Dark Angel or Desert Eagle

When the new Dark Angels models hit the stores I knew that I had to paint some of them. I love the terminators in robes, But what color to paint? I am currently painting my dark Vengeance models as pre heresy DA. I also have a quite substantial green DA army from way back. Adding these new models to the old ones together with my painting evolution would look strange. So a pre heresy army was sounding more and more interesting, but painting black is so depressing. one has to shade the model beautifully from black to a light grey, and then just wash it with black, leaving only the memory of the work you just did. And then it is also a question about al the support models, troops, tanks etc...  But then I started thinking that the models might fit in to my Desert Eagles  These are painted in a color that shades well, and the them with robes might fit in nice with the desert theme. So i bought some DA termis, assembled one and started painting. i think it turned out well. So I will add some more DAs to my DEs. If I would play the DEs I could use the DA codex, the DW would be the Eagles Claw and the RW would be the Desert Wind, and they would all join up with the rank and file I already have with accompanying armor. Since that army already is a jumbel of different models, both loyal and heretics, new and old, I dont think it will look strange with the new models and some updated painting.

So what do you think, does it work?

Myrmidon assault walker

The Myrmidon Assault Walker is an AA and anti infantry war walker employed by the mechanicum to give close support to skitarii troopers and Titans. In my case it has a battle cannon with co-mounted auto cannons and two quad gun emplacements. This model has taken some time to finish, first it was a long build where I could not decide on the amount of green stuff work to do. Then there has been the dark vengeance troops that has occupied me. I am pleased with how it turned out, especially around the head, which was a big question mark in the beginning. I had some thoughts of building a vulcan mega bolter to put there but in the end I decided to take the easy way and just use the parts in the kit. Now I just have to finish the second one and paint it up.

DW sergeant

A quick update. I have painted the DW sergeant from the Dark Vengeance box. I did some re-positioning of the wings on the back, but otherwise it is the standard model. I have say that I am impressed by the quality and detail of these models. As before I painted it in the pre-heresy colors. I really like the look. I am quite tempted to by some of the new DA models and paint them in pre-colors. We will se, still have loads of models to paint. I also tried some new way of painting the power sword, I am not quite happy with how it turned out. I like realism in the models but this is a bit cartoonish. Will see if it gets a re-paint later on.

Christmas projects 2012

It is Christmas and I have a lot of time to spend on different projects. The first one is a Cathedral based on the bunkers I had left over from the myrmidon project. These will then be combined with some ruined city models to get a nice tabletop center peace. I have also pained some more of the Dark Vengeance model in a pre heresy Dark Angel color scheme. I just realized how many models are in the Box and if I paint all of them as Dark Angel I will have quite a substantial base for a DA army, and as the DA will be released in the beginning of 2013 I might paint up some of the new models in the old colors.
I have also made a dive into the bit boxes under my work table and pulled up some parts that I have built a new demon prince. I only have to sculpt the back of the model and fill in some gaps nut all in all it is a quite simple build.
Apart from these new projects I am continuing my work on the myrmidons. It is taking shape and will lock grate with my titans.

 

So now I will go back to my hobby space and a wait my Christmas present from my wife, a hell drake directly from the bowels of GW.

Pre Heresy Dark Angel prt2

A small update on my Dark Vengeance Pre Heresy Dark Angels....

I have finished my Pre Heresy DA DW. I am happy with the look of the model, it is a bit sad that is not a real pre heresy model, but it will do. I have also painted one of the cultists as a DA serf, wearing the withe robes of the Dark Angels with the red chapter symbols. It does tie in incely with the Dark Angels look. I can but help to notice the similarities of the pre heresy Dark Angels and the Black Templars. The colors are the same and both legion and chapter is based on European medieval knights. I do wonder what will happen with the new DA codex, will they keep the ties with the native Americans or if they will have a stronger tie with the Hourus Heresy books...   we will see.

I have also gotten a new display place for my models. I must say that I have a most understanding wife as they are now displayed in an enlarged cabinet wall in the center of the new hose. I still have not put all the models in but the Northern Ghost titan legion has taken up residence. Now I will have space for some of my early work as well as the new models.

Pre Heresy Dark Angel

I am playing around with some of the marines in the Dark Vengeance box. I already have a quite substantial Dark Angels army so I though that I would have a go at the pre heresy colors. Painting black is harder than it would seam. I want to test it before I might get some pre heresy models to go with the colors. The model is not done yet but I thought I would shoe the black and see if anyone has any suggestions.

Forge Mauler Finished

The Forge Mauler is finished. It did turn out ok, almost as I had in mind. This time I started out painting it an over all metal, adding different red toned inks to give it a rusted and whether beaten look. After that I added black patches on the armor plates, in recesses or on plates that would be protected, the idea being that most of the paint had been worn off or flaked away during the beasts battles. I also tried a method that I have read about where you add a light color edge between the metal and the paint to give it a raised look. I actually like the result. I think it would have been hard to make it look realistic with out it as there are about equal parts black and metal and just leaving the edges un-markt made it look very flat.

Over all I enjoyed the build, it was straight forward, the model is excellent  much detail and easy to assemble, the cannons on the back was an easy swap job that did not demand any major cutting or green stuffing. I can however imagine that you will have to limit the number of these in your army as the pose is the same for all of them and the sculpting is such that it is hard to change it with out some serious green stuff work.
I have also bought the Dark Vengeance box, so that I have some easy to assemble models to paint over Christmas  I still have my mechanicum walkers to model and paint, but DV models will be thing to paint while I wait for the mechanicum models to get done. I will get back on both fronts telling you about my progress.

On another note, this blog started out as a WIP blog about me building a trio of FW titans. During these posts I posted a lot of pictures of unfinished peaces where one could see how I progressed and what the parts looked like while I painted. This was quite natural as it took me a bit over a year to finish them. In my later posts I have mostly posted pictures of the finished models, as I will usually finish one model between pots. If you have any preferences of what kind of pictures of my work you would like to see, WIP, finished, more angles etc, please leave a comment. Lighting and pic quality is rather limited now as it is perpetually dark this time of year and I am using a small pocked cam.

Until next time then...