Skarlock (WIP)

After some much-needed technique critique following the paint job done on my Dark Angel Captain, I decided to take what people said to heart and attempt a new technique.  The model isn't even close to finished, but as with any new technique, it'll take a while before I can get it to the point of being fast.

So without any further ado, here's the WIP Cryx Skarlock

The new technique I tried was layering multiple very, very thin coats of different colors to add shading.  I really like how the Skarlock's head is turning out.  For those of you who gave me the recommendation to try this technique, thank you.  You were right, it really does add a lot of depth to the model.

Next will be a continuation of this model.  The souls will be ice blue, as the are on the rest of my Cryx soul-having models.  The cloak will be a dark black-purple (once I figure out how to make that color) and the soul cages will be the typical brass and silver.

We makes it Orky!

As Nightmare's base coat dries in preparation for attempting a new painting technique, I thought I'd talk about Orks for a second.

One of the things that drew me to the orks in the first place was their tendency to scavenge vehicles and parts from those they conquer.  I realized early on that I could take any vehicle I happened to like from the entire GW line and Ork it up a little.

It hit me that a Land Raider would be an excellent platform for a Battle Wagon, so I picked up a used Chaos Land Raider on eBay and went to town.  It's almost finished, so I figured I'd show the current incarnation.

I decided that any good Wagon needs a way to carry some troops, so it needed a platform.  This will allow me to still retain the Open Top look for after I mount a Killkannon in the real transport bay.

I used a spare gun from a Khador Destroyer to make the Lobba for this Wagon.  This ork really doesn't understand the concept of a mortar, so he just fires straight ahead!

An ork shows no fear, but its the Runt here who's really enjoying the ride.

So here's my Chaos Battlewagon in all its Orky glory!  I'm really excited to paint this one, just as soon as I finish all my models for Lock N Load.  If you're curious, I'll list the parts used in this conversion below.

Thanks for reading yet another post!  Next week, I'll be showcasing either my Nightmare or some lovely Satyxis ladies.

Parts used in the Chaos Wagon conversion:

(1) Chaos Land Raider

(2) Tusks from the Deff Dread

(1) Flamethrower from the Deff Dread

(2) Missile launchers from the old metal Killa Kans

(2) Buzz Saws from the Deff Dread

(7) Pieces of a Trukk (the platform, mostly)

(1) Grabba Klaw from the Battlewagon

(1) Runt from the Nob Bikers

(1) Khador Destroyer cannon

The Captain (UPDATE: Finished)

So, with the Easter holiday this weekend, I wasn't exactly able to finish a model, and I thought it would be cheating to use one of my previously painted models (I'll do that later).  So, I'm going to show you the step-by-step for the model I am currently working on, the Dark Angel Captain.

I managed to pick one up cheap at a 30% off sale at Hobbytown this weekend, and since this was one of the sculpts I really enjoyed in the Space Marine line, I couldn't help but pick it up (along with the Vanilla Marine codex).  As a bit of a background, I bought the Dark Angel codex as I liked the idea of running bikes and Terminators en masse.  Little did I know that the codex hasn't had an update since 2006, meaning it's one of the older ones out there.  So, while I wait for a new DA codex, I figured I'd run my own little group as a sub-section of the Dark Angels using the Vanilla codex  so I can use models like the Sternguard or Vanguard Vets.  I still don't know what I'm calling them, but I'm liking the color scheme so far.

So, without further ado, this is the model as assembled straight out of the blister pack.

I'm really thinking that this will be my model for either Cato Sicarius or Kor'sarro Khan, since both of them use awesome swords for the 1-shot kill.

From here, I did the standard black base coat.  As per a recommendation from a friend, after this model, I'll probably be using some sort of primer for the base coat.  It'll make finishing the model just that much simpler.

I decided I really liked the quadrant paint job that many of the models in Codex: Space Marines have, so I figured I'd use that.  Deciding on white and Green as my colors (standard Dark Angel colors), I went to work.  I've been having issues with my white paints lately, as in, they're far too thick, so with the advice of the same friend as above, I watered them down with regular tap water.

You can't see it very well, but that paint is super runny.

Anyway, it really helped.  The white isn't nearly as streaky as I've had in the past and the model looks way better for it.  (Thanks Chris!)

So, I painted the quadrants and started work on the cape.  I should be finishing this model this week, and next week's post will be the remainder of the work done on my Dark Angel Captain.

UPDATE

So, I lied.  I actually finished the captain last night while Kim and I watched Dr. Who.  I'm happy with how he turned out, especially since I can now tell that he's green and white and not black and white.

Photo's a little washed, but it gets the point across.  I used a GW Leviathan Purple wash over a P3 Quick Silver on the helmet to get the shiny purple on the wings.  Gold, silver, blue, and red were used as the ornamentation colors, as well as a P3 Ryn Flesh for the feathers on the sword.  The sword is P3 Quick Silver followed with a Nuln Oil wash from the new GW paint line.

Next up on the painting table: Cryx Warjack Nightmare

FIRST!!1!

Hello and welcome to my painting blog!  I'm by no means a professional painter, and I know very little about actual techniques aside from what I pick up from a few of the guys I know.  Mainly, I wanted a place to keep some pictures of my work and show that even someone red/green colorblind and without any training can paint some decent looking minis.

So without further ado, I present a few of my pieces done prior to the creation of this plog.  Forgive the image quality.  iPhones aren't the best means for cataloging this sort of thing...

This is my as of yet unfinished Bullet Pod.  The shape of the drop pods seemed to scream classic Mario, so I had to indulge.

My personal favorite at the moment, my Execution-Pattern Dreadnought for my Dark Angels.  It's a Forge World chaplain dread w/ the drill and plasma cannon.

The Plasma Cannon

My Dark Angel scouts.  I don't get to use these guys as much as I would like, but maybe with the new codex I can throw in something other than Terminators and Bikes.

First warboss I ever painted.  I had no concept of washing at the time, so he looks all bright and shiny.  Might be worth going back and updating.