Two updates in one week? Crikey

As I mentioned, I've taken this week off work. It's fantastic not to have to stress about, well everything.

So what am I actually doing? Well I'm busy playing through the dow1 campaign with Eldar. Trying to decide if I'll like DoW2 or not. I enjoyed company of heroes well enough (and I understand DoW2 has quite a bit in common with it), but just had no longevity for me. I played a few missions, a few skirmishes. I prefer the proper battles, all this sneak in here with two guys and do X then escape crap bores me. But I'll try and keep an open mind.

Great news! For me anyway. Since Tamiya recalled their entire spray lines to the UK (very helpful) I've been struggling to find alternative colours. Humbrol do a few decent ones I can get through one of the local hobby shops, but the dark red tamiya spray was giving me problems. Until now! Halfords red primer to the rescue. It's a perfect colour match near as damnit, and the best bit, since it's primer, they do a 500ml can for 6.99. Bargain.

As such today I've basecoated my baneblade. It's been sat on my shelf gathering dust pretty much since I bought and assembled it. So it'll be good to get it done up and put in a cabinet all proper like.

I've bought a few new things, well I say new, ebay is fun. I picked up a copy of the old Imperial Guard Collectors Guide. Some really cool stuff in there, the army galleries at the back especially. Following on from that though I've decided to paint my old cadians (the metal ones) in one of the mordian colour schemes and use them as an auxillary squad in my praetorians. I think they'll work really well, especially since they didn't have flak armour so share a lot of visual cues with the praets.

Speaking of Praetorians, I bought a Mordian Lieutenant off ebay, who will be getting decapitated when he arrives and be turned into my praet lt. And with a bit of luck phoenix club will start casting Col Gravis' praetorian rough rider torsos, so I'll be able to do my cadian conversions much more easily. Excellent news.

Oh and to add to the eclectic nature of this post, I've also been painting some of my grots. I found a decent tute on, erm, possibly dakkadakka, from someone who had use basecoats and washes and got great results. I don't except the same quality finish, since my brush control leaves something to be desired, but if I can paint a squad in less than the 10hours or so it usually takes me I'll be chuffed.

I'm rambling. I'll get some picks of my baneblade up later, then other stuff as inspiration takes.
Si

Photos

Greetings! Right then, some updates.

I've just posted the new project log for my chimeras. As I mentioned these are going to be solely for my Praetorians when I split them out of the main army. Development is coming along nicely, just a shame I've run out of tracks and roadwheels otherwise I'd be working on the hellhound too.


I've also started a log for the ravenwing buggy I've been sitting on for months. Needs a lot of work, but I'm really happy with the initial concept:


Finally I've added the log for the new grot trukk, inspired by the sturmtiger (ish).


I've uploaded a new photo for the Arbites Chimera as well.

On holiday this week with very few plans, so I'm thinking I will crack on with some of my modelling. Not sure where to work, the gargant is looking quite tempted, and I've just started painting my baneblade. I'd like the get the praetorian chimeras riveted and ready for painting too.

Finger's crossed eh?

An Update!

Wow, it's been over a month since I last posted. Sorry about that to those who care.

Good news is I have been working hard of various models, aside from a week of feeling like death. No photos as of yet, but I will be making a rather large update soon.

I've started painting the second two wartrakks, they're looking ok. They're quite different to the first one, not sure which style I prefer. The new way is definitely quicker, so I may just stick with that for the sake of getting things painted. Also started the wartrukk in the same style.

Also have begun a trukk for the new grots I bought. It's very sturmtigery, assuming you can imaging the sturmtiger as an open topped troop transport with no big gun. Heh. I quite like it.

Alas I then got distracted, somewhat bizarely, by my Praetorians of all things. I've been trying to come up with a decent design for their chimeras for a while. I started thinking about trying to recreate a Saracen, but too many odd angles and finding wheels the right size was a pain. Anyway the wheeled transport for the arbites has somewhat satiated that desire for a while. In the end I've gone for an FV432 style design. I'm hoping it will tie in ok with the Ragnarok esque leman russ, it's quite a different design. But they're simple little functional transports and I'm happy with the design. So I'm doing two. I've also got the plans ready for a hellhound version. I might wait until the new IG releases for that though to get some ideas (and bitz!).

Speaking of new IG releases, the Valkyrie is only 35quid! What a bargain. I shall definitely be buying one of them. My Kiv guard will soon be separated from the Praetorians and start to garner their own style. So many plans, so little time..

Speaking of bitz, I just placed another order with Bitz Box and they're really spot on. Far cheaper than the other bitz sites I've found (Wookiehole is painfully expensive for some things), has a reasonable stock, though I guess all bitz sites are prone to running low as they try to sell the more unpopular pieces. And their delivery times are spot on, 2 days delivery for a dirt cheap order. Very impressed and will definitely have to remember them for the future.

Not a lot else to prattle about at the moment, I will be back with photos of the various things I've mentioned when I get a mo. Also busy trying to find Mordians on ebay (to decapitate and use as Praets). Once I get a new squad I think I'll break the Praetorians into their own section on the site. Woo for too many armies (and that's not including the Ultras and Blood Angels sat in my display cabinet, or the CSM in a box under my desk or my ageing Ork clans :) ).

Grots are back!

Hrm. It would appear my "project updates" jobby to the left isn't working properly. I'll recode it at some point, but for now I'll have to manually point out updates.

I've updated the wartrakk's blog with the finished pics of the first one and the wip pics of the next two. Quite happy with how they're coming along.


Also bought the ork battlewagon (hence my move from arbites to grots for now), and I'm currently working on ways to make it fit better. I get the feeling it might end up being a cross between a tank and Howl's moving castle. We shall see.

Bought two sets of the new gretchin models, probably going to be my "slugga" boyz. Pretty cool models, fairly flexible I think.

Finally sorted out some display cabinets for my models too. Bought two six foot high ones which are now more or less full. I'll take some photos for posterity. Shame how bloody awful my painting was (meh, and is if we're honest). But nice to see the history of my collection in one place. Well two places, all the wips are still in my study.

Oh yeah, and I've finally been inspired to do my iron squiggoth (named after Krooza's of course), which I think will have to rock. Oh yes.

An update!

I'm as shocked as you are. Hah. I did post up the finished images of my Arbitrator Squad which makes a nice change. They're not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with them.

I thought rather than trying to start a load of project logs that won't get updated for months, I'd just do a general update to show what's on my desk at the moment. Well ok, up until about two minutes ago when I cleared it so I could reach the keyboard, but you get the idea.

Firstly the reason my gargant has been put on hold. Basically I channelled all my terrain building impetus into this instead of the big boy. I'll get back to him though.

This is going to be a diorama/photo terrain for my arbites. I just wanted to do sort of a segment of a hive. I still needs a lot of work, but the idea is starting to show. At the bottom we have the sewers (the underhive to some extent I suppose), then above that an industrial section with large delivery doors and vehicle access, then at the top will be the habs. Loads to say about this but I'll wait until it gets further and start a full log.

These guys I put together in an evening, just wanted something easy to do. They're my armoured fist squad for my Kiv guard army. Pretty basic troops, just shortened lasguns (to fit in the chimera, see). The sergeant is a little more interesting, but not shown here :) Oh and my phoenix club rough riders are left, which I'm doing for my praetorians when I get around to it.

The current state of play in my arbites army. There's a scout squad in there which is awaiting delivery of my procreate I ordered from ebay. Then there's the bike at the back, which is awaiting inspiration. Alas you can't buy that from ebay.

Finally my detective squad for my arbites. Four metal minis, two are ikore and two are heresy I think. I've done some minor mods, lasguns on a couple, tiny bits of greenstuff (a mowhawk, a ponytail, sunglasses and an armoured vest). More details as an when.

I've just ordered a load of evergreen plastic for the diorama, and finally bought a toxic chemical plant thingy for the gargant. Oh and some more resin bases.

And I still keep getting bored and flit to other projects. Hah. This weekend I'm hoping to photograph all my armies as they currently stand and get this site updated. Most of my dark angels are done, but have been for about ten years. Not very well done but worth posting. Of course I still have a ravenwing box I've barely touched to add.

So much to do, so little time.
Si

Arbites

Gah, the time it flies so fast. On the plus side, I reckon I'll get a few days off at christmas so should be able to make a real dint in things.

However, I now have done almost all the sculpting for my first 5 man patrol squad. Three shotgunners, a proctor (in beret!) and a "heavy" with a hvystubber. Really happy with the look and feel of them. Although as always once I take photos and see them at 4 or 5 times actual size the sculpting will look dire. But I definitely think I'm improving.

I'm also working on their chimera. I know I said no chimeras but I'm working on a scratch build. I dismantled the poor aimless Chiron, and have rebuilt it into a 6wheeled vehicle based on the M38 Wolfhound. Fitted the track guards tonight but I'm not convinced by them, might have another go tomorrow.

Photos to follow as soon as the shotgunners get their left arms and I finish the proctor's codpiece!

First Arbitrator

So until I get my project logs rearranged I'll just post arbites updates here.

I'm working on my first arbitrator, based on the SWAT image I posted the other day. Made using tank commander legs, normal cadian chest and head, then some greenstuff. I've converted a lasgun into a shotgun, and I'm going to bulk up the right shoulder pad as an homage to the original arbites.

The sculpting isn't perfect, but then I'm not that good :). It's in the right direction though and I'm happy enough. Oh the little dimple on the right pad is for the stock of the shotgun. Somehow I thought ahead and pressed the arm into place before it set. Surprising forethought huh? hah.