Whats on my palette?

Bless me readers for I have sinned, it's been nearly 4 months so it's long overdue, although I have posted a number of 'where's my head @' which does fulfill a similar role.

 

Obviously I recently managed to complete my Ravenwing which is a huge milestone achievement but what now? Naturally I had a plan on what was my focus next and now that the reality of my next project has arrived I've abandoned/postponed [?] it. But alongside that I imagined these guys would be emminently achievable between now and the end of the season.

Obviously I shared this progress [and the Razorback] and who knows if I will move them on further now they're primed

However, it's the Genestealer Cult that I suddenly got a sweat on to paint. I mean it's been tempered pretty quickly as once again it's monotonous and fiddly. It's almost as if I don't like painting!

But the reasoning is that with these complete I'll have considerable quantity ticked off on my list but a reasonably sized GSC force [together with my Brood Coven and kitbashed cultists and Stealers] that could form the makings of my Armies on Parade display. That shouldn't be until October/November so there's no rush but better to get a crack on now and if I get sidetracked by the afore-mentioned projects I can revisit early in the 2017/18 Hobby Season to crack on and meet that AoP deadline

I've some other Great Build items I have that I might throw in the mix too, not to mention perhaps move the Deathwatch on as then I'd have completed all the Deathwatch Overkill models and additionally they could be part of my AoP display...

Oh, and there's this too, which I'm relieved I'd not got round to abandoning the idea of magentising it and just making a Dark Shroud as the Land Speeder Vengeance looks pretty tasty now. But it will require that magnetising which I foresee as a hurdle already...

Anyway, lots on my palette, a lot of it that was on my palette last time which strangely enough did not feature the Ravenwing at all! So much for these overviews ;)

Dark Angels - Tanks - The Great Build part 6 - TO DONE!

A month or so ago I had opportunity to rummage around in what was once my bedroom at my parents house and was overjoyed to rediscover this lost relic - my original Predator turret.

The fact it has been missing has been one reason I've never bothered to move the Predator along, obviously other priorities and no love of painting tanks [do I actually like painting anything?]. However, it is recovered and tanks in 8th are cool, so this will get a makeover. I must point out though that the painting of the original orange turret shows little difference to how I paint now. These last seven years of painting have not improved my ability one jot! Who said practice makes perfect?

Moving on I drilled out the Las-cannon barrels and then stipple-textured the entire tank. No doubt I'll get all sorts of funny looks on this but I'm sure it'll come out alright in the end.

A while back I also managed to install a Razorback mount onto one of my Rogue Trader Rhinos and get a Heavy Bolter Turret to go in it [I've a Las-plas too if that's still a thing in 8th].

So whilst I was priming the Predator it made sense to get the Razorback undercoated at the same time.

And then stipple-textured also.

Which was followed up with an Army Painter zenithal base coat of Angel Green. Another point of note is the larger calibre Auto-cannon. I replaced the original barrel with a larger diameter piece of sprue years ago and really think it benefits because of it.

The Razorback also got green.

So these are now a 'thing'. Not on my list but definitely added to the Great Build and so get a couple of Big* Purple and White Stamps of Approval for their completion. I may well add some more basecoats and washes, perhaps even attempt to complete them for the end of the season but more than that it's just nice to have the turret back and moved them both on to a new stage for when they're ready for my full attention - which was the point of the Great Build afterall [proves it's working].

Dark Angels - Ravenwing - MOAR SHOTS

You lucky beggars, yet more pics of my Ravenwing. To be fair they do look a bit better thanks to added 'instant win' filters.

And also I should get two stamps of approval for these guys as both the bike squad and the Knights are separate entities on my To Do List.

I'm just going to shut up now and let the pictures do the talking.

Wheelie!

And in the light box.

In the light box in front of a piece of leather with focus blurring.

Dark Angels - Ravenwing - TO DONE!

First up my Ravenwing Command Squad, we're still technically 7th Edition so that's a Ravenwing Champion, Standard Bearer and Apothecary, I think one of them becomes an 'Ancient' in 8th.

Goodness knows if these unit still exists in the new 'index', with so much information now available I'm purposefully not buying Imperium 1 as I want to just get my head round the nids and the game before I tackle what's happened to the Dark Angels.

I was disappointed to discover my Tamiya Clear Orange X-26 has started to congeal, so I couldn't paint displays as I would normally but no bother X-27 came to the rescue instead.

The Standard turned out much better than I expected.

Sadly not a close up of his Sword of Caliban but the Champion came out alright too.

Elements of the Apothecary disturb me greatly. I flip-flop between liking the white and great disappointment. The vials turned out OK in the end but it's the triple helix and how it interacts with the surrounding weathered brass that leaves me cold

The banner came out OK, mainly because I bottled writing Ravenwing on the third scroll and wrote Caliban instead ;) I think the diamond pattern came out OK in the end too.

Not to mention the chubby Aquila on the top pennant.

Can you spot what's missing here? Weathering powder on the tyres - mainly because this was the last to be complete I weathered all the others as a group before I finished and varnished the Apothecary.

Ravenwing Black Knights.

The Knight on the left may well need a back pack ornament at some point. I only realised I'd used fancy back packs on the other three too late. Funnily it does have a hole pre-drilled in the top to take a pin to secure it on, I must have forgotten. If he ever does anything noteworthy I'll honour him.

Still not convinced on the headlamp OSL but I think first glance and en masse it's OK, it just doesn't stand stand scrutiny.

All the Knights together.

Knights and the Ravenwing Bike Squad.

Obviously it would have been nice to see these and my existing six bikes, the Land Speeders and Dark Talon.

Sadly I didn't take those pics it was very much just trying to record these 13.

Bike Squad on their own.

Wheelie!

Not sure why this guy has the AdMech shoulder pad

Particularly as the 'techmarine' head is used on the left here. No rhyme or reason but I may well use those bits to make a proper Techmarine on bike further down the line.

Months of work and I appreciate your patience just as I know you appreciate how much of a mammoth task this turned out to be for me. The bike squad have been on my table for just over six years, there's an early post than this with the bike bases I bought. The Ravenwing Knights are virtual newbies with just over a year in production. It's been an incredible slog to push through all the difficulties they've presented, overcoming those challenges inherent in bikes, the issues with black, with the way I do metallics and painting 13 at once so I really do deserve this Big Purple Stamp of Approval!