Star Phantoms

[Ithmaril]

Hey folks,

having quite a lot vanilla Marine stuff left from a PH project I'm currently selling, I took the time to paint one of the unconverted Sergeants in my currently favourite Marine scheme- BoLS' very own Star Phantoms from the Badab War Codex. Just for fun. I enjoyed it quite a lot (more than I thought), although I'm not sure what to do with the base.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/sarge1.jpg

Now I actually have the urge and materials to go on, although I don't have exactly the time for another project, and didn't want to turn back to 40k so soon. But the urge is there. I could imagine doing a small strike force, maybe to play it, maybe to sell it off... and so on. Really, I don't know yet, but they're fun.

So... What do you think? Would you like to see more of these? Any ideas for chapter-specific elements to include? Or the base? How would you imagine a typical Star Phantom army? Talk to me, people. :) Every kind of feedback is very much welcome at this stage.

Cheers,
Ith

[Horus Aximand]

Looks good, Ithmaril (remember me?)

the paiunting is up to your usual standards, and I simply think that it would just look perfect with a desert/wastes base, just something to break up the greys and blues of the model.

[Ithmaril]

Of course I remember you, thanks for the input. I actually had exactly the same thought about the bases, but I'm still hesitating. It depends on what I'll make out of this whole thing- If it's bound to become a gaming army of mine, there's no desert table in any of the stores I play in. If they become pieces for ebay or display, it doesn't matter... and so on. But, yeah, That cold greys and blues definitly need some contrast.

Okay, I see, the BoLS Lounge is a difficult battleground, and I need more than one mere Sergeant to impress anyone in here. ;) Stay tuned for more tryout stuff I'm currently cooking up.

[Powerslave]

Very nice - and clean. I like how you did the skin, well done. The blue is also nicely done, gives an impression of a shine. If I can suggest something - I think the exhaust / ventillation tubes / pipes on the powerpack should be metallic, that would give you more variety on the miniature.

I think the sword and the grenade can use a bit more highlighting / depth though.

Overall, very good job, I like it!

PS - you should base them with a contrasting scheme to make the mini stand out more (as it was suggested by Ithmaril)

[Ithmaril]

Hey Powerslave, thanks for taking the time to answer. I'll keep the metallic exhaust idea in the back of my head, it would be easy enough to try. There's of course a "but" to it, and I'll explain it below. By the way, I'm Ithmaril, the guy who suggested the desert bases was Horus Aximand. ;)

Okay, so, I officially entered Phase 2. While Phase 1 is usually "paint something and check if it's fun and looks cool", this was about "paint a small assembly line, check if it's still fun, and how it can be pulled off faster." So, it's 3 more Macragge Marines, including a simple Melta conversion.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/stooges.jpg

Note that I leaned slightly towards army painting by giving up some quality in favor of speed- I think they still deliver.

Now, the thing about Powerslaves suggestion to add complexity by making the exhausts metallic: As soon as I saw that helmets, I wanted to have them more complex than simple blue, by making parts of them grey and metal, and giving the models subtle red glowing eyes. And I think that it's enough to give the scheme some more depth without using metallics on non-functional components as a third heraldy colour- but I'm still very open towards suggestions.

Next step will be the bases, and also something more unusual, so stay tuned. By the way, now, I haven't forgotten about the chapter logo, but I'm waiting with that until I decide how much of them are gonna cross my painting table. Small amouts? Freehand. Army? Buy decal sheets to print the BoLS ones.

[Aldramelech]

I like..... Very nice, business like looking marines. Maybe a very subtle shade on the inside of the white lining on the shoulder pads?

[Bigred]

Bravo! Star Phantoms, and great looking ones as well.

The basing will be a challenge, but with the fluff of tricksy nocturnal urban fighting, perhaps something brooding and urban.

The trick will be to not just go with the standard grey urban stuff we see everywhere, but something with some contrast. Perhaps Badab as a reddish-brownish rusted out fortress world, with a tad of mud...

I also can't wait to see your take on Androcles...

[Emperorsmercy]

Very nice, especially the skulls on the back of the exhaust. I'm not sure about the helmet though... something about them seem a little bt out ofplace, im not sure if Im making sense, but it might be the gray, which weirdly only looks odd there. I should probably stop before i ramble on too much.

[Kanaellars]

I just have to say.... if you got rid of the blue and added some yellow, that shade of gray would make some BEATUTFUL Space Wolves.

Truely beautiful.

How do you get that grey?

[Ithmaril]

Thanks a lot, guys, I really appreciate the input.

Aldramelech: I've considered doinmg something like that too, because the further you get away from the minis, the more they look like "glowing white trims on black/grey". Let's see what I can do. Glad you like.

Bigred: Thanks for taking the time to stop by- yes, I was torn between something urban ruin-ish and a desert kind of environment (for contrast) myself, because in a way, standard grey urban ruins would make sense with the Phantoms blending in nicely, being mostly grey. But it would make the models quite boring to look at, and I really don't want that. So a dusty, muddy, rusty kind of approach with ruins and desert-like dust could be the way to go.

Emperorsmercy: Thanks for the input, but I'm fine with the colour combination on the helmets- maybe some more top-oriented pictures will help, at the moment all pics are made from ground level.

Kanaellars: It's white primer, 2 layers of thinned-down codex grey, carefully applied badab black wash (with emphasis on not allowing it to form puddles of black on flat surfaces), and a little bit devlan mud in places for a more weathered look. If you want to take the time after that, you can add subtle edge highlighting with pure codex grey again. It's quite simple, really. I'm glad you like, thanks for commenting.

[Slann]

looking great I always liked these guys .

[Ithmaril]

Thanks, Slann.

So, I finally finished off those bases, did some fitting weathering on the Marines' legs (You just can't stomp through that kind of dust in a ton of metal armor and keep it clean), and toned down the shoulderpad rim white. Not perfectly happy with the result as I had to rush a little, so many projects, so little time. But I screwed myself anyway with the whole process... because time-wise, they're waaay beyond what I'm normally investing for straightforward rank and file.

Anyway, here's the result.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/basing.jpg

C&C still very welcome, and still not sure what fate awaits those guys.

[Bigred]

I think their fate should be to be joined by a small combat squad of matching Astral Claws. Then you can taunt us with a series of awesome Palace of Thorns diorama pics.

[Aldramelech]

Love the bases, all good.

[Ithmaril]

Bigred: That miiiight just work, but they're not really diorama-quality, and cheap-a*-Macragge too. On a different note, I don't have room in our small apartment to place it (I don't even have a gaming table). So it would kind of be a waste.

Aldramelech: Glad you like, thanks!

Sooo, after some careful consideration, a muster of what stuff I have around to work with, and some more planning, it's decided- I'll do 1k points of them to get some 40k gaming again, and then maybe expand them. Not really a difficult decision in the end, because I don't need to buy to much, and let's be honest, there are more challanging projects than doing 1k points of Marines. And if I don't want to keep them in the end, they'll sell better as a painted army.

Some help with army list building would be very much appreciated, though. If you'd like to help a painter in distress, head over here: http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?p=19164#post19164

[ChrisW]

wow,

i love the effect you managed on the shoulder pads with the blue, looks like they polished up before the battle.

i've been thinking that a lot of my armies look too neat, how did you do the weathering? or how would you 'dirty-up' armour plates or tanks for example (if you care to share)

[Ithmaril]

Sure! A good example of how I'm doing it (and I'm far from an expert) would be my PH WE Rhino (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/Rhino1_fin.jpg). Now this is exclusivly for Tanks: To get a "dried mud/dust" effect, I collect fine sand (almost-dust), mix it with some model sand, and glue it on the model after the initial paintjob where the movement through terrain would splatter it (again, have a look at the pic). Then, I paint it with scorched brown, drybrush by mixing in more and more iyanden darksun, and use some glossy old GW flesh wash where it's supposed to look still wet. Note that the best thing to do here is to take a short and dense brush and work with very little paint, and pat it on, with occassional strokes into different directions. On the Rhino I've shown again, I went a wee bit too much over the top (less normally is more), and there's also an example of how to not do it on the front, on the right side of the small "3 - IX" marking, where I brushed the dust on horizontally, and it looks terribly fake.

If you do this, you can also add spots where the vehicles' varnish/camo pattern splintered off by painting patches/lines of black on armor plating ridge,s and adding some metallic colour, leaving black lines.

On these Star Phantoms models, I didn't care so much and just took a dense, short brush to apply (again very little pigment of) snakebite leather first, and one more layer with Iyanden Darksun, drybrushing from below to the top of the power armour plating to go for a very dusty effect. Nice and simple.

Hope that kinda helps.

[vman]

these guys look so awesome

The weathering is fantastic, its so nice to see dirty "realistic" looking space marines

[Ithmaril]

Thanks, vman. :)

So, as I'm still planning out the army list, but need to keep my hands busy from time to time, I'm trying a wholly new approach (for me at least) towards this by doing the bases before I even decide on the details of the final model constellation. Here are some unpainted ones:

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/bases1.jpg

[Aventine]

Is anyone in your area making a rebel chapter?

[Ithmaril]

I'm aware of none, but I'm not too deep into the 40k scene of Munich yet (since I've been studying here, it was mainly busy times), and maybe I can change something about that.

[Ithmaril]

So, I've made up my mind about the HQ choice for the first 1k points, and decided to not go for Androcles because I can't quite make sense of a Captain at this point level. So it'll be a Chaplain for starters, leading an Assault Squad for sure. First thought was that he'd be one of the three or four models I'd have to buy for starters... but then I had a moment of girlfriend-induced enlightment.

her, looking over my shoulder why I browse online stores: "So... it's one of those Space Marine folks, with lots of ornamental detail, a skull head, an eagle club, a skull shoulderpad, and a jump pack."

me, not really listening: "Yeah. Why?"

her: *looks over to the tower of boxes full of plastic Space Marine, Chaos Space Marine, Fantasy and other bits*

me: "Oh."

So, this is what I came up with. If he looks a little bit back-heavy to you, don't worry, he's supposed to stand on a collapsed wall, so it'll be balanced out.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/chappy1.jpg

On a different note, a cheaply improvised Multi Melta Marine for one of those squads:

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/multimelta1.jpg

So, costs for the army so far (including models, materials, paint): still at zero. Browsing for cheap Rhinos right now.

[Aldramelech]

I really like those. I love the adventurous conversions people do on here, its a hobby in its self.

[smeegy]

i like it the mix of blue and grey gives it a striking image well done

[Dia]

I really like those. I love the adventurous conversions people do on here, its a hobby in its self.

Agreed. Good job, Ithmaril. Nice conversions.

[Bung]

Im curios, what did u use for the head?
Im trying to convert a chaplain to, but i have no idea for the skull helmet.

[Ithmaril]

Thanks a lot for the positive reception, people.

Bung: It's a variant head from the WHFB Chaos Warriors sprue. I also toyed around with the thought of using the variant skull Khorne Berzerker head with the bunny ears off, but it was to recognizable for my taste.

[the drake]

The chappie looks great. My question is where did you get the double headed eagle for his crozius?

[Ithmaril]

My best guess is that it came with a plastic command squad box (standard, apothecary, captain, champion...) , 4th edition- but I'm not so sure anymore, because it's all from one of my unassorted bits boxes now. It definitly was a single piece of accessory detail though, to glue onto the back pack I guess. Hope that helps.

[Bung]

Thx im not so well with the fantasy stuff, im a strictly 40k player :D

This double Eagle comes in the plastic command squad Box, its one of the tops for the standard or for the Backpack.

I think i will get some fantasy chaoswarriors for conversions.

[Shadow Queen]

Cant wait to see the Chaplin painted up.

[the drake]

Thanks for the help guys, I will have to go on a scavenger hunt now to find the parts.

[Ithmaril]

So, here's the Chaplain. Considering that it's the first Chappy I ever painted, and all homegrown, I'm quite fond of how he came out.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/chappy2.jpg

And a size comparsion pic next to the Sarge- always interesting to see how much bigger marines get if you give them straighter legs. Note that the Sergeant's base elevates him even a little bit more. I think Charlie Chaplain here will make a great HQ for smaller games.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/chappysize.jpg

[Aldramelech]

Fantastic! You've got a great looking, and more importantly, unique looking Chaplin there.

[Shadow Queen]

I like the LoD pad.

[Morat]

Chaplain (and indeed the rest of the army) is looking great. That Chaos Warrior head -is- useful isn't it.

Are you not going to dirty up his feet though. I suppose with a jump pack he might just fly everywhere though :)

[the drake]

The chappie looks great thanks for posting him!

[Ithmaril]

Again, thanks for commenting and glad you like. And no, the chappy is much to pure and holy to get his feet dirty, that's the sole reason he strapped that jetpack on. ;) (actually, I got just lazy. Ehem.)

But not totally lazy. To keep you updated, I tweaked the turquoise and lit it up by a little, liking it much better now, but that's not too interesting. What might be interesting is the fact that I finally decided to go the all-freehand route for the symbols. Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate BoLS doing all that chapter iconography as pdf transfer sheets, but I'm just not a fan of waterslide transfers. The reasons for that are pretty simple. Considering all the printing, cutting, touchup painting and varnishing I have to do to really blend those in, I don't feel like I really save time with those, and in the end, they still looks off because all of the model looks handpainted, and those geometrically exact icons look like printed on.

So, here's how I do it:

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/abzeichen1.jpg

Not exactly works of art, but achieved in a time that is acceptable to do it on army level. Note that I also finally did the writings on the purity seals, little banner things, et cetera. It's a camera flash pic though, so the models lose depth, but the pics show what I mean.

On a different note, here's the current state of my todo-box for this project, which is one of many.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/wip1.jpg

2 more Marines to get their turquoise touched up and their iconography on them, four more half-painted to come up next, and a bunch of bases to finish.

So, that's the start of my week. Thanks for reading, and cheers!

[Shadow Queen]

Will you put the Assult Marines on flying bases?

[Magos Explorator]

Those logos have come out nicely. :)

[Ithmaril]

Shadow Queen: Good question, actually. I think I'll try to go with some variety: Some on the ground, some on elevated terrain (like ruin pieces), some on black steel rods for a hovering pose. But first, I gotta have to restock on brake fluid... they're second hand.

Magos: Thanks, I'm glad you like. :)

[Ithmaril]

So, here's the Marine of the day, Tac Squad two's Sergeant. I also got another Bolter Marine done, but that's not really worth a pic.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/sarge2.jpg

[Aldramelech]

Like that lots! Very nice pose.

[Ithmaril]

Just to keep you updated, here's what I currently have up on my painting table, Phantom-wise:

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/wip2.jpg

Slow and steady, the army starts to take shape. When those are done, I'll have the first Tac Squad done, and the other's Sergeant and Heavy Weapon. The rest of Squad 2 will be Black Reach apart from those for better distinction. But I still like the Macregge ML better, so that's why I use him.

So, my 1k points "recycling" army will consist of:

- Chappy with Assault Squad
- 2 Tac Squads in Rhinos (only thing I gotta buy: 2 Rhinos. Ebay, here I come)
- 2 Dreadnaughts

This should be a decent army to have some small beer & pretzel games with, and to expand in the future with more interesting things.

[Ithmaril]

So, here's what I've gotten done so far. Tac Squad, 2 more Marines, and the Chappy.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/army1.jpg

Here's a view on the freehand markings. Not really symmetrical, but it does the job just fine, methinks.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/army11.jpg

[Aldramelech]

Love the wall with the re-bar comming out. How did you do that?

It really is looking fantastic

[Shadow Queen]

tac squad with 2 heavy weapons?

[Ithmaril]

Aldramelech: I use little cork pads for stones and concrete, cutting them where I want the material smooth (wall surface), tearing it apart with my fingers where it's supposed to look rough. Some layers of thinned down PVA glue harden it enough to drill into it, and glue some cut/ bent paper clip pieces into the holes.

Shadow Queen:: The second Sergeant and heavy weapon belongs to squad number two, note that it's 12 Marines shown in the group picture. :) Thanks for sticking around.

[Shadow Queen]

No problem, minis look very smart.

Im doing my SH termies as Scythes of the Emperor. and the libby looks cool.

[masterofthedeathwing]

very good looking, especially the free hands cant wait to see more:)

[Ithmaril]

Shadow Queen: Scythes of the Emperor are great, hope to see them here when you go for it. One of my top 5 favourite chapters.

masterofthedeathwing: Glad you like, thanks!

Here's what is currently on my painting table:

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/army2.jpg

I'm currently working out a test model for the Assault Squad painting scheme. But for the moment, I'm massivly happy that the stripping of several layers of paint and some varnish came out so well, because it was my first time stripping plastic with brake fluid.

Also, here's a closer view of the WIP Dreadnaught, as I really like the result of the basing and feet reposing... takes away the static and small feel of the Black Reach dread a little. Tell me what you think.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/dread1.jpg

[Aldramelech]

I have to agree. The reposing of the model makes a world of difference.

[Shadow Queen]

There is a Multi Melta part in AoBR?

[Ithmaril]

Yes, the MM is the AoBR dread's standard weapon .

[Shadow Queen]

Does it have any other weapons? from the box?

[Ithmaril]

Nope, just the Multimelta. I'm currently considering getting some FW armament for them to magnetize, because my local store has a "order Forgeworld" day.

So, where can I have a look at your Scythes of the Emperor? :)

[Shadow Queen]

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/253044.page

[Ithmaril]

Uni made me its ***** again for the last weeks, but I've managed to do some work on the Marines here and there, and got most of the basic colours and washes on the models. Shouldn't take too long to get the infantry assembly line done.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/army3.jpg

[rsheridan5]

I have been working on the AoBR set for a while now... I just got done with all of the cutting of mold lines, assembly and cleaning. I have attached them to bases, but now I see yours and suddenly can't stand the idea of just using course sand on standard bases. Now I'm forced to cut them off of their bases and start fresh!
Curse you and your inspiring me to do better!
Oh, and thanks because they will look much better...

The assault squads look great by the way, did you free hand those Arrows on the jump packs? Very nice...

[the drake]

i love the pose of the sgt in the assault squad.

[therealjohnny5]

Agreed. Good job, Ithmaril. Nice conversions.
Make that three....converstions are the best. I love how your army has yet to cost you anything....you should do one of those trade up red paper clip things and see if you can get you're entire army built for free....

[Shadow Queen]

Assult boys look fantastic, anything new?

[Ithmaril]

So, finally, there's some progress on the Phantoms again. I have my final 1k list assembled and technically battle-ready, intending to paint them (alongside other projects) until the end of February. Here's what I've gotten done since the last update:

5 Black Reach Marines:

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/tac_3.jpg

Black Reach Dread:

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/dread_front_thumb.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/dread_front_full.jpg)

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/dread_back_thumb.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/dread_back_full.jpg)

[Aldramelech]

Goodbye

[Ithmaril]

Thanks, Aldramelech.

Oh, and I forgot something: The scouts. Painting still in progress, but I'd like to share the head swap idea, anyway. Never liked those default heads- too cartoony. So I replaced them with AT-43 Steel Trooper ones, and voila:

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/scouts1.jpg

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/scouts2.jpg

[masterofthedeathwing]

those scouts are bad@§§!

[Aldramelech]

Goodbye

[Ithmaril]

Thanks again!

I've just finished my test paintjob for the recon scouts. Not having done any camo until now, I need some feedback. So, shoot. ;)

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/firstscout.jpg

[Aldramelech]

Goodbye

[person person]

Nice Marines Ithmaril, the chappy is probably the best looking (almost) all plastic HQs I've seen. How'd you do the digital camo?

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

It all looks really good, and the simple head-swaps on the scouts make them look a million times better, I agree the official heads are too cartoony.

[Cryl]

The scouts remind me of the bad guys from the Killzone video games. The head swaps make them look a million times better than the god awful standard scout heads, nice work.

[Ithmaril]

Thanks, loungers! Glad you like. They should be ainted up and ready for combat within the next few days.

@person person: What do you mean, exactly? :)

[person person]

Well your Chaplain does have a metal shoulder pad right?

[Ithmaril]

Yeah, it wasn't about that part, but the "How'd you go the digital camo?" question. :)

If the question was how I got it, it's freehanded squares (okay, some squares don't look to squary at all) and a devlan mud wash on top.

[gorepants]

The camo's good - it looks like camo but isn't too busy and doesn't hide the lines of the model. Maybe needs some dulcote to emphasise the fabric-i-ness though. Something did on some guards years ago was glue tissue on them to make cloth gun and helmet covers the pattern on the gun barrel made me think that might fit in here. The heads are great - did you get the heads with at-43 guys or manage to find somewhere to get them on their own?

Actually, I like the whole colour scheme - it works well, especially since the main colour are all muted. Bases look good too. The only problem I have is that a lot of your guys are listing since the bases don't offer a level surface from them to stand on (though on some it's working real well - the chaplain, tac squad 2 sergeant, dread all have a good dynamism). Hmm... I hope that doesn't sound narky, since I really like what you've done.

[person person]

Yeah, it wasn't about that part, but the "How'd you go the digital camo?" question. :)

If the question was how I got it, it's freehanded squares (okay, some squares don't look to squary at all) and a devlan mud wash on top.

Oh, my bad. Question was how you got it. Thanks for answering.

[Ithmaril]

After getting mixed reviews concerning the digital camo on the cloaks and the standard camo on the rifle, I did do some testing and gave it much more thought than intended, but finally decided that I personally like the look of the test model the most. This also has the advantage that I don't have to repaint the already finished one. ;)

Anyway, finally got the cloaks done on all of them, here's a WIP shot.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/scouts_wip.jpg

[Ithmaril]

So, here's the finished unit... complicated scheme compared with usual PA, but well worth it.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/scouts_fini.jpg

[person person]

Wow, they look stunning.

[Ithmaril]

Here's a summarizing update of what I did in the meantime.

WIP libby for the 2010 FB motivational challange. He's due to be finished today, but I'm kinda stuck painting him... Guess I'll just have to get it done, even if it's not fun.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/libby_1.jpg

... so, for motivational purposes, I've done a 1k pts. army shot of my Phantoms, to see what I've gotten done so far, and what's left to finish. Finally, I'm painting an army that looks decent with camera flash. Hooray!

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/army4.jpg

Currently, I'm hellbent on finishing the infantry this month, and waiting for my army painter grey primer in order to paint the tanks in February.

[MarshalAdamar]

Nice work! I really like the flesh look.

How did you do the face on the sgt?

[Ithmaril]

Both times Dwarf Flesh and Devlan Mud in different quantities, highlighted more or less with the former and some white. As far as I can remember. ;) Thanks, glad you like.

So, here's the Libby. Not one hundred percent happy with how he came out, kinda had to rush it and made some dumb mistakes. But he's done, I've made the 40k radio freebootaz challange deadline, and I'm glad to have given a classic model some deserved love.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/libby_fini.jpg

[Aldramelech]

Goodbye

[person person]

Awesome work!

[Ithmaril]

Thanks again!

So, update time. Those were quite a pain to finish off.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/assault1_fini.jpg

I had them in my basement thickly painted and varnished, in poses I seriously didn't like, but there's no one to blame for that. They didn't take the brake fluid well- Some surfaces got rough and many details stayed damaged by thick paint and excess glue. Finally, they had to be party converted and all painted, but I sure wasn't enjoying it, and it shows when compared to the rest of my troops. But, oh well, the first batch you see above turned out okay and definitly tabletop-worthy, and I'm even quite fond of the Sergeant I converted out of one of them. I think now that I saw they do look decent, the remaining 4 wno't be as much of a frustrating task.

Step by step, closing in on my 1k points!

[Shadow Queen]

Looking good there.

[person person]

I agree the sargeant does look good too but, the idea of a Purity seal on a power fist is... questionable.

They're lookin' great regardless.

[Ithmaril]

I agree the sargeant does look good too but, the idea of a Purity seal on a power fist is... questionable.

They're lookin' great regardless.

You see, now that you mention it... you're completely right. Actually, "utter nonsense" would be more fitting.

Maybe I'll refit him later. Thanks for pointing it out.

[Shadow Queen]

you could take off the parchment as tho its been torn off in combat.

[Ithmaril]

Nice idea, Shadow Queen. I'd just have to think of a reason why he put it there in the first place, but I'll come up with something.

So, I didn't quite care to make more than an alibi picture for these, as you've all seen my assault and tactical marines before- it's really nothing new.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/lastinfantry.jpg

What's much more remarkable is the fact that those miniatures mark the final paintjobs on my army's infantry. From here on, it's just the two transports, and my first 1k points of Star Phantoms will be finally ready for some proper tabletop action!

[Shadow Queen]

I had an apithany .... http://derina-ironhandsandmorethings.blogspot.com/ a nice linky for you.

[person person]

Good luck on the vehicles!

[Ithmaril]

And here's the result of the first 40k Radio freeboota live on air painting challange.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/oa1_final.jpg

I'm mostly happy with him- the look of the special feature base turned out fine, but he doesn't look as sunk in as I wanted him. Almost as if he rose up again from the modeled and painted goo.

Anyway, it was a nice change of pace to paint a single model in a single session with more care and fresh ideas/techniques. At least for me. Some of it worked out, some not. Ah well, you live and learn!

[Shadow Queen]

he looks sweet.

[Akkon Sek]

With the truism that imitation is the best form of flattery in mind... I have stolen your idea of using the scouts heads from AT-43 Star Troopers. Force set arrived yesterday and they are currently luxuriating in a nice frothy warm Simple Green cleansing bath.

Been trying for literally months to find an adequate replacement for the low-brow, dopey-faced, square garbage heads. Even got desperate enough to attempt Green Stuff; a terrifying prospect in and of itself. End result is decent enough, but takes way too long when I am doing it (due in no small part to my skill level with that daemonic putty). These guys will be a godsend.

Once repainted and re-armed, they'd make decent Stormtroopers as well I think, if one was of that inclination.

The rest of your models are phenomenal. The blue/grey compliments perfectly and you have a great eye for detail. Very impressive work.

-A

[Ithmaril]

I'm glad you got inspired, man, and thanks about the kind words about my other stuff.... but I'm not sure if you'll be able to strip theAT-43 prepaint off, as I've heard that the colors are "baked" into the plastic after the airbrush stage. I also think it's not quite neccessary, as the layers are very thin this way.

But all of this is hearsay, so let me know how it worked for you!

Concerning their use as Guard Troopers, I always felt that scale and proportions are a little bit off compared to GWs usual miniatures.

[TSINI]

Man i have been utterly blown away by your models, and doubly so that they are repaints. and triply so with your scratchbuilds. and quadruply so with your basing and reposing. awesome stuff.

a technical question. how is your experience with "unpainting" the models with brake fluid?

how long do you expose them to it, and what do you do to not damage the models.

I ask this because i have a small space wolves force (plastics) that I wouldnt mind re-doing and an old IG army (metal) I could bring up to date with a new lick of paint.

[Ithmaril]

Thanks for your kind words!

I'm gonna be a little over-specific here, as my experience in using brake fluid is limited to one brand and something like 17 models, and differed from most what I've read about the stuff.

I bought a bottle of Shell brake & clutch fluid, "premium grade Donox YB - especially suitable for ABS and ESP". I would have picked something cheaper but I was in a hurry back then, and it was the only stuff available near me.

The plastic assault squad was thickly painted and varnished, with GW acrylics and glossy varnish, I think. Also, the former owner was very generous with PVC glue, and it spilled in some spots. I let the models rest for about 2-3 hours in that stuff and brushed them with a manual, old toothbrush, soap and in hot water.

The results were very mixed. Most flat parts were easy to clean, flat surfaces especially. But some of the plastic suffered (that's why I've taken then out so comparably quick) a rough texture and became softer- and some of the deeper cracks and detail I just couldn't get clean from color blobs. It seemed kind of... random, to be honest. Also, the spots where the glue spilled during original construction seemed permamently colored, even on flat surfaces. So, I wasn't too happy with it.

In the meantime, I did some more experimenting with metal and plastic figures. This time around, I used a rather short dipping period- 45 minutes. Also, I reduced the amout of miniatures to 5. I cut the models apart where it offered itself (arms, torso/legs, backpack), shaked the jar with the models violently from time to time, and then cleaned them with a powerful electric toothbrush (exchangable head!) / lukewarm running water, and very little soap to get rid of the chemicals. Maybe it was because of the models were slightly better done (they came almost in the same condition as described above, from the same guy), but it worked much better (obviously because of the device used) and there was no damage to the plastic at all. Because of the shorter period fo brake fluid treatment, I suppose.

Stripping metal models, I found out that it works as well, and that varnish makes a HUGE difference. You have to scrub very hard with thickly varnished models, obviously. D'Oh. Also, I'm almost sure that the time the models rest in the brake fluid makes no difference at all. The metal scriptor (thick paint, varnish) rested in there for months and months, and was as difficult to scrub clean as the models I've left in there for 45 minutes!

Hope that helps- please note that this report is solely based on my personal experience. Maybe I made some mistakes, maybe the model's state was to miserable, maybe there were entirely different factors I'm not thinking about.

[Shadow Queen]

A friend of mine uses he wife's nail varnish remover.

[Ithmaril]

I'm currently working on finishing the two transports that are left. Here's a preview... The grey and blue hull paintjob is still very rough, but you can clearly see where I'm going with this.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/razorback.jpg

[person person]

Great work Ithmaril, nice conversion too.


nail varnish remover.

I'm stripping a model in that stuff as we speak.

[Shadow Queen]

Nice 'back.

[Ithmaril]

Thanks for the kind words, guys and gals.

So, here's transport vehicle number one:

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/abihail1.jpg
http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/abihail2.jpg

[Aldramelech]

goodbye

[OCdt Mephiston]

The torn up view port at the front turned out great! And even though the weathering is a little heavy for my taste, it still looks fantastic.

[Shadow Queen]

Oooooooooh knicker elastic snappin' cool. Think I should get some assualt cannons for mine?

[Dark_Templar]

This is some amazing work.

I would like to know if you would share the grey with me though. I am looking for a nice bluish grey as a base colour which I can progressively darken with deep blue washes as a test pattern for my Crimson Fists.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Shadow Queen]

vallejo dark grey

[Dark_Templar]

vallejo dark grey

Is that it? Wow, it is a really nice shade.

[person person]

Awesome as always!

[Ithmaril]

@Dark Templar: I for my part use a basecoat of Army Painter Uniform Grey Primer Spray (a tad bit colder than GW Codex Grey), with a Badab Black Wash on top.

So, I've finally managed to finish the second transport- and therefore the last model for the 1k points.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/rhinoes_done.jpg

The paintjob was quite rushed, done on last Friday, as I had promised to get my army done until the 20th to a friend from Norway, who had to do that for a tournament. This way, he didn't feel so alone with his workload. ;) Anyway, it's been a long time since I have worked really fast and furious for several hours on a single piece, and for that, I'm quite happy with it.

So, that's it- 1k points. Expect more sentimental words and some battlefield/army shots in the next days, but right at the moment, I'm in this semester's final week, that's why the pictures are sloppy, too. Better ones coming up!

[Ithmaril]

Soooo... time for that army shots some of you might (or might not) have waited for! After surviving another exam period and finishing the 1000 points (by the skin of my teeth), it was about time to take them out to the local GW and have some much-needed quality gaming time, with the added perk of a photoshoot on a decent gaming table.

I've made quite a lot of pics and also documented my first game. Instead of providing gallery links or making a too narrow selection, I've reduced the stuff to thumbnails. Hope you don't mind the wealth of pics, but I really had fun shooting them, although my camera still blows.

So, here we go!

Inspecting the parade:

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/base1_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/base1.jpg) http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/base3_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/base3.jpg)
http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/base4_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/base4.jpg) http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/base5_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/base5.jpg)

[Ithmaril]

Scouting the field of battle:

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/scouting1_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/scouting1.jpg) http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/scouting2_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/scouting2.jpg) http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/scouting3_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/scouting3.jpg)
http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/scouting5_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/scouting5.jpg)

[Ithmaril]

The Battle:
1.000 points C:SM against BA, Annihilation

Facing the enemy / left flank view / right flank view

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle1_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle1.jpg) http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle2_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle2.jpg)
http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle3_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle3.jpg)

[Ithmaril]

Refusing the right flank / Assault Squad takes the bait in the middle

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle4_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle4.jpg) http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle5_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle5.jpg)
http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle6_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle6.jpg)

Incoming Death Company counter-charge

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle7_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle7.jpg)

[Ithmaril]

The Star Phantoms take the frontal assault of the reduced Blood Angel force- and hold the line.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle8_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle8.jpg)

While the dreadnought gets immobilized and doesn't hit anything, the Laser Cannon Razorback blows up all the armour the BAs have to offer.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle9_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battle9.jpg)

Turn 5: End of battle view. One Tactical Marine per combat squad survives, denying the Blood Angels any kill points except one, for the Assault Squad's fallen chaplain.

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battleX_tn.jpg (http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt193/ithmaril/battleX.jpg)

Result: Star Phantoms victory, 5 VPs to 1.

[Hairy Piggy]

Very nice looking army there, but my personal favourite has gotta be the scouts. Great work man!

[Aldramelech]

Goodbye

[Shadow Queen]

fantastic picts

[Force21]

Excellent. Not the last of these I hope?


I 2nd that. :D


Also the Rhino & Razorback is just awesome!


Great work.

[Ithmaril]

Thanks a lot for the feedback so far, guys and gals.

And, nope- this is definitly not the last you see of the Phantoms. I intend to at least do 1500 before I start thinking about other projects, maybe even 2000. :)

[Lindargo]

Just wondering, what heads are those scouts using?
-Lindargo

[Lindargo]

Oops, terribly sorry.
I have found your post now!
sorry about that,

-Lindargo

[and justice for all]

Just a skim through your thread. Some great pics'. You must be very pleased with that tabe top army. Looks great.