Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Both faces are great, imho!

Thank you!

I'm really tempted to do a .gif that quickly cycles through all the crazy guardsmen faces I end up with. I generally let it slide for the Easy Build guardsmen. I aim to use them as my conscripts eventually, and they might as well have wide eyes of terror.

I'm working hard on heads from the "Rescue Squad" from Mad Robot Miniatures which is Characters from Predator.

Dillon will be a power fisted "Counts As" for Stracken, Dutch will be a Company Commander with a bolter, Blain will have a minigun and Cout As Sgt. Harker, and Billy and Mac will be veteran sergeants. Taking it slow just a bit at a time in the background. Not planning to make them fully like the crew in Predator, Dillon and Dutch will wear a short company command jacket (as opposed to great coat) and Mac and Billie will feature bolters, but It will still be fun to have then as part of a "Catachan All-stars" list. I have an old metal Sly Marbo that screams AAAAAAAGH! Already so he's perfect as is.

Great stuff, looks like you've been busy. The vine camo is really effective. I have a bit of mental block when it comes to painting camo but will definately try it one day, and what you have done there could be an inspiration.

Those guardswomen look more fearsome than the blokes. The preist model is funny

Maybe I should youtube a vine-o-flage how to. It comes from this wild tribal art scribbling I used to do in college, and to your point, good cammo seemed laborious to me (used to try to nail exact patterns on tanks and planes as a kid).

My quick tip for this vine-o-flage is start at the bottom around the vehicle with one color, and just decide where the attach points are, leaving spaces for the other color. The colors don't have to alternate at attach points. Start thinking of potential Y junctions. Take colors up the side and decide where colors cross, and on the balance which will cross over the other where. You can always over paint a junction for balance later. Then once it's brought up to all the sides, plan out how they will snake and branch across the top to connect to each other.

I made the mistake of choosing a rattle can green for the base of all my tanks I don't have a matching brush paint for (and I'm not that good at mixing yet to be able to match it) so all my tanks had to have non base colors exact the first time, or find ways to incorporate "happy accidents".

So the vine cammo pattern I use goes something like this:
Start with the first color and just snake it along one side bit by bit. Then do the other.


Finally bring it up and then link it across the top.


Do the same for the next color


Then bring it up onto any other components


Here's how it looks when it comes together. For my army the Fast Attack and heavy tanks have plain green, while Transports and artillery get the vine-o-flauge pattern.

Nice one, thanks

Love the vine-o-flage, it looks great! A very believable camouflage pattern.

Thanks, and that was a key question when I started the experiment. I wanted it to look unique but plausible. I had started with the idea of just doing NATO 3 color, but then there's a lot of that used, and it looks more like contemporary forces and less future fantasy. It's gotten some positive comments on the table and I'm pretty happy with the result

I wish I had an airbrush, as I think it would look even better, but I made peace long ago with the need to compromise a bit on detail to table quality to get the full army built in time to actually play games before 10th edition.

Cool camo on the tanks the vineflauge works well...
To be honest I think it would probably be more of a faff to do them with an airbrush...

Just finishing my new Tank Commander turrets using the Blood and Skulls "Roland Dual Weapon Turret". Also featured here is my Squat tank commander. He and his tank still need names. He was made on hero forge and converted to fit in the new turrets.

More new barrels for my Tank Commanders from Blood and Skulls. This is the Aurora Medium Cannon on the Roland turret. Intended for use as a plasma Executioner barrel on the Leman Russ. Also created replacement versions of all of my Tank Commanders that can slot on to the top and swap quite easily. Didn't have another copy of the original head on Huntress, as it was actually an eldar head left behind by someone in the discard at a game shop. This head came from the Raging Heroes "Jail Birds" set. Hair is too long for infantry combat so now it moves over to the armor company. The shiniy eye cover works for a TC I think, though I had to carve out a bit of the back of the collar on the tank officer body to fit it.

Those turrets really compliment the lines of ur olde Russ tanks, you’ve done great work there!

So here's one of my current lists I'm trying out. 60 infantry using 2 Chimeras, backed up with a spearhead detatchment using Executioner tank commanders, demolishers, and a couple of punishers. Right now I'm focusing on doing well with the primary objectives game. This list will probably lose a lot on some secondaries, but I'll turn attention to that more in time.


Tank Commander "Huntress" rolling with a Leman Russ Executioner alternate from Blood and Skulls industry


The've got no use for glory in the infantry, particular when each shot with your plasma gun may be your last.


Leman Russ Demolisher. I appreciate that this camera really brings out flaws for me to notice. Looks like I have to go and touch up shadows on the turret All the smoke launchers need to be re-done... eventually.


Here's two Chimeras featuring alternative turrets from Blood and Skulls, and my Manticore, all featruing the vinoflage camo. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't used Munitorum varnish, and I haven't found a dead-flat spray that can take down the shine from a flash. Overall they work fine on the table though, so it will do.


Here is my Squat tank commander riding in a Blood and Skulls "Roland" turret, with a punisher gatling cannon made by the same company. I really like this turret with it's detail that includes inserts between the barrels and the housings. Will try to get a better photo later. Again, he was actually built off a Hero-Forge print.


As you can see I'm finishing final painting on two of the tanks. Should be able to knock the last details on those out in an afternoon.


Here is "Dutch" Ahnold, and Apollo Dillon, company commanders of the 87th Deathstalkers. Dillon is my stand in for Catachan Col. Stracken (still needs his shotgun). Ahnold is just a general CC with bolter. These are the beautiful heads from the Mad Robot Miniatures "Rescue Squad" which has 5 heads from the Predator movie. The Blain head is going on my Sargent Harker stand in. I really love how these guys turned out.



All and all, fun to build. Everything but the Chimeras, Company Commanders, and manticore has obsec. Even with the melta game being so strong, it's still a lot of obsec wounds to chew through.

Nice! Always fun to see a nice column of plastic rolling iron! Good luck on the table!

Finally got around to basing my heavy weapon teams. Also added regiment symbol decals to them. Up close you can see some wrinkles but at a distance they seem ok. I can see where there's now some wear and tear on gloves and ends of guns. Got more new guys to build before I get to the old ones though.

Mortar team looks really cool. It's interesting how something as simple as painting them with gloves instead of skin-tone on the hands makes them appear more modern than WW2 aesthetic. Also really like the custom turrets on the tanks.

Thank you!

Here's the rest of the teams based!