The participants have been hard at work this month. As always we’ve had a few nutters who have already painted enough models and points to be an entire challenge on their own! Lets take a look at what everyone has been up to!
| Number of models painted: | 52 | Number of points : | 357 |
| Hours spent painting: | 17 | Crisis level (1-5): | 1 |
Termagaunt Brood Number of models, 16 WYSIWYG Wargear N/A, Points 96
Unit Name, Termagaunt Brood Number of models, 22 WYSIWYG Wargear 2 Stranglewebs and 5 Spike Rifles , Points 149
Unit Name, Hormagaunt Brood Number of models 14, WYSIWYG Wargear N/A, Points 112
We are back baby! So this month I decided to jump straight into this challenge with both feet, while my motivation is at its highest and take on the ‘big blob’ slice of lots (and lots) of cheap bugs. The process was pretty straightforward once the two paint scheme’s were nailed down and soon the production line process was in full effect! I spent some time looking over the old 2nd edition painting guides and codex’s, and tried to get close to the classic schemes, even if my Hormagunts are 3d prints. This was a deicision made in part due to how expensive the classics are these days to field in numbers, but also just how infuriating they are to get to not fall over what with them leaning forward precariously! That said, these proxies also needed some tactical rocks added in certain places to assist them with their balance. With the largest slice now out of the way, I feel like I can look ahead to the future months and see if I can get some sutiable terrain built to accompany my force on the table! If you want to follow along with this any my other various Oldhammer projects, check me out on Instagram @ad80_herohammer
Wachtmeister: If you’ve been following this challenge for a while it will not surprise you that not only did Alex get in a huge number of models but he was also the first entry submitted! I think it’s a good move getting 3D prints for the Hormagaunts as even looking at them through the internet can cause them to fall over! I look forward to seeing his <ahem> smaller entries done!
| Number of models painted: 37 | Number of points : 1451 |
| Hours spent painting: 25 (approx.) | Crisis level (1-5): 2 |
Unit 01: Dark Reaper Squad [268 pts]: 4x Dark Reaper [67 pts] (Dark Reaper Range Finder, Missile Launcher with Frag and Krak Missiles)
Unit 02: Dark Reaper Squad [268 pts]: 4x Dark Reaper [67 pts] (Dark Reaper Range Finder, Missile Launcher with Frag and Krak Missiles)
Unit 03: Dark Reaper Squad [268 pts]: 4x Dark Reaper [67 pts] (Dark Reaper Range Finder, Missile Launcher with Frag and Krak Missiles)
Unit 04: Guardian Squad [66 pts]: 1x Lasgun per Guardian, 6x Guardian [11 pts] (Mesh Armour)
Unit 05: Guardian Squad [66 pts]: 1x Lasgun per Guardian, 6x Guardian [11 pts] (Mesh Armour)
Unit 06: Guardian Squad [66 pts]: 1x Lasgun per Guardian, 6x Guardian [11 pts] (Mesh Armour)
Unit 07: Dark Reaper Exarch [100 pts]: Laspistol, Dark Reaper Range Finder + Missile Launcher [50 pts] (Missile Launcher with Frag and Krak Missiles)
Unit 08: Dark Reaper Exarch [80 pts]: Laspistol, Dark Reaper Range Finder [5 pts], Web of Skulls [25 pts]
Unit 09: Dark Reaper Exarch [80 pts]: Laspistol, Dark Reaper Range Finder [5 pts], Web of Skulls [25 pts]
Unit 10: Maugan Ra – The Harvester of Souls [134 pts]: Shuriken Pistol, Crack Shot, Tough, Turn Aside Blow Unit
11: Anti-Grav Platform Weapon [55 pts]: 2x Guardian (Laspistol, Mesh Armour), Heavy Plasma Gun [55 pts] (Targeter)
Well, month 01 has come and gone. I knew I had a work trip this month, and, as it was a government training, figured we’d be cramming a day of training into the scheduled week. As it was, it left me *plenty* of time for painting. This month we painted all five pledged Dark Reapers, plus ten more of their brethren. Once they were finished, I figured I had to paint Maugan Ra early. At that point, I already had sixteen models painted and had some bonus Guardians sitting in the wings – why not try for the thirty painted model bingo? In the end, we finished with thirty seven models. It helped that I had already figured out the Guardian scheme a few challenges ago, making it relatively easy to slap the paint onto them.For the Dark Reapers, I wanted to do an inverse color scheme to my typical Eldar paintjob, representing their darker aspect. I already had black aspects from painting some warp spiders a few challenges ago, so decided to go for this dark purple scheme. My wife helped decide on bronze as the primary secondary color instead of white, and I inverted my typical gun scheme with blue instead of magenta. All in all, I’m very happy with how they turned out!On the hobby bingo front, we painted thirty models, most all of which were metal, and played a full 2nd edition game with my oldest (a malefactor got power fisted to pieces by a terminator!).Rest of this month is busy with family. Till next month!
Wachtmeister: After I cut and pasted TJM’s entry I had to put some spaces between each of his units. I had to scroll up to his picture to confirm he did indeed have 11 units! I really like his basing, they really tie the room together. It makes me want to arrange a cross country flight to pit my Valhallans against these tricksy Eldar!
| Number of models painted: | 5 | Number of points : | 235 |
| Hours spent painting: | 26 | Crisis level (1-5): | 1 |
5 Ogryns, armed with Ripper Guns & frag grenades
When I first saw the old Ogryn models back in the day, I think I actually laughed. I couldn’t see how they would fit into my Tallarn army. But then again, I only remember thinking about using them after 3rd edition had come out, where they had been nuka-nerfed into a worthless pile of metal.
My feelings about them obviously changed over the years, and for this challenge I’ve been blessed with painting my second squad. And not only that, I also managed to get my hands on Nork Deddog, the Ogryn special character, and it only took me close to thirty years of collecting.
As always I spent too much time pondering and considering how to paint the squad. Before starting the challenge, I only knew I would be doing some leopard print on two of them, as I’m painting very few models for this challenge and the options to do some leopard print are even fewer.
Eventually I decided that, this being the second squad of Ogryns for the army, they would have to be attached to the 2nd. Company, the Catachan detachment that I painted for Challenge IV. And as such they would be painted in the same desert camo theme, using the same colors for fatigues and guns.
I’m very pleased with the result, and happy to be able to add more support to the 42nd. Regiment.
For the Emperor, Tallarn and the Screaming Camels.
Mørk
Wachtmeister: After last challenge it’s refreshing to see Mørk painting a smaller amount of models than the hordes he was working on last year! You can see how his opinion on units not fitting in with his army has changes at Catachans and Mordians have both been added to his Tallarn army, albeit in desert camouflage! Funny enough I painted my Ogryn’s way back in the 2nd Challenge with leopard spot fatigues!
| Number of models painted: | 5 | Number of points : | 129 |
| Hours spent painting: | 7? | Crisis level (1-5): | 1 |
Eldar Scouts, 5, 2x Laspistols, 2x Shuriken Pistols, Power Sword, 129
I’m not sure where these elves are fighting that blue tiger striped camo is the way to go… but it felt deliciously 2nd edition and I had to do it! Painting these scouts reminded me just how much my painting tastes and style have changed since I first picked them up more than 20 years ago. High school me thought the guy with the hood up, sword in hand was the peak of cool… so I painted him first. Now that I’ve been doing this for a while, my least favorite miniature from childhoId – the guy with two pistols and no helmet was my favorite… something about all the detail on the different layers of his armor was really satisfying to paint. That’s my favorite part of this project… rehashing my old miniatures and seeing how much things have changed!
Wachtmeister: Blue tiger stripes and yellow helmets are an interesting combination for sneaking around, but they are a terrific combination for looking awesome! I can’t wait to have these guys totally “sneak” around one of our games in the not so distant future!
| Number of models painted: | 18 | Number of points : | 204 |
| Hours spent painting: | 24? | Crisis level (1-5): | 2 |
Demagogue, 1 model, Carapace armour, plasma pistol, power sword, 56 points
Magus champion, 1 model, chainsword, 34 points
Cultists, 10 models, 9 with autopistols and chainswords, 1 with flamer, 76 points
Cultists, 6 models, 5 with autoguns, 1 with flamer: 38 points
I think the first slice of this project has been a success. I intentionally put a big pile of models into my first slice to build up some momentum, and also because I knew that I would have some time off due to school holidays in the middle of the month. A big challenge for me was trying to create a unified theme with a group of models that are very much not unified. I think the simple colour scheme makes them work in the end, but to start with I was a bit discouraged. It seemed to me that they just looked like a jumble of figures put together with no rhyme or reason. In the end, I think patience paid off.I almost ran out of chainswords and was saved only by a timely resupply from friend Dave. We will see how well this goes in future months. I bought a lot of chainswords for this army: models with WS2 aren’t going to be hitting that often, so they might as well do some damage when they do.This army contains a few recently purchased models, but others that have languished in my storage bins for a long time. Some I bought second-hand, some were gifts from friends, some are kitbashes based on Stargrave parts, and some were just impulse buys online or in games shops. I like this kind of bricolage when creating an army, and so far this one has been very rewarding in that respect.
Wachtmeister: I think James has done a wonderful job of capturing the Chaos Cult look. As they didn’t have officially armies gamers would have to do exactly what he did by going to disparate ranges and combining them to get full units. His basing and common color scheme really ties the room together (this joke again?) and makes them look like they belong. This is going to be a terrific looking army!
| Number of models painted: | 12 | Number of points : | 619 |
| Hours spent painting: | 30 | Crisis level (1-5): | 1 |
Warp Spiders, 5 models, 205 Points
Howling Banshees, 5 models, 135 Points
Warlock, 1 model, 51 Points
Falcon Grav Tank, 1 model, Missile Launcher, 228 points
Admittedly, I got a head start with a test Warp Spider and began painting before the official kick-off. I was satisfied with the colour scheme, though it took longer to finish than expected, with details I had not recognized beforehand. I split the remaining four and painted two at a time. Steady progress, no drama. The initial pledge of the month was completed in less than the first half, yet the pace felt comfortable. Then the choice, push ahead with next month’s pledge, or do some bonus models? After consulting the veterans for advice, I went for the latter and brought the semi modern Bonesinger, proper ornate Eldar elegance. I kept the paintjob simple. It looked a bit flat at first with bone colors on the horns, but after painting them blue like the helmet the paintjob looked more balanced. Next up the Falcon grav-tank. Im really happy with how this turned out, I find my yellow recipe works really well on larger surfaces, and i think painting the windows was the right choice. Finally, five Howling Banshees. One test model to set the standard, then the remaining four in one focused push. They were more of a treat to paint than the warp spiders, and I think I succeeded in making them look properly fierce. Overall in this early stage, motivation stayed high, stress low, with steady momentum and the satisfaction of a warhost growing stronger.
Wachtmeister: This is a terrific looking force and is easily half a challenge in itself. I love RB’s yellow on the Falcon, I hope he shares the recipe in a future entry!
| Number of models painted: | 20 | Number of points : | 1857 |
| Hours spent painting: | 50 | Crisis level (1-5): | 1 |
Eldrad Ulthran: Eldar Spirit Stone [30 pts], The Staff of Ulthamar [18 pts], Conversion Field [10 pts] [260 pts]Farseer: Eldar Spirit Stone [30 pts], Witch Blade [15 pts] [215 pts]
Farseer: Conversion Field [14 pts], Singing Spear [25 pts] [209 pts]
Warlock: Master [152 pts], Eldar Spirit Stone [30 pts], Witch Blade [15 pts] [197 pts]Warlock :Champion [97 pts], Shuriken Pistol [3 pts], Singing Spear [25 pts] [125 pts]
Warlock: Champion [97 pts], Witch Blade [15 pts] [112 pts]
Warlock: Witch Blade [15 pts] [66 pts]
Warlock: Shuriken Pistol [3 pts, Singing Spear [25 pts] [79 pts]
Warlock: Witch Blade [15 pts] [66 pts]
Warlock: Shuriken Pistol [3 pts], Singing Spear [25 pts] [79 pts]
Exarch: Laspistol, 2x Power Sword [6 pts], Fast Shot [25 pts], Stealth [10 pts], Warp Spider Jump Generator and 2 Death Spinners [40 pts] [137 pts]
Eldar Scout Squad: 5x Eldar Scouts [115 pts]
Warp Spider Squad: 4x Warp Spider [123 pts]
Overall, a good first month! Monopose metal Eldars are so much faster to prep than 7+ pieces of Space Marines! I got a good rhythm of 2 hours of painting every day on average, so things get done. The few snow days we got also helped a lot! If I can keep the same for the next 5 months, it should be good! The plan was to do 1 Farseer, and it went well overboard with the whole crew showing up. I then got the brilliant idea to do the Scouts in prevision of the following month, but they were done quickly. Still unsure if I’m going to add a camo pattern on them, it feels so Mon-keigh to me. The Spiders were started with the hope of quickly doing the full squad and the Exarch. Turned out not to be as easy, enjoyable, and interesting as I thought it would be, so only 4 and the Exarch are done. If a new Bingo case could be added just for me, it would be “try to finish that unit before Month 6”!
Next month, I’ll get the guardians finished and most likely the Banshees. And then whatever is there to be painted…
The chat group has also been very entertaining! It adds a good dose of friendly motivation and random learning like the difference between Malher and Måla….
Wachtmeister: If I ever play Julien I guess I know I need to stock up on Null Field’s and Psychic Hoods! And lasguns. Lots and lots of laguns. A dead psyker can’t channel the warp! This is a terrific looking force and the quality of the paint job is really high. I can’t wait to see what Juliens next wave looks like!
| Number of models painted: | 15 | Number of points : | 118 |
| Hours spent painting: | 12 | Crisis level (1-5): | 4 |
9 Termagants: 4x Spike Rifles, 5x fleshborers. 58 Points
6 Spore mines: 60 Points
Welcome back, fellow biomass sacs! How’s the chitinous shell going? Full of nitrogen-containing polysaccharide I trust? Excellent! Let’s see how the rest of the swarm is going. So I had grand plans of attempting the “paint 30 miniatures” hobby bingo space this month, but life, postage time and a second army all got in the way! What I did do, however, is concentrate on experimenting with colouring and patterning. I’ve been looking at Aposematism in nature for some inspiration and these little gribblies were inspired by the Blue Ring Octopus on the East coast of Australia. Tiny, but deadly!
Anyway, hope you all enjoy and thanks for checking out the challenge! Tain
Wachtmeister: I love the idea of using colors that appear in nature on alien life forms and the Blue Ring Octopus pattern looks terrific on Hive Fleet Tain. Terrifc work as always, I’m looking forward to seeing more monsters based on the things that can kill you in Australia. Using that as a template Martin has enough color schemes to paint Tyranids in until the year 40,000!
| Number of models painted: | 6 | Number of points : | 237 | |
| Hours spent painting: | 10ish | Crisis level (1-5): | 3 |
Combat Squad (Tactical), 5 models, Bolters, bolt pistols, frag grenades, 1 x flamer, 1 x chainsword, 176pts
Techmarine ‘Dougie’, 1 model, bolt pistol, power axe, krak grenades, conversion field 61pts
“Alright chaps, I’m Dougie, where do you want me?” “Eh? We were expecting a Techmarine?” “I am the tech” “But you’re not in red?” “Red doesn’t suit me” “What! How’d you get away with that on Mars??”“I threatened them with the axe, I said ‘if you make me wear red I’m not going’. I painted the shoulder pad red as compromise, I secretly like the look” “You can work a spanner right?”“ Well I just use the axe”“ Bloody hell, well you’re all we’ve got” Month 1 done. Only half of what I had pledged and minor changes to the plan, but enough to get over the line. It’s been great reimagining my Dark Angel army of old, painting the box set marines is something that I never did at the time, they’re lovely to paint. The scheme has been inspired by Jim Burns painting used for Ian Watson’s Space Marine which I’m about to read. I really like the darker green with white motifs and think it’ll look good across the whole army, to me it makes them feel more on the darker side of Dark Angels, closer to chaos. All the talk of Malal has maybe got inside my head though, I cant tell anymore! On to month 2 which will be a devastator combat squad and a dreadnought for the techmarine.
Wachtmeister: I love the darker green Justin is using for his Dark Angels, they certainly speak to me as Rogue Trader and the earlier 2nd Edition style. The red and white checks looks super sharp and help set off the paint job nicely!
| Number of models painted: | 3 | Number of points: | 253 |
| Hours spent painting: | 30 | Crisis level (1-5): | 3 |
Terminator Captain, 1, Storm Bolter, Power Sword, 125
Company Standard, 1, Power Fist, Bolt Pistol, Frag Grenades, 65
Librarian (Lexicanium), 1, Force Axe, Bolt Pistol, Frag Grenades, 63
For month 1 I planned to paint only the Captain and the Company Standard, but when I saw that there was time left, I decided to throw in a Librarian as well! I put the Crisis level to 3 mostly because I had to figure out the colour schemes and get used to my new Nostalgia ’94 paints and my new wet palette (very much worth it if you are using dropper bottles). I never felt stressed about not making it in time, but I did cut it pretty close with two days to spare! As for the colour schemes I wanted to replicate the ‘Eavy Metal paintjobs in Codex: Angels of Death to the best of my abilities. I had to do some tests in the beginning, but I settled rather quickly for Blood Red (go figure!) as the main colour with highlights of Blazing Orange and Fiery Orange. My ambition with this project is to go all in on the look and feel of the era which meant a strong orange red, back banners, Goblin Green bases and blue armour for the Librarian! The banners were made by taking a photo of the images in the Codex and then instructing an AI to change the image into a black and white colouring page. This worked really well, and after printing them out I varnished the paper and then painted them with my regular paints. All in all, I’m very pleased with the results of the first month!
Wachtmeister: Ted really has captured the look of 2nd Edition Blood Angels with these guys, they are nice and bright and I think they are outright terrific! The Angels of Death Codex didn’t contain black and white banners and I love Ted’s idea. I may have to do the same, I have a few Dark Angel characters with empty back banners, I’d love to fix that!
| Number of models painted: | 1 | Number of points : | 205 |
| Hours spent painting: | ~15 | Crisis level (1-5): | 3 |
Unit Name: Leman Russ (Mortis) , Number of models: 1, WYSIWYG Wargear: Battle cannon/Heavy Bolter Sponsons/Lascannon, Points: 205
Spent a lot of this month getting models cleaned and ready to go. The tanks are all eBay rescues so needed lots of clean-up all over the place. Only thing left is one of the chimera now. I decided to paint the Russ as it was a single model to keep it simple for the end of the month. I can hopefully spread it out a little better next month, maybe work on some infantry over the whole period. I worked a lot of weathering and some ork transfers into the job to represent the steel legion being veteran ork fighters.
Wachtmeister: When Psykka said “eBay rescues” all I could think of was Sarah McLachlan singing Angel and it brought a tear to my eye thinking of all the unloved 40k vehicles needing love. I’m glad Psykka is answering the call, even if it costs more than a cup of coffee a month. I’m looking forward to seeing some infantry back this bad boy up in a future month!
With that we are done with our first eleven entries. Tune in to the Cowabunga Journal next week for Wave 2!
-Wachtmeister
The Wachtmeister's Patrol 