Dreadtober 2019 - Moar Metallics

#Dreadtober update and yet moar application of the metallics. This is the mid-season finale so to speak, whereby I apply the final set of highlights before I add a wash layer to grime it up a bit. I believe it's Valejo Game Color Gun Metal and Shining Gold [whatever they're in this intro set and still going strong after 9 years] sponged on for the texture.

It works particularly well on the hip joint. There are still areas I can't decide how to paint but I've no doubt my decision will crystallise green or bronze without delay when the time comes.

The weapons also got their highlights, I even had an Imperial Knight Icarus array that got a quick highlight. I will regret not pursuing the Deathwing Knights in parallel but that would dismiss my feelings that it would be too much to take on simultaneously and despite the metals being the same the application requires a different approach. The terminators are much smaller and need more care, whereas this thing is a beast and I can just slap it on and any issues can be covered up with battle damage. It's actually quite a freeing experience.

The sponging is so rough and ready but the shade wash will balance it all together. I'm sure red casings like the 'eavy metal studio army would be so pedestrian for me now. I considered having a bit of green on it but there's something about a Dread that I did with Brother Cask [shares link then realises there are no back shots 😔] whereby there is the green armour built over a metal skeleton, much like how Imperial Knights would be presented.

So I was already imagining the paint scheme years before I did Euronymous or knew Imperial Knights would be a thing.

It's also another aspect of my Darfk Angel scheme. I chose them way back when specifically because I didn't just want to paint green. The Deathwing colour scheme gave my bone too and then they canonised the Ravenwing black so I got a third option [not realising the havoc it would play with my future hobby mojo] and then the bronze which ties it all together, the verdigris not too dissimilar to the green but on a big model I can play around with the metallics even more. That way is mostly green from the front then metallics all on the back, like a surprise as it turns round.

Anyway, lot of fun, I'm really digging #Dreadtober 

Join in Armies on Parade 2019

Last year I attempted to get an article published on Warhammer Community about Armies on Parade #armiesonparade. There's no guarantees with these things so I've managed to stop crying about it 😉 and thought I could at least share it here to once again reaffirm how much I enjoy taking part and if you are in this hobby and have painted some figures you should too! Saturday 19th October is Parade day get on down to your local store and join in, here's why:

Greetings, I’m Dave Weston and I’ve been hobby blogging for the last 8 years over at Confessions of a 40k Addict. The Warhammer Community Team has indulged my request to champion my favourite hobby event of the year – Armies on Parade. 

I’m sure most are well aware of Armies on Parade, perhaps even dabbled but for those that don’t it is the biggest hobby event in the world! Each year thousands of hobbyists across the Mortal Realms/Galaxy/Middle Earth (delete as appropriate) showcase their armies in their local Games Workshop. What follows across social media and in the community is a veritable feast of hobby delights. You will see parade after parade of amazing miniatures, conversions, and dioramas, all wrapped up in a tidy 2’ by 2’ square (or smaller).

I first entered Armies on Parade in 2013 with my Tyranids. Sadly I was the only entry in my local store that year and I walked away with the Gold medal. More importantly was the reward that after years of painting my army, I’d finally showcased it for folk to see. When I originally started the hobby back in the Rogue Trader era I never completed more than a dozen or so miniatures, I stopped the hobby in 1993 and returned in 2009. Armies on Parade 2013 was a huge achievement for me - finally having an army to parade. I promised myself I would continue to support the event, building my army and using every opportunity to encourage my friends and other hobbyists to take part.

No doubt if you’ve ever seen the results of Parade Day or visited armiesonparade.com you’ll have seen some pretty amazing boards. The Community Team’s Eddie Eccles’ boards are a thing of beauty; yes even the horrifying beauty of his Tyranid parade! But these dioramas might not be possible for someone just starting out in the hobby and for some inspiration might manifest as intimidation. What I hope to share with you all is that anyone can take part in Armies on Parade, at any level of the hobby. Perhaps you’ve just bought Soul Wars and painted your first few Night Haunt models or even just the First Strike 40k starter set; if so you’ve the makings of your army. You could even be a hardcore gamer with a 3 colours minimum netlist, Armies on Parade welcomes one and all (just like the Four Armed Emperor). The most important thing to remember is it’s your hobby, it’s your army, you parade what you want.

Of course Armies on Parade does have a competitive element too, you might aspire to win one of the awards on offer these are:

• Young Bloods (up to 15 years old)

• First army (for those new to the hobby whatever age)

• Monsters and machines (for those that like to go large)

• Best theme (for those that like to tell a story)

• Best scenic board (for those that want to make amazing dioramas)

• Best painted (for the aspiring Golden Demons amongst us)

It’s worth noting though that everyone gets an Armies on Parade badge for entering (you might even be able to pick up a Citadel Crusader Card while you’re at it!), reinforcing the view that taking part is an achievement and reward in itself. In previous years there were only first, second and third place medals, with these categories it’s clear Armies on Parade is opening up to all levels of the hobby. “But Dave, how do I go about joining in?” I hear the voices in the warp ask, well here are my top tips:

Dave’s top tips for taking part in the biggest, bestest, hobby event in the world ever – Armies on Parade!

1. Sign up! Simple really. As soon as your local store announces their Parade Day, get on down and enter.
2. Planning. Have a plan of what you want to display and how you want to display it. A display board is not compulsory but it certainly helps to make your army look better. Stores usually have single Realm of Battle board tiles to buy specifically for the event but you could make your own or even use the card tiles from Shadespire or Deathwatch Overkill if your army is small in number.
   
3. Use your time wisely. Parade Day is usually October/November, which means you have quite a few months left of hobby time. For some that’s enough to plan, build and paint a whole army and diorama (these people are obviously possessed by foul chaos energies but I’ll leave it to the Inquisition to investigate); for others like me it might just be sufficient time to add another unit or two. Whichever you are a deadline is a great hobby motivator and it really feels like an achievement adding to your army in time for the parade.
4. Make the best of what you’ve got. As I don’t have the room to make dioramas I like to showcase my armies simply. I’ve a number of backdrops that provide context to the red planet world of Ferron Proxima that all my armies fight over, but the board is a simple Realm of Battle tile. However, I decorate it with various bits of my gaming terrain, just to enhance the display. Even if you’ve not gone down the diorama route, some trees, Munitorum Containers, objectives, whatever you have that fits your army might add to your display. And if your army is only just beginning, try using a smaller display board so your force doesn’t look lost.
   
5. Don’t panic! Last year I saw one hobbyist’s display board ruined at the last minute. Desperate to take part and as a back-up he entered Magnus and Roboute Guilliman in combat together. Some would argue this isn’t an ‘army’ but we’ve all read Primarchs are practically ‘armies in their own rights’. Remember it’s your hobby, your parade!
6. Enjoy your parade. Everyone who enters is a winner; we’ve all shown our love of the hobby and presented our achievements for our fellow hobbyists to enjoy. I promise that once you’ve entered one parade you’ll be desperate to enter next year. The opportunity to expand on your existing army and showcase new units, possibly new skills in your painting, or even start a new army/diorama from scratch is highly addictive (I should know!).

Here are a couple more examples proving you don't have to have custom or any board indeed [the Knights were on a store board] to join in. Everyone gets that pin badge for taking part and some even take away certificates in their category. Hopefully that’s enough to convince you that Armies on Parade is for every hobbyist, including you. If you need any more advice your local Games Workshop will help you or check out armiesonparade.com for inspiration. Don’t forget to use #armiesonparade and see you on Parade Day!

Denied... again.

So my last post about IT issues revealed I could no longer blog within my IT network whilst able to see the images pulled from Google Photos. I ultimately resolved that issue by using our standalone laptop that makes use of a WiFi dongle not connected to our 'managed network'. Everything was fine, I was writing once or twice a week which would cover me for 2 or 3 posts on the blog. Unfortunately a new issue has arisen. It would appear that our little £15 WiFi dongle has been somehow monopolising the IT network after a recent powercut. When all the servers came back on it somehow became the default that all the rest tried to connect to!

Anyway, our local IT guys, who are genuinely cool, still had to find a way to limit it. Fundamentally that doesn't change anything. It took a few weeks for them to reconfigure the device but their bosses have suggested that it's use is curtailed. That means I can turn it on occasionally to still blog but it is a bit of a palaver, again, and something I'm sure they would prefer not to be used. I mean I was using that WiFi dongle all the time, saving my data on my phone, so now that's a challenge too 😉.

In conclusion, I can still blog and you may not even notice any drop in service, but once again there is another hurdle which makes my blogging more difficult and might be less frequent depending on how often I can access the kit.

Dreadtober 2019 - Metallics

#Dreadtober continues inexorably but as expected my progress is slow. In fairness this has nothing to do with the model or even the usually problematic brassy bronze. No it has been impacted both by the weather and general fatigue. Heavy rain has meant the garden has flooded and wading to the Man Cave in my wellies has often been sufficient to discourage me even attempting to crack on with my Dread. One night I braved the elements to get out there and slap on some Balthasar Gold on top of the Warplock Bronze.

Weapon options too. Originally I hoped to throw in my Deathwing Knights as well, as they are at the same stage but half an hour was just about as much as I could do before I felt it was time to go to bed. I've been monitoring my sleep again using Google Fit, I think I've made a little improvement in my sleep schedule. There are still the occasional late nights but I think they're more uncommon now. I've had some early nights too, which doesn't help the hobby obviously but should help me long-term.

Another night I got out to the shed and managed to sponge/stipple on some Retributor Gold. I'm a little uncertain on some areas of metallics but I'll continue on until they're all done and then decide if they should still be bronze or in fact green. I'll need to cover splodges anyway so it's no real hardship.

The guns are coming along too.

And the Fist, which I'd been rather impressed being black next to the green body but immediately decided I would not eventually keep it, but will quarter it so the fist is the 5th Company symbol. Really pleased that decision just came to me in a two step realisation. No doubts, no prevarication, just that looks cool, oh, or that would be cooler!

Another set of highlights to do, then shade washes to balance the colours.. This might then require some small highlights to sharpen things up and then it's some limited verdigris and on to the greens.

Blood Bowl - Human Team Original Middenheim Marauders

I know it's Dreadtober but I had been working on these Blood Bowl humans prior to that and it was a roller-coaster of emotions in the few weeks beforehand. It's amazing how you can go from such a hobby high - absolute motivation and feelings of success to nothing. I have no idea why, I'd been sticking to a number of my processes and techniques to feel fulfilled, then I started painting my Blood Bowl Human team and it all seems to have evaporated. Despite being on my To Do List and being what I wanted to paint, even if they weren't the priority items I'd originally identified, it hasn't helped sustain my mojo.

I had just felt I could do the base coats and there was no pressure, I could predict how much progress I could do and although the output is 'samey' - the team is all dressed identically, how is that different than painting 10 Termagants?

But I did progress nontheless, but perhaps at the expense of my mojo... Despite feeling 'this is what I wanted to do' and being impressed with the results.

Khorne Red and Valejo GC Stonewall Grey.

I managed to get them all basecoated and would go on to do the flesh-tones across the team.

Then it was Army Painter Strong Tone [Agrax equivalent]. Foolishly I did the Bronzed Flesh guys with that, when a Soft Tone would have been better.

With them shaded I then added Stonewall and Khorne Red highlights [on the one on the right].

A single thin coat in places, stippled on to add some texture/dappled weathering effect.

Now this highlight takes an evening, so I could predict 12 nights work but I wanted to progress one of them with the second set of highlights - white and Valejo GC Bloody Red and part of me felt I'd gone too far, particularly on the red. I think I've lost something in the rich scarlet. So whatever motivation I had for these has waned somewhat. Luckily I have other priorities to jump to but what do you think? Which works best...?

Single set of highlights on the left, double highlights on the right?

'nids part 272 - Tyranid VSG part 3

Dreadtober starts tomorrow, but I mentioned the other day I had been sculpting the Tyranid Void Shield Generator and so thought I'd just slip this in before I can start sharing my Dread progress. I had been putting the VSG off, for over 3 years now, purely because I wanted to video how to do some of the tendon bits. I finally did the clip and I desperately want this complete, but among so many other projects Dreadtober included there's quite a competition for my limited hobby time.

Here's how I sculpt a tendon:

And static shots from the completed spine in the video.

The inner spine is [almost] complete though.

It's not perfect by any stretch but after the gloss and Tamiya Clear Red X-27 it doesn't have to be.

My next stumbling block is how it interfaces with the ground. I was going to use some of the wood chips I used on my 'ground-bursting' Trygon but I still need to add some lava stones to look like alien growths. It's a fair bit of work and not without challenges, hence why it has almost caused my renewed efforts to stall...

The emitter node also needs adding to the pen tube so I can then add veins and whatnot before I then try and sculpt the inside of the battlements. 

The black mark is for one extra tendon that needs to be sculpted in place. I've got some concept elements for the battlements - which is an odd situation as in 8th edition the building rules are far more streamlined now with less room for interpretation. It's still possible to position models in the standard Imperial VSG but nowadays this would probably be considered modelling for advantage. 

I mean I did specifically build it to fit a brood of Devgaunts in but that was perfectly legitimate with the prescribed rules in 7th. Anyway, I doubt it's ever going to a tournament so it's not really an issue.

Anyway, not sure when/if I'll do some more on this, Dreadtober is my focus but I will have some extra hobby time between writing this and it's scheduled publish date, so I might have one update soonish or none for six months to two years...😂

Dreadtober 2019 - A 'cheaters' guide...

Dreadtober begins next week and I have this Redemptor Dreadnought to do. Now it's supposed to be you build and paint your Dreadnought [or equivalent] in the month but I know my hobby pace and knew building it in advance was a minimum.

I also got it based, primed, base-coated and then painted the base [along with a lot of other models]. Now this took a significant amount of time to get to this stage, so I wouldn't have achieved this and potentially finish the model in month otherwise. At least now I have a fighting chance.

All the brassy bronze is the next priority [ I will start that on the 1st] and my prior brassy bronze exploits will reveal this can break me, so I need to hold strong and get all those bits metalled up so I can enjoy painting the greens! And we all know how much I love doing that - just a bit above Ravenwing... is there anything I actually like to paint? Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through all this if it's all so difficult, but we rise to the challenge and maybe that is the reason - the constant striving to overcome hobby inertia...