My very first army

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**Lint**

So I just got into wargaming, and I've chosen to play as csm. This is my second squad I've painted, I'm not going to post the first because I think it sucks, and I'm gonna redo it

So this is part of my second squad of Berzerkers. Any tips or critisizm of the painting is welcome, I can only get better!

**captain.gordino**

I like it!! I personally don't have any criticism.

**Grunt13**

I think its pretty cool that you are bold enough as a beginner to develop your own paint scheme. When I first started I basically copied the box art. I also like how the silver looks on the purple armor.

My advice on the rest of the army is not to deviate too much from a core paint scheme – the purple, blue, silver works. Having squads painted radically apart from each other tend to create armies that looks like it came out of a clown car.

just my .02 $

**Grunt13**

Some more advice, I recommend basing your army. It really adds to the miniatures and is very simply process. Before priming your miniatures coat that base with some glue (I use watered down wood glue, but normal white construction glue should work fine) Then sprinkle on some sand and primer. Paint the base a ground color when you paint the model.

For the squads already painted you could add sand and paint over it without the primer if you wanted. Example below:

**Lint**

Yeah, I wanted to try my hand at painting them first before I got to the bases, but that is definitley coming next. As far as the paint scheme goes, I plan on sticking to the same general theme, with minor variations. The fluff I have in my head for this army is something along the lines of a renegade chapter serving tzeentch who has captured rival god's forces. So yeah they're all gonna be the same general color scheme.
Next up is a squad of 5 termies!

**Shrike78**

I like it. The painting quality is good for your first set of units, and making bezerkers in a riot of blues and purples is well... a riot.

Yes... the pun (kinda) was intended.

keep up the good work.

**KingCracker**

ive never seen a purple berzerker and it totally looks good. Id suggest dull up the silver more. try either a base of black and dry brush the silver over OR just get a black wash and go over the silver. i think if the silver was a more duller color it might look better, seeing as the purple and blue are an eye catcher already. it might down play silver.
BUT your on a good start man good luck and show some more progress.

**smart_alex**

Your painting skills are already better than many vets in here.

**Lint**

ok, a question about "washing" the guys. Can I just use my regular citadel black paint, and dilute it with water? Or do I need to buy a specific wash? Also, when I wash them, do I just kind of soak them, or dry brush the wash, or you know something in between...

**lord marcus**

very nice berzerkers! couple questions:

1. when you say re-do them, are you going to strip the paint from them first?

2. in your quick overview of your armies fluff you said you were gonna have other legions units "captured" by your tzeentch army. what do you mean by "captured"? do you mean brainwashed, or turned into rubric marines or something else entirly?

**Lint**

Yeah, the first squad of marines I painted was kind of a practice run, so I'm gonna strip them and re-paint them. The fluff has not really been fleshed out, but the idea is that some really powerfull sorcerers have enslaved and brainwashed units from rival gods to be used to further tzeentch's cause.

**lord marcus**

Lint wrote:Yeah, the first squad of marines I painted was kind of a practice run, so I'm gonna strip them and re-paint them. The fluff has not really been fleshed out, but the idea is that some really powerfull sorcerers have enslaved and brainwashed units from rival gods to be used to further tzeentch's cause.

cool. i like the idea of the brain-washing! how you gonna strip them? simple green?

**Scar Weaver**

Not bad at all. Keep it up but drill those bolters out.

**Le Grognard**

Regardless of color-scheme, you have an excellent basecoat. Colors are nice and blocked. Yes, you can use a dilluted Chaos Black wash, heck that's what I used back in the day. A simple wash and then some basic highlighting (painted or dry-brushed) will do wonders.

As for basing, some white glue and sand are good then just basecoat and drybrush. Or get some of that ginchy tub-o-basings that's avalable. I've been using the same jar of railroad modeling grass for the past 25+ years so once you find something that works you're set.

A really good start, it's just up to you how much detail you want to put into it. Keep up the good work!

**lord marcus**

Le Grognard wrote:Regardless of color-scheme, you have an excellent basecoat. Colors are nice and blocked. Yes, you can use a dilluted Chaos Black wash, heck that's what I used back in the day. A simple wash and then some basic highlighting (painted or dry-brushed) will do wonders.

As for basing, some white glue and sand are good then just basecoat and drybrush. Or get some of that ginchy tub-o-basings that's avalable. I've been using the same jar of railroad modeling grass for the past 25+ years so once you find something that works you're set.

A really good start, it's just up to you how much detail you want to put into it. Keep up the good work!

hehe, reminds me of my material. i'm finally running out of the sand from my last driveway i took 6 years ago....fond and sad memories abound....

**Lint**

Scar Weaver wrote:Not bad at all. Keep it up but drill those bolters out.

? Sorry, what does it mean to drill the bolters out?

**wash-away**

Lint wrote:
Scar Weaver wrote:Not bad at all. Keep it up but drill those bolters out.

? Sorry, what does it mean to drill the bolters out?

you use a dremel and a tiny bit to drill out the hole in the end of the bolter.

citadel wash's work wonders. I'd sugjest you start with a darker color and then paint on the base makingn sure you don't get all the cracks and creveci etc. then highlight the model. no need to go to complicated just 3 colors, shadow, mid tone, highlight. wash's can help with this by putting down the midtone first then washing and hilighting.

**Kilkrazy**

Check out this article on washing with Payne's Grey.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/The_Secret_Ingredient:_Paynes_Grey_%28by_Iffy%29

**Humorisk**

Light years beyond my first few attempts.

Black or dark grey washes will definitely work, but you might also want to think about brown. It'll make that metal look dirtier and more used (how I like it at least). Devlan Mud is a pretty useful Citadel wash. That's just icing on the cake for a first attempt though, you already have a very good start.

**typhus**

purple khorne???

**jedi76**

These look awesome, especially if your new to this! Your good at this so just get some skills and techniques down and you'll probably make a really good looking army.

Only thing I dont like is the blue pants, it doesnt look bad but the purple looks really good and wish you would do the legs that way too, just my opinion though.

**nidz**

very nice.

**StrikerFox**

thats so awsome!

hehe the techno zerkers!! xD hehehe

**Lint**

jedi76 wrote:
Only thing I dont like is the blue pants, it doesnt look bad but the purple looks really good and wish you would do the legs that way too, just my opinion though.

It's kind of hard to see in the pics, but I was trying for a fading effect from the blue to the purple. It didn't come out as smooth as I wanted and it ends up just looking like blue pants. Ah well, I just got done basing my termies, and will start painting tonight, more pics to come!

**Kung Fu Jim**

Nice contrast of the light green against the dark armour.

**BloodDefiler**

Looks great for a first run. Mine are...well, not like that. It's great that you already have the paint scheme in your head, and that you're sticking with a central fluff background.

Can't wait to see more.

Blood

**Lint**

So my 2 week old daughter has been keeping me up late style, I figure I can still paint while foot rocking her to sleep

Here's some wip pics of my termies:

~yawn~ gotta love fatherhood.....

**Lint**

Put some more work in on a power claw, I'm trying to figure out a good way to show that it's actually powered and "on." Comments and welcome, and critiques appreciated...

**Lint**

I'm trying to play around some with my pose's, practicing conveying more action from my models. So tonight I glued up some marines with some terrain under them. I also seem to have lost my sprue of combi-guns

So I tried my hand at converting my own combi bolter/flamer. In the middle of this my blade broke, %*@#%&!! So I had to finish with a broken blade, while avoiding slicing my fingers to hamburger. Considering I've already been through two severed tendons at work, I'm not really trying to go through it again on my down time.

My Tzeentch Champion defiling a Khorne icon

My first attempt at a combi-weapon conversion:

Another attempt at posing with terrain, see if you can spot the chop job conversion:

I needs to get me some gs soon, so I can clean up all the blade work. So far I am having a great time learning how to do this on my first attempt at an army. My hands are starting to steady out, which is awesome since I was afraid of not being able to "color inside the lines." I actually haven't played the game yet, so I don't know how accurate my weapon choices are, but it's a lot of fun imagining these guys raping and pillaging their way across the galaxy! Thank you everybody for your tips, and encouragement, I really appreciate the help

**Accolade**

Looking good! They remind me of night-lord with that purple-dark red color, plus I like the idea of the tzeetnch brain-washing.

If you don't have a dremel, I've found that using a pin-vise works really well in drilling out small things like gun barrels, and they're a lot cheaper than a dremmel (allow a dremmel does have many greater uses). I hope that helps some in your endeavors!