On The Table - Vindicair Comission

Painted up this mini for a friend of mine. He says it is Chinese replica of a Vindicare Assassin and given that it is made our of off-color, brittle resin, I believe it. Pretty good cast though compared to some.

I based the mini in Kanto blue then painted a 1:1 mix of Darnstone and Abbadon Black on the harness and the weapon. The mask is painted straight Dawnstone. The whole mini got drybrushed with Dawnstone. After that, everything was ashed Nuln Oil.

I used the new dry compound for the first time and it is actually better for drybrushing than the regular stuff. Goes on more smoothly, don't have to wait for it to dry and overall easier to handle. I hope it lasts.

I did a very light dry brush of Dawnstone once the wash was dry to bring things back up. I then shaded the blue suit with Agrax Earthshade and Gulliman Blue. The black areas were hard edge highlighted with Dawnstone.

The pillar he is standing beside, was based Dawnstone and then washed Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade in between dry brushes. I did a final drybrush of Ushabti Bone to make it pop a little more.

Pretty simple painting and it didn't take that long. If this were a commission, I would probably charge $40 for it but that usually includes about $5 in shipping too.

Finished - Deathwatch

These guys came together fast at the end. There were a few hiccups along the way though. The Frag Cannon back pack took some creative engineering to make it fit. In the end, I just had to glue it in the best I could. It is really hard to tell that it was a foul up. Why GW just skipped putting this bit in the Deatwatch kit, I do not know.

The guy in the middle used to be an Ultramarine with a Bolter but now he is a Crimson Fist with a Stormbolter. Everything went pretty smooth with him. I thought I would be slick and use the Imperial Fists shoulder guard in the Deathwatch: Overkill box with the ropes on it. Unfortunately, the way the arm was bent had those ropes defying gravity. Had to paint up a fresh one. Should have dry fit it before painting. No worries, it will all go to good use.

The Ravenguard on the end turned out ok. The pose is a little awkward but I think it works. I didn't think about putting a Covis helm on a Errant torso. The raised collar made it difficult to get the head seated.

On The Table - More Deathwatch

Just a quick update. The arms are finished and the heads are coming together right now. 

On The Table - More Deathwatch

Working hard on chopping up Deathwatch: Overkill minis and changing them around. From left to right there is a Dark Angel that used to have a Power Sword and Plasma Pistol but now will have a Frag Cannon (you know the thing that hits like a Las Cannon at close range). The guy in the middle used to be an Ultramarine with a Bolter but now will be an Imperial Fists with a Storm Bolter. The guy on the left is older bits but will have the Power Sword from the Dark Angel and a Grav Pistol.

The bodies and bases are done and I am working on the arms right now. 

Finished - More Deathwatch

These guys really came together fast near the end. I am pretty happy with them too.

The Shotgun/Shield guy came out great. I had some pauldrons painted up and ready to go. I made an impulsive choice to make this Marine an Imperial Fist of some flavor. I was experimenting with colors rather than the black and yellow that I have been doing for Imperial Fists thus far. I was not really thrilled with how it came out but didn't feel like repainting it. Lesson learned though.

I was worried about how the Hammer Marine was going to turn out. I used a Forge World torso on Deathwatch legs. The waste is really thin and made it look like he was wearing a corset. He still has an hourglass figure but the way the arms hang down it makes up for this a bit. I used the head from the Iron Hand from the Deathwatch: Overkill box. The slightly downward position give him a glower that I really love. The backpack is magnetized so he can be an Vanguard Vet if the mood takes me. There is also a hidden magnet so he can carry a Storm Shield if I want. I am going to hide some magnets in other Marines from here out so I can use this option.

I am not 100% satisfied with the Techmarine. The silhouette is off somehow. From straight on, it is not bad, but from top down (you know, the major way that I'll view it on the table top), it looks funny. Maybe there is too much of a gap between the body and the back pack. He is an Iron Hands too. I swear I don't have a thing for them but there do seem to be a lot of them in my Deathwatch Army. This guy is going to stand in as a Power Fist Marine until they put legit Techmarines in the army.

I am trying to clear the table at this point. I have the Lord of Change from a million years ago to finish and those Warbuggies. I think I am going to start some more Deathwatch Marines too. No other commission on the horizon.

Vyndica - Lovecraft

I got this commission from theKlute. $40 for a single mini was pretty good. I got a "how do we do this" message at first. I responded with my intentions on how to paint and got no response. 15 days later there has been no communication and no mini. Sent some messages and no response for a week. Kinda strange for someone with a deadline on the commission.

He "checks into what is going on" with no further details or explanation. Then radio silence again. Sent him another message a week later and still no response. Never gave me a tracking number despite my asking for it mutiple times. The mini arrives another week later. This is over a month after the commission was agreed to at this point and past his deadline.

It took me about 10 days to paint the mini. Really it was two weekends worth of work. I went as fast as I could but it was not treated as a priority. I just worked on it between other things.

I am mostly happy with the finished product. The flames came out a little rough. I could have painted it a little more like the box art but this is how I do flames. The suit worked out about how I thought it would. I like how the little beastie turned out. It draws attention but so does the book, the face and the torch.

I have mixed feelings about the skin. I tried to paint it like I did the Dark Eldar from my last commission. I wanted it to look pale and unhealthy but it came out too pale and too unhealthy. If the client does not like it I think I can make it look more human with a flesh wash and some touch ups.

That is if the client ever gets back to me. I've never heard of someone spending money on something and be so non-communicative. It is very frustrating. If he ever does get back to me and pay the rest of the money, he can have his mini back. Until then, Mr. Lovecraft is going to watch over the Deathwatch minis that are on the table.

Update: Client got back to me and he was out of the country. I feel bad about being cranky about him not getting back to me. If I was in Italy, there is no way I am even checking my email so I don't blame him. As of now he has the mini and he seems pretty happy. 

Finished - Deathwatch Watch Master

I mostly fished this guy back in Nov 2016 during the first wave of Deathwatch madness. I didn't know how I wanted to finish him though. I ended up using a Deathwing head that I bought during a bit buying spree long ago. I used the shoulder guard (or pauldron if you want to be a smarty pants about it) from the Deathwatch: Overkill set that I am currently cannibalizing.

I love how this mini turned out. I think that I was right in that giving him a Chapter and a different head not only really sets him apart but also gives him a lot more personality. I don't know if I could pick out 3 things that I particularly like or dislike about how this mini got painted up. I think I made some good choices on picking more simple colors. I stayed away from the gold and I feel like it is over-done on some of the Deathwatch minis.

This min retails for $25 and that sexy alien base he is on was $2 if memory serves. The paint job took a long time to finish with all the detail and cloth. I value the paint at about $40. Total replacement cost is about $65.

Up next I am finishing a commission and three more Deathwatch Marines.

On The Table - Combi-weapon Bearers

After I had a masterfully-executed Alpha Strike executed against me in my last game against Suitcase Dave, I remembered that I love that kind of crap. Then I started figuring out how many more Marines I would need to give Combi-weapons and I got discouraged. The down side to the Combi-weapons is that is one more Marine that I need to paint and that guy is only good for that things. What is more is that there is no built-in counter for when I use the one-shot weapon.

I used to use pieces of paper to do both but then I worked up these little guys. I used the metal and plastic Watchers in The Dark from the Dark Angels and converted them to hold the Combi-weapons. This way I can put them next to the Marine and remove them once the weapon is used.

The ones that are painted are for the Blood Angels so Deathwatch will need some. I think that I'll just paint them whatever color I want in terms of Bolter and robes just for fun. This way they can be used in the Space Wolves army too. 

Vyndica - Dark Eldar Warriors 10/10

The last 4 of the Dark Eldar for FlayedEwok are finished and I am pleased with how they came out. I feel like I went above and beyond for this client. I was flattered when he selected me for further work. I am always concerned with giving the client just what they want and nothing says that they are pleased like coming back to the well.

I cut him a little break on the cost as a thanks for coming back to the well. Usually the least I will charge for painting small and simple minis is $10 each but I cut him a little break with $80 for 10 minis.

I also did custom bases for these minis even though it was not really part of the deal. In some part, it was an experiment that I wanted to conduct anyway. To go even further, I wrote up a step-by-step and posted it for him so he can copy it later.

I spent a little extra time on the leader of the group which is the guy with the whip for no extra charge. I did a little extra effects on the whip and was very careful with his armor. I also build up his base a little more and had the blue acid running between his feet.

I have few regrets about this project. I wish I knew more about Dark Eldar so I could have customized the weapons a bit more. Some of the weapons are clearly different like the Shredder and the Dark Lance in the two minis in this group but apparently there is a Splinter Cannon in there that I didn't know anything about. I wish I could have painted them in different colors to set them apart on the table top.

I hope that Mr. Ewok pick up some more minis for me to paint. I'd love to try something big like a Raider or perhaps some Bikes.

Vyndica - Lovecraft

I love Lovecraft. Some parts of his personal live (like the name of his cat) and his early works are problematic, but I love the world that he set up and his writing style. I am sure that he did not originate the concept of "elder gods" but he certainly gave them a direction and focus.

This commission comes from Theklute. He asked for it to be painted like the box art. I think that the miniature is well within my skill level but simple minis can sometimes be harder to paint. Less detail on the mini means that I have to work harder.

The paint job for what I assume is the box art is a little appalling. It is very dark and not much in terms of palate. It is very dark overall except for the torch. I can see the artist tried to do some half-ass object source lighting by making the highlights heavier on the face and shoulders. I can do better.

On The Table - Deathwatch Techmarine And Others

While I am waiting for my next commission to get here in the mail, I am putting some work in on these three Deathwatch Marines. From right to left there is my take on a Iron Hands Techmarine, the second of my Storm Shield and Shotgun Marine and an Iron Hands with a Heavy Thunder Hammer.

I am cannibalizing the Deathwatch: Overkill box and converting each mini. I knew that I wanted a Techmarine to in my army and it was a little upsetting to see that Techmarines have no place in the Deathwatch.They feature so heavily in the RPG and to not have them at all in the table top game seems to be an oversight and missed opportunity. Until they fix this 30 years for now when we get another Deathwatch Codex, I plan to use this guy a just a Marine with a very fancy Power Fist and I'll use a Servo-arm to represent this. I know that I have the Servo-arm from the Iron Father mini saved somewhere, but no idea where it got to.

I love shield walls. Maybe it was seeing 300 when I was younger, but the images of a phalanx thrill me. I had the idea of three Marines standing in a shield wall with weapons pointing out. It is a silly dream but it is my dream. On the table top, these guys would make a good addition to an assault-based Kill Team. The Bolters are Assault weapons so no good for mowing down enemies and then charging. The Shotguns are a compromise as they are Assault weapons.

I don't know how I feel about Heavy Thunder Hammers but I like the minis. I never would have considered giving a HTH Marine a Storm Shield until after I saw it in the FAQ. After that, I just wanted the option to. I learned a trick from magnetizing the Thunderwolf Calvary of putting the magnet int he palm of the hand so the shield fits on top of it seamlessly. The only downside is that you need to get the magnet in place before assembly.