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 Paradigm wrote:
It's more the fact that as per Star Wars fluff, they're just not really combat ships; if the VIP you're transporting in it is near some Rebel Scum, something has already gone badly wrong! I'm sure they're fine as a gaming piece, I probably just wouldn't use it (if I there's one setting where I'll be strict about fluff, it's SW!)

I think in one of the books someone used a shuttle in combat on purpose...

 ZergSmasher wrote:

 Paradigm wrote:
It's more the fact that as per Star Wars fluff, they're just not really combat ships; if the VIP you're transporting in it is near some Rebel Scum, something has already gone badly wrong! I'm sure they're fine as a gaming piece, I probably just wouldn't use it (if I there's one setting where I'll be strict about fluff, it's SW!)

I think in one of the books someone used a shuttle in combat on purpose...

It must have been Admiral Jar-Jar Binks with his brilliant tactical accumen.

I played one of those star wars games and there were totally space battles and the lambdas were totally shooting stuff to death. I forget which one, empire at war? Some kind of RTS but I didn't get very far.

Damn, that's a great looking Scorpion!

I've been meaning to ask - what's the technique you guys use with Smoky Ink on the Star Wars ships?

@Zerg/Grim: A fair few games and such have reimagined the Lambda as some kind of combat transport or even gunship, I just tend to associate them more with flying Vader to his next victim/Vader's next victim to him . I do really like the ship aesthetically, so will almost certainly end up with one eventually just to paint.

@Az: I can only speak for myself, but my method for the rebel ships is quite simple smokey ink all over the mini, repaint the panels in the appropriate grey-brown or grey, add markings then hit it with the weathering (usually a combination of sponging, drybrushing and streaking with more smokey ink).

That Scorpion is nice, the only thing holding me back from buying it is that shipping to the UK might be quite a bit... we shall see when I next have the funds...

Ah, so effectively a complete repaint after the smokey ink - gotcha!

Yep, the ink is just the first step as it brings out all the panels and lines, and gives a nice muted tone to the bits that don't get painted over.

And now for something a little different, who has taken a while to get finished. My Iron Hands standard bearer, entered into Nerdfest's annual painting challenge (with no hope of placing, but it's taking part that counts!) and my first mini of 2016 (no, the fact that I did 70% of the work last year doesn't count )









That's all for now, next up will be a pair of Nomad Gecko TAGS for methebest, and my next wave of X-wing goodies.

Is that banner freehand? Wow if it is!

Yeah, freehand and NMM... It looks all right from a distance , although close-up I don't think it holds up quite as well. Still, I was facing a deadline, and it does the job... Cheers!

It looks brilliant. Well done. I've avoided banners since returning to hobbying, I am not a great artist so wouldn't know what to put on the things! Also I prefer banners like yours with a little flow to them and I don't know how you are meant to compensate when doing the painting

Looks good, Para!

The banner's freehand needs a little bit of work, but nothing practise wouldn't solve.
Love the bloody chain sword!

Lovely job there Para, though a shame the Iron Hands Legion decals are coming out soon! Would have saved you some effort!

Great work on the banner , here's to another awesome year of your Star Wars repaints.

Thanks guys!

@Zambro/AoV: I'm in two minds about the freehand. One one hand, it definitely looks better than several previous banners I've done; looking at it on the tabletop it looks fine, it's the blown up pics that really don't flatter it. On the other, part of me wonders if I should just finally learn to use transfers properly at some point (I hear Lahmian Medium does a good job of matting them down?), as while I find them a pain, they are at least consistent. My freehand is getting better each time, I think, and I enjoy the learning process of practising it, so I think I'll just soldier on with that for the most part. Might raid my billions of spare SM transfer sheets and see if there's anything I can use in 30k, though...

@TP: the folds in the banner were accentuated here by the NMM effect, that's one of the areas I think has worked out better. It definitely looks less flat than if I'd painted it with the 'regular' method, and I don't like metallics on banners.

Superb blending on that banner, nice!

 Paradigm wrote:

@Zambro/AoV: I'm in two minds about the freehand. One one hand, it definitely looks better than several previous banners I've done; looking at it on the tabletop it looks fine, it's the blown up pics that really don't flatter it. On the other, part of me wonders if I should just finally learn to use transfers properly at some point (I hear Lahmian Medium does a good job of matting them down?), as while I find them a pain, they are at least consistent. My freehand is getting better each time, I think, and I enjoy the learning process of practising it, so I think I'll just soldier on with that for the most part. Might raid my billions of spare SM transfer sheets and see if there's anything I can use in 30k, though...

...I didn't mean to sound discouraging.
It looks good. It actually looks like a hand - which is more than I can do. I tried to freehand an Imperial Fist's Fist on a piece of scrap paper, and that day I decided to stick to decals
It's a skill I'd love to have. I get by with decals, but the flexibility that being able to freehand offers is awesome.

Microset and Microsol are the two things you need for decals. Quite inexpensive and last a long time. My original bottles are not even a quarter empty and I've had them since the start of my WS, I think. They really help with sticking decals down. Especially on non-smooth surfaces.

Oh, I'm not discouraged! As a competition entry and my first mini of the year, I'm being very critical of it myself, and I agree entirely that it's both decent enough to be proud of but very far from perfect! No worries!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh, I'm not discouraged! As a competition entry and my first mini of the year, I'm being very critical of it myself, and I agree entirely that it's both decent enough to be proud of but very far from perfect! No worries!

Very nice job para! Where did you get the banner bit from btw?

Cheers! It's from the regular SM command squad on the sergeant arm from BaC

Lovely work as ever Para. Nice job on the banner. What's the banner made from - Greenstuff?

That banner looks pretty sweet. Only thing is, and this is probably a minor thing, there really should be something on top of it (like an aquila, a skull, or something) to make it look complete. The dude holding the banner looks good too, Ferrus Manus would be proud!

Nice work there, Para. If I can, I'd recommend learning to use transfers/decals properly (always over gloss varnish) and also working on your freehand. Practice using decals as a base for freehanding (highlight and shade a plain skull decal, etc) and also practice simple things, like scrolls and laurel wreaths - and then later on practice lettering inside those scrolls.

Late to the party but I enjoyed your recap of 2015. The side by side pic from 2014 definitely show an improvement.

I love your X Wing repaints. The banner dude looks great.

EDC

I found the iron hands chapter symbol a pain in the proverbial. Did it enough times though I think I finally got it right on the banners of some of my dreadnoughts. I like the banner. Just agree you need to find a suitably crazy banner top to finish it off.

Something with a cog and a hand, perhaps? How far are you going to take the IH? If it's going to be a significant force, you can get bags of tiny cogs off eBay for pretty cheap, and they make excellent deco for IH or Mechanicus forces.

That spesh mahreen is great I have a guy with a very similar banner (well, the banner part, not the design) and found carrying around heraldry to really fit in well with the way space marines roll. Good work.

Really looking forward to your geckos and more x-wing

Thanks everyone!

Regarding a banner top, I do have one lined up (the top of the BaC Chaplain's Crozius, a massive double eagle), but simply wasn't able to do it up in time to get the mini finished and photoed before heading back to uni and my mediocre camera. One will be added shortly!

@ZS: I am very pleased with the bearer himself, I used various stains and sheens to make the metallic black armour a bit more interesting than my previous IH and I think it's worked out well, I shall be adopting the same method on future IH.

Lots to get through today, so straight into it!

First off, a TIE Phantom with obligatory cloaking/decloaking effect that I think has come out quite well for a first attempt.




Next, TIE Interceptor in 181st Fighter Squadron/Soontir Fel colours, love this design and it's a really nice mini.




And finally for the Imps, some ordnance in the form of a TIE Bomber:








And on to the heroic Rebellion/Terrorist Scum, a Y-wing:




And finally on the Star Wars front, the main event, arguably the most awesome ship in the history of awesome ships. I think this one looks really good, but then, you could probably colour one in with crayon and somehow come out with something that looks epic.










And the two collections thus far... I've not even been doing this a month! Heeeeeelp!





And on an unrelated note, a couple of progress shots of the first Gecko. Still needs the base finishing, his wristgun thing done, digital camo on the gun casing, and a few more general final touches that might not get done until I have both models finished. Really fun mini to work on, I do love painting Infinity stuff.





That's all for now! Any thoughts welcome, ta for looking! Up next, more Gecko, and then it's probably back to the BaC stuff as I'm out of X-wing for now...

Nice x-wing stuff. Falcon is incredible.

Para you are a demon painter!!!

Firstly - the ties in general are great, but that cloaking effect is brilliant
Secondly - I disagree about crayons on a millennium falcon making it cool (you'll understand when/if you have kids - crayon on "man toys" is a horrible moment)
Thirdly - that millennium falcon is superb! You have excelled yourself, the weathering is perfect and the grubbiness is as it should be for possibly the most famous spaceship of all time. Bravo.
Fourthly - your Infinity figure is really good and I like it. I'm used to seeing a lot of Infinity stuff being super-mega-ridiculous-bright and because it's not a system I have a huge interest in I am only able to pass comment to a certain extent.

I have voted for a few images in the gallery I have been that blown away. Sadly not enough to vote for all because I am on the school run - Gotta fly!!