Deathwing Banner: Complete!

Hey again people, I have an update I've been waiting to do for quite a long time! I can now present my completed Deathwing Standard Bearer:  

The banner itself is simply a home-made transfer. However, once I applied it, some of the damned ink began to seep (especially all that red). So, in order to save it I had to go over the green parts with paint. I also had to repaint all the white as it looked pink! That involved doing the fiddly wings and white border and I was very impressed that I managed to stay in the lines, they are bloody thin.  

I've also tried to take down some of the shine with a coat of purity seal - its improved but still not as matt as I'd like. Honestly the banner is not quite as good as I'd hoped it might be, but I'm still very pleased with it. Although its a bit of a cheat, its far better than I could of done freehand! And I'm almost glad the ink ran - the fact that I had to touch up areas means at least I've painted some it :P  

So I'm now happy to give you all a complete, up to date shot of everything I have completed: Thats 1750pts of DA. It's taken me about 9 months to do this lot! Theres only 1250pts left to do, almost there...  

I'll leave you with a better photo of my Interrogator Chaplain (as I really wasn't happy with the previous pics) & the first completed D'Wing of my 3rd Squad. 

Thanks for reading!

(Larger pics can be found here)

Deathwing objectives for the lazy...

Rightio, heres a small update for you all, hot on the heels of the last. 
I've just sent off my entry fee to go to a small local 1750 tourni called the Pompey Pillage. Part of the requirements are to bring your own objective counters, so I've rustled up these nice and quick: 

The three identical ones are the teleport homers you get in Terminator boxes, that I would never otherwise use. 

The downed Ravenwing marine is clutching a scroll from the Terminator Chaplain blister, and involved a simple leg and arm twist. The scroll ties in with the final objective, the book. 

Hopefully it portrays that the Ravenwing were scouring the battlefield for signs of the Fallen, in the shape of the book and scroll, before they were engaged by an enemy force.

I deliberately used a beaky helmet for the book base, because it can pass off as a RT/pre-heresy marine. I'm thinking I might paint it up Green (or possibly the pre-heresy black scheme) and try to free hand some sort of Chaos symbol on it. Or get a hold of a choas transfer. It would be a further sign of the presence of the fallen, that ties in with my fluff. 

I'm going to be painting this along with my last D'wing squad that I've started (and I'd almost forgotten how long they take!!). I'll paint a termi, then an objective, then a termi and so on.

Anywho, I'm rambling, let me know what you think guys.

Tale of Painters Dealine 6: Met & Project Complete!

Well, its been a while hasn't it...

I come, bearing updates! However, I also come bearing crappy shots on a camera phone. Unfortunately its all I have to work with right now, but I'm hoping I can get some better pictures soon. 

As for the actual update: well, I finished the Tale of Painters challenge on Librarium Online. My final monthly entry and 1000pt army are shown below:

The camera has washed out most of the colour which is disappointing. Most annoyingly though, the shots of my Interrogator Chaplain aren't as nice as I would like. Especially as I think its the best model I've ever done!

(Larger photos of the Chaplain can be seen here, and the ToP entry here)

The photos have washed out some of the highlighting, especially on the wings were I took the time to apply a few layers of highlight, from bone to white. Still though, he looks suitably menacing: 

''Repent, for tomorrow....I shall hit you with my big holy stick''

Also worth its own picture is the Tactical Squad Sergeant. I'm getting the power sword process done pretty quick now, which is useful!  

And that's all for now. I'm chuffed as hell to have made it through ToP. It's been a great start to my planned 3000pts of DA, who are now over half done! I think the painting might have cost me a few marks off my degree in my final year - but this is not a hobby for someone with his priorities in the right order! 

Next to do, after scrambling to write a dissertation, is the final Deathwing Squad. They are all assembled and just awaiting some paint. 

And even if I fail the degree I could become a crazed painter-hobo. That wouldn't be so bad...

Let me know what you think people! 

And now, time for a short commercial break...

Today I'm breaking with my normal service of Dark Angels flavoured goodness to bring you something completely different. After much lurking around, my crazy Dutch friend CJ has finally entered the wonderful world of 40k blogging. Knowing how difficult it can be to find readers in the early days I'm doing my best to get him some coverage! 

The Dragon Riders

CJ is doing some awesome work with the familiar old Saim-Hann theme. Taking the tactics of Fritz he's added his own completely unique modeling ideas. Make sure you go and check out the Dragon Riders. It's early days yet, but its promising stuff! 

++++ ++++

Okay, I couldn't quite resist talking about Dark Angels, but it is my blog after all! Anyway, here's a quick snap shot of my painting table. The last ToP entry is coming along nicely, and quickly! This is great, because I'm only able to catch about an hour of painting every other day at the moment. At this rate, I'll coast through the final deadline! 

Thanks for reading!

Of Termis and Tournis

First off, the Deathwing are highlighted! 

Those of you who have been following The Astronomican for a while will know its taken me months to get around to doing this. I really wish I'd done it earlier now...

Anyway, here are some photos of the vastly improved models.

Termi Squad 1

Termi Squad 2

(Bigger photos available here)

What this means is that the 1500pts army list is so very nearly done! All I have left to do is print off a transfer for the Deathwing Banner. I'll have to wait a couple of weeks until I can get my hands on a high quailty printer but, the moment it's all sorted, there will be army photos a plenty! 

In the mean time its on to struggling to find time to paint my final Tale of Painters entry. I am determined not fail at the last round, university be dammed! 

Now, on to Tournis. I've finally found some time to go on my first ever tournament. Me and my Dark Angels will be whizzing our way up to Liverpool for the WPS Club Challenge on the 16/17th of May this year. I'll be heading up with my local club, the Bristol Vanguard and hopefully I wont let them down too much!  

Anyway the point of telling you all this (bar sharing my geeky excitement with people who will understand) is twofold:

1st - What advice you would give someone preparing for their first tournament. What should I bring? Should I get anything especially? What sort of things would a 'casual gamer' like me overlook? 

2nd - Are any of my UK readers out there going to the WPS?? Would be great to put a face to some of the usernames out there (in a totally non-stalkerish way you understand). And, again to the UK readership, what other tournaments are you guys planning to attend this summer? I'm looking at doing one more, and I would love some recommendations! 

Right then, lets see if anyone can help me. Thanks for reading! 

Tale of Painters Deadline 5: Met

Well, its the penultimate month of the Tale of Painters challenge on Librarium Online. Of the 54 entrants back in September, only 11 or 12 people are left. And am I glad to say that I continue to be one of them!  

Here are a few (admittedly rushed) shots of my entry:






And a picture of the Sergeants face - not great for seeing detail, but a really atmospheric shot I thought!



I'm pretty happy with how these guys turned out. I managed to get them done in just over a week, which for me is extraordinarily fast! It also means I've finally painted everything in the Ravenwing Box.

For next month I'll be painting a Terminator Chappy and 5 Tactical Marines. This will get me up to the ToP requirements of 1000pts with at least 1 HQ and 2 Troops.

However, before I start them, I have finally finally started to highlight the Deathwing Squads. 5 guys are done, the remaining 5 should be finished shortly. Most excitingly of all, I'm going to have access to my home printer in the next couple of weeks so I'll be able to make up the transfer for my Deathwing Banner. With that, the first 1500pts of my DA will be completely finished. I cant wait!

I'm also working on a blog post with some thoughts on my DA, as they have now seen their first 10 games. This will be slow in coming & dependant on getting uni work done.

Thanks for stopping by...

Land Raider Crusader Completed

I'm not dead! Honest! 

As I feared, the last few months of university are proving a nightmare and I'm not being able to blog or paint nearly as much as I would like. However, its not all doom and gloom as I have finished my first Land Raider, and I think she's a beauty: 

Front

Left Side

Back

Right Side

Detail

(Bigger pics can be found here)

Sorry for the plethora of pictures, I just couldn't decide which ones to cut out. Plus I hope that somebody might use them for reference when painting their own models. I know I used pictures off forums when doing this!

This took me about 2 and half weeks to complete, mainly because the doing a dissertation means my painting time has been much reduced! I wasn't planning on using this for ToP, but if I cant get some Ravenwing done before the 19th, I may have too. With work as it is, that looks likely!

Thanks for looking guys!