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Time to Vote!

This month the topic was: Space Marine. Our classic start to the competition cycle, the ubiquitous space marine. GW makes them in many sizes and flavor, and color, but we are not restricting ourselves to the adeptus astartes. Any space-y marine-y minis will do. Do you fight for some elite unit out in the inky void of space? Storm the beaches on alien worlds? Visit exotic new planets, meet the quaint local aliens, and then kill them? And do it on the bounce? Well grab your gear and get on the ready line, time to paint!

As always, you're free to hand out as many votes as you like, and for any entry you feel deserves recognition, based on anything from technical proficiency or model choice, a neat conversion or a cool take on the theme, or anything else! You're also very welcome to leave some feedback here for the entrants, and many of the images click through to the Dakka gallery if you'd like to give out a vote or two there as well.
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Daia T'Nara - Brother Quiff Lustgarten


ShadowsAndDust - Commander Dante


XvArcanevX - Dark Angel Jump Captain


inmygravenimage – RTB-1 Frame


Mr Nobody - Dante


JoshInJapan -Samurai Space Marines


Leopold Helveine - Mougmekh


halfling84 - Votann Champion


Geifer - Black Legion Plague Marine:


Nevelon – Company Heroes


Nilfisken - Crimson Fists Lieutenant


youwashock - Sicaran


Vejut - ORC trooper


Captain Brown - Space Marine Killers


Turaxa – Chibi Marine


Pariah Press - 1980's Terminator Squad


Maharg - LI Tanks


Syro_ - Plasma Cannon Space Marines


Mothsniper -Space Marines


Pursuit Of Happiness - Imperial Fist


Midget Gems - Knights Sanguine Chapter Master


ZergSmasher - Infernus Marines


CancelledApocalypse – Raven Guard



Poll will run for 5 days. If I missed anyone or something needs to be fixed, let me know.

Man I need to lvl up here. Well done all.

Highlights for me:
XvArcanevX - Dark Angel Jump Captain
The Beez to the knees! Crushed it man!

CancelledApocalypse – Raven Guard
That detail is so good. Very inspiration!

Nilfisken - Crimson Fists Lieutenant
Seriously man, why so crispy!

halfling84 - Votann Champion
I love the color scheme, works very well. I think I need to make adjustments to my army.

Leopold Helveine - Mougmekh
I love the narrative that is happening between the model and the base. It is not easy to get right.

Handing out some comments this month since I was absent in my participation

Daia T'Nara - I really like the highlighting on this model. The definition between panels is clear, and nice job on the freehand details
ShadowsAndDust - Awesome contrast on this model, and good coverage with yellow/orange/brown. The base is a nice touch!
XvArcanevX - Beautiful model. The contrast in the shade of armor with the powdery detail in the smoke cloud makes the entire thing very clean and visually appealing. Chefs kiss
inmygravenimage - Very cool take on this theme, I like that everything remained in the sprues and thats its framed in the final image! I will have to take a deep dive into your profile/this model and see a backstory
Mr Nobody - Very clean model with great definition between objects. It must have taken a lot of concentration - this is a stand out piece!
JoshInJapan - A great set! The contrast on the armor makes the models stances, and outfits look clear (esp. the black ones).
Leopold Helveine - The texture on this model is stunning! I will have to research how this rust-like texture achieved. I also like the freehand 'MEK' - the rest of your model is so clean that this very obviously reads as spray paint
halfling84 - I really enjoy the colour of this model! Nice bright, solid colours (which is not so easy with yellows). Great job!
Geifer - Great job on this mini, there are a lot of different textures that come through (rusty metal, bone, tentacle) and I pick up more detail the more I look at it
Nevelon - Good colour scheme! This is a very classic looking troop with nice detail
Nilfisken - A standout piece from this month, I must say. The NMM on the gold trim is brilliant, and the attention to detail on this shield is just great. 10/10
youwashock - I always love seeing the vehicle entries! There is a lot of good natural looking wear on the tank, and the brown drybrush around the tracks is a great touch - good job!
Vejut - A nice bright trooper. I like the use of purple shadows on the blue details, very visually appealing
Captain Brown - Nice looking troop - I like the blue colour scheme with the black and white wings. The edge highlighting on the armor is also SUPER clear, very well done
Turaxa - What a lovely shade of blue, and I like the little shine in their eye.
Pariah Press - Hahaha! What a cool looking squad. I love that they're all named, and the free hand caution stripes & flames. Very cool group imo
Maharg - Nice looking tank! I see a lot of small details that are still quite clear after painting
Syro_ - That looks like a nice consistent set of troops! I hope they're able to find a place in your games
Mothsniper - Holy! I love seeing you bring in a set of troops that each have their own distinct character but are all so equally well painted. I am picking up on a lot of great techniques, especially your use of OSL and freehand
Pursuit Of Happiness - Solid paint job on the armor, getting such a clean yellow look can be tough! I also like the attention to detail on the weapons, very cool!
Midget Gems - I really like the colour pallet of this one - the red/copper/with green accents is really nice visually! Great job on the goblet freehand, and the painting on the gems around his armor.
ZergSmasher - Very clean brushwork on this troop of marines! Clear distinction between material types is nice
CancelledApocalypse - Wow! Another pair of really amazing minis. Everything from the weapons to the base show great attention to detail and clear definition. I must say the cape of the raven guard is espicially cool

Daia T’nara - I love the luscious locks. It’s a miracle they can fit all that under a helmet. The blue contrast paint worked nicely here with nice highlights and shadows.

XvArcanevX- A beautiful kitbash all around, especially with the jet exhaust. And a great use of highlighting to bring out teal colours and OSL effect of the flames.

Inmygravenimage - O had to vote for this, mostly for the basic concept. Although, I must say, the bits of free hand on the Space Wolf logo and the Chequers are exquisitely done.

Nilfisken - O think my favourite thing about this model is the colour saturation of the blue and golds. No idea if that is the paint or the camera. And although many of the colours are simply done, the detail of the NMM gold is quite impressive.

CancelledApocalypse - Matte black is always hard to make interesting, but you have added enough highlights and details to make it work. The base of fun to look at with the icy blues and the snow creeping up onto the model. The cloaks of the best part though. That hand painted camo cloak is particularly impressive.

Another stellar month, and the start of another year of challenges. As always, it is delightful to see where everyone goes with the theme.

Daia T'Nara: It's a little weird to not see a Slaaneshi model from you, but at least you added some bling. The hair draws the eye, or course, but I'm impressed with your freehand shoulder pad designs, and the leather loincloth thing is particularly well done.

ShadowsAndDust: I love your rich golds-- I've never been good with TMM, which is why I lean into NMM these days, so it's nice to see someone pull it off this well. I wonder if the little power nodule things on the power axe wouldn't benefit from being a different color than the axe itself.

XvArcanevX: Great work on this guy. Dark Angels have a pretty staid color scheme, so the bright (fluorescent?) flames really pop. The reflected light on the jump pack and cape is well done-- I really should practice that myself.

inmygravenimage: You had a very unique approach to the theme. I have a soft spot for RTB-01 marines, but recognize that they are quite dated. Your painting and mounting is at once reverent and irreverent.

Mr Nobody: Good work on Dante, especially the metallics. I can never seem to get effective highlights/shadows with TMM, so it's nice to see it done well.

me: It was fun to go back and revisit an old project. Sculpting the lacing on the the various armor plates was a challenge, and while I got better with every iteration, I still see a lot of flaws. I rarely paint Space Marines these days, not being a 40K player, but all the curved surfaces offered practice at highlighting reflective surfaces, so that's a win.

Leopold Helveine: Your Orkification of this Imperial model is so complete that I can't see any Space Marine at all. Reversing the legs was an inspired touch. All of your larger models have a great sense of motion, as well.

halfling84: Your color choices delight me. I know this is supposed to be a battlefield commander, but dwarfs (in space or in fantasy settings) tend to be miners/workers first and foremost, so the yellows and oranges just scream "workplace safety" to me.

Geifer: Your purple stands out nicely against the classic black-and-gold Black Legion colors. I don't think the photos are too dark, as I can see everything clearly, and there are no bright spots from the lights.

More comments soon!

My fave three this month:

XvArcanevX: A really well painted marine, elevated (geddit? ) by that awesome jetpack flame and lovely OSL on the back and cloak. Beyond the obvious eye candy, I also have to say I love your dark golds, what's your recipe for that?

Nilfisken: Can't believe this is your first SM in 25 years! What a way to return to the astartes with a bang! I have a soft spot for Crimson Fists (Rogue Trader was my jam once up on a time), and you've done a beautiful job on this one. The colours are rich and well highlighted and the NMM is beautifully done. Top photography work, too!

Leopold Helveine: Loved this conversion, with the Ork pilot peeking out and all the fantastic rust and wear, while still keeping the vivid blue. This has to be one of your best conversions to date and really highlights your improvement since starting the monthly challenge. Nice one!

I think I gave out around another ten votes, so well done everybody! More personal faves are: Daia T'Nara (the quiff is a thing of beauty!), Geifer (gribbly goodness), Vejut (love the model, the colours, and that base is super!), Pariah Press (oh man, the nostalgia!), and Mothsniper (love the freehand on those shields! )

Thanks to Nevelon for all the hard work, and to Mothsniper, Xyabis and MrNobody for the nice comments

Great job guys! Looking forward to another year of amazing paint jobs from all of you!

Comments, round two.

Nevelon: Another great set of Ultras. I love how consistent your UM are-- you have your technique down to a T.

Nilfisken: I have always been a fan of Crimson Fists, and you've done this fellow justice. The NMM on the shield and iron halo are superb, and I especially like the attention to detail on the holster.

youwashock: I was glad that you were able to finish the model before the deadline-- you seemed unsure over in your P&M blog. The purple plasma coils were a nice choice. If you do more tanks in the future, you should look into Gundam markers for panel lining-- they save a lot of cleanup.

Vejut: Nice vibrant reds-- this guy doesn't mind being seen on the battlefield! I like the sand/water base, as well. I wonder if the gun wouldn't be better served by darker shading...

Captain Brown: Based on my experience with Swooping Hawks, I'm not sure I'd call them Marine Killers, since lasguns seem to just bounce off them. I like your blue and grey palette-- classic colors for some classic models.

Turaxa: What a fun little model. I think he'd benefit from more aggressive highlighting, though.

Pariah Press: This set hits me right in the nostalgia bone. They look like a cohesive unit, a rare feat given how different the sculpts are.

Maharg: "LI" means "Legion Imperialis," i.e. epic scale, right? These tiny tanks look as good as their 40K scale bretheren-- my eyes are aching just thinking about painting something that small.

Syro_: Your homemade parts look great on production models. The greens are a little patchy, though, especially on the flat areas. I'd like to see these guys after another pass, and with finished bases.

Mothsniper: I like how you leaned into the Knights in Shining Armor, with the colorful helmet flash and shield devices. Did you ever find that arm that escaped?

Pursuit of Happiness: You have achieved a lovely, vibrant yellow-- was that contrast, or did you mix that yourself? I like the rank stripes on the helmet-- a lovely callback to the old days.

Midget Gems: That's one chonky model! I like the copper metallics-- you don't see that often-- and the freehand chalice on the cape is top notch.

ZergSmasher: A solid demisquad, with just enough point colors to break up the DA green. These guys look like they mean business.

CancelledApocalypse: You mentioned in the poll thread for April that you would like more feedback on your models, but on models this nice it's hard to find anything to critique. They look almost monocrome (a compliment), so the spots of color really pop. The only thing I can think of to improve is controlling the snow on their boots-- it looks a little random, like the flock got away from you and you forgot to clean it up before taking photos. That's a minor quibble, though, and likely invisible at tabletop distances.

All in all, a lovely round of entries. It looks like the winners are already decided, and just so, given the quality of work. Congratulations, all!

Hey, just wanted to pop in to say a big thanks to Mothsniper, Xyabis, Mr.Nobody, JoshinJapan and Cancelled Apocalypse for leaving the positive feedback! Really excited to be receiving such a lot of votes for this month! It does wonders for motivation to keep painting and enjoying the creative process!

CancelledApocalypse wrote:
A really well painted marine, elevated (geddit? ) by that awesome jetpack flame and lovely OSL on the back and cloak. Beyond the obvious eye candy, I also have to say I love your dark golds, what's your recipe for that?

The gold is achieved with Scale 75 Decayed Metal, an oil wash of Abteilung 502 ‘Smoke’ and then highlights with Formula P3 Blighted Gold.

The Blighted Gold is a stunning metallic that has this rich green tint to the finish that is honestly very unique… well worth picking it up and adding it to your collection!

I have been super busy so far this month with work but aim to put a little time aside tomorrow to leave my thoughts and feedback for everybody as per usual.

Thanks again for the feedback so far

Very nice set of minis, I truly enjoyed taking part in my first Dakka Paining Challenge round and whilst my schedule wont allow me to join in every month I will try to keep an eye on all the ongoing work from now on.

My own favourites this month was (in the order they were listed):

Daia T'Nara: Brother Quiff is not only a very cool conversion and link to good old RT times, he was also the main inspiration for me picking the CF theme and getting a renewed interest in the chapter lore.

XvArcanevX: Brilliant work on the flames and OSL! Also a good inspiration for me personally as I have a model that will need a lot of fire lined up as a long term project.

JoshInJapan: Great conversions going on here!

Leopold Helevine: Very fun kit-bash and dramatic posing!

Pariah Press: Nostalgia overload, always loved the chunky old termies!

Midget Gems: Stunning freehand!

CancelledApocalypse: Very nice detailed work, especially love the well executed cold white on the beakie helmet!


And finally a big thank you for all the kind comments on my own entry, much appreciated!

Cheers,
Oskar

Ok, time for this months comments…

Daia T’Nara - This is a really beautiful model. The highlights on the armour, the excellent fleshtones and the wonderful effects on the jewel; it’s just a really nicely painted piece. One of my choices for absolute best of this month!

ShadowsandDust - Nice job on Dante here and the axe looks great!

InMyGravenImage - This is an interesting presentation. Looks cool in the frame! Very different…

MrNobody - Really like the work on the gold here, some lovely dark shadows and overall a very rich presentation of the metallics. Very nice indeed!

JoshinJapan - I really enjoyed these guys. It’s an excellent and surprising approach to this months theme and the overall effect is really fun and unique. The choices on color are also really nice. All around just superb!

Leopold Helveine - This is an absolute blast! You’ve really got across the idea of a rampaging force with this mech and the weathered and battered look is awesome. Really great stuff…

Halfling84 - This is a really nicely painted mini, love the colors and the work on the little metallic elements. Just a very crisp and pleasant mini to look at!

Geifer - This guy doesn’t look like much fun at a party. Excellent use of colors and the overall detail on the armour is well picked out. Great effect overall! Really like it.

Nevelon - Really crisp and clean paintjob here and I really like the work on the fabric! The swords are epic too! Exactly what color is that? It’s very unique! Overall really like these guys…

Nilfisken - This is a really beautiful paintjob. The work on the armour and cloth is fantastic and the metallics are superb with deep shadows and very well placed highlights. Furthermore the work on the leather is very well realized. Overall the mini is rich in detail with wonderful readability and just very pleasant to look at. One of my favorites this month. Very very nice stuff.

YouWasShock - This is a cool little tank. Really like the work on the tracks and the overall battled and used look of the vehicle. Very nice work man!

Vejut - Why am I getting ‘Chappie’ vibes from this! Anyway, I like the work on the belt and pouches and the beach style base is very cool!

Captain Brown - Really like the use of color on these and the wings are very striking!

Turaxa - Fun little mini with rich colors. Might perhaps benefit from a few highlights around the edges with a slightly lighter blue etc. Definitely has character though!

Pariah Press - These guys are really fun to look at and the hazard stripes and flames on the weapon are brilliant! Very nice unit…

Maharg - Nice little tanks and that shade of green is very cool…

Syro - I’ll be honest I am finding these dudes a little hard to see clearly in the pic.

Mothsniper - These are really interesting looking characters that remind of a futuristic Lord of the Rings type scenario (or something of the sort). Certainly unique, and the use of color is excellent, as are the highlights and work on the fabric. Very nice…

Pursuit of Happiness - Crisp and clean. A nicely painted marine. Lovely warm yellow.

Midget Gems - A lovely paintjob here. The use of color is wonderful and the used bronze metallics of the trim are excellent. The cape too is very impressive. Overall a cracking bit of work.

Zergsmasher - Yup, my guys out on the town! Great clean work and a nice unit to be sure.

Cancelled Apocalypse - This is amazing work. Pulling off interesting black armour isn’t easy but these are sublime. The metallics are stunning here and that cape! Oh my, absolutely awesome! I love these and they are easily my favorite this month! Just beautiful work.

Well, I think that’s everyone. Well done to all the participants and congratulations on getting something painted!

So we should be past the 5 days, time for some winners.

In 3rd place with 21 votes, the man, the myth, the legend: Brother Quiff Lustgarten by Daia T’Nara.









The silver is split with 22 votes each, starting with Nilfisken’s crisp Crimson Fists Lieutenant:





And CancelledApocalypse’s no less impressive Raven Guard:



But leaping ahead of the pack is XvArcanevX's Dark Angel Jump Captain, with 27 votes and some impressively lit exhaust!







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Great start to the new year of competition. Setting a high bar for the year, which I have faith that we will smash past with more amazing work from all of you. Grats to the winners and everyone who entered.

 XvArcanevX wrote:
Ok, time for this months comments…
Nevelon - Really crisp and clean paintjob here and I really like the work on the fabric! The swords are epic too! Exactly what color is that? It’s very unique! Overall really like these guys…

Sword is just Waystone Green gloss technical paint over Leadbelcher. The nature of the soulstone paint makes it a bit blotchy on large flat surfaces, while pulling away from the edges, to sorta auto-highlight. I like it for power swords, but as it relies on how the paint settles while drying, it is sometimes better than others.

I actually pre-highlighted the fabric this time instead of just base-contrast-done. Still the Guiliman Flesh doing a lot of the heavy lifting for me.

Thanks for the comments everyone!

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Thanks everyone! Wow, podium finish - Brother Quiff is honoured.

Xyabis wrote:
Daia T'Nara - I really like the highlighting on this model. The definition between panels is clear, and nice job on the freehand details

He's the first Primaris I've painted as the sculpt intended, rather than chaos where all the edges get spiky trim painted on, it was quite a different kind of highlighting to chaos armour, so I had a lot of fun with the new experience.

 Mr Nobody wrote:
Daia T’nara - I love the luscious locks. It’s a miracle they can fit all that under a helmet. The blue contrast paint worked nicely here with nice highlights and shadows.

Since Brother Quiff's hair is classified as a weapon, per Inquisitorial decree ("Damn, that dude's hair is killer!" - Inquisitor O. S. Clousseau, Petrus Venditor Campaign), his helmet is therefore a holster, and benefits from the same hammerspace properties that allows chunky-ass bolt pistols to fit in holsters the size of a modest handbag.

 JoshInJapan wrote:
Daia T'Nara: It's a little weird to not see a Slaaneshi model from you, but at least you added some bling. The hair draws the eye, or course, but I'm impressed with your freehand shoulder pad designs, and the leather loincloth thing is particularly well done.

The warband remains my only army (and the nigh-limitless conversion potential of chaos is still a huge draw for me) but I have lately gotten more into doing one-offs from other factions just for fun, following things like the Martyred Order sister from the Halloween round, and Brother Quiff here. On that note, the eagle-eyed may have spotted a couple of other Primaris marines being worked on in the background to this month's proof pic - I got a box of Intercessors who are being turned into Quiff's comrades (except Ex Brother Marine, he needs a rest), with all their odd sculpt quirks and camo patterns and all:

 CancelledApocalypse wrote:
Daia T'Nara (the quiff is a thing of beauty!),

It's said even Fulgrim is envious of Brother Quiff's do.

Nilfisken wrote:
Daia T'Nara: Brother Quiff is not only a very cool conversion and link to good old RT times, he was also the main inspiration for me picking the CF theme and getting a renewed interest in the chapter lore.

Brother Quiff is proud to serve alongside your Lieutenant who honours the chapter with his diligence in keeping his armour perfectly-presented.

 XvArcanevX wrote:
Daia T’Nara - This is a really beautiful model. The highlights on the armour, the excellent fleshtones and the wonderful effects on the jewel; it’s just a really nicely painted piece. One of my choices for absolute best of this month!

It was a lot of fun to obsess over every little thing (although I should admit, a lot of times I got lucky, I can't quite see precisely where my brush is going on the smallest details) - I get a lot of enjoyment over getting little details just right (ish), but not doing a whole army of Crimson Fists made it viable to treat everything as a 'little detail' without having to worry about how many times I'd have to repeat the process.

Congratulations to the winners and as always, good job everyone getting something painted.

Xyabis wrote:
Geifer - Great job on this mini, there are a lot of different textures that come through (rusty metal, bone, tentacle) and I pick up more detail the more I look at it

 JoshInJapan wrote:
Geifer: Your purple stands out nicely against the classic black-and-gold Black Legion colors. I don't think the photos are too dark, as I can see everything clearly, and there are no bright spots from the lights.

 CancelledApocalypse wrote:
Geifer (gribbly goodness)

 XvArcanevX wrote:
Geifer - This guy doesn’t look like much fun at a party. Excellent use of colors and the overall detail on the armour is well picked out. Great effect overall! Really like it.

Thanks for the comments, guys! Also thanks Josh for another opinion on photo quality. I didn't have any time over Easter to look into it further, nor since. It's definitely something I want to keep an eye on the next time I paint something black.

Congratulations to the winners, but especially Quiff Lustgarten for that hair of his.

Congratulations to all, especially the winners, and thanks for comments

Congratulations to the winners, some really nice models there.
Congrats to everyone who finished something as it is a dent in your pile of shame.
Thank you to Nevelon, for his hosting of the challenge.
Thumbs up to Midget Gems as he updates the tables.

Cheers,

CB

PS: Once again my cunning plan to stop March's Space Marine with a host of people painting non-marine figures has failed.

There's always next year, Cap'n.

Co grats to the winners! Thanks for the votes and comments! Good job to all the entrants! Keep at it!

On the bright side, due to the glacial ponderous pace of imperial bureaucracy, it’s unlikely a strike force will be sent to crush your rebellion any time soon.

Wow! Thankyou everyone who liked my mini enough to cast a vote! Feeling very happy here today!

Well done to the other winners; well deserved… and to every person who got something painted and took part.

Thanks to Nevelon for the unwavering commitment to managing this monthly comp (with the now familiar mixture of humor and encouragement) and to Midget Gems for the bookkeeping!

Onto the next project!

Great job, everyone!

Thanks to Nilfisken and XvArcanevX for the nice comments, and thanks to everyone who left feedback on anyone's work. You're all heroes!

 JoshInJapan wrote:
CancelledApocalypse: You mentioned in the poll thread for April that you would like more feedback on your models, but on models this nice it's hard to find anything to critique. They look almost monocrome (a compliment), so the spots of color really pop. The only thing I can think of to improve is controlling the snow on their boots-- it looks a little random, like the flock got away from you and you forgot to clean it up before taking photos. That's a minor quibble, though, and likely invisible at tabletop distances.

Yeah, that's exactly the kind of feedback I'm after, and yeah, I totally agree. I rushed the snow a bit, particularly on the Vigilator, because I was already over the original time limit. I might go back and try to touch it up to make it look a bit more realistic at some point (assuming I can find the time and a million and one other things don't stop me... ). Thanks for taking the time to do that, though

Congrats Daia T’Nara, Nilfisken, CancelledApocalypse and XvArcanevX awesome stuff.

Sry for the delay in getting the New league table up, I've been prepping the house for an extension so that has taken up all my spare time recently.

Hopefully I'll get the league table done in the next few days.

Just hopping by to say thank you to everyone who said something nice about my work, sorry I wasn't here to say something nice back but have been impressed with each and every as usual, kind regards!
-Helveine.