On The Painting Table

I'm going to try and get these posts going once a month, because if nothing else it pushes me to paint more. Id like to think that people find them interesting, but I'm not that deluded, my readership isn't all that big. Although I treasure each and every one of you.

My last project to come off the painting table was a full unit of Menoth Zealots, with Monolith Bearer. Coming off the back of finishing my Harbringer, I think the scheme on these guys works well, especially as they are effectively mooks. I went with a dirtier white, and replaced the gold in my normal scheme with brass. They hold together well, both as a unit and alongside my other Menoth.

Perhaps my biggest achievement has been to base all of my painted Warmachine models. To most this may not sound impressive, but I’m notoriously bad at getting bases done. However, after being shamed at the last gaming weekend, I forced myself into basing. I went for a very simple base, that is easy to do, but can be improved with simple additions. A simple base really does make a model, but an over complicated one can drown any model. I'm counting with the K.I.S.S approach and so far it’s going well.

One thing to crop up when doing the basing was how much of a pain it is to do when the model is finished. This won't come as a surprise to most people, me included, but it now means that all future models will be based as they are painted.

So, that's what I've done, what am I currently painting?

Well first up, I've made a start on the Dropzone Commander miniatures I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. While they are wonderful models, they need a different set of skills to paint. Things are made harder by the fact the undercoat didn't quick go on as well as it could. Sprayed them on a too humid day, and I've got a very grainy texture to them. It shouldn't hurt the final finish, but its not as nice a surface to work on. I’m going for a close to studio for the Shalatri, although this version is a bit dirtier than I was aiming for. For the PHR I’ve gone with a two tone blue and grey scheme as I’ve got enough stuff to paint white!

As well as the DzC models, I've got some Warmachine on the go and all of it Cryx. I've got the first layer of paint on the Withershard Combine as well making a start on the bulk of a new list. I'm hoping to field it at the end of the month, so to keep it a surprise I won't say what they are. However, I look forward to the reaction of my opponents when they see the force in action.

I should be in a position soon to display many more of my models, so I’m likely to soon go back and finish off some of the smaller projects that are unfinished. I have 2 Terminator units I’ve never managed to finish, as well as large chunks of my Tau army. So I’ll soon be adding bits and pieces of them to the workstation and try and get my painted model count even higher.

I’ve got to say, the last year has seen me paint many more models that I have previously. I’m not sure which is prompting this, the blog or actually getting some games in, but I’m really pleased and hope I can maintain (if not increase) my productivity.