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San76 wrote: Great colour scheme! Love the diorama, very cinematic...as all 40k should be!
I cannot imagine how long it would take me to paint so many models....
Thank you very much, San! I couldn’t help but make the little diorama. I think that you’d be surprised about painting lots of models. From the stuff that you’ve shown in your blog I know that you have the patience to see it through. It’s all about the assembly line, and not fussing too much over every detail.
A small update:
I haven’t painted all that much, really, as I’ve been doing other life things. I’ve decided to finish painting these guys and then perhaps get a game or two in.
No matter who we are, time is precious. I love Tyranids, but I’m not actually sure how I managed to paint all of my Gaunts. Edge highlighting is absolutely NOT a technique for painting Tyranids - more so the smaller Nids - but I trudged on regardless.
I’ve now decided that it’s probably best to change my colour scheme. For my sanity but more for productivity’s sake. I want to be finishing twenty Nids in two days, not two months!
I walked past my local GW’s display window. All of the paint jobs were simple and effective. I grew up trying to emulate what I saw in White Dwarfs and GW books, but this is not practical for gaming purposes. I have much patience, but I need to get the ball rolling again.
Here’s a very simple scheme that I made years ago. All I did was use some washes, a white drybrush, and a second application of washes - then I picked out the details. It was stupidly quick, fun and effective:
There’s also Lord Duncan’s Hive Fleet Kraken tutorial. I thought about using orange instead of red:
I love the idea of removing buckets of models every shooting phase, but the way I’m currently painting my dudes isn’t practical in the slightest.
They do look kinda cool, though
By The Emperor, who knew that little plastic models could be so serious?
Blimey, what am I like...
I’ll be back soon. I’m going on an adventure of sorts in the near future, so that should be fun
Love these little dudes - I'll be sharing this with a mate of mine who has a horde of tyranids and he's terrified of painting them because he's never done it before, looks like a good way to help him get started!
jbeil wrote: Love these little dudes - I'll be sharing this with a mate of mine who has a horde of tyranids and he's terrified of painting them because he's never done it before, looks like a good way to help him get started!
Hi jbeil! I’m really glad that you like these guys
I hope that your friend gets on okay with all those little guys. I would absolutely recommend following Duncan’s tutorial on WarhammerTV. The way that I’ve gone about painting my guys is okay, but I’m having second thoughts.
At the end of the day, I’ve just got to pick up the brushes and paint, that’s half the battle. This is actually a brilliant motivator (meme-ivator? ):
However, when I get the chance, it’s so easy to fire up the PC or whatever and chill, which is a very important thing in the grand scheme of things.
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE painting! I’ve been really enjoying playing some music whilst doing so - something that I wouldn’t normally do unless driving to and from work. I just want to be able to put my mind in neutral and do something that doesn’t involve much electricity all the time. Plus, I love the sense of productivity that this hobby provides in the bucket load!
Basically, I’m looking for a more effective and efficient way of painting my hungry space dino-bugs. I believe that way involves using almost exclusively washes, as I posted above. I would like to try out a test scheme first.
However, Hive Fleet Mastodon will still grow! I intend to make them up to 1000pts, and use them in smaller games.
That’s enough wall of text, I will post the results of the test scheme soon.
I left this for a few days give some time to judge it. Here's what I think:
1. BY THE EMPEROR, THIS WAS GLORIOUS!
2. Casandora Yellow is liquid gold.
3. Purple and green look TERRIBLE together.
4. This is the way to go.
5. EMPEROR PROTECT.
Okay, so a little more on the matter. This was stupidly easy to paint, and the results were better than what I was hoping for. In fact, it was so quick that I didn't wait for the yellow wash to dry completely. This is perfect for batch painting.
The method was simple: Firstly, undercoat the model white. Secondly, wash the model with the chosen colours. (Don't apply too much - use as much wash on the brush as if you were applying a basecoat with paint.) Then, heavily drybrush the model white, concentrating on raised areas and edges. Lastly, reapply the same colour washes and pick out details.
In terms of colour, clearly the Druchi Violet and Biel-Tan Green look HORRENDOUS together. There is no way that this will be my final scheme. However, I do think that the Biel-Tan Green goes really well with the Casandora Yellow. I've given it some thought, and here are a few schemes that could work:
- Casandora Yellow skin with Druchi Violet carapaces and Seraphim Sepia claws.
- Casandora Yellow skin with Biel-Tan Green carapaces and Seraphim Sepia claws.
- Seraphim Sepia skin with Coelia Greenshade carapaces and Nuln Oil claws (like the ones I painted a few years ago).
Yes, essentially this is my Mastodon scheme, but instead much more vibrant! I've yet to test it, but I know that it will work.
I re-learnt during painting this test Genestealer that Citadel sprays are almost the opposite of The Army Painter sprays in that they should be sprayed further away from the models rather than closer.
I'm really looking forward to going ahead with this scheme. The Genestealers are first on the to-do list, and I also need some supplies.
Thanks for reading, will be back sometime soon!
Cosmic.
P.S. The new Imperial Knights look incredible, as does the latest Adeptus Sororitas preview. White Dwarf issues 292 and 293 were my first, so I obviously thought that Warhammer 40k was intriguingly insane and incredible as kid, Praise the Emperor!
One thing you might want to play with is to change your second step slightly. Instead of an initial wash with the chosen colours use a brown or black - flesh tones work well for this. Then do your drybrush, and then your colours. This gives extra depth to the washes, and speeds it up slightly as you're only putting down one colour before the drybrush.
Might be worth trying as you're still fixing the colour scheme.....
Ah, now that is sound advice, thank you monkeytoll! That indeed might be worth giving a go. I think that I like the saturated, cartoony aesthetic that the doubling-up of the washes achieves, though. Will give it some thought, thanks again
Firstly, I would like to give a MASSIVE thank you to monkeytroll and their painting advice. It's things like this that remind why the internet is so great - as well as the ability to watch cat videos on YouTube Here we are, another test Genestealer:
I was writing up a possible new 'Nid list, which included 120 Gaunts. It suddenly struck me that I needed an even faster paint scheme if I wanted to achieve this! Then I realised just how useful monkeytroll's advice was. Here's what I did:
1. Prime White.
2. Wash all over with Seraphim Sepia.
3. Drybrush White.
4. Wash Skin Casandora Yellow.
5. Wash armour Seraphim Sepia.
6. Glaze the claws twice with Waywatcher Green.
7. Pick out the details!
It was even faster than the last test model, and I think that it looks far more natural, and thus less tiresome to look at. The Highlight for me was the Waywatcher Green glaze. It's crazy how good it is - the effect that it has is transformative to say the least! This can surely be explained with one thing: the corruption of CHAOS!
You'll notice that it's very grainy in some places - I just couldn't get the primer to apply smoothly. In all fairness, the can has been stood dormant for a good few years, so that explains why. It will be useful to keep for terrain or such.
There we are! This is definitely the scheme that I'm going for.
What I intend to do next is gradually prepare some models for painting, but also finish off the Warriors and Carnifex. I do not intend to take those guys any further, so I'm very happy to leave it at a nice 750pts force, led by a Tyranid Prime.
Cheers guys Take care, and I'll see you sometime soon!
I spent a good few hours edging the carapaces of the Warriors, and managed to make a start on the Carnifex. You may have noticed that I haven’t been aiming for the finest brush work with these guys, but I think that it works. I really didn’t want to go full on Space Marine power armour mode for this army, as that would have been ridiculous
As cross-eyed as edge highlighting can be, I actually really enjoyed it. It’s nice to get in the zone and paint away!
I had a little “coolness” test between one of my Termagants and the last Genestealer, and I preferred the former by far... I think that it’s the painted look, plus the Termagant is much more fun and bright.
So, in short, Hive Fleet Mastodon shall continue for now! That, and I think that painting a hundred or so models to a certain colour scheme and then changing course is incredibly irrational!
Then again, I wouldn’t know what being rational was even if it smacked me ‘round the jaw
So, there we are! I’m actually really excited to get painting again, and have thought of a stupid fast way to speed paint the Genestealers (using Hexos Palesun )
I shall return sometime in the future! Thanks for reading
@alabamaheretic: Thank you so much for the praise encouragement, much appreciated!
@Master Azalle: Thanks! There'll be more
Also @The Riddle of Steel: Thanks for the kind words in your showcase thread! You have a really superb force there
Hi everyone, here's the latest on the Carnifex and Warriors:
I've finished the Ushabti Bone feathering on the Warriors, and have painted the main carapace of the Carnifex. Next will be to finish the feathering on the Carnifex, and then add some extreme highlights with Screaming Skull to them all, plus tidy up some areas with Seraphim Sepia.
They are all such cool models! Painting the Carnifex is really different - it's so BIG! However, I think that's it's the little 'Nids that really make Tyrandis what they are, so I'm really happy to have finished so many of them. I can't wait to see the Carnifex surrounded by a sea of Gaunts!
I did some "kwiq maffs" (ORKS NOT HOT), and realised that if I include every model painted so far, plus add a Tervigon (and give the Carnifex Adrenal Glands), the total cost comes to 1000 points!
Tyranids Battalion Detachment:
26 Termagants - 104pts
26 Termagants - 104pts
20 Hormagaunts - 100pts
20 Hormagaunts - 100pts
1 Tyranid Prime with a Lash Whip and Bonesword + Deathspitter - 107pts
5 Tyranid Warriors with 4 Deathspitters + a Venom Cannon - 140pts
3 Ripper Swarms - 33pts
1 Tervigon - 225pts
1 Carnifex with a Thresher Scythe, Tusks, and Adrenal Glands - 87pts
Total = 1000pts.
So, there we have it! I have no idea how well this list would perform (nor am I concerned about that), but it's something to aim for! From painting the Carnifex so far, I can tell that the Tervigon is going to be a bit of a beast!
woohoo 1k points that's quiet the accomplishment considering guants are fairly cheap! as I've said they look great.
plus if you are in a relaxed community it shouldn't be too terrible and personally I'm a big fan of the rule of cool and taking stuff that would be fun
@alabamaheretic: Thank you very much! Yes, I certainly am not doing this to be a competitive 40k player.
@Private Benjamin: That's excellent to hear, and thank you for your kind words. I won't share his name, but he was so fantastic, a wonderful friend and a beautiful, lovely cat! He assumed his role as Project Manager for many of my hobby adventures! We miss him greatly.
Okay then, time for a little update:
I've added a further highlight of Screaming Skull to the Warriors, and have started on the Carnifex, too.
I'm going to have to slow my progress down a little, and paint when I can. Thus, I've decided that my next update will be when the Warriors and Carnifex are finished, plus based along with everyone else.
...
In other news, the new Age of Sigmar looks outstanding! The models are really something else. I shan't be jumping in any time soon, but I think that I may very well pick up the rulebook just for the artwork and lore.
I must say, however, that I really think there is something to be said about the sheer spectacle of the massed ranks of warriors that Oldhammer stood for. I remember very fondly the Storm of Chaos poster that adorned my wall, and spending much time inspecting every detail of the huge battle diorama. (Google Images doesn't seem to yield the best of resolution results.)
However, I do think that round bases certainly help make individual miniatures to really express themselves. Still, I reckon that a lot of the old WHFB models don't look quite right when on their own round base - you can tell that they're meant to be among a bigger block of their mates.
Then there's the success that the Total War: Warhammer games saw. However, if Age of Sigmar is doing well, that's fantastic news for GW!
In this month's White Dwarf, I could certainly tell that they were keen to cover the AoS stuff, and not just because they needed to push the new edition. It certainly is a breath of fresh air.
I suppose that, if you want a massed-rank fantasy game, Kings of War is the answer, indeed!
...
Blimey, there we are! I love rambling on about stuff. I hope you may find it interesting, too.
I often like to check to see how Dropzone Commander is getting on. I hope that it's working for TTCombat, and that Dave is doing well.
There is so much choice out there, so many different games! As always, though, it's all about time! This hobby really teaches you that, which is a good thing. However, the Warhammer universes are so vast, it's sometimes nice just to relax and be a part of it.
Say, when is 40k going to be on the big screen? However, I suppose that's not the best of ideas, as it would have to be horrendously diluted down. Like a pint of water with a drop of Ribena, along with a big stinking block of Hollywood cheese. Perhaps it's best to leave it to the awesome animators on YouTube to do the job right!
Okay, I'll be off now
Cheers all, I really appreciate it. I shall return sometime on the future!
Cosmic wrote: I'm going to have to slow my progress down a little, and paint when I can. Thus, I've decided that my next update will be when the Warriors and Carnifex are finished, plus based along with everyone else.
However, I just felt that now would be another good time to share a WIP, with the claws blocked in with two thin coats of Macragge Blue.
Indeed, right now is a busy time for me regarding work but that's a good thing - it just means that I can't binge paint like I did with the Gaunts. So, I've resorted to painting when I can. I could certainly push to paint more, but that's okay - it would put me off painting in the long run.
I've actually been second guessing myself a lot recently, not just regarding painting... which is quite normal for me anyway I know that I'm kidding myself in terms of painting my 'Nids, as I know that the Genestealer test I did earlier is SO much smarter than what I'm currently doing.
However, my current scheme does have some benefits. For example, correcting any painting mistakes on the skin is super easy - just paint a few thin layers of Skeleton Bone, and then wash the area carefully with Casandora Yellow. The difference is unnoticeable.
I was pleased to see an awesome article in July's White Dwarf, which showcased an army by Paul Norton. The way he tackled the Space Marine armour was very similar to how I've gone about my 'Nids - all he did was spray them Leadbelcher, and then wash them with Nuln Oil.
Also, I really think that Kill Team is a great move by GW. I like how it's not just aimed at newcomers, but veterans alike. The aspiring painter that I was ten years ago would have been super happy in knowing that the Space Marine he painted over the weekend had some meaningful value on the tabletop.
Anyhow, until next time - take care!
Cosmic.
P.S. THIS is some seriously brilliant marketing... nicely done GW!
Another (as my Großvater puts it) knitting update! The sanding is complete:
The next thing is to paint the bases, then double-double check for any areas where I can correct mistakes/make improvements, and then finally varnish!
Winter is coming, which ultimately means play time for Cosmic. It's really good to see all of your blogs still going, keep up the good work folks (if you haven't, you must check out Insectum's Tyranids Blog. There's not many of us, but together the Hive Mind will triumph!)
Really awesome stuff from the Vigilus opening day. I'm going to have to start a Genestealer Cults force, I think!
In other news, I've almost finished reading the HH novel Garro. It's incredible, I can't recommend it enough!
That's enough for now - until next time... take care!
All done and varnished. I had a panic moment when the Warrior with the Venom Cannon took a dive from my spray stick and broke the tip of his tail "Ping!" it went. Luckily, a quick glue, file and wash sorted the issue. It looks as though a wounded Guardsman lay in hiding took a slash at their tail, or perhaps a hungry lil' Ripper had a bite, and now it's grown back
I tried to take a cool photo Rumour has it that the points cost of the Tervigon, Prime and Broodlord have dropped, which means that I have a points gap to fill. The answer: MORE TERMAGANTS!!!
Next up to paint then will be the Tervigon, as well as more Termagants. The latter are fun little things to churn out, really
I don't suspect that I'll be posting another update for 2018, so have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Cheers
Much congratulations, and they look great! I'm glad you were able to fix the poor wounded little fella. Yes i am going to call warriors "little fellas" i cannot be stopped.
Hello Dakka! We are are well into 2019! Here are a couple of progress shots:
Above, you can see the result of having glued small Neodymium magnets to my Nids' bases! Transport SOLVED! I can see how these magnets could potentially lead towards a slippery slope of heresy and damnation. The Emperor Protects.
Also, an assembled Tervigon with some Hormagaunts, almost ready for painting. That's all that I have planned for painting this year.
In other news, the new Genestealer Cults look SNAZZY, so much cool stuff. Oh, and new Chaos Space Marines! DO YOU HEAR THE VOICES, TOO?
Take care of yourselves, folks, and thanks for stopping by,
Hi amazingturtles, thanks again! This year looks to be quite the trip, especially with Abaddon returning and the Adeptus Sororitas! The Primaris are getting cooler all the time, too.
It’s about time that I got gaming with Hive Fleet Mastodon. Here’s my 1000pts list:
52 Termagants - 208pts.
50 Hormagaunts - 250pts.
3 Ripper Swarms - 33pts.
5 Warriors with 4 Deathspitters, and a Venom Cannon - 145pts.
1 Tyranid Prime with a Deathspitter and a Lash Whip + Bonesword - 77pts.
1 Carnifex with 2 pairs of Monstrous Scything Talons, a Thresher Scythe, and Tusks - 97pts.
1 Tervigon with Massive Scything Talons - 190pts.
Total = 1000pts.
I have no idea how this would perform, nor do I really care! I have plans to add another 1000pts in the future. I must check out Killteam, too. I hear that Warriors are good at it.
G'day Dakka! Here is the current painting situation:
Currently, Hive Fleet Mastodon is in the process of moving to a new system in its eternal hunger for more bio-matter. That's right! Cosmic is currently painting 1:1 scale walls and terrain. Exciting times...
So much has happened/is happening! Abaddon is ace, the upcoming SoB look rad, and CONTRAST PAINTS
I was fortunate enough to attend Warhammerfest, it was an awesome day. I would say that Contrast Paints are everything we've hoped for, and more. If it means more of us getting our armies actually painted (and quickly), it is a glorious thing indeed.
I plan to finish off this 1000pts force, and then go from there. There's lots of other things for Comsic to be thinking about at the moment, of course.
Plus, this year marks my tenth DakkaDakka anniversary. I'm glad that this website was my first "social media" experience.
As it has almost been ten years since I joined Dakka Dakka, I would like to post a recently rediscovered picture of our beloved cat helping me play Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War, sometime around 2005, most likely.
You can see that he is offering his sound tactical advice and strategy! It's funny, because I first discovered Dawn of War when I saw a small inset in a White Dwarf. Way back! It had a picture of an Ultramarine, and a quick description to say that it was coming soon. I don't think that DoW received much more promotion in WD than that, but I forget.
Dawn of War was my FAVOURITE game! I would play it as soon as I could when I got back from school. This was the first time that many of us had experienced such an audio and visual representation of the 40k universe. Indeed, it is the reason why many people got into Warhammer and wargaming in the first place.
I thought to myself back then that I should try and paint more models and play less on the computer - and so I did. The perception of video games was very different back then. Now look at how MASSIVE the video games industry is now!
How things have changed. The fan-made Astartes series on YouTube is probably the best cinematic depiction of Space Marines that we have ever seen. That's just one guy using their free time, driven by the passion for something that they love.
As I "joked" about in my last post, I shall soon be moving to new lands - painting will no doubt resume once the dust has settled. It's all go at the moment.
Imperial Fist, IG and GK WIP: 
but more for productivity’s sake. I want to be finishing twenty Nids in two days, not two months!
):
)
ORKS NOT HOT
Imperial Guard - Emperor's Talons Sentinel Walker Company ~ 
Imperial Guard - Vendetta Gunship flyer eBay Recovery ~ 
but that's a good thing - it just means that I can't binge paint like I did with the Gaunts. So, I've resorted to painting when I can. I could certainly push to paint more, but that's okay - it would put me off painting in the long run.
"Ping!" it went. Luckily, a quick glue, file and wash sorted the issue. It looks as though a wounded Guardsman lay in hiding took a slash at their tail, or perhaps a hungry lil' Ripper had a bite, and now it's grown back 
