September Hobby Challenge

Over at Four Dads of the Apocalypse, the aforementioned dads are preparing to start a Hobby Challenge.

Our current hobby challenge is coming to an end and us Dad’s got thinking… maybe it would be cool to get you guys involved too!?

The themes we pick are intended to challenge, so for this we’ve picked ‘something new’. For this one it could be a miniature from a different army that you’ve always had your eye on, it could be a colour you’ve never been brave enough to attempt, it could be that sweet conversion you have been dreaming of for a while but weren’t quite sure you could pull off…

The challenge will start on the 1st September. We’ll post a weekly compilation of the submissions on Twitter and then on the 1st October we’ll post our top three favourites.  

There’s no prizes, other than the satisfaction of completing something you’ve never done before, and the ability to hobby-shame your friends that didn’t manage to complete their entry in time.  

So, pick your entry, follow us on twitter, subscribe to the blog and get posting your weekly progress pictures with the hash tag #4dhobby. In the mean time, let us know what you're planning to enter.

#4dhobby

So I'm in. I've been working on my Deathwatch minis of late, and have been tinkering with the idea of converting one of my Calth Contemptors to a Deathwatch Contemptor with some greenstuff work. This is something new, the dreadnought, and moreso something to get me out of my purity seal comfort zome with regard to sculpting.

Ready? Here we go!

Cheers,

CJ

Saturday Workbench Update

With the first two Deathwatch Overkill marines completed, I set about assembling the next few that I want to paint. I have Brothers Redblade, Grytt, Sorrlock, and Branatar above, as well as the servo skull and teleport homer.

Then I decided to assemble this Platoon Command for my Steel Legion. These are Caipari Urban Shocktroops from Mad Robot Miniatures. There is a medic on the far edge, using a mix of MRM and GW parts, as well as a MRM Commissar on the beer cap. More on all of these to come, of course.

Cheers,

CJ

125000 Views

Just a quick thanks for everyone who has stopped by and taken a look at my models, perhaps left a comment. I meant to do it at 50000 views and didn't, and then again when I finally hit 100000.

THANK YOU READERS!

Cheers,

CJ

Deathwatch 002: Overkill Ultramarines Completed

I got Chaplain Cassius and Vael Donatus finished up and based over the weekend. It was a lot of fun getting these guys painted up and I look forward to getting the next couple done.

I kept a picture of the GW studio model up for each of these characters and stayed pretty true to the design. I did go with a red casing on the Stalker pattern bolter and bolt pistol. Next up will be Drenn Redblade, the teleport homer, and servo skull (I think). After that I plan to work on these in pairs, except for the terminator and biker.

Here is everything I've painted so far this year. Ave Imperator!

Cheers,

CJ

Saturday Workbench Update

Another week down.

Since my Leman Russ refurb project has stalled for want of silicone, I got the time to do some painting on my Deathwatch Overkill marines. Now this stuff is quite serviceable for what I need, as long as it hasn't sat for overly long. Mine has sat for quite some time and the rubber is gone over.

As stated in my first Deathwatch post I started with the Ultramarines seconded to Killteam Alpha. I've got a lot of base colour laid in, and hope to finish them this weekend.

Cheers,

CJ

Deathwatch 001: Killteam Reminiscence

I've been a fan of the Deathwatch ever since they were featured in a White Dwarf battle report, allied with the Steel Legion. They looked so cool and  the way the battle report was set up they were just awesome. Back then it wasn't very difficult to find back issues of WD so I tracked down the ones I needed that had the Deathwatch rules and Index Astartes entry. I decided after looking to the rules that I wanted to put together a unit of Deathwatch. I'm excited to see the Resurgence of these guys now, I mean it's about 14-15 years after the fact for me. The Deathwatch was the ordo militant that rumor had firmly ensconced with the lost Codex: Alienhunters. Death Masque game looks to be fun, and the Deathwatch Marines in there look great. The Killteam included with Overkill are also some really characterful miniatures.

Now back then Games Workshop had just two options for Deathwatch conversion. There was a head sprue that included two heads and then there was the a stalker boltgun and shoulder pad sprue. I picked up 10 or 11 of the latter from Mail Order, and then I bought 5 blisters Dark Angels tactical marines, for the robed bodies. I end up getting a Dremel at the same time-my first one-because it made it so much easier to grind off the Dark Angels iconography on those miniatures. I picked up a couple of heavy Bolter Marines since heavy bolters with suspensors are badass (18" frag missile that doesn't scatter? OKAY!).  And I loved to run these guys, they were so much fun back in the day... this was 3rd edition, and it was a few years til 4th still. I had a lightning claw, two power fists, a couple power weapons, and the force sword wielding Librarian. My Deathwatch Killteam was ready to go. 

I even built a dedicated Rhino for them- painted the interior, very carefully replaced the bolter moulded on the bulkhead with one of the stalker pattern, and gave the driver a Deathwatch shoulderpad. When 4th edition came out with it came the new Space Marine commander box. The bits from that box allowed me to update my Deathwatch Killteam and I even got started painting the models. I never got around to getting good pictures of them, mores the pity.

So with that in mind and the Leman Russ project kind of stalled I've moved on to my Deathwatch Overkill Marines, and decided to start with Chaplain Cassius and Vael Donatus. I'll get those guys painted up and then move on. I have no idea what order I'll get the rest painted in.

I gave these guys my usual basecoat of Testors Model Master flat black acrylic, followed by drybrush layers of Codex Grey and Administratum Grey. My plan is to give them a few coats of Nuln Oil and see how it turns out... hopefully what I've got in mind works.

Cheers,

CJ

Saturday Workbench Update

Late update, and brief tonight. I've been puttering along on the Leman Russ salvage. Not much more done really than what I've posted. I've got a small side project that will be... beneficial? to the project. I'll have a post about that when it works or fails.

Cheers,

CJ

Spotted: Corvus Blackstar Painting Video

I'll just leave this here...

It's a private video now, shame that.

We're live again XD

Leman Russ Salvage 002

The refurbishment of these two Leman Russ tanks continues. With the side skirts basic construction finished I moved on to adding some details to them, as well as working out how they'd be mounted.

Using floral wire I added some lugs to the side skirts. These extend through holes drilled in the hull, allowing me to remove the skirts for painting. Not bad, but still a bit plain.

I added a ladder to each skirt with more wire. This gives it a bit more detail to break up the large flat panels.

Finally, I clipped off all the stowage lugs from the older turrets and drilled holes to mount lugs made from wire loops.

All that's left on these two tanks is to rebuild the hull heavy bolter for the tank on the left. The one on the right is ready for paint. I'm beginning to think these Leman Russ will fill out a command squad. I've got a Vanquisher in the works to be used as Commander Pask.

Cheers,

CJ

Inq28: Kill Team Completed!

I finished my kill team for the /r/warhammer40k summer challenge, and managed to do so with a couple days to spare. I thought painting would take me right to the wire. Now that all the submissions are in I'm ready to reveal my mystery characters. If you're a redditor you ought to go vote!

Enter Gideon Lorr and Uriah Jacobus! These are a couple of my favorite character models. When the Witchhunters Codex was released Gideon Lorr was a limited edition release. I never managed to get one then, but the through the magic of eBay I was able to pick one up. Uriah Jacobus was a Sisters of Battle release (I think... I'm having a bitch of a time trying to find history on the fig) and I think I had one on my conversion fodder pile years ago and never did anything with it.

For my kill team I picked an inquisitor, a priest, and three veterans. I added purity seals to Jacobus and the veterans to help tie them together with something besides similar colours... which I also relied on. Red and gold feature across all the models. The veterans all have shotguns to better help heretics and mutants find the Mercy of the Emperor's Divine Light along side the priest. Lorr is armed with a plasma pistol and his bad ass hat.

Now in an actual game I have no idea how these guys will do and I don't know whether or not I'll get one in anytime soon.

Cheers,

CJ

Saturday Workbench Update

Man it's been hot out here in Utah. This week finally brought a change and the end of fifteen or sixteen days of triple digit temperatures. Combine that heat with working outside, well... it drains you. Consequently this week I didn't get too much done, besides moving things around the workbench.

The Leman Russ refurbishment is still underway. The kill team for the /r/warhammer40k hobby challenge is done. My Imperial Knight is still standing here staring at me with its shining eye lenses. I've got 32 days of continuous rewards in Freeblade, does that count for anything?

Cheers,

CJ

Imperial Knight 001: Last Summer's Knight

In 2015 life took a turn for the more interesting for a while. While I was dealing with depression I impulse bought a Knight Warden since I wanted one and had stopped caring about bills or rent (foolishly....) at least for the moment.

Seriously, I went out for a pot of paint and ended up with the Knight.

I got him all put together in short order. I also set about making the arms interchangeable so that I can field whatever variant the mission calls for. Now I've got four Knights and that's less of an issue but hey, I'm going to repeat the process for each.

I'm working on custom house colours at the moment, but came up with this last summer when I was working on the initial build.

I want my Knight household loosely affiliated with Legio Astorum, so I worked their eclipse design into my heraldry. Looks good on paper, lets see if I can actually paint it on the area provided.

At the moment I'm working on finishing the Knight's base and dabbling with actually diving in and painting it. The model is primed silver and waiting for love like so many of my other models. I downloaded Freeblade for my phone to play with the knight painter... the knight painter is full of fremium content. Fortunately the colours I wanted to play with were easy to approximate with the available options.

So something like that.

Cheers,

CJ