Monday, 31 August 2020

Sector Mechanicus Galvanic Servohaulers - The little one TO DONE!

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I've been #paintingwarhammer the littlest Galvanic Servohauler. Once again my blogging has been caught out with the end of the season. I've a number of 2019/20 Season TO DONE! posts that will be in the new season, but you know all this as you've seen what I achieved


OK, the little servohauler that could. I think perhaps I should have put a small warning decal on the red tank on the arm perhaps.


To be honest you've pretty much seen all these pics already. The last update was almost complete.


It was really just the lenses and screens on the control panel which needed doing and varnishing.


And you can just about make them out here.


And then once again Camera360 makes it look like a digital painting smoothing out all the colours. Don't get me wrong, I;d love for it to actually look like this, but genuinely those lenses are not as good as they look in this pic. I mean that centre one looks almost perfect!



Great Big Galactic Stamp of Approval for being a good boy! Which is odd because 3 Blood Bowl players got a minor and this gets a 'full fat' one. This is why I don't like to measure or score them as I can't find a consistency. Dsespite this as 1 of 3 servo-haulers I started it alone and so it seems like one project. The Nurgle team, although sharing the same criteria just feels like numerous minor TO DONES! whatever, I'm bonkers.

Friday, 28 August 2020

To Do List 2020/21


Having covered my achievements over the past season it's now that I look forward to the new one.

As usual my list is pretty much everything I still haven't completed from previous seasons. In fact this is almost a copy/paste from last years post! But I'm working through these each year so the system does work. I've also added the numerous items that were WiP from last season. Anything in bold is a priority, everything else is nice to have.

However, I'm going to be mainly going with the flow, real life is still very much the priority so I need to focus on these two…
  1. Develop a more healthy hobby/life balance - go to bed at a decent hour[ish]
  2. Find time to play some games, not just tournament play so I can have some fun among the daily grind...
But for my Dark Angels I'll be looking at these:
  1. Dark Angel - Deathwing Land Raider
  2. Dark Angel - Ravenwing Attack Bike[s]
  3. Dark Angel - Ravenwing Bikes [I might convert these to Black Knights]
  4. Dark Angel - Macragge Tactical Squad
The remaining nid and terrain based items are these:
  1. Tyranid Warrior
  2. Tyranid Devgaunts
  3. Tyranid Tyrannofex + additional weapons
  4. Tyranid Carnifex heads
  5. 2 Tyranid Hive Guard
  6. Genestealer Cult Aberrants [get them painted - have some fun]
  7. Genestealer Cult Acolyte Iconward
  8. Tyranid Void Shield Generator [it hasn't had any progress for a while, I just need to do more, even if it's just as a terrain piece, although unrealistic in the face of other projects]
My other 2020/21 WiPs that I want to tackle and get done:
  1. Nurgle Blood Bowl team
  2. Orc Blood Bowl Team
  3. Adeptus Titanicus Reaver Titan
  4. Adeptus Titanicus Warhound Titans
  5. Galvanic Servo-haulers
  6. TT Combat terrain
  7. Sector Imperialis terrain
Pipe dream items - these are things that have been on my list and in all honesty I'm not likely to tackle this year [or any other...] but I do not want them forgotten so I'll just note them as things I'll eventually do, one day:
  1. Tyranid Promethium Relay Pipes
  2. Dark Angel - Aegis Defence Line [totally low down as most of the Fortifications suck game wise but it'd be nice to have some extra terrain pieces and I think it's actually the best value out of the pieces I have]
  3. Tyranid Bastion Crater [I have zero intent to do this this season, if ever, just want to remind myself it exists]
The Big Build will continue this season. Still a lot of what was not complete from previous lists but  the principle is sound and pays dividends with those items that tend to be off-list that get built through to painting and completion.
  • Ravenwing bikes [3 x Knights and 3 x bikes]
  • Ravenwing attack bikes
  • Ravenwing Talonmaster?
  • Build some new terrain? 
    • Shrine of the Aquila
    • Galvanic Magnavent
  • Remaining Deathwing Terminators
Some of the previous season's Big Build items that I never got round to and are highly unlikely but thought I'd just add them in secondary list for records:
  • Space Hulk Genestealers - get them based!
  • 3 Tyranid Lictors
  • 3 Tyranid Warriors
  • 3 Tyranid Shrikes
  • 5 Dark Angel Veterans/Command Squad
So that's me for 2020/21 again a lot for me, especially when you take into account I need to continue to balance things more. All the best for your own efforts this season.

Wednesday, 26 August 2020

Hobby Season 2019/20 Review

The 2019/20 Hobby Season draws to a close, and how did I do? Events from October 2018 still mean the hobby isn't high on my list of priorities. Add in COVID19 lockdown for this year and my first task has been an odd one:
Develop a more healthy hobby/life balance - go to bed at a decent hour[ish]   
I think I managed the first part of this, I certainly feel less compelled to hobby if I don't feel like it. However, going to bed at a decent time is less of a success, in fact the clocks going forward in spring meant I was quite happily staying up to 1am because it just felt like midnight. On the plus side, because of lockdown I haven't needed to get up at 5:30am so I've actually been getting more sleep. I've been keeping track of this on Google Fit and so far this year 3 months have been +7 hours. Again, that's not sustainable, at some point I'll be back travelling to work and I'm going to have to get that bed time down. However, my eldest is off to Oxford University in October, so I won't be watching TV shows with him when he deigns to grace me with is presence. So I should be able to start painting earlier and I'll get into the habit of finishing at a sensible time. I'll probably even schedule specific nights for hobby and specific nights for family time.
 Find time to play some games, not just tournament play...
Secondly I was supposed to play more games. Obviously a global pandemic has but a dent in my gaming, but we did get together for a few games of Blackstone Fortress. Definitely the most fun we've had gaming as a group. Sadly that's meant 40k has been mothballed for a while, even 9th edition hasn't ignited my passion. I'm not upset by that, we'll be back playing BSF as soon as we all feel safe to do so and eventually see what 9th is about. Tournaments? Well I don't feel I'm missing out on that either. Sure I enjoy the experience but the current costs and events that are available aren't filling me with any desire. Add to that I'd struggle to keep up with the new rules doesn't inspire me to book any in the future.
Now to my actual hobby goals - by the looks of it I only managed to complete 5 out of the 16 realistic items on my list. That would appear disappointing but I'm genuinely OK with it. Here's what I did manage despite everything.

Ferron Fire Firs. I didn't take full TO DONE! pics and this is just one of the sets that I painted to add to the set I already have. One day I'll get to see all 3 on my table together - maybe that's a goal for next year? Great to get some terrain done though. 38 models though, that's not to be sniffed at 😉


I also painted up this banner for the base of Lady Pettorini. I'd felt the base was lacking something and a filthy Nurgle banner trodden underfoot seemed appropriate. With hindsight I'm not sure it did need it but it was an opportunity to play around with free-handing so I don't regret it.



I painted this Redemptor Dreadnought for Dreadtober, although I'm not going to include Primaris Marines in my Dark Angels army I felt I could fit this in.

We started playing Blackstone Fortress and between the 4 of us we all took a couple of heroes and villains to paint so we could have fully painted game quicker. I got Espern Locarno as my hero.


And the Chaos Beastmen as my villains. I painted them like my Garrek's Reavers.


I also finished up my original team colours Middenheim Marauders Blood Bowl team.

Blood Bowl Ogre was next to join the Middenheim Marauders and then I decided they'd look better with flocked bases.


So they got flocked!


Round about this time COVID-19 struck and lockdown began. So much hobby time one would think but I was totally tied up with my Deathwing Knights. They took SOOO long to do, which felt like forever, but without the lockdown it would have probably seemed even longer.


I also got these other 2 terminators painted.



And this Callidus Assassin. All of these models have been on my painting list for ages so it was such a relief to get them completed even if it wasn't a huge quantity of models for so much effort and time spent painting.


I followed up the hardship of all those Terminators with some 'easy' Tyranid Rippers. Painting something I was so familiar with was so refreshing, even though Rippers can be a a real pain to do whatever challenges they posed just felt so much easier to resolve compared to the Deathwing. My only frustration is the 2 missing Ripper bases I can't seem to locate in my boxes :(


These Imperial Knight extra weapons had been around for long time. In fact the black twin Icarus Auto-cannons are from Euronymous, my first completed knight. The new points increases in 9th mean that the carapace weapons may get more use as I try to fill out the odd points here and there, so really useful.


I painted 5 of my Blood Bowl Nurgle Team players, including their turn and re-roll counters.


Galvanic Servo Hauler. This sat 98% complete for so long, just the dials to do and varnish. Not totally convinced on the weathering for realism, but it was fun to do and that little push allowed me to get it varnished and complete.


Genestealer Familiars - another couple of hangers on. It was just the various bits of debris on the bases holding them back but again perseverance got them over the line.



I think that's 87 models all in, I didn't quite realise I'd done that many and the Deathwing Knights in particular feel like a massive achievement. They'd been so hard to do and so long I'm just glad I had the perseverance to get them over the finishing line. But the TO DONE! pile is only part of the story, I'll cover the Big Build in a bit but I was juggling so many other projects as well, getting them moved slowly forwards that could well conclude next hobby season. These WiPs include:
  • Nurgle Blood Bowl team [third completed, rest basecoated]
  • Orc Blood Bowl Team [very early days]
  • Adeptus Titanicus Reaver Titan
  • Adeptus Titanicus Warhound Titans 
  • Tyranid Warrior
  • Tyranid Hive Guard conversions
  • Tyranid Devgaunts [nearly done]
  • Tyranid Tyrannofex + additional weapons
  • Tyranid Carnifex heads [half done]
  • Genestealer Cult Abberants
  • Genestealer Cult Acolyte Iconward
AND...

I did a load of DiY. Granted not directly hobby related but lets go back to point one:
    Develop a more healthy hobby/life balance - go to bed at a decent hour[ish]
    I've highlighted the important part. Many of the following tasks have been put off for far too long and painting the hobby shed was dependent on achieving the other tasks. Despite the shed needing new coats of paint to protect it, and therefore a priority, the other elements have been long overdue.
    • Painted kitchen
    • Painted en suite bathroom
    • Fitted a new fence panel
    • Painted all my fence panels
    • Painted some of my mother-in-law’s fence panels
    • Painted an outbuilding
    • Painted my hobby shed

    On the one hand this feels like far from the most impressive Season I've ever had but on the other I actually I did a lot, the trees certainly helped my numbers. And the WiP stuff leaves me well placed for next Season and some quick wins if I can get motivated.


    The Big Build is my scaled down expectations to build miniatures. Building isn't always my favourite thing but without a construction phase I can't have a painting phase.

    I kicked things off pretty early with the Genestealer Cult Iconward. The plan was to have him painted for the 'character' category in Battle of the Brush.

    Espern Locarno from Liam's Blackstone Fortress was a quick win.
    As was the 4 chaos beastmen I pledged to paint for our campaign. 


    I got a Nurgle Blood Bowl team from my son for Christmas, we built these together and I based them up ready to paint together too!


    Although I have a challenge to beat last year's hobby spends I treated myself to a Blood Bowl Ogre to join my Middenheim Marauders [and also another character for Battle of the Brush].
    I've included 'easy build' models before and felt guilty about it and I do again, however Amallyn Shadowguide from Blackstone Fortress was quite a challenge. I just couldn't shake the idea of putting her on a step and so had to construct one out of a 25mm slotta base and a plastic gift vouchers.


    I was lucky to get the Galvanic Servo-haulers on a copy of Warhammer Conquest.

    I got all three of them built.


    Including the crane.


    I also built the Cerastus Knight Lancer for Adeptus Titanicus.


    Not sure I should claim these as Liam technically built them.


    But I did the bases and primed them so they're still within the Big Build parameters...


    I got this Blood Bowl Troll of my mate Pete for my birthday.


    And I built this Tyrannofex because I needed to throw another project into the mix to keep motivated and avoid painting my Land Raider Redeemer.


    Monday, 24 August 2020

    Blood Bowl - Nurgle Team 3 players TO DONE!

    Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I've been #paintingwarhammer in these 3 Nurgle #BloodBowl players. Right off the bat I do not know what is going on with my photography. There was an update on my Camera360 app that just would not achieve the same results that I'm used to. Ultimately I reinstalled an older version, but still got rubbish results. I then upgraded my phone but can't get what I'm after with the inbuilt camera software, or the new Camera360, which at least functions on my new phone but still smooths a lot of detail out. I'll talk about it later.


    Although I did these three at the same time, rather than the solo miniatures I had planned originally they're very different and I think have different levels of success.


    The variety is to give me opportunity to play around with different techniques. I'm sacrificing a lot of consistency for that variety and it's become far more challenging than I thought it would.



    Subtly different but also consistent with my test model. 


    Slightly brighter orange overall on the 3 new ones. I didn't highlight the test models armour trim but I think if I switch between some that are highlighted and some not there will be enough models of each to not make it noticable. 


    This was definitely the most successful of the 3. The red raw skin blended really well with the sickly yellow main colour.


    The tar sludge, gloss and Tamiya Clear ReD X-27 worked so well on the lower legs too.


    The Pestigor came right in the end. I managed to add a bit more variety in the skin tone. Far from perfect but I'm happy with the end result.


    The woody/horned growths worked out OK too, lets hope I can repeat that on it's sibling.


    The least successful of the 3 in my opinion. I managed to add in some more tones to the skin. It's more finished looking than last time but still not what I was hoping for in my green experiments. 


    But the transitions to the red fleshy parts worked really well and I'm really pleased with those pustules on his arm.


    The face is a bit messy too, with limited definition. However, here's an example of the photography spoiling things. The image on the left is a screengrab from the Camera360 preview. The pic on the right is the actual shot and you can see how much smoothing is taking place.

     

    Some more pics of the first model as I wrestled with getting the pics I was happy with.


    Again, screengrab on the left [very sharp], final pic the right, smoothed and unfocussed on the eye. 


    At least you can see the tar here.



    And these were pics straight from my OnePlus camera app, even with my two light setup


    Failure to get good pictures was another reason I felt demoralised. I couldn;t blog these were complete because they look rubbish.


    Almost unusable.


    Again I think this is a screengrab, where you can see the detail in the teeth, the bloodied bits on the shin and some of the veins on the belly.


    The final pic, all smoothed out. It's almost a watercolour effect like that art filter app. Now I know my pics have filters applied to them but I think the fact Camera360 is predominantly a selfie app it's smoothing things, which is really annoying. I can't seem to get the sharp pictures with the colour tweaking I used to and I can't seem to set up the normal camera to take the pics instead...



    Anyway, I got to use the Great Big Minor Project Galactic Stamp of Approval before the end of the season at least.