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Thanks for that input Adamski, as well a the vote of confidence!

I want to paint the Valor's Edge hilt gem yellow, and try to do a yelllow energy effect on the sword itself if I can. The description of the weapon states it has a golden light on it, so I'm hoping I can pull that off. We'll see I suppose.

Glad the polished Onyx gems work. I wanted something different but that looked good. Glad you like how it turned out!

I'm at work tonight but hope to get more painting in over the weekend. Won't be able to really finish him till I get the base and sword in the mail, but I'll hopefully have the left arm finished, as well as the right shoulder pad and then left arm and sword . I'll start on the jump pack last, as that part is going to be rather labor intensive with all the white involved on the wings. Slowly but surely. Slowly but surely.

Look forward to more updates in the next few days. Till then, take it easy for now.

-Red__Thirst-

Update time!

I've made some good progress forward. First, one bit I'm actually kinda happy about. There is an issue with the bottom of the left foot of this mini. Namely, it's flat and barren of detail due to having a bit of rock that the forward portion of the foot was resting on. Since this model will be hovering off the ground, I had to remove said chunk of rock and shave the bottom of the foot flat. Not a big issue, though as I said there was no 'tread' on the bottom of the armor's foot. That has been rectified with the use of a micron pen and a (mostly) steady hand. Here's the result:



Not a perfect copy, but at a glance it passes muster, which is what I am going for. Odds are most people wouldn't have noticed, but I noticed, and while not exactly perfect, it's good enough for the standard I'm painting this mini too.

Now, that said, here's the rest of the progress I've made:









As you all can see, I've gone with the hovering while roasting heretics pose. Like it a lot better, and should be very cool with the final areal effect with the flying jump pack.

Any and all feedback appreciated. I'm going to be starting on the jump pack next, since I still don't have the sword, or decorative base in-hand yet. Hopefully they'll arrive tomorrow or Monday. I'm very excited to get this project finished and start working on some Death Company next (With Jump Packs of course). Aedus needs some bros to fly with after all!

Take it easy for now everyone, more updates to come.

-Red__Thirst-


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And putting the paint brush down for the night. Made good headway on the right shoulder pad and got it finished up now.

I tried to do something a little different, and attempted to paint the teardrop shape on the shoulder pad to look like a larger piece of polished onyx compared to the gems on his legs, abdominal armor, and necklace.

I drew inspiration and am trying to achieve this kind of look:



that being said, here's the shoulder pad. I've done a teensy bit more work to the scroll work after the pictures were taken. Future updates will show the fully finished pad.





Does it look like onyx? I wanted the emblem to be black, but have some cool detail on it too. I like it, but would love to see if folks agree or disagree with the onyx look I've tried to accomplish here.

Once I get the right arm in, I'll get it knocked out, along with the sword, and then all I'll have left to finish up is the jump pack, which I've base coated and gotten the initial coat of red down on. Will be working on the jump pack a little along while waiting on the last bits to arrive in the mail.

Progress, Progress. Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys soon. Till then, take it easy for now.

-Red__Thirst-

He just keeps looking better and better. Really nice work, I especially like the fix you did on his foot

Hey War Kitten, thank you for the continued show of support in the thread here. It's greatly appreciated!

Continuing to chip away at Aedus slowly. Been working on the jump pack this evening since the sword and base are both still en-route. Pausing mid-session to try and let my eyes rest, as well as to take stock of progress. I've completed the gold work, as well as the gem work (Going with the onyx theme again on the jump pack) ...

(And since starting this post I've since screwed up the gem on the chapter logo trying to make it perfect. )

Anyway, here's the jump pack in progress, before I screwed up the lower gem.





I'm laying down a thinned layer of black over the red undercoat to serve as the first layer below my build up to white on each wing. Will be doing one wing at a time as the second to last part of the mini, the last part will be the work on the purity seals and all of the scrolls hanging beneath the mini. I want to really take my time and make sure the wings and the scrolls all look correct.

More to come in the near future. Thanks for reading and I'll see y'all soon. Take it easy for now.

-Red__Thirst-

Good to see this is progressing nicely, keep it up!

Thanks for the support once again Inspector! I appreciate it greatly!

Final update for the night. I got the Blood Angels chapter icon mostly finished up after repairing the gem in the center of it. Decided that since it's the chapter emblem I should paint that gem the traditional red gem instead of doing up like onyx such as the small gem/jewel directly beneath the iron halo.

Pretty pleased with the progress. I've got the one wing close to finished. Started with a base coat of the old Codex Grey color over the thinned black base coat, then a layer of the old Fortress Grey over the top of that, then I applied about 3 coats of very thinned down old Skull White to the wing. I'm probably going to have to do another two or three coats of white before I'm content with how it looks. The biggest issue I'm having at current is how to properly shade the recesses between the feathers on the wings. I'm rather at a loss, as in order to get the white to look correct, I have to thin the paint down pretty extensively, which means it has a tendency to flow into the recesses a little bit. I'm toying with the idea of a very thinned down wash, (2 or maybe even 3 parts water to 1 part wash) using either Asurmen Blue wash, or Nuln Oil and just letting it flow into the recesses only and then doing a final clean up layer or two of white. I don't know if it'll achieve the desired effect or not but at this point I don't know of any other method to try.

Once I get these wings wrapped up, I'll move on to painting the scroll work and purity seals. Once they're finished, I'll be in a holding pattern till the other bits arrive in the mail, hopefully some time this week if I'm lucky.

Here's the progress made tonight:





Thanks again for the encouragement. I'll be working the next two nights, so I won't have a ton of time to paint, but be looking for further updates later this week.

Take it easy for now folks.

-Red__Thirst-

Is that white really that bright or is that a bit of camera flash? If it really is that white then it looks exceptional, especially coming from the black underneath.

I think changing the Blood Angel symbol on the back of the jump pack from black to white works a lot better, not that there was anything wrong with black wings. My only query would be that the red gem doesn't pop as much as the black one did due to the rest of the red back pack.

Other than that I am absolutely loving your work, I think its absolutely brilliant and can't wait to see more.

As you said a watered down wash of nuln oil should help to bring out the recesses on the wings. Keep up the amazing work

Adamski Alders wrote:Is that white really that bright or is that a bit of camera flash? If it really is that white then it looks exceptional, especially coming from the black underneath.

I think changing the Blood Angel symbol on the back of the jump pack from black to white works a lot better, not that there was anything wrong with black wings. My only query would be that the red gem doesn't pop as much as the black one did due to the rest of the red back pack.

Other than that I am absolutely loving your work, I think its absolutely brilliant and can't wait to see more.

Thank you kindly for that! I'm feeling particularly motivated to get this mini painted, and the encouragement shown by you and the other regular contributors to the thread is really helping me keep that motivation strong! I appreciate it greatly.

To answer your question, there's no flash on either of these most recent photos (Or any of this mini in the thread here, really). I'm holding the mini underneath my painting lamp and snapping a picture. The white isn't exactly perfect yet, but after another two coats (or maybe three.. or four...) of thinned down white it should be smooth and perfect I hope.

And yea, I was using the small wings on the back of the jump pack that make up the Blood Angels chapter symbol as a test bed for painting the larger jump pack wings. Starting with a black base coat over the red spray base, then using codex grey, then fortress grey (old GW colors) before going in and painting the Skull White (another old GW color) as the final layer in multiple thinned down layers. I'm very happy with how the chapter symbol came out, as well as the gold detailing, especially on the Iron Halo. I considered doing a brighter gem, but when you look at the other gems on the mini, such as the one on the helm, having the chapter logo be 'correct' (I.E., Red blood drop flanked by white wings) just felt the most appropriate, despite how red the mini already appears. I did paint the second smaller gem directly below the Iron Halo in the same polished onyx style. So the theme is consistent there if nothing else. I want the mini to be consistent across the entire piece, since I'm painting it in pieces. I've never really painted a mini in stages like this (that wasn't a tank or vehicle, etc) but instead assembled completely and then painted the mini from there. I've been worried that the different pieces wouldn't match up or be consistent once assembled. So far, I've been very happy to see that hasn't really been an issue.

War Kitten wrote:As you said a watered down wash of nuln oil should help to bring out the recesses on the wings. Keep up the amazing work

I hope so, I kinda want the white to have a cooler look, which is why I may try a very thinned blue wash instead first just to see how it looks by comparison. Not sure yet but am willing to experiment and see what gives me the look I've got in my head for the mini. Thank you again for the encouragement as well War Kitten. I really do appreciate it!

Take it easy for now folks. More updates to come!

-Red__Thirst-

Really enjoyed reading through this thread.

Your artisan skills do the Blood Angels proud!

Based on this I'm looking forward to seeing you fully reboot a BA army!

D

 evildrcheese wrote:
Really enjoyed reading through this thread.

Your artisan skills do the Blood Angels proud!

Based on this I'm looking forward to seeing you fully reboot a BA army!

D

Thank you kindly, Evildrcheese! I appreciate that! I think of myself as only having middling skill when it comes to painting, so it kinda catches me off guard when people offer compliments such as those. Thank you kindly sir.

Final update for the day. I went ahead and pulled the trigger on getting the ink work done on the one wing that's close to finished. Have another coat to paint on I expect, but here's the in shading done with one good coat of white to help clean up where the wash got a little heavy.

Feedback greatly appreciated! I'm trying to learn how to improve here.



(Before photograph for comparison)



And from the back of the jump pack:



(Before photograph for Comparison)



Thanks for reading and I'll have more progress posted soon! Take it easy for now folks!

-Red__Thirst-

The wash really did help to bring out the recesses on the feathers, the wing is now looking even better.

Thanks for the feedback War Kitten! I was a little worried it made them look sloppy at first but after a coat of white it looked a lot better. One more coat to go on that wing and I think I can move on to wing # 2 and get that part wrapped up.

In other news, I finally got my sword in the mail this afternoon! I'll be starting on it soon in earnest to try and get the actual miniature finished up, so I can then knock the jump pack and base (once it arrives) out and do final assembly.

Look for another update soonish, hopefully tomorrow if nothing else once I get the sword arm cleaned & prepped for base coating. Tonight I'll be spending some time looking up methods to paint power weapons and trying to settle on how I want to paint the blade of Valor's Edge.

More to come soon. I'll see you guys shortly, and if anyone has any suggestions on cool/interesting ways to paint power weapons, do please share them here!

Thanks all, take it easy for now.

-Red__Thirst-

Wow that wing looks beautiful, if I had the skills to do it justice then I'd definitely want to borrow the recipe for doing it.

Good news about getting the sword, can't wait to see what awesomeness you can knock up on it.

Another update. Got the sword and arm cleaned up when I arrived home from work this morning. I've just gotten the base coat layer of red laid down now and will be starting with getting the red armor started.

Here's the photos:





I'll work on it a little this afternoon but work looms again tonight so I'll only have around half an hour to really do anything with it today. Still, enough time to make a little headway.

More to come later. Thanks for the support also once again Adamski. It is, as always, greatly appreciated!

Take it easy for now.

-Red__Thirst-






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Final update for the day before I finish getting ready for work and head out. Good progress. Got the arm, purity seal, and handle pretty much finished. Now I begin work on the hilt, guard, gem, and then the blade last.

Tell me what you guys think so far.





More updates to come later. Thanks for looking everyone, take it easy for now.

-Red__Thirst-

Good to see the last bits of the puzzle turning up, looking forward to more.

Blade is looking good so far. Can't wait to see how it comes out

I agree with War Kitten, the sword is coming along nicely. I can't wait to see more.

Update! I've gotten the sword all but finished, save the blade itself. Here's the progress:





I've got a few ideas for different looks. I'm going to try and experiment and see what works. Will update when I settle on a method and go with it.

Take it easy for now guys.

-Red__Thirst-

Looking good, can't wait to see the finished article

Ok! I'm not 'happy' with the final product, but I am contented? I think? It looks better than I thought it would, and I suppose that's what matters.

Also, thank you Adamski. I hope this particular offering doesn't disappoint.

First off, the description of the relic I'm trying to represent here: Valor's Edge (For any not familiar with it)

The ancient power sword known as Valour’s Edge is breathtakingly beautiful. Its blade
gleams with a golden light and its hilt is bejeweled and finely worked. Ancient records
suggest that the sword was presented to Sanguinius by the Emperor himself, a token to
commemorate some victory now lost to the past. Whatever the truth, Valour’s Edge is far
more than a mere decorative piece – able to gauge the worth of its wielder, the sword blazes
with golden fire when grasped by one whose intent it deems pure. In the hands of such an
individual, Valour’s Edge cuts a blinding swathe through the foe. Searing afterimages dance
in its wake, its razor edge sings a clarion note as it cleaves through the air, and neither
blade, armour nor shield can deflect its scything blows.

Excerpt above taken from the most current Blood Angels Codex.

So, I wanted to do the weapon up properly, and try to represent it as best I could given the description above. Here's where it sits before final assembly of the mini (except for attaching him to the Jump Pack, which will come later once I finish it and can attach it to the decorative base which I hope will arrive in the mail soon):



(Crap picture above, sorry. I will take a better one in a little bit)



As I said, it's probably not my best work, but it's the best I could manage and overall I do like it. Just hope it's not too.. flat? I don't know. I want it to look cool and hope I got the golden light energy field kinda feel.

Assembly will start in a moment. More pictures to come! Take it easy for now.

-Red__Thirst-






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Alright!

Final update for the night. He's assembled! Well, except for finishing the Jump Pack and attaching him to it..

Here's Aedus, nearly ready to take flight!







And, last but not least, Aedus blue-tacked to the still in-progress jump pack, to get that 'fresh roasted heretics' feel.



More to come as progress is made on the jump pack over the next few days. See y'all soon and thanks again for all the positive comments and encouragement!

Take it easy for now.

-Red__Thirst-

I think you did a great job with the sword, congrats, it fits the rest of the mini very well.

The only bit I am not quite sure about it the right hand side (as you hold the sword, the side with the wing) of the blade. It might have just a bit too much bare silver at the tip. Seems a bit picky but it jumped out at me when I saw the pictures.

Wow, Aedus is looking pretty damn amazing. The sword looks cool as well.

That sword........... I have no words for just how awesome it looks when it's attached to Aedus. Excellent work

Thank you all, and in a fever induced fit of what I can only describe as self punishment, I completely re-did the blade of the sword. Call it crazy, and it may look worse to everyone else, but I'm much much happier with it. Went with a different color combination and really took my time today to try and get a better energy arc effect on the sword. I'm very happy with it, especially on the interior of the sword, closest to the leg.

Tell me what you guys think, honestly. I don't mind if folks think it looks worse than before, but am genuinely interested in some feedback here.

First photo is a little out of focus, but you can see the detail fairly well I hope.





REALLY happy with that side of the blade, though both sides look better in my opinion.

So, what say you guys? Good? Better? Worse? Not really any difference?

I'll be starting back on the Jump pack now that I've got the sword sorted out and am happy with it.

Thanks for looking and take it easy for now.

-Red__Thirst-

It's better, but I think it is missing a little bit - could you shorten the arc just a tiny bit (like 2 arcs worth) and then maybe fatten it up a touch? Kinda half way between the two.

Either way it looks brilliant dude

See, I thought about that on round 2, and started to try it, but the blade is so dang long (It's taller than the marine wielding it truth be told!) that if I did that, I would fall prey to what I did on the first attempt and not have any of the energy arc/power field effect at the tip of the sword. Inspector pointed it out in his last reply above, and after looking at it, I agree that the tip/point of the blade seemed kinda bare and plain compared to the rest. I went with long thin arcs to make sure I didn't short myself as I did on the first energy field effect which, while cool looking, didn't wow me like this second attempt has. I really appreciate the feedback on it and will take your advice in the near future when I paint my next power weapon and see if I can't improve my technique.

Also, I'm happy you like it, kb_lock, and thank you for the kudos, for sure! I really hope the final product really has some character, and defines what it is to be a Captain in the Blood Angels.

More to come soon. Work has begun on the second jump pack wing. Updates will come as I reach further milestones.

Take it easy for now.

-Red__Thirst-


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Putting the paint brushes down now. Final update for the night.

I got the other wing to about 80% finished. One to two more coats of white, then shading and a final coat or two of white, then clean up around the top of the wing where the white meets the red, and I'll be ready to start on the scroll work and purity seals.

After that, it'll be waiting on the custom base to arrive in the mail, get it cleaned up, prepped, and then painted so that I can attach Aedus to it and the mini will be complete!

Here are the pictures:





Will be starting my weekend of work, today. Three days of 12 hour shifts back to back to back, so I won't have as much time to paint, but will try and get a little more progress made before I have to get ready for work in the afternoons if I can.

More to come later. Thanks all and take it easy for now.

-Red__Thirst-

Damn those white wings look beautiful. Definitely agree that the Valour's Edge sword looks noticeably better the second time around. I really like it.

Glad the second attempt looks better to more than just me. I just wish I'd have done it first and saved myself a good hour plus of painting time. Thank you for the support as always adamski!

As for the wings, I am reminded, unequivocally, how difficult it is to paint white. Sweet mercy why would anyone do this to themselves and paint an army white?? It's a nice change of pace to painting red doing the white wings, for sure, but that wing took four coats of white AFTER I painted two different coats of grey on. And it's still going to need another coat of white, then shading, then another coat or two of white after sharing.

That said. I LOVE the way it looks, but labor intensive is putting it lightly. Any sanguinary guard I might paint in the future are going to have their wings painted in a similar fashion, and I am dreading that so, so much. Haha!

More to come later, see you guys soon, thanks and take it easy for now.

-Red__Thirst-


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Update! The wings are finished!

I've begun laying down the first coat of preliminary paint underneath the scroll work hanging below the jump pack. Next update will have the beginning stages of that depicted. Just wanted to show how the wings looked real fast while I had a few minutes before I leave for work.

Tell me what you guys think if you'd be so kind.





White is SUCH A PAIN TO PAINT... still, totally worth it and am very happy with the crisp, cool white I was able to achieve.

More updates are forthcoming. I wish I could say I was nearing completion, but sadly I am still waiting on the decorative bases to arrive from Dragonforge. ( http://www.dragonforge.com/ )

I'll be using the Desert Wasteland hero base set (25mm) base, with a base extension ring around it to make it 32mm so he'll match the rest of the marines in the force. My other option/idea is to base him on the 40mm base and call it a day, as he will be rather tall by comparison, and it will help stability to have a larger base too. I'm likely going to go with a grey/ash waste colors instead so that my basing scheme is consistent between my Blood Angels and my Vostroyan Imperial Guard force.

Here's the bases painted up in a desert theme.
http://www.dragonforge.com/for%20sale%20images/dforge%20items%20for%20sale/Gaming%20bases/desert%20wasteland%20round%20base%20set/hero%20base%20set%20desert%20wasteland%201.jpg

Once the bases arrive I'll get the extension ring on the 25mm base, add basing material to it and then get both painted up and see which one i prefer for Aedus.

We'll see what we'll see. For now I'm off to get ready for work. Take it easy for now guys & gals.

-Red__Thirst-

Kind of an update, I went ahead and snapped a few pictures of Aedus blue-tacked to his jump pack to see how he looks with the white wings. I have to say, I'm very pleased! Take a look:





Work still left to do:

-Paint the parchment work and purity seals on the jump pack (Beginnings of that have been started, covering the bare metal with a solid coat of Zamesi Desert. Next step will be covering all parchment work with a second coat of the same color in prep for the parchment shading)
-Any final touch-up work on the jump pack after that's finished.
-Get decorative base in-hand, modified, basing added, and finally painted up.
-Mount jump pack to base.
-Attach Aedus to jump pack and do any last minute clean ups.

After that, I'll have a finished Captain, and will be ready to start on the next project!

Hope folks like the preview above. Thanks for looking and I'll catch you guys more soon.

Take it easy for now.

-Red__Thirst-