Catching Up: 40k Terrain, Bats, Enforcers and Tyranids?!

So, my last post was a full four weeks ago! The Real Life™ really had its talons in me... Nevertheless, I managed to finish up a few things and and finally photograph them too: There are some Fronteris terrain pieces, reinforcements for my Badab Enforcers and Fell Bats for the Cursed City. And of course, the 40k hype train did not pass me by and I started to work on some old Tyranids.

Pict 1317: Badab Enforcers on Patrol

Pict 1318: Fronteris Landing Pad, STC Hab Bunker and Bastion Vox Array

Pict 1319: Fronteris Landing Pad, STC Hab Bunker and Bastion Vox Array

In my last post, I showd a WIP of some more 40k terrain. Shortly after this picture, I threw on an oilwash and once this had dried, put on some highlights with a sponge. And of course the finishing touch are the weathering powders. I'm really happy with these and look forward to playing a game of 30k or even 40k on them!

Pict 1320: Fell Bats

Pict 1321: Fell Bats

To get back into finishing up miniatures and highlighting (instead of just building and putting down base colours) I finished these three Fell Bats. Once again, these will be part of my Cursed City collection and do count towards my resolution of painting and playing at least of the expansions.

1322: Arachnos Rogue Dox and Orderlies, Badab Enforcers

Pict 1323: Arachnos Rogue Dox and Orderlies, Badab Enforcers

I also finished up these reinforcements for my Badab Enforcers. Once again painted to be usable as part of the Tyrant's Legion. Doctor Arachnos and especially his two cultist orderlies were a bit more of an experiment on what skin tone I could achieve with sponging and an oil wash. In the end they are a bit pale for my liking but I will call them done and be content for now.

Pict 1324: Horus Heresy Blood Angels Scouts (WIP)

Keeping with the Sci-Fi theme, I converted some Scouts for my Heresy Blood Angels. I removed the wings on their chestarmour and added some era appropriate bits such as the Thunder Edge pattern Chain Swords from the MK III kit as well as a Vexillum and a Nuncio Vox. I really like how the bare heads from the new MK VI kit look on the scout bodies. To avoid to may repeats, one of them got the obligatory Blood Angel boy band haircut.

Pict 1325: Wight King BSB (WIP)

Whilst building, I put together this Wight King BSB that was made by ForgeWorld. I recently got him in a bits lot fro really cheap sind he was missing one of the skeletons holding his banner. Thankfully a dive into the bits box rectifyed that vacancy quickly. I'm looking forward to putting paint on him; probably at the same time, I get to the Grave Guard needed for Cursed City.

Pict 1326: Trygon and Vernomthropes (WIP)

Lastly, the terrain was not the only thing that got me back into 40k. A new edition is always a chance to get back to some favourites. And of course, for me that's the Tyranids, the miniatures that started me on my hobby journey.

For now, there is not that much to show - just a base coated ForgeWorld Trygon and a pair of Venomthropes. The Trygon has sat in this state for years now and I really should do them the honor and get some paint on them. The Venomthopes probably were my first attempt at a conversion using metal miniatures. I'm surprised the hacked of and switched out tail of a Zoanthrope did not fall of as often as it did – back in the day I did not use pins between the bits! Anyways, I had taken them apart and stripped them a few years back. Redoing the conversion at my current skill level was really satisfying and I'm looking forward to painting them!

Radukar the Beast for #MonsterMarch

I just about managed to finish Radukar the Beast, my #MonsterMarch project during the last few hours of march. Before that I was distracted by the five Badab Enforcers but I also got those done.

Pict 1289: Radukar the Beast and Vyrkos Bloodborn Attendants

Pict 1290: Radukar the Beast and Vyrkos Bloodborn Attendants

Pict 1291: Radukar the Beast and Vyrkos Bloodborn Attendants

I'm really quite happy with how Radukar came out in the end. I dreaded painting the pale skin because I remeber this being the hardest part to get right when I painted the laset few vampires from the Cursed City box. But with the help of the wet palette this was significantly easier. I also like the eyes I painted on Radukar – the faces on the two Vyrkos Bloodborn were a bit more difficult and don't look quite as good...

Pict 1292: Badab Enforcers

Pict 1293: Badab Enforcers

Pict 1294: Badab Enforcers

The Badab Enforcers really came together with the highlights sponged on and a brown oil wash. I did go back in with a few smaller brushed on highlights, but not that much. I like how fast these were to paint and the dirty, grimy effect of relying on the sponge to do highlighting and texturing at the same time.

When I did the bases, I also went back to the Howling Griffons to add some pigment to them as well. I also gave them a small little decal of the chapter icon on the shoulders were appropriate, since I had acquired some late last year but had not used them yet.

Pict 1295: Fell Bats (WIP)

Continuing on from these two projects, I started on the Fell Bats needed for the first Cursed City expansion. The base colours went down quickly. After the washes I hope to finish the highlighting equally as fast. But having started them, I appreciate these amazing new sculpts even more!

Pict 1296: Howling Griffons Captain and Sternguard Veterans

I also started to paint up some more of the beautiful metal Space Marine Veterans for my Badab War Howling Griffons. The one with the Thunder Hammer is the 2008 Games Day Captain, the others are assorted Sternguard Veterans. The process of sponging ran even smoother this time with some new reverse-action tweezers instead of normal ones. Oh, the joys of new tools!

A Scottish Werewolf in the Desert

One week late, because the Real life is rearing its ugly head once again leaving me less time to paint than I would like... Nevertheless I managed to paint up five miniatures for Infinity to make a start on one of my new year's resolutions and put some paint on Radukar the Beast.

Pict 1285: McMurrough and Friends

Pict 1286: Yara Hadadd, Yasbir, McMurrough, Daylami and Ghulam Infantry

Seems like I cought the Infinity bug again. I blame Ash Barker's Tactical Awareness podcast! I've been listening for a while and have been thinking about painting something from the Infinity universe. These five will form part of my Hassassin sectorial.

The stand out has to be McMurrough the mercenary Dog-Warrior. What's not to love about a scottish Werewolf with a giant sword!

The Yara Hadaddad miniature is a conversion from an old Tuareg scuplt. I converted her right at the end of  my last stint with Infinity and painting her now seemed like the right thing to do!

The Ghulam with HMG is one of the oldest sculpts in my collection, right out of the first edition of the game. He'll probably play the part of a Ghulam with Grenade Launcher, at least as long as that load out is not available.

This was also the first time for me to make my own grass tufts. Really not that hard and they look great on the bases! Only problem is, that I will now have to go back through my collection and add tufts to the bases...

Having painted these five, I completed the first part of one of my new year's resolutions. Now, I only have to go ahead and play a game with them as well!

Pict 1287: Radukar the Beast and Vyrkos Bloodborn (WIP)

This is the first update on Radukar the Beast I'm painting for #MonsterMarch on my blog. You can see a first picture with the base colours established on Radukar the Beast and his two Vyrkos Bloodborn minions over on Swordmaster's blog. By now the three have had their washes and are waiting for the highlighting and detail work.

Pict 1288: Badab Enforcers (WIP)

Lastly I also started on these five Palanite Enforcers. I bought them second hand at the start of the year, so I don't know if they are built with legal loadouts. But since I want to use them in even smaller, narrative circumstances, I don't care that much. They will be part of my Badab War collection, forming the human compartment of the Tyrant's Legion.
For now, the basecoats are almost done. I plan to use mainly sponge highlighting and a heavy oil wash to give them a grimy look to tie them in to my Howling Griffons.