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: 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: Exalted Deathbringer of Khorne

Warhammer: Exalted Deathbringer of Khorne

I finished one! Regular readers (if there are any) will know that finishing a model is a rare treat for me. We're into October and I'm still some way off finishing even twenty models so far this year. With this one, however, I can at least increase the tally by one. It also represents my first finished miniature for the Age of Sigmar range. I'm pleased to introduce you, then, to the Exalted Deathbringer of Khorne.

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.

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: 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: 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: 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.

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.