Imperial Knight - Armigers in manufactorum pt.6 - Decals

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been #PaintingWarhammer on my Imperial Knight Armigers. The Headhunter scheme was not sitting right with me. 

Without the yellow and black it was almost like House Taranis, and they don't need anymore self-promotion.

But even adding the chevrons in I wasn't happy. The white studs seemed like an additional element that was confusing things. But the decals were a lot of fun to add on the back shoulder panel - a full on cog-mesh

I love the numbers, naturally it should be on the other shoulder but the studs prevented it, but it just fits alongside the house symbol.

The running knight worked well. One of the Armiger number decals had an underline I could remove so it would just fit in the chevron. I loved it on the Helverin I did so had to repeat the effect.

Rear panels with cogs, shaded so the decals don't look to garish.

Some additional details on th ebase have been finished.

Now for head choice. I'm not entirely sure if I like this head, but I hadn't used the faceplate and wanted to paint it up.

I much prefer this faceplate but wanted to try a bit of yellow and black on it.

But I think it somehow disappears into the model.

Whereas, the bonewhite forehead helps this one stand out and so far all the Armigers and the rest of the knights have this touch. It works on the Headhunter too. 

These are a couple of additional 3D printed chain cleavers, so I can make my Helverins up as Warglaives. I had to bodge the arms a bit. But I wanted checks on the side, with the plan being to fill the checks with kill markings.

This other one only has half checks, with the other half chevrons. 

While this one is wholly chevrons on one side. They all need blessed verdigris though, as well as a final drybrush highlight before that. The separate weapon options are a killer

Believe it or not, the next update is TO DONE! Who'd have thunk. Just need to find some time to get the pics done and write the post. I've really enjoyed painting them and aside from the weapon options and some small contradictory doubts about progress it's felt like a blast. I wonder if I can transfer that mindset to some similarly sized big flippin' robots?

Taking into account I loathed painting my first lot of Warhounds and Reaver. Now I have 2 more Reavers, Warhounds and Lancers to do... [for a game I;'ve never played]. Time will tell.

Imperial Knight - Armigers in manufactorum pt.5 - BLESSED VERDIGRIS 🗽

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been #PaintingWarhammer on my Imperial Knight Armigers and it's time for the BLESSED VERDIGRIS 🗽 Despite the polarised feelings of progress and stagnation getting the patina on has made a huge difference.

But not just that I did highlights in places too. Some of the weapons were a bit behind on the metallics but this surge in development was helping keep the project going. 

Not without some trials though, I had applied washes to the Gamboge and in some places it seeped under the paint, puckered it like fingers left in the bath too long and the paint started to slew off. But I fixed it all and the yellow is really starting to stand out on this one.

Meanwhile, my 'Headhunter', House Raven's designated executioner was not quite what I was hoping for. I split the groin armour white [cream] and black so I could have alternating black and white cog symbols either side. I thought it would match up with the studs too.

But despite the idea of having it predominantly black and red, with more white elements than yellow - to represent this Armiger's sombre task, I just wasn't feeling it.

I split the Melta Lance shield plate to add some heraldic campaign badges on it in the decal phase. I wanted Dark Angels, Legio Gryphonicus and Adeptus Titanicus badges because the decals are really cool. However, I must admit some of the verdigris on the head cowls/collars are a bit ungainly. Not what I had intended, but I can live with it.

So progress was good, but I was still beset by doubts, they were just different ones now.

Imperial Knight - Armigers in manufactorum pt.4 - METALLICA!

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been #PaintingWarhammer on my Imperial Knight Armigers. With the Deathwing finished I got to focus solely mostly on the Armigers. I wanted this one to have limited yellow and black on it.

Almost just the twin ribbons hanging from the back. I did my usual weathered brassy/bronze. It looks rough as can be but with the weathering it'll work out in the end.

The armour plates are painted separately on the sprue, it was easier at this stage, although I hadn't done the metallics just yet. Although you can see the bonding studs, which were to be white.

The second Armiger was to have the traditional yellow and black chevrons. I didn't have one that had just the two furthest outer fairings of the carapace. So it seemed to make sense to take the opportunity.

I'm not 100% convinced of the structural integrity of the pose. Despite pinning it still feels somewhat wobbly and fragile. Time will tell if it stays in one piece. It doesn't help that the base feels reasonably heavy for something bulked out with cork...

Its armour plates. The yellow is just stippled on Colvin & CO Gamboge art acrylic. Kicking myself I didn't buy more of these now Home Bargains only stocks a few primary colours rather than these more leftfield colours.

With the Gamboge in place it pencilled in the chevrons, using a wooden coffee stirrer to help get a uniform thickness.

And then it's just filled in with black. For the first time I was contemplating the additional white edges here [as part of the House Raven scheme]. It would help tidy up the edges and cover the pencil marks.

But I wasn't going to give in just yet. Things were progressing really quickly, but there were still some unresolved issues in my head. However I was itching to get decals on, even at this stage where I hadn't done half the highlights and shadows. So, although the dopamine was kicking in for the rapid progress there was a shadow of negative doubt building that it wasn't quick enough, which was attempting to squash my feeling of achievement. Could I power through...?

Dark Angels - Lava swords, molten metal blades etc.

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I finished #PaintingWarhammer on my Deathwing, but just wanted to show some unseen WiPs of the lava blades. I started with Valejo Game Extra Opaque Heavy Red.

Then I stippled on some dark orange in places, then some Troll Slayer Orange.

It was the same for the unnecessary Bolter Bayonet. 

I mean this was just super easy with very little thought to it.

So much so that when I added VGC Orange Fire it felt like it was painting itself

From here I just wanted to add some yellow.

And with VGC Sun Yellow stippled at the ends they were done. 

Now a light drybrush of black in some places, perhaps the odd black dot in others would help on a bigger blade. But the Lightning Claws were already quite small, so I didn't want to confuse things.

Not sure I got the effect in the right places here but even so I was super chuffed with the results. Enough to recommend giving it a go.

I know I was tentative, despite trying this effect a few times already. If you have doubts, don't. Just give it a go, you'll be surprised how easy it is.