I managed to paint all the legs and chests in one night, they're the easiest bits really. Then the next night I did the arms, back and head on one and the head and backs on the remaining 5. Night three had me finish of the 20 arms, which of course are split in two parts and I have to rotate them to get top, right, bottom, left sides - this is why I hate Stealers! Of course I was riddled with doubt prior to this on whether to go full bonewhite or add in some Chitin colouring on the back. I haven't gone full bonewhite since my first Stealers so snap-decisioned to see how they would look. Of course a better decision would have been based on disposition of miniatures so I could find ways to group them safely into broods but we'll go with it.
That currently gets me 16 of my 31 Stealers basecoated in bonewhite. I'm really regretting not using a Bonewhite primer now. With hindsight the bases and all the red fleshy bits could have been added quicker than using that as the undercoat and cutting in all the bonewhite colours. That realisation, alongside the reminder I hate painting them was one of the reasons they've been stagnating for a month or two but now I'm over half way I feel a little more relieved.
Of course this is only the basecoat of one colour. I still have the blues to do and then the washes and then it's the highlights - which for each coat will take just as long , if not longer than the they did to basecoat. I've just done a quick estimate of time
- 9 days - Bonewhite base coats [15 models at 3 days per 5]
- 2 days - shadow wash
- 18 days - Bonewhite highlight 1 [31 models at 3 days per 5]
- 18 days - Bonewhite highlight 2 [31 models at 3 days per 5]
- 2 days - Chitin highlight 1
- 2 days - Chitin highlight 2
- 3 days - Claws
- 1 day - teeth and eyes
- 1 day - wraithbone chips on bases
- 3 days - varnishing
I admire the level of detail of your planning!! I certainly steer away from any horde armies because I just can't motivate myself to paint them! I do love genestealers though, they look so damn cool and will rock your scheme Dave
ReplyDeleteBut when you add up all your armies is that not just a horde in dsiguise ;) I think Stealers might be my least favourite Tyranid to paint, that description of the painting process is the bit that bothers me, it's so dull, fiddly and laborious. It will certainly look cocol though when I have all the stealers done. I'm looking forward to Manufactorum, Broodlord Hunting Pack and the Children of Cryptus all running together!
DeleteShush with your logic sir!!! Its odd how painting space marines in different colours is significantly diverse enough to fool myself into not being put off by the amount :P
Delete3 Months of Genestealers is pretty grim! I'm not sure I'd be any faster which is why I don't like looking at the time breakdown haha.
ReplyDeleteDon;t worry it's not qute as bad as I made it out to be. My maths was a bit wrong and I'd spotted it a few days ago but forgot to change it. It's only 59 days, not 99 but that's not 59 focussed I'll be doing other stuff but if I can scratch that off my To Do List by August that'll feel like a big accomplishment.
DeleteScary when you look at it like that! On the bright side as you say, it may very well go faster than that - once you get into the swing of things I find I tend to speed up (edge highlighting my first crisis suit took me two lunchtimes last week, I've just done the other two in half an hour).
ReplyDeleteGenestealers are my favourite tyranids fluff-wise and model-wise but yeah, they're a pain to paint.
ReplyDeleteQuick question: what are those three-pointed armor plates on third photo? They look Lizardmen-y.
The Carnifex extra armour plates, I clip off the big spike in the centre, which goes in the bitz box, the rest is the extra armour for brood identification.
Deletehttp://www.bitzbox.co.uk/product_info.php/tyranid-carnifex-extended-carapace-p-2892
The blue one in in front is actually the same extended carapace, cut in half and then combined with an extra armour plate from the original Warrior kit. I had one of each but wanted it mirrored so that was the only way to do it.
I had the same idea of identifying broods by armor plates but I only used the two orginal variants from a box. Now that 'stealers lost most of their biomorphs we can use different heads for different broods as well, I guess.
DeleteI also have the original stealers from Space Hulk which can run as a huge brood or subdivide using the armour or the toxin sacs evidenced above. I also have some with scything talons for either the upgrade or just say they're for identification. Loads of ways to do it :)
DeleteHuge work but the result should be fantastic, keep on brushing - that's what we do-!
ReplyDelete