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Aha ha ha ha ha ha... your sarcasm does not escape me sir...

Yea, that Great Marine Swap... thingy.

Lemme survive this academic quarter, and we'll get into this subject again for SM trade- whatever happens, it's gonna be good. In the meantime, I look forward to your production on your blogs, as I'm pretty bogged down with school at the moment.

Sarcasm?......Me?.......

Cool, no worries dude, school comes first :( no matter how boring it may be

Yeah, school's important guys, it allows you to get jobs that garner enough money every month to spend on your favourite minis, at the cost of free time!!!

On a more serious note, that Scorpion'ead Marine looks awesome, I think it might be interesting to push the concept further by sculpting the "forward claws" of the scorpion from the cables on each side of the Marine's jaws, but it could prove to be too much...

Can't wait to see it painted!!

Yggs, thanks for stopping by! LOL... yes, working towards those jobs that'll give me more financial freedom but will probably crush my soul. Vitruvian had it right... some of these books are concentrated and dry... like trying to chew through a mummy... Not that I've ever tried that, in any case.

Anyways, thanks for the stop by!!

And... you were saying something about claws on his face? I also intially considered it, but I thought they'd be too much like Striking Scorps, but I decided that it was too good to pass up. I hope they meet with your approval!


Helmet View/ Powerfist Detail- yup. Those are scorpion claws, or my version of them without trying to overtake the marine helmet's face. Thanks for pushing, Yggs. I'm glad I did it. And I'll definitely have a better pic of the stylized scorpion on his fist.



Front View- Sorry about the ancient powerfist... that sucker is an old one from a Space Wolf kit I purchased at the age of... 14 or 15? Maybe younger?? It spent time in a Pine-sol/water bath for the better part of 3 days, and occasional brushings to get as much of the black primer and original paintjob... aka red fingers. Only.


Again, if anyone wants to join the charity project, where Brother Ardesh of the Scorpions is going, hit it up- P&M Blogs, The Huge Space Marine Conclave: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/333851.page Deadline is April 1st! Join us!


In other news... 10,000 views!! Many thanks to you all from Zakkenaya, Evinyr and myself!!

Very nice! Love the fist. What kind of tools do you do GS work with??

Hey Vitruvian- Thanks! I think the scorpion insignia on the fist was particularly inspired. I tried it first on the shoulderpad, got something pretty awesome, but had no way of holding down the pad and screwed it up (then tossed it ) This was actually a second attempt on a much easier surface.

For GS work, I didn't believe it but it's all 1) planning/clear vision and 2) practice. Doesn't really matter what you use. I'm currently using an all metal set of 12 clay shaping tools... bought off Amazon for about $3.00USD. Seriously. And a healthy dab of vaseline on the tool before I start stabbing into the GS. Out of all 12 tools, I use a grand total of 1... maybe 2 of them. The others have never seen action. I can take a picture of my shaper if you like, it looks like a dental tool with one arrowhead on one side (never used) and sharp, 45 degree-angled "pick" on the other... Bottom line, practice, I think.

Was thinking of changing to rubber-tipped shapers, but I think these metal ones will do for now.

Hey yourself! (Nice avatar btw, love that game)

I was just curious, ive got metal dental tools and extra firm rubber clay shapers. I tend to use the shapers for organic stuff and the dental tools for everything else. I always find it a bit tricky with the shapers, seems like i cant get enough pressure down to shape the gs. Meh, anyway,keep it up!!

@HF: That's a sweet marine. He's got some serious sideburns and a stylin' topknot...

Your GS are very nice, and the concept is well done. Very cool.

@Vitruvian - Thanks about the avatar- love the whole 1001 Arabian Nights mystique, and PoP doesn't fall short. Still need to hit up the Sands and Warrior Within games... someday. I'll probably have to get some feedback for the soft-head shapers- defintelly want to invest in some, but need to research what I want to do first and what's out there for purchase.

@ Good Green- Thanks! You know Scorpion Brother Ardesh means business when his sideburns have sideburns. He's probably the most thought-out model I own... and that was definitely a factor in the quality of GS work. But thanks for the feedback!

He's done! Next pics will be his finished paintjob. I need to look back at the Conclave thread to see which knee the twin dum-dum bullet campaign badge goes on before I paint it on there.

I'm glad you made it, the side claws are great!!!

Can't wait to see him painted!

Oh~ Ii ne...
Very cool dude... so wanna do Space Marines now... Very inspiring... been in a rut creatively for awhile... I'll see if I can get something out to post by this weekend.

@Yggs- Thanks! It probably wouldn't have happened if you didn't bring it up! But I'm glad it happened as well!

@ Zakken - Finally came down to see it, eh? Glad you approve!

I just finished a major presentation for one of my classes, turning the rest of the quarter into an exercise in busy work. I'm hoping I have more time with only one more class to focus on...

For my B-day this March, my younger cousins, brother, and Zakken are going to be playing WH Quest. I recently picked up Anima Tactics' Marchosias for my Barbarian while Z is working with a Reaper (?) female duellist/Imperial Noble class. I took the time to primer that model along with Brother Ardesh... in the snow... (for those of you who don't know, Illinois was hit by about 2-3 ft of snow) Got it done though with no sacrifice in quality! And seeing as how I probably don't want to start another thread, I'll post stuff here along with work on X-23...

X-23 is currently having a minor color overhall. The yellow on her outfit is going out for more red and grey, and I think it's a major improvement, bringing her back to the grimdark.

I might have something here tonight... or tomorrow afternoon. Stay tuned!

Greetings yet again, with ANOTHER post that isn't =I= Munda related.. Earlier on my time here on Dakka, I posted up a character I made for a younger cousin's custom Monk class in WHQ. That character has been languishing in my model case for months now... mayhaps a year?? However, it happens to be a little over 1 month before my birthday, and my older brother and Zakken's younger brothers (my beloved relatives all!) decided to nerd out this year by playing WHQ again with new classes, and then follow up by going to Medieval Times, or something equally ridiculous. I'm such a dork, but I can't possibly describe how excited I am!!

SO... to mark this new set of adventurers, I finished the Monk for Z's youngest brother, I owe the middle cousin a Wizard, and my brother has asked to use my original Samurai character. Oh, and a standard Barbarian for myself... My cousin Z is painting a Rackham model to represent his female Imperial Noble, I believe.. I have no idea what model it is, actaully. All figures being painted by yours truly are from the Anima Tactics line.

Barbarian- Marchosias
Wizard- The Colonel - minute hair conversion
Samurai- Tsubasa Kurokami (aka Wing Black-Hair, or Wing Black/Dark God for the most common kanji translations) - heavy hair conversion

To mark the incoming occasion, I have my Barbarian PIP for you today!


Barbarian PIP 1 - For this model, I decided to go complete opposite from the original black-fade-to-deep-red on the skirt, dark metal gauntlets/boots, and gold/purple-blue glowing swords... I'm going for silver-white hair, and a crusader cream, steel, leather and red theme. Oh... and dark skin... this is before I realize I went a bit too brown-red.



Barbarian PIP 2 - I'm quite pleased with the new skin color- a swarthier look that compliments the iconic crusader knight colors. The hair... needs a few more shades of white to get it up to the color I really want it at... although, I do have to admit, the blue hair looks kinda cool in an anime-sort of way.



Barbarian PIP 2 - Back View- The back, I'm not so pleased with. Because this guy's most detailed components are the belt cross and arms, the torso is a huge canvas. My ideas are for a red stripe going down the cream skirt- torn remnants of the red cross garment. Also, for his muscled but dark torso, I'm planning a play on the original tattoo found on the artwork/model... as to how it'll look, not quite sure yet- but definitely a monotone black/blue/green cross of some sort.



Anyways, sorry about non-related post. We're all pretty busy, and the WHQ game day (and Charity Marine) are my immediate concerns! Enjoy, and any comments/critiques are always welcome! All of these PIPs and final pics can be found in my gallery titled "The Hall of Heroes"!

Wow! I love the skin color you got on him! Would you mind me asking how you did it? It's fantastic! I like the look of this model. Keen to see it complete.

HF Izanagi wrote:Alright… sorry to keep you all waiting. And doubly sorry for this post not really having anything to do with I-Munda.

My MBA program in concert with work and home life is really taking a toll into my hobby time. As this week promises to have the most activity, I’m hoping I can ease back into the seat and churn out more painted figures and inch our way closer to the games.

This time, however, I want to highlight some work I’ve been doing for Smurfwedge’s Space Marine Conclave, a project that will go entirely to charity. As a painter, I don’t have much in the way to offer like Doctors/Nurses Without Borders, but I thought it was a pretty cool idea on From the Warp, several top-notch painters created a charity chapter called the Storm Wardens.

Now, I don’t consider myself to be in that same caliber, but I think it’s a pretty cool concept, seeing all of them together… aka Gitsplitta’s Inquisitorial Squad from his Rebuilding the Mantis Warriors Thread.

So I’m trying to make one that I, personally, would actually pay money for. Without further ado, my contribution: Brother Ardeth, Sons of the Scorpion Chapter.

Body WIP - After sketching out the initial guy, and finding what I had in my bitz box (played SMs... nearly a decade ago...) I used an Assault Marine body and shaved off the aquila and x-harness centerlock's face. I also chopped Jet-pack Assault marine legs and repositioned them with wire for a more static pose.




Head WIP - I decided to do something like the crests the Ultramarine veterans had, but in the scorpion theme... backbone wire inserted and shaped.



Body WIP 2 - Here's the body again with the scorpion symbol (one variant), and the wiring put into his arm and leg spaces.



Body WIP 3 - Same thing, close up of the chest symbol which still needs a bit of fine-tuning and filing.



Head WIP 2 - The scorpion tail ended up being a bit big... I'll go over it tonight to see if I can slim it down. My initial sketches weren't with me last night when I made him, but it came out fairly true-to-vision.

Full Body WIP 1 - Brother Ardeth nearing completion. For his other hand, I wanted to arm him with some sort of Power-Khopesh, but I have neither the time nor the materials to go through with that course of action. I'm actually using an oldschool powerfist that I'll be putting the scorpion symbol on for more iconography.


Full Body WIP 2 - One final shot.


Comments and critiques always welcome!

If you want to participate in the project, deadline is April 1st, April Fools' Day! The Huge Space Marine Chapter Conclave!
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/333851.page

And for those of you not in the know, Gitsplitta is one of the most prolific modeller/contributors to this site- check out the Mantis Warriors risen from the dead! Absolutely fantastic modelling and dedication to a project! Rebuilding the Mantis Warriors http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/2670/289929.page

Its cool to see one of my models on a blog that isnt Gitz, or the marine swap! That marine you are making is very very very cool! im sure a lot of people would be down to trade marines with you if everything you make is that beautiful XD

@Bunnygurl – Hey, welcome to the blog and thanks for stopping by! You sure you want the skin formula for this guy?? It was a mistake, actually.. I’m practicing really watered down paint layers for all of my single minis. I used 5 colors in total- all GW paints (old and new- though I don’t see the color formula changing… only obsolescence of certain colors). Old Vermin Fur mixed with a bit of Scorched Brown as a base color. Then that batch mixed with a little bit of Graveyard Earth… I watered the batch down even more and “washed” the entire skin area, as I realized I went too far with the initial color. New batch of Graveyard Earth mixed w/ a bit of Elf Flesh for gen highlights. Several more additions of Elf Flesh, depending on the gradation you’re looking for, each on a slightly smaller area, several times over respectively. Final highlights were that same batch of Graveyard Earth/Elf Flesh mixed with Bleached Bone.

That’s the long and short of it… I don’t think that helped much. At all. LOL… How about this- skip the first step, because that was messed up, including the “wash” step. Find a darker brown color that doesn’t have a red-tint in it at all… more of a neutral flat/gray/blue tint. Use that for the base color, then follow the rest of the steps. It’ll get you better results than mine without the jolting color transition seen on the guy’s back… unless you actually liked that.



@Sageheart- Welcome back! And wait… that badass in the middle back row is yours??!? Friggin’ awesome man! Congrats! The concept and color theme on the guy looks great! That, and the assembled squad ALL look really good together! Tell me about the helmet- Where’d you get it from?

Wait, i did the blue one, not the badass haha, the one third from the left. i dont want to claim too much! haha

Yea man! I'm talking about the blue one in the back row, hooded guy w/ the SW bolter, no? THAT badass.

The head- where's it from? Or is it GS conversion work?

So we are talking about the sameone haha, thank you!

its from a DA vet squad set. They have some very cool heads in that set, and i got a kick having SW and DA parts together on a marine!

@ Sageheart- Good stuff man… although DA and SW on the same guy … smells like heresy, but I’m not one to complain! It’s a great model, and I look forward to more of your work! I’ve got a promise going on w/ Vitruvian to swap a marine at some point after my MBA workload dies down, and I hope to interest others in my work as well… here’s hoping my work isn’t a one-trick pony. The Scorpion Marine is just one of my ideas… when I have the time, I might have to test a few others I’ve been thinking about... Stay tuned!

Well, I’ve got another non-=I=Munda update for you all… More PIP on my WHQ Barbarian. Overall, I’m extremely pleased with how he’s turning out- definitely not one of my “masterpiece” minis (and it’s in quotations, because compared to other peoples’ models- Migsula, PDH, CMDante, Behind_The_Mask, etc. their standards blow my crap out of the water) , but I’d say it’s pretty inspired without going all the way with busted attempts at NMM due to school and fulltime work constraints. All in all, he’s about 70% done- he needs his gauntlets finished up in a suitably rusted and dirtied metal and something similar with his swords. The swords won’t be “special” crystal/daemon-filled/glowing weapons… I imagine him to be a seasoned fighter used to relying more on his skills than the innate capabilities of his blades… that funky cross-hatched weapon will need something a bit more though, I think… no current ideas.


Front View – I’m pleased with the direction for his eyes. I’m not sure about everyone else, but I’m always afraid of making “dead” eyes, or worse- blobs, cross-eyed, etc… my hands shake every single time I try eyes, but these ones were done with watered down paint, and touched up in one go. I think they’re pretty good and convey some expression- intended or not. Makes him look like the strong-silent, extremely arrogant type…




3/4 Back View – I originally had his leather straps and belt done up with Snakebite Leather, but it just didn’t look right. I ended up mixing a few batches to get a darker purple-brown for those parts, which was more of what I envisioned.




Back View – To fit the crusader theme, I decided to do red for all of his cross-like symbols to contrast his cream-ish robes. It doesn’t quite show on his belt, so I may revert that one cross to metal, or chip it to give it age and bring attention to it. I also haven’t started on his tattoo… that’ll probably take the better part of a day to conceive and apply… so I’m in no hurry. Yet.




Closs-Up of Elbow Armor- I don’t even remember what colors I used for it, but I’m chipping them and giving his clothing/armor that battle-worn feel… and the look like he doesn’t take a bath. Any tips to help improve the look of it…? Without going into NMM?




Side View – Damn, he’s muscular… because I have no other viable commentary for this one.



On one final note, I’ll be separating the PIPs from the actual Hall of Heroes Gallery- makes no sense mixing finished guys with PIPs- hence, you can find the older PIPs and all other chars from here on in in the aptly-named Hall of Heroes WIP/PIP Gallery. After that… I think that about wraps it up. I think Z is supposed to have an actual =I= Munda-related update soon, but in the meantime, I’m going to be doing WHQ updates up until mid-march. Thanks for stopping by, and as always, critiques? Tips? Anything you’d like to see done? Let us know!

HF Izanagi wrote:@ Sageheart- Good stuff man… although DA and SW on the same guy … smells like heresy, but I’m not one to complain! It’s a great model, and I look forward to more of your work! I’ve got a promise going on w/ Vitruvian to swap a marine at some point after my MBA workload dies down, and I hope to interest others in my work as well… here’s hoping my work isn’t a one-trick pony. The Scorpion Marine is just one of my ideas… when I have the time, I might have to test a few others I’ve been thinking about... Stay tuned!

I would be down to trade a model with you! and I am going to start a P&M blog once I get my classwork together and find a camera. I woudl be honored if you would look it over, but then again it wont be ready for another week or so.


not only do i love that model but the skin is very well done. I always have trouble with skin, and seeing the skin on your model is really amaizng to me.


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im not feeling the belt thou, it seems too dull when placed up against the skin, cloth and that vibrant hair

LOL, sounds good for trading! For sure, I’ll start up a collection of various Chapters as well- you’ll probably end up seeing the group as a DWatch group in our =I= Munda adventures.

And that’s a given about your new P&M- I make it a point to visit this blog’s visitors’ own pages and comment whenever I can. I really can’t get enough of all the stuff I see on this website- orks, SMs, eldar, DA, DE, Nids, IGs… hell, and that’s just GW products and not the Warmachine/Horde blogs that sometimes pop up. It really does help improve what we do here seeing what everyone else makes. What’re you planning on putting on there? Army/Single Minis/Random assortment? Either way, I’ll be stopping by to say hello!

I just gotta say though… I said the same thing about the leather when it was the brighter yellow-brown Snakebite Leather. I’ll finish the model soon, and see how I feel about it… I’ve got 2 more heroes waiting for paintjobs before March 13 (WHQ playdate w/ the fam). Thanks for the critique!

For the skin, it’s all watered down painting/blending- LOL… I’m named after the dutch artist Rembrandt (Van Rijn- no joke) and I do charcoal/pencil, but I’m zero for color theory and paintbrush techniques… Name-Destiny FAIL. I’m still learning it, so I’m hoping in later months there’ll be a marked improvement… goal is to try and get it to GW/Masterclass standard.

P&M blogs are the best, i try to look through as many as possible, as you put it there really is a great amount of stuff on this website to drool over. I def like them when they get chatty and watching what types of discussions evolve out of the models shown and the collection of the various individuals involved in the DakkaDakka community.

Yeah I don't really know what to do with that belt, maybe give it a more powerful look, maybe darker? Its really the front that im not feeling. Maybe paint the star a different color?


Really? Rembrandt is one of my dad's favorite artists! he loves the dutch form of painting and tries to use it in his own art form. I know some forms just from watching my dad work but yeah i have issues with color theory at times. I'm sure you'll have no trouble getting to the GW masterclass standard.

have you ever fooled around with Army Painter's Quickshade? I am planning on maybe picking some up since I saw a friend's friend's SoB army and he painted just simple base of colors then washed it and it looked awesome after he highlighted a bit.


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I'll def trade up a marine with you! I'll get one set up, anything in particular you would like? I am tryingto make a whole army of marines painted by other people! So assemble any marine you want, its kinda a game for me, to see what kinda army i end up with just traded marines.

So far I have a 5 man tactical, 3 assault marines, and three honor guard with odd weapon layouts. its all fun!

sorry to take over your P&M blog with simple talk

Agreed. WIN for Gits' Brother Inushi spawning a discussion over the katana's nuances. That was really interesting.

Ah... I see what you're saying. The belt's red-cross is going to go quite a few shades brighter, much like the elbow/knee armor.

I've seen Quickshade before- kinda like dipping, yea? I've thought about it, as I don't wanna slog through an entire army... but I dunno- never really thought of it as a viable option. I'm of a thought that if I paid money for my figures, I'm going to try and do them up nicely, I guess? And I could always use the practice... on 50+ termagaunts...

But if you like the results your friend got from it, I think it'd be worth looking into.

And yes, I'll let you know when I'm ready to start trading up. It's on the back-burner for a bit, but I'll remember to bring it up again as soon as I've got the time to invest!

And no problem about the small-talk, if not that, what use does this hobby forum serve??

haha word!


yeah i am unsure about the quickshade since it is dipping which does seem lik cutting corners sometimes, but i see it as something that can be used a bit more carefully as an ink and in that way can be used to wash models. Idk i had been thinking that could be an interesting thing to think about doing.

i think if the cross is brighter it should make the belt look much nicer


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what are you going to do withthe weapons?

Wow, it's been awhile.

My update this time around is really two things: one, I've finished basing my Inquisitor and finished up the base concept for my Untouchable/Sniper, two, due to a request from Izanagi, I am posting one of my choices for my next WQ character (though it looks like absolute crap compared to his.... >.&gt. Without further delay:

Here's the group together as they stand:


My Untouchable/Sniper Aria Trutina:

Her base still requires a bit of work: sand and murky water effects, the lip of the crater the barrel is sitting in, etc etc.

My Inquisitor Leon Bertram:

Think Imperial Base/Fuel Dump. Rusty metal and water effect fuel spill.

And now, my Warhammer Quest Charcter Choice #!:






One thing that makes me hesitate to choose this character immediately (despite loving the model) is that the noble seemed lackluster in our last campaign in terms of performance AND Upkeep. The other two choices I have will be a Ranger (represented by a converted Privateer Press - Hordes mini Lanyssa) or a Witch Hunter (from Avatars of War). Once I get these primered and a basic coating of colors added, I'll post these too.

Thanks for stopping by! Comments are welcome.

Your team looks good altogether, Z! You guys are only 4-strong?? I guess one extra half-armed guy doesn't make much of a difference to start, but still... The bases are very-well put together. I can't wait to see the paintjob on the crew!

And thanks for posting your Noble. In regards to your assessment, I've gotta disagree. Your brother used the Noble fairly well in terms of effectiveness- in terms of killing power, I'd put him up at the top for potential, even if it is dice-rolling luck-based... for which he was pretty damn lucky, I'd say. Cursed by the dice gods... well, that's a different story... Not sure what you mean by upkeep, aside from his ridiculous penchant for shopping at Salvator Ferragamo or whatever those bloodthirsty leeches named their store.

Questions- How close to completion is she? Her skin, hair and skirt look to be base-coated... shade and highlight still?

And I saw the Ranger mini- very cool. The witch hunter... not my cup of tea, but the company's reputation speaks for itself in terms of quality minis.

Thanks for posting, bro!

Bah... I need some help... I tried going to the Painting and Modelling section... but no bites for any suggestions on the guy. I'm stuck and need help getting this guy finished so I can move on to the other 2 heroes awaiting their paint-jobs.

Here is the barbarian as he stands-





The tattoo may be done later, as I'm somewhat pressed for time. My questions are as follows-

1) Any ideas for the gauntlets without going NMM iron/steel? I don't have time for that.

2) Any painting tips/formulas for making knicks and dents?

3) I had an idea to paint the forearms and shins white and chip the paint from them to expose the metal underneath... any other ideas?

Thanks in advance? ANY advice would be welcome, it might be something I've not considered yet, so let it rip with whatever you have!

I like the idea of painting them white and having the metal underside shine through here and there.

Honestly I'm not sure what else you can do, Maybe wash the weapons with a light brown or black ink and see how that looks? I am still trying to figure out how to paint metal.

gauntlets: I'm a fan of aged bronze - looks functional and worn in, and not necessarily 'clean'.
base of Dwarf Bronze; wash of black; very thin washes of Hawks turquoise in the rescesses; judicious highlighting with bronze.

Chips and dents: not entirely sure if this would work on a minature, but I've thought about giving it a go. A method I've used before on illustrations is to use guache, and build up a few thin-ish layers, and then you put Scotch tape over it and rip it off, and it distresses/ages the paint. Maybe give it a go, and have different colours underneath the top layer? Might work, might not. I'd guess it wouldn't work with acrylics, guache worked because it was quite chalky.