+ inload: Bristol Silence, Epic marines and oddments

+ Now, where were we? +

+ Those of you following the Alien Wars shared project might well be wondering what's happened to it. Rest assured that it's still ticking over. A couple of weeks ago I received a very cool fan-sculpted dreadnought based on the Rogue Trader-era version. I had been planning to make one myself after discovering a picture of one with the WD138 army on the back of a White Dwarf, but hey, why take the road less travelled – particularly when the alternative looks like this:

+ A really cool sculpt, and beautifully cast. I couldn't resist a few tweaks to the pose (achieved with some simple cutting) to add a little dynamism to what is inherently a static pose. I've used a penny as a waist gimbal to compensate for the material lost when cutting through with the razorsaw. +

+ Size-wise, he's a bit of a beast, standing slightly taller than a Contemptor, which is probably what he'll be used for. +

+ The Aldebaran troops, who will be pulling double-duty for the Alien Wars and the Bristol Silence campaign weekend, continue to get some paint on them – though I won't bore you too much. In the pict-capture above you can see a (rather messy!) painting desk, covered with guardsmen/brood brothers as the grinding painting continues. Last night was spent painting fatigues, straps and respirators with Calth Brown, and then washing them with Agrax Earthshade. All very factory-line, but at least it'll keep them consistent. +

+++

+ Basing Coropedion +

+ The batch painting was pleasantly meditative, but when it started becoming a bit boring, I switched projects and spent half an hour on one of my new Warlords for Legio Sumer-Nikator. +

+ Yesterday we looked at building a board [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+], and this is a related part of that process: basing. Creating your own board and base is a great chance to make sure that they match, which again adds to the immersion. +

+ Bases add a great deal to a model; working as a contrasting setting for the figure itself. It is important to make sure that the model fits into that setting, or you risk things looking off – an ice-world trooper in a desert environment, for example (which isn't to say such things will never work, merely that it's harder to make it seem natural). This needs to be balanced against visual contrast. White-coated ice troopers on snow white bases will blend in. Great in real war, but not for visual appeal. Instead, consider tonal contrast. If you models have a light scheme, go for a darker-toned base, and vice versa. In the case of my Aldebaran soldiers above, I'm going to use mid-grey urban rubble to contrast with the bright white overcoats. +

+ The second aspect of basing, and one that is particularly important for large-based figures, is interest. An over-busy base can detract from the figure, but one that's an empty plain can look dull, making the figure appear toy-like. For Adeptus Titanicus, a nice compromise is to break up the flat surface by adding cork, card or similar scenic elements. Above you can see that I've added some rubble (from a broken resin base I had), plus some of the same ruins that I'm populating my board with (from Epic: 40,000). These are all tied together with some Gold Acrylic coarse texture gel, a goopy textural medium that you smear on and allow to dry. This ties together the different elements. +

+  With similar grittiness and features, the resulting base complements the board rather than matches it. As part of the model, it needs to be treated with a greater level of detail than the broader board, while still echoing it and looking like a detail of the area. +

+ With Coropedion primed and ready to paint, I spent far too long making pew-pew noises, and didn't much done beyond a gunmetal over the whole legs. +

+ With the mandated-somnolence cycle approaching, I thought I'd have fun painting the marines on the base rather than rushing any more of the Titan itself. Although the Legio Sumer-Nikator is a traitor Legion, operating away from Calth, I've added some Ultramarines. I leave the story to the viewer. Perhaps they're falling back after the rest of their squad was destroyed; perhaps they're calling in co-ordinates on the Titan as it walks past, oblivious to their presence; perhaps they've thrown their lot in with the Warmaster?. Hints like this add a little narrative to your base, and also help to evoke a sense of scale. +

I spent a very enjoyable half-hour highlighting and detailing very small marines!