Thing: The Myrmidons

Coming at you a fortnight and two days late!!! I havent been able to do much with Birthdays, and house moving but I did manage to buy all the parts I think I will need, and I have started chopping bits off models. I however don't have any WIP pictures yet, and will hopefully have them next week (where I hope to do an update on time).

As you can see, I have:
Metal Paperclips (these will be used to pin parts of the model (mainly legs to help get them into the right angles)
Plasticard (this will be used to create unique shields, tabards, studded leather aprons, and maybe some armour plates to beef up the models)
Blu Tack (this I will be using as "soft modelling clay" to put under the plasticard when pressing down using a pin/needle to create rivets)
Various Tools (I have a small saw, clippers, pin vice (mini drill), and a hobby knife/stanley knife)
and a Cutting Board (I got this because I always end up cutting myself or whatever I am leaning on, this also gives me a nice large space to keep things seen, and a level surface to work on)

 

 

Here is the first model I am working on, he is just a standard Black Reach Terminator, I will also be using a standard Assault Terminator Storm Shield, and a Grey Knight Terminator arm and Broadsword. What will be done with this guy is that he will be armed with Storm Shield and Frost Blade. His legs are going to be cut and repositioned so that he is kneeling forwards thrusting his sword ahead of him. His shield will be held over his head with an enemy tumbling over it, I plan to extend his shield and make it into a Roman style tower shield using plasticard, the current shield will then become the butress. I also plan my first attempt at a studden apron out of plasticard to go between his legs.

 

For next week I hope to have some pictures of this guy in bits, and started to be pinned, so that he will be in the right position. I think that this might have been easier if I had started with normal Terminators, but we have to work with what we have.

A look over the years

I thought that seeing as my Birthday is just a week away (no-one told me!) I would take a trip down memory lane and look at some of the models I have built and painted over the last six years.

My first army that I bought, built AND painted was my Eldar, before that was my Daemonhunters (but Suicide Badger painted them). With my Eldar I had an Idea for a Khainite (Khornate) Exodite army that had scavenged weapons and armour from battlefields. My list was weak as I didn't understand about having a mission for each unit properly, and having units which could fill multiple roles. Although I had a list which consisted of

The Avatar
12 Storm Guardians
12 Guardians
10 Pathfinders
6 Fire Dragons
10 Banshees
and a Fire Prism

with various other bits added on, I think I did well and tried to use ideas I had read and heard to adapt, but the problem was these ideas didn't fit my playstyle which I began to figure out as I got bored with my Eldar. Below is one of my "Conversion" attempts and one of the first models I painted, which was a Tau Devilfish turned Wave Serpent.


As you can see, it was just hacked at with a knife then painted black and red with a roughly painted Khorne symbol, not my best painting skills, but was a start.

I fumbled around with a couple of armies after 1-2 years of Eldar and decided I enjoyed Chaos, as the suited my playstyle of throw some men at the enemy and see what sticks. The problem was I had big ideas for my Chaos and I am still working on making them into a World Eater and Night Lord coalition with the beginnings on mutation showing on some models.

I finally decided to do a Raven Guard army as I loved the idea in the 4th Edition Space Marine Codex, the problem being they had a new book, but I thought I would give it a try anyway. My biggest conversion was this Land Speeder Storm (about a month before they announced the official model)

There was very little special about it, I kept the conversions simple, swapping the Marine bodies for Scouts and adding some antennae along with a cluster of Guard grenade launchers for the Cerebus launcher. This was also my first use of 'Ard coat and the Decals, I would have painted the better but I only spent two weeks on them so the white didn't work properly (a lesson for when I started basing my World Eaters, and painting my brighter Space Wolves and Grey Knights)

Next I turned to Space Wolves which I had put off when I heard about the new Codex, I gave it a quick read through and spotting they kept the Scouts outflanking behind the enemy and Long Fangs splitting their shots I lept onto buying 1500pts for a tournament which was a month away. I opted for a Logan terminator army with fire support from one unit of Long Fangs with Grey Hunters in Rhinos to rush for objectives or hang back.

This was my attempt at making Logan Grimnar as I HATE the metal model, I did some mild conversions to make his Axe look like it could be used as a Hammer, and giving him a "wrist" mounted stormbolter, which was just put on the back of a power fist. This was my first attempt at Fur, and was very pleased my Idea worked of using bestial brown with my newfound love of Washes. I also managed to paint him bright colours without them looking spodgy and washed out. I have now adapted my list to use less terminators and more men on foot led my Ragnar (which I also converted)

My biggest conversion was my attempt at a Tyrannofex, I used a Carnifex and ALOT of greenstuff. It is probably one of my best conversions to date and when painted will hopefully look like it is supposed to belong in a Tyranid army.

Keeping with the Tyranids I think one of my best painted conversions/dioramas is my Parasite of Mortex clawing the face off a Salamander (to encourage Angryman to get painting his Salamanders). My Tyranids were painted to look rotten and sickly seeing as I loved the Venomthrope model and rules along with them being started just after my stag do when I felt very very ill. I used brown and green washes which made the models stand out and gave them some definition where my painting skills couldn't. The Salamander was also fun for me to paint, especially the power axe which I spent two hours on to get the red looking like it was rippling lava.

My most recent painting was my six man Deathwatch Kill Team. These guys represent the pinnacle of my painting abilities to date and if you compare them (and the Tyranid) with my Eldar you can see that in six years I have improved if not largely. I managed to layer the whites/parchment to give it a bright colour rather that a spodgey greyish black. I also used a similar method on the Lightning Claws as with the Salamanders Axe giving it a flahsing effect.

So, The point of this post (other than to make myself feel better that I have improved) was to say how we have all changed and advanced in certain areas. I no longer JUST take what models I think look cool, though that does play a big part. I have figured out how I enjoy playing and what my basic tactics usually are. I enjoy hitting the opponent hard and fast using short range firepower to assist my combat troops, while keeping a few heavy weapons at the back to keep my flanks safe, I also try to take at least one unit that can deep strike or outflank.

I now know with conversions sometimes the subtlest changes are the best, a weapon or head swap and repositioning of a model can make it a thousand times better than chopping and changing every last drop.

I have also learnt alot about painting, layering is important, building up the colours helps to get the shade you want. Most importantly, washes make a half decent paint job ten times better.

So, how far have you all come in the time you have been in this hobby, my six years have seen alot of money spent, but some good friends earned and tips and pointers learnt.

[FTW] Worst Painted / Modelled in your experience?

Hey guys,

As part of our collaboration with FTW (http://fromthewarp.blogspot.com) each month there'll be a collaborative post that each blog registerd with FTW posts about on a subject.

"What is your absolute worst personal example of modeling/painting?
We've seen the best, collected them and archived them... now let's see your worst stuff.

I'm talking about stuff gone wrong, things that didn't turn out right, conversions that don't look anything like what you planned, that kind of stuff. Stuff you would never show anyone in a million years."

So go on lads and ladettes, what's your worst examples of painting and modelling over the years?

To get the ball rolling, I'll share mine with you. Mostly mine occured through playing Lord of the Rings, starting off painting, modelling and gaming with that, then later moving onto 40k where I had the majority of skills built up from practice.

I've also not got many pictures, as things have since been repainted, stripped or sold on. It's hard to pin point some prime examples, but they all tended to be in the first year or so of painting... a few I can remember fondly:

- Ringwraiths from LOTR, which were painted with Black paint, no shading or highlights etc, then scraping the black paint off the armoured areas, as I thought that showing actual metal would always look better than painted metal.

- Painting all 4 Hobbit characters from the Fellowship box, I decided "Why try and leave black shading near the eyes or in the mouth? - I'll just give everything an overall wash of Black Ink". It made them look like they'd cried Tar out of their eyes, it was really bad.

- My first attempts at painting were a box of LOTR Goblins, which were painted armour Mithril Silver, skin Goblin Green and anything else whatsoever on the model scorched brown. The effect looked like it could have been achieved by a paintball gun.

- I once also went the cheapskate option and used a spray paint from a model railway store to undercoat my figures, only once it had been sprayed on did I realise it was glossy finish. So I had 40 Uruk-Hai warriors in shiny black armour. More fitting to Dark Elves I suppose.

Also, last night I went to find some images for this post at my parents house, where I've left all of my LOTR models due to space, and found this chap... who at one point I thought was one of the pride and joys of my collection:



A knight of Minas Tirith, which by the time of painting I thought I was quite well practiced at painting horses. Looking back now, flat Codex Grey over Chaos Black was a no-no.

Also, tied in with the modelling, I decided that I wanted to make my Knight's horses stand out more from the other ranges of knights and cavalry, so I tried to use Greenstuff to make barding for the horses.

Rather than think things through, roll the GS flat, cut it to shape and then drape it over, I decided to just attach parts here and there, stick my fingers in it and then deal with the consequences and in the end it ended up looking a mess.

The funny thing is, I then went and did this to 4 other Horses because I thought it looked good at the time... and let's not even get started on the Orc that's being trampled on the base!

So, I'll leave it there for now, and open it up to everyone else - What are YOUR prime examples of bad painting / modelling?