Kommander Starkhov

Its been a while since my last post and I'd love to say I've been busy in the inbetween.  Actually I have been busy and with a good amount of wargamming and regular work, I've been to Throne of Skulls (ToS) at Warhammer World and played on average a game a week here and there.  Mostly its been Warhammer 40k but my painting and modeling has strayed far and wide.

A major project I've worked on has been a scenary project (more on this another time) but smaller paintaing and miniature Mondays have been one offs for some other game systems I like the models for.  Firestorm Armada, Warmachine and Infinity are all in the works mainly with disperate models that have just caught my eye but will eventually lead to forces as I find people to play with.  This could well build into a open letter to Games Workshop and no doubt will in a future post but for now I'll stick to the paintaing side and Kommander Starkhov.

From Warmachine Khador a great model with a good pose.  As with 99% of the Privateer Press metals I've worked with the model does have some problems with flash and sculpt lines as well as the detail not quite looking crisp.  The overall quality though is not bad and the model itself scultped with a lot of character and dynamism.

Painting wise kept to a fairly simple pallet of greys and browns for the armour using faction colours as spot colours to hold the whole thing together.  One issue which is esspecially true with metals is chips.  I made the mistake of using an old pot of citadel  Matt varnish when done.  This has turned out to be a dirty lie as the model is now covered with a perpetual sheen.  Purity seal would have been better but not a strong so I'll be looking for another model protector.

Only other thoughs is that the models details lend themselves far better to watering paints down (especially if using citadel, it then becomes essential).  This has worked well on the coat and leather but lost slightly beneath the varnish.  applying directly can be seen on the metal of the gas mask, not great as it comes across splotchy.

On the whole great fun to paint and not too time consuming.  Great knowing that on top the war jack I've already done I've only one other model to paint before a first game with a fully painted force (more fuel for the open letter).

Looking forward to playing warmachine but also looking forward to trying a different style of minitaure as well.  Next up, Firestorm Armada.

Painting Desk

The never ending list of things to paint has been substantially expanded this month.  40k is still the mainstay with 4 Sternguard and Pedro Kantor on the list but they have been joined by models from a few other systems and sculpters.

Firestorm Armada from Spartan Games http://www.spartangames.co.uk/firestorm_armada.htm has been slowly expanding their range with some great additions.  Don't let the home page put you off, there are some great models in this range and the Templar Heavy Cruiser is in dock for a paint job.

Next up are two models from the Infinity series.  A range of sculpts are available with themes from modern Military to futuristic ninja and samurai (and the occasional anthropmorphic cat nurse, not their finest model) http://www.infinitythegame.com/infinity_ENG/

Sculpt quality is generally good but they will need some infilling with modelling putty to smoth lines prevent gaps.

Warmachine features next http://privateerpress.com/ (probably the best website with lots of information, painting tips and pics of the range) with a small Khador battleforce.

The jacks have a pleasingly solid and heavy look with a surprising amount of versatility to their pose and position (especially if your willing to make minor adjustments to the sculpt).

 The metal minatures are generally excellent with some showing great dynamism and character, the fluid motion of the dog in mid leap is probably one of the best models I've seen in years (though some green stuff is needed to smooth out joins in places.



The model demanding immediate attention though is the Gamesworkshop metal miniature http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/ Pedro Kantor. 




A great metal miniature easy to assemble with just flash needing clipping off (though the banner pole can be tricky just drill into the backpack a hole the width of the pole and glue to in place).  Not as much of a centre piece model as other chapter masters Kantor has a solid apperance that suits placing him among several squads, leading from the middle.