+ inload: Epic Salamanders +

+ Salamanders in the Dust of Armageddon +

+ While still work in progress, I thought I'd exload some notes on the painting process for these new Epic models. +

+ The stands above have been sprayed as detailed in the previous inload, shaded with an oil wash, lightly drybrushed with Snot Green and had the black areas (shoulder pads, boltguns) painted in with Black Templar contrast paint. +

+ They have been glued to bases that have been painted with Averland Sunset (on the desert aras) and drybrushed with Ushabti Bone. The tarmac was painted with a neutral grey that was a combination of those two colours, plus a spot of a blue-grey (an Army Painter paint, I think) to make a dirty yellow-grey. Each rim was then painted with Scorched Brown. +

Zenithal spraying and a quick oil wash go a long way to getting models ready in minutes.

+ Having spent so much time preparing them, it was a treat – albeit a slightly apprehensive one – to glue the individual models into place on the stands. While rough-and-ready, the effect is pretty good, I think – and all they really need now is a bit of detailing and tidying-up. + 

+ Jumping straight into painting a force like this can be slightly nerve-wracking, as you're putting quite a bit of time and effort into things without any reassurance that it's going to look good at the end. +

+ The alternative is doing a test base or two. That's not a bad idea, but from experience I know that it's very easy to overdo those test stands, producing something that's practically very difficult to replicate en masse.+

+ The lesson here, I think, is that sometimes relying on your experience and instincts is okay. Don't overthink painting Epic: get the bases complete, paint the models in substantial numbers, and get them to a definite stage all together. The formation above is (give or take a few models that fell off the sprue I was using to support them) roughly half a box, and the other half only awaits the drybrushing and details before they can be similarly assembled. In all, it's taken me perhaps three hours actual work, spaced across a few evenings to allow for drying time. That's perfect at this busy time of the year. +

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+ Now I've had a chance to starting painting the new models, I'm favourably impressed. The slightly larger size means that they're sturdier than older Epic kits and also means it's simply easier to paint detail, as there's more surface! +

+ While I don't think it's been stated, it wouldn't surprise me to find that the kits were designed specifically for use with GW's contrast paints, for the details are simple but clear, and the paints work well with them. +

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+ Gaming plans +

+ So... what next? I hope to polish off this box of Salamanders over the weekend, by which time my box of Legions Imperialis should – I hope – have arrived. Thank goodness I queued on the dreadful new website for an hour to pre-order two weeks ago, only for it not to turn up, right? +

+ Grumpiness aside, the combination of this infantry kit with the big box should give me a good head-start on an army. Doubling up the Legions Astartes kit means that I'll have the flexibility to use things as separate formations as well as upgrades. +

+ Thought for the day: Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment. +

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