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Nice work on those beaky guys!

tauist wrote:Superb paintjobs all round! Dunno why but only now saw this plog, will be following closely from now on. Cheers

Much appreciated tauist, and welcome to the plog!

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll wrote:The tattoo looks great!

Thanks Gwyn, glad you like it!

Ezki wrote:I second the statement: nice work on the tattoo!
These models look so great and you've done them justice!

Thank you very much Ezki! I think the Cabal are still my favorite models from Warcry, even with plenty of cool new releases from GW.

aku-chan wrote:Nice work on those beaky guys!

Many thanks!

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As always, sorry for the late replies. I've had very little time for hobbies in the last two weeks, as work is ramping up towards the end of the year and the kids seem to have decided not to sleep at the same time (sigh...). But I have a quick WIP photo to share, I started work on my last unpainted Shadespire warband, Magore's Fiends. The photo is from two weeks ago, and I've made a bit of progress since then, but haven't taken an up-to-date picture. I think I have a shot to finish the warband before the end of the year, but we'll see...

I have so much hobby progress to catch up on but my goodness, your Space Marines are next level. Beautiful paint jobs and vey character models. Box art-level work

 zahnib wrote:
I have so much hobby progress to catch up on but my goodness, your Space Marines are next level. Beautiful paint jobs and vey character models. Box art-level work

Much appreciated zahnib, and good to see you on the forums again! I'm also chuffed with the Marines and looking forward to painting another chapter. That'll have to wait until spring though, as I don't have any primed first founding models left. Though I do have a some Black Templars...

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A brief progress report with very little - yet still some - progress!
In my last post I was hopeful of finishing Magore's Fiends before the year's end, but alas, it was not to be. Since that post I've gotten maybe a couple of hours of painting time. I'm now on my Christmas holiday, so I'll do my best in the remaining days of '23, and hope that I'll be able to finish these guys next week.

Reds already looking gorg on the Khorne fellas -they'll be beautiful once they're all wrapped up.

Really appreciate the cloth texture on the pants of the bird boys too, a bit of a departure from all the marine/armour painting lately.

Hope you have a great holiday mate.

Happy new year mcmatilla! Those cabalists are still ice cold cool, cracking work on them. The red and blacks on the Khorne lads are spot on, good luck getting them finished

tzurk wrote:Reds already looking gorg on the Khorne fellas -they'll be beautiful once they're all wrapped up.
Really appreciate the cloth texture on the pants of the bird boys too, a bit of a departure from all the marine/armour painting lately.
Hope you have a great holiday mate.

Much appreciated tzurk! Yeah, I also like variety in my painting, keeps it interesting with every model. Holidays were really enjoyable, got to spend time with the family, eat well and surprisingly ended up having time to paint as well!

gobert wrote:Happy new year mcmatilla! Those cabalists are still ice cold cool, cracking work on them. The red and blacks on the Khorne lads are spot on, good luck getting them finished

Cheers gobert, and to you as well! Thanks for the compliments, check out the Khorne boys (and doggo) below!

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I've finally done it! I've finished Magore's Fiends, and with that, all eight warbands from the first season of Warhammer Underworlds, Shadespire.



These guys have been on the to-do list for quite a while! The models were released in 2018, but I think I bought them a year or two later when GW retired the Shadespire models. These rank among my least favorite of Underworlds warbands (they're okay sculpts but I think too similar to the monopose Blood Warriors from the first AoS launch box), but I wanted to complete the collection anyway, as I liked the game so much. As a side note, I also have all of the season 2 warbands, but after that I had to admit I was never going to get every warband painted, so I've just bought (most of) the really cool ones. Which is more than half of them, but still...

I decided to get them over with and started painting them mid-November. What I thought was going to be a quick-ish paintjob turned quite a bit longer as I just didn't have time for painting with a lot of work and the kids apparently deciding not to sleep before 11pm. But with the Christmas holidays I got some painting time in and managed to finish the Fiends.



I went with the default red scheme but switched the brass trim to black, as I don't like painting with metallics all that much and didn't want the hassle. Furthermore, instead of Citadel's Abaddon Black, I used VMC Black as everyone seems to like its coverage. Sure enough, it covers really nicely with just one coat! I got to say, I still like the satin finish of Abaddon Black more, but the VMC paint is just nice to work with. I drew a lot of inspiration from tutorials by Cult of Paint and RobPaintsModels, but copied neither totally, as I don't have the specific colors or tools (airbrush, mainly). The paintjobs are pretty straightforward as there aren't many colors, but the characteristic Chaos trim of course slowed the painting down. As for the metallics, I feel the brass details ended up too similar to the steel (not counting the flesh hound's collar). I thought I didn't want bright gold on these models, so I started with Runelord Brass as the main paint. After all the washes and highlights though it ended up very desaturated and close to the steel. I did add some verdigris so that there would be some blue/teal on the models, to better integrate Magore's blue cape.



Some parts of the paint jobs were phoned in pretty hard. The blood on the bases for example is just a layer of Blood for the Blood God over Khorne Red, and I didn't highlight it or the skulls. The flesh hound was also mostly painted with a big brush, I wasn't too careful with the highlights. I feel like the models could've benefited from a final round of quick highlights, and maybe some extra detail on the bare head and some scratches on the armor plates, but I didn't want to stretch this project out any longer. Still, it's another warband I can be proud of!

A new year, a new bingo card! As always, I'm using Rob Hawkins' hobby bingo card, and this is still the one from last year (he hasn't updated it for '24, at least not yet). And like last year, I start by claiming the "skirmish team" square! Hopefully this year goes better than the last, but at least I've finished my first painting project in January, not at the end of March!

Finally, a note on photography: I've usually shot the Underworlds warbands using the gameboards as a backdrop, but they are currently in storage. I might reshoot at some point, but a white background will have to do for now. Oh, and speaking of things in storage, most of my models are in there as well, so it'll be a while before I get to take a group photo of last year's finished models...

Happy New Year mcmattila! Magore's Fiends are looking fantastic! That red armour has a really nice depth and the blue cloaks along with the black trim work really well and are a nice alternative take on the classic Khorne scheme. Look forward to seeing what you get up to in 2024

Awesome job on the fiends! The red and black looks super crisp and that doggo is lovely… well the painting is, wouldn’t want to pat him/her! They certainly don’t look rushed at all. Hopefully we get to see all of the warbands in action when you get the rest out of storage

zahnib wrote:Happy New Year mcmattila! Magore's Fiends are looking fantastic! That red armour has a really nice depth and the blue cloaks along with the black trim work really well and are a nice alternative take on the classic Khorne scheme. Look forward to seeing what you get up to in 2024

Thank you very much zahnib, and hopefully the new year has started well for you too! Heh, I'm looking forward to 2024's projects as well, may they be many!

gobert wrote:Awesome job on the fiends! The red and black looks super crisp and that doggo is lovely… well the painting is, wouldn’t want to pat him/her! They certainly don’t look rushed at all. Hopefully we get to see all of the warbands in action when you get the rest out of storage

Thanks a lot gobert, glad you like them! The doggo was perhaps the most fun model of the four to paint. Surprising, really, as I spent ages thinking about how I'd go about painting it. Then I just got on with it and everything turned out to be fine. I suppose that's how things usually go...

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It's been a good long while, but I've finished another Black Templar!



First things first, a couple of words about the model. I straight up borrowed the design from Eric Wier of Between the Bolter and Me, as I loved it from the moment I saw it. I think I've said it a few times, but I really like the look of a bulky Space Marine with an SMG-sized weapon. And while the Primaris proportions are obviously superior to the old models, I still prefer the mk7 details like helmets and backpacks. As such, I find this combination of mk4, mk7 and mkX bits really pleasing!



As with the previous "test" model, I followed Maxime Corbeil's paint recipes for the most part. Whereas the test model got a marble base, here I wanted to try Mr. Corbeil's basing as well. This was both for the iconic look of the 40k 3rd ed. box art and the contrast that the orange brings to the blue highlights of the black armor. The base was really simple and satisfying to paint, and I liked the random variety that washes of orange, brown and dark gray brought to the base. I'm not sure if I overdid the drybrushing and desaturated the base too much, but I'll have plenty of opportunity to get the bases looking "just so".



I got to mention the transfers here, they were one of the highlights of this project for me. I used the transfers from the Black Templar army box (didn't get the box, but bought three sheets of the transfers from eBay), and they went on like butter! I did apply a couple of rounds of Micro Sol, but honestly, there was very little need. I guess the newer transfers use thinner film than the ones from circa 2000, but it was a pleasure to work with these. The transfer sheet features many different designs of the Templar crosses, out of which I picked ones with red outlines. Nothing too wild, but a touch of personality for this grunt. I intend to delve a bit deeper with the personal heraldry on some future models, but this guy has to do with the bare essentials (at least for now).



Then on to the bingo card. I had to think about it for a bit, but I can claim the "unfinished for a year" square with this model. Oof, time flies!


I'll leave you with a story of an unfortunate mishap I had painting this model. While working on the aquila I was opening a pot of Screaming Skull. Apparently I had a bad grip on it, and when I got the lid open the pot slipped from my hand and spilled the contents all over me and the surroundings. Luckily, the paint that didn't land on me mostly went on a chair and floor tiles, which I managed to wipe clean before the paint dried. Even more luckily, none of the spillage landed on my phone (just the case), watch or the model . My jeans and t-shirt were instantly ruined, however. There's surprisingly much paint in a 12ml pot...

I had a similar mishap recently, but coincidentally with Black Templar Contrast! glad you mostly got away with it with only a set of clothes as damage.

The latest Templar looks great and yeah, the tiny Bolter is a cool look!

Love that Templar!

Seems everyone is making those AoS Khorne Bloodwarriors[Reavers] on Dakka.

Wow that Black Templar looks amazing mcmatilla! The mix of Firstborn and Primaris bits looks really great. If I ever cross the Rubicon myself I will definitely be going down this route. And thanks for linking Eric's article, its a great read. Looking forward to seeing more Black Templars from you!

gobert wrote:I had a similar mishap recently, but coincidentally with Black Templar Contrast! glad you mostly got away with it with only a set of clothes as damage.
The latest Templar looks great and yeah, the tiny Bolter is a cool look!

Yeah, I think we've all spilled at least one pot of paint in the course of our hobby careers! Thank you very much gobert!

RedSarge wrote:Love that Templar!
Seems everyone is making those AoS Khorne Bloodwarriors[Reavers] on Dakka.

Much obliged RedSarge, and welcome to the blog! Now that you mentioned it, I think I've also seen one or two other sets of Magore's Fiends being painted recently. I wonder if they still have competitive rules in the current Underworlds season...

zahnib wrote:Wow that Black Templar looks amazing mcmatilla! The mix of Firstborn and Primaris bits looks really great. If I ever cross the Rubicon myself I will definitely be going down this route. And thanks for linking Eric's article, its a great read. Looking forward to seeing more Black Templars from you!

Thanks a lot zahnib, and you're welcome! I think I'll be building some more of these Firstborn-Primaris kitbashes, though I might need to buy another box of standard Intercessors first... But, I still have another model which I just started working on! See below:

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Started working on another Templar, this guy was built at the same time as the previous one, so more than a year ago. I'll write a bit more about the model(/build) when I get this one painted, but as you can see I used a mix of new and old bits here as well. As for the painting progress, I got the first two highlights on the armor done last night, which is probably the most annoying and longest bit as they both go on all edges. There's still one highlight on the upper edges and then dot-highlights on corners, and some other stuff, but I'm hoping to get at least the black armor finished during the weekend.

Beautiful transitions on the fish doggo from hell. Love the contrast of the blue cape, and the patina on the weapons. They are a great looking unit!

Loving the mix of old and new on these templars. Those tactical marine helmets....ahh.

The latest Templar is looking good! The old helmets work a treat on the Primaris bodies. Look forward to seeing your next update

tzurk wrote:Beautiful transitions on the fish doggo from hell. Love the contrast of the blue cape, and the patina on the weapons. They are a great looking unit!
Loving the mix of old and new on these templars. Those tactical marine helmets....ahh.

Fish doggo! Haven't heard that one before, but makes perfect sense... Thank you very much, glad you like them!

zahnib wrote:The latest Templar is looking good! The old helmets work a treat on the Primaris bodies. Look forward to seeing your next update

Cheers zahnib! Yeah, I'm also partial to the old helmets, happily they (and most other bits as well) fit without (much) modification on the Primaris bodies.

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Hot on the heels of the Black Templar in the last post, I've painted another!



But let's start with the model. I'm super happy with the pose, as well as the bit selection. Again, I mixed a Primaris body with some older mk7 bits (helmet and backpack), but this time I also gave him a shoulder pad from the BT upgrade kit. I had to trim down the hose on the right of the helmet a bit to be able to make the head look as far to the left as it is. Another, bigger modification was the gun.

My vision for this Marine was to be the squad gunner, armed with an LMG style weapon (and this is talking aesthetically, not in-game rules). I wanted to have the cool box mag, but also add an optical sight, so I combined the bits of two different bolt rifles. Finally, I removed the front iron sight and replaced it with accessory rail carefully shaven off another rifle.



The painting didn't differ much from the previous Templars, though compared to the last one this guy had a couple more lenses which were fun to paint. One stylistic choice here was to paint the trim of the right shoulder pad white. This was done for balance more than anything, so as not to make the left one look much bigger. I know it's technically a Neophyte/Scout thing, but rule of cool trumps. At least one of mr. Corbeil's Marines has shoulder pads like this, and there's a kind of a precedent on Blanche's Black Templars painting as well.



The decals were a joy to work with, once again. I chose a different design for the shoulder this time: the default black cross with a skull in the center. I really love that GW has decided to include a lot of chapter symbol designs in their recent decal sheets (Black Templars upgrades, Indomitus and Leviathan at least). Adds an individual touch and I think it really fits the image of Space Marines as knights with their own heraldries.

No bingo square for this guy, but I'll leave you with a picture of the Templar duo. Damn they look cool.

Hnnnngh, yeah mane, this is nice.

Thank you for talking us through the little details you've added/changed, he looks so well-put-together that I could see him coming straight out of the box.

Love the spot highlighting on the helmet and vents - super well executed. They do look brilliant together. Love the difference in weaponry when they're side by side!

He looks properly cool! Love an OG helmet on Primaris

Your black armour recipe works a treat and combined with the eye lens and the bone elements like the Imperialis on the chest, make for some mighty fine looking Black Templars! The white shoulder trim is a nice touch as well. Would love to see some more John Blanche inspired elements worked into your future Templars. Thanks for sharing ☺️

Once again, sorry for the tardy responses, life has been hectic at times...

tzurk wrote:Hnnnngh, yeah mane, this is nice.
Thank you for talking us through the little details you've added/changed, he looks so well-put-together that I could see him coming straight out of the box.
Love the spot highlighting on the helmet and vents - super well executed. They do look brilliant together. Love the difference in weaponry when they're side by side!

Thank you very much tzurk, glad you appreciate my write-up on the build, and the end-result!

gobert wrote:He looks properly cool! Love an OG helmet on Primaris

Cheers! I as well!

zahnib wrote:Your black armour recipe works a treat and combined with the eye lens and the bone elements like the Aquila on the chest, make for some mighty fine looking Black Templars! The white should trim is a nice touch as well. Would love to see some more John Blanche inspired elements worked into your future Templars. Thanks for sharing ☺️

Many thanks zahnib! More Blanche inspired details are definitely coming on future models, like the freehand stuff and the classic yellow guns...

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Another long pause between completing models, but I've at last something new to show you: the Knight-Incantor that came with the Getting Started with WH AoS (2.0) magazine.



As I mentioned in a previous post, this guy's metallic bits were painted a year ago, leaving me not too many elements to paint to finish the model. Still, while it took relatively few sessions to complete the model, they were spread out over a month... The main thing slowing me down was that we moved again - back to our own apartment - and all the work that entails, before and after. I've also noticed that for some reason my hobby motivation is pretty low, but I'm sure it'll pick up sooner or later.



Anyways, back to the model! It's another silver Stormcast, but instead of red, I've used purple as the spot color. It took me a while to decide between the two colors, but I decided to paint this model like the Cursebreakers, both because they all are from the Sacrosanct chamber (i.e. magics, as I see it), and I wanted to paint something purple for a change. When I started to highlight the purple, I immediately realized why I haven't used it much, as the light purples have really bad coverage, but I think I got a nice result in the end.



My favorite details on the model are the blue flasks - I like the bubbly effect and I achieved a nice contrast from almost black to pure white. The red gems are also nice, but I could've gone a bit darker with the low end. Finally, I painted a quick freehand lining on the tabard (/skirt). It's rather crude and I'm not entirely happy with the design (I came up with it on the fly). Nevertheless, I'm happy I got it done. I think I might be more likely to do these cape linings on future models as well.



I'll claim the "color scheme you don't normally use" bingo square with this model. While I've painted this scheme before, it has been years since I last opened my purple paint pots.

What a great face / head I dig the cool stormcast scheme as well.

Great paintjob man! Hear you with the move, did it too recently and going back to painting was always in the back of my head during the whole painful process. But after you can enjoy!

 mcmattila wrote:

zahnib wrote:Your black armour recipe works a treat and combined with the eye lens and the bone elements like the Aquila on the chest, make for some mighty fine looking Black Templars! The white should trim is a nice touch as well. Would love to see some more John Blanche inspired elements worked into your future Templars. Thanks for sharing ☺️

Many thanks zahnib! More Blanche inspired details are definitely coming on future models, like the freehand stuff and the classic yellow guns...

Sweeeet, looking forward to seeing some more of your Black Templars! Your Knight-Incantor looks great! The lining on the tabard is a nice touch and those blue flask are *chef's kiss* Hope you've all settled into your new (old) home.

Man! That’s one sweet paint job! The purple cloak turned out really great, it has a nice sheen to it. As boss says, his face is fantastic, really well done! Hope you’ve settled in soon post move