Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Made some progress on the tree groupings last night. After putting 1-2 birch trees per CD (they need the stability) I filled in the space around them with a variety of small evergreens. As I'm trying to use my small evergreens carefully so I have some for each birch (I have 7 left), I used some cedar bark painted up as rocks to fill in the remaining gaps. Now all I need do is add some snow flocking and they should be done.

Trees will be good tabletop additions

I think so, especially for the arboreal themed winter table. Lots of trees, a few old... abandoned ruins. Just the kind of place you might find long forgotten texts, relics or a chaos idol.

I'm really happy with the way they're turning out, especially since they're being done on-the-cheap. I should be able to finish at least a couple tonight and will post pics for you so you can see how they look.


I also started working on the really big evergreens embedded in the wood bases. I've split a couple out of the wood blocks, then mounted them in a blob of green stuff on CDs (one per CD). They pretty much take up the whole CD on their own... though I may add a few rocks to each just for amusement's sake. This gets kind of expensive though because the GS is pretty expensive (because I have to use so much per tree). I may kick things around and see if I can come up with a better solution.

Get some Milliput (or equivalent) next time you're out, perhaps?

That's a good thought. I wonder if it's any cheaper (per volume) than GS?

For bulk work you might want to try air hardening clay.

So... each year I do a summary of what I've done the year before. It's always a good pick-me-up.

.... yeah... not so much this year. BUT.... truth in advertising demands I post my 2016 production... most of which was done in January of last year.


Chaos space marine assault squad (gargoyles for my Halloween army).


GUO (Cthulhu for my Halloween army).


Herald of Khorne (Creature from the Black Lagoon for my Halloween army).


Carnosaur for my buddys' son. Got to admit I'm proud of this one.


A little EC army that isn't even legal...


A little Hordes army.


Finally some incremental progress on my VSG.



On the bright side... Ramos and Damo painted my entire AdMech force. Hip-hip-hooray for making enough money to commission excellent painters to work on my stuff! (thanks guys... I've really been loving playing with the figures you did for me)



Hoping for better in 2017.

Maybe not volume, but all really amazing quality. I still love the EC theme you used. Another center piece army for the 'splitter'.

The Carnosaur is another great piece of work.

Looking forward to the Bloodthurster golden demon entry!

Quality might be down, but you are still rocking the quality!

While I think technically the giant lizard is the best of the lot, I really love how those gargoyles came out. They are a unique little unit. Love the glow on the grey.

 Gitsplitta wrote:
That's a good thought. I wonder if it's any cheaper (per volume) than GS?

I would think so, given that standard Milliput is marketed more as a two-part putty for general use, rather than specifically for sculpting purposes.

Though I guess the answer also depends on how you buy your GS - by the roll, or in GW-size bites...

Air-hardening clay was going to be my second suggestion, but I'm not aware of the price of it.

+++++

What you've painted in 2016 looks good, Gits. Other than MOAR TERRAIN, what would you say are your painting priorities for the new year?

Thanks for the comments guys. Unfortunately most of the painting came early in the year so my later productivity just wasn't there. Having put some thought in as to why... I've come up with my most reasonable idea.

We underwent a major change in our electronic services this year, both in internet provider and TV provider. The result is that I lost my connection to Dakka from home, and I lost my TV in my studio. Both had become standard aspects of my painting routine. I'd usually put the TV on in the background for white noise... or for binge-watching series I'd recorded while I painted. I can still play movies on my computer, but it's not the same for some reason. Of course I relied on Dakka throughout the painting process for feedback, ideas, critique and support. That's gone now too. This double-whammy to my years-in-the-development painting routine has really sucked the enthusiasm for painting out of me. Add the fact that I cant attend the local gaming night and I'm left just dangling when it comes to hobbying.


On to my current project... winter terrain. Got the snow added so here are the two prototypes of the trees that I'm working on. Sorry for the poor quality of the pics. My wife absconded with the table I set up my photo booth on for the holidays.

First, the birch cluster. Since the birch trees have such wide canopies they definitely need to be attached to a wide, CD base, however on their own they look kind of sad. So I'm adding other, smaller trees to the bases and some rocks. Lastly a bit of snow to even things out.




The second version are these large evergreen trees. They originally came attached to wood blocks (actually cross-sections of a branch... you can see them in the table-wide shots up above). I split them out of the wood and green stuffed them to a CD. Added the snow and maybe a rock or two for interest. Here's how the prototype turned out (I did forget to paint the green stuff white on this one).



When done... I'll have 10 or more of the birch groups... and at least that many of the large conifers.




@Dysartes: Thanks for the ideas, I'll look into them as see what I can come up with locally.


As far as what the priorities are for 2017.

- finish the winter terrain
- finish the blood thirster (don't know why I'm dragging my feet so much on this model)
- get enough EC done to field a legal army
- build and paint my 30k dark mechanicus
- paint my "Cam special" display board
- finish MW land raider #2
- finish MW predator

Ebbs and Flows are bound to happen, especially with changes. Hopefully we can revitalize you in Chicago.

Really liking those Gargoyles.

Nice winter terrain. One of my earliest terrain project ideas that never happened was to make everything on the random winter terrain list from the old 3rd ed rulebook.

If you are looking for other things to spice up the base, you could build a little snowman. Or a little snowfortress of redemption. Little easter-egg humor bits hiding among the trees.

Some really great stuff you put out last year! Love the EC and while I'm not a fan of lizardmen usually, that Carnosaur? is gorgeously painted. Hope you can get yourself into a new routine that works for you. I look forward to seeing more of your 30k stuff.

I did more than I thought I'd done in all honesty.... I count something like 38 figures painted (at least one isn't pictured above). While that's far from the 100+ I usually do, it is at least a bit of progress.

Two terrain projects in one year?! That's ambition good sir, I look forward to it! Even more so the EC, you've got a beautiful scheme for them and an HQ would be great for them, decorated in ornate armor and dazzling medallions.

Well, I have both Eidolon and Fulgrim... so major HQ's should be in the offing. Also picked up the primus medicae special figure that was offered at GW stores.

 Gitsplitta wrote:
Well, I have both Eidolon and Fulgrim... so major HQ's should be in the offing. Also picked up the primus medicae special figure that was offered at GW stores.

Having been away over Christmas, I'm going to pop in tomorrow and see if my local still has him - how does it look in the resin, now you've got it?

Not bad Dysartes. I'm not sure about the sculpt in general... the smock makes him look like an overstuffed turkey. But I think with a different paint job (than the one GW gave him), he might be OK. In any case I couldn't pass up the opportunity to snag a FW figure at a store. Novelty item don't cha know.

Very festive ; I'm definitely keen to see some other snow-covered terrain in there also...

 Gitsplitta wrote:
Not bad Dysartes. I'm not sure about the sculpt in general... the smock makes him look like an overstuffed turkey. But I think with a different paint job (than the one GW gave him), he might be OK. In any case I couldn't pass up the opportunity to snag a FW figure at a store. Novelty item don't cha know.

Indeed - though unfortunately my local GW had sold out by the time I got to them.

Looking at an option via the Swap Shop, though waiting to hear on price (and shipping costs) first.

Trees are looking great based like that.

That is the thing with hobbies, they ebb and flow, other things impact time and motivation. Make the most of it when it's there.
I think quite a few people have had a slow/hard year; DDakka has seemed a little quiet compared to what I remember of previous years... maybe that just because I've had a bit of a slow year...

Good review though.

Had a second Christmas themed game (thanks to The Dark Artisan and his mates for a wonderful idea). Thing 2 this time. At one point he was winning 0 to -1. His nids ended up thumping me good even though when the game ended he only had a single beastie with 3 wounds left and I still had most of my army. We both loved it! The randomness of the game and the effects when you open presents just takes any hope of competitiveness right out of you and forces you just to play and laugh!

Sounds like a good time. The objectives were presents?

@SL: Yep, very fun.


I did get a little something done last night (finally). Got the flocking put on the first set of trees... Sorry that the color's a little off... my wife still has my photo booth table. I have this many again in the birches... and a ton of the large evergreens.



Boy that's strange... why is the URL showing up?

Christmas is tough around the 'splitta household, you have to defeat your dad in a game to claim your presents.

 Gitsplitta wrote:
Boy that's strange... why is the URL showing up?

The final square bracket is on the next line. Vis...



Trees are looking nice btw

Thanks my friend... fixed on my post as well.

Thanks. I tried to fill out the bases with smaller trees and rocks so there is some semblance of LOS blocking. Of course the big evergreens do that quite nicely all by themselves. I should have put a figure next to them for size comparison... but they're all roughly a foot high.

Trees are looking fantastic, nice to see true scale trees for a change. Table full of this will be stunning.

Trees came out great!