An inventive system for tracking one's progress painting and compare it with others was posted awhile back on Lone Pilgrim. It is a cool system that is being picked up by some blogs, so I have decided that I will join in the fun.
The basics of the system are that a participant earns points for each model painted. The number of points earned depends on the size of the model.
Infantry = 1 point
Cavalry, bikes, or 40mm Monsters (Ogres, Trolls, Minotaurs, Ogryns, Lictors, etc.)* = 2 points
Monster or Dreadnought = 5 points
Vehicle = 10 points
Superheavy vehicle = 20 points
*Note: I am adding the 40mm monsters to the 2 point row, as I believe they deserve more than a single point, but not as many points as a hive tyrant or dragon.
As of today, I have 11 points for the year. I am setting a personal goal of 75 points for 2009. I am a slow painter, but I expect to work on a few tanks in the coming months, so I think I will hit more than 52 points (which would be all infantry).
Special Thanks to Lone Pilgrim for introducing such a fun idea to the 40K blogsphere.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Space Hulk Challenge: Winner!
With much excitement, I present the winner of the Space Hulk Challenge.
Click Image to Enlarge
With only a single entry received, the winner is Nate Oesch. Congrats to Nate for winning the competition and excellent work!
Pay attention to this blog on April 11, as the next contest will be announced.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
REMINDER: Space Hulk Challenge
Entries for the Space Hulk Challenge must be turned in by 11:59 pm CST today. Don't forget to include a WiP picture with the final work.
Someone is winning a gift certificate to the Warstore in two weeks!
Someone is winning a gift certificate to the Warstore in two weeks!
Weekly Update: Online Contest
Existing Contests
The Rules:
1.) Abide by the spirit and guidelines of the Challenge presented.
2.) Take a WIP shot of your model before painting. Send your WIP along with your entry.
3.) Paint your model!
4.) Take another shot of the completed model and send it in to dakkapaintingchallenge@dakkadakka.com with your Dakka Handle as the photo's filename. Also be sure to include your dakka handle in the email, just in case. Oh and be sure it's in before Midnight Central (GMT-6:00) the night of the Deadline!!
5.) The day after the deadline, all the entries will be presented for all of Dakka to see! Along with this will be a poll for the community at large to pick their favorite from the bunch.
6.) Public voting will last for 3 Days. And the Top 5 Entries will go on to be voted upon by our Judging Panel. The Winner will be announced soon after!
The Deadline:March 31st, 2009: Midnight Central Time (GMT-6:00)
The Deadline:March 31st, 2009: Midnight Central Time (GMT-6:00)
Rites of War
Paint or Die! A RoW Painting Contest.
Paint or Die! A RoW Painting Contest.
The Concept is rather Simple. You choose to start a new army of 1000+ points or 1000+ points of Expansion to an army you already own to paint. You have 7 weeks from the start date to completely build, model, paint & base your 1000 points. You must update a blog with your progress weekly. At the end of the 7 weeks anyone who has completed their project will earn a "Paint or Die" Award as well as be entered in Paint Contest with the other participants In which the entire membership votes to determine 1st and 2nd place winners. Those winners split the entry fees in a 60/30 manner (10% covers fees).
The "Getting the most out of the new Stegadon kit if you're not a Lizardman player" Conversion Challenge! The Adept's Forge, in conjunction with Dave Taylor Miniatures, is pleased to present the kick-off to what will hopefully be an ongoing series of cool idea-sharing and excitingly executed conversions. All too often, there's a great, new, plastic kit that you just can't help but want to put together. Perhaps, however, you're not into the army for which the kit has been released and you just can't bring yourself to build a one-off, never to be used again model. Enter the Conversion Challenge. Over the next five to six weeks, a group of friends and veteran hobbyists will take on the challenge of converting the fantastic new Stegadon plastic kit into something they can more readily use in one of their existing armies. The rules are simple. Take (at least) one Stegadon kit, add heaping helpings of creativity and modeling talent, and create a masterpiece of conversion work that will be admired the world over (or perhaps just over the world wide web). Photos will be taken around the end of March and half will be posted on ttp://theadeptsforge.blogspot.com/, while the other half will be posted on http://davetaylorminiatures.blogspot.com/. Polls will be set up for voting and the winner will receive bragging rights, possibly even a prize from the archives. We'll be posting the names of the contestants shortly, so keep your eyes peeled for the mighty creations come late March.
The Realms of Equinox
The Space Hulk Challenge
Submission deadline is today, 03/28/2009! Hurry up and get those entries in for the contest.
RULES
We want you to create themed bases of your own design. It can be a theme that we already sell (urban, infested) but we would prefer to see a theme that we have not yet covered. Literally anything you can think of! No matter how weird or dull the theme is we would like to see it. Each entrant must submit one of the following choices: four x25mm OR two x40mm OR 1x60mm base. Each entrant may enter as many times as they like.
These bases can be round or square and must be UNPAINTED. You can use another companies 'blank base' to add your design to. You can use any kind of modelling materials such as sculpting putty, plasticard, textured sheets, sand etc You cannot use any static grass/flock. You cannot add another companies products that is not sold for scratch building onto your design (example: you cannot use the head of a GW space marine or a Rackham weapon or even part of any terrain made by another company) Entrants must not be sculptors currently selling their own product lines of bases. Failure to follow the above rules will result in your entry being void :( What we will be marking your work on: Above all it’s got to be game practical. We don’t want to see over a designed base that a miniature would not be able to stand on. If a miniature was to be mounted it should still be able to stand 'flat footed' on the base and the height of the base should not be overly high, again being practical for gaming. In some cases less is more. There is a fine line between over designed bases and interesting bases. Photos of your work can be sent to: comp@darkartminiatures.com
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Weekly Update: Servo Skull Familiar
This week’s update is a small one. This is a simple familiar to be included in the retinue for the inquisitor that I am painting as part of the RoW: PoD contest.
The RoW: PoD contest allows me to have a limited number of models painted before it starts. The magic number is five models, but the base size determines the number of models counted against the limit. The terminator from last week counts as two models. This guy counts as one. So officially, I have two models that I can complete before the contest. Since the contest starts this weekend, I believe I will just spend the remaining free time cleaning and preparing models for the "WIP" shot that is required by the contest.
The RoW: PoD contest allows me to have a limited number of models painted before it starts. The magic number is five models, but the base size determines the number of models counted against the limit. The terminator from last week counts as two models. This guy counts as one. So officially, I have two models that I can complete before the contest. Since the contest starts this weekend, I believe I will just spend the remaining free time cleaning and preparing models for the "WIP" shot that is required by the contest.
On the Bench: Servo Skull Familiar
The model used was a servo skull from the plastic devastator kit. It was mounted on a 1/32 brass rod that has been drilled into a 1” round George Base. The model was primed black. After the primer dried, the base was flocked with three sizes of gravel from the GF9 urban basing kit. Once the glue for the flock had dried, sections of the skull and flock were given a thin coat of Vallejo white primer using a size 0 brush.
When it came to painting, the skull was done using the same palette range that I used on the skeleton models that I was painting in early 2008. Since the models in this project are not using metallics, I used a modified version of the grey palette from the GK terminator. I also used a slight modified palette for the gold sections.
Bone
Vallejo Desert Sand 4:1 (paint:thinner)
Vallejo Brown Ink: Vallejo Black Ink 8:1:8 (brown:black:thinner)
Vallejo Desert Sand 4:1 (paint:thinner)
Vallejo Desert Sand: Vallejo Bleached Bone 4:1:1:2 (desert brown:bleached bone:thinner:glaze)
Vallejo Desert Sand: Vallejo Bleached Bone 2:1:1:1 (desert brown:bleached bone:thinner:glaze)
Vallejo Desert Sand: Vallejo Bleached Bone 1:6:1:2 (desert brown:bleached bone:thinner:glaze)
Vallejo Bleached Bone:Skull White 6:1:1:2 (bleached bone:skull white:thinner:glaze)
Vallejo Bleached Bone:Skull White 3:1:1:1 (bleached bone:skull white:thinner:glaze)
Vallejo Bleached Bone:Skull White 2:1:1:1 (bleached bone:skull white:thinner:glaze)
Grey Sections
Vallejo Black Grey (70862)(3:1, paint:thinner) [Size 1 American Painter]
Black GW Wash
Black Grey (4:1, paint:thinner)
Black Grey/Vallejo London Grey (836) (2:2:1:1, black grey:london grey:thinner:glaze)
London Grey (4:1:1, london grey:thinner:glaze)
London Grey/Light Grey (70990) (4:1:1:1, london grey:light grey:thinner:glaze)
Blue Sections
Dark Blue (4:1:1, paint:thinner:glaze)
GW Blue Wash (straight) “Medium coverage”
Dark Blue (4:1:1, paint:thinner:glaze)Add 2 drops Skull White to prior mix.
Add 2 drops of Skull White to the prior mix.
Add 4 drops of Skull White to the prior mix
Eyes only - straight skull white as a single dot in each eye.
Golden Sections
Reaper Chestnut Gold (09073) (3:1, paint:thinner) [American Painter Brush 1] "Due to the model being primed black, I applied three thin layers to cover the black and get a brighter color."
Vallejo Brown Ink (72092) (straight) [American Painter Brush 00] "A little brown ink was applied to certain deep areas, like the connector, to give them a needed extra layer of depth."
Reaper Chestnut Gold (09073)/Palomino Gold (09074) (2:2:1:1, chestnut gold:palomino gold: thinner:glaze)
Palomino Gold (4:1, paint, thinner)
Palomino Gold/Buckskin Pale (09075) (2:2:1:1, palomino gold:buckskin pale:thinner:glaze)
Buckskin Pale (4:1, paint:thinner)
Base
Snakebite Leather (2:1, paint:thinner)
Septia GW Wash “Heavy coat”
Snakebite Leather (4:1, paint:thinner) “Medium drybrush”
Dark Sand (4:1, pain:thinner) “Light drybrush”
When it came to painting, the skull was done using the same palette range that I used on the skeleton models that I was painting in early 2008. Since the models in this project are not using metallics, I used a modified version of the grey palette from the GK terminator. I also used a slight modified palette for the gold sections.
Bone
Vallejo Desert Sand 4:1 (paint:thinner)
Vallejo Brown Ink: Vallejo Black Ink 8:1:8 (brown:black:thinner)
Vallejo Desert Sand 4:1 (paint:thinner)
Vallejo Desert Sand: Vallejo Bleached Bone 4:1:1:2 (desert brown:bleached bone:thinner:glaze)
Vallejo Desert Sand: Vallejo Bleached Bone 2:1:1:1 (desert brown:bleached bone:thinner:glaze)
Vallejo Desert Sand: Vallejo Bleached Bone 1:6:1:2 (desert brown:bleached bone:thinner:glaze)
Vallejo Bleached Bone:Skull White 6:1:1:2 (bleached bone:skull white:thinner:glaze)
Vallejo Bleached Bone:Skull White 3:1:1:1 (bleached bone:skull white:thinner:glaze)
Vallejo Bleached Bone:Skull White 2:1:1:1 (bleached bone:skull white:thinner:glaze)
Grey Sections
Vallejo Black Grey (70862)(3:1, paint:thinner) [Size 1 American Painter]
Black GW Wash
Black Grey (4:1, paint:thinner)
Black Grey/Vallejo London Grey (836) (2:2:1:1, black grey:london grey:thinner:glaze)
London Grey (4:1:1, london grey:thinner:glaze)
London Grey/Light Grey (70990) (4:1:1:1, london grey:light grey:thinner:glaze)
Blue Sections
Dark Blue (4:1:1, paint:thinner:glaze)
GW Blue Wash (straight) “Medium coverage”
Dark Blue (4:1:1, paint:thinner:glaze)Add 2 drops Skull White to prior mix.
Add 2 drops of Skull White to the prior mix.
Add 4 drops of Skull White to the prior mix
Eyes only - straight skull white as a single dot in each eye.
Golden Sections
Reaper Chestnut Gold (09073) (3:1, paint:thinner) [American Painter Brush 1] "Due to the model being primed black, I applied three thin layers to cover the black and get a brighter color."
Vallejo Brown Ink (72092) (straight) [American Painter Brush 00] "A little brown ink was applied to certain deep areas, like the connector, to give them a needed extra layer of depth."
Reaper Chestnut Gold (09073)/Palomino Gold (09074) (2:2:1:1, chestnut gold:palomino gold: thinner:glaze)
Palomino Gold (4:1, paint, thinner)
Palomino Gold/Buckskin Pale (09075) (2:2:1:1, palomino gold:buckskin pale:thinner:glaze)
Buckskin Pale (4:1, paint:thinner)
Base
Snakebite Leather (2:1, paint:thinner)
Septia GW Wash “Heavy coat”
Snakebite Leather (4:1, paint:thinner) “Medium drybrush”
Dark Sand (4:1, pain:thinner) “Light drybrush”
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Reminder: 5 Days Remaining
There are only five days remaining to submit your entry in the Space Hulk Challenge.
FAQ
Q. Does my entry need to be a diorama?
A. No, it may be a single model on a base. The base should look like it is in a hulk though.
Q. When will my entry be posted for voting?
A. All entries will be posted next Monday, March 30, 2009. Voting will begin on Tuesday, March 31, 2009.
Q. How do I submit my entry?
A. Please send an email to equinox999equinox@yahoo.com. Include two pictures, a WIP and the final entry.
Q. What is the deadline for a submission to be entered?
A. The deadline for submissions is March 28th, 2009 11:59 PM CST.
FAQ
Q. Does my entry need to be a diorama?
A. No, it may be a single model on a base. The base should look like it is in a hulk though.
Q. When will my entry be posted for voting?
A. All entries will be posted next Monday, March 30, 2009. Voting will begin on Tuesday, March 31, 2009.
Q. How do I submit my entry?
A. Please send an email to equinox999equinox@yahoo.com. Include two pictures, a WIP and the final entry.
Q. What is the deadline for a submission to be entered?
A. The deadline for submissions is March 28th, 2009 11:59 PM CST.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Weekly Update: Online Contests
New Contests
The Painting Corps
'TAKE COVER!' A DoW2 Painting Contest
The Rules
1. Model and Paint a Blood Raven Space Marine using cover in combat.
2. Entries must be a SINGLE Games-Workshop Space Marine on a 40mm or smaller base.
1. Model and Paint a Blood Raven Space Marine using cover in combat.
2. Entries must be a SINGLE Games-Workshop Space Marine on a 40mm or smaller base.
3. Models may be any type of marine but painted in the the chapter colors of the Blood Ravens Space Marine Chapter.
4. Take a photo of the model in progress to be sent along with your final entry.
5. Send all final entries to ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com with the heading 'Take Cover!', please include your name and address in the email.
6. All entries must be received by March 20th at 11:59pm Central Standard Time (GMT-6)
7. Entries will be displayed and voting by the judges will commence.
4. Take a photo of the model in progress to be sent along with your final entry.
5. Send all final entries to ThePaintingCorps@gmail.com with the heading 'Take Cover!', please include your name and address in the email.
6. All entries must be received by March 20th at 11:59pm Central Standard Time (GMT-6)
7. Entries will be displayed and voting by the judges will commence.
When all votes from the judges are in, the winners will be announced and prizes will be sent out!
So break out the bits box and start modeling those marines shooting from behind a ruins, sniping from the bushes, or leaping from a hiding spot to assault the enemy! The possibilities are only restricted by the depths of your imagination! And for some additional inspiration, check out the recently released Dawn of War 2!
So break out the bits box and start modeling those marines shooting from behind a ruins, sniping from the bushes, or leaping from a hiding spot to assault the enemy! The possibilities are only restricted by the depths of your imagination! And for some additional inspiration, check out the recently released Dawn of War 2!
Existing Contests
Way of Saim-Hann
It’s time for another Way of Saim-Hann giveaway contest- something a bit different from the last farseer painting contest. After our crushing win (Jawaballs & myself) at the last doubles tournament I got some store credit for the local comic shop, and picked up some farseers and warlocks since that was the only Eldar loot they had. I’ve been cleaning some stuff out and it is time to give these guys a place in your warhost so here is the contest…Present either a written or filmed battle report from an actual game of your Eldar warhost crushing your opponent. (You don't have to be Saim-Hann- any Eldar army is fine.) Try to give examples of tactics and the ideas you have used to pull of the win. All the battle reports will be posted to my blog for everybody to enjoy and I’ll give a link or plug back to each submission if you have a home page or blog.Entry Date:
Submit your report by March 27, 2009 and your name will get entered in a drawing for the figures. On March 31st I’ll post a vid of randomly drawing two names with each winner getting 1 farseer and 1 warlock. I’ll pay the shipping for USA or abroad at the lowest postal rate. Obviously, only one entry per person.
Details of the battle reports below:
Text Submission:Write up your battle report and include up to five in game pictures or supporting diagrams to help visualize the action.
Video Submission:Create a video- Google video/YouTube, etc. and provide me the link so I can embed the video into a blog post. Please be sure the video can be embedded with HTML code.
Send your submission to me at: Feddeck@hotmail.com along with your name, handle, or whatever you want to be called when I draw the names, along with your blog, homepage, website, gaming group, etc.
DAKKADAKKA
The Rules:
1.) Abide by the spirit and guidelines of the Challenge presented.
2.) Take a WIP shot of your model before painting. Send your WIP along with your entry.
3.) Paint your model!
4.) Take another shot of the completed model and send it in to dakkapaintingchallenge@dakkadakka.com with your Dakka Handle as the photo's filename. Also be sure to include your dakka handle in the email, just in case. Oh and be sure it's in before Midnight Central (GMT-6:00) the night of the Deadline!!
5.) The day after the deadline, all the entries will be presented for all of Dakka to see! Along with this will be a poll for the community at large to pick their favorite from the bunch. 6.) Public voting will last for 3 Days. And the Top 5 Entries will go on to be voted upon by our Judging Panel. The Winner will be announced soon after!
The Deadline:
March 31st, 2009: Midnight Central Time (GMT-6:00)Challenge Rules:
1. Model must be a Single model.2. Based on a single square, round, or hex base. 50mm or smaller accepted.
Rites of War
The Concept is rather Simple. You choose to start a new army of 1000+ points or 1000+ points of Expansion to an army you already own to paint. You have 7 weeks from the start date to completely build, model, paint & base your 1000 points. You must update a blog with your progress weekly. At the end of the 7 weeks anyone who has completed their project will earn a "Paint or Die" Award as well as be entered in Paint Contest with the other participants In which the entire membership votes to determine 1st and 2nd place winners. Those winners split the entry fees in a 60/30 manner (10% covers fees).
Taylor Miniatures and Adepts Forge
The "Getting the most out of the new Stegadon kit if you're not a Lizardman player" Conversion Challenge! The Adept's Forge, in conjunction with Dave Taylor Miniatures, is pleased to present the kick-off to what will hopefully be an ongoing series of cool idea-sharing and excitingly executed conversions. All too often, there's a great, new, plastic kit that you just can't help but want to put together. Perhaps, however, you're not into the army for which the kit has been released and you just can't bring yourself to build a one-off, never to be used again model. Enter the Conversion Challenge.
Over the next five to six weeks, a group of friends and veteran hobbyists will take on the challenge of converting the fantastic new Stegadon plastic kit into something they can more readily use in one of their existing armies. The rules are simple. Take (at least) one Stegadon kit, add heaping helpings of creativity and modeling talent, and create a masterpiece of conversion work that will be admired the world over (or perhaps just over the world wide web). Photos will be taken around the end of March and half will be posted on ttp://theadeptsforge.blogspot.com/, while the other half will be posted on http://davetaylorminiatures.blogspot.com/.
Polls will be set up for voting and the winner will receive bragging rights, possibly even a prize from the archives. We'll be posting the names of the contestants shortly, so keep your eyes peeled for the mighty creations come late March.
The Realms of Equinox
Beginning on 02/16/2008, select and paint a model or small diorama depicting something taking place within a space hulk. This could be a traditional diorama of a terminator and genestealer fighting in a hallway, or something new and radical like a harlequin entering a hulk from the webway. The important thing is that the entry must give the impression of taking place within a space hulk.
Create a Base Competition
RULES
We want you to create themed bases of your own design. It can be a theme that we already sell (urban, infested) but we would prefer to see a theme that we have not yet covered. Literally anything you can think of! No matter how weird or dull the theme is we would like to see it. Each entrant must submit one of the following choices: four x25mm OR two x40mm OR 1x60mm base. Each entrant may enter as many times as they like.
These bases can be round or square and must be UNPAINTED. You can use another companies 'blank base' to add your design to. You can use any kind of modelling materials such as sculpting putty, plasticard, textured sheets, sand etc You cannot use any static grass/flock. You cannot add another companies products that is not sold for scratch building onto your design (example: you cannot use the head of a GW space marine or a Rackham weapon or even part of any terrain made by another company) Entrants must not be sculptors currently selling their own product lines of bases. Failure to follow the above rules will result in your entry being void :( What we will be marking your work on: Above all it’s got to be game practical. We don’t want to see over a designed base that a miniature would not be able to stand on. If a miniature was to be mounted it should still be able to stand 'flat footed' on the base and the height of the base should not be overly high, again being practical for gaming. In some cases less is more. There is a fine line between over designed bases and interesting bases. Photos of your work can be sent to: comp@darkartminiatures.com
Deadline: April 5th, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Poll Results: The Next Project
The results are in from the first ever Realms of Equinox poll. The poll question was, "What should be my next project."
The results
Eldar 50% (12 votes)
Imperial Guard 37% (9 votes)
Beast of Chaos 4% (1 vote)
Other 8%(2 votes)
The Analyse
The clear winner in this poll was my proposed eldar army. A strong percentage of readers were also in favor of the imperial guard army. The single vote for the BoC army seems to be an outlier. As for other, it is hard to conclude if these votes were for the other concepts I have posted or simply votes against any of the three armies.
My Thoughts
The results of the survey are causing me a little bit of reservation at the moment. I was strongly leaning towards the idea of doing imperial guard after I complete the Paint or Die! competition, but now I am pausing for a moment to reconsider the eldar.
I really like the concept of the eldar army, but don't feel like I am ready for it. I still struggle with the setting of the army. Do I base them to reflect an urban jungle or a real jungle? Another thing I am pondering is whether the paint scheme should be reds and whites or something more earthy. Lastly, a return to the eldar feels like that last project to me. I started 40K playing eldar during second edition. I've had a few flirtations with them since that time, but this voice in my head tells me that they should be the last project (and thus my greatest one).
I should warn everyone that I have been sick for a few days, so today's blog may be filled with ramblings caused by DayQuil withdrawal.
I guess my fear with not doing the army is that at some point, someone is going to do the same army and it will likely look better than anything I can produce. I like my armies to feel original when they are put on the board, and I don't think I have ever seen an army that focuses only on spiders, scorpions, and rangers. Its a fluff army, and that is how I want to approach the eldar.
Looking at the imperial guard, my friend Ernie and I have been talking alot about the project. I am really itching to create a bullets and fire army. The Paint or Die! contest is a good excuse for me to get a foundation in place for the army so I can start playing it sooner without diving directly into IG or needing to buy alot of new stuff. I am also happy that I am getting to work on a project with someone, and hopefully two more people will join the project, as I would like to target it's completion for entry into next year's Adepticon Team Tournament.
Speaking of joining, if anyone is seriously interested in becoming a member of the team and would like to paint an Imperial Guard army in the primary colors we are using, I would love to hear from you. I have been talking with a few folks, but I would like to find two committed guys/gals that want to spend a year slowly building complementary armies. I want each of us to build a 1000 points (more on that next week) of Imperial Guard that looks great together. I also want us to have a TON of fun doing it. A solid theme and good times are more important to me than having the most tactically sound joint army on the board. (more on this aspect after Paint or Die! is over.)
On a tangent thought, I have learned something very important about polls like this one. I need to only have specific options and not vague choices like "other". It is driving me nuts wondering what those votes actually meant. This could just be another symptom of the DayQuil withdrawal. If you voted other, can you please let me know why in the comments of the post.
The results
Eldar 50% (12 votes)
Imperial Guard 37% (9 votes)
Beast of Chaos 4% (1 vote)
Other 8%(2 votes)
The Analyse
The clear winner in this poll was my proposed eldar army. A strong percentage of readers were also in favor of the imperial guard army. The single vote for the BoC army seems to be an outlier. As for other, it is hard to conclude if these votes were for the other concepts I have posted or simply votes against any of the three armies.
My Thoughts
The results of the survey are causing me a little bit of reservation at the moment. I was strongly leaning towards the idea of doing imperial guard after I complete the Paint or Die! competition, but now I am pausing for a moment to reconsider the eldar.
I really like the concept of the eldar army, but don't feel like I am ready for it. I still struggle with the setting of the army. Do I base them to reflect an urban jungle or a real jungle? Another thing I am pondering is whether the paint scheme should be reds and whites or something more earthy. Lastly, a return to the eldar feels like that last project to me. I started 40K playing eldar during second edition. I've had a few flirtations with them since that time, but this voice in my head tells me that they should be the last project (and thus my greatest one).
I should warn everyone that I have been sick for a few days, so today's blog may be filled with ramblings caused by DayQuil withdrawal.
I guess my fear with not doing the army is that at some point, someone is going to do the same army and it will likely look better than anything I can produce. I like my armies to feel original when they are put on the board, and I don't think I have ever seen an army that focuses only on spiders, scorpions, and rangers. Its a fluff army, and that is how I want to approach the eldar.
Looking at the imperial guard, my friend Ernie and I have been talking alot about the project. I am really itching to create a bullets and fire army. The Paint or Die! contest is a good excuse for me to get a foundation in place for the army so I can start playing it sooner without diving directly into IG or needing to buy alot of new stuff. I am also happy that I am getting to work on a project with someone, and hopefully two more people will join the project, as I would like to target it's completion for entry into next year's Adepticon Team Tournament.
Speaking of joining, if anyone is seriously interested in becoming a member of the team and would like to paint an Imperial Guard army in the primary colors we are using, I would love to hear from you. I have been talking with a few folks, but I would like to find two committed guys/gals that want to spend a year slowly building complementary armies. I want each of us to build a 1000 points (more on that next week) of Imperial Guard that looks great together. I also want us to have a TON of fun doing it. A solid theme and good times are more important to me than having the most tactically sound joint army on the board. (more on this aspect after Paint or Die! is over.)
On a tangent thought, I have learned something very important about polls like this one. I need to only have specific options and not vague choices like "other". It is driving me nuts wondering what those votes actually meant. This could just be another symptom of the DayQuil withdrawal. If you voted other, can you please let me know why in the comments of the post.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
On the Bench: Grey Knight Terminator p3
With the armour complete, the next step was to paint the blue parts of the model. The first layer was painted with Vallejo Dark Blue (930) using an American Painter, size 1 brush.
Once the first layer has dried, I applied a healthy wash of Asurmen Blue (GW wash). I use a size 4 American Painter brush and give the blue sections a good level of coverage.
While the wash is drying, I give the banners/purity seals/etc a coat of Vallejo Desert Yellow (72063) using a size 1 brush. Since these items are going to be layered heavily, I apply two coats. At this point I let the model sit for an hour and dry.
Painting Palette Recap
Next Edition of On the Bench
With this post, I have added another poll. The question this time is what should be the subject of the next On the Bench. Voting will be open till Monday, so vote soon!
Once the first layer has dried, I applied a healthy wash of Asurmen Blue (GW wash). I use a size 4 American Painter brush and give the blue sections a good level of coverage.
While the wash is drying, I give the banners/purity seals/etc a coat of Vallejo Desert Yellow (72063) using a size 1 brush. Since these items are going to be layered heavily, I apply two coats. At this point I let the model sit for an hour and dry.
Sadly at this point, I changed something in the camera and the remaining WiP pictures were blurry and not worth posting. I will try to do a better job with future editions, but to complete this edition, I will simply rely on a recap.
Painting Palette RecapGrey Sections
Vallejo Black Grey (70862)(3:1, paint:thinner) [Size 1 American Painter]
Black GW Wash
Black Grey (4:1, pain:thinner)
Black Grey/Vallejo London Grey (836) (2:1:1:1, black grey:london grey:thinner:glaze)
Black Grey/London Grey (1:2:1:1, black grey:london grey:thinner:glaze)
Black Grey/London Grey (1:3:1:1, black grey:london grey:thinner:glaze)
London Grey (4:1:1, london grey:thinner:glaze)
London Grey/Light Grey (70990) (4:1:1:1, london grey:light grey:thinner:glaze)
Blue Sections
Dark Blue (4:1:1, paint:thinner:glaze)
Dark Blue/Skull White (4:1:1:1, dark blue:skull white:thinner:glaze)
Dark Blue/Skull White (3:1:1:1, dark blue:skull white:thinner:glaze)
Dark Blue/Skull White (2:1:1:1, dark blue:skull white:thinner:glaze)
Dark Blue/Skull White (1:1:1:1, dark blue:skull white:thinner:glaze)
Add 2 drops Skull White to prior mix.
Add 4 drops of Skull White to prior mix
Eyes only - straight skull white as a single dot in each eye.
Golden Sections
Reaper Chestnut Gold (09073) (3:1, paint:thinner) [American Painter Brush 1] "This layer is thinner to get into the crevices and corners"
Reaper Chestnut Gold (09073) (4:1, paint:thinner) [American Painter Brush 0] "This layer is to give the gold sections an even coat.
Vallejo Brown Ink (72092) (straight) [American Painter Brush 00] "A little brown ink was applied to certain deep areas, like the chains, to give them a needed extra layer of depth."
Reaper Chestnut Gold (09073)/Palomino Gold (09074) (2:2:1:1, chestnut gold:palomino gold: thinner:glaze)
Palomino Gold (4:1, paint, thinner) "This is the base coat and should cover about 50% of each gold section."
Palomino Gold/Buckskin Pale (09075) (2:2:1:1, palomino gold:buckskin pale:thinner:glaze) "This is the first level highlight".
Buckskin Pale (4:1, paint:thinner)
Red Sections
Vallejo Scar Red (12) (4:1, paint:thinner)
Vallejo Scar Red/Blood Red (72010) (8:1:2:2, scar red:blood red:thinner: glaze) "I wanted a slightly smoother transition between layers, so I increased the amount of thinner and glaze"
Vallejo Scar Red/Blood Red (72010) (4:1:1:2, scar red:blood red:thinner: glaze)
Vallejo Scar Red/Blood Red (72010) (3:1:2:2, scar red:blood red:thinner: glaze)
Vallejo Scar Red/Blood Red (72010) (2:1:1:1, scar red:blood red:thinner: glaze)
Blood Red (72010) (3:1:1, blood red:thinner: glaze)
Purity Seals
Vallejo Desert Yellow (72063) (4:1, paint:thinner) "Allow sections to dry before next layer" Vallejo Desert Yellow (72063) (4:1, paint:thinner)
Vallejo Brown Ink (72092) (4:1, paint:thinner) [American Painter Brush 0] Vallejo Desert Yellow/Dark Sand (72063) (8:1:1:1, desert yellow:dark sand:glaze:thinner)
Vallejo Desert Yellow/Dark Sand (72063) (4:1:1:1, desert yellow:dark sand:glaze:thinner)
Vallejo Desert Yellow/Dark Sand (72063) (2:1:1:1, desert yellow:dark sand:glaze:thinner)
Vallejo Desert Yellow/Dark Sand (72063) (2:2:1:1, desert yellow:dark sand:glaze:thinner)Dark Sand (72063) (4:1:1, dark sand:glaze:thinner)
Dark Sand (72063)/Skull White (8:1:1:1, dark sand:skull white:glaze:thinner)
Dark Sand (72063)/Skull White (4:1:1:1, dark sand:skull white:glaze:thinner)
Dark Sand (72063)/Skull White (2:1:1:1, dark sand:skull white:glaze:thinner)
Dark Sand (72063) (4:1:1, dark sand:glaze:thinner)
Base Sections
The base was first painted with a coat of Vallejo snakebite leather (2:1, paint:thinner). While still wet, the base was washed with the GW septia wash using an American Painter, size 4 brush.
Next Edition of On the Bench
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
On the Bench: Grey Knight Terminator p2
The next layer was recoat of the Vallejo black grey (70862) with a ratio of 4:1 (paint/thnner). I used an american painter size 0 brush.
The next layer is a mix of black grey and london grey (836) with a ratio of 2:1:1:1 (black grey:london grey:thinner:vallejo glaze medium). The mix was applied using an american painter brush (size 0)
The next layer is a mix of black grey and london grey (836) with a ratio of 2:2:1:1 (black grey:london grey:thinner:vallejo glaze medium). The mix was applied using an american painter brush (size 0). I like to use the combination of thinner and glaze to give the paint a smoother blend.
The next layer is a mix of black grey and london grey (836) with a ratio of 2:1:1:1 (black grey:london grey:thinner:vallejo glaze medium). The mix was applied using an american painter brush (size 0)
The next layer is a mix of black grey and london grey (836) with a ratio of 2:2:1:1 (black grey:london grey:thinner:vallejo glaze medium). The mix was applied using an american painter brush (size 0). I like to use the combination of thinner and glaze to give the paint a smoother blend.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
On the Bench: Grey Knight Terminator
Upon further reflection, I have decided that On the Bench will be be my series of painting guides for various models that I have painted. My hope is that I can help people by showing them what I have done (be it right or wrong). Please share your thoughts and comments.
Bitz
For this model, the following bitz were used to create the model in this tutorial.
1. Grey Knight Terminator Captain Body
2. One Inquisitor Hammer
3. One arm and storm shield from the plastic assault terminator kit.
4. One Terminator Nemesis Force Weapon.
5. One purity seal from the Ravenwing plastic kit.
The head of the hammer was removed from the bit and pinned to the nemesis force weapon after removing the blade. The storm shield and terminator arm were assembled and attached to the main body of the terminator after removing the pin that was originally part of the model.
Basing
The model was mounted on a George Base, available at Games Plus in Mount Prospect, IL. It was than based using two grains of sand from the GF9 urban terrain kit.
Rites of War
The following picture is to just document that this model was started on 03/13/2008.
Priming
The model was given a decent coat of GW white primer. This was followed by a bit of touch-up using Vallejo white primer. (Note: The picture is extremely blurry.)
Basecoat
This model is going to be painted in a color scheme using NMM (my version of it anyways) and will use actual grey for the main body of the model. The painted areas were painted using Vallejo black grey in a dilution of 3:1 (3 drops paint, 1 drop thinner).
The base coat was applied in two layers using an American Painter brush. Once the second layer was painted, the model was given a wash of GW Badad Black. This was done using an American Painters brush. The wash was applied heavily to the corners and places not usually visible when the model is on the board.
Grey Knight Terminator
Bitz
For this model, the following bitz were used to create the model in this tutorial.
1. Grey Knight Terminator Captain Body
2. One Inquisitor Hammer
3. One arm and storm shield from the plastic assault terminator kit.
4. One Terminator Nemesis Force Weapon.
5. One purity seal from the Ravenwing plastic kit.
The head of the hammer was removed from the bit and pinned to the nemesis force weapon after removing the blade. The storm shield and terminator arm were assembled and attached to the main body of the terminator after removing the pin that was originally part of the model.
Basing
The model was mounted on a George Base, available at Games Plus in Mount Prospect, IL. It was than based using two grains of sand from the GF9 urban terrain kit.
Rites of War
The following picture is to just document that this model was started on 03/13/2008.
PrimingThe model was given a decent coat of GW white primer. This was followed by a bit of touch-up using Vallejo white primer. (Note: The picture is extremely blurry.)
BasecoatThis model is going to be painted in a color scheme using NMM (my version of it anyways) and will use actual grey for the main body of the model. The painted areas were painted using Vallejo black grey in a dilution of 3:1 (3 drops paint, 1 drop thinner).
The base coat was applied in two layers using an American Painter brush. Once the second layer was painted, the model was given a wash of GW Badad Black. This was done using an American Painters brush. The wash was applied heavily to the corners and places not usually visible when the model is on the board.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Weekly Update: Grey Knight Terminator
I have decided to take a short break from the Emerald Eye and participate in the Paint or Die contest over on Rites of War. Before the contest officially starts, I am allowed to have painted a few models as practice for the competition. I also wanted to work out the color scheme that my friend Ernie and I are talking about using for an Imperial Guard team tournament army (more on that at a later date).
Below is the 95% finished model. I like everything but the red and the base. I am looking for suggestions on those aspects, do feel free to share if you have any ideas. I am thinking about repainting the base and adding some flock to it later in the week.
Below is the 95% finished model. I like everything but the red and the base. I am looking for suggestions on those aspects, do feel free to share if you have any ideas. I am thinking about repainting the base and adding some flock to it later in the week.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Weekly Update: Online Contests (& Contests)
It appears that the hobby sites are flooding us with contests at the moment. This is by no means a bad thing, but it is becoming hard to keep track of all of them Thankfully, your friend Equinox is here to help! Below is a list of the currently running contests that I am following. I will try to keep posted every week all of the current contests that are being held online. If you have one that you would like to include in the weekly update, drop me a line and I will add it.
It’s time for another Way of Saim-Hann giveaway contest- something a bit different from the last farseer painting contest. After our crushing win (Jawaballs & myself) at the last doubles tournament I got some store credit for the local comic shop, and picked up some farseers and warlocks since that was the only Eldar loot they had. I’ve been cleaning some stuff out and it is time to give these guys a place in your warhost so here is the contest…Present either a written or filmed battle report from an actual game of your Eldar warhost crushing your opponent. (You don't have to be Saim-Hann- any Eldar army is fine.) Try to give examples of tactics and the ideas you have used to pull of the win. All the battle reports will be posted to my blog for everybody to enjoy and I’ll give a link or plug back to each submission if you have a home page or blog.
Entry Date:
Submit your report by March 27, 2009 and your name will get entered in a drawing for the figures. On March 31st I’ll post a vid of randomly drawing two names with each winner getting 1 farseer and 1 warlock. I’ll pay the shipping for USA or abroad at the lowest postal rate. Obviously, only one entry per person.
Details of the battle reports below:
Text Submission:Write up your battle report and include up to five in game pictures or supporting diagrams to help visualize the action.
Video Submission:Create a video- Google video/YouTube, etc. and provide me the link so I can embed the video into a blog post. Please be sure the video can be embedded with HTML code.
Send your submission to me at: Feddeck@hotmail.com along with your name, handle, or whatever you want to be called when I draw the names, along with your blog, homepage, website, gaming group, etc.
The Rules:
1.) Abide by the spirit and guidelines of the Challenge presented.
2.) Take a WIP shot of your model before painting. Send your WIP along with your entry.
3.) Paint your model!
4.) Take another shot of the completed model and send it in to dakkapaintingchallenge@dakkadakka.com with your Dakka Handle as the photo's filename. Also be sure to include your dakka handle in the email, just in case. Oh and be sure it's in before Midnight Central (GMT-6:00) the night of the Deadline!!
5.) The day after the deadline, all the entries will be presented for all of Dakka to see! Along with this will be a poll for the community at large to pick their favorite from the bunch. 6.) Public voting will last for 3 Days. And the Top 5 Entries will go on to be voted upon by our Judging Panel. The Winner will be announced soon after!
2. Based on a single square, round, or hex base. 50mm or smaller accepted.
The Concept is rather Simple. You choose to start a new army of 1000+ points or 1000+ points of Expansion to an army you already own to paint. You have 7 weeks from the start date to completely build, model, paint & base your 1000 points. You must update a blog with your progress weekly. At the end of the 7 weeks anyone who has completed their project will earn a "Paint or Die" Award as well as be entered in Paint Contest with the other participants In which the entire membership votes to determine 1st and 2nd place winners. Those winners split the entry fees in a 60/30 manner (10% covers fees).
Entry Fee?
$10.00 USD via Paypal. (other considerations will be accepted on a 1 on 1 basis)
When does the Contest start?
March 27th will be the start date. This will also be the date that the Contest Blog Area is opened.When is the Weekly Blog Vote started?The Monday at the beginning of the Next Week. So the first Weekly Blog Vote will be on March 30th,. They End On the Thursday of that same week.When are the entries due?May 15th. All Blogs will be closed at 2400 Hours Pacific Standard Time. Late Entries will NOT be Accepted Unless otherwise arranged (Emergencies and Etc).
The Adept's Forge, in conjunction with Dave Taylor Miniatures, is pleased to present the kick-off to what will hopefully be an ongoing series of cool idea-sharing and excitingly executed conversions. All too often, there's a great, new, plastic kit that you just can't help but want to put together. Perhaps, however, you're not into the army for which the kit has been released and you just can't bring yourself to build a one-off, never to be used again model. Enter the Conversion Challenge.
Over the next five to six weeks, a group of friends and veteran hobbyists will take on the challenge of converting the fantastic new Stegadon plastic kit into something they can more readily use in one of their existing armies. The rules are simple. Take (at least) one Stegadon kit, add heaping helpings of creativity and modeling talent, and create a masterpiece of conversion work that will be admired the world over (or perhaps just over the world wide web). Photos will be taken around the end of March and half will be posted on http://theadeptsforge.blogspot.com/, while the other half will be posted on http://davetaylorminiatures.blogspot.com/.
Polls will be set up for voting and the winner will receive bragging rights, possibly even a prize from the archives. We'll be posting the names of the contestants shortly, so keep your eyes peeled for the mighty creations come late March.
Beginning on 02/16/2008, select and paint a model or small diorama depicting something taking place within a space hulk. This could be a traditional diorama of a terminator and genestealer fighting in a hallway, or something new and radical like a harlequin entering a hulk from the webway. The important thing is that the entry must give the impression of taking place within a space hulk.
The Rules
1. Models MUST be Games Workshop. They may be heavily converted, but it must be clear that they are primarily composed of GW models/bitz. FW models may be used.
2. Entries must clearly depict something happening within a space hulk. Equinox has final discretion on whether an entry meets the criteria. Entries that don’t meet the theme of the contest may be resubmitted prior to the final submission date.
3. You must be a follower of “The Realms of Equinox” prior to submitting an entry.
4. Your entry must be painted between Feb 16, 2009 – March 28st, 2009. Proof of work will be required as part of the submission process (see below).
5. Submissions will be accepted between March 1st 2009 - , March 28st 2009. This gives you plenty of time to build/paint your entry. Minimum of 2 Photos will be required of your entry: Work in Progress showing the date, and a completed work. The completed picture file can contain multiple pictures, but only one picture file will be posted per entry. The deadline for submissions will be March 28th, 2009 11:59 PM CST. To submit your photos, please email them to: equinox999equinox@yahoo.com
6. All completed submissions may not appear on any other site or blog before April 13th, 2009. Works in progress may be posted on other sites and blogs before April 13th, 2009. (This is to encourage people to talk about their creations and build excitement around the contest) Any entries found to be violating this rule will be banned from the contest.
7. Voting will be done by the followers of “The Realms of Equinox”. Photos will be placed on the blog and each follower will get to vote for their favorite entry. Voting will take place between March 31st, 2009 - April 10th 2009.
8. The winner will be announced on April 13th 2009. The Winner of the contest will receive a $25.00 gift certificate for the Warstore. (Note: The Warstore is not sponsoring this event, I am purchasing the gift certificate from them as they are internet based and very reliable.)
9. If you have any questions, please post them in the comments section of this blog entry.
Way of Saim-Hann
It’s time for another Way of Saim-Hann giveaway contest- something a bit different from the last farseer painting contest. After our crushing win (Jawaballs & myself) at the last doubles tournament I got some store credit for the local comic shop, and picked up some farseers and warlocks since that was the only Eldar loot they had. I’ve been cleaning some stuff out and it is time to give these guys a place in your warhost so here is the contest…Present either a written or filmed battle report from an actual game of your Eldar warhost crushing your opponent. (You don't have to be Saim-Hann- any Eldar army is fine.) Try to give examples of tactics and the ideas you have used to pull of the win. All the battle reports will be posted to my blog for everybody to enjoy and I’ll give a link or plug back to each submission if you have a home page or blog.
Entry Date:
Submit your report by March 27, 2009 and your name will get entered in a drawing for the figures. On March 31st I’ll post a vid of randomly drawing two names with each winner getting 1 farseer and 1 warlock. I’ll pay the shipping for USA or abroad at the lowest postal rate. Obviously, only one entry per person.
Details of the battle reports below:
Text Submission:Write up your battle report and include up to five in game pictures or supporting diagrams to help visualize the action.
Video Submission:Create a video- Google video/YouTube, etc. and provide me the link so I can embed the video into a blog post. Please be sure the video can be embedded with HTML code.
Send your submission to me at: Feddeck@hotmail.com along with your name, handle, or whatever you want to be called when I draw the names, along with your blog, homepage, website, gaming group, etc.
DAKKADAKKA
The Rules:
1.) Abide by the spirit and guidelines of the Challenge presented.
2.) Take a WIP shot of your model before painting. Send your WIP along with your entry.
3.) Paint your model!
4.) Take another shot of the completed model and send it in to dakkapaintingchallenge@dakkadakka.com with your Dakka Handle as the photo's filename. Also be sure to include your dakka handle in the email, just in case. Oh and be sure it's in before Midnight Central (GMT-6:00) the night of the Deadline!!
5.) The day after the deadline, all the entries will be presented for all of Dakka to see! Along with this will be a poll for the community at large to pick their favorite from the bunch. 6.) Public voting will last for 3 Days. And the Top 5 Entries will go on to be voted upon by our Judging Panel. The Winner will be announced soon after!
Notes:
The model you enter can not be shown on Dakka or any other website, it's specifically for release in the Voting Poll. Models found to be posted prior to the Voting Poll will be disqualified. This does not claim publishing rights. Once the voting is over, feel free to post your model all over the web! Please only send one WIP shot with your entry. If you decide to send more than one final painted shot, I will pick the best of them and post it alone. You may create a collage for the model to show detail (back, front, close ups, etc.) and send it as your entry. Administrator and Moderator entries will be marked with a "Team Dakka" watermark. Admin and Mod participants can't win prizes, but don't let that keep you from voting for them! Defeating one another is more than enough a reward...Images:
Pics of your model may be either 1000x800 pixels or 800x1000 pixels . The voting is done blind, that way favoritism has nothing to do with who wins. No text, watermarks, or icons on the entry at all. File Names will be changed after I receive them.The Prize:
The Winner Recieves: Dakka Bragging rights, A Dakka front page announcement of your glorious victory, the respect from your fellow modelers, and $50 worth of any Warhammer 40,000 or Warhammer Fantasy product of your choice (no direct order/bits/specialist games), including free shipping, from Rogue-Market.com!The Deadline:
March 31st, 2009: Midnight Central Time (GMT-6:00)Challenge Rules:
1. Model must be a Single model.2. Based on a single square, round, or hex base. 50mm or smaller accepted.
Rites of War
The Concept is rather Simple. You choose to start a new army of 1000+ points or 1000+ points of Expansion to an army you already own to paint. You have 7 weeks from the start date to completely build, model, paint & base your 1000 points. You must update a blog with your progress weekly. At the end of the 7 weeks anyone who has completed their project will earn a "Paint or Die" Award as well as be entered in Paint Contest with the other participants In which the entire membership votes to determine 1st and 2nd place winners. Those winners split the entry fees in a 60/30 manner (10% covers fees).
Entering the Contest:
Simply Make a 1000 Point list for Warhammer Fantasy Battles or Warhammer 40k (other games will be considered on a 1 to 1 basis). Either email this list to servius@ritesofwar.org or PM it to Servius with the Subject Heading "Paint of Die Entry" Your list MUST be accepted for you to compete. A general example of what I am looking for is 25 models as a minimum. Once your list has been accepted, you will be given information on how to pay the entry (Paypal is being used, if you do not have an account we can work out arrangements.)Is there any other requirements?
Yes, Just 2. One you must send a picture of your 1000+ points in its built condition but before painting, This is to assure you painted the army and that it wasn't an old one you touched up. The other requirement is to have Fun!Entry Fee?
$10.00 USD via Paypal. (other considerations will be accepted on a 1 on 1 basis)
When does the Contest start?
March 27th will be the start date. This will also be the date that the Contest Blog Area is opened.When is the Weekly Blog Vote started?The Monday at the beginning of the Next Week. So the first Weekly Blog Vote will be on March 30th,. They End On the Thursday of that same week.When are the entries due?May 15th. All Blogs will be closed at 2400 Hours Pacific Standard Time. Late Entries will NOT be Accepted Unless otherwise arranged (Emergencies and Etc).
Taylor Miniatures and Adepts Forge
The Adept's Forge, in conjunction with Dave Taylor Miniatures, is pleased to present the kick-off to what will hopefully be an ongoing series of cool idea-sharing and excitingly executed conversions. All too often, there's a great, new, plastic kit that you just can't help but want to put together. Perhaps, however, you're not into the army for which the kit has been released and you just can't bring yourself to build a one-off, never to be used again model. Enter the Conversion Challenge.
Over the next five to six weeks, a group of friends and veteran hobbyists will take on the challenge of converting the fantastic new Stegadon plastic kit into something they can more readily use in one of their existing armies. The rules are simple. Take (at least) one Stegadon kit, add heaping helpings of creativity and modeling talent, and create a masterpiece of conversion work that will be admired the world over (or perhaps just over the world wide web). Photos will be taken around the end of March and half will be posted on http://theadeptsforge.blogspot.com/, while the other half will be posted on http://davetaylorminiatures.blogspot.com/.
Polls will be set up for voting and the winner will receive bragging rights, possibly even a prize from the archives. We'll be posting the names of the contestants shortly, so keep your eyes peeled for the mighty creations come late March.
The Realms of Equinox
Beginning on 02/16/2008, select and paint a model or small diorama depicting something taking place within a space hulk. This could be a traditional diorama of a terminator and genestealer fighting in a hallway, or something new and radical like a harlequin entering a hulk from the webway. The important thing is that the entry must give the impression of taking place within a space hulk.
The Rules
1. Models MUST be Games Workshop. They may be heavily converted, but it must be clear that they are primarily composed of GW models/bitz. FW models may be used.
2. Entries must clearly depict something happening within a space hulk. Equinox has final discretion on whether an entry meets the criteria. Entries that don’t meet the theme of the contest may be resubmitted prior to the final submission date.
3. You must be a follower of “The Realms of Equinox” prior to submitting an entry.
4. Your entry must be painted between Feb 16, 2009 – March 28st, 2009. Proof of work will be required as part of the submission process (see below).
5. Submissions will be accepted between March 1st 2009 - , March 28st 2009. This gives you plenty of time to build/paint your entry. Minimum of 2 Photos will be required of your entry: Work in Progress showing the date, and a completed work. The completed picture file can contain multiple pictures, but only one picture file will be posted per entry. The deadline for submissions will be March 28th, 2009 11:59 PM CST. To submit your photos, please email them to: equinox999equinox@yahoo.com
6. All completed submissions may not appear on any other site or blog before April 13th, 2009. Works in progress may be posted on other sites and blogs before April 13th, 2009. (This is to encourage people to talk about their creations and build excitement around the contest) Any entries found to be violating this rule will be banned from the contest.
7. Voting will be done by the followers of “The Realms of Equinox”. Photos will be placed on the blog and each follower will get to vote for their favorite entry. Voting will take place between March 31st, 2009 - April 10th 2009.
8. The winner will be announced on April 13th 2009. The Winner of the contest will receive a $25.00 gift certificate for the Warstore. (Note: The Warstore is not sponsoring this event, I am purchasing the gift certificate from them as they are internet based and very reliable.)
9. If you have any questions, please post them in the comments section of this blog entry.
Create a Base Competition
RULES
We want you to create themed bases of your own design. It can be a theme that we already sell (urban, infested) but we would prefer to see a theme that we have not yet covered. Literally anything you can think of! No matter how weird or dull the theme is we would like to see it. Each entrant must submit one of the following choices: four x25mm OR two x40mm OR 1x60mm base. Each entrant may enter as many times as they like.
These bases can be round or square and must be UNPAINTED. You can use another companies 'blank base' to add your design to. You can use any kind of modelling materials such as sculpting putty, plasticard, textured sheets, sand etc You cannot use any static grass/flock. You cannot add another companies products that is not sold for scratch building onto your design (example: you cannot use the head of a GW space marine or a Rackham weapon or even part of any terrain made by another company) Entrants must not be sculptors currently selling their own product lines of bases. Failure to follow the above rules will result in your entry being void :( What we will be marking your work on: Above all it’s got to be game practical. We don’t want to see over a designed base that a miniature would not be able to stand on. If a miniature was to be mounted it should still be able to stand 'flat footed' on the base and the height of the base should not be overly high, again being practical for gaming. In some cases less is more. There is a fine line between over designed bases and interesting bases. Photos of your work can be sent to: comp@darkartminiatures.com
MAX OF 2 PICS PLEASE ALTHOUGH ONLY ONE PIC WILL DO MAX FILE SIZE OF 200KB PER PIC PICS WILL BE THEN SUBMITTED TO OUR FACEBOOK GROUP http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=52747313260
PRIZES
Third: £5.00 worth of our DAM products
Second: £10.00 worth of our DAM products
First: £15.00 worth of our DAM products
As mentioned above, entrants may even get the chance to be commissioned for work in the future. STARTING DATE NOW NOW NOW! CLOSING DATE 5th of April 12am GMT
Friday, March 13, 2009
Codex: Daemonhunters (Next?)
This picture was taken from Warseer today.
Note: Since the painting has been posted, another poster has pulled a quote from the artist that the image is for a banner at an upcoming Games Day.
My personal opinion is that GW would not commission such a work just for a one-off poster. Such a painting looks like something that would be on the cover a codex. Do I know this for a fact, nope, but I got that feeling. Either way, it is an amazing work and I am very glad I got to see it.
Feedback: Test Models
The Rites of War competition has me reflecting on some old test models that I did a few years ago. The basic concept of the models was to create an inquisition army that was heavily converted and contained elements of the ordo malleus and ordo xenos. I wanted to use the color blue, since it was, and still is, a color I don't use often. I also wanted to carry the painting element of the deathwatch into the army by painting the one arm in a distinctly different color from the main body.
At this point, I am looking for feedback on which scheme people found more appealing. I can see elements in each model that I like and dislike, but cannot bring myself to make a decision. I think part of the problem is that I want the models to stand on there own, but also be easily folded into future space marine and imperial guard projects.
Test Model #1
The first model was a conversion using a necron warscythe (note the rod is missing at the moment), deathwatch bitz, and a veteran marine model. I wanted to paint the model not using any metallics. 
Test Model #2
This model was an alternative approach to the idea. It combined bitz from the dark angels sprue, a grey knight nemesis weapon, and deathwatch bitz. With this model, I decided to focus more on the blue and make it the primary color. I also decided to paint the model using metallics. Lastly, I decided to go with a khaki color for the robes.
At this point, I am looking for feedback on which scheme people found more appealing. I can see elements in each model that I like and dislike, but cannot bring myself to make a decision. I think part of the problem is that I want the models to stand on there own, but also be easily folded into future space marine and imperial guard projects.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Battle Report: Emerald Eye vs Ernie's Orks
This past Sunday saw the Emerald Eye's first game in 40K using 5th edition rules. It also was my first game using the new rules, so this was going to be a learning experience for me. Since this was the first 40k game for the Emerald Eye, it was only right that the honor goes to my friend Ernie and his infamous orks.
We are both attending the N.I.M.G.C. tournament in April, so we thought it would be a good idea to use the scenarios for the tournament as practice for the event. Upon arrival to Ernie's place, we decided to randomly select one of the three scenarios by rolling a d6. I rolled a 5, which meant that we were going to play the third scenario in the list, Only One of Us is Leaving Here Alive.
"We have them now, prioritize your targets and annihilate the enemy"
Deployment: Dawn of War
Objectives: Modified Kill Points
HQ Units are worth 3 kill points (Characters plus retinues must all be killed to get these points. Only killing retinues gets you nothing!)
Elites/Heavy Support/Fast Attack are worth 2 Kill Points
Troops are worth 1 kill point.
Bonus Battle Points:
+2 Your Supreme Commander kills enemy Supreme Commander
+1 Your Supreme Commander Survives
-1 Your Supreme Commander Dies
Before the game, we had decided to play a 1000 points per side. For this game, I decided to play the following list:
The Masque 100 pts
Skulltaker on Juggernaught 175 pts
Fiend of Slaanesh 40 pts
10 Bloodletters w/ std & musician 190 pts
10 Horrors w/ std 195 pts
6 Daemonettes w/ std 109 pts
Daemon Prince w/ flight, daemonic gaze 160 pts
Ernie had brought the horde, which kind of surprised me. (Note: I am summarizing, as I don't have his exact list available at the moment.)
Ernie is very talented when it comes to painting and converting. I find his work to be a constant inspiration. Outside of his hobby skills, he is always fun to play against. His laidback approach and love for orks makes for fun games. This victory was a rare one for me against him. Usually I find myself being chopped to death, but today, the daemons did the chopping.
We are both attending the N.I.M.G.C. tournament in April, so we thought it would be a good idea to use the scenarios for the tournament as practice for the event. Upon arrival to Ernie's place, we decided to randomly select one of the three scenarios by rolling a d6. I rolled a 5, which meant that we were going to play the third scenario in the list, Only One of Us is Leaving Here Alive."We have them now, prioritize your targets and annihilate the enemy"
Deployment: Dawn of War
Objectives: Modified Kill Points
HQ Units are worth 3 kill points (Characters plus retinues must all be killed to get these points. Only killing retinues gets you nothing!)
Elites/Heavy Support/Fast Attack are worth 2 Kill Points
Troops are worth 1 kill point.
Bonus Battle Points:
+2 Your Supreme Commander kills enemy Supreme Commander
+1 Your Supreme Commander Survives
-1 Your Supreme Commander Dies
Before the game, we had decided to play a 1000 points per side. For this game, I decided to play the following list:
The Masque 100 pts
Skulltaker on Juggernaught 175 pts
Fiend of Slaanesh 40 pts
10 Bloodletters w/ std & musician 190 pts
10 Horrors w/ std 195 pts
6 Daemonettes w/ std 109 pts
Daemon Prince w/ flight, daemonic gaze 160 pts
Ernie had brought the horde, which kind of surprised me. (Note: I am summarizing, as I don't have his exact list available at the moment.)
Big Mek w/ Custom Force Field
20 Hard Boyz
20 Freebootaz
20 Stormboyz
10 Grots w/ Herder
10 Grots w/ Herder
3 Zzap Guns w/ extra grots
With the mission decided, we rolled for table edges. I won the roll and elected the table edge closes to my carrying cases. The reality for me was that the table was set-up perfectly symetrical with a forest in each quarter, a cliff edge at the center of each long side, and a series of craters in the middle. This meant that picking a side didn't matter as nothing of mine would deploy at this point in the process. Having reached this conclusion, I defaulted to Ernie and allowed him to set-up on his side of the board.
As Ernie placed his orks, I divided my army into two forces. The first force was the Skulltaker, bloodletters, and horrors. The second force was the Masque, daemonettes, fiend, and daemon prince. In the case of both characters, they were made part of their respective troop choices while deciding my groups.
With Ernie's ork deployed, we started the game with me rolling to determine which group would arrive in the first turn. Chaos must have approved of my choice, as Skulltaker's group was selected for battle. Treating Ernie's side of the table as north, I deployed the horrors to the east of his army and the bloodletters to the west. Both units scattered as they arrived, with the horrors moving primarily south of the original landing site, and the bloodletters drifting a hard southeast from their original position. In the case of the bloodletters, with Skulltaker, the scatter resulted in the unit materializing into difficult terrain. This meant I was making some dangerous terrain checks. On a roll of 11 dice, 3 came back as ones. Out of those three, all of them failed their invulnerable saves. Khorne was not happy.
Tzeentch on the otherhand, saw fit to move the horrors into a nice position for the purpose of killing orks. The rolling of 30 dice resulted in the death of 8 freebootaz. A nice start to the game for me.
In Ernie's first turn, he brought the remainder of his army onto the board. His stormboyz moved on directly across from the bloodletters, while his hard boyzs and other unit of grot arrived just to the east of the stormboyz. At the center of his deployment zone, the zzap games rolled out, the grots cheering wildly for their arrival.
The favor that Tzeentch had given the horrors had turned into a curse as the freebootaz responded. The sound of slugga fire filled the battlefield as the horrors came under fire from both the orks and their accompanying grots. The illusions of Tzeentch could not hold. Three horrors were violently returned to the warp.
To make matters worse, the freebootaz were also within assault range of the horrors. They charged in and swung away at the remaining horrors. The battle was quick, the horrors were simply no match for the orks.
Turn Two
The second turn started with me rolling for reserves. Slaanesh must have known that it was time to strike as all of my remaining units came onto the board. Since the horrors were gone, I used the icon within the bloodletter unit to place the newly arriving units onto the board. I now had all of my forces clumped together on the west side of the board.
My first action in the shooting phase was to use Pavane of Slaanesh to entice the stormboyz to move closer to my bloodletters. I ended up moving them a few inches, which was enough to allow my bloodletters to charge them. Before they could though, I commanded the daemon prince to unleash it's gaze upon them. It was a horrible gaze. The kind which only a daemon could produce. It burned through the tough exterior of the orks and caused two of them to fall.
With blood drawn, the bloodletters could no longer be held back. They charged into the stormboyz, daemonic weapons swinging wildly at green flesh. When the round of combat was over, the boyz had lost 13 models and were overrun.
Witnessing the carnage, the Zzap guns fired upon the daemonettes, killing two of my ladies. The other members of the horde moved to engage my bloodletters.
Turn Three
The bloodletters charged the grots that stood between them and the orks. Green blood covered the battlefield as they swept through them. The other forces of the Emerald Eye moved west towards the Big Mek and his companions.
Ernie's third turn saw the hardboyz charging the Skulltaker and crew. The battle was fierce with the orks dropping 2 bloodletters. In response, the bloodletters killed eight of the orks that dared to challenge them. Above all of this, the skulltaker looked on, rolling all ones and twos for the second consecutive round of combat.
Turn Four
Turn four started with the daemon prince, daemonettes, and fiend moving to assault the forces that had killed the horrors a few rounds back. The Masque seduced the Big Mek and crew to move closer to the daemon prince, allowing him to charge the unit and wipe them out.
While this happened, the fiend attacked the grots, hungry for green flesh. The beautifully painted midgets swarmed my fiend, causing a wound. In response, the fiend devoured a handful of them, resulting in those that remained to run for the hills.
The battle between the hardboyz and skulltaker continued for another round. At the end of it, the orks were broken, but the bloodletters were to focused on collecting skulls, allowing the orks to run instead of being rundown.
Turn Five
Turn five was quick and brutal. The daemon prince and daemonettes moved to address the zzap guns. It was short and quick, as the grots were poorly matched.
Results
With the battle over, Ernie and I figured out the results. In the end, I scored 11 kill points, while Ernie had scored one. Using the tournament rules, this meant that I had earned 7 battle points. I had also killed Ernie's supreme commander, which gave me another battle points. If this would have been the tournament, I would have scored a solid 8 points in the third round.
Reflections
I need to start out by saying that I expected one or both of these amazing models to be battling me this game.
Every time I see this model, I am in awe!
Ernie is very talented when it comes to painting and converting. I find his work to be a constant inspiration. Outside of his hobby skills, he is always fun to play against. His laidback approach and love for orks makes for fun games. This victory was a rare one for me against him. Usually I find myself being chopped to death, but today, the daemons did the chopping.
GREAT GAME ERNIE!!!
This was my first game with the new rules. Some of the changes were a little shocking, but nothing that I felt broke the game or detracted from it. The fact that assaults are even more brutal was a bonus for me and really factored into how quickly my forces were able to move from unit to unit.
With regards to my army, I am really thinking that I am going to focus on bloodletters and daemonettes and not bring in anything else for awhile. Both of these units worked well for me in this game. At 1500 points, I am considering just playing all troops with Skulltaker and the Masque.
The ability to deep strike was extremely helpful and allowed me to control the board. I have read alot about not using icons, but they made such a big difference for me that I cannot agree. (LOL... One game makes me an expert!) The new rules for assaulting vehicles means that even charging bloodletters can deal with anything other than a land raider or monolith, so I don't see a need for the "big" guns like the soul grinder or greater daemons. Hopefully my next game can be against an army containing one of those two units, as I would like to see the actual outcome of such an encounter.
Till next time...
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Paint or Die! A RoW Painting Contest.
Rites of War Painting Contest
Rites of War is a great site for hobbyist. The community is very active and friendly. They support the hobby and run lots of great contests. I highly recommend them and endorse this awesome contest.
The Concept is rather Simple. You choose an army of 1000 points to paint. You have 6 weeks from the start date to completely build, model , paint & base your 1000 points. You must update a blog with your progress weekly. At the end of the 6 weeks anyone who has completed their project will earn a "Paint or Die" Award as well as be entered in Paint Contest with the other participants In which the entire membership votes to determine 1st and 2nd place winners. Those winners split the entry fees in a 60/30 manner (10% covers fees) .
Entering the Contest:
Simply Make a 1000 Point list for Warhammer Fantasy Battles or Warhammer 40k. Either email this list to servius@ritesofwar.org or PM it to Servius over at Rites of War with the Subject Heading "Paint of Die Entry" Your list MUST be accepted for you to compete. (We don't want 4 or 5 models armies being entered. So leave the Stegadon List at home.) Once your list has been accepted, you will be given information on how to pay the entry (Paypal is being used, if you do not have an account we can work out arrangements.) And your Blog will be started.
FAQ
Rites of War is a great site for hobbyist. The community is very active and friendly. They support the hobby and run lots of great contests. I highly recommend them and endorse this awesome contest.
The Concept is rather Simple. You choose an army of 1000 points to paint. You have 6 weeks from the start date to completely build, model , paint & base your 1000 points. You must update a blog with your progress weekly. At the end of the 6 weeks anyone who has completed their project will earn a "Paint or Die" Award as well as be entered in Paint Contest with the other participants In which the entire membership votes to determine 1st and 2nd place winners. Those winners split the entry fees in a 60/30 manner (10% covers fees) .
Entering the Contest:
Simply Make a 1000 Point list for Warhammer Fantasy Battles or Warhammer 40k. Either email this list to servius@ritesofwar.org or PM it to Servius over at Rites of War with the Subject Heading "Paint of Die Entry" Your list MUST be accepted for you to compete. (We don't want 4 or 5 models armies being entered. So leave the Stegadon List at home.) Once your list has been accepted, you will be given information on how to pay the entry (Paypal is being used, if you do not have an account we can work out arrangements.) And your Blog will be started.
FAQ
What can I have done before the contest begins?
Your army may be build and primed with no more than 5 models fully painted
in the scheme you will be using (Cavalry Models count as 2 models, 40mm Monsters count as 2 models, 50mm monsters count as 3 models. Anything larger such as chariots and larger monsters count as 4 models.) All other models should be no further than Primer. If in the case you are repainting an army this is
acceptable as long as the scheme is different than the current one.
Do I have to do the Blog?
Not really, but it is in your best interests to do so. At the end of the weekly Blog Deadline a public vote will be held to determine the weekly favorite blog. The winner of this vote will get a +1 to their vote in the final contest.
How are the Blogs going to work?
There will be a new Forum Category called Paint or Die!. In this Category will be a lobby which anyone can post in. Then a Sub-Forum for each participants blog. Only the respective Participant may post in their blog. All other comments will be made in the Open Lobby.
Is there any other requirements?
Yes, Just 2. One you must send a picture of your 1000 points in its built condition but before painting, This is to assure you painted the army and that it wasn't an old one you touched up. The other requirement is to have Fun!
On the List, What do I count and what do I leave out?
Leave out anything that won't be modeled on the final models. Things like wizard levels, scrolls, Magic Banner, ETC shouldn't be included on your list. If it is. You MUST make an effort to model them. Example. If I was giving a unit the Griffon Banner It should be a griffon banner.. not just a regular banner. So Freehand or Modeled in some way would be required.. I will point out what you would have to specifically model in your list. Also Make sure the list is at least 1000 points. It can be more. 997 or 995 will not be accepted.
How much is the Entry Fee?
$10.00 USD via Paypal. (other considerations will be accepted on a 1 on 1
basis)
What is the start date of the contest?
March 18th.Paint or Die! is an event hosted and sponsored by Rites of War. Any questions regarding the contest should be addressed on their website or via the email provided above. Realms of Equinox is not responsible for the results of the contest or for any of the prize support listed above.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Update: N.I.M.G.C. Tournament Roster
The Emerald Eye
(N.I.M.G.C. Tournament Roster)
Just had an interesting conversation with the judges for the N.I.M.G.C. Spring Tournament about painting and how the tournament will be scored. The judges have decided that painting and sportsmanship will not be factored into determining a winner. I'll be honest, this does give me some reservation about who will end up attending this tournament, but I have confidence in the judges and N.I.M.G.C. crew to run a good show, so I am not worried.
This decision, and the tournament's special rules, means that I can do an overhaul of my army list and field a very different army from the one I was originally planning. I don't usually like to field unpainted models, but I also realize that the original list I was bringing was going to be very limited by the model count. With other priorities much higher than gaming, I can now use the next six weeks to casual paint and assemble my "dream" army and give it a solid run at the tournament.
The following list is what I would call optomized. I should be clear that when I say optomized, I don't mean WAAC (Win At All Cost), I mean that this is the mix of models I would like to ideally field.
Skulltaker w/ Juggernaught 175 pts
Masque 100 pts
1 Fiend of Slaanesh w/ unholy strength 40 pts
20 Bloodletters w/ icon & musician 350 pts
10 Bloodletters w/ icon & musician 190 pts
20 Daemonettes w/ icon 305 pts
10 Daemonettes 140 pts
10 Horrors w/ icon 195 pts
(N.I.M.G.C. Tournament Roster)
Just had an interesting conversation with the judges for the N.I.M.G.C. Spring Tournament about painting and how the tournament will be scored. The judges have decided that painting and sportsmanship will not be factored into determining a winner. I'll be honest, this does give me some reservation about who will end up attending this tournament, but I have confidence in the judges and N.I.M.G.C. crew to run a good show, so I am not worried.
This decision, and the tournament's special rules, means that I can do an overhaul of my army list and field a very different army from the one I was originally planning. I don't usually like to field unpainted models, but I also realize that the original list I was bringing was going to be very limited by the model count. With other priorities much higher than gaming, I can now use the next six weeks to casual paint and assemble my "dream" army and give it a solid run at the tournament.
The following list is what I would call optomized. I should be clear that when I say optomized, I don't mean WAAC (Win At All Cost), I mean that this is the mix of models I would like to ideally field.
Skulltaker w/ Juggernaught 175 pts
Masque 100 pts
1 Fiend of Slaanesh w/ unholy strength 40 pts
20 Bloodletters w/ icon & musician 350 pts
10 Bloodletters w/ icon & musician 190 pts
20 Daemonettes w/ icon 305 pts
10 Daemonettes 140 pts
10 Horrors w/ icon 195 pts
Monday, March 9, 2009
Weekly Update: The Emerald Eye
This week's update is another daemonette for the Deadly Kiss. I approached the painting for this one a little different, as I base coated the whole model and washed it before working on the details. The end result didn't change the look of the model from the others in the unit, but it felt like the end result was accomplished faster.
I really like the bald head look, though I did debate whether to paint on some "runes" or "tatoos". In the end, I decided to not include any such details and just keep the paint job simple. I have another bald model in line for this week, so I am thinking I may try giving that one a little something extra.
The base was completed separate from the model and attached towards the end of the process. I like the end result of this base, as I find it eye catching without detracting from the actual model.
I really like the bald head look, though I did debate whether to paint on some "runes" or "tatoos". In the end, I decided to not include any such details and just keep the paint job simple. I have another bald model in line for this week, so I am thinking I may try giving that one a little something extra.
The base was completed separate from the model and attached towards the end of the process. I like the end result of this base, as I find it eye catching without detracting from the actual model.
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