Weekly Finds

Imperial Knight Pilot by Max from CoolMiniOrNot - Came across this Knight House heraldry thanks to Inquisitor Engel over on the Bolter & Chainsword. Another Household to consider when I start collecting Knight Titans. Can see more pictures in the link to CoolMiniOrNot as well as some designer notes over on Stockholm Warpaint.

Sculting Skull Icon by Tyler Mengel from Mengel Miniatures - I'm increasingly finding that I lack the patiences to work with green stuff, despite all of the tutorials that I have read and included in my Weekly Find posts. I understand the general concepts/principles of using epoxy to sculpt details... maybe, this will be another starting point.

Weekly Finds

Sons of Horus Army Shot by John Stiening from 40K Hobby Blog - Although this army is far from complete, it is still very impressive and is a great case example of why Escalation isn't a bad thing.

Imperial Fists Step-by-Step by Arsies from Arsies Studio - Painting yellow has increasingly become easy with Games Workshop's latest release of new Citadel paints. However, achieving a high standard yellow is still complicated. This tutorial offers just one way of painting that envy inducing yellow.

Why Shooting is Even Better than in 5th Ed by Kirby from the Pinktastic Blog - I remember how assault was in 4th Edition rose-tinted glasses on. That isn't to say gun-line armies didn't stand a chance. But the game was balanced differently. Imagine how awesome those Godzilla themed Tyranid armies would have been with the latest releases...

Tutorial on Sculpting a Ruff by Ana from Garden of Hectate - I can just imagine somewhere in a hive city gangs fighting it out for a scrap of territory, all the while, hive nobles watching from the spires through the lenses of their ruff wearing Servo Skulls.

Pale Skin by Kari from Spiky Rat Pack - I love the work that the guys from Spiky Rat Pack do... so much character crammed into each of their creations. This tutorial highlights something that I've noticed of late on the interwebz and discussed a bit at my FLGS. The proper use of  washes and inks on base coats can produce just as amazing results as successive layers of wet blending. Midian's Nurgle Terminators are a great example of this.

Using Superglue by Roman from Massive Voodoo - This is so cool. Also take a look at the comments from the linked article with two great tutorials being shared by CzG.

Weekly Finds

Is it Time to Fight? by Dave Taylor from Dave Taylor Miniatures - These are a very strange approach to Adeptus Mechanicus units. In saying that after reading Graham McNeill's Priests of Mars are probably more appropriate than some of the curious constructs hobbyists have given birth too.

Weeping Walls of the Monastery by Kari from Spiky Rat Pack - Last week I showed off some WiP pictures of Kari's terrain. This week we see that he has made envy inducing progress. The terrain bases really help connect his miniatures to the terrain. It is one of the things that always irked me about Games Workshop stores... and to an extent the flat nature of the Warhammer Rulebook pictures. They may be eye level, but the miniatures don't look like they are truly apart of the enviorment. Forge World is the general exception with their Photoshopped pictures...

Lorenzen's Badly Worded Tabard Tutorial by Lorenzen from the Bolter & Chainsword - This isn't the first tutorial I've seen on creating tabards. Can find some over on From the Warp by Ron. There are dozens of others on forums and blogs. However, this is the first time I've seen someone use scaffolding to support the process. And this is a great use of the hooded head from the new Deathwing Box Set.

Weekly Finds

This week I ignore all of the Tau tutorials, reviews and what-not. Instead, I'm taking a look into Inquisimunda and Oldhammer...

Stryderre Stalker in Shadows by Kari from Spiky Rat Pack - This is creepy... it is the Imperial version of a Mandrake crossed with a zombie. The back-story written below is also a great touch. However, the nice surprise and the reason for this week's focus was the link at the end of this post.

The Art of Schwager by Fulgrim from Tears of Isstvan - I've never come across this blog in the past as far as I can remember. Which is a shame as it is full of great resources. The sketches below are just one example of the resources available. The Bretonnian Battle Pilgrims and Dark Eldar Warriors would offer some great starting pieces for some of the sketches below... Can see some of Christian Schwager's work on his website and blog such as this Medicae Servitor.

Confrontation by Fulgrim from Tears of Isstvan - A fascinating perspective into what is now Necromunda...

An Interview with Tony Ackland by orlygg from Realm of Chaos 80s - The above article on Confrontation was fascinating. But this, this is enlightening...

Weekly Finds #116

New Year, Old Tricks by izeColt from Spiky Rat Pack - My partner got me the Imperial Sector set for Chrimstas. Have been slowly plucking away at each of the buildings while working on other projects at the same time. Seeing this got me thinking of ways to utilise some of the spare bits. And the Terra-Flex Gaming Mat looks amazing.

Painting OSL Weapons Effects by Lucky No. 5 from Eye of Error - Following on from last weeks vial tutorial...

From the Margins of the Mighty Tome by Dave Taylor from Dave Taylor Miniatures - Stunning assortment of different kitbashes. The floating servitors offer some ideas on what can be done with all of the wings that come in the Dark Angels Veteran Upgrade box. Then there are these equally stunning, yet very different miniatures. The first could easily be seen as an Arch Magos, while the second fits into the lumber war machine category very nicely. Another option for the bodies is Skaven in a smiliar fashion to what Paulson Games did in making some Jawa seen here, here and here.

Snapshot: Expressive Surfaces by JRN from miniaTEXTures - White is one of those colours that is extremely difficult to get right. For beginners it is a challenge just to get a smooth, even coat. And then there is the greater challenge of adding depth. The below image goes to show one way of achieving a detailed white surface. Reminds me of this Forge World miniature with an almost flat white and the use of weathering to add depth.

Creating Complex Styrene/Plasticard Armour by Lucky No 5. from Eye of Error - I doubt I'd have the patience to go through with something like this. However, it does offer one way of adding lightening bolts in a fashion similar to The Damned Artificer.

Weekly Finds #113

There is time for one more Weekly Finds post for the year...

Conquer the Universe by The Damned Artificer from Bolter & Chainsword - We revisit these amazing Imperial Fists. Since we last saw them The Damned Artificer has completed his stunning Rogal Dorn conversion and has added some paint. To me this is what Dorn should look like. I'm also jealous of the latest armoured addition in the form of the Typhon Siege Tank. I participially like the unique approach to adding lightening bolts...

Making Leather Loincloth by Raffa from Massive Voodoo - A useful tutorial for Fantasy players... but would also work for Orks and Chaos Space Marines. If the rumoured Imperial Guard plastics are true this tutorial may even be used to add some flavour to Feudal/Medieval Regiments. Can get texture pattern fur plates over on Masquerade Miniatures.

Painting Yellow by Les Bursley from Awesome Paint Jobs - Another video tutorial by Les. This time a quick approach to painting table top standard yellow. No easy feat when you consider how much hobbyists bemoan the colour yellow. With some extra effort may be able to produce a crisper result by blending from the base colour up to white. There is also this video tutorial by Les for painting red using the same approach. The Badger Paint Range can be found here with some candy colours in the Imagine Air range. I'm not sure if this is the same range Les uses...

Showcase: Empire Dandy by Rev from Tale of Painters - After last week, the guys over on Tale of Painters have managed to produce yet another stunning red cloak. The contrast on this isn't as extreme. However, I suspect the result would be much easier to replicate as it uses washes, instead of blending.

Weekly Finds #101

This week has a focus on the Legiones Astartes. Which isn't a great surprise with the Horus Heresy source book being released. I'm still patiently waiting for mine...

New Lord Plaguebone by Morback from Le Blog de Kouzes - This is one hell of a detailed conversion. It has taken me several attempts to work out how the helmet was made... it's a normal Space Marine helmet but from the back. The manreaper looks ridiculously complex with all of the plasticard bits. Hate to think how time consuming it was to build. A stunning centre piece for bind blowing warband...

Creating Metal Effects with Washes by Ron from FTW - Not strictly about the Legiones Astartes. But the content can easily be applied to any army. Another example of using washes on metal can be seen here... shows how coloured washes can have a striking effect and compliment the rest of the palette.

Lamenters Update by Dave Taylor from Dave Taylor Miniatures - The detail to this kit bash is stunning. Both the combi-melta and the left hand involve some intricate detailing. Looking forward to seeing this miniature painted up in Dave Taylor's striking yellow and black scheme.

Ultramarines Sternguard Step-by-step by Arsies from Arsies Studio - This tutorial was including in Volomir's  monthly feature Do Not Miss. I'm not much of a fan of non-metallic metal on power armour. However, I am a fan of this example of non-metallic metal by Arsies.

Imperial Fists Terminators by Bully Boy from Dakka Dakka - Despite having boxes full of miniatures to build I'm always looking for ideas on how to convert miniatures. These terminators with their Maximus styled torsos are just one example. My interest in this relates closely with this Terminator torso by Brother Chaplain Kage. Another great Imperial Fists Terminator conversion is this one by Ice Angel.

Sons of Horus by Sheep from Bolter & Chainsword - Possibly the best Sons of Horus I've seen... most look plain in comparison. However, the conversion and painting are both inspirational. The Sergeant pictured below and this Contemptor Dreadnought are my two favourite elements from this project so far. I'll be keeping an eye on Sheep's work...

Conquer the Universe by The Damned Artificer from Bolter & Chainsword - I'm jealous of this Imperial Fist collection. It's full of unique conversions with bits from all over the place. He even has an old school Land Speeder conversion with a run down of the bits here.

Maximus Armour by Gawain Veteris from Bolter & Chainsword - This tutorial may be of interest to some of my imaginary friends. I know the work on the knee pads interest me. Keep an eye out for further tutorials by Gawain... they look to be promising.

Weekly Finds #100

The 100th post of Weekly Finds. Hard to imagine it has been going on for almost two years now. Over that time the blog has fallen into neglect more than a few times. I've finished University with my first degree, started working full time in a crazy arse Emergency Department and have made my first real steps into adulthood with the purchase of a house. And top top it off, this time next year I'll either be getting married or be on honeymoon... but enough of me reflecting on life. Time to look at what things have caught my attention this week...

Nurgle Cultists Troop Conversion by Ron from FTW - The Forge World Cultists kits look great. And from talking with both Mark Bedford and Jes Goodwin at Games Day Oz it seems like there wasn't much planning in making the Dark Vengeance miniatures matching up... and yet they do. Which goes to show how well defined certain elements of Chaos are. I'm curious to see how Ron goes about building the rest of the squad. The Nurgle Lord from the Fantasy range would look great included in this squad... just need some minor alterations. The Chaos Cultists unit entry from the up coming codex can be found amongst these photos.

WIP Thunderhawk Gunship by Garfy from Tale of Painters - More on Forge World... this time with Garfy's Thunder Hawk. Some time ago he detailed the process of preparing the miniature. Including the rather ingenious use of coat hanger wire to reinforce pieces such as the wings. We now get to watch the process of this huge kit being painted. The use of the white is great at breaking up all of the blue... curious to see if he does some weathering.

Slaughterfiend by Vladvar the Destroyer from Bolter & Chainsword - With the addition of Daemon Engines to the forces of Chaos this conversion will fit in great. Vladvar the Destroyer's Slaughterfiend shares several elements with Forge World's own Slaughterer... especially their Impaler version.

Tutorial: Artscale Terminator by Lamenter from Master of the Forge - It is always enlightening to see how the redonkulously skilled go about working their magic... There is also this article on sculpting that was featured several weeks ago. The armour banding that Lamenter creates may be of interest to those that want to add some chaos styled bands to vehicles and troops. Can also take a look at the tutorial on Artscale Space Marines.

Weekly Finds #97

WIP: High Elf Dragon Lord by Volomir from Volormir's Blog - This is part 5 of another highly detailed series by Volomir following on from his Sword Masters and Sea Guards. It is interesting to see how light the green stuff actually is... as well as seeing the process of slowly building up the detail.

Building Deimos Pattern Predator Turret by Ron from FTW - A very cheap scratch built turret with some clever use of a ping pong ball. With some smoother seams this would look even more realistic.

Tutorial: How to Pain Dark Angels by Stahly from Tale of Painters - With the release of Dark Vengeance we are going to see a lot of green marines on table tops. So this tutorial seems highly appropriate for this Weekly Finds.

Review: Complete Guide to Photographing Miniatures by Raffa from Massive Voodoo - I'm far from needing a DVD Guide like this... I wouldn't even call myself an amateur photographer. Just one of those guys who uses iPhone to take pictures. However, I can see others such as my future self finding this extremely helpful.

High Contrast Effect for Metal Power Weapons by Ron from FTW - There are probably dozens of ways to creating the illusion of power weapons. Some involve the use of air brushes while others aim to create lighting to varying degrees. But this is probably one of the most simple, yet effective method I've seen. Something for table top standard miniatures.

Tutorial: How to Paint the Chaos Hellbrute by Garfy from Tale of Painters - It is looking more pink compared to the 'Eavy Metal version. However, I still like what Garfy has produced. Be great for all those pleasure cults.

Warhammer 40K Frequently Asked Questions from Games Workshop - An extensive update including a much needed Frequently Asked Questions for the rule book itself. Two of the rulings would have directly impacted the game I played last night. With one of them having a huge difference in regards to a C'Tan charging through terrain into some Terminators... the other resulting in much cries of angst towards Games Workshop by some Black Templar players.

Weekly Finds #85

A Peek Under The Hood by izeColt from Spiky Rat Pack - Interesting concept... reminds me of John Blanche's weird and wacky artwork. But then again, izeColt has been heavily influenced by John Blanche's work.

Pigment Bases by Morback from Le Blog de Kouzes - I've seen several tutorials on applying pigments to miniatures especially tanks. But applying it to bases is something I can't recall seeing. As the below picture highlights very well, it is a technique that can really make a base pop.

How to Draw Skulls Forge World Style by Ron from FTW - These are more than just Forge World Skulls. These are Games Workshop's signature skulls. Pictures of these can be seen throughout codices and rule books. If I ever getting around to collecting and then painting an Imperial Guard army these skulls will decorate all of the vehicles...

Crimson Fist Forgeworld Apothecaries WIP by Sigur from Tale of Painters - Some of my favourite Forge World miniatures. Can't wait to see how these turn up when completed. The rest of Sigur's Crimson Fists are great... a little over the top when it comes to the weathering... but they look like they have been to hell and back. Something that all Space Marines should look like.

Scratchbuilt Inquisitor Mystic & Tools Review by Ron from FTW - This is possibly the best conversion Ron has produced to date. It just screams Grim Dark. Another "tentacle" maker is Masquerade Miniatures which offers three different sizes. Masquerade Miniatures also have another tool to consider when it comes to making unique, scratch built miniatures with their aptly named fur pattern tool... it doesn't make fur, rather it produces results that are similar to the texture of fur.

Weekly Finds #84

How to Sculpt 3: Sculpting Skills by Mr Pink from Faeit 212 - I came across this tutorial thanks to Drkmorals over at MWC. A look at a variety of topics when it comes to sculpting such as tools, different putty, lubricants and general approach to sculpting. This series would be particularly useful for those planning on sculpting or converting their own Tyranids.

How to make Terminator Combi-Weapons by Ron from FTW - These obviously won't work so well with standard Space Marines. But they do offer a much easier alternative to taking a dremel and files to Chaos Space Marine Combi Weapons.