11/19/13: Finished: Khador Cavalry Force

Hey guys!

So I've got a couple of projects to show off the next couple of days, but this one is the more important of the two. I've done two commissions of Warmachine models; both Khador, and both alternate color schemes. Last time, they were Cygnarian blue and silver, rather than red and brass. This time, we've got military drab brown!

First up is the Drakhun on foot and mounted. The decals on the shoulderpad fit the Khador industrial theme, and come from the Baneblade transfer sheet. I opted for a power weapon effect on the glaive to add some detail. 

The one on foot is plastic, while the mounted one is ALL METAL. This is one HEAVY piece! Really happy with how it turned out overall. The Drakhun (and I forgot to take pictures) has a flame glowing in the vent on its back, but you'll have to see it in person in order to catch those!

The Uhlans in all their glory. The lances are incredibly fragile, even with pinning, but they should hold up nonetheless! I opted for red on the squad leader to show rank and break up the browns.

Kovnik Markov! A very fitting name for this chap; like the Uhlan sergeant, I opted for red accents to break up the brown and add detail.

Not a huge commission, but a good chunk of points for Khador and should look excellent on the tabletop! Hoping to do more Warmachine pieces in the future; I may not play, but the models are generally fun to work on, especially with the steampunk emphasis!

I've got another project to show off, but I'll post it tomorrow; those who follow the Facebook page and Twitter probably know what I've got up my sleeve! The commission queue is currently open, so now's the best time to get your models painted up and looking sexy! No more grey plastic and metal pieces, get your army looking good! Remember, let us paint your models. You've got games to win!

Granesh

11/12/13: Finished: Imperial Navy Vulture Gunship "Misty"

Howdy folks!

So its been a little bit in the making, but the Imperial Vulture is complete! The client had two specific requests; A) it needed to be armed with the twin-linked Punisher Cannons, and B) It had to be named 'Misty', after what the Punisher Cannons did to enemies! Granted, they're only 24" range, no AP, and BS3, but boy-howdy will this thing eat Tyranids, Guard, Orks, and Cultists for breakfast! Lets break her down, shall we?

The white base and decals makes this guy a pain in the butt to photograph by itself! I opted for a neutral grey color, complimented by the occasional red stripe or marking, and some waterslides to add flavor.

The '21' is from the FW Valkyrie Transfer sheet, and the 'Mortis' is from the IG Transfer sheet that comes from GW. 

Fun story: with the name 'Misty', I was going to opt for Pokemon-themed iconography; pin-ups, names for the Punisher Cannons, the like. I wasn't able to go with it for fear of messing something up, so this is the only homage on the piece. Misty's Starmie is level 21 when you fight her in Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow! Whose school? Old school!

The engines were hit with heavy weathering to simulate constant service work on the battlefield. Navy vehicles often get inducted into regiments of Imperial Guard, who wouldn't have the time to make her sparkle.

I opted for a non-intricate base, just something simple. The glowing piece is from the Leman Russ kit, which I wanted to make look like, despite being destroyed, there was still plasma in the containment areas. 

"Cadian Baneblade 'Ol' Ironsides' moves into position under Navy support during Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade."

I love working on Forge World, nearly every commission and piece I've done of their pieces is a real treat. I'd love to do a Blight Drone or Blood Slaughterer someday! 

Alrighty! This week is looking a lot like cavalry-heavy Khador, though I may try to start on some other projects I've had sitting around. Finishing those Warp Talons a couple weeks ago really wants to make me rock out my Heldrake, but we'll see how time plays out!

Granesh 

11/5/13: Extra Life 2013; Alpha Legion and Terrain WIP

Hey guys!

So its finally come and gone! Extra Life 2013 was November 2nd and 3rd, and boy howdy, was it fun! Didn't get a lot of tabletop gaming in, but my thumb is still killing me from playing too much Super Smash Bros on the Wii! Not a lot of pictures, but I'll let them do most of the talking!

Sonic's my usual go-to character when I rock out Brawl. Good to have some actual challenges this time around! Played a little Sega Genesis too, but the Wii was our major focus. I did get a game of 40k in for the Badab War Campaign; I got my face stomped by the Raptors (damn you Lias Issoldon!)

My buddy's wife and her sister brought some snacks to keep us going all night. The Mario Mushrooms are made from Rice Krispies with a marshmellow bottom. Delicious!

RTGamer and the rest of the Fantasy guys got some Triumph and Treachery in, and seemed like they had a blast with it! Lots of laughing, yelling, and excitement was had! Their first game took forever, but I don't think they minded! I need to get my Vampire Counts up and running!

There was also some FIFA involved, a little Magic, lots of yelling, and a ton of fun! Overall, Durango Diceworks raised about $400 towards Extra Life and the Children's Miracle Network! Huzzah for the group, thanks to all my contributors and well-wishers for helping us towards our goals! I've got some bigger plans next year, we'll see how they culminate!

I've also jumped back into some projects, both personal and commissions. First off is a redo of my Chosen Champion. I wasn't happy with his color, so I scrapped the model entirely, and opted for a darker, greener tint. The glow effect on his backpack, chest and eyes is Moot Green dusted once dry with a lime green soft pastel. By taking your hobby knife and dragging it down the pastel, you can make your own powders; great for weathering, they help immensely with glow effects and tints. I may have a tutorial on it soon! 

And the commission! It consists of the Imperial Defense Emplacement here and two Defense Lines (4 sections). Gotta say, they paint up quickly and really nicely...until you get to the Cadians on the bases. They don't paint up quite as well, and the fact torsos and skulls just stretch on to oblivion just drives me nuts! Going to try to get 2 pieces done tonight and the rest done tomorrow, but we may just wait til Thursday. Depends on work tomorrow!

Alrighty! Back to work! Following the terrain, I'll be rocking out an Uhlan-heavy Khador group and an Imperial Vulture! Should be fun, so stay tuned!

Granesh

12/10/12: WIP Khador Warjack and a very Grave Project!

Hey guys!

Quick, late night update tonight. We're coming up on Finals week, so I'm looking at a 3 day period of insanity, followed by 3 weeks of nothing. I can't wait for finals to be finished, but as a result, the hobby front will be a little slow. Ill try and get a post up on Wednesday of this weekend's Blood Bowl tournament, but we'll see how that goes!

Anyways, two sets of photos today. First up is a Khador Warjack I worked on while at work. I have to be in a particular mindset to work on commissions at work, so occasionally I'll grab a model lying around and paint it.

As some of you know, these aren't my first Warmachine models, but this is the first time I've painted Khador in its standard Red scheme. Didn't have my full range of paints or brushes at my disposal, but for what I had, I'm fairly happy with it so far. I didn't get a chance to get more resent pictures, but the cannon has been painted, and the white space has a nice Soviet-esque star in the center of it. Thinking about a Cadian number transfer for his shoulderpad, but we'll see how I'm feeling!

Also up is a project for my sculpture class. The project entailed that we find a fact and build a piece around said fact. My roommate is a history major and just finished his Senior Seminar project about the Black Death, so I based the project around his project. My fact is that between 25% and 40% of Europe was eliminated by the Black Death during its first romp around Europe.

What better way to show death and destruction than a full-sized coffin?

Of course, I've tried it, and I do fit inside it. I've got a lot of work to do on it, but for the most part, I'm pretty happy with the project, its easily the largest art piece I've ever constructed. Gotta get used to painting objects larger than a quarter!

Alrighty, wish me luck with my finals! I'll definitely have finished pictures of the coffin, along with some High Elves and the Warjack. The mojo is kicking in too, and I should have that Henchmen army fully in my sights within the next two weeks! Tally ho!

Granesh