Elnibbus wrote:
Quiet bubble! Mince pies with brandy cream are amazing! *gaaaaarrrggg*

NEVERRRR! xxx

@sageheart - Lol! squigs improve everything.

@bubble - stop filling my thread with mince pie hate, it wont do!

So then guys work on the sleigh as promised. By the way this is going to be my brother's christmas present so SHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, lets keep this the worst kept secret ever.

So overall I'm liking how this is going, I will add a few small bits to the sleigh itself but I think that bits bout done. I'm having real problems working out how to get the squigs in position (where they are currently blu-tacked) any ideas of how to model them attached to the reins/wire things would be awesome.

The grot/elf on the front will also have a bobble on the end of his hat and a fur trim, just waiting for greenstuff to cure first, also suggestions as to what should go into his non whipping hand would be great.

The grot holding on the back needs his feet bent so they dont look so overly flat and will have some work done on his holding on hand so it looks more realistic.

Santa.....hmm, now this is where i am stuck, the bag side looks good (still needed minor tweaking) but the other side I was thinking maybe a giant candy cane orrrrr a flat metal christmas tree staff thing? Any other ideas would be great.
Also do we think he needs a beard????

FInally dont worry about the base, its going to be snowy!










Oh and also the irregularity of my valhallan hats was annoying me so they have been redone to look more similar (I'm becoming a bit of a perfectionist!) The black ones are also redone, but they have just been reprimed.

 J-paint wrote:
How on earth do you model or paint sweating!

You could do dark sweat stains under the arms and around the neck...

Use Water Effects to model clear sweat rolling off their brow.

LOL the santa is amazing! so so good! but yeah he needs a beard! like one of those dodgy drunk fake beards that hang lower than his chin and just looks crap! you could have it whipping up over his shoulder? I can't wait to see paint on it! oh my god it's gonna be amazingly epic!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh and I bought a pack of 12 fruit mince pies absolutely crusted in sugary goodness and the pastry was moist and crumbly and buttery and oh so tasty!!!

Brilliant Santa Claus dude!

I really want a mince pie now though...

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODE SANTA KLAWS IS AMAZING!

Hey J-Paint, great job (again), I saw that you wanted some fluff done... PM me.

Excellent work lad as always!

i think santa definatly needs a beard... how about some dreads? that would look cool...

as for the grot/elf... if the whipping arm is posed differently a bit... then a "finger"pose is always a nice one

@Rawson/Valhalla - both good ideas, will have to give that a try some time as a lesson in sweating.

@nerdfest - I agree the beard needed to be done, and so it has! I'm very jealous by the way, still havn't had the first mince pie of the year.

@Elnibbus - thank you! and me too! damn all this mince pie talk!

@Rogue wolves - Hopefully the beard will earn me more caps statements! XD woop.

@ENOZONE - thank you! i will amke sure to do that, unfortuantely not much time at the moment but when everything has calmed down I will, thanks for the offer!

@comrade - merci bucket.

@Vik - the beard was essential I agree, as for the other arm I decided to make it EVEN more ridiculous and have him holding a giant trumpet thing! (imagine him playing carols, appallingly badly.)


So then guys this the sleigh is ready for undercoating, can't be bothered to mess about with it any more, so it will do! So I will just dump a load of pictures, go back to my essay so I can get started on the paint ASAP!

The unit of Valhallans stood too, is awesome personified in miniature format. It looks fantastic mate!

Keep up the top notch work.

Best Regards,
Howie.

That.... is fantastic! *applause*

lovely j-paint, but i feel your rope is too thick

HAhaha, just brilliant.

lol, looking so good man! loving it, beard is done beautifully but I imagined it with more of a pointy end with a slight curl? he looks a bit well kept at the mo for an Ork! :-) I can't wait to see this painted up! are you going to put it up in your home as a decoration? next year I believe you should work on a tree topper angel? a rather bored grumpy Ork with a tree up his backside?!!

I really like the christmas project, really original and very orky

Young Logan

Oh wow j-paint, that Santa Klauz looks great! Can't wait to see this one finished!

@howie - thank you very much howie! i also love your valhallans! your kv2 are inspired!

@ GIts- thank you!

@comrade - thank you! unfortuantelu any smaller any it wouldnt be able to support them.

@vit - (Y)

@nerd - its actually going to be a present for my bro, (who likes all things orky!)

@young logan - merci bucket!

@merlin - hehe, well your wait is over!

So here is the finished christmas project!!! Has to rush it a bit to get it done in time! but im pretty pleased with it! Now none of you care bout my ramblings, you want some pictures!











DONT FORGET TO ZOOM IN THE GALLERY!

THat is the most awesome sleigh ever.

Oh God l-paint that is AWESOME! Great work man, great work!

Wonderful! The writing on that sign is so crisp, nice!

That is fantastic!! *applause*

wonderful!

man that cracks me up! lovely work jpaint. Your skin is a nice off tone from the green ork.

Fan-bloody-tastic J! that is one of the coolest conversions i've had the pleasure of seeing, excellent Ork skin too! great colour! hard to believe you scratch built it!

Bravo!

awesome model! that´s something worthy of a frontrow place on everybodies favorite shelf! you should put it on a plinth...

@valhalla - Thank you! thats definitely not true though!

@Merlin - thank you man, was great fun to do, i understand why you enjoy your ork scratchbuilds so much!

@Vit - Thanks, took a few attempts to get it looking right, i found its easier to do the yelloiw first then get it straight by adding black around the edges.

@Gits - too kind!

@Rogue wolves -

@comrade - glad you like it! got it by mixing in a bit of blue and a bit of red in different places.

@nerdfest - Thanking you kindly, im only frustrated i ran out of time to paint it to the level i would have ideally liked, but nm!

@vik - thanks Vik, it was for my brother and it now has pride of place on his shelf.

Wanted to thank everyone for your amazingly kind words, I should have replied at the time but family fun commitments stopped that! My brother seems to to like the sleigh so that good, It was overshadowed slightly by the one put on white dwarf daily which I thought was really cool!

So christmas brought with it goodies, So soon to grace this page are a lord commissar, a sentinel and a leman russ.

I have already begun work on the leman russ, To try and make it a bit more unique I have used land raider tracks, personally i think it looks very big and pretty cool, I'll have to take some pictures in the next couple of days to see what you guys think.

Again just wanted to thank everyone for the support, it really helps to inspire.

oh... a LR with landraider tracks... i haven´t seen this conversion yet... i am eager to fill that gap then

and i want to see your special take on that sentinel too...

Thanks vik, yeah when looking into the idea I couldnt find any examples either, i dont believe for a second it hasnt been done though.

As for the sentinel i really would like to make it unique but i like the stock model and havnt had any cool conversion ideas, any suggestions are welcome!

Okay, that sleigh is beautiful. Great work!

Sentinels are hard to convert, you can slap a dreadnought power unit (with exhausts) on the back, magnetize the options, mount an HK on it. If it is open topped, you can do the full cockpit details. Otherwise, imagine sentinels as these wide-roaming "A Team" operators, scouting ahead of the army. They carry everything they need for an extended mission, bags, water, food, ammo, etc. etc. Load 'em up like pack mules!

Hmm...land raider tracks on a russ? i have never heard of this before. i will be ready for the awesome.

@briancj - Thanks for the comment, your sentinel idea as pack mules and scouts is really nice, i think i'll definitely be incorporating lots of that, baggage etc.

@comrade - Here you go!

Sorry for the russ pics, seem to have accidently taken it on some weird camera setting, forgive me!




I think I have a new trooper I really like! It draws on all of my favourite concepts from the previous guys and ties them together:




Also for those who are interested I have a couple more of my tyranokroot done, here they are all together, the last photo is the all of them, including the WIPs.




Finally I have been trying some subtle camo on this sniper's cloak, what do you think?

Those nids are really ace JP.

Absolutely love the Krids!...Only question is: Fluff-wise...Are they Kroot who have feasted on Nid corpses and gradually mutated from generation to generation?...Or a bi-product of the Hive Minds experiences and consumption of HUGE amounts of Kroot corpses? Either way...They're brilliant! Subbed!

That land raider track made me happy, and the ork in my fuzzy and warm. You have my hat, and possibly my slugga because that is a well done kit bash.

what surprises me the most about that landraider russ is that the tracks fit so snuggly... you have to look twice to actually realize them for what they are... tho... sme better pics wouldn´t hurt

the krootnids are amazing... somehow this is a look i feel they are supposed to look like... makes the hormagaunts look even more menacing...which i think totally fits the bill!

the nre trooper looks very good... the sleaves are specially good looking...bedroll is as crisp and sharp looking as can be!!! and the coat as such looks damn fine too... where i have my bit of nitpick with this model is the teardrop on the facial mask... if this would be possible to get still rid off, then i wiuld recommend this...

and then to the camocloak... very cool looking... in the right background i bet it would work as inteded even... if you know built a fitting table ... i bet you could use this sniper for whitecheating^^... the camo reminds me of old WWII styles i´ve seen, which you nailed down pretty damn well...

that was a very good update indeed... a fresh and promising start for the new year!

Hmmmm, subtle camo is subtle......



and your nids are now my 2nd favorite Nid-ness :-)

The camo on the cloak is fantastic. I also really like the Tyranokroot.

@gits - Thanks gits, i like how they are turning out.

@Drazuul - Lol I had that exact question in mind whilst painting them, I think I decided on the hive mind eating so many kroot, (and finding it gave them a evolutionary benefit because it made the tau distrustful of their allies and fractured their alliance..or something to that effect.)

@comrade - Huzzah, thank you kindly, hopefully it will look good with better pics and paint!

@Vik - You spoil me with the length of your comments as always vik, its very appreciated! I agree, better pics will come when i get some paint on it! And thanks, with the tyranids im going for a more reptile look rather than insect, which I havn't seen many people do before.

Thanks for the kind words on the trooper, trying to improve greenstuff skills is not easy! And sorry about the teardrop! rather than get rid of it I've made a bit of a feature of it!! The camo is ok, not entirely happy with it, but on the right lines I think.

So disappointing update for those of you who like my brightly coloured stuff, but here is the finished trooper, not entirely happy, but I never seem to be lately, its very annoying! My greenstuff is not crisp enough to make the paint look as good as it could and thats always frustrating.

You surely need to pump yourself up dude! have confidence in your abilities my friend as your GS work and painting is some of my favorite hobby related material to browse through! :-) what you produce often is simply stunning work with such personality and flair I can only dream of producing! it's called passion mate and you've got it in spades for this stuff!

So disappointing update for those of you who like my brightly coloured stuff, but here is the finished trooper, not entirely happy, but I never seem to be lately, its very annoying! My greenstuff is not crisp enough to make the paint look as good as it could and thats always frustrating.

now, now! there is no need for that kinda talk here! the paintjob actially i kinda one of a very good one! the brown leathery hat is a nice new change from earlier ones, methinks! (do i use too many exclamation marks???)

i see know why you kept the tear/blood drop...i am still waiting for a fluffy use of that... but it is a look... it sells the model! also instead of shortselling this model you should feel proud about it... it is heavyly converted and sculpted and i for my part have a hard time to point out parts that werent standard template IG ...

so speaks vik

hmm he looks good to me

This looks rather good and like it needs some extraneous (in the west) vowels.

Nuklear Wessells...

Words can't explain how much I love the way you do the iron masks on your Valhallans. It gives them such a glorious Renaissance/Gothic feel to the models that really exemplifies the feeling of the 40k universe

@nerd - Thank you nerd! really thats really really really nice to hear, your own stuff has passion in buckets!

'@Vik - as always vik you really spoil me with your kind words. I appreciate it, i really do. I have a small idea for the fluff behind the blood tear, but that will have to wait for next time

@comrade -

@Galorn - lol thank you, but im afraid i have literally no idea what you mean by your extraneous vowels! (you crazy crazy person.)

@darth bob - I'm glad you like them bob, that was my idea for them too, trying to make guard a bit grim and gothic is bloody hard, but i think with longer jackets and the masks they are going in the right direction!

So this was just a quick post to thank you all for your kind words, i have fresh confidence to continue with these fellows now!

I'm currently trying to think of different headwear ideas, the ushankas are good but I cant help but feel that more variety would also be good, ideally i want a helmet that still has gothic elements to it, or maybe other types of headgear, ideas are very welcome, i'm drawing a bit of a blank here.

 J-paint wrote:

I'm currently trying to think of different headwear ideas, the ushankas are good but I cant help but feel that more variety would also be good, ideally i want a helmet that still has gothic elements to it, or maybe other types of headgear, ideas are very welcome, i'm drawing a bit of a blank here.

What about forage caps? Some of the original Valhallans had them, right?

waiting for that fluff...

for alternatives to your current headgear...

a small collection of stuff i found...:

no need to have the earplaps all down... the ushankas could be "open" eared...


tankcrew hat?


somewhat more WWI and russian revolution like methinks...



fur cap like cossaks maybe?


seamen caps?



or nowadays the russian variant of the berret...

Wonderful painting and conversions. I didn't even realise that it was a sang. guard facemask until I saw the painted picture haha
The krootnids are always cool and I think the russ looks great! Much squatter and more brutal.
Take real pride in your abilities there sir.

Imp. Monkey

Looking good, but i ask you again. Where is the AdMech you promised?

*taps foot*

I think he looks rather good. Stop selling yourself short, man.

Edit: And if you need a helmet, I like that Russian WWI helmet Vik linked.

@Rawson - They did indeed! unfortunately I had a go and they prove quite difficult to get to look right (and not like newpaper hats!)

@Vik - as always Vik your contributions are most helpful! I have in fact used one of these ideas, (but it wont be in this update in afraid!)

@imperial monkey - Thanks monkey! always good to have encouragement.

@STC - Well no ad-mech...but you sir may well like where my imperial guard are going.....note the subtle lack of aquilas.......there are only one group in 40k who the word subtle can even remotely be applied to and you are their modelling champion.

@Valhalla - ty! and what do you make of this hood?


So then guys research project means hobby time is limited, boo! but I have managed to finish the russ with the big tracks. I have gone for a green and grey camo that i chose more because i fancied it than anything else! Hopefully the time I took to weather it shows through!






And also my guard are taking a turn for the deceitful! I have started developing the fluff for these guys a bit. Basically their homeworld was one of those reclaimed by the alpha legion during the great crusade......during the heresy they did not side with the emperor due to a 'freak accident' which destroyed all long range astropathic communications. As a result they were never forced to pledge their allegiance to either side, but were still treated with mistrust by the inquisition due to the nature of their assimilation into the imperium. SInce then they have shown their dedication to the emperor countless times with guard regiments who excel at urban fighting and shock tactics, Despite this there have been moments when their loyalties remain questionable, instances when they arrive in a system to crush a chaos rebellion only after victory becomes evident, their lateness is often blamed on turbulance in the warp, despite other ships having no such issues....Other times they have been found operating on worlds where the high command was unaware of their presence even in the system.

You get the idea........something isn't quite right!

I need a name for this planet and this regiment, any clever symbolic names would be appreciated! Or themes etc.....Or something subtle-y linked to the alpha legion.


Here is the trooper I made to fit this new slightly more shadowy imperial guard regiment: Note the lack of aquilas! (very sneaky!)

Man! Good use of bitz, care to identify them all?

Oh god! I can try, sanguinary guard facemask, Kroot pistol on his back, space marine pouch as the main bit of his rucksack, guard ammo pounches, and the bigger pouch on his belt with the dagger is brettonian mena t arms, the rest, hood/cufs/coat is greenstuff. Huzah! did it! Oh and the gun arm is from the command sprue, the rest are stock trooper bits.

The hood looks very well done. I've never been a fan of hoods though. They always remind me of peasants. Dirty, smelly peasants. Like me.

I believe the body/legs are the command sprue trench.

Thanks valhalla.... those damn dirty peasants. And Briancj you could not have accidently paid me a nicer compliment there! The commander legs are the ones I was copying, if i've convinced you thats what they are then i'm a happy bunny.

You could call them something to do with being twofaced. How about the "5th Janus Shock Corps"? (I know that the mythological reference isn't perfect. But Janus is 2-faced so it works. Sort of)

You are on to something there monkey! The janus idea is solid but I always thought of that as being for looking forwards and backwards in time, I may well be wrong, I'm no expert! Using the same kind of idea though, how about Dolos, the spirit of guile and deceit?

The 20th Dolosian shock corps?? From the planet Dolos?

(the 20 is also significant as the alpha legion are the 20th legion?)

Yeah, Janus is backwards and forwards in time. That sounds brilliant! If you want to make it look different and cool you could use the German spelling: 20th Dolosian Shock Korps, or substitute any word in for shock. assault, armoured, infantry, breakfast, drop, etc...
And their insignia could be two faces back to back in profile...

You should make a Primaris Psyker though and call him Janus and give him psychic powers of the divination variety!

I just had an epiphany. In the first Guant's book, which I'm currently rereading... he is having to fight with another IG unit a lot, the Jantine.

I just now got the probable reference to Janus and being two-faced.

Was it not the Phantine he fought against? Or is that something from a later Guant book...

The Phantine were the air wing from Double Eagle that first appeared in one of the Gaunt books.

Hey J-Paint!

Pretty cool Valhallan conversions you got there.
Those Blood Angel mask with hoods are an idea I have to keep in mind for a Terminator sarge helmet one day.

Great work on the Russ too. LR tracks look killer.

Keep it up man.

Did you greenstuff the trench legs? Good job! I hope you kept a set for casting, because making hundreds of those by hand would suck!

@imperial Monkey - Lol the 20th breakfast corps it is =p And ooohhh!!! I like the psyker idea!

@Develain - Thanks man, and its an honour to give you any ideas at all! Yours stuff is a true inspiration for this army.

@Briancj - ...Hmm, yess...... That would be silly wouldn't it... Although I cant do 3D casts anyway.


Soooo...I'm starting to get into the fluff of my army now. BAsically I've made it far more complicated and convoluted than it needs to be, and I'm enjoying it alot.

My army consists of elements of three different regiments:

The first is the sneaky Dolorian 20th shock corps as previously discussed.

The second is the feral, hunting based regiment from Woden called the 6th Wodian assault regiment

And finally is the 171st Valhallan division.

On paper the three look a perfect combination, the Dolorians are fast moving and can provide recon and fast support. The Wodians are a vicious counter assault force and the Valhallans are solid defenders. Therefore high command have grouped the three together to provide a solid combination.

Unfortunately high command have not accounted for cultural differences.....The three have hugely different ways of fighting and there is constant infighting as to what to do with their resources. Therefore an independent commander has been attached to the combined force to act as a mediator and officer.

So here are a couple of the Wodians:





And here are the examples of each of the troopers:
[/url]

Annnd examples of commanders for each:

OMG!!!!!! the one on the right is AWESOME!!!!!

That Wodian commander is looking especially badass.

badass! love this stuff so much. They all look equally cool. is the dolorian corps gonna be mechanised?

This looks very, very promising. Wonderful work on those first guardsmen J-paint... so much character!

oh man that tank is excelent and those commanders are fantastic!

You are a masterchef of plastic and paint! such beautiful looking dishes you serve us!

hey j-paint!

i finally get around to comment on your last two updates... boy... and what great updates these are!

the tank looks delicious! the grey and green combo as a camo for the tank is very good looking...

the sneaky fella sans aquillas... well this one again shows your great combination skills... he is definatly one of the characters that looks so good because he is suitably kitted with a resonably amount of suplies... this one looks like he could be a soldier in a field...love his "backpackset"... i need to remind my self next time i make a new mini... that look is selling the mini all over!

the double wielding pistol command mini... this shows me i need to find a way to get me one viktor von doom mini made from IG bitz... it is almost done that way by you already!... very cool looking mini and atm i think my favorite so far!

on the last pic... the one on the right side... i have my problems with this one... looks a bit too busy... but i expect your paintskills will set everything into persepctive!

man i havent been here in forever again.. keep up the lovely work jpaint!

@Cheiflibrarian - Thanks very much, hope you like him as much with paint!

@Bruticus - Thank you!

@Imperial Monkey - Thanks man, Yeah I was thinking of having the dolorians entirely mechanized whereas the Wodians might have one chimera that they've just covered in bone totems and stuff and totally neglected!

@Gitsplitta - Thanks Gits, going for something with a bit more of a distinct theme than my usual guard!

@Rogue Wolves - Cheers, hoping they give the impression of the regiment they represent well enough!

@Nerdfest - Lol! Well that last serving was in fact uncooked (...or at least unpainted) I do apologise for that sloppy service sir, try this dish, its totally cooked now, I promise.

@Vik - Thanks, I hadn't seen any examples of just grey and green camo, I guess its quite a rare environment in 40k when you have both. Thanks for you thoughts on the guys, I really like the dual pistol guy too atm! As for your issues with the last guy I think if its too busy my paint job may have made it even worse, I used quite a few different colours!

So I have finished up the Wodian Sergeant, Hope you like it guys! Sorry this is a limited update, research project is sucking up all my time and leaving me with no energy in the evenings.

That... is pretty darn cool J-p.

Wasn't initially sold on it from the head on view, but the profile shot is totally awesome.

i digg that skull mate.

Bloody hell you can sure paint mate!!

well... yes it does look rather busy... but now seeing the painted version i see why it had to be busy looking... i particularly like the hazard stripes on those cables...

the kroot spikes are a really nice touch, where i am a bit biased atm is the energy green on that axe blade... maybe you could some lightnig bolts in pure white to the green? other than that i like this the same way as all the others before... which means a great deal

Lovely. What are the arms on that figure btw?

Just finished reading throught this thread. Fantastic work! I love the three distinct forces, and the adept combination of fluff and colour scheme you've used to tie them together. I particularly like your use of the death-masks. And of course, your AdMech from earlier on in the piece are jaw-dropping. Needless to say, subbed, exalted, all that business; I'll be following along with great interest.

Speaking of stuff from back in the mists of time, I was wondering if there's any chance of finding out what bitz went into your sanctioned psyker/astropath/mystic fellow from waaaaay back on page 4?

PS. Again re. content from earlier: my undying thanks for the tutorial on how you do your gorgeous flesh tones.

@Gits - Why ty gits! The word darn is being lost to the world, I will have to help you reintroduce it more often.

@Moltar - I know what you mean, the front looks a bit blotched, but the overallview makes up for it I think, humbly....or not so..

@Comrade - Lol! I'm glad! I dig your squiggoths, I will be commenting properly on your thread when i get a spare moment.

@Nerd - Its all fairly samey though, not challenging myself much, I need to try some of your more exotic painting techniques!

@Vik - Thanks, glad you dont think its too much, was a bit worried on that front. The axe could do with a bit more maybe but it just is so time consuming! This is only meant to be a seargent and i've spent more time on him than lots of my HQ choices in the past.

@Monkey - The arms are a bit of a miss-match, Basically they are the standard space wolf arms that hold that axe, but the power armour bits have been filed down and the shoulder pads chopped off and replaced with guard versions. Then on the wrist I did the usual greenstuff cuff links.

@AzraelHunt - Wow! What a lovely comment! thank you very much! As for the astropath fellow from aggggggges ago i can probably name most of the bits without looking back, i'll take it as a challenge! The head was a wood elf glade guard hooded head, the torso and laspistol were from the cadian command sprue, the legs were the bottom half of a brettonnian men at arms body, the arms were dark elf corsair arms, annnnndd the top of the staff was from the finecast librarian, (the one I chopped up to make the termiantor armed techmarine.) I think thats it! As for the tutorial you are more than welcome! Let me know if you want any others.

So no real updates as such, but I have a question for the great hive mind of dakkadakka, between you you know ALL things hobby. So I have been toying with the idea of making a weird hybrid tank based off the chimera, but with a different turret and a big gun and called it a russ alternative,...mostly just for funs, i dont mind if people would complain about armour etc, i doubt it will ever see a proper battlefield.

So my question is this guys, does anybody happen to know how big this component is on this sprue? Its the baneblade one, you can buy separate from GW: Failing that, can anybody identify it on a finished model, cant seem to locate it at all.

Its the bit that goes under the turret. Took this for you

Lengths are in mm:

Ooooh nice weathering! :-) I love the addition of the red lines floating there! really makes the blue pop Vit!

 Vitruvian XVII wrote:
Its the bit that goes under the turret.

That is, the sponson lascannon turret, not the main turret, in case you were confused, J-Paint...

Vit - You sir are an absolute legend, unfortunately it's EXACTLY the right size for my evil scheming which means i have to actually BUY the damn thing... Incidently that tank looks absolutely lovely! are there more pics in your gallery? I could just look but I'm subtly asking you to post them here, so visitors flicking through will think i too can weather like a god!

Nerd - PM essay has been sent, for this I apologise.

Rawson - Thank you Rawson, I wasnt totally sure for a few seconds, but i managed to work out where i was on the tank in the picture eventually!

So to keep you guys in the loop, I'm making a leman russ variant, based off the chimera. For the turret I wanted something a bit bigger and a bit more menacing and so I thought a churchill like turret could look good, like this:

And that bit of the baneblade kit is the perfect size to base it around, obviously the rest will be cobbelled together with plasticard etc. But a turret like that with a large gun (realistic large, not 40k large.) will be the main aim.

Also I will have bigger tracks, like i did for the last russ, to make it stand out as a main battle tank, and not jsut a chimera with a dodgey turret.

Any more ideas would be very welcome, not quite sure if this is going to work as well as I can see it in my head.

1:72 will look tiny mate try 1:35 or 1:48.

Lol dw shing, It was just to show you the shape of the turret, now someone using a 1/72 tank in 40k, THAT i would like to see, you could step on them!

Hmm bigger tracks? bigger turret.. place the turret in the rear so the barrel arches over the hull towards the front? and perhaps a small gunners nest near the front?

@Comrade - Exactly!

So more of a favour than an update tonight guys, I was wondering if anyone has any spare chimera tracks? I think its a pretty long shot as its a pretty fundamental part of the kit, but I wanted to ask before I sell my soul to a bits site (who all seem to be out of stock anyway.) Obviously I would reimburse you for your kindness, either with bits from my own box or money, whichever is preferred.) Sorry for reducing this thread to a scrounging session! Once I get some tracks I will be able to show you what i've roughly blue-tacked together for my tank with limited churchill influences.

PM me with an address, and how many links of tread you need.

I dont have any of that sorry, but if you ever need bits pm me mate, will ship them out, i am always floating to many bits.

Got tons of orky stuff and stuff

 Briancj wrote:
PM me with an address, and how many links of tread you need.

I also have a ton, shoot me a PM if Brian doesn't have all you need.

Rawson, he needs a full set, and I do not have that many. Can you set him up?

Now you're cooking with gas J-P!

Very nice concept models or what one now should call them, Paint is crisp and the conversionwork pretty darn cool.

@Comrade - much appreciated panda! back at you.

@ Rawson - Thank you Rawson, sorry I didnt manage to get back to you, will still root around for those SW bits for you though!

@STC - Thank you sir, your blog needs an update, I am waiting upon more alpha legion goodness.

So guys after a hectic week I have managed to piece together my new tank, thanks to some kindly track donations by Dalteth. So pretty obviously it is based off a chimera, and I plan on counting it as a leman russ with a battle cannon (never liked the stock look, even tho mine is even more OTT.)

There are still a few bits I need to add, straps for the bedroll etc, fill in a few gaps, but overall I'm pretty happy.

I have been very sneaky here btw, i know some people will make a fuss about it obviously NOT being a russ so I have magnetised the cannon so it can also become a hellhound (as you can see in one of the pictures.) Also I think it looks fine as it is, but for the sake of it I made up some sponsons for it as well, which I will paint up, but probably leave off for now.

Any improvements you guys can suggest before it goes in to be basecoated?








And with sponsons:




And as a hellhound:


And for size comparisons:

Freakin' hell dude that looks nuts!! awesome job and very cool, I really like the look especially as a Hellhound (i'm thinking of getting one) you've got some great ideas for the old Chimera chasis and they all work just as well! the double tracks are a good touch too and give it some needed girth and presense on field!

Very cool conversion JP.

@nerd - Tis just a trifle, just sticking bits together mostly! And lol! you have plenty of guard to do before you can start getting more!

@Gits - Thank you kindly gits, I am sorry by the way, I keep meaning to comment on your blog, and everytime I make the very foolish mistake of going from the first page! I get about 20 pages in and am in awe and forget what I was there for! I promise I will rectify this!

I think I would have not have cut the eradicator barrel off, so you could field that variant. Also, Russ heavy bolter sponsons are not twin-linked. Other than my niggling nitpicking, that's a GREAT conversion, and I think I can identify all the pieces-parts! Great job!

It's OK Jp, no worries. Would love your input but there's no need for you to feel bad about it. Just keep doing what you're doing... it's very inspiring.

@Briancj - I did actually try that with the short stubby demolisher cannon, but it looked a bit silly because the magnet inside is flush with the barrel end and it just made it look like someone had blocked it up with a massive cork! As for the sponsons, you are entirely right, and at first i made them with just single ones, but they looked really weedy, and seeing as how they are optional anyway i figured i would go for cool rather than right this one time. Having said that I think it will bug me too and it will result in me never using them!

@Gits- Lol too late, already done it

Rule of cool.

@exactly!

So you are very lucky today, not only did you have that weird tanky but...

I have had a splash around in my painting corner and produced a mechanicum assassin. It feels very odd not converting the hell out of a mini, but i really think this model is perfect as it is. (having said that the blades are replacements from a dark elf kit because the original finecast ones were just a mess of holes and casting problems.)

So hopefully this will please you STC, i know you are bitterly disappointed with the lack of mechanicum stuff of late!

Your willingness to put a miniature on a crazy base means I wish to play 40K against you. Fine work, sir. Fine. Work.

That... is an excellent job. Nicely done my friend.

She's looking very nice indeed, the base works really well.

Heh, thank you J-P. Looking nice there, liky the corsair daggers.

And yes, I'll get back on the wagon soon. I have been totally backed up with my studies and my examination project (engineering yay!) and that project just eat all my time. Who'd thought an office would take so much time to design. =)

Looking forward to that PM!

As for your CA Russ, I love it and dislike it at the same time. In fact, ive refrained from commenting for a few days to gather my thoughts.

The main body is great, especially the time you put into the tracks (crazy and amazing!) It also seems close enough to the normal Russ size that I wouldn't have a problem playing against you with it.

Overall, I dont think its up to your normal standard of genius. The turret/cannon I'm not so fond of. The geometry seems a bit impractical (most turrets have sloping angles to reduce impact of projectiles). The cannon looks cobbled together, but that might just need paint.

I hope that's not too rough for you

hmm i like the tank, though i think the turret is to far foward, over all well done. And the assassin is also well done.

well...i like that tank... i really do... the very nerve to cut up and reglue so many track bits... insane...and shows how dedicated to the task you are...

also...love the barrel made apparently out of a syringe... they do have a really nice size, isn´t it?

the bladedanceress looks tunning too!

Great work on the tank, the dedication to do all those track links is awesome. I like the turret but not so keen on the flamer nozzle and I agree that the heavy bolter sponsons are not twin linked on a russ. I would also be tempted to have enclosed sponsons rather that the predator style ones. The other tanks are great too, you have been busy!

Lovin the tank J, what did you use as the base for the turret anyway?

More paint please J- my eyes are getting sad not seeing your stuff! and plus I need some inspiration for the potential 2 Punishers i may buy soon!

@briancj - Ah yes, I have started doing that quite a bit recently, with no regards to their safety! I would doubtlessly have died during ww1 for not grasping the concept of keeping your head down.

@Giraffe- Thank you, thought it might give an extra bit of dynamism.

@STC - Good to hear! (I have been lurking on your thread this week, will make sure to amend this!)

@Rawson - Ah Rawson I really appreciate your honesty, I know entirely what you mean about the sloping armour, unfortunately I was trying to imitate a very boxy tank so was never going to win on that one! Hopefully the next alternative hellhound barrel is more to your liking. I havnt forgotten your bits btw! They are in a bag by my desk but I have been so busy recently I havnt been near a post office!

@Comrade - Thank you sir.

@Vik - Thank you vik, it would appear that my hobby spirit is getting more and more adventurous...or foolhardy!

@Reaper - Thanks reaper, hopefully the new flame turret is more to your liking.

@Rogue wolves - The turret is based on the side sponson for the baneblade, Vit very nicely provided a pic on the last page I think.

@NErd - So impatient Nerd Fortunately you have inspired me this week and I have managed to get some done.

So not a great deal of an update, still not much time, hopefully will all change by the end of the month! Anyway I was having a look at my Valhallans and Space wolves and I felt that they were lacking something, so I have starting sitting down with each one and generally touching it up and adding highlights, whilst I was doing this I decided the bases were too bland so I have started the not so small task of adding a bit of greenery to their bases. So far I have got so far: Still a long way to go though!

Hopefully they look a bit brighter and the colours seem a little less rushed in places, particularly the brown?




Little was changed on this lady except rather than being on a generic box, she is now holding out on the loyal troopers and hoarding the lho sticks!


Also you may remember my concept for my Dolorian sarge, here he is, all foreboding I tried to draw the attention to his face with the blood drops, i think it worked!:




A long time ago some of you may remember I attempted some slash camo, I finally have finished that guy with a face I am happy with (it took like 5 attempts.)



And here is a preview of what I am painting that is new so as not to bore you all! I have always loved both of these minis and hope to do them proud by really taking my time with the paint



For those of you whom are here for the big angry tanks, i have a WIP of my cromwell/hellhound for you, i repeat, a WIP!!





And as a battle tank:

awesom!!!, loving the tanks keep up the good work

And here is a preview of what I am painting that is new so as not to bore you all!

yeah right... as if you could do this with that brillaint painting of yours...never!

that slash camo is er...i just said brilliant... so i go for radiant!... really some of the best footslogger camo i have seen yet!

and your tanks look super cool...why are they still sold as WIP? what´s there still to do? if i´d done them to that stage... i´d call them finished for sure

Those guardsmen (meaning all the guard figures) are truly outstanding J-p. I've never been a fan of guard but you're slowly converting me over.

 Gitsplitta wrote:
Those guardsmen (meaning all the guard figures) are truly outstanding J-p. I've never been a fan of guard but you're slowly converting me over.

Hmmm I believe I read something similar in my own thread recently does this mean that our very own Gits is going to come over to the Guard side? if enough of us start IG then i'm sure he may just want to attack some with a brush!

and speaking of guard, J dude looking really good man! the bases make the models sing like a well paid informant! and the hellhound I love it! the scheme is top notch and after I finish looking at it I shall just tootle off and burn all my brushes!

but seriously, I love your guardsmen and I'm itching to see more of them soon (hear that?..... Soon!)

I have a old, deep-seated hatred of guard... and I've always thought the figures were boring. But, both of your work has made me re-think at least half of my position.

Keep up the excellent work gentlemen!

Well lets see if we can get that ball rolling? J-paint inspired me with his brilliant conversions and made them so different with such personality which is what I believed Guard was missing! they just had no soul to speak of, conversions were few and far between with some quite ugly standard models, but I saw something in J's work that made me push my perceptions to the side and look into alternate parts and see if i could find the character and personality I wanted in the army! I found it and as you know started my own Guard force but I always come back here to get more inspiration and ideas, and I'm never left wanting either! I encourage anyone to at least pick some troops up and have a go yourself, you might be suprised!

Well, if there was an allied contingent of some sort that made sense (from a gaming perspective), having guard in support of my marines would seem perfectly consistent & pretty cool.

Methinks we should find one for you then my friend! :-)

SO UR THE GIT WHO MADE THE SANTA ORK SLEIGH, you have my respect sir *tips top hat*
But seriously you made some bloody cool models. dkok valhallans, scourge head guardsmen, warrior of chaos space wolves, kroot bastard tyranids, the list goes on.
Respect man.

I like the Woodians. 40k is dark and i like seeing that modeled

Young Logan

Ah Rawson I really appreciate your honesty, I know entirely what you mean about the sloping armour, unfortunately I was trying to imitate a very boxy tank so was never going to win on that one! Hopefully the next alternative hellhound barrel is more to your liking. I havnt forgotten your bits btw! They are in a bag by my desk but I have been so busy recently I havnt been near a post office!

In the end, I guess it's all a matter of taste. I guess that's why we give each other "input" and not "direction" If it makes you feel any better, I love the paint

As for the bits, I have some waiting for you as well! Let's get a move on!

@Kevlar'o - WHy thank you, I still havn't found my perfect tank yet so I wont be stopping just yet.

@Vik - Thanks Vik, but unfortunately it still has lots more to be done, mostly jsut details, the basic paint is pretty much done. (Y)

@Gits - Ah yes Gits, come to the guard side. The things you could achieve, my, it would be awesome, I definately think the mantis warriors could do with a few meatshields!

@Nerd - Burn your brushes! Pah! Dont you dare, I still need to see those sentinels! As for your other comment, you should be an imperial iterator, such moving prose I agree entirely though, guard can be alot more interesting that people first think.

@Novelist - Lol, I would indeed be the Git responsible for that monstrosity! But thank you kindly!

@Logan - I agree, especially with the guard though its very hard to include grimdark to what are essentially army-men.

@Rawson - Im glad you like the paint at least Rawson! YOur bits will be in the post first thing tomorrow, I promise.

So just a few bits and bobs tonight guys, mostly just improving the guys youve seen before, The first three have just been based in the new style and the paint improved slightly. The second from last guy is in fact a new addition to this blog, noting overly special, as you can see the wodians influence is starting to seep into the valhallan troops, (fluff wise: Those valhallans with the masks have started to be corrupted by the wodians, or at least influenced, corrupted is a bit too emotive.)

As for the posters, i would like to credit Gits for this fantastic idea, I shamelessly stole the idea from his aegis defence line. The lascannon team one is just a silly one, but I thought it was quite funny, it originally said stay calm and burn the heretic, but the 'and' and 'the' seem to have got lost, so now it almost looks like an order thats been printed off for the firer in case he panics during battle!

Your Valhallans with masks are looking beautiful, and creepy at the same time. That Hellhound is looking beautiful with that colour scheme.
The 'Keep calm and burn heretics' poster is brilliant

Stunning work J-paint... just fantastic.

What's that flocking that you're using? It's really cool.

that flamer guy is so sick! i love him... what head/face did you use for that?

and the lasgunteam with that poster...lol...cool!

[I forget if I've posted here before, but here goes]

I like your 'not Alfa Legion' guys with their secret masks. I also like your Wodian guys with self-explanatory inspiration. However, I don't feel much for your Vahallans. The use of the ushanka (sp?) on all 3 forces, as well as great coats, means that the effect of Krieg/ Vostr. models as Valhallans is a little diminished, and hard to spot out as an independent force. I do like the notion of combining several divergent Imperial forces, but (I may be a traditionalist) in a wargame setting, it may be more effective to show the difference more, even if they would be dressed similarly in a real situation (warp knuckles, who always carries two weapons in their hands or brandishes a sword on top of a tank?).

Overall, your work is absolutely excellent. I'm just throwing in my perspective.

Kaesar II

@Jeep - Thank you very much! I'm glad you like, I was worried the poster was too silly,but hey, you cant take your toy soldiers too seriously now can you!

@Gits- Thanks gits, and you know I have no idea what the flock is at all! I have a small pot of it with my basing materials, but i bought it like 8 years ago, I have a feeling it was woodland scenics, but what exactly I couldnt say! I will investigate for you! Thank you by the way for the poster idea, i am forever in your debt, was a great idea!

@Vik - It was actually the skull head I got with the wraith kit (the one i made ad-mechy) with the addition of a bionic eye I had lying around, turned out ok didnt it!

@Kaesar - Thank you for your thoughtful post, it really is appreciated! Comments like this help me actually try and think about what I'm doing, keep it in a cohesive shape and not just a blob of random projects lumped together and branded an army! I do see what you mean about the valhallans though, they are a bit less characterful than the others, but that was in a way intentional, they were meant to form the bulk of the troopers with maybe a single squad of wodians and Dolorians. I think it may look more obvious once I have got whole squads together. As for any troopers who look like valhallans (ushanka etc) but wearing a dolorian mask, this is meant to represent the slow integration/developemnt of spy networks for them in the valhallan force....(hope that makes sense!) I agree the vostroyans make it doubly confusing! They are just meant to be valhallan vets, and I think that too will be more obvious when there are more of everything. Please do say if you can think of anything that might help the valhallans though, always very keen for input!

I'm pleased I could provide some fodder for such fantastic work. Keep it up mate... it's always a joy to see what you're going to post next!

ah... thanks for that info aboiut the skull/wraith!

Oh wow, well done jpaint-! sesh i haven't been here in a long time. really love the new updates. The post is cool! keep calm burn heretic. Very well done.

great work J-paint - sorry its taken me so long to comment!

fantastic to see models posed in something other than straight combat poses (ie leaning aginst some rubble, taking a breather. he just needs a smoke!).

gonna jump on the bandwagon and say the signage is awesome, as is the wear and tear on his great coat.

@Gits - Hopefully you like this then!

@Vik - No problem sir!

@Comrade - Thanks man! I havn't been in your thread nearly as much as I should, for this i apologise.

@San -DOnt worry sir, just continue to inspire with your painting!


So then guys, sorry for the lack of updates as of late, been having my final year uni exams, so was drowning in revision notes, fortunately that ordeal is over and I can finally dedicate some serious time to the little plastic people.

So to start off here, I have had a play around with some new camera settings, what do you think? Black background better?

First of all let me just bring you all up to date with the limited hobby stuff I have managed to do since I last updated, first of all I have been putting some small details and extras on my valhallans, and redone this vox-caster, as you can see he's pretty worked up by the grot scout hes just intercepted!




This guy is a bit over saturated, still was playing around with camera settings....As you can see I have added a forgeworld brass etch aquila to the hat.


Now these next pictures aren't in the dakka gallery because I'm not happy that they are finished yet.

First of all I have the progress on the hellhound tank (it is purely a hellhound now, as you can see I have changed the turret, I think this looks alot neater than trying to force it to be a battle tank AND a flame tank: I am not happy with this yet, as far as the paint goes i'm content, but the overall look is lacking, I am planning on adding a load of stowage on the back and maybe some camo netting or something. When I have properly finished I will post better pictures, I'm aware these are a bit dark.





And what the enemy will see as it bears down on them:


Finally I have decided to more or less finish with the valhallans for now, they will maybe get a couple more additions, but for the most part I consider them done. As I have started exploring in the last few pages is alternative regiments, those with elephant memories will remember the concepts for Wodians and Dolorians, and I think I will keep the general idea but tweak it slightly. I will also be focusing on the dolorians more, which I am going to change to DOLOSIAN, just because I can ;p

The idea here is that I am going to play down the alpha legion links, but they will still be there in the background, being grimdark, but for the most part they will be a highly disciplined loyalist regiment, called the Dolosian 20th Legionaries. First of all I have come up with a rough head concept:


Excuse the wierd white hair on this, no idea what it is! Have a suspicion it may be glue.


Edit, sorry guys! I almost forgot the most important thing in this post!

I have started a new insane tank project, only just starting, but you get the idea, its big!

Very awesome J! those pics are dark but they are really good at bringing a clear image for us to peruse! I like them like that mate, how do you do your tank tracks? that is an excellent and realistic approach which those shots show off very well :-) not to mention the vox caster, so good!

Tank tracks are fairly easy actually, basically you paint them black, wash them in lots of muddy/rusty weathering powder/wash mixtures and then finally to make them look metallic, you take a graphite pencil, and scrape off some of the graphite and rub it on your finger and all over the tracks, it gives it a realistic metallic shine, really cool effect, not my idea though, got it from the forge world master class book, I highly recommend it for painting tanks realistically!

Thanks for dropping in though, hopefully next time I will have something a bit more substantial. I will have to see if i can find a better balance with the black background and keeping it light, very tricky.

Thanks J, I have heard of using the graphite before but always worried about it rubbing off and not sealing well? I have used a similar method a while ago using paint rubbed between my fingers in a fashion much the same.

if you work out some good technique for pics please please let me know :-) I like what you've done but if you're not happy with it then by all means experiment! pics are my bane at the moment, i can get some good paint down but the images really don't do my models justice sadly :-( not to mention i'm not very versed in the technical aspects of dslr camera's!

paint on dude, looking forward to more stuff!

All your tanks are so church hill inspired. Really love the work on the troops as well, get the feel that they are really characters, not just troops. The tank camo is also a great tough, would love to see what else you will do it.

Thanks! I have just as little camera knowledge, but I will let you know if I make any breakthroughs. As for the graphite, rubbing off is a definite issue, it makes varnishing compulsory, unless you don't want to touch it when you are finished!

Edit; Sorry comrade, you sneaked your comment in there! I am very glad you noticed the churchill likeness! It originally started as a churchill imitation that got a bit distorted along the way, i must admit I have a soft spot for the churchill though, the camo of that last tank was based off an english camo scheme i've seen on the game world of tanks. Thanks for the comment!

looking fantastic J-paint. hope your exams went well.

i prefer the black background...less screen glare lets one focus in on the figures i find.

particularly love the work you've done on the guy with the vox caster. his face is outstanding...especially the eyes. also really like yellow/black striped cable across the model, adds a nice colour contrast. how did you do the blood?

both tanks look great and im looking forward to seeing Dolosian 20th. got your colour scheme picked?

 J-paint wrote:

Edit; Sorry comrade, you sneaked your comment in there! I am very glad you noticed the churchill likeness! It originally started as a churchill imitation that got a bit distorted along the way, i must admit I have a soft spot for the churchill though, the camo of that last tank was based off an english camo scheme i've seen on the game world of tanks. Thanks for the comment!

You do your work well!

Add me on WOT Comrade_Panda

@San - thanks, yeah i find it gives a better idea of the actual colour, and thank you! Its wierd, you can see my progress on painting faces just by going through this blog, I used to be terrible! As for the blood I wanted it to look a bit more realistic to the bright red people normally splash around, so its a deep dark red, (like the old red gore) with a heavy splash of a redy-brown (like the old dark flesh) and then highlighted with the original red and then spareingly covered in gloss varnish in the deeper areas that would still be wet. As for my colour scheme, i thinking of going more typical army colours this time, a drab army green and dark black/grey armour, but using the light bone colour you have so kindly told me the recipe for for a spot colour, we'll see, it may change depending on how it looks.

@Comrade - Will do.

So just to prove that I am truly back, I thought I would share a confession with you all, below you will see a lovely sentinel pilot that I have spent a long time painting.....the confession is that I now intend to cover it up to make it an armoured sentinel, my original plan was to magnetise or pin the top so it could be a scout or an armoured, but i cant get it to sit right, and i know i would never be happy with it not fitting flush, so I am going to glue it down, forever covering the poor fellow up, ....yes, I am crazy:




And the problem i'm having with both pinning and magnets, the problem is it is all too small and it needs to fit exactly:






On a less obsessive note, here is the base for said sentinel:

That base is rocking. Can do damage to the sent. for view of the pilot?

Looking good, as always, J-Paint. I will echo that the base is brilliant.

That Hellhound is fantastic! Did you scratch build the new turret?

@comrade - Whats that about the pilot?

@Darth bob - Thank you! The paint should make it come to life.

@dsteingass - Fortunately not! The turret is an odd mix of plasticard on the sides, and the top and bottom are a side sponson turret for the baneblade, It needed a bit of tweaking, but the general shape is perfect! Still have to add stowage to it, but I'm pretty happy so far! Thanks for the comment.

So no pictures just yet, but I thought I'd share a secret with you, as you may have noticed the new tank is lacking tracks, and even with kind donations I didn't have enough, so I thought I would try my hand at some simple resin casting, I will let you all know how I got on later, fingers are crossed for now, its settting.

As a quick question, how draconian are GW about copying details to add to models, I can understand them taking issue with casting whole figures, but say a press mould of a pattern on a cloak? I obviously don't want to run into any issues here so I thought I would ask the opinion of the almighty dakka hive mind?

sentinel looks great man, shame to lose the pilot...least he got his moment in the (dakka) sun.

as for GW...i have no idea but my gut says your really only likely to hit problems should you try and sell/profit from it. again though, totally not my field.

I think people are completely paranoid about GW, if you aren't selling them en-masse, the law is on your side.

First of all i need to post this little orkmoticon. becouse that pretty much sums up how my reaction is after going through your thread.

Your work is incredible! i love everything you do here! those tyranokroots look awesome

and your valhallan is the best iv'e seen!
iv'e also been thinking of making the threads wider on my russes and the way you did it on the last one is pretty much exactly the way iv'e been planing on doing
i mean instead of just putting two threadpeices against each other without doing anything with them first just looks silly..
and now that i have got a picture of how it will actually look, i must say i'm even more sure i want it that way. becouse it really looks better.

just one question about it thouh.. how did you widen the hullpeice itself? that's the one thing i haven't solved about it yet.



And for the new big ass tank you're making. i have no doubt that it will be epic!

keep it up! i'll be sure to hang around.

Basically, you just need to not sell what you make, and you are fine. There's nothing GW can do to you, nor will they show up with black helicopters and take you aw-

Alright, so to sum up what I said earlier: break open the cockpit with some battle damage allowing line of sight to the pilot.

Great work, I like what you've done with the base detail on your models, really helps sets them off.

I love the way you built that tank with the long tracks! Looks so much more like a real tank, but still 40k.

And the tank painting is coming out great too, dig the camo scheme.

Will you be keeping the aquilla plates upside down for Renegade Guard?

Great conversions mate! Nice use of the wraiths head on the flamer guy and I love the "keep calm and burn heretics" sign. Subbed.

@San - Thanks , yeah pity about the pilot, ah well, I'll always know hes in there at least! as for GW, thats pretty much the conclusion I came to too.

@dsteingass - Lol its true, but then there are definite examples of GW not exactly being customer friendly! Thought I'd check first.

@DiDDe - Thank you kindly for encouragement! I agree with you on the tracks, think it makes it look a bit more menacing and more like the lumbering behemoth it should be! As for widening the tracks (sorry I havn't replied earlier) but I have found that there are two ways of doing it, either by using the tracks themselves as the structural support...(I wouldn't advice this, its a wobbly and generally nerve testing experience) or you can put spacers between the two track parts, like you can see in the WIP pics of the new bigger tank that you commented on, It' s not ideal but it does the job! ...Hopefully that makes sense! If not just PM me and I can worm out some more WIP shots.

@Briancj - You will be sorely missed sir, provoking the ruthless arbites from Nottingham is never advisable.

@Comrade - I see now! unfortuantely It is too late! But its a nice thought I might do that on the next one!

@hk1x1 - Thanks very much! I'm quite limited in basing material which is a bit of a shame, if I had my way I would have some CoD stuff to cut up and put on the bases.

@Meade - Thank you! below you will find it all ready for painting!

@dsteingass- A good idea! what I have actually ended up doing as you can see on the guys below is smothering them in aquilas, I think that even though they ARE loyal, it seems a bit like overcompensation, as if they are trying too hard? what do you think?

@Igandris - Thanks very much! If you like the sign you should check out Gits blog, where i shamelessly stole the idea.


So then.....where to start, I have spent an inordinate amount of time getting this tank to it's current state, the majority of that being cutting the tracks, which took an AGEEEEE and the greenstuff, anyway we will start with this:








Now as the eagle eyed of you will see, there is a few spatterings of white on this guy, and that is my first few attempts at resin casting, a truly infuriating and simultaneously unbelievably rewarding task!

I have put my new found skill towards mass producing the crest I had made from my last update, unfortunately it is SO white that you cant see the detail, you will just have to wait till the paint is on


So here we have the first 4 members of the 20th Dolosian legionnaires:

Very, very cool work. The tank is spectacular and your legionaries have so much character. You can make out the crests pretty well on several of the pics. Nicely done!

http://www.secretweaponminiatures.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=47_51

More crests.

Thanks gits, character was the aim so couldn't ask for better praise, all these inquisimunda blogs around keep making me revise what I consider a characterful model, Its stretching my bitsbox to the limits!

And thanks brian, my only issue is alot of those crests by others companies are either very thick or only fit space marines, I had to make this one specifically, but those links will be squirreled away for future marine stuff, thanks!

Wow! The tank is fantastic! I absolutely LOVE it!

Really awesome models jpaint!

looking amazing J-Paint.

loving the tank. the tracks look like the effort paid off and the green stuff fireblankets are a very nice touch.

i think the new troopers look really cool and unique. cant wait to see them with some paint on them.

san.

I think the head crests might be a little too over the top, in all honesty. I think if they were a bit shorter they'd look better. Just my opinion, though.

@dsteingass- Thanks! hopefully the paint will make it come to life a bit more.

@bebop - Having a look through your stuff really was a massive inspiration to help me get back into painting bebop, so thank you!

@San - Thanks San, unfortuantely the paint didn't end up being to your standard, but I guess us mortals have to compromise

@Darth Bob - Now its interesting you say that, I kind of agree...see below.

So then guys I have managed to come up with a test model for the Dolosian 20th legionnaires, The colours and overall effect I am really happy about, I think it looks suitably grim and dark but has elements of army-ness and elaborate 40k details too, The only thing I'm having a problem with is the crest....now don't get me wrong, I love the idea, but my execution looks a bit tacky.....the fact that where it joins to the helmet it is so obviously greenstuff is bugging me slightly....If anyone has ideas I would really appreciate them.

For those not wanting to read: CREST or NO CREST?

looking good man, i really like the palette. the back pack especially came out well and the eyes are perfect - very striking from within that shadowy helm. also, nice use of powders (maybe?) on the knees and great work tying the colours of the base in.

as for the crest...i like it but its tones seems a bit lighter than the rest of the tones on the model? maybe matching the tones a bit more (ie darkening it) might tie things in more?

Would it be possible to get a shot from a wider view? i find it hard to judge how effective a proportion is on these models close up, simply because some parts (like heads) are deliberately the wrong size.

Thanks San, the knees are indeed powders! shamelessly copying you there! As for a wider pic, are these in the spoiler any better?

The crest is a bit deceptive in that picture, It's just the overhead lighting hitting it hardest, these other pics show it slightly better.

That's a brilliant take on guard mate, you've really done something unique with the tired old Cadian sculpts. Bravo.

I like the crest too. It's a bit of 40k madness, and it suits the "vibe" of the model beautifully.

I like the crest a lot more now that it's painted, but I will echo your feeling of "someone just slapped it on top of the helmet". Now, if I were you, I'd try and clean up the connection point between crest and helmet just to make the transition a little more fluid. Secondly, I'd maybe fiddle around with making the actual plume itself a bit shorter. Maybe 2/3 as long as it is right now. Also, maybe try to shift them back a little bit, so that the back of the helmet isn't so bare, and the front of the plume isn't jutting so far out from the front of his head.



Like that. I think your issue may be the plumes themselves, I think they're a bit long to fit guard helmets, so maybe fiddling around with shortening them a bit would have a more cohesive look.

Long time that I'm lurking your thread and now I have to leave a comment

Being Italian myself and loving everything related to the Roman Empire I have to say that your IG with the Centurion/Legionnaire crest are awesome.
I really love also the Crow team and the Winter fighters, basically is a great thread full of inspiration.

I'm already subbed from a while, but I'd like to let You know that

cheers for putting up the wider shot J.

i can see what Bob's saying...maybe moving the plume back a bit might move it from punk to roman cavalry - if thats what you are looking for. maybe its not...punk troopers would be fearsome.

personally, i think that from the wider angle, which is how we all see them most of the time (is there anything more unkind than a close up?), the crests look fine as is and the time taken to change it might not be worth it. Sheep is right - 40k is all about the madness and any guardsman willing to wear something that attracts attention is definitely NOT Mr. Sensible

as it is, the plume is larger than life - but the model isnt a true scale - so i think that's fine and effective. also, i totally see what you were saying about the lighting changing the colour.

J, I vote for keeping the crest mate, the hobby is all about being creative and different and you do it SO well, I do think it needs to be a bit shorter on top but other than that it's fine, fits the idea and gives you another distinct theme to follow.

Keep the crests... they're cool.

Dude.. the crests are fine.. I just keep hearing "NIGHT ELF MOHAWK!"

"I'm Mr. T and I'm a Night Elf Mohawk..." xxxx

I'm also for the crests, they give the models so much character.
You could maybe have different crest colours/patterns depending on which squad/platoon the guards are in too.
And that new tank is just

Great log this, just had a quick skim through over breakfast and got to say I like everything pretty mic. The tanks are lovely in particular, you're patience in cutting up all that track is decdication indeed. Well done.

Gorgeous guard model jpaint. I personally think the crest is awesome. I love older styles mixed into scifi uniforms.

well... lurking but coming out of it already...

I am speaking against the crest... not my style... but feel free to ignore me

 Viktor von Domm wrote:
well... lurking but coming out of it already...

I am speaking against the crest... not my style... but feel free to ignore me

It's tough I know but I've been in therapy for months now and I can finally ignore Vik now ....... be strong

*slaps nerdy*
gosh... the youth of today...

 Viktor von Domm wrote:
*slaps nerdy*
gosh... the youth of today...

*slaps vik*

i was told to slap my elders!

you MAY slap elves... or eldars
but you aren´t allowed to do so with ancient man like me... i might fall to peices, ye hear me?

Yeeeeee Haaaaa looks like we be gonna have us a Slappin'

 Viktor von Domm wrote:
you MAY slap elves... or eldars
but you aren´t allowed to do so with ancient man like me... i might fall to peices, ye hear me?

for now.

@Sheep - Thanks Sheep, thats a great honour for you to comment! I love your sons of Horus, simply breathtaking!

@Darth bob - I agree totally! I have had a second go at it, will put up some pictures when I get a chance! I have basically done exactly as you advised.

@SelvaggioSaky - Thanks for commenting! is really good to know there are people following! hopefully the new roman theme continues to be to your liking!

@San - Thanks San, yeah I am going to tweak the crest to fit more closely with the roman style, its subtle but if your as obsessive as most of us hobbyists it makes a significant difference.

@nerd - Thanks nerd, the idea is now officially approved, but needs tweaking slightly!

@Gits -

@ Comrade - lol!

@Jerp - that is a brilliant idea!!! I like it alot! maybe red crest stripes for sarges etc, yes.......i like that idea alot! thank you!

@Marovian Thanks for commenting! Glad to have given you something to garnish your cornflakes with.

@bebop - Agreed, some of my favourite games are based on that exact concept.

@Vik - Aw Vik! had to be different didn't you Unfortunately I will have to go with nerd, (and maybe comrade) that the crests give it something a bit unique, sorry!



ANYWAY....thanks for all the comments guys! So whilst I have modified the crests slightly they need finalizing, so pic of them will have to wait till next time,

So today I have a some armour for you all, the new wierd double chimera russ tank for you all, all painted up! Don't forget to zoom in the gallery!

What do you think?

Voting pic:


Other pics!

Mate, I love it!! The proportions are spot on and the painting is fantastic. The weathering on that number is awesome (how did you do it?) as are the little touches (like the hazard stripes on that pipe.

Top work. Which photo you want votes on mate?


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Never mind, caught myself being lazy...I voted on all

Thanks San! The weatehring is mostly done with sponge work, particularly the sponge you get in metal blisters sometimes, first I sponged on the base green then black over that to represent chips down to the base metal, its all stolen from the forge world model masterclass volume one, its a great book.

I've edited the post to have the top one as voting if thats ok, think it gives the best overall feel.

Very non-40k looking... because, well you know... it actually looks like it would WORK.

haha! its very true, I based it (very roughly) off the churchill tank, which gives it a minor amount of credibility that most 40K tanks are ...well, outright lacking normally.

Rofl gitsplitta

I voted. I love the Emperor Church Engine! that is what i will call that tank and their isn't a thing you can do a bout it. The overall shape and paint job is fantastic. It is a good russ, would love to see two more for a squadron, backed by your infantry.


only WOT players get this: "How about the Church 40.k" or am i too lame?

I just love that tank conversion... the proportions came out perfect so that it looks like it belongs in the 40k universe but does not look silly. Would look right at home with the cooler Forgeworld tanks.

Now I'm wondering, what if you did the same sort of thing but doubled up some Leman Russ tracks? With some bad ass sponsons on it?

mate, you must be doing something right 'cause today no less than four of your latest tank pics were on the dakka gallery page. grats!

@comrade - lol some odd phrases do come from your keyboard comrade, takes me a while to work out what you mean! As for a squadron...although an awesome idea I lack the money to really justify this one, let alone more! in the future hopefully though!

@Meade - Thanks for the comment Meade! must admit I was inspired by the more realistic forgeworld tanks, and ooh now thats an idea! One I am financially unable to realise.....one day though!

@San- thanks San! I noticed that! Am feeling very honoured! not sure I deserve such pride of place.

So then guys back to the infantry and the crest problem I'd been having, taking your advice I have lengthened the back of the crest so it looks more attached and took a tiny amount off the height, (not that it really shows)

This version I am pretty happy with so I started mass producing it and plan to stick with it, all these guys have the new style crest,

The sarge having a red crest to mark him out was an inspired idea of someone on this fine blog, (will be credited when i trawl through the comments to find out who suggested it!) I'm thinking of extending this theme, red for sarges and purple for officers and high command, what do we think??

I have decided to make these more as squads and less as random groups of men which i turn into squads later, so for this sqaud, (8th squad, as shown by the shoulders) i have a sarge, a flamer, and 5 lasgunners. To complete the squad i will be adding a heavy weapons team and a vox....im toying with the idea of also giving all the vox casters banners, just for the look.

For those who were elected to lead not to read: What heavy weapon team should I add? Mortar team, Missile launcher or autocannon?

Anyway, pictures!:






If you want individual pictures just shout Also here are the next three guys being prepared for paint:

Wow! Loving the color on them! Can't wait to see more of them.

i would say use the missile launcher. Your guard look great btw.

Awkward phrases you say? Pash I am a man of many intellectual words that will be strung in a confusing manor.

You know J-p, I believe that's one of the most attractive looking guard schemes I've ever seen. And I must admit that I'm kind of a guard-hater by nature (been blown off the board one too many times in my life). Very, very nice. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about guard to give you good advice. I guess as an opponent I'd be most worried about the MLs, but that's because I usually run marines.

Don't know about the rules, but that squad is awesome

I like the different color for the crest on the leader, nice touch, You can see who's in charge and He's part of the group anyway

looking fantastic J-Paint. love the scheme, love the gold piping around the tunic and the shading on the legs- subtle but nice touches.

as for the sergeant, im with everyone else - the red crest looks great. a man who has the stones to single himself out in battle like that deserves respect. the bird (and the purity seal) add that touch of panache that's missing in so many sergeants as well did you sculpt the bird? if so, i am jealous man...

just wanted to say too that the base scheme works perfectly mate. consider my votes cast!

LOVING the Dolosians! The contrast between modern and ancient is great

 Rawson wrote:
LOVING the Dolosians! The contrast between modern and ancient is great

Rawson you still alive then

Those are really nice. Good job on the poses as well. It's actually amazing how much difference all the tiny tweaks have made to the Cadian kit - the cuffs on the sleeves seem to change the feel of the model dramatically somehow.

Another home run J, seriously cool stuff. I was thinking that the proprtion of red could denote the rank of the NCO, so SGT is as he is now, the CPL of the squad (maybe the vox operator) has the green and white of the normal troops with a thin red band seperating them.

And you could extend this to the officers, using purple and yellow maybe. Just some random musings.

Look forward to whatever you do next mate, seriously inspiring.

 lone dirty dog wrote:

 Rawson wrote:
LOVING the Dolosians! The contrast between modern and ancient is great

Rawson you still alive then

Quite alive, just de-evolved to skulking for the last while

Loving the Guard Infantry J-Paint, awesome stuff!

Wow! those IG look fantastic. the plume adds just enough difference to stand out from just the average IG.

Different look for guard (wonder why no one has done this before ) I was unsure about the plumes at first but they grow on you.

I like the sleeves and emblems that gives the model more depth, have you considered adding a second pad to the HQ minis ?

By this (I think I need to explain ) like roman armour a plate over hanging a larger one, it might look cool with the plumes.

Over all look pretty cool and I like the plume colour for ranking.

Why have I not seen this before! The stuff on here is great! Subscribed!

Latest batch is excelent J-Paint, and im really curious on what you did to make that latest tank, I love it and really want to use its style on my basic Russ'

@dakka_dork - Thanks! hope you enjoy these too!

@comrade - Thanks man, I may well use the missile launcher, could make it look cool too!

@Gits - MLs for you too gits, very well I will follow your advice, my only hesitation is the average guardsman's poor BS.

@Selvaggio - Thank you! must admit I dont know much about the rules either!

@san - Thanks San! means alot that YOU think the painting is acceptable, with your insanely high standards! As for the bird I only wish i sculpted it! No, in fact I clipped it off a shield you get in the empire general box, in fact I had to buy the bit individually because I thought it would look too cool not to have! Glad to see I am not the only one.

@Rawson - Good to see that the original concept behind them is coming through, hooray! You have been a terrible lurker of late Rawson, I for one wish to see an update! Your blog was always such an inspiration!

@bruticus - Thanks very much, I do know what you mean, the cuffs somehow totally change the focus of the model and do it in a way that seems to detract from the fairly boring army man look the normal cadians have, thanks for the comment, incidentally I think a major other part of the distinct look is the extension of the waist, seems to make them a bit less oddly proportioned.

@Sheep - Sheep, you will have to consider that idea totally and utterly stolen! I will be using that idea for the CPL the moment I have the parts to make him!

@Elnibbus - Thank you sir! Also get going on that Marbo! I havn't forgotten!!

@pyhsh - Thank you very much! Its just a shame it takes such a long time to do for each!

@LDD- Thanks for the thoughtful comment sir! And it is very odd that you should say that! I actually was thinking for a vet squad that I should use the banded roman style of shoulder pad, thought it would look pretty cool...my only issue is how to actually do it, I guess just strips of plasticard?

@lipsdapips - Thanks very much.

@Rogue - Thanks, and well that tank was basically two chimeras that were stuck together joining at the funny exhaust fan on the side, and the width of the tracks doubled, and then a FW leman russ turret plonked on top, if you want I can find you some other pictures that might help you to make your own? The only issue is it gets VERY expensive very fast, apart from the 2 chimeras for the body, to do the tracks like i have you need 4 chimeras worth of tracks! (if I did it again I would almost certainly use a different source for the tracks.)




Righhhhhhht! mammoth reply session, but really guys your comments are what keeps me posting here, its amazingly encouraging! Please don't stop!


So there is nothing majorly exciting about this update I'm afraid to say, mostly just more of the same, I have finished another 4 dolosians, three of whom belong in the same squad as the first 4 guys (squad 8) and the first member of a second squad (conveniently called squad 2)




And so that we can all keep a track of how I am doing here is a running total picture:




Now the only other thing i have for you fine dakka fellows is something of a novelty to me, I fancied making some scenery, and although in the future I want to make a proper set of imperial buildings I thought I would start with something smaller. (read: cheaper) So I took an old model space shuttle and turned it upside down and removed the actual shuttle and stuck it on an old ....'thing' and painted it, here is the results:




And for scale:

That's *very* cool! Nice bit 'o terrain.

Without the mini It looked enormous, but with It is just great.
Well done on the terrain and the last members of the squad. I like in particular the one holding the helmet, lot of character

Good use for a space craft makes interesting terrain Like the paint work as well or at least whats left of it, when I was thinking of the HQ shoulder armour PC was the intended material I thought of

I saw these pics and thought they may be of use, also maybe for the commander you could use a body armour like the one in the pic, I thought the colour scheme might work well with yours.

Are you going to have a standard ? I could see some great conversion potential with said model.

Wow J-paint, very good creativity, really loving this thread.

My word they look great J! the shot of the four of them together is so good, they are still obviously IG but totally individual as a force with LOADS of character! I love 'em I think the more you paint, the more impressive and cohesive they will appear!

and that terrain is totally cool! I love the application of the paint weathering and chipping not to mention the way you used a toy to such great effect, well done dude, well done! all it needs now is a D.A.M.O or two poking around the mechanics and you're set!

Glad I could help mate

The new additions maintain the same quality we've come to expect, the terrains just the icing.

i am amazed... that piece of terrain is looking very cool... the flaked paintjob... man... you pulled that off very good...

as for your troopers... i am still no fan of that crested helmet look... but your painting is top notch... really... they are very characterful and so damn fine painted...specially the one standing at ease with his helmet in hand... that head is pure awesomesauce!!!

Those Dolosians look amazing mate, are we going to see an army of them?

Nice terrain piece!

Dude those cuffs and roman head things really make the guard unique, nice work..moar peez.

@Gits - Ah is that what you pirates call it?

@Selvaggio - Thanks! I do know what you mean, its very hard to get any sense of scale with it without a reference, I'm hoping to include more squad members without helmets, think it gives them more depth.

@LDD - Wow thanks for those pics man, really useful! I was actually thinknig of using a roman chestpeice like that on someone on this army, your right, it would fit very well in a muted bronzey gold colour, maybe the sanguinary guard one if its not too big? As for standards I am indeed, although the one in this post is very boring it actually just counts as a vox caster, the 'real' counts as banners in the army I plan to do aquilas (like the romans had in their legions) maybe even a skinned lion cloak for the bearer to make it really stereotypical

@imperial templari - Thanks for popping in, glad your liking it all so far!

@Nerd - Thanks Nerd, i think your right, will be one of those armies where they have to be all ranked up to really work! ...oh and although I have said this like three times now the D.A.M.Os are indeed in production! just very slowly! I can't get them to look how I imagined, maybe I should just pop up some pics and see if you good dakka fellows cant steer me in the right direction?

@Sheep - thanks Sheep, I tried your suggestion of the red bands on this vox/banner guy by the way but for some reason it didn't look quite right, I was actually really annoyed because in theory it was perfect, still going to use the purple for the top brass though!

@Vik - Thanks vik, glad you like the terrain! I am still very sorry you dont like the crests, maybe if you hold your hand over that part of your screen they might please you more?

@Elnibbus - I think you may be! I'm really getting inspired by them.

@comrade - Merci

@rustproof - Thanks very much rust, i would be more than happy to oblige.



Sorry for the slow updates guys...I have...well...I have no excuse actually, its mostly the fault of computer games and a lack of the painting bug!

Having said that I have a couple of small offerings for you, first of all is a Dolosian vox caster, (who has a banner, but just for looks!) The idea is every squad will have a banner, just for the OTT look of it!






I also have a test model for you, this is my concept for a dolosian vet, inspired by the 'immortals' in 300 and my personal obsession with these sanguinary masks!




Please do be brutally critical dakkarinos, Not that I have a doubt that you will...looking at you Vik!

Next up on the agenda, (providing the painting bug persists) is the sentinel from a few pages ago and some servitors called D.A.M.O

The standard looks pretty decent and the paint work is neat and bold, over all nice job and fits in well with rest

Now down to the test model that looks pretty dam awesome i like this a lot, I see the inspiration as well but have you considered adding some more embellished armour instead of the sleeves ?

I think this might look pretty coo with the mask an all,maybe even some lower leg armour instead of the boot top ?

Either way the model looks great as is

@LDD - Thanks LDD, I really do love what your describing, the whole ornate armour would look amazing, my only issue is that a.) I'm not sure my modelling skills are up to it! and b.) It might not represent normal flak armour all that well, I mean it is still only a 5+ armour save, dont want to overdo it! Having said that i will definitely do that for someone in command, its too tempting!

So just a quick post for you guys, i have made a servitor. the first of 5, all of which will be called D.A.M.O. class servitors in honour of Nerdfest who has kindly donated the elysian body parts! Its a fairly simply concept that i have mostly stolen for a piece i saw in forge world's model masterclass book, but i think he looks suitably creepy, what do you reckon?





Also I have been having some thoughts about heavy weapons for my dolosians, I really LOVE this model and was thinking of copying it to use as my heavy weapons teams, what do you think?

That sentinel legged armed platform is intriguing for further conversion. Good looking retro uniform army.

Those point things again thats what I get for not being a player

I think you have the talent to pull it of, just try and break down the levels of detail and work in small sections and build up the layers, it is easier to add than take away.

The servitor looks really quite evil which I totally love, that is a great conversion and pretty straight forward might have a go at this myself

D.irect
A.ction
M.aintenance &
O.rdnance

Love it dude! looks awesome and yes, creepy :-) I'll have to check those books out one day! I think i may have hinted enough to my Nerdwench that i'll score them for my birthday this year!

what colours is he going to be? just your tyoical reds and hazard stripes? or something strange and different?

Love the work mate, sorry you think the red didn't work out, I envisioned it as only .5-.8 mm line. And exchange the green for red entirely on the sgt.

I have the same pic in my ad mech inspiration folder, can't wait to see what you do with it.

That ornate guardsmen is great btw, fits perfectly my idea of a life company veteran. Some shin pads would really set it off, and maybe a gold torq.

Very creepy... love that guy!

@silveroxide - Thanks silver, i thought so too, hopefully will be able to copy it well.

@LDD - lol ah you maverick LDD, not playing by the rules! But yh i think your right, i'll give it a bash, i do hope you give it a go, like i say, not my idea by any stretch of the imagination!

@Nerd - lol ah I shall hope that you have hinted sufficiently, they are definately worth it! As for colours, I was going to just do it red as usual but then I read your comment and i thought why don't I try something different, so I did, hope you like it!

@Sheep - Its a brilliant concept isn't it, really have been itching to copy it for a while now, should be fun.

@GIts - Why thanks, hope you like the paint!


Just slapped some paint on the first D.A.M.O servitor, went for something a bit different to my usual colours, thought i'd try a really bright orange, gives off a nice technical support, non-combat feeling which I was after, then i dirtied it right up to make it look realistic.

Skull face is my new favorite of yours. Well done! and scary. in a good way.

I just picture this dude (who looks amazing) constantly creeping up on everyone that needs his help. Like a techno priest asking aloud for a wrench and this dudes already right behind him with said wrench. Just awesome.

It was cool looking before the paint and it is just dam awesome after, plus I like the way you have kitted him out without it looking like an attack drone but just a servitor kitted for that purpose great balanced miniature .

Wow J that looks awesome! love the orange, perfect choice for something different! the green overalls are excellent and give him a real utilitarian appeal for a servitor! :-) you totally need to bang out some more now, then get inspired for a Mech army :-)

That's fantastic! Really! I love the drill/welding/cutting torch tools! The overalls are also great! Perhaps the quilted patches can be a safety color as well?

Like the paint?? I love the paint! Another exercise in excellence from J-paint!

Only just now stumbled on this blog. Man I wished I'd found it sooner. Your conversions are simply gorgeous.

The Ideas and conversions in this blog are brilliant!
Just found this and I love it, and the fluff for your guard is great!

Neeeeeed mooore!

Love the dolosians, especially the veteran.
Servitor looks really cool but the drill bit is a tad big imo.

Those guys look sweet.

 Sheep wrote:
I have the same pic in my ad mech inspiration folder, can't wait to see what you do with it.

Haha, I've got it saved in my AdMech inspiration folder too. And over the past months many pictures from this log have been saved in my imperial folder!

Love everything in this log. I'm not usually a fan of dark and gritty 'realistic' schemes, but you've added enough contrast and color to make it work. The emotionless masks also make for great stony-faced Veterans. Keep going with the conversions, they make your army unique and interesting instead of just another Cadian log.

More outstanding work J-paint!

Love the banner; totally appropriate for the Dolosian Guard. If you could get one for each squad that be awesome.

The servitor is fantastic. Terrifying and awesome. The subtle weathering is also great, along with the little details like the cable on the vet and the numbering on the servitor.

Can't wait to see more mate.

I forgot to mention it when I first saw it, but yeah, that servitor is creepy and awesome.

@comrade - A new favourite? that is good indeed ty panda!

@Moltar - Hahah that is a brilliant mental image, also it sticks with you, cant look at him the same now!

@LDD - Thanks man, the idea was a bit more support, less OTT 'MOAR GUNZ'

@Nerd - Dont tempt me Nerd, dont tempt me!

@dsteingass - Thanks, that is not a bad idea, hadn't even considered that, I will do it on the next one, see how it looks

@Gits - Your too kind Gits, really its all stolen ideas!

@leadlegion - Thank you kindly for commenting, means alot!

@HoeJarris - Thanks very much, I'm hoping to expand on the fluff slightly soon, stay tuned!

@Igandris - I do actually agree with you, then again his head isnt actually attached to his body so I think his drill being too long is a minor triviality

@Gianlucafiorentini123 - THanks, and dear lord your name was hard to type out!!

@Pekel - Thanks Pekel, is always good to know there are people lurking and liking what they see! Hope I can add more to your folder in the future!

@San - Thanks amn, I am indeed aiming for 1 per squad, should look pretty ott, (in a good way) all together! Btw your IFs are really tempting me to try yellow....

@Valhalla - Haha thanks man, better late than never!




Sooo I have to say I really am chuffed at the number of people who are taking the time to comment, really makes a difference (even if I end up taking half an hour to post an update because of all the replies =p)

So I have been moving house these past few weeks as I am beginning my PhD in October and was getting all settled, I have just got my internet set up, but I havn't been idle in the mean time, I have lots to share today!


So first of all I have had my first ever commission!!! I must admit I was incredibly excited when I got it. I was basically asked to do a squad of realistic female valhallans like the one I did for my own army, (but not paint them) so I just followed the same idea I used before and am pretty pleased, hope the fine fellow who asked for them is too!



Second of all I have been adding more dolosians slowly, here are three troopers who are mid-paint, I am very aware I rarely actually post WIPs considering this is a WIP thread!



Also have this sniper and standard who are very early WIPs:




Also I figure the dolosians are going to need someone to lead them, so I have come up with this for a platoon commander, what do you think?




Also some of you may remember that I intended to copy the heavy gun servitor idea based on a sentinel for my heavy weapons teams, and I have had a play around and so far have this:






Also all these Dolosians are going to need keeping in line, each squad in the army will have a commissar, it may be a stupid idea in game, but I have a good reason fluff wise, even though the Dolosians are one of the most reliable and fanatically loyal regiments according to offical documentation there are consistent demands, supposedly from Terra itself, that they are assigned a disproportionate number of commissars to maintain order, when questioned any further explanation is denied on 'confidential grounds'.



Finally in the WIP half of this thread I have begun work on a chimera to ferry around the (as yet unmade) Dolosian Vets, I have painted the interior first, because well, I was impatient to try a few techniques! (Sorry its incredibly hard to take pictures like this whilst also letting in the light!




And I have started adding stowage to the outside of it, Its pretty weighed down!!






Noooow on to the painted section of this update!!


First up is my minotaurs who have been begging to be painted for AGESSS now, and I have finally conceded, so even though they are FAR too big to be ogryn, here are my minotaur count as ogryns:










Then next up I had a go at painting different types of stubble, this first guy was an attempt at a shaved head, but unfortunately its far too subtle and is totally lost in this harsh light





Then this second guy was an attempt at facial stubble, this shows up much better, by the way excuse the ridiculous hat, it had to be done!!






Also I slightly tweaked my banner, I think the white stands out more?




So because i seem to have an obsession with chopping the heads off the beautiful DKOK models, I made this winter uniform dolosian, which annoyingly I REALLY like:





Now I thought it would be good to focus my mind to put up all my Dolosians so far, so here are all the painted Dolosians so far:



And all of the painted and yet to be painted dolosians:




Now to finish I have something ever so slightly different for you guys, I had got somewhat caught up in the space marine frenzy and have made this single Raven guard, which I have painted very roughly, just to see if I like how it looks, I think I do actually....

(Remember Its very roughly done! It was a spur of the moment thing):



Also altho it would be very impractical, if I ever did more raven guard, I would be unable to resist doing this to them! Of course its just the one wing so you dont get the full effect, but still, I think it looks pretty badass!

<--- Completely speachless.

(GS work on those tarp rolls is just amazing)

I wish I had your skill with GS. I would love to weigh down my Guard vehicles like that.

Im with Gits mate - speachless - i can see another period of dominating the Gallery front page coming your way! huge grats on your first commission - and on starting your doctorate!

Love the Dolosians. the fade on that power sword looks great and it really stands out against the under saturated palette.

The winter Dolosian is really well done. something about the pose you've got is really evocative...he seems so...tired....

the minotaurs look really nice and like they would be heaps of fun to paint. you've probably already said this, but how did you do the gore on the weapons?

the feather hat is totally fabulous (and everyone should be a little fabulous!). If it wouldn't result in my execution for heresy i would definitely try this with one of my Fists. the stubble looks great man, and your faces are getting better and better (the eye ball can NOT have been fun to do). i really liked the shading on the leather part of the hat brim as well.

The raven guard is a great model and your scheme is working well mate. as for the wing being impractical....this is a group of soldiers that bring hammers and claws to machine gun fights. impractical is in their job description.

+1 to what everyone has said before. Everything is amazing.

The super close ups aren't very flattering, but they never are. The helmet on the winter dolsion may be a touch too big, but its just so damn evocative I don't care!

@gits - Aw shucks, I am getting very proud of my tarp rolls! Such an odd thing to specialise in!

@Valhalla - You know It really isn't incredibly difficult, most of it is getting a good technique, I could do you a tutorial if you wanted?

@San - Thanks San, but i shouldn't think it dominates the gallery, is only a chimera! The winter Dolosian is annoying because I really didn't want to like him because doing more would be so damn expensive. The minotaurs really were fun though, they are so big you can afford to be a bit more sloppy, especially as you can cover mistakes with blood or dirt =p The gore on the weapons was surprisingly easy to do, for the old, dried gore it was literally half black wash and half dark red paint (the old red gore I think) applied in several thin layers in places you would expect to get bloody. For the wet blood I then left some of this dried blood towards the edges and added a brighter red (blood red) to the wash, finally after I had matt varnished the whole model I added a little gloss varnish to the brightest red bits to make it look like it was still wet, (Lots of people HATE this technique, but tbh it saves alot of time and if a personal preference thing really.)

When I impulsively first bought the feathered hat from bits and kits, I was determined to use it, even though its SO over the top, but the idea of a fist with one is priceless! The most dour, straight laced marines in feathered hats and feather boas would be almost worth ruining a model for the comedy value.

As for the Raven guard it was just a quick test, If my marine madness continues I might make a squad of assault marines, at least then the wings would have some justification!


@Sheep - Thanks Sheep, The problem is with the close ups is my camera can zoom in more than my eyes! Its only when I upload the pictures that I truly appreciate how well some things have come out! As for the winter Dolosian again you may well be right, and I thought about making a smaller crest to compensate but the idea of sculpting and then casting another crest was too much!

A tutorial would be excellent! After I get my painting skills to a point I'm satisfied with (probably never) I want to branch out into terrain and GS sculpting, if possible.

I actually meant that the cadian head is bigger than it needs to be, not the crest, its a regimental identifier.

But speaking of. . . one idea I had when i saw your new WIPS is armoured troops and SF, they should probably have a shorter version of the crest, one to fit in the troop compartment of the chimera (although the roof would be spotless with all that dusting), and secondly, for a more low profile silhouette on the SF sniper teams, just a thought

Damn, J! You've been working hard. Everything looks great! Glad to see those mino--errh ogryn get some love!

Man, that heavy weapon idea is brilliant, and also brilliantly executed! I wasn't quite sure how it would work but seeing it makes me want to try it myself :-) it could be the catalyst to get stuck into my Guard again later!

I am super impressed by your update and work j-paint. Top notch, and well done... and epic.

@Valhalla - Your wish is my command, hope this is helpful!

@Sheep - Ah the cadian head, yes, unfortunately there is even less I can do about that, at least it was the forgeworld cadian helmet, not the GW ones! As for the crests, whilst I'm impressed by the amount of thought you have put in, (normally something i'm a stickler for) I can't help but feel shortening their crests would de-masculine-ise (making up words as I go along) them! But I do love the idea of the perfectly dusted chimera roof, If I ever write proper fluff about these guys I will steal that, it can be part of a witty proverb about the Dolosians, written by a grizzled vet called Sargent Sheep!

@Moltar - Thanks man, yeah they were sorely overdue, they were glaring at me from the painting pile!

@Nerd - Ah its still a WIP atm nerd, but if It inspires you to return to the humble guard then I'm very happy! ...that said your not allowed to be distracted from the alpha legion, i REALLY want to see your take on them.

@Comrade ; Thank you kind sir!


So then guys, nothing too impressive today, just a quick tutorial on how I have been making my tarps/bedrolls/things that are all rolled up. But before we start I wanted to share a little project I've been doing for the better half, Bubble, who wanted me to recreate an ultramarine she has been reading about in a Graham McNeill book called Pasanius who is large even by astartes standards and so has to wear specially adapted terminator armour! So following the description she gave me and with lots of supervision...I came up with this, which may be a bit rough around the edges, but by the end I realised that I'd inadvertently made a truescale marine! anyway, here he is, expect him over in Bubble's thread at some point in the future:



Anyway, on to the tutorial! Lets get started! By the way if you are a bit confused at first bear with me, I have found the best and easiest way to make these things is to ACTUALLY MAKE THEM, you'll see what I mean as we go on!

By the way if any of this is unclear just shout, I will fix it in the morning, brain isn't working well enough to check at the moment! I may also put all the pictures in spoilers too, otherwise it takes up a crap load of space!

Step 1:

First of all you want to get a flat surface and cover it in water, for this first step everything should be as wet as possible to stop it sticking, first of all get your greenstuff and flatten it out into a thin sheet making you you flip it over regularly to stop it sticking, you should end up with something like this:


Step 2:

Now this is the vital step, leave it to set for 1 hour, this is essential as you'll see below:

Step 3:

Next up we are going to make a square or rectangle shape that will be the size of our rolled out tarp, (its best to make it smaller than you'd expect it to be size wise because the greenstuff is fairly thick and when rolled up it will take up more volume than real material..if that makes sense)
So first up make a gentle cut on one side:

if you have left it to dry long enough it will peel away cleanly like below:

Now do this for the remaining three sides, you'll end up with a rectangle of some sort:



Step 4:

Now we roll it up, try to use a gentle instrument, I have found that clay shapers, which you can buy from craft shops are perfect for this:




Step 5:
Now it is time to attach the roll to whereever it is intended, if you fancy you can glue it on, but I tend to find its still sticky enough that it stays on by itself with a little force:
#

Step 6:
Now it is time to shape the roll onto the surface you have chosen, I tend to start this by making indents where the straps would be, I do this with the flat side of a greenstuff sculptor tool, and it is literally a case of pressing firmly:

Now obviously the straps will be constricting the roll slightly so the first thing to do is indent the top and bottom of the roll where the strap would be digging in...the picture probably explains it better:

Now we need to make it look a bit more believable, so using a pointed clay shaper, (or a green stuff sculptor would work almost as well) I make two indents, one above and one below the join in the middle, like so:




Step 7:

The straps, now there are multiple ways of doing this, if you are fed up of GS by this point you could just use wire, like so:


Or we could be very eco-friendly little bees and use the off-cuts from the first part to make the straps:



And the final result:

That seems simpler than I would have thought. And it really does seem like something I can do. Great! Thanks!

Fantastic tut... going to have to try it!

Let me just say, that platoon commander build looks SICK!

Nice tut j paint. i learned!

nice tutorial man.

Glad to see you making Pasanius - Fists need more character models!

So I seldom ever post in this area of the forums (more just watch) but I have to say bravo all around. I love the Valhallans and the tutorial on the tarps. You have some great conversion talents and I commend you for them.

@valhalla - It really is incredibly easy, give it a go!

@gits - Please do!

@Lipsdapips, in that case sir, I hope you like him with paint below.

@Comrade - Good, then I'm happy.

@San - I agree, someone needs to really dive into the imperial fists like Graham has with the ultramarines, would be nice to see a bit more depth.

@Empchild - I am honoured then sir! thanks for dropping in! Tbh most of my stuff is fairly simply its just stuff that other people havn't got round to doing yet, but its nice to give people a leg up as it were.

So then just a small update today, have splashed some paint on the platoon commander, he's not the best painted I have ever done, but in terms of the colours I think they work really well, give him the regal look I was going for! Unfortunately the less than best quality painting is probably due to my hobby mind beginning to wander, Nerd's competition has got me particularly excited to try something COMPLETELY different......*evil muttering*....

Excellent as always. I rather like the colors. I've been thinking about purple myself. On my IF termies, I noticed that some of the purity seals didn't need to be red, for some reason or another. And I tried them in purple. I rather like the way it looks against the yellow. On my commander, I'd like to do his cloak in purple, but I'm afraid that much purple might not look right with the red trim.

Beautifully done!

wow..i have been a bit absent on tis thread... but boy has stuf happened here...!

I too aree...you GS skills are brilliant! bloody brilliant at that!

of all the amazing stuff I just want to point out one thing...as it is kinda something I probably will try out too for my own army.. the karskin sarge you equipped with that feather cap... tha is an amazing look...and a totally genius idea for the pose of that model.. such a wide reaching model truly deserves such a head! now we se way more clearly why this mini is so often seen in inquisitor army´s...!

@Valhalla - Oh yes, I can imagine the purple and yellow looks awesome! And hmm, it might be interesting to try, but unfortunately I think you might be right.

@Gits - Not the best, but it serves!



So then guys, a post you guys can actually meaningfully discuss here today! So as you all may know, the Dolosians have a slightly dark side, the planet of dolos was first brought into the imperium by the Alpha legion before the heresy, and they inadvertently kept some links and ties with them, in terms of high up commanders taking advice from the staunch and trusted loyalist space marines, known only as the legion...

So I have decided to model some of these Alpha legionnaires who are tugging at the puppet strings of my Dolosian army, I think the best way to describe what I have planned is just to share the musings I was having with Nerdfest on the matter:

'Well I have been having a think and I'm going to have them allied with my IG, my idea is that they are posing as loyal space marines and basically getting the Dolosians to do the hard work for them, so I will probably only have a very few alpha legion units, but pretty hefty elite ones, mostly infantry, perhaps in drop pods so they can just come along at the end of a fight and mop up/ get whatever they were after, in true alpha legion style...

In terms of the actual modelling, I will have to keep my conversions quite subdued, so they could be believably loyal, I think I will copy STC's style of painting them, (his original theme) just because its so bloody beautiful!


But my main idea to theme them slightly is to keep all the aquilas on the models, but instead of the two eagle heads, GS on three serpent heads, I think it would be very subtle, and to a guardsman very unassuming, but telling to those in the know? Might be a bit fiddly, but if it worked it would be awesome!

My other idea I was having for them is to use the sanguinary guard masks again....(I frigging love those heads!) as a tie in with my dolosian vets, it sort of hints at a shared history? maybe with hoods?? Or crests like the dolosians?'



Now please any extra ideas will be massively appreciated, I'm seriously excited for this project!

For those of you who do not know what I mean by STC's Alpha legion, I'm talking about this: It is simply the most beautiful paint scheme ever invented!




Further inspiration will come from images like this:

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120927195345/warhammer40k/images/thumb/0/05/Alpha_Legionnaire.jpg/250px-Alpha_Legionnaire.jpg


So what do we all think? Shall I use more sanguinary guard heads? hoods? crests? normal helmets? Forge world models? Dark angel robes?

yea, by all means use th masked heads... if possibl in combination with hoods too!.. I think your fluff is rather tasty... this sounds like a winning idea! you´ve won me over after the second sentence so to say^^...

using the masks would also finally explain why your guardsmen use these too!...

How about a crest similar to your IG, but have a serpent on either side of the crest and one riding he top of the crest? Those colors are sweet, and if you pull it off I think it will look amazing . I vote no cloaks or hoods though on the alpha legion guys. I think that will make the too cartoon villainy. If Hesse guys are imitating regular marines then they shouldn't be trying to hide themselves.i think defacing the Aquila would draw attention as it was a sacred item with the believers of the emperor being a god. Maybe you could also use tridents like nerdfest09, with the tips being the three heads of the hydra.

Agreed.

Yes yes, Get on with it!

@Vik- Sorry Vik, totally missed your post on the previous page! You seem to be the only one in favour of the hoods, even though it would make it a hell of a lot easier for me! I will try one with the crest and one with the hood, I know your not keen on crests, but we have to appease the masses

@Thephoney - ooh! now thats an idea, whilst I would love to do the serpent crest idea, it simply doesnt seem to work, I cant get the serpents small enough, I've been foiled by my big clumsy fingers! I have tried to use the idea though on the backpack. On reflection you may be right about the aquila, and it saves me a lot of bother so thank you! The no hoods or cloaks idea we will have to see about, they are alot easier to do! Thanks for your input though, some awesome ideas there!

@gits -

@STC - Patience is a virtue!


So I have got my grubby mits on the SM codex and a box of the new sternguard, and my creative juices are really flowing.....in fact I have buckets surrounding me to help catch the excess...its all very messy truth be told....

But I have been having a think about which chapter tactics I should use, and raven guard spring to mind initially, but ....hmmm, i dont know, I have been strongly considering the white scars too, with operatives on bikes counting as scout bikers, and all the units having hit and run (seems like the kind of thing alpharius would approve of)

In the mean time I have been trying to get a good looking concept to build from, so far I have this: What do we think? The backpack is a subtle but nice addition? or total time consuming rubbish? I may well try a head with a hood too, just for ease, getting the crests to look like they are not partly greenstuff is a nightmare.

Going back to the rolls tutorial, that was great. Will dfintaly be using that for some army at some point, thanks very much

Young Logan

Very nice... I think that looks clean and sharp.

@Young Logan - My pleasure, I hope you get good use out of it!

@Gits - And with paint?

So just going to drop the pictures of the finished Alpha legionnaire here, I ended up deviating a fair bit from STC's paint scheme, but I'm fairly pleased with my take (I've always had a soft spot for turquoise) The free hand hydra on the shoulder is actually not that great, but the light glare has been very kind to me in these pictures, hopefully it will improve if I do another. I have quite a few pics here, but I spent quite a lot of time on blending/layering so indulge me!

The legionnaire is really well painted, but I don't believe the head really fits. It should be a contrasting color like white or the sort.

I love it, J! I think the head has a nice, spooky, Alpha Legion feel to it. Color tones are just right and the palette, as a whole, is very complimentary. Hydra looks good, although fairly basic, but should definitely look great from arms distance. This mini actually makes me want to stop what I'm doing and paint.

WOW!! So much to catch up on you have been busy, love the standard update and the sniper simple but fitting.

The Commissar looks great and good use of body as the chest plate is perfectly fitting, also like the DKOK body with the crest head make a cool looking unit.

Great job on the tarpaulins and gear stowage and the tutorial is spot on and easy to follow, just so much to remember.

The last Alpha legionnaire Marine up date is a nice idea, I like the overall look but have to agree the head gets a little lost in the overall colour, however it does look great in green maybe you could give the chest armour an alternative colour ?

Anyway great stuff also love the stubble chin and hair, maybe you could send me a PM with tutorial on how to do it as it is one thing that bugs the hell out of me

Yes, I think a whole force like that is much needed.

The mask-helmet made me think of the alpha legion theme... gives a anonymous faceless theme to it. So much so that I like to imagine it was just a black mask-face instead of having the crest

the colors are really beautiful too, good work man!

Looking good man.

I think you've done a great job with the colour on the alpha and i think you are underselling he freestyle - it looked simple but effective to me. the additions to the backpack are great.

Blue as the highlight colour (seals, lenses etc) looks great. The helm is striking and distinctive. strangely enough, as its obviously a mask of a face its somehow (to me) even more dehumanising and anonymous than the normal helmets (which i think are quite expressive in their own way).

with those bases they should ally well with your Dolosians.

@comrade - Thanks comrade, appreciate the feedback! Its weird you say that, i actually considered doing it white for a while, but unfortunately I took far too long on it to change it now!

@Moltar - Thanks moltar! Yeah the hydra is a bit too simple, but hey, its my first attempt! Hopefully it can only get better! I'm glad I inspired you though!

@LDD - Thanks LDD, have sent you a PM! I'm impressed you managed to remember so much! I can never remember that much when I comment on other blogs!

@Whalemusic - Do you really sir, the only thing is it took an absolute age to paint!

@Meade - Cool! I was hoping the helmet would give that kind of impression! But you think maybe try the next one without a crest? I certainly will give it a try, would my life infinitely easier!

@San - Thanks San, the freehand really isn't great, the lighting is kind to me! The blue was a total spur of the moment thing, I had actually got out my red to do my purity seals and was like...wait a second, they don't HAVE to be red!



So although I really like my alpha legionnaire, I stupidly have been reading my new SM codex to find out good ways to represent them.....let me say that for the ADD hobbyist lurking inside of me it was a terrible idea! I have fallen in love with my very first 40k army all over again, the Black Templars, so I may have to do at least one to shake the obsesseion.

What do you all think of a black templar on a bike, (like a true knight!)

Also does anyone have any idea how I would go about getting the lovely dirty white in this picture:???

Dam I can answer this one I think start with a base coat of skaven brown, or a darker brown if you want another shading first then skaven brown (sorry I don't follow GW paint names anymore ).

Then paint bone white blending to the skaven brown leaving the darker browns as shades, then wash with a very translucent brown wash building up till you get the desired look, then highlight with the bone white again then a very light wash of the brown just to pull it all together.

I hope this helps probably not but it might give you an idea at least

Templar on bike no way give him a bionic horse the empire one would work with a little conversion work, or convert a juggernaut even.

That turquoise is really pretty.