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Do you have a heat gun? I don't know if a hairdryer would put out enough heat in as concentrated enough of an area.
Candle sounds a little risky, too.
Maybe a curling iron?
I don't know why my mind keeps going to hair care equipment.

Thanks for the various notions... I tried it with hot water and didn't get very far, and I don't have a heat gun. That plastic is 20+ years old and seems brittle, so I may not push it. I can also pitch the model forward a bit on the flying base to compensate... I bet I'll get it there, but it's hard to tell with so many unglued parts to dry-fit at once.

The last Zephyrim should be built tonight and I'll post pics of everyone on their painting jigs. I'm going with all helmeted heads, partly for speed and partly because my struggles with the Canoness left me a little gunshy. I'll try to hone my flesh tone painting on the Bullgryns before I do bare-headed Sisters, and these girls will look pretty fierce visors-down. I just have to get the base coat on before another week of crappy Colorado spring weather, and that means tomorrow...


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Okay, here's where we are. I think I can spray them tomorrow and get them painted before the month is out. In my new-look second battalion scheme, they're Bloody Rose with green armor, gold trim, and off-white tabards. I got a Celestian helmet to designate the Superior in addition to the pennant.

Well, I beat the weather... it's going to rain and snow all week, but I'll have these to work on during the cold dark evenings.

We are all looking forward to your painting progress.

Cheers,

CB

Well, I've definitely fallen off on the updates around here, and I haven't given other blogs the attention they deserve either. I did squeak my mon thly painting contest entry in under the wire... so here's the culmination of the converted Seraphim-turned-Zephyrim project:



Individual models:
I couldn't resist staging a shot on my entry for the last LoER terrain contest (which I did not win, but kudos to Captain Brown and his awesome entry!):


Most of the conversion details are scattered over the last several posts. Everyone got at least one arm/hand/weapon swap, and some of them two, plus I built the Pennant out of the Canoness arm left over from my last conversion and an old banner. I'm completely happy with the conversions and slightly less so with the paint... I bought new brushes and a new magnifier lamp halfway through, and there was a bit of a learning curve. I bungled something in the paint sequences... either not enough spray primer, too thin on the brushed base coat, missed spots in the layer coat, or wrong flow characteristics on the wash... I have some pretty blotchy robes I didn't have time to fix. Also, I love the white visors, but I'm not sure if they should match the robes or not... I mean, they're painted ceramite, not leather and cloth, so shouldn't they look different? I can't decide.

Lessons learned in the process: I was glad I had left heads and jump packs off until late and mounted the minis on temporary bases. It was hard to imagine how the heads would look best until the bodies were mounted on the flight bases. Small hands and slender wrists are tough to drill, so plastic-to-metal conversions are very finicky. Luckily a few more assorted boxes should give me all the leftover plastic bits I need to keep converting. This project used the last of my metal power swords!

Those are really cool. They look fantastic on your terrain. LOVE that green armor.

I like the white visors, too. Perhaps there could be a slight lowlight or a wash/shading to them without going full leather coloring?
Even with the things you're not satisfied about them, they came along farther than my own painting challenge entry.

The terrain looks sick with those sisters flying around it. You've done some badass work this month.

I agree with DJJazzyJeff - the helmets look like they need a wash for extra depth. You could try what you used on the robes but just on the details / around the studs (leaving mostly the brght white) - or you could go with a blue or grey wash. If they are meant to be the same colour except for texture, I would attempt to bring them closer together - but that's just me.

Otherwise - good work! They look stunning on your terrain

You terrain piece is great MacPhail, I hope to see you in many future LoER contests

MacPhail,

Very nice and very unique squad flying above your great terrain piece.

Cheers,

CB

Thanks, y'all. You're right about the visors... too stark. But they are a nice focal point and they make the purple lenses pop. I think I'll try some Apothecary White contrast paint and leave it at that.

Next up: build more plastic Sisters, start planning for the medical-themed LoER contest, and choosing five classics for the "Old-School Cool" themed painting contest this month.

Currently in the running:

An Arbites patrol with shotguns and grenade launcher:



A mixed grill of 2nd ed. models with one dude from the Chainsaw Warrior game:

If we get to vote, I vote Arbites! Those are some of my all time favourite GW minis. Echoing the praise for the sisters, the green armour is just beautiful, and they look great against the terrain. Basing is simple but elegant too - love the touch of foliage. Looking forward to whatever comes next!

Cool squad of flying sisters Mac! As others have said they look even better on the terrain piece too, even if they look a little too precarious for my nerves! I’ve got to vote for the Arbites too, they’ve always been cool in my book.

tzurk~ Thanks, that's really generous. The base detail is all from Green Stuff World, including the cork rocks on a couple of them. I've been trying to do tufts and leaves on everything I build for this army and my table.

gobert~ Thanks! They're actually pretty solid as is, except for one I gave a metal sword to. A big washer under these new giant bases should do the trick.

Okay, that's two votes for Arbites... I was already leaning way for the sake of efficiency. They should go quick: wash and drybrush armor, maybe with a blue tint, gray trim, black guns.

What color storm coat?

Lovely conversion and the green is looking great. Love to see more sisters in that color scheme!
And if you need the last push, definitely go Arbites!

Those Zephyrim conversions are great and the Sororitas terrain is superb. Those lids are so fitting.

Thanks! I was really happy with the green. It's the last of my Corax base spray, two coats of Warpstone Glow, and a wash of Biel Tan. I keep meaning to integrate a light dry brush or edge highlight, but I've never been happy with it. Maybe on the next round of plastic Sisters... I need to build some special weapons that will stand out from their squads anyway thanks to scale, detail, base size, etc... might as well mess with the paint too!

So jealous that you have some of the old metal Arbites MacPhail.

Cheers,

CB

That's quite the force you've got MacPhail! Lovely selection of old minis (love the Arbites and Sisters of Sigmar). Also, I really like your old Celestine jump pack conversion, nicely done!

Thanks zahnib! I started building this army when they came out 25 years ago, so it's been a while coming together.

I'm glad the Arbites are generating some interest, they'll definitely be my entry for the contest this month. I'm going to try to cook up a glaze to tint the armor blue-steel and then do the trim in three shades of gray. Light gray trench on the leader with dark gray trim, and black guns. Not sure what to do with faces... the little visor slot is hard to reach, but the chins are prominent.

Sounds like a slow burn! Must be nice to have them pretty well completed. Look forward to seeing those Arbites painted up, sounds like you've got a pretty solid scheme in mind With the visor slot I'd probably just pop what ever colour you wanting in there then neaten up at the end, I've found that works well with the sisters' helmets.

Well, I'm struggling with a homemade blue wash or glaze... I was really hoping to get a cool blue tint to the armor, but this isn't it. I may scrap it, repaint a couple of models, and fall back on good ol' Nuln Oil. But that would yield a very monochromatic model, and I was looking for that splash of color. Here's were I stopped:

Both models coated in Leadbelcher. Left model upper is plain Leadbelcher, left model lower has a Nuln wash, and right model has a homemade wash made of Macragge, water, and flow aid. I wanted a light bluish tint with some deeper color in the recesses, but I just got dull, powdery blue all over that kills the metallic aspect. I may keep fiddling with the recipe, but I'm on the clock for the monthly contest and I'm tempted to back off the the experiment. What say any of you?

I think the added blue is worth a bit more experimentation. Maybe go with just using flow aid? I’ve heard that water can dull down paints, but haven’t noticed it myself. Alternatively you could target only the recesses or hit him up with a dry brush? Have you thought about mixing the blue in with the Leadhbelcher?

My first response is to say that I don't know. But, I think the metallic blue could be a really neat effect. Here are a couple of things I found online with a little bit of quick searching. I would imagine you may have already seen some of them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsygvPilyvE

https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/465822.page#4585167

Have you tried Drakenhof Nightshade over Leadbelcher? Gives a nice dark blue metallic.

Yeah, that would have been the route to go... but I think I need to paint these guys up and finish their bases ASAP. My second attempt was better, although far from perfect. I stepped the blue shade down a notch (to Altdorf) and used only a little water and mostly flow agent to thin it. It held to the recesses better but still didn't flow evenly or cover well. I'm happy enough to move on, and I think I'll get something like the effect I'm chasing.

First attempt on the left, second on the right:

Interesting experiment and it is looking good on the right figure, more of a grimy armour and not bright and shiny. Excited to see the rest of the squad treated to this and all of them painted up.

The blue armour is looking good! I think the right one is nicely balanced. Also once the rest of the detail is done the armour won't be quite so prominent, they'll look great! Look forward to seeing them done

 zahnib wrote:
Also once the rest of the detail is done the armour won't be quite so prominent, they'll look great! Look forward to seeing them done

zahnib has hit on something MacPhail, I would do a black for any place that the pliant under armor is shown (like behind the knees or elbows).

My two cents,

CB

You guys were totally right... once I repainted the gray uniforms underneath, did the gun frames in black and hit them both with Nuln Oil, it really clarified the blue armor. I may still do a drybrush and/or highlight with silver, but otherwise they just need details and insignia. Thanks for all the clear suggestions, sometimes it takes a village to paint a model.