Weekly Finds

Taurans by Overdrive from thw Bolter & Chainsword - A quick look at how to achieve masking using tape and putty. I've also shown what the guys at Massive Voodoo have done in the past as well.

Seekers of Truth by Royal Cactus from the Bolter & Chainsword - You don't often see someone taking the loyalist Space Marine Terminators and converting them into Chaos Terminators. But this has really worked. The powerfist is just awesome.

Pandemonium Genesis Cultists by Kouzes le from Blog de Kouzes - A interesting approach to washing some cultists. I've never seen matt medium used before. So I'm not sure how unique this approach is... but it's something to consider given that I've got 35 of these guys to paint. There is also Games Workshops own Youtube tutorial.

Weekly Finds

Codex: Loot by Tim from The Tau of War - The Mad Max inspired vehicles continue this month with this clever use of Dark Eldar bits to get some awesomely posed combatants.

Lights of Perverted Science by Jeff Vader from The Convertorum - Next time I'm at a Games Workshop store I've gotta get my hands on the wraith miniature... I've seen so many awesome conversions.

Heresy Imperial Fists by Brother Galfridus from the Bolter & Chainsword - Such a vibrant yellow despite all the weathering. Looking forward to seeing this army progress.

Creating Terrain by poom from the Bolter & Chainsword - An approaching to adding some uniqueness to the Realm of Battle boards by Games Workshop. I'm actually a fan of the skull pits. But that isn't for everybody.

Leaked Blood Angel Terminators

Not long now till the latest Codex is released. With the release date coming in close, the rumours are coming even faster. Some are hard to believe while others are bleeding obvious. And with these rumours come leaked images... Or in this case Easter Eggs from Games Workshop.

This new Terminator is an alternative to sacrificing the Space Hulk Limited Edition Miniature... I'm sure some of those second hand eBay sellers aren't too happy about that.

Nice to see that there is another Terminator with the Wolverine Lightening Claws pose.

I'm sure there are other Space Marine collectors that dreaded the thought of rebasing entire squads with the larger bases. But if the picture above is any sort of indicator, it's safe to say that it won't be a requirement.

Weekly Finds

How to Paint Iron Hand Space Marines by Garfy from Tale of Painters - Following on from Garfy's Imperial Fists tutorial we have this one for the Iron Hands...

The Minotaurs by Lorenzen from the Bolter & Chainsword - I've been following Lorenzen's work for some time. His Centurion conversions are what has given me hope that I'll never see use of them in my collection. This week however, it is his recipe for painting stunning flesh that caught my attention. The link provided gives a close up on the Sternguard Sergeant pictured below... wow is all that can be said.

White Dwarf - September 2013 Space Marines

Garfy's review of Septembers White Dwarf can be found over on Tale of Painters.

Weekly Finds #122

This year is passing by quick... my twenty third birthday is almost here, still haven't gotten my license, painted a miniature with a brush OR set a date for the wedding. At least there are ten more months to go...

The Itch of the Butchers Nails by The Damned Artificer from The BnC - These brushes are just brilliant. It would be so awesome if someone like Secret Weapon Miniatures or Masquerade Miniatures actually made a silicone brush of these for us mortals.

Champion of Tzeentch by John Blanche from Spiky Rat Pack - It is by John Blanche... do I need any more reason to include it?

Weekly Finds #115

Magnetizing Contemptor Weapons and Joints by Drathmere from 40k Hobby Blog - This is one of Forge World's kits that is high on my Gift List. Unfortunately, I've got more than enough to build for a life time. So it won't be added to the never ending collection any time soon. Doesn't stop me from checking out other hobbyists resin crack. The fully painted body can be found here along with some background.

Painting Realistic Fluid Filled Vials by Lucky No. 5 from Eye of Error - A tutorial with four easy steps. This approach could be most useful for Dark Eldar... however, it would work for any miniature with a vial. Obviously if you wanted the liquid free portion of the vial to be transparent then more work would be required. Can also see the latest Pain Engine added to Lucky No. 7's coven here...

Ork Kopta Carrier by Rictus from Recalcitrant Daze - This is a jaw dropping project. Below is the current rivet count. It is a multi story scratch built project using a Bane Blade as the base... and that doesn't give this justice at it will dwarf a Bane Blade. It has some rather unique weapon platforms as well. Orks always have such fun conversions...

Landscaping Projekt Thalassa Prime by Tuskar from dieVincis - This looks very cool. Would be a great backdrop for a Sisters of Battle army. Shame there aren't more WiP pictures... or more details on the construction.

Hobby Products Tested: Army Painter Warpaints by Tuskar from dieVincis - Another review on the Warpaint Inks can be found here by Stahly from Tale of Painters.

Weekly Finds #109

Wow! The blog has been dead for far too long. Not hard to imagine with work and the build up towards Christmas. My gaming has been as dead as Imaginary Life. Fortunately, my hobby time hasn't suffered. I've pulled out the airbrush and slowly gotten to work putting down layers of black and then grey even some red. As for paint brushes... hopefully next year will see some big changes.

Dark Vengeance Chaplain Painted by Ron from FTW - I'm a fan of how Ron paints his blacks... it has been interesting to watch him approach it. Also like how he has approached the smoke coming from the censors on the backpack. An approach I may copy.

Dark Eldar Coven Raider Conversion by Lucky No.5 from Eye of Error - This is a beautiful conversion... yes you read correctly. Beautiful. Actually, all of the new Dark Eldar sculpts are beautiful in their own ways. Lucky No.5 just has a way with enhancing that beauty.

Dark Eldar Harlequins by Lucky No.5 from Eye of Error - A unique approach to the Harlequin Troupe. I prefer the image that Games Workshop has with their resin set. However, the minor conversions to the Death Jester and Shadow Seer are nice and will help them fit into a Dark Eldar force.

Lamenters Death Company by Dave Taylor from Dave Taylor Miniatures - I love the miniature pictured below. It is an amazing yellow which has been highlighted very nicely with the chipping and blood splatter. This is what Space Marines should look like... fighting in the thickest battles. Taking heavy hits that would drop a mere mortal. Remember, they get hit just as easily as a Guardsmen by enemy shooting. The difference is their armour can handle it.

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 #98

I've had the past week off work. Would think there would be a pile of built and possibly painted miniatures to show for it. Unsurprisingly that isn't the case...

Games Day Australia 2012 by Gotthammer from Collegia Titanica - This years was my first time attending Games Day. It didn't meet the expectations I've developed over the years from reading White Dwarf and then the interwebz. Mainly as there wasn't any sneak peeks or previews. Would have been very easy for Games Workshop to have done the pre-announcements for Forge World's Horus Heresy book and the reborn White Dwarf on the day. I also missed out on getting tickets to the seminars. They may be hiring a bigger room for next year. Fortunately, Gotthammer managed to attended all of the seminars and wrote up a summary. I've added some of my own points in the comments section... including things that Gotthammer didn't mention regarding the Forge World seminar. They had some standing room in the back. Bell of Lost Souls has used some of my comments and credited them with Gotthammer... once again they demonstrate the finer points of yellow journalism.

LXII Legion Auxilia by 1000heathens from The Bolter & Chainsword - These guys may not match Tyler Mengel's Astral Claws in paint job quality. However, 1000heathens has an amazing skill at converting miniatures. His Marines Malevolent are a great example of this skill. I particularly like the miniature pictured below. Curious what 1000heathens used for the rivets...

How to Paint Dark Vengeance Deathwing Armour by LilLoser from LilLegend Studio - This is part one of what looks to be a promising series. The guys over at Massive Voodoo achieved a similiar result using hair spray and salt. They posted a video tutorial on YouTube. This style of weathering is not limited to those with an airbrush. There is an abundance of coloured spray cans, such as Army Painter, that offer a simplified approach.

How to Paint Dark Angels Hard and Fast by Ron from FTW - This is far from 'Eavy Metal standards. However, it fits into something that Mark Bedford talked about at Games Day last weekend... develop a paint style that produces miniatures in a short period of time. The 'Eavy Metal team spend 7 hours a day painting Studio miniatures. They have the luxury to paint a single squad or regiment in two weeks. For the rest of us that would be soul destroying as Mark Bedford put it.

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 #95

This last week I've been thinking of ways to add individuality to each of my Black Templars... there are only so many ways you can mix together the Space Marine kits. This is especially true for the now outdated Black Templars Upgrade Kit which offers static poses when compared to the newer Chapter Specific kits. My usual place for inspiration is Mad Matt's collection of Black Templars. However, I wanted to find something different. So I set out into the vast interwebz...

Black Templars High Marshal by Bohun from Cool Mini Or Not - A simple kit bash using Commander Cullen. However, it is the freehand details that draw me in. The entire miniature is covered in it... yet it doesn't look too busy or overcrowded. Something to consider when it comes to painting Independent Characters.

Black Templars Marshal Redeux by Cypher Codicer from Deviant Art - This is a bloody awesome kit bash. The old metal Grey Knight torso works great with the addition of the high collar and the centre piece shield. The collar sort of reminds me of something that Freak Forge did... although this conversion is neater. An earlier Work in Progress of this conversion can be seen here.

Space Marine Chaplain by Ron from FTW - I've featured this conversion in Weekly Finds before. However, it came up in my search and seeing the knee pads got me thinking of the armour on the Ultramarines in the game Space Marines.

Fortress of Anguish by Pizzasemmel from Warseer - The detail work on this Land Raider Crusader is both over the top awesome AND weird. Some elements work great such as the huge banner and the hull mounted flamestorm cannon. While the hurricane bolters look weird with their own little banners. It looks more like a cathedral than a fortress. Pizzasemmel is also responsible for this life size chainsword.

Angels of Vengeance by Brother Chaplain Kage from The Bolter & Chainsword - The torso in this conversion is far too big for my own tastes. However, the style is very knightly and would fit in well with Black Templars. Even better, it offers a way out of having to sculpt tabards. Something I know I'd fail horribly at. Also take a look at this amazing conversion by Chris Borer of his take on the Angels of Vengeance Chapter Master.

Fratricide by Chris Borer from Full Borer Miniatures - This is the sort of inspiration I was looking for. it takes pieces from the standard tactical box set and offers ways to give them individual looks. The chest piece bellow is my favourite element. It uses everything I have in my collection and with some practice is something achievable. Chris Borer is also responsible for this amazing sculpt which was included in the Heroes of Armageddon Project. A must have for any Imperial Guard player.

Black Templar Terminator Squad by Dante77 from Cool Mini Or Not - If I understand the interwebz correctly this is the guy who taught Mad Matt how to paint his Black Templars. The resemblance between the two armies is obvious. However, these Terminator conversions fall flat on their face in comparison to the work of Rune Cast who has been creating Mad Matt's Terminators.

Forge World Large Scale Space Marine by k.ronte from Flagelante Feliz Club - This is an amazing conversion... and it reinforces some observations I've made. Such as sculptors add in more yellow than blue epoxy to their green stuff mix.

Forge World: Horus Heresy Trailer

It's hard to imagine that Space Marines could get even better next month with Dark Vengeance Box Set being released. But Forge World has managed to achieve just that with their announcement of the first instalment in their Horus Heresy Series...

It helps explain why Forge World has been putting out so many pre-heresy kits of late... I'm looking forward to seeing what else they have planned.

Dark Vengeance

The rumours are true with the new Warhammer 40K box set eclipsing all others with these amazingly detailed Dark Angels and Chaos Space Marines...

If the Games Workshop teaser is anything to go by the official announcement will be dropped in the September White Dwarf on the 25th of August.