Blackadder Paints a Couple of Armies:

[Blackadder]

Dross into Gold:

So what's Blackadder doing posting a painting thread; he doesn't know how to paint? Well I need a Space Marine army for my Thunderhawk and a Cadian army for my Tanks/Titans and Adeptus Mechanicus Priesthood Enclave again for the Titans so to show them off to their best so I decided to paint up some figures.

Once again as with my Tyranids airbrushing foray I am totally at sea regarding painting so this learning experience for me will be of help to newly initiated into war gaming.

I'm going to start with the Space Marines; my son with over 10 years in 40K Wargaming has progressed from a mere tyro to an accomplished painter/gamer but in the course of which has left behind literally hundreds of 'poor' to 'indifferently' finished figures so rather than plunk down beaucoup bucks for new squad kits I going to salvage the dross and turn it into gold (At least that is my intent and hope.)

Below you see about a tenth of the derilict SM host I have to refurbish:

http://i.imgur.com/bI6UGOp.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bI6UGOpl.jpg

These SM figures were in the scrap bitz box and number about 200 figures in varied states of completion and execution.

First I divided them up into homogeneous groups:

http://i.imgur.com/8S7FvTf.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8S7FvTfl.jpg

Again this is only a sampling of the number of figures I have to disassemble, clean, repair and paint.

I employed my tried and true method of hammer and chisel to separate the figures from their bases and worried the arms, jet packs, what-have-you from the basic figures and scraped, carved, filed, and sanded the excess glue and thick paint from the figures....

http://i.imgur.com/RJD9wUw.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/RJD9wUwl.jpg

Next post Please...............

[Darren Richardson]

Dross into Gold....

Once again as with my Tyranids airbrushing foray I am totally at sea regarding painting so this learning experience for me will be of help to newly initiated into war gaming.

I'm going to start with the Space Marines; my son with over 10 years in 40K Wargaming has progressed from a mere tyro to an accomplished painter/gamer but in the course of which has left behind literally hundreds of 'poor' to 'indifferently' finished figures so rather than plunk down beaucoup bucks for new squad kits I going to salvage the dross and turn it into gold (At least that is my intent and hope.)

Blackadder I really am looking forward to seeing how you intend to tackle this subject, as it's something I'm trying to do myself, salvaging poorly made and poorly painted models off of eBay of the RT era and 2nd era, I guess we shall all learn together on this one....

Though I have to say 200+ models :shocked:

[Blackadder]

Well the 200 refers to the individual figures of 5 or six armies; still too many to just discard (I can't abide waste; anathema I know in this 'disposable' society but I am stuck with this mindset)

Of course it's a judgement call, I'm not going to spend a lot of time cleaning and repairing garbage. Some of these figures only have a coat of prime and some are bare styrene. Most of the cleaning only requires paring off glued seams buildup.

Pieces that are too far gone can be used as hors de combat in related scenery.

There are quite a few metal figures as well.

The theme I am adopting is a basic black and 'Death World Forest' green which suits my understated taste:

http://i.imgur.com/lnrlqWn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lnrlqWnl.jpg

and will go well with my proposed Thunderhawk and IG Cadians scheme.

[Brakkart]

Ohh I like your paint scheme for your Marines! What is the name of the Chapter?

[Blackadder]

I'm not really sure what constitutes a "Chapter" but these are called 'Pit Vipers'; now whether this is a squad name or a chapter name needs to be clarified with someone with more acumen than I possess.

All I know is that it is not on the 'Lexicon' list of chapters.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Space_Marine_Forces_(List)#.U5RCVfldV8H

[Blackadder]

Dreadnoughts:

There are only two complete Dreadnoughts that I can find; one metal and one plastic. I disassembled them as far as practical, filed the mating surfaces for a flush fit (especially the metal one that bore a resemblance more so to a piece of slag than a combat vessel.)

I filed the hood lines to crisp up the corners and re-assembled with sparing drops of cyanoacrylate glue......

http://i.imgur.com/r1nFyxu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/r1nFyxul.jpg

These lump-like constructions are the better for simplistic paint schemes because the highly ornate paint work tends to obliterate their already murky lines.

The unfortunate Chaos model is missing exhaust pack and leg assemblies.

http://i.imgur.com/9pwjGdu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/9pwjGdul.jpg

Dreadnoughts are not among my favorite 40K denizens being more refugees from 'Silent Running' so I'm going to use them for practicing paint schemes.

[Blackadder]

Glued For the Ages:

Okay before I go too far into this tutorial/ Learning experience I have to make a comment on model assembly. Now I know for a fact that these models were not built by my son because he got them from a friend.

For the life of me I cannot fathom why anyone would glue together the entire model before painting; at least the hard to reach places. Paint it first then glue it together. And what gluing!!!!! I had to hammer seams, pry, Literally snap the model apart on two of the cycles to get the driver out of the seat! YA DON'T NEED THAT MUCH GLUE!!!!! Scrap a bit of the paint off were the pieces join and put on a small drop of glue.

http://i.imgur.com/Mk5QSEy.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Mk5QSEyl.jpg

That way as your skills improve you can disassemble the model with ease and upgrade your work.

Now nothing I did was irreparable because I've had a lot of practice. Chances are that no one will see the dissection seams but wouldn't it be easier to use a bit of discretion when gluing ????

http://i.imgur.com/XYqVJtF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XYqVJtFl.jpg

Now that I've got that off my chest I can proceed with the painting.

http://i.imgur.com/1aLop09.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1aLop09l.jpg

[Darren Richardson]

Well the 200 refers to the individual figures of 5 or six armies; still too many to just discard (I can't abide waste; anathema I know in this 'disposable' society but I am stuck with this mindset)

Of course it's a judgement call, I'm not going to spend a lot of time cleaning and repairing garbage. Some of these figures only have a coat of prime and some are bare styrene. Most of the cleaning only requires paring off glued seams buildup.

Pieces that are too far gone can be used as hors de combat in related scenery.

There are quite a few metal figures as well.

The theme I am adopting is a basic black and 'Death World Forest' green which suits my understated taste:

http://i.imgur.com/lnrlqWn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lnrlqWnl.jpg

and will go well with my proposed Thunderhawk and IG Cadians scheme.

Still 200 hundred plus is a nice amount, I have around 100 marines myself of which I know 80% was brought brand new (though 25% of that 80% needed stripping down due to a failed paintjob) the remaining 20% are second hand, some of which... well some are so badly put together and one even looks like a huge blob due to bad use of of undercoat spray, that they will need some serious surgery to get right :D

- - - Updated - - -

Oh and I like that Paint scheme you intend to use, very unusual....

[Blackadder]

Thanks for the reply,

Chaos Dreadnought:

The snows fall'n and I've got a bit of a cold so I'm looking around for something simple to do and came upon these Dreadnoughts I started to refurbish last Summer.

One SM plastic Dreadnought pretty much done but needs some embellishment on the top, the trouble is I have no idea what goes with it and I can't find it on google.

Then I have a Metal SM Dreadnought that's also complete except for a broken left arm.

Then we have the problem of the Chaos Dreadnought that has two right arms, no left CC weapon missing one foot and the exhaust manifold piece.

http://i.imgur.com/q4GId6N.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/q4GId6Nl.jpg

That's where I shall start today; making those missing pieces.

We'll start with the foot..............

[Blackadder]

Dude These Things Are Expensive!

Hell I had no idea how expensive these hideous lumps of metal are.

The three I'm playing with cost about a hundred bucks!

So they're well worth repairing/refurbishing

The plastic foot which I've been scratching on and off today is coming out pretty good

http://i.imgur.com/BKDOkwr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/BKDOkwrl.jpg

I have to be careful to not make it too perfect otherwise it will make the metal one look too shoddy. :D

Seriously there is very little consistency of measurement regarding thickness or spacing of the toes and very few of the angles approach 90° square. it only takes a degree or two on something this small to make it appear haphazardly made.

http://i.imgur.com/gxkjWRh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/gxkjWRhl.jpg

I purposely made the toes slightly thicker than they are suppose to be so I can file them to shape when the foot is fully assembled.

http://i.imgur.com/EZFL0aR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EZFL0aRl.jpg

[joosterandom]

It's probably worth mentioning that those metal Dreads are casts that started production around twenty years ago, roughly on par with ancient history like the Marauder Miniatures Giant. I can't imagine the process being terribly reliable back then.

[Blackadder]

It's probably worth mentioning that those metal Dreads are casts that started production around twenty years ago, roughly on par with ancient history like the Marauder Miniatures Giant. I can't imagine the process being terribly reliable back then.

Accurate casting has gone on for hundreds of years but a better question is this.........

Here's a question; I just went on ebay and SM Dreadnoughts are going for $35 bucks a pop regardless of condition and Chaos Dreads and going for ten to twenty bucks cheaper; what's the reason for this?

[joosterandom]

You can turn a Dread into a Chaos Dread, but you can't do the opposite, I suppose, especially with the ongoing Horus Heresy drive. That, and Chaos probably has better army choices.

[Darren Richardson]

Here's a question; I just went on ebay and SM Dreadnoughts are going for $35 bucks a pop regardless of condition and Chaos Dreads and going for ten to twenty bucks cheaper; what's the reason for this?

Most Chaos players who don't have access to Forge World's IA13 won't have the rules for Dreadnoughts since GW changed them in the Codex to Hellbrutes and nobody seems to use them since then....

Which is a shame I quite like the old Chaos Dread's myself.

Oh and it's great that your taking up those old unloved figures again and bringing this thread back to life....

[Blackadder]

Well I hoped to corner the market on Chaos refurbished Dreads but there apparently is no market. Well the few I have should make for an interesting diorama. :D

[Darren Richardson]

Well I hoped to corner the market on Chaos refurbished Dreads but there apparently is no market. Well the few I have should make for an interesting diorama. :D

Yes they will make ideal foot rests for Knights :D

[Blackadder]

50 Pieces of Plastic:

That's my rough estimate of the number of pieces contained in this foot.

Many of them much smaller than an ant, it only goes to show what can be done if you set your mind to it.

http://i.imgur.com/qSFF6VS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/qSFF6VSl.jpg

Now the real kick in the slats is if you go on ebay you can buy the whole Dreadnought for about $15 bucks including shipping.

So you're working for how much of an hourly rate Blackadder????????

[Blackadder]

Cold Remedy:

Are plastic fumes good for a cold?

How 'bout toxic metals, whatever these Dreads are made of

Anyway the foot fits real good and my trio is shaping up.

http://i.imgur.com/y7MmJfL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/y7MmJfLl.jpg

Not bad for a pile of scrap they cleaned up pretty good.

The rear exhaust is coming along as well I think I made the holes too big but perhaps the paint will close them up a tad

http://i.imgur.com/tKTUNhk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/tKTUNhkl.jpg

These things are a lot of work for being as tiny as they are. I'm use to vehicles that are measured in feet not inches.

http://i.imgur.com/GbHFXrK.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GbHFXrKl.jpg

But they'll look good on the display diorama if for nothing else a scale reference.

http://i.imgur.com/ytE5xYf.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ytE5xYfl.jpg

[Blackadder]

Well Good Enough:

I had to fudge quite a bit of the exhaust stacks but it's a fair facsimile of a Chaos Helbrute Dreadnought exhaust.

http://i.imgur.com/uilgoWJ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/uilgoWJl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/BJq2vX5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/BJq2vX5l.jpg

Yeah I know 'Good enough' is not in my vocabulary but sometimes it is........ :D

Ya gotta draw the line somewhere..........

[Wolfshade]

Great work there!

[Darren Richardson]

your scratch built replacement parts look amazing Blackadder, keep up the good work.

[miteyheroes]

Amazing scratchbuilding as always, and I like the Pit Vipers colour scheme!

[Blackadder]

Thanks,

Little Dude:

I suppose it's a lot of work for something that is relatively valueless but it makes me feel good to make this little dude look as good as he can.

So with a coat of primer and a coat of flat black he's ready for the gilt.

http://i.imgur.com/8qJFqYY.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8qJFqYYl.jpg

Now a Question for Chaos aficionados, is it correct to have a Dread painted with the same colour scheme as a Chaos Warhound?

http://i.imgur.com/c2PXtCu.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/c2PXtCul.jpg

I mean there is no Adeptus Mechanicus for Chaos is there?

http://i.imgur.com/20UesYU.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/20UesYUl.jpg

So what would a proper colour scheme be if not the rotted green and rusty steel of my Warhound?

[miteyheroes]

Chaos can be any colour you like - a Warhound and a Dreadnought/Helbrute in the same colourscheme would not be unheard of. Both have pledged to follow one warleader, and together they have forged a new warband with a new colour scheme. Etc. They are far less formal than the Imperials, where a Space Marine and a titan in the same colours is a rarity.

[Darren Richardson]

Chaos can be any colour you like - a Warhound and a Dreadnought/Helbrute in the same colourscheme would not be unheard of. Both have pledged to follow one warleader, and together they have forged a new warband with a new colour scheme. Etc. They are far less formal than the Imperials, where a Space Marine and a titan in the same colours is a rarity.

What he said...

On a serious note, paint it however you feel it should be painted, after all it is your model....

But I do like the sound of squad of Dreadies swarming around the heels of a Titan all in the same livery.....

[Blackadder]

Chaos Dread' Boneyard:

Well the last two of the Dreadnought squad has been cleaned, quite exhausting as the painting was thickly brush applied oil based gloss enamel that completely obscured the detail. I soaked everything in 'Simple Green for two weeks and wire brushed off as most I could then I boiled the remainder until softened and scrapped off the residue. The result came out pretty clean.

We see the result here with the four previously primed and base-coated flat black cadre looking on.

http://i.imgur.com/7QGHaI8.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7QGHaI8l.jpg

Once all are is a similar state I can commence the painting proper.

http://i.imgur.com/Xsyg4f2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Xsyg4f2l.jpg

This was an arduous task for a bunch of worthless metal..........

[Darren Richardson]

This was an arduous task for a bunch of worthless metal..........

Price of simple green (insert here).....

Price of materials for replacements (insert here)......

Look of horror on oppents face when you plonk 4 Choas Dread's down......

Priceless!

For everything thing else there's Mastercard!

[Blackadder]

Thanks for the reply....

I've never been a big fan of Dreads so when I stumbled on a cache of them (6)I was reluctant to waste the time refurbishing them especially since I was informed that metal Chaos Dreads have no intrinsic value. The above post intimates the reverse so which is it to be; do they have clout on the battleboard or not and if they are painted in a reasonably professional manner do metal Dreads have significant marketable value?

[Darren Richardson]

well the asking price on eBay in the UK is typically anywhere between £10 and £25, and often that's poorly painted or in pieces....

As for on the table, since they turned them into Hellbrutes, they got worse in gameplay, however I believe that Forgeworld have them in their IA13 book as they still produce those older style versions, but I don't have that book, I think IIRC that Mr Mystery did a thread on Imperial Armour's 13th volume, he might be you best bet on that score.

[Blackadder]

25 quid; that seems a bit excessive for run of the mill metal 'bots.

I'm sitting on a fortune here :D

No Excuses;

Well they're all cleaned and primed so there are no excuses left to not start painting these bad boys so first a highlight base of Vallejo German Grey

http://i.imgur.com/d18ta4M.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/d18ta4Ml.jpg

on the flat panel areas..............

[Blackadder]

The Joy of Sex:

Sexy airbrushing that is; in the few short months that I've been building I'd forgotten how much fun it is to spray paint (with an airbrush of course) primer and basic black aerosol spray doesn't count.

Well I fired up the old airbrush; it was completely clogged (someone forgot to clean it last Summer) so a quick cleaning and back in business.

All I know about painting I learned from watch 'Buypainted's videos on youtube If there is a better painter I haven't found him.

Anyway first a highlighting coat on the flat surfaces leaving a rim of black next to the raised metal areas...........

http://i.imgur.com/3SmLfKD.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3SmLfKDl.jpg

I'm using 'Vallejo ModelAir German Grey 71.052' for the highlighting, it's almost black so it's hard to see in the images but the flash picks it out better than natural light. You don't want it perfect because each Dread will be subtly unique but they all will have the same basic colouring so they look like a squad.

http://i.imgur.com/rhga7my.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/rhga7myl.jpg

[Blackadder]

Parsimony Thy Name Is Blackadder

Or vise-versa; frugality is my motto and considering how much these thimbles full of paint cost this information should be worth it's weight in gold.

I've heard many extollations of the virtues of airbrushing but this hasn't been mentioned; to my knowledge anyway.

I just painted all the grey highlights including a full tank worth of Baneblade bogies with 4 drops of paint

and the all the green parts of the entire Chaos Dread squad with 7 drops of 'Vallejo Model Air Lt Grey Green 71.044' paint.

You can't get more economical than that.

http://i.imgur.com/lUtDDH7.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lUtDDH7l.jpg

Of course I did thin the paint 50/50 with rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl) but that stuff is cheap.

So who can afford not to airbrush?

[Darren Richardson]

I really have to start practising again with my airbrushs (I've got 3!)

I'm hoping to get hold of some paint next week and start while I've got a holiday still (off work for 9 days straight, lovely:D )

I never realised it used so little paint though

[Kirsten]

an airbrush is one of those things I keep promising myself I will buy, then just spend money on more models instead

[Blackadder]

A Case of Identity:

I have quite a few Chaos metal figures in sorry state of repair and I was wondering if anyone can I identify them for me so I can put the proper weapons to the figures?

This is just a starter line up.

I know the second figure from the left is a Chaos Lord Abaddon The Despoiler
and I have the right arm claw for him and I'll have to scrounge the sword.

http://i.imgur.com/ZXWlcbt.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZXWlcbtl.jpg

I'm not concerned about the two plastic figures I don't even think they are Chaos but the two metal figures at both ends seem worthwhile repairing and painting.

If you can identify any of them call them left to right 1,2,3,4 or 5

Thx,

[irnmonkey]

Think the one on the far right is Kharn the betrayer, the two beside look like generic plastic Khorne chaos marines. No idea about the one on the far left, sorry. :)

[Kirsten]

1 chaos marine, 2 Abaddon, 3 and 4 Berserkers, 5 Kharn The Betrayer.

[Blackadder]

Whoa that was fast, thank you very much; You guys really know your Chaos. I'm amazed at your perspicacity, the image wasn't that good; I hope to have better pictures later on.

This has already paid off handsomely I believe I have a right arm for 'The betrayer.

Nope.....

the two figures #s 3 and 4 are really crudely moulded plastic; are they worth restoring?

[Blackadder]

How about these; the three to the left are metal? The one on the right is beautifully moulded plastic that was in two pieces in different boxes. By some miracle the pieces were compatible.

http://i.imgur.com/FXnoyua.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/FXnoyual.jpg

Thanks,

[miteyheroes]

1st picture is a Chaos Marine Icon Bearer, Abaddon, 2xmonopose chaos Khorne Berserkers (the previous plastic box for them), and then Kharn.

2nd picture is a Chaos Marine Aspiring Champion (Sergeant), I think a Chaos Nurgle Plague Marine Aspiring Champion, I think just a regular Chaos Marine, and then the Assault on Black Reach Space Marine Captain (not chaos).

[Kirsten]

yup, what he said

[Blackadder]

Thanks, that's great; so #4 isn't Chaos and he's missing a huge battle banner, good to know.

Thank you very much. I have about a dozen more to be identified but I think I've visited the well quite enough for now.

Thanks to all who have participated.

I'm amazed at the fund of knowledge available especially for figures almost 25 years old.

[miteyheroes]

They're all at least 18 years old (apart from the Assault on Black Reach dude) - here's the 1997 catalogue with them in: http://solegends.com/citcat1997/index.htm

Which dates me, as I remember them all being released...

[Kirsten]

yup, likewise, I remember those chaos dudes coming out. I still have the power fist aspiring champion. I had a plastic left hand fist the same clawed style which I stuck on him so he had a matching pair.

[Darren Richardson]

yes I remember quite a few of them as well, espc the Khorne Plastic Berserkers, the only other cult troop that was also plastic IIRC was the Plague Troopers, still got an armless one of those in my collection....

It's quite funny that the arm is the most commonly missing part on any of those old plastic figures (this included the 2nd edition plastic sarge from the boxed game), then it's the bolter from the 2nd ed plastic marines from the original boxed game....

[miteyheroes]

yup, likewise, I remember those chaos dudes coming out. I still have the power fist aspiring champion. I had a plastic left hand fist the same clawed style which I stuck on him so he had a matching pair.

The claw from the Plastic Ork Heavy Weapons sprue, perhaps? http://www.solegends.com/citcat1997/1997p089-02.htm I sadly missed that 1st time round, only picked one up a couple of years ago.

[Kirsten]

no, left hand guy in the second picture with the raised right clawed fist, there was a matching chaos space marine plastic left fist. don't know where it came from, he looked cool with two though.