Crazy Belated Everything Post

Between celebrating our anniversary (yay!), watching the Bengals get thrashed (crap!) and going back to work (boo!) things have slid a little around here, so this is a catch-up post.

First:

Friday Rodent Blogging



Selene would like a moment for rebuttal, in re the question of the happiest match, and would like to submit gerbil and pumpkin seed as a contender.


Friday Cat Blogging


Attack! Attack the hand! Kill! Kill! Kill!


The Anglo-Saxon Project


This is the latest. The green stuff (kneadatite) arrived and progress was made. I started with just the helmet and the neck piece, leaving the sides and face mask 'till later. For reasons that aren't fully clear, even to me, I also added the crest. With some tidying, I should be able to finish this in about.. a year or two.

Actually, one more session should see it near done.

The Anglo-Saxon Project

Here's a modest update:

I've gone about as far as I can do with this until my supply of green stuff arrives.

I started with this figure:


This is basically a standard Praetorian Lieutenant model, but I had already reshaped the sword, making it a powersword rather than a chainsword. I needed to strip the paint from the model and do some more work:


I removed the sword's handguard and reshaped the blade into a short sword. I am considering reshaping the blade further in order to give it the distinctive Anglo-Saxon tapered look. I then ground the helmet and face down to give me a nice base to work on.

And that, pending kneadatite, is all folks.

Apart from the name. The British Museum site plays it coy about the identity of the helm's owner, but the Sutton Hoo site declares him to be Rædwald, King of East Anglia and later, one of the most powerful figures in Anglo-Saxon history.

Accordingly, this character shall be called Major Rædwald, 22nd regiment, Praetorian Guard.

This Week's Impossible Dream

Here's a nice picture:

If you're from England, I probably don't have to tell you what that is. But for those not from The Centre Of The Universe, or for those to whom history is merely something that happens to other people, that is the Anglo-Saxon helmet discovered at Sutton Hoo, now on display at the British Museum. The Sutton Hoo burial mound was first excavated in 1939 and a wealth of treasures were unearthed from an unidentified Anglo-Saxon king's burial ship.

This helmet has fascinated me ever since I saw the original as a schoolkid. I love the look of the piece.

The British Museum also has this replica, made by the Tower Of London Armouries, which shows the helmet in all of its original glory:




The trip down memory lane that led to the British Museum's website also sowed the seed of a mad idea now germinating inside the fizzing fireworks display that I sometimes, but not often, call my mind.

I have a spare Praetorian Lieutenant model. And that helmet would look just awesome on him.

Yes..

And I have the week off work..

I'll get back to you if there is any progress.

All images © Trustees of the British Museum.

Storm Troopers!

Here are some nice, close-up pics of my Storm Trooper squad, taken for painting competition entry over at 40K Online.

Sergeant, Flamer, Grenade Launcher, and Random Guy Who Just Happens To Be Carrying The Spare Ammo For The Grenade Launcher.


The Three Shooters. Guys taking aim. Clearly they were never taught the rule about all models in a unit shooting at the same target. Either that or they're surrounded by one really big enemy unit.


And the Three Guys Who Aren't Aiming At Anything Much, though the guy in the back does seem to have taken an interest in the guy who is standing in front of him. He, in fact, seems to be giving his behind a nice, long look.

Hey, don't ask, don't tell.

Sharpshooters!

The first of my Praetorian Royal Marine Sharpshooter teams is done:

Front:

Spotter:

Sniper:

The other two teams will be individually based, but I thought that putting these two on a large base was appropriate. More on this unit as it develops.

Paint Day 26/07/07

An unexpected, but welcome paint day today allowed me to do some magic with my airbrush.

First, I added a very light dusting of tan to the objective marker, which makes the sand look so much more realistic, and gives the hatch a nice weathered look:


Next, I experimented with a camouflage scheme for my sentinel:




And the same on my chimera:


Annoyingly, they both look way better up close than the photos would lead you to believe. Still, they are WIP shots, and they'll look better with details added.

Paint Day Again

Tuesday is Paint Day again, so in preparation I have been making objective markers.

The first uses the wounded Praetorian figure from the old boxed set, and represents a fallen comrade awaiting rescue:


The second uses a rhino hatch, and represents the entrance to an underground complex, storeroom, or maybe the exit from a bolt-hole that the army must secure:


Painting will commence Tuesday morning.

Sniper Gets Another Buddy

The third in my trio of Praetorian Royal Marine snipers has emerged:


And here is a side view showing the rifle:


And the three together:

Sniper Gets Buddy 2

Here's another WIP shot of my latest sniper. I've snipped off the bayonet lug (because a sniper rifle doesn't need a bayonet) and turned the scope into something more like a - well - scope.

Sniper Gets Buddy

I spent some time today assembling this, my second Praetorian Royal Marine sharpshooter. I decided to try something different with the scope, mainly because I don't have another of the previous type in my bits box. I've also left off the bipod, because I'm out of space marine knives, too..

One more sniper (and I know which model is getting the treatment) and three lasgun armed troopers and my marine sharpshooter squad will be ready.

Praetorian pics

Firstly, something I haven't done in a while, here is the 22nd on parade:


Here is my now completed lascannon squad:


And here is the (near) completed rhino that carries Colonel Ironfist and his retinue around:


Side view:


Again, if you don't know why it's a rhino, you haven't been playing long enough.

In game terms it simply counts as a chimera with a turret-mounted heavy bolter and a hull-mounted heavy bolter.

I've also created a photobucket album. You can see it here.

The 22nd Praetorian

Using Mrs Doombreed's excellent suggestion of using my magnifier (see yesterday's post) we present more pics of the 22nd.

You were warned..

Colonel Ironfist:


The 22nd's Command HQ:
Back Row l-r: Mastervox Operator; Veteran
Middle Row l-r: Standard Bearer; Medic
Front: Colonel Ironfist.

Nork Deddog, Ogryn Bodyguard:

Infantry Squad:

Ratling Snipers:

Anti-Tank Squad from the Heavy Weapons Platoon:

Stormtroopers:

The Sergeant from the Rough Riders:

A Rough Rider trooper:

More to come.

Cracked It, Finally

I finally figured out how to get good pictures of my models. Using my magnifying light which was bought to help detail panting, I magnify the figure and then take a picture of the magnifier, thus good pics of my Praetorian Marine sharpshooter have been taken.

Front:


Back:

Watch out for my entire range being photographed using this technique in the days (or weeks) to come.

Paint Week

Paint Week has not gone according to plan. When I first started thinking about this week, I was starting from the position of Mrs Doombreed working all week, leaving me at a loose end for at least five days. Much to my delight, she's been home, so we've been spending time together, something we rarely get to do. Thus, although my week has been great, my painting has been near nonexistent.

Today, I did manage to finish my Praetorian sniper:


And here is the view from the back:

I decided that a sniper did not deserve to have the standard red tunic, white helmet and belt order that regular Praetorians wear, so I gave him a green tunic and tan helmet and belt order, allowing him to blend in a little better. I'm going to call him (and the rest of the unit when I get and paint them) Praetorian Marine sharpshooters on detachment to the 22nd, much like my heavy weapon platoon is on detachment from the Praetorian Artillery.

I have to say this is one of my favourite models. He just looks great.

The Madness Begins

Ironically, Paint Week's first day did not involve any painting, just some modeling.

First up we have a standard kneeling Praetorian trooper model - "Trooper 6" - who had an irretrievably damaged lasgun when I got him. Well, some cleaning up, plus the barrel of a plastic Cadian lasgun, the scope from an old Space Marine bolter that I had lying around and the handles from some old Space Marine knives, and we have a shiny new Praetorian sniper to paint:


Next, I wedded a mortar model with a pair of Basilisk crew that, if I recall correctly, Wilf gave me, along with some bits from the Imperial tank accessory sprue, to make the bulk of my heavy weapons platoon's command squad:

Details are hard to make out because they're black-on-black, but they'll look better once they're painted.

Lastly, I took scalpel and file to an old Space Marine bike I had lying around the bits box:

Why? Because I'm doing an experiment to see if I can make it look suitable as an Imperial Guard jetbike. See, I loved the old jetbikes, and they would make excellent Rough Riders. I'm quite pleased with the result. You can't see it from the picture above, but the footplate has been placed on the back, and those foot rests look very nice as jets.

Good News And Bad

Bad news: Today I started the first of twelve straight days at work.

Good News: At the end of twelve days (now eleven) I have just over a week off.

So.. Paint Week cometh.

I am going to make a painting vow:

By the end of that week, the Praetorian 22nd will be finished.

First, the heavy weapons platoon needs its second squad (lascannons) based, third squad (heavy bolters) done, and command squad done.

Two infantry squads are still bare metal. A second command squad - so I can either field two infantry platoons of two squads or one infantry platoon of four - also needs doing.

The rhino, which I've decided is going to, under the "counts as" convention, serve as my Command HQ's Chimera, will be finished. And if you don't know why I'd put a Command HQ in a rhino, you ain't been in this game long enough.

My lone sentinel needs finishing, so I'll need to dust off the airbrush.

And the Chimera for my Armoured Fist unit needs final details.

If time permits, I'll apply myself to a priest I'm cobbling together from a Praetorian trooper model.

And, once that's all done and not before, I may go on to my Ordo Malleus daemonhunter and retinue.

And I have some slightly insane scenery ideas to play with.

The Heavy Brigade..

The second squad of my heavy weapons platoon is a gnat's wing away from completion. They just need basing before they can join their missile-launcher armed brethren. Once the command squad is painted (they're up next), I'll just need to do the three heavy bolters to make some nice bangy/boomy/peowny goodness.

Praetorian 22nd - better pics

Command HQ:

Front: Colonel Ironfist
2nd Row: Medic; Veteran; Master-vox operator; Standard Bearer
3rd Row; Missile launcher team; Nork Deddog; Missile launcher team
Rear: Missile launcher team.

Rough Riders:

Converted WHFB imperial knights on Dark Elf cold ones.

Hardened Veterans:

Not too sure about the Catachan Lt as a Veteran Sergeant, but he'll do until I find something else.

Ratling Snipers:

'Nuff said

Infantry Platoon:

Looking lonely. I have to add the other two squads and maybe get some more.

Armoured Fists:

Steel Legion models.

Storm Troopers:

Plastic Cadian models.