Monday 16 October 2017

Dreadtober 2017 - Genestealer Cult Sentinels - Shading and the return of the abomination that is Seraphim Sepia

Last Fridays post and we left the Sentinels ready for some definition. I was feeling a little disheartened I'd covered some of the Red Oxide underpainting but hoped a fine sepia shade might fool the eye into thinking the yellow was warmer than it had become. To that end I considered the use of one of the few products that I'd sworn never to to use again - the abomination that is Seraphim Sepia. It's slightly lighter and brown/orange than Army Painter Soft Tone and the arch-deity Duncan had just used it in a video to great effect.


NEVER AGAIN! You can see the plastered powdery scum appearing from nowhere. I shook it and applied thinly - the common advice that those who defend this product suggest is a requirement to do it's sole function. But still no joy! I'd say it was just this batch but I know others have been caught out, hence all the helpful advice instead of just 'don't use it'.


That said, the residue did act as a substrate to which the further application of Army Painter Soft Tone would adhere to.


However, the Soft Tone is darker and the addition of the residue just meant it absorbed far more wash than without and so it was darker still!


Ultimately it was fixable, mainly because I was aware it might happen and was prepared to give it another chance. Sadly I really want some of the other shades but I just don't trust the product so I'm more likely to look at some of the other Army painter washes if I need a coloured one.


Other than that they're coming along great and the warmth of the yellow seems to have been restored thanks to the increased contrast.


Rear shot.


And the Photoshop samples I asked on facebook on how to add markings and numbers. Don;t worry I eventually made a decision.









Friday 13 October 2017

Dreadtober 2017 - Genestealer Cult Sentinels - Jaundice

I was pretty pleased with myself at this point the mix of Iyanden Dark Sun and Gamboge was producing some half decent results and I could be as messy as I wanted to be so there was a lot of freedom in the process.


I'm not sure the subsequent set of highlights have helped. Its a subtle difference but the underpainting from the Red Oxide seems to have been covered up a bit which makes me sad :(


The gun metal bits are also a bit glaring at this stage but I'm going to do a sepia wash next. I'm gong to do it selectively though, just in the crevices, which I predict will be a little tedious and potentially slow but I imagine I can get through at least one in an evening. I also need to decide on some of the markings I want on it. I imagine a vertical red strips on the left front panel but I also want a white number which will obscure most of the red line as the number has to be big...


Meanwhile you can just see in the background Jetek Suberei is on his base, just some details to finish up on it and he'll be complet, which surprises me too!

Wednesday 11 October 2017

Dreadtober 2017 - Genestealer Cult Sentinels - Base/Basecoat

The last thing I did the other night was a Strong Tone wash on the bases so it could dry and I'd Red Planet BASE! them the following night. Jetek Suberei's base was also in the mix. You can see I've completed the four sets of highlights on the red and blocked in some grey, green and bronze bits. That debris will add a bit of extra effort on the bases but I must stand with the decision to go down this route.


With the bases mostly done I decided to just apply some Iyanden Dark Sun to the cab to see how it would look. A few stipples and already I think you can see where this is going. I'd managed to remove the pilots/drivers - never underestimate the effectiveness of a screw driver in removing glued components [stronger, more effective and less dangerous than a blade]. So I'd applied some black inside the cab and on some areas on the legs and body. Nothing tidy, as the yellow is going over it, and where it's been stippled on you can see the varied tone underneath, which I like.


I also dabbed on some yellow on the second Sentinel, mixing some Gamboge craft acrylic into the mix. It's amazing how thick that paint is while going on almost like a glaze. It really made the Iyanden Dark Sun richer.


Really this was just messing about so I didn't even complete everything that needed to be done. I'll finish it off next session, all the yellow blocked in. With that done I'll do some limited highlights, don't want it getting too pastel yellow. Then I'll be adding some sepia shading to define all the edges and then some of the rust effects.


OK so the basecoat isn't complete but I'm really pleased with the progress, how quick and how effective it already appears. I may well just get these done in time

Monday 9 October 2017

Dreadtober 2017 - Genestealer Cult Sentinels

I must confess [because it's the name of the blog] I was starting to get a little antsy that these guys had remained without progress. I'd asked on the Facebook group whether it was daft to have saved so much on ebay with the two sentinels only to buy three bases for £8, near enough wiping out the savings and Marcelis pointed out 'a saving is still a saving'. So I ordered the three Battlefield Debris 60mm bases from bases4war.com. They still appear to be the best value resin bases online. The range hasn;t grown but what they have are great quality, great designs and most of the lines are comprehensive in whichever size you need. It was about five working days delivery, but it's sent second class post which is FREE, so can't complain. I really didn't imagine using the big cog base on the right but it worked so well with the pose I had to use it. You can also see I removed the cab framework. The top of the framework was missing and I'd seen plenty of examples go down this route, it seemed the quickest solution that try and source a replacement.


You will also note that after the Red Oxide primer I've used some extra products. I have some Valejo Red Oxid [sic] paste, if you're after texture paint and need a decent quantity you can't go wrong with this. I used it to fill in some of the flat areas around where I'd sanded the base to attach the feet. I also thinned it down to add rust texture on the body. I then added Martian Ironearth in places because these are going to be all kinds of battered.


This is the plan - I'm going for a very battered yellow, which I appreciates fits very differently with colours of the rest of the Free Radical Collective but these are all construction vehicles and just because you're driving around in a CAT or JCB doesn't mean your work clothes are bright yellow.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nikonvscanon/6411013369
Bottom line I want to do yellow vehicles, I may live to regret the decision and the Red Oxide looks cool so far it seems odd to make it yellow but I will push on regardless.

Friday 6 October 2017

Deathwatch/wing - Librarianism

With Ennox Sorrlock [Iron Hands] and Ortan Cassius all but complete the only remaining squad members are Jetek Suberei [which we always knew would be an issue] and the Librarian Jensus Natorian. And so I returned to my Space Hulk Librarian in Terminator armour... but it's not a problem as many of the psyker effects I'm employing on this guy were to be used on Jensus. But first I painted his Dark Angel tabbard and then it was on to the deathwing symbol.


Once again I've surprised myself and from a distance it's pretty great. Obviously the close up reveals a few mistakes - the top of the wing on the right is angled up a bit, the sword isn't quite in the centre of the shoulder pad and the colours are a bit patchy. But I don't mind it, I like the semi-transparent finish and won't even be addign any highlights as I think it marries up with the slighlty more grungy bonewhite shading on the bottom of the pad. And again, table-top wise you notice none of this.


I'd been debating the 'force' colour choice. Yellow had been one option, red was another but I went with what I'd already done for my Dark Vengeance Librarian - turquoise. Now this was a contentious decision as I need to apply weathering to all the brass and bronze and would need to differentiate between the two effects. My solution was to go bright with the 'force' and darker with the verdigris.


For the force I started with my Army Painter Turquoise as it's the darkest one I have and then used my Do Crafts Turquoise [second highlights on my Tyranid Chitin plates] as the brighter centre, then Nihilakh Oxide and finally white. The little lighning sparks were a mixed success , some a bit chunkier than others but overall I was impressed with the results.


And as promised I simultaneously applied the same effects to Jensus.


The glows around the eyes became a little 'superhero mask' as opposed to glowing eyes but it could have been worse.


This just left the patina and a few bits and bobs, plus another coat or two on the base edges and then Suberei... meanwhile, no sign yet of my Sentinel bases.

Wednesday 4 October 2017

1500pts battle report - Tyranids v Necrons

Games have become quite a rarity since 8th edition hit. You've seen my views shift over the half dozen or so games I've played thus far, in particular the last game with PeteB helped move me to a position of acceptance and understanding. I think most of that was due to approaching it less from a competitive sense and more from a learning opportunity, but PeteB was really the architect of that. With this in mind I hoped to replicate that role with Ben and his transition less painfully to 8th thanks to the games under my belt. I'm not entirely sure I was successful but you be the judge. We only went for 1500pts and unawares of the Imperial Guard Codex he decided to try his Necrons for the first time with a mixed list of Warriors, Immortals, a Triarch Stalker, C'tan Deceiver, Imotekh, some Scarabs, Flayed Ones and a Cryptek.

I went with a similar list to when I played PeteB, just managed to shoehorn a Trygon Prime, Malanthrope and four Hive Guard into the mix.

The low down:
  • Cleanse and Control
  • Table Corners deployment
  • Got to choose deployment zone, but deployed last unit [giving Ben first turn], failed to seize.
Choosing this corner meant I had the real LoS blocking ruins to hide the Hive Guard in, as much as the extra terrain in the other corner seemed appealing I imagined moving out of the DZ would render it pointless once the battle lines met.


The C'tan and Triarch deployed closest with Imotekh in the ruin.


Everything in my army except the Carnifex managed to take advantage of the Malanthrope's cloud cover. Unfortunately Imotekh has a special rule adding +1 To Hit, negating the cloud cover :(


Turn 1 and Ben would move his C'tan into the ruin on the right and bring on his Flayed ones in the back of my DZ.


Imotekh brought forth a storm of lightning, instantly killing two Hive Guard with Mortal Wounds. One Carnifex took two wounds and the other just one while the Tervigon also suffered only to be hit by the Triarch's Heat Ray removing half it's wounds. I subsequently forgot about Tenacious Survivor. No First Blood but Ben scored a VP holding one of his objectives.


My turn, and I draw hold objective 6 [out of shot on the hilltop to the left] for two turns - not a chance [I'd discard it at the end of the turn, with hindsight a mistake]. Advance - move all my units out of my DZ. I then do Priority Orders, a new mission I'd never seen before. You draw this and it is a mission solely for your Warlord, who then draws another objective and should he acheive the second objective he scores and additional 3VPs from the Priority Orders mission. My secondary objective - secure objective 3, which is on the hill between the ruins and trees top right. However, my Tervigon was limping along at 6" move thanks to it's wounds. I spreade out, leaving some of the Devgaunts to pepper the C'tan with Devourer grubs and decided to tie him up with the Carnifex. The remaining gaunts brought the Flayed Ones down to just four left. The Stealers moved onto the road leaving me options against the Triarch or the Immortals.


The Carnifex charged the C'tan and despite my rerolls and all the Devgaunt wounds he lived on his last wound and in return killed one Carnifex outright for First Blood.


Genestealers went through the Immortals, leaving 4 behind, one would then 'get back up'. Unfortunately my Broodlord couldn't keep up with them and was left rather exposed on the roadside. As the turn finished the Flayed Ones failed ther Morale appallingly and they fled back to their pocket charnal universe. I'd forgotten to bring on the Trygon or Rippers but felt that may actually be a good thing to have the reinforcements later in the game.


With the Broodlord separated the Stalker scuttled forwards and it's Heat Ray, alongside additional supporting fire, brought the Broodlord down to it's last 2 wounds.


It then stomped all over it's corpse...


... and consolidated next to the Honoured Imperium statue. The Scarabs surrounded the Malanthrope but weren't able to do much damage [despite hitting on 3s, y'know my Rippers hit on 5's and they're roughly the same points...]


Having killed the last Carnifex the C'tan consolidate. I then got Supremacy - hold three objectives. I moved the gaunts onto objective 5 but still within range of the C'tan. I also brought the rippers onto objective 6 on the hill to the top left [remember that objective 6 card I discarded...].


The Devgaunts popped the C'tan with weight of fire.


The Hive Guard got lucky pinging the remaining wounds off the Stalker. In fairness to Ben he hadn't been playing 'Living Metal' or his 'Quantum Shielding' rules correctly but this turn he got the Shielding rolls but to no avail. Over on the other side of the board my Trygon had appeared, needing an 8" charge against the Warriors to get into assault but more importantly get within range of the objective to score Supremacy. My Last re-roll got me the charge. The Genestealers had sliced easily through the remaining Immortals in Ben's turn, leading me to believe I'd perhaps not done all the attacks they were supposed to do in my first turn.


But as they were within 1" of the Immortals, Cryptek and Stormlord I could pile into them, although I'm sure with better positioning I could have perhaps consolidated further away in Ben's turn to then allow me to charge in my turn. Lessons to learn. Anyway, the Cryptek got spanked, a couple of Immortals fell and the Stormlord took a couple of wounds.


Although the Tervigon was heading for Objective 3 I decided to support the Malanthrope, forgetting it's wounds meant it would now be hitting on 5s. Despite this a base or two were squished.


The Trygon killed all but one Warrior, then four got back up again!


In Ben's turn the Tyrgon ate the four new Warriors, but still one remained. The Immortals surrounded the Stealers chopping down a couple. The Stormlord again took a couple of wounds but regenerated one thanks to Living Metal.


I then failed my Morale quite spetacularly [as did the lone Necron Warrior] and both our units perished.


Having been tied up long enough with the Scarabs the Tervigon and Malanthrope fell back. allowing me to reposition the Termagants almost outside my DZ and surround the Scarabs and shoot them to pieces.


At this point we called it. Ben had 2 VPs, plus First Blood. I only had 1 from my D3 VPs for Supremacy [I know, after all that effort too]. However, I'd been on objective 5 for a turn, would be outside my DZ next turn and my Tervigon would be on Objective 3 also, and the Trygon had Linebreaker ultimately scoring me an additional 8VPs.


There were quite a few times during the game we discussed how best to position models to take advantage of the Assault and Pile-in rules, which felt like a learning experience for both of us but sadly Ben ended up feeling even more dejected about the nature of the game and the effectiveness of Necrons in particular. I've been playing him and his Necrons for over five years and only beaten them once, in part due to having a unit of Genestealers I shouldn't have had. It was no doubt disappointing, especially as I thought his first turn was relatively successful. I certainly felt there was more nuance to this game and opportunity for tactics. It's still a flurry of activity early on and yet the subsequent turns still seem to take forever despite the casualties.

A good game, a win, but sadly not the result we both hoped for I fear...

If you're interested in any more of my Battle Reports, point your cogitators here: www.40kaddict.uk/p/battle-reports.html

Monday 2 October 2017

Deathwatch - "Woah, we're half way there"

These guys are essentially complete at this stage. Ordinarily I'd have saved the pictures for their 'To Done' shoot but I had to take pictures for a 2 month painting challenge on the Tyranid Hive forum and as I'm short of content I may as well share. I didn't quite get the full squad done but my revised estimate of half was exceed by one thanks to completing the Blood Angel - Antor Delassio.


I'm really excited with these now, I actually can't wait to play Deathwatch Overkill once the entire Kill Team is complete.


So despite my patience beginning to run out I'm really chuffed. They all still need varnishing and some effects with Tamiya Clear etc. Otherwise, V. pleased.


The remaining Deathwatch have had some highlights done so there's just some individual details to overcome - colours to represent Force Weapons and psychic powers being a particular quandry, not to mention Jetek Suberei... They should all be done this week and I can then focus on the Sentinels, three weeks to AoP...