Morvenn Vahl

This week I present to you; Morvenn Vahl... or Fnyssan as I like to call her (due to the colour combination which is my wife's signature colours). I like this model!, to bad that that other paragon suits are not more like this one. The level of detail is really stunning and lends it self well to dry brushing. I did not go with the box art paint scheme for this model, instead I did it almost the same way as I did the Paragon suits, but instead of covering the metallic green with a black wash I kept the green and give it a dry drybrush to polish it a bit. This last step was just an improvisation but it worked really well. As the model is dry brushed silver in several steps with a black wash as a base, the green wash really pops with an emerald sheen, but it is rather flat. So instead of dry brushing a layer of silver on top of the green I used a dry brush and dry brushed the model. This wore away the green wash and revealed the silver beneath, giving nice highlights with a light green tone. This is something that I need to try again with other colours. Over all I am happy with how she turned out even if I think the green and purple is not really my coup of tee. The army colour's are silver and purple (as set out by my wife) and my addition of the green/black just turned out this way when not adding the black top layer. But it does fit nicely with the darker paragons from a distance as one can see the resemblance in base colour.

Paragon War suits

This week my sisters got some reinforcements in the form of a squad of Paragon war suits. When the Grey knight nemesis dreadknight came out I was not a big fan of the design or the idea of strapping a marine to the front of a walking suit (almost like a penitent engine). But when the Paragon war suits for the sisters where presented I was all aboard. I think it might be that the pilot is more integrated into the suit rather than hanging of the front the makes it more believable. They have stolen some ideas from Japanese manga where these types of suits are not the uncommon with the arms of the pilot sticking out of the sides. I understand that the arms of the pilot has to go somewhere but this solution with them sticking out like this can not be a good idea from a survival point of view. But then again, it is a game and they look cool so why not.

GWs range of models does vary quite a bitt in complexity and I think it is soon time for them to start putting some ratings on the boxes. One for the complexity of the build and one for the complexity of painting. These models where quite fiddley to assemble and I needed to paint them in quite small units, but if I had not done that the painting would have been difficult. Over all I get the impression that the plastic sisters are not for the beginner modelers as there are so many small parts to assemble and paint.

As the rest of my sisters the models are mostly drybrushed, only the faces are painted traditionally. As with some of my later models I am using a green undertone for my black metallic, just to give it a bit more depth than just a white metal washed black. The green was really bright and vibrant before I added the last layer of black so it got me thinking that I might need to do one more suit but make it more like that to make it pop, perhaps the high lord? The tabards where painted purple to go with the rest of the sisters metal and purple theme. On the back there are relief borders, but on the front there are only very thin and weak indications of a border and I do not think I have seen any one actually painting the borders on the front, but I thought that the colour symmetry would be better if there where borders both back and front. for the rest of the model I thought that the metal was good as it were and I did not do anything more to it than what was created in the first dry brushing step.

These models were fun to paint and even though I did three of them in parallel it was not to difficult, just had to keep track of which sub assemblies belonged to what model. This dry brushing scheme really lends itself to batch painting.

Now I really need to get back to sculpting on Fenrir.

Penitent Engine

We continue with the additions to my slowly growing collection of Adepta Sororitas. This time it is the Penitent Engine form the Sisters of Battle box. I have never really been a fan of the model, not even the old metallic one as it think it is to front heavy. I also sort of have problem with the lore. I can understand repentia, falgellants etc as these are individuals who are in-principle executed on the battle field. But putting a convict into a battle engine with the purpose of getting them killed is a bit strange. I would guess that you would want the larger damage dealers to survive? But be that as it may. Accepting the concept of strapping some to a close combat machine and sending them into the fray to get killed as a punishment I can not still get around the new VR version of the model. What is the purpose of strapping them to the engine, sending them onto the battle field, with out the ability to influence their own fate, and let them watch something else horrible on TV instead of what is going on around them? If you just wanted to scare them with a horror flick you could just do it at home, in the cellar, and then just cut their throats as the credentials roll...



So, I do not like the new pilots and how they are mounted to the model. The original positions makes the model even more front heavy. So I decided to repose the pilot so that I could mount it further into the casket opening. I bent the arms a bit by just bending the plastic. Then I cut the shoulders back a bit so that I could mount the arms along the sides instead of our in the crucifix form. I swapped the head for one of the seraphim heads without a helmet and sculpted some green stuff across the chest to make the pilot more female.

I decided to paint it as a rusted metal with out paint or other adornments to represent the engine itself being ancient, recovered after each execution, to receive a new occupant. The sister/pilot got the same purple robes that I use on the rest of the army. I tired to get the flames at the top of the model to look good but I can not do these "effects" so that they fit with the rest of my style. But aside from that I am happy with the model. I will most likely not make another one though.

Inquisitor Greyfax and friends

This last week I have been working on Inquisitor Grefax and two Seraphim Sisters. I absolutely love the these models. Very rich in detail and appropriately scaled. Color scheme is as per usual... white metal and purple robes for the sisters and silver and gold for the inquisitor. Really not much to say that has not already been said so I let the images speak for themselves.

The Triumph of Saint Katherine

This vacation has really not been about hobby time. Instead all my time has been spent digging in the garden and barbecuing. So that means I do not have that much to show, as I really have not done anything new. But I will show you the assembled Triumph of Saint Katherine. All parts have been shown individually but here they are all together.

This is my fist "diorama-type" model from GW that I paint and I must say as a collector that I really like these types of models, so I will have to get me some more. All in all it was a nice model to paint and I was easy to do it in parts and then assemble it all at the end. Compared to the box art I have used a darker palette with less white and a deeper crimson. That combined with the bird of prey wings on the cherubs make it a bit darker. I am happy with the result. Next up for the sisters will be a penitent engine...  just need to finish it up with some green stuff.

I have also finished of two more Armigers for the Northern Knights... but that will be a separate post as I need to spread out my results until I can pick up the pace again.

Bier of Saint Katherine

Finally got around to finishing the Bier of Saint Katherine. This was not fun... there are way to many fiddly cherubs, banners and cyber gear, and that is not to mention the slightly discomforting feeling of painting naked babies. As with all the late GW sculpts the detail level is super high so you need to paint it in sub assemblies to get to it all.

Apart from the paint not sticking to my base coat things when smoothly but just took so much time. I choose not to do the cherubs with the traditional white wings but instead I went for something more bird of prey like. Over all I think it looks good, but the freehand on the banners are awful, the brush I used did not want to yield the paint smoothly and if watered to much is just started running all over the place. I do not know how people do this... so that is the one part I am not happy with but will have to live with.

The bier was done as an all metal piece with a purple cushion to hold the armor and bones of Saint Katherine. I did the armor as a rusted version instead of the golden one portrayed in the box art. From a distance it does however look like it is golden... all in all a limited palette.

Now I just have to go back to all the saints, and make sure they are all painted similar, touch up some edges and assemble it all.

Saint Silvana

I have not been feeling well lately. I think that it is this conrona situation that is finally getting to me. Not that I am feeling sick as in having corona, but I have been feeling tiered and lacking motivation to deal with things. I have several ongoing projects scattered over my desk(s) and I have not been feeling the mojo do deal with any of them. But as I know that painting does help in these kinds of situations for me I have been trying to "force" my self to go in to the hobby room and paint. And once I do sit down and get stuck in to what ever I pick up I do enjoy it and I can feel some of the motivation returning.

So as thing stand I have not much to report as things are moving slowly. But I have managed to get Saint Silviana painted, which is the last of the saints on the Triumph of Saint Katherine. The model as suck is not much different from the rest of the saints, black robes and some crimson. She does however have a "banner", the Argent Shroud. Fist I though I would paint just a banner but after looking a bit at the box art I realized that it is a monochrome imprint of a skeletal body on the shroud (Like the one with Jesus) and should not have a lot of colors. So I tried to replicate what is on the box. I did not manage to get the depth of color as they have, but I think that is mostly because I do not have the appropriate colors. I also think that the dry brushing does not give the same depth as painting with the paints directly. In the end I think it looks ok, especially with the style of the rest of my painting. Now it is just the bier and the cherubs left before I can go back and go through all the pieces to make them coherent before assembling the whole piece. All in all I have enjoyed painting this model as it is sort of a small mini diorama and that fits me well as a collector.

Saint Mina

Short update today with Saint Mina. Not much to say about this model, black robes and red roses. The lack of variety in the paint scheme makes them rather fast to paint but in the end they will look great. I do not want the saints to be to much of a distraction from the bier and the cherubs which will be the center of the model. Well, onlt one more saint...

Saint Dominica

The forth of the saint in Triumph of Saint Katherine, saint Dominica is the bearer of the Ebon Chalice. The model as such is not that highly detailed so it was a fairly quick paint job. I am not sure if I shall try to get some of the edges of the robes painted scarlet or something to bring in more color. But that will have to wait until I have all of the saints done so that I can do them together and get a cohesive look to them. Next up is Saint Mina...