My first introduction to Citadel miniatures was one of the free magazines you used to be able to pick up from the stores. Infant, it's the one with the incredible Geoff Taylor cover that features the classic World Eater marine. I would spend hours pouring over the artwork and models and still have the tattered remains of the magazine to this day. There's something really potent about it; even now I get really excited to look through it and can recall with alarming freshness the thoughts and feelings I had when it was first given to me. One thing which makes me laugh was that I could never quite tell who the 'good guys' were, which at the time made me think about the world in a whole different way. Anyway, enough with the crippling psychological effects of little men - onto one of the raddest figures ever designed by Jes Goodwin - the Eldar Epic scale Titan.
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| That siloheutte,.. |
One section of the magazine i would spend lots of time looking at was the part with all of the 15mm scale Epic figures. There was something about these huge war machines and the stylistic differences in design of the technology belonging to the various races that really did it for me. In particular, the Eldar Phantom Titan stood out as being both very alien and wonderfully designed.
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| Psionic Lance detail |
I could talk about this model for days on end. I love how big it looks and how you can just tell it's an Epic scale figure. The way it's constructed and designed to fit together is wonderful and the overall presence of the thing is insane. This machine means business and will kick your arse without breaking a (wraithbone) nail. However, this model was not actually that much fun to paint at all. Firstly, the casting isn't great and there were some grim mold-lines on the helmet, vanes and legs. Much of the fine detail on the body was lumpy and if I didn't know better I would have suspected this to have been a recast. It's also partially my fault as I promised myself long ago that I'd not get into painting white again. Worst colour ever to get a consistent and clean finish with!
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| Detail of the thorn motif. |
I chose the Biel-Tan colour scheme as it was the same as the first Eldar model I ever painted. Plus, I've always wanted to have a stab at painting the thorn-vine design that the Craftworld is known for. Not entirely convinced it came out as well as intended, but it's not too bad. The scope for freehand that this model gives you is immense - loads of flat areas to get busy on! I imagine there are some great examples of these out there lying forgotten in attics.
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| Big purple head. |
What I really enjoyed with this figure was painting the large, gem-fronted head. I've never had much luck getting red-coloured gems down cleanly, so went for a purple as it seems to be easier to work with. I'm actually kinda proud of how this came out, although a lot of the detail is lost in the reflection. The shoulder freehand isn't too bad, in hindsight that particular icon may have been a bit too complicated to be painted at that scale.
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| Psychic doom. |
Overall it's not a bad paint-job, I just wish that I'd enjoyed the actual work a little more! I think the best part was making the tiny trees for the base, which is a shame. Perhaps it was a big thing to take on as an introduction to 15mm scale stuff - maybe do a bit more research and practice next time. Pob has assured me he's a load of Epic stuff squirrelled away, so perhaps the next addition to the force won't be such an effort!
