Monday 10 July 2017

'nids part 216 - Genestealer Hybrids - basecoats and shading

With the Dark Angel Assault Squad TO DONE! it's time to return to the Hybrids. It's really interesting how my mindset has readjusted to these. When you consider how my last efforts felt so demotivating and chore like, now I am on a mission. I continued to finish up all the metals, added the yellow dynamite sticks and there were a couple of other bits and bobs I needed to pick out. Essentially 90% of the base coating was done in preparation for Army Painter Soft and Strong shades. Bizarrely the Soft [sepia] shade had started to go a bit weird, almost milky but it went on fine mostly. There were a couple of deep recesses that almost echoed the horrors of Seraphim Sepia but the Strong Tone covered that up in a jiffy.


I love models when they're just washed. I wish I could leave things alone at this point but my 'hind-brain' compels me to do more. You can just make out the Mining Laser Hybrid has had the first set of Stonewall Grey highlight added to his environment suit.


And while I was at it there's another three here that had their highlights done. Four in one evening and then I randomly threw in some highlights on a couple of the orange robes. So this has given me all kinds of things to think about:
  • a baseline for progress - I managed 4 sets of highlights but did do other things, I've another 24 to paint so I estimate 4-5 nights work on the first highlight. Multiply that by two for the 2nd highlight as well, 8-10 nights work ahead and then we'll deal with the next part of the process.
  • this process should feel really dull and monotonous, yet it doesn't. Picking out all the ridges on the environment is a nightmare. I keep missing and covering up the shading between them. I'm trying to be neat and tidy but mistakes still happen, I hope the white highlights will help mitigate where I went wrong.
  • although picking out the ridges is tedious it doesn't feel half as bad as painting a Termagant as each brush stroke is sufficient to do what's needed. It's like tiny bite-sized chunks, every stroke is a tick of completion, it feels as easy as counting.


I'm really digging the orange uniformed hybrids, it's a popular look, no doubt because of how well it goes together. I'm still glad I've got half the force in red coveralls but the orange are clearly my favourite. I subsequently managed to do all other orange Acolyte hybrid's first highlight in one sitting. So let's imagine that I can do the orange clothed Neophytes and red clothed hybrids in a further three sessions, with second highlights 3-4


With these estimates of 14 days max to do all the clothing. Then I'll just have:
  • weapons - weathered and rusty
  • claws and teeth
  • chitin
  • bonewhite
  • bandage detailing
  • eyes and skintones
  • all the other fiddly bits
OK, so not clear yet, there are some details that need clarifying but definitely looks doable this month, let alone by the end of the season. At this rate I'll have to see what I may have to fit in after these. My head is telling me it should be the Deathwatch guys but my heart is saying Deathwing Knights...

Still, perhaps I shouldn't count my chickens just yet...

Friday 7 July 2017

Dark Angels - Assault Squad - MOAR SHOTS

OK, the 'good' shots were a bit poor. Luckily the phone cam shots came out a bit better. These first few are in the light box. I've two 1500 lumen daylight LED bulbs now so it's pretty bright.


And a bit of filter jiggery-pokery make sit quite dramatic.


I'm really pleased with the finished models, they have so much character for an otherwise generic squad.


The use of the Sanguinary guard legs adds so much and I love the idea that for the Blood Angels these are for their elite and crafted in gold where here they're used by a standard Assault Squad in their traditional green :)


These were the simultaneous day shots, so again the colours are a bit ropey but better than the digital camera.




The 90° rotation of each model, yep there's a shed load of pics to follow, get a cup of tea!


And individuals as well, in case you want to look in detail?






















Moar filter shots.



I'd been quite worried about the dark skin tone on the sergeant, I always do, and his human eye but I really like how they turned out. I think I managed to create a different skin tone altogether than my previous efforts which is good as making it up every time means there's more diversity


Given just how busy the models were with detail I kept the litanies to a minimum. With all the purity seals and tribal making it just seemed too much. The company numbers were a bit of a variety too - each of the three came out OK but ranging from tiny to 'mahoosive'!


Here's the clearest look at the jump pack glow effect. Not entirely sure of it's what I was after but there are some bits I like and most of the gaming views won't get to see them anyway so it'll more than do.


Again the Blood Angel chainsword really helped here allowing me to put an Assault Squad marking on the hand where his Heresy era shoulder prevented it. And yes the squad do not feature the Dark Angel chapter badge, just the white blade and on the wrong shoulder. At this minute I cannot explain it but that Heresy shoulder pad I think is the key to their fluff.


Perhaps they removed their chapter 'wings' until they've captured the Fallen half of their squad and only then will they add them back in and return their Chapter shoulder pad to their left?


Although the second from the left with his re-purposed Space Wolf left shoulder pad probably isn't going to switch it to the right ;)


Still love the genius of those quartered knee pads perfect for the 5th company :)


This guy is such a bad-ass.



OK, enough already, next up lets get back to some hybrids, see you next week :)

Wednesday 5 July 2017

Dark Angels - Assault Squad - TO DONE!

The Assault Squad is TO DONE! The 'good' pictures are however a bit grim [and dark]


I mean this is why GW say not to photograph using daylight - it was just too bright so the shadows are super dark but there's nothing like persisting with it despite the poor results.


I have taken some phone pics simultaneously that manage to mitigate the shadows that will be in the MOAR pics, so look forward to them.


Luckily I think I've also got the light box set up almots right so those pics may well become the defacto standard, we'll see how things go.



I love this guys pose.


I don;t know how many people saw on the Facebook group but I did manage to drop them all on a rough concrete paving slab as I went to do these pics.


Tehy were balanced on a take-away tub lid and there was a moment before I moved them I thought it was going to end in tears. Then one tipped over, what with them all having weird high centres of gravity. Another tipped and as I tried to compensate my hand spasmed and I practically threww them all in the air.


To add insult to injury my wife had seen me setting up the back drop and made some sarcastic comment about having to watch me take the pics, she soon scarpered when she realised this was not a funny situation anymore.


So, two back packs needed gluign back on and all of them had some remedial damage somewhere or another. The worst was the chips on the base edges :(


Still, about 30 minutes later they were all sufficiently repaired to have poor pictures taken of them!


Anyway, 90° shots of each of them now.









Sergeant - 2 chainswords means he gets 2 extra attacks, you should see the rage on all the Tyranid forums that three pairs of Scything Talons only get +1 extra attack and he gets 2!





These Flamer guys should be pretty cool.










So there we go, only on my Great Build list but started and pushed through to completion. I'm not sure if that's a good thing but certainly shows how it can be beneficial as although they've been in the pipeline for a good few months it felt like they were turned around really quickly over the last few weeks as I kept chipping away with the build, the basing and undercoat, then basecoats and metallics. Suddenly there were only the green highlights and all the remaining hurdles were 'fun'. Fingers crossed I'll be able to repeat the process in the future.