Your grey pile of biomass/shame

[INKS]

I've got 1 box of Hermagaunts on the way finally.

I had to buy a ton of paints and some other things (getting back into the hobby from near zero is really expensive).

 

I've been flip flopping on what Armies I want and finally settled on Nids. 

My goal is to build and build a box before I move on to anything else. And I want a lot of gaunts. We'll see how long I last before moving onto larger models. lol

[The Pounder]

Nids are a great model range and fun to work on.

 

I think you’re starting with the right approach.

I find the more I buy in one hit the less likely I am to actually paint it all.

I suppose it’s a psychological thing where you get overwhelmed.

 

Luckily the little critters (minus Genestealers) are easy to build and paint.

 

Good luck with your Swarm, don’t forget to post pics of your progress!

[Xenith]

My suggestion would be to find a paint scheme that:

 

1) you enjoy painting

2) you can replicate on lots of little models without going mad

3) scales to larger models. 

 

Scaling to larger models can be as simple as taking more time blending layers etc, or adding patters like @WarriorFish does to his Swarm. 

 

For 1 and 2 I cannot reccomend contrast paints enough, 10 man units used to rob my motivation to the point of taking a month to do, while with contrasts i've got it down to a day, maybe 2 evenings, 3 including basing. 

[Xenith]

Another 8 stealers down!

[TheNewman]

Added five Raveners instead of the three I'd originally though I was getting, painted eight Warriors, a Brood Lord, and a Neurothrope.

 

Probably adding an Exocrine, two Carnifexes, and three Tyrant Guard this weekend, depending on whether my whole order came in or not.

 

Also updated my first post to match up with my last inventory, and as of now my pile of shame is red instead of white. I discovered Rustoleum Barn Red Chalkboard Paint and it's the flattest finish I've ever seen from a can of spray paint.

Edited February 11, 2021 by TheNewman

[TheNewman]

Had to also add three Zoanthropes and three Venomthropes (sort of, a lot of raiding the bit box to fill in the missing pieces there) to my list of unpainted stuff.

 

As a side note, am I the only one to think the Carnifex crushing claws are way too small for the chassis? I put one of the two 'fexes together with them and had to pull it apart again because it looked out-of-scale. I'm really glad I ordered the Exocrine at the same time because the crushing claws from the Haruspex look much better.

Edited February 14, 2021 by TheNewman

[The Pounder]

Yeah, you’re definitely right! The Crushing Claws from the Haruspex are much better!

 

I used them on my rendition of Old One Eye!

 

Old One Eye Conversion

 

Old One Eye Conversion

 

They’re a bit chunky but I think I got away with it!

[TheNewman]

That's a nice piece of work there Jud. Saves me from having to post a pic of mine just for the sake of showing how those claws look.

 

My mistake, they're "Shoveling Claws". Hard to tell from GW's store but it looks like the Crushing Claws on the Tervigon would be an even better fit.

 

Not that I'm going to even think about changing my 'fex at this point.

[WarriorFish]

Looks like we need to try harder to reduce the shame pile and not add to it :lol:

[TheNewman]

Took a Pyrovore off the pile this morning

[Xenith]

Looks like we need to try harder to reduce the shame pile and not add to it

 

Haha, for sure. I'm working my way through Indomitus before I'll be focussing on the Nids. Using 'Pile of Potential', I've found that I have about 6k of Nids, of which 2k is painted, which isn't too bad (for me). I'm thinking of starting a little crusade campaign with nids, which will help motivate me paint up some stuff too.

[TheNewman]

So what do you call it when you realize that your color scheme looks lousy at table-top distance and everything has to go back into the unfinished cue? Gray Pile of Shame doesn't really fit anymore. Repaint Pile if Shame?

 

Anyway, I suddenly have about a third of my 'Nids that I need to fix the armor plate on because the blood-orange that I started with doesn't contrast nearly enough against the gore-red main body color.

Edited April 14, 2021 by TheNewman

[Arson Fire]

So what do you call it when you realize that your color scheme looks lousy at table-top distance and everything has to go back into the unfinished cue? Gray Pile of Shame doesn't really fit anymore. Repaint Pile if Shame?

 

Anyway, I suddenly have about a third of my 'Nids that I need to fix the armor plate on because the blood-orange that I started with doesn't contrast nearly enough against the gore-red main body color.

 

Have you considered maybe changing the basing scheme instead of the models?

A contrasting base scheme could give you a striking looking army, and save you the effort of repainting all the models.

[TheNewman]

 

 

So what do you call it when you realize that your color scheme looks lousy at table-top distance and everything has to go back into the unfinished cue? Gray Pile of Shame doesn't really fit anymore. Repaint Pile if Shame?

 

Anyway, I suddenly have about a third of my 'Nids that I need to fix the armor plate on because the blood-orange that I started with doesn't contrast nearly enough against the gore-red main body color.

Have you considered maybe changing the basing scheme instead of the models?

A contrasting base scheme could give you a striking looking army, and save you the effort of repainting all the models.

To be honest re-basing the models would be more work that repainting the armor plates.

 

The issue is I picked two not-terribly-different shades of red because I was looking for an effect like a swarm of fire ants on the table. I liked the effect well enough under good lighting with small groups of models, but once I had a bigger swarm of them under less ideal LGS lights they just faded into a big undifferentiated red blob. ...which on reflection is exactly what I was trying to achieve, I just didn't like it once I actually saw it on the table.

 

I've already settled on a different scheme; ironically I managed to get really close to the official Behemoth color pattern by accident and that's how I run them most of the time.

[Xenith]

I'd paint stuff that isnt painted first, then go back and repaint. That way at least you always hve painted stuff to use. 

 

Have you tried glazes with contrast paints? If you have two similar colours, sticking a contrast over the top of one might darken/change the colour enough to differentiate them - like Flesh Tearer red over the exoskelton might make it different enough from the carapace. Got any pics?

[TheNewman]

It's not a scheme that photographs well.

Edited April 15, 2021 by TheNewman

[WarriorFish]

Ah, a great repaintening. I've done it twice... it can be a long slog but worth it in the end I don't think the contrast is too bad but if you're not happy that's reason enough to change. Repainting the carapace would be less work I agree, do you have a picture of the new scheme in action?

[Xenith]

I dont know if it's the lighting, but I'm losing a lot of the detail on the orange carapace - maybe it could do with a wash to pick those out, might make it seem like less of an amorphous mass?

 

Otherwise, I do like the scheme, it's bold and original. 

[TheNewman]

It isn't just the lighting, my camera doesn't like that red and the shading isn't all that deep to begin with.

I pulled out a handful of 'gaunts and tried several versions of bringing up the contrast on that orange before I decided it just wasn't working for me, and I'll admit hearing it called "bold and original" when I'm replacing it with Accidentally Behemoth isn't the greatest feeling. :P

[Xenith]

Haha, whichever you choose, they'll look good. Orange armies aren't that common in the game, and it's refreshing to see one. 

[WarriorFish]

Behemoth works so if anything you should take it as good colour planning? If it's good enough for GW It is so close that you'd be best off running them as Behemoth and being done with it, so if you're wanting to have your own scheme it might be worth some further thought on colours to differentiate. It's important to get it right before you start as you don't want to repaint anything again Time spent settling on a paint scheme is never wasted for this reason

[Xenith]

+1 Maleceptor...

[TheNewman]

Finished 33 Hormagaunts today. Which is a weird number of Hormagaunts to own in the first place.

[TheNewman]

Added two Tervigons and a Tyrannofex to the pile. Also four Ripper swarms, sort of.

 

Not exactly forward progress, but I'm a goodly chunk of the way through my remaining Termagaunts.

Edited May 4, 2021 by TheNewman

[Reigart]

@TheNewman if you wanted keep the orange carapace you could add brown to the carapace (in the recesses). If you have Agrax Earthshade you try applying it carapace plates where they meet the body.

 

Another way is to use paints to build up. Like putting brown down the slowly mixing orange in. So have a strip of brown then 75/25, then 50/50, then 25/75. The strips don’t have to be thick and you don’t need that many.

 

Some browns that may work at Doombull Brown or Mournfang Brown.

 

For the reds you could use agrax or nuln oil and then paint red again on the raised areas. Those steps might help with the definition.