Saturday 30 July 2016

'nids part 201 - All the Genestealers [well, almost!]

While I had the 31 Stealers out I thought I'd put them all on my AoP board.


As it happens I seem to have misplaced a dozen or so original Stealers, at least I have 4 in the back ground and I know I have a box of them knocking around somewhere.


So I had to just get on with it as the wife was already looking dubious at my efforts to record everything, not to mention I'm also missing my other Broodlord that Otty has and I haven't swapped out for the one I got in my ebay bargain.


The 'Ymgarl' mutants all had a bit more pink in them than the new ones, subtle differences are now obvious throughout the Stealers in Hive Fleet Gorgom.


Still, the old Broodlord isn't as bad as you would think leading the field. 



Here come the phone pics...











Anyway, hope you like these extra pics now on to my next project.

Friday 29 July 2016

'nids part 200 - 31 Genestealers TO DONE!

I guess it's fortuitous that I mark my 200th 'nids post with the completion of these here 31 Genestealers.


It's taken a good while to get here, which is understandable as other projects and thankfully that includes the Dark Angels have taken priority.


But they needed doing and I thought it'd close out my hobby season with a bit more quantity.


I also thought that it'd get them off the decks and I could therefore focus on new things for 2016/17. Then I went and got Deathwatch Overkill with it's 38 Genestealer Cultists and then got Space Hulk with a further 22, and  10 or 12 more when I got an ebay bargain! 


So I've got yet more stealers to paint, whether that's another two year deal who knows but it's going to keep me busy regardless. Bloody hell that Genestealer Cult Codex better turn up.


I still think the Toxin Stealers are the best I think if I do any more I'll be doing some more random sac mutations like the  one on the right.


There were also these five 'urban' based brood. The metal bits are all from my previous Space Hulk stealers which had their bases trimmed to fit 20mm bases and so the spare parts made up these, which is a nifty trick which I'll be doing again with the new batch.






 

These original Space Hulk Stealers are nearing their two year anniversary!


These are five of the ten that I received as a mystery gift from my kendo friend Tom Widdows.


It was also hear that I realised why the original sculpts are superior in a way than the newer models - they're mostly leaping off the back foot which gives far more momentum to their attack than the newer ones which are leaping off the front foot.


Here are the other five together with their brothers, these were converted with Scything Talons and extra carapace armour just to see what they'd look like and for variety.


It's amazing how they still work and again makes some interesting variation in bio-forms as Hive Fleet Gorgon mixes things up to find the optimum stealer variant.


Meanwhile Tom has his own Epic 40k blog here: epictitanlegionclub.blogspot.co.uk go check it out.


These five have scy-tals, carapace armour and bone carapaces.


My second 'Davey Jones' staler.



Five Scy-tals with 'enhanced' carapace armour and chitin carapace colours. These armour plates are all made from Carnifex and Warrior armour plates. I made one previously and liked it so much I did a whole brood.


This poor stealer has had a rending claw shot off, the ubiquitous UHU glue creating the blood drip.


Brood of 6 Toxin Stealers.



This brood have carapace armour and chitin carapace. I also mixed up the arms, so some have two pairs of the three claws.


Some also have two pairs of the five claws. 


There really didn't seem any sense to always have them with a pair of each, why not mix it up?


So there we go and other one ticked off the To Do List The big green stamp of approval - TO DONE! Now, just a bunch of phone shots and then whats next?

Monday 25 July 2016

'nids part 199 - 31 Genestealers

I know there's been little evidence of progress, or anything else on the blog but I assure you things have been moving along behind the scenes with the Genestealers. It's just a little hard to show what's changed, until now at least.


As you can see I got the opportunity to do some toxin sacs. These 6 stealers came out really well in the end.


All the talons and claws needed doing, and unlike my traditional recipe with black, black highlight 1, and then various highlights with more turquoise and white I decided to go all GW and use Dark Reaper as my first highlight and then do the Bahama Blue and white with a white pin light, much how I did the Ravenwing


These are still at the Dark Reaper phase which I think is sufficient. I also did the Bonewhite chips on the bases too. Some elements were dragging on longer than anticipated but for the most part I've smashed my estimates which either makes me a bad planner or I've overcome my generous timescale because I'd thought the whole project was too laborious and ultimately depressing. It's required perseverance and determination to push through these last parts but it's been far from miserable.


I also did the Mechrite Red bases [I still have some left]. As alwys the foundation paint is super opaque but is not quite as bright as the Valejo Heavy Red finish on the marine on the right. So the Mechrite gives me the coverage and then a subsequent coat of Heavy Red makes it look nicer.


Here they all are having had their bases edged. All that needs to happen now is Army Painter Anti-Shine the lot of them, gloss varnish on the claws and half of them will have some form of yellow flock, the other will be left without, I just need to judge which bases will benefit from the addition and which will look to busy


And while I was at it I cracked on with these Carnifex heads. I decided to do some blue for the Bio-plasma, I don't know why I;'e been doing it the same green as Toxin elements elsewhere but it just seemed worth trying and although it looks superclean among all the other nid goodness I think it was worth doing because it doesn't look too bad. Should I ever do anymore of these heads I'll do an orange one too, I could have gone one orange one blue but for the sake of expediency they both went blue.


They just need magnets put in the necks then alongside the double tusk head I'll have four spare Carnifex heads, just need four more Carnifex to put them on! Ha, ha, not for long time. Anyway, next up the finished pics, just as soon as I can get a chance to take them...