AdamH's Tyranids - We got everything you want (assuming what you want is to be eaten) (479 Points)

It is the half-way point, and I have certainly managed to break the back of it with this month’s contribution.

Rank and File #3

Lots of new things this month, in fact everything is new! First of all lets take a look at a juicy looking brain bug:

This was another new model not in my original allocation, like the Biovore last month I wanted to try and get a bit of everything in the army and I thought one extra model wouldn’t hurt. As it turned out I quite enjoyed painting this one, a big area for purple and lots of bone made for a different look than anything else painted thus far.

Next we have some fly bois (Gargoyles for the unfamiliar), I hear these are quite effective at rooting out dirty jungle turds with their flamers, not that I would have any need for such skills…

Like the Lictor I have tried to use the blue to indicate the swarm mutation, in this case the wings. Also I didn’t fancy trying to pick up the original flight bases and thought they would benefit from having more stability so went with brass rods instead.

However, in my foolishness I mounted most of them way too high so they were very top heavy and prone to tipping. So I thought to myself, lead shot in the bases, that will fix it! (spoiler; it did not). Next idea, heavy washers under the bases! (again, still not heavy enough). Third time’s a charm, right? Heavy rocks on top of the bases? (you fail again stupid Adam)… So I had to go with the extreme option, I put magnets in the bases and then attached them to 40mm round bases. These can be removed if needed for gaming but at least now they stand up without falling over:

Also just because I think the swarm looks great from the back:

Finally, he just wants to give you a hug, and whisper in your ear about how much he loves spending time with you:

So again blue on the face and the claws (arms?) for that mutation look. Honestly, I am not sure I like the bone carapace on this one but I didn’t want too much red, and I did want him to fit with the rest of the army, so I will leave it for now. But if I ever do another one then I might try something else.

This month’s Rank and File submission is as follows:

UNIT	EXTRAS	#	TOTAL
Gargoyle Brood (16)		10	160
Zoanthrope		1	120
Carnifex		1	199
TOTAL			479

Now normally I would take the half-way point in the challenge to show an picture of the force so far but with this month that represents over 75% of the models for the force so I think I will hold back taking a picture of everything until the end, I am sure the delayed gratification will be worth it ;P

Next month will likely be my leader month and since there is only once choice in the Tyranid army for this slot there are no prizes for guessing what model that will be!

Jon's Bad Moons - What's The Use Of Feeling, Blue? (248 points)

Rank & File Month #2: 2 mobs of 6 Bad Moon Boyz with 2 heavy plasma guns apiece : 248 pts

Running Total: 428 points of 1000

da ba dee

I thought I'd gotten away with it.

I thought that walking away from the black trim would give me a little breathing room, that an actual colour would be a little more forgiving.

I failed to take into account just how vibrant Ultramarine Blue is, especially when you're putting a layer of heavy early-noughties Blue Ink over the top, especially especially when you're also using it for mohawks and stuff, plus especially when your plasma coils are turning out more or less the same blue.

Oddly enough, I have produced some paint jobs I'm very happy with this month: they're just not these ones.

da ba di

 I think I've figured out the issue here, though. Over the years, the painting style I've developed and rediscovered has become very glaze-happy. I like adding thin layers of cold colours and heavy drybrushing and not actually painting the bulk of the model, just shading it and letting it fade so the details I've made an effort on attract the eye.

These all-over blocks of bold colour, saturated with ink - they might be very authentically mid-1990s but I moved away from that style some years ago. I wish I still had some photos of my Warmachine armies, just to prove that I could do this once. I used to wet blend and everything.
 

da ba dee da ba di

I don't usually take photos of the backs of these Orks and this is why: without the boltgun held over the chest and the attraction of their winsome little faces, there's nothing to hide the mess I'm making of the body colours. It's not even the yellow that gets me, although that's supposed to be the hobby destroyer; it's finding an accent colour that doesn't bleed, dominate and overwhelm it even if I do manage to stay inside the lines.

On which note, while a bad workman does as ever blame his tools, Windsor & Newton brushes have really gone downhill, haven't they? My oldest ones, a gift from a kindly grandmother-in-law six years ago, are still in great nick and saved the faces on these Orks from total ignominy. The newer ones I bought myself last year? Useless. Especially the #2, which fishtailed the moment I got it out of the tube. I don't know if W&N are generally rubbish now or if they just put the ones that wouldn't pass quality control in the multi-packs, but I am sore distressed.

before I ruined everything

Not to sink to a complete whinge-fest though: I am happy with the skin on these boys. This is the Complete Citadel Paint Experience: Waaagh! Flesh basecoat, Niblit Green drybrush, Ork Flesh Wash, then another quick flick of the Niblit Green if someone's looking a bit dreary. So that bit's going fine. We're figuring things out, batch by batch.

The next thing I have to figure out is what the hell I'm going to do with my Blood Axe contingent, as the Land Raider should probably match up with them. Camo will look naff on their ribbed-and-trimmed tunics, olive drab is just going to disappear into the green skin, and grey is off limits because I don't want to get grey fatigue while I'm still working on my Middlehammer Wood Elves.

Maybe that can just wait for a bit longer and next month will either be the Warboss and co. (finishing the Bad Moons contingent) or the Goffs (a return to a familiar colourscheme, even if it's still high contrast shenanigans). Yeah, that sounds like a plan. Then the Blood Axe Boyz, and then finish on the Land Raider, possession of which is the reason I'm doing all this to begin with.