Tervigon

As promised, more pics of the Tervigon with a quick description of how I modeled it.

Main body is a carnifex with the spine banks carapace option.  The fore limbs are the large cything talons from the monstrous creature frame.  These go straight into the arm slots and just need to be trimmed so they can angle downwards.  I aimed to have the tervigon supported by about 2 of these fore limbs and proped it up on dice as the limbs dried in place.

The rear limbs were a little harder.  As there isn't a slot for them I used green stuff to build up a small lump around the middle leg.  Then pushed the smaller of the monstrous creature talons into the green stuff (I used the talons on the wrong side they appear to face backwards).  I then withdrew the talon and let it all dry.  A good tip with green stuff is giving it about 30 minute from when you first mix to when you start sculpting and using as much water as possible on your modeling tool.  then when set I glued the talon into the ocket and added a tiny amount more green stuff to smoth the join.

The underside was green stuff again applied thickly.  I kept it below the ribcage but actually when I do this again I might fill the whole lower half.  Pay especial attention where the tail meets the body as this is a good site to build up and add bulk.  Then I just pressed some cut up rippers into the stuff and added a small wodden bead as an egg.  When it had dried another thin layer created strands the rippers are fighting through and layers resembling sacs.

I knew I wanted the model to be imposing and a centre piece so I elected to use a large oval base.  There isn't an official miniature yet so this is probably fine but if unsure run it by the events team at your competition first.  A few cut up termagants and another ripper completed the base (as well as static grass, my new obsession).

I've explained my painting before in a previous post if interested.  Only other thing was to place on the base, I had a talon coming off to give it a sense of menace as it advances and cut some of the talons 1) to create a stronger join to the base and 2) so it appears to be sinking into the ground (I'd love to see this thing walk through mud).  When flocking the base its a good oportunity to add extra strength to the joins.  its a big model for just 3 or 4 points of contact so build up PVA or hobby tack around the limb to add a little extra strength.

Hope you enjoy and this has given you some ideas!

Tervigon and Nids

A few pics of new additions to my Nids collection.

A Tervigon assembled from a carnifex repositioned onto the larger MC scything talons and an additional set replacing the legs.  The underside has been built up with green stuff and bits to show the nascent Termagants.

Termagants also new additions (all my old ones have spine fists.

The carapace is done by stipling mecrite red then gore red then blood red.  stipple a small amount of black then back to blood red.  edges are built up by drybrushing deneb stone then washing with kommando khaki.  finally skull white to highlight.  on the termagants the skin is just black but on the fex its codex grey with succesive washes of black before highlighting fortress grey.

Termagants are painted to be fast with the carapace ardcoated to give it the shine.  Seen individually they aren't great but as a mass they blend together nicely whilst being slightly unique each due to the patterning of the shell.

Let me know what you think.

Good old gribblies

Quick but it shows

en-mass not too bad

Terrain - Industry

After completing the first stage of a fairly mammoth project (which I will get around to writing about one day) I decided to take a bit of a break and focus on something else for a while.  I really enjoy making terrain and with the cost of the hobby find it a cheap way to indulge my desire to model and paint that results in something useful that I can always put on the table.

A while back I made some industrial terrain and I generally feel that themed tables offer the greatest aid to an evocative game as it gives a visual context for the battle to take place in.  Modern way after all is rarely fought in a featureless landscape but instead around vital objectives, roads, manufacturing plants and power stations etc.  I recently attended the WH40k doubles tournament at Warhammer World, a great venue and somewhere that has often felt like the centre of the hobby to me.  I have in the past enjoyed wandering around the tables not looking at the armies but the tables themselves marvelling at the evocative landscapes and depth of creativity in capturing the look and feel of the 40k universe in pieces of scenery and whole battlescapes.

My recent trip was a bit of a disappointment in that as the terrain was perfectly serviceable but was ultimately bland and uniform.  This is often essential at a tournament but it doesn't serve to really create an atmosphere or a mood for the game to be played which to me is like having an action movie without the sound on.

As one piece of terrain is almost identical to another piece in the current rules (the only exceptions being how much space does it take up and does it block line of sight) it seems strange that there can't be a wider variety of pieces in a place with such available creativity and talent.

The terrain I built is from an old Bisto tube and several feet of pluming pipe with a few connectors and that’s pretty much it.  The grate of the drain is from hobby craft (the jewellery section) with notices and the slime modelled from green stuff.  The slime is just plain green stuff stretched and pushed into the pipe to give the appearance of flowing before being gloss varnished.  The green flock is to match the realm of battle I own but for a more 40k look could go for gravel burnt out and charred around the site.  I've covered rust in a previous post (way back in March) and had to check myself the best way to get the effect right.

A long low piece of terrain it’s useful as a piece that doesn't block line of sight.  An example of such an additional rule could be - any shot blocked by the terrain can attempt to penetrate against AV12.  If successful roll a dice 1-2 the terrain becomes dangerous as toxic chemicals pour out, lasts till end of game. 3-6 places the large blast template anywhere in the terrain, models at least partially covered must take a toughness test or suffer 1 wound (armour saves may be taken as normal) as clouds of noxious gas are released, no further effect.

These are made up on the spot and no doubt need some more work but what they do is cause the models to interact with the terrain.  When playing computer games we all know its a pretty bad idea to shelter behind a fuel drum, by doing this the game makes us assess the situation more carefully and interact with the battlefield a bit more.  Introduced into tabletop games this has the potential to slow the game (or discourage cover forcing units even deeped inside transports, and I'd have to appologise now to Tyranid players) but also the potential to make more vivid battlefields and encourage imagination in the scenery presented.

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.

Marines

To prove I have other forces my Crimson Fists took to the field against Orks tonight with a 2/1 loss on objectives.  Still like the force and think differences in how I used them could have made a difference, but fun to play as at least with lots of options and maneuverability.

HQ - Kantor
Troops - 2 x 10 man tac squads with razorbacks, melta and missile + sarge with power fist
Elites - sternguard squad in a razorback acting as Pedro's squad
6 man terminator assault squad with thunder hammers and storm shields (might swap a couple to lightning claws)
1 dread with assault and missile launcher
Fast - 10 man assault squad with power fist
2 x landspeeders with multimeltas and heavy flamers.

Fast force with no long range hitting power but lots up close.  Kantor turns even standard marines into a close combat choice by giving everyone within 12 an additional attack so assault terminators, sternguard and assault marines are pretty hard hitting with his motivational presence.  The land speeders run interference and snipe targets whilst the terminators advance on the largest threat and soak fire.  Seems to work OK though some weaknesses and gaps, still nice fast force that can deliver fire where its needed and assault when it isn't enough (even took a few Orks out in assault phase).

Biggest weakness?  'bunker' squads designed to soak wounds can really stall this army as aside from the hammers there isn't anything to reliably overcome feel no pain and multiple wounds but at least it has the speed to avoid these if needed.  And with a loss to the army's record how can anyone doubt their efficiency?

Broadside and Tau

A while back I converted a plastic rail gun from a few fire warrior and crisis suit weapons.  I also said I wasn't going to be carrying on with Tau force but I'd forgotten why I wanted to start in the first place, because I actually want to paint some Tau models.  So here it is, a little late for Miniature Monday but still, my finished Broadside and Fire warrior.

The colour scheme is Cathan Brown with Khemri brown and Komando Khaki highlights.  Main things I'm pleased with is the dirty and weathered look, the chips and marks on the armour add to that.  Start with the lowest base (recess) colour and apply to the edges where wear will occur.  I used Boltgun metal on the edge and outwards but leaving some of the darker paint work exposed.  Finally highlight with mithril silver to bring out the edge and highlight the chip.  To blend it into the model a bit more and prevent it looking too fresh I then washed it with devlan mud (a wash used in other areas of the model) and lightly dry brushed the medium coat (Khemri Brown) back over it.  Effect looks good and you can alter how recent the damage appears by how much of the lighter silver you use and how much you drybrush it back into the other colours.

Only other attempt is at directional lighting with the power cells on the rail gun and pulse rifle  doesn't look right and not blended enough into the model.  Mainly tried mixing the base coat with the base blue and washing it around the light source then mixing the base highlight with the blue highlight and highlighting in areas around the light.  Not bad for a rough and ready way to do it but leaves an uneven look that's patchy, something light falling on an object isn't.  More practice but enjoyed these two and eyeing up other Tau units now.

Smoke Plumes and Wrecked Vehicles

I've been wanting for a while to make terrain that adds character and story to a battlefield, something that gives the feeling of a battle in motion.  Burning fires and the smoke from exploding ordanance or mines stick in my mind as something I'd like to try representing.  The smoke plume from a burnt out vehicle especially as all to often a tank is destoryed and removed with little or no evidence it was even on the field to begin with.

There are two types of feature i'm interested in then, small scale plumes from a single explosion or 'burst' and longer, ongoing fire effects.

Starting with the former I used tree foliage flock (I used autum folliage of reds and orrange so the red could show through), several strips of wire, a small coin (a penny) and a round base.  the wire strips were cut to around 20cm in length.  Double the strips back on each other and wrap them round eachother to make a shape about 10cm in height.  One end coil into a stand and glue onto the coin using supper glue or hobby tack (I used PVA which works too).  Glue the coin onto the round base and leave to set dry.  for more stability you can lump modelling putty over the top of it all to set the wire in.  Top tip is to absolutley make sure its all set before moving on, if it somes off the base its a pain to reattach latter.

Liberally spread PVA along the entangled wire and attach small clumps of folliage.  A good technique is to take a strip of folliage and wrap it arround the wire, working your way up untill the whole thing is covered.  Keep pressing it all tight against the wire and add more to any sections showing.

Once dry use black spray paint and aim downwards, not hoping to cover it all but covering the top and side surfaces leaving the underside (reds) free to show through.

The second kind of plume is an ongoing fire like that from a burning vehicle.  I found a guide online suggesting using LED tealights and pillow stuffing.  Both are available at hobbycraft in the UK for about £2 each.

To build takes less than a minute but does need a glue gun.  Run the glue around the sides and tip of the tealight.  Grab a handfull of the stuffing and shape into a column or plume.  Force the plume into the glue and add glue to compress or shape it till yo have a natural, near vertile plume of smoke.  Again, spray with black plaint from verticle focussing on the top of the plume leaving the base more white and clear.  Once dry simply place on the wreched vehicle and turn the light on.

Bloodied but unbowed the Crimson Fists 1st company continue to advance

The Razorbacks explode under focused fire from mortar and artillery

1st Company Veteran strides through the remains of his transport shrugging of ordanance as he advances

By making larger or smaller blumes you can represent wrecked sponsons or add a collection directly onto the field to show a dangerous terrain minefield or just burning wreckage from earlier in the battle.  Makes a good scenic backdrop and will have to see how it works in game

Its been a While

Its been a good while since I've had time to paint or model anything for any of my hobbies due to work and other pressures.  A lot has happened to the hobby in that time with reams of comment written on forums and fan sites but I think the best summarising of it all I've found so far is this open letter to Games Workshop.  I agree with pretty much all the points and would love to see a company that produces a product I love and has done for many years change some of the mistakes that are driving people away from the brand and towards other games. 

Speaking of other games...  With the Tau on hiatus due to financial constraints and the Crimson Fists fully painted for Throne of Skulls in July its time to return my attention to painting Warmachine.  The new target will be to have a model completed each week (and since my force has 4 models in it shouldn't be too hard) starting with Jack.  Pictures to follow. 

Bases and Faces

The long road to Throne of skulls is on and the project is set at building a 1500pt Tau list in time for it from scratch.  I have a 3000pt Tau force already but it was the first army I ever collected and painted (for 40k at least) and It's been a dream to go back to repaint or redo the force to a new, higher standard with the techniques I've learnt.  At the moment I'm looking into colour schemes and  few spring to mind but nothing final.  The only theme I'm sure of is fitting the army into an urban enviornment so with that said and painting stalled untill I've chosen a scheme I thought back to one of the best mantras I ever heard (GW manager of Solihul), bases and faces.  These two features really make a model, giving it a context and a focal point for detail.  Faces will come in painting but first I need to construct the bases.

An urban base is different from a more open or natural feature in how busy it is.  With little vegetation or plants there will be far more 'hard' features requiring painting and on display.  These hard features can be taken from a number of places, spare weapons and grenades or knives from sprus but even off cuts to form rubble.  I used off cuts from the Imperial Sector box of building components and small pieces of slate to fill in the gaps.  Height is another feature, building the base upwards adds to the feel of tumbling debris and cramped environs of an urban theatre.

To tie these features together green stuff is spread over the base and the pieces pressed in.  Texture is fairly straightforward with repeated jabs from a modeling tool.  There are no hard and fast rules but simply play around, I've chosen to make these bases before the models and intend to scult and position the model to whats around them.

Broadside

A problem I've had with the Tau army is the look of the crisis suits.  The torso has a sturdy feel but the legs are too spindly and the arms too immobile and difficult to give dynamism.  On the standard suits the look is pretty good overall but the standard broadside looks ungainly and top heavy.  The metal railguns are the biggest cause of the problem, difficult to pose and out of proportion with the rest of the model.  The sculpt quality isn't too high either with the long straight lines easily bent or ragged.

In the past I've converted my broadsides to a pose similar to the forgeworld models here.  This time I wanted to try a diferent pose and model it to fit in with the other foot slogging models in the army.  The metal railgun is too difficult to cut and pose so a plastic railgun needed modeling instead.

I went through a few variations, the barrel was made from a trimmed fusion blaster the the metal railgun end finishing the cannon.  The track of the gun is a pair of pulse rifle barreles cut before the sight.  The metal piece is too heavy and the rifles cant support the weight well and the whole thing is too long, almost the same size as the original.

This rifle has the fusion blaster as the base but with the end cut and moved past the track.  the Ammo cell was moved to the underside.  The rear powercell was taken from a crisis suit burst cannon and the antenna from a multitracker.  The only piece not in the original broadside kit is the drone controller node from the stealth suit.  It comes in much smaller and a strong rifle like feel.  Next it needs mounting on the model.

The crisis suit arms are very inflexible and needed to be almost completley rebuilt.  I'll carry on building and update as I go.

Alternativley

Despite my last post being mainly about vibrant colours and trying new painting techniques I made the mistake today of picking up the Tau codex.  When I started playing 40k (back in 2003) my first army was Tau and I have a real soft spot for the heavily armed peaceniks.  So it was I found myself scribbling an army list from the Codex Tau Empire, not one that I think will perform amazingly well but one I had a few ideas over how to paint and model.

The force:-
HQ
Shas'el with missile pod (twin linked), shield drone and iridium armour. 103pts
Troops
8 man Firewarrior team with team leader.  90pts (5 of these squads)
Fast attack
5 man pathfinder team with team leader.  70pts
Pathfinder devilfish with disruption pod.  85pts

5 man pathfinder team with team leader.  70pts
Pathfinder devilfish with disruption pod.  85pts
Piranha skimmer with fusion blaster.  65pts
Heavy support
Monat Broadside suit (teamleader) with advanced stabilisation system and shield drone.  100 pts
Monat Broadside suit (teamleader) with advanced stabilisation system and shield drone.  100 pts
Elite
2 man crisis suit team with plasmarifle and missile pod (plus multi tracker).  124pts
2 man crisis suit team with plasmarifle and missile pod (plus multi tracker).  124pts
2 man crisis suit team with plasmarifle and missile pod (plus multi tracker).  124pts

Mix of a static firebase with a pair of devilfish taxi's to ferry firewarrior teams onto objectives.  Plenty of marker lights to help in the shooting phase and crisis suits to add weight where they're needed against heavily armoured elites or taking town transports (twin linked missile pods make a mess of armour 11).  Greatest weakness is against (you've guessed it) jump infantry and dark eldar forces with all those easy pain tokens available but at least the 6 crisis suits will deny feel no pain on all their shots and have plenty of firepower effective upto AV 11 (12 at a push).  Had in mind a strike force that works with very rapid forward elements (the crisis suits and piranha) clearing safe zones for the slower firebase to establish in and lay down fields of fire.

With that in mind I looked through my old Tau bits box and found the components to build a crisis suit (I collected them for a LONG time).  The list still isn't complete though and many things may need changing so the suit needed to be flexible, a great opportunity to practice using hobby magnets.  Available most places but I got mine here they are great at positioning and posing models without the need to glue in place.

The sections needed a small amount of drilling to ensure the magnet sat inside the arm or weapon to avoid it sticking out conspicuously but this was easily done and the magnet secured with a small amount of epoxy resin at the correct angle.  With approximately 12 magnets almost every standard weapon combination is possible.  I placed magnets in either arm and both shoulders.  A tip is to ensure the facing of the magnets is the same for all positions (ie. the weapons all have S pole facing out whilst all 'anchor points' have the N pole facing out, this gives maximum versatility.

Now I can construct my army and model without fear of it becoming obsolete as new codex's are released or my own desire for the role of this model shifts or just mess around with loadouts.

Looks like I'm collecting Tau again, Its going to be a long few months till Throne of Skulls.

Days Out and Tidying

I've been painting a lot of space marines for WH40k and Terran Alliance ships for Firestorm Armada over last few weeks.  The techniques and styles used are very similar, painting hard ceramic and metallic surfaces with strong contrast and highlighting, the only real difference being scale.

The Next project I'd like to focus on different surfaces and techniques.  Something I find useful is looking at colour schemes and patterns out and about and trying to work out how to reproduce it or produce it on a model.  Its spring at the moment and the flowers are starting to appear so what better inspiration for vibrant colour schemes.

 An Escher Gang is still sat on my painting desk, a great chance to use vibrant and clashing colours on a more organic surface.  I also used to field Tyranids and have a soft spot for the codex and love the idea of fielding an enormous swarm of claws and chitin. Tyranids with strong and contrasting colours running through the carapace such as on these great Zoanthropes found here give a threatening appearance that looks amazing when massed up in the middle of a swarm.

This Tyranid Warrior alternatively uses the colours alternating between the 'flesh' and carapace, undoubtedly quicker to paint and intimidating (found here).the highlighting is similar to the rising colours of the flower, deep reds at the base giving way to lighter, more vibrant colours at the edge rising to orange.

For my Tyranids (painted about 2 years ago now) I used stippling of progressively lighter shades of red (up to pink) to give an asymmetric look to the carapace with bone coloured chips on the edge.  A coat of varnish gives the carapace a sheen and protects it from the inevitable ships (the zoanthroapes is an amazingly top heavy model).  The flesh was painted codex grey and given a very heavy wash of Chaos Black (a technique chosen for speed more than anything).

I'm always tempted to revisit my Tyranids but struggle for inspiration on paint schemes, especially schemes I'd like to repeat on over 200 hundred models.  The chance to paint using a more vibrant and organic pallet might be too tempting to pass up however.

Kantor (finally) Finished

I've been working on this model for a while and trying to use it as a way of practicing some techniques for a centre piece model.  I really like the Kantor model and think its crammed full of great little details and real sense of dynamism. 

There a number of different surfaces on the model and I've gone over a few of the techniques in previous posts.  The banner and touching up details on the model was all that was left from the previous post.  All the colours on the main model needed repeating to give a uniform look to the overall finish.  The banner top also required annother attempt at non-metalic gold.  The base of calthan brown was highlighted using tausept ochre. 

A problem previously was a lack of blending to the tone, raising through golden yellow to white more slowly and evenly.  A wash of Devlan Mud was used to lowlight and add depth before a final highlight.

The final step was to paint his base.  I painted this seperatley and glued Kantor to it at the end.  The base scheme is the same as throughout the rest of the army.  The rocks and pipe are from the warhammer 40k basing kit and adds a great sense of depth.

I'm happy with the overall look and effect but already there are problems I can't take my eyes off (not to mention a chip or two.  That said its great to look back at the finished project and to see it on the gaming table. 

On to the next project.

Kantor

The Kantor model is one of the reasons I opted for a Crimson Fists force with a strong and dynamic pose the model has lots of detail and a great solid feel that epitomises the space marine look.  An ornate metal model but without the overcrowded feel some metal models can develop where details become lost to flash or simply being too close together to adequetly pick out in detail.  The colour scheme is dictated but spot colours and shading give great opportunity to customise and personalise the model.

Base colour - necron abyss lightened to Mordian blue in 3 stages of different mixes (a pallet is great for this, just progressivley add the lighter colour and reapply each time).  The thinner the paint the better.  Extreme highlights of mordian blue to shadow grey and white happen quickly on the edges to give the armor a slightly metalic look, especially on the pauldrons.

The head - base colour of Tau Sept Ochre drybrushed over with Deneb Stone.  To tie the helmet back in with the rest of the model I washed it Asurmen Blue.  I then reapplied the Deneb Stone as a highlight and finally skull white as an extreme edge.
The Laurels start as Darkangle green lightening to snot green on the tips.  Again the snot green was mixed in progressivley larger amounts with Darkangles green and thinned.  The key seemed to be the less paint on the brush the better the result.

Ropes and tabbards - base of Mechrite Red with another coat of Red Gore.  Highlights where the light would catch the leather of Solar Orange and Blood Red mix.  The mix was used essentially because the blood red when thinned wouldn't take to the model but the foundation paint really brought the colour out on the model.  Final extreme highlight of Solar Orange.  Very similar is the highlighting on the power fist.

Gems are red gore with a single line of blood red through the centre and a dot (as small as I could make it) of skull white).  I find the best way to apply these fine details in holding the brush in one hand, elbow braced against your stomach holding the miniature in the other.  This way if I shake at least both hands shake at the same time and rate (my old art teacher Mr Bannister taught me that).

The new technique and colour combination I tried was on the gold.  I really don't like the metallic paints as I find they give too coarse an effect on small models and details unless mixed or watered down.  the small particles also get everywhere and changing water every few minutes is a pain.  The gold on Kantor should be more worn and weathered, ostentation giving way to practicality and pragmatism.  The darker tones also work well with the reds and oranges.  As a base I used Calthan brown and highlighted with Tausept Ochre.  I could have left it here (first pic) but felt it lacked the characteristic lustre of even burnished gold so tried a minimal and extreme highlight of skull white and a watered down Golden yellow (pic 2).  I prefer the second and feel I'm closer to achieving the look I'm after but still lack the depth of a true metallic surface, will have to find another model to practice on (I see the Grey Knights have lots of metallic surfaces and pendants...).  See which you prefer and please let me know.

Just the banner and finishing off then he's ready to take to the field (or seal inside a container and burried in concrete for its protection).

Brushes

A workman should never blame his tools but a bad paintbrush can make your life a good deal more frustrating.  Stray hairs and split bristles preventing accuracy or fibres that don't give up the paint to the surface evenly.  I'm not an expert on the science of brush construction but I have tried a good number of different brushes and makes with varried results.  Here is what I thought of a few makes and types.

These three brushes are the three I use more than any,  The yellow is a medium size brush good for corse detail and fine detailing of large flat edges.  The red is a fine detail brush with a good spring to it that has maintained its shape and is excellent for close work.  They are both made by Daler-Rowney and are available at Hobbycraft and for those in the Birmingham area, usually at Spectrum http://www.spectrumfinearts.co.uk/ (though they haven't updated the website in a while that is where they are).  All three are acrylic brushes which is great for the thicker Citadel paints though they have done well with even 1:1 water mixes and washes.

The silver brush is a small flat brush from Vallejo though the range seems to have been discontinued.  It is a Pony hair brush and excellent for dry brushing though not for applying large amounts of paint as the bristles tend to clump up.  The citadel dry brush is often in use as are a few ProArte brushes (they do a minatrue range) though these have a very short lifespan with citadel paints and don't apply the paint evenly all the time.  This does however make them great for stippling effects though at £3.75 a brush they are one of the more expensive brushes to do this with.

These brushes have been used mainly for painting Kantor at the moment with a before shot on a previous blog and a work in progress below.  The helmet gives a good example of how citadel paints, when not watered down, can leave small clumps of paint which give an organic look from a distance but a scruffy look up close.

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.