Stahly's Tale of Painters

Showcase: Space Wolves Long Fangs

2012-02-12T09:00:03-08:00

Hi, this time we got a bunch of Long Fangs (Devastators, but with additional punch).

Some of you probably wonder where the pack leader is, why they have different pack markings and why they aren't all grey-haired/bearded. The first questions are answered by the fact that these actually are back-up models to add to existing squads of Long Fangs I painted earlier and which I will post at a later point (to keep things complicated ;) ).

Now for the ginger hair - I usually am someone who sticks to the background of 40k because I genuinely like it and I play the game because of that background. For this reason and the pretty models. With Space Wolves Long Fangs there's a little problem though, especially if the armour is really grey: You get a model with grey hair and a grey body, often with black weapon casing. This leads to a lack of contrast and contrast is fun. So, if the customer is alright with it of course in the case of commission work, I like to forgo the fact that actually Long Fangs should mostly be grey/white haired for the fact that it just looks nicer in my opinion. Apart from that I enjoy painting ginger hair. :p

Anyhow, after this lengthy excuse for willingly and villainously breaking with the background I rest my case and hope that you enjoyed the pictures. ;) There are more Space Wolves to come!

WIP: Arachnarok Spider #4

2012-02-12T03:00:01-08:00

The legs are on. More pics after the jump.

I have a few touch ups to make, but I'm pleased the legs are on.

I've still not painted the eyes. But I do have some ideas.

Showcase: Eldar Skimmer Army

2012-02-12T00:21:34-08:00

I rocked the tournament scene with this army a few years back.

Since then it's gathered dust on my shelf (apart from a brief outing into the warhammer world display cabinets) so I've decided to put it on Ebay.

I ran it with Eldrad, 3 DAVU Falcons and 2 Wave Serpents each with 10 (yes 10!) Fire Dragons. It's pretty hard hitting. Since then it's evolved a bit. The Dragons now run as 5 man squads inside 2 falcons backed up by a prism and FW hornet. The Dire avengers ride in serpents ususally accompained by the Farseer.

It's a quality fun army and an airbrush makes them look so good. I freehanded the Saim Hann symbols and it's hard to say who did the canopies first, me or Stahly, but we'll fight about it in the bar with a pint as all good gamers do.

More pictures after the jump.

Skavenslaves 4th batch finished!

2012-02-11T09:00:00-08:00

Hey guys, I finished another batch of my never-ending pile of Skaven models. Now I've painted up 20 from 25 Skavenslaves, which means only 5 more models and yet another unit is done! How do you like the models above?

Showcase: Space Wolves Wolf Guard Terminators

2012-02-11T04:07:09-08:00

Hi again. Lately I've been going back to add some reinforcements to the commissioned Space Wolves army I painted last summer.

Over the next weeks I plan to post pictures of those guys as well but for now I will stick to the latest additions. Today we got five Wolf Guard terminators, some of them with Forgeworld upgrades. I painted a lot of Space Wolves over the past three years but the current Space Wolves boxed sets never stopped to impress me. While it's not my favorite plastic kit that's out at the moment, the basic Space Wolves pack box is probably the most practical if that makes any sense. There's just so much stuff in them and if it's any indication for what's to come for Dark Angels we got much to look forward to. Anyhow, I hope that you like these Terminators and stay tuned for more Space Wolves very soon!

Showcase: The Dark Grot

2012-02-12T14:49:29-08:00

Find out more after the jump...

Having a bit of fun today with Batgrot. He's based on an old out of production Warhammer Doomdiver pilot, with a mask and belt sculpted from greenstuff. The ears are the tips of plastic Space Marine lightning claws.

If you had to write rules for him what would you include? Stealth? Infiltrate? Let me know in the comments.

WIP: Caestus Assault Ram #2

2012-02-11T03:12:54-08:00

By popular demand, another (gasp!) WIP post. It's the assault ram again, which is in fact very nearly complete. In this picture you can see that the 'sponge' method of weathering with charadon granite and boltgun is complete and weathering powders have been applied. The rust get's dulled down a fraction after sealing with testors varnish.

Hope to have finished pictures AND a nice tutorial for you in the coming days/weeks if there's enough interest.

Tales from the Network #10

2012-02-09T10:00:01-08:00

Welcome to Tales from the Network, a semi-regular feature on Tale of Painters. This is the place where we will present you the best posts from our friends and fellow bloggers from the ever-growing Tale of Painters Blog Network.

Here we go:

Some cool converted Genestealer Cult Priests by Laughing Ferret.
A very nice Forgeworld MkIc Deimos pattern Rhino by SincaiN40k.
The Grot Rod, a cool and orky kitbash by Warhammer in Progress.
Drazhar's Miniworks reviews Back-to-Base-ix brushes.
A stunningly painted Arachnarok spider by Dims Galleries.
An Eldar Lynx by Iron Braxus, check out this cool and original pulse circuit effect!
The Istvaanians show you another cheap way to create a wet palette.
A wicked Nurgle Iron Warriors army by Pirate Viking Painting.

Don't miss the latest hobby updates from the Network by checking out the widget on the right - there are some true gems hidden there that aren't covered here! More and more blogs are joining the Tale of Painters Blog Network each week, so don't miss them!

Do you want your blog featured on Tales from the Network as well? Join the Tale of Painters Blog Network - we're already over 120 blogs strong! Joining is easy - click here and learn how.

WIP: Aracharok Spider #3

2012-02-09T03:00:14-08:00

I've been working late all week (any one would think my name is Stahly - lol), so work has been slow going on the Spider. I have finished the flesh and painted the claws. Sigur asked me if I would be adding a contrasting colour, and I thought the red spikes might work better then a more natural bone. I picked out all the carapace dimples and tiny spikes with a light brown. See more after the jump...

Here you can see I've lightened the flesh a fair bit since the last picture. Just the ickle spiders to paint crawling out the flesh to paint, then it's the eyes. I think I'll leave the eyes black and paint some white dot reflections in the eyes.

Skavenslaves 4th batch Update

2012-02-08T04:50:37-08:00

Did some more work on the skin, just needs a final highlight. Then it's finishing up the details. I'm a bit disappointed nobody noticed the little teaser model I put in my last post (just a broad hint to take another look here ;).

WIP: 5 Ultramarine Scouts with Bolters #2

2012-02-07T04:00:18-08:00

Just the flat colours painted on these scout so far. Lots of shading and highlighting to do still. I really like Telion with a red bolter though.

Showcase: Blood Bowl Lizardmen

2012-02-06T03:00:04-08:00

I've got to admit, of all my teams THIS is my favourite. I love Lizardmen. I love the Kroxigor (Helldorado mini), I love Saurii and I love skinks. I love this team.

My tactics involve run, run, run - attempt to pick up - then either i) concede a TD as I failed to pick up and got butchered in the backfield or ii) Score because I run run run run a million times faster than you.

I should mention two things with regards these guys. First, I know the Saurii have shields. I've made my peace with it, so should you. Second, the team is called the slippery boogers. Catch me if you can!

More pics after the jump.

Skavenslaves 4th batch started

2012-02-05T09:13:04-08:00

Finally a weekend without having to go to work, thus I got a decent amount of painting done and started basecoating and highlighting the 4th of 5 batches of Skavenslaves. Next up are the skintones. Erm, and what's there in the background? ;)

WIP: Aracharok Spider #2

2012-02-05T04:00:01-08:00

I've been working on the fleshy parts of the spider. I wanted a yellow-like maggot flesh. You can see the colours I used in the background (Heavy Ochre, Dwarf Flesh, Baal red wash, plague brown). I think I'm going to go lighter with the colour by progressively mixing more bone white into the plague brown.

Review: Reaper Master Series HD paints

2012-02-04T11:00:04-08:00

About a year ago, Reaper released their Master Series HD paints. Aimed at the success of Citadel Foundation Paints, they promise a high density pigment that provides excellent coverage and fast basecoating. But unlike Foundation Paints, which offers only dark and muted colours, they come in a lot bright and vibrant shades. This is why I got my hands on some "difficult" colours like yellow, red and pink to find out if Reaper can keep their promises.

Reaper paints are quite hard to get in Europe. I ordered mine directly from the States through the CoolMiniorNot online store, which offer a flat 7 dollar shipping charge to Europe. Just don't forget to check your local customs regulations to avoid bad surprises.

Reaper offers two ranges: Master Series Paints Core Colors with over 216 colours and additives, which are great to flesh out your paint collection with shades you don't find elsewhere, and the newly added MSP HD which comprise 38 colours. Reaper Core Colors are a thin, high quality paint with lots of flow improver added, similar to Vallejo Game Color. They thin down excellently and are great for layering and blending techniques. Reaper paints come in 15 ml dropper bottles. I think Reaper's design is better than Vallejo's, as I've experienced less spilling and there is a little agitator in each bottle which helps blending the paint when shaking.

When you compare HD paints with Foundation Paints, you instantly notice they feel more like regular paint as there is flow improver added and they aren't as thick and don't dry as fast. In this regard, they are more like Vallejo Heavy Opaque paints, which have a flow improver added as well. For my review, I picked up the most vibrant colours I could find: Brilliant Red, which is similar to GW's Blood Red, Golden Yellow, which is similar to GW's Golden Yellow, and Entrail Pink, a fleshy pink shade. Let's check out how these HD paints compare against similar colours from other brands. To do this, I prepared a piece of plasticard and primed it black to see how many layers it will take for each colour to acchieve an even coverage.

Sorry, my scanner struggled to reproduce the colours, especially the pink and purple ones. But this is more of a test of coverage anyhow. Each line indicates another layer. For this test, I thinned down each paint to the same consistency to even the field.

As you noticed, Reaper's HD paints cover very well in only a couple of layers. Brilliant Red beats Blood Red by 1 or 2 layers, Golden Yellow beats VGC Gold Yellow by 1 layer (keep in mind the VGC yellow has better coverage than GW's yellows, so the HD yellow would come out even better when compared with GW). Entrail Pink covers very well, too, as does VGC Squid Pink. The consistency of the paint out of the bottle is excellent and needs no or only slightly thinning. Most Foundation paints can cover in one coat, yes, but then you would need to apply them so thick that they will obscure detail. Foundation paints need to be thinned down, and then you need 2 or 3 coats with them as well.

Verdict

There is no witch craft about them, but Reaper Master Series HD paints are definately worth a try as they are a high quality paint with excellent consitency and above average coverage. Brilliant Red and Golden Yellow are probably the best red and yellow I've tried so far.

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Showcase: Pre-Heresy World Eaters Deimos Pattern Predator

2012-02-04T03:00:07-08:00

Here we got another Deimos pattern vehicle!

FW did a really good job at updating that kit and I had quite a moment of joy when I first had the model in my hands. I hope I did the sculpt justice with this paintjob. Stay tuned for final pictures as well as army shots of this army very soon!

Review: Bugman's Fatbloke Burger

2012-02-04T04:09:42-08:00

This is quite a week for me. Not only did I produce a WIP post, but in addition I've got a hobby review for you. I was in Warhammer world today collecting two armies that I'd had on display in the miniature hall cabinets.

As you do I was perusing the wares, stocking up on FW goodies etc. I even found some chaos black in the old bolter shell pots on sale, so rumours of new goop or not, I bought myself three.

Then, while looking for the toilets, I found a new store out the back, one I'd never seen before. It sold a hobby product I'd not seen or tried before.... read the full review after the jump.

Production
This was a well put together hobby product. It has been designed well, I'm presuming by the high quality GW CAD machines. It looks imposing when fully constructed and had a good weight, unlike the new Finecast products. The product was master crafted (or possibly twin linked?!) sporting two beef steak burgers, and it was stuck together with a huge amount of melted cheese. As usual with recent GW releases the attention to detail was high and this product was no exception - topped off with two onion rings. It was pinned with a wooden stick to ensure stability - this kind of extra measure really appeals to a veteran like myself.
5/5

Consumption
Was every bit as good as the production. It felt like no corners had been cut, the cheese felt high quality (I think production has recently moved from China back to the UK) and the burgers were meaty. The buns were fresh and the side salad wasn't simple iceburg lettuce and grated carrot - lambs lettuce, watercress - the works. Top notch.
5/5

Overall
All in all this was a top quality product. There was barely and trimming needed (so clearly not a FW burger) though the chips left a little to be desired. Not terrible, but not top drawer. However the overall experience was good. It was well glued and pinned together. The price wasn't cheap at just under £7, however I've grown to expect this from GW and am fast reaching the point where I don't even notice inflated costs any more. If they keep hobby products of this quality coming - I'll keep buying. Good work GW.
5/5

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Showcase: Blood Bowl Chaos

2012-02-03T03:00:06-08:00

I made this team long before the new GW WFB beastmen arrived and should probably update it - however I love the chaos warriors so much that I still play the team often.

What I love about this team is it's simplicity. You get punished early in the teams life, but if you get lucky here and there you soon cruise to Claw and Mighty blow goodness. Touchdowns go out the window in favour of how many casualties you can cause per game! The brutal opposite to my tender Woodys.

More pics after the jump!

Skavenslaves 3rd batch done!

2012-02-02T09:00:03-08:00

I finished up the latest batch of Skavenslaves, 10 more models to go before the unit is finished. How do you like them? Drop me some comments!

Review: RDG Tools Airbrush Cleaning Wires

2012-02-02T04:00:08-08:00

If you have an Airbrush, you'd have suffered the fate of clogged nozzles. If you don't have an Airbrush this information will help you avoid clogging.

I bought these cleaning wires to aid cleaning. They're available from RDG Tools and are reasonably priced at £5.50

I start by removing the back cover and releasing the pin. Then I unscrew the 3 front parts.

The nozzle is tiny (o.2mm) , and whilst the smallest diameter cleaning wire fit the nozzle it was too big to push all the way through and effectively "floss" the nozzle.

I then used the same wire to clean the next piece. As you can see from the above picture the wires are quite flexible. This was a perfect fit.

I then used the largest wire to clean the barrel of the airbrush. The was also a perfect fit. Because the wire is twisted, so it has raised edges, it really does help to remove blockages or old dry paint.

A really simple, neat, inexpensive solution to unclogging and cleaning Airbrushes. I really like the fact they've been made with a loop at the end and attached to a key ring loop. This keeps them all together and less likely to get lost.

WIP: Caestus Assault Ram

2012-02-02T01:12:33-08:00

I don't normally post WIP's, preferring to post fully finished minis - HOWEVER - I'm feeling a bit left behind by Garfy's excellent airbrushed spider, Sigur's not one but TWO forgeworld pre-heresy rhinos and Stahly with his huge great rat mutant thing.

So here it is. It won't happen often, but this is what's on my desk currently and it is a beauty. A large, well cast kit (that's well cast for forgeworld, it's not perfect) which looks brutal. Airbrush coats are all layed down and she's ready for weathering. I've even taken progress pictures (gasp!) so I can do a tutorial if it's of any interest.

There is no more after the jump, please remain seated.

Tales from the Network #9

2012-02-01T09:00:06-08:00

Here we go:

A Killa Kan in a black and white paint scheme by Odins Men.
Some very nice yellow and purple Empire Halberdiers by Dice and Brush.
This is a great Great Unclean One/Skaven Hell Pit Abomination conversion by Warhammer in Progress.
If you like Black Library books, Three Colors Minimum reviews Legion of the Damned in the Space Marine Battles series.
An advanced basing tutorial by noeste.
Basing seems to be popular, here is another basing tutorial by The Emperor's Codex.
The Anointed of Khaine, a wicked High Elves diorama/unit filler by iPaintmodels.
Some cool converted Imperial Guard squads by Generic 40k blog.
Remember those Razorwings by Eye of Error from the last time? Here is a great tutorial on airbrushing and painting those beauties!

Do you want your blog featured on Tales from the Network as well? Join the Tale of Painters Blog Network - we're already over 110 blogs strong! Joining is easy - click here and learn how.

Showcase: Pre-Heresy World Eaters Deimos Pattern Rhinos

2012-02-01T03:00:02-08:00

Hey, here's another part of the commissioned World Eaters army I've been doing lately. It's two somewhat battered Rhinos. What's interesting about those is that they are of the pretty Deimos pattern.

I really like how Forgeworld are doing all these old versions of models and modernizing them. Really cool models, quite some fun to paint as well!

Like us on Facebook if you haven't already!

2012-01-31T10:12:15-08:00

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WIP: Aracharok Spider #1

2012-01-31T04:00:15-08:00

Inspired by Stahly's incredible Hell Pit Abomination, I thought I'd follow in our illustrious leader's footsteps with my own Warhammer Fantasy Massive Monster. Read on to discover how I airbrushed this model in part 1 of this project.

I had to come up with a colour scheme for the Arachnarok Spider, and after looking at some real life spiders on google images, I decided on natural colours. In the above picture you can see I picked out Black, Terracotta, Parasite Brown (seemed appropriate) and Plague Brown.

With my colours chosen, spider assembled and undercoated it was time to break out the airbrush! For more information on my airbrush set up click here.

Using scissors and Tamiya masking tape I masked off some of the areas I wanted to keep black.

In the above pic you can see I've applied the terracotta base colour to the leg joints and the carapace edges. On top of that I've added the parasite brown mid tone colour.

It's starting to look like how I imagined now. The Plague brown (it's more yellow) edge highlights look really nice and brighten the model up a treat... a little too much if you ask me.

So, to tone it down and add depth to the piece I sprayed black between the terracotta colour and the masking tape. If you remember, under the masking tape is black, so this new spray of black is to blend the terracotta to the original undercoat... confused? I am.

Luckily my theory worked out. I've removed the masking tape in the above shot and the effect it's created is a natural looking blends on the knee joints.

Next step is to paint the fleshy underbelly. I'm thinking, dwarf flesh bladed up into dull yellows... no idea what it will look like but i'm thinking under belly of a turtle? Stay tuned!