A Completely Reasonable Amount of Miniatures

[NotOneStepBack]

Greetings everyone!
I’ve decided to open this thread as a general showcase of my hobby work, both old and new. I’ll be starting with a few earlier projects and then gradually adding more recent ones. I think of this as a long-term hobby log rather than a single army showcase.
I paint a bit of everything: different factions, different systems, different styles. There’s no strict plan here, just an ongoing attempt to improve, experiment, and (occasionally) actually finish models instead of letting them gather dust...
I’ll be kicking things off with T’au, starting with a cadre painted in a desert camouflage scheme, designed for operations on arid worlds, sun-scorched plains and dusty ruins. The idea was to move away from the usual clean, parade-ready look and go for something more practical and battle-worn, as if these units had been deployed in long, grinding campaigns.
The palette focuses on sand, beige and warm brown tones, with a camo pattern meant to feel believable without looking too modern for the T’au aesthetic. Armour panels are kept mostly matte and lightly weathered, less shine, more dust. The bases follow the same theme to better tie the models into their environment.
Future posts will range across various armies and projects, depending on what’s currently on my painting desk. As always, feedback, comments and constructive criticism are very welcome, this thread is as much about sharing as it is about learning.
Thanks for stopping by!

[NotOneStepBack]

And now, moving on from the T’au to something slightly less reasonable.
This is an older project from a few years ago, leaning heavily into a Chaos aesthetic inspired by the Iron Warriors, though it wouldn’t look out of place in a Dark Mechanicum force either.
The core of the model is a daemon prince torso, grafted onto a corrupted Imperial Guard Sentinel lower body. 
The transition between torso and legs was sculpted in green stuff, with the intent of making the fusion look forced and unnatural rather than engineered. The helmet covering the face is also a full green stuff sculpt, in attempt to turning the head into something more symbolic than humanoid.
The paint job follows the same philosophy: muted metallics, dirty steel tones and bruised flesh, with minimal contrast and heavy weathering to keep everything gritty and industrial rather than flashy.
It’s very much in line with how I approached painting at the time: rougher around the edges, but focused on mood over precision.
The result is meant to feel less like a single creature and more like a daemonic war engine, held together by dark rituals and battlefield repairs rather than design.

 

[Alby the Slayer]

Love them.

 

I really like this style and the idea of a long campaign and how this alter the suits aspect.

Is that the base of the old plastic sm dreadnought for the "big mech"(I don't remember the name)?

 

 

[Tallarn Commander]

Yes, you have an admirable, distinct painting and kitbashing style. The Iron Warriors kitbash reminds me of something I would see in a Guillermo del Toro movie. Superb work!

[NotOneStepBack]

@Alby the Slayer 

The “long campaign” idea was exactly what I was aiming for, I like the idea that suits and machines don’t stay pristine for long once they hit the ground. Dust, wear and bad decisions tend to pile up pretty fast.
Good catch on the kitbash question, but no old Dreadnought parts in there: the legs are from an IG Sentinel, heavily repurposed and probably very unhappy about it.
@Tallarn Commander 

And I’ll absolutely take the Guillermo del Toro comparison, I’m pretty sure that’s the highest possible compliment for a Chaos conversion. Glad the Iron Warriors vibe came through!

Speaking of Iron Warriors, the freudian link to the Imperial Fists is immediate... so it felt only right to bring some of them out next. Easily one of my favourite armies, both for the colour scheme and the lore.
For the Fists I’ve always gone for a dirty, worn look. I deliberately broke the “base must contrast the miniature” rule (yellow armour over brown mud) and went for a muddy battlefield base instead. I used acrylics rather than pigments, as I was aiming for a heavy mud effect, not dust.

 

[NotOneStepBack]

From the Imperial Fists, back again to the Iron Warriors.
Some time ago I put together an Iron Warriors Kill Team, and I wanted each miniature to have something distinctive, going deliberately against the (not so) unspoken rule that Iron Warriors should be monotonous, both tactically and aesthetically.
The idea was to give every model its own character while still keeping a cohesive, brutal feel across the team.
The bases were meant to represent a pseudo lava battlefield, similar to what you often see on Chaos Daemons or Salamanders. And while they honestly look better in person than in these slightly blurry photos… looking at them now, I can’t help but think they resemble burnt pizza