Gradarius Crusade - 4/2/18 Gravis Captain and Reivers

[Kisada]

Update: Gradarius Crusade ... gradarius is latin for "going step by step, slow" which I feel best describes my venture into miniature hobbying lol.

 

So, I've been a fan of the Black Templar since Codex: Armageddon but due to multiple reasons I have yet to get that far in my crusade progress nor get any experience in actually playing the game.  One of my main limiting factors is time.  Add that along with the fact that I'm more hobbyist then gamer and the desire to only field fully painted and based minis ... well you get a slow crusade that spends more time standing in display cases than on the field.

 

Anyway, I'm gotten a new surge of motivation along with some free time and have sparked up the crusade once again and am hoping that keeping this blog/thread will help to spur me on to continually make progress.

 

I will eventually get some pictures and organization going for my older stuff ... some is in my gallery ... but until then here is my current project.

 

Magnetized Rhino/Razorback/Predator

 

full range of motion on sponsons and turret

full range of motion on pintle and HK missle

magnetized rear door (hate how they flap open)

magnetized front window protection flap thingy (open for regular ... closed for extra armor lol)

magnetized locations for smoke launchers and dozer blade

 

http://i.imgur.com/b8w8L2q.jpg?1

 

 

Edited February 4, 2018 by Kisada

[Firepower]

So many magnets.  Ugh.  I'd go mad.

 

Anyway, you might want to drill the exhausts.  Is that cross a decal?

[Kisada]

So many magnets.  Ugh.  I'd go mad.

 

Anyway, you might want to drill the exhausts.  Is that cross a decal?

 

hmmmm drill out the exhausts ... good idea ... I guess I never figured they would be open up top.  thanks!

 

It was/is a decal ... gone wrong ... for some reason (probably inexperience with decals that large) when I put it on the red color was not even (could be age ... I've had that forgeworld decal sheet for years). 

So in order  to repair it I am attempting to paint over it ... that is astronomican grey right now and so far it looks nice and smooth IRL.  Will obviously need to finish the rest and touch it up to sharpen the points.

[Marshal Mattias]

Nice magnet-work! Did they all fit easily or did you have to force them? ( :P )

 

I love getting multiple uses from a kit, and the satisfaction as the magnets just snap everything into place is ....mmmm.... Like the first steps into fresh snow! Yours looks very well done too - you've fully committed which is impressive, as I've seen many where people kind of just snip the barrels off weapons and mag them all into the same ammo belts/fuel tanks etc, which looks kinda odd sometimes :/

[Nyustukyi]

Very nice! Many hertics hate to face it

[Kisada]

Thanks for the encouragement.

 

Most of the magnet placement was very straight forward and easy. The ones on the end of the sponsons were a bit of a headache. I only had a certain size of magnet and while being strong enough to hold the weapon without having it droop down they also happened to be the same width as the little sponson arm thingy. So I had to support those areas with plasticard. Which led to them not allowing the Lascannon to pitch up or down. I then had to hollow out a part of the inside of the gun so that I could retain full range of motion.

 

TL:DR most were easy. Small sponson arm was not

 

Totally agree about the satisfaction of a nice solid magnetic click. I didn't see the point of magnetizing if I weren't gonna go through and commit.

 

I also have a land speeder that is in progress. Also magnetized. Will post that up when I get home.

[Kisada]

Reinforcements have arrived to (hopefully) help this crusade get on its feet ... however I've never used one before so I'm sure there will be a learning curve.

 

Also a look at my (crowded) work table

 

http://i.imgur.com/QzD7wQf.jpg

[Firepower]

That may not be the most beginner-friendly choice of airbrush.  Is it a .2 mm needle?  If so, you're gonna get a lot of experience breaking it down and cleaning clogs until you learn to get your paint/thinner mixes right.  

 

What cleaner, thinner and paints do you intend to use?  

 

And of course, there are a crap load of threads regarding how to use an airbrush in the P&M subforums that you should check out, and some videos on youtube by guys like Buypainted and awesomepaintjob.  

 

Good luck to you.

[Kisada]

It comes with both a .2 and a .3 tip.  A couple of the guides I had seen were recommending a .3 needle as a good starter and all around tip so that's what I went with.

 

I've seen your Vindicator WIP ... is this your first airbrush?  What size needle are you using?  Any other specifics on equipment/materials?

 

As for cleaner and thinner ... my friend uses 97% isopropyl alcohol with his airbrush and says he was happy with it for both thinning and cleaning ... I'll be going to work tonight which usually affords me a decent amount of time to read so I'll be brushing up on what ever else I need.

 

As for paints.  I like GW paints but hate their pots and I've been reading that their airbrush paints would be using the same pots and there is apparently some sort of controversy regarding that.

I have stopped buying GW paints a while back (last time I was painting) and have moved on to buying Vallejo Paints.  I have a mix of game and model color.  I also have some empty dropper bottles from reaper that I plan to transfer some of my GW paints into.

 

As for airbrush specific paint I plan on trying Vallejo Model Air for now until the GW airbrush paints come out and some reviews on them surface.

 

My current expectations for the airbrush are very low ... simply to help with priming and base coating.  Once I get the hang of mixing paint, switching colors, and the basic function of the airbrush I would like to move on to some preshading/shading, zenithal highlights, and OSL.

 

Any suggestions you or anyone else has are greatly welcomed.

I will defintely check out those two youtube accounts you suggested but I unfortunately I can't watch videos while at work.  I'll probably watch them when doing some modeling and hand painting.

Edited September 3, 2015 by Kisada

[Firepower]

My first airbrush was a Master something or other, a cheap Chinese knock off of Iwata brushes.  I got it in a bundle deal with a compressor, and it came with . 2 .3 and .5 needles.  It was utter crap.  I ended up returning it (and keeping the compressor), but on the bright side I learned how to break an airbrush down in like 2 minutes flat from all the times I had to fix the damn thing

 

I moved on to an Iwata Neo, which is technically a cheap Chinese made airbrush, but it's still Iwata.  A little $50 bugger with a .3mm needle, and a real workhorse.  It doesn't have any bells or whistles, but it did me well on my Broken Arrows.  Until now, I only experimented with it on Templars, but now that i got a bunch of vehicles on my to do list, I'm diving in.

 

Be careful of alcohol with Vallejo.  A lot of folks say that it turns Vallejo into gunk rather than thinning it, which of course means clogs out the wazoo.  I've never used alcohol, so I can't verify it myself.  I use Medea cleaner, and it does just fine.  I use Vallejo Airbrush Thinner, and it works like a dream.  1 drop of that for every 5 drops of paint, comes in a good size bottle with a cheap price tag.  Love it.  Note that it isn't the same as simple Vallejo Thinner, which comes in the same dropper bottle as their paints.  In general I recommend Vallejo over GW for airbrushing, largely because of dropper bottles, but you also get more for your money, and waste less by being able to drop it directly into the pot.

 

Oh, and be aware that there are a handful of Vallejo paints which contain a particular chemical which is toxic, and not safe for airbrushing.  It's clearly marked on the bottle, so keep an eye out for that.  I think it's mostly found in red paints.

 

Model Air is good stuff, according to most, pre-thinned and everything.  I only have a bottle of white, and it's actually too thin, but there are questions as to whether some pigment has glued itself to the bottom of the bottle.  Their primer is crap.  It goes on well and has good 'teeth,' meaning that paint adheres to it well, but it doesn't have any durability even with varnishing.  It's meant more for painting showcase models than models you intend to use.  If you plan to actually play with your Templars, I recommend looking elsewhere.

 

Airbrushing isn't all that hard for simple purposes.  The real trick is learning how to treat the brush during use and maintenance, and how to thin your paints just right.  PSI and distance from the model shouldn't take long to figure out, and the rest is all a matter of control.  It takes some practice, but I managed to get good results on zenithal highlighting and shading and such in my first big project.  OSL, not so much, but that's a slightly higher level of skill.  Like I said, all of my Broken Arrows were done with airbrush, and there's a link to the plog in my signature if you're curious.  

 

That's all I can offer off the top of my head, and you'll be able to find plenty more in those P&M subforums.

Edited September 4, 2015 by Firepower

[Psykic_scribe]

Congrats on getting the weapon swaps working with all those magnets.

 

My preference has been to swap out the whole sponsons - using bigger magnets gives a bigger clunk !

 

I have also tried carving my own sponson posts from plastic rod - it took several attempts to get a satisfactory result and I'm not in a hurry to do it again. 

[Kisada]

Some progress is better than no progress!

 

White is hard ... my camera phone is doing my uneven horrible job justice ... the white on the rhino hatch just will not lay down smoothly and I've done multiple thinned out passes so far.  I'm about to break out the tamiya masking tape and just tape it off and spray it white.

 

Eyes ... how the heck did I ever do these before?! I've looked up some tutorials and they  talk about putting colored irises and a spot of white for more realism and I'm like ?!?! Maybe I should just lay on my power sword now and put myself out of my misery!

 

I'm happy with how the chest aquila are turning out ... went from scorched brown base > bestial brown > bone white > skull white.  The colors are a bit more obvious in real life compared to my washed out camera phone.

 

Anyone use the back to base-ix magnetic clear acrylic flyer bases?

 

http://i.imgur.com/NruQFyJ.jpg?1

[Kisada]

As my title states ... this crusade marches slowly lol

 

So many magnets.  Ugh.  I'd go mad.

 

Anyway, you might want to drill the exhausts.  Is that cross a decal?

http://i.imgur.com/lh6FCGK.jpg?1

 

Drilled out the exhausts.  Thanks for the heads up.

Also put down 1,000 thin layers of white on the cross decal that was messed up. 

Never want to hand paint white on large areas again!

 

This picture also shows my magnet setup for the side doors/sponsons.

The first door is using a 3mm magnet (its too big for the application, a bit too strong)

So the second door I used a smaller one and its just right.  Holds it tight and easy to pull off.

The third has a bigger magnet because that's the sponson and I wanted a good solid hold.

 

Next up is progress on my land speeder.

Gonna try some blue thruster effects.

Damn painting eyes is a pain ... this is the best I can do atm (both eyeball and picture quality).

http://i.imgur.com/H7WzOXz.jpg?1

 

Last up are some odds and ends ... I have about 5 shoulder pads I'm working on

2 Flamers for an assault squad.

1 Assault marine and 1 Honor Guard/Sword Brother

http://i.imgur.com/QjQ0tR4.jpg?1

 

[Kisada]

Opinions requested:

I was thinking of adding a large/long purity seal type thing to my landspeeder.  I just needed some opinions on size and location.

Here are a couple of quick samples I attempted this morning.  Too big?  Too long?  Got a better location idea?

http://i.imgur.com/geUEV6h.jpg?1

 

here is a sample of one I made for my Rhino

http://i.imgur.com/MkjjuUZ.jpg?1

 

 

[Honda]

First off, you do a great job on the scripting of your purity seals. Bravo!

The purity seals on the LS really aren't doing it for me, especially the second one. In this case, you may want to consider just putting the script on the panels themselves.

Here's an example of what I did. Obviously, you don't have to be that excessive on the scripting. :)

[Kisada]

Thanks for the compliment.  I do like how the large purity seal came out on the Rhino but wasn't completely sold on it for the Land Speeder also, which is why I asked for opinions. 

 

Here's what I've been able to get done since then (ugh why do I paint so slow!)

 

http://i.imgur.com/hWrdGNq.jpg?1

[Honda]

When I see that blue afterburner glow, I want to immediately play the "Danger Zone" video.

 

I've done the inside on some of my speeders/fliers, but I didn't think to do that outside edge. It's a good effect and I like how that looks.

 

Thanx for adding to my "Touch Up" task list. :P

[Kisada]

Today in the hobby I ... found some pictures of how I magnetized the Predator weapon sponsons

http://i.imgur.com/pTrLjoR.jpg?1

 

Also worked on the burnt tips of my 2 flamer Assault Marines and started first highlights on the black (50/50 codex grey/black line highlights)

 

http://i.imgur.com/A9z5Mx6.jpg

[Trignama]

Dude the attention to detail in your work is wonderful. Slow and steady seems to be the way to roll!

 

I wish when I was painting I took more time to do it, I'm sure you will be more happy with the end product in the long run. Wonderful work my friend, it's all looking amazing so far.

[Kisada]

@Trignama - thanks so much for the compliment.  It really helps to stoke the fickle flame of motivation.

 

I'm basically 95% done with this land speeder but I realized I've lost my flight stand.  I've ordered some clear acrylic magnetic ones from back to base-ix, so I'll finish it up once those arrive.  

 

I'm also basically done with the painting portion of the marines I was working on.  Just a few final touches, basing, and then some clear coat (50/50 future and distilled water?) topped off with a matte finish (I believe I used to use krylon's matte clear rattle can ... I have an airbrush now so I am looking for alternatives)

 

Next up I plan on finishing this predator/rhino/razorback I've got going ... it'll be my first time airbrushing some stuff.

 

I also have a drop pod to do and an iron clad to ride in it and a LRC to carry my assault terminators (I'm kinda intimidated with the LRC since it's my first)

[Marshal Reinhard]

I've grown awfuly lazy as of late because of that new fangled "like button" they added in when they changed things around, even though I myself much prefer comments and constructive criticism or just a simple question to any "like".

 

That said, I really quite the dig the Rhino interior control panel and the exhaust on the land speeder in particular. The colors feel inviting amonst all the black. Quite like the very subtle highlights on your marines too. I understand you'll add more to them. I'd consider perhaps doing a few more metal parts on the weapons, so they stand just a tad more from the armor, though I can clearly see that you, like me, have gone for primarily black weapons as well.

[Kisada]

I've grown awfuly lazy as of late because of that new fangled "like button" they added in when they changed things around, even though I myself much prefer comments and constructive criticism or just a simple question to any "like".

 

That said, I really quite the dig the Rhino interior control panel and the exhaust on the land speeder in particular. The colors feel inviting amonst all the black. Quite like the very subtle highlights on your marines too. I understand you'll add more to them. I'd consider perhaps doing a few more metal parts on the weapons, so they stand just a tad more from the armor, though I can clearly see that you, like me, have gone for primarily black weapons as well.

 

I can totally see how the "like" button can easily make one lazy, but at the same time sometimes that's how I feel about a post lol.

As a recipient I enjoy both "likes" and actual feedback so I don't mind ... both are encouraging in their own way.

However, I do feel that when it comes to growing community C&C definitely goes further.

 

Looking back at my first marines I can see that I went a little overboard with the line highlighting ... mind you this was 12+ years ago lol.

Miniature painting seems to have moved toward zenithal highlighting and more blending.  Definitely more use of airbrushes.

My taste has moved toward more subtle highlights and I've recently purchased an airbrush.

 

As for the black weapons ... I see what you mean about adding a color to them to give them some pop.  I've added white to the heavy weapons and I've been happy with those but have been less than satisfied with the smaller weapons when I add color to it.  What do you think about if I painted the lower receiver portion metal like the clip?

 

Here's a pic of a meltagun and bolter I did a long time ago that I'm not happy with, along with the heavy weapons that I am satisfied with

http://i.imgur.com/Cyw2ynT.jpg?1

Edited September 22, 2015 by Kisada

[Kisada]

Last few days I've spend some time hanging out at the FLGS and watching some games and meeting a couple of people ... was good because it's motivating me to hurry up and paint.  However it's bad because it's motivating me to do a 30k Imperial Fists army and I don't need to be buying anymore resin/plastic right now! lol

 

I've also tooled around with the airbrush a little bit.  Had a hard time with the vallejo grey primer at first.  I was shooting it straight at about 25 psi (tips I read online).  This was causing a lot of clogging and not being used to the routine of cleaning the airbrush yet makes it very time consuming.  The FLGS owner advised me that I should thin down the primer and also the Vallejo Game Air even though it's made for airbrushing.

 

Doing that helped out a lot.  Here's a pic of my work area (it's dark sorry) and the second part of the picture is the whole reason for getting into airbrushing ... so smooth on those flat areas!

 

http://i.imgur.com/vmDjNRw.jpg?1

[Metic]

Looking really good, I know it might seem like a hassle but you should really paint the sand on the bases.

[Kisada]

Looking really good, I know it might seem like a hassle but you should really paint the sand on the bases.

 

Thanks Metic ... yes I original started this basing back when I first started the hobby.  The bases were even actually Goblin Green on the sides at first lol.  Then in 2012 when I continued I just resumed the same type of basing.

 

Now that there has been a move to 32mm bases I plan on swapping out the bases ... that is why I have yet to paint the sand, figured unpainted sand on the base was still better than nothing for now.  I've been looking at options for either purchasing resin bases or maybe making my own.