Random Model Wednesday 5 - The random models that I've had to make for recent tournys

Do one eyed necrons have a monobrow?

 
For the last 2 tournaments I've tried new methods with my crons that required new models. I needed 2 Crypteks, Zahndrek, Obyron and a lord with a warscythe.

These models haven't been painted as nicely as they could have been but they're good enough for the table. I've been using a quick and easy method that I've developed recently due to having to make 25 extra warriors. I start with a coat of army painter silver spray. Paint on any other colours as base coats, like bronze for shoulders and weapons and red on their heads. Then dip the model in a huge pot of Vallejo black wash that I've added some matt medium and flow enhancer. Then just dry brush 1 or 2 highlight colours and I'm finished. I'm sure its more than halved the time it takes to paint my crons and I'm quite pleased with the results. I also don't paint the eyes any more as I think necrons looks spookier with dark eye sockets.

I had to rush to assemble and paint these before my gf got home and would want my attention.

My two cheapo crypteks have served me well so far.

This was the old metal lord that came with the Necron Warrior Phalanx but I replaced the warscythe to be more dynamic and less fragile.

Random Model Wednesday 4 - Vostroyan Baneblade

This week my random model is my Vostroyan Baneblade. A long time ago I ran an IG Tank company, back in the days when an army made entirely of vehicles was legal. I love the Vostroyan models but they're a real pain to paint, I've only got 1 painted squad of them but a big painted army of Vostroyan tanks with lots of Leman Russes of various variants, Basilisks and my 2 superheavies, the Baneblade and the Macharius Vulcan.

I got the Baneblade when Apocalypse came out and there was excitement everywhere and multi-packs of tanks and such. I had to get the Baneblade, it was just so big and awesome compared to anything else available in 40k at the time. I do like using it but in total I think its been used about 5 or 6 times in the many years that I've had it. There isn't much appetite for Apocalypse where I play, there's usually 1 game at Christmas if I'm lucky.

The superheavy is painted up in the same colour scheme as the rest of my Vostroyan tanks. Firstly a base coat of vomit brown, then 5 progressive drybrush highlights up to rotting flesh. Then a coat of really watered down grey with a thicker wash of grey around the track areas. The metal areas were just boltgun metal with a blackish wash and the brass was brazen brass with brown wash and highlighted. 

The only modifications made to the tank are the extra 2 sponsons and the guitar string aerials. I had the original aerials but they snapped off, then I replaced them with brass rod, but these snapped off with the plastic they were attached to and I finally put guitar string in which will probably explode or something. 

This poor tank never gets used any more :(. My other armies are too much fun to use compared to my guard.

Random Model Wednesday 3 - Doom of Malan'Tai

This week my random model is my Doom of Malan’tai conversion. It is based on the standard Zoanthrope model. I replaced the head armour with the armour plates from a Mawloc’s head, I also replaced the little arms with some bigger arms and removed the back spines. I made this model a few years before fincast so it was a metal model, removing the top of the head was a right pain! I had to power file it off carefully, making sure I didn’t damage the rest of the model of accidentally file off my fingers. I had to greenstuff up the join between metal and plastic as it wasn’t a perfect fit. I also adjusted his neck, I don't like the way Zoanthropes have their faces pointing down. I cut off his head and green stuffed it back in place at a better angle.

The base was a resin Space Hulk style base. My entire nid army is themed like this to go with the stealers that came out of the limited edition Space Hulk. 

I painted the model in my standard nid colours, the paints used have long been out of production now :( bleached bone with flesh wash and blood red with brown ink.

This model hasn’t seen the table in quite a long time as I haven’t used my nids in ages. I don’t have the things that work in the current codex, just lots of genestealers and a handful of other gribblys like lictors and a shooty carnifex that isn’t even legal. I’ve got no intention of trying my nids again so this dude will just sit on my shelf.

Random Model Wednesday 2 - Lich Lord Terminus

Lord Toruk doesn't believe in dentists.

I bought and painted this guy years ago, I had no idea what Warmachine was at the time, I just saw him and thought "I have to have that!".

It turned out to be an absolute beast of a kit! All metal and there's almost as much brass pinning as there is model! (slight exageration). 24 separate metal parts, only 2 weren't pinned. The big spikes on the back of the wings are all separate, each one having to be drilled out, then pinned and then modelling putty to fill the gaps. It was a challenge getting this guy to stand up but it was well worth it.

Some many awkward spikes!

You call that a bonesword Mr. Hive Tyrant! This is a Bonesword!

This model was a big and risky experiment for me paint wise. The only style of colour and shading on this model that I had previously done was the red on the cloak. The brass was painted with the help of instructions from www.Brushthalls.com. Its a great website for painting tips. The greens were painted using paints mixed on the fly and I haven't used those particular colours since (can't remember what I did anyway). The necrotised flesh and bone was another experiment that worked quite well, I started with a plain white base and simply used a mixture of pale brown and green washes that were really watered down. I've used the same method on my other undead Cryx models since.

I'm very proud of this model, I just wish I knew how to use him effectively in a game. He's also a bit of a pig to try and transport, I have a little box just for him and the Deathjack filled with packing foam bits.

Random Model Wednesday 1 - Ork Runtbot

In an effort to stave off my inability to post regularly I have decided to start Random Model Wednesday. I'll pick one of my old models or someone else's, take some photos and write a brief description of any conversion work and painting methods. Wednesday seemed like a good day, nothing ever happens on Wednesdays.

My first Random Model Wednesday model is my Ork Runtbot. It was a limited edition Forgeworld model only sold at events in 2010. You can still see them on Ebay but they sell for silly money.

There's no conversion work on this model as I didn't feel the need to make it unique as its pretty rare anyway. I magnetised the join between the legs and the torso for transport and to avoid it snapping as being resin its quite fragile. I experimented with different washes to create a dirty rusty effect, I never seem to stick to the same method of painting rust for long.

Too much power for a grot!

I've used him a couple of times as a Warboss in my army. I had him leading a large squad of grots in a battlewagon. I quickly learned that this just doesn't work. Putting a big combat monster in a truely terrible combat squad doesn't balance it to a moderate combat squad, it just makes my big thing get trampled when they inevitably fail their morale test and run away. I'd love to make a grot army and have this dude in it but I don't have the patience to make hundreds of grots, I even know what models I want to represent things. There's some resing grot commissars models on the web that I'd use for runtherds, I'd convert some sort of model to represent a big mek with kustom force field, probably a bunch of grots with a big mechanism on wheels. I'd have to make some grot vehicles like buggies or maybe use the forgeworld grot tanks.