Raven Guard Land Speeder Storm

[Shadow Captain Vyper]

We just recently finished our Talon's Reach painting event in the Raven Guard subforum (seen here: http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/330580-talons-reach-an-armory-building-event/). This model was my submission. While it's technically finished I am looking to clean it up and do a little more, and maybe add a few decals. I am posting here looking for feedback as brutal as I can get it. A few notes about me/this project: (feel free to ignore)

1) I haven't picked up a brush and finished a model in over a decade - until this model

2) I don't like edge highlighting on vehicles (but I do on Infantry) so I tried to weather this LSS with edge-chipping that would reflect a vehicle spending its time airborne but low to the ground and likely to run into debris/shrubs/branches frequently, and I tried to simulate damage like that. In some areas I feel I was successful, in others a total failure (see the back/above mono-wing side)

3) This isn't finished to a standard that I fully am happy with, and I withheld finishing the pilot/gunner because I am researching options on how to magnetize in a way that can allow me to switch the weapon (trying to magnetize the weapon to the rail seems...impractical. The gunner being in a standing position with his hold on the weapon means he acts as 2 points of the "tri-pod" if you will).

4) This is my first time using my new airbrush (Badger Patriot 105, Badger TC910 Aspire Pro Compressor, Vallejo Primer). I primed with Vallejo and then based with Abaddon Black (I didn't have GW Air Abba Black, so I watered down regular with a mix of water and Airbrush Flow Improver. I tried doing a zenithal highlight with an Incubi Darkness blend, but as you can see it is not noticeable at all.

5) Also my first time using etched brass. The Raven Guard Chapter symbols turned out amazing, and I look forward to using them many times to come. The "Raptor Caedes" scroll on the hood from the same brass sprue however...was awful. The text is so small primer pooled in it, and what little super glue I backed it with seemed to seep through and further cancel out the text. I heavily washed it with Guillman Blue to try to bring that text back to life but it didn't do much. All and all I was forced to accept it, any further tinkering would only make it worse (I think).

6) In my younger years I exclusively painted from the pot direct, and never thinned my paints. This was my first model actually thinning paints and going in layers. It definitely made a huge difference on all the Leadbelcher surfaces (Leadbelcher > Nuln Oil > Leadbelcher > Ironbreaker > Runefang Steel).

Anyway, please be brutal. Here are a few pics (not great quality, no lightbox, but hopefully passable)

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Looks good. Did you leave off the heavy bolters so it can be replaced with a heavy flame or multi-melta, as necessary?

[NiceGuyAdi]

For first go after ten years I think you can be proud; you're only going to improve the more you do.

 

Nice work on weathering the leading edges. Perhaps taking a step back and thinking about where would get scuffed more and where less would address why you have mixed feelings on it? For instance the heaviest weathering is around the spoiler on the top, which would probably be striking things less often than the underside. On the other hand the Cerberus Launcher is untouched, and this would be catching on things rather a lot.

 

As for magnetising weapons, I put the magnets in the gunner's wrist/hand joint:

 

 

I used regular Power Armour arms for my Scouts so it's slightly different from the regular Scout gunner, but should apply the same.

 

I cut the gunner's right hand off, and glued a Bolter gun hand to the Heavy Bolter (you may be able to just keep this on). Carefully drill a hole in the wrist and hand (a small pilot hole helps here) and glue in a 2mm diameter magnet. You may need to reposition the rail clamp on the weapon so it sits properly on the rail, which doesn't just make it look right, it makes the weapon sit in place better too.

 

 

 

 

Better pictures of the finished model here:

 

 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Excellent idea, NiceGuyAdi. Your Land Speeder crew violate Games Workshop's rules by wearing power armor (the Storm is Scouts only), but the Marines will likely state, "In war, the only rules worth following are those that bring victory," and slide combat knives across the throats of anyone who objects.

[NiceGuyAdi]

I still run them as Scouts (well, I will when I finally get a game in), but kitbashed the arms and helmets because the current models for Scouts leave me oh so cold.