with GiraffeX 100%. Great idea with the graffiti. I love the weathering on the bastion. Did you sponge some of that on?

GiraffeX wrote:The board is looking excellent Ygg's, I really like the idea you've done on the outpost with the graffiti. The weathering is great as well on both the bastion and the bunker.

Thank you mate !
The "graffiti idea" was kind of a hunch, but it prove funny in the end

IceAngel wrote:I'm with GiraffeX 100%. Great idea with the graffiti. I love the weathering on the bastion. Did you sponge some of that on?

Thanks Ice !

Yeah, the "last" weathering (dark brown chipping) is made with blister foam & the "new" (to me at least) GW Dryad Bark.... Looks quite good to me indeed

I've finished the board yesterday, after a lot & a lot of drybrushing work....

Here's the result :



I'm quite happy how I managed to blend the buildings into the board... It's not 100% perfect, but is better than what I had hoped... What do you think ?

Sooooooooooooo.... Progress has been good on the Tau, and... I think that pictures will tell it better than any word !

Kroot squad :


Stealth Team, all kitted-up ! Sha'vre has a Fusion Blaster, Markerlight & Velocity Tracker ; 1 Shas'ui has an Early Warning Override, the other a Counterfire Defence System... I want them to be the commandos of the army :


Broadside : I really enjoy the new design of the Broadside (though the price made me cringe at first ), so had to include at least one in my force !


Fire Warriors squad : Undercoated, test model is currently being painted... Yes, all but one have a Pulse Carbine... I love "Pinning" weapons


And, last but not least, I fiddled with the remaining bits of the Broadside kit to create a custom objective marker... Here's the High Yield Missile Turret !


Any comment ?

Tau are coming along nicely, Yggs! Love those new broadsides and I think your kustom kroot look great. Objective marker is a good use of bits and I like the idea behind it. I just feel like it needs some more width at the base to make it seem less top heavy.

 Moltar wrote:
Objective marker is a good use of bits and I like the idea behind it. I just feel like it needs some more width at the base to make it seem less top heavy.

I agree with you, but since Tau is a new army, I don't have that many bits to plunder to get the feel I want... Also, 40mm is quite small to fit a large base for it...

I'll just assume the Tau developed some gravitational / inertial dampeners that allows for such constructions !!!

Second objective should use a Tau Air Caste Pilot... Probably with an Imperial monument (again, don't have many Tau leftovers to use )

Still, thanks !

Very cool indeed. Great builds and I think your surreal and brilliant brand of OSL and colour will be glorious!

Love the way the display board turned out Yggs. The extra effort you put into the bastion is really going to pay off I think. Never a bad idea to add graffiti.

inmygravenimage wrote:Very cool indeed. Great builds and I think your surreal and brilliant brand of OSL and colour will be glorious!

Hey Graven ! Sorry, there probably will be little OSL on the Tau... I'm not really at that with the airbrush yet, and I want to keep the Tau quick-to-paint...
So probably only on the larger models (Broadside, Riptide)...

Gitsplitta wrote:Love the way the display board turned out Yggs. The extra effort you put into the bastion is really going to pay off I think. Never a bad idea to add graffiti.

Yeah, I knew you'd like it !!! I almost went to searching for your "imperial posters" pics & steal the idea, but... for a start in making scenery, that was more than enough

********** ON WITH THE TAU !!! **********

Ok, so two updates today :

1. Turret is completely built, now with a Fire Caste Operator :



2. Tau Fire Warrior test model is complete, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out !




I went for a "scorched earth" type of base, I'm quite liking it... I'm still debating whether to add a few leaves (just like I put in here : ) or keep it that way...

Any hint ?

He is looking good man. Totally love the blue you have used (any hints on what it is?).

as for leaves....im not sure; they do look awesome but to me, the figure appears to be charging through a blasted landscape of mud and twisted wreckage. its very dynamic pose and paint scheme, very "mid fight" rather than parade ground, if you get me. with the battle damage you have done (which looks great btw!) i can really imagine him getting showered with mud from a nearby explosion as he pushes forwards.

...leaves might not fit that image.

thats just me though....and is probably totally not what you were envisaging. in which case...my bad. either way he looks awesome. full marks once again

 San76 wrote:
He is looking good man. Totally love the blue you have used (any hints on what it is?).

Which blue are you talking about ?

Skin is GW only : 1. Russ Grey, 2. Highlighted by Administratum Grey, 3. Glaze of Russ Grey, 4. Highlighted by Blue Horror (EDGE)... I think it'll be easier now that I've bought some Fenrissian Grey, it should replace steps 2. & 3. !!!

As for the "gems/lenses/sept markings", I've used Prince August paints : Turquoise, Light Turquoise, and another colour translated as "Green Blue"...

 San76 wrote:
as for leaves....im not sure; they do look awesome but to me, the figure appears to be charging through a blasted landscape of mud and twisted wreckage. its very dynamic pose and paint scheme, very "mid fight" rather than parade ground, if you get me. with the battle damage you have done (which looks great btw!) i can really imagine him getting showered with mud from a nearby explosion as he pushes forwards.

...leaves might not fit that image.

thats just me though....and is probably totally not what you were envisaging. in which case...my bad. either way he looks awesome. full marks once again

I hadn't thought about it that way... But you might be right, leaves would look too... "peaceful" in that case ?

I think I might have got over-enthusiast with my new-found leaves, thus wanting to use them even if inappropriate...

So thank you San76, for making me open my eyes !!

That objective marker is perfect with that fire caste dude on the base. Totally solves the earlier problem. The test model looks really good to me. I like tau to have battle damage on their armor. Something works better for me when they aren't sparkly clean.

 Moltar wrote:
That objective marker is perfect with that fire caste dude on the base. Totally solves the earlier problem. The test model looks really good to me. I like tau to have battle damage on their armor. Something works better for me when they aren't sparkly clean.

Thanks for the objective marker ! I'm glad you like it now

I also agree with you on the battle damage, I think it looks really great on Tau armour !!

Some quick updates before I go to bed :

1. Armies on Parade board...

My "display panel" (how could you name such a thing ?) finally from... Sweden (don't ask ) !!!

Here's how it looks :



2. Objective Markers

Here's the second one... An Air Caste pilot, probably crashed down in an Imperial city, seems puzzled by this monument...



3. Test models

Also finished the Kroot test model ! The paint scheme proved a bit longer to apply in here (way too long in my opinion, at least), so I'm still pondering on how to improve the time efficiency...
Anyway, here's the pic :



Family portrait :



Two questions I have to ask you, fellow Dakkaites :

- The blue on the Kroot's clothing seem a bit too bright... Is that really an issue, or am I on the right track ? Any other colour suggestions for the clothing, in relation with the palette ?

- I've tried the "black borders" on the bases, for a change... What do you think ? Should I just paint it brown, like the rest of the base ?

Thanks in advance for your help & opinion !

1) I like the blue. It's a good splash of colour on an otherwise quite muted palette.
2) I'm a fan of black rims, ordinarily, but in this case it would nice if you could fade down from brown to your RoB board colour?

 inmygravenimage wrote:
1) I like the blue. It's a good splash of colour on an otherwise quite muted palette.

True. Hadn't seen it that way ! Maybe it'd look a bit dull without it...

2) I'm a fan of black rims, ordinarily, but in this case it would nice if you could fade down from brown to your RoB board colour?

I'm not sure I understand what you mean...

Are you trying to suggest I should just paint the rims (thanks for the word reminder ) in my "usual" brown, to link them to my newly painted RoB board?

^Mais Oui!

Lol !

Are you aware there's no link between my Armies on Parade Board and those Tau ? (Armies on Parade will be with my complete Night Stalkers - erh Dark Angels - army !)

"Rims" are something you put on a car.

I agree with graven though. I think..: (sorry, it's early.)

Early ? Not for us Git, it's 1pm over here !!

Though it must be like... 7am at your place ?

So that's 2 against black rims... Any other vote ?

Good guess. 6 AM, and I'm still on vacation which makes it more like 4:30 AM.

Ringing in black is very showy, especially for single models. In an army where the figures need to have a connection to one another though, I think it artificially separates them.

Well, I'm on vacation too, and I'm up at 08:00 (without any children lol), so I can understand

As for the "separation" of models... That's a good point... I'll have to think about it !

I think the blue is ok, but it appears to lack depth, and seems to clean for the rest of the model.

I like it more when the rim matches the base and board. Sorry, another against.

Lol "lacking depth" ? That's one blue + 3 highlights !!! You backstabbed me, WM360 !!
I agree that it looks a bit too "clean"... Hummmm... Some other food for thought

As for the black rim, it will be pretty easy to correct once they're done... So I'll maybe do a whole squad that way, and then I'll decide...

Thanks for your thoughts !

I'm loving the Tau, Yggs! The kroot looks great! However, while I love the blue, it needs some weathering, like dirt stains and the like, which is probably what WM360 was trying to say.

Also, I prefer black rimmed bases, especially on your models!

Hey Matt, thanks !!!

Ok for the dirtying of the Tau clothes... How should I do it ? Some wash stains ? Any other clue ?

Thanks for the black rim vote (to all others : lol)

[edit : almost finished my Cadre Fireblade... And first squads of Fire Warriors & Pathfinders are under way ! ]

Wash stains would probably work. Maybe a thin one over the entire thing and then a few smaller, thicker patches?

Would be kinda cool to have a blood stain or two...

Thinking about it again, washes are definitely your best bet.

 Matt.Kingsley wrote:
Wash stains would probably work. Maybe a thin one over the entire thing and then a few smaller, thicker patches?

Would be kinda cool to have a blood stain or two...

Thinking about it again, washes are definitely your best bet.

I'll have to try that... And maybe I could also paint the laces in brown, rather than blue, to make them stand out more ?

Blood stains are out for now, until I now how to get them great

Here's today's update (yeah, I'm on vacation AND my significant other is letting me paint) : my HQ, a Cadre Fireblade (footed-commander, in the new Tau army, for those who haven't followed the new dex ) !!





Went through some extra efforts for him, added a tattoo on his skull, painted lines on his wrist screen, etc... Hope you like him ! He's gonna be my commander for quite some time ! Leading the Tau from the front, eschewing the use of a battle-suit to spur them to greater deeds, for the Greater Good !!

I love that cape!

I'm liking the fireblade, I'm liking him a lot, great work, Yggs!

Brown laces sounds good for the kroot, too.

Haha, I assumed you had highlighted it, the pics just aren't showing it very well. But yeah, some weathering would do wonders, more so on a Kroot.

Matt.Kingsley wrote:I love that cape!

I'm liking the fireblade, I'm liking him a lot, great work, Yggs!

Brown laces sounds good for the kroot, too.

Thanks !

Also, did the laces brown on the Kroot, & added a few lines of Sepia wash to the clothes... It definitely looks better (the missus agrees with you guys), so thanks a lot !!

whalemusic360 wrote:Haha, I assumed you had highlighted it, the pics just aren't showing it very well. But yeah, some weathering would do wonders, more so on a Kroot.

Ha ha, I hope so !!! I know my standards have gone way lower with the Marines, but not forever !!!

Still pondering on the blood stains...

Damn that cloak is smooth!

Those Tau are looking really nice Ygg's nice and battle-worn, as PDH says that's some impressive blending on that cloak.

PDH wrote:Damn that cloak is smooth!

GiraffeX wrote:Those Tau are looking really nice Ygg's nice and battle-worn, as PDH says that's some impressive blending on that cloak.

Thank you guys, the cloak is, as you guessed, airbrushed.... Makes that kind of thing faaaaaaaar easier than with a brush !!
(And I practiced the technique 2 weeks ago
)
TBH, it almost feels like cheating... But, well, you know

As for today, I've started mass-producing some Fire Caste soldiers... One Fire Warrior team, and one Pathfinder squad, along with drones !


I've mostly done the basecoats today, and the squad markings (quite tedious)... Next steps are weathering the white, rusting the black, and highlighting the rest !!

Let's now focus on the "marksman" of the FW squad (he's the only one with a Pulse Rifle, to represent his superior markmanship ).
Special thanks to Q0rbin for his tutorial on the "Predator mark"



It was not so hard to pull off, and looking pretty good !!!

From a "real life" point of view, the holidays are over tonight...

Grant me strength to get back to work !!!

Glad we could help, Yggs!

Can't wait to see the Fire Warriors and Pathfinders complete!

Hope you're still able to make steady progress after the holidays... I know I usually don't

 Matt.Kingsley wrote:
Glad we could help, Yggs!

Can't wait to see the Fire Warriors and Pathfinders complete!

Hope you're still able to make steady progress after the holidays... I know I usually don't

Thanks Matt !!

It already is harder, coming back from work @7pm, preparing dinner (missus still at work), watching your daily French sitcom till 9pm, wandering a bit on dakka, BoLS, FB, then off to paint at 9.30... That's much less time !!

Squads are progressing slowly but purposefully. The Drones are the most advanced ones, here's today's one & only pic :



What's left to do ? Mostly highlights on the turquoises details : lenses, power sources, etc... Then the base !

Tau infantry are pretty tedious to chain-paint... But I'm not going to let go now!!!

Also, stumbled upon this on BoLS... Astonishing !!!

Lovely work sir.

I absolutely love the terrain!! Great vibrancy of color, yet realistic enough feel.

ooh... kinda junkie bots... I like them!

Your weathering is awesome!

Love the drones, great job, Yggs!

migsula wrote:Lovely work sir.

I absolutely love the terrain!! Great vibrancy of color, yet realistic enough feel.

Thanks migsula ! Not up to your standards, but thanks for the kind words.

I have little to no experience regarding scenery, but I'm glad it came out well !!

Gitsplitta wrote:ooh... kinda junkie bots... I like them!

"Junkie" bot ? Like in "I need my fix" ?!

Hyenajoe wrote: Your weathering is awesome!

If only you knew how easy that is... Not to say it's not tedious, don't get me wrong... But that's not hard at all

Would you guys appreciate a step-by-step guide ? I guess there are many others much better out there, but...

Matt.Kingsley wrote:Love the drones, great job, Yggs!

Thanks ! Not much left to do on them... Maybe tomorrow they'll be done ?

Sadly, I won't be home for a week from Saturday onwards, so... tomorrow's my last chance !

Love the Tau color scheme and the Fireblades cloak is amazing. Also love the Kroot scheme and the weathering.
The turret, while cool, looks a bit unwieldy. The bases could some leaves on them I think.

 Igandris wrote:
Love the Tau color scheme and the Fireblades cloak is amazing. Also love the Kroot scheme and the weathering.
The turret, while cool, looks a bit unwieldy. The bases could some leaves on them I think.

Hey, nice to see you back here, Igandris !!

About the leaves, I'll maybe try on a model or two, & see how it turns... But as some pointed out, it would probably feel weird with the "burnt earth" theme of the base...

Agreed about the turret, but since I have VERY FEW Tau bitz, it was hard to find something large that didn't scream IMPERIAL or ORKISH in my bitz box... So had to do with something that I could conceal...

IF (when?) I buy myself a Devilfish or two, or a Skyray, I might have some more material to work from

Anyway, here's yesterday night's progress :



I tend to be a bit too "heavy" on the weathering & rusting moves... But it still looks good, so that's ok for now

I like 'em Yggs. The gritty look is a nice change of pace.

Looking good so far, Yggs! Keep 'em coming.

Looking good. The weathering is a bit heavy but I think it'll go well with the bases. Like they're in a protracted war and haven't been resupplied for a while.

 Yggdrasil wrote:

Hyenajoe wrote: Your weathering is awesome!

If only you knew how easy that is... Not to say it's not tedious, don't get me wrong... But that's not hard at all

Would you guys appreciate a step-by-step guide ? I guess there are many others much better out there, but...

You're asking a blind man if he would like to see!
Now, tell me how you did effect this weathering.

I actually prefer these Tau to the Nightstalkers. Keep up the good work!

Gitsplitta wrote:I like 'em Yggs. The gritty look is a nice change of pace.

Yup it is... Glad you like 'em Gits

Moltar wrote:Looking good so far, Yggs! Keep 'em coming.

Those footsloggers are a bit tedious in batches... But when they're done, I'll feel great ! Thanks for not letting me go

Igandris wrote:Looking good. The weathering is a bit heavy but I think it'll go well with the bases. Like they're in a protracted war and haven't been resupplied for a while.

Well, haven't thought much about the fluff so far (I do have a few ideas, though...) but they are most probably in the situation you described

Hyenajoe wrote:

 Yggdrasil wrote:

Hyenajoe wrote: Your weathering is awesome!

If only you knew how easy that is... Not to say it's not tedious, don't get me wrong... But that's not hard at all

Would you guys appreciate a step-by-step guide ? I guess there are many others much better out there, but...

You're asking a blind man if he would like to see!
Now, tell me how you did effect this weathering.

I'm not sure that French expression translates well in English, but I see your point mate lol

I'll try and do that when I'll paint the exo-suits, it should be easier to photograph as the scale is greater ! (Why did I ask that question )

whalemusic360 wrote:I actually prefer these Tau to the Nightstalkers. Keep up the good work!

Thanks WM, the Night Stalkers came from the dual objectives of 1. Having a quick-to-paint army in less than 1 year, and 2. Not looking like your run-of-the-mill Space Marines chapter...
So I know they're quite... original, but while Objective 1. definitely is a success, I guess I also managed to fulfill Obj #2, didn't I ?!?

Sorry guys for tonight, the only progress is a few mould-lines-removal on some more drones...

I've been inspired by Igandris' "non-combatant" drones, so I really need a horde of them !!!

I also won't be home for a week (some field training ), so don't expect any update before September...

Thanks for the kind words again, mates, that really pushes me to new heights and make me want to do some more... Your works are inspiring too !!!

They are very impressive Ygg's, I'm looking forward to seeing some more painted the combination of the white armour and weathering is spot on I really like where this army is going.

Nicely done Ygg, Like the wheatering. Nice to see that the marking turned out so good.

GiraffeX wrote:They are very impressive Ygg's, I'm looking forward to seeing some more painted the combination of the white armour and weathering is spot on I really like where this army is going.

Actually I lied, I just couldn't leave home for one week without a few models complete !!

So I just finished my drones minutes ago... It's now 2:30am, I'm waking up at 5am, and... currently uploading my pics to dakka

Q0rbin wrote:Nicely done Ygg, Like the wheatering. Nice to see that the marking turned out so good.

Yup indeed ! Sadly, it got a bit hidden with the weathering on the shoulder pad ...

I decided this will be the "Marksman award" in my Cadre, so hopefully a few more will deserve it soon !?!

********************************************************

Ok, now is REALLY the last update before next week...

The first batch of Tau Drones !!!







So that's the squad (yeah, there's a Shield Drone too) :



Drones are really fun to paint, and do look awesome when complete...

So here's the new batch of drones, under construction :



That's one Shield Drone, ready to be painted ; the rest will become a Markerlight Drone and 2 Gun Drones !!!

See you next week guys !

Those are fantastic. I'll agree with everyone above about the level of dirt and damage. The drones look great all beat up and weathered.

Looking awesome man, and so quickly done! I particularly like the dappled shading on base.

Fantastic looking drones, Yggs! The blue accents really set them off.

I'd completely forgotten those non-combat drones. They were fun to make. I'm glad they were an inspiration.
Yours are looking much better though. Great colors. The blue is especially well done.
I might have to get a box of pathfinders just tto get my hands on some of those drones....

IceAngel wrote:Those are fantastic. I'll agree with everyone above about the level of dirt and damage. The drones look great all beat up and weathered.

Thanks Ice ! I think I'm on the verge of "over-weathering" them, so I'll have to reduce my enthusiasm for the other ones

San76 wrote:Looking awesome man, and so quickly done! I particularly like the dappled shading on base.

Thanks San, the "dappled" effect almost appeared by chance : that's just some airbrushed Sepia Wash on a white base, with a few black, airbrushed spots... Couldn't pull that off quicker !

Moltar wrote:Fantastic looking drones, Yggs! The blue accents really set them off.

Thanks Moltar ! I've found a great range of Prince August turquoises, they're really awesome !!

Igandris wrote:I'd completely forgotten those non-combat drones. They were fun to make. I'm glad they were an inspiration.
Yours are looking much better though. Great colors. The blue is especially well done.
I might have to get a box of pathfinders just tto get my hands on some of those drones....

Yeah, you really should buy one box of them ! They're an amazing kit !

As for the drones, I've also found another inspiration, on the FW site :


I might just build a drone horde !!!

************************ UPDATE **************************

As mentioned before, I was away for a week... So nothing impressive to show, but I've eventually done the touch-ups on the bases, and fixed the small sign presenting the board.

Here are a few pics !







The Armies on Parade competition takes place on the 14th of September... Wish me luck !!!

Board looks awesome, Yggs! Best of luck at Armies on Parade. I'll have to look into Prince August paints and I'm all for you pursuing more drones!!

The board looks great Ygg's, good luck

That board looks awesome. Good luck!

Looks amazing mate. Best of luck!

Thank you guys ! Either, I won't touch it anymore since then, so... It's time for the Taus to get back !!

Almost finished the FW squad (7 guys), only have a few details & the bases to complete...

As for the competition, here's my friend's entry :


It's going to be tough competing... His icy board looks awesome, don't you agree ?!

Competing against friends brings out the best in dakkaites, I find. Your mate's stuff is great but I love your army of disco fury!

Thank you Sam !

Small update tonight, before I go to painting...

My Fire Warrior squad is almost complete !!!



Only the bases left to do...

Looking good Yggsie!

I love your grubby Tau. It's really good to see a different take on their aesthetic. Great, great work.

Gitsplitta wrote:Looking good Yggsie!

Hey hey, thanks

inmygravenimage wrote:I love your grubby Tau. It's really good to see a different take on their aesthetic. Great, great work.

Yeah, the original idea wasn't to do something necessarily different from the "usual" Tau, but... I'm glad it looks that way !!

Here's the squad complete :






"Deputy Shas'ui", scanning the area


Dedicated Marksman - the only one with a Pulse Rifle in the squad, providing long-range fire support to his comrades


Additional shots

And, lastly, what the army looks like as of today !


So that's 5 drones, 8 FW, 1 Kroot, and 1 Cadre Fireblade... Not so slow !!!

Now, on with the Pathfinders squad !

Wow, awesome Tau! I wish I could do weathering that well on my Tau! Awesome blog, too!

Can't wait to see what you do with the Battlesuits! I'm really interested by your use of rust - really unorthodox but it looks great!

Still trying to understand why I haven't subscribed yet

Lucarikx

I think grubby tau is the way to go. Really sets yours apart for the legions of squeaky clean tau boys.

Lucarikx wrote:Wow, awesome Tau! I wish I could do weathering that well on my Tau! Awesome blog, too!

Can't wait to see what you do with the Battlesuits! I'm really interested by your use of rust - really unorthodox but it looks great!

Still trying to understand why I haven't subscribed yet

Lucarikx

Thanks for tagging along, Lucarikx !

As for your first point, please do yourself a treat :
1. take a spare model with armour that you will never use ; yeah, those 15+ AoBR Tac Squads, still on sprues, that you bought in bulk for your nevercoming Marines army, will do perfectly !
2. undercoat it white ;
3. (optional) : paint the recesses with a Sepia Wash ;
4: with some blister foam & a VERY SMALL quantity of dark brown paint (like Dryad Bark or Scorched Brown), stipple lightly all of your model with that...
5. pose with your awesome-looking model, then start writing a painting tutorial about a simple weathering technique

As for the battle suits, there should be :
- 1x Riptide ;
- 1x Railgun Broadside (yeah, I know the HYMP variants are way more effective on the battlefield... but the railgun looks too badass to ignore )
- 3x Stealth Suits.

All suits will be painted in the same scheme as the FW armour.
Of special note will be the Stealth suits... I'm thinking about trying a "partly-cloaked" effect on them, as in those incredible models :

Gitsplitta wrote:I think grubby tau is the way to go. Really sets yours apart for the legions of squeaky clean tau boys.

Lol, I kinda love that word, "grubby"...

In addition to the thanks for the kind words, maybe I should call their Sept... G'Rubi ?

Final treat for tonight : Finished my second Icarus Lascannon ! (On the left of the picture)...



OSL looks much better than the first one (on the right)... Do you agree ?
Or which one of the two do you prefer ? (Knowing that one of them will make it to my Armies on Parade board !)

Ok, so I guess the Icarus lascannons weren't really inspiring...

As for the rest, here's yesterday's work on the Pathfinders : armour weathering is done !



Left to do :
- Highlight the brown underarmour suit ;
- Paint the power sources / lenses in blue ;
- Bases !

And that's it !! I'm not expecting to finish today, but... who knows ?!?

Sorry for not commenting Yggs. I really did like the las cannons. Actually just picked up one of those myself so your take was very interesting and will probably inform how I treat mine.

Will be nice to see that group done. I really think you've hit on a nice approach that will look fantastic on the table.

Yggs! those Tau are absolutely amazing! seriously if I had of tried to get that look to them I wouldn't have sold mine! yours are so different and original and the heavy weathering is done perfectly, not to mention the electric blue on the drones! is this your own force? because I want to see more more more!

Gitsplitta wrote:Sorry for not commenting Yggs. I really did like the las cannons. Actually just picked up one of those myself so your take was very interesting and will probably inform how I treat mine.

Will be nice to see that group done. I really think you've hit on a nice approach that will look fantastic on the table.

Lol, no worries Gits

Those models are kinda fun to build & paint, TBH !! And that was REALLY quick to paint !
Black undercoat, two grey (dark & light) drybrushes, orange-rust drybrush / stippling, turquoise airbrushing, white airbrushing... And voilà !!!

They really are pretty neat ! But I guess you can spend a LOT more of time on them, as they have a lot of small details, buttons, lenses, antennas, cables, etc...

I'm pretty sure you'll do them a greater justice than I did !

As for the Tau, I'm eager to finish those infantrymen, to see how the scheme will show on the exo-suits & vehicles... The missus promised me a Devilfish for next week's shopping sortie, so... I can't wait !

Thanks for the kind words...

nerdfest09 wrote:Yggs! those Tau are absolutely amazing! seriously if I had of tried to get that look to them I wouldn't have sold mine! yours are so different and original and the heavy weathering is done perfectly, not to mention the electric blue on the drones! is this your own force? because I want to see more more more!

Hey, thanks Damo !
The latest Tau releases really ignited the spark again : I had bought a few boxes years ago, but those last Broadside, Riptide & Pathfinder kits convinced me to take the plunge !

So I'm now building a small, probably 1500-ish points army.... I hope I won't run out of steam before that project ends !

Thanks for the support, it will probably help me get to the end of this !

Yggs, do you plan on doing the devilfish next or will you take on some of those suits? A huge dirty Riptide is going to look awesome with your color scheme. I can't wait to see that.

The canons look awesome Yggdrasil. Personally, I agree - the OSL on the second one is more striking , though I loved the brass on the first one. Luckily, they both are so good you are spoiled for choice.

IceAngel wrote:Yggs, do you plan on doing the devilfish next or will you take on some of those suits? A huge dirty Riptide is going to look awesome with your color scheme. I can't wait to see that.

I think I'll start with the XV-88 Broadside... It's such an awesome model !!!

Currently undercoated are :
- 1x Broadside ;
- 3x Stealth Suits ;
- 10-11 Kroots ;
- a few drones ;
- the HYMP objective marker (that could count as an Aegis Quad Gun, the more I think about it...)

I still have to build the Riptide... And I think I should practice the scheme some more before taking the chance of ruining it !!

San76 wrote:The canons look awesome Yggdrasil. Personally, I agree - the OSL on the second one is more striking , though I loved the brass on the first one. Luckily, they both are so good you are spoiled for choice.

Thanks San ! I'm slowly (but purposefully) improving the airbrush-OSL technique.... Still a looooooooooong way to go, but... With encouragement from artists such as you, I'm pushed to greater heights !!

So thanks

Dude! I LOVE your weathering! You get the contrast just right! That's impressive!

 dsteingass wrote:
Dude! I LOVE your weathering! You get the contrast just right! That's impressive!

Hey, thank you mate !!! Actually, white + anything dark just always makes for a sharp contrast lol....

Or so I've heard (never been good at arts when I was a kid )

Nothing much today (other than the fact I've burst a tire on my car ), so I'd like to show you what has been inspired by Q0rbin's awesome Abyssal Silhouettes : a list of the various honour markings & badges that I'll use for my Tau army !



I'm still thinking about feats that can be performed on the battlefield... What did I miss, and how should I try & represent them ?

Please help me & design other markings ! That would help me work on my poor freehand skills

1. Warlord Slayer
2. Protector
3. Flier Destroyer
4. Dog Fighter
5. Hunt Master
6. Fish Head
7. Line Breaker
8. Headhunter
9. Master Twerker

Sorry I haven't drawn any of these out but it may at least give you some more to add to your list.

Hey Yggs, good to see you active again. I'm probably missing the boat, but it's still true.

The weathering on the Drones and the Tau armor is excellent. The Imperial structures are incredible, and I really like the color scheme.

Always enjoy seeing your work.

IceAngel wrote:1. Warlord Slayer
2. Protector
3. Flier Destroyer
4. Dog Fighter
5. Hunt Master
6. Fish Head
7. Line Breaker
8. Headhunter
9. Master Twerker

Sorry I haven't drawn any of these out but it may at least give you some more to add to your list.

Hey, thanks for the ideas !! Though I'm quite at a loss for symbols, so a few drawings would've helped even more...

1. Great idea ! I think "Hero Slayer" would be enough, considering there's little hope that any of my Tau will ever kill a character... let alone a warlord lol !!

2. I've thought about that one (like holding an objective, etc...) or maybe you meant "the one that passed a critical LOOK OUT, SIR! roll" ?

3. Nice one too... Especially since I aim at equipping most of my battle suits with "Skyfire" upgrades

4. Buying a flyer isn't part of the army plan... yet. So I think this one would see little to no use ! Unless, again, you meant this one was an award for the Kroot Hounds ?!?

5. I'm not sure I see what would be needed to get that award...

6. Same here... Though the name definitely is funny

7. Line Breaker's nice !!! Indeed, I should've thought of this !!

8. Head hunter : again, what would be required to do this ?

9. Erh... what's that, "twerker" ?!? (I'm still missing on a few English idioms, sorry... )

Still, thanks for those ides... I knew I had missed some ! Now I just have to figure out how to represent them, in a drawing that I can paint right with a brush... A daunting task for me !!!

Skalk Bloodaxe wrote:Hey Yggs, good to see you active again. I'm probably missing the boat, but it's still true.

The weathering on the Drones and the Tau armor is excellent. The Imperial structures are incredible, and I really like the color scheme.

Always enjoy seeing your work.

Hey Skalk, thanks for stepping by... Good to hear from you mate

What are you working on atm ?

Yggs, I absolutely love your Tau scheme! I am a sucker for brown and light blue together... so perfect. And you've made them look like they're real fighters and not anime models on display

8. Head Hunter is usually an award for killing a special character or HQ. Similar to Hero Slayer or Warlord slayer, I think its a better name though.

6. Fish Head is an award you reward a Tau for doing some terribly dumb. Perhaps given to a Fire Warrior that failed a dangerous terrain check and killed himself. Or perhaps given to a Tau that failed a leadership check and ran off the board.

5. Hunt Master would be given to a Kroot that actually did what you wanted him to do. For example, at the beginning of a game you say to yourself, "I want this squad of Kroot to get to that objective and hold it." or perhaps, "I want this Kroot squad to kill something over there," In the unlikely chance you succeed you can award the Shaper or whomever survives with the Hunt Master award.

9. Master Twerker? Well that was a terrible attempt at a joke. If you are unfamiliar with twerking, you tube it. But DO NOT watch anything involving Miley Cyrus.

Sorry but I haven't had a chance to get my awards down on paper yet, but if I feel the urge I will do so.

RiTides wrote:Yggs, I absolutely love your Tau scheme! I am a sucker for brown and light blue together... so perfect. And you've made them look like they're real fighters and not anime models on display

Lol !!

Of course my Tau are real, dirty fighters !!! They'll go to great lengths "for the greater Good" !!!

Thanks for the kind words

IceAngel wrote:8. Head Hunter is usually an award for killing a special character or HQ. Similar to Hero Slayer or Warlord slayer, I think its a better name though.

6. Fish Head is an award you reward a Tau for doing some terribly dumb. Perhaps given to a Fire Warrior that failed a dangerous terrain check and killed himself. Or perhaps given to a Tau that failed a leadership check and ran off the board.

5. Hunt Master would be given to a Kroot that actually did what you wanted him to do. For example, at the beginning of a game you say to yourself, "I want this squad of Kroot to get to that objective and hold it." or perhaps, "I want this Kroot squad to kill something over there," In the unlikely chance you succeed you can award the Shaper or whomever survives with the Hunt Master award.

9. Master Twerker? Well that was a terrible attempt at a joke. If you are unfamiliar with twerking, you tube it. But DO NOT watch anything involving Miley Cyrus.

Sorry but I haven't had a chance to get my awards down on paper yet, but if I feel the urge I will do so.

8. Head Hunter, okay ! Maybe it'll be a generic award...

6. Fish Head looks funny... And I guess it will happen !! But... maybe it'll cast them further from the "grubby veterans" status everyone's been talking about lol ?

5. I do love Hunt Master very much !!! And my Kroots will be snipers (upgrade to have their rifles get the "Sniper" rule), so that would be even more surprising if theyd actually did something !!!

9. Just youtubed it... Stumbled on a "tutorial" by "Tweety".... I wish I hadn't looked.



***********************

Okay guyz, in 5 minutes I'm off to the Armies on Parade comp ! Wish me luck !!!

I'll let you know how the Night Stalkers fared...

Cheers !!

Good luck! I'm sure you'll do great.