Blood Ravens 5th Battle Company [WIP]

[SincaiN]

Nice work.. they look very clean and crisp!

[Chaeron]

I can't fault any of your work - superb!

[Grizzly_bear]

Great work fella

[BKZer0]

Final shoulder update!

 

I finished all of them... 62 shoulders for 31 models.

 

I tried some new decal techniques that is more or less a combination of tricks that I have picked up along the way. I don't think they could have come out any better. I will try and post a tutorial later.

 

Anyway here are all the squads with their attached shoulders and pictures of a few of the unique models.

 

Terminator Squad:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175112.jpg

 

Sergeant's Crux:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175342.jpg
 

Tactical Squad:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175526.jpg

 

2nd Squad Markings:
http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175643.jpg

 

Sergeant's Shoulder:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175536.jpg

 

Assault Squad:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175230.jpg

 

7th Squad Markings:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175319.jpg

 

Sergeant's Shoulder:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175312.jpg

 

Command Squad:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175742.jpg

 

Veterans:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175906.jpg

 

Banner Bearer:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175919.jpg

 

Champion:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175841.jpg
 

Apothecary:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175828.jpg

 

Captain:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140323_175819.jpg

 

Next.... 16 Back Packs, and 10 Jump Packs.... Still no heads.

[Shiznaft]

Super clean lines and great shoulder pad work! Can't wait to see the whole army in formation. 

[Moonstalker]

Your army looks great.  I love how you've struck this balance between (apparent) ease of painting, clean and even color, and just the right amount of detail work to make the models really pop.  The decals on the infantry all look great, though I agree that the one you did on the Rhino isn't the best.  I think you're right that some closer trimming will help a lot, when you get around to doing the rest of the vehicles.

 

I really like how you've held back on the weathering.  I feel like I see too many painters going waaaaay too crazy on the chipping/weathering effects, and it detracts from the rest of their paint work.  Your vehicles could maybe do with a little more, IMO, to help break up the large, flat areas, but your infantry looks wonderful.

[That Guy Matt]

Sorry if I've missed you say earlier but are you free-handing the Chapter badges and squad markings? Because they're exceptionally clean if you are and I like the individualism and personal markings.

[Moonstalker]

Sorry if I've missed you say earlier but are you free-handing the Chapter badges and squad markings? Because they're exceptionally clean if you are and I like the individualism and personal markings.

 

Check the first post again, he made himself a decal sheet and even included a link to it there.

[BrotherCaptainArkhan]

I am really, really glad there's someone doing Blood Ravens to this standard and level of commitment on the B&C. There've been a lot of short-lived logs showcasing the Ravens, but never a longer-term one like this. I love the recent updates. Can't wait to see your finished models, and I really would like to repeat my earlier suggestion that you do some (magnetised?) versions of the Dawn of War characters, I think you've got the talent to make some awesome looking character homages. Oh and the power weapons are awesome. I'm looking forward to using the recipe you sent me a while ago.

 

Are you planning to have these guys gritted and weathered up to the extreme once they're finished?

[That Guy Matt]

 

Sorry if I've missed you say earlier but are you free-handing the Chapter badges and squad markings? Because they're exceptionally clean if you are and I like the individualism and personal markings.

 

Check the first post again, he made himself a decal sheet and even included a link to it there.

 

Ah my bad.  Great work on the decal sheets though.

[BKZer0]

I really like how you've held back on the weathering.  I feel like I see too many painters going waaaaay too crazy on the chipping/weathering effects, and it detracts from the rest of their paint work.  Your vehicles could maybe do with a little more, IMO, to help break up the large, flat areas, but your infantry looks wonderful.

 

I could not agree more. I originally planned on adding quite a bit of weathering to the tank. I went as far as to test out effects on test pieces of painted plastic. However, when I finished the tank, I was more than happy with it (decal aside...). The problem is that I am quite content with what is done, and don't want to do anything to potentially ruin it. It is kind of a "if it aint broke don't fix it" kind of mentality.

 

Are you planning to have these guys gritted and weathered up to the extreme once they're finished?

 

Nah. It was the original intention. But like how I replied to the tank comment above. They came out as I planned, and would be hesitant to alter the models any further. I decided to base the models in a blue gray with the intention of being a contrasting color to the models dark red. That worked out correctly. However the original plans for weathering was brown mud, which would make no sense standing on a gray/black stone.

 

I am in awe of your armies weathering. I actually sent it to a friend a while ago stating that "this is what weathering is supposed to look like" I love it. I would love to do it, but I literally have no idea what to do, or where to even start. I threw my hands up at the weathering scene a long time ago, and never looked back.

 

Sorry if I've missed you say earlier but are you free-handing the Chapter badges and squad markings? Because they're exceptionally clean if you are and I like the individualism and personal markings.

 

Thanks for the comments on the decals. I want to get a tutorial up at some point because after like 15 failed attempts and several bottles of different chemicals and coatings, I think I finally got it right with reproducible consistent results. The decal sheet was a pet project of mine. I do a lot of graphic design type work at my job.

[BKZer0]

Backpacks done!

 

I have been fairly lazy and busy lately. I just returned from PAXEast. Here are all the backpacks for my troops. The 10 at the top are for my tactical squad (the silver ones). The 5 at the bottom are for my command squad (the gold ones). The one at the bottom is the Captain.

 

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140329_125659.jpg

 

Next up, 10 jump packs!

[Darth Mustard]

really cool blog

Just want to make me take my time with the minis now

solid execution

can't wait to see them show their heads

[BKZer0]

Jump pack update!

 

Here are the 10 completed jump packs:

 

I was going to apply decals to them. However, the one I tested and did looks overkill. It detracted from the overall look rather than adding anything.

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140418_231053.jpg
 

Head on:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140418_233705.jpg
 

Profile:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140418_233751.jpg

 

In retrospect, Jump packs are terrible. I would advise anyone who is contemplating adding assault marines to their army list to consider a different army list. That is just my personal belief. I don't think I will ever paint them again by choice. As far as modeling goes they are a relic of the past. The molding is not very sharp at all. All of the panel lining and detail work is much thicker than that of the space marine itself. The backpack, and marine almost don't look as though they belong glued together. Clearly cut from separate molds.

 

On top of all that, the two halves don't mate up well. The two halves slide on each other quite a bit. Even when aligned correctly, the details always look quite askew. This leads to so very ugly mold lines and gaps.

 

These backpacks were by far the least enjoyable part of my build.

[BKZer0]

Heads are almost done. I finished all the "helmets" I still have the helmetless faces to paint. However, they are still disembodied so my marines are still headless.

 

Base colors applied:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140505_202257.jpg

 

Champion and Apothecary:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140508_224949.jpg

 

Veteran, Tactical Sergeant, and Assault Sergeant:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140508_225009.jpg

 

Random heads, the two bone ones on the left are the other Veteran, and the one tacked to the sprue is the Banner Bearer. His helmet goes on his belt. That is why it is cut off the neck piece.

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140508_225206.jpg

 

Terminators:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140508_225056.jpg

 

The lot of them:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140508_224900.jpg

 

Comments/Questions?

Edited May 9, 2014 by BKZer0

[deathspectersgt7]

Great job on the helms. I think I will try doing them like this.

[MagicMan]

Awesome idea on the helmets, think ill try doing them that way too.

 

Been waiting to see the heads appear on your BR. Looking forward to the finished article! :)

[BKZer0]

I started attaching the heads.

 

Here are some WIP pictures. All I have left to do now is accessories, things like ammo pouches, purity seals, tabards, grenades, and scopes. Then base them all. Some of the models are a little harder to pose then I would have initially thought, but I think they'll look of when done.

 

My favorite model, the Apothecary:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140509_203108.jpg

 

2nd Squad Sergeant (unnamed):
All veteran models (i.e. sergeant or better get a bone colored helmet.)

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140509_195744.jpg

 

Brother-Terminator Varas:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140509_204233.jpg

 

You can see more heads in the background of this picture. My army is more or less no longer headless. I'll post more pictures as I go.

[Monstra Sumus]

They are looking real smart now they are coming together whole. Lovely production line you have going. 

[Lord Marshal Ragnrok]

finally 'eads!  oooo goodies! nice work man

[BKZer0]

I finished work on the helmetless heads. My Captain and one of my Command Squad Veterans ended up being the units I chose to not wear helmets. I forgot how I painted skin in the past, so I had to experiment quite a lot to get everything right again. I am fairly happy with the results. I have also never attempted gray hair. These are the results (Please note, the light color of the skin cause the pictures to appear a little blown out):

 

Captain (Front):

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140512_202633.jpg

 

Captain (Back):

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140512_202543.jpg

 

Veteran (Front):

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140512_202256.jpg

 

Veteran (Back):

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140512_202319.jpg

 

Personally I think the Veteran came out better then the Captain. Here are all three of my helmetless models together (From left to right Veteran, Captain, Sergeant):

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140512_205005.jpg

 

The next thing I did was begin to paint all my accessories. This is the last step before basing my models which will likely be my next update.

 

Here is what lies ahead of me:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140513_233119.jpg

 

I finished the tabards first because I really wanted to see what my models would look like completed.

 

Assault Squad Sergeant:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140514_235606.jpg

 

Tactical Squad Sergeant:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140515_000853.jpg

 

Captain:

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140515_001620.jpg

 

Blood Ravens High Command aka The White Helmets:

(From left to right Assault Sergeant, Terminator Sergeant, Banner Bearer, Tactical Sergeant, Captain, Veteran, Champion, Apothecary, Veteran, Tactical Sergeant)

http://www.40k.zombiecrisis.org/20140515_002337.jpg

 

Questions/Comments? Any models you would like to see more clearly etc..?

[lord gunthar]

They look excellent, very crisp and clean. An entire company painted as consistently as these will look awesome. When are we going to see some tanks and dreadnoughts? 

[BKZer0]

Now that the infantry is "done" the paint list is:
1 Dreadnaught

1 Predator
2 Rhinos

1 Land Raider

 

That will get me to 1850 points, and more or less complete the army. After that I will paint:

1 Sterguard Veteran Squad

3 Devastator Centurions

1 Imperial Knight

1 Grey Knights Captain Stern

1 Grey Knights Strike Squad (5 Man)

1 Grey Knights Terminator Squad (5 Man)

 

For the ridiculous list with army attachments etc...

[BrotherCaptainArkhan]

Well. These have come out splendidly. Can't wait to see them 100% finished.

 

I would love to see a unique Librarian done though - possibly not in the style of either Isador Akios or Jonah Orion, maybe a Librarian character of your own creation with his own apparent identity? Just thought it'd be a good idea given the surfeit of Librarians in the Blood Ravens.

[NovemberIX]

I gotta say, I find your attention to detail, making sure it's clean, and the general smoothness you've got going on is not just impressive, but it's also inspiring. I feel like I now have to go back and work on any number of models I rushed through to try and even get close to this level of quality :)