'nids part 274 - Tyranid Warrior Termagants, Rippers and Carnifex head - basecoats

Afternoon #warmongers and I've been #paintingwarhammer on some outstanding Tyranid models. Outstanding in the sense they need to be painted, not so much they are 'amazing'. I have these 5 Devgaunts, some made from Hormagaunt 'chassis'.

I know this isn't exactly quality content but what I wanted to showcase just how bad my basecoats start off. Coincidentally Marc over at Old School Gaming did a similar post on his Iron Snakes, but I think my Tyranid are in a much worse state initially.

I had undercoated these red, but with hindsight I should have done them Bone colour, like I used to. It's much easier to cut in the red elements. I had started carefully doing the Bonewhite but after one ad a half models completely lost patience and just splashed on a load of paint expecting to pick out the red areas much as I used to do the 'liver' wash that I originally used to do.

Now if I'd done a Skeleton Bone prime, and then masked off the base and done that Red Oxide, I could have saved myself a bit of effort. Or perhaps, primed red and zenithal bone?

Whilst I was at it I threw on some Bonewhite on the 4 bases of Rippers hanging around.

I was a little more cautious on these, mainly to ensure the Red Planet BASE! was retained. All of these Tyranids will keep sitting on the shelf. Every now and again I'll add another step in the painting process until I reach the tipping point whereby a small push would get them done, should a window open up to focus on them. 

I had these Carnifex heads knocking around for a while so it made sense to get their first basecoat on too. All my nid bits are now ready for Bahama Blue on the chitin, but also cutting in that red for the fleshy parts where necessary.

With my Blood Bowl Ogre done and getting through these while I also finish off my Middenheim Marauders turn counters and a few Blood Bowl balls it's about time to take stock of what's on my palette, so expect an update next.

Blood Bowl - Human Team Original Middenheim Marauders - Ogre - TO DONE!

Afternoon #warmongers and I've finished #paintingwarhammer #bloodbowl Ogre. Since I started back in the hobby nine years ago I've had some improvement in my painting skill. I can clearly see the change from those first Tyranids to what I do now.

Despite certain elements being rougher they are better. My Dark Angels have progressed too, but as I've painted less understandably the improvement has been less noticeable. However, because I delayed doing them for so long maybe they are just being painted at the same level thanks to my Tyranid painting experience.

Anyway, thanks to expanding the variety of things I paint - Underwolrd's warbands and Blood Bowl teams I have noticed I've 'levelled-up'. Ylthari's Guardians was a big step up and I think this is another one.

This is Bo, the 'Box', my Blood Bowl Ogre. When I painted his face I just thought of the 'Face of Bo' not that he looks like the Face of Bo but it just sprang to mind. However, Bo was too hard for him to spell and he can't count so the Middenheim Marauders gave him the X identifier and couple dwith his name he got the Box nickname.

He's sponsored by Orcidas, hence the three stripes on his paints, inverted on the other side [pictured above].

I think the rust stains sold it to me, just some extra tone to elevate it. That is I think the thing I need to hold onto the most. I try and add texture and underpainting to what I do, adding in additional tones on top will just enhance everything.

His face is definitely the part I'm most proud of - a departure for me, still far from perfect but for just an hour, or so, work I'm well chuffed.

I did try and tweak the pupil on the right, as we look at it. It's better but still gozzy. I can also so some random red splodges on his team badge, I didn't fix them as they almost look like it's worn off, which fits the weathering. Teeth could have been a little less basic but nevermind.

Now to decide if I'm going to apply some flock. I may do my Elven team first as a grass pitch makes more sense for them. I also need to finish the balls, turn markers and coins.

Till then here's my Big Galactic Stamp of Approval for being a good boy!

Blood Bowl - Human Team Original Middenheim Marauders - Ogre - facecoats

Afternoon #warmongers and I'm continuing #paintingwarhammer #bloodbowl Ogre. Having finished the white quartered highlights, silver buckles, black leather and Warplock Bronze gut plate it was time to go at the skin. I wanted him to echo the brown skin tones of the 2nd edition Oldheim Ogres team [shown further down]. So I highlighted all the previously shaded skin with Valejo Game Color Leather brown.

I had thought I'd add some tattoos/face-paint similar to these guys but ultimately didn't.

All the leather straps are black, but the actual gut plate harness was Rhinox Hide, washed with Army Painter Dark Tone [black]. Various stippling took place on the highlights to add more texture/hide mistakes.

I added some extremely minimal highlights to the red [first stage highlights from my Red Planet Basing mix] just to add that definition between armour plates.

I also decided to paint his chest 'rosette' - white as it's still in that quarter and I'd already sacrificed some white with the black armour plate. But I added red edging for a bit more contrast.

And boom - the face. I used Valejo Game Color Bronzed flesh for this but added a small amount of heavy red for the sides of the face, nose and temples.

The grooves in the lips were a little clumsy and the pupils on his eyes slightly off centre, but the right as we look at it took 5 or 6 goes, because my hands were shaking so much, to get this and when tabletop viewing it's not as prominent.

Adding that red texture took this to a whole new level for me. Of course the brush strokes are pronounced and it's far from perfect but it's a level of detail I would not have used int he past and yet it's made such a huge difference.

I tried a bit of stippling on his head for more texture, I could have gone with stubble but happy with this so I'll leave it be. You can see some of the red highlights more clearly in this pic.

Nothing extra, just pics using my camera magnifying app to get macro-shots.

I may well try and fix that eye, get the rosette and all the leather and metallics done... oh and the base 😲 yes, usually the base is done first but this has still got to happen...

Blood Bowl - Human Team Original Middenheim Marauders - Ogre Basecoats

Afternoon #warmongers and I'm continuing #paintingwarhammer #bloodbowl Ogre. After a matt black prime and red oxide zenithal highlight I had some pretty decent coverage. Given the cold weather I did the full 2 minutes of shaking both spray cans and even kept them warm [by holding them in front of the tumble dryer vent as I shook them]. I then quartered the uniform with Valejo Game Color Stonewall Grey. It amazes me that I've used this paint as a base for almost every white I've ever done and teeth too. It's spurted out of the dropper bottle numerous times but still feels like there's half a bottle left, and after a decade too!

I'm still a little undecided on some elements. I had envisaged a roughly painted belly plate in team colours but it might be silver or bronze... Army Painter Strong Tone washes over everything - I have noticed a glossy finish to this batch, maybe it's because I can never be bothered to shake the bottles. I also think I should be thinning them a bit more. They work much better with water to break down the surface tension and bleed into the crevices more.

A couple of nights on and I've done all the first Stonewall Grey highlights and all the Valejo Game Color Heavy Red [or Khorne Red] highlights. I then did Vermilion art acrylics for the next red highlights.

Now I think the other Marauders were done with VGC Bloody Red but I wanted to play around and I felt this colour might give me some more interesting results and I think it was justified in the end.

It's such an odd paint, very thick but has quite an opaqueness when watered down, but that can easily become a glaze depending how you work the paint with the brush. But then a quick stipple and you get the signature hammered texture finish.

White highlights next and I may even add in some additional edge highlighting on the red, not to make it 'pop' you understand, but to add definition ;)

Blackstone Fortress - The Empyrean Strikes Back

The planets aligned and we managed to arrange a suitable night for my gaming buddies and fellow #warmongers to have another crack at #BlackstoneFortress. Unfortunately time did not help us in remembering the rules, it also meant we spent a considerable time discussing Star Wars - the Rise of Skywalker and various merits [and demerits] of the entire Star Wars franchise. So it was like an hour and a half before we rolled any dice in anger!

Most of us met our painting requirements, but Ben couldn't quite finish the Ratlings and his Negavolt Cultitsts are just basecoated, but they weren't needed and a lot of his paints have dried up so it was an uphill challenge. However, worth mentioning we were at his house and there was a particularly generous spread laid on so - 'swings and roundabouts'.

Liam brought some Poxwalkers and Typhus to stand in for Cultists and Obsidius, unfortunately he'd planned to bring some of his other Cultists so unit weaponry would have been more accurate but he mixed up his figure case. Regardless the game looked significantly better, if a little too dark now! 😎

On to the game and before we entered the maglev we had a pre-game encounter where we had to bash down the doors of another maglev and we would gain a discovery each. All we had to do was 12 damage on 3 attacks each. Because I was 'inspired', thanks to Liam trading my 'hidden co-ordinates' hidden agenda I managed to 8 damage on my own - not bad for a feeble sanctioned mutant. Liam finished it off and Otty and Ben gave us hearty encouragement. Liam discovered his hidden agenda item in the loot and was immediately inspired!

Having entered the Fortress everyone else got to move before me. There were 8 cultists in the middle, 6 in the top and Obsidius Mallex and another 6 Cultists on the left.

All of them were in cover and we wasted a lot of actions trying to kill them but the cover prevented any damage -we had not remembered you could 'aim' for an activation to ignore cover. The Cultists themselves knew how to aim and certainly some damage was done to us.

But for the most part because they were in cover they didn't really seem keen to leave it. I used my Mind Control power to force the Cultist leader out of cover and blasted him to pieces with my 3rd Eye. I killed another of his mob and raised my force field around Janus and I for protection. Meanhwile our Kroot friend had set a booby trap in the choke point in front of the warband at the top.

Janus managed to sprint across the board and activate all sorts of duelling skills.

Taking out half of the cultists set before him.

Dahyak Grekh also got in on the action.

And managed to wipe out the remaining foes. Meanwhile I was able to Mind Control the leader of the second band of cultists and moved him two space directly into the Kroot's previously laid booby trap. He was killed in the resulting explosion

Dahyak Grekh advanced on the remaining cultists. However, we began to see some movement on the other cultists and they swiftly followed up to support their brethren.

Dahyak, took all four wounds [and we subsequently struggled to understand how to play this part of the game]. Janus stepped forth to take revenge on the cultists...

and with the support of the Ratlings and my 3rd eye we removed them from the board.

And then we realised we'd not been giving Obsidius his two goes on the activation table, doh - well vagaries of the warp and whatnot - we'll get this game eventually. Most of the damage was put on me [randomly] and I took 4 wounds.

In return Janus did everything he could with his extra attacks and managed to take all 12 wounds of the Chaos Lord, just! Liam was mightily impressed with his feat of duelling prowess - the final double crit being particularly impressive!

With their leader gone it was nought but to clean up the remaining cultists and we would return to our respective ships for re-supply and trading.

OK, so we're still learning the rules and given the 2-3 rulebooks you keep having to flick through, granted thin ones but even so it's easy to miss something. Or, you get referred to another book which then refers you back. Not to mention it's our second game and over 6 weeks since we last played. We definitely remembered some of the rules and new things weren't quite right, it took a few turns to get on track but maybe next time it'll be error-free.

Anyway, great laugh, really enjoyed it. Bring on our next adventure.