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Vulpis Virtus (The Virtue of Foxes) (LPC Vow 2012)


Stolid Fox

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Hello bolter and chainsword type people,

 

After much effort I have finished my first half company and acquired a camera. This is a custom chapter named "Vulpis Virtus", latin for "The Virtue of Foxes". My eventual goal is to complete the entire chapter, but a company seemed like a good place to start, and half way through seemed like a good point to get feedback. I'll be posting my models here as I work on them, and am looking for comments and critiques so I can improve my painting technique and make the next set of marines look even better. I'm planning to update this regularly with progress as well. Without further adieu, here's the marines:

 

Tactical Squad 1:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6508688535_e9de7127a5.jpg

Tactical Squad 2:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6508687137_c65a3d2281.jpg

Tactical Squad 3:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7027/6508711325_f0e5a673b8.jpg

Assault Squad 1:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6508713161_ab889d3e13.jpg

Devastator Squad 1:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7161/6508832597_905575a4d4.jpg

 

Some choice close ups:

Plasma Cannon:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6508899067_238e9a2d55.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/6508900905_411137beb3.jpg

Bolter Brother:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7170/6508914515_ba2d96080e.jpghttp://farm8.staticflickr.com/7141/6508912797_5f611a4693.jpg

 

If anyone wants more shots here's my full gallery: http://flic.kr/ps/26EViX

 

Let me know what you think, and please be gentle -- it's my first painted army :tu:

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Hi SF, I think you've got a pretty solid start to the hobby here. From what I can see you've got a grasp of the basics and it's probably a matter of polishing up how you execute those as the next step towards making the army look better.

 

First up: mold lines - this guy here for example has one on the side of the helmet that sticks out on reasonably close inspection. Cleaning up every single mold line possible will go a long way towards a professional looking army.

 

Second: primers, paint thickness and the importance of smooth - again using the guy above you can see where the paint has an uneven thickness to it that makes him look more like a model than a Marine to the viewer. If you're not already using a spray primer or undercoat that's always a good first step to a smooth mini, after that you'll want to look at thinning your paints and improving brush control so you can neaten up your lines and start to work on shading and highlights.

 

Third: Shading and Highlights are the key to making a scale model look 'real' so time spent here is almost always worth it.

 

With that purple you could experiment with Leviathan Purple Wash as away to add quick and simple shading to your minis. A black wash for your silver metals and maybe a brown one for your golds will also go a long way to giving them a more 'real' look.

 

Next, if blacklining is attractive to you (that's where you have all your panel lines and divisors black - for example on the leg of the linked mini) then consider a Micron Pen. I use them for black lining as I love the look myself and they give me better results than a brush most of the time. For highlighting it's a matter of style and taste but working towards smoother changes from dark to light with multiple highlights, the use of washes and other techniques is probably the next step to investigate.

 

Fourth: the little details - with the basics covered little details like the detail in the backpack inset, details on the BP like buttons and symbols and so on can really make a difference in making a model 'real'.

 

All up you're off to a good start and you're in the right place to learn about the tricks and techniques that'll take you to the next level. Make sure to look around the PC&A forums for inspiration and technique and don't be afraid to ask questions when you see something you like - most everyone here will happily explain how they did something in as much detail as you want and many of our best painters have written and even video tutorials you can follow too.

 

Good luck!

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Thanks for the comments SCC.

 

I usually go over the mold lines fairly carefully but every so often completely miss one; I saw this one when I was photographing it and will be going back to neaten it up a bit later; but I wanted to show what I had mistakes and all.

 

I do prime (white), and try to go fairly thin. I'm not sure where you're seeing the uneven thickness, could you describe this a bit better? I do know my highlights are fairly 'harsh' but I suspect that's not what you're referencing here ^_^ I'm also hoping to get some pics up with better lighting (the models look a lot better in person, if I say so myself).

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I do prime (white), and try to go fairly thin. I'm not sure where you're seeing the uneven thickness, could you describe this a bit better? I do know my highlights are fairly 'harsh' but I suspect that's not what you're referencing here

Perhaps, but from the picture I linked to you can see what looks like 'roughness' on the right back pack vent, the inside of the left thigh and on the black inset on he left shoulder. That might be dodgy primer (or hand priming - in which case definitely try spray primer, it's also much quicker) or not, but in either case it looks like the paint is uneven on the mini and at the 28mm scale the smoother you can keep things the better they'll look (unless you're after specific effects of course, like fur etc.).

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Thanks for the feedback SCC, I've done a bit of cleanup on the noted marine and taken new photos of the army in better light. Here's some of the good stuff:

 

Cleaned Up Marine:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7005/6518737399_46f1f06335.jpg

 

Some Conversions in progress:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7024/6518734901_185755e229.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7004/6518732695_7051658b9e.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7141/6518722489_e41c735827.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7157/6518720671_1dd2e15337.jpg

 

And some close ups of the previous marines I like:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6518721219_271fc5b5cb.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6518735653_c63d0c0f7a.jpg

 

And lots more at the full flickr account (link in the first post)

 

C&C Obviously still welcome :tu:

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Just some cleanup and then magnetizing on packs for versatility and I'm done with the 2nd Assault Squad of the 2nd Company.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/6542803641_b1c755951e.jpg

I'm particularly proud of the kneeling marine, who I think pulls of the "just landed and finished a follow through swing" look well; 3 more tac squads and 1 more dev squad to finish off the 2nd company left to go.

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These guys are looking very nice! Personally, I'm not a big fan of the golden trim on the shoulderpads, but I love the fact that you've taken purple - not exactly the most, uh, favored of Marine colors for some reason - and have done something that looks appropriate for Power Armor. Well-done. Also completely love the name. Foxes are unconventional animals for a Chapter to take their name from, but it fits quite well when you think about it.
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Thanks for the compliments Lexington; I assure you the chapter name will actually make even more sense when I write out their IA fluff; but suffice it to say there are a few different interpretations of the meaning behind 'Vulpis Virtus'.

Can I ask if you have any particular reason for not caring for the bronze trim on the pads? I'll admit I got the idea while doing some test painting from the Hawk Lords biker in the 5th Ed Codex (pg 117), who was riding a black bike with bronze trim; but I've also been starting to think about how I will paint my other companies and changing up the shoulder pad color scheme was definitely in the running (either the black, the bronze, or both), so I'm open to suggestions.

 

Thanks again!

SF

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It's amazing how much you can get done when you take a vacation for a few weeks. Dev Squad #2 is done!

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6562188513_58c04e1767.jpg

And here's what the whole army is looking like:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7007/6562188981_7d95b9e1db.jpg

 

3 more tac squads to go for the company!

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Thanks for the compliments Stuka; I will admit that I have been plugging away at this army for quite a long time (almost 2 years; shortly before my join date here @ B&C) but around 4 months ago sat down and said I was going to finish it and get it to a solid painted state. The win is that the body (leg torso & head) of all the marines have been base coated and washed; so I just have to paint the limbs then go in to do details (eyes, bronze trim, bone pieces, etc.) and my highlight to finish them up; combined with the fact my job gave everyone 2 weeks off and I took an additional week on top of that has given me some long stretches of time to get some solid progress in.

The big question is what's after the company's infantry; I could work on the 1st or 10th, or build another battle company, or I could work on the armory and get their transports done; decisions decisions!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey everyone; here's Tactical Squad #4. Two more tactical squads left before the infantry in the company are done.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7032/6663774743_6ce71c96ff.jpg

 

For those paying attention, I've signed up for the Librarium Painting Challenge and promised 2 Apocalypse formations for the start of 2012. Finishing this company comes first; but I am interested in hearing what people might want to see me pursue as my second formation. I will attempt to get that formation done and then circle back to complete APCs for the company. I'm game for about any formation, though with a company already on my plate super-large formations are probably out (I can't do 2 companies in this length of time without seriously compromising my painting level)

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Next up is Tactical Squad 5. I didn't quite get them finished (still need to clean up, final highlights, and put on chapter pad and backpacks) but I wanted to make sure I got in a report every week so here's how far I progressed this week. Once these are done only 1 tac squad left, then the command squad and I officially have the battle company (I hope to do transports for them; but first I want to get my vow completed).

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7144/6706737549_bfd977d651.jpg

C&C welcome!

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After a bit more time painting I have the fifth Tac Squad done except for their packs; which means it's nearly time for Tac Squad 6! The company is nearly done and looks to be coming in around 2600 points so far for Apocalypse.

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6713172041_31c7baaa60.jpg

Specials

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7018/6713171533_f6288016fe.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7027/6713170909_59f4779012.jpg

Bolters

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7031/6713170093_7542e3148c.jpg

The whole squad

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  • 1 month later...
Sorry for the lack of pictures guys; with the last squads I've hit a wall -- I'm out of my chapter shoulder pads and I haven't heard back from Chapterhouse since I wrote them last month. In the interim I'm deciding what my 2nd formation should be. I believe I will be trying for a Linebreaker and if I have time I may either add an Aeris or get started on another company.
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Work in progress of my Apothecary, still need to do some layering of the white, finish the backpack, do the purity seals, etc. but he's coming along. This is my last shoulder pad, so at this point I'm stalled on the company completely.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6914561601_3331ce4b8d.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7049/6914562483_7455580269.jpg

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  • 4 weeks later...

Looks like my vow is going to come in pretty tight (due end of March right?); I have verified the last pieces I need have shipped though, so hopefully soon

In the meantime, here's my new 40k/RPG/etc. table that just arrived this morning:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/6997407859_567a72b390.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6998701929_39b1e17ab2.jpg

http://geekchichq.com/furniture/vizier/

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I have completed my last 2 infantry squads. I'm hoping to get some custom decal paper in soon so the banner isn't as boring, but this closes off the first part of the vow -- next up is one more Apocalypse formation; current plan is to do 3 Vindicators.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6044/6866356972_cdcbe39487.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7012488177_482327745e.jpg

Woohoo :) Almost there!

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6041/7012524631_4679405239.jpg

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6054/6866413636_ff2655e2f3.jpghttp://farm7.staticflickr.com/6231/7012525879_d0aca570b3.jpghttp://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/6866414758_63403ba4be.jpg

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They look really good. Kudos.

 

I'm guessing that they're a Codex chapter?

Nope, actually, but a codex-company seemed a good place to start for a force intended for apocalypse. In small games I run either Codex or Space Wolf, though.

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