More DA Painting, Icarusmas

Green with envy.

First the boring stuff: painting.  When I said this morning that I'd be happy with getting the greens
done on the Deathwing tester, I thought that would include more than just the chest eagle.  That's all there is though, at least for the time being, but I will be thumbing through the codex, examining box art, and making use of the 360 view option on the GW site to see how they do things.

On second thought there is a bit more green than just the eagle.  I did the eyes and the "lenses" at the end of the arm cables in green.  Whether they stay that way is up for internal debate, though you can weigh in as well.  Next up will be metals and reds, which I think will take care of the vast majority of the model.  It's amazing what a little splash of color, even limited to the chest eagle and eyes, will do for a model.  The internet seems to be frightened of the Christmas effect when red and green are paired on a model, but my Khador scheme should show that I am made of sterner stuff, so I'm looking forward to seeing how a darker-than-usual red affects this model. 

Carnivean WIP #2

Getting there.

Lots of progress yesterday on most hobby fronts.  Let's start with the painting, since I have a picture of that.  The various plates got washed, then underplates were finished, and the upperplates got a start.  Turns out those will take longer than anticipated.  I didn't quite finish the initial coat on the yesterday, but with just those plates to finish I'm relatively confident that I can get the Carni done today.  Then again, there's plenty on the docket for today that isn't painting, so I can't sink the whole day into it despite my desire to do just that.  The picture on the left isn't from the best angle progress-wise, but it was the only angle I could get that showed the underplates.  Just the one arm and the rest of the upperplates need the initial coat of brown, the rest of them are ready for highlighting.  I'll do a breakdown of what colors went where when I'm done with the whole thing, as much for me as for anyone else.  I'm pleased with how it's turning out so far, but final judgement is reserved until the end as always.

Green machine

Marching onward.

 Got some good painting in yesterday.  Though I didn't think I had much time, I sat down at the table to get in some work and ended up finishing off the green.  This is an obvious coup since  the models are mostly green, putting them into one or two more sessions and done category.  For good measure I even got in a coat of red, though I think I'll be going back and doing the plates on top of the Bombardier's hands in red as well.  In an unexpected turn, the Bombardiers were easier/more fun to paint than the Juggernaut was.  Lots of large, flat planes aren't so engaging as it turns out.  Freehand might be a game-time decision, so to speak, depending on how long I have after finishing the model and before the Paint the Target deadline.  I'm not worried about finishing on time, but if I start throwing extra decoration in there then deadlines will be more of a factor.  Considering that this Juggernaut is likely to end up as a placeholder/ringer for extreme builds I won't feel bad if it doesn't get all the extra nifty touches.

Edge highlighting action shot!

In unexpected Christmas news, I got a whole rack of stuff from EV this morning.  In addition to actual Christmas no less!  I got a Totem Hunter and Swamp Gobbers from EV (I got him Primal mk 2 and Archduke Runewood).  The extra bits are Legion.  A lot of Legion.  pLylyth, pThagrosh, a pair of Carniveans, a Seraph, eight Shredders, two Forsaken, and full (or almost full) units of Swordsmen and Archers.  All assembled and primed, though some have taken dings in storage and transport and will require minor repairs.  Quite the solid base to start from.  EV wanted a pair of Venoms in return, which I'm more than happy to provide.  Now I'm trying to keep myself from heading off to the FLGS to get a Legion deck, under the ruse of going to get lunch of course, then going over the Hordes rules again ahead of trying out the new beasties tonight.  It would be far more prudent to put in a Warstore order for the Venoms and add on the deck and some other bits (UAs for the units, any extra models to bring them up to full, Absylonia, solos for taste), but where's the fun in that?  The biggest hurdle I see thus far, aside from painting and learning a new faction (plus deciding on a scheme), is storage.  The Seraph is too spread out to fit in the big Battlefoam slots, and I imagine there are plenty of others that will be in the same boat.  Battlefoam makes a Legion beast tray, which is one solution, though I'd hate to start getting alternate trays for a bag that isn't even a month old yet.  There's also the pistol case I got about a year ago that doesn't have a role yet.  That would be more of a stop-gap, but it should hold plenty of infantry and the pluck foam, if thick enough, would accommodate enough beasts to do the job for a while.  The problem then is either I'm carrying a case and a bag, or I lose all the extra storage of the Battlefoam bag and have to carry the case plus another, different bag.  Life is tough sometimes, but I'll persevere.  Now for lunch.  And maybe cards.

US Battle Report - The Artist Formerly Known As HMcT

Pre-script:  Having gone through to the backlog here to make all the tags synch up, this first paragraph doesn't make much sense if you're coming here for the first time.  I'm sure you can figure things out.

First things first, HMcT has surfaced online as Etna's Vassal. I've since been informed that Etna is a character from Disgaea, so adjust your knowledge as such. He'll be referred to as EV from here out, at least as long as I remember it myself.

Another US battle today, this morning being my best opening for gaming this week. Class ends next week, so there'll be more opportunities soon enough. There may even be some Khadoran action in the near future. EV was very pleased about finally having a legal fleet for this battle. I made the slight adjustment of running one squadron of frigates instead of two.

Fleet update

Reinforcement day has arrived, fleets are bolstered, pictures are taken. HMcT added a Flagship and a pair of Heavy Cruisers, while I added an Airship, a pair of Krakens, and a pair of Heavy Cruisers. In keeping with my promise to myself to not buy new ships until everything I already have is painted, I got my Battleship done, finishing it up this morning. Sort of finishing at least. I only got one coat of gloss varnish on before heading out to get the new ships. It's been raining on and off since then, so more varnish will have to wait. The ship itself is painted though, so I say it counts just fine. One day I'll put together a nice setup and get some quality pictures (especially of that mortar), but for now here are some quick shots. First the starter fleet: