DreadTober - week 4 progress!

 

Greetings and welcome back for week four of DreadTober.  I added a few more details, like purity seals, to the dread this week.  But the main task was building the base.  Nothing too fancy, mind, but something with more lift and interest than a simple plastic circle with some gravel on it...

Here, I have used my typical approach of gluing down cork pieces in (hopefully) interesting patterns. Then I used wood glue with my model railroad ballast mix to add some bits of rock here and there. In this picture, the glue is still drying. Later I go back and add Vallejo Black Lava to the rest of the exposed cork surface to hide the remaining 'corkiness'. A couple GW deamon skulls were added for good measure. I may use that as a theme for my larger Blades of Vengeance chapter models to distinguish them a bit form the Dark Angels chapter. Probably for some of the characters too?

Here's a close up of the driver in his seat.  I owe him some armor highlights and other fiddly bits to add interest. I'm happy the moving bits still move after painting, though, and the magnets are working great for attaching the driver.

Here he is all locked in for a fight.  Progress could have moved a long a bit more this week. However I'm still in great shape for finishing by the end of the month. Everything that is going to be glued has been, with the exception of the base.  I'm going to paint that prior to fixing the model to it permanently.

So that's me so far. A couple three day weekends away and a minor cold this week have slowed the pace, but not wrecked the goal.  I'll be there at the finish with y'all!

Cheers and Happy Gaming!

DreadTober - week 3 progress!

 

Greetings and welcome back.  It was a short week for hobby this week, with only three short painting sessions. But as you can see, things are coming along well.  This week I focused on highlights and the space marine operator as well as base coating a few more details.

The green armor has been highlighted all around, along with the red weapon casings and the white shoulders.

 

Some of that shows up in the pics and some does not. I took these pretty quick and they are a bit washed out.

Oh, I busted the original purity seal, and lost the broken off paper part.  So above, you can see the new grey plastic purity seal. I popped off the old bit and glued on this new one. Annoying, but at least I hadn't painted it yet?

Here's the pilot tucked away in the cockpit. I put a little time in on the head details.  However I haven't added any highlights to the operator yet. I'm away from the painting desk for a few days, so next week will be a bit of a rush to get things finished up...then in week five I'll complete the base.
The finish line is definitely in reach, but I have some work to do to get there!

That's it for this week.  Check back next week when things should be much further along.

Cheers and Happy Gaming!

On the Workbench [October] - First Legion Terminators!

 

Greetings and welcome back.  Today I'm sharing some recent work from the workbench.  Regular readers will know that I take great pleasure from building models. So it is, that even during DreadTober, I cannot resist building something!

I have been sitting on these Cataphractii from the Age of Darkness boxed set because I already had 15 built and frankly didn't have room for more in the case where I keep my HH Dark Angels. However, I recently ran across my extra plexiglass shelves and brackets.  Looking at the collection, I had room in the cabinet for another shelf and so it was added.  Having more room meant it had to be filled of course!

I built these termies pretty stock, with a few exceptions.  I added two combi-meltaguns and a plasma blaster from the Forge World resin upgrades.  And then I decided to do something kinda silly.  I like the reaper autocannon even with its ridiculous proportions.  However, the arms are always built in and the resin Cataphractii arms just don't sit well with the plastic armor, at least in my eyes.  Where is the plastic Cataphractii reaper autocannon?!

Well.  There IS a plastic reaper autocannon, but it's only in the Tartaros pattern terminator kit. And THAT arm, just won't do at all...so what does a hobby maniac do you ask?  He cuts the flamer off a Cataphractii arm and the autocannon off a Tartaros arm, mumbles a few choice words about the whole mess, then sets to with some green stuff and a hobby knife until things sorta look like they belong together...

 Not that terrible! And after some trimming and shaping of the cured green stuff...

Honestly, I'm not sure I could recommend this approach to anyone.  And the reaper autocannon is probably a poor choice in a game of Horus Heresy.  but I roll with the rule of cool...and in the Warhammer universe what is more iconic than a terminator with an oversized cannon?! Seriously...

With some paint, I'm guessing I will forget I ever created this plastic abomination.  At least Cataphractii are slow, so maybe standing back blazing away with an autocannon is good stuff?? I dunno... but it does look cool. 😂

Anyway, I record the conversion here for the record, because I'm seriously going to forget this ever happened. Perhaps at some point I'll share a pic of the Detolf cabinet overflowing with First Legion warriors and war machines.

I hope I haven't inspired you to chop up your heavy weapons on a whim...but it did sorta, kinda work, right? Anyway check back by end of week when we return with week three of DreadTober!!

Until then...

Cheers and Happy Gaming!

DreadTober - week 2 progress!

 

Week two is in the books (at least as far as I can make time to paint)!  Additional details have been painted and an early coat of shade laid down over all. In addition, I've applied transfers so they can get weathered  along with the rest of the model.

I used a custom transfers I had printed back a couple years when I started my Blades of Vengeance project. I think this model will end up being the first that I complete for that chapter. Kinda random, but whatever.

Still lots of details to go, but it's coming along.  I have a couple long weekends in a row with trips so next week will be light on progress, probably. But there's still ample time to complete this walker.

I decided this fine armored walker should bear an elite rank, although his pilot is drawn form the tactical squad ranks. Speaking of which...

Here he is!  He hails from the 4th company, Blades of Vengeance chapter.

Still lots to do here, but I figured I'd at least set the transfers all at the same time while I had them out on the desk. I randomly chose to pull him from the 2nd Tactical Squad (see below).

And that's where the project stands at the end of week two. It's good progress, and I think I jumped out in front enough that a few days away with the family isn't going to cause me to slip the date here. It's fall here, so time to get in some hiking in the mountains. Best wishes for my fellow DreadTober-teers.

Cheers and Happy Gaming!

On the Workbench [September] - Just Move! and other tiny stuff...

 

Yes, I joined the movement! OK, truth be told, I'm not much of a joiner...and my background in Software and Network Security keeps me off most social media channels.  But when I saw Just Move from Miniwargammer Dave pop up on Instagram, I had to get involved...sort of.  I love the message, and I will paint this mini after DreadTober and share the results on Instagram. I won't likely join the Discord and other social stuff.  But I WILL move...and I am moving.  You should too! It's really easy...Just Move!

I also built Sabre Strike Tanks - so tiny and so fun!!

And more Leman Russ battle tanks.  Four Annihilators are pictured here, but I also built four Exterminators, four Executioners and four Demolishers. Somewhere along the line I stopped taking pictures of the builds...I guess because there have just been so many tiny armor kits! I also built two Sicaran Arcus and two Sicaran Punisher variants.  I have a least one of every kit now except for Termite Assault Drills.  I don't love them on the table top, and there are just SO many Astartes transport options. I have more transports than models to put in them!! OK, if I'm being honest, I will of course pick up that kit at some point..but right now I'm standing firm...NO TERMITES! 😁

Ah!  And I almost forgot the Stormsword variants.  I did get pictures of these, mostly because I magnetized the options.

You just *have* to magnetize these tiny tanks.  You get all the weapon hardware for each variant, so it's a shame *not* to. I used green stuff in the weapons to simply hold the magnets in place using the existing void areas there which were already big enough (mostly) to hold the magnets.  I might have drilled out a bit here and there to enlarge the space. Then I drilled holes in the tanks for the other magnets...keep your polarity straight here! If I ever play this game, it'll no doubt be with the volcano cannons, but I love the look of the plasma (and, Dark Angels!)...so then why leave out the Demolisher's older brother?

So it's been a busy month of builds...no wonder I struggled to complete ten Deathwing Terminators!

But now we're in DreadTober, so time to get back to the Invictor Tactical Warsuit...

Cheers and Happy Gaming!