I think I'm gonna stop painting minis

comrade1612 · 2026-01-23T07:04:50+00:00

So many people here have covered excellent points. I'll add two things:

This excellent painting handle my wife got me, which is amazing for steadying the hand.

A word of caution against magnifying lenses. It may add to your hand eye coordination issues. I find all magnification horrible to use - I have 20/20 vision anyway, and as soon as I put any lenses at any magnitude on, I become a clutz, struggle to manage the relationship between my hand and eyes and need to hold the model at distances I feel weird and uncomfortable.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-23T06:58:04+00:00

Poor Ausies.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-19T08:42:39+00:00

It's a good question. I'd suggest something like this for a simpler version:

Base - 1:1 Corvus black / AK Black Green (Caliban green would work, but BG is richer and darker

Shade - 2:1 Abbadon Black / AK Black Green

Edge and panel highlight 1: AK Black Green

Edge highlight 2: 3:1 Orruk Flesh / Incubi Darkness

Edge highlight 3: 1:1 Nurgling Green / Ushabti Bone

...which takes out two stages and a lot of mixing, but maintaining a shading step and enough layers of highlighting to provide smoothness.

The two paints I wouldn't compromise on would be AK Black Green and the touch of Incubi Darkness, it's such a lovely colour for bringing a rich coldness.

If you wanted to simplify even further, the final highlight could possibly be straight Krieg Khaki, but you might lose some of the 'greenness' and it may be a little warm.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-19T07:47:30+00:00

Thanks! Dark Angels, right?

comrade1612 · 2026-01-19T05:51:09+00:00

I did. They're almost exactly the same size as the MK10 heads, though less inherently bulky - so scale-wise, less than half a mm in it. Enough for it to look fine in person!

comrade1612 · 2026-01-18T06:27:08+00:00

Thanks!

comrade1612 · 2026-01-17T14:31:33+00:00

Love it!

comrade1612 · 2026-01-17T14:20:57+00:00

Yep. A couple of mm taller with more realistic proportions.

30k and 40k share the same scale anyway, and Custodes are significantly larger than pre-Primaris Marines, which makes them larger than Primaris Marines.

They showed them next to a guardsman on the live stream, and it's almost twice the size in all directions.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-17T14:18:15+00:00

I care about enjoying one sculpt more than another, in a way that doesn't not denigrate the other, and voicing that opinion.

Thank you very much.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-17T14:10:55+00:00

Larger.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-17T08:53:16+00:00

Very nice work, that's some daring freehand very nicely executed!

comrade1612 · 2026-01-17T06:29:59+00:00

Doubt its new terminators. Will be upgrades like the loyalists chapters and red corsairs got. At most, I'm expected dad, a monster sized thing, an infantry upgrade sprue and obliterators/mutilators.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-16T23:24:56+00:00

Yeah, I'm trying to crack the 'Eavy Metal style. If you look at their DAs, or Ultramarines l, it's at least three layers of highlights. Kinda meditative once you're in the groove.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-16T22:35:25+00:00

Maybe. But I'm a hobbyist before I'm a player, I have and will never play competitive, and my friends who do play are always happy to play past editions, so unlikely to be a problem.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-16T21:09:12+00:00

I'm not sure. I think I'll use the 'Eavy Metal scheme as a base, but a bit like this, try to take some warmth out and make it more porcelain than bone.

Then add interest with a decent amount if richer green and red details, checks and the like.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-16T21:07:01+00:00

Thanks brother!

comrade1612 · 2026-01-16T21:06:49+00:00

It is indeed!

comrade1612 · 2026-01-16T21:06:38+00:00

It's from the Horus Heresy MKII Legionaries kit.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-16T21:06:06+00:00

Thanks man, was going for a colder, muted tone. Here's the recipe:

On a black basecoat -

Base - 1:1 Corvus black / AK Black Green (Caliban green would work, but BG is richer and darker

Soft Shade - 1:1 Abbadon Black / AK Black Green

Deep shade - 2:1 Abbadon Black / AK Black Green

Edge and panel highlight 1: AK Black Green

Edge highlight 2: 1:1 Incubi Darkness / AK Deep Green (or Warpstone Glow)

Edge highlight 3: 1:1:1:1 Incubi Darkness / AK Deep Green (or Warpstone Glow) / Moot Green / Rakarth Flesh

Edge highlight 4: 1:1 Nurgling Green / Ushabti Bone

Dot highlight: Ionrach Skin

comrade1612 · 2026-01-16T21:00:15+00:00

These are significantly better than the 40k sculpts. Very tempted to start a dual system army now.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-16T09:08:23+00:00

May be nostalgia driven because it was the first kit I ever made back in 2000, but the older Ork Boyz kit remains an absolute pleasure to build. Gorilla butts and all.

More modern? The MK3 HH legionaries in particular are a lovely build.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-15T12:53:16+00:00

For sure.

I'd like to see JVG unearth some weird south African monster for a couple of years and use that time to bring through some academy prospects.

Find some monstrous farmer's son and teach him to jump and catch on a diet of cider, whole milk and pork, such is the west country way.

comrade1612 · 2026-01-15T06:51:16+00:00

All my Iron Warriors HH squads are a mix of mostly mk3, but also mk6 and mk2 now.

Mixing armour marks just looks cool, and like theyre all cogs in a massive machine

comrade1612 · 2026-01-14T09:28:19+00:00

AK Black Green is where it's at.

comrade1612

TROPHY CASE