Dakka (Unofficial) Painting Challenge Round 37 March 2018: Space Marines

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**Chris56**

Hi, all.

Have started to run out of time again! Bloody life...
Anyhow, this librarian is one of my favourite Space Marine models, so I'm going to enter him.

I have also wanted to paint some Khorne for a while now, so I might also do the converted guy on the left...but then again, maybe I'll do my Lord of Contagion that's been sitting in the box...
Anyhoo, here is proof...

**Suzuteo**

Eh, since I am painting Space Marine Scouts, might as well throw my hat into the ring.

These are my Iron Hands Battle Pilgrims. I glued a small sprue segment between the legs and the torso to avoid the squat profile of the base Scouts. I also kitbashed Skitarii parts in place of the thick legs and comically oversized heads. Had to sculpt the thighs and midsection of these guys; there are 15 in total, and this is just one squad.

Based them on 25mm HDF and primed them using a black gesso thinned 15% with distilled water and with a few drops of matte black paint. So it's very, very black. I intend to paint a thinned VMC Gunmetal Gray as a base layer to get that metallic black armor. I then plan to paint VMC Silver on any area that I can find an excuse to do so, maybe some VMC Brass as well.

**Annirak**

Well, I’m feeling pretty discouraged. Half-way through the month already and I am still cleaning mould lines off of my tactical squad. I haven’t even started looking at magnetising things. There is no chance at all that I will finish painting these guys this month.

**Annirak**

This is what I have left to prep before I start gluing and magnetising.

**STG**

You dont have to finish them all by the end of the month, you could just paint 1. but honestly if you put in like an hour a day you'll defo get them finished, im sure you'll pull it off!
those are pretty funky looking bases too, where'd you get them?

**Annirak**

STG wrote:
You dont have to finish them all by the end of the month, you could just paint 1. but honestly if you put in like an hour a day you'll defo get them finished, im sure you'll pull it off!
those are pretty funky looking bases too, where'd you get them?

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I’ve been putting in 15-60 minutes a day. But with all the pieces in the tac squad, it’s slow going... why oh why didn’t I decide to get back into wh40k with something smaller, like some aggressors, or even a scout squad?

The bases are Dark Art miniatures sci-fi deck.

**Midget Gems**

As STG said swap the full squad for just one man if it helps, I've done that before when I thought I could get a certain number done in a month but time and RL have conspired against me so I've just dropped it down to 1 model. At least that way you get something done and a sense of achievement. The whole point of the challenge is to get people painting and enjoying the hobby so its a lot better to finish 1 guy and enjoy it then struggle through 10 and feel its a chore.

Hope you mange to get some of them finished, from the bits they look like they will be some pretty cool models regardless of how many you'll get done.

**CREEEEEEEEED**

I got another two hours painting done and then gave up and watched pyrion cast inhouse DOTA. Good times.
Being realistic the captain is probably the only guy who's gonna get done. I must have spend 2.5 hours on highlighting the armour alone.

**Porphyrius**

CREEEEEEEEED wrote:
I got another two hours painting done and then gave up and watched pyrion cast inhouse DOTA. Good times.
Being realistic the captain is probably the only guy who's gonna get done. I must have spend 2.5 hours on highlighting the armour alone.

I like it so far! I'm looking forward to working on my Tartaros termies, once I get some more etched brass for my Raven Guard.

**Paradigm**

I'm in this month with Cato Sicarius, the guy who, since I started back in early 5th ed, was always 'the' Space Marine to me. The model was second hand so I had to replace a few bits (head, pistol arm, backpack) but on the whole I think it's seamless enough and still recognisable. Not 100% satisfied with the paintjob but at this point I've been staring at it for about 2 weeks trying to find things to tweak, so I think I need to call him done (or at least put him out there for feedback.

Funny how this proves what I've always suspected... every time I paint Ultramarines I end up doing an entirely different colour! I painted this guy just a week or so before Cato, and his armour is an entirely different shade!

Spoiler:

**Elbows**

Oh, who's a pretty thing! Nice work.

**CREEEEEEEEED**

I went to do the highlights for the black today and realised, with shock, that when my mum packed up all my stuff in a fit of 'you shouldn't be painting you should be working for your A-Levels!!' that she'd knocked the cap of my Abaddon Black slightly open. Half an hour and half a pot of Lahmian Medium later and I'd rectified the almost solid issue pretty well. Anyway I got the eshin grey layer down and cleaned up the overspill of leadbecher. I also experimented on a bike with adding fenrisian grey to the highlighting continuum. I thought it was quite good. Plus joke's on her, I'm not painting very much at all, I'm devouring anime at a worrying rate.

**CREEEEEEEEED**

And the completed black on the actual entry:

**STG**

That Black looks great mate, you've defo improved since ive been looking at these painting competitions.

**lipsdapips**

My entry is finished! Got the rest of the CC done last night. The first four pics are my finals, the latter 2 showing the completed Champion.

Cheers guys, and good luck everyone!

LDP

**craggy**

posted some WIP shots of my BA termies in my P&MBLOG...and I shouldn't have looked at any of the pics on this page, putting me to shame

**feltmonkey**

I'm usually very bad when it comes to posting WIP pics. I always forget. I've got a couple here though, and hopefully you'll like them and be able to offer some feedback on the direction my space marine is taking.

This one is from last week, with the highlights sketched out a bit more, and brightened from the previous pic.

Inbetween then and now I've not had much time for painting, due to work and injury crisis (my kid, the one who loves the treeman, fell and cut his hand, resulting in a trip to A&E with a long wait, and then another trip the next day to have his hand stitched under general anaesthetic after another long wait. He's fine now, it's healing up very well, and he got a new lego set out of it.

) I've used some glazes with thinned artists ink to add a bit of turquoise, which doesn't really show up in the pictures, and a more satin, less matte finish, and to refine the highlights. I've also blocked in a couple more areas, but it's really the armour I'd like some feedback on. What do you guys think? Black is hard! I've never worked in this way before. I've read a bunch of guides, and I'm trying out the methods from there. It's interesting, but I really have no idea what I'm doing. No change there, then.

I think I might need to re-apply the brightest highlights, as the glazes seem to have toned them down a bit. I might have to check if it's just the photo that's making it look like that. The highlighting on his left foot isn't very good either. I did a very quick job on the non-metallic-metal on the chain around his waist, and that seems to be okay, which is good because I'm no good at nmm at all.

Any thoughts or advice?

**CREEEEEEEEED**

feltmonkey wrote:
What do you guys think? Black is hard! I've never worked in this way before. I've read a bunch of guides, and I'm trying out the methods from there. It's interesting, but I really have no idea what I'm doing. No change there, then.

I think I might need to re-apply the brightest highlights, as the glazes seem to have toned them down a bit. I might have to check if it's just the photo that's making it look like that. The highlighting on his left foot isn't very good either. I did a very quick job on the non-metallic-metal on the chain around his waist, and that seems to be okay, which is good because I'm no good at nmm at all.

Any thoughts or advice?

I think it looks great as is, although as you can probably tell from mine, if I were painting it I'd highlight all the way up to white, but there's no reason you would. The highlights definitely look more subdued in the second photo.

feltmonkey wrote:
Inbetween then and now I've not had much time for painting, due to work and injury crisis (my kid, the one who loves the treeman, fell and cut his hand, resulting in a trip to A&E with a long wait, and then another trip the next day to have his hand stitched under general anaesthetic after another long wait. He's fine now, it's healing up very well, and he got a new lego set out of it. )

Funny, when I was 6 I accidentally hit my mum in the face with a golf club, started crying (from shock, obviously I was fine) and ended up with a new lego set.

**feltmonkey**

CREEEEEEEEED wrote:

I think it looks great as is, although as you can probably tell from mine, if I were painting it I'd highlight all the way up to white, but there's no reason you would. The highlights definitely look more subdued in the second photo.

Yeah, I think I might add a few almost-white spots on the upper areas of the armour. Cheers, Creeeeeeed.

CREEEEEEEEED wrote:

Funny, when I was 6 I accidentally hit my mum in the face with a golf club, started crying (from shock, obviously I was fine) and ended up with a new lego set.

Does this make you wonder what you would have got if she had accidentally hit you with the golf club?

**Vejut**

So, somewhat belatedly, my proof pic for the month:

Decided to try doing an Infinity Tiger Soldier, in digital camo patterned after the Chinese marines.
It....reaaaaally didn't come out well.

Where I'm at now. Just gotta figure out what to do for a base on it, and we'll be done, which is good because I'm very meh on him and my other options, and I've got IRL stuff that's going to eat the rest of the month...

**Tim 121RVC**

Ready for painting!

Left all the icons instead of removing them. I guess he's a mash-up Sigmarine, been part of different Space Marine chapters. Still wearing their icons honoring those chapters. (Is that plausible? I'm not familiar with all the SM background stories....)
Changed the gun (thanks again for the tip!), just have to sand off one sharp edge on the ammo belt. Overall it looked a bit "boring" so i added that one "signet parchment". Do you guys think it's in the right place? Or would it be better to glue it on the side of the ammo box?

**Modock**

The black armor is looking great Felt!

Believe it or not I don't have one single space marine mini...I'm gonna enter with these and I really need them painted.
If they don't count at least they will be done, well I hope so.

Nomad Intruder, Bandit and zond remotes.

**craggy**

Tim 121RVC wrote:
Ready for painting!

Left all the icons instead of removing them. I guess he's a mash-up Sigmarine, been part of different Space Marine chapters. Still wearing their icons honoring those chapters. (Is that plausible? I'm not familiar with all the SM background stories....)
Changed the gun (thanks again for the tip!), just have to sand off one sharp edge on the ammo belt. Overall it looked a bit "boring" so i added that one "signet parchment". Do you guys think it's in the right place? Or would it be better to glue it on the side of the ammo box?

A marine wouldn't be part of different chapters...but he might have been in the Deathwatch and could be wearing icons to honour those he's fought alongside.

The parchment can be any place you like. I like it where it is, adds more dynamism to the pose.

**Vejut**

So, all finished. Its...really kinda embarassingly bad, but hey, at least the base looks kinda ok-ish? Not sure if the flattened shading makes it better or worse, as the yellow is actually washed with red, but that doesn't show up at all. Also kinda feeling now I look at it that I could have taken the yellow to the edges of the airbrake flaps while keeping the blue in the middle, but...done now. Annoyingly, the paint keeps trying to come off, may have to satin varnish it later.
Probably swap for better pics later this month, but for now:

**Power Elephant**

I started to paint another terminator. I'm experimenting with trying to make it look like it is night time, so I'll submit it instead of the guy I already painted if it turns out good enough.

**Nevelon**

Vejut wrote:
So, all finished. Its...really kinda embarassingly bad, but hey, at least the base looks kinda ok-ish? Not sure if the flattened shading makes it better or worse, as the yellow is actually washed with red, but that doesn't show up at all. Also kinda feeling now I look at it that I could have taken the yellow to the edges of the airbrake flaps while keeping the blue in the middle, but...done now. Annoyingly, the paint keeps trying to come off, may have to satin varnish it later.
Probably swap for better pics later this month, but for now:

I’ve always found real camo on infantry models never looks as good as you’d think. Because it works. Instead of a distinct, identifiable, models, you end up with a blob of colors that’s hard to ID. Which is exactly what should be happening with camouflage. I paint camo like Hollywood makes movies based on real events. You can tell what it’s based on, but with more explosions and car chases. Paint accent colors in contrasting schemes. Make the lenses pop. Why not have bright tubes/wires and polished metal!. Sure, it might be an abject failure when trying to hide, but it makes the mini a lot more interesting and distinct. Minis tend to devolve into lumps of color at tabpletop distances without the help of effective camo.

I can tell you put a lot of work into that guy. I agree you should have been more bold with the yellow. It helps give your eyes a place to catch, to see the mini. Your gaze just kinda drifts across all the intricate camo work you did. I might also have gone back and brightened up the eyes, they get kinda lost.

Which means you did it well; but sometimes that’s not the best thing from a miniature POV.

**Jadenim**

That’s an interesting perspective, I’d never really thought about it like that.

**Elbows**

Yep, the last thing you want to do is do actual camouflage on a model.

**Vejut**

Yeah, looks it, but I should also have thinned paints a bit more on those pattern blocks--very blobby. Tried countering the breakup of the outline with a purple ink in the creases and crevices, and IIRC a bit of blue ink as well, to provide shadows and darker borders so it resolved into plates a bit more, but really didn't do what I wanted. Next time I probably either enlarge the pattern, so its more "blocks of color", or find another scheme entirely.

**Power Elephant**

This model was a test model for trying to learn how to paint a model to look like it is in a dark environment. I used two sources of light, a glowing green goo on the base of the model and a weak light comming at an angle from behind the model. Although I learned a lot and now have a much better idea on how I should do this in the future, there is no denying that I have completely failed in every aspect. I do, however think that the model I finished earlier is very uninspired, so I would like your oppinion. Which one do you like better? The uninspired, but okay model one, or the ambitious but poorly executed model 2? Which one should be my entry?
Model 1

Model 2