More Epic Orks

I finished 10 battle wagons for my boyz.  I'm happy with how they turned out and will be adding more with the same colors.

I also tested these colors on a couple of Stompas.  I'll be adding more of these to the warband too.  

How are these for are start?

Epic Projects

I have been slacking off on the blog a bit lately, but I have been working on a few projects.

I've just completed a few additions to my Epic Space Marines.  Next for them will be some titans and more infantry.  I am undecided if the titans should match the color scheme, but I am leaning toward painting the titans with the same colors.

My Epic Orks have also seen some time on my paint table and I think I have a paint scheme that I like.

Here is a finished battle wagon (aside from a base).

Here is a picture of a batch that is a work in progress.

Here is a picture of a few boyz.  I need to base them as well as paint another 1,000 or so more.

What do you think of the Ork colors?

Epic 40K Tyranids - Test Models Part 2

After getting some feed back on my Tyranid test models, I've decided to make some changes and try a little different approach.

The original test models didn't have enough contrast.  I like the grey and purple scheme and the ash waste basing, but when I get 50 or 100 bases painted up with that scheme, there won't be much that stands out.

I order to add a bit more contrast, I decided to paint the plates bone and then wash them with GW Agrax Earthshade and then highlight with a little bit of bone.  I also painted the claws red to add a little more color and contrast.  The results are distinctive.

Original test

Red claws and Bone armor plates.

I like the look, but I still don't think there is enough contrast.  The models kind of get lost in the basing.

Next up is to try a different basing color.  I decided to try the colors that I have used for my Space Marines.  Just a basic brown base, dry-brushed with a lighter color brown and some flock added.

Used flash on the camera for a little better light.

I think these have enough contrast now and will stand out well.  I liked the idea of the ash waste basing, but I don't want the army to be hidden in the basing.

What do you think of these?  Better or Worse?  

6mm Building and accessories

I put in an order with Shapeways for some of my designs and I got them in the mail today.  I thought I would share some pictures of the models.

Here is the original design image for my windows.

And a picture of the finished models.

A few of the windows have blast shields in place.

And here is a picture of the door designs.

And here is the final product.

Here is one of the doors next to my building design and an infantry stand for scale.

Last, but not least is my original building design.

And the printed product with an infantry stand for reference.

Building Front

Building rear

I like the result.  I want to put the building next to a few more units for comparison, but overall I think it looks good and I like the results.

I think I need to make a few tweeks and I will have a design that I can cast and start making resin copies available for anyone that is interested.

What do you think?  I would love to hear your thoughts and input.

Epic 40K Tyranids - Test models

My starting Space Marine force is nearly complete, (you will be seeing some pictures in a post in the near future)  so I am thinking about my next project.  I think it will be Tyranids.

I have put together a few models and they hit the paint table.  I would like to hear some thoughts on them before I start knocking these out in volume.

Here is a unit of genestealers and a unit of hormogaunts.  The painting is pretty straight forward on these guys; a wash and then a few details picked out in grey.

I wanted the basing to be kind of an ash waste feel. I might add a small patch of brown flock to add a little detail.  I'm a little worried that the models blend in too much with the basing, but haven't decided on that for sure.

I like how the carnifex has turned out.  Him and his friends will tear apart the enemy.  Same painting as the little guys, but he has more armor plates that are grey.

I have mixed feelings about the Hive Tyrant.  There will only be a few of these guys floating around, so I guess he is okay.  If 40K the Hive Tyrant really stands out, but I don't feel like in this scale he will.  Maybe I need to put him on a bigger base with a few of the smaller guys on the same base.

What do you think of the colors?  Do the bases need some flock or are they good as is?

6mm Building Designs

As you can see in my previous posts, I have been building some 6mm forces and have played a few games using them.  I have made some terrain for those games and have a few more projects planned.

One item I am missing is buildings.  There are lots of great designs out there, but it seems that nearly all of them are in the UK or some other European country.  I am unable to find what I am looking for here in the US.  I don't have a problem buying from overseas, but shipping can get a bit pricey.

So I decided to see what I could do to change this.  My first step has been to get a 3D modeling program and see if I could make some building designs that would work.  In high school (many years ago) I took quite a few drafting classes.  Very little of it was on the computer and even less was 3D, but that training is helping me with this process.

I've put together a couple of basic building designs and some stand alone doors.  I will continue to play with these and see what I can come up with.  I want to make some designs that are clearly "alien", but human colony buildings and structures are going to be my first efforts.

Here are some examples of what I've come up with so far.

This one is the basic structure.  Good for an outpost or rows of habitats.

A little variation from the basic design.  

A bit larger building and I added a floor to add depth to the city.

I offset the design above to add more variety.

These doors have can be used to scratch build structures or to add doors to the buildings.  The round door will also work as a vent fan.

Let me know what you think?  How could I do these better?  What am I missing?  What would you like to see?

Epic 40K Space Marines - A work in progress

I have shown off my Epic Rhino upgrades to Predators and Razorbacks.  Now I want to show you some of the other units I have been working on.  No conversions with these, just fleshing out an army at this point.

These will primarily see the field of battle using Future War Commander, but I also want them to be usable for Epic 40K (and variants) and a modified version of Tomorrows War.

Overall Commander.  This may get a Rhino instead of the Razorback.

HQ section.

Another HQ Section

Land Speader

Dreadnought.  This will be used as an assault walker.

Chaos Dreadnought.  This will be used as a fire support walker.

Tactical Marine Squad

Terminator Squad

Assault Marine Squad.

I need to assemble more of all of these and I still have to put together some Devastator squads. To finish up I think the infantry will include 20 basic marine squads, 10 assault squads, 10 terminator squads, and 10 devastator squads.  Add to this the Rhinos and Razorbacks to transport all these troops, Predator tanks, Land Raiders, Land Speeders, and Dreadnoughts for support.

I like the look and when they are all based it will be a nicely uniformed force that can hit the field of battle and do some damage to the enemies of the Empire.

What do you think?  Anything I should add?

15mm Walls - More terrain for the table

Several months ago, my friend Randy joined the 14/7 Membership Club from Acheson Creations.  The membership gives you a discount in their store.  He asked me if I wanted anything so I went to their website....and my answer was YES!

They have all kinds of great terrain that will work for many of the games that I play and in different scales and their prices are reasonable even without the membership discount.  I got the order and the items have sat in a corner of my garage waiting for some attention.

I open all the stuff up and washed it.  I just ran a sink full of warm water, added some dish soap and grabbed a brush.  With these all cleaned, I let them dry and then chose a few models to put some paint on.

I primed these with a white primer from the local auto parts store.  Next I used wood glue to apply some talus to the bases.  This is not a must, but I like the look.  I painted the base a dark brown and dry brushed it with a light tan.  For the wall itself I used a GW green wash (don't remember the exact color) and slopped on a coat.  And done.  After that dried, I added a few bits of graffiti.

I have just one complaint about these and that is there are no corners for these.  Not that big of a deal, but it would be nice if some were available.  Oh well, I guess that can be another project for me.

These walls will see the battlefield in my 15mm games of Future War Commander and Tomorrows War.  The would certainly work in 28mm games like 40k or Infinity as well.

I have about 20 of these walls.  Below you can see some photos of the finished product.

I will probably use different colors as I paint up more of these, but the style will stay the same.  I do want to add more graffiti and slogans.

Anyone have some anti-establishment slogans that I can put on here?  Where might I find some inspiration for that kind of thing?

More Fields with crops

In an earlier blog post (Fields with crops) I showed you some fields that I made for use on my battlefields.

I have been working on adding more options for my agricultural workers and thought I would share the results with you.

I have added 4 variants.  All use the same carpet that I got at my local home improvement store.  It is sold by the foot and is 24" wide (I think).  I cut the carpet into 4"x4" and 4"x8" sections.  You can use whatever size you like, but I think these sizes work well for me.

Variant 1:  I just ran a bead of glue down the raised line and then sprinkled basic green flock onto the glue.  I ran about 4 inches of glue and then sprinkled, 4 inches, then sprinkled, etc.

You can see all 4 variants here with a unit of Razorbacks.

Varient 2:  I did the same thing, but with a brown static grass this time.  You can use whatever color you like.  I will probably do some with green static grass soon.

Varient 3:  I got some Woodland Scenics clump foilage for cheap.  It is the autumn colors, so there is yellow, red and two shades of orange in the bag I got.  I broke these into small pieces and glued them to the carpet.

Varient 4:  Same stuff as before, but I used larger clumps this time.  This could be more mature plants than the smaller variant or a different plant if you use different colors.  The larger clumps also are better at breaking up visibility depending on the scale you will be using these for.

Some Earth Force Marines from Rebel Minis advancing through a field. (variant 4)

All of these fields can be used in 6mm, 15mm, or 28mm games.  I play mostly sci-fi so I don't care about the oddly colored plants.  If you are more historically minded, then just stick to the greens and browns for your crops.

I hope this gives you some good ideas for your game table.

What else might make good crops?  Any great ideas for cheap supplies for more fields?

Epic 40K - Great Find

One of the gentlemen at my local game shop heard I have been playing with Epic 40K stuff lately.  He told me that he had some old epic stuff and wondered if I was interested.

I told him to let me see what he had and I would let him know.  This is what he showed me.

4 Ork Mega Gargants

3 Eldar Titans, 21 metal Eldar Tanks, several walkers, 30ish plastic falcons and an Avatar.

12 old Land Raiders, 20ish Rhinos, some bike and misc infantry, and 30-40 Ork battlewagons, 

Lots of misc ork stuff.  There are a lot of metal models in here.  There are 6 skullhammers on the top shelf.

9 complete Gargants plus a Mega Gargant that was converted into a smaller one.

The paint on these will take some work to remove, but overall this was a great find.  I got it all for a song.

With this being added to my already ridiculously large collection, I think I have enough to keep me busy for quite a while now and I really don't know how I could use all of this anyway.  I just wish this had included some Leman Russes and Chimeras.  Oh well.  I guess I will have to be happy with what I have.

I might have to make some of this available to my fellow Epic enthusiasts.  Anyone looking for anything to add to their collection?