Long time since I posted anything new here, but with the ongoing Covid-19 and lockdown situations, I've had time to hobby more this year. So much so, I've actually finished more models in 2020 than I have in the preceding 5 years!
Lately I've been working on a squad of the new Sisters of Battle. Unusual for me to be working on so many figures of the same type in one go (the last squad I finished was a unit of 5 Ghouls back in 2007!), but I really like these new Sisters of Battle sculpts. After painting one, I knew I wanted to do more!
I was lucky enough to grab one of the limited release army box sets at the end of last year, so have been working with the figures from this set, along with a few pieces I've picked up off bits sites or from generous donors from Twitter.
When it came to selecting a colour scheme, I was always taken with the red armour of the Order of the Bloody Rose. Maybe its my love of red armour from being a fan of Blood Angels? Regardless, its been a chance to refine my skills and get back to painting sharpness, as well as develop in a few areas. The following is a few pics of the squad members so far.
First up, the Sister Superior:
This model was a joy to paint. I wasn't a fan of the original head, so swapped it out for one from the Sisters of Battle Squad set. I tried a few new things with this one, including the hazards on the chainsword and freehand lining around the inner edge of the robes.
I've also tried to work with different tones and textures on the different materials of these models. While a simple enough red, black and white scheme, I've varied tones on the black and red depending on the material types. For the robes, I've kept the black warm by using tan colours for the highlight mixes. While for the bolter, I've used Dark Sea Blue in the highlight mixes to get a cooler, machine tone.
Equally, on the red, the armour is bright and shiny, while the gloves and bodice are a darker, cooler leather colour.
Next up, the veteran sister of the squad with Stormbolter. This is one of my favourite models from the set - the pose is awesome and the face in particular is great! The bases on both the above models were a lot of fun to put together and I went a little extra with some of the nosing on the stairs on the Sister Superior and the broken banister detail on the front right (the model's left) of the Stormbolter sister.
Finally, here's some pics of the latest work in progress - the sister carrying Simulacrum Imperialis:
You'll see from the sister above that I paint these in sub assemblies. In general, I paint the body, arms, head and backpack as separate assemblies. This way I get the best brush access to all areas. It has meant that I've needed to do some post-paint Milliput gap filling, but its worth it for a better overall finish in my opinion.
Hopefully I'll have some more of this squad to share soon, but check back over the next week or so as I have a few pics of other projects I've worked on over the past year or so to share too!
Feel free to let me know what you think of the sisters so far in the comments and if you have any questions.
Tuesday, 21 July 2020
With the new Warhammer 40,000 Indomitus set released this weekend, I decided to create a little web-comic which I feel summarises the new Bladeguard Veterans in a humorous way! Enjoy!
Well, after a loooooooong time, I have finally got around to finishing the Abaddon miniature from the Forgeworld Horus Heresy diorama set that I started over a year ago!
Despite taking an absolute age to complete this (largely due to lengthy periods of hobby inactivity), I had a ton of fun painting this figure and feel that I learned a lot through the process to boot.
All in all, I'm quite pleased with the overall result. The cold blue/black of the armour came out pretty much as intended. I also tried out a new paint range (Scale75 - very nice and with great matt properties) and got a chance to play with my Day Glow pigments from Forged Monkey (also very nice) - more on both in future posts.
I have had the Forgeworld Horus Heresy Abaddon vs Loken diorama kit for a few months now (think I ordered it for release, whenever that was) and have finally gotten around to working on it recently.
Both figures in this kit are very dynamically posed and loaded with fine details, as tends to be the case with Forgeworld figures. Abaddon is the best of the two sculpts however - the pose, arms spread wide in challenge, just seems to have more appealing lines, making him the better stand alone figure of the two.
For this reason he was the obvious place to start. After a couple of evenings cleaning up and filling/correcting/re-sculpting any casting flaws, I had him ready to paint. There were a couple of areas in need of work which I suspect will be the same on most versions of this cast. Namely, the topknot, the arch detail above the head recess and the inside of the rims on the shoulder pads. All had some form of casting defect, typically from mould slip. The top knot was by far the worst, with the small metal band piece holding the hair being so bad I ended up just sculpting my own to replace it.
Like most of my projects, I am painting him in sub-assemblies - the head, arms, sword, body and base. I have started on the body, making reasonable progress so far over a few hours or so of work.
Everything is still fairly rough at the moment as I am still trying to determine where I want the contrast to be, but I like how he's turning out so far.
I'm aiming for a fairly reflective looking black with a hint of turquoise (to tie in a little with the Sons of Horus green - important for when I get round to Loken), with reds in the shading to add some contrast. At the moment the left leg is the furthest along, but I do intend to go back and add more shading and an overall contrast to the whole piece once everything else is nearly done to focus the eye on key areas - mainly around the face.
I am thinking of trying some source lighting on the face similar to the classic piece of Horus Heresy artwork of Horus facing the Emperor. It's not something I have tried before though, so there will be a lot of trial and error - think this is a good plan? Let me know in the comments if you have an opinion.
While looking through the galleries on coolminiornot.com today I came across a rather pleasant, if unexpected surprise.
Upon seeing the piece "Imperial Guard Ace" by artist MoMinis, entered at this year's Golden Demon Germany (and a worthy finalist), I was instantly reminded of a converted Imperial Guardsman I had made back in 2009:
My model was also a finalist at Golden Demon UK in 2010, so I guess these two models have even more in common!
Looking at my miniature now, I would have taken longer over the paintjob and base if I could start again. Both were quite rushed from a desire to finish the miniature before I moved to my current home and from simply having worked on the conversion for too long. A problem I find frustratingly common!
Warhammer 40,000 Dark Vengence - 6th edition (2012)
So what have I been up to lately? Well, aside from trying to finish up a few entries for this year's Golden Demon, I have been eyeing up the new Dark Vengence 40k boxed set (which you can get for a pretty nifty 10% discount at Wayland Games).
The new models look great and it is hard to believe they are "snap fit" models. The hobby has come a long way from the old starter sets I can remember receiving for christmas in my youth.
Warhammer 40,000 2nd edition boxed set (1993)
It's funny, because I have seen people complaining about the presence of a few duplicates in the new set. It just shows how high the expectation level is these days thanks to the improved quality of all boxed sets GW produce.
The old sets used to include only around 5-8 versions of a model, no characters, no vehicles. Now we get spoiled with properly structured forces, including characters, dreadnoughts, bikes and multiple unit types per force.
Changed days indeed!
I'm already planning some minor conversions for the Chaos chosen and Hellbrute so can't wait for the new boxed set to arrive.
Got anything special planned for your own set? How do you plan to paint up the chaos models (still torn on a legion to choose myself, so ideas are welcome)?
As anyone who is a regular at Games Workshop events and is a fan of Forgeworld miniatures will know, GW's resin specialists have, for the past few years now, released special "event only" miniatures on an annual basis.
Last year saw the event only Warhammer Forge Chaos Dwarf hero an Warhammer 40k Boarding Space Marine, while 2012 sees the Warhammer Forge Skin Wolf (Chaos) and Warhammer 40k Imperial Enforcer. It is the later of this years models which will be the focus of this review.
While I have yet to attend a GW event this year, I did manage to pick up one of the many event only models available on eBay. While you may find that you have to over-pay to pick one up, I got mine for £18 including postage - not too bad when you consider the model costs £12 new at an event (which would also have associated costs in attending).
First Thoughts
The first thing of note about this years event only models are that they come in a new packaging format for Forgeworld. It seems that the new Finecast style plastic blisters are also being used to package these figures. I'm not sure if this is something that is being rolled out across the Forgeworld range, but it is a bit of a welcome change.
Previously Forgeworld models came packaged in small jiffy bags - great for seeing the parts through because you could carefully manipulate the parts to see them from all sides, but they didn't offer any protection from breakages while transporting/storing. Not great for the often fragile, brittle parts typical of resin kits.
I knew the minute I saw the first pictures released of the Imperial Enforcer model that I would wind up purchasing one and on doing so, I was not disappointed. I have always had a preference for Imperial figures and a great fondness for anything related to Necromunda/Inquisitor - models that have a strong character in their own right without a supporting army. This guy definitely ticks that box.
Contents
So what do you get for your £12 (or £18 in my case)?
The model consists of 3 pieces. The enforcers body, head and a cyber mastiff.
Quality of Sculpts / Detail
As with most of Forgeworld's products, the sculpting quality on both miniatures in this set is top notch, full of crisp, intricate details. The enforcer's body has a number of small imperial icons and some finely detailed chain elements, including a pair of handcuffs.
I can't say I'm a big fan of the way the boots have been designed. The soles/heels look too tacked on to the rest of the boot, almost like an after-thought modification to "space" them up to look more 40k. A minor criticism though.
The head has a sullen eyed veteran appearance - a somewhat common trait of Forgeworld bare human heads. It actually reminds me a lot of Inquisitor Eisenhorn too and would be an ideal choice of head for such a conversion.
Finally, the cyber mastiff is a large, but exquisitely sculpted beast. The anatomy is very realistic looking, even for a cybernetically modified, gene-enhanced dog! The face is a pleasant change from the usual aggressive snarling that is common for most wargames miniature beasts and hounds. There is also some really nice detail for the cybernetic enhancements.
Pose
The posing of the model is more relaxed than the typical 40k miniature posing offered in GW's main ranges, yet still interesting and characterful. He has a sort of "investigative stride" look, with shock maul held low in his right hand and some sort of auspex/communicator device in his right.
The cyber mastiff's pose has a similar feel, as though master and beast are investigating some sort of incident. He also has a nice loping, single minded stride going on.
Casting Quality
This kit instantly ranks amongst the best quality of casting I have seen from Forgeworld. A few small mold lines, bits of flash and sprue vents, but nothing you wouldn't expect on any miniature. The details have all been cast fully and crisply, with no softening of detail that can sometimes be present in resin kits and which used to be a common issue with some Forgeworld kits in the past.
The worst area for mold lines appears to be the tops of the boots on the enforcer's body. This seems to be quite a common location for deep inset mold lines (as opposed to raised mold lines common on plastic kits), but nothing a little putty and sanding can't sort.
One thing I would say is that the miniatures feel very greasy all over, clearly having a goo coating of mold lubrication, meaning they will need a good wash and light scrub in some warm soapy water - something worth doing to all miniatures before applying paint, but particularly important on resin models.
Summary
Overall, this is a great kit. The models are nicely posed, work well together and are finely detailed and cast. As a personal opinion, there aren't enough of these "non-battlefield" miniatures that flesh out the background of the game and are a common focus of Black Library novels, making this a welcome addition to the GW range.
The only real criticism I have is the previously mentioned styling of the boots. A small criticism though of an otherwise brilliant kit.
If you plan on attending a GW event this year and you are a fan of both 40k and Imperial miniatures, then I strongly recommend taking the time to pick this kit up. If you don't intend to visit an event, then you could always do what I did and pick one up on eBay as there appears to always be plenty going.
Forgeworld Event Only Imperial Enforcer
Reviewed by CMDante on
Overall Rating: 4.5/
5
My first miniature finished in 2012 is this Sons of Medusa space marine captain done as a Christmas commission for my good friend Aaron (Grey Death) from The Painting Corps.
The first marine I have painted in a number of years, this project was a lot of fun. Not only is the SoM colour scheme great fun to do - if a little challenging due to the poor coverage of scorpion green (thank god for my airbrush!), but it was a cool challenge trying to keep the model in keeping with the look and feel of the rest of Aaron's force.
The model has had a few subtle conversions, namely the plasma pistol and the bionic eye. The eye was a late addition due to the horrible cast quality of the model around the face making the right eye unpaintable and the face covered in excess metal on that side. Luckily it turned out pretty well and fits with the Sons of Medusa theme (being successors of the Iron Hands).
Here's hoping Aaron likes him and be sure to let me know what you think in the comments.
Just ordered one of the new Contemptor Patter Dreadnoughts from Forgeworld and I have to say, it looks like one awesome kit.
I haven't really been excited by Space Marines of late. The only SM kit in the last 4-5 years that I've purchased and put together being the FWRaven Guard Captain Korvydae that I bought at Games Day UK last year and finished back in February.
However, this kit I most definitely am excited about. I think it's in part because it looks like a really big marine, part because it looks like a really big robot (I love Transformers btw) and part because it looks like a very flexible, pose-able kit with a great silhouette.
At the moment the weapon options are limited to power fists (which look very nice) and a twin linked lascannon (cool, but I'm less sure about how it fits with the kit as a whole). I've opted for the dual power fists.
Fortunately the weapon options won't be limited to just those mentioned above. Recent pictures from Games Day Chicago show some very nice looking additional weapons, including twin assault cannons, conversion beamer and cyclone missile launcher, and a slight variation on the body.
In general, the quality of releases from Forgeworld lately have been excellent and I'm definitely looking forward to a lot of the upcoming releases. In the meantime, it's back to the work desk for me to get cracking on some Golden Demon entries!
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