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Well I couldnt wait any longer and its already been a few hours since I handled the GS, plus I was careful with the movement of the minis.
Anyway, here are the two pics:
Above is the WIP of the Robed AotL Vet Sgt. Now, yes, the robes look a lil flat, but thats ok, as that was the intent. The General idea was to lay down the basic look of the robes (and get a few creases into it) and then build up from that. The pic unfortunately doesnt do it justice, and it does look a bit better when NOT viewed through a camera. Hopefully within the next day or so ill start to add in some of the folds into the bottom section of the robes before i start work on the torso bit and the hood. Otherwise, its coming out quite nicely and isnt as 'bulky' as ive seen some folk do robes.
Next is the Nid test scheme WITH the WIP work on the Hormagaunt head. For some weird reason, the head doesnt look THAT big normally, but oh well. However, its going ok, although originally before I did the most recent GS work, the head almost looked like the OOP Ravener (in terms of the back). All i did the last time was make the back look more like a sausage. Scheme wise, is pretty much going to be what is shown above (with a bit more care on the black washes). However, there IS some differences between the two. One has some more muted Cold Grey highlights (with fresh Cold Grey done over them) while the other is Cold Grey highlights and I THINK some quick Stonewall Grey highlights. Personally, im thinking im going to stick with the cold grey highlights, but keep the muted and fresh ones going. Oddly enough, it doesnt look too bad, and sure, its not exactly what i wanted, it isnt too bad at all. The non carapace sections also got some highlights, but i think in future ill keep them as muted cold grey highlights and keep the more 'bright' grey highlights for carapace only. That way there is some distinction between the two and doesnt overly brighten up the mini with excessive grey highlights.
In other news, did some more painting here and there, and did some partial assembly of the 'pack leader'. All that is left on him is his Axe arm (and axe), head, backpack and lil dagger. So far its looking quite good and im quite pleased. Also started slapping on some Sombre Grey onto the arm components of another hunter, which is one of the magnet hunters (Power Fist arm/Regular Close Combat Weapon). So far, doing well, and the legs on that Hunter have already been done. Taking a wee bit of care with the torso section as its got a lil pelt on the bottom of the torso, so im hoping to paint that up first before glueing the torso to the body and finishing the painting. So with a bit of minor luck, might have two more hunters done by the end of the week bringing my total up to 5. As for the Thousand Sons mini, its still getting the undercoat treatment but im hoping to get onto the base coat within the next day or so, although, i might start on the trims first before doing the base coat, so i can freely do the black wash over the metal without upsetting the base coat. Plus, luckily enough, Chaos parts arent as detailed as marine parts, so black lining wont be too difficult to do (for a change).
I probably wont do any more updates for today, although i will continue painting and leave any news for tomorrow, unless i so happen to finish a grey hunter (unlikely, but not impossible).
-TAS
The reason for this not being a pic update is simple: At this very moment, im letting some GS stuff do some curing. Thus, the pics of the Nid scheme will have to wait for another few hours, or at the least til tomorrow to allow the GS full curing. Reason why is:
1. After the first batch of GS work, I actually put the Hormagaunt head on one of the random test nid bodies and though, hey, why dont I take the GS WIP AND Color test pic at the same time?
2. I started on the first phase of the Robes, and wow, it isnt looking half bad. Although the robes look a bit "flat", this is only the first part of the robe work. So ill also take a pic of that for the AotL board. Fortunately enough, thanks to the fact of actual GS application to the mini itself, there are some creases forming up, and im going to try and "push" the front and rear robe section a bit more to get a few more folds if I can and end it there. The rest of the work will involve using thin strands of GS to create the upper folds once the GS has cured.
On a minor note, I also patched up the TS base a tad bit, so the mini doesnt look so bad when he is standing. However, on a disappointing note, I forgot about the Nid base, and no work was done on that, so that will have to wait til NEXT time. However, since I need to do the scout bases later, I might do some early work on the base then to bulk it up slightly and do the lil odds and ends and final GS work on the base later. Plus I need an imprint of the Hormagaunt foot for eventual glueing later on, since I cut the hormagaunt free from its lil plastic slot section.
Otherwise, thats about it, the GS work is doing well, showing A LOT of pleasing results. If I knew GS work was this "easy" I would have finished my Angelus model ages ago.. well.. maybe...
I'll get those pics ASAP, however in the mean time I will do some more painting, so I may do an update later on.
-TAS
I post more daily than Erwin does.. Perhaps I should rename my blog the Daily Realm of 40K and GW :P
Anyway, Im just going to do this as a run down list of each army, or else ill get lost.
Space Wolves:
Slowly progressing on the "pack leader" model. So far, so good, although painting Sombre Grey is starting to bore me just a WEE bit. Hopefully by the end of next week, ill have another Grey Hunter done, which means COMPLETION OF THE GREY HUNTER JANUARY GOAL! Also started slapping some Sombre Grey on another Hunter, so yeah, things are getting there. Did a bit more work on the scouts, and covered up the lil 'slits' in the bases (I wanted to use up some of the "slut-a-bases" as i bought a bag worth. The holes for pins have been drilled in all 6 scouts, so ill probably within the next day or two, putty up the bases before i start posing the legs so i know what im working with. Also did some minor clean up and cutting up work on my future Battle Leader, although I need to do some plastic moving, so Im going to try out this hot water and bending trick and see if I can move the cape for the Battle Leader without damaging the plastic too much. Otherwise, thats about it.
Tyranids:
Having done a great deal, although I know I want to bend the Hormagaunt tail slightly, so ill do that at the same time I try bending the Battle Leader's Cape. Probably going to try and do some more GS work tonight and patch up the head and do some minor work on the base to give it some basic bulk and slowly build in the details. Otherwise, thats about it on that end.
Angels of the Lion:
The actual idea was to NOT touch these guys til the release of the codex, but after the renewed activity at the AotL forum, I guess I had to join along. The Vet Sgt model has been assembled (head, torso and legs) and the legs have been repositioned slightly and fixed up with GS. Tonight, if i do end up doing GS work, ill start on the first phase of the robes (which should be interesting). I havent a clue HOW its going to turn out, so im keeping my fingers crossed. Otherwise, thats about it, since I am trying to keep this army fairly minimized throughout the year.
Thousand Sons:
GS work is done (all I did was patch up the leg). Up to the undercoating stage, which i swear, is NEVER easy on metal, so next time, Im so slapping on some primer before painting the black on. Should be an interesting break from all the Sombre Grey of the Wolves.
Other Armies:
Squat all!!!
So im about to hit half way through Jan, and so far, the goals are still roughly on target. Ill try and get some pics later on of the current looking Nid paint scheme, and stick to that. Only thing I really need to control for future reference is black wash strength, but thats about it really. The EC design work might get a bit behind, but I have started on a few pages of designs, its just that none of them are really "filled up".
So thats the update done, check back in later as I should have some pics of the Nids done.
-TAS
Well I said I was going to do some GS work, and I did!! I patched up the small gaps in the Thousand Sons Marines leg, and the lil gap in the AotL Vet Sgt I am working on. Also started the first section of the Nid head work (rear section). Im just letting the GS cure a tad bit so i can do some minor details on the leg bits (mainly the TS dude). In any case, things went well, made enough GS to last the three bits and was alot easier to use than the milliput I was using previously. Helps to order like HEAPS of GS from overseas cos there is probably enough GS there to convert more than the armies I own. Next GS wave will consist of more Nid head work (the front section) and the first phase of sculpting my own robes (this is a big leap for me, even though I did manage back in the day do a complete GS DA Angel icon on a dread knee pad). Im hoping to start doing the pinning of the Wolf Scout legs in the next few days, although I want to use something a tad bit THINNER than wire from a paper clip as they become hell-ish to bend into the desired angle. Then, ill throw them into the next GS lot, so the next GS work I guess would probably be done early next week (to allow full curing of the GS now). Also hoping to do some minor design art on some 'Nid bases. Although I have ideas in mind, I want to know how much will be GS and how much will be other raw materials i have at my disposal. Since im looking at the type of 'hive' base that are featured in the Alien movies, it shouldnt be TOO difficult, and looking at HR Giger art should prove to be more than useful.
If this GS works out really well, which so far it seems to be, I might use the remaining milliput for snow bases only (as they dont need to be extremely textured etc) and use the proper GS for everything else. I might end up using the GS as well for my Nid bases, which will probably see alot of it being used, but I have maybe a good metre plus some of the stuff? and I only used a SMALL amount for the work I just did, so it shouldnt be too bad. By early next week, I can probably throw the Thousand Son Marine onto the painting line and get him done up and see how well that turns out.
Funnily enough, its interesting to see how much work im actually doing with the B&C currently down, heh. Anyway, thus far im quite happy with the progress that has been made for this month. A lil bit behind, but ive still got over half a month left. Later on, i might take pics of the current Nid paint scheme. Although it isnt exactly what I wanted, it will probably have to do, as the size of the model doesnt exactly allow me to use a pure black chrome look without killing half the looks of the model, although its still looking ok, and im pretty sure ill try to stick to some 'dark highlights' as oxymoronic as that sounds to try and keep that nice dark look (and without having to mix paints).
Anyway, I think ive let the GS cure just enough, time to add in some minor details and voila.
-TAS
As i promised in my 100th post, this post will be a bit of a photo-whore entry. Took snaps of the completed Grey Hunter and Battle Sister, and a quick pic of the WIP Thousand Son.
So without further disruption, here are the pics with associated blurps....
The WIP Thousand Son.. Nothing major atm, basic conversion wise all I did was reposition the legs so he would be standing on the pile of rocks. I might add a bit more rocks so his foot is a bit more level, but it isnt too bad. Also filed down random bits of icons here and there, as for some reason, I dont think the Thousand Sons should have all the pointy features on their armor (but thats me). All that really needs to be done now is to patch up the leg section and maybe add some minor trim features back into the armor again. The latter isnt too important, but we'll see how things go.
Next up is the COMPLETED Battle Sister. The base isnt too bad (although next time Ill use craft glue over super glue). I like how its a predominant grey look, as it seems to bring out the more 'gothic' look to the mini. Otherwise, the mini itself is as shown previously, the base is the only new change.
Lastly, the Grey Hunter... Two pics are shown, one being a comparison of the initial WIP of it (as lame as it looks) compared to its final look. The last pic is the obligatory all angles pic. Heh, after looking at some of the pics, the paint job looks a tad bit messy in some areas, but oh well... If i spent making each mini look PERFECT, well, lets just say, if still be painting my second grey hunter.
Later this week I might take a pic of the first Tyranid Gaunt being done up, with all its magnetized goodnews (excluding biomorphs). Since my Devourer and Spine Fleets are still in early design, other than weapon biomorphs, nothing has been really written down. I should also TRY and finish off the paint scheme tests as well since that isnt alot of hassle. But thats pretty much it!
-TAS
And here it is, the 100th blog post!! Heh, and still got about 9 more days to go before the big 1 year birthday of the blog.
So as a minor celebration, Id like to say I have FINISHED the test Battle Sister. The base came out looking pretty ok, and im quite happy with it (perfect for city fight). So ill post pics tomorrow for sure.
I also finished another Grey Hunter bringing my total of complete Grey Hunters up to THREE. Sure, im still a fair way away from getting the squad done, but im getting there. Next few days i suspect will be covering black undercoating and perhaps alot of sombre grey nights, but other than that all is going well.
Didnt end up going to the 40K meet up today, as I was dead tired (havent been sleeping well the past few nights). Mind you, it wasnt all that a fantastic of a snooze either, but oh well. Im debating how to do up the Nid base, as I want to try and use some of the bits that I have, but I am trying to save bits for a Devourer and Spinefist based hive fleets (crazy i know). In any case, Ill probably do a bit more modelling tonight (do some more work on the wolf scouts perhaps) and MAYBE free some more Hormagaunts from the sprue as well so I can do some mass work on them rather than one at a time as that will NOT be fun at all....
Might try to aim to do some GS work this week ('Nids and lone Thousand Son) so I can get that out of the way and get ont to the painting aspect.
Check back tomorrow (well later today I guess) and i should have pics up for the completed Sister and Grey Hunter.
-TAS
And here is the 99th blog entry.. Wow... I was planning something for the 100th post, but since I wont have the time, ill save it for the 1 year birthday of my blog which is Jan 18th.
Done a tad bit more painting, but nothing really OUT there.... Just need to do some touch ups on the grey hunter (mainly his back pack) and that will be another one done. The sad thing is, all it needs is the metal areas done up and thats pretty much it. Blu-tac'd another Hunter to my lil kinder 'eggs' for painting, so the Space Wolves are going ok. Might do some more work on cleaning up the Wolf Scouts tonight since Im more in the modelling state of mind than painting. Cleaned up a Hormagaunt last night from the new gaunt box. Not sure how extensive ill go with the GS work, I know I obviously want to alter the head of course, but Im debating if I want to add the 'dorsal horns'. Sure I want it themed appropriately, but I dont want it to be spitting imitations of the Aliens. Plus I swear 'Nid plastics align up horribly when put together. Although I havent glued anything yet, I just did the dry run and I swear its full of mini spaces where pieces go together (and yes I did put the RIGHT pieces together). Also still debating what to do about the Ravener head. I do have a spare Warriors head floating around, and Im wondering if I want to use that OR stick with the old style Ravener head as the base for the head. Also annoyed I cant get that other rending claw for it, but I dunno, I might have another look at the random bits I have and assess how much GS work would be needed to make it look like the right arm (and not a left arm).
Should be doing some work on my EC this weekend at the lil get together we are having on sunday, although alot of it will be modelling based, as I dont feel like bringing all my paints with me. Might also do some minor work on my TS this week as well, since I have aimed to complete a single mini. Although alot of the modelling will be done in one go. Not sure how Im going to model them, as I dont want to keep using the static pose over and over. Guess I could try and model some random form of bolter butchery, but that be about it.
Also undercoated up the Battle Sisters base, so that shouldnt take too much work to finish up either. I might head back to that later tonight since it will be majority a grey base, although not as light as the Power Armor for the Sisters, as I would like color variation.
Lastly, just for the sake of argument, I also put together some pre finish and post finished pics, for the last Grey Hunter that was finish and the SoB. Im more impressed with the latter, as the initial paint concept for the Sisters was done in Photoshop. And although the armor looks more like a lavender, it still wasnt a bad approximation of what I had in mind. I also scanned one of my EC design pages, but Ill post that as a pic later on, although I guess I could do it now and be all lazy about it.....
So that is the EC design stuff... The sketches are pretty so-so, but Im not out to make fully detailed images, merely rough guides.
And there is the Comparison pic as well.. Although the Grey Hunter isnt anything major, I do like the comparison pic for the battle Sister. The scary thing is, that I almost paint better in Photoshop, if not actually do!
Anyway, thats this entry done!
-TAS
So here is a NEW year (again), and this blog is still happily motoring on. In about 18 days time, my blog will be 1 year old, so I still have plenty of time to pass the 100 post count :P
I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable end of 2005 celebration, I know I did (well it wasnt TOO bad) and I had some fun, had some drinks and didnt wake up with a hang over...
Anyway.. enough about that... What will 2006 bring for my armies??
Dark Angels/Angels of the Lion
After seeing a thread at warseer(?) any and all work on these guys are suspended til the end of this year for when the new codex gets released. GW have already started producing concept art for the DA, and dang, the images are FINALLY lining up with our background, although GW DID go the route of making the DA plasma happy... Nonetheless, I will still do some concept art of my own and see if I can still have some of my models up to par with the new stuff coming out, as I dont want too much of a horrid 'edition' gap in the army. So until the end of the year, there wont be alot of DA related stuff coming out, unless I know I can execute it well and have it up to par with the new 4th ed material.
Space Wolves (and 13th Company)
Although I dread the release of the 4th Ed material as my wolves will probably look funny and weird, this aside, these folk WILL continue as planned. Since I have made it a point to convert them more, the eventual 4th ed SW release HOPEFULLY wont hit my minis too hard. So as long as I keep converting them up, they should be fine. As for the 13th Co, they will be heavily converted, using Chaos Warriors as the base model. So when the 4th ed stuff come out, I can probably still be quite happy that the army looks quite unique and varied enough to stay within the artistic limits that GW will come out with. When will these guys get started? Well since my DA/AotL are on the back burner, this will give me a bit more time to work on these folk.
Emperor's Children
With attention on armies this year changing, Im hoping to go back to basics with the EC. Although the initial stuff IS ok, things after my SW work, have made the EC look pretty basic and boring. Thus, I am hoping to redo my EC army, and make them up to the level i had intended them to be at. With that in mind, ill probably start doing up some new design artwork to really get alot of my ideas down onto paper and start creating models to tailor to those images.
Thousand Sons
Unlike my EC, Im quite happy with the general look of the TS. Although I am being very selective with bits and what icons are and are not on the mini, overall conversion to these guys will be relatively minimal. Thus I hope to see a bit of a start in my TS over the upcoming months.
Sisters of Battle
Given that these are all friggin pewter minis, converting wont exactly be easy as pie. However, with my view on basing, Im quite certain I can still give these models a bit of personality, and with some minor conversions, do ok. Given that the color scheme has been finalized, I do hope to get more of these girls done over the year.
Tyranids
My newest army, which thus far has probably got the EASIEST paint scheme of all my armies. The only thing to keep in mind is that highlighitng WILL be key to bring out these minis. Converting wise, this army will be a challenge as I am going for a specific visual theme, which will be accomplished by both the look of the mini itself AND the way the mini has been based to add for more 'psychological fear'. I suspect these guys will be a slow mover, but I hope to see some decent work come mid-year.
Man.. I have too many armies... Will I start anymore in 2006? I would hope not... Started enough in 2005 as it is.... Although I dont like forcing myself to, I also want to bring back my monthly goal system, as it was some what rewarding when I actually FINISHED one... So with that in mind:
January 2006 Goals:
- Completion of Tyranid Paint Scheme
- Completion of TWO more Grey Hunters (minimum)
- Completion of model clean up for my Wolf Scouts
- Completion of first Battle Sister mini (base remaining).
- TWO pages of Design art for the Emperor's Children
- Completion of first Thousand Sons mini
Doesnt seem like a big list, but for me, that list WILL take a good month to plow through..
But that is it ladies and gents, the gauntlet has been laid down for 2006, time to get to work!
-TAS
