Monday 30 May 2016

Dark Angels - Ravenwing bike squad - To Done!

Finally got these done, I may have gone over the top a little bit on the weathering powder on the tyres but I can live with it.


Obviously the OSl on the headlamps is still a little too opaque but the gloss highlight certainly gives the impression this is from a light source and not something else.


I have to admit thought that my idea of these guys a brooding unit of shadowy black hunters has been thrown out the window with all the extra colours, trimmings, badges, litanies, patina and effects. It's a positive cacophony of colours.


But I'm actually really impressed with the end result, my first true Ravenwing bikes.


Here's one of the units of three.


Though stupidly I got them mixed up and you've got two with Company badges of '2' and the last as Roman numeral 'II'


The screens came out OK, especially as I switched to Tamiya Clear Orange X-26, instead of Tamiya Clear Red X-27. The orange added richness to the red already present and made the white 'targets' orange so there was variety in the display.








Surprisingly the '2s' were far easier to paint than the roman numerals. I'll have no fear of doing these in the future, expect more curly gothic numbers!


Here's where the weathering powder looks a little OTT.







Phone pics




Big green stamp of approval to me, thanks for your patience with it all this time! Some more gallery pics coming soon.

Saturday 28 May 2016

Dark Angels - Ravenwing bike squad - Screens

Before and after the magic of Tamiya. Not fantastic but it'll do.


Did the screens and then I've done everything else. Orange weathering powder is a bit dubious but hey, ho.


To Done! pictures being taken later on today and I may even do a Double Trouble army shot.


Thursday 26 May 2016

Dark Angels - Ravenwing bike squad - nearly done!

It's all coming to a close now, the last update before they're complete hopefully. In preparing to do the Verdigris I HAD to avoid the task and decided to add some of the tribal stripes I'd included in my Deathwing. The three stripes really add something even when I've already included so much extra detail on these. In some respects they're incredibly simple but als very busy looking. The fact was the Sergeant ['Kanaan', if you're interested, his name scroll is pretty dire] needed something as he was just too similar to the first one. I'd wanted to do warpaint at some point but didn't think there was room on him. However, having decided to add no highlights to his skintone [compared to Sarge 1 - 'Creal'] for yet more diversity I realised that warpaint would break his bald pate up and I'm really pleased by the result, even if he is a bit Father Christmas/heavyweight boxer.


This guy has just the stripes on his backpack vent and the left side of his helm [out of shot]. I actually thought this would make a nice connection with the 'Bear Claw' tribe that inhabit Ferron Proxima as it looks like they've been mauled by a bear.


Of course I immediately realised that bears have four claws and there are three stripes but I was reliably informed by Professor Egon Suess that the Neon Bears of the Ferron Badlands do in fact only have three claws so this is anatomically correct afterall! Honest ;)


BUt I eventually got round to the Verdigris and out of the five remaining bikers I managed to do four of them in one evening. Ofcourse if I hadn't been faffing with the tribal markings that may have been the full five, but I digress [as I did last night!]. Of course I then realised I'd made a mistake in that the sole remaining biker was a Plasma gun guy and one of the remaining elements left is the plasma coils [I also need to pick out the purity seals on both Plasma Gun guys too!]. I couldn't do that while waiting for the verdigris to dry...


so I actually took this last guy into work and finished the Verdigris in my lunch! The first time I've painted like this in years. Now what's left?
  1. Pin highlights [still]
  2. Eye lenses [there's only 4, so not sure why I'm putting it off]
  3. 2nd Sergeants head/eyes!
  4. Purity seals - sepia wash
  5. Litany script
  6. Names and numbers on shoulder pad
  7. Verdigris
  8. Handlebar screens
  9. Plasma coils
  10. Red headlamp and OSL [v.nervous about this for obvious reasons! ]
  11. Base edge
  12. Varnish
  13. Orange weathering powder on tyres
See, stripes!

Tuesday 24 May 2016

Dark Angels - Ravenwing bike squad - still not finished!

"Chaplain on a bike!" these guys are still not finished! Luckily the avoidance task I undertook instead of doing pin highlights on the black was do the final highlights on the company symbols and purity seals.


I did also root out my old metal Assault Marines and run some Khorne red round the bases just to tie them in to my red planet base theme, I wonder if I should repaint the Milliput sculpted bases yellow too?

And I picked out all the rivets and red on the purity seals. I managed to finish by 11:40, which was good as I'd actually got into bed the previous night at that time and had a whole 6 hours and 40 minutes sleep. Unfortunately finishing painting and leaving the Man Cave are not  the same thing, so an hour later...


Now that I've broken the 5 hour sleep barrier and I'm looking at 4 hours something, jeez is it worth it?


Anyway, they're progressing nicely whatever the deprivation does, and to think I used to be terrible when the kids were up all night and now I'm doing it of my own volition!

I've since done some more, but the pictures wouldn't show much, grenades, Purity Seals almost complete, 2nd sarge's cloak etc. but what's left?
  1. Pin highlights [still]
  2. Eye lenses [there's only 4, so not sure why I'm putting it off]
  3. 2nd Sergeants head/eyes!
  4. Purity seals - sepia wash
  5. Litany script
  6. Names and numbers on shoulder pad
  7. Verdigris
  8. Handlebar screens
  9. Plasma coils
  10. Red headlamp and OSL [v.nervous about this for obvious reasons! ]
  11. Base edge
  12. Varnish
  13. Orange weathering powder on tyres

Monday 23 May 2016

Dark Angels - Ravenwing bike squad

Oh look, another diversionary tactic! I know, I know... for all my protestations that the bikers are not a chore I do keep finding avoidance tasks and the Ravenwing Command squad commander just happened. I'd had an organise of the mancave and sorted out some of the boxes, seen the instruction then promptly forgot where they were, then I found them so it was on to the bikes. This is also because I can then make the Assault Squad too as I need one of the spare torsos for the them. So by making the Command squad I will know what bits I have left.

Any advice on load-out for these guys would be appreciated, I think I figured there was no reason not to take them compared to standard Knights. I currently won't be able to field more than 6 with a few kitbashes so the Standard bearer [because it looks cool] and the Apothecary because of his benefits but what do I give the Commander?


On the plus side of taking the robed guy I can then have a spare set of legs, together with another torso and I ended up buying again. This rather crappy looking bike was only 99p. Unfortunately postage was £3 but I had seen the seller was also selling 10 Termagants and hoped to get them for cheap and get combined postage. Unfortunately I got distracted, missed the end of the auction and someone else got them for £1.20!!! Still, £3.99 for a bike isn't too bad. Now Otty told me not to buy any more but this guy can be made up from spare bits from the Knight Sprue, or I can make my Techmarine on a bike...


Now because I quickly ran out of steam on the Commander I managed to get back on the job I was supposed to be doing in the first place. All the shading has been done which has made them look black again at least. Not sure if the level is up to the first bike I did but we'll see after the pin highlights, which is next up.


I also did the Stonewall grey highlights on all the company badges and those tiny skulls too, y'know I can never get those right. Every time I highlight the nose hole always gets filled in, so it looks less like a skull and more like the Schwa alien :(


I keep looking at the black with indecision, I certainly need to rethink how fastidious I was trying to get a 'flat black' initially, certainly on these small areas. Given I keep adding more shading and upcoming litanies will break up the shading too perhaps it wasn't necessary. Not sure about the area around the company badge on the one on the left...


But the six are all now second highlighted at least. Pin highlights will be about an hour max and then I can start picking out all the details, grenades may be half an hour and there are four eye lenses to do with OSL, although that's worked out OK previously [see below]. Rivets, the odd badge, company highlights, verdigris, plasma glow, handlebar screens, bases...


Bottom line though is I can see me getting the bikes done for Double Trouble, I just can't see the Dark Talon completed too. With just three weeks remaining, AND I'm on holiday for a week, the only way I can do it is if I finish the Ravenwing in the next two weeks and complete the Dark Talon on holiday. However I have to submit my army list before then and I can't guarantee the flyer will be complete.

So It may be better to sacrifice the Talon, to ensure I don't rush it. It's not like it won't ever be done, it's my second priority so will potentially be the next completed project anyways. I certainly don't want to rush it and feel like I didn't do my best. I'm also unsure about the view my better half will have taking models on holiday, I've done it before but this time it may be viewed with less understanding...

Saturday 21 May 2016

Double Trouble challenge

Luke at Darksun life challenged folk to use some of their oldest models for Double Trouble, in truth I don't have much, sure I've a lot of old models but they're not my earliest attempts at painting. But with the Dark Talon unlikely I could feasibly meet his challenge by using these guys my original metal Assault Squad.


 Hopefully folk won't mind they're short on Jump Packs, even though I'll be taking them with such.


I could also take my Rogue Trader Rhino


I could also be taking my old Devastators




Of course these guys now look like this.


Theoretically I could also put together a Battle Demi-Company but the Double Trouble rules state I can only take 1 Formation.


So I wouldn't be able to take the Ravenwing, which would make taking my legacy Chaplain Infernus  pointless!


I'd also need to fill out the list with Brother Cask, but I'd probably want him in a Drop Pod and unfortunately I've only got one part painted but unmade and one made but only undercoated, neither of which are useful.


So I have four lists models meeting Lukes criteria in green, models not painted in red:

DA list 1
  • Techmarine
  • Deathwing Command Squad x 5, with Apothecary
  • Scout Squad x 5, with camo cloaks and sniper rifles
  • Tactical Squad x 5, with Missile Launcher and Rhino
  • Assault Squad x 5, with Jump Packs and Flamer
  • Ravenwing Bike Squad x 3, with Plasma Gun
  • Ravenwing Bike Squad x 3, with Plasma Gun
This list was what I had started with then added the Asault Marines to accommodate Luke's challenge and when I realised the Dark Talon was unlikely.

DA list 2
  • Techmarine
  • Scout Squad x 5, with camo cloaks and sniper rifles
  • Tactical Squad x 5, with Flamer and Rhino
  • Tactical Squad x 5, with Missile Launcher
  • Assault Squad x 5, with Jump Packs
  • Ravenwing Bike Squad x 3, with Plasma Gun and Melta Bomb
  • Ravenwing Bike Squad x 3, with Plasma Gun
  • Devastator Squad x 5, with Missile Launchers
Then  I realised I could make a Battle demi-company and tried to do that, realising at the end this was a Formation and therefore I wouldn't be able to take the Ravenwing squads alongside the Formation as the DT rules say only one formation, so no extras. Therefore I got rid of the chaplain on bike, swapped him with the Techmarine which I can enter into the Character painting competition because best army is no chance (particularly when I know what that competition is gonna be like) and I've no best conversion or worthy vehicle either. 
DA Demi company
  • Chaplain
  • Dreadnought, with drop pod
  • Tactical Squad x 5, with Flamer and Rhino
  • Tactical Squad x 5, with Missile Launcher
  • Tactical Squad x 5, with Missile Launcher
  • Assault Squad x 5, with Jump Packs and Flamer
  • Devastator Squad x 5, with Missile Launchers
Understanding the DT limitations a bit more I tried to make a proper Battle demi-company and came up with this, with the drop pod being the real issue. I suppose I could find an alternative something with those points...
Tyranid list
  • Hive Tyrant, wings and Devourers
  • Tervigon
  • Malanthrope
  • Ripper Swarm x 3
  • Termagant x 10
  • Carnifex with Devourers
 Lastly, old faithful. What I'd take if nids were the only option.
What do you guys think of my choices? I think list 2 is the best option personally.