Games Workshop's (relatively) New Paints

...or more specifically, the pots they come in.

I have a small bitch about this, and that is that all, and I mean ALL of the new paint ought to have come in the new pots with the stupid security features/ I don't even know what to call the stupid tab in the back that I had to cut half off of the Caledor Sky pot...

The pots are a mix of the '06 pots for the regular paints which suck; and the '12 pots, which suck worse.  I nearly tore my nail off when my thumb slipped while trying to open the damn thing.  The problem isn't the stupid tabs or the security things, its the lack of consistency.  If every new pot I opened had the things to contend with, then I may not have forgotten so soon.  But since the relaunched paints have come around, the Caledor Sky and the Liquid Green Stuff have been the only ones with these new features.  I'd like to cast my vote for a return of the '03 pots, the black flip lids/twist offs.  These were so bloody amazing...

Ah, well.  May as well wish for dropper pots, like nearly all the other decent paint comes in.
/rant

Okay, now that the ranting is done, how do I feel about the new paints themselves?  Well, as stated in a previous blog post, the recommended replacement for Shadow Grey is The Fang, and its not even close.  But that is to be expected in a new formulation of paints.  As for the important parts, these paints cover well. The Base and Layer paints both seem to go on smoother than the old Foundation paints and layer colours.  The texture may be worth it for some people.  That really depends on your basing style.  The only issue I have with them is that there doesn't seem to be much mileage in the small pots of texture paint, especially since the paint wants to dry around the texture in the mouth of the pot.  The Drybrush Medium, Washes, and Glazes I haven't tried yet.  Maybe for Crimbo, I'll get one of these...

Cheers,
-Xi

Some Blogs I Follow

Here are a few of the blogs I follow, and what they are up to...

Ten Inch Template, with an awesome Vraksian Bloodthirster.

One of the ongoing projects that I've been following is the amazing 'Aliens' themed Tyranid army.

James Wappel Miniature Painting with some amazing Inquisitorial Stormtroopers, old and new.

I love the mix of old and new models.  As I've stated before, the 3rd ed Imperial Stormtroopers are some of my all time favorite models for 40k.

Legion 9 Studios with some Space Wolves Terminators WIP.

Some great looking models on this blog...

And finally, The Beard Bunker, which is an excellent all around hobby blog, in my opinion.

Knights from an article about expanding an Empire force.

Cheers,
-Xi

Tech Marine Sergeant

I present the first figure of my Allies Contingent, Brother Magos Rickard.  The base of the figure is the Tech Marine that came with the 3rd ed Command Squad box.  I removed the arm that held the signature cog toothed axe, and added the chainblade arm from the Puppetswar.eu Mechanical Implants and Weapons pack.  The cog axe was saved for another project, of course.  Here is a picture of this guy while getting painted.  I must beg forgiveness in advance, right now the only available camera is a cell phone camera.

The model got a base coat of Mechrite Red, followed by a coat of Devlin Mud wash.  Once dry, a heavy drybrush of Blood Red was applied, followed by a coat of Baal Red wash.  I should mention that I cut all my washes with a few drops of Future floor wax, which you can learn all about here.  It really is amazing.

The reverse side.  The next step was to pick out all the metallic detail that I wanted with Chainmail, and then that washed with black ink, and drybrushed with Mithril Silver.  The select bits of gold on the figure were first painted with Scorched Brown, then Burnished Gold with a wash of Delvan Mud.  The highlight was applied with Shining Gold.  The exposed cabled were then pained with Kommando Khaki, and washed with Delvan Mud.  The skin of the face was last.  While I got close to what I wanted, its not quite there.  I based the area with Kommando Khaki, then washed it with Baal Red.  I then drybrushed the area with a 1:1 Kommando Khaki to Rotting Flesh.  Finally, the eye and mouth were given a dash of Delvan Mud.  That wash seems to have been the star here...

Here is the completed figure.  Brother Magos Rickard, armed with a bolt pistol and a chainsword.  Soon to be added is his Servo Arm.  He will lead a Tactical Squad.  I will be adding some different Heavy Support options to this group, mostly since the conversion possibilities are so broad.  I have some plans for heavy combat servitors that count as Terminators.

Cheers,
-Xi

Cadian Stormtroopers

These guys have been in progress on and off since earlier this year.  I've finally got the first five completed.  The squad is a mix of the old Mark Bedford stormtroopers, the Forgeworld Hostile Environment Cadians, and a few kitbashed pieces.

Base colours done, now onto the details.  The grenades were repainted a more suitable colour shortly after this.

Moving through the ruins of another Imperial world...

There are terrain updates coming soon.

Cheers,
-Xi

Zombies!

I took a commission to paint a lot of zombies from the guy that bought the AoBR Greenskins.  I've finished the first lot of fifty.  Here are some shots of the progress thus far.

The first thirty zombies get a basecoat.

The final lot of 20 after drybrushing.

The first and second lot of this batch.  Basing still needs to be finished on 34 of the 50 zombies.

The first batch of 50 zombies, all together.  This is one of a few zombie hordes this patron has planned for his army, all using the Kings of War Undead figures from Mantic Games.  For anyone who hasn't gotten a first hand look at these yet... they're just great.  Clean tooling on the molds, crisp detail on the figs.  The assembly is just slightly more difficult than the AoBR starter; but only because the GW figs have pegs to hold them together.  The sprues come packed with gubbins to boot.

In other news, this gem was acquired gratis, courtesy of the neighbors putting it out on the curb...

As soon as one of my housemates saw it, I rounded up my brother and we were out the door, barefoot, to fetch this beast from across the street.  I dunno why on Terra the neighbors decided this had to go, but a big THANK YOU! from Productive Thinking Industries for you.  The desk is not one of those cheap particle board constructs from Walmart, either; this bugger is SOLID.

...and here it is after being populated.  Its going to be nice to have dedicated project space again.

In the pipeline are some KoW Skeletons, more progress on my Stormtroopers, and the beginnings of a Space Marine allied contingent, 'counts as' Adeptus Mechanicus.

Cheers,
-Xi

An Update on da Boyz

They're done AND sold, thus marking the first earnings of my little enterprise here.  The gent that picked up the Orks has commissioned me to paint up some Kings of War Undead by Mantic next, these blokes here.

I'll have pictures up as soon as possible.  I've had photos of the completed AoBR WAAAAGH!, I'll get them posted as soon as I get them from the photographer.

Til next time,

Xi

P.S.  I'm going to be getting in on Reaper's Bones Kickstarter for the Sophie's.  Everyone should check it out here.  The Vampire Level alone is an amazing value.

Nostagia pt. 2

So I got into the hobby because I had collected enough Space Marines to cobble together an army... and not a little one...

So I went in on my first starter, the 3rd ed box with the Dark Eldar and Space Marines.  Does anyone remember those terrible 'trees' that came with the starter?  There were a few battleforces that came with them, as well.  The others came with the gothic ruins sprue... much more useful.  Now that I think about it, I do believe those ruins came with the starter, too.  There was also included the battlefield accessories sprue, which included barrels, ammo crates, and tank traps.  I remember having so many barrels at one point...

I got a SM battle force, and then a mega force just to round out my section.  Keep in mind, this is when a battle force was $75, the mega force was $150, and totally worth it.  I got my army together and played with lots of troops at first, then a mix of vehicles and troops...  basically I had everything I needed for all the options the codex threw out at the time.  I got comfortable with the Marines.

So for about a year I played at the LGS, learning the rules and having a hell of a time creating all sorts of things with the VDR in Chapter Approved.  After that I dabbled in the soon to be defunct RTT scene here in Utah.  We had some absolutely fantastic Outriders before that program went away.  The first one I ever met gave me lots of advice on what units complimented what best, as well as tons of painting and modelling tips.  He pointed out White Dwarf to me, as well.

After a year of Space Marines, I was ready to branch out a bit, and I did...  Into everything.  I started Necromunda, and Battlefleet Gothic.  I picked up minis for Epic.  There wasn't anything I wasn't interested in learning.  The great thing about the LGS back then was that all the older gamers were willing to teach the games to us.  Hell, we even played in campaigns that had events over multiple Specialist Games.  After the SG range lost its *new and shiny* luster, I started a Chaos Space Marines force, and then an Imperial Guard force using Steel Legion figures.

After all that, there was only one GW hobby front left...