SCC

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!

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...

@Geektom, recon0321: Thanks for the kind words guys, I think this scheme is the right one too. @deathspectresgt7: Yeah, the green stands out nicely on the blue/red, I need to brighten the eye lenses to make them really pop too... @disease: Constructive feedback gladly accepted! I hadn't considered an oil wash I must admit, I think I'll give these guys my patent pending 'double DullCote doozy' and see how they look when they're nice and flat. I think it'll solve the shiny issue and smooth a few of the transitions too. If it doesn't work I'll start looking at oils, or at least tutorials for oils, I've always used acrylics or enamel in the past... @DarthPotato: Yep, DullCote to be added shortly... @SCL: DullCote, DullCote, DullCote And again, thanks!

@geektom: agreed, PA is ceramite, that's why I've tried to paint grey scratches previously. I still prefer actually scuffing the paintjob to reveal plastic/resin beneath (it just didn't work with the early test minis as they're metal). @asmodai: Hmm, I'll dig out a copy of the IA and send it your way... @SCL: give yourself a purity seal out of petty cash, the old scheme idea is a good 'un (see below) ! Real life has been keeping me busy but I've been beavering away whenever life offers the opportunity: Fine, I haven't actually painted anything here, but I have taken an old Brazen Claw and given it a bit of weathering as several folks suggested. And y'know what? I quite like it... And with that in mind I've updated the new scheme: The red is richer, but I've added plenty of washes and glazes to give it more depth than the old red and the blue is quite a few shades darker than the old electric blue. I think I'll take the red down a notch next time so that the red and blue are matched more closely in intensity. Plenty of detail work still to do but the basic colours are blocked in and I'm pretty happy with progress so far. I'm also looking at whether or not I can do black (volcanic) sand for the base, that's a nice easy colour to weather with, but I can't find any good examples...

Hmm, interesting. I think the old scheme is just too bright (and also takes way to long to paint) but I could go up a couple of shades on both colours, still be darker and quicker to paint than the old scheme but maybe be bright enough to make the weathering pop. Very interesting...

A little while between updates but progress is being made. First up my second test Marine, even more muted than the first highlights wise: I'm still struggling with weathering, especially as all the really good examples I can find are either black armour with silver chips, or more commonly light coloured armour which is dinged and dented in dark colours. Finding something to stand out on very dark red and very dark blue simultaneously is proving difficult. That said, I may have discovered a solution - plastic and resin. One of the other issues I had with weathering was working out where, how much and at what angles etc. so while playing around with this guy when his paint was done I decided that painting the weathering on wasn't working for me, so why didn't I just actually chip and scratch him ? So I did, with a file, some find sandpaper and an etching tool and I like it much better than the painted on version I've done. I'm less enamoured of the silver look on most of this guy (he's metal) but the chipping and rubbed paint on the back pack below where the grey plastic shows through hold more promise than most of my weathering so far: The little one at the top and the big one on the vent are actual damage, the darker one on the front of the vent is painted on, the former just seem more realistic (obviously). Now i just need to work out where to do the damage... Which I'll do to test mini #3: I'm trying out more glazing and less paint for highlights, he's gone super glossy and I'm wondering how much will survive the DullCote but I guess we'll see soon enough. I've also lined up the next 3 models to join the red, blue and brass team: Hopefully test mini #3 will let me refine weathering and damage to the point where these guys can be the first proper Marines to join team BC.

I just got around to reading the Brazen Claw short (very short, 1k words I think) No Greater Sin released as part of the Codex celebrations or whatever the reason was, I didn't pay much attention 'til I saw the cover with a BC on the BL site the other day. Anyway, those 1000 words contain some nice fluff to hang an army on so I'm pasting the key items here while I choose a Company for my new BC army: Five Companies remain loyal - 400 Marines remain (which is actually a lot for 5 Companies plus a Command element to go with the Chapter Master really if you think about it, sort of 3/4 strength or so if you look at the UM Chapter org chart in C: SM) Chapter Master Caul Engentre Captain Macklen Eogh of the First Captain Embrose Kalgach of the Third Bionic right arm (broken as of council) Captain Julas Imbolkh of the Seventh Fiery hair turning grey Captain Firlus Ghad of ??? Augmetic throat Other forces: 50 x Castigatii ‘stood unmoving in the shadows’ - this is many compared to the few BC Marines left Captain Erod of the Second Took his Company out of the Eye without orders to return to ‘what we should be doing’ Lost Companies Ninth Eighth Company ‘Chased the Children into the Eye after Hrtel’ (another Captain or an enemy Champion?) and appears lost Eighth Company led by Captain Duro appears to have turned to Nurgle There's some interesting stuff there, like the Castigatii and the Second Company leaving the Eye to return to 'what they ought be doing', so we'll see if anything comes of any of that. The context leads me to guess the 'Castigatii' are Marines who have been punished for 'weaknesses of the flesh' (or possibly seriously injured somehow which might amount to the same thing) and have been heavily bionicised or similar hence the description 'unmoving' and hidden in shadows. Alternatively they may have been punished/bionicised when they showed signs of physical mutation from ~40 years in the Eye of Terror. The other new BC fluff in the Codex is that they have returned from the Eye where they were attempting to atone for the loss of their Homeworld (Talus IV) and are currently battling against the 13th Black Crusade.

Test figure #2 pre-weathering: As you can see I can't actually beat the urge to paint neatly - the pre-weathering look of these guys is dark but still very clean. I've also tried to go for less sharp highlights and a more blended 'area' approach with this guy, see for example the red kneepad - it (not very smoothly) graduates from light to dark as you go past the upward facing surfaces. I'm going to try some sponge weathering for this guy as well as some 'scratches' - I'm hoping to get a more realistic/random look to the damage and a less deliberate look to it.