On the Bench: Veteran Guardsman with Shotgun

At the moment, I am juggling a couple of different projects in an effort to keep myself motivated. To this end, as I find myself becoming frustrated or bored with one project, I can jump over to another one that can be done more quickly. The good thing about doing this is that I keep getting stuff painted. The bad piece is that I need to jump around too much; otherwise I will never finish an actual squad or regiment.

The color scheme used for this model is similar to ones that I have used in the past for my guardsmen, but with a few noteworthy changes. The first major difference between this guardsman and the ones from the prior squad is that I focused more on adding “hard” highlights to the model. Another difference was that I included the Vallejo Magic Blue to the mixture when working on the blue areas. Finally, I decided to go with brown boots that matched the belts instead of the dark grey ones on the first squad.

The ultimate goal with this squad is to have a 10 man unit of veterans armed with shotguns and flamers. I also plan on painting a chimera for this unit that is armed with heavy flamers on the turret and in the hull. Whether or not that actually happens is a matter of time and dedication, but for now I feel it is a strong possibility.

On the Bench: Eagle Warriors Space Marine - Part 5

One of the reasons I decided to use the new Sternguard kit was that I really like the look of space marines accented with robes, cloaks, and loin clothes. Maybe it is because I also love the imagery of super heroes that I find myself wanting the same with my marines (after all, space marines are the super heroes of the 40k universe). The challenge in the past was that the only models that really had such a look were in metal or finecrap. Thankfully that has changed with the new kit and I can now expand my army to fit the idea I have had for years.

When it came to painting the loincloth, I wanted to use the scheme provided in the GW painting guide, but I did not want to use GW paints again. To this end, I needed to match-up my Vallejo paints with the ones being suggested by GW. Thankfully, DAKKDAKKA has a great conversion chart that allowed me to identify close matches in the Vallejo range. To begin the process, I painted the cloth areas with Vallejo Game Color Khaki (061). Once the paint was dry, I applied a wash of GW Seraphim Sepia. While I generally dislike the GW paint line, I do admit that their washes are superior to any other ones I have tried. When applying the washes, I apply two or three coats. The first one is a general coat over all of the khaki areas. Once the first coat has dried, I do another layer into the deeper portions of the model.

Once the washes have dried (usually a couple of hours or the next day), I begin the process of layering the highlights. I begin with a layer of thinned khaki (4:1:1) and slowly add Vallejo Bleached Bone to each new layer of the mix. As the layers become lighter, I also add Vallejo Glaze Medium and thinner to the paint to better blend the layers.

In the end, I get a nicely blended looking loin cloth. I may try to add a little white into the mix with the next one as I feel this one could use some stronger highlights. I may also experiment with start darker (Khaki/Brown mixture) and using more layers instead of the wash.

Episode 22 - Building a New Army

This episode is more of a casual affair about tournaments and army building.  The Warriors Three discuss trends in the tournament scene and how prizes can influence games.  As they transition into Marshaling the Host, they discuss their original plans for the Adepticon Team Tournament in 2014 and how each of them approaches building a new army.  The show concludes with a discussion about the new sponsorship program and how listeners can help out the show in 2014.

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Episode Timeline
00:00:17 - Tournaments, Cash Prizes, and Atmosphere
00:41:25 - Marshaling the Host (Building a New Army)
01:08:38 - Sponsor the Show


Emails
Army Lists, Feedback, Topic Ideas - Andrew@unstabledice.com
Upcoming Tournaments - Chuck@unstabledice.com
John - equinox@unstabledice.com

Show Links

Sponsor the Show
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On the Bench: Eagle Warriors Space Marine - Part 4

In part 4 of this On the Bench series, I summarize how I painted the lens on the bolter's scope. Lens are one of the things that I enjoy painting as they can be challenging, but when done well, really add something to a model. I was particularly excited by the lens on this model as the bolter reminds me of the ones that were available for Deathwatch conversion kits that GW produced at one time. Overall, I was happy with the results, though I feel I could have added a few more layers to smooth the blending better.

1. Vallejo Dark Blue (4:1 | Dark Blue:Thinner)
2. Vallejo Dark Blue/Skull White (8:1:2 | Dark Blue:Skull White:Thinner)
3. Add 2 drops of Skull White and 1 drop Vallejo Glaze Medium
4. Add 2 drops of Skull White, 1 drop Vallejo Glaze Medium, and 1 drop thinner
5. Wet Blend Skull White with mixture from prior step
6. Carefully apply a thinned wash of Asurman Blue Wash to the darkest sections of the lens
7. Apply two small dots in the darkest section

On the Bench: Eagle Warriors Space Marine - Part 3

In this article, I review the test scheme I used to achieve the white sections of the model. This part of the model was a bit more challenging than I expected because I decided to use GW paints instead of the usual Vallejo bottles. The GW paints are thicker and didn't agree with my eye dropper, so thinning the paints was a bit of a hassle. I also found that the color scheme I was using from the GW painting guide was very vague on how the colors should be layered.

1. I applied a layer of GW Celestra Grey (~4:1)

2. Next, I applied Agrax Earthshade as a wash to the white sections.

3. Once the wash was dry, I began the process of layering on a mixture of Celestra Grey and Ulthuan Grey.

4. As the process continued, I started to add more Valejo Skull White to the mixture. I also began to include a little Vallejo Glaze Medium.

5. The last layer was a small amount of Vallejo Skull White to give the model some sharp highlights.

The Roaming Gamer: Battleground Gaming and Hobbies

One of the pleasures of my job is that I get to travel all over the United States. During my travels, I get to visit various game stores and get a chance to see how folks approach the hobby in different parts of the world. I also get to find those gems that are worth checking out just to pick-up something new or have a fun chat. This month I review Battleground Gaming and Hobbies.

During a recent trip to Boston, I had a chance to visit the Attleboro store During a recent trip to Boston, I had a chance to visit the Battlegrounds store located in Attleboro, MA. The store was a bit difficult to locate, must being from the midwest, most of the Boston area can be a pain at time. When I arrived at the store, there were a few guys playing card games and a single clerk helping a customer at the desk. The clerk was courteous and greeted me upon arrival, but didn't really get a chance to interact with me as he was working with another customer.
Strolling through the store, I found it to be well stocked with GW products. Everything was neatly organized and priced at the standard MSRP. The store also stocked many different non-GW products, including Privateer Press and Magic. There was also a board gaming and role-playing section.

The majority of the space in the store was dedicated to gaming. There were a handful of miniature gaming tables, each covered in very nice looking terrain. There was also tables dedicated to the playing of card and role-playing games. Overall, the gaming space was decent, but I could see it becoming easily packed on days when a decent crowd shows up.

Overall, I thought Battleground was a nice gaming store, but not a memorable one. As a non-local, I need something to motivate me to visit a store while in town, and I did not find it with this place. The gaming tables were nice, but may feel crowded during peek hours. Also with GW products at MSRP, there are many other options available to me when I am looking to add something new to my collection.

Roaming Gamer Score: 3 (5 - Outstanding, 1 - Crapfest)

On the Bench: Eagle Warriors Space Marine - Part 2

When it came to painting up this marine, I wanted the model to share colors with the Imperial Guard models that I had completed a few years ago. This meant using Vallejo Dark Blue as a base for the first layer of paint.

After applying the first layer of paint and touching up spots where the primer bleed through, I gave the blue sections a wash of GW Asurmen Blue.

Once the wash was dry, I applied layers of Dark Blue mixed with Electric Blue.

As I continued to layer the model, Vallejo Skull White was added to the mix.

With each layer, I would alternate between adding more thinner and/or Vallejo Glaze Medium. The reason I do this is to better blend the layers together and create a smooth transition across the blue sections.

As the layers became whiter, I applied them only along the edges and at the sharp corners of the model.

Episode 21 - Reviewing Lizardmen with Krampus

Momentum continues to build as the show gets back into full swing with this episode's review of the Lizardmen armybook for WFB. Before the Warriors Three and guest John Ontto share their thoughts on the lastest edition of the cold blooded warriors from the south, they discuss GW releasing supplements to the codices and armybooks.

Download: Direct Download | iTunes | RSS

 

Timeline
00:00:17 Opening Discussion (Army Book Supplemens)
00:19:10 Marshaling the Host
00:50:04 Lizardmen Armybook Review

Emails
Army Lists, Feedback, Topic Ideas - Andrew@unstabledice.com
Upcoming Tournaments - Chuck@unstabledice.com
John - equinox@unstabledice.com

Show Links

Chuck's Plog
A Gathering of Might XII

IWFB

Flatcon

Big Mek’s Garage 

Sponsors

Rare Choice Games: Facebook | Youtube

On the Bench: Eagle Warriors Space Marine - Part 1

Since the conclusion of Invasion Kenosha, I have been itching to get away from Warhammer Fantasy and return to working on stuff for 40K.  Between moving back to Illinois from Wisconsin and starting a new job, I haven't had the time to work on anything until recently.  Now that my family is mostly settled in and I have a nice new gaming floor at my house, I decided to restart an old project and add some marines to my imperial forces.

I decided for this project to use one of the new plastic Sternguard marines that were release in September as I like my marines wearing loin clothes and having a little more bling on them. I also have a very strong visual of what I want the overall army to look like when on display, so using the new models helps towards achieving that visual without needing to use a lot of greenstuff. 

When it comes to priming models, I am a hardcore believer in using white primer for every project. The reason for doing this is that I find it easier to paint brighter colors without the need for a ton of extra layers like what would be needed with black primer. The downside of using white is that it can bleed through if the paint is too thin or not applied in smooth coats.