Shadow War Armageddon Terrain

Following on from last weeks post, I managed to complete this set of Shadow War Armageddon (SWA) terrain.

As previously mentioned, things went a bit wrong after I applied the gloss shade. Whilst these pieces aren't to the standard I was aspiring to achieve, they look 'OK' and will fit into the board I'm putting together nicely.

Following on from where I had reached on the previous post, once I had drybrushed Averland Sunset onto the models to cover up most of the pesky shade which had settled on the panels, I began applying some light highlights to the main colours; Terminatus Stone for the yellow, Ironbreakder for the metal and Evil Sunz Scarlet for the red.

Next, I applied a coat of VallejonSatin Varnish in preparation for further weathering. The first step was to apply some rust coloured pigment to simulate rust on the models. The pigment was then sealed in place with Vallejo Pigment Binder. Granted that this is hard to see on the models however it was a good learning experience on the use of applying rust weathering powders.

After the Pigment Binder had dried (which took overnight!), I mixed up a very diluted solution of Steel Legion Drab and various earth coloured weathering powders. This solution was then applied to the lower areas of the model to simulate built up dust.

Finally, the models were given a coat of Vallejo Matte Varnish.

Next up is a set of fencing I picked up at Salute.

Shadow War Armageddon Terrain: Work In Progress

This weeks post covers an update of where I am with part of the Shadow War Armageddon (SWA) terrain. 

As you can see, I've split the terrain into groups based on the main primary colour being applied. In this case- Yellow! (Averland Sunset).

First I'd like to cover where the inspiration came from for the colour scheme. There are loads of great example of colour schemes for the SWA terrain which looks fantastic. It was whilst in my local Warhammer store in Bath that I observed how the store manager had painted the new 40k display and loved it! Whilst the exact scheme I am trying to achieve is not exactly the same as those shown in the photos of the display below, it made up my mind that yellow is the way to go.

 So, I started off my priming the terrain with Vallejo Black primer. This was possibly not the best colour to use underneath yellow as it took many, many coats to achieve any kind of decent coverage.

I also experienced a few problems with my airbrush during this stage so the base coat was uneven and rather 'dusty'.

Once the yellow had been built up to a reasonable level I moved on to painting the details. I picked out various details with Mephiston Red and Leadbelcher. I then painted the mechanicum symbols with Chaos Black/Celestra Grey and filled in the maker stamps with Zandri Dust.

Next up was the first round of weathering- applying paint chips. I created a 50/50 mix of Dryad Bark and Chaos Black and used a sponge to apply the chips randomly across the models. Once this was completed I applied a coat of Vallejo Gloss Varnish in preparation for shading.

At this point things started to go a little wrong! The plan, once the gloss varnish has dried, was to apply a mix of Agrax Earthshade/Nuln Oil gloss shade to the model. What is supposed to happen is that the gloss shade will retain more surface tension when applied to the gloss varnish and so the shade will settle in the recesses without leaving much residue on the large panels. I have used this technique successfully on other miniatures however this time the shade began to break up the gloss varnish and so didn't settle as expected.

I 'solved' the problem as best I could by drybrushing Averland Sunset over the model. Unfortunately this resulted in the models looking chalky (as can happen with drybrushing) however, I'm content with this as its a lot better compared to how the models looked after the shade.

I will continue to work on these models and will post the completed models next week.

8th Edition Midnight Launch

Just a quick post to mark the release of 8th edition of Warhammer 40,000. My local Warhammer store here in Bath held a midnight opening and I popped down with the wife to pick up my new toys! 

I pre-ordered the full set.. the Dark Imperium starter box, Tactical Objective cards, both sets of dice (Wound trackers and Command die), new objective marker models, combat gauge and Index: Imperium 1. 

As I'm currently working hard to complete all my outstanding scenery for the beginning of September, the new models will have to join my 'to do list' in a lower position than I'd like (obviously I want to build and paint them today!). 

My plan is to  paint the Primaris Space Marines as Blood Angels and to help with improving the Blood Angels aesthetic I have ordered a couple of packs of Blood Angels Heads from ForgeWorld. I also have a few bits from the GW Blood Angels Upgrade Pack which I'll also add to the models. As for the Death Guard... I'm keen to paint them in a colour scheme close to the Horus Heresy era paint livery.

I've included a couple of photos taken from the launch after the break.