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This message, and whole thread are been modified to reflect the current state of my hobby build


Hi fellow hobbyists.

My name is Bojan and I've been in and out of the hobby for more then a decade. Mainly because I lived on the country side and did not have with whom to play, learn, advance etc. Once I moved to city, I my life took a turn toward my carreer and MTG. Until I got myself a Dark Vengeance set. With that, I started playing more actively, rediscovering my love toward the hobby.

In 2015 I've gone deeper into the hobby and actually assembled a proper army. Ke'lshan's 6th SkyLight Patrol Cadre became my obsession and I put a lot effort not just in models, but also in articles and fluff to support it. When GW put new models last October, I decided to rename my cadre, because it grew bigger and now forms a whole Contingent! Now, when I'm coming to the third phase of my Tau build, I'm collecting bits and converting some of my minis, adding terrain pieces and getting ready to kind-a complete the force.
So, in the following galleries you can find the development and the state of Ke'lshan's 6th SkyLight Patrol Contingent.



You can find The Assembly of the 6th Ke'lshan SkyLight Patrol Contingent on pages #1 thru #3, and gallery by following this link
You can find the army profile, fluff story and more finished pictures by clicking on link here.



This is the Dark Elf Charriot that I completed for my friend. He got is as a gift back in the day, it sat on his shelf for ages, then he gave it to me... And I put it together and returned to his shelf.




After some paint touches and contemplating best way to acquire&add models to the display, I opted to keep only the Chariot and place it onto 120*90mm GW base. Little bit of flock, some steppe grass and a 'rock' completed my first display ever. You can check it out on page #3, or in the gallery here.


On my beginning, I was in doubt whether I should go with Tau or with Necrons. I went with Tau, but Necrons were in the back of my head all along. Now, they are shipped and will be on my desk soon enough. Tau were per-assembled and enhanced. Necrons will be fully assembled, painted and properly based!

You can check the work gallery here, and on this thread starting page 4. Full Eternal Phlanax is on the horisont!

I do have wish to collect some Adeptus Mechanicus and maybe some DeathWatch, but all in it's good time.
Third and more scenic project is my Assassinorum Force. By the time it becomes vintage, I'll have an amazing piece. I won't tell you much, as I don't want to jink myself.


Thanks for checking out.

My first big choice fell on Tau Empire. Greater Good, some awesome models and various ways to field your army... In order to get myself a head start, I started looking for a pre made army, with nice choice of models and some Forge World stuff.



However, I did not like the paint scheme. It doesn't go with the fluff I made and some other glittery ideas. Today, I got myself some acetone-free polish remover, cotton balls, glue, exacto knife, black primer and glitter spray. And made a plan to finish my army before I go for a vacation. So I can enjoy my vacation kicking some Ork ass.
As recommended by few Dakka users, I started removing paint from models using Acetone free polish remover. Tooth brush, cotton balls and a fan to push the fumes away. It is chemistry indeed.


But progress has been made. Here are the Skimmer engines, in step by step phase.

Since I have a range of new figures as well, I made a plan to 'remove paint/coat new' one day, and then other day I 'assemble new'.
Today, I got to play with my drones. I went thru all my bit bags and some of new sets and assembled all possible combinations of drones. They are ready to enter the paint shop once I'm done with my skimmers.



6 Sniper Drones
5 Marker Drones
4 Interceptor Drones
3 Missile Drones
1 Recon Drone
1 Grav Inh. Drone
1 Pulse Acc. Drone
1 Gun Drone

So, today was an "remove paint/coat new" day.
I continued working on my Skimmers. And made a lot of progress. Take a look at some pics below.

I removed all blue paint from the model. I didn't bother with the white, as it was a primer. However, on a number of places the primer went down as well.



Once I washed the model with soap an tooth brush and let it go dry completely, I made a next step. Coating again in fine air spray black.


Final layer was glitter. It may not be super-visible on the picture, but it is there. And it looks amazing!


Tomorrow, I'm looking at assembling some Piranha's.

Today I decided go to ahead and assemble my Piranhas. I have learned a lot.


Model is beautiful, but to assemble it can be a tricky task. Not all parts fit to each other.



And by that, I don't mean they are poorly cast or need little work on them. I mean that they fit to each other differently, to a point where I got to different looks.



Take a good look. One on the left has nice sides and bumper, but sides are a 2mm wider than the bottom of the body on each side. One on the right, bottom and sides fit nicely, but the top of the bumper (and overlap on one side) make a poor contact. I guess, little bit of green stuff is in order.



But all in all, I had fun assembling these. I'll paint them tomorrow, along with a second bunch of drones that I got with my army (mostly gun drones).

You remember how I started working on those drones... And got to a point where I should paint them.
You also remember how I started working on those Piranhas... And got to a point where I should paint them.
Well, today was the day.



I started painting my drones, while assembling some more. Realized I don't have enought Missile support.





And 51 drone later...

Today I took it easy. Commander ShadowSun and his buddies came to visit and do some armor upgrades.
Talking about upgrades, I have a question...

Do you know what is this for I can't seem to find a spot on my XV25's for this, or any picture that would indicate what it is and where it goes
Thanks.

That bit has no purpose, it's just something to fill space on the sprue apparently.

I guess it is gonna become the new objective...



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Today I finished another DevilFish, including few XV25 suits. At this point, I have to start adding color details, before I make the final assembly.




I have a Pathfinder squad to assemble... And few more models to strip of paint/prime and glitterize.

Hey guys,

no updates yesterday. I took a day off and spent it on playing 'Dead of Winter'. And writing a short fluff to join our dakkanaut DA STORMLORD in creation of his new Tau worlds.
You can read all about it here.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/647931.page

Today I took it really easy. Assembling my Pathfinder Squad. I'll make two Shas'ui 's, so I can run a two five man squads (if needed ). I also have a DarkStrider, to further buff my pathfinder capabilities.

Hey man, some great stuff here. Acetone free stinks, I was dreading the second time using that stuff on my necron overlord. I dont know how you managed it...

Yeah, you need to be in a well ventilated area! Or just use one of these. Serving the Greater Good has its benefits!



Meanwhile, I entered an 'assembly frenzy'. Pathfinder squad fully assembled, Cadre FireBlade, DarkStrider, two XV-9's. Once all glue is dry, I'm gonna start priming them, in preparation for payday and some actual painting.

Lol, nice mask.

XV9 and co are looking good

I like the posing of the XV9's, they look very dynamic .

 Da Stormlord wrote:
Lol, nice mask.
XV9 and co are looking good

 hk1x1 wrote:
I like the posing of the XV9's, they look very dynamic .

Thanks guys. Putting them on a flying base really made things easier and allowed me more space to be creative. It is really tricky to pose them from the ground up, as all joints are adjustable and you really need to know your to get them standing on their own.

Keeping up the pace, today I started priming previously assembled models. Pathfinders, Stealth suits, XV-9's, R'Alai...



Plus, a squad of XV-88's came in for some armor redefined! Escorted by existing XV-9, that also want to do pick up a new color scheme. The old color scheme is not bad, it's just not what I want.



Mr. "Lone Warrior" came on it's own.

Hey guys,

today is completely off topic. But hey. It took my 'creative slot'. And I'm out of primer!

As I sound engineer, I do a lot of maintenance on various pieces of equipment, from $10'000 a piece gear to that $5 consumable. I go by the "weakest link in the chain is how strong you are". So, today I did some refurbishment on microphone grills. Some of them needed cleaning, and some of them needed magic.

I don't know what happened to this one. I found it in one of the cases. It took a hell of a fall. Not to mention all the other green stuff that was stuck between the mesh.



After some brushing, MC HAMMER came to aid. After few rhymes on the mic, the grill came to...


I admit. It is pretty far from what it should be, but considering the initial state, I think I did good. It also gave me time to thing what I need to get myself to continue my Cadre. Varnish, Glue, Primer, Glitter, Micron Pan and few paints w/ brushes. Hopefully, I'll place my order with FW as well, so I expect some Tetra, TX-42 and Remora reinforcements.

This is an interesting project so far, but it needs some infividual panache to make it stand out. Since you're a sound engineer, might I suggest a sonic Hammerhead?

 bossfearless wrote:
This is an interesting project so far, but it needs some individual panache to make it stand out. Since you're a sound engineer, might I suggest a sonic Hammerhead?

I guess I could put some speakers into it and hook 'em up via Bluetooth.

Oh, you have done that on your PimpWagon. How dare you? What am I supposed to do now?



But, I must say beside the general theme, I didn't have any special ideas yet. Today I went to a local arts & crafts store and got some additional tools and paints.



Little bit of electric neon paint, few super precise 18/0 brushes, Satin to try it out as a protection layer and.... Unfortunately, wrong primer. Last time I got a ultra flat black primer... This time, because it was right next to it and I was a bit rush-headed, I picked up a primer+paint spray. I had to spray a model to try and see if it will be any good and it is not.

I'm mildly depressed right now, as this means I won't be able to work on any other model that the ones I already have primed and glittered and prepared for some actual painting. Ah well. It is not the end of the world. #FirstWorldProblem





Automatically Appended Next Post:
Just a quick sneak peak of my current progress.

Well, technically the Pimpwagon isn't all that great. Only one of the two speakers works, and they rely on a wired connection and a little ipod hidden in the base. Now a proper, bluetooth, multi-speaker affair? That's the sort of thing that would really stand out.

Greater Good takes time and patience, my dear bossfearless.

As shown in the next photo, patience was not my virtue today. I had a mishap with this XV-88. I use a glitter air spray, which gives, glitter as you might thing, but also nice shine. However, while I was spraying today, I was a bit more trigger happy and... I coated a bit more glitter than I wanted in the first place.


But my Commanders did not judge my work, but gave me support and encouraged me to continue in my pursuit for Greater TRON Good.





I must say that I am pleased with the look I'm achieving. Tomorrow I might dive into my Piranha's and SunShark's. We'll see how I feel.

So much sparkle. I think the glitter paint might actually take away from the Tron effect.

 bossfearless wrote:
So much sparkle. I think the glitter paint might actually take away from the Tron effect.

Yeah, that BroadSide really took a hit. But beside him, all other minis look fine. The problem is my camera. If I take a photo without flash, glitter looks like dirty paint. If I flash, glitter reflects everything and blinds my opponents that then feel the warmth of a fusion blaster!


Talking about Fusion Blasters, here come my two Piranhas.




It was really demanding, but I'm making good progress, completing two minis a day. I also run a 'schedule' on http://leankit.com/, just to keep track of what else I need to do, what I'm holding for what reason etc.

More pics, as my army is coming together. XV-107 in progress, two DevilFish platforms, R'Alai's personal drones and 5 MarkerLight drones.

Okay, yeah I can see the flash issue being an...issue. Keeping that in mind, maybe you should try putting together a really simple light box to cut the glare and get a good picture of your army?

 bossfearless wrote:
Okay, yeah I can see the flash issue being an...issue. Keeping that in mind, maybe you should try putting together a really simple light box to cut the glare and get a good picture of your army?

Yup, that is one of the things on the bucket list. Another one is that a friend of mine runs a photo studio. Once I complete my army, or I get a sizable force painted, I'll take it for some pictures.

Bump up!

Today I finally got my black ultra flat primer. So, that broadside that I up last week got some paint remover and some nice layer of thin flat black. I'm back on the track with that one.
Also, I primed some (preowned) XV-9's and some weapon options for my HammerHead/DevilFish platforms.


And then I continued working on drones and two tanks I had on the table. I'm getting nice results and I think my whole army will leave a nice impression on the battlefield.




Some more details will be added. I also want to magnetize 'seeker' missile under one of the nose wings (magnets ordered, but won't reach me before end of august ), hopefully find a solution to close the 'lading gear' hatches and few more paint details before I satin the model.

A cliff hanger.... Missile one 'two' ! (or a few more )

Looking good, your paint scheme is really interesting.

Stardrop, if your XV107 is still in progress, might I suggest pausing for a moment and browsing Amazon for some option kits by Bandai or Kotobukiya? They make a lot of the optional parts that I use on my guys. For example, if you were to pick up a cheap, lower-grade version of Wing Zero EW or Deathscythe Gundam, you'd have a very badass set of poseable wings that would go well with your aesthetic. There are energy shields, battery operated rotating cannons, explosions and muzzle flashes, energy beams, everything you need to make that larger class of suit really intimidating.