Magnetizing Crazy

After magnetizing my terminator arms, my pea brain finally made the giant leap to magnetizing my regular powered armor arms. I don't know why it took me so long to reach the same conclusion as everyone else on the net, but it did.

One of the downsides of magnetizing arms is that painting highlights is very difficult, since the position of the arm can change. The upside is that I get to field basically any combination I want. So after magnetizing two dudes (chassis as they will be known going forwards) I can arm them (yep arm joke) with the following:

Right Arms

• x2 power swords
• x1 bolt pistol
• x1 combi-bolter (plasma)
• x2 power axes
• x1 power fist
• x1 plasma pistol
• x1 chainsword

Left Arms

• x1 power sword
• x1 champion's power sword
• x2 power fists
• x1 pointing arm
• x1 lightning claw
• x1 bolt pistol
• x1 plasma pistol
• x1 combi bolter (plasma)
• x1 chainsword

All that for two chassis! (heads will also be magnetized)

The main goal with all of this is to use what I learn doing my ultras to help me with my pre-heresy armies. The Horus Heresy book has a list structure that is different enough from the current codex sm that I want to be able to swap out equipment. 

Microscale Micro Mask is Terrible

This is a warning for anyone who airbrushes and thought that Microscale's Micro Mask would be good to use to mask off complex shapes like space marine iconography or shoulder pads. Avoid it at all costs. It may be good for something, but as a mask it fails.

I love micro set and micro sol,  but Micro Mask is garbage. I now consider the internet warned.

On the other hand, I now get to enjoy hours of tediously picking rubbery mask off of my Tyranid war veterans. I mean who doesn't enjoy stabbing themselves in the fingers repeatedly, while trying to get tiny globs of rubber off of miniatures. Good times.

(you guys were right. I wish I had taken your warnings!)

MicroMark Liquid Mask and Command Squad WIP

Stream of Painting Begins:

I noticed an unattached but painted powersword abandoned in the forgotten painting region of my desk.

Which lead to:

That looks pretty good, too bad there is no body attached to it. Let's attach it to a body.

Which lead to:

The body looks like some kind of officer. Let's add a command squad. Better add a nuncio-vox operator for no apparent reason. Now there is a Nuncio Vox, I better a

Which lead to:

Oops, I used a crux on one of the random dudes. Now I need to paint hist helmet white.

Which lead to:

Now that I have to paint white, why not paint the helmets of that old veteran squad I've also had lingering in the forgotten painting wasteland.

Which Lead me to this:

Hopefully that blue goo protects those nicely airbrushed heads and shoulder guards. hopefully the goo comes off! I'll let you know tomorrow.

Ultramarine Contemptor Octavius

+++ Incoming Priority Message
> Route to legion command barge 4782: Calth Polar Command CPCOM:
+++ Squad Octavius immediate XFIL. Calth:15SWC80817512:Wounded beyond Astartes capacity

> Attach med packet: NOOSPHERE comprimised. Data unreachable
+++ [OCTA1298234.MED]
> mars override:message redirect: Mecanicum Mageos Vernadsky
> Candidate for dreadnought implantation.
+++ Transmission end

Dreadnoughts are just so cool, and Contemptor dreads are just that much cooler! I really rushed painting this guy, but I was having so much fun I just went with it. This was the first time I used painters tape to add designs to a model. Overall I think it worked out ok. Once I add blue chipping over the white paint, and then chipping and battle damage over all I think I will have a winner. The base is bland, but when I put a squad of terminators around the model it just looks so cool.

*** SARCOPHAGUS: MIU interface complete
> State your name?
*** Octavius
> What are you?
*** Legionary of the 13th
> No. What are you?
*** Brother Sargent Octavius of squad Octavius
> No. What are you?
*** Why can't I see?
> Engage ocular sensors.
> What are you?
*** I am Calth's vengeance. I am death incarnate. Return me to battle.


Ok, so these little fictional passages are a bit goofy, but I am in total thrall of the Betrayal book from FW. The Horus Heresy books have been such a great place for inspiration as well. Death to Word Bearers! (sorry ADB--kudos on the awesome work though!)

Magnetizing Contemptor Weapons and Joints

I've had several Contemptors in my FW stash for some time, but despite loving the model, I had carefully avoided building them due to the difficulty of contraction. Yesterday I sat down and magnetized the weapons as well as the major joints. This solved the posing problem in addition to the weapon load out problem. It is also kind of fun reposing the dreadnought by rotating the shoulder and moving the elbow on two axis.

Now the legs..... What I can say? Contemptors have really difficult legs to build. I felt like I was juggling balls covered in super glue. At one point I had the legs just right and then progressively got the pieces glued to my hands until I was basically wearing the dreadnought like a demented pair of gloves. Needless to say the legs are not as dynamic as I would like, but they are set.

Now all I have to do is boil some water so I can reshape the bent weapons and I am good to go. The added benefit is that I can easily add Contemptors to my collection now and share some of the weapons I have painted.

Now to paint this guy up as an Ultramarine and the other two up as Emperors Children.

Telion & His Ride

Despite catching a horrible cold just before New Years, and having loads of time to paint, I've found that I really don't enjoy painting while sick. It must be something to do with the fact that I lick my brushes. Yep, brush licker here. I know it is gross, and I don't know where I picked up the habit, but I think I am going to try to cull it. We'll see how long that lasts.

I finally based sniper scout squad Telion. I am not as happy with my 25 mm bases as I am for the larger bases, but I had already cast them, and I wanted to experiment with powders directly on models. I added a soupy concoction of secret weapon green earth weathering power to the lower portions of the boots. When dry it was too thick, so I wet a brush and moved the powder around. That has to be one of the nice things about powder. Don't like it? Wipe it off.

After painting these guys up and basing them, I find myself thinking wishfully about the old metal scout models. These new-ish plastic ones are really iffy in terms of design, pose, and execution. The details are really soft which makes it less enjoyable to paint them. This scout heavy project has drilled into me that I really don't know how to paint cloth. Hopefully I'll learn some new skills as this progresses.

I just heard a buzz, which means the ultrasonic jewlery cleaner I bought my wife is don't cleaning off some MK III marines. (I know I know--horrible to buy a gift knowing it has a better more awesome usage for the gift giver)

Ultramarines Terminators

I added decals and based the terminators this morning, while recovering from a late night. We had several friends stay the night at our place, one of whom is a Marine, so he was particularly thrilled by my decision to paint up some boys in blue.

I know I haven't finished painting the purity seals yet, but I really wanted to see these guys on their regular bases. Weathering almost always makes things look much better, but I think I am going to put these guys on the shelf for now.  I used vallejo gloss and then matte as part of my decal process. I am loving the vallejo dull coat. It is just so easy to cover just the part of the model that needs the gloss removed. I think I am done with spray varnish.

Happy New Year to everyone!