Showing posts with label warmongers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label warmongers. Show all posts

Friday 22 November 2019

Knights in Manufactorum - Renegade Knight banner

I had long felt that the base of my Imperial Knight Crusader - Lady Pettorini was missing something. There was a significant amount of empty space and I concluded a tattered Renegade Knight banner might break up the expanse of Red Planet BASE without adding any height [which I didn't want]. The initial plan was to get my mate Liam to paint it - he has Chaos/Renegade Knights and also a Nurgle Chaos army. I desperately wanted Lady Pettorini smashing the face off some filthy pox-ridden servant of disease -it would be poetically just. However, I eventually came to the conclusion it was something I had to do for myself. I wanted the banner itself to be a stained cream colour, so I could play around with washes to make it grimy. That meant the skull had to be black to stand out and the Nurgle symbol for my son's tumour could sit right in the middle where she could stamp right down on it. I also added the PXA acronym for the type astrocytoma [although actually it's an APXA]. Surprisingly I haven't looked too much into it - the fact we were told it was not as bad as they first thought meant we were just relieved and got him through the treatment. It's only know we're in a frame of mind where we have questions that require answers.


As freehands go it went OK, the skull isn't quite as defined as I'd like but it'll do. It was subsequently glued to Lady Pettorini's base, I added some back around it as it was spreading disease corruption and also some Anita's 3D Dimensional Glossy Black paint for thick black corruption bleeding fromthe cursed banner.


Now it's done it might be a little over-powering on the base than I'd originally intended. But a foul diseased banner, by its very natures, was always an imperfect thing so the fact the base is not perfect is inevitable. Ultimately it had to be done, it was cathartic and this post is cathartic. We are still a long way from relaxing about this situation, more than 4.5 years still to go and it's small displays of defiance like this that help me through it.


I've potentially got another hobby related protest against this filthy disease lined up, which could be different to my usual stuff. Just have to wait and see if it pans out. Anyway, this got entered in the monthly Warhammer Manchester Battle of the Brush monthly challenge for 'large models' and I should actually take it's gallery pics too at some point...

Friday 11 October 2019

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!



Friday 30 August 2019

Terrain is everything - Sanctum Imperialis - TO DONE!

Aah the Sanctum Imperalis… It's taken a while to get the opportunity to take pictures but I needed some to add to last season's hobby review.


It's a big piece and so it's a struggle to fit it into my homemade light box but I got there in the end.


As you may recall this was a project not without challenges, in particular the 'bold' choice of full verdigris on buttresses, supports and skirting boards.


The red glass lighting also suffered from a lack of contrast that I repeated on my Ravenwing Dark Shroud - sometimes Tamiya Clear Red X-27 is too good.


But the colour choices were made to stretch me, to do something more challenging than just the weathered brassy bronze and as you can see the Ferron Proxima background finally gives it the context it needed.


On the full red/orange background the verdigris provides the ideal framework to break up the monotony of the red rockcrete walls.


With the cream interior adding another dimension.


I can't wait to eventually see these used on my Realm of Battle board, although that could be a long time hence.


I had plans to add some creeping yellow flock up the walls and around the buttresses but didn't get round to it.


I did get the occasional propaganda poster in though ;)


And the white background pics, which aren't totally without merit.


At least it matches the interior a bit, there's consistency and sense of reason that grounds the turquoise.


But as I've maintained buildings in real life are not always colour-matched and consistent.


They often have elements that are incongruous and garish. So whatever the result I committed to the aesthetic and executed it.


Better late than never the [last] Big Teal Stamp of Approval for 2018/19 and completing some terrain!


Friday 23 August 2019

Dark Angels - Ravenwing Dark Shroud part 10 - TO DONE!

And here we are the Ravenwing Dark Shroud is complete. I think I'm satisfied with the result. As usual there are elements that exceed my expectations while there are others that fall short, or are compromised.


But I'm not overly fussed about the result, which I appreciate sounds a little underwhelming. This is a model I need in my army to make the Ravenwing more effective. Their function/inclusion is a key element of taking Ravenwing so he had to be done.


And the result matches my existing Ravenwing so all those boxes are ticked. The black highlights are exactly as expected which is good but as predicted the varnish did show up some brush strokes, but I'll not lose sleep over them.


Almost everything else went to plan, although I didn't take any pictures with the plasma battery.


The red glass windows are another area that falls a little short. A lot of the preparatory shading/highlights have been neutralized by the Tamiya Clear Red X-27, which is a shame. 


I should probably go super contrast next time, probably not even bother with reds, just do pure black and white.


I'll probably use the Heavy Bolter more than the Assault Cannon, but it fits best with the magnets and because I cut off a bit of the rail mounting for the HB which makes it a little unstable :(



2 other elements I'm unsure on - the red edging on the DJ booth. It was just 'plonked' on and I can't tell if it looks it or somehow ties it altogether. 


I'm also sceptical regarding the purity seals and parchment. My other Land Speeders had a sepia tint on them which looked really cool. 

I don't know whether leaving these pure white keeps the palette reduced or makes them stick out unrealistically?



The Ferron Marble was just as I'd done before but appears a little 'busy' after trying to compress so many veins into such a small space. But I'm not sure what else I could have done.


I know a lot of people dislike the design of this model and I wouldn't say I'm a 'fan' but I do like certain elements [although this is perhaps its least flattering angle...]


Whereas the 3/4 view isn't too bad and I do like the DJ booth. That's why I had to get one of the old 'Crayola' Whirlwind launchers, so the deign aesthetic makes sense - 2 DJ bopoths. 


I was surprisingly pleased with the crew. They felt like an annoyance throughout as I kept missing metallic trim and having to repeat steps I'd already moved on from. They're also much smaller pieces than the rest of the model so the sense of scale was difficult to reconcile.


But they all came out OK, with enough unique touches to make them out separately. Job done!


And the Big Teal Stamp of Approval for completing this 'Darn' [sic] Shroud!