Inspiration is a chain

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity in July 2012 we were just getting 40k 6th edition. I'd fallen off the hobby wagon a couple of years earlier. The painting aspect was progressing - I was happy with my results and being productive. I'd also started a blog, designed my own terrain templates and built some of my own Imperial terrain but I wanted to do more. Combining my first major success - conversion of a Tyranid Carnifex to Tervigon and 6th edition's new found love of fortifications and it was potential Tyranid structures that caught my imagination. I searched all over the place, well Google did most of the heavy lifting and I came across these by Mr. Pink [a.k.a. Modern Synthesist]. The idea of using fruit pots as a base for more organic alien walls was genius. I have an A-level in Art, had specialised in sculpture and clay, I could find a way to mold some of these out of Milliput.

Within a month I had started my own. The naivety of using greyboard as a base - convinced it wouldn't warp [it didn;t reall, I was very lucky]. The ingenuity of stapling the reversed pot between the two main pieces. The stupidity of using your own Aegis wall templates as the scale, when you'd got those sizes wrong and essentially built a defence line that was just too big and legally you would never be able to use all 4 long pieces! 😫

And they came out pretty cool, even if it was before I settled on my Red Planet BASE! showcase pics, enjoy the pleather!

But that gave me the confidence to go even further with my next build - Tyranid Bastion. Arguably my most difficult build ever, but at this stage I had no idea what was still to come.

I built 6 Capillary Towers with a secret agenda all along that nobody twigged.

I had a shadow project running all along - making a Tyranid Skyshield Landing Pad that slid into slots in the Capillary Towers to create the platform. It would even get fleshy walls too, eventually. Completed over 6 months on and off - testament to perseverance and patience.

I'd spend another 6 years [more off than on, obviously] realising another vision of a Tyranid Void Shield Generator. And I think it was this that kind of brought some of this full circle.

I'd repeatedly shared comments with Mr. Pink about his inspiration all those years ago and he also bought the Necron half of my Indomitus box, which I sent to Canada for a crazy new future at his hands. Shortly thereafter he messaged me to say he had something he wished to share with me, and eventually I received this in the post.

What treasures lie within?

Inspiration come home...

Yes indeed, one of the first casts of Mr Pink's alien barricades.

All primed and ready to go.

But that wasn't all...

How about the original sculpt as well, so I can see in detail how it was made in sections.

Using a mix of Apoxie sculpt and green stuff.

Additionally, there was an alien xenoforming pod. This one is slightly unfinished but I think the completed ones had LED tea lights in to glow with an alien light.  

As you can see part of it needs filling in and I may one day consider doing that and even painting them up, but for now I'm just overjoyed about the generosity.

 

Compared with my own efforts - a little taller and much more detail. There's even some guitar wire in there for extra alien ribbage.

The inside detail is amazing in comparison. I'd say I was just starting out, but I'd probably still do much the same nowadays anyway!

And comparing the xeno-pod with my own Quad-gun.

I'd probably start with a fruit pot like this second time around. Using a plastic cork resulted in the 'mushroom-esque' shape of mine, when a blob would have been better.

Mr Pink described this inspiration as a chain - linking us across an ocean. How he inspired me and how I may well be inspiring others. That's the greatest gift of the hobby - sharing what we do. Being brave enough to put it online. Not worrying if it follows any prescribed lore but scratching that creative itch in our brains - the vision you cannot just leave there. How you sketch it in a noteboook. Buy fruit pots and noodle bowls because you can turn then into bizarre alien constructs and when the dust [or slime] settles you look back at your creation and realise you made it, as well as painted it. You made it from scratch, from bits of rubbish, clay and string and all because you saw someone else do something similar. Have a think and see if you want to be part of this chain too.

Dark Angels - Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer - Last chance to dance

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I'm still #paintingwarhammer on my Dark Angels Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer. But these will be the last pics for a while. It is almost finished, I've applied all the blessed verdigris, lenses etc. However, I wanted to see if a big number and text would look OK.

So I Photoshopped it on. Now the left is how I originally envisaged it, but the right is how Titans would see it. I can't decide which would be better. Regardless I'd need printable decal paper if I wanted to go down this route.

 

I was also speculating about a number in the centre of the quartered heraldry on the front.

And yes, a big number 1 will make that look better.

I bit the bullet and went with red lenses on the tank hatches, but they seem a bit lost. Do you think green ones would be better?

Green ones?

Red lense on the Multi-melta sill stay red.

Orange and red lenses on the heavy flamers. I'm not sure I want to Tamiya Clear them...

I'll lose some of the effect if I do.

The lights will definitely have Tamiya Clear Red X-27 added, but the lenses don't seem to need it, just a drop of gloss varnish.

This light will also be Tamiya Clear Red X-27.

And the back, still debating whether to add orange weathering powder in the grooves of the tracks.

It might be perceived as rust, which it's not. It's the red dust from Ferron Proxima. I may try and Photoshop that too...

Dark Angels - Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer - Battle damage

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity I'm still #paintingwarhammer on my Dark Angels Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer. That's right I've not been put off  again and why would I? I'm painting loads of scratches on my Land Raider. Now this is just Citadel Rhinox Hide, or VGC Charred Brown. In fact I put both on my Pringles lid palette and the slight difference meant there was subtlety to the scratches. I'd only done the scratches on the left hand side at this stage, but sponged on damage  over most of the model.

It was then to go in with some pure white to add highlights to the scratch edges. However, the more I did, the more I felt it was unrealistic in places. So I did not do very much at all. I'll admit this is far from actual realism, but it's more realistic than I'd normally do and artificially adding depth with highlights just seemed too fake.

That said, some of the sponging is proper obvious and yet I couldn't bring myself to find a way to fix it.

The front access door got more chipping and scratches but made me realise how is a Terminator supposed to disembark from this. I know the top bit rises up, but not that much or it'll hit the Assault Cannon and even so the termie will have to duck to get under the door hinge. I won't even mention the Deathwing Sergeant with the massive angel wings on his carapace...

It's at this stage I start to feel it's the final stretch, but there is still loads more to do.

I want to add some sepia stains and marks to add some extra depth to the darker browns I've just added.

I just spotted that Mechanicus symbol needs highlighting, and the nameplate on the engine cover. 

I need to reconcile all the blessed verdigris and decide about the tracks - verdigris and red weathering powder, just weathering powder or none at all?

All the lenses need doing and smoke and heat bloom on respective weapons.

Are there any decals to add - that white/red quartered heraldry is looking mighty empty and clean, maybe even some scratches just to tie it in.

Do these tracks need anything else?

The door is ok, the track fairings work a lot better than the door though.

And do I consider that big number 1 and litany script on the top of the track covers?

I'm stuck though as I have momentum and I'm thinking too much about this. It is now considerably better than I hoped it would be and I must remember I kept on saying not to have high hopes for it as I may never even use it. Even if it was rubbish it'd be finished and it is far from rubbish now. I still wish I had done a massive off-centre angled Deathwing badge on the top but it just wouldn't work with the details on the doors.

Dark Angels - Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer - Moar bone

Afternoon #warmongers and #warhammercommunity It comes to something when the project you were doing to avoid your most avoidable project becomes so much you tackle the more challenging one. Yes the Deathwing Land Raider Redeemer is back on my painting table.

I have been avoiding this for so long and yet I knew that this next drybrush/stippling of the pale cream colour would potentially solve most of my issues with helping it to progress.

Part elitist snobbery over drybrushing, but also partly genuine  dislike of the finish. But I am going to weather and battle damage it so I'm not entirely sure why I'm fretting.

This is part of the process and a reminder not to judge the model until it is finished. I do now had some new reservations about the inordinate amount of bone. Those two track covers in particular are screaming out for a big 1 on one side and perhaps some litany script with a decorative capital letter on the other.

That'll be another delay as I work out how to do it - print my own decals, make a mask?

Anyway, I think I've managed to get past this initial hurdle to a point where I can think about adding paint chips.

I am also hesitant [again] about the blessed verdigris. I always am. Part of me is always convinced it will spoil the finish but I have to be strong. I'm not going Sanctum Imperialis green so no need to worry so much. I can be selective if I want.

I'm umming and aahing over the [currently unpainted] turret lenses. I have the three choices of:

Tamiya Clear Green X-25
Tamiya Clear Orange X-26
Tamiya Clear Red X-27

Since these pics I basecoated them in Khorne Red in preparation for X-27 but I'm now thinking green would be more interesting. The Deathwing eye lenses are green...

The rest of the lenses are red and orange for sure, it's just the turret ones to think on...