BLOOD BOWL - The Black Gulf Buccaneers are now painted!

It's always a pretty cool moment when you can plonk your painted minis down in front of the camera and record that they are complete. This weekend I was able to do that with my Black Gulf Buccaneers, the third incarnation of my most favorite Blood Bowl team ever (the first was built in 1994, the second in 2002, and now this one). I'm also quite excited that I completed this project in less than four weeks (six if you include the two weeks I was away in Australia, which I don't).

Anyway, here's a look at the individuals who make up the Black Gulf Buccaneers, in numerical order:

1. The Dread Pirate Wesley - Blitzer (and Captain)
2. Gunnar Strongarm - Thrower
3. Francois D'Atant - Catcher
4. Dieter Swiftstep - Catcher

5. Da Anchor - Ogre
6. Geraud Corvus - Lineman
7. Gunther Landsing - Lineman
8. Karl Wulfen - Blitzer

9. Kristoff Zerzaust - Lineman
10. Marten Mecklenberg - Lineman
11. Pierre D'Baronet - Lineman
12. Werner One-Leg - Lineman

13. Guiseppe Veloce - Catcher
14. Black Francis - Lineman
15. Marius Stark - Thrower
16. Gregor Lowenhurz - Blitzer

There has also been a pretty good reaction to my Ogre - Da Anchor - who was pretty simply converted from an Astra Militarum Ogryn. When he's on the pitch, he's all about creating the breakthrough and holding whatever new line I need to hold. In the past he has played a pivotal role in the team.

Additionally, I've asked quite a few times about the way that  painted their black armor (as differentiated from their black trousers). Well here's a quick description:

1. Basecoat with black (in the case GW Chaos Black spray)
2. Highlight with P3 Coal Black (with has a lovely blue/green tint to it.
3. Highlight with an 80:20 mix of P3 Coal Black and VMC Light Grey
4. Highlight with a 60:40 mix of P3 Coal Black and VMC Light Grey

5. Highlight with a 40:60 mix of P3 Coal Black and VMC Light Grey

6. Highlight the very edges with VMC Light Grey
7. Glaze with AP Dark Tone
8. Highlight the very edges with VMC Light Grey

It's a fun method, and great colors to work with.

Cheers
Dave

Battle for the Craftworld - Painting up the Librarian

Well, it has been a little while since I plugged the NOCF 2015 Charity Army Raffles here on my blog, but today I get to do it and give you a couple of step-by-steps along the way : )

If you want to buy tickets to win the Librarian pictured above (and the rest of the excellent Sons Of Orar Army), please head to the NOCF site HERE!

Or visit after you've taken a quick scroll through here to see the various steps I took to paint up this very cool model.

BLUE

Step One: Prime the model in black.

Step Two: Paint the blue armor with VMC Dark Prussian Blue.

Step Three: Highlight the armor with a 60/40 mix of VMC Dark Prussian Blue and VGC Ultramarine Blue

Step Four: Highlight the armor with a 20/80 mix of VMC Dark Prussian Blue and VGC Ultramarine Blue.

Step Five: Highlight the top edges with a 70/30 mix of VGC Ultramarine Blue and VMC White.

WHITE

Step One: Basecoat the white areas with VMC Pale Grey.

Step Two: highlight the areas with a 60/40 mix of VMC Pale Grey and VMC White.

Step Three: highlight the areas with a 30/70 mix of VMC Pale Grey and VMC White.

Step Four: Highlight the areas with VMC White.

FLESH

Step One: Basecoat the flesh with VGC Tan.

Step Two: Highlight the flesh with a 70/30 mix of VGC Tan and VGC Dwarf Skin.

Step Three: Highlight the flesh with a 30/70 mix of VGC Tan and VGC Dwarf Skin.

Step Four: Highlight the flesh with VGC Dwarf Skin.

Step Five: Highlight the flesh with a 70/30 mix of VGC Dwarf Skin and VMC Pale Sand.

RED

Step One: Basecoat the red areas with VMC Hull Red.

Step Two: Highlight the red areas with a 60/40 mix of VMC Hull Red and AP Dragon Red.

Step Three: Highlight the red areas with a 20/80 mix of VMC Hull Red and AP Dragon Red.

At this point I went through and started my "corrections" by painting everything that wasn't going to be blue, white, flesh, or red with black. From there I painted the silvers and golds as well as the variety of little bits and bobs around the place.

So, as I posted earlier, click HERE to get to the page to buy the raffle tickets for the Space Marines. You do not need to be present to win, and we will ship ANYWHERE in the world!

If you'd like to check out the 40K Armies in more detail, please visit the NOCF blog that I've been updating regularly over the last two months, HERE.

More to come on this as we close in on the whole NOVA Open event thingy!

Cheers
Dave

Vroom! Vroom! - Painting the Nux car (mini-tutorial)

This week, as well as finishing off four other cars, I also painted up the Nux car. I was pretty excited to paint it, and was quite surprised how little time it took, even stopping between layers to take the photos.

A few people have asked how I've been painting the "shiny and chrome" cars, so here's a quick look.

VMC = Vallejo Model Color
VGC = Vallejo Game Color
VMA = Vallejo Model Air
AP = Army Painter

Step One: Heavy drybrush of VGC Tinny Tin.

Step Two: An overbrush of AP Gun Metal

Step Three: A thin wash of AP Strong Tone over the whole model. Another wash of AP Strong Tone on the areas that will not be shiny. Some specific shading on the flat panels with thinned VGC Charred Brown.

Step Four: Highlight the shiny areas with a thin layer of VMA Aluminum, and then highlight again with VMA Aluminum.

Step Five: Paint everything that won't be metal with black and then paint/highlight each individual area.

Step Six: Glue on your pre-painted thundersticks.

I hope that helps with painting your very shiny cars (or whatever).

Cheers
Dave

NOCF 2015 - Drop Pod tutorial!

A little while back I posted about assembling some Drop Pods for one of this year's NOVA Open Charitable Foundation Charity Raffle armies - The Sons Of Orar Space Marines, to be exact. At the time I asked if anyone would be interested in a walk-through of my build and paint. There were a few who expressed interest, so here we are : )

After going through and cleaning all the parts for three Drop Pods, I started to create the sub-assemblies. You can see them above. They basically breakdown to:

• Engine and stormbolter
• Center console and harnesses
• Base and doors
• Five fins

Here's what it all looks like when three sets of sub-assemblies are gathered in a pile. After this, all parts (except the fins) were primed black. More on the fins later.

The bases, engines, and consoles were all heavily dry brushed with VGC Tinny Tin.

Everything was then dry brushed with AP Gun Metal.

I then washed the parts with my "super secret wash".

And drybrushed everything with VMA Aluminium.

I flipped over the base and repainted the armor panels black...

...and then masked off the engine base.

I sprayed the tips of the doors with Mephiston Red  (not pictured) and then I used a custom cut mask/sheet of styrene, and sprayed the rest of each door.

Here's a shot of the doors before removing the masking tape.

I then painted the edges of edge internal door with Averland Sunset (shaded with Skrag Brown).

These hazard stripes were hand painted - nine per side, 90 per Pod, 270 in all.

Back to the fins. I primed them white, shaded then with some Mechanics Grey, painted the panels black, masked them off and finally sprayed them with Mephiston Red.

After some detailing on the parts, here's a look at a set ready for assembly.

On each of the center consoles I painted a silhouette of an Eldar Craftworld, with three glowing points representing the three Drop Pods.

They Pods were then assembled; glue the consoles to the base then one fin in place; glue the engine to the fin then glue the remaining fins in place.

I then gave the Drop Pods a healthy dose of chipping and weathering.

And here they are. All ready to deliver Sons Of Orar directly to the heart of the Alaitoc Craftworld.

In the coming days we'll finally have photos of two of the NOCF Charity Raffle armies ready to go up online. When we do I'll be shouting it from the rooftops! : )

Cheers
Dave