He is simple and he is cool. I am not much of an Ultramarine fan but some ultra models I see here are awesome. And I count this one in. Shame they are blue, I hate that colour:D Anyway, your blue is just great. Only thing I might point out that for ultramarine standart and my standart, he is just too plain. Ever considered any conversion? Even slight? Command squads ARE worth it. I personally would simply add some bags or boxes on the back ofhis bike, representing Apotheracy stuff storage, like, freezers on the Progeniod glands and stuff like this?
Yeah, i struggled with how much extra stuff to add to him. I traded the majority of those little bag/tarp combos from the Ravenwing set away, as the pannier bags are actually too large to fit anywhere on the bike, and the ones that are supposed to fit on the back require something else stuck between them and the seat back to not look odd.
I do like to leave blue space for battle honours won on the table. When I have models that do something cool, they earn a new purity seal or a freehand litany. It's a fine line to walk when initially setting them up.
Very nice work. How is the gold on the trim done? I've been searching for good looking gold that is not NMM, and so far this is one of the few I have found.
I first prime the model in black. Then I use Reaper Master Series paints. Over the black primer, I put a coat of Ruddy Leather (Scorched Brown is a good GW equivalent). This not only warms the tone of the gold going over it, but also allows better coverage. Gold paint flakes tend to show the black primer underneath too easily, qhich causes you to slop on too much, making it lumpy and uneven.
After the brown is dry, I hit the area with Antique Gold (you can use GW Burnished Gold), making sure it's thinned for a smooth coat. This usually takes me two thin coats to get down.
After that's 100% dry (be VERY sure it's dry, go watch some TV for a half hour), I wash all of the gold areas with Gryphonne Sepia. Some folks like Devlan Mud, but I prefer the red/orange tone of the Sepia.
Let the wash dry, and then go back with New Gold (GW would likely be Shining Gold?). This gives a shine to the raised areas like aquila wings, rivets, etc.
My final step for the whole model is a coat of Testor's Dullcote, which does alter the way the metallics behave. Mutes them some.
For more info on the colored undercoats for metallics, check out the Painting Corps:
http://thepaintingco...-and-color.html
-- "To locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver, and to repel the enemy assault by fire and close combat."