White Swords Tactical Squad

So, a little while ago I read a Horus Heresy novel (First Heretic) and then I realized why I shouldn't read Horus Heresy novels.  They invoke a strong need in me to paint Spess Mehreens.  I succumbed.  Damn.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any 'new' Space Marines in boxes or waiting to painted, and I'm too skint to buy any, so I turned to my first Space Marines, with their over-thick coats of paint and badly-stuck-on-transfers and undercoated them black.  Their poses aren't anything artistic because I had to paint them as they came, but time to redeem their paintjobs somewhat...

Tactical Squad Cassius

Sgt. Cassius

Evidently assembled during my "no such thing as too much purity scrolls" phase.

Häyhä

Lundgren

Blaze

Arviolz

Obel

Xavier

Lucius

Combat Squad Cassius (the back two are Andrew and Teslos)

Combat Squad Lucius

And yes, I name all of my Space Marines.  If I had a Tyranid army, I'm pretty sure I'd try name all of the Gaunts and Genestealers too.

These lot aren't based because the Hornby SkaleScenic gravel I usually use for this Chapter is playing a very fine game of hide-and-seek at the moment, so the bases will have to be completed at a later date.

I wasn't gonna go as crazy with the freehand for this lot as I could have because they be a humble tactical squad, who have not yet earned their battle honours.  That goes to the 1st Company squads.

Righty-ho, I'm off then.  Happy dice-rolling!

Scorpions and Destroyers.

Just a pic-update post.


Scorpion:

 I would have added (and still may add) more diverse foliage but I didn't have the materials.

Destroyer WIP

It's a Soviet steam-powered magically-controlled mech that can shoot and ax.  Basically.

Can I just say that Privateer Press plastics (or maybe just this batch) was super low quality.  I tried plastic glue, super glue, even Bostick All-Purpose and it wouldn't stay together.  This specimen is held together by cocktail-stick pinning and green stuff.  See how the right arm sticks out more?  That's what that is.  I've given the second Warjack a fairy liquid water bath to see if that's what was required, but I've never come across miniature plastic that a tube of Polycement couldn't bond before.  That Warjack is a fair bit further along by this point, now that I think of it...

Right, got to try for job tomorrow (today, oops).  Happy snake-eyes!

Whirlwind Finito!

Well, my approximation of finished at any rate.  It's only recently that I've stopped the habit of going back to old models to try and improve the paintjob my then-worse-skills could accomplish, and because I'm a bit of a perfectionist.  I'm also a bit impatient, and I'm not sure how they co-exist within me, but there we are.

   Here we go:

Now, there are a few specific things I will return one day to fix (metallics, some bits and bobs of the flame/sword designs) but I am overall satisfied with this for now, though there are no headlamps on it (we can see fine by the flames in the craters we create, duh!) as I couldn't find them - I partly assembled the model before I left university, many moons ago, and some components have found themselves into bitz boxes or somewhere less unmentionable I'm sure. There's an optional placard-type aquila about too, but I didn't see the need for it.

Umm..., yep that's all for now.  Happy dice rolling!

Coming soon...

Some WIP Eldar.

Whirlwind WIP

After seeing a Samurai Khorne Berzerkers thread on DakkaDakka, I felt the urge to paint something MEQ'-y.

Sorry, but when I see a large flat space, I instinctively kill a kitten.  Therefore, I must save the kittens.

Utterly my first time painting a vehicle of any kind, except for Dreadnoughts, and I dunno if I need to make it grubbier or something.  Should the white be given a light wash to dull it down?  I dunno chaps, any opinions and advice welcome.

Frontline Gamer: the Imperium of Man as a metaphor for Games Workshop.

Blogging will be sparse these days as I am constantly distracted by Space Marine's fantastic multiplayer and unimportant things like job-hunting, but also because my paint station isn't the most convenient here at home:

It's a tad cramped, is what I'm saying, and no room to set up my laptop to watch the Thundercats reboot while I apply bloodstains to my Druchii.

So, I'm compromising a bit, by resorting to plagiarism.  Well, not really, but kinda.  I recently came along a fantastic article about the current state of Games Workshop, which can be read here.  It compares GW to the Imperium of man; massive, dogmatic and fanatical, beset on all sides by heretics and aliens (both old and new) and decaying away.  I thought it was a well thought out and provoking extended metaphor/theory/argument, and I'd urge you all to take a peek at the very least.  Just pop over to see what the fuss is, in a way.

That's all for now folks.