159 In Support of Cadia Part 2

Thoughts on the moves in 40k right now with what seems to be some "End Times" like events are a little worrisome.

Is 40k going the war of WHFB in AoS? 

The Kasrkin are the next up, which is only fair as they are all fighting hard on the line in Cadia. These guys were a real change in the model style for the guard. Heavily geared and detailed. Mine are fully metal and a little limited in pose because of it but brilliant all the same.

The grizzled veteran look is great and I love them! You can see these guys charging in against Chaos without flinching. Which they do in the Eisenhorn Trilogy by Dan Abnett.

158 In Support of Cadia Part 1

All of 40k is trembling to the sound of War at the Cadian Gate with Abaddon the Despoiler leading his 13th Crusade  (Again) out against the Imperium.

I thought it only fair I pull the Old Guard out of retirement (the loft) and get them stuck into the fray.

 Part 1 is all about the men in black.

These were the very first Storm Troopers or Scions as they would become. A really cool style even with the push fit position of the main group.

Cadia may fall but the Guard still stands!

I painted these way back when hence the "Goblin Green" bases. Really need to decide if I should strip them off and redo them or simply pop them on Ebay.

157 The Restless Dead

A full ten Skeleton Spearmen completed now. So simple to do! Knocked about five in a couple of ours, from sprue to painted.

I didnt try and do anything too special as I want them quite plain to let the Characters and other "creatures" stand out all the better.

I need to decide on the bases but a little experiment I did with Stirland Mud was less than inspiring.

And now the Black knights are rising up to join the Horde. This is a little wip of me trying to figure out how to make the colours work. Again going for all Bronze and trying to avoid any steel or iron looking metals.

I really want this guys to look like Knight of Old dragged from their barrows to fight again.

156 Bone Test (Skeleton Test Model)

Just a quick and dirty post today, I have been testing out a couple of ideas for my skeletons and while the photos dont do it a great deal of justice I think it works.

My bronze I am very happy with, it looks lovely and old!

The bones are white base coat washed with seraphim sepia with a touch of ushabti bone in places on top which I think works well.

155 Skeleton Horde!

Christmas brought me something good so I will be expanding my legion of the Undead somewhat this year! I have not decided yet quite how I will make this set up, Arkan possibly I think but we will see.

Plans for the type of bone is well underway, and I am currently errring towards a more traditional GW style of agrax over the top of a corax white but I have seen a lot of good things from zandri dust bases and others so I will probably do some tests first.

154 2016 into 2017 and a Revelation!

2017.... My goodness another year has passed and I am looking forward into 2017 and wondering what on earth is going on!

But before that lets look back at what happened last year, 2016. It started with health worries that saw me start to get out more, to eat better and look after myself after years of... well not. Turned out I didn't have to worry quite as much as I thought (which was a relief!) but I did at least take on some of the improvements.

I get out and about more; I have found a real enjoyment for being outside and breathing fresh air and while I don't think I will ever run a marathon I can see me being a fair weather runner as well.

The return to painting has been great and I am really happy with the level of painting I have achieved and its really nice to look back at older models and see how much I have improved. More importantly I have really enjoyed it and the time I spend painting has really helped me relax. I still get distracted and don't manage to do as much as I would like but I can see it improving.

I started clay pigeon shooting (OK it was at the very very end of the year before but meh) and while I don't think I will ever win any trophies its another hobby that I enjoy, gets me out in the air and lets me completely switch off from everything else.

Work has seen my move from one corner of the country to the other meaning I am still lodging away in the week which cramps my painting a little. Perhaps one of the things for this year will be to come up with a mobile painting kit? Who knows.

Beyond me the things that influence me have been changing dramatically. Games Workshop! Oh my goodness but they have pulled it out of the bag. I had thought that ending the Old World and the start of the Age of Sigmar was the biggest mistake they could make. I loved the fluff, the stories, the history of the Old World and I saw GW as a mad man burning all that down. Now? Well I have had a little revelation.

The Old World is alive and well. Its still there. Its not gone. No more than any point in time is "gone". We (and I am generalising for the audience I think you are here) don't have any problem with the thought of gaming, painting, modelling and experiencing the American Civil War (ACW) period, the Napoleonic War, The Crusades, The English Civil War (ECW) even though they are long gone. Writers don't have any trouble setting their fiction in these periods and we love to read it. So why should the Old World be any different?

And that was all it needed in my head. The Old World is still that place of passion and joy I had known and because of that, The Age of Sigmar and the Mortal Realms could become something other than "the thing that killed my dreams". Dramatic huh?

I am still waiting on AOS providing me some of the things that show me how me a normal mortal fits into the world, culture, civilisation, trade, commerce and corruption. The farmers and builders need to be shown a bit more to give me a sense of conenction but apart from that I can already feel a draw to AOS and getting into it more than I perhaps did in WHFB the game and hopefully then the fluff as well.

I am going to leave 2016 there but to close I think its been a good year and I can feel 2017 going forward from it too.

153 Kill Team Cassius Complete!

152 Fists of Fury! (Imperial Fist)

The Imperial Fist and his frag cannon all done!Quite a simple on this guy, only the fist symbol its self that you really have to think about.

Not 100% happy with it so may revisit the edges a little. You'll notice I changed the white and yellow around  and I think it works ok. (yes! I got it the wrong way round and didnt realise! lol)

This guy is the last of the Deathwatch Marines from the Overkill box and while I am posting this in 2017 he and all his marine brothers were completed in 2016 which I am very happy with!

I have managed quite a lot this year given its really only just now that I have picked up the painting pass and I had quite a quiet middle to the year.

My painting standard has improved although i have noticed that the last few marines were a little rushed which I can see in some of the detailing.

I'll post up some of my plans for 2017 shortly, more as a reminder for me than anything else!

Happy New Year to you all!