SCC

I think your IF 'pops' a little more, but that looks like a repeatable, practicable method for creating a ' tabletop+' quality army in a reasonable time. Keep the contrast marines coming!

If that's the result, I'll definitely take a look at the video! Clean, stylised and plenty of 'pop!'.

Thanks Burt! @Duz: Well, for now, just trying to get a scheme down with limited equipment, colours etc., but hopefully soon... Minor update, first trial scheme done (needs decals, matt varnishing, backpack etc., but pretty happy with the blue and the black): Even deciding to work with limited supplies, I think I need a dark blue wash, a brown wash and some sort of brown leather colour for holsters etc. - that would also be useful for eyes. But, I think I'm getting some of the old skills back, still need to work on neatness and I miss retarder and flow aid and having 3 lights and all that, but I really enjoyed painting this guy and that was the whole point, so, win! Oh, and I need some basing materials too...

Tzen, it was a lovely surprise for me to return to the hobby and see fresh models for your UM army. Great to see you still working on these guys and producing an even higher quality output!

Thanks for the welcome back lads. @Jim : Thanks for those very kind words..can't believe Dragomir is that viewed after all this time! To be fair, it did run three years and I was an Admin (and everyone likes to check what those sneaky Admins are up to!), so maybe not so surprising after all... And yes, left the hobby for a variety of reasons, but I've come back looking for a little mental peace and quiet - painting always used to offer that so figured I'd try it again...here's hoping.

Long time no post... First WIP mini in literally years below. Raven's Watch Marine, they're an RG Chapter with mostly black armour with sky blue shoulder pads, orange trim and gold aquila according to GW. I'm not sold on the orange trim just yet so am trying bronze/gold for now. For those who remember my old armies, you may remember I'm one of those painters whose a but like the modern US Army - I overwhelmed my enemies (bare plastic and resin) with technology and sheer firepower. I used to have hundreds of paints, a dedicated painting area, a dozen brushes, files galore, MV grief lenses, a decent camera and lighting setup and a parts box to make you weep. Used to.... This fella on the other hand, well, I have one paint brush, 8 pots of paint, an Xacto scalpel, an Ikea lamp, a camera phone and a coffee table! Lots of work to go, and I'm not expecting to replicate Shadow Force Dragomir or my old Brazen Claws but, it's nice to put bristle to plastic once again!

Donated!

So inspiration (finally) struck once more and I've spent the last few nights at the painting desk and have a few new things to show some quick snaps of: Brother Sergeant Rhadamanthys Pretty happy with ol' Rhadamanthys here, the weathering is just what I was after (although I've had trouble replicating it sadly) and the colours are right too, not too bright, no too dark and the bronze shoulder trim is much better than the green. Battle Brother Csenge Csenge here is a mix of FW and plastic (like most of my Marines these days it seems) and I'm really happy with the balance of armour mixes in here. The plastic Mk VII legs and toros are bulky enough to fit in with the Mk. III arms and Mk V head. The Iron Hands bitz shoulder pads (w/IH symbols removed) and new FW MkIV/VI back pack round him out to give him a menacing bulk. The weathering here is pretty good, I like his left (blue) knee, just a smear of ash and filth across it from kneeling down matched by a slightly heavier dusting to his lower greave compared to the right one for the same reason. It's hard to tell from this image but he's got a slight case of varnish frosting I hope I can clear up if my BC decals ever arrive - ordered 3 weeks ago from Armorcast and nary a word hear since despite several emails - not a happy customer. Battle Brother Miklos Miklos here is probably the least successful mini here - I seem to have used most of my walking legs so I went for this set of Mk II (from early in the HH mini era for FW) and they're just too skinny. I also overdid the weathering powder on his legs, or possibly, the first hit of varnish was from too close and rather than half of it blowing away it all got stuck down - especially on the lower legs and pauldrons. I might try lightening it up before he gets a final varnish if his Chapter decal ever arrives... I've also been thinking more about the overall army design and whilst I haven't managed to pin down what 'brutal' means in the context of the BC, as opposed to say the World Eaters or Flesh Tearers, I think I'm getting closer to an ethos I'm happy with by using the bulkier, more menacing components - as I said Miklos just hasn't really worked in that sense. I'm also looking at adding more bionics to the army, especially some of the cruder, heavier looking ones - some of the new FW IH models would fit nicely (even if I'm still not a huge Mk.III fan and would've loved some MkIV IH gear) and I've still got plenty of IH bitz from the regular GW collection I can work into the next squad or two as well. I have decided though that fancy details will be minimal, reserved for senior Marines only, and there'll be no purity seals or similar in the army - the BC are not worshipers of the Emperor, they're worshipers of vengeance following the destruction of their homeworld and the loss of so many brethren during the 13th Black Crusade.

For those who have been around a long, long time here on the B&C the following name might tickle the ol' memory bank - Rhadamanthys. Many moons ago Brazen Claws Sergeant Rhadamanthys was my Legio B&C mini-me and a regular entrant in B&C Arena of Death competitions. Back in those days he was just a Sergeant armed with a BP and Chainsword: As you can see, he was painted more than 10 years ago - September 2003 and as you can see my painting and photography both have improved in that time... He's all grown up these days though, so I present Veteran Sergeant Rhadamanthys (WIP obviously): Decades of service later his Mk VIII armour has been decorated with many new honours, from the brazen Terminator insignia and Aquila decorated knee guards to the granting of a Heresy era studded shoulder pad for valour in the field. His weapons have also been upgraded and he now bears an actual 'brazen claw' along with his bolt pistol. You'll note I've also abandoned the reversed paint scheme for Sergeants I previously used, I've decided to bring the BC in line with Codex markings a little more. I'm also not sure about the green shoulder trim (4th Company), I think I might switch back to brazen trim like the old Rhadamanthys when the second pad goes on and see what it looks like. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the progress on Rhadamanthys here... @recon0321: I didn't even know there was a 'how-to' for the B&C in there. Don't worry too much about a steady hand - nice thin paints and patience will let you get a good straight line with a little practice even with shaky hands like mine. @Midnight Runner: Thanks, hopefully I'll be able to move this project along a little quicker than the last few weeks. @One-eye: Cheers, I'll have a look at the flamer once I've got a bit more weathering under my belt. As for times, well, Krassus (the flamer Marine) took about 6 hours all up and now I've got the recipe down I'm looking to spend 5 hours on a regular Marine and 10 on characters. If I can do that I can get a 500 point infantry army done in the next 6 months or so and maybe have time to squeeze in that Contemptor dread I've had my eye on for some time...

Looking good there geektom! The only suggestion I have, seeing as my others have been essentially addressed, is to drill those bolter barrels. Always looks better and I think, with a base, will finish them off nicely. Looking forward to the next batch...

Very smooth colours, very nice.The squad markings are excellent too, I love those, a nice change from the norm. I think the yellow feels just a touch flat though - I think it's because the purple highlights are much more visible than the tellow ones. Alternatively you could add just a little shading to the yellow, it'd achieve the same thing without making the scheme any brighter and might add more richness to the yellow to match that of the purple. The only other minor gripe might be the skull/stud details on some of the helmets, and I note they might not be complete in these pics as they're still WIP, but they lack a touch of definition - either make the metallic colour a shade brighter or add just a touch more shading around them to make them stand out and they'll be spot on I think.

Krassus strode across the dark sands, the primer of his flamer hissing steadily as he approached the shallow trench. Wild eyed cultists, dressed in rags and scraps, fired crude lasguns at his armoured form. Most of the panicked shots missed, those few that hit their target simply scorched Krassus' armour, adding more black marks to the already weathered red and blue plates. Krassus' flamer spluttered into life, a gout of flame washed over the cultists, setting them ablaze or fleeing. He washed burning promethium down the trench, the left side of his armour darkening as he advanced through the ashen remains of charred cultists, adding to the layer of volcanic sand already staining the once bright heraldry of the Brazen Claws. So, my first proper 2013 Brazen Claw is complete and overall I'm pretty darn happy. I may have over done the weathering across his left side, my intent was to represent the effect of his flamer on the armour, and to avoid losing all the powder to the DullCote I was quite heavy handed, maybe a fraction much in the end. I am quite happy with the dusty look to the feet and lower legs though, which is an improvement on my previous weathering powder use. I'm also quite happy with the chips, scratches and dings in the armour, the placement isn't perfect but the overall effect is close to what I was hoping to achieve. In my mind the black marks are where the armour has simply lost paint, the grey marks represent where the actual ceramite has been damaged or exposed. C&C welcome as ever!

Updated close ups please! I think a little extra detailing would really finish this colour scheme off, things like making sure helmet grills/tubes/wires etc. are given some detail (contrast?) treatment and maybe some individual WS style honour markings will really round them out. I'm not sure this colour scheme should work, but it actually does, so I'll be tracking this thread with interest...