Workbench update!! In-progress pile is a little much....

A quick WIP of the desk today. While finishing two more Space Wolf Dreadnaughts I got inspired to try to get as much of the basecoating done for the rest of the Space Wolf commission as well as a fun little project for a friend of mine.

Almost finished: 

- Space Wolf Ironclad Dreadnaught and Space Wolf Venerable Dreadnaught. 

- Ujahu, from Enigma Miniatures, for my Daemonic Menagerie 

WIP:

- 5 Skitarii Ruststalkers and 5 Skitarii Infiltrators (my army, Skitarii Ludi)

- Diabolist for my 30k Word Bearers Legion

- 5 Axes of Carn Maen from Mierce Miniatures, also for my Daemonic Menagerie

- White Scar Land Speeder Storm (gift for a friend)

- 4 Thunderwolf Cavalry

- 6 Space Wolf Bikes

- Space Wolf Attack Bike

The good news is I'm excited about each one of these projects!! Hopefully I'll finish up the airbrushing tomorrow and make some good progress.

I'm waiting for a Word Bearers transfer sheet from Forgeworld so when that arrives I'll finish the Dibolist and Ujahu. I also have a few more creepy minis on the way to join the Menagerie. 

After finally getting some paint on my Skitarii, I'm eager to get going with painting the rest!!! I'm going to try to keep it simple, as I don't want to get bogged down on my own gaming army, but the models are awesome and I love how my color scheme is coming along so far! 

Also in the wings, but not pictured, is a small 5 miniature project that I'm really excited to start. I'll have to squeeze it in between everything else, but it'll be worth it as it's an amazing project for a great client.

Just have to keep painting!!!

Space Wolf Armor rolls off the assembly line!

At last, some photos of finished work! Woo!!! Just finished up 3 tanks for my client/friend and managed to get photos this time.  Grateful that I enjoy painting Space Wolves as much as I do and grateful that I'm getting so much practice with my airbrush!  It's a good thing I like painting the Sons of Russ as much as I do, because he keeps buying stuff! A pitfall of the hobby, to be sure.  This batch was 3 tanks - a Rhino/Razorback, a Predator and a Land Raider Crusader; all magnetized/module for maximum flexibility.  I think they turned out really really well and I'm looking forward to finishing the next batch of Wolves.  On the table right now are 10 Skyclaws that just need basing.  After that it's a couple dreadnaughts, some bikes and (of course) some Thunderwolf Cav.

As always, more photos after the jump!

Imperial Knight Quartet Finished. What a blast!

Recently finished a very fun project: 4 Imperial Knights! All four were built using the new Imperial Knight Warden kit, though only two of the four are magnetized. The Knight Crusader and Knight Warden (rusty wasteland bases) are static, as they are for my personal army. The Knight on the snow base and the knight on the grey sandy base are for clients and are fully magnetized. I knew I would enjoy painting these beasts, though I had no idea just how much I would love this project. It is truly one of those moments where the experience outstripped expectations. Hope you like the end result!

Workbench Update - 6/11/15 - Imperial Knights!

     I am absolutely loving this project.  The 4 Imperial Knights are humming along nicely.  Worked out the heraldry, but am waiting eagerly for my large AdMech transfer sheets from GW.  I like that they are doing big sheets like FW does, and see some great little touches that will really make the Knights stand out individually.  I'm not sold on the banners, and may leave one or two of them off, depending on the final product.
     I've used some new products and techniques with this project, and couldn't be happier with how they turned out, which is always nice.  Tamiya metallics were used for all the silver/iron/steel, shaded with Tamiya Smoke and Badger Minitaire Midnight Blue candy.  Scale75 metallics have been a revelation.  Their Scale Color Metal N' Alchemy Series is amazing.  By far the best metallic paints I have ever used.  It's a shame that they take 4-6 weeks to arrive from Spain and with the VAT they're quite pricey, but they're worth every penny.  Just incredible coverage and vibrancy.  Can't rave about them enough.
     Working on the trim and metallics now, then the oil wash.  I'm particularly looking forward to the oil wash, as it will really pull the whole thing together.  I'm not going to weather the Knights much beyond just some pigments on the feet, as I want them to look crisp and clean and ready for battle. I was worried that I would get bogged down in the details and that the whole project would take forever, but I am inspired, and moving along at a good pace! I love these Knights.  Really looking forward to getting my hands on a Forgeworld Knight or two!  After this project I have a real change of pace project: a Bushido warband!  Really cool models and a project I'm very much looking forward to.  Without further ado, some WIP pictures!

Captain Karlean Commission Completed

Finished up the last piece of the Blood Angels commission: Captain Karlean.  I really like this mini, though in hindsight I wish I had done some freehand or something on the back of the cloak.  Oh well, next time! I am particularly pleased with how the purple gems and the Bieber hair turned out.  Again, no basing at the behest of the client.

Blood Angels Commission Completed. Tactical Squad and Razorback

Finished a quick Tactical Squad and Razorback commission.  Also have Captain Karlean finished, just need to take some pictures of him! The new Blood Angels Tactical Squad set is a really nice kit; tons of detail! I just did a quick re-paint of the Razorback without stripping the old paint, which isn't ideal but I think it turned out pretty well in the end!  Just realized I forgot to do the headlights though, but it's a good thing the client is a friend of mine and so I'll be able to get it back for the finishing touch.

I'm working on a Squat warband for an INQ28 style game right now, which is a lot of fun.  I really enjoy painting the models of my youth.  After that, it's an Imperial Knight Extravaganza! I have 4 Knights to paint, and they'll be my first ones, so my excitement can barely be contained.  As always, more pictures after the jump!

Finished Commission - New batch of the Sons of Russ!

Latest commission completed: more Sons of Russ! I'm having a blast painting all these Space Wolves, which is good because there are more coming down the chute! This is one of the things that really attracted me to commission painting in the first place: I wouldn't build and paint a Space Wolves army myself, but this has given me the opportunity to paint what is quickly becoming a sizable force.  The top dog (pun intended) in this batch was Logan Grimnar on Stormrider.  This model gets a ton of grief online, but I really enjoyed painting it! I mounted it on a Runic Mountain base by Secret Weapon Miniatures, as I wanted him to stand out a bit more than he already did.  It was a challenge to shave and mount all three elements of Stormrider so that they worked together, but I think it paid off in the end.  Without further ado, the pictures:

Full gallery after the jump

Caestus Assault Ram Rahabilitation Project - Finished

This was a LOT of fun to do.  The Caestus Assault Ram is probably my favorite vehicle in 40k.  Despite the boot jokes, it's great fun to paint.  My friend (and client) had previously commissioned someone else to paint the Caestus, and wasn't crazy about how it turned out, unfortunately.  He asked me if I could rehabilitate it for him.  I jumped at the chance!  We wanted the nacelles to match the troops it would be carrying most often: Blood Claws.  Step-by-Step pictures after the jump...

Salamanders Firedrakes Terminators - painted for eBay

In an effort to do some advertising of sorts, I picked up some Salamanders Firedrakes Terminators and painted them up for an eBay auction.  When they were released I knew I wanted to paint them up but as I wouldn't be playing Salamanders I had little impetus to purchase them and paint them.  Since I've shifted to doing commissions, I can justify painting almost anything!

I had a great time painting them, though there were some challenges.  The green mid-tone went on very glossy for some reason, and was only toned down with the use of Tamiya matte sealer (amazing stuff).  I also had some trouble getting good pictures of them, as I prefer the black background to the white.  The black background was just too dark; and while I'm not 100% happy with the white, they look pretty good.

Products used:
Paints: Badger Minitaire, Vallejo Model Air, GW, P3, Game Color, Secret Weapon Miniatures Washes
Airbrush/Brushes: Badger Patriot, Badger Sotar 20/20, GW Brushes
Bases: Secret Weapon Miniatures
Pigments: Secret Weapon Miniatures

Workbench Update! 4/20/15

After a very busy week with family I am happily back to work on some Space Wolves!!! These are more tanks and infantry for the same client, and I'm happy to be working on such awesome models. A Caestus, a Sicarian, a Diemos Predator, Logan Grimnar, an awesomely kitbashed Rune Priest, and 10 more Long Fangs. On the bench right now are the Caestus, the Sicarian and the Diemos Pred.

The Caestus is a reclamation project (which I will document in its own post when it's finished), and is turning out beautifully. I can't express how happy I am with the Blood Claw nacelle motif. I wanted the nacelles to match the shoulder pads of the troops that will be embarked on it. I find touches like these really help tie vehicles in with the infantry when you look accross an entire force. A lot of work ahead of me, but I'm loving it!!

One of my favorite parts of the painting process is taking off the masking tape/fluid/Saran wrap and seeing the composition as a whole or the weathering effect, etc. for example:

All ready to go!

Finished Comission - Blood Angels Land Raider

Had a lot of fun painting this model.  It's nice to paint such an iconic tank in such a vibrant color scheme.  The client wanted it to be close to the Codex Astartes color scheme, though I wanted to break up the red so I painted the gun housings a bright yellow.  I think it turned out really well! Really pleased with how rich Badger Minitaire's Angelic Blood is.

Workbench Wednesday 4/8/15

Another week, another update!!! After finishing up the Space Wolves I've been working on a Blood Angels Land Raider. I was a little nervous about getting the red right, as I haven't used the Badger Minitaire red paints too often. Have to say I'm really really happy with how it's turning out! Just detailing, oil wash and weathering to go. Current status of the workbench:

To the left of the Land Raider is my next project: 5 Salamander Firedrakes from Forgeworld; destined for CMON/eBay. After that it's on to more Space Wolves!!! 

Finished Space Wolves Commission

Really enjoyed this project! I've never actually painted Space Wolves before, so it was a great opportunity to paint the puppies! This project presented a particular challenge in that the client already had a sizable army that had been painted by another studio and as such I had to match the color scheme as closely as possible.  I enjoy a challenge though, so I was happy to do it!

It was also a great opportunity to use Secret Weapon Miniatures' Instant Scenery Kit: Winter.  I haven't played around with snow basing very much, but Secret Weapon has a great snow basing tutorial on their website here, I highly recommend checking it out if you're going to do snow bases.

The Long Fangs are painted to a High Tabletop Standard while the Fenrisian Wolves are painted to a Tabletop Standard.  Without further ado...

My Personal Horus Heresy Death Guard Army - 10,000 points (TONS of photos)

I'm doing this post to show off my Horus Heresy Death Guard Legion army that I collected and painted over the past year or so.  I love the Death Guard fluff pre-heresy and jumped at the chance to realize my vision of a true foot-slogging, grinding, attritional but elite infantry detachment that had been in theatre for a while; with all their accompanying mud and dirt and grime that comes with sustained combat operations.

From a professional standpoint, this post will serve to illustrate the extent to which weathering techniques can be used and how I am able to execute a cohesive theme across such a large force.  I'm in the process of selling the army to contribute to the family's savings and also re-invest in my commission business (lamp, paints, etc.).  While I'm sad to see it go, my wife has given me carte blanche to rebuild this army and others in the future (that alone is worth the sale!).

Other than re-building this army, I have plans for a Word Bearers heavy assault themed force, A Dark Mechanicum army with accompanying Knights and Titans, as well as expanding my Solar Auxilia to include the yet-to-be-released Imperial Militia army list (Book 5), Knights, and Titans.  I'll also probably do a loyalist legion down the road, maybe Space Wolves or Raven Guard or something.  I just love the Horus Heresy and am looking forward to modeling themed forces for the foreseeable future.

All bases by Dragon Forge Designs.

Enjoy the pictures!

Alexis Polux - Display Quality - Studio Pictures

Alexis Polux is finished! What a wonderful miniature to paint.  I have plans to build a small force around Polux before offering the lot up for sale.  More to follow soon!

Inaugural Mini - Alexis Polux, 405th Captain of the Imperial Fists Legion

The first miniature I will be painting purely for sale will be Alexis Polux from Forgeworld's Horus Heresy Character Series.  So far he's been cleaned and washed and is headed for the painting table.