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Hi guys! I need some advice and opinions on painting styles people like from these test models. Particularly the bases, as they're the bit I'm really hung up on.
I am collecting both Traitor Death Guard and Loyalist Salamanders legions, and I've made these test pieces to see what works and what doesn't. It started as 10 (6 of which didn't look great in various different aspects) so here are 4 I have left.

I would really like opinions on which of the base types people like.

For the DG models, numbers 1 and 2 are airbrushed with a gradient to make the illusion of depth, and add a kind of silt-like look to the water. 3 and 4 are just painted as the above water is. In 1 and 4 I've also added weathering powder to make the water murky, which I kind of like, and might keep.





For the Salamanders, I really like the IDEA of Lava bases, but I have some isses, as I would like to make these armies as a kind of huge diorama, where the Salamanders are battling the Death Guard, so I am considering if I want to do Lava at all, or just do everything with a battlefield/trenches type of bases so it all works together. Thoughts? I want to practice OSL a lot with the Salamanders because I think it suits them.

For clarity, base 1 in the Salamanders photo is Polyfiller, shaped and then damaged, 2 is thick cork, 3 and 4 are multiple layers of thin cork, with 4 having a more grainy lava material (not water effects), which was really just to test the kind of staggered cork.


Any C&C are welcome, these are the first models I've painted in years though so I am very rusty

they are all pretty solid and well done, though if why collect Death Guard, and Green Death Guard (-1)

the only real comment I have on the painting is that the DG shoulder pads almost look like a lime green, which may be a bit bright.

Hahaha the Salamanders are just wannabes

Thanks for the feedback! Yeah they are a bit bright, I actually just painted the shoulderpads with the same paint as the salamanders as it was already in the airbrush, no other reason, so I might go down a shade with those when I do my full squads. I do think Death Guard benefit from having a little brightness too, to break up the colour scheme.

I'm swinging towards basing everything in the trench style, as though I do like the lava bases, they aren't as stable as the trench type, because of the way I have to pin, and it feels a little like I'm only doing it because I want to do OSL, which I'm not great at, but really like.