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Thanks for catching that Vik. I think a small part of it was just the lighting catching some of the edges of less than completely smooth conversion work. I may have diluted the paint too much when transferring it to a dropper bottle, but the main reason for streakiness is probably just that I didn't paint it that well in places. I've touched up the blue now as I worked on him.


The librarian is close to done now too, just need to add the finished helmet, the storm bolter, and some purity seals.


I forgot that I hadn't added the combi-weapon on knife guy, but now i think he is really done. I also normally don't do scenic or diorama bases because I think it's weird that a figure is bringing that dead body, chunk of building, lamp post, etc around the battlefield with them. Knife guy seems like he should have a scenic base, and had a dead gaunt with a knife sticking out of it.

It didn't seem harsh at all to me Vik, I really appreciate all the feed back. And you're right, that citadel base color in the background was what I used. Until getting more work done on the termie captain, knife guy had become my favorite. Now the terminator is again. That's funny about super hero, I'm leaning more towards cap

The terminator captain is almost completely done, all that's left is the cape (I'm not going to attempt the iron halo like decoration). This guy is so fragile now that it kind of scares me.


I'm also getting ready to work on some tyranids as I slowly cast the marines I need. The molds for the termagant finished curing enough to use, so I made one to test how it looks with paint.


I also cast hot glue ripper swarms


I'm trying to convert a monster with a gun growing out of it's back (Sedition Wars: Battle for Alabaster) into a barbgaunt: a tyranid with a gun growing out of it's back.

You have perfect timing with talking about stealth suits, Vik. Look what I just got for a combination of Father's day and using my end of the year gift cards


I have also finished casting more than enough space marine bodies for the Leviathan forces. I was a little slow, but just made a mold for space marine heads. Still need backpacks.

The Khorne backpack with the little fans and the long arms to the side? I like their look.

I made the backpack mold, and worked more on the neurogaunt and the barbguant. Here's a picture of the barbgaunt sculpt

heh heh, yep I haven't removed the pants yet.

The terminator captain is finally done, with his cape now added (he barely looks different). The main work has been working on sculpting the master to mold a mold of neurogaunts.


I'm working on other things too, in this chaotic scene

@Viktor_von_Domm: Thanks Vik, I started this project right at the beginning of a vacation and I'm excited about it. So I'm really pushing myself. Every spare moment I work on them, so that a few hours each day.

@Skinflint Games: Thanks! But maybe next level cheapness If I got a part time job for as much time as I'm putting into this, it would probably be simpler to buy Leviathan. But there's something really satisfying to me about making molds, casting copies, and then kit bashing and sculpting additions to make them the way I want.

I worked some more on the apothecary. I'm nearly done. I just need to bulk out the one leg a bit more and make the robot arm tools coming off his back.


I have also finished cleaning all the mold lines and building the terminators.

@Viktor_von_Domm: The honestly, I'm not entirely sure what the apothecary is carrying. I think it's some kind of container to put a specimen. I'm just basing it off of the official mini. In the last pick of mine, I realize it looks more like an old fashioned honey pot than a high-tech container. I've worked more on it today.

@youwashock: Thank you The terminators just need paint now, though I am tempted to go back and shorten the sword and arm of the leader.

I've finished sculpting the mold-master of the neurogaunt, now I just have to make a mold of it.


Worked on the apothecary's item as well

 Viktor von Domm wrote:
your productivity sure needs quite the discipline... probably the very thing I´m lacking currently..

I've never known you to lack discipline on a project. Also, I don't know if that's really needed for something we are doing for fun. If the accomplishment at the end is the most fulfilling part, then yes. There might not be anything exciting you enough right now to create the way you used to?

I'm sorry to hear that Vik, and thanks for the heads-up about Dungeons and Lasers.

I slept poorly, and was very busy with my baby today, so basically no hobby time. I have finished casting enough heads for the flame thrower marines (still need 9 more backpacks). And worked a bit of the toold coming out of the apothecary's backpack.

@thumpingbear: Thanks! I'll keep pushing
@Viktor_von_domm: Hang in there Vik! My baby has two teeth, and it looks like two more are close to breaking the surface, so you could be right. He's not too bad about sleeping anymore except for getting up so early. It's more the constant supervision that's wearing me out

I finished the long process of cleaning all the flash off of the heads and bodies for the flame thrower marines and realized I don't have nearly enough arms for them. oops


I have been working on the mechanical arm of the apothecary. Both the arm and the apothecary are nearly done now. I also primed my terminators and rippers.

@Camkierhi: Thanks so much Cam
@Viktor_von_Domm: No worries and nothing to apologize for. Thanks for the advice.
@Meer_Cat: heh heh, thanks so much Meer. And no worries it's still me, the horde tyranids are being mass produced with hot glue in molds after all

I am finally done building and sculpting the apothecary! He was a lot of work, but I am happy with the result. I'm leaving his honey pot carrying arm detached for ease of painting.


I have also started base coating the terminators.


And I am working on creating the sternguard veterans.

I think I have some nice progress to show today.

Many failures trying techniques on this librarian, but he is nearly done now and will have to be good enough.


I'm having a lot of fun creating these sternguard veterans


And I am nearly finished sculpting the barbgaunt

I didn't have much hobby time yesterday, but my baby son thoughtfully left me get in some sculpting by keeping himself entertained. I think my sculpt of the barbgaunt to use as a mold master is done.

Thanks Vik, that really means a lot to me. I am making changes when I think I would like something to be different from the original models. I'm not a huge fan of the barbgaunt model either, I think they sculpted it to look the the weapon has taken control of the gaunt body, leaving it brain dead and controlled like a puppet.

My barbgaunt is now in a curing silicone mold. One of the largest molds I have made.


I spent a lot of time today with my beloved removing of mold lines/flash Plus, making pauldrons and removing weapon hands.


I have also come up with an exciting but time consuming and slightly difficult idea that I would be happy to hear your opinions on. I'm not sure if I will ever have a need for a team of 10 flame thrower Ultramarines, I just want to be able to try out the Leviathan box without getting it. I'm not sure if I will even like tenth edition or if I will return to playing 6th/7th. There are 9 troopers with flamers in the squad, and I was thinking it could be fun to make each one from a different first found chapter of the original loyalist space marine legions.

Thanks Meer This is the last time the members of the infernus squad will look identical. I am I thinking about the different ways to change them to represent the different chapters. Even though I have already cast and cleaned 9 maximus pattern heads, I think a good start will be some head swaps (after all the Ravenguard marine should have a beakie helmet).

@Viktor_von_Domm: Yeah, I was thinking of something similar to Death Watch too. My head cannon is flamers are so useful for clearing nids that each chapter has sent some flamer specialists to help the Ultramarines finish clearing the area of Hive Fleet Leviathan.

I started painting the apothecary today


And as we have been talking about, I started converting the all going to be the same infernus squad into a squad where each marine is from a different chapter.
Official art and models for them:

How they started with plans to make the official squad:

The progress from today:

Excellent idea! Some already have plans for both shoulder pads, so I'm thinking they can all have a special knee pad to show they are part of this special flamer force. What do you think? I've put it on the Raven Guard's knee as a test, but it's hard to see.

I think I've finished both the librarian and apothecary now. (I had hoped to finish the entire space marine part before July, but still a ways to go)


And the progress on the special flamer watch force of each first founding chapter

Thanks, but that's GW's idea. That one is a squad or company marking for the White Scars that I looked up. And you're right I do struggle with thinning my paints and edge highlighting. I've painted the special unit badge on the Imperial Fist, thinking it will be easier to see.


Added some more arms on the squad


And am mostly done building the sargent, just need to sculpt on some detail.

Thanks Cam!

I thought I already posted this, but it looks like I forgot. I'm calling the white scar marine done (And wow, the camera is always good at picking up sins that my eyes don't notice).

Iron hands marine is now done (sorry, it's blurry)


I've also decided to join the Dakka monthly painting challenge for the first time. It seemed perfect to revisit my daemon prince Mamon sculpt for the Siege of Vraks. I think this is one of the earliest minis I sculpted for use in 40k, but after all these years, and having improved as a sculptor, I still really like how it turned out. Only people like Camkierhi who have been visiting my blog from the very beginning will probably remember this guy.

Nothing to feel bad about my friend, he is from the very first page pf my blog and hasn't appeared since. You certainly don't have low commitment. I think you, Meer_Cat, and Cam have commented on this blog more than anyone else, which I really appreciate.
As for the sugar coated gun barrels, I just used a flocking technique of brushing on some glue and then sprinkling sand on top. I'm hoping that it will look like some extreme rust once painted.

I wanted them to stop taking up so much space in my painting area, so I finished up the terminator squad for Leviathan today.


I've also touched up Mamon a bit, by adding some flesh to his gun barrel arm, shortening his claws, and smoothing the transition of his horn. I'm trying to decide if I want to sculpt in extra detail to his face.

Thanks for the advice Vik, but I'm terrified of using a rotary tool on my sculpture. I don't know how much control I would have.

Dark Angel flamer is done except for the backpack


Progress on some of the other flamer marines


And my sternguard are done and ready for painting.

 Viktor von Domm wrote:

pink arms....?

I've heard many times that when painting yellow on miniatures you should undercoat with pink. I think it's supposed to make the yellow look better, or be more vibrant or something. Hopefully it's true.

I hadn't heard about the brown. That's interesting. I'm guessing a light brown?

I finished two more flamer marines, the Raven Guard and the Imperial Fists marines.

That's interesting.

Also, I don't realize posting those two marines would get me to page 50 of my blog. It seems like it should have been a more important post. But that will be this one instead. I'm now on page 50 of my blog and I still hadn't finished the very first thing I posted on page 1, about six years ago. So, I pulled it out of storage and painting my big squiggoth made from a dollar store dinosaur. (My gallery has a folder of the pictures of the big squiggoth making or you can go to page 1 to have a look).

Heh heh, thanks Vik If you and I keep up this pace, the second 50 pages will go a lot faster than the first 50. I didn't have any hobby time today, but at least I came home tonight to some fun mail. Three new Horus Heresy novels to add to my collection, and this:

I guess I was making too much progress on painting minis and needed to add to my collection of unpainted/unbuilt ones

Definitely!
They look really fun to part though, and a friend's son asked me to help him part his plague marines. It's my own problem that I feel I need to do something about there being 17 heads for a kit for 7 guys if I counted correctly.

Yep, I can't wait. The molds for the extra Mark III armor pieces aren't ready yet, so I'm waiting on making the plague marines. Hopefully soon. I also finally took your advice and cut into the gun arm a bit for some extra detail,as well as sculpting additions to the face and body, plus finishing the barrel of slime. The face is stark right now because of the green stuff, but here's hoping it will look good once primed.


Here is a comparison to the official Forge World model


The sarge and the space wolf both have hair now (plus added the sarge's gun)


And lastly, I just finished reading the Horus Heresy novel "Betrayer". In honor of that, I thought it would be cool to make myself a Kharn the Betrayer miniature. I've just started with altering a space marine head to look more like his.

@KernelTerror: Thanks! The plan is to get it down in the next two weeks.
Viktor_von_Domm: Thanks Vik. For the gun arm it could be the lack of contrast is making it too hard to see, or my cuts are too small. The Kharne head is press mold, and then altered while still soft. I'm flattered that you considered it possible that I made it from scratch. Maybe I should give that a try, since the angry mouth grill probably isn't big enough for Kharne anyway.

Not too much got done the last two days. I've partway through painting my ork stormboyz


The rest (except knife guy) of my Ultramarines are primed and ready to be painted. Mamon is primed now too.


I've also started building my plague marines.

Thanks so much Vik
Because of your encouragement, I decided to try sculpting Kharn's head from scratch. I like this new one better, so I plan to use it for my Kharn mini (sorry the picture isn't too clear)


I also sculpting three nurglings. They are still curing so I couldn't get a clear picture of them.