Chimera's in Triplicate

This past weekend, the family went out of town leaving me some time to really get the Imperial Guard finished (or nearly finished!). However, an upper respiratory infection also took over the weekend. :(
But, having strong faith the Emperor (and sudaphed, caffeine, a huge back log of 40K podcasts),  I was able to finish three Chimeras complete with weathering techniques.

One hobby tip. I tried a new type of spray primer, which I DO NOT RECOMMEND. Its the Montana Gold line of colored spray paints. It was highly recommended by folks in the art community. However, its mostly used for outside work on rough textures (i.e. graffiti). On fine scale modeling it left a rough prime coat. Reading up on the internet, its what everyone complains of. However, I left the rough coat in place since it gave the Chimeras some more texture. However, if you want a colored spray primer, Army Painter is still your best bet for a smooth colored primer.

The Leman Russ turent is reclaimed LR kit from a friend that I quickly did to add to the rest of my army. The weathering techniques work very well on yellow, even better than on the green.

Valkyrie "Metallica"- Nearly Done

When I last left you all, we had applied the oil based paints for the first step of the weathering effects. I let that dry over night and then applied weathering pigments. Using the Earth and Mud set from SWM, I went to town. In the past, I would have applied a spray matte coat before using the pigments. However, this time I hoped that oil paint would help the pigments to stick better, and I was right. There much less pigment "blowing" off the model this time around. You have to be a bit careful with the pigment in the oil paint since the pigment will absorb a small amount, changing the color.

There are still a few detail pieces left to do as well as magnetize the wings for various Forge World Weapon options. The base also needs some work, and that will happen this week.

WiP: Valkrie "Metallica" Part Two

Last night I left the 'plain' looking Valk to dry with its decals in place and then quickly gave the model a spray with a matte sealer. Now its time to weather the crap out of this thing. All of the rest of the vehicles in the army reflect the cruel 'Martian' like sands and wind on the outer moon of Cadian where the Black Jacks train and protect the Imperium from the vile influence of Chaos. To reflect this, we need to weather this poor bird like a mother.

I am using Oil Based paints to 'tint' the model. Its a common technique in the military modelers and it works great with 40K models for sure. All you need is a few tubes of paint.  With the primary colors and a few browns you can make anything you want. One tube will last a modeler several lifetimes. Also, wait until Hobby Lobby puts these on sale (a couple of times a year) to get them even cheaper. Also, you can use water based paints. But then you don't get to sniff paint thinner. It would be your loss.

The first step is to ruin your model. Take some dabs of the paint and place it on your perfectly based plane. Don't worry, just have fun. I tried to put my 'lighter' colors in areas of highlight and the darker browns in areas of shade. 

Then, dip your brush in paint thinner and start to move the oil paint around. You'll find you instantly create a wash-like material that not only goes into the deep parts of the model but 'tints' the entire model.  In the case of the Valkyrie, I made sure that the brush strokes all went in the same direction to represent oil, engine grease, and atmospheric dust moving along the hull when this beast flies through the air. If you find that you have too much paint left in an area, just dilute your brush with more thinner. Play around, its fun. But don't sniff too much of the thinner. 

Here it is, nice wet oily mess. I'll leave her overnight to dry. Remember that the oil paints take a minimum 24 hours to dry, and often much longer than that. That means you still have time to move the paint around, and if you add more water/thinner to model you'll loose what you have done. So matte seal it before you do anything else. 

More tomorrow. 

WiP: Valkyrie, the "Metallica"

Painting 30 Imperial Guardsmen is proving to be a bit daunting, so I changed gears to get my Valkyrie ready to play. It will join his two Vendetta brothers and has been named, Metallica.
Painting the large IG vehicles is a bit different than how I am painting the foot soldiers, and I wanted to document the experience with all of you.

First I primed the Valk with Army Painter Army Green and then went over the model with GWF Gnarlac Green with a tank brush. There are only a few places on the plane that are colored different- Boltgun Metal on the 'metal' parts, Blood Red on the coupling hoses on the fuselage, and white 'kill' markings on the side of the nose. Long ago I decided to cover up the canopy- so it got black and metal paint as well.

Lastly, I placed painters (low tack) tape on the wings and using GWF Iyanden Darksun to paint the stripes on the wings.

Once all was dry decals were added where you see them. Make sure you follow this process when using decals (or learn to cry softly to yourself). Using paint-on gloss varnish to the area where the decals will sit and let it dry.  Then using water slide the decal onto the model in the usual fashion. Then using Microscale's Micro-Set, paint over the decal. When dried, use Microscale's Micro-Sol.  At this point, I stopped to let everything sit overnight. One further word on the decals. When using decals on Space Marine shoulder pads I then painted on and around the decal to get rid of the 'shine' and 'halo' seen with this process. However, in this model we'll deal with it another way. Once dry, the model needs a coat of Matte Spray. That is where we will start tomorrow.

The Imperial Guard March

Since the completion of the Blood Angels project, I've dove right back into the Imperial Guard. They need to be finished and in fighting shape in time for Adepticon this year. While I expect to see lots of other IG armies, particularly with mech-heavy armies I hope to be able to stand out in some way. How is that?  Not so sure at the moment! :)

Actually, I plan to use a 'bubble wrap squad' to protect my heavy tanks. This is a common tactic of surrounding your tanks with infantry to give them a line of protection from scouts, infiltrators, and other charging what-nots. The IG get the advantage of having a Commissar that confers Stubborn to the unit, of 30 strong warriors.

So here is the start of all of those models, using the "Army Painter" method. I did an Adeptus Administratum Tutorial awhile back, here.

The guys have gotten their base coat, the shading and are ready for the decals, matte seal, and some touch up work. I've learned over time that the skin needs to be done separately but other than that, the models are nearly done.

Blood Angels: Baal Predator

Here she is, the last of the Blood Angels project. It wasn't finished in time for the complete army picture you saw last week, but its done none the less. This model turned out really nice. There could have been more time dedicated to shadowing and damage and dust, but this was done on a bit of a deadline. As it is, it looks great on the table.

I tried a new way to do metal/silver- base coat of black and then applied graphite shavings with my finger. It gives it a very unique and realistic look. Its very muted, unlike the usual silver effects you usually see. This in particular was Metallic Iron from Secret Weapon Miniatures. 

The Mettalic Iron was used again to start the weathering effect on the bottom of the tank. 

Painted on weathered paint chips are a great way to break up the large flat areas on your tank. Start with dabbing flat black in a random pattern, near areas of wear and tear or areas you think shells/bolts/lasers will will the hull. Paint the inside with Boltgun Silver, leaving some black on the edges. 

Lastly, on a sad note- the army was sent off already on EBay to the 'highest bidder.'  I am a bit sad that I wont be able to play against/with this army anymore. But I understand why my friend decided to sell the models. But don't fear, I've already been contacted to paint another army and I have more than enough to do for Adepticon. Expect to see more from project Imperial Guard!