Painting Khador Warjacks - Now with Battle Damage

I decided to add some additional details to my models after some input both from my gaming buddies and a few forums I frequent to my two Warjacks.  I used a similar technique from how I painted up my Baneblade earlier this year, and wrote about here.

I also tried a new technique my Warmachine Sensei showed me, adding metal itself to the chipping to help show multiple layers of the damage.  It was a bit tedious, but the effect was way worth it.  You can see damage that went to the primer and then damage that went all the way to the metal, just like on real battle damaged equipment. 

On with the pictures!!

Painting Khador Warjacks

I've spent some time this week chipping away at my two Khador Warjacks.  I have a destroyer and a Juggernaut, both from the two player starter set that I bought last year.  It took a while for Warmachine to stick with me, there is a lot about it I still don't like, but it's finally caught on for me personally.

 I'm still unsure how much I really like this game, or I just need something other then Games Workshop, but either way I've been allocating focus for a few weeks and I can't get enough.   The only problem  is I only had one unit out of my list painted, so I decided I needed to put some brush time in.

I had already airbrushed my entire 35 point Khador list with a few red base coats, so a good chuck of the work has been done.

I started by giving the models a coat of Dark Sepia wash by Secret Weapon Miniatures.  I wanted my Warjacks to look very used, so this helped add some dirt to the model.  I also used some Boltgun Metal to paint the metal bits, Tin Bitz on the exhaust, and a Brass color on the heads/spikes.  Badab black went on all the metal surfaces (except axes, that got some of the new Games Workshop blue glaze) and another highlight of mithril silver to pick out raised edges went on the fists and guns.   I am pretty happy with how they turned out, it was about seven or eight hours to get both of these guys on the table, which for me is pretty quick.

Citadel Finecast - one year later and still problems

It's been one year (okay, 11 months) since the launch of Finecast.  Most folks from day one (okay, from when rumors of Games Workshop ditching metal surfaced) have felt this is a bad move and this hasn't change much since then.  For the most part I have, up until yesterday thought Finecast was a good move.  The complaints always made sense, I just used to of the opinion that the problems were temporary. The casting has issues, and the price increase that came along with it was disingenuous at best.  A year later and it hasn't gotten any better. Games Workshop's claim of this being an improvement on metal is clearly now patently untrue.

There are advantages to be had with finecast as I hate metal, and this could be an elegant solution.  The reason it's not is because Games Workshop fails on every level put any effort into quality control.  As I wrote about in a post last year on the quality issues, I work in manufacturing.  Games Workshop's unwillingness to have any sort of quality control program is just infuriating.  I'm almost at the point where I want to stop playing the game.  I understand casting problems, if the process just creates a lot miscasts (and they can't fix it) that's okay.  What is not okay, is no quality control.  These miscasts should not be making it into boxes.

What made me write this post, instead of my planned one about finishing my Manticore, was a Hellcannon I got in the mail yesterday.  I hadn't planned on opening up the box, as it's going to be a few weeks until I work on Fantasy (I had planned it for my summer painting project) I knew I should check for miscasts.  I am really glad I did.

Not only are there tons of miscasts (10 plus pieces have issues) I got two right barrels.  Is Games Workshop even trying?  At this point it feels like Games Workshop is trying to break up with me, and just doesn't have the balls to do it.   Are they just trying to see how much they can get away with?

I did the math.  I have bought 5 finecast models in the last year.   Two of them did not have any real issues (some bubbles, but not much).  Three of the five I had to call Games Workshop about.  One of them, the Draigo I got on day one (and wrote about here) I had to call them back as the replacement model had issues.

Sixty percent failure rate might as well be one hundred percent.  I realize this is a small sample size, but these are models bought at different times, from different vendors.  Games Workshop should be embarrassed, as a manufacturer I would be, but at the end of the day it just feels like their business model doesn't required them to care.

My Painted Blood Ravens are on the chopping block

With sixth edition bearing down us in the next few months I've decided I need to clean out my stable.  I am going to post up two or three of my armies, trying to thin it down as I know with sixth I will want to do something new.  Right now I have way too many painted armies.  Here they are, in order of newness.

• Space Wolves
• Grey Knights (Sort of a Draigowing)
• Imperial Guard
• Chaos Space Marines (Mostly Nurgle)
• Blood Ravens (Blood Angels)
• Space Marine Company

The Blood Ravens, while one of my favorite armies from a lore and play style, are one of the easiest to get rid of, as they are my oldest army and the paint job reflects it.  I did it before I knew about washes, line highlighting, and a few other methods that while it wasn't a bad paint job it frustrates me to look at now.

Below are a few last pictures I took before they get sacrificed on the altar of eBay.  I hope whoever gets them enjoys them as much I did. 

Bring out your brushes! Painting a Chaos Manticore Part 2

I made some more progress last night on the Manticore.  I put two coats of orange and one coat of yellow down.  The orange layer paint covers about the same as the old stuff.  That is not well.  I did find the paint was smooth but way too thick and I still had to thin it down.  I guess it's better, as I get more paint if it comes like this, I just don't get why Games Workshop doesn't properly mix their own paint.

After the first orange.

 After the second orange.

 I then put down the yellow. 

The hair will be getting another, brighter coat of yellow, and with a final highlight of white.  I am then going to try one of the new glazes. 

Painting a Chaos Manticore - Airbrush time

After my game last weekend, I picked up some of the new Citadel paints to try painting my Manticore and rider for my Warriors of Chaos army.  I decided to try painting a purple into red scheme, I haven't done anything like this before, so I got some advice on colors and techniques from the store's very talented manager.  I can't say enough good things about this store and this guy.  He is an amazing painter and is always willing to walk you through some pretty advanced methods, and break it down into a simple step by step that even a klutz like me can do.

I had actually pulled out my airbrush a couple of nights before, but found it was a bit clogged up to actually use.  After half an hour of cleaning and reassembly, and it still being clogged, I decided to soak some bits of it overnight in cleaner.  Sure enough, that did the trick. 

I picked up 4 paints to use.  First coat was Naggaroth Night, a base.  I sprayed this on the entire model.

I then sprayed Xereus purple on the top 3/4 of the model.This came out very subtle, and I am hoping the glaze coats I am going to do will  help bring it out.

I then coated Screamer Pink on the top 2/3 of the model.  This was the first "red" color.

The final coat was Wazdakka red.

My next step is to work on the mane, which I have two yellows I am going to lay down tonight. So far I am very pleased with how it's coming out.

Finally rolled some dice

I haven't had much time (or desire) to do much dice rolling lately.  I think I was a bit burned out on the whole space wolves project, and it killed my urge to game lately.  But...now I'm back in it, though of the square base variety.

I took my Warriors of Chaos and my Son and his Skaven down to our local GW store where they do a beginners day every Sunday.  We played a game and we actually had some help to learn how to play the right way.  We've struggled through a few games, but they go slow as we look up rules and there is almost no actual tactics, just smash our models into each other. 

 The store manager was able to sit down with us during parts of the game and walk my Son through how to beat my face in with his Skaven.  While seeing my poor models get destroyed it was a great experience for him to see what he has to do with his army.