Space Hulk Tyrannids

I am really having a blast painting these gene stealers. The base is wet in this photo. I'll post another one when it dries. This miniature is one of the coolest poses ever. I find myself posing it behind the blood angel I just painted.

Is it weird to want to wait to play the game until the minis are painted?

Blood Angels Terminator AOBR Kit Bash

This is the terminator I have been practicing on for a while. I had some badly primed lightning claws and forge world shoulder pads, so I thought I should give it a go. Besides, I am one step closer to having two legal squads when I add him to the Space Hulk set.

With the exception of the arms, I have tried to keep the paint very smooth. Overall, I think it is an interesting technique. It takes hours longer than just dry brushing. The next terminator will have a darker initial wash, so there is greater tonal variety. I still have a bit left to paint on this guy. I need to add his heraldry to his yellow knee pad (probably something blue), as well as the lightening claw wires.

So what you do think about adding battle damage? I was thinking of adding damage to the black lighting claw casings, as well as some parts of his armor. I was thinking of doing this with a dark grey/brown shadow and bolt gun metal. Any thoughts?

I know there are plenty of tutorials on how to take photos of minis. I use natural light when I can, but it is gloomy here in DC, so I flash is the best I've got. I did buy some poster board to try and make a light box following one of the tutorials I found on the B&C, but that can wait till another day. I've got stuff to paint.

Tutorial:Space Hulk Bases

I wanted some space hulk bases, as well as a way to produce them in huge quantities quickly. At the local hardware store I found this screen door repair kit. Turns out it was perfect. One side of the mesh is already covered with glue, so all you need to do is stick your bases to it, let it dry and then cut out the bases with a regular pair of scissors. I primed the bases white, washed them with bolt gun metal, and then followed up with a black wash, and then an orange wash in some areas while the black wash was wet.

Baal red is your enemy

As part of the Jawaballs painting contest, I have been doing a lot of test minis. I was really happy with this terminator last night, and then decided to put on a watered down baal red wash. I don't know what I was thinking! I had spent a few hours shading the mini cleanly, why ruin it? I still like the way the terminator turned out, but the baal red really toned down the highlights and demolished my mid tone. I will go back and re-highlight later today. As soon as the arms get pulled out of simple green I will be able to attach his lightening claws and forge world BA shoulder pads.

Genestealer Paint Job Test

I started a tyrannid army years ago, after purchasing space crusade, and ended up with a bunch of traditionally painted tyrannic warriors and genestealers. Spin forward a dozen years and I am back to painting bugs. Space Hulk is just so amazing that I decided to do a bunch of test stealers. I found one of my old purple stealers as a reference, and then proceeded to just paint and wash the bugs as I saw fit. I started with striking scorpion green and then painted the soft flesh of one of them with purple, another one maroon, and left the third one green. A few washes of ogryn skin later and I have three interesting test models. I am partial to the one on the far right. I plan to start one of the real stealers today so I can enter it into the painting competition this Sunday. I am concerned that the simplest method looks the best to me.

Dante

When I started painting Blood Angels it was because I wanted to play them at the store. It seemed like a far easier codex for me to deal with. The BA favor assault, which was new to me at the time. With my Iron Scythes I played a more defensive less organized game. With BA I know I need to get into close combat as quickly as possible.

I have an unpainted metal Dante, but I really wanted my version to be a little bigger. I painted this guy up for a game the next weekend, so he is not my best work. In game terms Dante has been a combat monster for me! I normally pair him with an assault squad, supported with another assault jump pack squad. Corbulo with VAS in a rhino and death company jumping along behind present my opponent with some choices. Dante's awesomeness makes up for my bad tactics! I don't normally win, but I have a lot of fun watching Dante bring slaughter foes like a true servant of the blood god.

Dante deserves and update. I am working on some clear red/orange/black/brown gel to see if I can create the look of semi-dried blood spatter on him. I'll post photos if it works out. My Dante is already down and dirty. Cover him with blood and gore and think he might intimidate my opponents even more.

Blood Angels Vehicles

The drop pod is the beginning of a new style for my blood angles, but I think it does fit in. I plan to us an airbrush on my land raider, so it will look vastly different than the vehicles painted here using the huge GW drybrush. It is satisfying seeing the whole gang of vehicles together. I have one more rhino and two land raiders, so we'll have to see how my style progresses.

I put in one shot of a finished devastator sergeant. I've had him partially completed in the miniature case for about a year now. I was all about speed when I started my BA, so all kinds of mold lines. I can't wait to get a photo of the whole army together.

So, who in the DC area wants to do a little gaming?

Blood Angels Drop Pod WIP

I finally dusted off the drop pod and sat down to put the thing together and paint it. I am still having a bear with red. For some reason I cannot duplicate the red I painted most of my army with. I've seen smooth blended red, and the battle worn red of my early days no longer holds me. I want my terminators to look like red rock stars.

The drop pod looks kind of cool now, but was not as cool as building a tank. There is something about having to paint all the parts individually that does not give me the same satisfaction as mostly building a kit and then painting it. The pod has touch up work, a few more bits, and some washes, and it will join the ranks of my BA.

So, does anyone just field one? Can I use a single drop pod? I was thinking of just putting my furioso dreadnought in it and calling it a day, but I have not ready any reports of single drop pod use. I suppose it could be used as a distraction while my jump packs and rhinos surge forward. If you had the choice of a furioso in your backfield, or death company jumping forward front and center, where would you fire?