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Here are some pics of my most recent completed 40k unit, a Dark Angels Assault Squad. These pics are also in my P&M Blog:




I think they turned out okay, if a bit basic. I didn't do any edge highlights like I see on many minis out there (not sure I'm up to that yet!), but I wasn't trying to be fancy with these as they are really just basic troop type models. With characters, I try to do a bit better. I intend to do just a bit more to these guys eventually (such as drilling out the pistol barrels and adding heat scorching to the flamer), but for now I'm moving on to other projects. Constructive criticism appreciated, and thanks for looking!

Looks nice, good basing. But you do need a bit more work on the white on the shoulders, I think. It's not very clean, and it looks a bit thin.

The effect on the Plasma Pistols is nice but the mold line kind of ruins it. For the helmet lenses, I wouldn't fill the whole thing in red. Instead, I would paint the lens black first and then paint in some red while still leaving some black exposed as an outline. This creates an illusion of shadow.

I'm personally not a fan of edge highlighting, because it takes some cajones to make it look good - I'd advise you to paint with the Base paints, shade it all and then re-colour everything but the shallowest parts of the model, It will make the model look a bit weathered and give it some tone.

looks good! couple good pointers in here.
my advice is to paint the edge of the bases and clean them up so that the mud/flock isnt over hanging. I'm a fan of dark base edges but to each their own. just make sure you do 2 coats so it's a nice even effect.

the models look good but they look unfinished to me because the edge of the bases has different colours bleeding through. 2 minute fix and i think itll have big impact.

@toasteroven: My freehand is not that great yet, and I think the reason it looks thin is because I tried to first paint the chapter symbols in Celestra Gray, then White Scar over that. Some of the gray is showing, so it looks thin. Perhaps I should just stick to doing multiple layers in white and skip the gray. Once I learn to paint better straight lines, I'll be able to do better with my freehand symbols.

@TheCustomLime: I know about the mold line thing (and I hate it), but by time I noticed it on those plasma pistols I didn't want to go back and do it over. I'll try to be more careful on future models, though. I like your suggestion for the eye lenses, and I have already been thinking of something along those lines (GW has done some similar guides in White Dwarf's Paint Splatter articles). I will try it on the next Marines I do.

@The Wise Dane: I did shade the models, but I got lazy and didn't repaint the green armor because I thought it looked okay. Bad decision on my part. Next time, I'll suck it up and get it done right.

Thanks for the good advice, guys!

Looking good!

A few tips, further to what's been mentioned above.

- If you're doing freehand in white or grey, might be worth investing in some Lahmian Medium from GW. I've only recently started using it, but it does make a difference. You need thin paints for freehand, and the advantage of LM over water is that a) you don't lose opacity as much, and b) the paint flows better and is easier to get clean edges with. It's kind of hard to explain, but grab a pot and have a play with it and you'll soon see the difference.

- For eyes, the best easy way to get them looking good is a dot of white in the centre and then a wash of the desired colour; that way, you get a very effectively lit effect in only two steps.

- Looks like your paints (especially the green and gold) could do with being just a little thinner, just add a bit more water on the palette next time and remember, there's nothing wrong with using 2-3 coats if the end result is better.

- It's not often suggested for marines, but if you're not a fan of the edge highlighted look then you can consider drybrushing. Check out the BA and UM Tactical Marine paint guide on GW's youtube channel (Warhamer TV) to see the effect in practice and side-by-side with an edge-highlighted model (truth be told, done well neither looks inherently better or worse than the other, it just depends on what you prefer aesthetically at that point. Personally, I'm no real fan of edge highlights). No reason the same techniques can't be applied to DA, just make sure you're using nicely thinned paint so the drybrush doesn't clog the detail.


Keep it up! Hope that was helpful.

Thanks very much, Para! I will definitely try the Lahmian Medium out. And while I do thin my paints with water (including the aforementioned green), I'm still trying to figure out how much water to add. Looks like I should use more! I do thin it down and put 2 thin coats on. Maybe I should do 3 even thinner coats. And I will check out the drybrushing video on Youtube. Only question is what color would go well with the Caliban green. I'll think of something, maybe there's one of those neato dry compounds that would work well for it.

Those marines are looking great