Guardians of the Covenant Fellblade Superheavy Tank - Part V: The First Layer

Hey folks,
It was about time I started painting the Fellblade. The task of starting to paint a model and deciding what colour goes where is a daunting and intimidating task. It was for this reason that this beauty of tank lay waiting in the yellow storage box since the 20th of August. But today, after my lovely girlfriend told me to just paint it and stop fussing about it so much, I started painting the first layer.

The first layer is always the most special one. It alone gives me an idea of how the model will look when finished and it motivates me to continue painting. As you can see, it still looks like babby's first warhams-model. But it's only the first layer. Those who have seen, say, the Storm Eagle will know that there will still be lots of work in a large model such as this. The Fellblade will be subjected to several more layers, washing, drybrushing, highlighting and weathering before the painting is finished. And finally as a finishing touch, I will be using the decals I've printed myself, which were featured in a post some months ago. But, each journey begins with the first few steps, and this is a giant leap towards completion.


- Revan88

Colours used: - Mechrite Red foundation paint, Boltgun Metal, Tin Bitz.

Guardians of the Covenant Fellblade Superheavy Tank - Part IV: Basecoating

Hey folks,
Today I finally finished constructing the Fellblade. Yes, even the gun sponsons and the cables finally fit together after an "elegan/tg/entleman" on a well known imageboard showed me the way. The basecoat -Citadel Chaos black spray paint- did its job well as you can see. I think the whole tank has used a staggering 2/3 of the entire can before I was satisfied and little to no resin was showing.
Aside of the Fellblade, a third kitbashed predator got a basecoat and as you can see, Belial with a thunder hammer and storm shield got a lick of black as well.

Now the painting can commence. Those who are familiar with my work know that I paint all my stuff by hand, with a pencil! I already thought that my Storm Eagle was too much surface work with a pencil, I can only imagine what effort I need to put into this beast and how much Boltgun Metal and (my last) Badab Black it will consume. Nevertheless, seeing it all black has stirred something in my heart and I have to admit, I'm still in love with the thing.
Anyway, enough ranting. See for yourself!

A work in progress: Damocles Command Rhino. Part III.

After over two weeks of neglecting the hobby and therefore this blog, I decided it's time for an update.

With good spirits, I continued work on the exterior of my Damocles Rhino. After the black undercoat, I painted the red areas with Mechrite Red and all the metal areas with Boltgun metal. The aquilas on the doors were painted chainmail and the side doors Chaos Black. That's the first step. The second step is covering the Mechrite Red with two layers of Scab Red and painting small metal areas like the exhausts with Tin Bitz. Thirdly, the washing can begin. Lots of Badab Black on the metal parts and Devlan Mud on the red parts. The last wash is several layers of Sepia on the silver aquilas, to make them seem dull gold. 

The result is shown below. Not done yet, but I'm getting there. ;)

A work in progress: Damocles Command Rhino. Part II.

Today was a nice and sunny day. Ideal for turning grey into black. You've guessed that right: basecoating.
Giving a model a basecoat or "priming" it, as some prefer to say, is always a magic moment. It transforms a cobbled-together model or conversion with lots of different materials and different colours (think resin, metal, different plastics, you get it?) into a uniform matte black (or whatever colour you prefer to use). And that means that all there is left is to give it a paintjob. Though it's easier said than done. Painting a model is the best part of the creative process, I think.
By request of a certain follower of this blog (you know who you are ;) ) I decided to show the blackness that is the Damocles Rhino.

One of the main differences of the pictures of the day before, is that I've added a Space Marine Company Master/Captain that sticks out of the Rhino's hatch, in order to clearly mark the vehicle as the HQ choice it is.
The head of the Captain is from the Ravenwing champion and the right arm on which the Marine leans is actually a spare arm from the Damocles kit.

As a size comparison and of course a little showcasing, I've placed it alongside my Land Raider Redeemer, which, honestly, sees too little action. I actually had to use a pencil to brush off the dust in order to prep it for the photoshoot (it was THAT dusty).

Take a look for yourself.

Of course, the overview

The Captain sticking out of the cupola.

Company Veterans at the console

The Land Raider, which is awesome.

As I said, awesome.

Awesome meltagunner as well!

A new army project planned, what could it be?!

To give you a small hint...

Storm Eagle in the works. Part VI

Finally, the base has been done.
For the base I used a large oval resin "Temple" base by Micro Art Studio. With a hobby knife and lots of exotic files, sweat and ters, I cut out a cross for the flying stem in the resin base. After several faulty glue sessions using a glue gun, I bought some ultra strong super glue, which finally did the trick.

The Recon marine on the base has been made to look like wearing a hooded cloak, Guardians of the Covenant-style, while holding a sniper rifle from the Space Marine Scout set. A little gimmick is the chainblade attachment, which is from the Forge World bolters. It stuck right to the barrel. Very nifty.

Storm Eagle in the works. Part V

And finally, the cockpit's done. Tough it looks nice, I'm not a fan of object source lighting, so I didn't apply it there. Anyhow. I like how the cockpit has turned out. That, and the robed, hooded pilot was a must and finishes the whole aesthetic. Here are some pictures I took with the last clear daylight today had to offer.

Storm Eagle in the works. Part IV

Almost done.
Those two words mark the end of one of my most frustrating, but in the end most satisfying project to date.
The Storm Eagle has been one heck of a build and a huge thing to paint. I painted it by hand, and slathered almost half a pot of Badab Black wash over it's metallic areas, it's the last pot and it's almost gone now (too bad!).
Though some people didn't like the little conversion I did, I think the added tail section really, really finishes the model. It's more of a little brother to the Thunderhawk now. I'm really happy with the result so far. Though it's not yet finished. There are a few lenses and lights that still need work and the metal itself needs some highlighting. Last but not least, the chapter heraldry and company markings need to be added, but I will  wait with that stuff until the very last (I'm really bad at freehanding).

For the sense of scale, I added a Land Speeder Tempest and a vanguard veteran. The Tempest really fits with the Eagle's aesthetic, especially when looking at the wings.

Anyway, here are some pictures I took (without flash) in broad daylight. Hell yeah, a Guardians of the Covenant Mortikah-pattern Storm Eagle!

A fluffy Dark Angels list.

I've got a match planned tomorrow against an infantry-heavy Eldar and MEQ list. Recently, I've been toying with the idea to make a nice and fluffy list based around a Techmarine and his tanks. With 1500pts in mind, I came up with the following:

HQ
Company Master - TH/SS/Art. armour - 155pt.
Techmarine - Servo harness/Power Axe/Boltgun - 90

ELITES
Mortis Dreadnought - 2x TL-Autocannon - 125pt

FAST ATTACK
Land Speeder Tempest - 110pt
Ravenwing Bike Squadron - Vet sgt./Power maul 115

TROOPS
Tactical Squad - Power fist/Vet. sgt./melta/missle - 200pt
Tactical Squad - Power sword/Vet. sgt./Pl.gun/lascannon - 200pt

HEAVY SUPPORT
Predator Destructor - Dozer blade - 105pt.
Predator Annihillator - Dozer blade - 145pt.
Land Raider Redeemer - Multi-melta - 255pt


The idea was to field a lot of armour and to hide the HQ's in the tactical squads. Since my opponent agrees to field Forge World stuff, I'm keen on trying out the Tempest with the new IA: Aeronautica rules. It has the "afterburner" rule, which effectively makes it a flyer if the player proclaims it so, at the start of each turn. Thus only AA being able to hit it, with the catch that it can't fire any weapons while airborne.
With the appearance of Death from the Skies by Games Workshop, I fear that the Tempest has become obsolete: the Storm Talon has been reduced in points cost, and it has the same price (110pts) as the Tempest now. Bawww. I'll still be using it however.

We'll see how this list will do/die against the Eldar and Marines.

Storm Eagle in the works. Part II

Today was a big day. My Storm Eagle got basecoated. Somehow, I think the models look even better when they have a slick basecoat. There's no difference in colour anymore due to it being a resin/plastic kit, and overall, the models looks simply stunning.
It was a real tough nut to crack, when it came down to building it. Some parts still don't really seem to fit, but the gaps and creaks seem to have faded a bit now that it has a basecoat. The next big thing will be to paint the majority boltgun metal and scab red (Yes, old GW colours!) followed by some washing, highlighting and details. I look forward to working on this one, but I will take my time.

Storm Eagle in the works.

Here she is. And it was a bloody paint to build. Almost nothing seemed to fit and almost everything was warped. After a lot of fiddling with a hair-dryer, glue and elastic bands, it finally fits together.

I made a light conversion to the model: I added a tail fin from the Storm Raven kit after being inspired by a fellow blogger. This finishes the model and makes it look more alike it's bigger brother, the Thunderhawk.

Building the Storm Eagle

Oh man. The Storm Eagle is the worst best model I've been building so far. The stuff is warped beyond recognition and even when bent back into the right position it doesn't all seem to fit.
Anyhow. I made a big mistake: I ruined the front hatch (which is the same from the Storm Raven kit). The part broke, with probably no way to fix it. So what I did: I ordered one from a bits site. In the meantime, I'll go on constructing the Storm Eagle and painting it up. The model itself and the level of detail looks splendid, but the construction is one hell of a job. Pictures are to follow later

The Veterans

Today I've worked on some of my upcoming Vanguard Veterans. They won't budge with the Dark Angel codex, but with the 6thE Allies chart, it'll fit in just fine, although the unit is overpriced methinks.

The one with the power fist is the sergeant. I love the look of Mk. 8 Errant Armour. And when the ball joint of the neck is cut off, the helmet fits into the slot nicely. The legs are from a sanguinary guard kit and the tassels from a Space Marine commander kit.

The Specialists

Today, it's time for the specialists to be in the spotlights.

 The Librarian

 The Techmarine

The Chaplain

The Dreadnoughts

Today, the dreadnoughts are the focus of the day. Aside of the lovely Contemptors, I've got a (venerable) dreadnought as well. It was my first for this army. And nowadays it gets largely overshadowed by its taller cousins.

Guardians of the Covenant Bookshelf Showcase

A few days of silence, followed by some nice 15 megapixel shots. I've got a nice little still life studio set up, but one of the lights broke down. The following pictures are an experiment. I've made more than I've posted here, but they weren't all post-worthy. Anyway, enjoy.