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My stuff's scattered all over the shop on Dakka, so thought I'd create a dedicated thread for my work. Hope you enjoy.

To kick things off and give you a taster of the sort of thing I like to do, I thought I'd post up a couple of my favourite old pieces, and the latest.

Something Old...
Hangman's Rope

Inquisitor Unfortunus Veck and his 'retinue'.

The Praetors of Calth

The Ultramarines 15th Chapter and 190th Company; Horus Heresy-era.

Lamb's World 117th

One of the many Imperial Guard regiments that have been under my brush over the years.


Something new...
Word Bearers

A squad of Word Bearers, to be used for the Betrayal at Calth boardgame.

I'm aiming to keep this central thread updated, and will be posting up new and old bits periodically. If you like what you see but want to know a bit more on how or why I've done something, please feel free to join me on + Death of a Rubricist +, my blog.

Today, a couple of mobs of RT-themed orks, created for my Alien Wars collaborative setting.




... and a picture of the same orks in combat with my 2nd edition-themed Blood Angels, fighting over a scenic board I built with my brother a few years back:

Always lovely to see more of your work.

Did you have many projects in the pipeline that might show up here or on your blog?

Very kind, ta. I've got quite a few projects vying for attention at the mo, but on the bench are currently an Imperial Guard force for a collaborative project (The Augustine Crusade); Word Bearers and Ultramarines for Betrayal at Calth; Legio Nikator for Titanicus, and some orcs for Blood Bowl, which I'm painting up for a mate.

Detail shots from an ongoing collaborative project, The Augustine Crusade.


+ Eve of battle. Lamb's World 2219th forces perform another fruitless sweep of the streets of Ushen Moros, prior to the events of Cardinal Qi's Day of Revelation +


+ Vrag-Rana infiltrators terminate a rare on-field Astropath. Imperial communication came to rely heavily on psychic augmentation, but the Red Hand was clearly dominant in this area; and sent kill teams to investigate and destroy any detected psychic activity. +


Lamb's World survivors retreat, sheltered by Armour from the Port Bromwic 2219th.

You can look it up on Instagram using the tags #theaugustinecrusade #augustinecrusade or #findxiahhesh, or read all about it here.

Those are some great little scenes!

Outstanding job on both thematic feel and modeling execution here. Out of curiosity, in the last picture, is that background added in editing or do you use a physical background behind the field?

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll wrote:Those are some great little scenes!

Thanks – a lot of fun to set them up. My gaming group recently did a group purchase of some painted terrain, and I wanted to use it to see what sort of atmospheric shots I could set up. Took quite a bit of balancing standard lamps and shooting one-handed!

Sherrypie wrote:Outstanding job on both thematic feel and modeling execution here. Out of curiosity, in the last picture, is that background added in editing or do you use a physical background behind the field?

Thanks Sherrypie – am I right in thinking you've got a soft spot for Betrayal at Calth? I think I've stumbled upon your blog in the past, and remember it having some cool additional rules and modelling.

Last night I finished off the basing and Legion markings for the squads I need for the first mission:

I do indeed, it is a fine piece of lighter wargaming goodness. I do occasionally whip it out for a match or ten.

I don't think I've written down much about our homerules, unlike folks like Pizzagrenadier who converted the system for freewheeling outdoors games, but we've dabbled with things like altering the card draws and adding normal humans into the game (basically with 1-1-1 stats that fit four in a hex and have similar crits in shooting as the chainsword has in melee to make it possible for a singular guy to have any chance, makes them dangerous in groups).

Wonderfully crafted stuff all around here, but I particularly love the Word Bearers.

Thanks for making this central Dakka-side dump for your stuff, I've been a fan for a long time but often miss out on your site updates (and still only lurk B&C after all these years). Word Bearers are particularly grand, the marine leaning over is really excellent.

Amazing. I’ve always loved your stuff. Although your models are beautiful, there is a lot of great painting out there, and what puts your stuff over the top is the fantastic story, setting, ambience, and feeling you guys put into your models and photos. Your stuff just transports me into the setting like very few others. Keep it coming because we love it!

Sherrypie wrote:I do indeed, it is a fine piece of lighter wargaming goodness. I do occasionally whip it out for a match or ten. I don't think I've written down much about our homerules, unlike folks like Pizzagrenadier who converted the system for freewheeling outdoors games, but we've dabbled with things like altering the card draws and adding normal humans into the game (basically with 1-1-1 stats that fit four in a hex and have similar crits in shooting as the chainsword has in melee to make it possible for a singular guy to have any chance, makes them dangerous in groups).

Cool ideas – the stats for normal humans sounds really well-suited to the Underworld War...

tinfoil wrote:Wonderfully crafted stuff all around here, but I particularly love the Word Bearers.

Very kind, ta! (And lovely to hear from you on +DoaR+; I'll pass your regards onto the PCRC.

Boss Salvage wrote:Thanks for making this central Dakka-side dump for your stuff, I've been a fan for a long time but often miss out on your site updates (and still only lurk B&C after all these years). Word Bearers are particularly grand, the marine leaning over is really excellent.

Cheers, Salvage. I kept meaning to keep everything in one place, but... well, y'know how it is. Nice to have bitten the bullet!

The Riddle of Steel wrote:Amazing. I’ve always loved your stuff. Although your models are beautiful, there is a lot of great painting out there, and what puts your stuff over the top is the fantastic story, setting, ambience, and feeling you guys put into your models and photos. Your stuff just transports me into the setting like very few others. Keep it coming because we love it!

Thanks – great to hear, because the story's the thing I like best of all.

Today, here's a picture of Guilliman amongst the ruins of Armatura – presumably looking for his brother... but why would that come up?

I've been a huge fan of your work since back in the Portent/Warseer days - happy to see your stuff here, and looking forward to seeing what you come up with next!

Well this is amazing stuff, so clean compared the normal 40k look, more sleek sci fi, I love it

I also remember seeing you work on Warseer and have always loved it. All the stuff is looking great and I will be looking forward for more. Those markings on the Word Bearers are really amazing btw!

Alpharius wrote:I've been a huge fan of your work since back in the Portent/Warseer days - happy to see your stuff here, and looking forward to seeing what you come up with next!

Hey Alpharius – it's nice to see familiar faces popping up

foenixphate wrote:Well this is amazing stuff, so clean compared the normal 40k look, more sleek sci fi, I love it

I mostly think of my style as fairly impressionistic – it's certainly not as crisp as many painters; but I like the atmosphere it creates. Thanks for the kind words.

Karvanoppa wrote:I also remember seeing you work on Warseer and have always loved it. All the stuff is looking great and I will be looking forward for more. Those markings on the Word Bearers are really amazing btw!

Ta very much; hope you enjoy future posts as much as the old.

+++

+ Combat Arena +
I picked up this mini-game (very enjoyable, by the way – it's a nice 'reskin' of the Khorne gladiator game, if you've played that), and went to town on the figures.


Rogue Trader


Crusader


Servitor


Techpriest



Group shot


I was particularly pleased with the back of the Rogue Trader's leather cloak.
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It's been a return to Lamb's World over the past few days, which is to say that I've been rooting through a box of guardsmen while I work out how to expand them. I've been painting and gaming with guard for the best part of 25 years, and it's nice to see that the conversion and paintwork's held up pretty well on these decade-old figures.




A more recent addition, this officer is a nostalgic replacement for Captain Whittaker, who commanded my very first guard army.

Guard give you a lot of space for showcasing the more subtle differences in armament and appearance, without really impacting on the overall look of the force. Different equipment, skintones and variations in uniform not only add verisimilitude, but break up the monotony of a horde of mooks. It's in painting guard that I think I really grew to enjoy trying to invest individuals with characters.











The force, as mentioned, is quite old, but I've sporadically added to it over time. I recently made a start on another platoon, after a very kind gift from a friend gave me a mix of unbuilt and part-built Elysians. Gold dust!


This group includes some parts from Victoria Miniatures and elsewhere.

I love to see the closeups on the Guardsmen, getting the love they deserve. The unsung heroes of the galaxy, not individually, but through their millions of lives. And of course great to see the attack dogs again! Out of curiosity, do you have house rules for the dogs?

Beautiful as always Apologist.

Cheers,

CB

The Riddle of Steel wrote:I love to see the closeups on the Guardsmen, getting the love they deserve. The unsung heroes of the galaxy, not individually, but through their millions of lives. And of course great to see the attack dogs again! Out of curiosity, do you have house rules for the dogs?

Cheers – and yes, I try to give each model an equal share of the stage: whether they're a Master of a Space Marine Chapter or a trembling Guard Whiteshield, they've got as much potential for a good story.

Captain Brown wrote:Beautiful as always Apologist.

Very kind, thanks!

+++

I've been bashing away at the orks, ready for a return to the Alien Wars project set during the events of the Nova Terra Interregnum:

Happy to see more of your Orks, love the muted skintones, menacing black + metal armor and lower tech level / increased brutality

A few pics to show what I've been up to over lockdown:

Blood Angels Third Company tick over.




The Fomn make an appearance in the Alien Wars



...while the Endworlds face quite different alien stirrings:



Legio Sumer-Nikator (The Sons of the Temple) go out for a stroll:




On the very edge of the galaxy, the ill-supplied Gatebreakers Chapter strive to hold the line.





Inq28 gets a much-needed look-in, as Inquisitrix Barbari Kills rocks up:




A classic gets an overhaul:




Some grumpy dwarfs come to wearily explain the difference between dwarfs, dwarves, duardin and dwarrow:

That’s an impressive COVID haul! Great minis well painted! Where’s the giant RT style dreadnaught from? He seems too big to be a genuine RT dread to me

Your Imperial Guard is actually the one which inspired me to buy and do my small elysian force, when I came accross it on the internet several times (even if I didn't paint them the same).
So thank you and damn you at the same time for all the money I spent

Your work is incredible. It's crisp, the colors are well chosen, they look absolutely grim and realistic without being too much weathered, they are well converted... There are many VERY good painters here on Dakka but you definitely have a place among them. I'm so happy you made this blog !

gobert wrote:That’s an impressive COVID haul! Great minis well painted! Where’s the giant RT style dreadnaught from? He seems too big to be a genuine RT dread to me

The Dreadnought's a fan-sculpt that was produced on a limited run. Lovely figure. I got one of the initial run in resin; the later set was classic metal.

godardc wrote:Your Imperial Guard is actually the one which inspired me to buy and do my small elysian force, when I came accross it on the internet several times (even if I didn't paint them the same).
So thank you and damn you at the same time for all the money I spent

Ha, awesome! Glad the Lamb's Worlders provided you with some inspiration; and apologies for pushing your down the path of resin crack

Your work is incredible. It's crisp, the colors are well chosen, they look absolutely grim and realistic without being too much weathered, they are well converted... There are many VERY good painters here on Dakka but you definitely have a place among them. I'm so happy you made this blog !

That's really very kind, thank you. I don't pretend to be anything other than a journeyman painter, but little improvements every time and the enjoyment of experimenting keep me going.

Today, here are my 'truescale' Terminators (a bit of an odd term these days, since all marines are now similar in size to the ones I converted), converted from the hulking Adeptus Custodes Aquilon Terminators. If you're interested in how they were done, there's a tutorial on the + Death of a Rubricist + blog.

I absolutely love your stuff, and it is a treat when new pics arrive in this thread!

(Runs off to read your blog...)

Coolios! Still feel you should do a 2nd edition styled Terminator with a Cyclone Missile Launcher (including hand held targetter).

I came across your blog recently and am now like 20 pages deep pouring over the lovely pics and writing. Glad to see you on here as well! Your Calth set is definitely going to serve as inspiration for mine when I get to it.

A few years back, I decided I'd recreate the GW studio Blood Angels army from 1991. A few days back, I finished it:
 

 
Based on the then-current Rogue Trader force building rules, the army was detailed in White Dwarf issue 139, along with a painting guide, and later appeared in what I believe was the first Warhammer 40,000 battle report in issue 141. The pict-capture below shows my army alongside the inspiration. I hope you'll excuse the lack of goblin green on the bases!
 

 
Alongside its Eldar and Ork counterparts, the army appeared numerous times, notably in issue 166; when a battle report to showcase the release of 2nd edition Warhammer 40,000 saw Captain Tycho felled by an ork psychic blast. That period – from 1991 onwards – was when I got into the hobby, and this army was the seed for my enthusiasm.

I do like a bit of 'high-concept' in my hobby; so rather than simply swapping things out for their modern equivalents (Intercessors in place of Tactical marines, for example), I've converted the relevant figures to better match the modern scale. I've got a lot of fondness for the originals, so I wanted to make sure my figures paid homage to the classics.


 


 

In essence, the idea was to create the army that Tim Prow (who painted the original army) and Andy Chambers (who put the list together) would have made had modern manufacturing methods been available at the time. Good design, after all, is timeless. Balancing putting my own spin on things with them being instantly recognisable was key.