1) I didn't realize they used painting scores and somewhat encourage/score for diorama/army displays. 2) I have had a rough time at work the last two weeks so I was backed up on painting (and I'm a slow painter). However, I'm not easily spooked. These two things mean that when I got Friday off that I had to really put some time in on my last 15 Dire Avengers and my two HQs, Farseer Nilendrel and the newly acquired Autarch (conversion progress below).
I had to use Friday, because this weekend I'm also using my nerd powers for good as DM in my weekly Saturday session, and playing a pre-tournament game playtest on Sunday morning ... followed by Halloween festivities with my now 1 year old son and my wife. Busy weekend
This blog will chronicle my pre-tournament angst and painting escapade. Usually before tournaments I remake lists 10 times. The more and more I read about last year's scenarios, other peoples' lists, etc. The only thing that I have really tweaked is to add an Autarch and drop Eldrad. I need more reserve capability, and a little counterassault, which people won't really expect from a Warp Jump Generator Autarch and his Warp Spider Exarch friend. The extra fusion gun won't hurt either.
Here's the conversion on my Autarch (to be painted next week... I hope)
So, essentially, I am using Mandiblasters, so I kept his face, but he's no Scorpion so I sawed off his tassel and hangly-danglies which were replaced with some GS on his shoulder and back of his head. I added a DA Exarch plume for some regal appeal and the fact that my army is DA heavy. Also, he's got a fusion gun, but rather than convert his left hand scorpion chainsword into a PW, I used the right handed DA Exarch power sword... Then was struck with the idea to make his fusion gun a 'fusion blaster' wrist-mounted version. Just a little GS tubing to his shoulder and added the fusion fuel and blaster nozzle. So far, I'm pretty happy with him but I have to sand down the GS work. I haven't gotten good enough at sculpting it right without sanding.
Without further digression, here's the beginning work on the DAs after the blue aerosol work to base coat them (over gray primer). I was too stupid to prime the heads white separately... so.. I chose to make the helmets bone and painted them brown over the blue in 6 shades up to the antique white/bone mix that comprises the picture below. Pic 1..
I was pretty happy with the way the white started to erupt from the blue overtones of the base coat. So I decided to keep the overall antique theme. Then I decided to start the white highlight process and start on the blue basecoat fixes/highlights, then the gun highlights. The next pic is just after the white helmet highlights.
Sorry for the crappy camera-work (it was done on my phone for easy uploading) but you can see here I chose the ubiquitous yellow/black/red for the Exarch plume. The rest are all yellow for the moment until I decide if I want to Yellow/Black them or keep them straight Yellow. I used some flesh wash for the faceplates as I thought the reddish brown would accent the bone / off-white helms. The helms are updated with white highlights on the breather intakes, oval surfaces, edges of the faceplates, and also the front of the helms.
Also touched up a bit of the washing between the plume/helmets on the ones that were way darker than I wanted. The exarch's metal is just bronze with flesh wash to redden/shine it. It's something I used when doing my LotR dwarves copper-tone armor that I really like for accent details like that. Next up... all the highlights on guns, armor, and spirit stones.
I wish I could get a game or two against mech guard, space wolves razorspam, and chaos daemons just to get used to them... C'est la vie though right?
Thanks for reading. I will post a BATREP tomorrow on how I performed using 2009 Mechanicon rules against my friend's Marines. I rarely get to play MEQ armies right now as none of my regular opponents use them. I know, crazy...
