#DreadTober Death Guard Foetid Bloat Drone

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity it's the first of DreadTober and I've been painting my Bloat Drone. With so few days left until Armies on Parade, naturally I took a few evenings off which feels like such a mistake. But, I took my son back to university and when I did get chance to paint again I made significant progress as you can see.

I'd actually painted the Vallejo Game Effect Dry Rust prior to the session in particular but then it was Colvin & Co Burnt Umber Artists' Acrylic for all the panels and Army Painter Red and Purple Tone washes over the top and all the fleshy bits.

It's added so much to it and although I would like some other tones, particularly on the paler areas I love the mottled effect so far and I'm happy to leave it mostly as it is. It's come together almost instantly, but I think it's deceptive as there is still a lot to do, it's just nothing will be quite as transformative.

OK, while I was at it I had these 3 old skool Space Crusade Chaos Space Marines that I had started with my other Death Guard but did not expect to finish them.

But I need something to do while I'm waiting for the Bloat Drone to dry. The sensible thing would be Munitorum Containers or Attack Bikes, but carrying on with more Death Guard means I'm using the same paints. They'll still be useful in my AoP display and it's very efficient to do it this way, so I'm not doing anything silly by throwing paint on them.

Scale-wise they're a little stunty, but I would suggest that's because the current Death Guard have been upscaled. They're still as tall thanks to their horned helmets but realistically they're just a bit shorter. They'll make some nice background fillers any way.

So, I'm getting it done, very quickly considering DreadTober is supposed to be the whole month but I've other schedules to meet so I can't complain if I deliver early.

Terrain is everything - Munitorum containers - BIG BUILD TO DONE!

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been #PaintingWarhammer and I know it's #DreadTober but I have a backlog of content and although not a Dread and not the 'dread' I've pledged it is sort of dread sized. Anyway, I hope to get an additional 2 Munitorum Containers finished for #ArmiesOnParade and this is the 4th one I got from the Imperium partworks sale, that also got me the additional Death Guard 

It had been sat unbuilt for quite a while because I wanted to make the doors hinged so they could open and close.

It's a little fiddly but actually very simple. I used fine brass pins in the doors themselves and drilled into the door frame.

I drilled through the bottom of the door and had to try and patch it up with some sprue shaving, superglue and bicarb of soda. Fingers crossed it's strong enough.

Basecoats, this appears much bluer than in real life. It is Hydra Turquoise I think so has a little more green in the colour.

These containers can be incredibly frustrating as to get to this stage is relatively quick and easy. Then I get stuck with how next to proceed.

I;d originally planned a white stripe down the centre but somehow thought the red looked cool so that arrested any momentum as I had to ponder that change in plan.

It would still need washes though, to try and bed that Turquoise into the red oxide undercoat.

My sepia wash once again doing it's damnedest to leave deposits in the recesses. Not a problem with loads more washes and rust effects to add but this is much more representative of the actual colour.

I'll be trying to keep the red stripe darker than I usually go. It won't get to Vermillion, I have a Mephiston Red that I'll be sticking to.

After I do some more highlights and weathering the next issue is big numbers, how and where do I put the big number?

However,  I do get a Great Big Big Build RUSTY Stamp of Approval for the build.

#DreadTober Death Guard Foetid Bloat Drone

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity it's the first of #DreadTober and I've been #PaintingWarhammer

OK, so the Foetid Bloat Drone is my primary pledge, it's almost Dread sized but more importantly I need it done for Parade Day on 22nd October. I've started with the watered down Vallejo Game Extra Opaque Heavy Red.

It should in fact only take my a week to 10 days to do but I've some other items I can pledge to finish at the same time. It's a little unfortunate these events have coincided at the same time. I had planned to finish off my Reaver and Warhound Titans as part of my pledge after this, but I may have other things to do.

Once I've completed this I will focus on my Ravenwing and the 10 bikes may just be too much to do after the Bloat Drone uses up maybe a third of my remaining hobby time. So, I will prioritise the Assault bikes. They're pretty big, and there's 3 of them. Perhaps see them through to completion.

Then I have my 2 Munitorum Containers which might be handy to push forward, time permitting.

If that's get done then I've the remaining Ravenwing I can try to get done. Sadly my Gellerpox Infected, which would have been perfect for AoP won't be done in time. As much as I'd love them to be, and my Death Guard army is much quicker to paint than my other armies, there just isn't the time. I wouldn't want to compromise them, or anything else already on my painting table to meet some arbitrary goal.

Anyway, Dry Rust on the Bloat Drone next and some basecoats.

#DeathGuard #KillTeam Poxwalkers basecoats

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been #PaintingWarhammer Death Guard Kill Team. Technically my #NewYearNewArmy for #ArmiesOnParade. OK, I did take some pics of my Poxwalkers. Basecoat stage with some Vallejo Extra Opaque Heavy Red washes. The big bloater guy has had a set of highlights added to the Stonewall Grey base.

I've 16 Poxwalkers and although I'm not following my completely diverse skintones there is some subtle differences in this group. Half of them are Stonewall Grey flesh coloured, with half of them red washes.

The other 4 are green washes. I'm also trying to replicate my Free Radical Collective Genestealer Cult uniform scheme. 

These guys are being infected from the same population, in fact the second from the right has an almost Tyranid arm [maybe with a bit of Kroot thrown in]. I like the idea that Nurgle is trying to find some way to use the Tyranid DNA [I know they retconned them not having DNA, but whatever] as a viral infection -hence these mutants.

The other half of the group is basecoated with Army Painter Skeleton Bone. Split again with half shaded green and half shaded red. 

Obviously there is red here also but it's the underlying shading. I've then added a bit of Skeleton Bone as highlights to a couple of them [see if you can work out which ones] to see how that's going to work.

Here's my red shaded four, lots of beatsticks/hammers between them, which I hadn't noticed before.

That coat may prove challenging.

So, significant progress of some of the simple and necessary basic elements. I think it's the orange stuff next. Get all the uniforms done and move these along.

#DeathGuard #KillTeam Plague Marines - sessions 1 and 2

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity I've been #PaintingWarhammer Death Guard Kill Team. Technically my #NewYearNewArmy for #ArmiesOnParade. Oh man time is short, AoP is round the corner, just 23 days days from today [although these pics are from a week or so back]. I've the Plague Marines, the Pox Walkers and the Foetid Bloat Drone to do for #DreadTober and trying to fit everything in and finding the time to write and publish blog posts about them is really challenging.

And that's not even mentioning the Ravenwing! So I got on with these Plague Marines, slapping on my Vallejo Game Effects Dry Rust, with some watered down Game Extra Opaque Heavy Red anywhere I thought was fleshy or sore.

The last tranche of Death Guard was 4 marines and here I am adding the Tallyman to the mix.

And a Lord of Contagion. I don't know whether this may end up too overwhelming. On top of that I am actually throwing some paint on the Pox Walkers simultaneously, although less judicious about the photo record for them [sorry].

With the base colours on it's time for my Colvin & Co 'Burnt Umber Artists' Acrylic'. Smooshed on and used as a wash in places it gives the best grimy effect.

I'll be adding more washes - red, sepia, purple, green, strong tone etc. Anything to add more tints, colours, splotches and filth.

I want the idea that these guys just live in filth. Their plague vessel just dripping with slime, gunk, and decaying muck with not a clean spot on board.

Then, trudging through this black tar field, they get even filthier. I must admit the Lord of Contagion has much more rust on him than I had been aware of. Add to that I have no idea if I can replicate the filthy purple cloak from my last tranche of marines and he's somewhat daunting.

Right, must crack on.

Battle Report - Middle Earth Battle Companies - Escape from Dwarrowdelf

Afternoon #WarHamFam and #WarhammerCommunity it's Middle Earth Monday! I've been playing #MESBG [Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game] at Otty's again. He recently finished some terrain to use for the Escape from Dwarrowdelf scenario. Here the Fellowship have abandoned Balin's Tomb and are running across narrow walkways, assaulted by Moria Goblins. 

In this case Liam had to get 5 of the party off the walkways, 1 of which must be Frodo. As the Goblin player I rolled a D6 to see how many goblins come on [Cave Troll is worth 5, Sergeant is worth 3]. Then I roll a dice to see where they come on. 1, from the right, 2-5 the left and 6 they can climb on anywhere, except a section that has a member of the fellowship on. Lastly, when doubles are rolled for Priority a 1" chasm can be placed by me anywhere on the walkway, but not within 32 of another chasm or on top of a model.

I rolled a 5 right off the bat for reinforcements and decided to bring the troll on straight away while Liam rushed the Fellowship along the path.

I continued to move forward with 1 additional Goblin joining the fight. Legolas hangs back as a rearguard, just in case I roll and 6s. Gandalf casts blinding light and channels it to ensure all my future shots are at -1 to hit [hitting on 6s]

Boromir, Aragorn and Gimli [BAG] are nearly on the Troll and I bring on a Goblin Sergeant for added support. The Troll suffers a wound, I think from Legolas who's still holding the rear. 

DOUBLES! a yawning chasm opens up between the Troll and BAG, I'm hoping someone is going to fall down it as they jump across but before that Gandalf casts a spell to control the Troll moving it back. I'm happy with that as it gives more space for BAG to jump across but then I discover the Troll is unable to hit back in combat...

Which means he's easily bested in combat by the heroes.

A fair few reinforcements have joined the Goblins. Merry fell jumping over the chasm and as Pippin leaned over to see if he somehow survived 4 newly arrived archers fire all their shots at him. 

Even under Gandalf's blinding light the find their mark and he falls to his cousin's resting point.

DOUBLES! Another chasm opens up, forcing Boromir and Gimli to jump across without Aragorn. More archers join the goblins but with no success. Gandalf jumps across the chasm and Legolas races to catch up with his friends. 

DOUBLES! Yet another chasm prevents Gimli from advancing any further. 4 archers appear on the far right with Legolas catching up. Gandalf and Aragorn jump the 2nd chasm. At this stage I'm relying on chasms to kill off the Fellowship.

I won the priority but there was a bit of a mix up with a Mighty Advance move Liam going first, all sorts happened, Gimli fell jumping the final chasm and some Goblins were killed. Unfortunately the order was wrong and we had to reset, which is lucky I have photographic evidence of where we were at. The Hobbits jumped the chasm.

So Gimli survives his leap this time but Boromir does not, I think he was actually killed in combat, trapped against the chasm I had the Goblin sergeant, plus spear support shove him off. Aragorn jumped across to avenge hit sword brother.

More Goblins were waiting to come on while the archers on the left had to start running to catch up as Legolas was 2 chasm's from escape. Gandalf had fallen, but the Hobbits had made the last jump. The Fellowship could suffer no more casualties or their mission would fail.

The Hobbits escape with Aragorn and Gimli holding the doorway to prevent anymore Goblins coming on.

Legolas makes the first chasm.

And with graceful Elven dexterity makes the final leap to join what remained of the Fellowship.

So I lost [again], but like my attempt at Balin's Tomb there are far more dead than survived in the film. I mean who is going to stand against the Balrog in the next mission now Gandalf has died? This was a lot of fun with the chasms with chants of "anything but a 1" reverberating round the shed with each jump and howls of joy/frustration when someone failed their leap test. Some of the other guys have tried the mission since with hardly any chasms appearing. There was also debate about me bringing the Troll on so soon - he may well have been more useful toward the end. But, he forced Liam to burn up Might points early on to secure its demise, which meant they couldn't alter the fate leaping or in combat - six of one, half a dozen of the other...