http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/56.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net
I figure it's high time I got back behind the brush. I have been collecting and painting minis (mostly from the 40K universe) for twenty years now, but for the last couple, I just haven't had my mojo flowing, between changing jobs after 11 years, and then having a son, it's just been hard to sit down and put out some work. Couple that with a general lack of any gaming groups in my area, it's just been hard to get that motivation to show off, so I figure maybe you Dakka-ites will do your diligent duty to keep me motivated.

So first, I think this is gonna be my newest project as long as I can cut it into manageable chunks. Space Wolves 13th Company. About five years ago I was gifted with a pretty impressive collection by a guy getting out of the game, who had put together a 13th co. army back in the days of the Eye of Terror Campaign. Below is the army set out in it's entirety, minus 15 of the old metal Wulfen, which I am not sure if I am going to paint. Forgive the image, I never got into photographing my work, so this is a quick 'n' dirty with my tablet.



The only models I have purchased for it are the two Long Fang units (one anti-tank, one anti-infantry), and what will be my Wolf Lord in the middle, which is one of the ancient metal Blood Claw sergeants, who actually used to be my Night Lord commander 15 years ago.



My Lord, mounted and on foot:



Scattered about in the army are some painted models, those are the small group I have put together so far, for either Kill Team games, or when I paint some more, probably a Combat Mission force. I don't really like the flatness of the grey, but I don't like how either a black or brown wash makes them look dingy and dirty.



The only cloud in the silver lining of a free army is that the previous owner hated painting and modelling, and only gamed with his forces. So he just quickly took models off the sprue, spray painted them in Citadel spray, and that was it. About a quarter of the models needed arms re-positioned so they didn't look horrible, and the bikes probably took more work to sort out than making five brand new bikes! On top of that every single model is covered in some of the worst mould lined I've ever seen (short of Sedition Wars - urk) and even tons of plastic nubs where parts were just cut off the sprue with clippers and that was it. I think the cleaning is taking as long as the painting.



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But then I though, Oh, hell. If a Wolf Lord would look good in the 13th Company scheme, so would a squad of 5 more. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/682807/8505514.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/682807/8505514.page GMT
Right now I am using a very pigmented black ink in the panel lines of the armorl but the grey just is too flat.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/682807/8507468.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/682807/8507468.page GMT
otherwise mix lamian(dunno how to spell it)medium into some black wash to thin it down a bit could work as well.

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Next batch of marines primed- I'm trying to start off in small bites, as my painting is surprisingly rusty and slow. The original ones I painted above were primed in a generic grey primer, and then brushed in Codex Grey, which seemed to take forever and got monotonous fast. This time, I have decided to start this project off on a faster note by taking advantage of Army Painter's 100% primer/paint match and sprayed them in Uniform Grey. Of course, mould lines I thought I had whipped showed their ugly faces again.....



Also, to keep from getting Marine overdose- this army in full has over 50 marines on foot, and 5 bikes, plus the eventual Dreadnought and 5 terminators- I am painting some other long-languishing projects at the same time, namely my Orks and my Eldar.

My first 4 Orks:




And a few of my Eldar. They are based off an army I was using to play old games of 2nd edition, because alongside my 13th Company, I got about 3,000pts of the 3rd edition-era Dark Eldar. I thought the standard warriors looked alot like piratical versions of the old Guardians with Lasguns, so I based an entire Eldar army off the idea that they were Corsairs, in the style of Rogue Trader.

I made my normal Jetbikes look a little more savage by adding blades to the side fins, carefully cut from the blades that used to come with the 3rd edition dark Eldar Raiders. Same for the two Grav tanks. I bought them on the cheap from my best buddy, who made a pair of Wave Serpents out of the original Forgeworld turrets. Nice thing is that because they were originally add-ons for Falcon kits, I also have Falcon Turrets so I can swap them as I see fit.



Finally, a trio of a work in progress. I got a mad idea into my head that I could make some really sweet savage Shining Spears, by using the new Reaver jetbikes and Dark Eldar Cold One spears with laser tips added from Kroot rifles and a forward-facing blade. I love how the new Reaver torsos are leaning forward, so instead of the stately Eldar Shining Spears, these guys look like a Knight in mid-joust, really couching and leaning into his lance for the strike, the it just gives the entire model a sense of speed.







]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/682807/8510013.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/682807/8510013.page GMT GW paint, as it's evidently made from the same Unicorn tears/blood that printer Ink is. Unfortunately, though, one of my most hated colors to paint is gold, as in the least ten years I simply can't find a gold that covers worth a damn, they just end up wicking away from raised areas like washes.

So as this army has tons and tons of gold trim (the liberated power armor plates are all going to be from the Black Legion) I thought I'd make a concession and try a bottle of Retributor Armor Gold as I had not worked much with Base paints. Lo and behold - it actually covers,even if some parts need a second layer. I'm not going to work to layer any of it, as I'll simply start with the Retributor Armor, and then lay over a wash of Devlan Mud, as I love the bronze effect it gives to this color of gold.



To go with these guys, next up will be a small Long Fang squad. A simple pair of missile launchers for now, as they will work the best for small 500 points games alongside the other two squads, where vehicles won't be very present at all. the guy on the left is the new one, he's seriously old as plastic heavy weapons go- all the way from the 3rd edition starter set Tactical Marines- so old the plastic has actually yellowed seriously. As a bit of fun, I managed to scrounge up an use a 2nd edition Chaos pauldron, as well as a second edition backpack, just to keep him as a purely old model.



As always, I encourage any comments you guys have. As an addendum, there should be a special place in hell for guys who glue on the bolters and backpacks on Space marines before priming, as then the next shmuck has to paint around them.............]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/682807/8520436.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/682807/8520436.page GMT