WIP: Armillus Dynat #2

Main body prior to undercoating

Following on from my last post, I'm now in a position to start looking at this model again. Having cleaned and assembled the bulk of the model, it's ready for paint. I'm painting this model in a number of sub-assemblies. The main body is shown above. Separate pieces include the hammer he holds in his right hand, his head and not one but two sculpted bases. The reason for the sub-assemblies is to make it easier to paint. I want to be able to get to the model from all angles and both the base and the hammer would make this complicated. I'm leaving the head separate because it has an exposed face and it's easier to paint on its own rather than risking getting the armour colours all over it.

WIP: Armillus Dynat #1

Armillus Dynat... in pieces

This week I'm starting another new project. I know I have a few on the go, but for various reasons, I thought I'd kick this one off all the same. You'll probably have noticed that my posts haven't been very frequent lately. Unfortunately I've had some personal issues to take care of that have meant that hobby time has been a long way down the list. There's still more to do over the next couple of weeks, but I'd welcome the distraction of a shiny new model to work on when I can. This project will hopefully represent a return to form, though it may be a slow starter so I'll ask you to bear with me.

WIP: Tau Piranha TX-42 (edge highlighting and decals)

Starting to take shape

I've done a little more on the piranha since my last update. The most time-consuming part was going around all of the armour panels and edge-highlighting them (twice in some cases). I had to keep the paint really thin and almost glaze them on in places as the blends with the camo stripes needed to be a different colour. I used Elysian Green followed by Nurgling Green for the main colour and Kabalite Green for the stripes. In terms of painting, the only other thing I've done is pick out everything (except the inside of the cockpit) that isn't 'armour' in black, although I'm looking to do something more with that panel that crosses the top of the hull, just in front of the driver. I'm currently experimenting with a slightly different edge colour, but I think I need to make more of it.

WIP: Blood Angels Baal predator (now with sponsons)

It's starting to look more like a tank!

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted an update on my Blood Angels Baal predator. Any normal painter would have finished it, and probably half a dozen other things by then. Alas, not me... but I am close. The picture above shows how this model looked after another brief session on it at the weekend. By the time you read this, there's a slim possibility that I'll have had another evening on it and it'll be a bit closer. I did say slim, didn't I?

WIP: Tau Piranha TX-42 (airbrush test)

My first documented attempt at airbrushing...

I'm pleased to say I had some painting time this weekend. I'm not going to pretend I did a lot because, really, I didn't. I did, however, manage to get the airbrush out and have another look at this Tau skimmer. Since getting the airbrush, I've done a couple of tests with it to get used to how it works, but this will be my first actual project. I picked this particular vehicle for a couple of reasons. The first, I admit, is that I'd had it for a long time. The second is that Tau vehicles really suit smooth paint schemes and I really liked the idea of using an airbrush to achieve that.

WIP: Tau Piranha TX-42

Warhammer 40,000: Tau piranha TX-42 (just assembled)

I confess I've been a bit lame on the hobby front of late. I've done bits and pieces here and there but very little worth reporting. Despite the four day weekend just gone, I've had very little time to work on anything. I'm hoping to spend some time in the next few weeks to get a few projects finished and clear the decks for some new ones... Something I have made time to do is assemble this Tau piranha. I've had this kit for several years and (surprise, surprise) done nothing with it. The recent arrival of my airbrush has positioned it within my sights once more.

WIP: sculpted bases

Some recently (almost) finished bases for an as yet undecided army

I have a very specific technique that I use to base the vast majority of my armies. Whether for Warhammer or Warhammer 40,000—square bases or round—I use the same methods. I may, on occasion, decorate bases with game or army-specific detritus, but the main base will remain coherent with the rest of my miniature collection, regardless of the army it is for. I have, however, always admired sculpted bases, and that has led me to an interesting dilemma...

DISCUSSION: A new toy...

My new toy: an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS airbrush

So I've bought myself an airbrush. It's something I've been interested in doing for a few years now but I've put it off until now. The main reason was cost. To do airbrushing any justice, you really have to be prepared to spend a fair amount of money on the right equipment. A decent airbrush isn't cheap and I wanted to make sure I spent my money wisely. It didn't take a lot of research to find out that Iwata are one of the most respected manufacturers in the field, but it took a little more to decide which of their products would be best for me.