Deathwatch

This year I set myself a new challenge - Space Marines. Once I saw the new Indomitus set from GW I was smitten. That Space Marine Captain is just amazing. 

Once upon a time, back in 2007, I started a true scale Space Marine project but quickly walked away from it. I lacked the green stuff experience and ability. Now years later Primaris have arrived and with Indomitus they've come of age. 

Ever since I learned about Deathwatch I was drawn to them. My old Space Marine Captain had been a returned Veteran. But since 2018 Deathwatch had its own codex, so this was my new force. But Deathwatch means black armour and painting black to a high standard is no fun. Doing it the 'Eavy Metal way is also just silly, at least IMHO. 

Edge Highlighting black the 'Eavy Metal Way has always bugged me. Sure it's neat. Sure it's crisp. But every edge picked out with grey and blue is not how black armour or black cloth works - even at 30mm scale. So I spent the summer buying and testing paints and methods of painting black. 

I knew I wanted it to be crisp and airbrush based of  Inspired by Jack of Clubs video on painting Black Templars I tried Vallejo Mecha colour. Unfortunately I found these paints gloopy (tending to clog my airbrush a lot) and tending towards a very grey finish. Then I tried a black based on metallic black by Vallejo. But it was a bit dead, and I was edge highlighting anyway. 

Then I tried oil washes over a Vallejo Model Air (VMA) Anethrecite and VMA Panzer Dark Grey with VMA Light Grey highlights. But this was me capitulating - I was just edge highlighting black the Eavy metal way. Plus it just never 'sang' to me.

I tried the more traditional drybrush of Eshin Grey and then an overbrush of Dawnstone. I tried that through the airbrush too, but it was boring. I felt like there was no point doing this for display if I was going to do the usual old black recipe.

So I looked around for inspiration and found the colourshift colours by Turbo Dork. The image on their website is actually a 100% accurate representation as to what I got with 3 coats of their 3d glasses paint (ymmv). It's a cool effect but it actually clogged up the detail on my guy a small bit (you can see it in his eyes). But it turns out this is what I'm going to use for my Necrons - so no money lost or time wasted.

On a side note. Turbo Dork's Redrum is a must have. If you want Candy Red Marines - this is a great one paint solution. This is the Turbo Dork promotional image but looking at the paint I used on my guy's shoulder pad - it's pretty damn accurate. Just build up those layers slowly.

When I decided my colour shifting purple was not what I wanted as a base for my Deathwatch Marine I felt totally lost. Then I saw this Centurion conversion by Lazarus Crusader. This was something I understood - brushed metal, metallic black. It was a revelation (not just on how good a centurion could look, but on how TMM could solve my Deathwatch armour question). For some people this might be too Iron Hands or to 30K Dark Angels. That's ok with me - that's honestly what I'm going for here, Knights in Space. 

I tried and failed a few times but using the tips from various Youtubers, Redditors and Bloggers I came to rest on the following recipe:

• Prime Vallejo Polyurethane Gloss Black Primer
• Base Vallejo Metal Colour Burnt iron
• Zenithal 45 degrees: Vallejo Metal Colour Steel
• Zenithal Zero and some spotlight detail: Vallejo Metal Colour Silver
• All-over Glaze: 2:4:4 Flow improver, airbrush thinner, GW Contrast Black Templar. Built up in 3 light layers.

When I felt I need one more layer of black I stopped. I left them intentionally more metallic charcoal than pure black. This gives me somewhere to go. Whereas with my other tests I end-up at pure black too quickly. Now I could varnish, and oil wash before the armour was totally black. The gloss primer and zenithal left me with airbrush highlights and a natural sheen to the edges.

The Aquilla, left arm and weapon (and any bionics) were then drybrushed with GW's Necron Compound. And then the red parts get a coat of GW Contrast Blood Angels Red, and the black rubber under armour (and chainswords) gets a coat of GW Contrast Black Templar. Finally the gold parts gets a touch of Vallejo Metal Colour Gold. And teh brown pouches get a base coat of GW Rhinox Hide.

Morathi and progress

Here's a look at my finished Morathio High Oracle of Khaine:

She was done mainly by airbrushing. Her skin is Vallejo Model Air Skin Tone over Vallejo Game Air Barbarian flesh, washed with Reikland Fleshshade, then a thinned burst of VMA Skin tone followed by a thinned (and targtted) wash of Druchii violet.
Her golden pieces are are Vallejo Metalics Copper and Gold. Based with Copper, highlighted with a 50:50 mix, then a final edge highlight (with airbrush) of Gold. These paints are an absolute dream. Stop using GW metalics and get these.
Her boots and gloves are a mix of Vallejo model wash grey, nuln oil, abaddon black and incubi darkness. Her hair is the same mix but with more green (so that when she becomes the Shadow Queen the hair and snakes resemble one another).
The fabric is Screamer Pink on the outside and Khorne Red on the inside. Both washed with Nuln Oil, Druchii Violet and highlighted with the original colour and edhge highlighted with Wazzdaka red and Slannesh Grey respectively. The Slaanesh grey was the tough bit. It needed significant clean-up and a targetted wash. I learned my lesson here - use a bigger brush!

Her hair and cloth were the only bits not airbrushed and honestly I regret not doing them in the airbrush but I messed up the order in which I needed to paint. I started with metalics and then the skin. But I should Have started with hair and cloth.

Update

Here's a few updated images of the colour scheme on the first Witch Aelf and on a second one too. Apologies for the phone photos :/

I'm generally happy with the scheme. If it looks ok on these two it should look better on other models. These ladies have been test models for a number of colour schemes over the last 2 years and have stood up to a lot of paint stripping. There are some flash issues here and there that I'll fix with the next few models!

I'm back

I'm back from a long break with a test colour scheme for my Witch Aelves!

For the next few months this will focus on my adventures building and painting my Daughters of Khaine.

This is just phase one. More to come this weekend with Morathi and another box of Witch Aelfs!

And here is my test colour scheme for my Witch Aelves. It's using a bronze and purple on pale skin combination. It's still early day and she probably needs some cleaning up here and there. 

The whole mini was zenithal highlighted and then the skin was airbrushed with Vallejo Game Air Barbarian Flesh, then highlighted with Vallejo Model Air Skin tone. A 1:1 druchii violet and medium mix was then washed into the recesses, followed by a 1:1 caroburg crimson and medium wash into the eyes and mouth. Finally the skin was dry brushed with pallid wych flesh and a second glaze/shade of the eye sockets and then the skin is done.

I'll be finishing off the face with a white dot in teh eye and a pink dot on the tongue, just to let them pop.

The boots are abaddon black, highlighted with skavenblight dinge and then drybrushed with dawnstone. A final tidy-up was done with Vallejo grey wash.

The armour and fabric was done following WHTV's sister of silence bronze and purple method but the metalics are Vallejo metal colors (copper and steel). I've only base coated the steel and the bronze needs cleaning up and a couple of highlights.

The hair has me completely stumped though. I'm not sure why but the a nihilahk oxide wash appeals to me but I'm not sure.

Hobby Challenge - 1st Annual PmP Painting Competition

Ok, so in response to Vince Venturella's great PMP Google+ group's painting challenge I've elected to start working on this guy.

This guy is a Chaos Lord on a Daemonic mount.

For the mount I'm using a converted Wood Elf Stag with bitz from dragons to represent a Bull.

The Lord is converted from a Chaos Space Marines Sorceror Lord helm with a metal Archaon body and the legs from a metal Grey Knights Terminator.

This will be the first of a few PLOG posts on this guy. My plans are to do a flaming sword, black armour and a red cape based on the Everchosen colour scheme. 

I'm not sure about the mount's colour scheme as yet - my inspiration is from the Irish myth of the Táin Bó Cúailnge - The Cattle Raid of Cooley - which had two mythical bull's in it one White one Brown. But we'll see how we go with this one.

Phase 1 is a bit of GS and liquid GS work. Checking for mould lines and then Phase 2 will be Zenithal highlighting.

Arnie the Dark Oath Chieftain

Here's a few pics of Arnie my Dark Oath  Chieftain from Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower. He's painted using GW paints and based with Astrogranite.

Hag Sorceress - Conversion Part 2

Almost there with my Sorceress conversion. Some final touches to be made. Excuse the poor photography the lighting is too harsh.

Warhammer: Homebrew Extra Heroes and Adversaries for Warhammer Quest

Hi everyone! Here's a list of some links to homebrew heroes and enemies for Warhammer Quest that I've found around the web.

• https://thepit198.wordpress.com/tag/silver-tower/
• https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1738874/slambo-rules-and-initial-game-impressions
• https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1721686/tzaangor-shaman-exotic-adversary-and-more-come
• https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1695253/beyond-silver-tower-adventures-gardens-tzeentch
• https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1740973/lord-plagues-rules
• http://www.tga.community/forums/topic/5105-rules-for-extra-adversaries/
• http://www.tga.community/forums/topic/2779-josef-bugman-in-wq-for-fun/
• https://thepit198.wordpress.com/2016/10/22/whq-silver-tower-branchwych-bittergrub/

Not all of these are balanced and IMHO some need a bit of tweaking but YMMV.

Warhammer: Work in Progress Aelf Sorceress

I'm a crazy fan of Warhammer and have been for almost 2 decades. I've been collecting, painting and converting miniatures for most of that time.

When Games Workshop brought out Warhammer Quest Silver Tower I literally pre-ordered it immediately. I had my doubts about the company's new direction when it cancelled Warhammer Fantasy Battles but Silver Tower hooked me back in - and hasn't let me go!

I now own a huge early 2000s Dark Elf army a very Large current Dark Elf army, a current Chaos Army and two Warhammer Quest games. And I'm loving Age of Sigmar.

This is a conversion I created using spare parts from the Dark Elf Sorceress on Black Dragon, Doom Fire Warlocks, Sisters of Slaughter, Dark Eldar Scourges, and some Kroot Carnivore bitz. This is still very much a Work in Progress. I intend to make a custom rule set for her for WHQ.

My plans are to add a magical effect (maybe fire or lightening) in her left hand  and then to paint her up using the standard Witch Elf colour scheme (which is what I use for the whole army) or something inspired by Yvraine from 40K. There's still some work to do - mould lines to remove here and there as well as a little liquid GS work - but let me know what you think so far!