Terrain is everything - Aegis Defence Line - TO DONE! [White Pics]

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity #TerrainWednesday again and here are the Aegis Defence Line pics on a white background, you know if I was ever to send it in to White Dwarf, which I won't, so I'm not sure of the point of it but whatevs...

The great big irony of this is that I think I have another Aegis Defence Line knocking around completely unpainted.

I'm pretty certain if I plan to use this in Armies on Parade one line will be enough but part of me is thinking about the second. The results speak for themselves and a second set would look [mathematically] twice as good.

But I just can't justify why I would start such an enterprise right now.

Many of these projects can be done before Oct/Nov [whenever the next AoP lands] but I doubt I can do all of them. If I was to prioritise anything it'd be the Macragge Squad 

The Munitorum Containers might also fit into it but I'm not entirely sure if that is part of my vision yet.

We'll see, but I'm so chuffed to get these completed. They just happened organically and I'm really happy with the results.

It does mean I'm back on the Aberrants though and then I'm running out of 'in progress' projects.

I think the Adeptus Titanicus Titans will be next, then that blasted Land Raider - it too is taunting me now. 

Then it'll be a choice between Macragge Tactical Squad or my Halfling Blood Bowl Team - I may at least do a test model of them at some point as a palette cleanser and get my head round the recipe.

Which pretty much undermines my concern about starting a second Aegis Defence line! Ha, ha! The hobby is full of inconsistencies.

Regardless, I've got about 6 weeks until my son returns from uni, and I know I can be most productive during this time. So I need to pick my projects wisely and get as much done as possible. This hobby season is already awesome, lets see what else I can bring to the table,

Terrain is everything - Aegis Defence Line - TO DONE! [Red Pics]

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity #TerrainMonday again and I have finished the Aegis Defence Line! It has been a long time since I did this sort of terrain [excluding the servo-haulers that is], when I did the Bastions.

It was such and odd decision to take these on, but the Aberrants were presenting with issues and I just needed something to break that lock.

I had picked up a green spray can [not a hobby manufacturer] ages ago and given them a zenithal highlight [after all the texture FX and basecoats] but somehow forgot to take pictures. 

And there they were, sat in a plastic takeaway tub - taunting me. Maybe that's a thing - put some long term WiPs that may have stalled in your field of vision.

There's nothing like a constant reminder they are incomplete to get you to just put them to bed, once and for all.

Obviously it's the combined Valejo Rust wash and Secret Weapon weathering powders that elevate these. Whether they're naturally accurate or just a caricature doesn't matter I'm really pleased with the result. 

I had forgotten that a subsequent varnish would reduce the potency of the weathering. Not so much that this was even more extreme.

But it actually removes some of the subtlety. Where there is extreme orange that remains, but where it faded to brown the varnish manages to absorb that somehow and you are just left with a huge contrast.

I may have to remember that in future as I may add the varnish first and then do the weathering. There's always the question of how to fix the powder, but as I'm mixing it with the rust wash I think that is fixing it as its applied.

I thought I'd just set up the entire defence line with the Comms Relay and a small squad of marines.

The base of the relay has a little more bronze elements that I've simplified on the defence line but I won't lose any sleep over it. I mean who's going to take me to task?

 

I'm having a thought for my next Armies on Parade that I might do my Dark Angels Vs my Tyranids on a narrative board. I may need to finish that Macragge Tactical Squad though, to have more greenwing.

As I want to set up a defensive position, the Ravenwing might not fit that, well the bike as least. I want to ensure everything on the Tyranid side is full to the brim.

With Hormagaunts, Termagants and Genestealers at the walls about to overrun the position,

Then I can have all the bigger creatures at the back so the entire horde scales back. I could even use some of the Capillary Towers in the back ground, just for a bit of context.

Sadly, I don't think the Void Shield Generator would make any sense but we'll see,

I might even consider getting the cardboard red planet play mat as a base. I know it's not ideal but the wider space might offer me more opportunities and I really can't make/store another base at the moment, but we'll see. 

Anyhoo - Great Big Granite Stamp of Approval - TO DONE! 

Terrain is everything - Aegis Defence Line - Lense FX

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity it's #TerrainFriday ... OK, lets just accept every day should be a #TerrainDay! Anyway, Aegis Defence Line... we're getting close to the finish line now. As mentioned these 'lenses' on my bastion were orange glow FX but I didn;t think that would work here so I painted them as red lenses

Just your standard dark at the top, fade to colour at the bottom and a specular white highlight in the middle of the black. Now that's not much of a fade at all, in fact it's almost non-existent/

Because I then coat the lense with Tamiya Clear Red X-27 which smooths it all out, make's it more monotone.

It also colourises the specular highlight but I will pick that out again in this one and be more wary of covering it in the subsequent lenses. I also did the green activation button on the hatch - it's a bit too bright, nothing Tamiya Clear Green X-25 couldn't fix. But although I think the tone is completely incongruous with the rest of the tone of the piece I'm keeping it

I picked out some silver areas as well. Just those scuffs through the rust and where weapon damage has pierced the wall. I could have added a little more to this, Rhinox Hide underneath to enhance the effect and make the silver sit better.

But I was rushing at this stage, cutting corners and I don't feel it loses anything for it, in this case.

If I( wanted a 100% accurate weathering techniques I'd need to really up my game and spend a disproportionate amount of time on these things. As it is they're stylised approximations of weathering effects that I'm happy with.

And I'm OK with that, naturally. Also, as much as I love terrain and I've loved painting these the same question keeps coming back to me...

WHY? Why am I painting these? I'm not playing, even before lockdown we weren't playing and certainly not at my house. Maybe I'll find a use for them in Armies on Parade. I'm thinking perhaps a narrative scene this time based around my Dark Angels defending their Bastions... who knows?

Terrain is everything - Aegis Defence Line - 'Rust and her embrace'

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity it's #TerrainWednesday ... of course it is! Anyway, Aegis Defence Line... some first steps with rust. Now the original plan was to stipple on some browns and whatnot but I just went straight in with a mix of Vallejo Model Wash Rust and Secret Weapon pigment Rust Orange.

The pigment powders usually needs some kind of fixer to keep it in place, it seemed to make sense that i use one that's already adding rust colours.

It also means I can have areas with minor rust, where it's just the Vallejo wash and more exaggerated areas that combine more of the pigment powders, you can see the difference between the two approaches here.

It's a bit hit and miss, sometimes I can go too far. I did consider trying to knock things back with a sepia wash in places, but also a second application of just the Vallejo rust often smoothed things out.

I also tested it out on the backs too.

As well as finishing off all the metallics. I still have to decide on the lenses but with all the rust I think orange isn;t going to work so red appears to be the sensible choice.

I remember on a French exchange going up the Eiffel Tower in Paris and I was horrifies at the massive balls of rust in some places. They had just been painted over in the brown that covers the tower but it always stuck with me. I've gone a bit OTT  on the orange in places but hopefully I can claw it back.

Here too I was very liberal with the powder/wash mix so I'll have to see what I can do with it.

There are the remaining wall pieces to do next and then the lenses, but close to being done now that I have a proof of concept. I don't think I'll even need to sponge on any other weathering effects this has come out so well. it may not be 100% accurate but tabletop wise it's striking and high contrast and that works for me.

Terrain is everything - Aegis Defence Line - Highlighted

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity it's #TerrainMonday ... Anyway, back to the Aegis Defence Line. What with detours to Rotspawns and Munitorum Containers its back to me detour from the Aberrants!

Sorry, colour's gone funny on this but all of the panels have been highlighted and then shaded with black. It always feels odd that I pre-shade prime [most times], basecoat, shade, highlight and then come back in and add shading again!

 All of the Imperial eagles have been painted VGC Stonewall Grey and had Army Painter Strong Tone wash applied. Stonewall Grey highlights next and then some white highlights.

All of the shutter mechanisms have been painted black in preparation for bronze metallics. I won't be blessing them with verdigris but they will be grimy and weathered.

I'm debating the screen/light fittings top and bottom of each panel [6 on the double walls]. On the bastions I did an orange glow. It was a bit rough and ready and not my finest work but here I'm not so sure.

I'm going to be applying some rust effects and powders I'm not sure orange glow effect would stand out. I'm thinking instead to go Tamiya Clear, either Red X-27 or Orang X-26. 

I'm figuring these are lights for the defenders, not radar screens - why would they have radar screens at boot height? So if they're lights you might want ones that only shine minimal light like the red torches the army used to use. Red lenses might look pretty cool against the green walls.