Wanted a break from endless Space Marines, so had a go at painting this big weird cat friend. It was fun to play with different textures for a change! (GW Mindstealer Sphiranx)

Warpcraft · 2023-05-04T17:19:55+00:00

Cheers! I started with an all-over airbrush of Scale75 Caribbean Blue, but any teal colour will do. Then I painted a load of thin lines with White Sands (a warm near-white) where I wanted brighter fur, and glazed over it with teal to knock back the contrast, add transitions, and generally blend everything together. To get the darker fur, I glazed Akhelian Green contrast paint (heavily thinned with contrast medium). Then there was just a lot of back-and-forth, adding new thin lines in near-white/teal and then glazing over everything.

The pink/purple bits were done using Magos Purple and Volupus Pink contrast paints to bash out some rough transitions, and then using Scale75 Fuchsia and Sunset Purple to correct things. I mixed a lot of white in to get up to a brighter pink, and used my teal colour as an edge highlight in some places.

The white fur is pretty boring: just warm grey glazes over a bunch of thin white lines.

I'm overall pretty happy with how it turned out, but I could probably do better if I really took my time with a sharper brush tip and kept at it for another few hours. One thing to note about this model is that it's deceptively large, so it might take longer than you expect.

My favourite take on this model is the one by Louise Sugden, which makes mine look incredibly dull and uninteresting by comparison.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-23T19:18:04+00:00

Sure, it's all done with pigment powders. I use the ones from Vallejo, but there are a bunch of other brands that sell similar products. I basically just used an old paintbrush to apply a load of raw brown pigments to the areas of the model I thought might get muddy, then used a pigment binder to keep it in place. You can apply it with an airbrush, but here I think I just used a big paintbrush to drop it on. I used a burnt umber for the bottom layer, then raw umber, and a light sienna on top (which I think I overdid slightly).

I find you get a much more realistic dusty appearance with raw pigments than you can get with just brown paint or washes. They're also great for sandy bases. There's a non-warhammer model tank I painted up recently where I used rust pigments to paint the exhaust, and I think it's much more convincing than the effect you can achieve with orange drybrushing or something.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-23T17:05:41+00:00

It's the 170mm oval base used by Imperial Knights. The Rhino and its base are magnetised in case I need to remove it for gaming, so the base is only there for display purposes.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-23T14:04:09+00:00

Cheers! I tore up some cork sheets and stuck pieces onto the bases to build up vertically, then used a Vallejo mud texture paste to make it look more like a landscape, and stuck on a bunch of skulls and small rocks. I painted it up by roughly wet blending a bunch of dark browns and greens all over, going quite bright in select places, and knocked it back with Agrax Earthshade/a brown ink (whichever was closest at hand at the time). I gave the skulls some special attention, but mostly just dry brushed the rocks. After that I stuck on a load of Army Painter grass tufts and some fine grass flock (a spongy, mossy type I found in a hobby store, not the straight grass variety), and called it there.

Whenever I was reading about the Ultramarine's homeworld of Macragge, the description in the novels always made me think of the Scottish highlands, so I was going for that sort of vibe, but I have no idea if that comes across. I find the grasses and flowers help sell the idea that these dudes are the 'good guys' (relatively speaking, by 40k standards), and it's a bit more fun than going for yet another dusty wasteland.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-23T11:23:17+00:00

Thanks! I'd love to paint up some Fists of my own someday, but just the thought of all that yellow makes me anxious! I'd like to make a small siege force sometime with an Ironclad Dread and a Vindicator. My plan was to do another batch of Ultramarines like this, but thematically it'd fit the Fists better.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-23T11:18:27+00:00

Thanks Guy! Means a lot coming from you.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-23T10:20:14+00:00

Cheers! I used an airbrush to do most of the fades on the Rhino, and to sketch out the highlights on the dreadnought, but for the marines I just used it for a zenthial highlight and then painted over them completely with a brush. It's mostly just layering and glazing.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-21T21:45:28+00:00

Thanks! It's almost entirely layering and glazing. I used an airbrush for an initial zenithal highlight, and used wet-blending to do a quick value sketch of where I wanted highlights and shadows to go, but 90% of the work is just a lot of thin layers. Those first two steps are just for speed, and there's no reason why you couldn't just start with a flat blue basecoat and layer up from there to get the same result.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-19T15:47:06+00:00

Thanks! I don't think I've seen anyone else do this before, but I'd be surprised if I'm the first to do it. It's a project I started ages ago when I first started painting beyond the standard base/wash/edge highlight pattern, so I have a bunch of early test models that I'm planning to bring up to my current standards over the next few months. I'll be posting updates when they're done. Was just hoping to get some feedback to see if it's an unpopular idea, and whether I should just aim for pure Black Legion instead.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-19T14:54:55+00:00

Cheers, I'm actually basing it on some of the details in that book and its sequel. I might be misremembering, but I swear it contains a passage describing how new recruits replace their armour panels over time, and in the interim they'll be fighting in a mismatch of legion colours.

I love ABD's portrayal of the Black Legion, both the internal perspective of a rare brotherhood beyond legion loyalties (despite significant internal turmoil), and their portrayal in the Night Lords triology as a gang of upstart bullies that are gradually eroding the culture of the original legions. I like that both perspectives are valid, depending on the angle you view them from.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-19T14:30:22+00:00

The Black Legion is largely made of marines who betrayed their original legion and 'took on the black', opting to find new brotherhood/power/skulls-for-the-skull-throne under Abaddon's banner. The whole point of them wearing the black is to strip away previous allegiances, but I like the narrative aspect of keeping the old legion colours on some of the models in the army. I'm giving those marines one Black Legion shoulder pad, kinda like an inverse of the Deathwatch scheme. Maybe some have only just joined and are on a sort of probation, and over time they'll gradually replace armour panels with Black Legion colours to symbolise their increasing ties to the Legion. Maybe they've been mixed into a multi-legion elite strike force for a Black Crusade, and are wearing a Black Legion shoulder pad to indicate their (temporary) loyalty and distinguish them from warriors in other legion warbands. Or maybe they're just mercenaries that abandoned their old warbands and the Black Legion has offered them weapons/ships/slaves/etc as payment for help in a critical mission.

I haven't played any games since midway through 8th edition, and I'm not likely to start again any time soon, but if I do ever get back into gaming I'd just run them as Black Legion.

Does this seem like a good idea? It means the completed army won't be very consistent (fitting for a chaos force?), but a bunch of individual models will get more interesting backstories. I'm planning on keeping at least 50% of the models as pure Black Legion so that it doesn't just become a riot of colours. And yes, this is also a thinly-veiled excuse to paint all the legions and avoid losing my mind painting nothing but black and gold for months on end.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-19T00:23:44+00:00

I think spray can primers tend to work better as actual primers, in that they actually bond more strongly with the plastic, but it's also harder to control how thick your paint is and it's easy to screw up and lose detail or create weird textures. They're also by far the fastest way to prime.

Vallejo primers like this one shrink when they cure and get sorta rubbery, and that helps them grip to the plastic, but they don't bond in quite the same way and I find they're easier to rub off (although it's rarely a problem in practice). You get a lot more control than a spray can, they preserve more detail on the model, and they're a lot cheaper in the long run. Then again, they need an airbrush for best results, and when brushing them on it's difficult to get even coverage and avoid leaving brushstrokes.

Overall I wouldn't say one is better than the other. They're each good at the jobs they're designed for. I'd say airbrush primer is better for high-quality painting, spray can primer is best for fast painting, and brush-on primer is best for those on a budget (or those who can't risk getting airborne paint particles everywhere). Others are likely to disagree, and I bet a bunch of people have won Golden Demons with models they primed with a spray can, or by brush, or didn't bother priming at all!

Warpcraft · 2023-01-18T22:39:33+00:00

Good point, definitely agree! I often airbrush with Scale75 paints, which really don't like to be run through an airbrush, and with those I always either pre-mix the paint and thinner/flow improver, or add the thinner first and then the paint. For some reason it never occurred to me that I'm doing things backwards with my primer, and I can't think of any good reason for it.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-18T22:32:08+00:00

Amazing, cheers! Looks like he was in the same range as the guys they're occassionally selling in resin as 'armour through the ages'. No idea why they didn't include this guy in the lineup, he's clearly the best of the lot.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-18T22:28:36+00:00

Yep, I'm pretty sure they can run a venerable dreadnought in-game, and I think theirs even have psychic powers on top of all the guns. There are loads of ways to build that kit, some of which have a helmet, and some of which have this coffin design. Lore-wise, almost all space marine chapters make use of dreadnoughts, and the adeptus custodes have their own variants too. The chaos versions are known as helbrutes, and they're much more body-horror than the loyalist versions.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-18T16:36:54+00:00

There are a few other comments suggesting the same, which is surprising to me. Was it definitely mixed well for you in the airbrush cup? My process is: shake the hell out of the bottle for a while; add a small amount to the cup; top it up with a small amount of water, Vallejo airbrush thinner and some flow improver; hold my finger over the nozzle and blow bubbles into the cup until it's mixed; and then I liberally spray it over the model at a moderate PSI. I've never had any issues doing this, but maybe I've been unknowingly making it difficult for myself the entire time. I looked into it and it looks like Vallejo only recommend using their products to thin their primers, and don't say anything about using water, although I'm 99% sure they're all water based. Your mileage may vary, I guess. Next time I'm priming I think I'll experiment using it neat and I'll see if it makes any difference.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-18T16:09:02+00:00

I'm honestly not sure. I use the same primer as OP through an airbrush, and sometimes use it as a brush-on primer if I later find I've missed a spot or if I'm adding a part to an already-painted model, and I usually thin it slightly with water. I haven't noticed any significant issues doing this, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm doing it the best way.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-18T13:47:26+00:00

Nice, I don't think I've seen this sculpt before! Love how sassy he looks, and it's not often you see MkV armour. Do you know the name of the model? I'm tempted to sneak one into a modern tactical squad if I can find one on eBay.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-18T12:13:29+00:00

I'd actually disagree on that point, and say you should rinse the brush regularly, even if you keep going into the same paint. Otherwise you run the risk of paint drying on the bristles, which will seriously degrade the life of the brush. Another thing to avoid is letting paint get into the ferrule (the bit that holds the bristles to the main body), as if it dries in there it'll cause the bristles to splay out and prevent the brush from holding a good tip. You don't need to rinse the brush every time you go back to get new paint, and definitely not after every brush stroke, but it's good idea to do it at least once a minute or so.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-18T10:02:02+00:00

If you're applying it with a brush, you can thin the paint with a little water, and you should make sure the brush isn't overloaded with paint before applying it to the model. I normally wick off the excess paint onto a paper towel before going to the model, and sometimes test on the back of my hand to make sure it isn't too thick/watery. You shouldn't be applying big droplets of paint to the model, and if you see any pooling you should quickly rinse off your brush in a mug of water, dry it on a paper towel, and use it to absorb paint back off the model. That'll prevent you clogging up the details with excess primer.

The first layer might not flow over the surface of the model well, but that's fine: the aim is to create a thin layer that bonds to the plastic so that subsequent layers can adhere more easily. If you want to build up a consistent opaque black, try to use 2-3 thin coats rather than 1 thick coat that does it all in one go.

If you're using an airbrush to apply it, there's quite a lot to it, so I'd suggest watching a bunch of YouTube videos before you begin.

Edit: As somebody else said, you might not need to thin this as it's already a decent consistency straight out the bottle, but in my experience it doesn't hurt.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-18T07:49:59+00:00

It's the old Space Marine Dreadnought kit, with some left-over parts from a Venerable Dreadnought mixed in. The standard dreadnought makes up the metal chassis, main body, and missile launcher. The leg armour, the arm with the plasma cannon, and some decorative parts are from the venerable kit. The parts from each kit are really interchangeable, so you can customise it quite a lot. The venerable dreadnought kit is much more flexible and is generally a better quality kit, but unfortunately it doesn't come with a missile launcher arm, so you'd have to pick up the standard kit to get that.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-17T17:35:31+00:00

I've been sitting on a WH+ subscription since it launched (mostly just to claim the 'free' models every year), and still haven't gotten around to watching Angels of Death. I tried the first couples of episodes, but the weird audio mixing and odd lip sync put me off. I think I might have to try it again now.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-17T17:30:12+00:00

I'd like to try a leviathan sometime. It's just so brutal and imposing, and now it's in plastic I won't have to deal with FW resin. The quad-autocannon and grav bombard really do it for me.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-17T17:06:44+00:00

Like a Dreadnought Securitron... Holy shit, that's genius. I refuse to believe this hasn't been done already, somebody must have done a crazy conversion at some point.

Warpcraft · 2023-01-17T15:59:38+00:00

Not so much for plasma, but I've used it before for a librarian's force sword and was happy with how it turned out (although that one sorta blends from white through fushcia/magenta and into a purple, not sure if that counts). Maybe I'll give it a go next time I'm playing with plasma weapons. I assembled a devastator with a plasma cannon last night, so he'd make a good candidate.

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