Friday 27 February 2015

Off to Gottacon!



As with any large project I didn't leave myself enough time to finish everything so it's been a busy morning of "quick and fancy" freehand to fill in all the gaps on banners and armour plating, along with a couple of quick army photos for you all. I sprayed what I thought was a matte clear coat, but turned out to be satin... D'oh! I will be back next week with better photos and a mini review of my tournament experience. One thing I can say now is that after so many dioramas I have a new found respect for army sized painting projects!



Tuesday 24 February 2015

WIP Blood Angels Captain



This chap's expression sums up my painting schedule at the moment, so much to do! I'm too busy for any decent photographs, and I'm stuck as to how to paint the robes. You can see the conversion in this post. There's also an unfinished Land Raider on the painting desk as I type...

Monday 23 February 2015

Painting Daze

It's been a busy two months since I bid farewell to my Necrons mid-December and welcomed the new 32mm bases and Blood Angels back to my hobby area and figure case in preparation for Gottacon 2015. With two days left this week to finish my army the pressure is on, and all I want to do is laze in the near-Springtime sunshine! I have spent the past eight weeks converting and painting at home, at work, at the local GW, had vivid dreams about hordes of unpainted models, and spilled more than a few pots on the floor (thank you oxy-clean!). I don't have any more "finished" models to share with you this week as I am working to get every model to the same standard before returning to all the small details, so here are a few unedited and less polished photos that didn't make it to the blog over the last eight weeks. I think I'm done painting army sized projects for a while!











Tuesday 17 February 2015

Completed: Blood Angels Attack Bike



Due to my work shifts this month, a vacation day off, and a statutory holiday I have spent the last eight out of ten days painting. My lower back is grumbling but my army is about 50% finished, the rest base-coated and at least half have their shading and weathering completed. With only three days of painting left next week before the tournament it will be tight, though I did spend an extra few hours today getting a game in against a multiple bike squad Ultramarines army complete with Invisible Centurions, Chapter Master on a Bike, and Corteaz who shot my Drop Pod and cargo out of the sky on my first turn and proceeded to immobilise everything else turn two. A good challenging game going into a tournament for sure!



As with my recently completed Furioso, this guy started life as a well-used metal model on which I attached a new plastic bike and rider. There was an awful mold line down the front of the sidecar which I painted into a large scratch, and disguised the same problem on the helmet by painting the Blood Angels logo. I am avoiding any object light source blending while there are still unfinished models in the army, and instead had some fun free-handing the markings on the shoulder pads, bike and tactical display on the bike console. I am really happy with how the base turned out, as I used some brown and green pigments to break up some of the harsh dry-brushing lines.


For now it's back to edge highlighting my Drop Pod, it sure feels like more than five panels!

Sunday 15 February 2015

Completed: Furioso Dreadnought with Frag Cannon




This guy is an old metal dreadnought with a newer plastic Frag Cannon arm. I loved painting the metal detailed wings, skulls and other elements, they certainly have a more hand-sculpted feel than the perfectly symmetric details on some of the newer models. He received two layers of 'Ard Coat to prevent chipping, along with a layer of Lamium Medium to reduce the shine. This has dulled some of the detail, but I drew the line at tabletop quality with only the freehand receiving special attention, so I'm less concerned with looks rather than gaming longevity. I plan to fill the gap in the base with green stuff in between painting other models, and may add kill markings in the future.


Here is a work in progress shot showing some of the gold details using my new method. I mixed brown and gold paint, highlighted this with silver, then apply thin coats of gold over the top. I honestly started non-metallic painting as I could never get a gold finish to look good, so a big thank you to Thor from GW Highgate for the painting tips! I also started using some pigments on the base to tie the green metals and grey earth together, you can see the finished base in the previous photos. I am really enjoying seeing this army come together, stay tuned for more updates!

Saturday 14 February 2015

What happened to the 'Eavy Metal paint quality?!

I recently browsed a copy of the new Blood Angels painting guide for a little inspiration and was thinking of purchasing the digital version until I did a double take regarding the quality of paint jobs inside. With at least two previous painting guides sitting on my shelf including my favourite ""Masterclass" book, I had to check my previous edition Blood Angel codex to confirm what I was seeing was something new and not a product of browsing too many other tutorials and painting guides.




Above you can see the 5th Edition Codex banner version on the left. A brilliant freehand which we should all aspire to and be able to compare with any Gold Daemon entry or best painted army at a local tournament. On the right is the version included with the official painting guide which accompanied the 7th Edition Codex. It comes with a handy step-by-step which is great to break down what is initially a daunting design for a new painter, but leaves a little to be desired for the long term collector looking to push themselves to the next level.



I don't really know what to make of this, I understand they are looking to involve newer players with less experience, but being a shrink wrapped product that cannot be reviewed before purchase I would be very annoyed having wasted my money on this product. I also feel there are a few steps missing when compared with previous painting guides, and the models look much less detailed for higher definition photographs which is a shame. I also spotted mold lines and even a finger print (see above) on one of the dreadnoughts. Do you think this is a drop in painting quality or simply a product aimed at much newer painters than myself?

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Saturday 7 February 2015

Re-basing my Imperial Knight

I can't believe it's nearly a year since the Imperial Knight model was launched along with the weekly release schedule and ensuing hobby budgeting chaos! With so many distractions throughout the year my Knight Errant has been the one model which has graced both display shelf and gaming table in equal measure. I had originally sculpted a one off base to meet the deadline for a Canada-wide painting competition, but stopped short of painting much heraldry or applying decals as I was waiting for the right army to match the paint scheme to. With my Blood Angels suitably crimson, it was time to switch bases for the upcoming tournament. I'll let the photos do the talking!






I had a few skulls remaining from a pack of skulls and cut a few extra away from the larger 'piles' which come with the blister pack. Add some of the floor sections cut using the same method as my Death Company bases and the whole lot was put together quite quickly. I wanted to 'square' the model off against the front of the base to make gaming and storage a little easier, and actually set the torso of the model against the lines in the tiled edges to make sighting the Ion Shield in game a lot easier. A good example of form following function for a tournament ready army. 


He's ready for some heraldry and a little more detailing of the base, but I love how the reds really push forward against the cooler and darker base. I have pinned a small 28mm figure to the base which represents the pilot, and he will look great against the painted banner as a fitting backdrop but all under "if I have time" at this stage! Now it's on to the rest of the armour for a few late night painting sessions between now and the end of the month!


Tuesday 3 February 2015

Completed: Blood Angels Scouts


The clock is ticking for my Blood Angels army with the tournament less than a month away now. I took some of my enthusiasm for speed painting my Death Company (not a tournament unit however!) and applied it along with the same palette to my second troops choice: Scouts with Snipe Rifles. Despite being difficult to photograph with the white background they look great in person and very "special operations" themed as I plan to use all the bright colours of the rest of the army to divert attention away from them while they babysit an important objective. I already lost them myself a few times as individual models among all the ruins in a Kill Team game, so here's hoping it works in a full game.



The Blood Angels logo on the shoulder guards should tie them in with the rest of the force once everything is painted, and the green-glazed-metallics tie in with the basing on the other models so they will definitely tick the box when it comes time for paint score judging. The lack of red really suits the models, and is a far cry from the previous clown-like basecoat! I found the freehand on the shoulders and extra work on the seargent's face really satisfying after the quick paint job on the rest of the models.