#DreadTober Adeptus Titanicus - Warlord Titan - Brassy/Bronze

Afternoon #WarhammerCommunity it's the second of #DreadTober2025 and I've continued to add metallics to my Adeptus Titanicus Warlord Titan. VGC Hammered Copper is next. Drybrushed and stippled on for the trim.

I got to use big fat ugly old brushes to do this. Although I like the results of true metallics I hate cleaning the brushes afterwards. The separate water pot to keep the metal flakes separated from the normal water pot. The fact when you thin the paints the suspension of the metal flakes almost completely breaks down.

So you don't thin them and the paint slowly dries in the bristles of the brush, making them so much harder to clean afterward. Metallics are just so unpleasant to clean up after.

But I was much happier with the results than I had been with the silver. It's familiar, quick and comforting because the results are what I expected.

And that meant I was still motivated enough to do the next step - Retributor Armour drybrush and stipple. Again, it's an unholy mess but I know that this will come right in the end.

That familiarity is priceless. Decades of painting may not have afforded me the increase in painting ability I hoped for and see others surpass with ease. However, it has given me that confidence in particular things. Whether it's my Tyranid scheme, glow effects, brassy/bronze or weathering.

They may not be perfect, but the results are good enough and having that confidence means I don't have to waste any mental load on if it will work, or what I'm going to do next. That means progress is smoother. And those little stumbles, like the Gunmetal, can be overcome relatively easily by switching to what I know I can do. 

It is SO ugly right now. But I am so pleased with the results. The wellspring of emotions this is bringing forth is wholly unexpected, but such a blessing. I often see people say 'its a hobby - when it's not fun, stop', and I think to myself sometimes that's rubbish. Because, sometimes you have to push through that chore-like feeling to get to the bit you enjoy [or are familiar/confident with].

So I don't always enjoy when I'm painting. I had that zen moment doing the Termagants last season and this feels similar. But it's beyond the painting session. This may well be an entire project that gives me so much satisfaction I'll be able to taste the serotonin! Anyway, basecoats next to try and bring some order to this filth!

Battle record - Warcry - 02/10/25

I've been #PlayingWarhammer with a game of Warcry. Ben was working so it was Otty, Liam and Otty's son Will in the Hobby/Otty shed. Will had been extolling the virtues of this game for a few weeks now so we decided to give it a go. Aside from the inordinate amount of wounds some models seem to have - 30 for an Orc! It felt like  good game and with some practice maybe a lot fun. But the amount of wounds seem a little silly.

Operation Sealion has had a board upgrade. Otty has built some cobbled sections that create roads and courtyards when buildings and other terrain pieces have been added.

The cobbled effect was achieved through textured wallpaper.

He also 3D printed a bridge for his river section. It should work for both WW2 and MESBG. But it was actually too narrow for tanks so he had to split it down the middle and widen it. It's perfectly adapted to the island in the middle of the river, with magnets to keep it in place.

While in the old shed, now the work shed, one of his old Realm of Battle board shas had a coastal/desert makeover.

These will work with some other terrain to smooth into normal grassland or deserts. He's very inventive so it's all in hand.

#DreadTober Adeptus Titanicus - Warlord Titan

Afternoon #WarhammerCommunity it's the first of #DreadTober2025 and I need to crack on with my Adeptus Titanicus Warlord Titan.

When I last updated my pre-event progress I'd done the base and primed it. Since then I painted the Adeptus Titanicus Imperial Knights but I was still debating what colour to paint the skeleton. Silver was the prevailing choice, but the second [part-painted 2nd hand] Warlord I have is already silver. In which case this may be the one opportunity to do my traditional brassy/bronze... It's also easier in a way as I'm more familiar with it. I have doubts about achieving this pledge and want to to find a way to facilitate progress where I can.

In which case I should remember:

And so I made a decision, and yes I know it looks awful but as it's second hand it's much harder to paint without sub-assemblies.

But that decision, such as it was, certainly clarified something - I'd run out of gun-metal paint! To be fair I've had the Vallejo Game Color Gunmetal since I bought their starter set over 15 years ago.

It was much better than the Citadel Leadbelcher, which also pretty much ran out during this basecoat.  Which forced me to reconsider my decision. As I had just got a new pot of Warplock Bronze* [because my AP Rough Iron has gone walkabout] I'm much better prepared to follow through my traditional brassy-bronze route.

*Actually it's Castellax Bronze, which I assume is the same and has just had a name change...🤞

So I was decisive - I'd made a decision, I rethought that decision, made another decision and 

THE WORLD DID NOT END! 

Yes there is a lot of bronze on this Titan. In my head was thinking I either do a scruffy trim and tidy up with the plates. Or, do the scruffy plates and tidy up with the trim. As I don't like doing the metallics and I felt on a role from the AT Knights brush control I figured the plates would be much easier and pleasurable than getting my good brushes gunked up with metallic particles. 

I can be as rough as I want come in with the basecoats and the transition between armour plates and trim can always be fudged with battle damage and weathering.

This feels like a plan. Months of looking at this and contemplating it's execution, which is really little different than an Armiger or the Sentinels. As soon as I get going I pick myself up from a little stumble and I am back in the game. I'm positive, but the only niggle is I didn't get the second warlord rebuilt so if I do well on this one I could have had a stretch goal. Or, even painted them concurrently, especially as the second one already has some basecoats I'd be willing to keep...

Terrain is everything - Crisis Protocol (and Star Wars Legion) Cosmic Terrain - TO DONE! ⚪

Afternoon, you may recall I had been volunteered to paint the Crisis Protocol Cosmic terrain pack. But in the style of my Star Wars Legion Rebel Barricades. I am really happy with the results, although 'finished not perfect'.

There are some areas I could have spent more time on, but I was looking at the diminishing returns and wanted to get them done in time for our next shed session.

Then it turned out it was delayed a week as Ben and Otty were attending a midweek MESBG at Warhammer World.

Still, by accepting they were good enough I can now move onto other projects. And this building is worth 10 hobby points. It's a bit of a stretch, but it's not worth 5 and not 20pts either.

Getting to focus on my Adeptus Titanicus stuff now will really help get my head in the game for my #DreadTober Warlord Titan.

But yeah, I still wish the door was green, to reflect the shed. 

But I know it works better in red and is a nice additional accent colour across the set.

The neon green signs came out OK.

But my gloss varnish did not give the flat surface I was hoping for. There are far too many brush strokes and surface textures which make it a bit dissapointing.

I also think the shutters could have done with 'more'. But they're so hard to see what would be the point. I'd also like to have done a graphic logo in the space below the counter. Too late with all the grime on it but it would have taken far too much time as well. 

The power cells/converters are much better now with the weathering and additional glows on the black strips. Worth 10 hobby points [2 x 5pts]

I just used gun-metal drybrushes to highlight the black as a cheat. I feel guilty as it was a shortcut but I'm not sure anyone is going to criticise.

Similarly the tubing, with just contrast. Liam and Ben are totally into contrast paints so I doubt they're going to see it as lazy. It's not what I'm used to doing but I do conceded it looks like greasy rubber.

The broken wires look OK though. The yellow and black wire seemed slightly more 40k than Star Wars, but I think the addition of the blue, red and white wires helped to keep the Star Wars palette.

The barricades are cool. I did a few weathering highlights on the bone colour. Worth 8 hobby points [4 x 2pts].

I was lazy and didn't highlight the orange weathered areas. I should have done for my own obsession, but no one will be noticing it amongst all the other details.

The holo-adverts, giving strong Necron vibes. Worth 4 hobby points [2 x 2pts]

I'm not sure if the black is too dark and more green would have helped sell the look I was after, but the green glowing letters are cool, if a bit messy. 

Again, the gloss varnish let me down. At least I have chance to get some more to try and fix them before they go to the shed.

And the floor lights/force field emitters.

I didn't bother with any highlights on the weathering.

It just seemed unnecessary. I just love the Aethermatic Blue though.

It's not like these will have any in-game effect, just decorative scatter terrain. They're worth 4 hobby points though.

But they look really cool and will add ambience and narrative to our games. 

And the first of this season's Great Big Chrome Stamps of Approval. FYI, according to my spreadsheet this set is worth 41 hobby points [plus the 5 point terrain bonus]. That's a pretty good haul, when my non-binding goal is 100 points! So I'm off to a great start this season, especially as these weren't a project I'd started in the Season of Wood and capitalising by finishing them early in The Season of Chrome. In actual fact I'd have liked 41 points at the end of that season to break the 500 point milestone. Still, it's not a competition, just a record of achievement.