+ inload: Painting +
+ A comment on an Instagram post prompted me to check back through old draft inloads here, and I've found a load of half-finished ones. With the redesign settling in, this seems a good chance to do a bit of spring cleaning and share some models and articles that – for one reason or another – never got exloaded to the noosphere. +
+ Let's fix that! There are some battle reports and tutorials (on supersizing Mark VI armour from Primaris marines) to come, but today a look at some painting. +
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+ Past works +
A very simple inload today – some close-ups of models that I've clearly been proud of painting, but haven't had a better excuse to show. First up are a couple of commissions. I tend only to accept commission work that I'm genuinely enthused about – I wouldn't be happy selling things unless I thought they were the best I could do.
These Kill Teams, therefore, took a lot of planning and effort. I know I've done my best when it's a wrench to post them off!
A Horus-Heresy era Iron Warriors Kill Team (for the old edition) – these are a refinement of my Officio Monstrosa project, and were an opportunity to treat every one like a character. I'm very pleased with how they look simultaneously like specialists and still remain cohesive.
... and a Night Lords Kill Team. Again, each one was conceptualised and had a backstory developed, lending them a lot of character. I'd not painted any Night Lords before (or indeed since), and commissions like this are a great excuse for me to scratch an itch without launching into a whole force of my own.
Next up some personal stuff:
A Death Eagle (II), used for a couple of games of the older version of Kill Team. You can read about this intriguing Chapter on +Some Things Are Best Left Forgotten+. I was please with the skin here – though those ogham-like markings on his pauldron could do with tidying up!
A very kind gift, this figure serves as 'Master' Enoch, an Inquisitor who was empowered by the High Lords to prosecute – and persecute – those who professed faith in rumours of the False Primarch. A fittingly absolutist lunatic for 40k (or 34ishk, at least), he was a good chance to play around with a variety of pale tones and opulent metallics.
A Vigilant, from the Sons of Orar Chapter. These special honour forces – a bit like Deathwatch, but for the Ordo Astartes – serve(d) the Inquisition to deal with recalcitrant Space Marines. They turned up in the War of the False Primarch, and were created largely to allow more people to bring in their own Chapters to get involved.
As a nod to the 'modern retro' theme of the overall project, the Vigilants markings were those of the Rogue Trader-era military police.
Another Death Eagle, and one where the eye lenses and treatment of black and white were what I wanted to highlight. The purple-tinge to the black and ivory white was fun to play around with – and I believe that these were also where I started experimenting with transfers, so they have that, too.
A Catachan comm-link model, sadly with the aerial knocked off by a previous owner. These figures have such nostalgia for me, as Imperial Guard have been 'my army' since Rogue Trader. Quite besides that, I genuinely think these fantastic sculpts still stand up to scrutiny today. Just look at the character in that face! The model is dripping with charming distinctive details – and I always thought he looked a bit like Bruce Willis.
Riverhead of the Kapihe – the Silver Stars' First Captain. A fun exercise in a South Asian/Pacific Island skintone. Sadly he didn't quite come out as well as I'd hoped, and since I kinda rely on wanting to share models that I'm particularly pleased with, I think that rather bumped my enthusiasm for his article on the War of the False Primarch. It's lurking there, virtually finished, waiting to be published.
Another gift – from the awesome Lord Blood the Hungry – and another great, great Catachan model, and a worthy plastic successor to the Perry's masterworks. Sergeant 'Ripper' Jackson serves in the 634th Ever-Readies; a Regimental name that is growing increasingly ironic as the force lurks in storage. You can read more about the paint job in this inload: [+noosphericinloadlink embedded+]
Colonel Carl 'Mustang' Oakland: a red-blooded nickname for this red-blooded officer. Offer up a prayer to the gods that GW eventually get round to doing a line – hell, a squad! – of new Catachans that match the quality of these special characters.
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