Fast paintjob, shitty pics...

So apparently history repeated itself: another week is just passing and once again I was forced to paint another ghoul from Mantic games FAST to have anything hobby-related to blog about...
What makes the story even more sad is the fact I've been at home almost whole week (not mentioning Friday and Saturday at univ) but until today wasn't painting at all because of writing my thesis. The plan is to finish studies on July the 3rd...

So speaking about the weekly paintjob - as you can clearly see it's another ghoul for Tale of Gamers. I liked previous sculpt much more but decided to pain it anyway because the mini is practicaly just flesh + some rags. Painting it took me about 4 hours once again so it can't be spectacular but should fit well the Cult of Plague...

After playing more Fallout and killing several raiders more I decided to paint model in that fashion - I still have lots of EM4 figures from "future wars" line which will be just perfect for that. I can use new plinths for them so hopefuly whese will turn out nice. I also hope these will be nice change from GW minis - I think I painted enough of them recently so now I want to have some real fun. Maybe small delay in ToG will be good idea?

Speaking of GW stuff - last Wednesday plague marine I put on auction found new home and was sent to make Italian Corps of Rot even stronger. I still have 2 oldschool marines which were supposed to be part of my Cult but if I decide to change list of gang members I think my trusty client will rather be happy: both marines are pretty cool conversions.

What else? Last week I also put Sid Meier's Civilization on auction and the next bidded contacted with me asking could I end the auction sooner - apparently the game is pretty rare here.
I'm pretty happy I got rid of it. It was nice thing to play but definitely prefer Fallout3 :)

And since we're next to F3 - last week brought me beautiful book with artworks from the game so I think the mysterious donor will get nicely painted model from me soon.. ;)

Take care and hope to have more to wrire about next Sunday!

Edit:
I've totally forgotten! :D
In the middle of last week I put set of evil cyborgs on auction! There are 2 reasons for this:
1. I am still working on cleaning the glass case of minis I don't use anymore
2. More important - I wanted something to write about related to miniatures :D
At the moment several bidders are watching these terminators so fingers crossed...

Desperate situations reqiure desperate actions...

Heya again!

It's almost midnight but it still counts - we have Sunday so I've just finished assembling pics for tonight update and I'm ready to provide regular dose of hobby spam!
This time once again I barely managed to prepare whole stuff on time: during last week I was having big problems with formating new pc and the fact I couldn't get on-line whenever I want or need distracted me SO MUCH I couldn't focus on painting...
It's damn embarrassing but apparently it's big sign: WATCH OUT - ADDICTION AHEAD.
Because of that damn thing the only painting I was able to do was:
- undercoating the troll one evening (which took ~20 mins)
- painting it's eye - another evening + ~10 mins of work

Of course I also assembled the thing which was quite an achievement - this badass is the worst casted Rackham model I painted so far!
After cleaning all parts it turned out there are some over 1mm gaps between parts! O_o
I managed to fill them with gs and hope to take pics properly so none ot these flaws will be visible. Hope I had just badluck although I'd like to know if anyone else met similar problems with this model...
As you can see I started with blue-ish tone because it will be placed in winter scenery. I 've already prepared properly big plinth so it will present itself nicely in the store *fingers crossed*

Next news is the postman delivered Warmaster Ogres I won on Ebay last week!
These minis are just sweet - I actually didn't expect such a nice casting and details quality so the painitng will be just fun!

Now I really regret someone outbided me on Troll auction but I think I'll try hunt them down again after I cope with Ogres. Who knows maybe I'll even play Warmaster game? I was told it's much better fun than just WFB.
Otoh I think even playing fucking tic-tac-toe is bigger fun than WFB...

Anyway today after dinner I realised it's Sunday, I have to go to gym in a few hours and I haven't painted ANYTING fot weekly spamming except for troll's eye!!!
So I grabbed ghoul which got post-apo base yesterday and started painitng this poor scavenger
about 4 hours later model was ready so I can prodly say I painted a miniature this week!
I wish I had such painting speed more often though...

There are some parts to be corrected but I really like the model - once again I must say Mantic Games did great job here. I like the model so much it will definitely become part of plague-cult gang for Tale of Gamers COFC project. I might even add another one!

Is there anything else? Actually yes!
Plague marine is doing fine on Ebay so I think I can start chosing another nurgle Model for auction ;)

That's it for now - take care!!!

Another week - another 2 minis less on The Unpainted Pile

Heya all!

The time for every-Sunday hobby spaming has come so I lets do it fast - there's Twin Peaks on TV in 40 mins ;)

So first good news is Mr Archaon, called by some Lord of End Times, has found new home! That's great news because I was pretty worried about Ebay-powers of these large models but apparently I was wrong. That also means I can paint another mounted model - lord of Khorne or Slaanesh maybe - we'll see!

And since we're speaking about Nurgle - my Tale of Gamers project slowed down seriously but I managed to convert cultist based on ork from Assault on Black Reach (?) box - it has flamer implant and nasty terminator axe so I think you'll like it. After all everybody like flamers!
For this one I used oil drum from Tamiya - quality of the details is stunning as well as low (compared to GW) price. That makes me wonder what makes people to buy GW stuff in stores - I've realised long time ago than except for second handed stuff and auctions there's no reasonable way to get these minis.

Another achevement was choosing another gang member for the cult - it will be ghoul from Mantic Games - I got the free sample on Monday. I wasn't sure about these minis but when I opened the envelope I was shocked: quality of sculpt is just a dream!!! I actually still have to choose 2 more gangers so I might even use both ghouls recieved - they are brilliant! Can't remember when was the last time I got mini with so much character.

The last GW thing in this update is Plague Marine champion finished today - unfortunately pics are pretty weak and somehow I couldn't force myself to re-take them...
Anyway the figure is finished and because I already have this version of Plague Marine it was put on Ebay 15 mins ago - let's hope another mini will find new home and possibility of ripping Space Marines apart on battlefield!

But there was more than just GW on my painting station last week!
I managed to paint model for NQ painting challenge - I turned vassal of Menoth into mechanithrall hehehe... It was a bit tricky but I can assure you there's no better fun than chopping off arms and head of ugly model ;)
Let's just hope the paintjob, conversion + crossed fingers will make this piece a winner. When I look at the photo I think model could be executed better (smoother paining on the skull for example) but I was informed guys from NQ like it anyway so think I can consider the thrall finished. Hope you like it!

Last week the mailman brought me NQ#29 - this was really cool but apparently someone responsible for shipping put wrong issue to the envelope so I got #29 instead of #30 in which my entry for Salty Dog was printed :(
Oh well - let's hope sooner of later I'll get the proper magazine.

Anything else? Actually yes!
Today I started assembling Rackham troll I got from the Mysterious Miniature Supplier ;) I only started because I realised it won't be easy - there's LOTS of gaps so I'm gonna remember this piece for a looong time...

I was also forced to change painting station and I am still getting used to it. It's less comfortable than previous one but I can close it so there's no chance any of my cats steals my brushes ever again ;)

Ok, Twin Peaks has started so I'm off - see ya next week!

Blood for the Blood God!!!

Hey again!

This time I managed to place my ass in front of PC yet on Sunday even though it wasn't easy task. This week I had to go to Univ for the weekend but even though lots was going on. So let's start the summary!

First of all - today I launched PC after 2 days of absence and what a surprise: apparently Archaon I put on Ebay last week will find new home!
I am pretty happy because of it: I purchased the model to paint it and sell but now when I look at it I think I really wouldn't mind keeping it for myself... Oh well c'est la vie. Besides I can always try to get another model and convert it into Warhammer 40000 character which was my plan at very beginning.

There was another BIG news last week: the postman has delivered Realm of Chaos: Slaves to Darkness I ordered some time ago!!! Until I got this grimoire I just couldn't believe I won such precious tome on Ebay but it's finally here!
And there was everything I hoped for: lots of oldschool (some call them damn ugly but I don't care ;) ) miniatures, texts about wargames but also about Warhammer rpg!
The best is the book is in such a great shape, that in not yellow hue of paper (it's 22 yars old!) I'd say it was printed a few weeks ago. Marvellous!!! Once again thank you Mr Seller - Santa came much earlier this year! So now I only need The Lost and Damned tome to make my collection more complete.

But let's go back on Earth for a while.
I hope you still remember I mentioned about Tale of Gamers project running on Chest of Colors forum. Well this time my painting results were not as fast as I hoped for but I still managed to finish the first member of my plague cult: still unnamed juve - hit the pic to see more views of the model. I know not all parts fit together but I really don't fucking care: it's fun project and I am still having great time doing the stuff.

But that's not all!
I also managed to finish converting another members of the cult: zombified juve #2 and probably leader based on OOP plague marine. You can actually see sneaky pic of the team in early wip stage by clicking the mysterious link.
As you can see there's one more plague marine (plasma pistol + power fist). This one will be painted for auction and I deeply hope to see it on ebay next Friday morning. I really like these oldie minis but I want to practice painting Nurgle models before I dare to paint the palaquin: yup, I also have this sweetie but it deserves only the best painjob I can provide.

Last Sunday after updating the blog I also added one more thing: the very first tutorial here - there will be more, no worries!
I want to thank all people whoe provided such a positive and creative feedback - not only here but also on other forums. Next time I'll try to make the text even more clear and surely will take better pictures! In fact the guys from Heresy forum liked it so much that it was put on the first page of the forum! Hope the next one will appear there as well ;)

And the last thing: although I haven't got the No Quarter magazine yet I managed to establish theme of next paining challenge with my secret and dirty ways so the conversion for the contest is nearly done. I will post a wip shot after painting basic colors - atm it's nothing worthy photographing.

Ok, take care and hope to see you next Sunday!

Tutorial #1: Swamp base

Some time ago I was asked to write a few words about making base used for my chaos knight of Nurgle. That was no problem because there are some minis (lots of minis to be honest…) waiting for bases on my desk. One of them is Leviathan from Privateer Press range waiting for the swampy base so without more useless babbling – here we go!


What will you need?

First of all some tools for modeling your base: wallpaper knife and sandpaper, if you have access to grinding machine (hope it's the proper name of that power tool) if will save you lot's of time. As for chemicals: milliput and greenstuff, superglue, white glue, artifical water, some paints (natural colors preferably). And most important the proper „ingredients” of the whole project: block of wood, some twigs, static grass, gravel, sand, small rocks, some skulls and whatever else you want to see on your swamp.

Preparations:

We have to start by choosing proper material for the base. There are many possiblities: you can use nice wooden / resin plinth, a piece of thick branch, block of wood or whatever else you feel comfortable with decided to choose piece of wood because even after painting it you can see wood structure through the paint.

Using power tools I cut the wood to desired size and shape (Leviathan is pretty large model) and sandpapered sides and bottom of the base.
The idea for the whole project is warjack patroling the swamp. I wanted to show it’s „all terrain” abilities so I added rocks on both sides of the base. Tree bark is perfect for this. Don’t worry if it sticks out the base’s outlin, if really doesn't matter at this stage.

Filling the gaps:

Becasue the base is supposed to be swamp I decided to sunk it under artifical water. To prevent resin leaking under bark it’s necessary to fill all gaps you can find. You can use greenstuff but I found Milliput perfect for this because you can sandpaper it after it dries. After modelling mass was 100% cured I cut off all bark remaining out of base’s outline with wallpaper knife. The next step was smoothing sides of the base so the base and bark are one smooth surface. Once again power tools were more than handy.

Adding details:

The basic shape of the diorama is ready so I could mark places where Leviathan will be standing (orange spots). I usually don’t do it but Leviathan isn’t the easiest model to assemble especially if the legs stand on different levels. At this stage I also added some „eyecatching” elements: some twigs as vegetation, toad and skulls:

Sand and grass:

Now sand and a bit of fine gravel were glued on the bottom. I didn’t want to add much elements here (except for the toad of course) because this area will be sunken after Leviathan is painted and based. The tip: when you are using white glue it’s good idea to dilute it and paint bark with the mixture – bark is fragile and the glue should prevent any damages caused by drybrushing for example. The last thing to add before painting is static grass and some small leaves. I add it before painting becasue I don’t like original color of static grass and want to redo it a bit.

Painting time!

Painitng bases turned out easier than I expected. I started by covering whole base with watered down mixture of olive, a bit of blue and brown. That will make good basecoat, provide shadows in cavities but most important unify all elements. It’s good idea to use the same (or at least similar) colors on the model which will be placed on base so whole piece will be optically coherent. Next step was glazing sand on the base with very diluted yellow – that makes the bottom brighter and more visible under layer of artificial water. I also drybrushed grass with bright green and yellow to make it look more „fresh”. The last thing was painting details – skulls and toad. You can paint skulls probably whatever color you like – in Diablo PC game one of skeletons type was black/gray so I decided to paint it similar way.

The end?

The base is done – the last thing to do is painting sides of the base black and adding some more foliage (photo). I didn’t want to add these plants earlier because whey are very fragile and could be easily damaged while painting . You can now place the model on the base ooooor…

Add water effect!

To do that you have to secure edges of base with masking tape (make sure you do it really well because artificial water leaks out vey easy) and pour water onto the base. After it completly dries you have to remove the tape, polish the edges and voila!

And below you can see my Leviathan hunting for everyone who dares to distrupt Toruk's rest... At least everyone in my glass case :)

Lord of the End Times ready for battle!!!

Hey again!

We have another (really sunny and warm) Sunday so what can be better way to spend such day that sitting home, painting minis and updating blog? ;)
During last week there was a progress in my hobby industry to without useless introduction - let's start!

Last week I finished building the first model for my Necromunda fun-gang. I know power armours don't fit Underhive well but it's fun project (probably only...) and moreover - plastic is much easier to convert than bare metal.
So the guy you can see is either degenerated marine who managed to keep only arm and head armour OR (more fluff-wise) some cultist/ganger who found still working parts of power armour and thought he will make better use of them.

The whole "plague-gang thing" also became part of Tale of Gamers project. Once again Chest of Colors provides fun :)

Last week postman delivered 2 more members of the gang - oop metal plague marines. I really like these metal parts so they will be only slightly converted. As I wrote - I have a heart for these sculpts. Another idea for gang member is cultist turned into plaguebearer - I wanted to put rusted and severly damaged parts of power armour on the demon but the metal sculpt really doesn't want to cooperate with me - yet...
I also got another oldie plague marine but this one will become Chaos Champion and will be put on Ebay - hopefully soon.

The big achievement of the week was finishing the Nurgle Chaos Lord based on Archaon model. It took ~week to paint whole thing but it's ready. Initially the plan was to convert it into WH40K character but then I thought character for Warhammer Fantasy will be:
- easier to convert
- easier to sell (let's hope for it)
That's correct: model has been hanging on Ebay since last Friday and lets hope new owner will find the piece until next Sunday. If by any chance you'd like to see my Archaon in your collection - just click the link ;)

As for minis news from PP range - I learnt NQ pays for publishing articles so I hope to edit mine as much as I can to see it printed :) Too bad I didn't know about these requirements when I was starting writing so I wouldn't have to browse thru whole this thing again. Oh well - it's valuable lesson for the future.

I also got the theme of the next painting challenge: this time it's sth reallt in my taste although very challenging:
the task is turning non-cryxian model into thrall. It might seem easy but when it came to choosing models - shit got pretty thick although I already have one or two ideas for this project...

That's it for now - take care and seeya next weekend!!!