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 Dr H wrote:

4. Mansafe attachment point. This goes above the hatch / ladder and has a safety cable thing hanging from it (called a "mansafe" see below. I don't know what women are supposed to use... maybe there's a pink one ).

This just made my day!

You've done a fantastic job on those presents, especially the land rover and the X-wing, Beautifully work .

Thanks everyone.

LDD: Hope you didn't bang your head when you passed out.
These things are a nice way to branch out and practice new (or less well-used) techniques. I am pushing myself and my skills to the limits, that's why some things work and some ... not so much.

The paintwork on both the Landrover and X-wing had to make up for the missing sculpted/modelled details. I'd have preferred to have added all the details during the build but didn't have the time.

Ta.

Gitsplitta: Thanks. Yeah, I don't know where that texture came from. I'm sure the paint was smooth when I did it, and it only showed up after the varnishing. As it's evenly distributed across all surfaces I assume it was something to do with the varnish.
If I'd had at least one more day to work on it I would have sanded and re-varnished. But if the problem was with the varnish it may well have re-appeared...

Theo: For that scale it's probably easier to buy model cars and modify/paint them to match the setting. Ta

StarDrop: Good to see it ticked someone.

hk: Thanks.

I'm off to run about post-apocalyptic Boston again...

Don't worry I have landed on my head several times ....... And that was before I found alcohol.

I liked the use of paint to represent detail it helps with painting techniques, plus I think you did a damn fine job sir

As for the surface issues it probably was the varnish, when we use to lacquer/varnish furniture we had to apply 3 to 4 coats with sanding between on areas to get a complete smooth finish.

Great stuff as ever. Have a great new year and enjoy the post-apocalypse!

Enough of the post-apocalypso nonsense. Models and paint young man.

LDD: That's... ok then, and explains some things...
Thanks. I just didn't have the time to scribe all the lines and often those are not much straighter anyway.
And to layer on sheets of plastic would have taken even longer (as I did for the Jet bike conversion with the Necron rider).

Graven: Thanks. Enjoying it far too much...

Cam: But but but, there's so much junk to collect and hoard and build things out of, and there's places to see, people to meet kill.
Modelling will happen soon...ish. Just one more adventure...

Having now finished a model for my shelf (and I'm weaning myself off Fallout 4), it's time to make some more money models... er, money... models to sell... for money.

To start with it's another rescue job, in a way.
This chap started as a bright green (and thick paint) Tau fire warrior, that I earmarked for doing up and selling. I'll show a comparison photo when he's finished.
Now, I can't really do him as a lone fire warrior, as who would buy one fire warrior... So, what do Tau armies have one of? Ethereals (I think).
A single character model is something that I can sell.

A quick look about at Ethereals leads me to a few essentials; robes, regal looking, with a long pointy device.

I've not changed to pose, this is how he was glued together, so this is the pose I'm going with.
The right arm is the "throwing a grenade" arm, and with a removal of the grenade, gives a "holding/leaning on a spear" pose.

Once glued on, the pike will sit on the base, it just won't stay put if I rest it in his hand and on the base.

The pike is a sword blade I got from OMN; at least I assume it is a sword blade, it had no hilt and the tip was broken (one of a selection of miscasts, not something I actually paid for), and it wasn't just a random piece of resin that just made it's way into the bag. It has a nice cross-section for a blade and just required a little sanding to give it a tip.
That was pinned and glued to a length of plastic rod that had an odd piece of "end of a staff" (don't know where it came from, but it was the right thickness and finishes the end nicely) glued to the other end.
The guard is an Eldar piece with the gems removed. I think this is a Wraithguard piece that I got from Comrade Panda. The gap in that piece was filled with the end of a Tau helmet antennae (the rest being glued to his earpiece) and some putty, to make a gem or something.

The wrappings were an experiment. Can you guess what I used...?
Dental floss. Glued and wrapped round.
Then a ring and some putty at the other end to give it a lance-like appearance. Implying knights and therefore regal... (tenuous links - R - us).

I've only started on the robes. A piece of metal (from a squadron putty tube) around the back and then tissue and PVA/water all around.
I'm in the process of adding putty to add in some shape and structure.
There will also be more robes down his back once this is done.

Stay tuned for more.

Exciting use of random crap the there!

Thanks Graven.

Work has been slightly interrupted by some decorating, but he now has a cape:

Once this has set it'll get some sanding to smooth out the surface and hopefully painting will bring out the folds and creases better than it all being white.

And while I'm here I'll remind you, the viewer, that I still have a stock of bathroom items, boxes, and wooden huts; including the built, converted and painted example.
All the relevant details can be found in my Swap shop thread: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/582046.page#6580426

Looks cool. And your gear is of course awesome.

Thanks for the compliment and the endorsement, Graven.

Smoothed, naginata attached, primed, and washed with black:


Now, assuming I give him a suitably "regal" paint-job, does he need anything more to make him an Ethereal?

On the subject of painting I'm thinking:
A fairly typical blue skin,
White armour plates,
Cream outer cloak with deep/dark red inside

Or

with a blue head.
Maybe even keep the white armour plates.

Thoughts welcome

I rather like the Monk scheme, tbh.

Yeah, they were the first thing I thought of when thinking about "robes", and the Ethereals are meant to be monks of a sort if I have the right end of the stick. So it'll be a nice nod to that.

Can never go wrong with a monk scheme.

Careful though they can be habit forming!

 Camkierhi wrote:
Careful though they can be habit forming!

those are nuns

Monks are notorious banana thieves.

Nuns! *runs away*

Hang on... Puns and Father Jack quotes, have we strayed into my other blog...

Monk scheme seems popular and he's not missing any key Ethereal pieces, yes? Ta.

I've been painting... walls... but I have also started on the Ethereal.

Here's how the red and orange is looking:


Next is to paint the armour (white) and head (blue).


Automatically Appended Next Post:
With the armour, skin, hair and leather bits done he should look a bit more balanced...
and, as inappropriate as it is to take photos up someone's skirt, you can see that not only does he have legs under his skirt (unlike many moulded models) I have painted them as well.






Automatically Appended Next Post:
Damn you automatic appending... *shakes fist*

Skin looks great, like the contrast with the white armour, orange looks fantastic. Red is really clashing for me, not sure what it is, but I think it would be better orange, maybe just give it some orange to bring it a little closer.

Excellent details as always bud, but honest we trust you, no need for upskirt shots

What colour, if any, are you going with for effects?

 Camkierhi wrote:
Skin looks great, like the contrast with the white armour, orange looks fantastic.

Thanks mate.

Red is really clashing for me, not sure what it is, but I think it would be better orange, maybe just give it some orange to bring it a little closer.

Yeah, the red / orange balance has been a problem. This is the second version as the first had too pink/purple a red and that REALLY clashed; compared to that, this is much better.

However, I think the orange is the problem. If you look up at the monks I showed previously, their cloaks are more yellow than what I have achieved. So I might try to add yellow to the cloak (and I have a nice translucent yellow paint I can use that has usually been a pain as it doesn't cover well. This should work well as a filter over the cloak) and see if that helps the balance more.

Excellent details as always bud, but honest we trust you, no need for upskirt shots

What colour, if any, are you going with for effects?

Ha
Not really planning on any effects. There will be some more spot colours to come and some weathering/dirt about the bottom of the skirt etc.

Great colors on him so far. I never liked that device in his hand though as it looks like he is dowsing for water.

The highlights on the cape look awesome. You've really captured the look of fabric.

Theophony wrote:Great colors on him so far. I never liked that device in his hand though as it looks like he is dowsing for water.

Thanks Theo. I don't know what it is, whether it is a piece of in-game or just fluff equipment or GW just decided to add a random gizmo for a unique arm... it's what he came with.

Maybe he is looking for water, or is he checking for ghosts... Thinking of that I should have painted it to match the ectometer, however I've chosen it to represent the "original" colours of the Tau. I'll have to remember that when I come to use it in my own army.

Warboss_Waaazag wrote:The highlights on the cape look awesome. You've really captured the look of fabric.

Thanks 'boss.
What I'm glad about is that my putty-work for that cloak looks like a cloak, painting it is far easier in my eyes; dark in the dips and progressively lighter on the high points. Thin paints and many layers is the trick to folded cloth.

Speaking of the cloak, I've added the yellow glaze/filter.
I mixed up some of the poorly-covering yellow paint I have (I have another yellow that covers much better, hence the distinction) with some matt varnish, and then brushed over the whole cloak.

This has brought it much closer to the reference photos and, I think, less clashy with the red.

I also painted the gizmo and started on the metals.


Nearly done, nearly...

Very natty. The orange certainly is impressive!

I like the contrast between the orange and the red, they seem to work really well together.

Good to hear, thanks chaps.

and with the last few touches, he is done:

First, here is a comparison to what he looked like when he arrived at my home.

Stripped of paint, modified and added to; but you can still see the same arms, head, legs (if you peek up his skirt ), etc...

And these are the final photos:


Next up will be some paintings...

Lovely work. If I were being picky I'd maybe like another colour in the Halberd/staff thing, maybe a crystal blade or something, but that's not necessary, just an idea observation.

Thanks Graven.

It is a good point, but having built the naginata it reminded me of a famous cartoon sword (I wonder if anyone can tell which?) and I decided to paint it to match that; turns out it's not as colourful as I remembered.

I didn't want to paint on lightning streaks, which would be a good way to add interest, as it might be confused for a power weapon and I don't know if Ethereals can have such a weapon.

Also, being quite a large weapon, it might dominate the model if it were painted in brighter colours. I'd like it to remain an accessory to the Ethereal, and not the focal point.

Thunder cats!