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Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll wrote:Aye, they may be a lot of work, and not much fun, but the work clearly pays off. The gray and the yellow are all so smooth, and they play off each other so well.

Thank you very much Gwyn, and welcome to the plog! If I'm honest though, I feel like the photographs hide some sins: especially the yellow is far from baby smooth when you see it from up close, but it's as good as I'm currently able to get it.

Maharg wrote:Those bikers were well worth all the effort you put in. I think you're right about the chipping, the different depths will make the great paint job even better. Maybe consider a small scratch or two on the transfers as well? The areas they are on aren't that likely to get too much damage but the rear ones stand out slightly, looking a bit too neat

Much obliged Maharg! You're right about the transfers, I appreciate the critique. When I was painting the bikes, and thought that I was finished (as in, I had already painted the base rims and shouted "yes, they're finally done!"), I noticed that I hadn't applied the transfers So when I had applied them (taking my sweet time as always), I guess I just wanted them to be done and not take the two minutes it would've taken to paint a couple of gray dots in there, thinking I'd get away with it. Apparently not! I'll do them when I eventually paint the third biker.

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A couple of days ago I got to play a couple of games of Underworlds, something I haven't done since last Christmas. And probably won't get to anytime soon, either.. Lots of fun, and the Farstriders got their first outing as well! They weren't terribly efficient, but I guess that was mostly down to bad dice rolls. Showed potential and were fun to play, anyway.



In other news, I'll be starting in a new job next week. Well, a new old job, as it is the same position as last spring - substituting as an English teacher. It's a bit of a bummer in the sense that it's still on the other side of the country and I can't live home with my wife. But the pay is a lot better than what I currently make and I can surely use the experience. It will be even more hours than last time, so I don't know yet how it'll affect the hobby time, but I'll make it work. In any case, I've quit my "summer job", and have (had) this week as my holiday. I'm trying to finish a model I've been working on in the next couple of days, before I move for the job.

I love texture on the clothing of the Corvus Cabal guy. I don't want to think about how long that must take though.

 Fifty wrote:
I love texture on the clothing of the Corvus Cabal guy. I don't want to think about how long that must take though.

Many thanks Fifty! Most of that texture is actually from spray priming and drybrushing before any color was added, you can see how it looked like in the "spoiler" pics. Of course I added some additional texture in the highlighting stage, but I feel that stippling a highlight on doesn't take any more time than painting a clean highlight line. One of the faster models I've ever done! (at least when counting the working days, don't know about the hours..)

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Alright, time for a different kind of update (and a partial excuse for why the bikers took as long as they did): I've made another update on my hobby area. This time far more substantial than changing my light setup, as I got myself an adjustable/standing desk! Setting it all up took me a good couple of days, mostly on tidying up the cables.

The new desk, up and down


For the most part it's a big improvement! Being able to adjust the height to fit both working/gaming on the computer (lower down) and painting (higher up) is brilliant. I haven't yet tried out painting standing up, but there's certainly enough height even for that. The thinner desktop is also great, as it's easier to clamp stuff on, and to actually get the chair under it.

The old desk


Now, just like after my lighting update, unfortunaly I won't be able to enjoy this setup for a long time. As I said in my previous post, I'm moving back to the other side of the country next week and the standing desk stays here. So in a couple of days it's back to the old desk! But at least I'll have a proper working area, unlike last time.. And all of my hobby stuff!

Whoa, that is the fanciest desk! I hope your move goes well.

Sweet setup! I’ve got one of those desks at work for my back. It’s really good to be able to change from sitting to standing when your hours in to a spreadsheet. I’ve just got a normal desk at home :’( I miss my work desk!

Good news that you’ve got a better paying job! Bad news that you’re away from home at the other end of the country. Hopefully you get some time to see your family (and fancy pants new desk!)

That's a nice painting setup you've got, I love the printer has its own little cabinet, I imagine all three draws are neatly packed with paper ready to be printed on. Good luck with the move, hopefully you'll still get some time for painting in the coming months.

amazingturtles wrote:Whoa, that is the fanciest desk! I hope your move goes well.

Why yes it is! Thanks, the move and everything else has gone as well as one might hope. Work has started nicely and after spending a few nights at relatives I'm now settling in to my own apartment!

gobert wrote:Sweet setup! I’ve got one of those desks at work for my back. It’s really good to be able to change from sitting to standing when your hours in to a spreadsheet. I’ve just got a normal desk at home :’( I miss my work desk!
Good news that you’ve got a better paying job! Bad news that you’re away from home at the other end of the country. Hopefully you get some time to see your family (and fancy pants new desk!)

As it happens, I've got one at work as well! Too bad though that I can't really raise it as the kids sitting right behind it couldn't see the board
We'll have some holiday weeks coming in a month or so, so we'll see each other then at the latest. Or maybe we'll arrange something even before that!

zahnib wrote:That's a nice painting setup you've got, I love the printer has its own little cabinet, I imagine all three draws are neatly packed with paper ready to be printed on. Good luck with the move, hopefully you'll still get some time for painting in the coming months.

Haha, not quite! The cabinet is actually a memento of sorts, it's part of a desk I got when I started school at age 7. Filled to brim with all sorts of stuff(/junk) collected along the years. Very little that I actually do anything with anymore I'll try to get some hobby time again in the weekend, just as soon as I'll get my (old) table assembled again.

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And here's another hobby update! I finished my Lord-Relictor last weekend, but didn't have time to post it here yet. A fine pair for the Blood Secrator I painted a month ago, I reckon!



If you're familiar with the original model, you'll notice that I've swapped his head. I hate the stock helmet with a burning passion - what were they thinking with that ridiculous nose? As Space Wolves heads have been shown to fit very well on SC bodies (not least by the OG Silverlions by Banzai1000 / Thilo Engels), I promptly copied the trick.



For the most part, he was surprisingly enjoyable to paint. Before this model I've basecoated the armor on the Silverlions with GW's Ironbreaker, which is a bit rubbish and requires a lot of layers. This time I used Vallejo Metal Color Duraluminium, which is a pretty close color match but covers better (two layers, tops!). After an Agrax Earthshade wash and a drybrush of Runefang Steel (VMC is too thin for drybrushing, I imagine), the result is indistinquishable from Ironbreaker. Well, there might be some difference, but not due to the different basecoat! Comparing the Relictor to my older models, there's a bit more Agrax showing through, which is an effect I like. More definition and a bit more weathered look. I think it's down to me getting on the "make-up-brushes-as-drybrushes-train" a little while ago. They really are great (and cheap!), and can produce a really smooth result. With the Citadel's small drybrush I tended to go a bit too heavy. It's still a good brush for small details though.



Speaking of details, they were the most fun part of the model. Once again I tried adding a bit of color on to the face, and while it's not my best work it's one of the better ones. I think I got the black beard relatively nice as well. For the hourglass I took some pointers from an 'Eavy Metal tutorial in an old White Dwarf (#362). Went a bit overboard with the reflections, but I guess it's fine for a first attempt. Also, I'm not sure if the blue-gray color is the best choice here, as it's not repeated in other areas of the model. It certainly stands out, but maybe too much. Finally, after finishing the gold in my usual way, I thought I'd try enhancing the contrast a bit with some Guilliman Flesh. I think this worked out great, although it might've been beneficial to re-highlight some edges with VMC White Aluminium / Runefang Steel.

The only part that was a bit tedious to paint was his cape. Those SC parchments are pretty annoying to paint, at least the way I do it.. And as if that wouldn't have been enough, I also had an Agrax mishap which left the whole cape glossy after the wash. Thankfully after some coats of matte varnish and Lahmian Medium I was able to fix it. Hopefully now that I've painted the Relictor, who surely has the most flappy bits, the rest of my SC models will be easier to paint!

Nice work. I didn't find the blue-gray of the hour glass to stand out - at least in the photos - it took me a while to even find it! Interestingly, for some reason I think I prefer the back to the front. Can't put my finger on why though - I must just like parchment.

That hourglass is so good! I'll second Arakasi, I don't think it stands out too much. Beautiful work mcmattila and that head swap works really well

Agreed, the hourglass doesn't stand out, it's pale and light in an also pale and light colour scheme, so even if it's the only blue, it fits in.

Great job on the lord relictor. I too like the extra contrast on the metal work that the more liberal Agrax wash gave, adds drama to him I think. That hourglass is something else though! Great work!

Amazing job on the Lord-Relictor, hourglass looks unreal. I now feel bad for the one on my Judiciar But more importantly at the side of his "banner"... What's in the bag? WHAT'S IN THE BAG???????

Relictor's new head works great!

That's a perfect head swap. I like swapping heads in general, especially with everything so monopose, and yeah, the relictor is one that really needs it. Great paint work as always!

Arakasi wrote:Nice work. I didn't find the blue-gray of the hour glass to stand out - at least in the photos - it took me a while to even find it! Interestingly, for some reason I think I prefer the back to the front. Can't put my finger on why though - I must just like parchment.

zahnib wrote:That hourglass is so good! I'll second Arakasi, I don't think it stands out too much. Beautiful work mcmattila and that head swap works really well

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll wrote:Agreed, the hourglass doesn't stand out, it's pale and light in an also pale and light colour scheme, so even if it's the only blue, it fits in.

Thanks a lot guys, your input is much appreciated! Good to hear that the hourglass fits in nicely and doesn't jump out - it's not meant to be the focus of the model after all! I guess the blue ended up so desaturated that it goes well with the steel armor around it.

gobert wrote:Great job on the lord relictor. I too like the extra contrast on the metal work that the more liberal Agrax wash gave, adds drama to him I think. That hourglass is something else though! Great work!

Thank you gobert! To be precise, the amount of agrax is most likely the same as with the others, but my drybrushing after was more restrained. But anyway, I'm glad you too like the result!

Viterbi wrote:Amazing job on the Lord-Relictor, hourglass looks unreal. I now feel bad for the one on my Judiciar But more importantly at the side of his "banner"... What's in the bag? WHAT'S IN THE BAG???????

Spoiler:

I need to watch Seven again

Much obliged Viterbi! And no sense in feeling bad about your model, just go and repaint it! I've been wondering about the contents of the bag as well.. I think it's too small to be a skull (unless...). Maybe someone's ashes? A heart? It's fun to think about!

aku-chan wrote:Relictor's new head works great!

Thanks aku-chan!

amazingturtles wrote:That's a perfect head swap. I like swapping heads in general, especially with everything so monopose, and yeah, the relictor is one that really needs it. Great paint work as always!

Amen to that! Cheers!

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Time for another work in progress post, and a pretty exciting one at that! I've finally built my first model from the wonderful Cawdor box, and I've jumped straight to a conversion.



I wasn't around when the original Necromunda was available, but after seeing some of the old metal Cawdor cultists with heavy stubbers (thanks, Azazel!) I got the idea of making my own, modern and plastic version. Now, I know there's a heavy stubber in a Forge World weapon set, but as that costs almost as much as a new box of gangers, I can't really justify getting it. Plus, making your own unique model is always cool! I ended up ordering a Chimera stubber from eBay for a couple of bucks, as it was the cheapest option and the scale looked about right.



In the Cawdor box there wasn't a complete body that would've worked "as is", so I needed to combine the body and arms from one assembly with the legs from another. Thankfully the sawing and glueing went much easier than expected, and the seam doesn't stand out. Attaching the stubber was a bit fiddly and required slightly trimming the body/noose for the gun to fit as well as it could. The barrel was also shortened quite a bit, about a centimeter, to make it look more manageable (there's "heroic scale" and then there's "silly big"). The barrel might still be just a bit too thick, but as I don't have the materials to scratch-build a new one, I say it's close enough. The original ammo box was likewise way too big to use, but I found an ancient SM vehicle storm bolter from my bits box, which seems to fit very nicely. I finished the gun with a piece of an equally ancient CSM heavy bolter ammo belt. Finally, to balance the model a bit more I gave it a GSC heavy stubber backpack, which actually has ammo boxes on it quite similar to the storm bolter box!



Now, I don't actually envision him to be a Cawdor ganger, strictly speaking, but an Imperial cultist wreaking havoc with Uriah Jacobus and friends. So rather than going with a stock Necromunda base I built a chapel-themed, tiled base. For added scene-setting I glued on some kind of a hose made out of greenstuff. Hopefully it'll add some 40k techno flavor to the (eventually) white marble floors.

Looking at the pictures now I see there's a couple of small things I need to fix/add to the model, but on the whole I'm really happy with how it has come out so far. The pose looks feasible and the gun functional, now I just have to think about the specifics of the color scheme!

The cultist looks great! Good base too. Did you use some kind of mold for making the green stuff hose?

Wow, a lot of work but it turned out amazingly. The cultist backpack works very well for that. And of course you gotta have hoses lying around in chapels. It makes perfect sense in a 40k way!

Great conversion, excited to see some paint on him in the future!

Pomander Cask wrote:The cultist looks great! Good base too. Did you use some kind of mold for making the green stuff hose?

Thanks Pomander! The hose was made with GSW Roll Maker.

amazingturtles wrote:Wow, a lot of work but it turned out amazingly. The cultist backpack works very well for that. And of course you gotta have hoses lying around in chapels. It makes perfect sense in a 40k way!

Thank you! Yes it does! There's all sorts of techno-chapels and tech-priests and machine gods and what not, got to have those hoses!

Viterbi wrote:Great conversion, excited to see some paint on him in the future!

Cheers! Me too, although it might take a bit of time to get to him..

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One of the perks of moving down south for work is that Finland's one and only Warhammer store is now quite a bit closer. As in, a 45min drive instead of seven hours! When Games Workshop recently announced that each of their stores would sell Sergeant "Ripper" Jackson from 12th-20th of September, I thought what the heck, I'll go and get her. And while I'd be in Helsinki I thought I'd check out a couple other hobby shops as well!



I ended up going to four in total and buying an item or two from each. First stop was Poromagia, an independent hobby shop / gaming club. Not only did they have a great supply of GW's products, they also stocked a lot of AK Interactive and Greenstuffworld products. This is great, as I'll be able to get all the cool things without waiting 2-3 weeks for a delivery! But the highlight of the store for me were the many display cases, all filled with beautifully painted models. I even found the "Orange Mechanicus Orks" I saw in the Warhammer store a couple years back, and stupidly didn't take a photo of. They were a big influence on my own orange Orks, so I was very happy to be able to correct my mistake and take a picture of them. I bought some GSW barbed wire and a bottle of VMC Gold.



Next I visited Hobby Point, which is a big crafting and model making store. It doesn't sell wargaming miniatures, but scale models and model railroad stuff (among other things). They had a lot of Noch stuff, which could be useful in the future. Now I just grabbed a trio of paints and additives before proceeding to the Warhammer store. It's a rather small space, and with Covid-19 there wasn't as many gaming / display tables as there used to be, but it's well stocked with minis and the staff was friendly and helpful. I got my Ripper and grabbed a copy of Helsreach novel too (I'm a bit excited about Black Templars at the moment).

Finally, I decided to check out Fantasiapelit as well. They are a bigger company and have a store in many/all of the big cities here, but I guess this one in the capital is the biggest. Certainly well stocked with GW kits! The biggest surprise was stumbling on some really cool models in an unassuming, largely empty display case surrounded by manga books. I saw the models and thought to myself "whoa, someone's really pulled off the Blanche style.." I then circled around the case and read the card beside the models - "Creator: John Blanche". So now I've seen genuine models from GW's creative mastermind in plastic and paint! Of course, while I was surprised, I remembered that mr. Blanche visited Helsinki for Mordheim 2019, so that's how the models got here. Apparently, the models were gifted to Tuomas Pirinen (the creator of Mordheim), who then loaned them to Fantasiapelit so that everyone could see them. Kudos, Tuomas!



I almost made it out of Fantasiapelit without buying anything, but then I noticed a copy of Gretchinz!, a board game which I remember reading about quite a while back and liking the look of. As the price wasn't too bad I grabbed it. Don't know when I'll get to try it out or with whom, but that's beside the point!

So yeah, four really cool shops with amazing inventory. I'll surely be visiting them at least a couple of times before my eventual move back north. Oh, if only I'd have the space and time, I'd buy all the things..

Sounds like a nice trip. Thanks for the report!

Good to see you’re making the most of being away from home. Really cool that you got a chance to snap the Orange Orks’ inspiration and those Blanche minis are so cool, worth the trip on their own! You’ve got a great haul of goodies too!

Nice tour of the local shops. Love browsing new places. The Cawdor gunner is great. First thing I thought of when I saw him was the original Cawdor stubber heavy. You've done a wonderful job capturing your inspiration.

Those orks

While not a Blanche fan, those models are magnificent.

Nice haul as well

Awesome post mcmattila, feels like a mini-article out of White Dwarf So cool you came across the orange orks again and those models by John Blanche!

The Cawdor heavy stubber looks great, really clean and effective conversion. Look forward to seeing him painted up

A bit late, but I love the totally-not-Cawdor inquisitorial heavy stubber chap! You have done a really good job of working it all together to look like a composite model rather than an obvious conversion.

Well done and thanks for sharing!

Apologies once again for such late replies on my part.. Work, and unwinding after, have taken a toll on the blogging/forum posting lately.

bbb wrote:Sounds like a nice trip. Thanks for the report!

It was! No problem!

gobert wrote:Good to see you’re making the most of being away from home. Really cool that you got a chance to snap the Orange Orks’ inspiration and those Blanche minis are so cool, worth the trip on their own! You’ve got a great haul of goodies too!

Yeah, I agree about the Blanche models. If I'd known about them beforehand, they'd have been the main attraction, now they were an awesome cherry on top of a great trip!

youwashock wrote:Nice tour of the local shops. Love browsing new places. The Cawdor gunner is great. First thing I thought of when I saw him was the original Cawdor stubber heavy. You've done a wonderful job capturing your inspiration.

Thank you very much! It's great to hear that he brings the classic model to mind. It's funny though, when you compare the two models, they're not too similar: the pose is very different and the head has more of a Redemptionist look! Of course, being a Cawdor with a heavy stubber helps

Theophony wrote:Those orks
While not a Blanche fan, those models are magnificent.
Nice haul as well

Heh, Blanche's work cerrtainly is divisive, and I can understand why it's not everyone's cup of tea. I mean, this model in particular is quite brown and lacks any intricate freehand designs, so definitely not a competition piece. Still, I think the painting's well executed and the model is glorious!

zahnib wrote:Awesome post mcmattila, feels like a mini-article out of White Dwarf So cool you came across the orange orks again and those models by John Blanche!
The Cawdor heavy stubber looks great, really clean and effective conversion. Look forward to seeing him painted up

That's high praise indeed, thanks zahnib!

IGtR= wrote:A bit late, but I love the totally-not-Cawdor inquisitorial heavy stubber chap! You have done a really good job of working it all together to look like a composite model rather than an obvious conversion.
Well done and thanks for sharing!

Not late at all, thanks a lot! I always strive for cohesion in my builds, so it's great to hear it's working.

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I've slowly been settling down to the new digs and the new schedule. While I've painted a bit less than before, I've now managed to finish a few new models! Here are the rest of the Poxwalkers from the ETB kit:



Not too much to say about the painting that I didn't say last time - these guys were basecoated with Contrast paints and then refined with "regular" ones. For some reason the whole process was a lot longer than last time. I think I was a bit more careful with the painting and did a bit more back-and-forth in some areas. The extra time probably doesn't show anywhere (I hope they're consistent with the last batch), but nevertheless I found the painting very enjoyable and relaxing.



While some of the sculpts have room for improvement (the big guy's pose being a prime example), I'd quite like to get a hold of the Dark Imperium Poxwalkers as well. As I said, these models are fun to paint and would make good conversion fodder, models for dioramas, or just a nice looking horde for a plague lord to boss around. But as they've now gone OOP, they might soon cost as much as the Dark Vengeance Cultists, at which point there are other cool models to consider. I guess I'll have to keep an eye out for eBay "bargains"..

Nice work on them, and yeah, they're pretty fun minis. I remember trying to repose the big one with mixed results, as he is a bit awkward looking.

Nice job on the poxwalkers. I like how you’ve painted their clothes as if they were all in a uniform. I might have to use that when I do mine! If you’re after more there were some available a few weeks ago on some independent stores. Might be better value than the gougers on eBay!

Those poxwalkers are great. Like gobert said the orange uniforms give a nice sense of cohesion. Its like they were all working in the same factory when papa Nurgle came to town

amazingturtles wrote:Nice work on them, and yeah, they're pretty fun minis. I remember trying to repose the big one with mixed results, as he is a bit awkward looking.

Thanks! Yeah, if I ever get another I'd try to convert it too. Of course, finding (stylistically) suitable arms might be difficult, if you don't take them from other Poxies..

gobert wrote:Nice job on the poxwalkers. I like how you’ve painted their clothes as if they were all in a uniform. I might have to use that when I do mine! If you’re after more there were some available a few weeks ago on some independent stores. Might be better value than the gougers on eBay!

Cheers! I like orange on my minis, it seems, and this was a great chance to do that "American prison jumpsuit" look. And of course it was also faster to paint all the cloth in one color!
The problem with the other Poxwalker sculpts is that they were only available in "Know No Fear" and "Dark Imperium", and buying those would be very expensive for the 'walkers alone (if you found the boxes). This ETB kit is still on sale. I actually think that there are (at the time of writing) quite reasonably priced 'walkers on eBay, it's just the postage that's annoying. I'll probably cave in at some point though..

zahnib wrote:Those poxwalkers are great. Like gobert said the orange uniforms give a nice sense of cohesion. Its like they were all working in the same factory when papa Nurgle came to town

Thank you very much! Yeah, same factory or same penitentiary (both?)!