DISCUSSION: Making plans for 2018

Wathammer: Age of Sigmar
Daughters of Khaine: Witch Aelf

It's been a while since I've updated this, and for lots of reasons: some interesting, most not, but none relevant to the subject. Suffice to say, the last year has been somewhat hectic in non-hobby-related areas and my output suffered. In 2017, I finished a grand total of two painted miniatures: one in January, and one in April. So far in 2018, I'm setting no records, but I've matched that total in February alone and look set to add more in March. (Let's not mention January, eh?) I've also regained some enthusiasm for the hobby, and at last have the free time to make use of it. But how?

DISCUSSION: 2016 in review

Horus Heresy: Imperial Fists Phalanx Warder marine

Horus Heresy: Alpha Legion contemptor dreadnought

Age of Sigmar: Orruk Warchanter

2016 was an interesting year for me as a painter. It's safe to say it wasn't the most productive in terms of output, but what I lacked in quantity, I was pleased to make up for in quality. This was the year that saw me finally take a step up in terms of both ability and purpose. Having painted purely for pleasure in the past, 2016 saw me enter my first competition. I was more than happy to come away with a finalist pin for my efforts, and look forward to more opportunities like that in future.

SHOWCASE: Imperial Fists legion leviathan dreadnought

Horus Heresy: Imperial Fists legion leviathan dreadnought

As you can see from the picture above, I've finally finished my leviathan dreadnought. After a long time spent painting infantry-sized models, it's been a treat to paint something a little larger and use some slightly different painting techniques. This model is now ready to take pride of place among my Horus Heresy era Imperial Fists and I'm sure they'll be glad to have him on their side. Given how big he is, I wouldn't fancy their chances if he wasn't...

WIP: Imperial Fists Legion Leviathan #2

So far, so big...

A little over a month ago, I posted a picture of my leviathan dreadnought, just after I'd assembled it. At the time, I was working on other projects and still had a fair bit to do. Since then, however, I've been able to spend a little time on him. After priming him black, I airbrushed the metals and gave him a wash of Nuln Oil before dry-brushing on some Necron Compound as an early highlight. I then picked out the yellow panels with Averland Sunset and glazed them with Agrax Earthshade and gave the whole lot another glaze of Lamenters Yellow. I used Dorn Yellow as an edge highlight. There's still more to do, especially on the siege drill arm, and the power plant on his back. After that, I get to start picking out the details. I'm still working on several other projects, but I expect to see him finished in the not too distant future. I can't wait to see him with the rest of the army.

SHOWCASE: Alpha Legion veteran tactical squad

Horus Heresy: Alpha Legion veteran tactical squad

The first models I painted this year were five veteran tactical marines for my Alpha Legion. I should probably be a bit embarrassed, therefore, that I've only just finished the squad! I tend to have a habit of starting projects, but not finishing them—hence the name of this blog. There's always something that will distract me and, before you know it, my desk is full. Well, I'm determined to make August a month for finishing things.

SHOWCASE: Ultramarines legion praetor

Horus Heresy: Ultramarines legion praetor

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, aliens to whom gender definitions are meaningless, and anybody who doesn't fall into any of those categories... allow me to introduce you to my Ultramarines legion praetor. The astute among you may recognise this as the limited edition model available exclusively at Games Workshop events during 2016. I picked this one up at Warhammer Fest in May and have been working on him ever since with a view to entering him into the painting competition at the Forge World open day this coming weekend. I'll let you know how that goes in a future post. In the meantime, let's talk about the model.

WIP: Imperial Fists Legion Leviathan #1

My assembled leviathan dreadnought

I haven't posted for a couple of weeks. A combination of real life, weather so hot it made sitting in the study uncomfortable and a worse-than-usual dose of hay fever has contrived to keep my painting to a minimum. My efforts, when I've made them, have been on a competition entry that is taking ages, but that I haven't put on the blog yet (anybody who follows me on Instagram can probably guess what that is—I'm saving it for a showcase post here when it's finally finished). I can, however, give you a sneak peak of (one of) my next project(s) when that is done: a leviathan dreadnought for my Imperial Fists.

WIP: Imperial Fists Phalanx Warder squad (#1)

Horus Heresy: Imperial Fists Phalanx Warder

This week I'd like to introduce you to this guy. He's a test piece for what (hopefully) will one day be a squad of Phalanx Warders for my Horus Heresy era Imperial Fists army. Frequent readers will know not to get excited at this point. Like most of the models I paint for a new squad, this guy will have plenty of alone time to contemplate things before he has any company. I am, however, reasonably pleased with him, and will endeavour to curb his loneliness—at least in lots of small, well-spaced stages—in the coming months/years/decades.

WIP: Imperial Fists Mk.VI tactical squad (update #1)

Imperial Fists Mk.VI tactical squad (first half)

I've done a fair few 'quick updates' lately. Given that most of them involve finished models, I'm taking this as a good sign. Today, I'm pleased to say, is no different. When I last posted about this squad, I only had two models finished for it. Well, now it has five. That puts it at half strength. I still have five more to do, and will return to it just as soon as I have the patience to clean up and assemble that much resin in one go. In the meantime, I have some orruks that need some attention. More next week...

SHOWCASE: Nârik Dreygur, Consul-Praevian of the Iron Warriors

Nârik Dreygur, Consul-Praevian of the Iron Warriors

For the last couple of months, I've been gradually doing more and more work on this project. This is Nârik Dreygur, The Gravewalker, Strategos-Minor of the Apolakron, and Consul-Praevian of the Iron Warriors. With such a short, catchy and easily-memorable title, you'd expect a suitably imposing miniature... and this is it. This is a limited edition model, available exclusively at the events that Forge World attended last year... or to anybody, like me, who couldn't make it to the events, but found one on eBay. I loved the model when I saw it, but toyed for a while with whether it was worth getting, mainly because I don't collect Iron Warriors (but do collect their mortal enemies: the Imperial Fists). It's such a good model, however, that I eventually decided to relent. I'm glad I did. As well as being a joy to paint, as of yesterday, it became my first ever entry into the Golden Demon painting competition, and earned me a finalist badge for my efforts.

WIP: Alpha Legion veteran tactical squad (update #1)

Alpha Legion veteran tactical marine
with missle launcher

Another quick update today. This time it's another addition to my Alpha Legion veteran tactical squad. This guy carries the squad's heavy weapon: a Proteus pattern missile launcher. If I remember rightly from my (brief) foray into gaming in the early to mid-90s, missile launchers can be great for blowing up both tanks and infantry, depending on the type of missiles they fire. I like to think this one would be more than adequate at such a role.

In other news, my updates are weekly at the moment for good reason. While I'm still very active on the painting front, a lot of my energies are going into a very specific project. Details will be revealed next week!

WIP: Imperial Fists Mk.III tactical squad

Imperial Fists Mk.III tactical marine

Just a quick post today to show off another finished tactical marine. This model is for a different tactical squad: my first Mk.III squad. I last did something with this squad last year, so it's been a long time coming. This model is brings the squad up to half strength (five models) and features the squads Legion Vexilla banner. It also marks the completion of the first set of 'old armour variants' that I ever bought, a year or so before Forge World launched the Horus Heresy range proper. One day I might even finish the squad!

WIP: Imperial Fists Mk.VI tactical squad

Horus Heresy: tactical marines in MK.VI armour

Lately I've been prompted to look again at the Imperial Fists in my modest but largely unpainted Horus Heresy era collection. Perhaps spurred on by the standard bearer I finished in February, and by the Alpha Legion that are forming a rival faction on the same shelf, I've looked again at the unpainted models I have to hand and decided to spend a little time on them. First among them are these offerings for a tactical squad in Mk.VI armour.

SHOWCASE: Alpha Legion contemptor dreadnought

Horus Heresy: Alpha Legion contemptor dreadnought

Today we have a new addition to my (very slowly) growning Alpha Legion collection: a contemptor dreadnought. This is the Forge World model, complete with sculpted Alpha Legion details. I've armed it with a power fist and a volkite culverin. I have no idea if these are any good in game, but they look cool and that's all that matters to me as a painter. This model features lots of airbrush work, mainly on the blue armour, but also on some source lighting on the main weapon.

SHOWCASE: Imperial Fists legion standard bearer

Horus Heresy: Imperial Fists legion standard bearer

It's been a while since I first started this. For the longest part of that, he'd stood on my desk minus a head and with a blank banner. That was until Forge World released their Imperial Fists transfer sheets and, with it, the banner decal that I'd been waiting so long for. Admittedly, it still took me a while to finish him, but here he is now. This model is a war-torn veteran, his armour damaged by countless attempts on his life, yet still he holds his legion's banner aloft. After the one for my Alpha Legion, this is the second standard bearer I finished last month. It marks a welcome return to my long-neglected Imperial Fists and I'm quite pleased with how he turned out.

SHOWCASE: Alpha Legion standard bearer

Horus Heresy: Alpha Legion standard bearer

This is the first of just three models I managed to finish in February. I've worked on several others that will hopefully show themselves in the coming months, but for now I'm focusing on those that are done. This one—a standard bearer for what will be the command squad in my Alpha Legion collection—was a relatively quick job, following the pattern I'm already familiar with from my veteran tactical squad. The most difficult part with this was applying the transfer (from Forge World's Alpha Legion transfer sheet) to the banner. It took lots of patience and decal medium, but it's done now and ready to join the others.

WIP: Alpha Legion veteran tactical squad

Horus Heresy: Alpha Legion veteran tactical squad (first half)

It's been a while since I posted. I did hardly any painting in December while I focused on other projects, not least my writing, which has been very beneficial. The downside has been that what was already, for me, a disappointing year on the hobby front ended with barely a whimper. I have, however, not been entirely idle. In the last few weeks I have returned to painting with a renewed motivation and some renewed goals. Among them are these offerings from a new army: the Alpha Legion.

SHOWCASE: Armillus Dynat, Harrowmaster of the Alpha Legion

Horus Heresy: Armillus Dynat, Harrowmaster of the Alpha Legion

Today I present the finished Armillus Dynat model. After taking a break to work on a variety of other projects, not to mention a variety of non-painting-related distractions, I've finally made time to get this model done. The main things I had outstanding were the head, white details on his armour and his base. I've actually had him finished for about a month now, but I wasn't happy with the photographs I took at the time. Now, at last, I can say that's he done.

WIP: Roboute Guilliman #1

Roboute Guilliman - the kit and all of its components

As I've mentioned before, when I first got into the hobby, I collected Ultramarines. I had a variety of models from different ranges: early 'RTB01' space marines, push-fit models from the Warhammer 40,000 second edition boxed set and an assortment of models from an era when it was common to have metal (lead!) bodies with plastic arms, weapons and backpacks. Until recently I hadn't painted an Ultramarine for many years, but my affection for them remained. With the release of the Horus Heresy range, Games Workshop's Forge World subsidiary started releasing many of the characters from the background. Among them, more recently, was Roboute Guilliman, the primarch of the Ultramarines legion from a period some ten thousand years before that in which the Warhammer 40,000 game is set. If only for nostalgia, I had to get this model...

WIP: Armillus Dynat #3

Progress so far

After spraying this a while ago, I've at last been able to spend the best part of a day on my Armillus Dynat model. This is an unusual project for me for a couple of reasons: firstly I've never painted anything for the Alpha Legion before; and secondly I've never used the core techniques I'm using on it before either.