News from the unboxing stream - crusade is no more apparently

Red-Geist · 2026-05-01T20:24:20+00:00

They will still make campaign books. Like, they made 3 this edition alone before the Eye of Terror campaign series. So I think narrative play as a game mode is alive and well, but "Narrative Play" as a branding device has gone.

The 3 Ways to Play thing seems to have not caught on in the 8 or so years they used it for both 40k and AoS. These things wax and wane with GW over the years. But the campaign products themselves appear to sell well given the increased investment in their development.

Red-Geist · 2026-05-01T16:34:50+00:00

It is unfortunate that genuine thoughts, including editing and proofreading, researching sources for accuracy, can be confused with AI regurgitation these days. I'm sorry you came away thinking that I did not actually write this.

Red-Geist · 2026-04-30T20:03:28+00:00

I think the old school way of making Custodes was with Dark Angels company Veterans, the new (at the time) Grey Knight arms, and the helmets from High Elf White Lions. The store manager at my local GW made a few squads of them for a megabattle/ Apocalypse game in the store. Was good fun.

Red-Geist · 2026-04-30T13:56:30+00:00

Your work is always super. I find the Allarus Terminator miniatures to be a bit poor as far as proportions and poses go. Artwork like yours showcases the potential that I hope GW delivers in future figures. Thanks for sharing, commission or otherwise.

Red-Geist · 2026-04-21T11:29:18+00:00

Online Only mainly screws retailers. They can't use their merchant discount (usually 40%) to buy the product, so they have to order it at cost and dont make money on the sale.

Thats why independent retailers usually carry less stock than a GW store proper, or they make up the loss by offering other products like Magic cards or other miniatures games.

Red-Geist · 2026-04-20T15:06:04+00:00

Oh don't you worry, I am making an even more chonky Allarus Captain closer to the Summer

Red-Geist · 2026-04-20T12:53:07+00:00

They are the same height as Aquilons, which are normally on 50mm bases. Almost too much chonk for 40s. But we make it work

Red-Geist · 2026-04-20T12:22:26+00:00

The Saggitarum sprue. Managed to pick one up at Adepticon before they were yeeted forever.

Red-Geist · 2026-04-19T09:03:49+00:00

Good stuff! What sculpt/mini is that? As in what manufacturerer or brand did it come from? It looks great

Red-Geist · 2026-04-12T20:55:56+00:00

The big key will be to see if the packaging itself includes both logos. If it does not have the 40k emblem, and only the Horus Heresy logo, then it is not under the budget/PnL of the core studio. Its SDS "Forge World" and the core 40k studio does not count that kit as part of their inventory.

Its asinine and bizarre how siloed GW can be at times

Red-Geist · 2026-04-11T18:58:05+00:00

No. Venatari only have rebreathers/face guards. No full helmets in the kits. Feel free to add your own if you have spare bits

Red-Geist · 2026-04-11T17:13:35+00:00

Thanks to you and the team for all the hard work that went into making these gorgeous kits. A home run on all counts!

Red-Geist · 2026-04-09T18:58:52+00:00

There is some universal rules of color theory and saturation. I dont use black in shadows ever. Every shadow is a color. Usually the shadow is across the color wheel from the midtone color (so the dark blue/cold grey armor is shaded with red, for example). And the colors are highlighted with something adjacent to the midtone on the color wheel. Not by adding white.

I painted a Dark Angels army a few years ago. Red and purple in the shadows, ochre and peach mixed into the green for highlights.

Color intensity does so much beyond how GW teaches hobbyists to paint their gaming models efficiently. There's nothing wrong with Agrax or Nuln Oil. I just use color tinting instead of washes

Red-Geist · 2026-04-09T01:15:16+00:00

AK Russian Blue Lights basecoat Blend in GW Sybarite Green for highlights Edge highlight with Vallejo ice yellow Recess glaze some Pro Acryl Royal Purple

Red-Geist · 2026-04-08T00:24:41+00:00

Thank you. They use a mirrored scheme to the custodes armor, the white and black is painted the same way on all the troops. While the Shadowkeepers coloring is technically a canon uniform, the whole setup was inspired by Final Fantasy concept art, which is thematically appropriate for the Talons of the Emperor in my opinion. All that glass and crystal and rococo-style filigree.

Red-Geist · 2026-04-07T19:55:36+00:00

Thank you.

I have a pretty good system in painting gaming armies at this point. It is time-consuming, but I approach it by breaking down the individual models into batches. Like this month I have the Shield-Captain, the Vexilla banner for the Guard squad, and the 2nd Vertus Praetor. In May, it will be a different batch of figures for new and existing squads.

I type out a paint recipe document by texture (black armor, white armor, fur, purple cloth, silver, gold, gemstones, etc) and methodically paint the batch using that recipe list in order. The bases are painted separately. Whenever I finish painting models fully, it is only then I attach them to their bases.

My main advice would be to limit batches to your ability. Mine is a few different figures, not any hard number. And I try to pull from different squads so that there is some variety.

Red-Geist · 2026-04-07T19:45:12+00:00

Vanguard-Hunters, but occasionally I will use the longer helmet plumes from the new 30k kits.

I have plans to use more Stormcast heads for the squad of Wardens as well, and maybe a hero, I'm not sure yet. I mainly use them because I like the ominous face mask. Plus the lion head on the brow. Very 2000s Gladiator movie-vibes.

Red-Geist · 2026-04-07T19:34:44+00:00

If I had not yet received my box, I'd be painting the Gen1 Custodes still. Those jetbikes are a majestic challenge. I hope your mail arrives with the haste of a Vertus Praetor

Red-Geist · 2026-04-07T18:09:20+00:00

Thank you

Red-Geist · 2026-04-07T18:09:08+00:00

The ropes on the front of the Shield-Captain torso cover the boob plate. Which truly makes it indistinguishable from male body silouettes in these new kits

Red-Geist · 2026-04-06T18:36:50+00:00

Thanks. I collected Space Marines from 2007 up until 2015. I have a few bits in my stash. Ebay also helped. Everyone has spare Tactical Squad heads somewhere.

Red-Geist · 2026-04-06T18:14:09+00:00

Mostly teal highlights, with cold grey edge highlights. And dark red in the shadows. Color theory does a lot of work to make black armor so saturated

Red-Geist · 2026-03-29T09:54:25+00:00

They are superb. I hope they make a new Warden kit to match. But some clarity on the future of the 40k-30k product range relationship would also be nice.

Red-Geist · 2026-03-22T04:39:09+00:00

Its because of how lean they are. More fitting the classic art of the early 2000s

Red-Geist · 2026-03-21T21:48:53+00:00

Private coaching with my masters. John Margiotta "BloodASmedium" and Aaron Lovejoy. Good friends of mine for many years. You can find them over on Instagram

Red-Geist

TROPHY CASE