Ack! Two weeks deep into 2017 without a predictable 'plans for the year' post. Thankfully, I'm not planning to tie myself into any vain-glorious hobby resolutions other than to paint up stuff on the pile of shame, learn to paint better and to play a few more games than last year. I've already made good progress on finishing up the Emperor's Children and I've a tub of cleaned, based and undercoated figures to crack on with over the next few weeks. I've also tentatively made plans to get involved with a painting group in Liverpool in February as I've been wanting to push my painting in a more crafted direction. I'm hoping to make it down to paint with people down at the local store
order pro-painted models from Romania more often this year too so we'll see how that goes. 2017 ahoy!
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Purple people eater mincer. |
I was lucky enough to receive this wonderful kit as a birthday present from my long-suffering partner in October last year. Initial impressions when it arrived went from excitement to panic when I realised how different large lumps of resin feel in comparison to plastic. This kit has so much more weight to it and demanded much more clean-up work that I expected. I doubt I'll ever get involved with a resin kit as big as this again as the material weirds me out so much, but it was really fun to paint once I got going. It was based up for the local stores 'Armies on a Plate' competition (I know, it was pushing it as an entry, but it was a good incentive to get it finished!) I had a lot of fun messing around with heat-bloom washes on the lascannons and finally got around to having a proper muck about with some FW weathering powders on the tracks.
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| Did I mention how much I love Forgeworld's etched brass? |
The large etched legion markings have been great to work with and I personally think work better than their resin counterparts. Overall, I'm pleased with how it came out, even if the paint job is a little basic in comparison to many other examples online. My narrative excuse is that it's a work-horse Land Raider that never made it to the artificer's gilding workshop. Fulgrim won't be pleased!
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| Fancy resin lascannons! |
The last squad I wanted to add for reasons of both and fluff and symmetry were the 'Sunkiller' heavy lascannon support. I've been keen to avoid using the usual Emperor's Children tropes and I thought that these guys were never properly represented in the way the Phoenix Terminators, Palatine Blades or Kakophoni were. Plus, the resin underslung lascannons look amazing and although fiddly to assemble, were great to paint. I was lucky enough to be hooked up with some additional studded pads and helmet by one of the
Corehammer dudes with these - thanks so much to Stephen for helping me out!
Out of everything I've painted recently, this set of Cataphractii terminators were the most rewarding. I've painted an awful lot of terminators in my life and these were by far the most fun. The kit itself is clean, simple to put together and creates an overall silhouette and tabletop presence that is awesome. They positively hum leaden menace and I'm half tempted at times to do another squad of these as a Sons of Horus Justarians because they're that nice.
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| Shredded nails for breakfast |
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| Mole-manned into oblivion |
The Emperor's Children project is more or less complete now, with only some final varnishing and a single Contemptor pattern dreadnought to paint now. I doubt I'll be adding any further units to this army as it'll mean buying considerably more and I really want to concentrate on unfinished projects and odd, single figures I've had lurking in the pile this year. Speaking of which, with the recent return of Blood Bowl, I finally got around to painting the only remaining team member from my 12th Birthday present.
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| Go long! |
So yeah, loads to be getting on with. In the next few months I hope to finish off the Beastman contingent to my AOS Chaos army and get some games in with them. I also plan to finish off my Frostgrave band which is slowly coming together with loads of sick LOTR figures that have been gathering dust over the years. Then theres still the 2nd Edition Tyranids, Wild in the Streets goffs, Skitarrii, Space Hulk remnants, Pob's Epic Eldar, Colour Blind Demon.....
Sod it, I should just go skating instead.
