Sedition Wars - Strain Quasimodo - Complete

It's rather hot out. I am also dog tired from a midweek work emergency that left me somewhat sleep deprived. To say painting has taken a bit of a backseat this week would be a bit of an understatement. That being said I did manage to complete the Quasimodo's to a standard that will be adequate for gaming with.

I've also taken receipt of the GW Stormclaw set (I have a passing interest in Space Wolves) - I also picked up a second set of the Space Wolf models (I plan to convert one of the Krom models into either Ragnar or a Wolf Priest - not sure which yet).

To this end I have been playing with some older Space Wolf models of mine, and will put up a post next week showing off the progress. In the meantime here are the Strain:

I am now only a handful of models away from having a gaming set that we can use, which is damn near a miracle for me.

Also a shout out to Maelstrom for helping me select a new camera - cheers fella - much happier with these shots (even if I am still learning the settings).

I'm off now to watch the countdown for the final few hours of the Zombicide Season 3 kickstarter. And wilt just a little more in the heat.

Sedition Wars - Quasimodo - WIP #1

Continuing the Sedition Wars run of late I started work on the Quasimodo Strain from the game recently. Again I'm following Remy Tremblays guide, although substituting a few colours here and there. Once again the aim is to produce some quick and simple playing pieces.

Onto the pictures then, these guys have been base coated and then washes applied.

One of the interesting things to come out of painting these is the discovery of what has turned out to be a nice vibrant orange. This was achieved by base coating the area with Ratskin Flesh, followed by washes with Cassandora Yellow & Reikland Fleshshade. Not sure yet how best to highlight, but as I do not intend to do that on these models, then that is something for another time.

Still need a better camera...

Sedition Wars - Morgan Vade

I've not labelled this one a work in progress or complete, as he is perhaps somewhere between the two states. Basically I have revisited the model which I originally speed painted for one of my regular meet ups with Rictus & Maelstrom.

I had thought I'd included a picture in an earlier post but apparently not.

What I have done is worked on the basic paint job adding in more layers and depth to get him to a standard that befits a character model. I'll be doing the same with the other three character models as I paint up the remaining Strain models. They will all almost certainly then get a third pass sometime in the future.

 

For reference here is the original paint job:

Sedition Wars - Strain Revenants - Complete

And by complete I mean it in the loosest sense of the word. In this case I have them at a good solid gaming standard, so in that sense they are complete. Knowing me I'll probably want to revisit and enhance the paint job at a later date (something I really should learn to reserve for the resin copies I have.)

Since last week I have tidied up the flesh, highlighted the muscles and put a basic paint job onto the bases. At this stage I plan to move onto more from the box (in this instance the four Quasimodo's).

Things to do in the future to improve them:

• Highlight the skin with one more highlight tone
• Highlight the trousers
• Add gore and pus etc.
• Improve quality of the bases.

In fact that is an approach to painting that I often take. I will get a model to a decent standard, by which point I am pushing boredom, then revisit at a later date when my drive to improve them has returned. (I am currently doing this with the Morgan Vade model from a much earlier post.

Aside from staving off boredom I find it a great way to enhance a model as my skills improve, without ever having to strip the paint from a model and start again.

I found a fantastic post on massivevoodoo the other day talking about how to take good photo's. Needless to say I have yet heed the advice laid out in it, hence the odd out of focus parts of the following shots:

One of each type painted so far

Group shot. There is one more Revenant sculpt in the box,
something I'll revisit after doing a few of the other types

Sedition Wars - Strain Revenants - WIP #1

Taken the week to try and get a painted set of Strain done from the Sedition Wars boxed set, so that I can try and get a game in sometime.

The Strain models are pretty decent, albeit suffering from some evil little mould lines that are a pain to remove (to the point where a fair few still remain), and the game models do show a lack of detail compared to the resin versions, but that is to be expected (you aren't getting resin quality sculpts at this price point).

They still carry plenty of detail for gaming pieces though, and have painted up really well so far. Only looking at a decent gaming quality with these ones as well.

Colour scheme is inspired by Remy Tremblay, with the bulk of the colours similar to those used in his blog articles here & here.

I have tweaked the scheme slightly, though more through trial and error in an attempt to get a slightly more ashen skin tone (so I've added a couple of glazes to the skin using a Rakarth Flesh based mix).

Hopefully these won't take too much longer to paint.

Sedition Wars - Phaedrus Chirurge - WIP #7

This should hopefully be the last of the WIP posts. The tendrils have now been attached, although I did manage to snap one even before I stuck it to the model proper, which was a little boneheaded. Nothing a little superglue hasn't fixed.

All the metallic areas have been redone in a dark black/grey, which is still getting final highlights. The bone areas have been completed as well. I had originally planned to keep the Chirurge teeth black but having spent some time thinking about it I think that doing so would overall leave the model too dark, and actually detract from the piece as a whole.

On the to do list then, OSL for the Chirurge eyes, finish the teeth. Finalise the highlights on the grey and I suppose I need to sort a base...



Sedition Wars - Phaedrus Chirurge - WIP #6

In the few hours I've had available to painting this week I have made steady progress on Phaedrus, with the bone and tubing areas the next to get a lick of paint.

One thing I have found so far is that the details on these models is so fine that metallic paints (of the GW variety at least,) struggle to work well without either blotting out some of the details or once shaded not working right at all (the dulled look ends up being too dark, which on a model this size really doesn't work).

The Strain are supposed to be an amalgamation of tech and flesh, and as such I did attempt to do all the tubing in metallic, but it just doesn't work in the context of the piece I think, so I am going to do some of the tubing to make it organic (which is what the official Studio McVey scheme has done). I intend to keep a small area of metallic because there are a few places it does work however.

More and more I see this piece as a tester for painting the Studio McVey resins (I have a lot of the Sedition Wars ones, as well as several other limited edition sculpts). Worst case I can always strip the model later and start again.

In fact this model in general is starting to suffer a bit from paint build up in places, but I'll keep plugging away.

Sedition Wars - Phaedrus Chirurge WIP #5

Back onto Phaedrus this week. Haven't had a lot of time to devote to painting this week so it really has been a case of finishing off the red plate and starting to work on the black. Model is starting to come together quite nicely.

Better pictures of it this time round too.

 

 

 

 

Sedition Wars - Phaedrus Chirurge WIP #4

Further progress on Phaedrus this week has seen the armour move towards a more reddish hue. I really like the colours on the Studio McVey scheme so chose to replicate to a degree.

At this stage the armour is complete and I have reworked the skin tones. More work may well happen on this but I plan to fill in the remaining details before I play with it further.

My usual camera was not available so these photo's are a little darker than normal.

Painting The Red Armour

All paints are the current range GW

• Naggaroth Night
• Incubi Darkness
• Rhinox Hide
• Screamer Pink
• Khorne Red
• Evil Sunz Red
• Rakarth Flesh
• White Scar

Mixes

These mixes were used at various stages throughout painting
Purple #1 - Naggaroth Night 1:1 Screamer Pink
Red #1 - Khorne Red 1:1 Rhinox Hide. Add a dot of Incubi Darkness

Red

Basecoat - Purple Mix #1
Wash - Rakarth Flesh with a dot of Incubi Darkness
First Layer - A 1:1 ratio of Purple Mix #1 & Red Mix #1
Second Layer - Evil Sunz Red 2:1 Red Mix #1
Third Layer - Evil Sunz Red 4:1 Red Mix #1
Edge - Evil Sunz Red 2:1 White Scar

Technique

I originally painted the purple as this was the tone I planned to use. However I really like the scheme that the newer Strain have been painted in so I decide to attempt to emulate. I kept the purple base though as it provided a good tone to paint the red onto, and a natural progression.

First I gave the purple a wash of Rakarth Flesh into the recesses. The idea being to show the soft flesh between the armour plates. I was relatively sloppy in this as the first layer was planned to cover this up.

Each layer was then progressively painted onto smaller bands of the armour plates, focusing more on the areas that would naturally be in the light. The third layer especially is only painted onto a small area, marginally thicker than the final edge highlight.

I add a bit of glaze medium to my mixes too as it helps thin the paints and helps them go on in a smooth even layer.

Sedition Wars - Phaedrus Chirurge - WIP #3

So once again I change my focus to something else. Truth be told I'm a bit bored painting and blending the purple on the Ghost Glaive. The Wraithlord is nearly done, then it'll be time to move onto the Spiritseer.

Instead I've picked up working on the Phaedrus Chirurge model I picked up a while ago. Studio McVey is ramping up for a further set of releases for Sedition Wars, with a series of limited edition resins preceding a further plastic release later on down the line. These really are lovely sculpts, and having spent Saturday at Salute and chatting with Mike McVey I've found myself eager to work on the models. (I also picked up the Gnosis suits, Tumult, Phaedrus and a Medusa whilst there). Check out the Studio McVey forums for pictures.

So far not that much to show, I re-coated almost all of the model and tweaked the scheme to one more of my liking and of the style I wanted to try. So far so good, lots more depth to the shadows to be done, but the start is good.

Phaedrus Chirurge Front

Phaedrus Chirurge Rear

Recipes to follow in a later post.

Phaedrus Chirurge WIP #3

It's been a bit quiet here for the last month or so, as I've not been getting a stellar amount of painting done.

Due to the success of Dreadball during my meet up with Maelstrom and Rictus, we're all now looking to get teams painted up (or assembled at least) for the next session. There should be a little WIP of them coming up during the week, but for the time being here's the latest progress on the Phaedrus model.

I'm currently working on the armour plating, the idea being that the soft tissue is in the recesses of the hardened carapace (I'm trying to give the impression of it being freshly grown or in the process of hardening).

Hexen Phaedrus

On a bit of a roll this week... It won't last.

With all the 'issues' surrounding the wave 2 release of Sedition Wars, and having now received my stuff; I found myself pretty keen to paint up the Hexen model to see just how 'badly' the detail from the sculpt had translated in the casting process. There have been lots of complaints regarding the shrinkage, scale change and resultant lack of detail on these models.

One thing I believe is that photo's of bare "restic" do not do a model justice (too shiny), and I thought it might be of help for folks to see one of these with a lick of paint on. 

Scale with the existing Battle for Alabaster models aside, the quality of the sculpts I received were actually pretty good (flash not too bad, no obvious blobs or miscasts). I did make sure to hold her legs firmly between my fingers as I scraped off what mould line there were as she does look fragile (but turns out not especially weak).

Net result from 3 evenings work:

Overall opinion? Pretty good on the detail front, for the size of the model the detail is surprisingly crisp for the most part. Where it does fall down though is the facial area, specifically the eyes, this particular sculpt had large looking orbs that just didn't fit the scale of this model and the nose was just a flat line from forehead to philtrum.

She does look at odds with any bare headed release from the Wave 1 miniatures, which is really a shame, because as a standalone model it really is very good.

Phaedrus Chirurge WIP #2

Just a brief update today highlighting some further work on the resin Phaedrus Chirgeon model from Studio McVey. The detail on this model is simply awesome, she really is turning out to be a joy to paint.

I've added darker shading to the flesh using reds and purples and also worked the initial highlights into the exposed muscles (using a mixture or red and flesh tones).

Next up will be the armour plates on the shoulder and arm. I'll also be starting on the Face and chest areas as well.

Sedition Wars #2

I shall shortly be heading up to partake of a few days worth of gaming with Rictus and Maelstrom. The plan is for us to try out Sedition Wars. I set myself the goal of finishing a boxed sets worth of Vanguard models (with Maelstrom to provide the Strain). A goal I for once have managed to complete.

Nothing too fancy here, as previously stated I've gone for a more basic 'gaming level' approach on these guys. Some are missing 'final' highlights and in some cases could've used a few more lighter stages of white airbrushing, but you live and learn.

All in all, I'm pleased with how these came out.

NB: The Morgan Vade Character is missing from these pictures as I have yet to completely finish him. I'll update once he is complete.

 Barker

 Akosha

 Kara

 

 Hurley

 

Vanguard Troops

Phaedrus Chirurge WIP #1

Just a couple of Work In Progress pictures this week, showing the current state of the Phaedrus model.

Model was airbrushed with various shades of Kislev Flesh mixed with Ushabti bone prior to the paint work to the left shoulder and arm. (Using various mixes of Rakarth Flesh, Kantor Blue, Khorne Red and Naggaroth Purple).

Sedition Wars

I'm very good at not finding time to paint, often finding easy excuses to go off and do something else (often just sitting at my computer gazing at random crap...), so to be able to show off more than one model in a post is a miraculous feat in itself... Today's offering will be showing off the progress on the Vanguard models from Sedition Wars, following on from the Kara teaser from the last post.

I went in on the Kickstarter for 2x Biohazard, which has yielded an awful lot of models, approximately 200 (not including the extras I also purchased). To tackle all of them at once would be plain daft (I'd be bored inside of a week) so my focus was to get one set of the game miniatures to a good tabletop standard for use in general gaming. After this I figure I'll spend some time playing with a few of the spares before painting up a 'nice' set.

A while back I also posted a shot of a red Vanguard trooper, this has now fallen by the wayside, and I have maintained the standard off-white scheme that they are displayed in on the box. I'll revisit the red, along with a black and a blue scheme sometime in the future (maybe...)

 Group shot of Vanguard Troops so far 

Kara Black 

Akosha Nama

Akosha still has a way to go yet, and Kara needs a little bit of work still to finish off the sword. The troopers, aside from identification marks, are done. I've aimed for a good solid table top standard, and feel that I have achieved that for the most part.

As a reward to myself, and because I was lucky enough to get my hands on a resin cast of her, I've decided to tackle my very first Studio McVey resin in the form of Phaedrus Chirgeon. Expect slow slow progress on this one...

Phaedrus Chirgeon

Coming soon... A "finished" Trollslayer! Honest...

New Brushes

So picking up my trusty Series 7 #1 the other day and bugger me if the thing hadn't decided to go the way of the dodo and 'fishtail' quite magnificently... Time for a new brush then.

I've been staunchly Series 7 for a good 5 years now, finding the brushes to be rather good. Up until my last set anyway, I'm pretty sure this #1 deteriorated quite quickly, but as I tended to use a smaller brush for control I'd put it away in the brush holder and left it until the other week.

I'm often trawling forums for hints, tips and general ideas for improving my painting and on a few occasions I mused on the various recommended paint brushes out there. Figuring that I'm already playing with mediums why not play with some brushes. One of the alternatives often mentioned are the Raphael 8404 Series. Locating an online stockist in the UK was the hardest part for me - but I managed to locate some here (Though the only notification of an order placed was my paypal receipt, I had the brushes in my hand no more than 3 days later!) I now am the proud owner of a size 0 and a size 1.

New Toys. The brush at the bottom of the pic is my old series 7 #1 looking just a bit battered.

Being that I've always used size 000 for a lot of fine detail work, and reading that a lot of artists tend to use 0 for detail work, I figured that I'd try and emulate. I was already working through a batch of Sedition Wars Vanguard (which have become my defacto test bed minis at the moment) so the first real work I have done has been on one of those. Colour me impressed. Most of the work done on the Kara Black mini has been with these and so far I am enjoying the experience immensely. Being able to dot eyes with a size 0 brush is a new experience for me! I'll have more details of how she was painted in an upcoming post.

Most of the face-work and edge highlights have been done with the two Raphael brushes. They have a great point and take paint really well.

That's not to say that they are any better than my Series 7, to be honest I can't really tell a difference, but they are a little bit cheaper, they hold paint really well, and whilst the bristles feel softer than the 7's when painting, they hold a superb point. I'll be making the switch I think, for now though I use my Series 7 #2 and the two Raphael brushes for most of my painting...

Here's a nice little article with a more in-depth comparison.

Work In Progress...

I've not had a lot of time to devote to painting over the last month or so, what with real life generally getting in the way. Not that I am complaining, but sometimes I've actually had the urge to paint and found myself far from bush and water pot.

That being said, over the last weekend I've managed to sit down for a longish painting session, and whilst I have nothing finished from that weekend I've progressed on several sets of models.

Most of it follows on from the list mentioned in my last update, but also a few bits for Warhammer Quest have found themselves lavished with my attention.

So without further ado or prattle...

First up some new WHQ pieces. I'm focusing on the Greenskin side of things, and figuring that these will be handled a lot I've not gone into my usual 'perfectionist' mode so these guys are a few finishing touches away from complete.

 

Also managed to get a bit more paint on some Space Wolves for the upcoming Zone Mortalis games with Rictus & Maelstrom (Ulrik will be used as a standard Wolf Priest):

 

And finally, I've now started work on a test Sedition Wars Samaritan:

 

 

With some more free time over the coming weekend, hopefully I'll be able to crack on with these some more... Famous last words...