Blackstone Fortress Traitor Guardsmen - TO DONE

 

My personal Squaduary 2021 project has come to a close.  I completed all 14 Traitor Guardsmen for Blackstone Fortress with barely a day to spare.  Seven were given a black skull decal on their helmets to allow me to use the models as two distinct squads.  I'm pretty happy with the results.  This effort completes the group of hostiles that came with the core box set.  Next, I'll move on to the core heroes and thus complete the box, before moving on to the expansion models.  Who knows, perhaps one day I'll have the whole set painted.  I'm actually pretty happy they stopped producing expansions, as it's already a pretty big set of models to paint up.

Here are some close ups of the seven poses in the set.

The two leader/sergeant models look like they mean business.

This model is my favorite of the set.  So much going on here.

Burn the heretics!  Oh, wait..

I love the machine pistol and knobbly club here...only in 40K.

Mad Max with a las pistol...

The obligatory shooters.  Fun in their own right, but just not as interesting as the other dynamic poses in the set.

So, with that, I'm DONE with this this one.

Next up, we're on to #MonsterMarch5 where I'll complete a Forge World Warlord-Sinister Psi-titan for Adeptus Titanicus.  If successful, this will be my third Warlord class titan painted in three consecutive MonsterMarch challenges.  So until next time...

Stay safe out there.

Cheers and Happy Gaming!

Blackstone Fortress Traitor Guardsmen - WIP - Part 5

 

Greetings!  This second batch of traitor guardsmen continues apiece.  Another seven dudes, much like the first seven dudes!  Most, if not all, areas have received their base color and shading now.  Some highlights have begun, on metal, furs, and red cloth.  I'll set to the grey and yellow uniform colors next.  I'm cutting it close, but I think I can get both squads (fourteen models in total) done by Sunday to close out my personal Squaduary 2021 challenge.

Back along, I mentioned I would do something different for the second squad to distinguish them from the first squad, for those game scenarios where they deploy as separate groups.  I had originally thought of doing this by color (like a different helmet or jacket), but decided a little decal on the helmet did the trick.  So these seven models are now part of the black skull squad now.  I like this approach because now the group of fourteen look fine all together, with just this subtle marking to differentiate them.  Yet, I think it's clear enough that one can quickly tell which squad is which on the board when reinforcing them, etc.

Still a favorite pose.  This pic shows where I'm at with various details.  We're very close to done here - if only I could speed up my pace at highlighting.

Another model to illustrate the progress this week  Out of the seven, I realize I picked only the three gas mask folks to show off - probably because I know I still have to work on the faces.  I worked some heat and soot staining into the weapons. No highlighting on the browns yet (wood or leather), other than the fur.

So I'm closing in on the finish line.  I like how things are coming out.  My next (and LAST!) post on these fellas will be early next week as a wrap up for my Squaduary project.  Then we're on to Adeptus Titanicus and my #MonsterMarch5 project. These various monthly challenges really help me line up things that I need to push on in order to actually get them done.  Otherwise I get caught up flitting about too much between things.

Stay safe out there.

Cheers and Happy Gaming!

 

Blackstone Fortress Traitor Guardsmen - WIP - Part 4

 

 

 

Greetings.  Just a short post today to reveal how far along the second batch of Traitor Guardsmen have come. Most of the base colors are down, but not all.  And some shading has been completed.  Having put together a process now for how these guys are painted, the second batch is moving more quickly for certain.

 

 

With only five more days in the month of Squaduary, I'll have to pick up my feet to get these boys completed. #MonsterMarch5 draws nigh, and I'm excited to get on to the Forge World Warlord-Sinister Psi-Titan for Adeptus Titanicus.  So these lads will be put down one way or the other starting March 1.

Check back Later int he week for more progress...and maybe a completion pic?  Who knows...

Stay safe out there.

Cheers and Happy Gaming!

Blackstone Fortress Traitor Guardsmen - WIP - Part 3

 

The Traitor Guardsmen are coming along well.  This first squad is basically complete.  I'm going to move on to the second squad now to give my eyes a break.  I'll take one last look at these guys near the end of the month as I finish the second squad off to catch missing highlights, details, and other work.  These models are busy with details and it's easy to miss something. A fresh look after a few days is often very instructive.

The squad sergeant is looking suitably grim.  I need to fix the chest armor highlights; things are pretty chunky there.

Being chaos tainted bad guys, I decided to play with a bit of gore on the sticking, chopping and bashing bits.  I figure these guys are wandering the Blackstone Fortress doing work and probably not overly concerned with maintaining their weapons. During the game, perhaps this raises tensions as they look a bit more horrific?

 This grenade trooper is still my favorite of the lot. So many ways to make things go boom on this guy.

Another fun model with a lot going on; now with a new gory club. You can see he gets work done.

Ready to burn out any unwary explorers...'nuf said here.

Odd combat choice here, but an interesting dynamic pose.  This guy has a great collection of "tools" in his person.

So there we have seven pretty much completed Traitor Guardsmen.  Next week, I'll showcase progress on the second group of seven.  It'll be a race to get them completed to this level by the end of February, but I'm feeling good about it.  I'm starting to get excited for painting a Psi-Titan for Adeptus Titanicus during Monster March, so that's giving me incentive to get through this group of fourteen models.

Until next time, stay safe out there.

Cheers and Happy Gaming!

Blackstone Fortress Traitor Guardsmen - WIP - Part 2

 

Greetings and welcome to part two of my Blackstone Fortress Traitor Guardsmen project.  As I close out week two of my personal Squaduary 2021, I'm pretty far along with the first squad of guardsmen.

I started the second week by getting some flesh on these guys.  Then  painted in the animal furs.  I went back across all the armor then, cleaning up the black and painting more panels with dark silver.  I had missed the forearm guards, for example, when I did the shin guards and spikes.  That said, I still missed a couple. Some random details, like the skull trophy on the sergeant, got picked out too.

I also painting in red lenses on the three troopers with gas masks. Then it was time for some highlights.  So far I have highlighted the black armor and the various scraps of red cloth.  The various individual models are starting to take shape now.

Here's where they stand currently...with another night or two to go before I really have to get started on the second squad of seven troopers, in order to finish within the month.  I need to highlight the browns, flesh, coats, pants, and silvers in that time.  No sweat. :)

Good results so far though. In these close ups, the results from the highlights are more clear.  Lots of cleanup still to go in these close ups too.  I think I'm getting a good traitor vibe here.

I like this fella a lot.  There's so much going on with the various textures and details.  Check back next week when I hope to show these guys done as I move on to the next squad of seven.  I hope your own projects are going well.

Stay safe out there.

Cheers and Happy gaming!

Blackstone Fortress Traitor Guardsmen - WIP

 

This month, I'll be painting up the Traitor Guardsmen from the original Blackstone Fortress box.  These are the last of the hostiles left to paint from that box.  I started the set by painting the Spindle Drones, Ur-Ghuls, and Chaos Beastmen for Squaduary 2020.  In the absence of a formal challenge this year, I will complete the set initial hostiles for a personal 2021 Squaduary challenge.  If this isn't your cup of tea, check back in March when I paint up the Adeptus Titanicus Psi-Titan for Monster March...

I initially built these guardsmen on their original bases.  Having moved on to Necromunda bases, I needed to first replace all the old bases, then get them primed up for the challenge.

Next, I airbrushed the bases to get a smooth texture and the purple glowing effect I've been using.  In the past I've painted the bases separate from the models, then attached them carefully before touch-ups and final varnishing. With the bases attached in advance, I'll just have to be super careful not to get paint on them while painting up the guardsmen.

These models come in two identical squads, so I'll paint them with something different with the each squad - like a different helmet color or something.  In the game, you sometimes pick them by squads when they enter the board so it'll help if they look different.

I started by base coating the uniforms and helmets. I'm working towards some contrast with the darker armor, weapons, and equipment.  Shading is going to mess with the colors so bear with me here...some metal bits are painted in here as well to help a feel of where this is going.

As promised, the lighter colors are muted now with GW Nuln Oil (pants/helmets/metals) and GW Agrax Earthshade (Coats).  Red bits are now added for a little chaos allegiance, Korn I suppose, shaded with GW Reikland Fleshshade.

Which brings us back to the title picture where the wood of the weapons has been painted and shaded with GW Agrax Earthshade.  I wouldn't paint wood here normally; I mean this is the 41st millennium and stuff is generally fabricated and assumed to be primarily synthetic...but darned if these guys don't have wood grain molded in with tally marks scratched in the wood even. Gotta love a flamer weapon with a wooden stock.

So that's a week's work of progress.  Not bad, but I hope to pick up the pace a bit if I'm going to finish the second group of seven before the month ends. They look a little murky, but I hope that will change as I bring in the flesh and complete the remaining base colors (fur cloaks and what-not). Oh, and of course highlights will help pick out the different areas and add some interest as well.

Stay safe out there.

Cheers and Happy Gaming!