Stormtalon Weathering

Paint chipped, and weathered, these storm talons are only missing testers dull coat to seal the decals before I start working on the bases. One of the details I like is that each pilot has a different stripe on their helmet. In sort of homage to star wars, I used red, orange, and purple.

While pondering cleaning my desk, I put together the bane that is the thunder fire cannon. I love the model, but mine came with so many finecast flaws it was no fun at all to put together. Now given that all I did was put a model together, I don't think I broke my oath to clean my workspace before painting anything new, so there is still a chance I break down and start cleaning. (such a pain because my paint pots are covered in air brush paint dust, so they have to individually cleaned as well)

Stormtalon Progress

Slow but steady wins the race! I've got two more Stormtalons ready for transfers, along with all three pilots. I am really looking forward to putting ultramarine icons on the left red shoulder pads of these guys. I might be because I never see the U on a red background.  I plan to take some nicer photos when these guys are weathered up and ready for the table. I think that probably means i have to build scenic bases.

This brings up the question. Should I start basing all of my miniatures on similar bases? With the allies rule, I can now mix and match pieces from my favorite armies for games or tournaments, but unfortunately my bases are usually only consistent across a single army. The allies change is just fantastic, especially for army painters like me. Now I can design a force that explicitly includes allies and end up with a more interesting narrative. I had planned to base my tallarn similarly to my Ultras, but now I think I will go for even tighter integration.

Trio of Stormtalona WIP 2

Back from vacation, so I was able to spend some time on my Stormtalons. I am really pleased how these guys are turning out. I am trying to get the two talons on the left up to the same level of completeness as the one on the right before I do any additional work. An accent color is definitely needed, which means I will need to mask an area and spray on stripes or something. I broke down and bought a Stormeagle from FW, so I'll have that to paint up to go along with these guys.


I need to clean my painting area. It is horrible. It is a mess. I get pigments and paints all over me as I work on it. I actually spilled a pot of ultramarines blue (you know regal blue) on the floor because I was working in such a cramped space. I just can't bring myself to clean the desk. (the floor is covered in models as well) I feel like one of those crazy people from those reality tv series who hoard crap.

With that said. I have instituted rule #1

1) After these three are complete, my entire work area must be cleaned before a single model gets touched.

What do you think, can I keep to the goal?

A Trio of Talons

After bailing on Armies on Parade, I decided to put together my remaining two Stormtalons. The thing is, it turns out that I put my original Stormtalon together wrong. I wish I could say I did this on purpose, but it was totally accidental. I put the birds together they way it seemed like they should go. (note to self, read directions twice the first time around!) In the official version,  the wings are supposed to be flipped around, so the flat edge faces forward. I just can't decide if want to pull these three apart and fix the error. I think the Stormtalon would look more futuristic if I put it together as intended, however my accidental version makes it look a little bit like a stubby bomber, which is also kind of nice.

I could use some help!

Thanks to the staff of Springfield GW

I really enjoyed the Springfield, VA GW store while it was around. If it had not been for that store I would have probably not gotten back into miniature painting in the first place. GW Springfield had a dedicated group of regulars, and great staff, who welcomed you in, regardless of how long it had been since your last visit. It was a really great environment, filled with hobbyiests. The store was great when Bing was the mgr, and when it transitioned to Bill.

I did not get the chance to wish you guys well on the store's last day, so here it is belatedly. Kudos to the GW Springfield store staff! Best of luck on whatever follows for you.

So where do people hang out now? A void exists....

Stormtalon WIP3

I've been traveling, so I've only made a little bit of process. Now that transfers, rivet dirt/rust, and gems have been added it is time to sponge on the battle damage. I have been tempted to dust the lower portion of the storm talon with graveyard earth, in order to make it blend in with my tanks, but I am just not sure how much dust a vtol like this would pick up and carry around with it.

Overall, the more I work with the model the more I like it. I don't feel the need to convert it at all.

Stormtalon WIP 2

On my last post I asked how to configure my Stormtalons. I got some really good advice from gamers almost certainly better than I. The idea of have Stomtalons escort bikes and Land Speeder Storms, sounds like the army I have been trying to figure out how to build but have not been able to make all of the pieces work. The ST brings the needed firepower to make the combined force usable! The idea of two storm talons escorting a full sized bike squad with attached Kosoro, and another storm talon escorting a land speeder storm with 5 scouts on board sound really fun to play.  Add in a drop pod, dread nought, and that thunder fire cannon I have always wanted, and now I have list full of models never seen on the table top!

Back to the model.

I am painting both sets of missiles, even though the image only shows one of them here. I wanted a color test, so I pulled the missiles requiring the least effort to paint. All of the sensors will be red/orange, so the the idea was to use green to add a little bit of discord. I'll have to do a second pass with the base color, and then a lighter color at the tip.

The canopy was the hardest thing for me to paint on this model. (ignore the flaws to the priming of the engine cowlings...that happens to everyone now and then!) One of the problems with the cowling for me is being able to see where to paint. The lines are not distinct, and the thing is clear. Half way through the process, I stopped what I was doing and got out nun oil, and used the wash to settle in the recesses and show me the raised areas. In areas where the wash got too far on to the canopy I just used a brush to sort of erase it away. I'll definitely use this technique on the other two canopies. Trying to eyeball it without the wash is just aggravating.

Stormtalon WIP

I purchased three of the Stormtalon kits to ride shotgun with my Casisus Assault Ram.  Like most kits, the first one you ever build is the only time it is difficult.

1. The engine housings have tabs that insert into the engines themselves. The design forces you to put the engines in the housings before painting. There is no reason for this. Just just off the two rectangle tabs inside the housings with your clippers and don't worry about it. The tabs provide nothing, but future painting frustration!
2. The tech marines and the dashboard can be easily removed for painting. Don't glue either in if you want to paint them separately.

So what configuration makes the most sense with these guys? I am building this on up to be either of the missile options. I was thinking of making one of the other ones into a las cannon version.