Grot Bombers In-Work

This weekend and Monday, I spent some time working on Grot Bombers and their dangerous payload.

Assembled Grot Bombers

I have magnetized the Grot Bombs on the wings, which will be neat I think.  The biggest question I have as I start to paint the bombers is whether to reverse the color scheme from the Eavy Bombers to make them stand-out as being very different.

For Christmas, I also received a second Wings of Vengeance box.  My plan is to paint-up a pair of aces, one Dakkajet and one Fighta-bomber.  On the Imperial aircraft, I may also paint up one of the Thunderbolts as an ace.

Holidays

No pictures today of the completed Imperial Ground Assets.  Overall, my experiment with Contrast over a Grey Seer base was fairly successful.  I did end up giving the green a pair of washes, first green and then earthshade.  Due to the holiday week, I am busy being with other people and participating in holiday "festivities" as appropriate/desired.  Next week may be more of "my week," but we will see how that goes.

Happy belated Solstice (21 Dec) to all.

Aeronautica Ground Assets

Colorful Ork Ground Assets 

This past week and weekend, I spent my painting time on getting the Ork Ground Assets painted in the same style as my Ork Skwadron.  The set of assets complete means that I have everything needed to field an Ork force in any of the game's scenarios.  These were done in a very similar way to the Ork aircraft.  I primed them Grey Seer and used Contrast paints.  I have avoided using metallic paint at this scale and focused on dark grey or browns for uncolored metals.

In-Work Imperial Assets

I also started in on the Imperial Ground Assets.  I am taking a different approach with them.  I have primed them a deep military green and am picking out the details I want to use Contrast paints on using the Grey Seer base.  This should make things somewhat faster.

As I go into the New Year, I have a pair of Grot Bombers to paint.  After that, I expect a second Aeronautica box from the gift giving.  I plan to start by adding 2 more Dakkajets and another Fighta-Bomba in "standard" colors.  1 Fighta-bomba and 1 Dakka Jet will get unique colors to even further differentiate aces!

Completed Eavy Bombers

'Eavy Bombers

Straight-forward post, finished the 'Eavy Bombers this past week.  Disappointingly, they did not see any air battle this past weekend.  I have also started in on painting up the Ork Ground Assets.  Like the aircraft, these are filled with details and are blast to paint.  I completed the two objectives and estimate I half-way through the guns.

Ground Assets

After these, I am thinking either the Imperial Navy Assets or spending some time on Titanicus, Necromunda, or a unit for my Kharadron Overlords.  My FLGS is talking about diving into a Age of Sigmar league for Jan-Mar and it may be a good push to get the Kharadrons up to a fully painted 2,000 points. 

Holiday Slump

Bombers in Work

This past week, I was far from productive when it comes to painting minis.  Long days at work and Thanksgiving festivities meant that I just did not find much time to paint.  This past Sunday, I did finish up painting one of the two Eavy Bombers.

While my brother played a game of 40k last Friday, Two and I played another game of Aeronautica.  We played the Straggler scenario, with nightfight rules in play.

I played the defending Imperial Navy against a horde of attacking/chasing Orks.  I managed to do enough damage to the attacking Orks to barely achieve a victory, but did lose the straggler bomber to the Orks.  A single Thunderbolt escaped without any damage, leaving a pair of damaged Dakkajets over the desert.

Deployed for Straggler

Aeronautica Game with Two

About to roll in on each other

This past week was filled with excuses for not getting more paint on the Eavy Bombers and moving onto the ground assets.

I had business travel Tuesday and Wednesday.  Thursday and Saturday, I got some orange on the Eavy Bombers, but no significant updates, like completing them.

On Friday, however, I dragged my son, nickname Two, to my FLGS for a night of gaming.  This included the pictured Aeronautica battle and a MTG draft.

Two took command of the Ork squadron and I commanded the Imperial Navy package.  Both of us had an ace (gold bases).  The Marauder Bombers slowly weaved across the Area of Engagement, making sure to bring their turret and tail guns to bear on nearby Orks.  The Thunderbolts managed to keep the Ork fighters interested and came out ahead, despite a dangerous tailing position that the Imperial Ace found themselves in.  The Imperial Navy solidly defeated the Orks in this fight, leaving only a single Dakka Jet on the table at the end of Turn 4.

Eavy Bombers

In Work Ork Ere Powr!

I have been steadily working on painting my pair of Ork Eavy Bombers.  They are fun to paint and have tons of little details to pick out.  Next step is really adding the orange color and then picking out some details with non-Contrast paints.

I also assembled all the ground assets and threw some paint on them.  I like all the assets and I think they could be fun to replicate at 40k scale for Kill Team or even 40k terrain.  After I finish up these bombers, I have some decisions to make painting wise.

I think the priorities are either a second gift Necromunda gang, enlarging the Ork Wing with a second starter box*, or shifting to rounding out the Kharadron.  There are lots of other small projects I could jump on as well.

*I will want the Imperials eventually as well.

Earlier in the week.

Slightly off-topic, I picked up the most recent White Dwarf after not really reading them in years.  They are definitely a solid publication again, with some interesting articles and features.

Marauders on High

Marauder's in Night Camo

This past week, I finished up the Marauder Bombers from the Aeronautica Imperialis core box.  For these I experimented with a lighter application of the same blue and then darkened areas to create the effect.  After painting the Thunderbolts, I wanted to break up the dark blue on the bombers.

Starter Box Imperial Navy done

I also decided to attempt free-hand nose art on both of them, which you can slightly see in the above image.

Imperial Navy Update

Weathered Thunderbolts

I finished up the Thunderbolts with some critics from my family about breaking up the flatness of some of the colors.  I am taking those lessons and applying them to painting the Marauders.  I am going to give the Marauders a bit more definition in color, by painting the blue on lightly first and then create areas of darkness.  My goal is to give a more camouflage look, while keeping the dark blue.

In-Work Marauders

I also got in another game (1.5 games) as Orks this weekend, getting wrecked in the first game and walking away with a win in the second after a bloody brawl.

This also inspired me to begin looking at potential event structures for

• A Rynn's World Campaign Day: play through the six missions in narrative order.
• An Aeronautica Imperialis/Kill Team Event Day, where results of previous missions decide what mission you play and what role you have.

M41 Air Combat

This weekend I got in a game of Aeronautica Imperialis and got all but the details done on the pair of Thunderbolts I own.

Orks Flight trying to salvage the fight

 The game of Aeronautica was the core box 3 Dakkajets, 2 Fighta-Bombas vs a pair of Thunderbolts, Marauder Bomber, and Marauder Destroyer.  Almost any time either of us shot, damage was imparted.  The Imperials managed to deny the Orks as many shooting opportunities, but the Green skins did manage to kill both Marauders.

I also have continued painting my own initial Imperial Navy aircraft.  I have gone with a deep dark blue.  The nose is supposed to evoke ancient (read 20th century) Terran shark mouths nose art.   The wing is a void-based, taking special training for operating in low-gravity and atmospheric environments like moons.  For larger planetary operations, they much prefer to operate as night fighters.

In work Thunderbolts

Underwing: Skystrikes & bombs

Ragnir Gunnstein

Steady Front shot

Ragnir Gunnstein is the second Squat for Necromunda.  He is an Ammo-Jack and can fill in as a grunt in a gang. 

Both paint schemes for my Necromunda squats use colors similar to my Kharadron.  He was fun to paint.  I used a mix of Contrast and regular paints.  I really like using contrast for hair colors, the effects are always solid.  The yellow shoulder pad is another great example of the Contrast paints.  His green pants and the metal is not a Contrast paint.

Using non-Contrast after contrast, lets me hide areas where the contast flowed into other areas, which makes the mini look better overall.

I have always liked the stout-folks.  Both Necromunda squats are now in my collection, ready to make some Credits.

Rotating GIF

Eyros Slagmyst

Eyros Slagmyst is a Bounty Hunter for Necromunda.  He is wearing a piece of archeo-tech that gives him increased strength and life, but makes him incredibly thirsty.  In the underhive, the best source of water is other lifeforms.

This model was a great chance to see how Contrast paints performed on cloth.  I also eschewed the use of metal paints on the model (the base as it), going with the dust brown and dark grey as the metal colors on the mini.  The only traditional paints other than some touch ups, I used on the green tubes and weapon.

Fun model to paint, most of the model was painted just Sunday afternoon.  The skin and base having been painted with some other minis.

Back

Left Side

Right Side

Titanicus Templates

Traitor Templates

Due to a printing error in the Titanicus rule book, I also got two sets of templates for the game.  Because of this, I decided to paint up the templates to match the Traitor and Loyalist dice sets.

When I started to play with the contrast paints, I recognized that they should give a bit more color in the backdrops of the templates and make them standout a bit more as if they were displays for the Titans.

It has been nice to focus on painting some relatively simple objects this weekend.  It meant that I have not dove into more complicated minis, like the Thunderbolts or Marauders for Aeronautica.  It also is nice to be focusing on some of my backlog, while expanding a little.  I am a fan of the 40k universe, but the core game is not appealing to me due to the way it plays.  Diving into fun smaller games set in the universe is nice.

Loyalist Templates

Painting the AI Bases

First one Colored

Finished up the Ork Dakkajets this week and then started working on bases for the AI units.  Fairly simple base coloring.

I used blue-tack to fill in the counter holes and taped up the dials for priming and painting.  I then primed them Grey Seer.

I painted the arcs with the Contrast Talassar Blue.  I am slowly painting the rest of base components in Leadbelcher, which I will then highlight a little bit.

The throttle and altitude markers are going to be red and green respectively.

Before Priming

Contrast Applied

Aeronautica Orks

Dakkajet Flight

Last weekend, I picked up the new Aeronautica Imperialis starter set, Wings of Vengeance.  The minis in it are great and it seems like a great game to play with my son as well fairly quickly in store.

I have slowly been working through the Orks.  I talked through the colors for the Orks with my son and he wanted to do something a bit different and mentioned orange and cyan.  After a few days thought, I remembered a glorious orange and turquoises Gobbo army by the guys at Le Blog De Kouzes.  This led to picking up Contrast Aethermatic Blue and Gryph-Hound Orange., and the color scheme at the right.

I also spent some time on a plane this past week and wrote up a sketch of a campaign league rules and hope to setup the necessary Google Forms and Spreadsheets to track everything.  Images of the assembled Wings of Vengeance box after the break.

A Pair of Mercs

Despite business travel in the middle of the week, I managed to get two of the Hired Guns painted up (as well as flesh on most of the rest).  These are a mix of contrast and regular paint.  The contrast continues to help with speeding up things like flesh and cloth.  I have avoided using it on flatter, more matte objects that I want to look like hard plastic or painted metal.

Mad Dog Mono

Grub "Lumpy Nox" Targeson

Both of these guys have to different primary colors, which I think will help them standout on the table top and hopefully stand apart from the gangs they assist.  They have been fun to paint, each being an individual small project.

Also this weekend, I dove into Aeronautica Imperialis and picked up the starter box and the items that will probably only get the single printing.

Underhive Mercs to Paint

Six unpainted Hire Guns

Six Hired Guns to paint up to support a tentatively planned 1-day (maybe 2-day) Necromunda campaign, this fall.   Each of these characters gets to be painted up differently, which is a nice break from generally patch painting.  The color ranges on them will be varied.  I will need to avoid to much neutral tones on them.  They will be fun to paint.

On the  playing-more-games front, I am currently involved in a deep dive into the Blackstone Fortress.  The game is fun to play, but the owner has yet to paint the minis. I should setup a game of Blood Red Skies, Bolt Action, or K'47.

Side Project - MiG Alley

Over the past week, I dove into the quick side project of painting and applying transfers for the Blood Red Skies: MiG Alley box.  These were super easy to paint and a good break from some of the more in depth effort needed for painting the Escher gang.

Base Coat (for silver planes) 

Aluminium and Canopy 

Transfers to mark them as USAF F-86s and PRK MiG-15s

Assorted Side Projects

Having finished up the Escher gang and trying to generally play more games with the miniatures I have, I am also focusing on building out the components and tools for the games I have.

US Paratroopers and ECI Bersaglieri combat excerise

Over the past two weeks, I have happily played 4 games of Konflikt '47.  My Co-belligerent Italian (Allies) Bersaglieri reinforced platoon  have faced off against US Paratroopers, Soviet Werebears, the Desert Fox with walkers, and veteran Desert Rats*.  All of these games were fun and seemed close.  My knowledge of the rules is of course improving and the games are getting better and faster.
*No K'47 unique units in the army.

ECI Rounded Out

This previous weekend I was out of town and definitely didn't get any miniature work done.  However, I got lots painting done the previous weekend, to include rounding out my forces for Konflikt '47 Co-belligerent Kingdom of Italy (ECI) company.

Big items added were a Stuart-T with a Tesla Cannon, an MMG team, and an Anti-Tank Team.  It gives my reinforced company some much needed firepower against vehicles like medium walkers, light/medium tanks, etc.  I am probably still lacking in firepower against medium tanks and heavy walkers, but that will be more interesting games, working around them.

A big goal going forward for me this fall is to play more of games of the armies I have collected. I have tons of painted minis to put on the tabletop.

Useful Additions

Gift of a Gang

The Core Gang

 I finished up the core gang of ladies this weekend.  I am happy with the result.  It was great to paint them up and I am excited to give one of my best friends the gang as a gift.  The mix of Contrast paints and normal layer paints worked well and the result is bright and colorful gang.  I am looking forward to eventually having a long-weekend campaign against them.

My wife still needs to finish up Kria the Huntress.

In their foam, spare spot for the fancy Huntress

On-Going Escher Effort

Last week I did not have an update as I went on travel for work Monday.  Over the past two weeks I have steadily getting paint on the Escher ladies.  They have been fun and different to paint, with lots of bright colors throughout and experimenting with contrast paints.

6 no-primer showing

I decided to do two things as I worked on them this weekend.  The first was to spend time on individual models; bouncing around on a model and fixing white areas and getting each gal worked on up to what would be traditionally called "based."  This let me focus on hunting down areas and feeling more "complete" with each model worked on.

Contrast on the Ladies

Last week, I dove into painting up the Escher Gang as the gift for my friend's birthday.  For the most part, I have enjoyed the results.  I am a bit concerned about dark colors washing out bright colors, both leaking over the light color or showing through a bright color.

Prior to Brown Leather 

The next colors are going to focus on the hair and adding a pink to the ends of the hair and feathers.  More to come next week!

First 5 colors on the models

Escher: A Gift for a Friend

Over the long weekend, my brother and I decided to do a set of gifts for my two best friends from college for their birthdays.  The first one's birthday is in ~6 weeks.  I asked them both which of the gangs on the Necromunda they liked best.  The first responded Escher and Deleque.   I went with Escher.

Gang All Built

It is also an opportunity for me to dive into the new Contrast range, while avoiding using them for any of my existing armies, gangs, or other projects were the painting palette is decided up.  I am excited for the project, but I think I will be challenged by the timeline.

I also completed last week the pair of Ambots!  These guys were good fun to paint.  With any luck, by the end of year, I think it is possible for me to have all the things to put on a weekend Necromunda campaign.  Goal is four gangs, with bounty hunters and supporting caste.

Just mining equipment

First Reaver Complete

Reaver with a tactical armament

This past weekend, I completed painting one of my two Reaver Titans for Adeptus Titanicus.  I went with a fairly tactical fit of Power Fist, Apocalypse Missile Launcher, and Titan Laser Blaster.  The missile launcher is magnetic, allowing me to swap in a Turbo-Laser after building the second Reaver Titan.

It still took some time to paint up, but not nearly as much as the Warlord.  I fully expect the second one to be even more straightforward.

One of my hobby goals is round out existing projects and hopefully play more games.  I have plenty of miniature projects to add small sections to, allowing me to range further a field with projects.

Next up, finishing up the pair of Ambots for Necromunda!

In-Work Ambots

Titans take Time

Washes done, time to do layers

Over the past week, I did not spend a lot of time working on the Reaver.  When I did, it has a ton of detail, like the Warlord and it is easy to miss something.  Since I am now on the layering, it should progress faster as I hunt for details and make areas pop.  The first white layer, Ulthuan Grey, is completed (mostly) and may get a layer White Scar over it.  I am currently torn on whether to actually add much to the blue, I will need to double check the Warlord as reference.

I recently read (second hand) a tweet from a Adeptus Titanicus game designer that Reavers and Warlords are were people should start.  I generally agree, as it means getting the scheme down before embarking on the challenge of the Warlord from a modelling perspective and a way to learn the rules.

I will also be working up a second Reaver after this one. But before that, I will return to my K'47 Kingdom of Italy force and round it out with an MMG, Stuart-T, and anti-tank team.

Progress on the Reaver

Mirror update I have slowly been painting up the Reaver this past week.  Plan to add more this coming week.

In Progress Reaver

On Father's Day, my son and I played a game of Team Yankee - Canada vs Poland.  The Poles won on modified objectives.

A Reaver for the True Messengers

Simple update, I am working on 1 of 2 Reaver Titans I have to add to my True Messengers Maniple.  I plan to have all the titans for a full strength Axiom Maniple and may build out a few more Banners of the supporting Knight House.  We will see - I still yet to play a game, but that is probably more my own fault than anything else.