Preparing an apocalypse army (WiP)

Let's make an assessment of my Apocalypse Dark Angels army project.

I had the idea to assemble this army while I came back from the Med Tour 2013. After such a 40k Apocalyspe orgy, the motivation is high and it my head's full of army projects. Reality comes soon enough to breack your dreams... And you'll feel like  jackass one year after, because you don't have new minis to show at your buddies.

This is why after two Med Tour editions, I decided it was time for me to come back with an all new army, created for this event. The success of such a project requires a preparation without fault. Although time appears very broad, Murphy's law will be able to add you his batch of unforeseen. This is why you have to be realistic and establish a planning with your mind, and not your heart.

As you can see above, the army is almost half done. Two of  three squads are finished and the third one is quite advanced. Planning's good, but I had some bad surprises. Like November when I did not paint. At all.

Preparing all the minis took a month, Hellhammer not included. It was already prepared.

Even if some terminators were already painted, count one month by squad. I'm taking again all the minis to standardize the colors.
The Dreadnought will take one complete month. The banner is not ready yet and that will add to the painting time.
The Hellhammer will take two good months. It's a big vehicule and I want to take my time.

I everything goes, I'll be done with the armie's painting in June.

Xenos slayers squad

Finally ! I'm done with the second terminator squad, for my 3k Dark Angels army.

Xenos, come get some...

I'm proud of this squad. Clearly, they are made for the close combat. Five lightning claws terminators, two heavy flammers and three baseic termis.

The sergeant is equipped with lightning claws issued from the terminator Chaos HQ. And the ork head on its base is here to remind us how they got their name. Five terminators from this squad killed more than 40 orks during a game.

Xenos slayers squad - WiP 3

This week-end was familly only. I conld'n paint, but my moto is "Familly first, Hobby second". My son and daughter are only 10 and 10, and I know they'll go away son enough...

Xenos Slayers squad WiP

Unfortunatly, I couldn't finish the sergeant...

FWD XXVII

After a long period, I'm back to the French Waaagh Day. I came with my five years old Dark Angels army. No new unit, I have enough work with the Med Tour preparation.

We had many tables and armies, but one table caught my attention. It represents a Necrontyr invasion on an Eldar world. Impressive.

I played two games during this FWDay. Not bad, when you know this week-end isn't a tournament. It allows us to meet IRL after six month on the mailing list.


First game : Order vs Chaos
 - Order : Imperials Fists (Le VIeux), Black Templars (Wernher) et Dark Angels (Aarghal).
 - Chaos : World Eaters, Word Bearers and Khorne deamons.

3k points on each side. It's gonna hurt !

Vindicator, pre-Heresy Ironclad and Rhino. Wanna get some ?

 For the first time since I painted it, I saw my VIndicator on the table for more than one and a half turn.

We had a pre-Heresy Adpetus Mecanicus robots unit.

 Second game : back to basics !

 - Space Marines : Red Hunters (Franssoué), Black Templars (Wernher) and Dark Angels (Aarghal).

 - Orks : Blood Axes (Larg), orks (Tarpan) and... orks (El Grot).

So many orks, so few Space Marines

 There where so many Orks minis on the table, we had a childish smile on our faces.

Looted Leman Russ, a real piece of work.

 Blood Axes looted a Leman Russ, and painted it's front face in Bad Moon colors.

BBQ anybody ?

Kommandos' weapons are painted in green camo with black stripes. Devil's in details.

FWD XXVII (teaser)

I'm back from the 27th French Waaagh Day.
It was a crazy week-end, and I will tell you more about it next week.

Xenos slayers squad - WiP 2

Slowly, I climb my way to the finish line. Painting a 3k army is a long time job, but it's worth the time and work !

Xenos Slayer squad. There's only one terminator to finish, and I'll have the sergeant in my hands !

Doom Angels : the tutorial

Oftlenly, readers and players ask me to explain how I painted my Doom Angels. This tutorial will show the colors used to create the Doom Angels chapter, and the order they're applied.

Step #1

After applying a black undercoat, I paint the armor parts with Orkhide Shade, and highlights the armor's edges with Nurgling Green. Unfortunately, the Orkhide Shade doesn't exist anymore. But it seems that the new Caliban Green can replace it.

I don't add shades, Orkhide Shade is dark enough already.

Step #2

The second step's here to illuminate the mini by applying a warm color and forcing the highlights. To begin, I applied Mephiston Red on all weapons, lenses and purity seals. This Base issued from the new paint range is a good product, it allows you to have a red color without too much effort.

Then I'll enhance the light and shadows, using different reds shades. Upside surfaces are painted in a bright red like Blood Red. Downside surfaces are painted in a dark red, like Red Gore. Use real light and shadow to decide if you apply a bright, a dark, or no shade at all.
In order to make them stand out, all the edges are painted in Blood Red. The edges of the surfaces painted in Blood Red are painted in Fiery Orange, always in the idea of enhancing red parts' brightness.

I'm aware that the colors used here are from the old colors range. But the new colors range have the advantage of being more covering and brighter than the old one. Replace the triptych Red Gore, Blood Red and Fiery Orange by the following paints  from the Layers range : Wazzdakka Red, Wild Rider Red and Troll Slayer Orange.


Step #3

Now the basic colors are applied, let's pass to the metal. I started painting all the future metallic parts in Adeptus Battlegrey. Covering with a grey base allows you to erase all the small errors made during step # 1 & 2 and slightly reduces the number of metallic layers needed to have a good result.

Then I paint the edges with Mithril Silver, in order to add light on the metal parts.


Step #4

Final round : face painting. No secret, you'll need to try, work, fail and retry. It took me ten years and painting lessons to have something else than an alien hangover make-up.

Cherry on the cake, almost all the colors I'm using here are no longer avaible !


Step #5

Last, but not least, step ! Which will give a bad ass look to your Space Marine. I use diluted Dryad Bark to enhance all the shadows, creating an effect similar to the old lining technic.

The paint, diluted for less than a half, is applied in the hollows and on the metal parts. This breaks the shiny effect, enhances the model's colors contrast and makes it "alive".

PS : sorry for being late. It was my daughter birtday this week end. had two birthday parties in two days. And she's only 8...

Boulet - Another webcomic

I have to admit I'm addicted to webcomics. I'm following 40 comics on the web, and I'm still looking for new ones. Some are french, other are english or americans. Many are wrtitten in english, even french ones !

This is why I suggest you Bouletcorp, a french autor blog, written in french and also avaible in english. Enjoy.

Xenos slayers squad - WiP

I'm late to post, and I feel bad at it. Good news are : problems can't stop the painting process !

The Xenos Slayers squad counts five terminators equipped qith lightning claws, three tempest bolters and two heavy flammers.

Titan Killers terminators squad

The first terminator squad for the Med Tour 2014 is ready !

If you take a closer look on the right, you'll see the assault canon owner is based on a Dark vengeance model. 

Deathwing Knights, they're back !

After I had five Deathwing Knights in my Dark Angels army, I finally understood that I needed five more Knights to play this unit in an apocalyspe game.

Repent your seens !

With  a deadline like the Med Tour 2013, I was on a rush to paint five more knights.

Sinners, prepare your souls...

Playing such a squad is a pleasure. But they lack mobility and fire power. Well... This justifies the acquisition a shiny Caestus Ram, isn't it ?

Terminator ready !

As I'm still preparing the Med Tour 2014, I'm proud to tell you I finished my 36 terminators preparation. 

First of all : Belial and it's command squad.

First squad : the Titan Killers

Second squad : the Xenos Slayers

Third squad : the Angel's Wrath

All the painted terminators where at the Med Tour 2013. I added new ones to have three full squads. Next posts, I'll give more details about all the bitz I used. 

To paint, or not to paint ?

Between the paint and the knife , what do you chose ? I choosed the knife and started the preparation of the missing minis. I must say that after hours spended brush in hand to finish in time the 8 terminators required for Med Tour , I was "calmed down" with the brush.

So I prepared the command squad and various missing terminators. The bitz box was put to use without restrictions, and I don't want to stop here!

Two figures are missing in this army presentation : Belial and the Dreadnought. A new Belial is in preparation, equipped with a pair of lightning claws. And rather than take the already painted dread , I'll paint a new one, based on the Games Workshop plastic venerable Dread kit.

Belial and it's command squad

Two years ago, I tried to add a command squad to Belial. I painted the banner bearer and... stopped. But now I am on an -almost- all new 3k Dark Angels army project for the Med Tour 2014, I'm motivated ! 

Belial and it's command squad

Using bitz from the Deathwing Knights box, I mounted an apothicary, a slayer and two guards to escort Belial. All the shoulder pads are from Scibor. They need some work but are totally worth it !

Belial is equiped with a Space Wolf lightning claws. I founded them better than the Dark Angels ones. (And I  love the idea of having wome SW bitz on a DA mini).

And to apologise for being late, here is a WiP of the all new Dreadnought.

Plan. To know where to go.

My major problem, apart from the volume of minis in stock, is to plan painting. Not that I don't like painting minis. But I don't know anything more frustrating than spending hours on a mini to see it waiting on the shelf. For a long time. A very a long time.

This is why I prepare, plan, anticipate and try as much as possible to stick to my painting planning. It runs over one year, from September to July, August being booked by vacancies, family and Med Tour. And this year, I set the red line : to mount and renew, a 100% Deathwing army for the Med Tour 2014.

3k Dark Angels army, Work in Progress…

In order to motivate myslef, I started by leaving the figurines out of the shelfs. I disposed the army on a plate, with empty bases for the missing terminators, in the center of the "Holly Hobby room". Permanent recall of the objective to be reached…

To mount and renew. My first Dark Angels appeared in 2008, the color diagram changed since. This is why I decided to renew all my 4k+ points DA army...

Are new Space Marines shiny enough ?

Let's be clear : this won't be another all Games Workshop hate post. I jus't won't buy the all new Space Marines Codex.

I'm a Dark Angels player, enjoying GW games since 2002. I started with Warhammer and started 40k one year after. 

I enjoy 40k and Space Marines. I played SMC(v3), Necrons(v4), Tau(v4), Dark Angels(v4), Space Marines(v5) and finally came back to my first love with 40kv6 : Dark Angels.

When I saw the new SM minis, I cried tears of joy ! The Vets sprues are what I dreamed about since I played. They avec good postures, helmets and armors are awesome, we get all the guns options... But I won't buy anything. [Cymbals !]

My working place.

On the picture, you can see a red coach. Which is completly full of 40k minis... All unpainted. And the black one under is full of non 40k minis. All un painted too. I think that's two good reason.

The other reason is I won't race for the top anymore.

The new codex contains new guns. New units. All new and shiny. All new and SO FREAKING POWERFULL ! Space Marines will be the army to be played for the next month. Many will buy it, mount it and play it. -I didn't say paint it, too hard-

During my last tournament, I met three gamers type : 

1. only here to win (ready to cheat)
2. wanna be a player (unpainted army) 
3. "cool bro, it's only a game"

Gamers like #1 and #2 will buy this damn new codex, play a cheesy army and feel like the king of the world. I will stay with my Dark Angels, play an army with tactical squads, assault marines and so on. And it won't be an army to win at any price, it'll be an army to have pleasure with !

Forget players 1 and 2, they won't understand. I had a fantastic game with #3. We both were fighting... for the last place ! We wanted it !

But we didn't play crap. We both had good but cool armies, fully painted, and we throw everything we had in battle to win this fight. If you don't offer a challenge, where's the pleasure ?

It gave me another point of view : we can play for pleasure, for the game, for both of us. This is why I'll keep playing Dark Angels, the army I dreamed to play since I saw a Deathwing terminator on a Space Hulk box.

Med Tour (3)

When you are at the Med Tour, you'll have to prepare your eyes. There are so many cool minis it'll blow up your mind ! Here are some pics to give you a hint.

This is Redbreast, da Ruzz Bot based on an old Armorcast model.

Awesome conversion and painting work created an incredible piece of war.

Sadly, he's owner's a Bad Moon...  

 Knight Titan vs Old World creature.

Only Tzeench could have created such a fight.

 Welcome to the Med Tour 2013 !

This year, we don't have one, but two Chaotic Reavers to spread fear and despair !

 Typical Med Tour picture : 

a heavily modified Stompa follows a Blight Wheel Miniatures Knight. 

 

Le Med Tour in a picture...

Med Tour (part 2)

Apocalypse, da real one !

The Med Tour is first and foremost an opportunity for a small number of players to meet around a table and play a Warhammer 40.000 Apocalypse game.

But not the good old Gran'pa Apo where you come with all kind of armies and a bunch of allies to fill the 3k army list ! 

I'm talking about an apocalypse game for real players, where armies count 3k points without allies, with more Super Heavies that you've ever seen in your all life...

I'm talking about the Forge World Apocalypse, the real one.

No less than FOUR super heavies in this picture...

Saturday game :

  The good side : Ultramarines (Bamako) - Dark Angels (Aarghal) and Eldars (Patriarche)

  The Bad side : Bad Moons (Greg) - Thousand Sons (Alaric) and GI (Duncan)

We had a lot of Super Heavies :

  - One Tzeench Silver Tower (hand made)

  - Two Ruzz Bots (old Armorcast)

  - One Baneblade (Games Workshop kit)

  - One Shadowsword (Games Workshop kit)

  - Two Titan Knights (garage OOP series)

Half the bad ones army in front of me ? CHAAAAARGE !!!

The game was epic. Full of twists, situations reversals, apocalyptic explosions and setbacks. Imagine the devastating effects of the new big apocalyptic explosion when a titan explodes !  - 

One of the game's best time : I deepstriked with no less than 30 terminators, and Belial, on turn 2.

I love playing my terminators. In a 1500 pts game, I'm playing a squand counting 10 terminators every time I can.

For this week-end, I played :

  - Belial

  - 10 T with two heavy flammers*

  - 10 T with two assault canons

  - 10 Deathwing Knights

*including 4 lightning claws pairs and 3 Thunder Hammers.

Med Tour 2013 (1)

  My apologies for last week. I didn't post anything and I'm ashamed about it. I was completly out of control with the Med Tour event.

  It started with a long two weeks painting rush.
I can't hold a pencil for a month, but it was totally worth it !

3k Dark Angels Army. Repent for your sins !

  With Belial as an HQ, all terminators are troops. Almost : Deathwing Knights aren't. 

  This allowed me to grab only one minis bag. I had a 10 hours train travel, including two train changes.

  The gaming room is ready, with four tables for a 3 vs 3 game. Almost all are made with Games Workshop -and Forge World- hard tables.

  This will be a pretty good gaming week-end !

[more next post, next week]

Dark Vengeance part. 1 : terminators - WiP 5

  There are only four days left before I have to stop painting, leave the house, take the train and have an all day long train trip.

To do :

• Faces
• Angels wings
• Metallics

Then they'll be ready for the Med Tour 2013 Apocalyspe !

Dark Vengeance part. 1 : terminators - WiP 4

Still late, but I made some progress.

3 down, two more to go.

Ready for metal !

  Two more Knights to paint, and it's a sweet sensation to see all these minis painted. Metalics and faces are to be made, and I'll be ready fir the Med Tour 2013.

Dark Vengeance part. 1 : terminators - WiP 3

  I'm late. Real life problems don't allow enough time to paint, and I'm in a hurry to get my 3k Dark Angels army for the Med Tour Apocalypse (10 & 11 august 2013).

Two Deathwing Knights are almost ready, three more to go. Metallics aren't done, neither their faces.

Two tacticals terminators are done, third one's waiting.

  Being in a hurry, I decided to change my painting technics. Before, I painted all the bases and metalics, then all the highligths and finally the shades. Too long.

  Now, I start with the darkest color, paint bases, shades & highlights. I repeat this operation till I finishes with the brightest one. Then comes the metallic.This method allows me to reduce the painting zones ans helps to "read" the mini while painting.