Death Guard Horus Heresy 30k Project: Part 2, Weathering Heights

New post for the new year! I finished weathering and painting for my nascent Death Guard 30k Heresy force. Painting these guys has been an absolute treat and hence the quick completion time for once. Nothing like smashing out the core troops and a HQ so you can move on to the fun toys next.

The weathering was always going to be the sticky part of this paint scheme, I tried a few different colors and weathering styles on some test models and was happiest with a simple rhinox hide first dabbed on spots and likely wear areas followed up by a very small detailed brush with leadbelcher. I tried to keep with the old style of highlighting the larger rhinox hide splotches to make them more 3d with the bare metal scratched look. I also used the leadbelcher to highlight the bronze trims on all the marines to make them look a bit more beaten and worn as well.

So yeah there you go, 20 tac marines and a HQ selection complete apart from transfers which I will get done when more of the force is complete. Time to get in some sneaky Zone Mortalis games I think!

Death Guard Horus Heresy 30k Project: Part 1 "What Paint Scheme?"

New year incoming so it feels like just the right time for a new project! Enter a Death Guard 30k Army to the list of things I start and have trouble finishing then! I will be building this force up to a 3k point all kitting up to use the Sacrificial Traitor Right of War, so lots of filthy expendable cultists and all the legion assets outflanking for some random fun. I have 3 Contemptor dreads and a leviathan as well for some added outflanking punch. Those will come later once I get the paint scheme down pat.

I got my hands on a pretty cheap Burning of Prospero boxed set and with 30 mark 3 marines to play around with plus my assorted left over bits and pieces from a few other projects I embarked on a 30k Death Guard test painting session.

I started with the standard base coating via an airbrush, Brown followed by a zenith grey highlight and then of course a strong white zenith highlight. This was all then heavily washed with Sepia Brown. After the Sepia was dry I gave each model a vigorous drybrushing of Pallid Wych Flesh. 

The green I was looking for the shoulder/legion marking was very much a departure from the usual drab washed out colors many others typically choose for 30k and even 40k Death Guard. I wanted something that would stand out and look particularly infectious and virulent, I ended up using Warp Stone followed with a green wash and then a thinned follow up coat of warpstone to get the desired green I was chasing.

I am still testing a weathering method/color I am happy with and will report back soon!

AOS Death Malignant and Nighthaunt Army Project Part 1: "Spooky Spooks"

So I have caught the AOS bug pretty hardcore and so has my local club, we are all hell for leather putting together 1000 point matched play armies as fast as our spare time and wallets will allow. I love the start collecting boxes Games Workshop keeps releasing not only are thy great value but they have some of the coolest sculpts and basic starter armies for most of the factions. I used to have a Vampire Counts force a while ago and really wanted to get into the whole Death faction.

Now with most of my projects I like to keep to a theme and build something you don't see on the table much or if at all. While Death did recently get the Flesh-Eater Courts update and as such has many more options available for a pure court army I was drawn to the much more restricted Nighthaunts with their heavy spectral and ghost themed units. After having play on the AOS app and in the newly release battlescribe update I was able to pin down a couple of quick 1000pt lists based purely on Nighthaunt units and purchased one of the new Malignant Starter sets and some extra units from my favorite Australian online retailer www.emeraldhobbies.com.au (free shipping over $100 and usually 20% discount is amazing).

The theme for the army was originally going to be Nighthaunts stranded in Aqshy the realm of fire and do them up all flame and fire like, but after struggling with the fire paint scheme I decided to go the quick and easy route and use the old ork flesh painting trick and wash the bright yellow base coat with green wash for instant fluro green spooky look. It worked thankfully!

This pic is about half way through the dry brushing stage, Once I have got the airbrushed base shading down I drybrush all the yellow areas several times to get a nice bright contrast going that will really pop when the green wash goes over it. 

I have a lot of work still to do on each model even after the green wash but you can defiantly see the theme pull through well now with the full on ghost/spirit look I was chasing. The whole army needs to feel insubstantial and ethereal and the painting as well as the models chosen to fill out the list should provide that. I have a Mourngul ordered and on its way from FW and can't wait to get that beast assembled and painted up ASAP!

AOS Destruction SpiderFang Grots Army Project Part 1: "The spider god calls my name"

With the overflow of people in my local club getting super pumped about AOS due to the fabulous generals handbook, I to have been caught up in the hype to bust out a fantasy army with round bases!

One of my unrealized dreams was to run a Orcs and Goblins army made up purely of spiders, giant spiders and a some more spiders! with the demise of 8th and the rise of AOS + the additions finally of matched play with points I am keen as beans to start up a couple of 1000-2000 points armies and the first off the ranks will be a spider heavy grots army.

I have like 60+ spiders stashed away in a box for just this moment and decided to use the oversupply of night lords themed paints I purchased way to many of and had lying around in surplus. The theme for the army is going to be a winter time dreary and decay base to try and match with my winter theme table at home and the spiders themselves are deep blue icy themed.

 Approached base coating as normal, black with white zenith highlights on the tops and leg bands. Then blue primary color over the top in a couple of thin coats for coverage. Tried 3 different patterns on the Arachnaroks carapace and simple bands and strips on the smaller spiders.

 I found a trio of river trolls in my bits box, so gave them a coat of paint as well in case I wanted something a little more hardy in my army later on.

 I attempted four different washes on the bases and found the green to be the effect I was chasing. oval bases were sourced from back2base-ix on ebay for the cheap price of $15 for 35 35x60mm oval laser cut bases, such a crazy good deal.

So that is the basing and base coats + shading done, now the long haul on details!

Brothers Revenge 2 ElectricBoogaLoo 30k Horus Heresy Doubles Event!

So Yesterday was the second 30k event for the Warrior Lodge club here in sunny Brisbane, Australia. We have been working hard to bring a friendly and chilled atmosphere to the 30k scene and to the club as a general rule

I finally finished painting my Scoria delivery system army and had a blast watching him eat all the HQs and elite units people would feed him only to find out his hunger for tears is infinite.

We had a great turn out with a good diversity of lists and all the painted armies on the painted terrain with FAT MATS was a nerds dream to see and play on. The work that has gone into furnishing the clubs gear has really paid off. If your in the area hit up TheWarriorLodge on facebook for times and days or just a chat. We play almost all the major systems out there not just Heresy.

Anyway here some of the pics I took on the day, I was going to get heaps more but I was hellishly sick the whole day and was just happy to be present and able to roll dice!

And here are some "action" shots of my teams games