Powerslave's Alaitoc Rangers and a Krieg Lascannon Team

[Powerslave]

Hey guys!

I wanted to show some of my recent (month of june) painting work. Currently I am on a hiatus from painting / modelling (due to tough work schedule and a lot of travel, I don't have time to paint). Any criticism or comments would be most appreciated.

Alaitoc Rangers - Night Falcons Reconaissance Unit
under the command of Captain Kailen

"Amraith Thal'ren is a member of Kailen's reconaissance unit. Together with Kailen and Jern, they are the only three Alaitoc survivors in the danger zone. Two more survivors have been located in other parts of the death world that now is Calvinus Prime (that is before the exterminatus, and the changes in the atmosphere / environment are caused by Daemonic infestation and corruption). About the two other survivors and the third member of Kailen's last stand you will hear soon.

Amraith is a true marksman - his aim with his rifle is legendary. His patience is strong and his nerves are made of steel. As you can see, Amraith is all covered in mud and dust, as he usually provides cover fire for the team from hidden dirty / muddy positions.

As things stand right now, the Rangers have heard the rumours of an incoming exterminatus of the planet as the Imperial forces cannot oppose the Chaotic invaders anymore (they have grown far too strong and the local population has been corrupted to the point of total madness). Kailen has received new orders from the Alaitoc fleet - kill the local governor (who is a host to chaos now) and escape while the planet hasn't been bombed yet."

Captain Keilen:

Close Up (front):

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/8369/img0374mil.th.jpg (http://img43.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0374mil.jpg)

Close Up (back):

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/6167/img0378o.th.jpg (http://img20.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0378o.jpg)

Ranger Amraith:

Front:

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/4968/img0413i.th.jpg (http://img30.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0413i.jpg)

Close-up:

http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/8263/img0419u.th.jpg (http://img30.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0419u.jpg)

[Powerslave]

... Here is the continuation...

Ranger Faerin

His name is Faerin, and he is one of the two Rangers that was located outside of the danger zone (by danger zone I mean the capital city where the most intense urban combat imaginable was taking place). Faerin's three men squad was supposed to watch the main highway into the Southern City (the outskirts of Terminus Hal, the capital of the planet). The squad deployed in a forest and set up camp there. Unfortunately a Chaos patrol hit them at the most unexpected moment and Faerin is the only survivor.

Front:

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/7692/img0429r.th.jpg (http://img25.imageshack.us/i/img0429r.jpg/)

Close up Front:

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/3866/img0431g.th.jpg (http://img194.imageshack.us/i/img0431g.jpg/)

Back:

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/910/img0430r.th.jpg (http://img25.imageshack.us/i/img0430r.jpg/)

I have used German Fieldgrey from my VMC range as the base color for the cloak. I have also used German Dark Green, Cam Bright Green for the shadow / highlight and Luftwaffe Uniform for gloves. For the armour I used Mordian Blue, Enchanted Blue, and Ice Blue (the GW Citadel blues) in about 6 layers.

For the rust I used both Light Rust and Standard Rust from MIG Pigments (I used SR in areas that have had more contact with oxygen and water). Next time, I am thinking of trying out the Oil and Wet Effects Mixture, but I really need to construct an appropriate base to display those effects (so maybe I will leave it to my Death Korps of Krieg).

[Powerslave]

... Continuation (I can't post more pictures in a single post)...

This is Jern. He was born into a very noble family, but as soon as he hit the age of being capable to hold a rifle and travel from planet to planet, he pledged his life to an eternal struggle against Chaos. He became a Ranger, like many young Alaitoc warriors choose to. He swore an oath to protect the greatest secrets of the Eldar culture and to fight all the enemies both within and outside.

Jern is a great marksman, but he shines even more as a fast-paced shooter. Jern does not believe in close combat and avoids it all costs. His skill with two pistols at the same time is legendary as he believes that only the quickest reflexes and reactivity distinguish the best warrior from the worst. He is one of the three Rangers that are left operating in Terminus Hal, in the thickest of the battle.

For an Alaitoc Ranger, Jern is a talkative individual. Jern is somewhat of an official daredevil of the Night Falcons squad - he is a real risktaker, and he prides himself on that fact. The most dangerous missions that are assigned to the Night Falcons usually involve Jern, as he does not know how to say no to danger. So far, the Eldar Gods have watched over this young ranger, but for how long will chance be on his side? Nobody knows...

For Jern, I have used mostly Vallejo Model Colors - except for the blue armour. So, look at my other posts for the list of paints that I used. One thing though - on this little fellow I applied much more filters (yes, the MIG ones, SIN Industries German Set) in at least 2 layers and I used a bigger variety of MIG pigments to weather the base and show all the different stones, rubble and mud. For example, before I never used Track Brown MIG pigment for individual characters (usually reserved it for tracks on tanks), but I realized why not try it, since it seemed to go perfectly in combination with Industrial City Dirt, Dry Mud, and Light Dust.

A few people have asked me what colors do I use for my bases, well here is the exact breakdown for this base:

Stones: Industrial City Dirt, then Dry Mud, then Light Dust.

Mud and Little Pebbles: Industrial City Dirt, then Track Brown, then a Mix of Dry Mud and Vietnam Earth, then Dry Mud with some Thinner for Washes, and then a few light strokes with a brush of Light Dust.

Rust: Citadel Boltgun Metal, then Black Smoke, then Light Rust, then some Dry Mud and Black smoke in areas that haven't been seriously affected by rust, then Standard Rust in most watery places, and then Black Smoke on the edges where the material was heavily burnt.

Clothing: Be careful not to overdo it! I put a few strokes of Light Dust, and then at the bottom of the cloak where the weathering is most intense I put a bit extra Dry Mud, and sometimes Vietnam Earth, depending on the environment I want to portray. If I want to go for a pure Urban environment, then I will throw in a bit of Concrete and Industrial City Dust pigments onto the clothing.

Alaitoc Ranger Jern, front:

http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/2576/img0442w.th.jpg (http://img38.imageshack.us/i/img0442w.jpg/)

Back:

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/6518/img0436x.th.jpg (http://img25.imageshack.us/i/img0436x.jpg/)

The last ranger is Vyrael - a classic sniper. He is a modest individual - doesn't complain much and is not very talkative. He has been a dedicated friend to Kailen since childhood and has always watched his back.

I have used all my classic choices of paints here. The cloak was painted in Luftwaffe Uniform with Field Blue for Highlights and Prussian Blue for Shadows. The gloves were painted with my massive choice of Vallejo greens (with German Fieldgrey as a basecoat). I made sure to generously cover this little guy with my Filters to guarantee a very "cool" (as in cold) tone of color. The base was completed with my MIG pigments.

Front:

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/3328/img0450s.th.jpg (http://img23.imageshack.us/i/img0450s.jpg/)

Back:

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/2792/img0452b.th.jpg (http://img23.imageshack.us/i/img0452b.jpg/)

[Powerslave]

And finally! The group picture:

Vyrael, Jern, Kailen, Amraith and Faerin:

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/6172/img0456pbl.th.jpg (http://img23.imageshack.us/i/img0456pbl.jpg/)

Death Korps of Krieg - Lascannon Team - Radoslav and Herman
Krieg 459th Artillery Regiment (part of the 24th Line Korps)

I have decided to work on my Death Korps this weekend and my target goal was to finish a lascannon team. This was not an easy ride, I have to tell you that. The weather was very hot the last three days - and I was sweating way too much when I was painting, so I was constantly distracted. Also - there were a lot of small details to paint - and with extreme care, in order to avoid making mistakes.

Anyways, I am happy that I got through with this miniature, and I am proud of the results (although I know that I could have done so much better).

These are Herman Hubert and Radoslav Freiko - old friends, for whom this is a second campaign. Both men were born on Krieg and went through the toughest challenges and tests to join the famed Death Korps. They both come from a similar background - large families, living in poverty, toiling away in the horrid working conditions of Krieg.

Herman and Radoslav are fairly talkative individuals - unlike many of their compatriots. They still believe in good and have hope for a brighter future. They are currently attached to the Krieg 24th Line Korps as part of the Krieg 459th Artillery Regiment. At the moment, both men are awaiting deployment orders for their regiment (as they have just retreated from Optimum II, which has been lost to Kolliostro's warhost).

This miniature represents Herman and Radoslav during the Battle for Optimum II - when the local population turned on the defenders and the Regiments of Krieg and the Steel Legion had to support the Angels of Absolution, the Exorcists and the Raptors Legion in engaging the enemy and cleansing the planet.

Front look:

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5765/img0471oct.th.jpg (http://img196.imageshack.us/i/img0471oct.jpg/)

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/9249/img0470r.th.jpg (http://img177.imageshack.us/i/img0470r.jpg/)

Back:

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/7541/img0473c.th.jpg (http://img196.imageshack.us/i/img0473c.jpg/)

To achieve these results I used mostly Vallejo Model Color paints (as usual at about 75%), MIG Pigments, MIG SIN Industries Filters and Abteilung Oils. I also used a few GW Citadel and Foundation paints.

The cloaks / vests were painted in German Fieldrey, with shadows done in German Dark Green and highlights done in German Cam. Bright Green. Everything was filtered with the Sin Industries German Filter "Blue for Panzer Grey."

The gloves and the pants were painted in German Cam. Black Brown and then twice highlighted with Leather Brown and German Cam. Pale Brown. Instead of using MIG filters here, I used GW's Devlan Mud wash on the pants and the gloves. All leather was done with Ochre colors from the VMC range, then highlight by GW's Bubonic Brown one last time and all heavily filtered by SIN Industries "Tan for Tritonal Camo."

The helmets and the shoulderpads were done in regular black and highlighted by grey, and then washed by GW's Badab Black. The gas masks were painted with Cam. Orange Ochre, washed by Devlan Mud, and then highlighted by Bubonic Brown. Everything was then filtered by "Brown for Yellow" Filter.

Now to the base and the lascannon emplacement...

I used all the GW metal and tin/gold colors to get the metallics done. Everything was washed then by Badab Black (for metallics) or by Devlan Mud (tin / gold).

The mud was created by mixing 65% Abteilung Oil Paint "Wash Brown," at 30% Dry Mud MIG Pigment, and at 5% Vallejo Gloss Varnish. This gave me the needed substance to apply to the stones, crevices, openings and muddy areas. I just kept building it up until I achieved the desired size and color. After drying for about an hour, I applied a bit of Dry Mud and Light Dust to slightly highlight the mud and bring some vesatility to the tones. I also applied some Dry Mud directly to the wheels of the lascannon to make things more realistic.

The metal elements that were heavily exposed to the natural elements (like rain and oxygen) were rusted with MIG Pigments in my classic way by first applying a general layer of "Light Dust" and then adding "Black Smoke" where some serious burns occured and then in the most exposed areas, I applied "Standard Rust" which has a richer red tone.

So that is pretty much it - if you do your bases in the same way, please do yourselves a favor and do not forget to apply the Pigment Fixer - it will make your life so much easier, and your pigment application so much more durable.

You can follow most of my Warhammer Projects through my blog (which I update about 10 times per month, except for July and August). All background and fiction that I write are also posted there.
http://timeofending.blogspot.com

[Mortagon]

Some nice paintjobs you have done there, I espescially like the dark and gritty look you've managed to get on your Eldar. Really fun to read about the backstory for each mini, clearly you have given your armies alot more thought then I have, but I have yet to play in a campaign.

[Powerslave]

Thanks for the positive feedback Mortagon!

I have another Alaitoc Eldar, that I have finished very recently (yes, indeed, I found the time to get some painting done - even I was shocked by that)

Alaitoc Eldar Dark Reaper Exarch

Never had the chance to upload the pictures in the last week, so here we go... The is Exarch Yriel - a noble warrior and respected leader. Like other Alaitoc Eldar forces, he participated in the Campaign to free Gloria Flax. He was one of the Eldar leaders to coordinate siege tactics and artillery maneuvers.

He was not involved in the Battle for Calvinus Prime, as only reconaissance units were sent to the surface of that planet.

The Dark Reapers were most active when the Alaitoc Fleet fully engaged the forces of Chaos at the Battle of Optimum II (this story is currently in the making).

Front:

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/9275/img0521z.th.jpg (http://img29.imageshack.us/i/img0521z.jpg/)

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/8742/img0522a.th.jpg (http://img228.imageshack.us/i/img0522a.jpg/)

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9094/img0524b.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/i/img0524b.jpg/)

Back:

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/3587/img0523f.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/i/img0523f.jpg/)

I used mainly GW paints on this Exarch. Mordian Blue (from the Foundation line) was used as the Blue basecoat, while Deneb Stone (also Foundation) was used as the basecoat for the bone areas. Blue Shadows were done with Azurmen Blue wash, while the beige shadows were done with Gryphonne Sephia wash. Blue Highlights were done with Enchanted Blue and Ice Blue, while bone highlights were done in Bleached Bone and Skull White. Yellow areas were painted in my usual technique of building up layers from Iyanden Darksun all the way to Sunburst Yellow (of course not forgetting my MIG SIN Industries filters here and Golden Yellow), a technique that I use often for my Imperial Fists.

The base was weathered with MIG Pigments as always. The head of the Chaos Marine on the base, was painted in Rotting Flesh and then washed with Thraka Green - then I used MIG Industrial Dirt and Standard Rust to show that the head had been severed quite some time ago.

[kanisX]

Very nice paintjobs! I'm currently working on a Alaitoc army myself so I'll be borrowing some of your ideas.

again good job! Can't wait to see more work.

[Hephesto]

Those are some sweet rangers, great to see people using those etched brass cities of death bits ;)