WIP: Space Wolves intercessors

The first two

I've achieved more than I expected so far this year. Despite some initial setbacks, I've managed to be reasonably productive. These models are, in a sense, illustrative of that, being one of several projects I've made satisfactory progress on to date. In my last blog, a few months ago, I mentioned that I had several targets in mind for the coming year. One of them was to start putting together a very small force of Space Wolves, using the new 'primaris' space marine range. In this blog post, I'll introduce you to the first two models I've finished.

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.

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: Orruk megaboss on maw-krusha #1

The 'maw-krusha' so far

Something different. For the first time since Warhammer: Age of Sigmar came out, I'm utterly smitten with an entire new range. Having looked forward to the new dwarf line so much in advance, I was bitterly disappointed by the 'fyreslayers' range when it came out. But with the new 'orruks' (orcs to the rest of us), Games Workshop have finally hit home. I like the Khorne range (ridiculous names aside). I even like the Stormcast range (but hate their lore). I'm at the stage, however, where I roll my eyes and curse "more?!" every time they release yet another kit for either. But with the new 'Ironjawz' orruks, I'm genuinely pleased.

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...

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.

WIP: Ultramarine's tactical squad

Warhammer 40,000: Ultramarines tactical marine

Last year I attempted to paint an Ultramarine for the first time in many years. The result was uninspiring. This year, I've decided to pretend that didn't happen and try again. This time I'm happier with the result. The model featured in this article is the first of what might one day be a squad of them. I wouldn't hold your breath for the rest to appear any time soon, but I feel somewhat more motivated by the results this time around.

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.

WIP: Exalted Deathbringer

I've yet to be swept up in the Age of Sigmar excitement. It's not that I'm not interested. I am. It's just that, as a non-gamer, I'm not yet willing to jump on board. The simplified ruleset does intrigue me, and the ability to put together very simple armies for very simple games is far more likely to encourage me to play than, say, the massively over-complicated rules for Warhammer 40,000 these days. I am, however, always interested in a cool model. This Exalted Deathbringer of Khorne fits the bill. This one is still very much a work-in-progress and still has a fair amount of work to do on it, but I'm happy with how it's going and have enjoyed painting it so far. Given a few more sessions, I might even be able to show you the finished piece.

WIP: Eldar Farseer Skyrunner

The almost finished jetbike

Something different for today and another chance to experiment with the airbrush. This is one of the (fairly recent) Eldar releases: a Farseer Skyrunner. The Farseer (rider) himself isn't finished yet, but this jetbike will be his ride into battle. The main work has gone into the carapace and the runes on its top. The picture is a little blurry, but I've painted on a few chips and scratches that look pretty decent in the flesh. The saddle looks a little rough in this shot—something that isn't so obvious on the model as it's quite small—but as it won't be visible once the rider is in place, I won't worry too much. The craftworld, by the way, is Iybraesil, hence the turquoise colour scheme. It's the first Eldar model I've painted in years so even I'm interested to see how the finished piece turns out. More on this another day.

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: Bloodthirster #1

Assembled and ready to paint

Firstly, apologies for the lack of posts lately. I have new models to show you, but the picture quality has been so bad I was embarrassed to post them. When that's rectified, I'll get you up to speed. In the meantime, here's something very different: a Bloodthirster of Khorne. I believe this one is referred to as a Bloodthirster of Unfettered Fury, but if it's all the same with you, I'll stick with 'Bloodthirster'. That's what the previous versions of the model used to be called and as I don't plan on buying more than one, I don't feel the need to make a cheesy name even cheesier to differentiate. This one is a relatively new release—a re-sculpt of the classic Bloodthirsters of old, of which there have been quite a few over the years. I have to say I love this model. I never liked any of the earlier versions, but this one finally seems to have captured the essence of the background.

WIP: Ragnar Blackmane (conversion) #3

It's starting to come together...

Since my last post, I've finished off the metal work (gold and 'silver') and started work on some of the flat colours. The yellow areas and skin have been basecoated and are now ready for glazing. They're the next sections I'll be working on. There is a lot of yellow. The Eavy Metal team's rendition of the old Ragnar model used to have lots of it, so I'm trying to emulate that to keep with the character. At the moment, it's quite dominant and this isn't even the final hue. I may decide to temper some of it with black stripes or dags in places but I'd like to complete the shading first to see if that helps. I hope to have him finished soon, but in the meantime, work continues...

WIP: Ragnar Blackmane (conversion) #2

Making progress

Work on my Ragnar Blackmane conversion is coming along. I've begun the slow and steady process of adding paint to the model. After undercoating, I painted the base to get the messy dry-brushing out of the way. Some of this will have static grass on it, so it doesn't need to be too neat, but it's important that it's presentable. A few shades applied the rocks, including some green to represent moss growth, should be enough for that. Next I painted the cloak. That and the armour are the two biggest areas of the model, but the cloak would require lots of thin layers and included some areas that would be difficult to reach with the brush I would be using. As the armour is more intricate, I could afford to do that afterwards with a smaller brush.

WIP: Ragnar Blackmane (conversion) #1

The conversion so far

The original Ragnar Blackmane miniature was released in 1992. That same year, a friend of mine introduced me to the Games Workshop hobby, starting with the 'Epic' range. It was almost a year before I started to explore Warhammer 40,000. At the time, my friend had just started to collect Space Wolves. (I started with Ultramarines.) He bought Ragnar quite early on. One of the few models from that era that is still on sale (albeit now in Finecast instead of its original lead and later 'white metal' versions), it's fair to say it's a classic. It is, however, looking a little dated when compared to more recent releases. So when an opportunity to create an alternative version of this model came along, I couldn't resist...

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.

WIP: Blood Angels tactical squad (60%)

Blood Angels tactical marine in mark VI armour

Just a quick one today. April was a difficult month for various non-hobby related reasons. The bank holiday weekend offered a welcome opportunity to immerse myself into my painting again. On a whim, I cast a glance over the remaining members of my Blood Angels tactical squad, who have been left alone for a while now since I finished the first half at the beginning of March. I'd like to get the ball rolling on them again soon and, inspired by that, I decided to add this guy to the others. All in all he took a little over an afternoon, with a little finishing off the next day. Ordinarily I'd have batch painted him with the others, but after finishing nothing at all in April, I felt like bagging a quick win early in the month. There will be more to follow soon.