Small SM Update & 100 Allies!!!

First off, HUGE thanks to the 100 folks who have committed to following what I try to do here on the blog.  I appreciate everyone and it really keeps me motivated.  THANK YOU!!!

Moving on, small update on the Space Marines project.  I have finished one mini completely and have made some headway through the other four.  I am still wrestling with the color, it's not quite where I want it.  I am also taking a lot of time to try and educate myself about more advanced painting techniques.  I have told you in the past about Hot Lead.  I have recently picked up the Todd Swanson Master Class video from Miniature Mentor.  And I also got the Miniature Painting Secrets with Natalya from Cool Mini Or Not.  Both are examples of incredible techniques.  Ultimately, I have to start trying to put these ideas into practice and that is where I am being stupidly slow.  This will probably be the only post for this month, due to Battlefront Games really kicking into high gear.

Anyways, here's a few pics...

Thanks for checking this out and to all my fellow Americans...HAPPY THANKSGIVING.  To everyone else...ROCK ON!

Hessler

Musings - New Armies

As I continue through these IG painting projects, I realize that I will probably start doing some more "building" before they're all completed. In the interest of keeping things interesting I think I will do one unit/squad at a time, bouncing back and forth between different armies. Not sure if it will work but I thought I would share a few of the ideas that are brewing in the ol' noggin'

• SPACE MARINES: I did some a long time ago but this new army has a very specific vision.  They will be called The Liberators.  Yes, there is already a chapter by that name but oh well, bear with me.  Inspired by the WW2 Liberator bomber, these marines will be down and dirty marines, painted in OD and bearing lots of character.  The chapter symbol will be an eagle head and the Chapter banner will be a variation on the classic Japanese flag but with the colors of the American flag.  These guys will be a very "gung ho" "can do" kind of group, very "John Wayne".  The challenge for me here will be the composition of the models, using unique poses and customizing whenever possible.
• ALBINO ORKS:  Still in the conceptual stages, it may have already been done.  I am thinking Orks painted from a shade of light pink up to pure white, pink snouts and red, beady eyes.
• TYRANIDS: I want to have a crack at building a 'Nid army using the color scheme made popular by Simon Egan.  Below is a pic for reference...

 

So that's it for now.  Do you guys have any cool ideas for future projects?  Just brainstorming?  Share with the group...

The war goes on, 

Hessler

Workspace

I just got back from a great weekend in the country and I figured it might be a good time to snap a few pics of my hobby area before it gets completely trashed again.

This left side is used for all the assembly and tinkering...it's all tools and bits.

This side is my paint station.  The full spectrum lamp is my most recent purchase.  Thanks to Les at AwesomePaintJob.com for the tip.  I mostly use Vallejo and Wargames Foundry paints.  I like the WF paints because they are sold in triads...a base color, a shade, and a highlight.  The drawback is that they don't come in dropper bottles, which I absolutely love.  I think I will either gradually switch over to Reaper, as they offer the triad sets and come in the dropper, or transfer my Wargames Foundry paints to dropper bottles.  Either way...a daunting task, no doubt.

That's all for now.  Thanks for reading, I hope to have an actual hobby update for you in a few days.

The war goes on,
Hessler

From The Workshop: Magnifier

How can anyone not love this little beauty? For years I struggled to see the finer details of my 28mm friends as I painted them. I would see these magnifiers in the store and think "someday..."

I finally went for it and WOW, what a huge difference. Where as I used to hold a mini up close to my face, I can now hold it at arms length with the same detail revealed. That, in turn, allows me to capture more light as I'm painting. Also, for what its worth, sit by a window when you paint. Painting in the sunlight offers a much truer sense of how your colors look.

I cannot imagine doing this hobby with out these. I challenge you to try them, you may not ever take them off. Also, they kinda look like the goggles from the SM Scouts (oh yeah!)

The war goes on,
Hessler

From The Workshop: "Third Hand"

A "third hand" or "helping hand" is invaluble to a hobbyist/painter. The use of the item should be rather self-explanitory but I can give a quick walkthrough.

These beauties have either 2 or 3 arms with multiple articulations on each arm. A heavy duty, springloaded clip is at the end of each arm. The base also has massive articulation, as well. All of these joints allow you to twist the clips into almost any position to hold almost any model or piece of a model.

Gluing two pieces together? Clip them up and they are held in place until your adhesive dries. Get more info HERE.

Bottom line: An underated and useful tool.

The war goes on,
Hessler

From The Workshop: Economy Spray Booth

A spray booth gives you a dedicated place to apply spray primer, base color, and spray varnish. When I got back into the hobby a while ago, I decided I wanted some kind spray booth so I scoured the Internet and found many expensive, professional looking kits and some less expensive, homemade ideas. I suppose one has to balance features vs. cost. There can be a great satisfaction to buying the components and building it your self but the same satisfaction can be had by opening up a well-made, fancy kit. For me it came down to one thing...the smell of paint.

Many people I have read about have to deal with spraying indoors. That creates the need for some kind of exhaust system that leads to a nearby window. I am fortunate enough to have my own garage and that definitely offers some leeway. Spraying can occur anytime I want and the smell stays outside.

My booth is small but suitable for my needs. It consists of a medium size plastic tote and a plastic "lazy susan". For those who don't know, a lazy susan is a round disk set on small bearings; you can set food or condiments on it in the center of your table for easy access during meals. I just made sure that my lazy susan would sit flat on the side of the tote. My cost for both items was around $25. I found some old speaker stands in the garage and "boom goes the dynamite"...spray booth. I use some scrap cardboard to serve as a carrier to and from my booth.

For me, the bottom line on this project is: work smarter, not harder.

For those of you who want to go a few steps beyond what I have done, here is a link to a great example: Economy Paint Booth for Models

For those that want to look at some fancier kits, here is a link to follow:15"x20" Standard Spray Paint Booth. The link will take you to a very cool website called Micro-Mark. If you're like me, you will spend a lot of time checking out all the interesting tools they have for modeling.

The war goes on,
Hessler

From The Workshop: Primer

Primer...such an important part of painting good minis. There are lots of opinions about primer, what color to use, how to apply it. The bottom line is...use whatever works best for you. I normally use spray primer but I have also used brush-on primer in the past, as well. As far as color...I prefer grey. I have used black and white and I still use them when I am looking for a ceretain look. I assume that the basics of color choice are fairly well known so I'll summarize them quickly:

White will give a brighter undertone.
Grey will give an even undertone.
Black will give a darker undertone.

There are numerous articles and examples to be found on the internet, I'll let the reader dig further if you so desire.

I go with grey because it allows me to cleary see all the details of a mini as well as getting a touch of shading possibilities. All of my shading is done with washes after the basecolor has been applied.

My brand of choice switches between to brands: Design Master, available at my local craft store and The Armory, available at my FLGS. Both are about $6-7 and well worth it. Sometimes you have no choice but to pay $15(?) for a can of "Kaos Black" but, if you can, find a place that sells it for less.

Whatever color or technique to use, please make sure you use it. Trust me when I say...you will be saving yourself hours of frustration and disappointment.

Leave a comment and let me know how you approach priming.

The war goes on,
Hessler