Thagrosh the Painter. 1.0

First off, this model is cool, very very cool. This is a convention exclusive from Privateer Press. They took a Warlock, took away his sword and gave him a paintbrush. Then for fun and excitement they put a tiny little Khador Juggernaut in his hand!

Here is what the Privateer Press cover photo looks like.

I was asked to paint this model and really how could I say no.

I got the model prepped and pinned the resin pieces (legs and cape) were pretty rough with mold lines and vent ports.

Then it was time to prime. As big and detailed as this model is it makes more sense to paint the pieces then put it together. You'll notice in the pictures that the torso has a bunch of pins, a few of these are just to keep the holes clear and adds an additional place to hold the model while painting.

Ok enough of me, have some pictures.

GW Models for a change.

Well I finally got to working on some 40k models for a friend.

I had been putting these off for a while, but today inspiration struck. I wanted something flashy that will work well in contrast. These are undercoated in an almost neon green bordering on yellow. I am using a kinda modified hairspray technique to get a crackled paint look. I am really digging the purple and green together.

This one should get pretty interesting. I am thinking that any silvers will have to be very very dark, almost like the dark bluing you would see on real rifles. And for the golds I will be using Vallejo Red gold to give it a good dark look. Stay tuned this one is gonna be fun.

Warning! - Another Fraudulent Commission Painting Business - Battle Grounds Wargaming.

This "Company" is based out of Brampton, Canada. They have been taking in peoples models and money. Apparently this has been going on for months. so much so that frustrated clients have taken to forums in the hopes of shedding some public light on the issue.

To make matters worse the owner of this company has joined the forum and began arguing with the customers. One in particular has asked multiple times to have his models returned, not returned with money spent. Just wants his models back. This has not happened. Another customer traded in a GW High Elves army for a painted GW Spaces wolves army. The customer after months received an unpainted Space Wolves army and was told that the High Elves had been sold and could not be returned. No refund was offered but a "painting credit" was given..

When confronted on these issues the owner is now threatening to declare bankruptcy and let everyone else's models just go away (meaning he gets to keep them).

Here is a direct post from the Owner
"I can really careless. I was being nice before to show my sympathy. Like I said this business name means nothing. This business cost me nothing to start and another on will cost me nothing to start. I've explained to everyone in personal detail through email. There is nothing more I can say. So either take your models or be patient and let me paint to them."

So please place an order with this company at your own risk.

Here is the thread if you wish to read it

Dakka Thread

Model Tray - A Review of a new product.

Dragon's Lair Accessories was kind enough to send me the first of a kind new tournament tray. For those of you not familiar with such things, tournaments are crazy and stuffed with people and moving your army's from table to table can be a chore. Tournament trays have been hitting the scene for a few years now and there are several big name places selling them in the $80+ range.  DLA is looking to break into the market and are much better priced. DLA has gone with real wood, and I like that. Other companies offer trays in both wood and acrylic (acrylic can be laser etched and personalized more readily. etc).

Here are a few pics of the DLA tray so you know what I am referring to.

So how does the DLA tray compare?

The good:

1. Its big and pretty darn light considering its wood. (when metal models are added this becomes a big factor).

2. I really like the long front piece that can hold, dice, cards, tape measure etc.

3. Interchangeable slots so that you can change your configuration based on army composition.

4. It's very sturdy and well put together.

5. Slots are well drilled and plenty deep to keep models in place when on the tray.
The could be better.

The needs improvement list:

1. While the wood is stained it could use a varnish coat. It is still rough (I will do this myself to seal it this weekend).

2. The interchangeable slots are too easy to pop out from the bottom, which could lead to spilled over models and nobody wants that. (I am going to add a few magnets to the corners of the board and the parts and see how that does.

So what's my final take on them? I think they are pretty darn good deal for the money he is asking. A few kinks to work out but then what new product doesn't have a few?

If you are looking for a tray and wan't to support the little guy jump over to DLA store and give him some business. (link is in the name at the beginning of this post).

Cygnar Junior Warcaster 1.0 -

So I happened upon this model and I really liked the simple pose. It looked like a fun simple few hour project and that's just what I was in the mood for.

I used the airbrushed ink technique on him for the blues. The more I use it the more I love how it looks. Inks and highlights under them just make shading look fantastic and take about a quarter of the time that traditional methods like two brush blending do.

I used Vallejo Red Gold on the armors trim and Vallejo Old Gold (alcohol based) for the brasses. The pictures below are just after I did all that. Now its time to let the Gloss Coat dry so I can add the oil washes and bring everything down a notch, I also need to finish the face and Blam......science.

Better pics to come in the next day or two, once the model is done, based and put into the light box. 

On a side note. Video shooting is both fun and hard. Learning to paint to the camera has been the biggest challenge. So please be patient as I work the bugs out and bring you a quality product. 

Thanks everyone for reading my ramblings. 

How do you hold your models while painting.

I get asked this question quite a lot. There are a few reasons that you do not want to handle what you are painting directly. The big issues are as follows:

1. Oils from your hands. Yes even you have oily hands. Its just a fact of nature. That oil gets transferred onto the model and can mess with your paint adhering.

2. Snugging the not-quite dry paint. It happens and makes us all want to scream.

3. Its harder to get into the nooks and crannies of some models.

4. Paint rubbing off from handling. How many times have you been painting a model and notice that you once again have to repaint the hair?

So what does one do to get rid of these issues? Well there are several ways. Some folks go out and spend $20 on jewelers tools to hold models. Others drill a pin into the foot/feet of a model and hold it with a clamp. Some Pin and push it into a cork... Lots of ways to do it. All work pretty well.

Personally I like the cork method but a with a bit of a twist. Corks are fantastic, cheap (come free with the wine bottles even), or can be purchased in bags from your local hobby store.

However... for larger models your gonna need a bigger cork. You can spend a pretty penny on them, bind several together etc. Personally I made a hybrid

I used a 50mm round base I had laying around and super glued a cork to its center. It gives me something to hold onto and the base gives it stability

Here is how it looks.

Easy to work with, your hands never get near the model and you don't have to worry about the small cork tipping over and damaging your paint job. 

Give it a try and let me know what you think. 

Contest Model 6.0 - And Finished!

Rocinante is done and in the display case. This was a really fun model to work on. I love how PP Warjacks have largish but not overly so areas to work on. Just enough room to give good detail and do a few fun things with.

So where did we leave off.... Well after the gloss coat had time to dry. I was able to mix up a black oil wash and all the Silvers and golds were given a heavy wash to bring down the shine dramatically. Then I mixed an orange wash to add to the rust effect.

Once dried I applied some Secret Weapons Miniatures rust pigments across most of the model. It adds a bit of depth and also brings down the shine. I like doing this with the oil wash stage because it helps keep the pigments in place for the final matte varnish.

So here are some pictures. Please leave some feedback and let me know what you think!