There isn't enough life on this ice cube to fill a space cruiser

Last week I mentioned I was commissioned to make up two battle boards for the local gaming store (Chuck's Comics). After the small test I made on the creator I started work on the board itself and wow it's going to require some serious time haha.

I started by priming it with Space Wolf Grey (Army Painter's version at least) and then started to airbrush it. Here are a few pics, one half with only dark grey and the other highlighted with light blue grey. Detailing that out takes time but it was starting to look decent. I finished up the detailing and then started on the snow.

A couple of the full shots, I'm trying to do them all together so they all match up.

So far it's only paint and only about four colors before blending. I had some other ideas about using some other materials in addition but I ruled them out because this is going to see a lot of use with people playing on it. And who knows how they will treat it so I think the best bet will be to go with almost all paint. It's funny how much can go into painting something with very little details. For the snow I've started by brushing on a coat of white, then I took a rag and would swirl the wait around to remove all the brush strokes. Then I went back and would dab white paint all over to break up the snow so it would have no uniform pattern. Next is a very light drybrush, I went all over the board and with extra attention to the stones and cracks. Next will be to go back in with blue highlights and lowlights.. I'll also be turning the cracked stone on the ground to ice cracks so I'll be going back with blues on that.. It's getting closer to being done but I've already spent a good bit of time on it and still have another battle board to make up haha... sheesh..

It's cold out there..

I will be making up a winter battle board for my local gaming store so I've been testing out the look I want to go for. They requested a blue grey look (for the rocks) and I'm going to be using water effects to make the ice. In the first pic it's just paint and the water effects..

Then I added some white texture paint to the plastic border surrounding it, sprayed it with PH Ice Blue. Let that dry for a little bit then went back in with white, highlighting the stone areas and the outer snow ridge. When that was done I applied some snow flock around the rock edges and that is where it sits right now. I think it's coming along pretty nicely and has that frozen tundra look. This weekend I'll be working on the battle boards themselves..   It appears I need to get two six foot battle boards done for them but April 19th, I'll be running a 40K Escalation League and they are hoping to have these ready. One will be the Tundra above and the other will be a busted up wastleland. I'll probably be making up a tester for that as well.. When I'm done I'll have some cool looking planetscape craters done up 8)

I also finished up two of the Cultists I was working on..

 They Honestly didn't need all that much to be done. Touched up his face and chest. Added some color to the shotgun then added in the Flock.

 For the Butcher I added a good bit of red to his face mask and some to his apron. I added some red into the symbol on his face but the picture didn't pick it up all that much.

 I also mentioned a tattoo and gave him a Chaos Symbol on his left arm .. I figured that would fit.. I was thinking of putting mom on the other arm but passed haha

And added the oils to these guys ..

Now I can start cleaning them up a bit .. clear them and move forward on the details..  The Forgeworld guys still need their other arms, shoulderpads and backpacks. Thankfully I did move a few things off the table last night so I made a small dent. Just enough for me to add some more stuff onto the table haha.. oh well.

Sightless eyes telling me no lies..

More tanks rolling down that dirty assembly line. I mucked up two Rhino/Razorbacks and they are getting close to being done. This one is much closer and really only needs some of the final details highlighted. I didn't notice I had missed some of the metaillic areas so I'll go back and do the highlights then add a little more dirt. Pretty happy with so far..

 The stormbolter needs a lot of love, I totally missed that when I was painting stuff up but it's all good. I'll still be adding in some of the rust and grease mix so I'll go to town on all the metal bits getting them ready to be finished up.

The second tank is a bit farther off and will still require some weathering powders to get it to match up with the other tanks. I must have forgotten to do the exhaust stacks and deep cracks. I don'think it looks bad just needs something more. I'm thinking I'll be wrapping some chain around the front ram to get it a little more something. I also haven't touched any of the metal on it other then the base bronze color. Well the ram is done but other then that it's it. I also forgot to blend the turret at all haha.. whoops. No biggy I'll spray that up and then muck it ..

I was thinking about ordering a Forgeworld Heresy pattern something or other.. I don't know if it will be another Rhino,  a Whirlwind or a Predator. I think I'll need something else though and figure it will fit in nicely..

Mucking Along..

Rictor Grell stood on the forest edge looking down on what was left of Vastall. Burnt habs in various stages of ruin, fire still raged in most of the city pushing back the shadows of night. Twisted metal hulks of machinery and vehicles were scattered throughout the the rubble of the razed city. Grell had been tracking a squad of gene fail traitors for the past forty hours and it looks like they had returned to their hole. He had no idea how long the warband had been here but it appeared they were the ones that had caused the destruction below. Human remains could be seen impaled on spikes though out the town. They were in various stages of decomposition but all were terrible and all were missing their heads. He snorted and shook his head, “skulls for the skull throne” he thought. How far you have sank, look at what you have become.

Like him they were once War Hounds, Legion of the Emperor without a Primarch. The day their Primogenitor was found was supposed to be a great day for the chapter. But for some it was a curse, Angron was little more than a bloodthirsty beast. His first act as their leader was killing many of their respected brothers, brothers that were in effect his sons. After realizing what it meant to be a Primarch and their leader he renamed them World Eaters. That was the least of the insults they would endure, he also wanted them to get the same psy implants he was forced to receive. Some such as Kharn saw those as a blessing but many saw them for what they were, a curse. Devolving them into base killing machines like Angron. A group of high level hounds falsified the reports of the implant insertion and reorganized companies to group up with like minded individuals. This was a boon up until Isstvan III when most of those that apposed Angron's beliefs were sent to die. Phor Grell, a first loyal was one of them and he was sent down to be eliminated. But the traitors underestimated the loyalists resolve and paid a heavy toll.

Rictor tried to shake off old memories, they were his and also not his, and sometimes it could be difficult. He was coming up on his seven hundredth year of life but his gene-seed’s life was much older. He was lucky enough to receive the gene-seed of the first loyal Phor Grell, one of those that stayed true to the Emperor and preferred death to betrayal. The honored dead of Isstvan III. An underground facility was discovered below the Governoral palace and the Apothecaries cobbled together a storage system to preserve what little gene-seed they could salvage. Every bit of gene material that could be retrieved was extracted and stored, if they would escape this world it would be needed to rebuild. Before the final bombardment many took refuge in the facility to wait out the Armageddon. It was there one hundred meters underground that the Dusk Wolves were born. In the future when a brother’s service ended and he joined the Emperor in death his gene-seed would be passed on. The inheritor would take his benefactors surname his mantle as well as his genetic materials. Like many chapters their gene-seed did suffer some mutation, the sense of betrayal and the strife of brother battling brother emanates through them and stored memories and feelings of past inheritors are passed on. The living breathing brother is an amalgam of all those that have passed before starting with the first.

Rictor finally shook himself free of the past, now was not the time. He had work to do, vengeance to exact. Again he looked down on Vastall and spotted movement. Three forms moved in front of a raging fire on the edge of town, Rictor’s optics zoomed in and enhanced. One of the forms had moved off but the other two were pulling skulls from a pile of ravaged bodies. “Move in, leaving none alive. End their future, no gene-seed survives.” he radioed to the other Wolves in the woods. He didn't wait for a response, there was none needed. He sprang from the cover of the forest storming toward the ruined town, Terminator armour was larger than power armour and normally encumbered its wearer. Not Grell, he was one with his armour and he bore down on the two figures at breakneck speed. He wasn't slowed but he couldn't stop the sound of his heavy boots thundering over the ground. With an electric crackle his lightning claws blazed into life emanating a red ruddy glow. His quarry turned as he approached their chainaxes and pistols already in hand. No matter how far they had sank into depravity they were still Space Marines and they were ready. But ready or not, they were going to die. Nothing could stop that now.

I've been applying the muck to a lot of the Dusk Wolf models. I pulled the other two Termies out of the cabinet and oiled them up.. (that doesn't sound good haha). I really like this model and I think he came out looking good, the wash gave him that little more that I thought he needed. I'm letting the oil dry and tonight I'll clear coat him after 24 hours of dry time.

 And also the Termie with the modified Cyclone... they are huge and look wild but I think that makes him look crazy and I like it. I do have a few Cyclones now so I will add them to a few guys too. I still have a bunch of guys to finish up and the Dusk Wolves are a fun army to paint.

Ven Brent - Terminator Guard
      former Emperor's Children

Precision with a scalpel was expected but with a sledgehammer? Ven stood on the ridge watching his squad pummel the traitors into the dust. Word Bearers, or whatever they had become, were pouring out of the smoking hulk that was once their perverted Land Raider. It saddened him greatly to what had become of that once sacred machine. They had released it's tortured machine spirit with missile and Las, one devastating salvo was all it took. His men did not miss. And now the traitor's perverted forms were rushing head long at his squad, he watched as they fell one by one. Bodies being vaporized or exploding as a missile's warhead penetrated armor and detonated. They hoped to close on the heavy weapon squad thinking combat a better choice, they were sorely mistaken. Ven started to move forward, his storm bolter barking adding to the weight of fire. Only two traitors would make it past the heavy weapon fire but there would be no reprieve. He broke into a run moving to intercept, the Word Bearers saw him advancing and began to spread out but Ven's targeter was already locked on to the one on the right. Missiles tore out of the cyclone launcher and connected with the Word Bearer's chest cracking him open like an egg. "You are alone, in this world and the next." Ven said as he closed with the sole survivor, purplish energy blazing into life from his left fist. It was over in seconds, Ven accepted the hit from his opponent trusting in his armor to turn aside the blow. Instead he twist forward locking his opponents sword arm with his right while dropping his Stormbolter. The Word Bearer tried to bring his pistol up but it was too late for that, Ven's fist was already moving forward. One strike, one kill. Precision. 

Oils are a completely different beast and working with them takes a different mindset. How they run and how they go on. How they dry and how you really need to be patient with them. The dry time is much slower but that will allow you a lot more working time and sometimes you have to wait a little to get the finished results. I usually let the model dry a little and will then wipe away the excess.. You can also apply heavy and then thin on the model to give it a running look. It's not an easy thing to actually describe .. it's something you just feel as you work with it .. experience is the key ...experience and fun .. 8)

A true commander leads from the front..

 And has two arms .. 8) I'm going to paint his sword up before I attach his other arm and shoulder pad but I have him pretty close to getting the oil treatment. I will usually do most of the non white detailing on the mini and then go back in with the oils. I've been working on these four and they are getting close ..

 The Robes are looking pretty good so far and I'll add some muck but also touch them up here and there one I'm done with the oil coat.

 The banner bearer also only has the one arm for now, I'm going to paint up his banner before attaching it and that will be some serious free hand. I know what I want it to look like but it's going to be a serious bit of work for sure. I want it to look right so I'll have to take the time to get it right.

 The one shoulder Roman style cloak does look very cool.. 8)

 Next up is the beaky about to draw his combat blade. I'm pretty happy with his look and think he does show a good bit of movement which is cool.. that feeling of motion really makes a model seem alive and that's pretty awesome to me!

 He's ready for the wash and then it will be handling the minor details.

 If you couldn't tell I love me some combat blades haha.. I just think it gives them a solid feel. They are ready for whatever you come with.. raining bullets down on you or stabbing you in the eye.... love it.

The Wolves are getting fleshed out more and more .. I'm going to get these guys done and the other models that need the wash look to update them . .. I also want to right up some storyline for them but I just never seem to have the time!

Another persons trash..

Is my treasure! This weekend was all about the used purchased, a local gaming store had a flee market and there was some pretty good deals there. I thankfully kept myself in check mostly though haha... I did find some goodness that I couldn't pass up. One of the guys had the old Iwo Jima Diorama that I couldn't pass up. If you haven't seen it before it's a Blood Angel, Dark Angel and Ultramarine planting a flag and I always thought it looked cool!

 I also picked up two of these guys, I think it is an OOP Black Templar Captain. Either way he looks very cool and I got them pretty cheap so it was a win win. I'll probably paint one up as BA and the other as DW though I might convert him a bit at least for one. One I will probably keep as is I just don't know if I want him to have the axe or if I want him rocking a combi.

It was also a very Dark Eldar weekend...

 I picked up three Venoms, a box of Wyches and a box of old warriors from Sean (L33tlike.us) and that was a good start for the force. I stripped down the Venoms, I want to go at the DE stuff more as a Pirate/Corsair force then pure DE. So I didn't want to use that many skulls and spikey bits..

 I'm also going to change the location of the guns, I don't want the over the top gun. I'm looking for a good underslung location. Sean started to magnet them up so that will make it easier. I pulled off the lower fins and think that is where they will go but I haven't fully committed.

 I got a raider for real cheap so I can throw the Wyches in there if I do even do them .. or some more of the warriors.. but speaking of warriors .. holy crap.

Those old DE Warriors look so damn terrible. The heads are the worst and man are they bad. No wonder no one I knew I played them back then haha.. I'll probably just use them for bits here and there.

So now I have

3 Venoms
5 Hellions
1 Raider
10 Wyches
1 Succubus
1 Hesperax
10 Warriors (20+ if you count the other ones but YUCK! haha)

I'll be picking up the flyers and some more warriors at least. I'm going to convert at least one Hellion to be the Baron and I'm trying to collect any of the done mask heads to use for all of them. Two from the Wyches and a few from the Venom Drivers that I pried out. I'm going to paint the canopy instead of the guys inside.