Journeyman Painting Log # 16

Cooking up some beasts.

Today I finished up the Spawning Vessel which, if iBodger can be believed (mine has certainly been acting up of late), puts me at 50% painted for Legion.  This seems a bit high since it feels like I still have a whole faction in boxes and blisters, but on reflection it's probably accurate.  The unit pile is down to Striders and the Blackfrost Shard (who have seemed like a very attractive option recently), plus the straggling Swordsmen parts.  Beasts and casters are both down to a handful.  While I'm just reaching halfway, the finish line already seems closer than expected.  That said, my stated goal (get my Hardcore list painted) is not yet completed (settling on a list would help), much less my other stated goal of painting all the Legions.  Perpetual doom and gloom aside, it's nice to hit a milestone like this every now and then.  What's next?  I should finish off the (potential) Hardcore list, but I may detour into a Bolt Thrower along the way.  And there's still that Deathstalker.

Journeyman Painting Log # 15

Behold my latest endeavor. 

Today I started on the Spawning Vessel, the single largest concentration of unpainted models left in my current (for now) Hardcore list.  Doing the cream bits has become my favorite part of painting Legion and these models provide plenty of opportunity for that.  A little too much opportunity really as they're 95% cloth, which requires a bit of creative interpretation.  The models wear skirts? loin cloths? let's call the petticoats, which are separate from their larger cloaks.  Normally cloth becomes creamy, but I do hate to put the two swatches of the same color together.  I thought about doing them purple like the Swordsmen's loincloths, but instead I went with orange.  Since the goo in the pot will also be orange it should help tie the unit together visually while still staying within my palette.  The models all have the ninja bandanas, plus quite a collection of jewels, so I'll have chances aplenty to fit some purple in.  The pot itself is a bit more of a problem with all the filigree.  Normally I'd do that in gold, but I've decided that my Legion doesn't have any gold, so I'll need an alternative.  I had hoped a simple blue wash would get the job done, and when it didn't I even went back and highlighted the metal (for all the good it did), but it's still a bit bland.  When I finish off the unit I think I'll do the details in orange as befits a big ol' pot of blight.  Once this unit is finished I'll be down to a set of Ravagore bits, some random lessers to spawn (probably a pair of Harriers and another Shredder so I have a bit of choice), maybe the other Angelius, and perhaps a Succubus.  After my maiden voyage into the Hardcore format last night, along with the debut of my list for said format, I've spent plenty of time last night and today considering changes.  I have a direction in mind, but I'm not sure about it just yet.  When I have some time I'll write up a post about it, mostly to organize my thoughts and work through the list for myself, but you all might as well get some entertainment out of it as well.

What's a battle report? Blood Angels vs Space Wolves

Like this, but not really. 

Spurred on by EV's recent battle report, I decided to get back on the horse and do one of my own.  It's only been...four months since my last full blown battle report.  Let's see if I remember how these things work.

I'm skipping the usual army listings in favor of a more abstract, descriptive approach.  I ran the mech/jumper hybrid list that I've settled on recently.  It has a pair of assault squads for troops, a Death Company filled Land Raider, a pair of Predators, a Vindicator, and a Multimelta Attack Bike.  Oh, and Mephiston.  I wanted to field some Scouts, since I haven't put them on the table in a decade, but got sucked into the TV last night instead of writing up an army list.  EV ran my list through Army Builder after our last game and came up 90 points short, so I took another Sanguinary Priest to fill the gap.  When I make up that Scout list I'll double check my math and see who was wrong, me or Army Builder.

Journeyman Painting Log # 14

Another one (or ten) bites the dust. 

Attentive readers will remember how happy I was a month or three ago when I was painting a model from start to finish in a single day.  I upped the ante today by painting not one but ten models, taking them from primer through arc markings.  Granted the Legionnaires you see to the left aren't as pretty as, say, the Manhunter that I did back in April, but quantity has a quality all its own.  I'm too hard on my Legion offerings anyway, they turn out just fine.  I aim for somewhere between tabletop and display quality and I think I hit the mark.  The most important thing is that I get them painted, and with a quickness as the Nova Open is just over a month away.  My current Hardcore list, which I have yet to play, only needs a max Spawning Vessel and a set of Ravagore arms and head to be fully painted, plus maybe some spare Shredders and Harriers for the pot.  Considering my first goal for the Journeyman league was to get my Hardcore list painted I'm pretty happy with where I am.  Of course I haven't assembled any of the remaining models, but that's a problem for another day.

Journeyman Painting Log # 13

Ready to drop more F bombs. 

Did you know last Friday was the 13th?  I had no idea until I heard an offhand comment about it on the radio yesterday.  They used to be mini-events for me, but now I don't even notice.

Steering back to this blog's subject matter, I finished up the last two Forsaken yesterday.  They painted up quickly, as has been the trend of late, and they add in a little variety to an otherwise uniform army.  I won't know for sure until I line them up at once and take a look, but comparing pictures just now tells me that these two came out roughly the same as the first one, excluding the addition of the cream obviously, which pleases me.  My scheme seems to have shifted a bit over time, so being able to turn out multiple copies of a model at different times and have them look similar is very nice.  With these two models done all my Fury management is painted.  Combine that with the majority of my beasts also being painted and I'm in a good place entering the first week of Journeyman games. 

What's on the horizon?  I'm not entirely sure.  The Deathstalker is the obvious choice, though it's already showing the signs of a lingerer.  Legionnaires are the likely next target since they're assembled, primed, and look like they'll paint up quicker than usual.  While I'm eager to get after them, ultimately I'd rather do some Striders or maybe the pair of Bolt Throwers.  The problem with these is that they aren't assembled, let alone primed, and I've been having a hard time mustering any assembly momentum recently.  This sort of funk has always broken in the past, and I'm confident it will again soon enough, but it's a bit frustrating all the same.  In the meantime I'll focus on the Deathstalker and probably get a start on the Legionnaires as well.

Journeyman Painting Log # 12

A little dark, but workable. 

There wasn't a lot of progress made on Sunday, but there was some.  I blocked out the colors on my remaining Forsaken as well as a Deathstalker.  While the picture is a bit dark, if click for the larger version you can make out the colors.  Initially I was just going to paint everything the same for ease of production, but after finishing the first Forsaken and realizing it was all blue and brown I figured I'd throw some white into the mix.  After all, nothing says rampant mutation like a Forsaken.  I also tweaked my plan for the Deathstalker to go with leather wrappings instead of cloth to avoid having areas of cloth overlapping each other.  This means I'll be doing metal armor instead of leather, but that's a fine compromise even if it doesn't really mesh with my idea of Striders as rangy outdoorsmen.  Or outdoorselves as the case may be.  Hopefully the Deathstalker gets some hunting companions soon when I finally get those Striders together.

Journeyman Painting Log # 11

Upside down for no good reason... 

Today I finished up the arms and heads that I started earlier this week.  While the scheme followed the usual guidelines, I had to improvise a bit in how I applied it, literally, to the bits.  When I painted the Marauder arms (which I see I never posted a final shot of) I could hold the shoulder ball and not worry much about rubbing paint off because they'd be hidden away inside the socket.  With these Scythean and Ravagore arms I didn't have the luxury of using a spot that would later be hidden.  While doing the skin there weren't many issues, but once I started all the chitin I had to pick a spot to grip for the rest of the process.  When I finished the rest of the arm, or head as the case may be, I went back and painted (quickly) the spot I'd held onto while wearing a latex glove to avoid rubbing paint off the finished areas as much as possible.  The results are acceptable and while I can see where the transition is I think it'll be harder for someone who doesn't already know which bit was the handle to pick it out. 

With this set of bits done I've gotten a reasonable selection of models painted before games start for the Journeyman league on Monday, which brings along a fully painted requirement.  The "suggested" game size ramps up from week to week, starting out at battlebox level, so I don't have to worry about not having enough fieldable points for quite a while, but aside from that it's nice to have most of my beasts painted.  When I finish off my final two Forsaken I'll be able to put down a fully painted 50 point tier 4 Absylonia list that I've ridden to glory many times in the past, plus other less heralded builds.  After I get those lingering support pieces done I can turn my attention fully to infantry, crazy as that is to say, while still adding in the odd Nephilim, Angelius, or additional set of magnetized arms as a change of pace. 

Journeyman Painting Log # 10

Building strength up the middle. 

Got the torsos finished today according to schedule, complete with arc markings.  Arms and heads are ready for priming, also (mostly) according to schedule.  They'd be primed and possibly base coated by now if the weather had co-operated, but it decided that 90% humidity sounded great for the morning.  Hopefully things are more reasonable tomorrow or it'll be time for gesso.  Since I had more time left to paint after finishing the torsos, I got started on a Deathstalker.  There's no picture because "got started" means I put down the first layer of cream.  While that covers a significant amount of model, it doesn't make for the most exciting viewing.  The painting plan hasn't changed (torsos, arms/heads, Forsaken), but after that I'll have to do some considering.  While I have a few ready-to-paint options available the majority of my options still reside in blisters.  Current front-runners include the Swamp Gobbers crew, Annyssa Ryvaal, flushing out the Swordsmen, finishing off the Spawning Vessel, and getting some Striders ready.  Or I could just knock out some Shredders.  Or Legionnaires.  Or get a Bolt Thrower done.  Many choices ahead.

Journeyman Painting Log # 9

The body issue. 

Took the plunge today, crossed the Rubicon, passed the event horizon, take your pick of cliches (I love them all).  Torso talk is the order of the day here as I got started on my beast chassis.  I hope to get the heads and limbs ready for painting over the weekend, finish the torsos Monday, and have at least one set of attachments for each chassis finished by Thursday.  A lofty goal?  Perhaps, but it's well within my reach.  The torsos need a final highlight on the skin and underplates, pure white in both cases, while the upperplates just have a base coat.  The upperplates also cover claws, little scales on top of toes, and the ridges down the back, so it's a bit more than it sounds, but I'm still confident that I'll be able to finish them off on Monday even with a trip out to Kettler for Hockey Christmas in July (Caps Development Camp).  Last night at the FLGS I fielded a fully painted Legion list for the first time.  The ability to do so without compromising my build is just around the corner.

Journeyman Painting Log # 8

Salute! 

 First things first, Happy Birthday USA.  Let's all celebrate with some eye candy.

I took a pass on Huzzah yesterday to get some painting in.  Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to post about it, but considering the crapfest that was the previous post perhaps that was for the best.  Remember all that planning and analysis I put into which models to paint next from the so-recently slandered last post?  Out the window.  Instead of painting up some beast torsos I went in a direction no one expected, myself included: Swordsmen.  A couple factors entered into this move.  First was how our Journeyman league works.  To boil it down, for the first four weeks I need to paint 5 points worth of models with small bases being 1 point, medium bases 2, large bases 3, and huge bases being something else that I don't know because I don't have any huge bases.  My tally for the week was sitting at 0, which was the same number as the odds of my finishing two beasts this week (considering that those two beasts don't have heads and arms ready for painting.)  Since I've been working on that Spell Martyr for the past few days I wanted to get it done, which would then require another four small based models (as I have no medium based models ready to paint either).  I could have done four Legionnaires, but I didn't want to paint just part of a unit.  I could have done the other two Forsaken, a Deathstalker, some Shredders, or any combination of those, but frankly that didn't occur to me until just now.

Journeyman Painting Log # 7

Looks much better now. 

Short but productive session today.  First on the agenda was fixing Saeryn as outlined in the last post.  The fix was a success that made Saeryn look like part of my growing army instead of some sort of spiky clown.  Normally I'd have more to say when finishing a model, but I kinda blew my load earlier today.  Instead enjoy some nice white space before the next picture.

Journeyman Painting Log # 6

Armor?  What armor? 

For real this time.  Finished up the first Angelius and Saeryn on Friday before the storm hit and threw a wrench into everything.  The Angelius went much quicker than the Seraph did, probably thanks to less total wing space to paint.  Days after finishing I realize I did the Angelius a little different than the other beasts, with no dark brown on the tips of spikes and plates.  I may "correct" that next time or I may just embrace having beasts that are all subtly unique.  Maybe this Angelius is just younger than the others and hasn't put in the time to get the dark tips yet.

Looks right.