Hillslam's 8th Edition BA force WIP

[Hillslam]

With 8th I've decided to try and plow thru the boxes of models and mini sets I have piling up in a stack.

 

The below Google Photos album shows what I have done so far for BA.

(Not shown: A drop pod and my set of terminators from the Space Hulk box set - I'll upload those soon)

 

Album:

https://goo.gl/photos/WXA1MorqwfJoFQTZ8

 

I would embed the images here but Google Photos doesn't let you resize them when you direct link so I don't want to crush slower connections with pic heavy download hell.

 

Shown in album

• Stormhawk in full Blood Angel regalia - everything magnetized to swap weapon loadouts, this allows it to be used as a "counts as" Stormtalon - also shown.
• Stormtalon - natch
• Landraider - also magnetized to run as any variant or weapon config
• Rhinos (3) - all magnetized to be run as Rhinos, Razorbacks or Baal Predators
• Terminators - two squads all magnetized to run as shooty or hammernators or clawnators or a mix
• Chaplain in Terminator armor
• Captain Karlaen
• Death Company - one 5 man squad magnetized to take different weapons and jump packs if needbe, never been a DA fan only because I hate painting black
• Assault Marines - one 5 man squad magnetized for weapons/baclpacks, with regular backpacks can join the tacticals if you ignore the yellow helmets. I don't really care for AMs so I never had many, but 8th is changing that.
• Dreadnoughts (3) - all magnetized to take different front plates, and weapon/arm and legs soas to be configurable as Furioso, Libby, or DC or any combo
• Space Marines (12) - with two Sgts, these can be combat squaded or not. The heavy is magnetized for heavy bolter or flamer
• Corbulo - with orange trim and dark hair instead of all white and blond just because
• Imperial Knight - magnetized to take any weapon combo, I have a second from the Renegade box set that I have half assembled....

Still to do:

• 2nd Imperial Knight
• 2nd Drop pod
• Agents of the Imperium box set. (Mmmm flying nuns n robotmen.)
• Primaris Marines from the Dark Imperium box set

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Forgot to mention this pic of the knight got picked up by WG last year (sorry about the one above being blurry)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJqVW_GD8QJ/?taken-by=thehillslam&hl=en

 

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Any and all feedback positive and negative, suggestions or otherwise welcome.

Edited July 7, 2017 by Hillslam

[Hillslam]

Pulled down lo res copies to put into the B&C gallery.

 

Here you go:

(use Google Photos album link above for higher res versions)

 

Stormhawk:

 

Stormtalon:

 

Landraider:

 

Rhinos:

 

Terminators:

 

Death Company:

 

Assault Marines:

 

Dreadnoughts:

 

Tactical Marines:

 

Imperial Knight:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LutherMax]

Solid and great looking Force you've got there!

[Xenith]

Great army, can I ask how you do the red?

[Hillslam]

Great army, can I ask how you do the red?

I start out by lieing to myself that I'll save time so I prime with Army Painter Red.

Then I lay the base coats for black, silver, gold and other metal or accent colors.

Then depending on the machinery-Ness of the model I wash it in either agrax earthshade, seraphim sepia, or null oil. Sometimes a combo.

Then my lies come home to roost and I end up hitting almost the entire model in varying degrees of watered down Memphis red or Evil Sunz Scarlet. Then edge with troll slayer orange.

(The camera never picks up these gradations but the eye does. I find if I shade or blend to look good in a photo then it looks clownish and overdone to the naked eye, but that's mostly because I suck at both painting and photographing.)

 

I do gun covers in Wazzdakka. Sometimes some recessed vehicle panels too, or in a pure mephiston with no blending.

Edited July 7, 2017 by Hillslam

[Hillslam]

Trying out some alternative Sisters of Battle builds.

I like these due to how they're scaling next to my non-Primaris biggie size marines (albeit still Terminators)

Faces, eyes, hair and makeup still WIP

[CrimsonCorvidae]

Sorry if you've explained this somewhere - how have you gone about constructing those Adepta Sororitas?

[Hillslam]

I used the DreamForge models for the body from the Eisenkern Rifle Squad box. Then Statuesque hero heads. Kit bashed w leftover marine tactical sprue bolters and in the cases of the flamer sisters gave them a marine backpack to boot.

 

I have a box of the DreamForge Valkir Assault troops but they're almost same size as the Marines so I'll probably only use them for characters or heavy/elite units.

 

The scale was the most important thing to me. Also the rifle squad was a bit more girlie to me, and since I'm a misogynistic dinosaur that's what I went with. ☺️

Edited August 4, 2017 by Hillslam

[Hillslam]

Here's another shot showing the scale of the Rifle Squad bodies

[Hillslam]

Nearing completion on my Primaris Repulsor tank done up in Blood Angel regalia. Not quite done. Still need to paint over the decals, and finish highlighting and finish up some greeblies here and there. But ready to show and put on the table for games.

I have complex feelings about this model. Right off the bat I don't like the rule how it only can carry Primaris marines. Seems a blatant money grab by WG and luckily for me all the clubs in the region feel the same and every one has implemented house rules and tourney rules allowing it as a transport equivalent of a Landraider.

But back to the model, not the easiest WG vehicle model to assemble. This thing was gubbins central. I am no stranger to gubbins, as you can see below I love to festoon my BA vehicles with lots of nibnobs and doodads... but this thing was a doodad commuter train. Everywhere you looked there was some thing or other to glue onto the side, or the front, or the rear, or the top, or on the side of the top, or on the side of the top of the thing you glued onto the top of the side.......

It didn't help that the pieces were all over the sprue in what seemed like a chaotic order. I honestly felt like I was at times being trolled by the sprue layout designer as I looked for this missile front door, or that bolter facade, or whatever. Maybe it was me, but meh.

Lastly... the thing overall just looks.... Desert Storm. I can't help but think circa 1990s Iraq invasion Bradley M2. I dunno.

However, all that being said I *do* like the model. Mostly. Sort of. Sometimes. No, mostly. I don't know. Its complicated...

And lastly, for scale, here's how it sets up next to a Landraider

Edited August 11, 2017 by Hillslam

[LutherMax]

Wow, it really does look better in red!

 

About the decals - have you tried using Microset / Microsol? Over a gloss varnish you can get them to look painted on without needing to paint over them.

[Xenith]

Great job on the repulsor, that deep red suits it!

[Hillslam]

Thanks. I do use microsol/set and then a hard coat. But I also end up painting over also because that allows me to color match nicer. For example the gold in alot of decals is too brassy for me, my BA gold tends to skew toward warmer tone.

[LutherMax]

If you get a really good gloss surface before you add the decal, and use Microset instead of water to lift it from the paper, that shiny area visible around the graphic will be completely invisible, like this:

 

[Xenith]

GW's method for that was to prime with Ard coat, position the decal, then coat with lahmian medium. Apparently the ardcoat does something to the silver foil? I've never tried it myself.

[LutherMax]

I've found that you have to get a very glossy surface before you apply the decal, so 'Ard Coat would work, yes. Microset softens the decal so it becomes 'thinner' and can be pressed on to the model. When that's done I gloss coat over it and use Lahmian Medium to dull coat.