++++INLOADING DATAFILE 094++++ More Truescale progress

So I've been doing more work on my Word Bearers, I think we finally have achieved good positive inertia on this project. You know, the point at which it's easier to keep going then to stop, kind of like the descent into chaos actually...





EDIT: I apologize for the graininess of these photos.  I was posting from my iPhone and sometimes it does a terrible job uploading photos.  I'll take better ones and replace these as they look like ass.

++++INLOADING DATAFILE 093++++ Autocannon test model

So I'm still working away on these guys, for a while now I've wanted to try doing a Havoc Squad with Autocannons using a bunch of Reaper Autocannons I've had for a while.

This is the first one I've put together as a test model. Still needs lots of finishing touches.

Interdictor cruiser W.I.P. 3.0

So it's been a while since I've posted any updates of the Interdictor Cruiser I've been building for use at some cons. The construction was paused because it was hard to keep moving forwards without having the gravity well generators done and ready to be installed. If I did the detailing and the generators didn't fit just right it would be a failure.

About a month ago Jeff James made a 3D model of the gravity well generators that came out amazingly. That went off to Shapeways for printing and came back a whole week ahead of time! It's 8" in diameter and 2.5" tall. It's beautiful and fits into the slots I cut perfectly!

Now I just need to make a mold and cast copies. I have a lot of clear resin lying around, so my plan is to cast transparent copies of it. That plus careful painting and some LED work will allow the gravity well generators to light up!!!

Unfortunately It will probably be at least a week before I can make the mold, and I have another two week course for the national guard later this month as well as work and the beginning of another semester.

As a result it can't be finished by Captaincon as I had originally hoped (Feb 6th). I will definitely have this thing finished by the regional championships, it will definitely be at the Rhode Island regional and maybe some others in New England/the North East if people want me to bring it.

Super awesome day!

++++INLOADING DATAFILE 092++++ Massive Truescale Word Bearers Update pt1

So I've been meaning to upload these pictures for months.  I've been doing a LOT of work on the truescales over the last few months, I"m now up to about 10 which are finished and 8 which are works in progress.  I just played in an Apoc game yesterday where I had two squads as a part of my 3000 point host, it was quite awesome to see.  Apoc sadly is built to rob any chances of climatic moments, when my warlord and the Dark Angels player's warlord were moving to duel a necron player came in an killed my warlord before it could happen despite our asking that he not, huzzah for trolling...

Anyways these are some old pictures of a bunch of the minis as works in progress.  I wanted to show what they look like mid stage so you guys can see my process.  I'll take more pictures of the finished pieces this week and make another much larger part of the post.  So much to update.

Dark Apostle Mik'esh Ng'ath

This model was inspired initially pose wise by the superb chaplain model from the Betrayal at Calth boxed set.  The cape is from a chosen model and the purity seals are from the regular dark apostle model.  Its amazing how you can take parts from such static models and use them to convey movement and emotion in a piece.  The backpack is a merger between the Sorceror's backpack and the Dark Apostle backpack.  The mace was a place holder, just wait till you see the finished piece.

Hurray changing paint scheme for Word Bearers

So to completely break from the norm I wanted to talk briefly about the new paint scheme for the Word Bearer's legion featured in the Betrayal at Calth game. To put it bluntly I'm a big fan of the new paint scheme, it is both more visually interesting and matches the description from the lore better. The odd thing is that historically the Word Bearers' paint scheme has been changing back and forth between two versions for over a decade, which has made figuring out how to paint mine hard until now.

In the lore the Word Bearer's legion colors are described as being the red of dried blood and the fires of damnation. Trim is done with bare metal and black. This has resulted over time in artwork showing a bright crimson red, but in painting guides and EVERY army I could find online the paint scheme has been a dark brownish crimson. Now other armies have undergone evolution paint scheme wise over time, Ultramarines being a excellent example (They used to have a LOT of bright yellow trim), but the Word Bearer's paint scheme has been an oddity for over a decade in that in newer artwork their colors had changed but in painting guides and army books it was stuck in 3rd edition. Here is a run down of how things have evolved over time.

3.5 edition Chaps Space Marine Codex

Until Betrayal at Calth this has been the only non-Forge World release for Word Bearers from GW for 15 years. As you can see the paint scheme is a darker crimson that verges on brown or purple.




This was their established paint scheme for a LONG time.

Dawn of War

For me the most stunning (and only) depiction of Word Bearers models painted on their updated colors prior to Betrayal at Calth was in a DLC for the game Dawn of War 2. As you can see the armor is a bright crimson without any brown and it's visually impressive. It also does NOT make them look like Blood Angels.

This is the color scheme I was trying to emulate with my army. (poorly as I am not a skilled painter)



Word Bearers Novels

If you haven't read these READ THEM!!! They are VERY good books, especially book 3. Both the White Consuls and Word Bearers are so awesome and fleshed out that I found I was rooting for both sides.

These were the other "official" portrayals of Word Bearers from GW art wise for a decade. Their cover arts are each slightly different, but shadows aside the red is a brighter crimson.




Bright in shadow




Modern bright crimson




Again bright crimson

Forge World's Horus Heresy A.K.A. "The big reversal"

So between Dawn of War 2, the Black Library novel covers, and the total lack of Word Bearer releases from GW it seemed for a decade that the paint scheme had in fact changed. Then Forge World decided "nope" and they depicted Word Bearers in their old 3rd edition 'rust brown' Crimson armor.

Ok so apparently we didn't change from the old scheme, which to my eye is less visually interesting and lacks highlights.




The First Heretic

BUT WAIT!!! Then Black Library released "The First Heretic", again an awesome book, and they went BACK to the updated brighter color scheme. Ok, so now the colors have changed then.

The Gal Vorbak on the cover have the brighter crimson consistent with Dawn of War 2 and the other novels. But...



Forge World Word Bearers pt 2

Then Forge World released a second wave of Word Bearers models including these amazing Gal Vorbak models. Models painted in the OLD 3rd edition dark crimson scheme.


So that catches us up to now and the new hopefully final paint scheme.

Betrayal at Calth

So the Betrayal at Calth is the first new Word Bearer release from GW proper since their "daemon bomb" codex entry in the old 3.5 edition codex. I am hoping that it will be the paint scheme they will stick with into the future, as it looks stunning and does not look like Blood Angels to my eye.



What gives me confidence that the manic nature of the Word Bearers color scheme has come to an end is that we now have a new painting guide for them, so hopefully that means this one is here to stay.




Now I just need to buy all those paints...

++++INLOADING DATAFILE 091++++ Word Bearers Aspiring Champion

So after a summer of AoS inspired despair turned me away from GW stuff for a while, I've finally completed the grieving process for Warhammer: Fantasy Battles and so I've started working on some projects again.

At the moment I'm in the second week of phase 1 of the Captain's Career Course at Fort Lee, VA, and I brought down supplies to work on some true scale Word Bearers. I'm now up to 11, with 1 Aspiring Champion and a replacement Dark Apostle (who looks amazing).

The problem is that none of the computers I have access to here will let me post on Blogger, and uploading photos via the iPhone app almost never works. But here is a sample, my first Aspiring Champion: Vorgash Nn'uhl.




It's remarkable to me how fast I can produce a single true scale marine now that I've refined my methods and have the press molds for making the armor components. I finished him over the course of two days while working on a batch of 5.

The cloak of the chaos lord from the dark vengeance starter set works very well if you trim it down and helps add movement and dynamism to his commanding pose. The impurity seals add to this effect and were left over from the dark apostle, who will be in the next post.




Here is a comparison shot next to a regular space marine model. These true scales really convey the shear mass of a space marine, I couldn't be happier with the way they are coming.

Oh and you can't see it in this photo, but he is armed with a power first and combi-melta which is chained to his backpack, the bolt pistol is there for epicness purposes.

I'll post more pictures when I have access to a non-government computer.

WIP Interdictor Cruiser pt. 2

So a quick update today.  I've started doing the plasticard work on the Interdictor, here is a picture from the first session or work after about 1 hour of work.  If you were wondering the black stuff is electrical tape, which I have been putting over the edges of the foamcore board both to protect it from glue and to mask divots and air bubbles.  It was an idea I had during the initial mock up and so far its working quite well, the tape takes glue well and is held in place by the plasticard layered over it.