Skaven Update #30

Okay, here's what I've accomplished so far...

gutter unit #1

 

gutter unit #2 with a deathrunner These Gutter Runners have been a real chore for me. I thought that these would be a quick paint considering they are mostly black. But, the longer I painted them the less motivated I became. Part of it is the sculpt; difficult to paint around. I think this is as far as I'm willing to go with these guys. I'm happy with the simple color scheme so let's just call them done and move on shall we? I doubt I will ever field 2 units of 10 gutter runners- maybe 2 units of 5 at most. I just wanted to build as many as I could. Still painting the Warp-grinder. Hope to get this done soon. I'm not quite sure what's next on my Skaven plate. The night runners were suppose to be next but seeing how long these gutter runners took I might have to take a break from the models. My 'to do' rat list is always growing but on the top of list are:

1) Screaming Bell and unit: Originally I was going to update this clanrat unit by repainting the whole unit and then updating the bell by adding the large 60x100mm base. I even had a couple of ideas to fill up the enormous base that the bell would be on. It would've have been a nice project to work on but after seeing the great armies at Adepticon especially the Skaven in person I started having second thoughts. Right now, I still want to repaint the whole thing but instead keep the old 40x60mm base and officially retire/shelf the entire unit.

2) Rat ogres: Varying degrees of completeness. Where to begin? The old Boneripper mini would be the master bred in the unit but I need to make a special base for it. Not sure what though.

3) Giant rat pack: Another unit with varying degrees of completeness. I do want to add a unit filler in the unit, hence the empty 40x40mm base.
Decisions, decisions.

Skaven Update #29

Another small update. Finally got a chance to pick up a decent brush. I can now start painting!

Still not done with the gutter runners. I've got most of the base coating done and started a little bit on the shading.

The warp-grinder is ready for priming. The hoses aren't permanent at the moment. I'll glue them afterwards. Maybe even add some greenstuff. I just don't want them to get in the way while I paint.

2010 Recap

The year is almost over. It's time to reflect as 2011 draws near. 2010 for me started late. I was on a bit of a 'hobby hibernation' for a good 6+ months. The break actually did me some good as I noticed I've been painting differently. Whether if it's for the better or not is for you to decide. :)

Definitely not legal

It was around May when I began painting again. It started off fairly good, fininshing a unit of 23 plague monks. Then throughout the rest of the year I worked on a bunch of single minis. Many were small insignificant minis like the dwarf slayer, Mordheim Eshin sorcerer, and even a Reaper CAV mech. But a couple were fairly large single Skaven minis. The doomwheel was the first 'big project' that involved some conversion. I wanted to update the old model by using some of the current bitz. I thought it was a good idea at the time and didn't think it would take too long to put it together. I was so wrong. I wasn't entirely happy with the way I executed it. As a result, I got very indecisive and hesitant. But in the end I think it still came out pretty good. The other big project- the Verminlord- however had no conversion and plenty of planning. It took a long time to finish it, mostly because of the 13 rats on the base, but I think it's my best model to date. I'm pretty happy with it. I did have 2 color schemes in mind at the time though. And I do have an extra VL (well 2 extra to be exact). I didn't glue the VL to it's base just in case something stupid like this happens. So maybe in the future I can paint up that other color scheme.
Later that same month I unexpectedly won a logo contest that I almost didn't enter. I submitted my logo literally 2 hours before the deadline. Now I got an IG battleforce on my shelf collecting dust... just waiting to be made. Waiting....

The IoB High Elf mage weekend project was a surprise. It was definitely an impulse moment. It was a good excuse to try out the new IoB minis for the first time. Plus, I didn't think I was even going to go through with it. But, I really wanted to enter the contest so the motivation alone helped me finish in the nick of time. Surprisingly it was a fun, learning experience and I think I did quite well- toot toot! Too bad I didn't win. Not even a single vote. Haha!

I ended the year finishing up a unit of Globadiers. A last minute thing. I thought I was done with the unit when I came across an old edition Globadier tucked away in a bitz box. The Gutter Runners should have been the last unit of the year but with the holidays and work I just couldn't get around to it. These will have to be first on the list for 2011.

All in all, I think 2010 was pretty productive. Despite starting late in the year I learned and accomplished a lot. I didn't paint a whole lot like last year (2009 Adepticon) but I think there was more quality this time around. Next year I hope to maybe work on more rank and file units instead of the single minis... or maybe an abomination conversion!!! Until next year!

Skaven Update #26

I wasn't entirely focused these past few days so as a result, I worked a little on a few things but got nothing done.

Progress continues with the gutter runners. I got most of them covered in chaos black and tallarn flesh. I just started painting them with calthan brown. Their skin will be slightly lighter compared to my other units because their Eshin-wear will be black and I want a bit of contrast to make them stand out a bit.

Almost done with my proxy globadier champion. It's coming along. Small ain't he?

This Thanksgiving weekend I'm going to try and tackle this High Elf. The odds are stacked against me. I've got until the end of the month (next Tuesday, so 5 days!) and I've never painted an elf before let alone an elf with this much detail. I'm gonna try my best or...

... die trying!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Skaven Update #25

First up is this guy.

He was pretty quick to paint up although I'm not sure what I'd use him as in my army. Possible Mordheim mini. Too bad I'm not playing any Mordheim campaigns at the moment.

I found this old mini in my box 'o minis.

I think he'll be a nice champion for my globadier unit. At least for the time being.

I thought I'd better start working on larger things like characters, war machines, and actual units besides working on these single minis that aren't even special characters. So, I began building up 20 gutter runners from old skaven minis that I bought secondhand a couple nights ago. They are all armed with claws and have dagger tails. A few are armed with either slings or stars. The champion has 2 claws.

This way I can make a single unit of 15 or make 2 units of 10. One oversight is that I only made 1 champion. I need to make another champion and maybe another 2 gutter runners just in case I choose not to have champions in the unit. I'm on the fence whether or not I should actually try to build the champions with weeping blades. Well, that's what I have going on right now. Until next time!