Lost in the Eye - NiceGuyAdi's Raven Guard

[NiceGuyAdi]

It's been quite a while since I've put up an update, but figure I'll share my failures as well as successes.

 

I've been working on modding up the Lasgun into a sniper rifle for the Scouts. I'm happy with most of it, although I think I've got the stock too short currently and that will need redoing/extending, but I've been struggling with getting a repeat cast of it. I've been using Blue Stuff as a cast for a Green Stuff/Milliput mix, but it's just not coming out well. I think because the Blue Stuff has some give in it, and the putty mix is exerting pressure into it, the cast is warping whilst it cures. There's also a fair load of flash coming out with the casts which need a lot of cleaning. Here's the latest go in a series of attempts:

 

 

I think I'm going to call this a dead end, and chalk it up to experience. I've been meaning to learn how to cast in pourable resin, so I think it's time to give that a go...

[NiceGuyAdi]

Progress!

 

Duymon did a great writeup here on casting, which I followed to start reproducing my modified sniper rifles:

 

 

And I found Brother Chaplain Kage's super-handy write up on making cloaks from tissue, which mean that after long toil I've got 63Sqd Scouts to the point where I'm happy to start painting them:

 

 

Back shot:

Edited July 12, 2017 by NiceGuyAdi

[Mechanist]

very cool. will be nice to see some paint going on.

[NiceGuyAdi]

Does anyone else here suffer from the modeller's equivalent of writer's block? I can stare at a miniature for ages trying to figure a way forward, but not doing anything for fear of wrecking the work that's already gone into it. The Scouts are finally getting there but I really think it's my headspace that slows me down, here. Perhaps it's the inexperience and feeling like I want to learn every time I start a new unit.

 

One thing that has helped is having a modelling job on the go at the same time as a paint job, so I've made a start on a Storm Talon. It's a model I've always thought as being so close to brilliant, but let down by a few things, particularly the massive landing gear/assault cannon assembly dangling beneath the nose, and the stumpiness of the tail. I wanted to make it a bit more streamlined, so I've raised the assault cannon and pushed it forward, and removed the tailplanes ready to reattach them further back (with plasticard filling the gap). I've also tacked the wings on in reverse, which I think help push the 'weight' further back:

 

 

 

[Naryn]

Looking good so far! I struggled with the Stormtalon forever until finally giving up and modifying a Nephilim Jetfighter instead. Really liking the shape it's got in the last shot--it almost reminds me of the Pelicans from Halo. Looking forward to seeing where this goes!

[Sister Alessia]

Lovely minis! I'd say the trip to hell was well worth it for you Chaplain, he looks ace! I feel that way about finecast too, the Canoness Veridyan miniature while an amazing sculpt, was really difficult to work with. 

[NiceGuyAdi]

I struggled with the Stormtalon forever until finally giving up and modifying a Nephilim Jetfighter instead.

For a long time I'd planned to do that as well, as it's a lovely kit. Painting as slowly as I do gave me months to ponder out how to approach the regular Stormtalon until I eventually moved away from the Nephilim idea.

[The_Stray_Idea]

Great work on the Chaplain. Really enjoy how the black armour looks on your force. Keep it up. Very enjoyable plog.

[NiceGuyAdi]

Is a miniature ever really finished? I thought these guys were, then looking at them with the detail my camera pulls out I feel like there's so much more I wish I could do. But I'm into diminishing returns with these guys, so I'll call them done. I think I could've done a better job on the helmets and green stuffing/casting, but I'm happy with how the camouflage pattern and camo cloaks came out.

 

 

 

C&C welcome as always!

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The snipers look great!

[brettfp]

Those snipers look great, the weathering is fantastic! :tu:

[NiceGuyAdi]

Thanks Bjorn and Brett.

 

I seem to be alternating infantry/vehicles, so might as well carry on in that vein. I've got the Stormtalon to where I'm really pleased with the body, having lost a lot of the front heaviness. Cutting the tail planes off and shifting them back created some gaps in the tail, and filling these out with plasticard as stabilising fins, rather than filling them flush, was a 'why not' idea that I'm now really glad of.

 

I figured putting the Techmarine behind the plastic canopy seems a waste of the kit given how hard it is to see through it, so I swapped it for a MkVII torso and helmet and sculpted a  face mask in. I'm sure that'll be hidden behind the canopy, too, but it's good sculpting practice:

 

 

[NiceGuyAdi]

I've been taking so long on my Stormtalon that I'm procrastinating more and more for fear of screwing up work that I'm pleased with so far. She's converted and largely base coated, and I've added the first decals (inside the weapon pod on the nose), but I'm unsure of how much further to take the decals from here. It's the sliding scale between austere/boring<->interesting/overly busy.

 

 

I'm thinking about adding more decals to the tail fuselage section and the nose on the flat section just under the Aquila, but not sure what. I'm thinking of an Adeptus Astartes symbol on the tail, but never see these on Space Marine vehicles, and wondered if it's in some way innapropriate, or just because they're not easily accessible as decals? Is it a massive sin that the Adeptus Astartes symbol would probably be at least as big as the Raven Guard symbol? And a "Victorus Aut Mortis" on the nose: too obvious?

 

I also just thought about purity seals on the section on the main fuselage next to the engines and just below the antennae. Is that something that might reasonably be fixed to a supersonic gunship in the 41st Millennium, or just silly?

 

As you can see I'm drowning in self-doubt, here.

[Machine God]

As one Adrian to another I say that that is one great conversion.

 

Go with the purity seals and don't worry about the supersonic aerodynamics thing, heck its 40K where none of the Imperium's flyers have aerodynamic wings anyway!

[sockwithaticket]

Those scouts are brilliant.

[Pearson73]

Scouts are smashing, those white face plates give them a ghostly cast.

[bloodhound23]

There is an incredible amount of improvement in this thread. Very cool. 

[betrayer41]

Is a miniature ever really finished? I thought these guys were, then looking at them with the detail my camera pulls out I feel like there's so much more I wish I could do. But I'm into diminishing returns with these guys, so I'll call them done. I think I could've done a better job on the helmets and green stuffing/casting, but I'm happy with how the camouflage pattern and camo cloaks came out.

 

 

 

C&C welcome as always!

 

Amazing! What Colors did you use for the armor?

[NiceGuyAdi]

 

Amazing! What Colors did you use for the armor?

 

Thanks man. I base at the power armour with a 50/50 mix of Abaddon Black/Dark Reaper, glaze with Dark Reaper and edge highlight with Thunderhawk Blue/Dawnstone/Administratum Grey. I'm sure there are too many steps in there and some of that could be lost without really noticing.

 

I've made a start on the next guys, A Company Champion, who's magnetised so I can use him as a Captain/Lieutenant/Chapter Champion, and a unit of those lovely Tartaros Terminators:

 

 

[NiceGuyAdi]

I can't believe I started this Stormtalon 9 months ago. I've been down a lot of wrong turns with it, suffered mental blocks on what to do, and thought about throwing in the towel more than once. But finally it's in a place where I can call it done, and I'm actually happy with it!

 

 

 

I'd like to get another done at some point, but I think I need to give vehicles a rest for a bit! C&C always welcome.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job on the Stormtalon.

[dex_911]

Mate..the snipers look freakin awesome. Well done! I really like the Talon too...the black-grey is awesome and I want to to something when I start my ravenwing army. Is it the same recepie you mentioned in your prior comment?

 

Thanks!

[NiceGuyAdi]

Thanks you guys!

 

Dex, I’m treating black vehicle armour a bit differently to power armour. Abaddon Black has a lot of shine to it, so I applied Vallejo VMC Black to the Stormtalon in quite a few layers using a sponge, thinned a fair way with water. It takes a while but goes down very even with no brush marks that way. I did the Drop Pod the same way.

[NiceGuyAdi]

There was an outside chance I'd get these done in time for the end of ETL, but having taken a wrong turn on my white recipe, that's not going to happen, now.

 

That said, I've at least had a go at two different ways of getting "white":

- The guy on the left had a base of Rakarth Flesh, wash of 1/1 Army Painter Strong Tone/thinner, and layers of Screaming Skull, Pallid Wych Flesh and White Scar.

- The guy on the right had a base of Administratum grey, wash of 1/1/1 Drakenhof Nightshade/Nuln Oil/thinner, and layers of Uthuan Grey and White Scar.

 

I'd thought the warmer look would work, but having tried both, I think the cooler recipe on the right fits much better

 

[Brother Lunkhead]

Great work there brother The scout snipers are particularly inspiring.  I especially like how the bases fade into the cloaks. What a great idea.... I don't think I've ever seen that done. Keep up the good work and thank you very much for sharing.