I received a bucket full of my old miniatures in the mail, you have to love parents. I started playing 40K during the Rogue Trader days. Back then it didn't matter what your marines looked like, because they all shared the same stats. There weren't any rules differentiating the chapters. I had always wanted to run a crusader army with different units identified by their chapter colors. So I did that, and the following are my attempts to seeing that vision come true. The models bellow are 1st generation plastic Mark 6 Corvus Armor, with Mark 7 Aquila Armor arms and weapons. The plasma guns are 1st generation ork plastic plasma guns. Yes, that's how old they are, orks had plasma. Here's the kicker, all the single miniatures are made of lead.
Went to watch the new Total Recall. I enjoyed it. The story plot is still there, but missing the grandness of the original movie. I never got around to reading the book, it is on my reading list. If you are a fan of scifi and like to see see action and badass leading ladies, go check it out.
A while back I needed a airbrush booth where I could airbrush my miniatures without the concern of ending up with a multi-colored guest room. I looked on line for a sensibly priced booth, but I couldn't find one under $100. I decided to make my own. I used a large plastic storage container, a bathroom fan, some nuts, washer and bolts, and power cord. The materials cost me $60 at my local Home Depot. Here's the result.
I'm keeping busy putting together ork army lists for 40K 6th Edition. With the new rule set changing the way we fight, old lists must be reinvented, stronger, faster. Keeping in mind that achieving secondary objectives can mean the difference between winning and heart break, I am dedicating some points to a fast moving objective grabbing unit with zero survivability. I will fill this role with shoota boyz in a trukk. I don't want them to do anything other then capture an objective at the last second, or at the minimum end up in my opponents deployment zone at the end of the game. I'm going to be painting this unit with dark, dull colors so they attract as little attention as possible. I know it sounds silly to do so. I have played games where I completely forget about my opponents units because I just can't register them hiding in a crater or difficult terrain. More on this later.
I have a fondness for Mana, a Mexican rock band. Some of their music pisses me off, but I can't stay mad at them. Here's Mana's redition of Marc Anthony's - Hasta Que Te Conoci (Until I met you).
Here is one of Mana's hit songs Mariposa Traicionera (Treacherous Butterfly).
I painted up two squadrons of killa kans about three weeks ago. I've played a few games of 6th Edition, the units that have scored the 'win' for me have been my boyz. With infantry able to score primary and secondary objectives, they are a must have. To support my boyz mobs I wanted killa kans with grotzookas. Their size, fire power and mobility are choice for their intended purpose.
I haven't made the grotzookas yet. I was thinking about making them, and then sending the final pieces to Anvil Industries for resin casting. Right now my killa kans have rokkits launchas.
I use two types of airbrushes. The first one I purchased is an Iwata Eclipse HP CS Japan KF. I use it to base coat my miniatures, and to put down layers of paint on large models like my vehicles and buildings. The .35mm and .5mm nozzles are to big for fine detail work.
Here is a video on how to clean and care for your Eclipse airbrush, posted on YouTube by ChuckBauman.
The second airbrush I purchased is the Badger Renegade Krome. I use it as a general purpose airbrush, and a detail airbrush. The .21mm nozzle is great for painting highlights on armor. What I don't like about the Krome is how tiny the nozzle actually is. The nozzle is about 1/16", which makes it a pain to clean. When you clean the nozzle make sure you have placed a bowl underneath it, so in case it drops you can easily find it. The nozzle is also prone to clogging with thicker paints, this is to be expected since it is so small.
Here is a video on how to clean and care for your Krome airbrush, posted on Youtube by Airbrushnews.
My biggest mistake in my airbrush adventures was buying a tank less compressor. I own an Iwata Sprint Jet compressor. What a piece of garbage, the Spring Jet begins to over heat 20 minutes after its turn on. The only reason I don't buy a new one is the cost. Until my current compressor burns out, I'm compelled to use it.
I airbrushed some of my battlewagons at the beginning of July. I field my battlewagons with a deff rolla, two big shootas and red paint job. I think a deff rolla is the key to success, the damage it does bypasses the dismal ork ballistic skill. The next best thing would be a huge skorcha of some kind. I believe battlewagons should be painted red for the +1" to movement to help them deliver their payload as fast as possible. The two big shootas are there for light support, a throw back from 5th Edition.
I undercoat my vehicles with Black Krylon primer. I then use a deep brown color as my base coat. I then speckle on an orange color on top of the brown with a miniature clam shell sponge that were readily available in the old blister packs. Once the paint drys I use a sponge to apply a latex mask over the vehicle. These three steps are done before I add the first layers of actual color I want to use for the vehicle.
I used MarneusAugustaCalgar's armor painting method. The highlights are done towards the inside, while the edges are left in shadow.
