Eagle Eyes Storm Talon - weathering and basing started

[JeffTibbetts]

Hey all. I'm back to the Eagle Eye's with a Storm Talon I started a long time ago. Facebook is running that contest for painted flyers, so I figured I'd get one of them done and post it over there.

I started by cleaning up the airbrushed base coat of Waaagh! Flesh, and cleaned up the Leadbelcher and black areas while I was at it. I then added a thinned Agrax Earthshade wash all over the green and metal areas to get something like this.

Nothing too crazy at this point. After staring at all those little edges and angles, I decided I'd try something I really haven't done on a full project in probably 15 years: Drybrushing. I prefer edge highlights, but I thought I might as well give it a shot and see how it looks. I'm glad I did. It was so much faster, and I'm pretty pleased with it as a 1st-stage highlight.

I don't mind the somewhat rough appearance in places. If you've seen my finished models (click the logo in my signature) you'll know they usually end up pretty grimy and beat up, to be honest. This was just a rough drybrush of Skarsnik Green all around any areas of detail. I was very careful around the cockpit but it looks good to me.

I plan to do the other two highlights with traditional edge highlights to get that crisp look, but they're much more conservative so I'll be a lot more selective about where they're applied and it should be quicker work.

I have a lot left to do, but I think it's shaping up very well and I'm no longer scared of drybrushing the big stuff. I'm eager to get to the weathering, but I have a long way to go before I get there.

I was thinking about using some minimal marking on here to denote his status as a Wing Leader (as if the Deathwatch arm wasn't elite enough). Maybe a single red band around the tail, leading up to the T part? That way it would be visible from all sides but not over-the-top. I deliberately exercised some restraint in the markings, as a good child of the Raven Guard philosophy.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

[Ace Debonair]

That is a mighty nice green.

I have a funny feeling it's not going to stay quite so pristine when it's finished, though!

[Thousand Eyes]

Always nice to see another thread by you chief. I think it is coming together nicely so far. Funny you are trying dry brushing instead of edge highlighting as I was abotu to try the other way around.

[DaBoiKyknos]

 

 

  "I was thinking about using some minimal marking on here to denote his status as a Wing Leader (as if the Deathwatch arm wasn't elite enough). Maybe a single red band around the tail, leading up to the T part? That way it would be visible from all sides but not over-the-top. I deliberately exercised some restraint in the markings, as a good child of the Raven Guard philosophy. "

 

well, maybe a stripe in acolor that´s not so much alarming as red, white or black maybe?

[jeremy1391]

Nice! Love the deathwatch pad on the pilot!

[JeffTibbetts]

I decided red was fine as I use it as a spot color throughout my army. Looks pretty good! I'll get some updated pics soon.

 

And thanks, Jeremy. I thought it was a nice place to use it.

[JeffTibbetts]

Made a little progress on the green and I wanted to share it with y'all. Have a look and let me know what you think so far.

I was happy to see the first edge highlight of Skarsnik Green did a great job cleaning up the drybrushed highlight. I snapped one pic before moving on to chipping and scratches.

You can still see some roughness from the drybrushing, but on this larger surface I think it works to soften the highlight pretty dang well. At this zoomed-in scale, the drybrushing looks really rough in parts. It doesn't seem that bad IRL.

Once I started adding in the sponged-on and brushed chips and scratches, it really started coming together for me.

I added plenty around the area where the pilot would enter the cockpit, but the rest was somewhat subdued. They always look a bit weird at first, but when I add the highlights they really start to look cool to me.

This pic doesn't really do it justice, but I'm quite pleased with wide open areas like that back tail fin. I tried for a mix of some more 'directional' scratches and abrasions, as well as some more traditional spotting and chipping. You can also see how I'm doing the missiles at the very bottom of the pic. They really do pop now, and they still tie in with my spot color. Speaking of which, now you can see the red band to signify this craft is piloted by a Wing Leader. I was glad to read through the markings in Death From the Skies and see that there's a lot of variety between chapters, but this falls roughly in line with several of them.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Questions? Hit me.

[Thousand Eyes]

Good work as ever chief. How are you doing yuor directional scratches? Looks like a brown to me.

 

Have you had many thoughts on basing yet?

[Ace Debonair]

That green is making me seriously reconsider the colour I'm using for my Warminds Chapter.

It's amazing how much difference even a little weathering can make to vehicles, too!

[Kobrakei]

That's looking the part Jeff. The chipping is top-notch stuff, makes me wish I'd weathered my army :P

[JeffTibbetts]

Good work as ever chief. How are you doing yuor directional scratches? Looks like a brown to me.

Have you had many thoughts on basing yet?

Thanks! The chipping is pretty simple: Rhinox hide with a sponge first (some pick-foam that I tear up to make it uneven), then brushed scratches of the same and connecting some smaller chips into larger ones. I highlight underneath with Skarsnik in this case, and then add a tiny bit of Nuln Oil to some of the larger scratches and some chips to add a little depth and variation. I haven't done the Nuln step quite yet.

As for the base, it'll be the same sort of ash-waste base as the rest of my army. I'll probably put a little junk or detritus on the base, but frankly I haven't really thought much about it. I guess it is an awful lot of open space so I can do something fun with it.

That green is making me seriously reconsider the colour I'm using for my Warminds Chapter.

It's amazing how much difference even a little weathering can make to vehicles, too!

Thanks, buddy! If it makes you feel better it's a really complicated recipe and it takes forever. The color will shift slightly at the end because I give it a yellow glaze.

That's looking the part Jeff. The chipping is top-notch stuff, makes me wish I'd weathered my army

Thanks again! Yeah, you know I'm a big fan of clean marines, but I do like how the weathered look adds interest, for sure. There's still a big part of me that wants to stop before I chip, but then I remember just how much fun weathering is and I love the results. I'm a convert now, but it's fair to say I still understand the appeal of a crisp, clean paint job even if I don't do it myself.

[Mechanist]

Nice progress there. I do like the scratches I may have to give that style a go at some point. 

[Battybattybats]

Looking great! I really like the scuffing around the cockpit and the directional scratches really do tell a lot of the models story.

[Race Bannon]

^ I really agree with this and it has motivated some decisions on my vehicles.  You really make this flyer good looking :tu:

[JeffTibbetts]

Dropping a few more pics in, but I'm at work so I can't write a whole lot. Ask me a question if you're curious about something. :D

I was rubbing paint off the edges in some spots, so I gave it a coat of Future floor polish armor. I cut the gloss with Lahmian Medium and a touch of 'Ard Coat through an air brush.

Chipping and final highlight all done at this point.

Left half glazed with yellow, compared to right, pre-glaze. What a difference!

The whole thing post-glaze. Really nudges the color towards the warmer end.

[JeffTibbetts]

Big pic dump incoming. Sorry.

I'm almost finished with the thing itself, and I'm starting on the base. Have a look:

I've gone in with rust-colored and grimy brown oil paints for some streaking effects. Adds just a bit of movement and brings the red back into the green palette.

I added some subtle graying to the wing tips with ash-colored pigments. It's very subtle but IRL you can see it just a bit. It's basically faded.

I added a little black scorching around the engines and then brought in some gunmetal metallic pigments on the edges.

This is the first time I've tried out my 'backwards' heat-staining effect on an assault cannon. Didn't want to go over the top, but I really like it. I added a tiny bit of black soot to the tip of the muzzles as well. Again, doesn't photograph well.

I wanted to try something fun on the base, and the first idea I had was to dig INTO the base. I cut a couple holes, and filled one with a crater using Milliput and the other with the start of a lot of dead Necron bits. I ended up not going very deep on the latter, but that's okay.

The other idea I had was to play with the clear stand's nature of not being a part of the base, so I decided to make a bit of the Annihilation Barge going through it. Or rather, I guess it cut through the bit if you want to think of it that way. I did go in and add a few wires, being careful to keep it as flat as possible, and painted the inside black since you'll be able to see the inside of it, just a bit, through the plastic. Very fiddly, but I love the effect so far.

You can see I've also added a ton of bits from the same part of the kit, to give the impression of a fresh kill. The wires were a real pain, pulled mostly from an old section of headphone cord, plus a little floral wire and brass wire I had sitting around.

Sculpted some flames, added texture paint and then sand/ballast mixture. It's still drying in these pics, but I should be able to get paint on it very soon.

What do you guys and gals think? Suggestions before it's too late to change?

[Mechanist]

Thats a very cool base Jeff. The whole Talon is going to look ace.

[JeffTibbetts]

Thanks! I can't wait to get some paint on it so I can get a better sense of how it's working.

[JeffTibbetts]

I almost finished the base last night. Almost. I need to finish painting the rim and add the ash flock, but have a look.

Now that the tape's off, I'm REALLY pleased with the piece going 'through' the flying stand. I think it turned out better than I expected. I was really dreading the look when I slowly peeled the tape away...

And here's a better look at the crater. I moved the lights down so you can see the depth.

And I couldn't help but put the whole thing together real quick for a full shot.

What do you fine folks think?

[Mechanist]

I really like that base, don't get me wrong the flyer is looking great very space marine and the colour scheme look fantastic. 

The base though is a few very simple techniques that work really well together, particularly the Necron Oil around the break points is really effective. 

 

There is one thing I would say, I noticed the joins down the middle of the rocket pods in a pic further up and now I can't "unsee" them. Though I think having looked closer at the picture with the pods detached there are magnets there so maybe a small sacrifice for greater versatility.

 

A great job and so close now I bet you can taste it.  

[Race Bannon]

"Perfect" is a word I thought of.  There are a few more for sure ;)

[JeffTibbetts]

I really like that base, don't get me wrong the flyer is looking great very space marine and the colour scheme look fantastic.

The base though is a few very simple techniques that work really well together, particularly the Necron Oil around the break points is really effective.

There is one thing I would say, I noticed the joins down the middle of the rocket pods in a pic further up and now I can't "unsee" them. Though I think having looked closer at the picture with the pods detached there are magnets there so maybe a small sacrifice for greater versatility.

A great job and so close now I bet you can taste it.

Thanks! And you're right about the secondary weapons. They're magnetized. There's no way to fully get rid of the seam. It's a small sacrifice, really, and I think IRL it's hardly even noticeable if you're looking for it. I could have done what almost everyone does and glued the sides on, but I'm a stickler for accuracy and the heavy bolter/lascannon use a different side piece. Ah well. If that's your biggest nitpick I think I'm alright. :D

"Perfect" is a word I thought of. There are a few more for sure

Hardly, but thanks all the same. I will always see little things (like the mold lines/seams on the assault cannon pod) but I think as far as the tabletop, I'm pleased.

[Mechanist]

I think the only reason I noticed the seam was because of the very zoomed in shots early in the thread. 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job thus far.

[JeffTibbetts]

I think the only reason I noticed the seam was because of the very zoomed in shots early in the thread. 

 

Yeah. That's the joy of posting hi-res pics online. You see so many things that would go unnoticed otherwise. It's very humbling, as a painter. I used to think I was a pretty clean painter but now I suffer no such delusion. I don't mean that to humble-brag or anything. I like my style. But seeing stuff like Sockwithaticket's work keeps me in check. 

 

Good job thus far.

 

Thanks! Any ideas for little details I could add or tweak?