Progress report: 3rd Tactical Squad

Wow... First post since july.... And the first post of 2011! Let's see if I can breathe som life back into this blog, eh?

The good news is that I'm feeling a lot of motivation coming back, so I've actually picked up my Dark Angels project again, right where I left it: the three marines from 3rd Tactical Squad, 3rd Company.

And here they are:

As you can see, they're almost done. So, what prompted this activity? Well, recently, there's been a lot of hobby activity in the local 40k community, and it's really inspiring! I decided to organize a painting night and invited some friends, and it was great fun! We were six people, talking, laughing and painting. Hopefully, we're doing this again soon.

These guys just need some minor highlighting done, and of course the chapter symbol on their left shoulder pads. That's next session, and then I get to finally cross out some more men on my goal sheet!

/S

Another monday, another painting session

Honestly, I didn't really feel like painting today, but I did anyway. Again, it was just a little, but I did finish all the skulls and chest eagles on the three marines I'm working on. Sorry, no picture.

I do feel that I'm getting closer, though. Another session, or two, and these marines will be done. Only three models done in several months may seem like nothing, but compared to zero, it's actually quite a lot!

See you next week!

/S

Progress report: 3rd Tactical Squad

Last monday, I decided to start painting at least a little bit each week. So, for today I continued painting the three marines from last week.

Today's grand total: Metal bits

That's it. Not much, but a hell of a lot more than nothing. :)

And here they are:

I'm really glad the project is moving forwards again.

See you next week!

/S

Painting again

(Wow, I just realized this blog has been dead for eight months... That is sad. I haven't even been building or painting anything for those eight months, either, which is even more sad...)

Today, I finally dug out some Space Marines that I started painting months ago, and took the time to sit down and dip some brushes. It felt really good. The new plan is to do what I did last year, paint at least a little every week, but on mondays.

So, what did I do tonight?

Three marines, two with bolters and one with missile launcher, got a touch up on their Orkhide Shade base coats, and also got a brand spanking new base coat of Mechrite Red on their shooty bits.

Not much, but it does bring me that much closer to my goal of a complete Battle Company.

I'm really glad I did this tutorial a couple of years ago, because it's now been so long since I painted, I need it to remember what to do!

Special Weapon Swaps made Easy with Magnets

If you read my blog last month, you'll already know that I like magnets. If you haven't read about magnetizing Terminator arms, you can find the posts here:

• Terminator Weapon Swaps made Easy with Magnets, Part 1
• Terminator Weapon Swaps made Easy with Magnets, Part 2
• Terminator Weapon Swaps made Easy with Magnets, Part 3

Here's a tutorial on how you can magnetize your special weapons on ordinary Space Marines to make it easy to swap them out between battles!

Stuff you need

You need a couple of small drills, I use a 1.5mm and a 2mm. And of course, you need some magnets.

This one is from K&J Magnetics and is 1/16" x 1/32".

Let's go!

First, drill a small guide "pit", using a small drill. The reason I do this is because it is easier to hit the spot you want. I find that I often miss the spot when I go for the bigger drill right away, without the guide.

Now you expand the pit and make it deeper, using a 2mm drill. Try to fit a magnet in the hole now and then, and just keep expanding the hole until the magnet fits. You want it sunk deep enough to be level with the edge of the hand, you don't want it sticking up. When the hole is big enough, you glue a magnet in place.

NOTE! You need to watch the polarities of the magnets so they actually attract each other. For the very first magnet you glue in place, this doesn't mean a thing. But after the first, this gets VERY important.

Now we do the same thing with the chosen weapon. Drill a guide...

And expand the hole...

Now, here's a tip on how to keep the polarities correct. Use a stack of magnets as a sort of handle.

When you glue the magnet in place in the weapon, you'll know that the polarities are correct.

After the glue is dry, you just remove the excess magnets and you're done! The left hand doesn't need a magnet, the weapon will stay in place anyway.

So, you just glue the arms in place on the model as you normally would. But now, with a few more weapons and magnets, you have the option of switching special weapons between games.

Again, remember what I said about polarities, or you may end up with weapons that attach to some figures and not to others. Whenever I glue a magnet into a new arm, I use a weapon as a handle. That way, I know all my weapons will fit all my figures!

Here are a couple of Veterans from a Command Squad I'm currently working on:



As you can see, switching special weapons is a piece of cake!

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. Even if you didn't, comments are always welcome, so keep 'em coming! :)

/Stitch

Progress Report: DeffCup 2009 1000pt Army

Time for a progress report. The tournament is about six weeks away and I'm a bit nervous! I haven't gotten any painting done in quite a while, but all the models are assembled. Is six weeks going to be enough for me to paint four tanks and 14 infantry? I think so, but I really need to get cracking!

So, here's what my Goal Sheet looks like as of 29 April:

Here are some photos:

Master of the 3rd Company. Ready for primer.

Command Squad of the 3rd Company. Ready for primer.

2nd Tactical Squad of the 3rd Company. Two marines done. One primed, four ready for primer. Three almost done.

Predator, Command Razorback and two Rhinos. These have all been scavenged from one of my unfinished projects, the DIY Space Marine Chapter the Knights Repentant. They will all be re-primed in black. I have added Hunter Killer Missiles to them all. The one on the Predator is held in place with magnets and the others are pinned, but not glued, in place, so they can all be removed for easy storage without breaking them. You probably can't see it in this picture, but three of the HKM's have custom made mounts, and these will be the topic of one of next month's updates!

Six weeks.... I better get painting!

/Stitch

Terminator Weapon Swaps made Easy with Magnets, Part 3

Finally, here's the last part of my first tutorial with magnets.

If you haven't read Parts 1 & 2, you can find them here:

• Terminator Weapon Swaps made Easy with Magnets, Part 1


• Terminator Weapon Swaps made Easy with Magnets, Part 2

The Shoulder Pad

This is how I attach the should pads with magnets.

First you slice off a bit of the shoulder.



You then drill a hole as a guide, as I explained in Part 2.



Expand the hole a bit, so that a nail will fit, pretty much like we did in Part 2, except with a slightly smaller nail.



The nail I use for this step has a head that's about 2.5mm.



"Sink" the nail a bit, by carving away some material around the hole, like in Part 2, but it doesn't have to be as deep. It's ok if it sticks up a little bit. When you're happy, glue the nail in place.



Here comes the tricky part, because the shoulder pad is so thin.



Carefully drill another guide, about 3mm from the edge. Make sure you don't drill through the pad! You almost only want to make a small pit, not really a hole.



Expand the hole, again very carefully, with a 1.5mm drill. You just need enough to sink the magnet a bit.



When you're done, just glue a magnet in place. If you're careful not to glue any magnets together, it's handy to use the magnets themselves as a sort of handle to maneuver the magnet in place. After the glue sets, you can easily leave it to dry by sticking them somewhere. In this case, I just attached the stack of magnets to a can of Quick Shade.



When the glue has dried, you're done! Now all you need to do is prep some more arms and torsos and you'll have all the flexibility you want!







By being able to remove the shoulder pads seperately, you also get the added bonus of only having to paint each one once. Handy, if you freehand them like I do. :)

Thanks for reading. Keep those comments coming!

See you on 1 may, with an update on my army for Da DeffCup!

Best regards,

Stitch

Terminator Weapon Swaps made Easy with Magnets, Part 2

Finally, it's time to magnetize some termies!

If you haven't read Part 1, you can find it here:

• Terminator Weapon Swaps made Easy with Magnets, Part 1

The Arm

To let me swap the arms around, as described in Part 1, I'll put magnets in the shoulders of the arms, and put the head of a nail in the shoulder of the torso, for the magnets to stick to. Now, it's possible to save some magnets by doing it the other way around. But because the torso is hollow, I find it easier to get a nail in place instead of a magnet. You'll see why, later on.

Let's go. Here's the arm to be magnetized:



Using the model drill, I drill a hole to act as a guide. It doesn't matter that it's way too small, in fact I want it that way. That makes it easier to get it exactly where you want it, dead center.



Now, using the 3.2mm drill, I expand the hole. The magnet I'm using is 1/8", which is just a little bigger than 3mm, so a 3.2mm drill fits nicely. The plastic is soft enough to use your hands to turn the drill. Just try to make sure you stay in the center, and the drill doesn't "travel".



When you have expanded the hole a bit, try fitting the magnet in there. You want it flush against the torso of the terminator, so you don't want to drill too deep. Just keep drilling and trying until the magnet fits. When it does, glue it in place with super glue, or PVA glue. If you're operating on painted miniatures, you may want to use PVA glue, as it won't damage the paint job.

The Torso

While the glue is drying, you can get to work on the torso.



First, drill a small hole once again.



Now, using a proper cutter, cut the head off a nail. The nails I'm using have heads that are about 3mm, perfect for the job. Now, I know this is supposed to be obvious, but make sure to check that the nails are actually magnetic! :) I don't know if nails are ever made of non-magnetic metals, but it doesn't hurt to check.



As you cut, cup your other hand around the nail to catch the bits. Otherwise, they might go flying off in random directions, and you don't want that. :)



Now expand the hole a bit. I use a 1.5mm drill, about the same thickness as the nail. Then make sure the nail fits in the hole.



After you've made sure it fits, put the nail to one side. Now, using the bigger 3.2mm drill and/or a knife, cut away material around the hole to make the edges slope inwards, so the nail will go in without sticking out. (Here's where I think it's easier to "sink" a nail instead of drilling a larger hole for a magnet in the torso. Since the magnet is thicker than the head of the nail you can run into trouble when you drill deeper and wider into the torso, since it's hollow.)

When it fits, glue the nail in place.



When the glue is dry, you can attach the arm, and take it off, and attach it, and take it off again... You get the idea. :)

For a normal space marine minature, you probably have enough shoulder pads to glue one in place on each arm, so this would be the end of the tutorial. For terminators though, the shoulder pads are rarer, so you may need a way to switch these around as well. Since I'm a nut, I use magnets for this as well. :) And that's the subject of Part 3 that will be posted tonight.

/Stitch

DeffCup: Rules and Army List (and comments!)

Hey all!

Da DeffCup is approaching, and I thought I'd post an update.

Equinox said:

>>> What are you planning to bring for it?

Hi Equinox! Thanks for leaving a comment! I'm bringing a small mechanized force of 26 infantry models plus 4 tanks. You can see a full army list below.

Any information on the Deffcup? I am curious to read the rules surrounding it.

It's a small tournament for a maximum of 12 participants. There are some special rules and restrictions:

• Armies are a maximum of 1000 points.


• Models must be painted to a minimum standard (3 colours + bases).


• Most armies are allowed, incl. Lost and the Damned (with some changes), Kroot Mercenaries, Feral Orks and 13th Company.


• Some units from the Imperial Armour books are allowed, but will be reviewed and apporoved on a case to case basis.


• Named Characters are only allowed if you're playing a special list that requires them, for instance Dark Angels Deathwing or Ravenwing.


• Lash of Submission is limited to 0-1 / army.


• All wargear must be WYSIWYG, What You See is What You Get, apart from the normal exceptions, i.e. some knives, grenades, etc.


• Prizes will be awarded for best sportsmanship and best painted army, voted on by the players.

My army list

Since I haven't got much time, I've decided to take the easy way out and go for a small, expensive force. I thought about including a Dreadnought (possibly a Mortis), and/or a Vindicator, and a bunch of scouts (because they're cool), but in the end I decided against them all. My overall goal is to paint a complete battle company, and painting the force listed below will bring me a lot closer to that goal. Plus, I already have all four tanks assembled, just waiting to be painted (or repainted), so it makes sense to use them. I'm also going for cool rather than effective, and in my mind there are few things cooler on the tabletop than a fully mechanized space marine force. :)

So, here's what I'm bringing to Da DeffCup:

• HQ: Company Master and Command Squad (5) in a Razorback, 370pts
  Company Master: power weapon, combi-plasma
  Command Squad: 1 power fist, 1 flamer, 1 plasma gun
  Razorback: Twin-linked lascannon, hunter-killer missile


• Troops: Tactical Squad (10) in a Rhino, 260pts
  Tactical Squad: 1 plasma pistol, 1 plasma gun, 1 plasma cannon
  Rhino: Hunter-killer missile


• Troops: Tactical Squad (10) in a Rhino, 260pts
  Tactical Squad: 1 power weapon, 1 meltagun, 1 lascannon
  Rhino: Hunter-killer missile


• Heavy Support: Predator, 110pts
  Heavy bolter sponsons, hunter-killer missile

I'll be outnumbered by pretty much everyone, but my army will look cool and fluffy. :)


Boondale said:

>>> I came across your blog/painting guide in a search on how to paint Space Marines. Im basing my army off the Space Wolves, but decided to use dark angel green as my base with shining gold marking like the Ultramarines.

Hi and welcome! And thanks for leaving a comment! Sounds interesting, the green and gold should look good together. Looking forwards to seeing the result!

Your guide is working out for me prity well so far, only problem I have is all my minis are together already so I have had to improvise on the eagels. I cant seem to get to the wings under the arms/weapons, but otherwise its looking good.

When I paint models like that, I just paint whatever sticks up over the bolter. There's no need for you to fret about parts of the model that you can't even see without picking it up and really studying it. My advise is just to poke a big brush full of black paint behind the bolter before you start painting. Then you just paint the bits of the chest eagle you can actually see.

I plan to post a few pics when im able to.

Like I said above, I'm looking forwards to it!

If you would like more info what im doing to my SM army please ask.

Consider yourself asked! :) I'm always interested in stuff like this.


I will post part 2 of the magnetic terminator tutorial later today, so stay tuned! :)

As always, thanks for reading.

Best regards,

Stitch

Terminator Weapon Swaps made Easy with Magnets, Part 1

Hi all!

Sorry for skipping a month. I didn't plan it like that, but stuff and things, and stuff, got in the way. :)

For april, though, I'm back with an in-depth article about how to let you swap weapons on your Space Marine Terminators. The new plastics are awesome, and you get a lot of options in the box. Why not make sure you can use all of them? (Or most of them, anyway...)

For this project (I'll tell you more about it later), I won't need to be able to swap both arms on every Terminator. So, I'll glue some of the arms, but magnetize some. For instance, I'll have two Terminators with Storm Bolters and the option to swap between Power Fists and Chain Fists. And of course I'll have one Terminator with Power Fist, but with the option of swapping between Storm Bolter, Heavy Flamer and Assault Cannon.

Let's get to it!

The Tools

You'll need some tools to make it all happen:

Hobby drill and knife.

Drill bits; these are 1.5mm, 2mm and 3.2mm.

You need a proper wire cutter. A small cutter like you use to cut bits from sprues just won't "cut it"... :)

Notice the difference? Later on in the tutorial, we'll be cutting nails. (Not finger or toe nails!) The smaller cutter would be ruined, and you risk hurting yourself when bits of it breaks off and flies towards your face at high velocity.

The Supplies

You'll also need some nails and magnets:

Flat headed nails in a couple of different sizes.

This is a Neodymium disc magnet from K&J Magnetics. It's tiny but strong! This one is 1/8" x 1/32", and will be used for the arms.

This one is even smaller! Also from K&J Magnetics. This one is 1/16" x 1/32", and will be used to hold the shoulder pads in place.


Right, unfortunately it's now past my bed time, and I will have to continue another day. Part 2 of this tutorial, where we actually magnetize the Terminators, will be online in a couple of days. No really, I promise!

I know it sucks that I couldn't finish it in time, but I thought it better to give you half a tutorial now, and show you that I still mean business, than waiting even longer before publishing anything at all.

See you soon!

/Stitch

Here's a taste of what's to come:

Swappable arms!

Building my Company Master, part 3: Assembly

Finally, it's time to glue all the bits together!

The first two parts of this series are here:

1. Building my Company Master, part 1: The Bits
2. Building my Company Master, part 2: Cut and Paste

The right arm

If you've read the first two parts, you know I've been having trouble deciding what arm to use. Well, it's finally decided! This right arm comes from the Devastator sprue:


I hope you'll agree it's the "right" arm... Sorry... I had to...

Here it is with the combi-plasma attached:


Unfortunately, the arm comes with the shoulder pad already on it, so I'll lose the chance of using one of the Dark Angels shoulder pads. Unless I cut it up, and I don't want to do that. I'll try to find something else, or freehand a winged sword on there, or something.

The Assembly

The assembly went really smooth. Having done a "dry run" (trying the bits together without glue) really helped.

So, after a few dots of plastic glue, here is the result so far:


I find it difficult to get good shots of the miniature, but you'll get the idea.


I really think the helmet works, even though the wings are huge. I did fret a little about the icon on the backpack being obscured by them, but the more I look at it, the more I like the mini. He looks beefed up and imposing, and that's how it's supposed to be. I think he'll stand out on the battlefield.




The backpack wasn't glued in place permanently, so I still have the option of going in another direction with it, but I think I may keep it like it is. What do you think?