Progress! Slow But Steady.

Well my Daemons are starting to materialize out of the warp!  I now have the Bloodthirster, 4 Fiends of Slaanesh, 6 Flamers, and 5 (old-school metal) screamers assembled.  All of these models have been based so they can quickly and easily be swapped from round to square bases.  I'm really feeling the draw to get some paint on some of these models too!  I also have all of the pieces prepped to assemble a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh (Be' Lakor The Dark Master.)  I think that model will rock for Slaanesh!

Not much else in the works currently.  More Daemon assembly in the near future.  Here's the photo I promised last post though.  This was the first stacked laminate base I ever made.  Ignore the paint job; it was the best I could do about 4 years ago.  I'm still pretty fond of the flamey writing on the cloak though!

Making stacked Laminate Bases

Sorry for the length between posts.  Real life and all that.  But, the bills are getting paid, and now I have time to post an update!  I haven't gotten much done since I posted last.  My desk is still in a shambles as you can see below.  No painting done, minis in various states of assembly, new paint to get transferred into dropper-style bottles.  Its horrific.

I've started making some progress though.   I'm getting some assembly and green stuff work done on my Chaos Daemons with the goal of getting 2000 points assembled for 40K so I can start learning the army.  I will then move forward with painting consignment work, and start actually painting said Daemons.  The big slow down has been figuring out what to do with bases for the larger models since I want to use the army for both 40K and Fantasy.  Rank and file infantry is easy: put them on round bases, and make movement trays that hold the round bases.  Something kinda like the War of The Ring trays GW has out but cheaper.  Single model units, and skirmishers are another story.  Here's what I'm doing so far.....until I figure out something faster anyway!

This is the base I'm working on for a Bloodthirster.  I've made a base from counter top laminate (Formica, etc.)  I snap a few pieces up to roughly the correct size with pliers, and then glue them all together into a stack.  I then took my Dremel and routed out an area to epoxy in a rare earth magnet.  I epoxied a scrap of sheet metal I'd cut to size onto a stack of the old thin style 60mm round GW bases.  I use epoxy for this type work because superglue is too brittle when cured and I've had it break a number of times when magnets were involved.  The stacked laminate base is sized so it will also fit the correct 50mm square base the Bloodthirster needs in Warhammer Fantasy.  

Where do I get counter top laminate you ask?  Well, I actually have some scraps of it left over from the last remodeling project here at la casa de Bob.  If you're not so fortunate, then I have 2 suggestions.  First, contact a local cabinet maker and ask for some scraps and/or broken pieces too small for their use.  Unless yesterday was garbage day they'll let you grab some out of the trash.  If that doesn't work, go to your local DIY store.  The closest one to me happens to be Home Depot.  Lowe's works too, as will anyplace that sells kitchen cabinetry.  Wander through the kitchen showcase area and you'll see little 2 inch by 3 inch color samples of laminate.  They are free.  Grab a couple big hands full and go build some bases.  A note of caution: be careful of wandering through the new kitchen area of the store with your significant other.  You may end up with new kitchen cabinets instead of that new toy from Forge World!

 

In the past when making bases like this I've used green stuff to fill in gaps to make the base look like something other than a stack of thin scraps.  I'd read in a WIP post over on Coolminiornot.com about using this Heavy Carvable Modelling Paste  to build up scenic bases so I'm giving it a try.  Check the clearance section at the hobby store!  This bottle had been dropped or something and the lid had come off, making a mess.  I checked it in the store, and the material inside was still good, and 95%+ of it was still there.  I bought it for the discount you can see, and then cleaned the cured paste from the cap threads to make sure the lid seals properly.  I very large container of modelling paste for a much better price!  I just scoop the paste out with a sculpting tool and smear it into the edge of the base, filling in the gaps.  I went back and wiped excess away with my finger.  The last step was to use the corner of a sculpting tool to recess the paste a little bit so it looks more like layered shale/slate type stone when done.

Here's the Bloodthirster on his base!  He still needs some green stuff work where he was pinned together (every joint was pinned.) but you get an idea of what the base will look like.  The best part is he is easily swappable from the round base to a square one when I need to!  The only down side to making bases this way is that it is slow.  I'll keep plugging along though while I research faster ways of getting a similar result.  I've got photos on another computer that show a painted version of this style of base.  I'll transfer one of those over and include it in the next post so you get a better idea of what this will look like.  Until next time!

Papa Nurgle is Back!

So, this time I'm going to show you some painting done by somebody else.  I have a gaming buddy who likes to get his Nurgle on.  He's a relative newcomer to 40K and painting, but he likes painting and wants his models to look good.  He also doesn't like playing with (or against) unpainted models.  I really respect that in a fellow gamer!  He'd been pretty frustrated with his painting results.  Combine that with him being crazy busy at work and he had pretty much dropped off the local gaming map.  His motivation had not been helped by his wife being an art major; she can sit down and paint a model in much less time and it looks really good.  Yeah, frustrated would be a good adjective to describe him. 

When he told me he'd picked up a box of the new Plaguebeareres, I told him to meet me and I'd demonstrate the basic techniques I used to paint my unit of Nurgle goodness.  Here's the result:

Yes, I know the bases aren't done yet.  He didn't want me to take them and photograph them yet, but I wanted to show you that it CAN be done!  We spent about a half an hour, or maybe 45 minutes total over two sessions.  I painted one of these models, and James worked on another.  He went home and knocked out the rest.  Win yourself a genuine, original, mint condition, out of print No-Prize if you can tell me which model I painted out of this group.  Yes, a relatively inexperienced painter can get this kind of result with the right methods.  FYI, I'll bring them back for more photos once he has the bases done!

After painting these models, my buddy's enthusiasm for painting has been rekindled.  He's done a bunch of painting in the past couple of weeks, and he's started playing again too!  He's looking ahead to how he might expand his army, and is even talking about what army he might start once he has his Nurgle stuff painted.  He's also making noise about making the trip to The Alamo 40K GT next spring with me.  Say's he wants to give me a run for my money for best painted.  I say, "Bring it on!"

Silver Demon Winning Plaguebearers!

I should have gotten this posted last week, but I didn't.  Just didn't get enough other stuff done so I could get to it.  This post is the last of the "background" posts.  After this, we're all caught up with past work, and can move forward with new projects and/or commission work.

In my last offering, you saw my Ultramarines army that was entered in Armies On Parade at Games Day in Chicago this year.  Entering AoP was an afterthought.  My main reason for attending Games Day this year was to enter the Golden Demon painting competition.  Last year, entering Golden Demon was an afterthought and I didn't make the first cut.  Disheartening, but I'd read offerings from better painters than I who were shut out in their first attempt as well.  This year I had many entries planned, but as so often happens, time got the better of me.  I only got 1 of my serious offerings finished;  A unit of 20 Plaguebearers which will ultimately be used in my Daemons of Chaos armies (I want Daemons so I can use the minis in both 40K AND Fantasy.)  I'll start the photos off with a unit I painted as part of a trade, which gave me the idea to paint Plaguebearers for Golden Demon based on how fast I was able to get the basic paint jobs done.

'Ere we go!

Here's 4 of the 5 models I painted for the trade.  I knocked these out in one evening and they look really good on the table.  Their owner is quite happy with them.  I figured this basic technique could be built upon to paint an entry for Golden Demon.  Would you be happy with models that look like this if you only had a half hour or so into each one?

Here's the next evolution of the technique!  Push the contrast a lot, and decide on a really bright, eye-catching spot color; check!  Use all of the composition knowledge I gained from Mathieu Fontaine's Master Painting Class a couple of years ago to try to keep the judges' attention on my entry; check!  Try out brand new techniques like using weathering powders to rust the weapons; check!  Try ground glass product (from Secret Weapon Miniatures) to make the snow sparkle on the bases: check!  Nurgle up the command group by adding color coordinated ooze to them; check!  Up the Nurgle factor by making nasty yellow and brown patches of snow; Check!  Result: my first Demon trophy!

A little more table level view.

The unit from the back

Command group from the front.

Command group from the back.

A few random models.

The same batch from the back.

A few more random models for variety.

Rear view of the same group.

The whole gang partying in front of the trophy!

Obviously, I'm pretty proud of winning the trophy.  More important though is the validation of work I've done (in collaboration with a friend) over the past few years to build a set of skills that let me paint good looking models fast.  Ultra high end painters like Todd Swanson (won his 5th Slayer Sword this year in Chicago) put hundreds (plural) of hours into 1 single model.  I can't do that.  I paint armies and play the games.  I need painted models on the table, and I want them to look good.  This entry (20 models) was painted over the course of 2 weeks.  I did not keep close track of my per model time, but I know its well under 3 hours per model.  In truth, I'd be really surprised if it was over 2.5 hours per model.  I normally try to keep my per model time under 1 hour per model.  Two and a half hours per model to win a Silver?  I'm down with that.

So why do I bring up the painting time?  To brag?  Not really, although I admit it will look that way.  My goal is to get people to realize that they can have nice looking models and great looking armies without having to spend hours and hours to get each model ready for the table.  A few basic techniques and you have an awesome army instead of the gray tide.  A few more expansion techniques and a relatively small additional investment in time, and you too could take a shot at the Golden Demon.  Believe it!