Madrak Ironhide World Ender

     Madrak Ironhide World Ender finally done! I actually finished him up last Sunday morning just didn't have time to take photos. I am pretty pleased with how this model came out. I wanted him to look pretty "kingly" and I think the gold symbols on his armor help achieve that effect pretty well. The two things that bothered me about this miniature however are the stance and the lack of gems. I think his original pose is ridiculous so I had to make him coming down a hill in an epic swing of his axe. As for the lack of gems, well it didn't get my attention until far into the painting process. I began to think of how much nicer the model would have been with a couple well placed rubies. If I did this model again I would try to putty some gems on his axe head in the center, and one on the lower flap of his frontal armor. But there are so many models to paint I can safely say I'll not be doing this one again, unless something bad happens to this one.

Fennblade Officer

My first attempt at Tartan. Here is my Fennblade Officer in all of his glory.

     List of colors: The skin was done with a combination of greys from Citadel; Dawnstone, Administratum Grey, Eshin Grey and Badab Black. The browns were also Citadel; Calthan Brown and Scorched Brown. Metalics were a mix; Citadel Leadbelcher and Mithril Silver, and P3 Molten Bronze. Metalics were washed with three Citadel washes; Badab Black, Devlan Mud and Gryphonne Sepia for texture. The Tartan was Done using Citadel Scab Red highlighted with P3 Khador Red Base. The light stripes are Citadel Astronomican Grey. The Blue stripes were done with Model Color Oxford Blue, Prussian Blue and Azure. The base was done using Citadel Scorched grass, Secret Weapon Autumn Leaves and Forge World Light and Dark Earth weathering powders. Any questions feel free to ask.

Janissa Stonetide and Wall of Stone

     Well it has been quite a long time since my last post. I've been taking a bit of a break from hobbies and the few things that I have been working on are all unfinished. Until now that is. Here is my Janissa Stonetide and a Rock Wall for her spell.
     Not sure I like the way the pictures turned out. Seems to be a bit too much glare on the skin tone. It's really not that blinding to look at on my desk. Someday I'll actually make a lightbox. Anyway, that's all for now.

Fallschirmjäger 7.5cm Pak40 Anti-Tank Platoon

     I've started collecting 15mm WW2 minis. So far I have some Germans and some Americans. WW2 Americans are a little boring to look at with all the green, green endless green, so I decided to start out by painting up my Germans. I'll have to get to the Americans another time. Here is my Fallschirmjäger 7.5cm Pak40 Anti-Tank Platoon. My first attempt at 15mm and my first attempt at splinter pattern camouflage. The guns themselves were painted with a brush using stippling. I was going to airbrush but decided against it last minute. I'll use the airbrush for the vehicles instead.

     Another thing to note about this group is that they were all glued to the base first then painted. I did this on purpose just to see if I could paint them after basing. I have some infantry guys tacked to screw heads on a board as well. Testing out what it would be like to paint them first then base them. I'll make note of the "paint first" models when I finish them. But until that happens know that I had no real issue with basing first.

     I still need to paint up some 3-ton trucks and a field car for the command. When I finish them I'll try to take a photo of the whole group together. I may need to build that light-box I've been putting off before that happens though. Anyway here is my command squad below.

    

Earthborn Dire Troll

     My Earthborn Dire Troll is finally finished. I thought about doing Madrak next when I finished up the Impalers but decided to go with this guy instead. I wanted to see how my color scheme would turn out on a Dire Troll with very little clothing. So far I'm felling a bit mixed about how it turned out. It's not as "popping" as I would have liked but at the same time I tend to go for a dingy darker more realistic painting style. I wanted this guy to look like he was made from stone but had to make the stone he is standing on look different. I washed on some weathering powders to make the rocks filthy and added a fair amount of moss and leaves. I knew that the base would provide most of the color for this mini and I'm fine with that but I just get the felling of unfinished when I look at it. I also rushed the photo and forgot to add tall grass. May have to go back and put some on tomorrow.

Trollblood Impaler #2

     Well here is my second Impaler for my Trollblood army. This is the standard model with no alterations or conversions. I've used the same palate as I have for my other trolls. The dirt on the base however has a touch of Forge World weathering powders to add a more realistic dirt look. I decided to add the powder after varnish. Last time I varnished over weathering powder it turned muddy and looked pretty bad. Anyway my favorite part has to be the roasted chickens hanging from his belt. I had to shave them off of the one I converted but I'm certainly happy I kept them on this one.
     Here is another shot of the chickens... mmm chickens....

Trollblood Impaler Conversion

     Here is my Trollblood Impaler Conversion. I've used the same palate and techniques that were used on the Axer. The most exciting thing about this model in comparison was painting up the belly. I was trying to make the belly almost white in the very center of it. The picture does little justice to the model but when I hold it in my hand I am pleased with the way it turned out. Which brings me to the next project for me. I need to build a lightbox. I just can't seem to take good pictures, I've always got horrible glare from the varnish. Anyway, when I finish building it I may update a few photos, or just re-post them up.
     I am about half way through my next Impaler as I type this. Not sure what to work on after I finish, maybe a heavy beast or some solos. Not too sure if I want to tackle units just yet. At some point I will have to try and do up some plaid. Until then enjoy...

Trollblood Axer

     My first Trollblood is finally done! I admit however that I did wait for the Journeyman league to begin to start painting. I was going to paint the whole Warpack but settled on just the Axer to start. I think this guy came out pretty good. I tried to use some more blending instead of drybrushing for most of the model. In fact the only drybrushed parts are the metal and some of the leather parts.
     The skin was basecoated with Citadel Dawnstone, washed with Citadel Badab Black and Highlighted back "up" with Dawnstone. From here I would have normally drybrushed with a lighter shade of grey and called it good. Instead I layered with some Citadel Administratum Grey leaving a rough line of Dawnstone for definition. In the past I've considered this a more advanced technique but after trying it I realized it's pretty easy.
     The metal bits were done with a basecoat of Citadel Leadbelcher, washed with Badab Black, then Citadel Devlan Mud and finally Citadel Gryphonne Sepia. From here the raised parts were lightly drybrushed with Citadel Mithril Silver. The copper parts were washed the same but started out with a basecoat of P3 Molten Bronze.
     While putting the basecoat on this model I thought the overall look was a bit to dark and drab. To solve that problem I decided to make the hair an orange-red and put an Autumn theme on the bases. To achieve the hair I started out with Citadel Eshin Grey, followed by some Citadel Scab Red, using very thinned paint and going heavier toward the tip. When that was still too dark I blended further with some P3 Khador Red Base and P3 Khador Red Highlight (which is actually and orange color). I added in some Badab Black wash while blending when I thought it appropriate.
     Another thing I tried to do to brighten the model up a bit was add horn to the top and bottom of the Axer's Axe. Some people have painted this part in metalic, some like a claw and a few like horn. This was my first attempt at painting horn and it was the most difficult part of the model. I still think it looks poor. But after a couple of frustrating do-overs, I had to call it good. Otherwise the paint would just get way too thick. Anyway I used P3 'Jack Bone to start, washed with Gryphonne Sepia and highlighted back up with the 'Jack Bone. From there I painted semi thick lines with Citadel Calthan Brown, then thin lines with Citadel Scorched Brown. I tried to add a bit of thinned Citadel Skull White to the tip then had to re-do the dark lines. Frustrating but eventually I'll practice more and since it's such a pain, hopefully get it down.
     The base was pretty standard, a mix of browns for dirt and greys for rock. Some Citadel Scorched Grass and Secret Weapon Autumn Leaves. The last bit of tall grass was from Woodland Scenics. Anyway that's my Axer, and how I plan on doing my Trollblood army.

Golden Bat Summer 2012 results and why I didn't post for a month

     So trying to focus back into hobby mode right now, just finished up my quick review of Dark Vengeance and started checking out a few forums that I frequent. I remembered the Golden Bat Summer 2012 over on Carpe Noctem has come to a close and the winners have been announced. My Death Korps of Krieg Demolisher took first place in the 40k master painting catagory! There were only a few contestants for the 40k section though, but hey a win is still pretty nice. Here is a pic to recap if you haven't seen it here a hundred times already.

     So I've been quite busy with real life stuff lately and thought I would share a bit of it here. I am quite proud of what I have accomplished so please bear with me or just skip on to the next post. Some of you know I am in the restaurant business, which consumes most of my time. The little free time I get I spend either studying my schoolwork or focusing on my hobby. Lately I've been building a bar in my restaurant. It's been an amazing experience! I was a little nervous at first since I've never built something so big or permanent before. And quite honestly without experience you just never know what surprises wait for you once you get started. Here are some photos.

      Here is my framework being lined up. My counter tops are also being cut to size, planed and sanded. This was an all night project, just Belle and myself. We assembled the frames the morning prior while closed and had everything ready to go. Once we closed at 11pm we started.

      The holes took about 6 hours to be drilled into the concrete, here I am pounding the anchors into the holes. We also planned about an inch off of one of the counter tops. Unfortunately we didn't have time for a lot of WIP photos. Sleep deprivation didn't help us remember the camera either.

     Here is a photo taken last night. The first beer to be poured at the bar, Lost Abbey Deliverance. My personal favorite beer and the beer that got us into craft beer to begin with. It seemed fitting that we should drink one to start the bar off right.

     I just took this photo about two hours ago. Here we are in the morning light. Nice reflection from the liquid glass coat over the counter tops. Those are solid by the way, each weighing a few hundred pounds. The whole bar comes to 21 feet and has ten seats. It's still going to need a foot rest, I am thinking of running a pipe out of the ground on each end and across the middle for it.
     Well there it is, tonight will be the first time it's open to our customers. I know they've been anxiously awaiting it so it should be a good night.

Dark Vengeance part 1

     Hello all, it's been a while since my last post, but I'm still here. Just busy with life, leaving very little time for the hobby. A couple of weeks ago my pre-ordered Dark Vengeance Limited box set arrived at my local GW store. I finally found the time to pick it up last Saturday. From all the reviews I've seen I knew the models would be pretty nice and after opening it up I think nice is a bit of an understatement. The models are fantastic! So here is my quick unboxing review on the set and after I assemble, clean and primer I'll hopefully find time to update again. Then perhaps I'll paint them, even though I haven't touched my Trollbloods yet. :(

 Here is the box cover

 The box contents together.

 The reason most people are interested in this box; super thin rulebook.

 All of the basics for a game of 40k, rulers, dice (with scatter die) and blast templates. Also pictured are the bases for the miniatures.

 The miniature sprues! I won't go into detail since there are many reviews out there already. You get four sprues for the regular Dark Vengeance and one extra little sprue for the limited edition.

 The limited edition model. Very worth it in my opinion. This model like all of the models in this box is cast at a very high quality of detail.

 The paperwork! You get a fancy small rulebook, a quick start guide, an assembly guide, a couple reference sheets and a special rules card for the limited edition model.
 
     Well that concludes my 'unboxing.' I believe most of the models are snap fit, so assembly should be a piece of cake. Just sifting through the sprues I can also tell that there are very few mold lines and so far no mis-cast parts that I can see. This is quite a high quality set, I am impressed.

Skarre Queen of the Broken Coast

     My epic Skarre, now Queen of the Broken Coast. This model was a blast to paint. A few changes from her prime version though; she lost her cloak, no longer has a trim on her coat and she is holding a pistol instead of a dagger. The rest of the model is pretty much the same, including fantastic quality on the face.
     I've had this model finished for a while now but when I photoed it the first time all of my pictures came out with a horrible greyed-out look. And they were quite dark despite using a makeshift lightbox. This time I took a roll-up magnet and set it on the coffee table next to a glass door. I propped one side up and photoed her using it as a backdrop. Overall the pictures came out fine but still a bit too dark. Recently I decided to check out Picasa 3 for organizing and viewing my pictures and saw that it has a built in editing kit. I was able to crop there (like anywhere else, nothing special) and then I used an "I'm feeling lucky" button to edit the light and color. Not sure exactly what it did but the picture looks a lot better after that so I stuck with it. I'll go ahead and post the 'before' photo with crop so you can see the original.

     So here you can see the original is not terribly different but the editing made it look better. Removed that dull grey haze. I don't think it makes my paint job look better than it is but maybe I'm being defensive? I'm not really sure how people feel about 'fixing' photos of minis. Let me know what your opinion is.

March of the Trollbloods

     Lately I've been having a lot of fun playing my Trollblood army down at my local game store. With an up and coming Journeyman League I decided to get them all based and primed up. I don't think I'll be able to wait for the league to start though, I want to paint them sooner. So far they are all ready for paint except for my Whelps. But that's not all, there are a few things of interest in the mix...

     The Trollblood Warpack comes with two identical Impalers. That is rather disappointing from a hobby perspective (not so great from a gaming perspective either). So to fix the problem I cut the left arm off of one of the Impalers and repositioned it with a little green stuff. I then cut the spear top and bottom to swap them. Finally I cut and carved the chickens off of his belt to try and add a little more variety. I think it came out quite alright.

     Rok gets thirsty! He sure loves his beer so I've decided to give him a keg. With the new plastic Dire Troll kit you get enough parts to make either a Bomber, Blitzer or Mauler, which means lots of extra bits. Extra bits like powder kegs that can easily become beer kegs.

     The Kilt Lifter. What a great model. This model is fantastic despite not being a playable model. I didn't pick it up for the game though, when I saw it on the Privateer Press store I knew I had to have it.

     Mulg for my birthday! I was so happy to get Mulg as a gift for my birthday that I've used him in every list since. I am certainly impressed with his performance and the model itself is quite amazing. I plan on covering most of the roots of the tree-stump with static grass.

     A full unit of Kriel Warriors. It may not seem like much but it took me quite a long time and many game stores to complete this unit. I finished it off by buying my last two Caber Throwers at Lock & Load 2012.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the preview. Perhaps soon I can start painting some of theses guys up. I have decided to go with a mix of greys for skin tone as I am not a fan of typical Trollblood blue. The bases are going to be spring/summer themed, full of life. I considered going with an autumn theme but decided against it as it may draw away from the model too much. We shall see.