Of Epic Proportions (spring clean challenge 26)

Probably obvious to most people, but I’ve only just realised that I’m now using metal models so need to varnish them.

At least it was only a few tanks and a airplane at this point

This nearly broke me. It wasn’t as if the models weren’t lovely to paint or anything I was doing had changed since I started. It was a failure in methodology.

My painting a couple of models everyday for about 15 – 20 minutes worked really well for the Marines. There squads are small and the models were simple. So when I started with Leman Russ I didn’t see a reason to change what I was doing.

Trying to paint 8 quite complex models at 5 in the morning was more than a challenge. Batch painting works normally but due to the time constraints and my own mental state, remembering what I had done was a massive issue. For the first time this felt like a challenge. The Bank Holiday Sunday gave me the chance to get the unit painted all in one go.

This has given me pause for thought though. This is what the guard are, large units. I can’t really adapt my methodology as the external factors aren’t going to change, so I’m going to have to adapt.

I have the infantry regiment to come so more of the same. So rather than try to do all of it at once, I’m going to approach it, 3 stands at a time and hopefully keep track.

It’s a bank holiday so I thought best get back to painting… With a little help

So I saw this on YouTube

…and my little soul went “oooooo”

Now painting 3 armies is not going to happen, certainly before midsummer, but in the box of random models are eldar, and there is an eldar aircraft. So to make this project even harder, I’m going to add to the side quests paint the eldar fighter

One think I love about the 40k is the over the top baroque insanity of it all, especially the Imperium.

This John Blanche painting is what sold me on the universe and a life long obsession with the Sisters of Battle, but this might be a later project. When I bought a guard army back in the late 00s I brought Cadia, primarily because I didn’t have much money (still don’t) and the plastics were cheap. The army that did tick all the boxes for the madness of an imperial were the Vostroyans.

They had silly over the top uniforms and antique weapons, they were everything a guard army should be; but an all metal horde army was out of my price range.

But for this project, the models are there so I don’t need to worry about price just aesthetics. Painting the infantry as Vostroyans is a little more nuance than I like them (which I do). The models already have a similar profile, but it the paint scheme that does it. When I looked at similar regiments you have lots of flat colours with either the Steel Legion, Valhalans or Death korp, which at this scale will look bland. The the Vostroyan with red cloaks and gold trim and black hats with stand out.

I noticed with the Blood Angels Assualt squads, those complimentary colours made the models pop far more than any other in that army.

So the next thing is to test it.

Since I’m finding it hard to get going again with painting, I thought I’d make a start on point two, scenery.

This is a lot easier, as I have a shoe box full of these.

I also have a couple of sets of ruins, which might make a nice edition as well.

I would also like to add some incidental terrain like rubble, but what to keep it simple at this stage

I am tired.

What started as quite a good bit of mindfulness, is starting to drain. 

Also my mind is going. I’m starting to forget how I’ve done things, what bits I’ve painted, and worse yet dropping models.

I’m not sure if this is down to the guard. The models are far more detailed and thus require more thought.

One nice thing I heard the other day, was that a 40k playing friend told me how much he likes getting Pictures of the models first thing in the morning.

So Sundancer said that Jaq looked a little lonely on his base and he was right. So it gave me an excuse to revisit the model. Part of me wanted to give him a transport but it just didn’t feel right.

What I did add was a banner to the model so that he was more picture accurate. This I cut of a space marine hero that was covered in paint and fitted nicely to the Terminator armour.

I also revisted the base. Originally I thought about adding a ton of bits on there but it just didn’t work. So I cut it down to just one thing, but I added some of the herbs from my basing mix and I was supprised how well it worked.

It’s really tempting to go back and look at rebasing the Blood Angels in the same way.