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And here is yet ANOTHER update (wow I'm going faster than a speeding bullet now!!).
I Have stuff for both WM and 40K so I guess let us get the show on the road!
So first up 40K and I finally did the feet for the SoB and based them. They look pretty snazzy, although my camera-fu has some what dropped a few notches over time (I really need to get a dedicated spot for taking pictures). I am fairly happy with them thus far (the bases really help as well). Sure the paint work could still use some help, but hey, glad i painted them now versus several years ago (where they would probably look REALLY crap). Next phase is the backpacks (and one last sister who is pretty much floating around getting slowly painted). However with that being said, it is nice to have a lil bit of painting space back on the table (doesn't look as cluttered and lets me have a quick sigh of relief). I'll try to aim to have their backpacks done by the end of the year, but we'll see how things go. Next 40K "project" I guess will be to resume work on these AotL terminators (who sadly have been collecting some dust). I still have ALOT of work to do on them, although if i can get their bases done up, that will be one less hassle.
Lastly WM. Did some extra chrome tests, namely experimenting with putting an additional color on the existing one. Honestly? It turned out ok (although green sucks alot, except when put on blue). At the top we have Green Ink applied over the Blue (from yesterday) from the mid section to the tail (since I wanted to keep some of the blue showing). Although the pic doesnt do it justice, it actually looks like a very chrome based sea-green (a blue-green shade) which looks really nice. A potential color for Pirate based fleets for sure (I can forsee painting a Leviathan in this scheme thats for sure). The last two are a tad bit hard to tell apart but this was the scheme i was looking for! Middle one is Purple ink over the blue (once again the pic doesnt do it justice) and it has a very nice chameleon look to it (if you have seen 'wet' midnight-blue that is quite close to what it looks like). Only downside about doing the purple over the blue is that the color ends up a tad bit darker (versus Blue ink over purple). However it isnt a bit hassle (and will probably help add some diversity to the color in terms of shades). Last pic is just Blue ink over purple (which actually looks lighter than Purple over blue). Still very nice and still does what I want. And for you 2nd edition 'Nid lovers, yes it does look kinda Genestealer like.
In the end that is exactly the scheme I was looking for (and it wasnt very difficult to achieve either). Might try and do some secondary color testing on those models before i proceed to the actual minis, but so far I am liking their primary color scheme. It has that nice I'm evil look, without having to be traditional black. Heck in certain light angles, it does look a tad black (and sometimes a tad bit blue and even purple, heh).
I also picked up some Water Effects stuff up from ebay (hurray). It's also kinda weird when the seller knows you by first name basis (suffice to say I get a fair bit of stuff from him). So that will mean my Cryx bases are pretty much sussed out now.
As for the Flesh Chrome, I would still like to keep that but I have no idea where i'll use it. I may end up using it on more of the squad based units (thralls and the like) since i do rather fancy that scheme too, but ultimately, it was the blue/purple chrome look i wanted to achieve.
That pretty much sums everything up for this update. I'll try to update again in the next few days with more goodies.
-eTAS
Well the first update was to update to the Blogger Beta that uses the whole gmail thing now, which is pretty handy. Nothing too overly different but hey, it's a nice change.
The main update is pretty much on the Warmachine aspect (since I didn't really touch the Sisters last night, although they arent too far from being done (excluding their backpacks)). I slapped on the second inking (the main color) and they didn't turn out half bad (felt like i was pimpin' my 'nids). Although I do want to do a few more color trials, the Flesh Chrome (for me) is turning out to be the best, but the other colors aren't too bad. If the Third stage testing with the blue and purple work well, I might even go with them.
Anyway.. I bet ye folk wanna see pics!
First pic is of the 4 colors side by side to give you an idea of what they look like individually. The flesh one was done AGES ago back when I was doing my 'Nid color tests, where as the blue, green and purple were done last night.
The last pic is mainly showing off them off.
Hopefully I'll get the third paint stage done tonight and try to get the Sisters feet done so i can glue them down to their bases.
-eTAS
Yeah, I'd say start worrying now, after all, TWO updates within two days, surely that can only mean madness??
Anyway, as the title suggests, this is pretty much an SoB "rant". Their bases are done (well, the random bolter shells on the ground, could use a quick wash, but that's about it really). The Sisters have had their lil "slits" cut off, so tomorrow (assuming I have the time to as I need to be in bed horribly early) I just need to touch up their feet and then glue them onto the base and voila 95% of a small group of SoB done. That way i can put them aside into the case and work on their backpacks etc etc. Other than that, I keep forgetting to do the metal coat onto the test minis I am using for my Cryx (it is REALLY starting to bug me now). Although as I said before I do need an early night tomorrow, so some of this stuff might not be done til around thursday night when I have more time.
That is pretty much it!
-eTAS
Heh, here is a lil update since well, I rarely update this thing, well, definitely no where as much as I used to.
So I guess it would be best to break everything down into their own dedicated sections.
40K
Well, I picked up the now OOP Eldar Battleforce and Vol 4 HH artbook from my LGS. I'll definitely need to pick up the new Eldar BF at some stage, but that can wait as I definitely ain't starting up my eldar anytime soon (but I always say that about alot of things, and it's not like I have actually finished anything, let alone to a 400 pt sizing). Cleaned up a single Guardian the other night, for future paint testing later (not to mention I finally got the Interactive Eldar painter on my H/D). Craftworld thoughts? I'm still thinking about Ulthwe (and I don't have a main black army yet) which wouldn't be too bad as I've always wanted Ulthwe since they had their Strike Force rules from the EoT codex (even if they are void now). Other than that, I'll probably play around with the painter, look at the craftworlds now from both the GW site and eldar codex to see if anything strikes my fancy (Altansar is getting pretty close though).
I randomly did some painting tonight and realised, damn, I need to re-teach myself how to paint. So I did some random bits on my SoB (mainly the bases) and did some stuff to the bases for my AotL Terminators and thought, dang, I REALLY need to get some stuff done. So tomorrow I hope to get more stuff done on the SoB bases since there isn't alot left to do and then try to get these Sisters ready to dunk on their bases so that will be one less hassle. Then we'll see how things go, assuming I can still paint...
Warmachine
Got some Bane Knights (Cryx) and eFeora (Menoth) off ebay for a sweet price and to top it all off, the LGS that I get it from has a copy of No Quarter #9 in stock so I got that for only $7 more (which is almost half price). So I am quite happy with that for sure. tonight I COULD have splattered some metal onto the useless gaunts I am using for my Cryx testing, but I plum well forgot. So I'll do that tomorrow. From there it should be fairly straight forward, as I'll just need to do washes with inks galore and see if I can get some nice chrome colors. Then from there it will be off to actually PAINTING a model (probably start with a bonejack) and maybe TRY to paint Denny (it is not as easy as it looks). If i can give her "robe" a nice chrome glimmer I'll be happy although I'm still debating how todo the rest of her... Maybe I'll just do a weird S&M theme with my Cryx. Menoth stuff can wait for ages since I want a more infantry based army. Everblight and Circle are on hold as well, although I think I did clean up Lylyth ages ago, so who knows (but I do want to do some conversion work on her). Also wanna get some of the water effects stuff off ebay later this week as well since I want that for my Cryx.
So that aside that is where i stand on both game systems (not very far at all). The Blog is hitting its 2 year Birthday soon and boy, this year has been really quiet, so i IDEALLY should use this 2nd Birthday gig as a means to really bump things back up again (especially since Day Light Savings came into effect, it is dead quiet at night now). So we'll see how things go tomorrow. Hopefully I can get the Sisters off their slit/slut/slot thing and get them ready to be dunked onto their base.
-eTAS
With the increased cases of spam making it through blogs, especially after that one piece of spam commentary that managed to break through the word verification, i have taken steps to now make my blog registered users only (sorry for those who post as anonymous). In theory this should mean only folk signed up via blogger will be able to post comments which should offer a tad bit more protection against these damn spam bots who clearly have nothing better to do (then again, they are bots, its not like they choose to do what they do).
In terms of actual update? Well i did get a Protectorate of Menoth Battlegroup the other day from ebay (at half price). I knew it was brand new, but I didn't think it was still in its shrink wrap (let alone be a dated box - totally different internal packaging, b/w stat cards).
I did start up doing some cleaning on models here and there the other week, so i should really sit down and see what was happening there. I also need to pick up the water effects stuff off ebay (should do that next week) so i can really start moving into getting some of this WM/Hordes stuff done before the end of the year. That also reminds me, I wanted to see if i could find snow flock from ebay too.
That is pretty much it (might pick up HH Vol4 + Eldar BF next week though).
-eTAS
Wow, another update? Something clearly must be up!
As the title suggests, i did have a lil Warmachine haul today and picked up the Cryx Battlegroup, the Witch Coven of Garlghast + Egregore and Thagrosh. Quite happy with that and i had a peak and the models and i think ill definitely be using my Alt Denny model for my Denny, as the Battlegroup one, although she has a nice body, the witch barbs look like CRAP. Since they had another Alt Denny model, i might grab that just for the Witch Barbs heh.
On some upsetting news, i didn't find No Quarter #9 there, which muffs me a tad bit, so i havent a clue how im going to get that for the time being (might try the ebay seller i got alot of WM stuff from in the past) since thats a gaming store of sorts.
In more GOOD news, i placed the old Eldar Battleforce and Horus Heresy Vol 4 on layby, which i am thinking i will pick up in a few weeks time.
Painting wise havent done alot, havent been exactly full on motivated to do so yet, although doing some modelling and converting stuff may strike my fancy, so i may give that a shot within the next few days.
Other than that, thats pretty much it. Although i also thought i would add in, Turpentine is better at removing paint from pewter models than brake fluid is!
-eTAS
Since everyone cant stop "commenting" on it (yes i'm being polite there) here is that update ye all have been "asking" for (yet again I'm being polite there).
Not alot has happened since the last update that focused on Denny, just needed a lil "break" I guess. However, things should hopefully get a lil more "action packed" around here again for the end of 2006. Been more "focused" (and i use that term very loosely) in Warmachine to the point where i now have all the rule books (Prime, Escalation, Apotheosis and Superiority) in addition to Primal for Hordes. Although much like 40K not alot has been touched. Since i've been "blessed" with the beginning of a new month, I'll probably try to aim and get some of the paint tests done for my Cryx army (since i do have a good idea of what i want). As for 40K, not sure yet. Other than the desire to start a new army (most likely Eldar) i'll need to sit down and re-assess what is on the painting desk, although i suspect "high" priorities will be to finish the Sisters, AotL Terminators and a special project that potentially could have had alot of spotlight but fell through.
So there ya go folks, here is ye bloody update!!
-eTAS
Deneghra is pretty much 'done' conversion wise. All she really needs is a nice looking base to go with her, but everything else turned out well.
Did some minor work on tweaking her head (repositioning it) without needing to cut the whole head off the model and i might do some minor tweaks to her arm. The barbs came out well, although there is one barb that looks just a tad bit messy (chain looks like its linking over itself). That aside i am happy with it and im sure painting the model will be a very interesting task.
So for all those folk that want to make some in movement chain, all you need is chain, glue, patience and a heater :P
Here are the pics:
-TAS
It was only a matter of time before WM could get its own 'pure' update (although i will tack on some 40K news at the end).
Finally did some work on Deneghra's backpack, since i wanted some life in her Witch Barbs (helps work with the rules and looks plain ole kick ass). Ive finished converting the barbs, so the next stage will be to fix them all into position (i take it that will NOT be an easy step). My only 'regret' is not having done the last two barbs, although if i pick up the Epic Deneghra model, ill be sure to do all the barbs.
Anyway here is the pic:
In some minor 40K news, SoB bases have been finished and undercoated and im slowly undercoating their backpacks as well. Maybe another week or so before thats all done (give or take, id say give). Im slowly trying to clear up what stuff i have on my desk now, which is mainly Sisters of Battle, Lion Guard Terminators and Space Wolves. Should any of those get finished, ill be sure to post some pics.
-TAS
Here goes another update, mainly because i can and since I did an update on the B&C (with pics).
So 'ere we go again:
Warmachine
Picked up Everblight on friday night, and thats been washed (letting it dry now) so that will mean all my WM stuff that i own has been cleaned and ready for well painting and modelling. Also picked up the remaining 4 metal paints from the VGC range that i didnt have so that should work well with my Cryx stuff. My WM spending will probably settle down now, if i can get a hold of the Cryx Starter pack ill get that, but thats the only big thing that i want (that's some what essential). Other stuff we'll see how things go since i still got alot of reading to do.
40K
Lets see.... Did some more painting and ive pretty much finished the 5 Sisters i started on (minus backpack and bases). Im pretty happy with them (could be better) but they are a step ahead the original test mini. Still getting used to painting Sisters, but im fairly happy with how they turned out.
I believe i mentioned it before but i started a random Chaos mini test fig and finished it tonight (although it is a tad bit messy). But since its a test mini, im not too worried about it as i just wanted to see how the color worked out, which i feel worked out quite well. Also did some freehand work on the model, the Legion icon being the best bit, atlhough one part didnt look too good cos 1. too much paint on the brush at the time and 2. gets masked out by the battle damage.
So what was this Chaos Legion? (clearly it wasnt the EC). Well, since you are all dying to know it was Word Bearers (mainly cos i wanted something red and the fact i dont have a non cult based Chaos army).
However ill let the pics speak for themselves (and i know, it is a bit of a messy job, but its only a test mini). I also decided on a black trim versus metal, but come the army i might mix n match the two for some diversity.
Thats it for today, ill try and post again by the middle of next week.
-TAS
PS Having to use Photobucket since blogger doesnt want to upload pics today. It will also most likely fudge up the layout too but oh well....
Yes, you guessed right, its update time!! And if you didnt bother guessing then that isnt a hassle either.
So what has been happening as of late? Guess we should go through step by step then:
40K
- Ive been continuing the paint work on the Sisters and so far it isnt too bad. Not happy with their Ecclisiarchy symbol that hangs on their robes (pic makes the paint look excessively thick which i know it isnt). However the pic is a tad bit old now, so once i do the last highlight step hopefully they will look a tad bit better. Still need to work on their backpacks (havent even touched them paint wise) and the 5 Sisters themselves arent too far off from being completed. Can they be done by the end of the week? Who knows, although alot of the remaining work is highlighting so it isnt too bad. I should also try and finish up their bases since i did start 'carving' into one.
Here is the pic:
Other than that, been doing bits and pieces here and there. Did a lil bit of work on a Grey Hunter, did a lil bit on a Thousand Son and started up a color test for something else. The color test is going well thus far, and i could probably have that done by the end of the week (surprisingly enough).
I should also add, a friend of mine sent me the Culln FW mini as well as a '06 Catalogue and yeah, i can see myself (one day) picking up some more FW stuff. What im going to do with the Culln mini i have no idea, probably make it into an AotL mini of some sort, but given how much detail is on the mini itself, i have no idea how much additional work ill do to it (as i dont want to kill have the detail on the mini).
Warmachine
- Been going on some major ass Ebay hauls (got a box of Mercenaries, which have been washed and everything). I have another Warpack incoming (should get that by the end of the week i hope), the Escalation Rulebook (at half price, incl the P&H cost compared to the retail price), the first Issue of No Quarter and yet another Haley mini. Also have a Cryx order from the person i got the Mercenaries from since the price was good and he didnt kill me with the P&H charge (which im sure most other ebay sellers would have at least doubled the cost). Since i have a fair few extra stuff from the BfM box, im using some of the Termagants as test models for my Cryx color scheme. Fortunately enough i have a semi good idea of what i want (the last time i did color tests for my 'Nid army paid off) as the brown-chrome look really good me interested so i hope to play around with that.
So overall im quite happy, got plenty of stuff to do and i seem to be still doing stuff which is good (and trying to take the occasional pic here n there). Hopefully if the weather is good tomorrow i can spray coat the 3 gants i have set aside. Also plan to pick up my Everblight warpack this week as well, not sure if ill wait til friday night to do it or do it before then.
Thats about it, and yeah ill try to update more :P
-TAS
Just a quick brief update, since i havent done one in a lil while.
40K wise, things are going a tad bit slow (havent had too much time available to paint) mainly cos of work and funky sleep patterns. In any case, hopefully if the weather is good in the next few days, i'll get a quick moment to give the termie bases a quick black spray since i dont feel like undercoating them by hand. Sure, ill probably need to do some touch ups afterwards, but as long as majority of the base is done i'll be happy. Also gonna try and do some more work on the Sisters as well since i did end up finishing the silver metal aspect of things, so i just need to add some highlights to the bolter casing and give the whole weapon a quick black wash to dull down the tones before i do some additional highlights. Then i can start on the gold metal aspects which shouldnt be as bad (thank goodness). Should also give me some time to do some more work on the Termie bases as well.
Warmachine wise, exluding my mass haul of reading material (Hordes Rulebook, and 6 issues of their Magazine, which i must admit is alot better than White Dwarf) i cleaned up the two Satyxis raider models i have, so once i figure out how im going to base them ill start painting them up slowly. I also cleaned up the other two models i got, since one of them will be my main Warcaster for my Cryx army. Still need to clean up the model and decide if i want to do any minor conversions to the model. Heh, i still need to decide what the actual color scheme will be, since i do want to go for something dark and brooding, but im not sure if i want to stick to some of the contemporary color schemes.
That aside, thats about it for me. Ive also been cleaning up some of my boxes and using the new bits box i got to put stuff away so im happy with that. I'll probably get another one later on and ponder transfering some of my other stuff into these new boxes.
-TAS
Yeah, that's right, some of you may have noticed a few minor changes around here... So perhaps an explanation for you then?
Although im still a hardcore 40Ker, i have been recently introducted (properly) into the Warmachine game system via Ski of B&C fame. Last friday i went off and purchased the first rulebook (Prime) and a lil blister packet (Satyxis Raiders). Im getting really interested in the system and its a nice welcome change from 40K (although dont worry, im still a 90% 40Ker first). However, at random times you will now hear musings of WM and its related systems and probably see pics of mins etc. Although the likliehood of me playing an actual game of WM is slim (due to the small crew based here in Perth), i of course will still endeavor to do what i can. Later this week im hoping to pick up yet another rulebook, most likely from the Hordes system, since im doing more of a research phase into the PP and its stuff rather than splurging left, right and centre on models (best to get a full understanding of the rules and the units before i confirm my army choices). However, standard WM wise im looking at Cryx, although the other forces do have some gorgeous looking minis.
However, any WM related stuff will also pop up here, so keep an eye on everything and my further increasing gaming addiction.
In more 40K based news, the Lion Guard termies are hopefully getting the bases SPRAYED today since its a bit too much effort to actively hand paint them. The Sisters are also coming along nicely with the metal work started last night, but my goodness, there is a fair bit of metal to touch on (mainly the bolter areas). I'll either take a new pic of them within the next few days or just post up the last pic that was taken since the blog is a tad bit behind.
Otherwise painting wise everything is going good :)
Check back in for further updates as they come.
-TAS
I realised the term "everything" isn't really appropriate as that would imply ive touched a mini for every army i own which is not the case...
In any case, my Sisters are turning out well, the robes are almost done, just need to do a tad bit of cleaning up here and there on the robes and do a quick blood red highlight. The robes are still as dark as i want them, but i find that gory red and whatever the other red i use are very similar in terms of color (there is a difference upon close up viewing). the terracotta worked like a charm and is even part of the shading in the inner most robing as well which helps alot too. One thing i have noticed is that some of the robes, not the studs but the buttons i guess, not too sure exactly arent as deep as id like them to be so ill probably in future reference give them a quick drilling with the pinvice to just get a bit more depth into them. However, so far, so good i am quite happy with the progress and they do look alot better than the first mini *groans*. Ill try and get a pic up at the end of the weekend as the last pic i took (which wasnt actually uploaded here) is just a tad bit out dated now, although i might have a quick look now.... Yeah, i had a quick squiz at the pics and they are just a tad bit out-dated now, so ill post a newer pic later this weekend (earliest will be sunday as im flat out this weekend with work and a wedding on saturday).
Lion Guard have slowed down a bit more than i wanted since im trying to work on their bases (which is still a good sign in its own right). So far they are looking ok with just a lil bit more work i can probably get onto sealing them with a quick thinned down coat of PVA glue (so i dont have any random bits of flock falling off) and then move onto painting them up. If im unlazy enough, i could probably get that done this weekend and have the undercoat sorted out too.
Otherwise thats pretty much it.
-TAS
Surprisingly enough, yes i am still painting up these guys, but i can safely say the torso sections are indeed nearing completion (which is good). Mainly minor work here and there, but im fairly happy with the results (im sure the next time i attempt terminators of any sort they will look alot better). Ill probably try to clean up the armor tomorrow (since it's only a coat or two of black). Ill also try and finish up the lil sensor lights, although they wont be too crash hot, but at least they will have some color on them. The left arms are coming out nicely as well and they should be done by the end of the week. As for the right arms, well they are just a pain and who knows when they will be done. I suddenly wish i magnetised all their arms and torsos but oh well. Overall im still fairly happy with these guys, and they do look better when viewed without a camera. Im hoping once each torso is finished and the bases set up, the pictures will look a tad bit better.
I've also been doing some random painting on the Hormagaunt (which looks fairly metallic atm) and working out how to paint pink well for my EC (suffice to say it isnt working TOO well). Im hoping to stop by an art shop tomorrow and have a squiz at a few acrylic paint ranges as i want to try and find a pink paint that i can use to highlight vallejo squid pink with.
I've also been randomly playing with Genestealers as well and have 4 bases set up thus far. I might set up one fairly 'normally' as i want to use it in some pics. And that is pretty much about it for this lil 40K entry.
-TAS
Just a very quick update...
The Lion Guard look ALOT better now that the orange has been axe'd completely from their paint scheme. However, the flash on the camera muted out alot of the robe tone, so they look completely yellow. However, i am alot more happier with them now since the robes are patched up (and done) leaving just the lil details on the main bodies to do and sort out the arms. So im moving along nicely and hope to meet the Round 2 deadline (which hasnt been announced yet).
In other news, i also took a pic of my Sisters and wow, it does look like ive done work when i do batch work! But they are progressing well and ive also cleaned up a few more Eldar bits that ill use to make plastic Sisters with. Although i am debating if i want to make a tutorial out of it yet, so yeah, that is one of the lil things that are bugging me about it at this point in time.
Also have the CoD sprues from the Imperial City box being cleaned up now, so thats good to have that out of the way. And i also picked up a $12 rotary tool kit the other day from the local DIY store, so im sure that will come in handy for sure.
Anytime time to close with pics:
-TAS
If i could do a weird 'Paint Color of the Month' type of thing, I know MY vote would be put down for Filthy Brown (aka Vomit Brown for you Citadel users). The color i swear has a HEAP of uses, from serving as a stepping stone for decent yellow robes (this will save my Lion Guard for sure), to being another color in bone color robes AND does wonders for facial skin tone. So yeah, I LOVE this color.
The Lion Guard are back on track now that the color tests have been completed and filthy brown has been applied to the robes. Definitely looking alot better and i can safely say the tone will look alot more natural than previous pics have shown them to be.
Im pending a reply back from da main DA man SG to see if i can make a submission of these guys for the competition over at the DA forum on the B&C. So no WIP pics until i know what is happening with that. But I assure you, they terminators look alot better and i know i will be happier with the end result.
-TAS
After seeing some very BEAUTIFUL yellow robes on the B&C, the Lion Guard will regretably be postponed until i get some new paints and redo the robes as i really am NOT happy with how they look atm. This will probably mean i will miss the first round of the AoD (whether there is a second round, who knows) but yeah. Im a lil disappointed, but oh well, it cant be helped. These guys have been "rushed" enough as it is, and even though they will look ok when finished, i dont want to keep having to feel disgusted with the robes.
So progress is slowing down slightly, but ill still paint what i can (mainly looking at random bits on the arms now and what i can do on their main bodies without having to clean up stuff before the redo of the robes).
Made up a few more painting 'bases' so things should be easier to paint now without too many difficulties. If i can slowly fiddle around my desk, i might do some more work on the Sisters again, since two of them still need to have the cold grey coat redone before i can step onto the stone wall grey coat.
Otherwise, things are going ok, a bigger painting desk would be nice (or less models to paint) so i have plenty of stuff to keep me occupied yet.
-TAS
Just a small progress pic of the painting stages. It isnt alot, all thats been done is the under/base coat and the intermediate stage for their robes before i move onto the yellow. So far they are looking ok, nothing overly wonderful since they have no details etc. Tomorrow ill start on doing the yellow stage on the robes, try and finish up the Sgt's face and maybe even get started on the eye lenses for the other guys. I guess i should also TRY and start up the metal areas as well and maybe do small patches of paint chipping since i didnt want to model in any actual suit damage.
Bare in mind the pic isnt all that fantastic as the cam has clearly focused on the middle terminator (the heavy flamer bearer) while the rest are all at differing levels of blurriness. Still ALOT of work to go and unfortunately little time...
-TAS
The terminators are now situation on my painting desk getting their nice coats of black paint. The first coat went down quite well, and i just need to do another second go to make sure i havent got any random bits of plastic or GS poking through. So far they look pretty ok, although the black does look semi boring so i do hope the yellow of the robes helps to make them stand out with the addition of other random colors here and there over the mini to break up the black.
Otherwise i am quite happy with them and i hope i can pull off a decent paint job.
This will be the last pic for a lil bit since i dont feel like moving them back n forth, unless i do a panoramic pic of my paint desk (in addition to heck knows what else is there).
So enjoy the pic, ill post updates as they come along (that and i have til like wednesday to finish them).
-TAS
I'd freak out too if i knew i was going to do this much work in the space of days, anyway, less babble and more stuff!!
The Lion Guard are moving along very nicely with minor work being needed prior to the painting stage (attaching a few random bits and doing some GS work here and there). Overall i am quite happy with the look of the termies, and they are definitely standing out for sure (and not basic rank and file stuff straight from the box).
Painting should commence this weekend, so keep on checking in!
-TAS
Well i managed a rather big leap of progress with the termies for the SH AoD. Tonight i actually did the GS robing which actually came out looking pretty good (as in im happy with it). However, my skills with the GS and robing still need some work, however it is all a learning experience for me, and this ill have to say was a big learning lesson.
Just a bit more GS work needs to be done (hoods and basing) and after that its minor things before the painting stage which should actually be pretty easy! Guess it pays to paint Sisters of Battle as im getting used to painting robes on armor.
Anyway the pic will be attached at the end of my rant bit, but yeah, with a week or so left to go, im quite happy with the progress i have made. With the amount of work less than what it was before, i can be fairly optimistic that ill make the deadline for the AoD and honor the Angels of the Lion with an appearance there.
-TAS
So just a minor update to keep most of ye folk entertained (not that alot of ye read this anyawy)....
Did a lil bit of painting tonight (not a WHOLE lot as painting grey gets boring after a while) but two of my sisters are pretty down packed with the 'Cold Grey' stage now. Three more sisters to do that one for this batch and i can move to the lighter grey coat and press on with the rest of the mini. I also continued on the EC V2 color tests and played around with the next purple color - 'Warlord Purple' and wow, it's alot more pinker than i thought, even compared to GWs. Which I guess is probably a good thing since I am after the more pink look and its turning out qutie well. Ill probably do some more work on that in the next few days as well (to get a quick break from all this grey). Decided not to touch the three SW minis that i started base coating from last week, but I'm sure I'll touch them up later on during the week. I'm also thinking about changing my ideas for my SoB basing, now that it probably would be alot easier to cut the tiles out and then glue them onto the base rather than try to score into the plasticard which isnt providing me with the desired effect im after. With the release of the urban basing kits this week as well i'll grab some of them specifically for use for my SoB (til they run out) and revert back to some more conventional stuff for basing.
The terminators for the SH AoD have been cleaned up, all I need to do is loosely put them together to get a general idea of what they look like and what converting work i wanna do. Although considering the first round of the AoD starts on the 14th, time wise it doesnt look too good, so ill have to try and work as fast as i possibly can. If I dont make it, then oh well, but I still want to try and get these guys set up (plus it didnt help that i took so long deciding if i wanted to enter or not).
Also been playing some more DoW and I did get past that weird insane mission, only to have the following mission be even MORE insane. When they say they throw you into the game, they really mean it. However, it has still been fun to play, even if it is wimpy guard, so Id actually recommend getting the game for sure.
Gonna try and cut some stuff out of the Dryad box for basing material for the Termies (yeah i know its a Space Hulk thing but i DO want them to match the rest of my army at a later date). I should also try and clean up the small tables besides me cos its covered in EVERYTHING! Well, almost.. but still it isnt a clean mess.
On a final note, the Tyranid BF stuff is washed and dry and the CoD sprues will be drying overnight, so ill have more goodies to play with, Yesssssssssssssssssss!!
TAS
Since Arjan wanted one :P Although blogger was being silly the other day so i dont even know if my comment actually ended up posting..
Anyway, as for Tobias, he's still alive yes, not sure about how much of a life he is having, but he is quite active over at the B&C :D
As for me, well Ive gone a bit 40K crazy as of late:
1x Tyranid Battleforce (from today)
1x BIGGG CoD boxset (today on layby)
1x Terminator box (from wednesday)
1x Dryads box (wednesday)
1x CoD Box (wednesday)
So yeah i have alot of stuff to keep me occupied, Yessssssssss!! Ill pick up the Big CoD box in 2 weeks time but yeah, thats my HUGE ass haul there. The Dryads and Termies have been washed, half the 'Nid box is being washed right now, the rest will have to wait as i need something bigger to wash them in PLUS the CoD stuff. The CoD codex is good, and a BIG change since Cityfight in that it it is actually a decent supplment rather than being a 40K 4th Ed V2.0 Rulebook. Still need to sit down and read it properly but i like what ive seen thus far.
Slowly getting the Termies together for the SH AoD and painting stuff when I can (ive been a wee bit bad and also did some random SW painting instead of SoB cos i needed some decent plain 'flat' areas of stuff to paint on rather than having to nit pick cos of detail etc.
So thats pretty much it. No pics this week im afraid as ive had a bit of a neck ache since wednesday *groan* so i havent been doing much painting as i know that would make things worse (and as if work doesnt make my neck feel bad enough as it is).
-TAS
Started on the base coating step for my Sisters, and so far its going ok. As i have no found out, having a small production line isnt actually a bad thing at all. Although i havent completed the base coating on a single mini as of yet, I have started painting up 3 models thus far (painting Battle Sisters versus regular plastic marines is not as easy as it looks). As for WIP shots, we'll see how things go, maybe when they look a bit more neater ill take a pic or two.
The Faith Counter tutorial is semi on hold atm due to time limits since its at the GS phase (well i knew in advance that this be the trickiest part of the tutorial). Hopefully by the end of the week ill start up the next GS phase (which reminds me I should take pics).
Slowly rebuilding my EC again with alot more options happening this time around now that I have magnets to play with (and more confident about modelling and GS (to a degree)). I'm also recyclying some of my previous minis that didnt make it that far the painting phase to try and work out a way to paint a semi decent pink without having to run into the realm of mixing (as that WILL drive me crazy and insane). The idea of having to keep making mixes with different tones (not intentionally of course) is a bit of a con in my books.
Ive also become interesting in the B&C Space Hulk AoD, so I might dust off some of my older Terminators and see what I can do with them. It wont be too overly fancy, since alot of folks are using the new style terminators which do look gorgeous, but Im not in the mood just yet to folk out $60 (post 10% discount) on a box of termies for the SH AoD. If i can convert my older termies slightly and still have them look ok and useful for my AotL army, then all the more power to me.
Hopefully have a bit of a more meaningful post come the end of the week, and I also need to check on the Lion Guard colors for the AotL. If it is as easy as i think it is, then painting them up shouldnt be too difficult at all... It's just modelling the buggers that will be a pain.
-TAS
And in any case one of you weirdos was wondering, no i was NOT fired from work!!
Anyway, lets start with the GOOD news.
- Touched up the undercoat on the Sisters and they look pretty good to go (and about time).
- Cleaned up the main Rhino components for the Rhino/Immolator.
- Started the first phase of the GS work on the Faith Counter markers
- Did some more robe work on my AotL Vet Sgt
The BAD news....
- My GS skills are semi lacking, so im not fully happy with some of the GS stuff Ive done today, but ehh, its a start and at least it doesnt look excessively bad (it could be ALOT worse).
- The more I think about it, the harder it is to really make a proper modular Rhino/Immolator without an extra plastic canopy (why cant GW just stick two in there or one with the Exorcist when it was in stock). So yeah, my only way to get some bonus puppies of these would be to go via mail order... So yeah, this worsens my problem as I dont have a CC and I dont think GW will be moving to paypal payments in the near future.
- I have random ideas for an Exorcist conversion based on the Immolator.. Suffice to say, my brain hurts with all these ideas.
- I want to re-start my Emperor's Childrens (not a good sign at all since Ive committed my time and efforts to my SoB). However, given that the redevelopment will take AGES, it isnt too bad so I could TRY to run a simultaneous 400 pt EC army along side my SoB for the Tale of X Gamers. I also have ideas for the bases which is good although I MAY need to go back to paint testing again since Im looking at abandoning the purple and move to the contemporary pink/black (unless i cant pull it off at all, in which ill go back to purple). Although I do want to keep some bits of purple here and there (plus this is Slaanesh, I can be a mini riot of colors with a similar color spectrum).
Thats pretty much where it is at for the time being. I might do a bit more painting although i DO want to catch up on sleep since I had work this morning and I dont want to still be awake at midnight tonight as I do want to get a good nights sleep.
Hmm.. i MIGHT have to use some of my contacts in the USA to do me a favor or two and see if they have a paypal account so i can pay them back, cos yeah, this is getting retardededed...
At least I dont feel too worried about my SW, TS and 'Nids atm......
-TAS
And so the great painting begins (ok, maybe we should just stick to painting begins). Blu-tac'd what sisters I have ready (6 of them) for undercoating and thats well under way now, although I still need to do some touch ups, as there are still a few areas where random bits of pewter are still coming through and I didnt want to coat the minis in excessively thick black paint. If all goes well, I can try and get the undercoat finished within the next day or so. I also undercoated the first 'Nid as well and he looks really nice in black (surprisingly enough). However, like the Sisters, it needs a another quick coat of black to cover up any random bits of plastic. Also, for future reference, I think im going to avoid gluing 'Nid models completely together as its actually a pain in the backside to get to certain parts of the model. However, live and learn I guess (and i was thinking the 'Nids be the first models Id be able to assemble completely and paint without issues). The 3rd SoB Conversion project is going well, I've loosely marked out the 'bases' with the general shape of the Fleur de Lys (which I ended up just drawing on rather than using my template as it was a pain to use). Next time I think i might have to just get some tracing paper and draw the template onto a piece of paper and do it that way. However, they are merely meant as a guide and when the GS phase comes up, ill still do it piece by piece and not try to do the entire Fleur de Lys in a single go, as I KNOW something will go wrong. So with that part of the project done, ill probably wait til maybe this weekend or early next week to start slowly working on the GS phases.
So yeah, surprisingly enough, Im actually getting stuff done and oddly enough, a lot quicker than I normally would!
TAS
Since It would be nice to actually have an actual legal and playable army, I have given into what I claim to be "peer pressure" and signed up for the 'Tale of X Gamers' at the B&C. Although, for my sake I didnt set a target of 2000 pts, cos as we ALL know, I'd be here til 2009, PLUS some...
Anyway, Ive signed up my Sisters of Battle for a target size of 400 - 500 pts. Mainly cos I know I dont have that many playable stuff available to me (that works) as I dont think a squad of Repentia in under 1000 pts is really tactically sound (unless the idea of the army is to be insane). Later on (perhaps via an edit of this post) I'll put up a general idea of the list I'm hoping to achieve (and yes, it probably will be variable as I'm sure I'll make magnetic Veteran Sister Superiors).
Im sure it will be an interesting experience as I'll try to make use of all these Eldar bits to make some plastic Sisters (daring I know) to help bulk out what limited models I have and create ALOT more variety of models. So keep an eye out here, as I'm sure there will be alot of interesting things to be seen and hopefully I'll get my target ACHIEVED so maybe come Medusa V I'll actually be able to PLAY a few games!
*EDIT*
So I sat down and made a very brief list of what I wanted to get done in my estimated target size, and surprisinly enough, it wasnt alot (although 26 models for under 500 pts, I didnt think was a BAD thing).
Ill also try to have some of my VSSs magnetized for a few more options without having to make additional models (since they arent exactly cheap to come by).
HQ:
Canoness: Cloak of St Aspira, Blessed Weapon, Book of St Lucius, Bolt Pistol
Total: 101 pts.
Alternatively, I might give her an Inferno Pistol over the Bolt Pistol, thus making her final points cost 115 pts.
Battle Sisters, Squad 1: 10 Sisters, 2x Meltaguns, VSS, Book of St Lucius, Sarissa
Total: 154 pts
Battle Sisters, Squad 2: 15 Sisters, 2x Storm Bolters, VSS, Book of St Lucius, Storm Bolter
Total: 204 pts
I also made another variant of Squad 2 that had the VSS with a Book of St Lucius and Sarissa for a total of 199 pts, although Ill probably be more inclined to take the option with the VSS w/ Book of St Lucius + Storm Bolter due to the overall feel of the squad.
It isnt a bad start (admitedly small yes) but its got alot of space to expand. After i replenish my models (or learn to make kick ass conversions) Ill work on adding in a Retributor squad and probably a Celestians squad as well for the Canoness, which Id imagine will get me close to 1000 pts.
-TAS
For those who think that nothing is actually getting done on my desk, HA! It's time to prove ye wrong!! Well slightly wrong.
Anyway, i was taking pics for the Modular tank guide (which just needs to be written up now) and i took a few pics of the finished hormagaunt (modelling wise), who is actually not tilting now (thanks to some sinkers glued to the base). So here you go, the side profile of the hormagaunt, which i wish i didnt put fully together, as Ive unfortunately noticed, its arm is somewhat in the way of its mouth, which means picking out details will be a pain. On the upside, since the arm hides some of the detail, it means it wont be visible normally, so i can probably get away from picking out a few of the teeth.
-TAS
So I clipped off all the Eldar bits and put them away, so im quite happy with that. It hit me again that the box comes with enough bits to make 16 Guardians (to which i still think is whoa). With that sorted out, I can SLOWLY start on making the first test plastic Sister of Battle. Found a nice lil clever way to get some weight into the 'Nid bases for my Hormagaunts to counter balance them and it seems to work VERY well and it didnt set me back too much in price either (well it seemed pretty ok).
Tomorrow (well today) i should get some time to myself, so im going to try and do some modelling here and there, and might even aim to finish the Modular tank guide (or at least get the pics of it done). So yeah, we'll see how things go now that stuff is slowly moving along now (might even be able to get this single Hormie undercoated as well). And in saying that, hopefully i can prep up some of these Sisters for undercoating as well.
Thats about it for this lil update, hopefully ill have something a bit more meaningful later today.
TAS
That.. and work for the last few days has been somewhat draining and im quite certain, so will tomorrows 6 hour shift, but oh well, these things happen.
Anyway, i now currently have 6 Battle Sisters ready to move onto the slow process of painting. I was hoping to have them ready Ie tac'd down to a base and ready for priming etc, but as i said work has been a bit funky and my sleeping pattern isnt helping at all either. However, im still happy about that, as that means im almost having half the models I need ready for one squad (and i thought marine squads were painful). I also picked up a box of Eldar Guardians, for a bit of 1. to experiment on making plastic sisters (since the pewter will probably be the end of me) and 2. for my future Eldar army. With the bits coming in from Arjan/Erwin/Rico, I should probably have enough eldar components to make a few sisters (unless it proves to be excessively successful in which ill buy more) and still have some bits to play with if I want to start running around with my Eldar idea(s). Mind you, with their codex coming out, I think in the next few years, as I dont think it will be out by the end of the year, ill probably keep any Eldar ideas on hold for a while.
Also picked up a few paints to help improve my Battle Sisters (red ink and 2 vallejo flesh paints). So that should go ok. This weekend will be a lil hectic, so ill see how things go.
My lil Modular tank guide is going a tad bit slowly (no big surprise there i guess) although when i finally get stuck into it, it shouldnt take me too long to finish, although i might try and take less 'worthless' pics and more of the post converted pics of each step (if you cant get the idea after ive done it, then we have a bit of a problem). So if all goes well, i should get my next lil 'care package' in a few weeks.
So tomorrow ill put the Eldar bits back into their box (cleaned them today) and buy a cheap lil bits box for them (getting a nice lil collection of stuff, cos i snip things off their sprue when i can and box them) and maybe look through some of my other boxes for parts i could/would utilize for these Sister conversions. Although im going to TRY and finish the tank thing off before starting them, as that would be ideal. That way, if i need to do alot of GS work, i can do it all at once, and in saying that, i should try and clean up a few 'Nid heads so i can work on them too (since they cant all be set up in one sitting without having finger prints coating the whole head).
Otherwise, thats about it.
TAS
Nothing exceptionally important for this update since I havent done a great deal.
Slowly started on the Modular Rhino/Immolator guide for the SoB (taken a pic of the parts from the sprue required). I guess if i really sat down and did the guide, it would probably be finished in a day or two. So i might try and do some work on it tonight.
Cleaned up a few more Battle Sister models, including drilling out the bolters/storm bolters which i must say is NOT fun, especially since its pewter stuff. But yeah, its going pretty ok, although considering i want a squad of 15 Sisters, yeah, this could take some time (and boy is it not fun cleaning pewter models). After the Modular tank guide is finished, Im tempted to make DIY Faith Point markers, which will probably be a lil bit of work since this will be a GS tutorial, or if you can afford it, just buy like 10 SoB vehicle sprues and that will easily get the job done, although thats alot of extra stuff you dont really need, especially in the area of weapons, but oh well.
Although it IS a pain, Im going to try and focus on my Sisters for a while and see how much I can get done on them before needing a chance of pace. Havent been touching the 'Nids alot, mainly since alot of that stuff is GS based, so when i start the Faith Counter tutorial, Ill try and get some more 'Nid work done then, so in saying that, I guess I should switch between cleaning up Battle Sister models and cleaning up 'Nid models (which are 10x easier than the SoB models anyway).
Might try and do some painting later this week (we'll see). Trying to get some decent sleep habits back since im pretty settled with work, but yeah, it isnt working as well as i would like it to. Also debating if i want to do anything for the 'Gathering of Angels' competition in lead up for the Medusa V campaign. The competition isnt too difficult, its just finding the time to work on the models and do all that jazz (since we ALL know how slow a painter and converter I am). But we'll see. I might try and get some 400 pt armies sorted out for Medusa of some sort. Perhaps not the Sisters, since 400 pts seems small, but we'll see.
Otherwise, thats this lil update finished.
-TAS
Nothing really MAJOR I guess....
Did a lil haul today of:
- Horus Rising (1 chapter down, and EXCELLENT already)
- Bloodquest Graphic 'A5' Novel
That is about it really. Did some random readings of the Rulebook last night and yeah, that was good. Although reading that damn thing in bed HURTS. So I need to get the BfM version which is alot smaller, half the size and yeah. Hmm, if I can get two of them (the rule book not the box set) I can even highlight crap in one *ponders this and pays more attention to ebay perhaps*.
In other happy news, I got the job! I start my first shift on monday so that will be good *nods*. Also going to sort out the Layby at my hobby store, as I saw something I want to get for a friends Birthday (which is in mid-may) and im debating if i want to get it there and then or wait. I guess either way it doesnt matter, I will still pay the same amount for it either way. So yeah all around good news. I'll probably do a bit more 40K work of some sort as the night goes on before bed time (leaning towards the 'Niddies). Any decent stuff will be photographed and put up (if only for Arjan's sake).
-TAS
Yeah, that lil theory threw me off too, but oh well... It also helps that the book I'm reading is good. Finished Faith & Fire the other day, very good book, and I enjoyed it from start to finish (and it only took me a week or so to finish). My hobby store has Horus Rising in stock, so Im planning on picking one up tomorrow and even the lil Graphic Pocket Novel of Bloodquest (since I picked up Daemonifuge). Didn't touch the Immolator Guide at all today, so ill finish it off tomorrow, but at least the model aspect of things are done.
Still waiting to hear back about the job thing, didnt get the call this afternoon, so i should get it tomorrow, probably in the early morning. Im still thinking I did ok, so yeah, should be good. So yeah, book time tomorrow (debating if I want to pick up HH/Xenology/Lone Wolves). Keeping my eye on a few things on ebay, but im seeming to convince myself that buying the box set is better off. Stopped into the actual GW Perth City store and they are all out of the V3 Tau Battleforce, which is annoying as there were some things in that, that i wanted that arent in the V4 version.
That aside, i cleaned up another TS set tonight, so ill probably end up glueing the bolter to the arm and seeing what other random acts of assembly i can do without inhibiting the painting stage too much. Although it has dawned upon me, i can probably attach the shoulder pads to the arms without too many hassles I guess... And yes, i need to do the last assembly stages on that Hormagaunt too (plus im sure it will look alot better with its other legs and some arms).
-TAS
This is ALL for you Arjan, since you have been constantly "discussing" with me that i need to put pics up :P
So here we go, pic update time.
The first pic is of my Thousand Son. Ehh, the pic is so-so, as the tabbard does not look THAT plain. However, im thinking i might have to do some work on it, to get some tones into it *shudders at the thought of mixing*. Alternatively ill try other colors for the tabbards as more TS Marines pump out the assembly line. Otherwise it wasnt too hard to pain, its the chest detail that annoys me and the fact it'll all be done in some metallic color (silvers and golds). Would have been easier to paint an EC marine. But yeah, not too difficult at all.
Last pic is of the Hormagaunt with his new head. Looks pretty ok for the first try, and future attempts as i get more used to what im doing i can get a tad bit more detailed etc etc. The base work is so-so, i think what i should have done is glued all sorts of junk to the base first and then started merging the GS into it, and to work on the half/half principle as its a pain to hold something like a base while you try to scrupt into it etc without accidently pressing fingers into the GS. Otherwise, im pretty happy with it being the first proper converted Tyranid (as simple as the conversion was). Just need to attach his other legs, his arms and paint him up!
So thats about it. In other news, my modular immolator turret went well. The only thing i need to sort out is the flamer canister, since it would look weird if its glued on while the Heavy Bolters or Multi Meltas are attached, so im thinking of how im going to work that around everything, without making it too complicated.
-TAS
I want my F.E.A.R. :P
That aside, been doing alot of minor work here and there, mainly modelling aspects like getting bits and pieces for my Thousand Sons, attempting to clean mold lines off PEWTER minis (which is a pain) and working on my lil quick guide on 'How to make a Modular Immolator Mk II Turret'. So far is going well, all the required plastic parts have been cleaned up (to the best of my ability and without carving stuff INTO the plastic). Ive got a lil metal plate with the magnets ready, so its just a case of marking up the magnets, taking pictures, putting them in and then making a minor modification to the turret mount itself and that will be the immolator done. The next stage will be to make a modular rhino/immolator, although im pondering if i want to make that with a second plastic canopy or just use a regular bit of tank spure (undecided). By that stage, im hoping to look at doing the plastic battle sister conversion and we'll see how that goes.
Painting wise, not doing a great deal at this point in time. Might slap some more coats of paint onto the Thousand Sons mini (and take pics) and see what i can do about that nice lil Hormagaunt i have going. For the sake of argument i probably wont augment it with any biomorphs and just make at a later stage in time a Hormagaunt brood with toxin sacs, since the basic hormagaunt (from what i can tell) is still a nasty lil creature to contend with.
Thats about it for now.
-TAS
Since I have been essentially FORCED into this position now, I might as well run with it.. So before I get into the main reason of why this blog exists....
GIVE ME MY F.E.A.R. YOU SON OF A BIZNITCHES!! =P
Please =)
ANYWAY!
To more important 40K matters... Ive done some more painting on the first TS mini and its going quite well (which is kinda scary). Once the base dries a bit more, allowing me to paint over it (darn PVA glue) I can finish up the legs (just need to highlight the trims) glue that one and start slowly whacking up the mini piece by piece upwards. Although I doubt I'll get it finished by the end of Easter, it will come close. Depending on how things go, I might take some pics of it tonight, if not, i'll definitely have pics within the next few days for sure. As for other stuff, the GS from last night should be dry, so I'm considering taking new pics of the 'Alienid' and the WIP Robed AotL Sgt. Still got a lot more practice to go with sculpted robes, but at least it isnt looking like pure crap. I also started doing some stuff for the 'Nid base, but I get the funny feeling i should have laid down the thin later of GS first before commencing work. I probably wont make the base TOO flashy, as Ill have another heck knows how many more lil bugs to do behind it, so Ill get a chance to work on more creative bases. Did some more bits prep for the TS AC, and BLAH, darn characters needing all sorts of flashy bits, oh well. Not like one can do alot with the basic TS models (damn dust concept).
Anyway, thats about it for tonight, if pics come up, you'll see them, if not ill get stuff done in the next few days.
-TAS
Well Howdy Y'all!!! So yeah, I thought I would put the spark of life back into this blog a bit!! Especially now that the B&C has restored itself, its only "natural" that my 40K stuff would too.. So what has happened as of late?
- I finished DoW. It wasnt that bad a game, a few funny moments here and there (the Eldar Avatar is REALLY stupid), and I'm sure there are a few more that I just cant recall atm. The end of the game was actually a bit disappointing to be honest, I thought there would be more to it, but oh well, such is GW I guess. So yeah, NEEDING a new game *glares at Erwin and Arjan* GIVE ME MY F.E.A.R. !!!!
- Finished reading the Blood Angels Black Library Saga... Basically, KICK ASS BOOKS!! I recommend the books to anyone, whether they are Blood Angels fans or not. Story was written beautifully, and the use of only two novels to do it worked VERY well (not too short, but not too long and dragged out). I've recentlyed acquired Faith and Fire (written by the same person that did the BA books) and I'm still quite impressed. Story is written very well, and its nice to see the SoB in a book of their own (semi sparked me to look at my own SoB and ponder).
- Been slowly touching the few Grey Hunters on my table here and there, so they will slowly get there.
- Started painting up my first Thousand Sons mini and yeah, it aint too bad. Oddly enough, painting Chaos Marines might actually be quicker than normal marines. The only thing i hate about the mini is the chest section which is cluttered with crap, so that will take some time for sure.
- Did some more GS work TONIGHT!! The front of the first 'Nid has been "blinded" and all I need to do is add in some finishing details that I'll leave til later on. Also did some more work on the robed AotL Sgt and well, it isnt as bad as some robe work Ive seen in the past, but I think I was wrong to think I could out sculpt a GW sculpter. However, it still looks ok, and by working layer over layer (thinly of course) it hasnt bulked up the robe so it looks bulky etc. So there is hope yet. I might end up taking some pics later on as the GS hardens some more, or leave it til tomorrow so I dont accidently damage the GS.
Also got some more magnets on their way here (200 of them) so that will be nice. Im getting a nice lil collection of magnets to work with which really helps.
Now if only I could paint etc as fast as I read; I only bought Faith and Fire on tuesday/wednesday-ish and its thursday now and Ive already gone through about close to 2/3s of the book (its that good).
So Ill leave it with that for now and hopefully there will be more updates as time goes by.
-TAS
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
