What's on my palette?

Bless me readers for I have sinned, it's been nearly three months since my last confession. Before I begin did you notice the picture? Unfortunately it reveals my dirty little secret - this is indeed my palette...

And for a good long time I've been introducing these articles with the same palette, when it looked like this! I guarantee there may be some who are aghast at how I manage to paint like this, well you haven't even seen my brushes! I actually think the biggest problem with this desire to see how my palette ends up is that the dried paint is a little more porous than I'd like so paint does tend to dry out quicker than it should. I can indeed fix this in an instant as I have a couple of these 25p palettes, unused and unsullied going spare

 

Anyway, now I've shared my shame what am I up to? Well I made these - my own Maelstrom objective markers. I'm sure monkeychuka or someone else did this recently. The original plan was to leave the nodes unmolested and just put Adrenal Glands scuttling over the nodes in the correct numbers but in the end I just hacked my way through. Once again I was reminded about how brittle the Deathstorm plastic is, literally fracturing every time I used clippers on it. I also recently saw on Facebook some amazing markers using a variety nid components and a lot of hot-melt glue. The most impressive one featuring just Spinefists [impressive because it found a use for Spinefists!]. I'm just waiting for a couple more of these bases so I can prepare another 2 and 3 node marker for the mixed VP objectives in the Scouring - Eternal War Mission [remember them?]. But these will be done for Blog Wars.

Also this curve ball - Genestealer Cultists. These are actually on my To Do List so I don't feel bad about dragging them out of stasis. With talk of Genestealer Cult upcoming I thought I may as well get my headstart on it. They may be completely inappropriate but I just thought I'd crack on with them and see how frustrated I'd get as the last lot of cultists weren't particularly trouble-free. It's both very exciting but also a little worrying I may kill my new found mojo and momentum thanks to the recently completed models.

Yep, more random. PeteB had some Space Marine Scouts going spare. They've been converted with Space Wolf heads but were easily to retrofit with some of the spare scout bits I got from way back and even a few of them were OK with the mohicans and pony tails as I can see Native American references - Mohican obviously so Dark Angels should really own that look instead of the dog boys. Just some removal of side burns makes them less Norse. I also need to sculpt a cloak on Missile Launcher. But these are just another 5 models to add to my undertakings but they're DA so I can forgive that. I'll have fun doing the Urban Camo cloaks at least! 

Just some random bits, teleport homers, Macragge Force Field Pylons, random objective markers to add more flavour to the DAs

And the Dark Vengeance TacticalSquad, as represented by the Sergeant. I finished his tabard, so I was very pleased with myself. I really just need to crack on with the green armour on all these boys but it requires motivation and a concerted effort for me, even just working on a couple a night. Still they're back on the table so that's a statement of intent.

I've also got a few other things on the go but I'll leave those for another time this is clearly sufficient to keep me busy over the next couple of months.

Terrain is Everything - photo frame underhive

I'm just throwing this out ther, my wife got this picture frame about five or six years ago [it could even be more] and I've never put the pictures in that she wanted. To say she's miffed about it is an understatment so I finally stripped off the packaging and started to sort it out but as soon as i put it down on the table I just saw the perfect piece of terrain to base an Underhive or City Fight table on. There's definitely scope to put all sorts of creating and mesh layers as walkways. Fill some of the openings with industrial waste or rubble then build up some of the other frames with GW building walls. Now the chance of getting this again is practically non-existent, but I'm sure there are similar examples. This was about £13 from Dunelm Mill [or the Range] it's geat because you have three layers thanks to the stacked plastic framework. It's also two identical rectangula pieces joined together to make the square, so there's additional scope to look for something similar that may be rectangular.

Sadly I'll not be able to create the vision that popped into my head as soon as I placed it flat on the table, but I had to share the concept in case anyone else would similarly inspired. I just found the whole epiphany of an item that has been loitering in my house for ages suddenly took on a whole new perspective.

Dark Angels - Dark Vengeance and Assault on Black Reach Deathwing Hobby Porn

One could argue I'm scraping the barrel with this post but having photographed the completed Dark Vengeance Deathwing I thought it only fair to put them on my Honored Imperium broken aquila terrain piece and then share the limelight with their Assault on Black Reach bretheren. So enjoy the 'atmospheric' shots

Here old and new are mixed together with only the lightly darker AoBR colour scheme and higher contrast DV models being the noticeable differences.

Helmet lenses were a little more subtle in the light cast off them on the AoBR models.

Roman numerals were neater too.

Purity Seal is still the 'gift' that keeps on giving - it's like they've been covered in dust for ages compared to the bright bases of the DV Deathwing. Just goes to show that spray varnish is cursed. I continue to paint on Army Painter Anti Shine. It's a pain and if you manhandle it too soon after painting it can still be tacky, I've stripped paint off base edges with impatience recently. But that at least convinces me that it's actually drying as a protective coating and however tedious it is to apply I'm never again going to ruin another model with spray.

A quick coating off the AoBR base edges with Vallejo Heavy Red should at least bring them in line with the current models. I've noticed alot of old Mechrite Red bases have faded a bit, I think this is more to do with me watering down some applications.

Heavy Red doesn't have the greatest coverage [despite the name] but after a few coats it's super-vibrant. Usually I apply a coat of my dwindling supply of Mechrite Red for coverage and then overcoat it with Heavy Red for vibrancy.

Anywa I hope you don't mind me indulging these images

Dark Angels - Scratchbuilt Caestus Assault Ram

I have been interested in having a caestus Assault Ram for a long time. Ever since I read about a list using one on the Dark Fortress and this was before flyer rules. At the time is was just a super-fast Land Raider equivalent so what was not to like? Now I believe it's even more durable, thanks to the flyer rules, but more importantly there doesn't seem to be anything in this model that I couldn't recreate with the scratchbuilding skills I already have. It actually looks so straightforward I can't bring myself to even contemplate buying the official model. The fact is the inital FW model was made in exactly the same fashion [I'm glad I downloaded this pic before the GW site got overhauled and lost forever].

In fact these were some of the alternative designs, hmm, that one back right isn't familiar at all *cough* Space Wolf Stormwolf *cough*

And there were plenty of examples on line too like this:

And even my own mate Liam made a couple as can be seen here, amongst other scratchbuilds ;) :

Anyway, a recent post on G+ by Alun Heseltine has shown him undertaking this enterprise and I realised it's something I could actually take on. So without too much thought I printed out the paper templates, spray mounted them to 3mm foamboard and had a crack at it.

I soon realised that it wasn't as easy as I first thought, or in actual fact I shouldn't follow the templates too slavishly. Its weird to suddenly be on the other side of a template, trying to get your head round what the creator intended and as Alun has discovered this particular template isn't always correct and requires a certain improvisation to achieve.

I tried a lot of internal rebates and slices to allow me to create the correct profiel, which was in fact wronfly interpreted by me.

But saying that the results don't look too bad out of the gate.

As you can see the internal slicing allows me to create the side profile but this isn't the correct provile and with hindsight I realised this would be a nightmare to hold in position while it's glued.

With that in mind I went back to Alun's pics and saw that he used the foam and cut into it, with the board providing the structure. He also is cladding his in plasticard, with the foam only being the simplest skeleton to build upon.

So I find myself in the position that I may restart this project, Alun discovered the nacelles are a little short, by about 2cm so I may take another look and tweak them myself. I need to stop being a slave to the template, and take ownership for my needs. Regardless, this is a truly long term project that I will fit in and around everything else. Don't expect updates often but it could very well be an interesting project.

Dark Angels - Dark Vengeance Deathwing - TO DONE!

It's been nearly a year since I first posted about these guys and to finally have them complete in such a 'short' amount of time is good going for me, well for the Dark Angels at least. Once again I have mixed feelings, both of pride and disappointment. There are things I really like and they're definitely improved on their Assault on Black Reach predecessors . But there are still elements that don't quite sit right with me, especially when I see other Dark Angel forces that are more consistent uniform in their execution.

 However, I know these are far more complex, detailed and well executed than my Tyranids and if they don't stand together quite as well as the nids do then at least the nids have something to be proud of.

I'm still dubious about the 'enamaled' crows raven feathers but I used a different gloss varnish which isn't as thick so I get the reflection without the distortion of detail. The lightning effect is also both something I'm impressed with for it's nebulous nature and disappointed with for it's lack of crispness, I just cant win with myself!

They all came together as a unit though and overall I'm pleased with the results.

It's not immediately evident but I reconciled my litanies/native markings dilemma. Compared to the AoBR Terminators these guys are riddled with extra detail. To add more elements would just make them even more busy.

So I tried to only add bits were appropriate, mainly on the back, which you'll see later on.

I was also pleased with the green lenses. They're a bit more vibrant than the AoBR ones and probably not true OSL effect but I was pleased with the results.

Assault Cannon, I wasn't 100% happy with the black and white heraldry shield but there wasn't too much space for extra details.

I added litanies on his backside armour, it seemed the best place on all the models, unobtrusive but sufficient to fit the theme I instigated with the Tacticals. He also got three tribal stripes on his left leg armour.

There were three tribal stripes on the side of his carapace, but they were so small and inconspicuous I added the leg stripes.

The Sergeant was a mixed success. I actually think the iridescent Raven feathers is quite effective but the blackness just look incongruous with the rest of the model. Even the Obsidian sword blade does little to tie this black colour into the rest of the model. 

He got 3 tribal stripes on top of his carapace, and I just noticed that spot of turquoise paint I need to touch up. I also painted the litanies to be like a very fine pen illustration, like you see all the 'scribe work' in the 40k rulebook. I was really chuffed with that.

And here you have the severed Chaos Space Marine head. I did ask if people could guess which traitor force it would be, did anyone imagine it would be the Alpha Legion? I'm not sure DA's have a traditional arch-enemy like the Space Wolves/1000 Sons, Imperial Fists/Iron Warriors but I do know the Alpha Legion outwitted them a lot to keep them out of the Heresy.

They're infiltration tactics also fit well with some Ferron Proxima fluff I've been thinking about for ages, just not had the chance to explore. 

I used a Land Speeder Storm Missile Launcher to represent my Cyclone Missile Launcher

I also added an old skool knife blade as a bayonet on the Storm Bolter. This was from the old metal Space Marines that had plastic arms, bolters and back packs. I'm not happy with the blade if I'm honest but c'est la vie.

More litany on his butt plate.

And the tribal markings on his leg. I know the bottom chevron tapers a little bit on the left hand side but I kind of like it, like it's been daubed on but isn't quite as neat as it could be, at least that's what I'll keep telling myself.

And the top view with added Ravenwing or Terminator badge

The Chainfist Terminator. He's got three tribal stripes on his thigh plate and a single stripe on his Chainfist blade.

I did litanies on his butt plate too and a small 5th company badge to represent the company he was part of before ascending to the Deathwing.

I really liked the tribal stripes, subtle yet distinctive.

The severed cultist head. He's decked out in the colours of the Free Radical Collective at this point you should be able to piece together some of the extra fluff. There's no coincidence that their accent colour happens to mirror a certain traitorous legion also found on Ferron Proxima... or is it?

I was a little less happy about the First Legion numeral on his kneepad, it seems I can't do neat and tidy lines and these pics look really distorted too :(

This guy also shows his legacy company on his heraldry shield.

The added DA upgrade element on his carapace and heraldry shield was an additional touch to differentiate this from the other model that looks the same from the set, although the other one does have the Cyclone Missile Launcher too.

Big fat Roman numeral again :(

He decorated his butt plate with sword artwork and litanies. There are also three tribal stripes on the left hand side of his back armour, you can just see the, as they come round the edge of the armours.

Here's the Red Stamp of Approval and it's on my list too! I've got Deathleaper up next for completion, just because and then my Azrael kitbash and even the AoBR commander who has been languishing for ages and is practically 90-95% complete. Then I've got to finish my Land Speeders [or at least one] and maybe do a bike squad.