On The Table Now - Deathwatch Cassius and Imperial Fist

Just started work on the last two of the regular Power Armor Marines. The only ones left after this will be the Terminator and Bike projects and that is just too much to bit off before moving. 

The basic colors are done and I have a a good plan on how to finish these minis. The stock minis from the game show Cassius with gold trim on his armor and I picked silver. This was for simplicity sake as my gold get washed Gryphone sepia and my silvers get washed black with the armor. 

Aside from painting the guns red rather than black, these minis are right out of the pictures for Overkill. 

Finished - Deathwatch Librarian and Dark Angel

These minis came together really quickly at the end. There is a still a little detail work to do on them but for the most part they are finished. 

I magnetized both of the backpacks with the intention of being able to swap them for Jump Packs later. I already have a static Librarian for Deathwatch and wanted the ability to put a Jump Pack on him. The Dark Angel can be used to bulk out Assault Squad numbers if needed. 

I also planned to magnetize Chaplain Cassius. Just like with the Librarian, I already have a Cassius model with a standard back pack. 

I did a subtle conversion to the Librarian where a filed his feet to make it look like he is leaning forward. It is not really evident when next to the Dark angel but I like it. I may have over done it. I think I would have been happier with 5 degrees more vertical.

Up next are the Imperial Fist Devastator and Chaplain Cassius. Those are the last of the standard Power Armor Marines in the Deathwatch: Overkill box. I'll still need to flesh out a Devastator squad just for my own piece of mind. It is also a great excuse to buy the new Devastator box. The Deathwatch Terminator and Bike projects are going to have to wait until after we move. 

On The Table - Deathwatch Librarian and Dark Angel

A little more detail work on the Deathwatch Librarian and Dark Angel. They are almost finished. 

I decided to shade the robe with Agrax Earthshade then touch it up with Rakarth Flesh. After that I washed the whole thing with Gryphonne Sepia but was careful not to let it discolor the large areas or pool. I knew that I only wanted to touch up the highlights once more. Rakarth Flesh was the final color that I wanted to use to make the robe different from the purity seals. 

Deathwatch Final Sanction Part II

Yet another snafu prevented us from starting on time. When we last left our crew, they had entered the the sewers under the Thornshalt Complex. As they navigated the tunnels, they detected the sounds of construction further down the tunnel. The team sent Rufus, the Wolf Scout, ahead to check things out. He reported back that he say some Cultists trying to cut their way through an armored door. There were two people cutting, several people standing around and one giant Aberrant. The Aberrant looked angry and flustered. It ended smashing a a piece of the control mechanism and a cultist in its rage.

This might strike someone that is very familiar with Genestealer Cults as slightly odd. Typically, the Genestealer Cult is linked both genetically, through somatic mutations passed down through generations, and psychically both through the nodal link provided the Genestealer Patriarch and the gestalt psychic link that all Genestealers have. This would prevent this kind of infighting. One Genestealer would never attack another or even a Cultist.

This is a subtle hint at something that is going on behind the scenes, but I don't think my players picked up on it. It was very subtle. I have to be careful what I write here because at least one of my players reads this blog. I plan to point out this contradiction by having the Kill Team find an entry of the Inquisitor's journal, which is an element that I have already established. Event his might be too subtle for them. Regardless, this is not a crucial part of the adventure.

On The Table - Deathwatch Librarian and Dark Angel

Some minor changes but it shows how a little detail can really bring depth and life to a mini.  

I finished the detail on the black armor and did all of the sepia washing. The gold is my "simple gold" that is Mournfang Brown, Gehenna's Gold, Runefang Steel, Seraphim Sepia wash, touch up with Runefang Steel. I decided to try and do two different kind of parchment/cloth. Typically, I paint cloth and parchment the same and that is Rakarth Flesh, Ushabti Bone, Seraphim Sepia, touch up with Ushabti Bone. Because there are Purity Seals and the robe to paint in the same squad and on the same mini, I want to make them distinct. I think the way I am going to do that is skip the Ushabti Bone on the cloth, shade it deeper and maybe paint some mud on it near the hem. 

Shapeways Deathwatch Pauldrons

I spent some of my fun money early and bought the solution the my Deathwatch terminator problems from Shapeways. They skipped super-fast. I had them in my hand before the week was out. The quality is pretty good. I think that they are comparable to the GW ones on the Deathwatch: Overkill box.They are not a precise match but they are close enough. It really makes me want to get a micro 3D printer but I would never be able to make my own scupts even with my decade-old knowledge of CAD design. The best I could hope for would be to get in with a community of people that publish 40k bits templates and copy or modify them.Best case is I could sell them or rent the machine to locals.

One of the pauldrons did come shattered but the rest are fine. That is more than I need. I hope Shapeways will replace the bit but don't care if they don't.

On The Table - Deathwatch Dark Angel And Librarian

Finally, some work in progress pictures of the Deathwatch Marines. The back and silver just need some fine highlighting and they are done. The robes on the Dark angel and the blue cloth on the Librarian need the most work. After that it is all detail work. 

I knew that I wanted to have "Librarian blue" somewhere on the model other than the pauldrons and the loincloth seemed the best choice. It is obvious but wont be seen too much from above. 

Buying Bits for Deathwatch Project

I just placed my first order from Shapeways, a 3D printing bits and mini company. I am going to try out some Deathwatch Terminator shoulder pads (pauldrons) first before placing additional orders from them. My friends that use Shapeways for X-wing minis seem pretty pleased. I initially thought that I would try and make a new friend that was a good sculptor or caster from 40k social media, but that proved to be a fruitless endeavor. I had two people that did casting in Seattle but one was a flake and the other was creepy and unreliable. They both did good work tough and I still have a lot of it both painted and still in bits.

These 10 Terminator shoulder pads are more than I need to complete my project. I had only planned on 5 termies total but this will give me the option of 11 or more if I shoehorn in some Grey Knight pauldrons.

There really are no no better options for Deathwatch Terminator shoulder pads. The only other ones are in the Overkill box and the blank Terminator shoulder guard pictured to the right. I think the black shoulder guard is ugly and breaks my head cannon in that it lack the text on the background.

I also ordered some bases for these Terminators and for the future bike too from Amazon.

Finished - Space Wolf Head

I put the finishing touches on the Deathwatch Tactical Marines and this head. I didn't take finished pictures of the Marines though but they were basically done. 

They turned out great. I can't wait to keep going on the Deathwatch project. 

On The Table - Deathwatch Tactical Marines

The next two Marines on the table are the Space Wolf and Ultramarine from the Overkill box. They are almost done at this point. I didn't take any pictures of them in progress. They just need a little detail and they are ready. 

I am running out of Overkill Minis to paint. I have three Aberrants also on the table right now, but after them, there are only a few Marines to paint. Maybe I'll do the Librarian and Dark angel characters next or maybe I'll take a big bite and start the bikes. 

Almost Finished - Deathwatch Assault Marines

Three More Marines join the ranks of my third Space Marine army (the first being Blood Angels and the second Space Wolves). These three Marines round out my Assault Squad. From left to right, they are Ultra Marines, Salamanders and Flesh Tearers. I am very happy with how they turned out. I used a lot of tricks to get them to turn out so well from my way of painting black to layering washes to trying to get each color right. There are so many colors on these minis. Usually, I just keep out the paints that I need to work on a single project. Even with that in mind, there are dozens of pots of paint on the painting station right now just for these minis. 

Up next are a Space Wolf and Ultramarine Tactical Marines likely followed by 2-3 other Tactical Marines. I have 5 other dedicated Tactical Marines from a previous project. With the Iron Hands Marine that is already finished, this will give me a solid 10 block of Tactical Marines to draw from. 

The Last Thing You Buy

I want to take a moment to talk about the coolest kid I know, Jesusgold7. This brilliant bastard makes the ultimate Warhammer 40k collectors items. Usually, it irks me when people use the work "ultimate" to mean anything other than the literal meaning of "the last." In this case it really is the last thing that you buy after models, glue, paint, basing material, cases, foam, shelves, dremel and a Titan. Once you get to the point where you are buying real life Purity Seals and Warrants of Trade, you will know that you have reached the end of the road of nerdom. Well, maybe the end are the people that drop a couple of grand on real life power armor.

I was able to get this Warrant of Trade with my name on it (blanked out in this image) for less than $10. Then, I went and spent over $100 getting it professionally framed and I can't be happier that I did. It takes this already awesome piece and takes it to the limit. I am going to attach the Purity Seal that I also bought to the frame and hang it in my Den.