Restarting The Hobby

 

It has been many months, a 3000 mile move, and a lot of pandemic isolation, but I've finally started unpacking my miniatures and tip toeing into the hobby again. At this point I've unpacked hundreds of models, assembled the cabinets, and begun the long process of repairing what was damaged over many months in storage. So far things have arrive in pretty good shape. The most damage occurred due to the extreme heat here in Arizona and forgeword resin warping. Given our new desert environment, I had to grab some of my old bases and give them a try on these guys. I really like how this sets them off. Mymeara are traditionally on snow bases due to their fantastic artwork, but I think I'll stick with these. It was a nice way to dabble in the hobby while busy with home renovation. 

and now this.....

The appalling behavior of many Americans in the wargaming community soured the hobby for me. The parroting of election falsehoods, racism, and pure unadulterated fascism on display have been eye opening. I won't game with a Trump supporter. I won't attend an event run by a Trump supporter. They have had far too much time to grok the evil that man perpetrated with the aid of most Republicans. 

I don't know when it will be safe for people to game again, and I find it appalling that people are hosting tournaments here in the US, but when that time comes, at least I'll know who not to game with. In the mean time, let's try to keep our parents, grand parents, and vulnerable alive.

To everyone who takes the pandemic seriously now, I salute you. Hunker down and bide your time. By doing that we save lives. Patriotism, isn't a uniform or flag cape. It is sacrificing so other's might live.  

Eldar Cobra Type II WIP 2

Endless gem work continues......much like this necessary lock down. The plan was to add buff colored rain marks to these hulls using oil. We'll have to wait and see if I can bring myself to do it. That step is still a ways off though, as I need to finish the rest of the models before I tackle basing and weathering.

There's a Cobra On My Desk!

Gem work...more gem work. I decided to sort of rough in the gems quickly in order to make them stand out from the model. This will help me as I smooth out the blends because...I should be able to spot them. The gun barrel will get gems as well. I just couldn't bring myself to start it at the same time as the main body.

I think this is looking cool. I need to find a place to store this army. Having it sitting on my desk for weeks on end is beginning to drag on me. I think that might amplify the weird loss of time that comes with stay at home orders. I barely know what day it is anymore. I hope everyone is holding up well enough.

Ebay Salvage Model Craftworld Mymeara Lnyx WIP

This model came to me 'expertly painted'. Naturally, I dunked it in simple green and scrubbed off all the offending paint and glue. The transparent canopy provided some difficulty though. It was painted over and had loads of super glue all over the inside. Fortunately, I think this old Forgeworld model is saved. There are still a lot of parts unpainted on it, but it is getting there, and I'm happy to have this super heavy titan killer flying again.

Craftworld Mymeara Eldar Hornet WIP

This has to be one of Forgeworld's best models. It really nails what I think the eldar aesthetic is. This is just a WIP. I went a little more vibrant on this guy by accident, but I am liking the result. At some point I will spend an entire day highlighting the bottom of paint chips, but not today.

Still Painting Gems

The great gem painting fest continues. While these guys are still not finished, at least they have a first pass at painting gems. It may be time to switch it up and put the angry orange gems on the white weapon areas for a while. Or maybe I should finish working with the enamels. No matter what I decide to do, I'm still really excited about this force. I even managed to snag two cool forgeworld models off of eBay to augment it. One of those is soaking a bath of Simple Green at this very moment. The other little 'gem' of  model is primed and waiting. Normally I would like to finish a model before moving onto another one, but I think I need to paint the newest edition. So that is next. Stay tuned.

Mymeara War Walker WIP

I'm really enjoying this army build, but the speed at which I am pumping out WIP models without completing them is getting out of control. There are just so many gems and chip highlighting to do. Still, I love this little guy.

More Mymeara

Since I'm painting these fast, I've been cutting corners. One of the things I wish I had done was spray a layer of solvent over the paint job before continuing. This is an old military modeler's trick that smooths out the surface. It basically melts the orange peel effect away that comes from airbrushing, producing a perfectly flat surface.

Next time. I really like these.

Painting Under Stress

Like almost everyone else in the world, I find myself with a lot of time and a lot of anxiety. Partially this comes from fear for my loved ones, and partially from fear for myself. This makes painting difficult for me and I expect it might be difficult for you as well. Here's the thing, just keep painting. Who cares how many badly painted gems are on these models? Let's stop caring about the brush strokes.  Just paint. Give your brain something else to do for a little while. Even if you can't fully detach from the horror sweeping the globe, you might be able to reach a fraction more calm.  

Be safe everyone. The more you stay in, the safer you are making it for everyone. Every day my wife dreads the moment she can no longer treat patients. The best thing we can do, is stay inside.

-john

Craftworld Mymeara

Some craftworld Mymeara for your viewing pleasure. I'm enjoying these. I've got time on my hands so..let's paint something hard, but not worry too much about it!

Using Junk Models To Test Color Schemes: Mymeara

From about two feet, this model looks ok, but get up close and personal, and the dozens of layers of random primer begin to show through. The coarse surface and loss of detail is extreme. The rider is almost solid paint. That makes this model a terrible ebay purchase, but a great model for color testing. (three jet bikes, two unbuilt, one lightly primed!)

After painting epic Eldar, I decided to break out the 28mm 40k Eldar I've been hoarding for years. Having just painted 6mm Samm Hain, it was time for a more difficult color scheme. Mymeara it is. Enter the Ebay trash model.

This model was based with Lupercal Green + black. Then shaded up to Temple Guard Blue, with a final spritz of Mortarion clear green to create the green tint Mymeara need. The incredibly rough surface of the model makes it hard to photograph, but I think I'm close. I added paint chipping because...I'm me.

I think this is the first 28mm eldar I've painted in 25 years. Ironically it is also a model that was available back then. Perhaps I should throw this model back up on Ebay. Return from hence you came vile paint saturated beast!

Net Epic Armageddon Eldar Samm Hain Warhost

The army is done! I can now play the game. There are loads of details I could paint, but this was meant to be an easily transported usable force. It is meant of the table.  With my decision to not go to Adepticon due to coronavirus, this force won't get used for a while, but I'm sure we'll all get together eventually and give the game a go.