Abaddon First Captain Sons of Horus

I've had this Abaddon and Loken diorama for years sitting half finished in my display cabinet. A trip to Adepticon and a purchase of Secret Weapons Miniatures rubber colored paint gave me the push to get this done once I got back.(well, that and the horrific cold I picked up). Could I push the shadows a bit? Yes. Could I highlight the leather some more? Yes. Will I? No. I am content knowing this half finished diorama  is no longer in my cabinet. I'm tempted to remove the miniatures from the larger base and let them stand with the other infantry, but for now, they are locked in this fight pose.

Original Imperial Guard Sentinels

A few years ago, I found my original IG army and started paint stripping models that I might want to eventually repaint. These two sentinels were part of that effort. First painted decades ago, these guys got a quick lick of paint last night. I didn't want to spend too much time on them, but I wanted them to exist as finished models again. They don't go with any army I have. These guys are just one-offs that will sit in a cabinet and fuel my nostalgia. I just love seeing these old tiny things. A Primaris is almost as tall as these guys. That's how small they are!

Marine CH-46E HMM-265

This helicopter was flown by a friend of mine. It took me a long time to start, but it is finally nearing completion. After building the SWIFT boat for another friend, I was a little skittish about scale models. However, nothing really compares to making a model for a friend. I recommend that everyone give that a shot sometime. We paint up toys in vast quantities, but to paint something with meaning is quite different.

Imperial Guard Stormlord

I've been doing other kinds of art for a while, so it felt good to get back to some trusty rusty 40k. This is a salvage Stormlord Baneblade variant. I should have painted it to match my Death Korps of Krieg army, but I decided to just let inspiration take me wherever it did. I really enjoyed this quick vaguely WW2 inspired paint job. I prefer to paint on battle damage, but for this tank I went for actual paint chips using one of Mig's chipping products. It feels good to let loose every now and then.

What To Do With A 99% Completed Army?

I started and shelved this mint colored Necron ages ago. It has sat in a partially completed state a foot away from me for so long it developed a thick coat of dust. In a spurt of spring cleaning I decided to get the army out and sell it.  After looking at it, I decided it needed to at least be based, and have all of the existing units finished. This was fun. It wasn't supposed to be. It was supposed to be a chore that would lead to me being able to get rid of the army easily. What should I do with this force? I know it is not up to my current standards, but I'm kind of fond of looking at it. (probably why I went into Sons of Horus in the first place!) If I decide to sell it, do I need to paint up the remaining kits to round out the force? Do I sell this separately, or as one listing with both painted and NIB kits?

Desert Malcador With Battle Cannon

I needed something to kickstart my painting again, so rather than paint this tank for one of my forces, I decided to paint it as a stand alone piece. As far as tanks go, this one has seen better days. It is painted as a beat up desert vehicle with oil leaking everywhere. I was tempted to add sharp irregular pale blue camo to this, but resisted. In hind sight, the blue would have worked really well. I haven't quite regained my painting mojo, but this was fun.

Crushed Glass Snow Effect on Winter War Germans

To give these guys a proper winter war effect, I grabbed some SWM crushed glass, which was last used years ago on a NOVA Open charity model. I mixed it with water effects, and tried to dab it onto the bases as realistically as I could. One thing the snow does, is make it hard to see the miniature on top. I'm wondering if maybe I need to add more snow and just cover up all the leaves and rocks I added during the first basing step. These guys looks like a total mess from three feet, but rather nice up close. That is an effect I am not too keen on. It is one of the reasons I rarely paint camouflage. When camo works, it ruins the model.

So, where are we with the army? I have one more squad to add snow to, and I then I need to decide what to do with the remaining vehicles. I love how they look pre white washing, so it is hard to jump in and cover all that careful work up with sloppy white.

Does anyone else field winter armies?

Another Winter White Wash Snow Camo Attempt

I wasn't thrill with my first attempt, so I air brushed on some more white wash, and set about chipping the paint. I followed up with winter streaking grime from AK-Interactive, and a lot of mud. I haven't added crushed glass to the model yet, but that will stand in for snow mixed in with the mud on the road wheels. This looks better, but is definitely outside my wheelhouse. How does this attempt stack up to the last one?