Thursday, January 30, 2014

Grey Knight Paladin

I remember when I first saw the Grey Knights in Second Edition Warhammer 40K and immediately fell in love with the lore/story/fluff that they brought to the game!

So I started tracking down the original grey knight minis (that were not that great back then) and painted them up with a white and red paint scheme reflective of what I thought a warrior backing the inquisition should be...

With 6th edition out, and needing to get a versatile squad (which allies with almost anything), it seemed a logical choice!  So here is the first 'test' paint scheme to see what approach I will take with them.
 
A few more side views to get a bit of a better look at him...
 
(click the pic to enlarge)
 
Lemme know what you think! :D

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

The Inquisition: Always Present!

Before breaking for the weekend Blood Bowl Tourney, I was working on a commission prize piece Agememnon, and had to interrupt the progress on the Inquisitor Galandor Krom miniature that I was customizing for Warhammer 40k.  After fabbing a custom nemesis force halberd out of bitz, and throwing him onto a cool base... here he is!
 (click any pic to enlarge)
Guarding the gates of the Inquisitorial Sanctum!
 
Truthfully, I quit playing 40k in the year 2000 but with a need to provide "supplemental" troops for the Gaming Store, I decided to go back to a beloved inquisitor model that I used to use on the battlefield... it has been so fun recreating the Inquisitor Lord Kalidor Grom!
Various views...
 
Additional views...

Leading a Deathwatch Kill Team against the scourge of the Eldar...
 
Getting ready to cast the "Vortex of Doom" against these Saim Hann craftworld Eldar!
 
By Krom!  If the Vortex doesn't get them, his nemesis-force halberd will!!!
Thanks for having a look and don't forget to tell me what you think! :D
(Vote for him at Cool Mini or Not!)

Friday, January 24, 2014

Agememnon the Troll!

We interrupt these inquisitorial WIP proceedings to bring you this special message:

AGEMEMNON THE TROLL!
 
One of my good friends is sponsoring the Black Hole Brawl, NAF sanctioned Blood Bowl tournament in Raleigh, NC this weekend, and asked that I provide the painting for one of the prize miniatures that is to be given away as a prize.  This fantastic Troll Star Player (Agememnon) was a blast to paint!
 
I tried hard to stay with a complimentary color-scheme sticking with blues and oranges.  Here are some frontal poze pics...
 (click any pic to enlarge)
 
And here are the back ones! :D
 (vote for me at Cool Mini or Not!)
I surely hope that whomever draws this big guy can put him to good use!

Thursday, January 23, 2014

WIP: Inquisitor Storm Bolter Converison/Pinning!

I had to chuckle as I was getting ready for this post because some of the people I communicate with online had some recommendations about this very topic being addressed today: that would be pinning models!

Currently, I have been wanting to add a storm-bolter to an Inquisitor model that has been sitting on my shelf for a very long time.  With the recent release of 6th edition 40K, I have to get a token battle force ready and the most easily "alliable" force (in my opinion) is the Inquisition!


Here I am checking to see what the Storm-bolter is going to look like (and where I need to pin in it to the hand) in order to get the right look I am after!

 
I am using a pin-vice to drill a hole into the place where I want the 'pin' to sit in order to glue the miniature together.  Truthfully, it took me a number of years to actually put aside my clumsy mini-hand-drill before I tried the pin-vice.  Take it from someone who has been doing this awhile; make the switch if you haven't already!

After pre-measuring the proper depth in the holes I have drilled with a brass rod, I am now cutting the rod to the proper length that will be used in order to pin the Storm-bolter in place.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE:
Always check to make sure that everything fits BEFORE you glue it in!
(If you don't... you will be sorry! YES! I am speaking from experience! LOL!)
 
Here I am, holding my breathe while I put a dab of super-glue in the fist with the pin carefully positioned in!
 
Now I am  pressing the glued and pinned hand into the Storm Bolter being VERY careful not to glue my fingers to it as well! :D

Here he is with the Storm Bolter pined to the hand, and the hand and arm attached to the Inquisitor! Ta'da!!!  I am pleased with the result... what do you think?
 
Here is a brief tutorial video which covers the process I just went through with you:

Monday, January 20, 2014

Eldar Encounter!

Today is a troupe of Eldar that I needed to hurry and finish up with a growing 40K presence in the store.  A really nice chap whom we will refer to as "Chris" dropped these guys off awhile back, and they just needed to be finished up!
 
These Eldar Guardians are from the craftworld of Saim-hann, fielding the red uniforms with the White helmets, black masks and the Eldar runes of "outcasts" as their squad markings...

They are gearing up, preparing for a battle against a deathwatch kill team, hence the heavy weapon battery attached to them...
 
One of the crew members speaks up, "My Lord, think not that we should invoke the wrath of the D-Cannon on our black clad foes?"
 
The Distortion cannon's crew awaits their orders, prepared to send a blast of galaxy ether into the opponent's unsuspecting squad by opening a conduit into the warp and sucking them into the blackness beyond!

 
The oncoming Marines look determined and unforgiving as the kill team levels their heavy bolters and charge their power weapons...

Who will rein victorious?
Will the D-Cannon hit it's target evening the odds?
Will the Space Marines' bolters unleash their volley's of hellfire rounds pinning the Eldar and rending them to pieces?
Only these questions can be decided on the table-top battlefield as you take command of your army of choice in the game called...
Warhammer 40K!

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Dark Elf Defiance!

Here are the last few Dark Elves!  These Dark Elf Blitzers were very fun to paint, and I really like the large skulls on the chest plate armor... VERY DElfy!

This particular Blitzer has a very deft look to him, as if he is sprinting down the field with his fist knuckled up ready to pop an unsuspecting player in the chops!

Of all the blitzers, this one is my favorite!  I love his dynamic pose.  I love his full faced mask reminiscent of a gladiator.  I love his full-faced skull-chestplate.  Just a really fantastic mini!
 
Here is the completed team!  Every time I finish up a team, I find myself feeling very grateful for the opportunity to get my brush on another set of miniatures.  It is a very gratifying and fulfilling endeavor.  Hope you like them!

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Stabitty! Stabitty!

This is a wicked looking pair of Dark Elf Assassins from Gaspez Arts that were custom ordered for a Dark Elf Blood Bowl Team that I am finishing up.  These nasties run up to the opposing players, and instead of throwing a block on them, can stab them instead with their assassin blades! (Ouch!!) If they pick-up the skill "multiple block" they can run up to TWO players on the opposing team and... Stabitty! Stabitty! Very annoying!

Assassin number 15 has his blades in the 'upright' position ready to do a 'lung punch' on an unsuspecting victim!

Assassin number 16 has his blades down, ready to sneak up behind and do a throat cut, or hit a major artery in the neck! Wicked little DElves!

(vote on these guys at Cool Mini or Not!)

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Dark Elf Runners?

Yeah... I know, why are these Dark Elf "Runners" standing up with footballs like they are throwers?!  These GW minis are throwback OOP minis from the early 1990's when Blood Bowl DElf teams actually had throwers instead of runners!

With the changes in the Blood Bowl Competition Rules (LRB 6.0), DElves no longer have thrower positionals... but whatever!  The minis work just fine for filling in for the runner minis.
 
Since both "Runners" *wink* are exactly the same mini--I am only putting up a few pics of some sides of one of the models.
Overall I am rather happy with how they turned out!
 
Catch ya tomorrow! :D

Monday, January 13, 2014

Wild, Wild, Witches!

 
Welcome to the Wild, Wild, Witches!  These Dark Elf ladies are absolutely vicious on the Blood Bowl pitch!  With Jump-up, Dodge, and Frenzy, they are capable of bludgeoning and beating the opposition into submission (and sometimes into the crowd) they are a must on any DElf team!

The client who commissioned me to paint this team wanted a "wintery theme" to go along with the name "Grimm's Reapers" so the blue skin was a 'must have' on these ladies!

The Number Seven Witch Elf has a deadly elegance about her that would make anyone trepidatious about approaching her! 
(You can vote for her at Cool Mini or Not!)

This second Witch Elf kind of looks like the Bride of Frankenstein, and probably hits like it too with those double fist spikes she has to impale the opposition on... Nasty!
(Go to Cool Mini or Not! to vote for her)
 
Really need to thank Chris for commissioning me to paint up his DElves--great fun!  Looking forward to posting the rest of the team!
 
(In case you forgot... here is what "she" looks like!)


Saturday, January 11, 2014

Wight Delight!

This is the last post on this Undead Team, and the client (the nine year old son of an active coach) has been given "pre-view" pics and is most excited to receive his belated Christmas present from his dad!

The last two team members are officially "wights" on the team, but are really more of a wraith with scythe-looking-thingy-arms...

 
Truthfully, when the team was delivered to me for painting, I immediately saw these two positionals (core team members), and could not wait to get my brush on them!

These guys had to have the arms pinned, and the drilling took quite a bit of effort as the arms were just barely thick enough to accommodate my pin-vice; but more challenging was the need to bend the arms at the 'elbows' without damaging the arms!

 
The result, however, I think is rather dramatic... and I feel incredibly sorry for anyone on the opposing team who has to try and mark-up on one of these guys!
(Is there a rule for "apparitional fear" where a player must take a leadership test when [if failed] must be immobilized for the turn after wetting their pants?)
There SHOULD BE with these guys! LOL!!

 
Here is the whole team, finished and ready for delivery!
Tell me what you think!

Friday, January 10, 2014

Ghoulish Blue Hue!

Today we have four Ghouls painted in a very Ghouley Blue Hue!  Of all the minis on this Undead Blood Bowl Team my client has me doing... these are my second favorite minis!  Very cool poses!

 
Ghoul number five must have caught the head from the Zombie thrower that was being tossed down field... or, he took it off of another team-mate in order to distract the opposition!
 
 
 Ghoul number six has a definite "Bring it on!" stance that I love!
 
Ghoul number seven seems to be pointing at someone on the opposite team, with his tongue hanging out, almost as if to say, "You're next!" as he licks his chops!
 
 
Ghoul number eight is all business, ready to hunt you down at a movement of seven spaces! (which is pretty fast for an undead team!)
 
 
Thanks to the team owner for commissioning me to paint these ghoulish guys...
Good Fun!

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

The Skillette's On!

Years ago, someone asked me, "What do you get when you cook the meat off of a body for an autopsy?" I replied, "I have no idea!" They then said (with a smug smirk), "An M.E. asking in frustration 'Who left the Skillette on?'!"  Yeah... REALLY bad joke!  But it applies here with the Skillette-ons *wink* from the Blood Bowl team I am finishing up!

The first skeleton has a menacing "block" stance look like he is ready to stop the line from coming through all on his own! (The "mad-dog-one-eye" look doesn't hurt!)
 
The second is my favorite!!! Arm up in the air, victorious after knocking down (or intimidating) the opposition into submission!

The last of the trio has a pose like he is calling down on Nuffle himself to influence the die in such a way, that he will get a positive result for a knock-down! LOL

Here are the three of them, ready to throw down (or scare you out of town) and send you running home to mommy!
 
One of the more FAMOUS skeletons... Achmed as Santa!