Ultramarines Banner WIP

I've had this metal miniature for ages, and while I may not have enjoyed painting it when I first bought it, It is quite enjoyable now. I think the trick has been to have no expectations. This miniature is being painted in the same carefree way as the rest of the squad, and I think these early photos are starting to show the advantages of that. Like before, this guy was airbrushed and then wet-blended and glazed. I'm looking forward to having the united completed so I can see it all together and compare my regular style to it.

On The Painting Table: Calgar & Honor Guard

More old metal models receive paint! These were put away at least a decade ago before I finally decided to paint them this week. I'm painting really loosely here, blocking in color, partially finishing an area, and then arbitrarily moving to other more interesting areas to paint. I think they are turning out well, despite this ad-hoc approach.

Tyrannic War Vets Completed

I had fun with these. The enamels did not work as expected, turning grainy on me, but I think that was a case of grabbing the wrong thinner. The fuzziness comes from AK-Interactive ultra-matte, which I failed to thin down enough. All problems aside, these tiny miniatures are a lot of fun to look at. I'm happy they will be joining my Oldhammer force.

WIP Old School Tyrannid Hunters

Painting the original whirlwind and razorback gave me an itch to paint more old models from my collection. What you see here are three metal veterans, and four metal Ultramarine tyrannic war veterans. I love how characterful these old models are. However, they are absurdly small compared to Primaris marines. I'm not sure a force would look reasonable with both types of model. Anyone else on an old-hammer kick?

Old School Whirlwind & Razorback

After a wonderful NOVA Open, I needed a painting break. So, I did what many long time collectors do. I dug down to the lowest, dustiest, most forlorn part of my collection and pulled out some janky old models. I never had these when new, but I managed to cobble them together after a few years of convention bits collecting. As damaged as these were, I knew they needed to be weathered heavily. So with the freedom that comes from painting purely for the experience, I set to work and painted these over an evening. I'm happy with them. I think they can stand with any of the modern kids. (provided you don't look to closely for gaps!)

Display Base WIP

I had the pleasure of taking a three day painting class with Roman Lappat this past weekend, and had a tremendous amount of fun.  I tried painting with only primary colors, which required me to mix everything from red, blue, yellow, white, and black. I chose a desaturated color scheme for this base, with little pops of color from the butterflies and snake. The model that goes on it is purple, so the colors work well together. If you ever have the chance to take one of Roman's classes, I highly recommend it. He is a great teacher, and a great guy.  

Adeptus Custodes WIP 2

I think this is my third day painting these guys. I'm fairly pleased with my rate of progress. My next step is to paint 5 sisters of silence to add to the force. Then I can go back and paint all the gems and do any final highlighting. It wouldn't be painting if there weren't a fuzzy varnish problem. I had the jetbikes frost, however another spray of semi-gloss fixed the problem moderately well. Will I know how to play this army at NOVA? No. Will I have an army to play. Yes. I'll count this as a win. Anyone else in the midst of convention preparation?

Adeptus Custodes WIP

The army I planned for the NOVA Open is finally underway. A lot of thins prevented me from starting this force. However, after a day and a half of painting, I finally have a WIP worth showing. For a ludicrous reason, I painted the red first, and then started on the gold. Definitely not the right order!

Will I finish these for NOVA? It is only two weeks away, so I really don't know.