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.

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?

SHOWCASE: Talon's Reach space marine captain

Warhammer 40,000: Talon's reach space marine captain

So... yes... Updates have been a little thin on the ground of late. There are good reasons for this, but at the same time, they're not particularly 'good' reasons. Unfortunately, real life has reared its ugly head a lot this year and inflicted a seemingly limitless number of woes. The main one that has impacted my painting, however, has been that work is so ridiculously busy that I now exist in a near constant state of exhaustion. Many things have suffered as a consequence, my health and my painting among them. I have, however, managed to find time to complete what is—at the end of April—only the second model I've finished painting so far in 2017: this limited edition space marine captain.

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: A new chapter

Warhammer 40,000: Talon's Reach tactical marine

So, I haven't posted for a while. It actually surprised me when I looked at the date of the last article. To say I've been busy in that time would be an understatement. Unfortunately, it's nearly all been work, rather than hobby related. I have done some hobby work though, and the image above is the first finished evidence of that. A brand new space marine chapter of my own. Want to know more?

SHOWCASE: Deathwatch: Jensus Natorian

Deathwatch: Jensus Natorian
The vengeful son

There's been a recent flurry of activity from Games Workshop around the Deathwatch chapter of space marines. Multiple releases have—after many, many years—finally turned the Deathwatch into a viable army in their own right. Previous attempts had merely seen them acting as specialist elites, allied with another army. Now they're fully capable of doing battle alone. The slew of new miniatures has reminded me of yet another unfinished project on my desk: this guy.

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.

SHOWCASE: Blood Angels assault marine

Warhammer 40,000: Blood Angels assault marine

It's been a while since I've looked at my Blood Angels. Some readers will know that I started a tactical squad at the beginning of the year. I still have four of the ten left to finish, but I have managed to get a sanguinary priest and Baal predator painted since. This model is a test piece for an assault squad to go with them. It's also the first Blood Angel I've painted with an airbrush—something I'll consider for future models as it sped up the process a little.

SHOWCASE: Tau fire warrior

Warhammer 40,000: Tau fire warrior

There have been a lot of new releases for the Tau in the last month or so. It's an army I like the look of but have never actively collected. I do, however, have a small number of models from their range. The model pictured above is a fire warrior; the Tau equivalent of a tactical squad. They make up the bulk of the Tau army and specialise, like most of the Tau race, in ranged warfare. My objective with this guy was to come up with a quick paint scheme that I could apply to the rest of the models (twelve in total) from the box he came in. It didn't need to be pretty; just easy to replicate.

SHOWCASE: Ultramarine tactical squad space marine

Warhammer 40,000: Ultramarine tactical marine

I'd like to introduce this as 'something different', but I don't know that I can. Okay, it's a different army, but it's still a space marine. After showing you Blood Angels, Space Wolves and Imperial Fists this year, I can't very well claim another space marine is something different. This one, however, is an Ultramarine and, at least within the context of this blog (so far) and still very definitely within the somewhat narrower 'space marine' category, it's something different.

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: 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.

SHOWCASE: Ragnar Blackmane (conversion)

Warhammer 40,000: Wolf Lord 'Ragnar Blackmane' (conversion)

So I managed to get this piece finished at last. I can't say it's the best paint job I've ever done, but it's passable. The pictures haven't come out very well, unfortunately. My smart phone and my photography 'skills' are showing their limitations. I think I need to study Garfy's guide on Tale of Painters again. The model does look a little better in the flesh.

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...

SHOWCASE: Blood Angels Baal predator

Warhammer 40,000: Blood Angels Baal predator

It's finished! My new (and very small) Blood Angels force can now call upon some serious mobile firepower when they go to war in the far future. For various reasons, this has taken longer than I originally expected, but I'm glad to see it finished.

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.

WIP: Blood Angels Baal predator (assembled)

Blood Angels Baal predator... now fully assembled

This is my last work in progress post for my Baal predator. The last thing I have to do on it is apply the battle damage. In the image above, you can see it looking all clean and tidy, just as it might have been when it rolled out of the factory on whatever forge world the Blood Angels commission their tanks to be built. Naturally being exposed to years of warfare on countless planets isn't going to help keep a machine like this in such pristine condition. The next time you see it, it will look a little different. Watch this space...

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.