Sons of Edulis

Masking tape is your friend...

2011-02-17T11:44:00.000-08:00

The other day I got a note from a client, who I had painted a couple of rhinos for, asking how I managed to make the graphic design so crisp and consistent. After writing up a lengthy response (and because I was working on some razorbacks for my Hawk Lords), I decided to make a brief tutorial on how I use masking tape to "make the magic happen".

So basically, I find a design I like, and print it. Then I cut out the design and transfer it some masking tape.

I then cut out the design, making sure to peel it up so that the overlapping edges of the masking tape work to pull up the entire icon. If you don't lay down the tape this way, you'll be sorry. I then place it on the primed (white in this case) model as desired. Inevitably, I always tear something (damn! see the red circle), but it's pretty easy to make it match up on the model.

Once placed on the model, I make sure to push the tape down and get a good, solid stick (usually using something rounded and small, but not so small as to leave indentations). It's almost impossible to get it to stick perfectly everywhere, but it's pretty easy to go back and touch it up once you're done.

Obviously, the next step is to apply the second color to the masked model. For this one, I apply a liberal coat of black. Once I take the tape off, the areas where the paint crept under the tape are revealed (more red circles)

So out comes the withe paint, and I touch up the edges. Often it will take numerous coats, especially if you want smooth crisp colors (and are using watered down paints).

And lastly, I start adding watered down coats as needed for the overall design. The cool thing about it is that it goes quickly, and gives you some pretty consistent results, adding to the over all theme of the army.

Hope you found this useful. Here's what it looks like once I'm all done...

Hawk Lords Command Squad WIP

2011-02-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post (which I appear to have not done since July... ugh!) to show off some "in progress" shots of my command squad and shadow captain. They're just basecoated awaiting a wash of purple and I've completed the veteran's helmets and the standard bearer's banner (plus they're temporarily pinned). In all honesty, Ron at From the Warp inspired me to do some free had on the banner and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Now to just settle into a name for my captain and to get it on the banner... Oh, and the bases are from Secret Weapon Miniatures "Alien Invasion" line. They're awesome!

Shrike and other WIPs

2010-07-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted in awhile, but I've been in the process of changing jobs and life is funny that way. However, I have been working, and here are some work in progress shots of my converted Shrike (I hate the Native American dancer pose he has), inspired by Ron over at From the Warp.

While I do like Ron's Shrike, I wanted something more commanding, imposing and authoritative. Something that would look cool with a mass of Assault Marines and Terminators standing behind him, and standing next to my converted Pedro Kantor (pics of him are coming).

I had bought the GW Shrike off a kid on Craigslist a couple years back, and only got as far as painting the purple on him. I just hate the pose, and every time I went to finish him, I just sat there looking at him and ultimately moved on to something else.

I'm actually really happy with how he turned out. I used the legs and torso from the commander sprue, Shrike jump pack (of course), and a couple of powerfits that fit the pose I was looking for. I cut the claws off a couple of terminator arms (I know.. blasphemy!) and worked them into the fists, adding little skulls (which I suck at sculpting) to cover the joint (actually, I did it to match Kantor). Lastly, the helm was pretty easy, as were the icons. Here he is in front of an Assault Squad (notice the TT/SS Sergent!). I think this works.

Lastly, here are some shots of my eight man Assault Terminator Squad. In these shots, I've finished the helmets, and have given them the base coat of Liche Purple. Washes are next... I've got a Landradier Crusader to go with these guys, but it's still in the box.

So the icon on the Termi's shoulders is a press mold I made from the Forgeworld kit ( I mentioned it here ). I've also used it on another Tactical squad I've been working on, and it has worked great. As always comments welcome.

As Promised - Forgeworld Raven Guard Sprues

2010-05-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

This post, by design, is crazy pic heavy. I tried to ease the 'bandwidth suck' by making thumbnails but that didn't work out. Oh well! So here's what I got in the mail today straight from Forge World, huge fingernails and all.

First up, the captain...

Next, the upgrade sprue...

All in all, I think they look great and can't wait to get some press molds done and put some paint on these guys.

As an added extra... here's what I've been working on this week.

Some Forgeworld love for my Hawk Lords

2010-05-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

For the eight of you who read this, Forge World's latest newsletter is out and they've finally released their Raven Guard upgrade pack and a new special character that is outlined in their 'Imperial Armour Volume 8'.

I wasn't really expecting a Captain (since I have a 'Counts-As-Pedro' so I can use my Sternguard as troops), but I bought two of the upgrade sprues and one of the Captain Kordyvae sprue. Why? Well, I hate Shrike's overall look, and I have to be honest... I'm sure I'll switch out the heads on that Forge World model since his yelling face is cool but a little too "augmented" for my tastes.

As soon as they come in I'll shoot some high res photos of the sprues and post them on here... While I'm sure everyone will be buying them, imagine I'm the only one painting them purple and gold.

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Gauss weapons and a resurrection orb

2010-05-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got round to finishing my first batch of necrons... and they look nothing like I started off. To be honest.. I kept reading the codex, looking at the pictures, and wasn't sure I like the color scheme I had chosen. Decisions, decisions. I sat there looking at my lord and his accompanying 40 warriors, thinking that the object source lighting would be a huge pain... plus (as my wife pointed out) necrons are all GREEN in the codex! To make matter worse, while in Colorado a few weeks ago I went and bought a monolith, and I was seriously fretting about the front portal and the crystal on the top... army scheme cohesion is seriously important to me. So here is where I stand...

I've finished my lord and 40 warriors with a technique that is somewhat easily repeated. The steps are similar to my last post, but I have changed it slightly. Basically, here's what I did: 1) built them and primed them using a metallic silver Krylon spraypaint 2) dipped them using Minwax 3) gave them a coat of matte (the minwax was glossy) 4) painted the eyes, gauss gun tube, and generator (?) area using sick green, high lighted with livery green 5) based them in an ashen wasteland theme using the GW 40k basing kit and a series of lighter grey dry brushes 6) added some coats of varnish as needed 7) stretched my back, and debated if I'll do the same thing for the scarabs! Here are some closer shots, including the obligatory '300' necron. I know, they probably don't move quick or jump, but I was experimenting with conversions and the axe part of the gauss gun made this pose seem logical.

What's next? I have the monolith, boo-koo scarabs, three wraiths and four destroyers. Good thing the codex sucks, otherwise I might feel pressured to get these guys finished and on a table. Also, If the mood hits me, I might work some more on my Hawk Lords second rhino and tactical squad.

Behold - A Painted Necron!

2010-02-03T15:45:00.000-08:00

More of an update than anything....

After three different paint schemes, quite bit of searching around the internets and trying weedeater string (0.095" is perfect) for the tubes (it works, I just did't like it), I've decided on a paint scheme (somewhat based on this technique).

Basically, it's highly repeatable, will look good on all Necron models, and consists of these steps:
1. Base coat the minis in Krylon Matte Aluminum.
2. Dip them in Minwax (the Minwax product I had was glossy) and let them dry forever!
3. Coat them in Matte finish (which also seals in the Minwax).
4. Paint the armor Reaper Brick Red and then Drybrush in VGC Hot Orange.
5. Paint the desired tubes Hot Orange and wash the gauss gun near said tubes with a 1:3 paint water mixture. Do the same to the Necron's eye sockets.
6. Repeat the wash using a 2:1:3 Hot Orange, VGC Dead White, and water mixture until happy (I did it three times), adjusting the mixture to get the lighting effect. Don't forget the eye sockets.
7. Hit the edges with VGC Dead White and dot the Necron's eyes.
8. Base him however you want and varnish with matte.
9. Coat the tubes in Gloss Varnish.
10. Yell "Boo-Ya!" and freak out the dog.

The rod took several tries (settled on this one), and I decided against
varnishing the armor. Yuck!

Behold - Necrons!

2010-02-02T09:23:00.000-08:00

When I started my Hawk Lords chapter, I debated and debated on which army to start with. Having been introduced to 40k by THQ and on a whim when I purchased the first Space Wolves Omnibus in an airport bookstore, I've always been a fan of Space Marines, Imperial Guard, and Necrons. Well, in a moment of weakness on my trip to Sacramento last week, I threw down the money for a Necron Battleforce and Codex, some extra Warriors, and a Necron Lord.

Now I realize that there have been rumors floating around for awhile now that a new Necron codex is on the horizon, following the Dark Eldar... er ... um... I mean the Blood Angels.... or was it Tau? Honestly, I don't think a new Necron codex is coming anytime soon. Besides, where I live, there are few Necron players anyway. So I bought them in a hopes to be unique on the table and to bring some variety to my painting table.

So now I have 40 warriors, 3 destroyers, 10 swarms, and a Necron Lord are on my desk (about 1250 pts), but I need to finish some Hawk Lords squads and my Space Hulk Terminators. Generally speaking, my initial thoughts were to base coat them in a metallic and dip them (I had some Krylon Matte Aluminum and some Minwax Stain laying around...) as a base. Then I'm thinking to highlight either wash or paint the armor (head, shoulders, greaves, etc) in some unifying color. I'm interested in red, my wife is pushing for blue. We'll see who wins this one.

Here's are some pictures of a WIP warrior, immediately following the dip phase (still wet). One thing I think I'll do from now on (regardless of army) is to leave the legs (the feet in particular) on the sprue through painting, and once the base is done I'll remove them and pin them. We'll see how it goes, but it prevents me from having to paint over a metallic primeer on the base.

This test model was dry this morning, and I think he looks pretty good. I'm really happy with the subtle shading I got from the dip. Of course he was glossy and required a coat of matte over the Minwax, but I didn't have time to snap a shot this morning and will so that as soon as I get home. I'll also do some more painting on the test color scheme and I have a few ideas/experiments to try with the gauss rifle, so come back and see where this goes.

Multi-basing 'De-blooded' Space Hulk Terminators

2010-01-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

So this is a bit of a detour, but my wife bought me a copy of space hulk for Christmas (thank goodness for those copies they "found"). Furthermore, she agreed to play a few games with me once I got the minis put together (she's a bit of a sci-fi junkie and thinks space marine terminators look like the mondoshawans from fifth element). At the time the package came in the mail, I had been thinking about swapping out my terminators that were in my army (6 TH/SS and 2 LC in a LR Crusader) for some standard terminators. Like everyone else I love these models but don't play BA, so I thought it would be nice to use them both in my army (my Hawk Lords) and but retain the ability to use them in the Space Hulk game. monkiy

I didn't want to just quickly magnetize the premolded bases to some 40mm discs (which I had seen, but felt wasn't my style), so I tried a few options. I first cut some 40mm bases to fit the permolded bases, which was a pain, and since GW didn't make them flat (there's a little slope in thier "geometric artsy" design), it meant that I'd have to file them down to ensure I got smooth transitions between the red (original) base and the black (40mm) base. So I bit the bullet and decided to rebase these guys, twice, making a base akin to a display base (since 40mm bases are too big to use in Space Hulk).

Removing the blood drops was relatively easy and only required the use of a hobby knife and a file. Where I could, I kept iconagraphy that was univeral (the chalis was questionable... but oh well) and replaced blooddrops in chains with round jewels made with green stuff and used as many commander and/or terminator sprue bits as possible. Lastly, I added a few skulls from a chaos sprue that suprisingly matched very well. Here are a couple of examples:

Once it was all said and done, it wasn't that hard to do. It's just slow going for me. The materials I used aren't really inexpensive (see the image below) and overall, are easily found. I used plastic canvas for knitting or cross-stitching (5 8"x11" sheets were like 4 USD), a "No Parking" sign from Home Depot (which was like 3 USD) to use as plasticard and some Evergreen styrene (10 USD, there isn't really a good substitute for pipes and "tech" base fodder).

Once I finish these up and get them primed I'll post some more pictures... as that'll be where the rubber hits the road. Overall, I'm happy with this and look forward to painting these puppies up.

Also, on an unrelated note - I managed to get a "more matte" finish, which I just put of the not-so-matte finish on my scouts, and I am fairly happy with how they turned out.

"Is that a codex in your pocket"

2010-01-25T13:28:00.000-08:00

This week, I'm in Sacramento CA for work, and I had something funny happen to me while waiting to board the plane in El Paso. I was sitting there reading "Courage and Honor", the 5th Ultramarines book (which is better than the third, "Killing Ground" by leaps and bounds) and I glanced across the terminal at two men sitting on the other side. For a brief instance, I thought... that looked like a codex in his hand!
All I saw was the back cover for a brief moment... but I was fairly sure I saw a aquilla... I knew it was an aquilla - but I couldn't be sure. Like an eager little kid, I got all excited, especially since my marine codex was in my shoulder bag. After a couple of minutes of watching this guy, he reaches down and pulls out an imperial guard codex and a huge smile crossed my face.
I got up, walked over, and said (to a complete stranger mind you) "did I see a codex" as I pulled my codex from my shoulder bag. He laughed and invited me to sit down and chat. They were from El Paso and Las Cruces, were big time gamers, we exchanged info, and hopefully we'll be able to meet up and game a little once I get back from this trip.
It was a great experience, and says a lot for the community. It makes me smile even now as I write this. So I'm wondering if anyone else has had any experiense like this... please share if you have.

WIP and the joy of the not-so-matte finish...

2010-01-06T17:40:00.000-08:00

Well, let me start off with some WIP shots of the attack bikes from my last post. While they did get some love in DC, they're not quite done. I've still got to work on some washes, and finishing up details, but I think they're coming together nicely.

Next up, my scout squad. I have to apologize for the lighting (new light box) and the "shiny" finish. I swear the can says matte, but it sure doesn't appear to be matte. Oh well, maybe a new can of matte and a second coat will take these guys somewhere. besides, they're just cannon fodder and only really serve to get my termi's homing beacon into place... poor smucks!

Lastly, here are some shots of my Assault Chaplain and his accompanying Assault Squad (including SS/TH sergeant), a couple of base coated rhinos and a predator (which will continue the previous paint scheme), some primed Sternguard, and my Chapter master (Counts as Pedro). Hope you enjoy and there's definitely more tom come.

Hawk Lords (Raven Guard) Icons with Green Stuff and Magnetizing Attack Bikes

2009-12-04T08:58:00.000-08:00

So I have a little trip coming up (2 weeks in DC!), and had planned on taking some minis to paint with me. We'll see if the painting happens, but I sure would like to get the above attack bike squad finished. So I figured, why not make this post into a little tutorial on how I do my Hawk Lords (or Raven Guard) shoulder icons with greens stuff press molds. Hell, while I'm at it, why not also show how I magnetized the bikes for both heavy bolters and multi-meltas. So here goes....

Step 1. Here are the materials needed. 1) green stuff, 2) olive oil, 3) space marine shoulder bit (on sprue or off, but I find on the sprue to be easier), 4) exacto knife and/or sculpting tool, and 5) super glue (not pictured).

Step 2. Get a little piece of green stuff the size of the icon you want to sculpt, and press it on to the shoulder bit. Honestly, I developed this technique trying to copy one of Ron's sculpts. Also, use a tiny drop of olive oil to smooth out the pressed circle, before you start sculpting. Fingerprints don't exactly make for nice icons.

Step 3. Here are the successive steps I use for my Hawk Lords icon. Of course, they differ slightly each time, but once you have one you like... you're good to go on making a press mold or you can try and sculpt them for each marine.... I don't recommend this. Just make a press mold, mash it on, and clean it up for each marine. It's much easier and consistent.

Step 4. Now there are ample press mold tutorial by From the Warp members (e.g., Corvus and Shotrsonfire79), but here's how I do it. Once you icon you like, dab a bit of olive oil on it, and press a bit of green stuff on top. Take care to make sure it doesn't wrap around the shoulder pad, or you'll be stuck (pun intended).

Step 5. Once the green stuff mold cures, pop it off and clean it up (wash off the oil).

Step 6. If you do it right (or are lucky), you can pop off the icon you built and put them onto another bit. Here are the ones I did for my primed and magnetized attack bike squad.

Step 7. lastly, magnetizing is easy and for me it's the final step before painting. Also, there are quite a few tutorials on the process over at From the Warp, so be sure to check them out. If your careful and have small magnets, you can put one in the bottom of your weapons and one in the handles of the seated attack bike gunner. Make sure to check the polarization before you glue them in since the magnets only attack one way. This is especially important for the second weapon.

Step 8. Paint 'em... and that's just what I am going to do. Hope you found this helpful and check back for the painted squad.

Starting things off properly...

2009-12-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

So I know what you're thinking... OH NOES!?!?!?! NOT PURPLE MARINES!!!! but this is what you get when you let your wife pick your chapter from the Space Marine Codex. And t add insult to injury, I let one of the dogs pick the company.. and she went for 8th Company... Great... drab grey. So I made lemonade.

Seriously, welcome to my humble beginnings of what I hope to be a WIP and 40k blog. To kick things off, here is my finished 2nd squad, 8th company of the Hawk Lords (AoBR models) and their accompanying Rhino (converted from a predator I bought off craigslist - with a bit of free hand). Please be forgiving as I figure out the best way to shoot pictures on my cramped little space at home. We'll just say, some are better than others.... also, feedback is welcome.