The WAAAGH! Grows!

As I continue to get ready for the rumored Ork codex later this year (possibly next month) I am slowly working through the Ork models I've been wanting to fill out my horde.  I have a sizable number of Orks, but they are dating back to third edition, so missing some key units that have been released since, like the new trukks, Nobz, Lootas, Tankbustas, bikers, and several characters.  Not the least of which is a new battlewagon, which will rumble into battle alongside my old scratch-built wagon.

 

Finally finished my commanders for my Black Templar army.  First we have High Marshal Helbrecht.  Likely I'll field him as a generic SM Chapter Master.  The hammer was converted from, I believe, a Salamanders character.  The gold was done with Vallejo Liquid Metal paints.  If you've never used these, they're a bit of a pain to work with.  The pigment is like sludge, and you really need to shake it up, and likely stir it as well.  It dries very fast and smells like alcohol.  But the results are great!  They shine unlike any other metals I've ever used, and cover well.  I wouldn't use it on rank and file, but for characters it's great.  The gold was done with straight Gold (they have several kinds, including red gold and rich gold) some washes, a second gold application, 50/50 of Gold and Silver (again, the Vallejo Liquid Silver), and a tiny bit of silver on its own.

I also really like how his shoulder pads came out.

Looking at him in the pictures I see that I forget to outline the black areas of his gun.  I'll have to correct that. :)

Next we have Grimaldus.  His golds were done in the same way, but the rest is my typical color combos for Black Templar.

And finally, a shot of these badasses leading my Black Templar.  Nothing like seeing a whole army come together!

Here cometh the WAAAGH!!!

With the rumored new Ork codex coming out later this year I thought it was high time to return to my first and only true 40K love: Orks!  I think one of the most critical steps in painting an army are paint tests and experiments to lock in your color scheme.

While I've done the odd project here and there (like this guy):

...I haven't batch painted Orks in a long time, and since all the Citadel paints changed I need to do some tests to determine my new color scheme, primarily for Ork skin.  The rest of it I tend to mish-mash anyway since Orks don't wear no friggin' uniforms!

I don't exclusively use Citadel paints. I use a mix of that, Vallejo, P3, and the odd pot here and there.  Mostly I use Citadel out of habit, unless I find a color I like better in another range, either due to pigment tone or coverage, or both.  For these experiments I'm focusing on the new Citadel greens, because I haven't worked with them much yet.  If I don't find a scheme I like I'll fall back to Vallejo colors, but likely I'll end up with a mix of both.

Here is one of the first ones I did, following a paint tutorial I found online.  It's a combo of Waagh Flesh, red and green inks, Skarsnik, and a final highlight of Gauss Blaster Green.  I also did the metal using the new corrosion and rust technical paints.

Overall I think it looks fine, but I don't care for the color tone of the skin. If you know color theory you know that many mixed colors, like green, can have a warm or cool tone to them.  A green with more blue in it tends to be more of a cool color, whereas a green with more yellow in it tends to be warm.  Overall my Orks have always been dominated by earthy warm tones, as I feel it makes living things feel a bit more real.

This Ork is the same paint scheme, but with a final highlight of Livery Green from the Vallejo line, which is an almost neon yellow-green mix.  Very bright.

That final highlight draws the model into a warmer tone.  Also, I like my Orks to be pretty vibrant so they pop off the table.

Here are the experiments next to one another.  The outer Orks are the cooler skin tone, and the center Ork is the warmer one.  By comparison the outer Orks to me look almost mint-colored, which is not a favorable comparison.  The nice thing about Orks is that these few test models won't really stand out in a crowd, so I can still use them on the table.

It's also worth noting that the center Ork is using a different metal technique.  You start by painting the gun a darker brown, like Mournfang Brown, and then blotch a darker orange, then drybrush a medium silver, like Chainmail or Ironbreaker, and that's definitely going to be my metal treatment for the stock and file Boyz.  I love the corrosion/rust effect, but I think it's a bit much for regular boys, and so I'm going to reserve it for vehicles and larger models.

BTW, I've found it invaluable to keep a log of the colors and techniques I use for my various armies.  Everyone takes a break from time to time, maybe to paint a new army, or possibly go outside?  Relying on your memory to recall how you got that particular shade of red on your cloaks, or a really good leather technique, is not very reliable.  My log is a simple doc with bullet points of colors used, and it has proven very valuable over time.

Ehaley, I think?

Another Christmas gift I painted for someone, Ehaley, I think.  I actually had this model hanging around the house, I bought it previously just because I liked the composition.  The paint on the face is quite messy...I blame my 40+ year old eyes. :)

Wizard Lord on a Griffon

I can't remember the name of this model. It's a Warhammer Fantasy Empire model. I painted it as a gift for my mother, who said she wanted something painted by me. The wings were the best part to paint. Only thing I wish was that I hadn't fully assembled it before starting it. The dude and chest crest were hard to paint assembled.

Edit: the model is Wizard Lord on a Griffon.

Black Templar Vehicles

The last in my BT posts...until I paint more that is.

First we have the Stormtalon.  I like this model a lot more in person than I thought I would.  It's like a futuristic Blackhawk.  The side guns actually sit firmly enough in position that you don't need to magnetize them, but some of the guns have energy packs and ammo stores that would.

And last but not least, the Stalker.  Another vehicle where you can build both turret variants and sit them on top of the tank while playing, so I painted the Hunter options as well.

Ironclad!

Today we have my first Ironclad.  I LOVE DREADNOUGHTS!