isaac-az

[isaac-az]

I only found out about the old Kill Team Cassius set after painting a space marine from each first founding chapter/loyalist legion. I figured it can’t be in production for much longer as a first born set, so I grabbed one. I built and primed them this week. I’m not sure when I’ll actually get around to painting, but it’ll be a fun follow up project to the one I already did that hangs out at my desk at work.

[isaac-az]

I haven’t posted in a bit, but I haven’t stopped working on stuff. Here’s a Gladiator Lancer, with magnetized main guns. I overdid it with the pink undercoating, so it’s way too orange. I don’t have pics of my attempt to fix it but I just sprayed a bunch of phalanx yellow to lighten it up, which didn’t work great, so I put more IF contrast over that and is better but still pretty orange. I’ll post more when it’s further along.

I finished off this librarian too. Here’s a few mid-painting pics. I played with weathering powders when basing him and it got all stuck in the rune glow, so it looks kinda bad. But I’m done every model from my Space Marine Combat Patrol box I started with.

[isaac-az]

Meet Daisy

An ancient symbol of purity, new beginnings and vitality on Old Terra, Daisy is perfectly fitting name for an Imperial Fist dreadnaught.

I almost forgot to post the little hidden easter egg that’s forever glued shut.

[isaac-az]

I tried blue eyes on this one, next to the usual green and the one red guy I did a while back.

I like it. I’ll probably do it on veterans since I think it’ll contrast nicer on the white helmets.

[isaac-az]

Wow, these things take forever. Still so much to do, but he’s (literally) coming together. I’ll post more when it’s done.

I should have been a bit more courageous about creating contrast in the yellow, it’s a little flat. Next time, I guess.

[isaac-az]

Oh, I thought I posted these first attempts at airbrushing already.

So here you can see me touching up a spot a rattle can didn’t cover well when priming.

Here are a couple of the first attempts at using a pink undercoat at the antipode of where I put highlights. Sort of a zenithal shadow. I was still getting the hang of the airbrush at this point so I just covered the whole model.

And here are the first two finished marines. I also tried some mud using a strip of a scouring pad to apply it. I don’t love it but it’s a start.

[isaac-az]

I haven’t been up to too much exciting mini painting, it’s been a busy couple of weeks. But I remembered to take a few photos of different stages of shading with a pink undercoat.

[isaac-az]

Y’know, for calling this thing an unfinished project emporium, I’m posting way too many finished things.

[isaac-az]

More comparing yellows

A follow up to that previous post since they're done now.

Left is Overland sunset with 1:1 thinned Casandora Yellow as a wash and highlights starting at Yriel. While I like how this turned out with the loyalist project next to all the other marines, I think it's a little too orange. He's basically a KD marine.

Center is what most of my army is at this point. It's IF Yellow contrast paint over the Grey Seer primer, with Casandora Yellow as a wash and good ol' Nuln oil as a pin wash in some of the panel lines. Highlights with Flash Gitz and Phalanx yellows. I think this is still my favourite look overall, mostly for being pretty easy to get consistently.

Right is the Duncan Rhodes recipe of Iyanden contract over Wraithbone and then Yriel over the flat parts to even it out. If find Iyanden feels almost more like it's an ink that's staining things than acrylic paint, so it was harder to work with. I really like how bright and warm this looks. I think with a bit of practice and some careful application it could be really solid.

Here are some close ups, in the same order.

Also present here is some of my new basing for this army. I found the cork concrete I was doing was starting to look a little simplistic, and want to move towards having some dusty grassland-like characteristics -- like you'd find near the Imperial Palace. So for the next few dozen models I'm doing a mix of that and the old cork concrete to form sort of a transition.

As a sort of sneak peak of my next thing, here's some of what's coming up as I'm getting the hang of an airbrush.

[isaac-az]

Is it Ron Paul’s 2008 presidential run? Because you better believe it’s happening.

I’ve only run some water through it to test things out so far. I’m printing some terrain to practice on later.

[isaac-az]

Trying more yellow combinations.

The left one is basically the colour of KD, so a bit too orange. The middle one is what most of my army is. Right is the Duncan Rhodes recipe.

Once they’re all painted up I’ll post more detail and pics.

[isaac-az]

I had a productive day off where I built and primed most of my pile of shame. I’m at a total of 74 models with only 9 that aren’t primed.

[isaac-az]

I painted a Primaris space marine for for each of the first founding chapters.

I started this project around the start of this year, so it's taken about two and a half months, but in that time I also started a new job, which slowed things down.

I more or less followed the 'Eavy Metal style where I could, and used the bits I had to try and make them as chapter-appropriate as I could. As tempting as it was to buy upgrades for every chapter to really kit them out, it would have been way to expensive.

I've improved significantly over the course of the project. The Ultramarine was the first one completed. The Space Wolf was the second last, and is probably the best. By the time I got to the Iron Hand last, I was too excited to finish the project to really take my time with it.

Overall I'm really happy with how they've turned out.

[isaac-az]

Thanks, I'm glad to hear you like my posts!

The holders are 3D printed, and designed to fit into the organizer system I use for hobby stuff called Gridfinity. I just put the model up on Printables.

There's a Ray Studio vice and a piece from this 3D printed painting stand in some of the photos too.

I tried the pink undercoat thing people do. It’s Emperor’s Children pink, then an overbrushed Grey Seer before Imperial Fist contrast. It looks pretty great, but it’s so much more work I almost wish it didn’t.

For comparison, here’s my usual Imperial Fist over Grey Seer primer. The second picture adds a 1:1 Casandora Yellow and Lahmian Medium mix over top, just heaped on for some warmth, shading and a bit of gloss.

I think my main complaint with the pink is it’s effectively not worth it to touch up, so the final model looks a little messy at times. It also added some texture I don’t like. I messed up both pauldrons but was able to fix the left one pretty well. I also used brown panel liner here, which looks great but maybe a little too much like rust. But any touch ups after doing the joints is basically impossible, so his elbow look pretty bad.

Here it is finished, and compared to the Sargent from a bit back.

[isaac-az]

Iron Hands are the last one left, and all I’ve got left is the head. Almost done!

Then a bunch of decals where I’ve got them, and finally varnish. I think I might take these guys to work.

I didn’t really make the connection to Ferrus’ fate until I had them all lined up.

[isaac-az]

Space Wolve’s is back baby. It's good again. Awoouu (wolf Howl)

I didn’t have much in the way of bits that were especially wolfy, so I just left the helmet off. Eyes are so incredibly cursed to paint.

Only the Iron Hands are left, then I’ll have one from each first founding chapter.

[isaac-az]

Done another imperial fist. Yes, the bolter says “Gun.”

I did a different yellow (again.) This one’s Averland Sunset with a Casandora Yellow shade, applied as thin and carefully as I could, and Yriel and Flash Gitz highlights.

First time doing brown pouches too, and it turned out pretty good. The rope on his shoulder was a pain, and I’d do it differently if I could again.