Space Marines to the rescue!

So the new space marine codex came out two weeks ago.  I haven't purchased it yet, having made a promise to someone special that I wouldn't, but figured since it has arrived it's time to finish up some tactical marine models that are lying around.  These 4 are a part of 6 that will be my razorback squad.  The razorback is a transport that can carry up to 6 models that are normal sized, larger ones being denoted bulky and very bulky.  It has a turret on top of it giving it limited offensive capabilities and it's main purpose is really to soak up some incoming fire so the troops can move forward.

Up until this point, I've just pulled some of the Ultramarines painted back in my starting days and thrown them into the battle force.  I'm a bit of a perfectionist and it's always bugged me that these blue guys were riding around with the rest of my red forces.  Additionally, Dave decided he wanted to try out kill team, and from what we've read the tournaments for kill team require your models to be fully painted and based (it's only 200 pts of models, about 10 tac marines and a few heavy weapons).  The rules also said they needed to be What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG).  If you look closely, each model has grenades and a pistol on them to represent the basic wargear options.

This painting experience was a bit different due to a supplement GW has just put out for free that covers base painting techniques for space marine tactical marines.  Using those techniques and suggestions on various parts of these models has really increased the quality of the paint job.  his guide also gave me some great ideas on how to paint various parts of the miniature.

Now one small statement here - obviously I am in no way shape or form employed or affiliated with GW.  I make this shout out however because that manual gave me some really good tips and suggestions, and it's free, so why not go pick it up and see there's anything helps you?

The model's base was done using some painting techniques from the book with a twist.  In the book, they use Armageddon dust on the vehicle for dirt kicked up on the side, and dry brush tyrant skull on top.  I used that same pattern on the bases and then washed with Agrax earthshade to make the top parts of the bases match the brown used on the ring.  Lastly, some hobby grass and flock was used to spice up the bases and make them a bit more colorful.

The other two models are complete except the Sergent.  For that model, I plan on using some transfer pens to apply the faction symbol to his shoulder pad.  If it turns out good, I'll post some pics later.

-Cj

Gauntly Appearance

Last time I wrote I talked about how I had worked on some Termagaunts.  I want to go over now how I decided to paint the skin.  We will only cover this process, but eventually I'll cover the armor chitin, weapon, and base.

1. To start off with, I applied a white base coat done with GW's  spray paint.  It's fairly expensive and there are cheaper options out there, but I've never persued them.  If anyone has some suggestions, feel free to leave a comment.  For now, I'll probably stick with the GW product for consistancy but am always open to suggestions.

2. Next up I took some Vallejo Medium and mixed in Citadel's Ungor Flesh in a 1:1 ratio.  The goal is to get the paint thin so the lower layers shine through better, while still retaining the ability to leave the paints mark on the upper layers of the model.  Previously I had just applied the paint straight out of the bottle, but this never seemed to give me an even coat.  Thinning out the paint seemed to leave a nice layer over everything.  Don't get me wrong, it did puddle in the crevices, but that works to our benefit later on. 

I didn't use GW's thinning medium here because I like how Vallejo's medium comes in a drip bottle instead.  Not having to guesstimate with a brush on how much medium is needed and instead being able to measure the amount of medium dropped instead has made the mixing process very easy.

3. Again getting a good mix, we apply a lyaer of Fire Dragon Bright.  The mix is again a 1:1, and I'm only doing a single layer.  I've seen it recommended that you do more for thicker, stronger colors, but I choose the 1-layer option because I want the coloring on the under layers to show through better.

4. Then you apply a layer of Troll Slayer Orange to the model to give it coloring that really pops.  You'll notice in the picture that you can still see some of the under layers, but the effect is subtle enough that the majority of the effect is lost on my phones camera.  I promise that the real model shows these layers a lot better than this picture.

5. Finally I applied a layer of Reikland Fleshshade shade to the model.  This fills in some of the holes in the model, making the recesses look darker.  I also liked how it seemed the lower layers shined through a lot better with the contrast from the darker wash.

Tonight I painted 3 more Termagaunts, and from beginning to end of painting the skin it probably took about 10 minutes per model, if that.  I've been really pleased with this coloring scheme since it's so different from the metal paneling of the Space Marines, Necrons, and Tau I'm used to.

I'll write another blog soon about how I decided to do the shell.  I like the purple layering, but decided to go with the green instead and have been quite pleased with the results.  Later on we will cover how I approached the gun these guys hold, since I really haven't quite figured that out yet.

-Cj

Gaunts and you!

So I went shopping again on ebay and picked up a Tyranid codex for pretty cheap about 2 weeks ago.  After having painted that Zoanthrope, the painting itch hit so I picked up a Hive Guard and gave painting Tyranids another try.  It was quickly brought to my attention that testing paint schemes on expensive models was not a good idea, as you'll see below.  I'd recommend that anyone wanting to try new paints styles on different armies pick up the cheap $8 - $10 box of troops for their respective group.

I used a brown base under the orange on the Hive Guard instead of the fleshy base I used with the Zoanthrope, thinking that the brown base would shade the upper layers of paint in a positive way.

Bleh.  I mean the red isn't that bad looking, but it was shaded way too much in the brown direction that I just ended up highlighting it in red to see what it looked like. I think a chemical bath in LA's Totally Awesome cleaner is in order.  If you haven't heard about it, you can buy LA's at most any dollar store and it will strip acrylic paint off of models with the best of them.  I had to use it on the Zoanthrope because of a mess up with the clear coat, and the resin was not impacted at all while the removal of paint was almost totally complete.

So now what?  I want to paint beautiful nids, but can't afford to keep messing up on fancy resin models!  Short tirade on pricing: Games-Workshop prices their models according to their value on the field, and not their value in plastic/material/molding costs.  A Riptide, at $85, has just as much plastic in it as some of the $55 models, but since it's the big go-to unit for Tau, it's price is dramatically higher.  I'm sure this is already known by others, but it bugs (pun intended) the heck out of me.

Anyways, back to my original suggestion: look into smaller troop boxes and experiment from there.  This then is the result of those actions:

I'll get into specifics in another blog post on how I got the color shading on the skin, but suffice it to say I really enjoyed the method and I am very pleased with the results.  The picture truly doesn't give it justice, but it'll have to do for now. I have some other armor colors to try, as well the base they stand on needs some big attention, but if I could get the purple color at the right shade on the armor scales I should be set and ready to go.

-Cj

Tyranids and Zoanthropes

So I have a thing about trying out different models and paint schemes.  This time around, I picked up a Tyranid Zoanthrope a few weeks ago and wanted to try a more naturalistic paint scheme.  The plating and claws were fairly simple to do.  After basing the whole model white, I painted a layer of Ushanti Bone over all the plates and hard surfaces I wanted green.  Next, I used snot green for the first layer on the plates, and (not quite)dry brushed it on about the middle of the armor plates/claws.  I say not quite there since the paint was still fairly wet.  The goal is not to end up with gobs of paint sitting on the model, but to have lines and striations in it. Next, I applied a darker shade of green towards the back, going over the edges.  Lastly I brushed black just along the edges of each plate and claw, and then washed the plates and claws with a green wash.  I'll update colors when I get back home.

The skin was fairly easy, a flesh covered layer followed by an orange layer, followed by two washes with Flesh-something wash.  For the brain, I left the white paint there and washed it in blood gore wash, followed by a dry brushing of white over the noodles.

As you can tell from the picture, there are still a few areas to touch up on, but I think it's coming along very nicely, and once those areas are taken care of it'll be ready for varnish. The base is some rocks I bought at a train hobby supply store, and the grass is a grass product you can find at any model shop.  The base exterior is actually the same color as the skin on the Zoanthrope.  The blue on the base is actually the white glue I used to hold everything down, and doesn't look that way in real life.  However, seeing it in this picture has convinced me that washing the base in blue after things have been glued in could make a very good contrast for the model.

Total paint time right now amounts only to about 2 hours, meaning replication on less complex models should be fairly simple.  Since this is a horde army, that's really preferred for painting tons of miniatures.  Also, since I'm not going for complete coverage of colors, you end up with an army that still has uniqueness even though they are all painted the same.

I hadn't planned on starting Tyranids as an army choice, and after looking at finances, don't think it'll be an option for a while.  But it was fun to paint a model that was more organic looking.  I've also picked up a Hive guard this last week and will work on as well.  Haven't figured out yet how to paint that model, since there are gaps in armor coverage that will need to be worked out, but I'll post pictures when I get there.

-Cj

Dread painting

So I changed my mind.

I started this afternoon on the arm.  Yes, I said I would use an airbrush, but I decided that the mess wasn't worth it and just started painting.  As you can tell from the picture, i started with a white base coat.  The reasoning for this is that white makes my red stand out and gives me a better idea if I've missed a spot.  Granted, if you miss something you have to go back and get it, since having a bunch of white spots on your model is annoying.  This is also a feather in a black base coat's cap since you can't see where you've missed with black.

From there we use the Eshin Grey to coat all the metal parts of the dread.  Again, some debate on whether it's better to coat the whole model, but for this one I wanted to only have the grey undercoat on the metal parts of the model.

And apply the first coat of red.  It's really bright right now, but with a wash of blue it'll darken right to where we want it.

-Cj

Dreadnoughts and you!

Well I did it again.

New models!  Games Workshops' Warhammer 40k has been a pretty fun obsession for me, one that has filled that customization itch I've had for a while.  You purchase an army unit box, get a bunch of plastic sprue's, and assemble an awesome looking model!  Once assembled, you base and paint the model as you choose.  I usually base my models either white or black, and then color according to the army style I've chosen.  My current Space Marine army (the group the dreadnought is from) is the Exorcists, a group whos color pattern is a deep red with black trim.

So, to base my models, I start out with GW black primer. Next up I cover the black with Citadel Paint Khorne Red. After covering the whole model, I apply a good amount of Guilliman Blue Glaze.  This does some interesting things, primarily since I've applied a red first you end up with dark shaded lines and stains on some areas of the model.  You can see it on the above model when you look at the Mohawk part of the helmet.  That dark coloring in the cracks is the shade.  After that, I take Eshin Grey and paint it in the cracks of the "flexible" part of the armor as well as the shoulder trim of the paudrons.  From here, it's a coat of black ink over the Eshin Grey, with a highlight of a lighter grey to give the armor cracks some depth, and a reapplication of Khorne Red over the flat areas of the armor.  I do this second coat of red to keep the primarily color of the model red.  Again, with the earlier glaze this gives the model a nice deep red color with some darker highlights which look particularly good on gauntlets or any other surface with large lines and cracks on it.

After that, it's all detail work.  Specific colors vary, but silvers and bronze's round out the metal parts.  I use a lighter shade of red, Evil Sunz Scarlet, to highlight the model.  You do this by dipping the paint brush in the ESS, dabbing off most of the paint to the point where there is almost none on the brush, and brushing the edges of the armor with the flat part of the brush.  You can't use too much paint or you'll end up painting over details, but if you just about dry brush it you'll end up with a good looking line.  I've had difficulty getting the amount of paint right, but when you do it leaves a great looking effect on the armor.

For the dread, I'm going to try a few different things starting at painting the model using an airbrush with the first coat of Khorne Red. Airbrushing on vehicles tends to be easier due to the amount of flat surfaces you have to paint and the ease in which the airbrush does so.  Second, I'm debating about using masking tape and the such to cover the red details and then airbrush Eshin Grey.  In fact, I'm still undecided if I should be doing the Eshin Grey first and the Khorne Red second.  Anyways, from there the glaze and ink will be applied to shade the colors, and the second layer of Khorne Red will be applied.There are a lot more colored details, so after applying the first layer of red layering and blue wash, the metal parts will then receive their first coat of whichever metal color I decide they need. 

Once I get to this point in the painting process, I'll post some pictures to give you something to look at as well as an update as to which path I decided to pursue.

-Cj

Warship Construction

This link will take you to a build thread for a warship I'm currently constructing.  It's a 1/144th scale Bogue WW2 escort carrier.

From the research I've done (Wikipedia, thank you!) the Bogue's were constructed by the American Government around 1941 and distributed through the Lend-lease program to the UK.  The particular ship I'm modeling my carrier after is the USS St. George.  She was transferred and renamed by the British as the HMS Pursuer.  From the article, it appears as though she had seen some action prior to decommissioning.

There's nothing particular about the USS St. George that I find endearing besides the name.  Living in Utah means you hear all about the southern Utah vacationing locations.  St. George also happens to be the name of the largest city in southern Utah, and also the place where my mother's family is from.  Thus, the ship will be the USS St. George.

The kit is one provided by Mike, RGENGR on the forums, and can be found at this site.  It's very easy to assemble everything and has been really fun to work with.  It's taught me a bit about wood working, although yes, I know it's really not real wood working!  However there are a few things like cutting slots into rails to relieve pressure, flexibility of different woods as well as how they react to impacts that have been fun to learn. 

Currently the ship is receiving it's bottom hull plating, and if everything goes according to plan I'll install the drive shaft and fiberglass the bottom within the next two weeks.  After that I'll install the internal components like the motor, Electronic Speed Controller (ESC), and pump.  The radio will come a bit later once the other components are installed.  However, I'm a little nervous for the electronics step.  I know how to install wiring and cabling in electronics, as well as enough to wire electronics without blowing them up but lack knowledge in some of the finer details. This includes why you would want a certain engine or how much juice to wire your battery cells for.  The guys at the forum however are great to work with, so between them and a local hobby shop I've found I'm sure the project will turn out just fine.

-Cj