Miniature Monday - 03/30/2015

For #minaturemonday, here are my paintups of the special edition Blood Angel and Crimson Fist. It was a lot of fun referencing my old book covers to get the highlights and black flame details just right

40K Release Rumors

It would appear that the reliable rumormongers are talking about what the release schedule for 2015 will look like for 40K.  Below is a summary of what is rumored to be coming out.  These rumors are based on comments made by Hastings75 and Harry from Warseer. 

-In No Particular Order of Release-

• Adeptus Mechanicus Codex & models (full release)
• Genestealer Cult Codex & models (Harelquin sized release)
  
• Deathwatch Codex & models (Harelquin sized release)
• Horus Heresy Standalone box game, on sale for a few months, then models become part of 30k range Mark 4 + Cataphract armors featured. (Harry believes the rumor of Mark 9 power armour is actually the new 30K range*)
• Assassins Standalone box game, on sale for a few months, then models become part of the 40k range.
• Greater Daemons all complete (2 in 2015, 2 in 2016, BT already confirmed, LoC believed to be 2nd release*)
• Dark Angels later in the year
• Tzeentch later in the year

*Comments added by John

On the Bench: Eagle Warriors Space Marine - Part 7

If there is one aspect of space marine models that I would say is iconic, it would be the shoulder pads. The reason I would call them out is that they give weight to the model and serve as a quick identifier of the marine’s chapter. They can also be the part of a marine that makes or breaks the overall visual of the model.

When selecting the shoulder pads for my first unit of tactical marines, I debated over whether to go with more complex ones (possibly even 3rd party ones) or use the simple ones from base marine kit. In the end, I decided on the simple pads as the model already contained a lot of extras (purity seals, eagle icons, etc…) and I wanted to give myself breathing room when working on HQ models.

The process for painting the model is basically the same as I shared in prior articles. The one nice part about doing the shoulder pads was that I did not have the challenge of trying to paint the divide between blue and white sections. The downside upon completion is that I felt they were kind of plain looking and actual detracted from the model. I may circle back with the unit once it is finished and add some type of freehand to all of the units pads, just to make them standout better.

On the Bench: Eagle Warriors Space Marine - Part 6

One of my favorite color schemes to paint right now is pseudo-NMM gold. When I do it well, I love the brightness and contrast of the color scheme on a model. The challenges however is that when it is done wrong, it can have the reverse effect of making the intended area appear dull.

(Paint:Thinner:Glaze)
Privateer Press White Primer
Reaper Chestnut Brown (4:1)
Vallejo Brown Ink (1:8)
Reaper Chestnut Brown (4:1:1)
Reaper Chestnut Brown and Reaper Palomino Gold (2:2:1)
Reaper Palomino Gold (4:1:1)
GW Sepia Wash Reaper Palomino Gold (4:1:1)
Buckskin Pale (4:1)

The paints outlined above are more of a general guide than an exact step-by-step breakdown of how I painted the gold sections of the model. The trick that I found when painting these sections is to be flexible and not afraid of making touch-ups as you go. I find sometimes that I need to go back over a section with a lighter or dark layer to better blend the colors. I also make stupid mistakes, like miss whole sections, and find myself backtracking to catch-up the missed area.

On the Bench: Eagle Warriors Space Marine - Part 5

One of the reasons I decided to use the new Sternguard kit was that I really like the look of space marines accented with robes, cloaks, and loin clothes. Maybe it is because I also love the imagery of super heroes that I find myself wanting the same with my marines (after all, space marines are the super heroes of the 40k universe). The challenge in the past was that the only models that really had such a look were in metal or finecrap. Thankfully that has changed with the new kit and I can now expand my army to fit the idea I have had for years.

When it came to painting the loincloth, I wanted to use the scheme provided in the GW painting guide, but I did not want to use GW paints again. To this end, I needed to match-up my Vallejo paints with the ones being suggested by GW. Thankfully, DAKKDAKKA has a great conversion chart that allowed me to identify close matches in the Vallejo range. To begin the process, I painted the cloth areas with Vallejo Game Color Khaki (061). Once the paint was dry, I applied a wash of GW Seraphim Sepia. While I generally dislike the GW paint line, I do admit that their washes are superior to any other ones I have tried. When applying the washes, I apply two or three coats. The first one is a general coat over all of the khaki areas. Once the first coat has dried, I do another layer into the deeper portions of the model.

Once the washes have dried (usually a couple of hours or the next day), I begin the process of layering the highlights. I begin with a layer of thinned khaki (4:1:1) and slowly add Vallejo Bleached Bone to each new layer of the mix. As the layers become lighter, I also add Vallejo Glaze Medium and thinner to the paint to better blend the layers.

In the end, I get a nicely blended looking loin cloth. I may try to add a little white into the mix with the next one as I feel this one could use some stronger highlights. I may also experiment with starting darker (Khaki/Brown mixture) and using more layers instead of the wash.

On the Bench: Eagle Warriors Space Marine - Part 4

In part 4 of this On the Bench series, I summarize how I painted the lens on the bolter's scope. Lens are one of the things that I enjoy painting as they can be challenging, but when done well, really add something to a model. I was particularly excited by the lens on this model as the bolter reminds me of the ones that were available for Deathwatch conversion kits that GW produced at one time. Overall, I was happy with the results, though I feel I could have added a few more layers to smooth the blending better.

1. Vallejo Dark Blue (4:1 | Dark Blue:Thinner)
2. Vallejo Dark Blue/Skull White (8:1:2 | Dark Blue:Skull White:Thinner)
3. Add 2 drops of Skull White and 1 drop Vallejo Glaze Medium
4. Add 2 drops of Skull White, 1 drop Vallejo Glaze Medium, and 1 drop thinner
5. Wet Blend Skull White with mixture from prior step
6. Carefully apply a thinned wash of Asurman Blue Wash to the darkest sections of the lens
7. Apply two small dots in the darkest section

On the Bench: Eagle Warriors Space Marine - Part 3

In this article, I review the test scheme I used to achieve the white sections of the model. This part of the model was a bit more challenging than I expected because I decided to use GW paints instead of the usual Vallejo bottles. The GW paints are thicker and didn't agree with my eye dropper, so thinning the paints was a bit of a hassle. I also found that the color scheme I was using from the GW painting guide was very vague on how the colors should be layered.

1. I applied a layer of GW Celestra Grey (~4:1)

2. Next, I applied Agrax Earthshade as a wash to the white sections.

3. Once the wash was dry, I began the process of layering on a mixture of Celestra Grey and Ulthuan Grey.

4. As the process continued, I started to add more Valejo Skull White to the mixture. I also began to include a little Vallejo Glaze Medium.

5. The last layer was a small amount of Vallejo Skull White to give the model some sharp highlights.

On the Bench: Eagle Warriors Space Marine - Part 2

When it came to painting up this marine, I wanted the model to share colors with the Imperial Guard models that I had completed a few years ago. This meant using Vallejo Dark Blue as a base for the first layer of paint.

After applying the first layer of paint and touching up spots where the primer bleed through, I gave the blue sections a wash of GW Asurmen Blue.

Once the wash was dry, I applied layers of Dark Blue mixed with Electric Blue.

As I continued to layer the model, Vallejo Skull White was added to the mix.

With each layer, I would alternate between adding more thinner and/or Vallejo Glaze Medium. The reason I do this is to better blend the layers together and create a smooth transition across the blue sections.

As the layers became whiter, I applied them only along the edges and at the sharp corners of the model.

On the Bench: Eagle Warriors Space Marine - Part 1

Since the conclusion of Invasion Kenosha, I have been itching to get away from Warhammer Fantasy and return to working on stuff for 40K.  Between moving back to Illinois from Wisconsin and starting a new job, I haven't had the time to work on anything until recently.  Now that my family is mostly settled in and I have a nice new gaming floor at my house, I decided to restart an old project and add some marines to my imperial forces.

I decided for this project to use one of the new plastic Sternguard marines that were released in September as I like my marines wearing loin clothes and having a little more bling to them. I also have a very strong visual of what I want the overall army to look like when on display, so using the new models helps towards achieving that visual without needing to use a lot of greenstuff. 

When it comes to priming models, I am a hardcore believer in using white primer for every project. The reason for doing this is that I find it easier to paint brighter colors without the need for a ton of extra layers like what would be needed with black primer. The downside of using white is that it can bleed through if the paint is too thin or not applied in smooth coats. Once the primer has dried, I will begin the process of base coating the model.