I'm a big fat liar...

So I couldn't help myself. I had to try out a full model. No basing yet, and I'm not quite sure what I want to do there...probably a dark color to help make the armor stand out more. But the rest I think turned out...not so bad.

What do you think? Please leave comments below. If this is what I go with, I'll share the full process next time.

Added a really ugly basing to it just to see...the feet look better with a basing around it.

See you then.

CSM update

Hello True Believers,

So I'm taking it one day at a time with my CSM. I'm really digging the white primer over the green. Today, I went ahead and hit one of the models with the Apothecary White contrast paint, to see what it would do. It does dull down the white a little, but it also smooths the transitions in the recesses. Here is a pic that I hope showcases it.

This one is focused on the marine to the right.

This one is focused on the marine to the left.

As you can see, while the right marine is brigher white, you can literally see the speckled texture of the primer on primer. The marine on the left looks much smoother. I think I do like the marine on the left. His next update will be the gold trim detailing.

Might see pics of that this weekend.

Till next time...

Small Update

Hello True Believers,

So I just wanted to do a quick update due to some painting experiments I have recently done. I've been trying out some of GW's new contrast paints. These are supposed to really help speed up painting as they give multiple layers of depth in one coat*.

I recently started up a new Chaos Space Marine force and wanted to use them as my first contrast test. The models I had bought were already assembled and primed in a light green color. Most likely GW's spray color, but not really sure. Anyways, using the cool color charts I had found for the contrast paints..
LINK

Gave me some hope that I could use them on the new models. I will also admit that I am very inspired by the Corpus Brethren chapter which is basically white armor with gold highlights. Very cool looking for CSM, but wasn't sure how trying the new contrast white over green was going to work. Well, long story short, it didn't. It turned out really grey...so I did a second coat hoping it would fit it in..and then the whole thing was just grey. So into the dip the model went.

A little more research later, and I should be using white primed models if I want the Apothecary White contrast paint to work. But all of my CSM are green. I have a few options, and clearly the fastest option is to simply prime white over the green.

EDIT: adding more photos as requested...

As you can see, it turned out pretty good. I have some automatic depth from the green undercoat, and now when I use the contrast white, it should smooth out the transitions even more. Super excited about this. Can't wait to finish the model.

Oh, and as to the models in the dip....after just a couple of hours, I pulled them out to see how much paint had come off....well, surprising, just the top layer. All the contrast stuff was off and as I scrubbed the model with a toothbrush, the green undercoat stayed strong. Even the bolt gun paint I put on top came off with no problem, leaving the green primer. So now I just gotta let him dry and I can hit with white. Yay!

Really enjoying painting again. Super excited over these chaos guys. I hope I can do the models justice. Can't wait to finish these up and hopefully finish collecting the planned army for them.

Till next time...

What in the @ss???? (thank you deadpool)

Hello True Believers,

Wow, missed a whole month. How bad is that? And barely getting in one now too. Well actually, I've been very lucky lately. Life is going fairly well, and I guess this has just fell to the wayside a bit. But no worries...I've got updates.

First off, I took more pics of my Italians. So here they are in all their glory:

Booya! You didn't think I had actually painted more didn't you? Well that's okay, I wouldn't have believed it myself. They won't win any painting competitions, but they will look pretty good on the table. And I'm really happy with them. I have to say, it felt great to paint up a force and have it all done. I am also digging my light box! Made taking pics so much easier..and they do look nice.

Which leads me to my next project. I was having some real issues figuring out what to do next. I could work on a DAK army which is very near and dear to my heart. That army is still NIB. I also considered a Warmaster army. I even got to the point of putting models on popsicle sticks and even primed one group. But again, just couldn't seem to go further than that. So where am I? Well, as fate would have it, some 40K Chaos Marine models that I wanted fell into my lap, and they were already built and primed (for the most part). I just had three models to assemble and I even got in a game with a 51pt list with them. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to paint up these chaos guys and see how it goes. I planned out a full 100pt PL list for them. I'll get the other models as opportunities arrive and just get working on the ones I have. Seems like a good plan and I can get to painting right away. Plus, GW's new contrast paints look like the perfect solution for these heavily detailed models.

I'm also playing D&D using Roll20 quite a bit now. Between myself and my Clemson group, we have four games running and play about once a week. It gets a little tricky sometimes remembering who is playing what character in which campaign, but it is great. Roll20 is working out better than I could have imagined. Playing that game with my real friends...that really helps keep me centered in life. My wife has noticed it and she approves (even though I will never get her to play). 

It feels good to feel good. I approve. :) Well, that is about it. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up Contrast paints this weekend and do a test model. I hope the color scheme I pick out looks good because those paints are expensive. Until next time...

Here come the Italians!

Well, I finally got my lightbox and took a few snaps. I'm not sure what to say honestly. The box was very easy to setup and no issues there. A little smaller than I had thought, but plenty for most of my projects. Some of my larger GW models might have issues.

So...lets get to the fun stuff. I've only taken a few pics....so please respond with any advice you have for me.

Up first, the M14/41:

As you can see, not a great shot. Lots of shadow in the treads. I'm a bit concerned that the front light is not angled right.

So I got a little closer:

Now this is much better. I think I also pushed her back a bit more inside the box so that the front light could catch more of the treads.

And then finally:

Note to self, make sure the decal is fully dry before hitting the model with the mat spray. Oh well. It adds character.

Now for some infantry:

Again, not great. Also, not in focus. My eyes are old, so telling that its out of focus on a phone camera is not always easy. So once again, we give it another go.

Hey...look who learned how to focus. This is much better than the first. Still lots to learn. More models coming.

Until next time....

So close...

Hello Gentle Readers,

Today I'm feeling pretty darn good. Over the weekend I pretty much finished my Bolt Action Italians. The basing was done over a week ago, but I still needed to finish up on my M14/41 and the Autoblindo armored car. I brushed the medium army painter dip on them, gave them time to dry, and then finished up the painting detail. Added some slight rust color to a few pieces based on historical photos and amazing models I saw, plus I hand painted the licence plates on them (Warlord didn't provide those decals) and then did apply the few decals that I had. Then I finished up with the flat coat to take off the shine and protect my little beauties. Now, I'm no great painter. I am purely a table top painter. But damn, these guys are sexy.

Now sure, I can already feel the skepticism seeping through the screen. "Pics or it didn't happen!" I get it. Well I was so proud of these guys that I went online and ordered a photo box. It isn't fancy or anything, was under $15 actually...but it should work great for my models. Thought if I was going to share, then I better make sure I share them in the best way possible.

I know I'm all excited about them...but you have to realize this is the first army I have finished painting in years....years....like "holy shit....it was a really long time ago" years. And again..its a table top ready army....not GT best painted or slayer sword level kind of stuff. This is "hey, he's got a fully painted and based army that will suffice for any event level painting requirements."

But I still feel like a proud papa. Just finishing something like this is awesome. Bolt Action rules. I mean honestly, I have a real finished army that I can use and I didn't have to paint up 100+ minis. I can count the number of painted armies I have on one...okay, two hands.

First there was the Wood Elves...and I did that to enter a Seattle GT way back in 2000 maybe? The next army was Vampire Counts for the local Rogue Trader scene...which I finally did win one. That was pretty awesome. Probably Flames of War Italians came next...and then DAK....then I went back and did a warhammer Dwarf army for the last GT I ever played in. And then came a Necron army I did so I could be part of the OFCC in 40K. Despite being the first GW wargame I ever owned, it never got a painted army until a good 20 years later. Oh, and then I added more Wood Elves to my army so that it was current. And now I have a Bolt Action Italian army to add to that list. Oh whoops...I did forget, I also have a painted Warmaster Undead army...that gets tucked in there when Warmaster was popular. So eight armies...thirty years of being in this hobby....and I've only painted 8 armies. But you know what? I think I finally turned the corner on this hobby. It always used to be about playing...and winning. And that is horrible...the winning part. That should never be the goal. The goal should be to have fun, regardless of the outcome. Well, now I've just had a great time painting an army that has only even been played once. I have no clue how it will do on the actual battlefield...it wasn't built for any sort of meta. It was just built because I love my North Africa Italians and wanted to see them in painted glory.

So...photobox should get here in a week...and then its new pics! And now I gotta pick my next project.. More Bolt Action? Perhaps a new DAK army I got? or should I paint up some US paras? Or...do I go back to my Warmaster and get another one done there? I'm betting on paratroopers. :) Until next time!

Modeling Retreat

So this past weekend I hosted my first Model and Painting retreat at the Menucha Retreat and Conference Center. <insert loud bwa bwa bwa sounds here>

Got to spend all day working on my models once again, and this time, surrounded by other modelers. This was a fairly small gathering, despite my advertising across various NW facebook groups. You can lead a horse to water and all that.

All in all though, it was a great day. It was beautiful weather in Corbett, Oregon. I love Menucha, and it was a perfect day to be there. We were in the building lovingly referred to as "The Barn". It had a large open area with a full kitchen (the only building at Menucha with its own kitchen), and can sleep 30 in various bunk rooms. It met our needs perfectly.

I worked on my Italian army again. I had some detail paint to put on the infantry before dipping them. I was able to complete the whole army by the end of the day. I even had dipped a few ahead of time and did the final anti-shine mat spray on them there. I unfortunately haven't taken any pics of the final army just yet. Those will be coming soon as soon as a spray the rest of them.

We started at 9am, took a break for a delicious lunch in Wright Hall (pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, and salad) and then continued on until 5pm. It was nice to be able to work on my models and converse with fellow hobbyists all day long. We also all got to see what we were working on and just talk shop. It was very enjoyable.

We are hoping to have another possibly in November, and perhaps even extend the time for a Friday evening through Saturday evening time frame. Due to the fact that the Barn has its own kitchen, we might have the option to opt out of the meals, which would reduce the cost for attending. Although honestly, the meals at Menucha are top notch and well worth the cost. However, having the option may entice more people to come. Even with the Scrap and Sew retreat which is over an entire weekend, some people will just come for a single day. So it is very nice to have the different levels of participation open for attendees.

I had a great time and got one step closer to finishing my Italians. It also just got me excited about my models again and working on them. There is a reason I own so freaking many...it is because I do have fun painting them. I am really happy with how this army is turning out and trying to decide on what to work on next. Bolt Action really has its hook in me now. I think I will most likely start on my American Paratroopers. I got some in the BA starter, and then picked up some metals as well. Either that or go back to my Brits so that I have a mid/late war army to use.

Robert (seen above) was working on his Vanguard models from Mantic and is trying to lure us that way. Tim (also above) was working on his Finns for BA, but expressed an interest in trying out SAGA. Freaking gamer ADD...its everywhere. Can't blame them really. Aaron (also above) was showing off his 3D printed models and doing a bit of priming with his airbrush. Our last attendee was Shaun (not seen above) and he was the only non-gamer there. He brought a Humvee model to work on. We'll see if we can pull him into trying out bolt action. :)

Well, that's it for this update. I'll post pics of the finished Italians soon. They just need to be based and sealed, and then I need to put markings on the vehicles. A good day and that could all be done. Till next time.