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  1. #1
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    Default Shades head to the Brighton Warlords! An army progression thread.

    Hello guys, girls and trolls.

    In a little under a month's time I will be making my way down to Brighton for what is always an awesome tournament, hosted by the Brighton Warlords. I've been there several times before for a variety of tournaments, but this one will be 40k, 1500 points and a few restrictions to help some of the older codex's that can't fully take advantage of 6th ed just yet (also to nurf a few of the meaner allies combinations without making them unusable/maintaining the characters of the armies). Never one to make life easy for myself, I'm not taking a list I have used at other tournaments or that I have fully painted up. No, not me. Some of you may have spotted [URL="www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?30172-Tournament-1500-points-Space-Marines-with-Imperial-Guard-allies"]a list recently posted by me[/URL] up in the Tactics forum: Well here is what it looks like;



    As you may have spotted, I still have a lot of work to do with these guys. A handful of miniatures are fully painted but the majority, even some that look it, are not. I think the only things I am happy with are the Vendetta, the Primaris Psyker and the Penal Legionnaires. Well, that is the allied detachment dealt with at least...



    The bike squad will form the core of this force; a fast moving, high toughness scoring unit (thanks to the biker captain) that can split in to two units if I really need them too? Naturally they are going to be of a reasonable priority to a lot of my opponents, particularly if they can take out my vehicles quickly.

    I am actually fairly happy with the three knightly bikers at the front. That said, they stand apart from the army visually, so I'll probably add in a bit more red on the bikes. The other guys will take a lot of their visual clues from them though, with primarily silver armour, the black and gold left shoulder pad and perhaps some individual heraldry though I may restrict that to the robed bikers.



    Speaking of bikers, here is the Captain. There are some much better pictures of him on [URL="http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?26090-Jet-Bikes-SotonShades-vs-Machinator"]here[/URL], along with a fairly full description of what I have in mind for painting him. You will have to scroll down a fair way, but there is plenty of interesting stuff to read (I hope you'll agree) along the way.
    Always thinking 2 projects ahead of anything I've yet to finish
    http://instinctuimperator.blogspot.co.uk/

  2. #2
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    My Mortis Contemptor obviously needs a LOT of work. On the one hand I don't want to rush doing him. On the other, I have a lot to do. He might only get a basic paint job that I can update later on, but I would like to be at least in the running for Best Painted at the tournament. That may just be a pipe dream, as there are usually a good number of very well painted armies at Brighton Warlords (see [URL="http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?16886-Cvife-s-Pre-Heresy-Death-Guard-%28A-blatant-rip-off-of-Bigred!%29"]Cvife's Death Guard[/URL], who have won before, for a hint of the stiff competition I could be facing) but I am hoping my conversions, particularly the posing of the Contemptor and the Captain, might just pull a few votes my way.



    Last but not least, the 'bulk' of my force. Two tactical squads and a pair of Vindicators. With the exception of the Powerfist Sergeant and his friend with the flamer I don't think I have got the red on any of the marines' armour right. Most of them need a lot of detailing work (such as eyes, chapter marking etc) as well as decent highlights. I will get them all up to a minimum standard before going too much into that kind of stuff though.

    As for the Vindicators, they are all but done.A couple of details need picking out and a couple of repairs need to be made, most notably on the one on the right who doesn't even have his Storm Bolter. They will probably be one of the last things I do though as they will hold their own as they are. This picture really doesn't do them justice at all. That's what you get for trying to take photos at night without a proper light source I guess.



    Newho, so my plan? I am going to try to do some updates every day or two showing at least some noticeable progress. May not be easy, as the weather forecast looks like it could be 100% humidity for most of the next 7 days, so undercoating is right out the window. Still, not like there aren't plenty of other bodies I can be working on.

    Comments, criticisms, idea and suggestions are all welcome as usual. Also, please please bug me if I haven't posted for a few days to keep me motivated to keep having progress to show. Cheers much

    Shades
    Always thinking 2 projects ahead of anything I've yet to finish
    http://instinctuimperator.blogspot.co.uk/

  3. #3
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    They look great!
    "Let them come. We shall smite them down where they stand" Warsmith Vorax of the 15th Grand Battalion.

  4. #4
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    Right, so... I didn't manage to do posting every couple of days. Sorry about that. So much for this thread keeping me motivated, eh?

    I do have some updates for you today though! Rejoice, sit back and enjoy;



    This may not look like much of an update, but it is. I've gone through all my marines in this list and touched up the reds and painted over the very rough chapter symbols and identification numbers on the legs. Several of them still need a highlight/overbrush with a lighter, fierier red, but I am working my war through that.



    These guys are getting there. They have had their legs redone with Jokaero Orange, brightenned up with Trollslayer Orange and then toned with Seraphim Sepia. I also redid the purity seals and am currently touching up the yellow sections. On a side note, this squad has been dropped from an 8 man squad to a 7 man so that I can afford a Storm shield for the Captain. The sharp-eyed amongst you will notice there are still 8 models in this picture. That is because I am far less intelligent than I look so have still been working on the full 8 man squad, the last of whom I have been doing for no real reason. Rest assured, he is now set aside, ready for the next time I work on my marines.

    And now for something most of you will find a little more interesting;




    Yes, thanks to a friend who allowed me to re-colour the underside of his gaming board in a room that isn't so cold the paint freezes rather than drying, I have finally managed to get this guy undercoated! I have been wanting to get on and paint the Contemptor for a while now, but the inclement weather here in the UK has been preventing me from doing so. Now I can go all guns blazing (or at least, all brushes dripping... well; you get the idea) and get on with it.

    Never give in to peer pressure children. On the other hand, everyone who has seen my vindicators has been suggesting I do the Contemptor in the same scheme, which I wasn't going to do. However the idea is growing on me, so I'll be doing him as a crossover between my marines and the tanks, with the same colour layout as the marines, but using the dark, drydrushed red instead of the bright fire red on the marines, a dark metallic (probably bronze or the like) instead of orange and a lighter, goldish metallic instead of the yellow. I will probably have a bright helmet though, either in red, yellow or silver to make the head really pop. I'll also be using other gunmetal metallics on various parts of the model, particularly the guns, and a little of the turquoise/light blue on the weapon cowlings, but not too much.

    I will probably do something fairly similar to my orks for the dead Kan on the base as well, looking relatively fresh, so it does look like the Contemptor has kicked him down, rather than just standing on a wreck that was all ready there.


    On a final note for now, I have also undercoated a few of the bikes as well, but haven't photographed them. I'll get on to that when I have a worthwhile number to show you and/or when I am ready to start painting the squad.

    So that is is from me on this post. Fingers crossed I'll get some stuff done today so you can see some progress before the end of the day, or tomorrow if not.

    Shades
    Always thinking 2 projects ahead of anything I've yet to finish
    http://instinctuimperator.blogspot.co.uk/

  5. #5
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    Got some progress done on the Contemptor (and more importantly nothing to do before heading out to one of my gaming clubs but let it dry and take some photos!)




    As you can see, it isn't a lot of progress, but it gives you a decent impression of where it's going. Along with touching up the undercoat I have
    • Dry brushed red onto the body*
    • Painted Warplock Bronze onto the shins/feet
    • Painted Balthasar Gold onto the Knee joints, elbow joints, sarcophagus aquilla and exhausts


    *I used Wazdakka Red for the drybrush, but it came out a bit too bright and slightly pinky. I washed it down with Agrax Earthshade, but I think I should have used Wild Rider Red instead as although it is a brighter shade of red, it isn't a strong as Wazdakka so more of the black below would have come through making for a darker tone all together. That said I am pretty pleased with the end result and it sits really nicely next to my Vindicators.

    So that is it for me today painting-wise. I'm off to test the mettle of my list against a Salamanders army. Two forces rather obsessed with fire? What can possibly go wrong!

    Shades
    Always thinking 2 projects ahead of anything I've yet to finish
    http://instinctuimperator.blogspot.co.uk/

  6. #6
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    Progress Report;

    Contemptor is all but finished. The KillaKan on the base has every shade of blue GW produces on it (wish I was kidding. Still, fun to experiment) and the rest of the base has been painted, washed and drybrushed to within an inch of its life! The bronse on the legs got highlighted, washed dark, re highlighted and glazed with a thin orange wash. The gold on the knees, elbows and exhausts have been highlighted, washed and re highlighted, to be nice dark, dirty looking, while the aquilla has been picked out in a bright, full looking gold, shaded with purple to make it stand proud rather than dirty. Still need to finish the weapons (experimented with the cowling of the cyclone launcher, still trying to get the dark turqouise right) and the head done. Will get some pics up shortly, though possibly tomorrow.

    In other news, in the brief flash of sunlight we had today I managed to get the first undercoat on the captain on the jetbike... Now just need to pray for another one so I can get a black coat on him (first coat is car primer, which is a godsend when painting resin models) so I can actually start applying colour.

    I have loads of free time this coming week, so fingers crossed I might actually get these guys done in time. That said, if I'm not furiously painting away in my hotel room the night before, it won't be a real tournament experience for me! Hopefully I shouldn't be too weather dependent for getting things undercoated either, so full steam ahead.

    Shades
    Always thinking 2 projects ahead of anything I've yet to finish
    http://instinctuimperator.blogspot.co.uk/

  7. #7
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    Pictures time everybody!

    I think I have finished the Contemptor now, but I do need to see him in daylight as the bulbs in my dining room are a little yellower then is ideal...

    Newho, these will at least give you the gist of what I'm heading for;




    These pics give you a good overall feel for the model. Those of you paying attention may have recalled me saying about doing a bright coloured head... well, when it came to it, every time I got a bright colour out I just couldn't bring myself to apply it. In the end I opted for a bright gold on the advanced optical sensors and muted grey/black on the helmet. I think it works quite nicely with the lenses popping against the darker bulk of the model without distracting from the gold blocks.




    Just a couple of shots of the shoulder details. I'll leave you to ponder on the 2 and 4 in the first pic. The other symbols are the Brotherhood of Fire chapter symbols. Sometimes I lay the brotherhood links over the fire, but as the flat of the shoulder armour was much wider than it is high, I decided to space them out.
    Always thinking 2 projects ahead of anything I've yet to finish
    http://instinctuimperator.blogspot.co.uk/

  8. #8
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    I've actually spent nearly as much time on the base as I did the actual Contemptor. Not really surprising as there is a whole other walker on it...



    The top down view gives you a decent idea of what I was trying to achieve. It took several coats of the GW shades and dry/overbrushing of quite a few different browns and greys, but I am really happy with how the detail in the block paving and the grittier dirt came out. Neither is in too stark a contrast with each other or the dreadnoughts, but they also don't just disappear without you wanting a quick look at them.




    This guy was fun to do. I don't have any walkers in my current Ork list, so it was a nice change of pace. I started out with a Leadbelcher base with a couple of shades. I then worked up the various blues (and there are quite a few, even if the differences don't show up to well in the pics) from Kantor Blue. I tried to leave the edges bare where the paint would have worn or gotten chipped off, without having to do too much additional weathering. I then picked out various details in copper metallics, worked the reds up from Khorne Red to Wild Rider and picked out a few wires and the like to add a little further interest to the model.

    Now, a few of you may have noticed that a Contemptor dreadnought doesn't come on an oval base. With a Front AV of 13, he is no slouch in combat, so it would be unfair to gain an advantage by placing him on a much bigger base. To make things a little fairer (particularly as I am heading to a Tournament with this guy) I have left a 60mm round base modelled into the base. Can you see it in the first pic?


    No? Look closely.




    The edges of the block paving and the bottom edge of the red 'teeff' on the Killakan form a circle that I'll use when measuring any charges etc for this guy. Additionally, this area was drybrushed with Screaming Skull (even the metal on the 'kan) to help it stand out against the rest of the base. I wanted to keep it subtle, but still easy enough to use for my opponents. I hope you'll agree that it works, without making the model look odd, as well as the bigger, scenic base looking pretty cool.


    Right, that is it from me for now. It has just turned midnight, so happy Easter Sunday to you all. Hope Zombie Jesus has brought you plenty of chocolate eggs to munch on (and that no-one takes offence at the lame joke!) Comments and criticism are welcome as usual, and more pics are on [URL="http://www.flickr.com/photos/63487083@N06/"]my flickr page[/URL]. Mostly it is more attempts at getting better photos of the same things, but you never know what some folks will find interesting.

    Shades
    Last edited by SotonShades; 03-30-2013 at 06:07 PM. Reason: Fixing an image
    Always thinking 2 projects ahead of anything I've yet to finish
    http://instinctuimperator.blogspot.co.uk/

  9. #9
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    2 days to go, much of tomorrow will be spent travelling and cleaning the house. Painting must be fast and furious!

    And here is my kinda progress on the bikers;




    As you can see, I've updated the knight bikers to match in with the army a bit more. For now that is all I am doing with them, but if I get the rest of the army upto a decent minimum standard, they may get another slight update. I do need to fix a few bits that have come off as well, but that is only a couple of moment's work.

    The rest of the squad has had the basic red base coat applied. You don't realise just how much surface area SM bikes/bikers have until you try to paint it all quickly, not to mention difficult to access areas that are quite visible! In an effort to get them done quickly I have been slapping the paint on pretty quickly/thickly and certainly not neatly.



    This close up helps show what I mean by that. I've made quite a few mistakes (painting bits I didn't need to for example) and really lets the paint splash across on to other bits. A fair amount of the detail, particularly in the armour joints, has been obscured. I have a feeling that I will need to strip the bikers after the tournament to redo them properly. At least that won't be too arduous a task.

    One the upside, one of my friends has suggested a slight alteration to this list which will make it much more competitive for a tournament we are going to later in the year, so the effort I put in now won't be wasted.

    Shades
    Always thinking 2 projects ahead of anything I've yet to finish
    http://instinctuimperator.blogspot.co.uk/

  10. #10
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    Looking good has the night of sleep improved your opinion on the list? Also do you still think you'll be needing my painting help tommorow night :P?

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