Good News..... and some Bad News....

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

I picked up a paintbrush! Oh My!!!

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

Darn.. "Peer Pressure" is Evil!!

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

Picture Update!

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

Getting Somewhere.. Kinda...

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

Procrastination is the Mind Killer!!

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

Just a small Update.

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

Lil Minor Update

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

I read faster than I paint....

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

Since He Won't Hush..........

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

Lil, Lil Update

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

Getting somewhere...

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

And the Hills were alive, with the sound of Dakka Fire!!!

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

NOW its the Pic Update!

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

No Pic Update!! (Yet)...

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

Wow, ANOTHER Mini Update!

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

Mini Update!

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

Picture time!!

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

100th Post!!! BOOYEAH!!

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

1 more to go!!

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

98th Post (First of 2006)

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

97th Post (The last of 2005)....

Well thats it ladies and gents, another year over and out... So with that in mind, Happy New Years to all. Have fun, stay safe and thats about it really....

Anyway, on a more happy note, I did get to replace the Soul Drinker novel with something and bought me a box of Gaunts. In hindsight, I wish I got the Dryads instead, but oh well... Can never have too many Gaunts, and the Dryads can wait, which means, my AotL go back on the back burner for a few more months (which isnt bad, esp if the DA codex is indeed the next codex out).

Also picked up some random items: A glue gun (for the nice slime effect for my nids), a few containers (one for storing army bits, another for flock materials). So, that is pretty much my last 2005 'haul' I guess.. Wont be one in 2006 for a wee while (maybe Feb-ish). I also back tracked some of my older archives and it looks like I still have approximately 18 days before my blog is actually one year old.. Soo.. Im sure ill hit the 100th post by that time (100 posts in a year, aint too bad :P).

Tonight I hope to get those gaunt bits washed, go to a friends lil 'party' tonight for a bit and tomorrow, I shall do the official 2006 'resolution' thread relating to all matters GW etc etc...

Otherwise, enjoy the end of the year folks, see you in 2006!!



-TAS

96th Post!!

It would have been nice to do my 100th post prior to the end of the year, but oh well... Nonetheless, I am still doing well.. Although 100 posts over a year? Seems a lil low *shrugs* maybe thats because Im more used to B&C posting standards. Anyway.... Havent done alot of painting in the last few days, but Ill try and do some later tonight, see how close I can get to finishing another model before 2006... I have, however been doing some random modelling/mold line removal on random bits here and there. I know Ive cleaned up another Wolf Scout bits (main body sections anyway) and I did some work on a Thousand Sons mini as well. Might put some parts together and start painting that dude up, then I can have heck knows how many armies at the painting stage going all at once!!

Anyway... did a lil spree today I guess, picked up my lay-by'd Liber Chaotica Compilation.. Aint too bad, gonna have to take off the lil book sleeve (as that is getting annoying) but Im quite happy with it... Sure the cost of that was pretty much the price as two LCs put together, but oh well... Least I have the Khorne segment and the special Undivided section.

Got two more vallejo paints (Silver and Chainmail) as pre-planning for my nids. Plus if and when I go back to my EC, those will help out for trims.

Bought two BL novels, one being Dues Encarmine (so I now have the whole set) and my boo-boo purchase of.. SOUL DRINKER!! So yeah, Im gonna have to go and see if i can return that or get store credit, as ive already got Soul Drinker and dont need another copy... I also picked up the first volume of the Horus Heresy artbooks for $15 off as it was apparently 'damaged' stock. Now I must admit, the other copy that was there, was in pretty bad shape (well one of the corners was pretty creased up), the copy I grabbed wasnt too bad, minor creases in the book in the bottom corner, otherwise its in pretty a-ok shape. So at the cheaper rate, I sure as hell aint complaining about the creases... Of course I would love to get Vols 2 and 3 now, but that could take some time. Also managed to pick up the lil book sized version of the Graphic Novel Daemonifuge. Was quite happy with that since I missed the comic sized version of it and it has been an interesting, yet confusing read. Also got me a few ideas for half my armies out of it.

In the end, I am quite happy with what I got, although the actual idea of the trip was to either buy or lay by a 4th Ed version of the Tyranid Battleforce.... Also saw some random lil 'mini' boxes with a few figures here n there for armies in Fantasy and 40K. Essentially its like 2-3 models (on average) for like $20 AUD. Naturally I laughed as 1. the SM Combat Squad is $30 for 5, the Chaos Warriors box is $50 for about 12 odd... So im like.. Bloody GW, trying to bleed MORE money out of us... Although convenient, HECK NO at those prices.. Also need to pick up my WD, so I might do that early next week.. Apparently the new BT sprue box is coming out soon, which I might grab on its own so I can play around with the bits... Also had a quick look at the Zoanthrope and the good news is that it does have the type of head I am after for my Hive Tyrant/Queen model.. the downside is that the tip of the head is attached to alot of other random bits of pewter... It'll be a bit of a shame to have to spend $26 odd dollars for the head component, but oh well... Stinks that we dont have bits order here as Id just get the friggin head part...

Well thats my lil update/rant over and done with. Ill post a reply with the potential good/bad news about the Soul Drinker Issue.. Debating if I wanna run away with the store credit (if I get one) OR if I do get the money back... if I should pick up a small box of something.... I could get a box of gaunts as I will probably need a second box worth, battleforce or not... That way Ill have some 'Nids to work with to keep me entertained while i work on everything else... Might pick up a box of the Dryads perhaps since I want to use them for a mix of bits for my AotL and potential plastic Daemonettes... So yeah.. options... >.<




-TAS

T-minus 5 and counting!!

Getting closer to 100 posts!! In any case, Ive set my 'nids a tad bit back, since I wont have much to work with once these color tests are finished (except a single ravener, if I can ever get some rending claws from SOMEWHERE). I just managed to finished completely a second grey hunter and did some more black undercoats on some new stuff, so in the next day or so I'll probably do some base coating with those. Heck, I might get another model done up within the next week if the base coating process goes well (since the main central section is done). All that needs to be done on that particular hunter is the arm sections (including shoulder pads) and the backpack. Still need to work on the Battle Sister's basing, since that will probably have to go back to the GS, and unlike my Space Wolves bases, needs to be some what flat.. if not ALOT flat, since Im going with a tiled look. I could save myself some hassle and just cut the Sister off from her lil 'slot' segment, patch up the feet and glue her down normally, so we'll see how things go. If that works as well as it sounds like in theory, then I wont need to go down the GS route, which will save alot more time and hassle.

Also did some modelling on my future wolf scouts, well a single scout anyway, and my goodness, making my own scouts is NOT fun... Thank goodness, my 'Dark Angels' scouts will be alot more regular looking.

Otherwise, thats about it for this entry. Ill add a pic (or two) of the completed minis, either in a few minutes time OR later today/tomorrow. And after recalling the dreaded experience with the 'Nid pics, Ill probably combine BOTH pics into one pic and post it here (since I dont feel like using my 96th post as a pic only post)!!


*EDIT*

Here is the pic I promised of both the Space Wolves Grey Hunter and Sisters of Battle Battle Sister... The Hunter looks ok in the pic (been a good pic), the Sister, well the pic was good, but the paint work in some areas (especially the face) still needs some more work. Ill probably let that model fly, but for future models, try and take a bit more care in doing the face etc.








-TAS

The 94th Post!!!

So we draw closer and closer to 100.... In any case, this is more of an 'Ideas' page for the 'Niddies. Took MANY screen caps of Alien stuff from Alien, Aliens, Alien3, Alien: Ressurrection AND Aliens vs Predator to get a butt load of ideas (almost 100MB worth of bmp pics). Also had a talk with my resident 'Nid expert Arjan and tossed around a few ideas as well. So I'll TRY and run through these ideas..

Hive Tyrant aka Queen

- Thinking Ill be needing some of the old 3rd Ed Tyrant bits, namely the head, for her crown section. Another idea is to use the Zoanthrope head as well for the basis. The only DOWNSIDE is that both I believe have 'grinning' looks, which is ok, but Im not sure if I want a grinning Queen or a mouth open Queen with her inner mouth shooting out. Havent a clue how Im going to do the crown yet, as the 3rd ed Tyrant has a small crown. Hrmm, maybe I should invest in some thin plasticard and GS my own grown....

- An idea after browsing Warpshadow was to also use the carnifex as a base and then build up the Queen from that. Although the only downside is, the Carnifex body is rather 'chunky' and the Queen isnt exactly a 'beefy' character.

*EDIT*
- Possible use of the Extended Carapace Biomorph for added protection.
- Extension of Crown using GS (using plasticard as a basis for crown).

Tyrant Guard aka Royal Guard

- Pretty straight forward, although I might try and do some minor conversions on these dudes (other than the head) so they look a tad bit different.

Warrior Brood aka Warrior Drones(?)

- Heh, still working on the naming convention >.< style="font-weight: bold;">

*EDIT*
- Extended Carpace


Genestealers aka Soldier Drones(?)

- Once again, naming will be interesting... I had a look on Warpshadow and saw some interesting conversions, namely one that only utilized ONE set of arms (and not two). An interesting idea for sure, especially since I dont want to overload on the biomorphs for these guys.


*EDIT*

- Extended Carapace (again!!)
- Scything Talons Biomorph

Hormagaunt Brood aka Worker Drones(?)

- Naming as always.. But it seems quite ok thus far. These dudes like the other stuff will get the head treatment. Probably thinking about doing up some stuff with their bases to give some added appearance and hopefully make them alot more terrifying.

*EDIT*

- Toxin Sacs OR Adrenal Gland (I)....

Ripper Swarm aka Eggs, Face Huggers and Chest Bursters

- Nothing too difficult here, although alot of my ideas have come in for these guys. Eggs, are pretty self explanetory, although Id prefer not to be rolling out eggs from GS by hand, so Im trying to think of a suitable 'round' object that I can layer GS over. Also thinking about having the occasional egg that is some what translucent so you can see the face hugger inside.

- Face Huggers wise, two ideas thus far. One is an idea off from Hive Fleet Moloch, utilizing an adrenal gland with an added tail and legs (using random parts of weapons, and genestealer hands). Another idea, especially focusing on the 'sac' areas is to use on of the current bio-weapons (i know what it looks like, not sure WHAT it is, although after checking, I think its the barbed strangler). The only downside to this one is the sacs from the weapon looked rather large, so Id either use them to make a 'super face hugger' OR cut the sac in half (which didnt look too good) and then use that on perhaps an adrenal gland 'body'.

- Chest Bursters are easy.. use the Ripper body and flatten the chitin chrest and thats about it...

Ravener Brood aka ???

- Havent got an 'Alien' name for this brood yet, but the head idea applies for this set. Also considering using warriors to convert up these babies.

Carnifex aka ???

- HECK KNOWS what Ill be calling these dudes... Keeping the Carnifex options at a minimal (although I listed alot of biomorphs that suited). Since Rending claws are some what a mute point on a Monstrous Creature, any carnifex will be decked out with two pairs of scything talons, although the crushing claws IS tempting... May make these arms modular for the sake of argument. Otherwise, not alot of other stuff.. Adrenal Gland for WS, and the possibility of the mace or scythe tail. Although after watching Aliens and Aliens vs Predator, leaning towards the mace tail (but with a bladed end) since the Queen only really used her tail as a 'stabbing' weapon.

*EDIT*

- Possible use of Extended Carapace


Notes

- Trying to keep biomorphs to a minium where I can, without being TOO basic... Obviously being Alien themed, I know these guys will be prone to being shot to hell, and I can understand that, so Im not trying to go improving saving throws too often, cos they just get shot up regardless.

- Basing wise Im looking at making it like a 'nest' base with the base being covered in random coils and stuff like a nest would look like, as well as try and apply that weird 'resin' look. Only downside is, my options arent too great for either the resin effect or mucous effect... One option is to use craft glue, but the consistency issue comes to mind. I thought about mixing it with liquid super glue, which MAY work.. On the super glue note, I could get like paste super glue and pray that works. Other options are also to use epoxy resin, but that could be more hassle than its worth. Was also thinking if there was a way to HARDEN KY Jelly (guessing mixing glue into it would work). Since KY Jelly was the primary substance to make the slime/drool effect in Aliens.

*EDIT*

- I had a review of some of the weapons, at least the SM weapons and thinking about what other armies I go against and there isnt a BIG need to give the Extended Carpace Biomorph to Carnies and Tyrants due to a minimal amount of AP3 weaponry. Although there is a large amount of potential AP2 weaponry, going down to a 2+ save isnt any better than staying at a 3+. So Ill review the other armies (Necrons, Eldar, Imperial Guard, Chaos and Tau) to see what else needs to be done.


Thats about it for my 'Design Notes' for my 'Nid army. Any ideas/suggestions will be greatly appreciated and SOMEONE remind me to save this entry as a txt/doc file. Cos I would love to be able to easily access my notes, unlike my SoB notes which are buried in heck knows how many posts...




-TAS

7 more to go!! (Pics Galore Update)

Bah.. next time Im whacking ALL the pics into one huge ass pic cos it was NOT fun editing 4 odd posts just to get the pics into the right post... Anyway... Here are the latest pics of the 'Nid tests... Pics are still a lil iffy (alot better than the first batch of 6 though). Im guessing if I had alot better equipment (eg a lightbox) and wasnt working with such dark colors it wouldnt be too bad.. Since there are 4 pics, Ill do my lil 'rant' about each at the label.


Believe it or not, this is the 'rustic' looking 'Nid that had an inking of both black and flesh inks. The camera didnt pick up well on the effect, but you can see it in areas here and there. Guessing if my lighting was ALOT better and I wasnt relying on the camera flash, it could probably come out alot better. Otherwise, it aint a bad effect. Only downside is.. I think the pic muted out some of the 'chrome' effect, then again, maybe it didnt since the flash is catching on a few of the upper body surfaces. What will I do with this 'Nid? Not sure.. But I might keep this method of inking for brood differentiation or perhaps just for the occasional mini differentiation.


Well we all know this HAD to have been a Hormagaunt when it was in its fresh state, now its just the remains off. Anyway, this is the way Im looking at painting my 'Nids. The chrome effect is still there (might do a heavier drybrush and thinner inking). The highlights are with Cold Grey, and the talons and claws got a quick gunmetal (didnt want to highlight them too extremely, which is what Chainmail probably WOULD have done). Not sure if I wanted to wash over the highlights (which I did do on the Chitin areas, and followed up with a highlight of Stonewall grey). But otherwise, its looking quite nicely which leads us to the next picture........


I think this pic was the best of all the pics and did the rear of the gaunt some good. You can see the highlights better on the chitin areas and some of the ribbed areas here and there. Instead of going a standard 'line' highlight on the chitin, I "tried" to use a more thin line effect, like how its demonstrated on some models in the 'Nid codex. I think it came out ok. Although, ugh, wishing the chrome look didnt get so washed out (bad pun-ish?), as it looks like basic black. Which isnt true when comparing a pure black mini versus a black inked mini as the chrome effect comes through.


This is the poor ass mini that got highlighted with Chainmail, which is probably WHY in all the pics its really showing the metal effect quite clearly (looks worse in r/l). Ill probably ink over this mini, do the grey highlights, pick out the claw and teeth with gunmetal (and MAYBE a very LIGHT highlight of chainmail on the very edges) and try some 'mucous' effects on it with craft glue (if I can ever find that WD issue that covered it, I think it was a Carnifex modelling article). Alternatively I could use a hot glue gun, but that could be a tad bit too much trouble for what I want.


So there it is folks... Next time Ill put the pics ALL together, or NOT take so many pics. I'll probably focus on the Former Hormagaunt test and the Termagant test and do comparison pics later on.




-TAS

92nd Post....

Getting ever close to the 100th post!! In any case, this is a 'Nid update (yet again). Did some of the highlights etc on the minis and so far seen some good points and bad for some of them...


1. Black undercoat/Gunmetal Metal Drybrush/Black Ink/Chainmail highlights

BIG mistake on the chainmail highlights as that has diminished the dark metal effect I wanted. However, in the future ill probably only do additional metal highlights to areas like teeth, talons, tips of claws etc but the entire body can NOT be done in metal highlights. I guess its a good thing it is still in metal as I can recycle this mini by doing a black ink over it and taking it from there.

2. Black undercoat/Gunmetal Drybrush/Black Ink/Cold Grey Highlights/Thin Black Ink/Stonewall Grey Highlights

This one came out good, and I might continue this method to do some light highlights on the 'flesh' areas on the model (only did this on the chitin areas). So for future works, Ill probably do the cold grey highlights on the model itself (dry brush?), tone it down with an inking and then apply the stonewall grey highlights to the chitin areas. Talons, teeth etc will be done probably in the way I mentioned for method 1.

3. Black undercoat/Gunmetal Drybrush/Black Ink/Flesh Ink

Now this was just a simple play around with inks and in the end it gave a nice rustic/black chrome look which I quite like. Thinking about using this method to add a slight bit of variety to units.

Anyway, Ive still got one black undercoated 'Nid left and Ive just made two more 'Nids on sticks to probably do combinations of the above schemes and see how well they work together. After that, Ill be some what out of test 'Nids, however I THINK I have a 3rd Ed fresh Ravener somewhere, so I may find it useful as my first 'Nid model.


-TAS

91st Post....

As the title states, this is the 91st post for my blog. Will I see 100 by the end of the year? Will there be a fancy 100th post thing?? Who knows?!?!?!!!!

Anyway, did some work on the 'Nids (not painting wise) but notepad and pencil wise. Listed out all the biomorphs that would be useful for me to keep in line with my fluff etc. Listed out the units I would use (Hive Tyrant, Tyrant Guard, Warriors, Genestealers, Hormagaunts, Rippers, Raveners, Carnifex). Still deciding on the Genestealers though, but yeah that wasnt too bad a list to work with. Then I went through some options and did up a basic Hive Tyrant and Carnifex for about 100 pts... But yeah, its been fun and interesting thus far. The only issue that came up for me, so Im directing this question at Arjan is the biomorph 'Implant Attack'. It seems pretty handy, BUT when it comes to the second wound, is it ONLY for that single model, or do additional wounds infliced by implant attack get thrown around the unit?

Thats about it.. Might do that black wash in a lil while.. we'll see



-TAS

Tyranid Picture Update

On a completely unrelated note, this will be my 90th Blog post. Im wondering if I can hit the big 100 come the end of the year?

Anyway, I took a pic of the heavily drybrushed 'nids and well, the picture is misleading (and not in a bad way). For some uncanny reason, they look better in the pic than they do in real (they look perhaps TOO dry brushed in real). So yeah, here we go. Im also going to try and do that funky lil thing that Tobias did on his blog, cos I think it looks cool (I hope I dont lose clickibility though). If i do, Ill change the link or something..


Ok, so I managed to do the picture thing, but I get the feeling it wont be clickable *sighs*.

If not, Ill change it at a later date I guess for something a tad bit more clickable. But yeah, that image is misleading as they REALLY dont look THAT good!! Sadly enough, these pics are going to be the way i want my 'nids and table wise, they wont look anything like it. So yeah, we'll see how things go.


Anyway, thats it for this post. After I get some work done tonight, if I can still get some strength in me, Ill do up the black ink/wash phase.



-TAS

Tyranid Update!!

Heh, now there is a title I didnt think I would be using anytime soon. Anyway, of the four undercoated models, TWO have been just given a heavy dry brushing of gunmetal metal (vallejo) or for you primary citadel users thats boltgun metal. So far its looking good, although after this, I dont think i ever want to do a Necron army. Funnily enough, I think this is the first time that my gunmetal actually came out in a decent consistency (shame I was only doing a heavy dry brush). But yeah, so far I am happy with how they are turning out. The next stage on both will be the black wash to dull down the metal, and for some insane reason I suddenly want to try a model with a light black wash AND flesh/brown wash. Hrmm, now I know why I made 4 'Nids on a stick. Hopefully ill get the black wash done tomorrow and from there, each 'nid will go down its own line of 'evolution'.

One 'Nid will receive a mithril-like (perhaps even chainmail) highlight and that will be it for the mini. I have a sneaking suspiscion it wont look as well as it sounds, but we'll see (also depends how well the black inking/washing works).

The second 'Nid will go down a more grey-based highlighting, particularly on the armor plating (chitin I believe is the more technical term), leaving the more 'fleshy' areas to remain in their gunmetal state.

Once both are done, the Chitin areas (at a minimum) will receive a varnish coat and we'll see how the others go.

But thats about it. Sadly enough, if I actually had converted nid parts ready, this could be the FASTED army I have painted in the 6 odd years I have been in this hobby.

Anyway, I need some zZzZz's since my biological clock has been inversed (?) or is it reversed? I lean towards inversed.. But yeah.. Sleep time now, hopefully ill get the ink/wash done tomorrow and I may have designed another scheme or two pending the progress of the current two.



-TAS

Combi Post (With Images!)

As I said earlier I was going to get pics, so HERE THEY ARE!! Both are fairly explanetory, but as always Ill do a run down....

First image is the random Tyranid bits that Ill be using for my color tests. Still thinking about whats going to happen post black undercoat, but prepared 4 models, so Im hoping they will be sufficient.

The second pic is the body wise completed sister (and a pretty decent pic as well). Im glad I took pics in stages as the pic for the Black vs Red arguement can begin anew. Actually the red didnt come out too badly to be honest, although a slight change in future paint applications will be nice to get a bit more 'depth' into it. Otherwise, Im quite happy with the result. Plus the flash didnt overdo the image either, was quite 'perfect' unlike the 'nid picture which is still fuzzy in some areas. Just need to finish up the backpack and that will be the first test mini done for the Sisters (and first completed mini).

That pretty much wraps this one up!







-TAS

Update ye say!??!?!

Yes, I am alive and yes, I do on the rare occasion update things.... That and the last entry had 21 replies, so I thought I would start a new 'thread'.

Anyway, I finally did that paint concept again and started on the red robes for my Sister, and well, thus far the one thing I have learn is 1. Dont paint the whole damn thing until you cant see some of those 'recesses' on the front of the robe. Otherwise its turning out ok, although the highlights I am CERTAIN wont turn out too fantastic on camera, but they look ok thus far. Need one more highlight and that will be done and all Ill have to do is touch up the lil Ecclesiarchy symbol on the robe, do the links and that will be the body part done (havent even TOUCHED the packback yet).

I also prep'd up some 'Nids for my future Alien themed army. Got 4 models prep'd up and just glued either sprue or a cocktail stick to them, stuck them on a base and that was it. For some reason the cocktail 'Nid is some what amusing, but I think that is just me.

I'll aim to get some pics done tomorrow and take it from there really. Just bare in mind the 'Nids wont be undercoated, since I want to give the glue some time to really bond tight (I don't want to have a random gant/gaunt falling off its (reminds me of that TSOLAR strip about the gargoyles).

So thats about it for this round, hopefully there will be a small update tomorrow.



-TAS

Mini Update

I finally bought the paints from the Vallejo range that I wanted, so I have one more red and two browns (equivalent of Bestial Brown and Bubonic Brown). Also picked up the BT codex and two BL books (the first novel for the Soul Drinkers trilogy and the second book in the Blood Angels set). Was quite happy with that, plus the price was quite nice as they seem to have dropped a tad bit, plus through in my 10% off, so it was nice.

Hopefully Ill get that SoB model done up (eventually). Thats about it... Short update really.




-TAS

An SoB Update

I have to admit, that stupid laptop issue really muddled me up when it came to the pics. I had 5 pics, two of which I didnt use in the end as they looked over exposed so I kept these 3. As you can tell there is a progression of the paint work on the mini up to its current state. And NO it isnt finished as I will be doing the red robes, although black doesnt look too bad. Will hopefully pick up the paint this week, since the shop was closed today. Doesnt look too bad for my first SoB model. I should also REALLY try to finish another Grey Hunter, especially after I had to redo his shoulder pad cos I forgot the color scheme.

Dawn of War wise, it aint a bad game, up to Mission 4 or 5 now, and damn, I swear those orks know no limit! Playing as marines aint bad. Plus dreadnoughts REALLY kick alot of ass! Damn those assault cannons can really lay out some damage! Although for some weird ass reason I wouldnt mind a skirmish play to see what the Chaos and Eldar sides are like.

Anyway, Im gonna do some other stuff then head to bed, as I feel tired!



Progression of an SoB Model


-TAS

TO WARRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Although I havent set up the digicam for the latop again OR done any painting, I did install DoW and well, it works pretty ok. Havent played it fully yet, but I might give it a go later tonight.

Otherwise, things are slowly getting back on track...

This will probably be the shortest entry Ive done in My entire life...



-TAS

It's Back!!

Got the laptop back today, and the bill wasnt as bad as I thought it was going to be (which is good). Running through the folders and slowly re-installing programs and moving My old files over and yeah, it gets a bit ugly at times, particularly with the folders as I lost 50% of My hard drive (which is app 27 Gigs worth of material).

So far things are going ok, with the occasional "oh gawd" and few other moans and bitches.

Unfortunately I did lose a substantial part of My 40K folders, so My step by step Sister is going to be a lil weird, but Ill try and get those pics done up asap. But yeah, so far things are going ok, Im not too insane just yet (thank goodness).

Otherwise, keep watching, and Ill try and get some pretty pictures, well, when I get photoshop or paintshoppro re-installed....

*Shakes head bitterly*




-TAS

A new project.

I'm still at a loss as to why I started it, but Ive started work on a 6 man Wolf Scout pack, using the 'Build a Better Scout' guide from prophet miniatures site. Suffice to say, it isnt an easy job to do, and ive got lil trays FULL of random bits here and there. Havent done any of the cutting parts, but yeah, this should be an interesting lil project for sure. Wont be any WIP pics for a while, unless you want to see the trays full of random bits in them. Although I do need to go back to the codex again and see if I can give the scouts a flamer as well, at which case Ill give them meltabombs, so we'll see how things go.

With that in mind, havent done much painting since the last time, but since Im heading to bed now, I might try and do a few more coats of paint onto that random shoulder pad (fix up the black lining yet again).

Otherwise thats about it. For some reason im not multi-tasking sitting at this computer and doing some modelling, which of course will suck when my laptop comes home. So ill have to try and make a wee bit of space on my desk to do some of this side project stuff. Also tempted to maybe get 5 AotL marines done up, if not at least a paint test to see how I fair with the colors. I may model up one marine and take it from there, but the modelling wont be anything too major, since the basing will be a more jungle based base.

Thats about it, check back in a few days and see if any new stuff come up. If Im lucky the laptop will be back tomorrow so I can actually post some PICTURES again!



-TAS

She's done.. well.. almost...

It's actually quite annoying when I cant post WIP pics cos Ive got a whole heap sitting on my cam atm, and Im actually losing track of what pic is what! Nonetheless, Aside from the robe areas, the mini is done. I'll probably wait til after the robes are done before I do a high light of her armor, and I still have the back pack to do as well. I also did a bit more work on a few bits and pieces of grey hunters here and there. Was doing some shoulder pad work, and good grief Im getting sloppy. Suffice to say, I think for future reference Im going to have to mix and match fine detail work with full on large blocks of undercoating so my eyes get a quick break. In terms of my laptop, the hard drive in actually died, so HOPEFULLY Ill get it back on saturday after they install a new 80Gig hard drive in (gawd Im not looking forward to seeing the price for this repair job).

At this rate I may have another Grey Hunter completed by the weekend, who knows at this point in time. Ive got to just do a quick wash and highlight on the bolter, finish up the shoulder pad, do some of the helmet areas and do the lil accessories and that will be that guy done. Assuming Im clever enough to get bits done like pelts and colors used etc at the right times, it could actually be done by then. Ill probably paint up some purity seals for the SoB mini I did to give her a tad bit more character since the models arent exactly easy to convert.

Otherwise thats about it. Guess its back to browse over the B&C and stuff before bed time (whenever that will be).




-TAS

Almost done the lil things...

Other than the fact I need to buy a few new paints before I can finish the robes on the SoB mini, the lil things are almost completed. Just need to give a highlight to the pouches on her waist, pick out the rivets on her armor and a quick highlight of the bolter casing and that'll be it. After that Ill TRY and pick up those paints this week so I can get the robes done on the weekend. Once the lil bits are done, Ill take another pic and that can do with the other horde of pics yet to be put up.

As for the status of my laptop, a lil setback occured, so Im expecting a call tomorrow about it (well today since its after 3am). So here is hoping for tomorrow (and hopefully I wont get charged for 4 hrs worth of labor).

Did a few more sketches of the V2 EC marines, and it aint too bad... But otherwise, been a lil slow on the 40K stuff this week. I should try and finish up one of my grey hunters, but Ive been saying that for a LONG ass time.

In other news, Im going to try and step up my work on My AotL (in light of some interesting, well, "discussions" persay at the B&C). Naturally, Ill start with a color test and work My way from that, but Ill still try and do some minor conversions to it to make it look less RAF. Very tempted to get a box of Dryads, that way I can use bits and pieces of them for basing My AotL and perhaps use them to make some new Daemonette models as well. Well there is a $50 investment again >.< Well, $45 since I have My 10% discount back again. And I wont layby them either since it would be a waste.

Anyway, off to do a quick Bubonic Brown highlight and then get some ZzZ's






-TAS

Bit more progress...

Did a tad bit more work on the SoB mini, mainly the metal areas here and there with a wash afterwards. Just need to touch up those areas a bit more and I can finish off the waist accessories (grenades, pouches). After that will just be the main robes to sort out and the lil icons that are hanging off from those.

Also did some metal work on the bolters for a few grey hunters. I really need to get off my lazy backside and finish another hunter (since there isnt a whole lot left to do). Just need to confirm with my photobucket account which bits go with which guy and that will be about it.

Been doing a few sketches of concept art for my V2 EC marines. Isnt going too bad, looking alot better than the current V1 incarnations in some areas. Of course Im hitting the point of having all my ideas caught between all the pieces of paper, so on one particular page I have quick sketches of the Chaos Warrior Helmets, and Im sure on another page Ill have various CC weapons etc. Need to try and do some more mutation work, since its still quite 'plain' looking in some aspects.

Otherwise, thats about it. Taking the laptop for its repair job today, so should get that back by the end of the week I hope. Depending how these sketches go, I may/may not get one or two pages scanned and uploaded to My blog. Some of them arent too fantastic (still never liked drawing figures) but they are suitable enough to get a pictorial version of my ideas.

Hopefully get some pics up by the end of this week.



-TAS

Getting There...

Did a bit more work on the test mini and it aint looking too bad, although MY GOODNESS, painting the face (mainly the eyes and lips) was NOT an easy task at all. However, from a distance it doesnt look TOO bad. So the head has now been done (needs a bit more work, but thats coming from the person that hates painting flesh). The Fleur dy lys as well as the Inquisition symbol have been painted in a very "boring" white. For future reference I may use different colors (eg golds) to bring them out, but I dont want to bring out too many colors into the palette, plus the white still sufficient stands out and it doesnt feel like a giant leap. The more I look at the mini, the more I think black would not have been a good idea for robe colors at all as the black seems to almost be a black hole. All thats left now are the bolter, robe areas, metal bits and the waist accessories which isnt too bad. In addition the backpack needs to be done, so I might start work on that soon as well. The mini doesnt look too bad, the black lining helps give it a bit of life, where as the flat and full painting style I had 6 years ago, probably wouldnt have looked nice on the mini at all. Ill probably do a bit more work before taking the next pic, although I probably wont start the robes just yet as I want to stock up on a few vallejo paints which I would have done today, but my palm pilot lost the doc file I had listing My vallejo paints.

In other news, I put the huge ass Liber Chaotica Compilation on lay by (mmm 3 month layby) which is great. Will make a nice lil Christmas present if I havent collected it before then. Not too bad for $100, considering I bought the three seperate Libers at about $50 each. At least this time around Ill have the Khorne section, plus the special Undivided section as well. Thinking I might resort to laybying future stuff as well, that way I can buy in bulk and spread the payment over the 3 months.

Otherwise thats about it at this point in time, once the bulk of this Sister is out of the way, I may turn My attention back to My Wolves (still got the grey hunter pack to finish) and try and do some modelling on the side for either my Thousand Sons or Angels of the Lion armies.




-TAS