Tuesday, September 28, 2010

I never thought it was my (Imperial) Strongpoint...

I've had two Imperial Strongpoint box sets under my table in the shed for a while.  I haven't had much motivation to get them completed, since my 300 sq ft workshop is a bit of a mess.  The roof was replaced recently as it leaked, and all of the drywall (plasterboard for you in the UK) needs replacing in one corner cos it went mouldy from the water.  And it's full of office cube pieces.  Don't ask. The workshop will someday be turned into a more useable room, and I'd got these strongpoints to build for the table that will live in there. They're unwrapped so I couldn't return them to GW for something else.

Since A Club moved into Forsaken Games, the Motivation Gnomes have been whispering in my ear and I decided to crack one open and get it painted up.  For ages the question which has been at the back of my mind has been "what colour?!".  I have been loathe to prime them then crack out the airbrush because it would take FOREVER and use a lot of Catachan Green, or whatever small pot colour I chose.  I started looking at stuff in the paint department at Home Depot, to no avail.  The Painter's Choice greens I was interested in were satin - semi-glossy.  Not what I wanted.

Then The Army Painter came out with their line of coloured primers and my "Wooo!" light went on.  They really are damned good, and my friend Doc had decided to use their bone paint when basing his nids (I'll be doing the same thing).  They look great, by the way. In their own label range, however I just couldn't settle on a colour I really liked.  Then I noticed that The Army Painter also makes the sprayable primers for Flames Of War.  They make colours that are almost pigment perfect for the various armies in the game.  I chose the colour for painting Soviet armour as a base.  Looks foresty enough for me without being garish.

Took it home and started spraying the two bastions and three Aegis Defense Lines I'd just constructed.  I have to say that the coverage is really good in most areas on the first coat.  You have to be careful when getting into corners and stuff that you don't overpaint.  If you need to, you should do a few light coats to get the detail done without obscuring it - the same as spraying anything really. The only "real" complaint I have is that one can isn't enough for a whole Strongpoint set! lol

I wish I had a picture of what the bastions looked like after I'd just painted them with the FoW paint, but I neglected to take some.  When I do the next Strongpoint kit, I'll remember to do that.

Highlighting was very quickly (disturbingly quickly!) decided as drybrushing with Rotting Flesh.  Did it on one defense line piece at first and I was happy immediately, so off I went and did the whole thing.

Some pictures - work in progress




You can see that not all the details are in yet.  The guns and lines are barely usable on the table top right now according my my standard anyway, but if I don't get these bastions completely done in time for the weekend's tournament then I won't mind too much. BUT they WILL be finished! I need to drill out the heavy bolters and paint the door on the pictured bastion.  The other one only has the skulls detailed right now.  The rest will be done one evening this week if I can get to it. I painted the Aquilas on the battlements and on the door here with a 50/50 mix of Deneb Stone and Skull White, thinned down with water and retarder - it helps the deneb stone flow and let me do several layers.  The skulls were just the same retarded Deneb Stone and Devlan Mud (instant talent!)

When I went back to get the second can of Soviet Armour I asked Imperial Hobbies to get me a can of the German Panzer paint, which I will use on my Fortress Of Redemption.  Eventually.

More pictures of this side project as they come.  The Damocles Rhino got sidetracked AGAIN.  Throne...

Linky corner
Forsaken Games, New Westminster BC
Imperial Hobbies, Richmond BC
The Army Painter's spray can line
Flames Of War spray can line

2 comments:

  1. Looking good so far -- I like your choice of base colour and drybrushing. And the use of deneb stone plus devlan mud turns average painters like me in to experts in next to no time!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I concur! Deneb Stone turned my Terminators into a breeze!

    ReplyDelete