Dark Angels Dreadnought - Ancient Belion WIP

[AncientBelion]

My first actual post here and with it my first mini I've painted. Ancient Belion of the Dark Angels chapter - stock Dreadnought with resin printed accessories (the shin and arm guards are downscaled Titan parts, sword is ripped from Elden Ring) and Miliput modelled details (the rough weld parts and the parchments and cloth). 

 

 

The rough texture on the mini is Miliput dilluted with IPA and then applied with a brush before priming. Lots more detail work to do on the mini and especially the base (which I've just started - it's missing mud, water pools and grass).

 

 

From the start I'll say I've done a big mistake of assembling the mini and putting him on the base before painting. It was... well, a real pain to get to some parts (memo for the other minis). I'd love to hear your feedback, I really want to improve (first attempt at a mini after all).

 

Also, have to step up my lighting game, the colors are a lot more saturated than on the images. This image is close to the actual saturation.

 

 

 

Edited November 21 by AncientBelion
Changed image hosting service

[Captain Idaho]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but whatever hosting site you've used isn't showing up:

 

[AncientBelion]

28 minutes ago, Captain Idaho said:

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but whatever hosting site you've used isn't showing up:

 

 

Thanks for the notice, changed the host from IMGUR to IMGBOX - hope it works now.

[Firedrake Cordova]

The base, flames, and rusty armour/angel wings are all great

 

I don't suppose you'd mind sharing your rusty metal recipe?

 

P.S. The images work now. You can also upload them to the Bolter and Chainsword's Gallery feature - you can see a tutorial for posting images in content and using the Gallery feature at:

 

 

 

Edited November 21 by Firedrake Cordova

[Captain Idaho]

Ah that does it.

 

Very nice work, I must say.

[W.A.Rorie]

Very nice 

[AncientBelion]

Thank you very much. I'll also give the gallery a try next time, so thanks for the notice.

 

As for the rust - sure. Whole mini was primed with Vallejo mecha primer white, then a base coat of Rhinox hide. Afterwards, I applied a thin layer of AK crusted rust depost light and medium - first a general coat with medium, followed by small parts (recesses) with light. The metal looks all orangey and yellowish at this stage, with the Rhinox hide showing out at some parts. Once it was dry, I dry brushed it with some cheap Mars Brown acrylic paint (it was the only darker brown I had in comparison to Rhinox hide), then lightly dry brushed it with Rhinox hide (to get that variation in the browns). The last part was a slight dry brush with a silver vinyl color (the same one used for the scratches), which I also used for the exposed edges, applying it with a toothpick (I did a pass with a pencil for the edges at the very end, which of course is barely visible on these photographs, but it really gives that nice, worn metal shine).

[Firedrake Cordova]

Whilst I'm aware of the technique of using graphite to portray exposed metal on edges, it's not one I'd have thought of.  

 

Are you using a standard HB pencil, or is it a specific grade (2B, etc)?

[AncientBelion]

I used a standard HB pencil. While it doesn't really add much color to the edges, it makes them shine. So I'll keep using it for that effect, but certainly needs some silver paint beforehand. Tried it on the pauldrons directly, and besides streaks of reflections when I turn the model, there's no other sign.

[AncientBelion]

Did some progress on the base. Happy with the mud recipe and colors - not so much about the grave stones, which need a lot of touch up to actually show out.

 

 

The mud is made by mixing fine coarsed sand directly with brown acryllic paint. It stank horribly, so I got that 4D experience of mud, that's for sure. The paste is thick, so applying it with a wooden stick and fingers was the only option. The different shades of brown was then just watered down brown paint, applied with a brush here and there.

 

 

Grass was a cheap rope I bought, each stran seperated then cut up with scissors of random lengths. I pinched the cut pieces with tweezers, then glued them onto the base in smaller groups with PVA glue. Took about good two hours. Then a light pass with brown ink with an airbrush to darken them, my mud recipe (dilluted with water) for the base and yellow paint for the highest parts with a brush. Might give it a white tip highlight later on.

 

Next step is to detail the grave stones and bring them out. Add 3D details of the Dreadnought's stomping up the hill (probably going with a mix of my mud recipe and PVA glue) and of course the tree, which I haven't yet started. Kind of lost with it - I was thinking of going with an ashen grey/white combo with it, but I don't know if it'll stick out too much.

 

But... I've gotten a flattering light position now, which actually brings out the saturation of the piece as-it-is. So, some progress.

 

 

Edited Monday at 11:41 PM by AncientBelion
Added some details

[Firedrake Cordova]

Ah, the string-strands-as-grass ... that's a modelling classic.  

 

It looks good.  I quite like the tree in the colour it currently is, as it's different but doesn't jump out too much..? The rest of the base is quite natural - I'm guessing a bit of highlighting on the gravestones would bring them out a bit?

[AncientBelion]

Thanks! And yeah, haha. The classic grass. I like it this way the more, static grass just seems too unnatural to me. Just need to glue in some more tufts, slowly building it up.

 

Well that's the problem I have - the tree doesn't stick too much, which is great, but it cpuld be great too that it does a little - currently the whole thing's a bit too monotonous for me. Fifty shades of brown, so to say. I'll do a test, see how it works out, I can still cover it up later.