Airbrush Respirators.

So guys I'm planning on buying a Airbrush in the new year for my models and this got me thinking about safe breathing while using one, so I've done a little research and this is what I've found out.

In the past I've mostly basecoated my mini's using aerosol paint tins from various manufactures in my garage, I think most people start this way as its cheaper to buy one tin rather than an airbrush and everything that goes with it, having said that over the last two years I could well of bought a airbrush set up with the amount of money I've spent on aerosols, yeah hindsight's a great thing but its not going to get my money back anyway guys I'll get back on track with the post when I did basecoat my mini's I did so wearing one of those paper dust masks you know the type, elastic round the back of the head little metal strip that pinches over your nose, cheap as chips and totally inadequate for the job!!.

Why so inadequate then, sure spray paints not good for you but I was only ever in the garage for five minutes so it's not that bad right!, well here's why folks, you may have noticed when priming or basecoating that a cloud of propellant and paint vapour from the tin just kind of hangs in the air for a while well this stuff has within it Toluene and Acetone (and sometimes Xylene or Mineral Spirits) and your don't want to inhale that if you care for your health, also that spray paint smell, that unique odor, that's Toluene and its highly toxic, I'm not going to go into the grim details of what this stuff does to your lungs but needless to say I've now got a proper respirator on the way to me and I wont be basecoating anything till it arrives.

So then I've found a great kit on ebay containing a VOC filter mask (Volatile Organic Compound).

• 3M 7502 (medium size) half mask.
• 3M 6001CN- Organic Vapour Filter.
• 3M 5925 Particulate Pre-Filters.
• 3M501 Pre Filter Retainers. 

Confused?, well so was I, the mask is the part that goes around your head, yeah I got that bit too, the Organic Vapour Filters and Particulate Pre-Filters go inside the Retainers which are then clipped to both sides of the mask.

Well guys I'm sure this new item will be part of my routine soon enough but I will say I'll give thought to different filters for the mask when using different products ie solvents and cleaners to mention just a few.

New 32mm Bases!?!

Right then here I am just starting out in the hobby building and painting mini's of my chosen chapter and BOOOOOOOM!!! take that! your mini's are no longer legal or at the very least are going to look sh!t due to different base sizes your Tac sized models will be stood on.

Got to say Games Workshop "WHATS THE POINT LADS!!", the third partie base makers wont be put out of business if that's what your thinking, they will catch up, the only people your pi55ing on is your customer base AGAIN!!.

Sorry for the rant guys but WTF!, I feel for you guys who have large collections, will they still be legal for tournament play?, how do you feel about re-basing your entire army or if its even possible.

End of rant.

Tamiya Weathering Master.

Well then guys I picked up this nifty little hobby related item a few days ago with a view to using it on my models exhaust vents, in the past I've just dry brushed black which is fine and works well but I'm always up for something new and I've found this product to be rather good.

As you can see the coverage is good and it looks effective, the product itself  is quite strange as it has a waxy nature to it but it drys fine and I've not noticed any product transference to other parts of the model after touching, I'm not sure what I'll use the snow for but I can think of many applications for the rust, given that this product is labeled B its a fare bet that there's more to the range and I'll be looking out for them.

Hobby bench upgrade (long overdue).

Hi guys, I've not posted for a while on hobby related things as I've been busy upgrading my tiny desk to a more spacious bench and it didn't cost me anything.
I had some MDF sheet left over from boarding out the loft and other bits n bobs which I had laying around the garage from past D.I.Y. job's, I'm pretty happy with the result.

As you can see my work space just got too crowded, I never thought this hobby thing would grow so large!.

Easy stuff, batten on wall, sheet of  MDF, two legs brackets screws primer................job done.

I'm looking to get an Airbrush set up on the bench just to the left of the cutting matt, I'll sort that out next year. Also I'm going to have to buy a more comfy chair, a nice padded one I think with the up and down function (don't know what that called,ha) so I can adjust the height.

It's amazing how much stuff this hobby gets you buying, looks like I'll have to expand the shelves next.
Anyway guys as shown its really easy to build your own hobby bench, give it a go.

40k Kit-Bash...Captain Romonos.

Well guys I've decided in 2015 I'm going to build and paint a new Scythes of the Emperor 1850pt army for general play and also for my second attempt at Armies on Parade, Yep thats right I'm planning it already!.

Anyway being as impatient as I am I've already started hacking away at the list, so first up a HQ kit-bash for the new army, I just love kitbashing mini's and Space Marines lend themselves to this art in a big way with what feels like an infinite choice of different combinations.

The model that I've built is Captain Romonos second only to Chapter Master Thrasius and Commander of Scythes first (and only) Battle Company, his stat line is the same as Cato Sicarius of the Ultramarines.

 

Styling wise I wanted Captain Romonos to look uncluttered but still have the feel of authority about him, given that the character model wears Artificer Armour and the Scythes scavenging shenanigans I've gone ahead and used the Forge World Legion Champion body but carefully removed the torso and added an Iron Hands MKIII one in its place, I think this gives the impression of  a mish mash of armour styles but also one of quality.

I chose this Power Sword as I've been wanting to use this part for a while (it's from the "Assault on Black Reach" box set)  I love it's simple unfussy shape and think it fits right into the chapter and also the character of the miniature itself.

The helmet is a Forge World part from a Destroyer Squad, the pack is off a Blood Angel Death Company sprue, the base detail which I've added to slightly and the shoulder plates cybernetic arm and plasma pistol are all Forge World parts, incidentally don't forget to add the gun hilt when gluing your pistols to arms/hands, little details and all that. I've also added a couple of grenades around the back of the mini and are considering sticking the Imperial Laurel to one of  his shoulder plates.

Anyway guys I thought I would show you a photo of all the component parts before its stuck together, as you can see I've used five pins on the model, two on both the base and torso and one on the power sword wrist area.

I'm looking forward to cracking on with this mini and will post up picks when its finished.

Armies on Parade.

Boards on show....

Hi guys, well as promised I've sorted through a shed load of photos I took the other day at Games Workshops Armies on Parade event. As I thought I had a great time taking to other modelers and painters and it was a shame I had to leave at 3pm but family commitments and all that.

There were eight boards on show including mine, I wont be showing my board in this post as I think you have seen enough of it, ha.

Anyway on with the pictures after the Jump.

Armies on Parade.

Finished!......

And so......it's finished!!, it's been a mad 46 day's having to fit extra painting hours around my already hectic family life and to be honest I like to paint at a more leisurely pace (lazy git) but yeah it's done and given the time frame I'm happy, don't get me wrong I've seen other entries online and in old WD mags and know I'll not be winning any awards but that's all good and I'm looking forward to Saturday, talking to fellow painters/modelers getting ideas and inspiration, should be a good few hours down at the shop.

So what have we got here then, well there's three units absent from my clearly over ambitious list that I compiled at the start, that's the Raven, Dev Squad and Assault Squad, but what I do have is seven units, four Elites one Heavy support and Troops and one HQ.
I would say the best thing about this for me is the fact it's forced me to hit a dead line, of sorts, to finish off a few outstanding units that have been cluttering up my desk.

The things I've learnt from this toe in the water are....

Give yourself more TIME to plan, I would say six months would be a more realistic timeline to put your all in to Armies on Parade.

You don't really need a GW tile, sure I've used one here but it was second hand and next year if I don't build over this I'll be using MDF.

If you do use a tile hills are great but sloping sides mess with model positioning, if I were to have painted the whole list I compiled at the start I would of struggled to place them on this board, so forward plannings the way to go.

So all in all I'm happy and cant wait till Saturday, next year I'll remember my seven P's and give it a good crack whether that will be my Scythes again I'm not sure but I have already got a couple on idea's floating around.

Scythes Techmarine.

Thunderfire Tech Finished.....

Hi guys, well at long last I've finished my Scythes Thunderfire Cannon Techmarine, to be honest though it was only the servo-harness I was dragging my feet over, other things come up and it gets put to one side you know how it is, but yeah I'm really happy with how its turned out.

For the main body of the Techmarine I've used an Iron Hands Immortal and think it fits the part nicely, I've changed the bottom two Servo-Arms with those off a Servitor I had to change the look slightly.

The little wrist held computer came from a FW Master of Signal and I thought it would work well on this mini as he's already tilting his head slightly, the stock right arm finishes the look off, it's as if he's about to input data or something like that, ha.

Just like I have on my Terminator's and Dread's I've used GW's Doombull Brown (watered down) to show weathered streaks on the yellow side panels.

Terminators..Scythes of the Emperor.

Painting Update....

Hi guys just a little post regarding a squad of Terminators I painted some time ago, given that I've been chipping the armour on my models of late I thought it would be a good idea to bring the termies in to line, a continuity thing if you like and I think they look better for it in any case.

Apart from chipping the armour I've also used GW's Doombull Brown (watered down) as kind of a streaking fluid to represent dirt and grime that's built up over time.
I think it works quite well.

 I really like this Terminator sergeant and think he compliments the squad well.

The full squad assembled ready to escort several salvation squads in to a apparently dormant Tyranid Bioship!.

Dreadnoughts....Scythes Style!

Finished Ironclad Dreadnoughts.

Hi guys, well so I've finished my two Ironclads and have got to say I'm really happy with how they have turned out.
This post is going to be picture heavy, just couldn't stop taking photo's lol, and so lets crack on with the show.

I went heavy on the damage/wear, these puppy's have seen some action!.

 First time I've used magnets, so on both left arm's I'll be able to change from Heavy Flamer to Melta Gun.

A couple of of different shots, yep I went a tad nuts with the camera.

If your looking at a Dreadnought from this angle your number's up!!.

Couldn't resist a family photo and with five Heavy Flamers my Scythes like their Nid's CRISPY!!

While painting these Dread's I've had a few ideas on how to convert a couple more.....just how many Dreadnoughts is enough?.

Scythes Stormraven Conversion.

Part 1.....

Hi guys, since my Scythes are a fleet based chapter (on the whole) I think its about time I built and painted a flyer for them.

So to start with I thought I would open up a progress log of my Stormraven conversion, I'm pretty excited about this as I've never painted a 40k flyer before never mind converting one.

This is my progress so far, yeah it doesn't seem much but I can tell you there's a good few hours work here extending the back end, my thoughts so for about the build are...not happy about that gun pod topside and also the large air intake behind it, likewise I'm not that sure the rear wing will make it.
Anyway guys over the course of the build things may change, we will see.

As I've already said the roof mounted sitting duck is of the menu so I bought these Forge World Punisher Cannon's!, believe me they are massive and come with added Awesomeness! Joy! , I think I'll mount them under the wings next to the missile pods, not sure what I can do with the cylinder Mag's right now they might just end up in my bits box which is no bad thing.

Anyway guys here's a picture.

Armies on Parade.

Update Part 3......

Hi guys, well I've finished my Armies on Parade board/tile and given the time constraints I'm quite happy with it, Yeah its basic but this is my first tile and this years all about attending the event.

The Martian Red was painted up the way as I paint all my model bases, so in effect I've just treated it as one large Model base.

Well first up after I added the green stuff (see Part 2) was to apply the sand an rocks onto the tile with PVA, I did this in three stages because I needed to take my time working the PVA around the terrain features and didn't want the PVA to dry as I did so.

I then sprayed the whole tile with Halfords grey Primer, its looking better already, no more pink Cliff faces, Joy!.

I'm quite happy with these bubbling Martian Swamp Pits I think they worked out rather well, If I ever do them again I would maybe go with some extra model detail half sunk in the pit.

To get the illusion of liquid I've simply painted GW's Ardcoat over the surface and think the contrast with the deep red Martian sand works well.

For the Cliff faces I painted them with Rhinox Hide, then using my red martian paint mix I added it to the Rhinox Hide in stages to drybrush lighter and lighter highlights to the Cliff edges.

I then drybrushed Cadian Fleshtone to the extreme edges of the Cliff faces and washed the entire Cliff face with Reikland Fleshshade.

I've added random clumps of vegetation here and there but wanted to keep it quite sparse, it is a desert after all.

As I've said before I'm happy with how these turned out, the paints I used were, base coat of Vallejo Black, drybrushed with 50/50 mix of the black and Caliban Green, a further drybrush of Caliban Green and a final drybrush of Sotek Green to one side of the bubbles.

It's subtle and you cant see the highlight very well in this picture as the Ardcoats doing its job but it look ok.

Chipping yellow armour.

Short Tutorial on how I Chip Yellow Armour.....

 

Hi guys this is just a short post regarding how I achieve chipped yellow armour for my Scythes, I was asked on a Forum that I visit from time to time how I did this, I gave a brief to the point explanation but thought I would explain further via a blog post, this is by no way an expert tutorial as I'm just starting out myself in the world of  hobby painting and building but I can see the value of this as I am sure I'm not the only person taking the first few steps down the chipping/weathering road.

Firstly what I do is prime the model part, for this Dreadnought leg plate I primed it with GW's white spray undercoat, I then paint it with the desired colour, the colour I've used here is Army Painters Daemonic Yellow, make sure you thin the paint as several thin coats are better than one thick one.

Next I use grey ultra fine Scotchbright, I've used sponge in the past but find the impression it makes on the model is not as fine and random as Scotchbright.

I then dab a small piece of Scotchbright using tweezers into the desired colour, the one I've used here is GW's Rhinox Hide, I then dabbed most of the paint off using kitchen paper and dabbed it onto the model part making sure not to go too heavy to start with, I've mostly worked the Rhinox Hide around the edges of the leg plate as I think this would be the place where most wear would occur.

I the did the same overlapping the Rhinox Hide with Leadbelcher making sure I used slightly less so I could still see the initial Rhinox Hide chip's.

This is the finished effect I achieved using this simple technique, its quick and easy and I think quite effective.

I used the same technique on the central shield of this banner pole in the picture below.

 

Armies on Parade, pt2.

Update part 2....

 

Hi guys, just a little update to show you where I'm at with 26 days left before the dead line, I've got a little further with my two Dreads, working on all four arms, the rear power plants and the second torso so its all coming together although painting slows down a bit when it comes to the detail, but I'm trying to be speedy without rushing them if you know what I mean.

I thought I would show you this picture as it gives a fair impression of where I'm heading style wise with the two Ironclads, I'm really happy with how it looks and cant wait till the Dreads are complete.

Finally layed my hands on a tile all be it a second hand one, interesting colour scheme that the previous owner had started but its not something I'll be running with, so a warm soapy bath it was to get rid of dirt dust and greasy finger marks, the water was filthy I can tell you, but the tiles ok.

Really glad it has a hill as it's saved me a job,  and so what to do with those skull pits, I'm not a big fan to be honest there's just too many don't get me wrong I like the odd dead guy detail but this is just nut's, it had me thinking where are the rest of the bones, why just skulls.

So out came the green stuff , I'm sure there is another product that better for this but it was at hand and times ticking!.

I was thinking of some sort of martian bubbling swamp thingie (?), it was easy to do I just pressed green stuff over the skulls flattened it out and tried to smooth all finger prints marks away, then with the opposite end of a model brush potted the surface with various sized holes.

Then I rolled small balls of green stuff and placed them in a few holes leaving some as if a couple of the air pockets had risen and burst, well that's the idea anyway.

I'm not totally sure what colour I will paint them, I want a contrasting colour to martian red but also not too bright, I might opt for that colour I painted on my martian trees, a kind of mustard yellow colour, or antoher thought is a really dark grey drybrushed up and washed with black ink, then use ardcoat (varnish) to give the impression of liquid.
Not sure, any thoughts guys.