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Tyranid Rippers for Hive Fleet Behemoth

Published by Joe B

Just because they are small, tinny, bitey things don’t make them less scary en masse. Today I add some Tyranid Ripper Swarms to the growing hive fleet.

I love the fact that these guys come on the various sprues because buying a box of just rippers would be a bit lame to open and ‘assemble.’ Having them as a freebie gives a nice surprise instead!

For the coloring on these guys, I purposely left the red a bit darker except for the face to help emphasize it a bit more. I left the extreme blue contrast through which helps brighten up the otherwise dark mass.

While only three ripper bases may not accomplish much in a game, since they come in each gaunt box they will continue to grow as the horde expands to consume the universe!

Tyranid Warrior Brood

Published by Joe B

Ok so that teaser post was a while back now, blame it on Real Life ™.Â But anyway, here are some more units for Hive Fleet Behemoth, this time aÂ (now old) Tyranid Warrior Brood to lead the little gauntsÂ into battle.

Each is armed with the classic scything and death spitters to give a well rounded battle field role of longish range shooting with an extra attack in close combat. While the lack of the special weapon gives it a lack of punch, it also helps cut down on the point cost – which makes this a great throw-away leader unit if needed.

This is one of my favorite aspects of the Tyranids, in that you can see the hunger and drive in each of the units. From the snarling faces to the forward lunge it is clear they are trying hard to get forward into the enemy.

This view shows the contrast between the deep, smooth(ish) red and the high-contrast blue of the carapace. I really wanted an army that sticks out from the table top and looks very alien so adding those sharp highlights really helped.

While GW’s Behemoth is more on the teal/turquoise side for the blue, I liked the idea of both the weapons and carapace going to white and giving a bit of a balance. It also makes it more visually striking.

Well, I promise that you will be seeing many more of the finished Tyranids over the next few weeks as they are done and photographed, so all that is left is clean up the pictures and write up the posts! In fact they have been done so long that I actually finished another model for the 14th Grand Company (stay tuned for that soon too!)

Keep on painting.

Lizardmen OOP Kroq-Gar on Carnosaur

Published by Joe B

In keeping in line with my recent trend of completing models that have been collecting dust on my shelves, I present the Lizardmen Kroq-Gar on his carnosaurÂ Grymloq. This is the recently out of production metal model that has been in my collection for almost 5 years with no love at all. After the new Lizardmen models came out in the fall I felt even more guilty for never finishing this lizard-hero.

I had forgot how heavy metal monsters were until I started working on this beast – especially since he is so long it made it rather difficult to hold his base and paint either end. Color-wise I used to color and pattern of the new kit as I liked the contrast and organic feel of the stripes. It allowed me to color out side the lines a bit and not worry about it.

It also was fairly straight forward to paint. The fleshy color was simply the Flesh wash over white primer. The red and black were highlighted then washed with black. For Krog-Gar, he was also primed white, the dark scales painted Mordian Blue and the whole model covered in the blue wash. I then went back with black wash to add definition between the scales and lightly dry brushed the whole model with off white to give him age.

For the base I really wanted to add a jungle feel without distracting too much from the model. So I kept it low with lots of vegetation using static grass and foliage clumps. Once the glue was dry I added Devlan mud wash to the vegetation to add depth and contrast. Also the ground cover in deep forests are usually fairly dark anyways so the bright green needed toning down.

While I may never play with him (I’m phasing out metal models myself), he now has a place of pride on my display shelf.

The Hive Mind Devours All – Tyranid Carnifex

Published by Joe B

So I few years back I enticed my brother-in-law to join me in the 40k world and he was drawn in by the Tyranids. While he has built up a small army of the bugs he hasn’t quite got around to painting them all yet. Over the Christmas break we spent time base coating his whole army red and had planned on doing the black/blue base as well but just ran out of time (future post coming on Kill Teams!). To help motivate him and get the painting juices going I volunteered to paint his Carnifex – ok it may have been a bit selfish on my part too!

He had chosen Hive Fleet Behemoth and painted a few ‘guants for me to pull colors from. The whole model had already been sprayed red so I based in the Necron Abyss for the blue areas, black for the weapons and claws, and elf flesh for all the soft bits. A black wash later had the model tabletop ready.

I love the look of stark contrast on the chiten so I layered in two shades of blue and ended with pure white.

The red was highlighted red and a bit of orange around the face. The tail and tentacle arm received a bit of freckles to give interest on the flat areas.

I enjoyed painting the Tyranid Carnifex so much that I’m tempted to jump on the new Nid band wagon this month and build out my own hive fleet. In the mean time I hope my bro enjoys the new addition and helps get him motivated to keep painting 🙂

Mentor Legion Scout Squad with Sniper Rifles

Mentor Legion Scouts with Snipers

Published by Joe B

Finally finished off another Mentor Legion squad – holidays were a bit busy! This time it is a scout squad equipped with sniper rifles and camo cloaks. These were a good diversion from full power armour; the cloth and flesh were a nice change up.

I kept the colors a bit more muted than their full brethren figuring they wouldn’t want to stick out too much as they did their scout thing. They followed my normal painting flow: base coat, devlan mud everything, highlight. The Mentor Legionnaires I do two layers of green and three white, but to keep the scouts muted I did a single highlight. The “white” comes out more tan colored, but still fitting with the rest of the army.

To add a bit more interest to the large cloaks I did a simple camo pattern using the stippling brush. It consisted of light green, light ochre, and off white, finished off with another layer of devlan mud wash. I’m happy with how they turned out – especially with how simple it was to do.

Taking a break from painting green and white, I have a few diversions to post very soon. Among which is my own realm of battle type board so I can finally play at home without using a green table cloth! Also, it will allow me to do some much needed group shots.

2014 will be a grand year for Broken Paintbrush. Happy New Year and keep on painting.

Sir Lucien Bretonnian Knight of the Realm

Published by Joe B

A few years ago I picked up a Bretonnian Knight of the Realm box as a way to mix up my painting and try different colors, free hand, and styles. I had painted up the first knight up to his final colors but never got around to finishing him. I even tried getting on board with the Knights of Bal Timorea that Santa Cruz Warhammer was putting together, but alas, he has been collecting dust on my desk for almost three years!

So after finishing off a few of my Mentor Legion units I finally broke through and finished him off. So I present Sir Lucien of the Realm.

The yellow sword for his arms came from the transfer sheet but I painted back over it and the border to remove the “decal look.” I also spent a good deal of time on the base and mud splatter.

I wanted that mud tracked earth look as a unit was breaking through the ground and a gallop. So along each edge of the base the grass is thick but down the center it is all torn up from the knights in front.

After reading August’s White Dwarf with Duncan Rhodes’ Bretonnian army I had to go back out and pick up a box of Men at Arms to accompany Sir Lucien.

I wanted them to be dirty, worn, and rusty in contrast to the shine of the knight. After painting up the base colors, giving a wash of Earthshade, and highlighting upto Ushabi Bone for many of the colors, I gave a mud bath from various powdered pigments.

Overall I’m really happy with the three of them and plan on doing the full unit of each a single knight (and retainers) at a time between each Mentor Legion unit.

Mentor Legion Drop Pods

Published by Joe B

So I intend to build out the whole second company’s troop squads with drop pods, and since I have two squads done, it is only fitting I finish two drop pods.

When I built them I did it in three pieces: the bottom with the doors, the fins connected to the top engine, and the center comms/seats. This allowed the center section to attach to the fins and all drop into the base when I wanted, or to take apart to paint.

This was also my first attempt at airbrushing and while it gave me a cleaner white blend, I feel like I spent a great deal of time applying masking tape and then peeling it off.

The first is Triumph armed with the simple bolter.

For the army badges I used the ones that came with the kit and just cut off the existing mold.

Since these are issued to the second company, I needed some yellow somewhere so went for the badge/button on each restraint.

The second drop pod is Exultant with the missile launcher which I would probably never use in an actual game (12″ range with a large, scattering template? really space marines are that bad of shot so close?) but thought it looked more impressive than the bolter.

The Sergeant’s restraint included more yellow to accentuate his leader skull.

I love the idea of a whole company dropping down with these, mostly for the effect. I have one more in my closet and a third tactical squad built and it looks like the Damanos book includes a formation for three tactical squads in drop pods!

Mentor Legion Space Marine Centurions

Published by Joe B

OK so when I first saw these guys in the White Dwarf, I pretty much hated how the Space Marine Centurion models looked. They wereÂ awkward and too busy, but after visiting my local GW and saw the manager’s assembled unit I was able to gain a whole new appreciation for the models. Is is silly for a marine in armour to wear amour? yes, but mechanics have a realm of feasibility. The exception to this for me is the under-hung guns on the assault version, I get that they are taking the same look from the Ironclad, but they look way too fragile down there.

Any way, I picked up a kit and built out a devastator unit for my Mentors. I present Squad 3 of the 9th Company lead by Brother-SergeantÂ Koninmund.

I did a bit of small adjustments to the model, most noticeable was switching out a few heads. I also cut apart the most static of the leg poses to give more of a walking motion (more on that below).

I’m a big fan of the Grav Cannon, in part because it is new and different than a couple more lascannons. It also gave me a chance to try some more glowing lights, this time green on red. I think they turned out much better and may need to go back and fix the dreadnought’s.

For the raptor icon for the Mentor badge I again used the decals from the Raptor’s sheet and painted the red over it. It take a bit longer, but I think helps create a more repeatable result.

I also spent a good deal of time on the bases and mud splatter. Much of the color comes again from the weathering powders which I am slowly starting to get the hang of.

So the leg adjustment on this guy helped create a much more dynamic look than the very posed, static look out of the box. The down side is I had to cut and adjust 5 different pieces to make it all work. The front leg armour was cut apart at the knee break, the hip shield was separated from the groin shield, the actual marine leg was cut at the knee and hip, the leg pistons were cut at the knee rotator to allow a slight angle, and the back pistons connecting the legs to the back was cut and rotated. The only gaps that really needed to be filled were the knee and hip joints with the ribbed under-armour. In the end I believe the work was worth it, but clearly not enough to do on all three of the guys, maybe if I build up a second squad in the future….

Ironclad Dreadnought of the Mentor Legion

Published by Joe B

So after deciding to build up my Mentor Legion last fall, I bought the Space Marine mega force, which along with the battle force and the last two starter kits worth of marines in my closet, gives me nearly enough marines to build a company.Â To round out all those foot troopers, I need some big guns and fists. This is where the wonderful Ironclad Dreadnought comes in. It may have not been my first choice for awesome marine models, but since it came along with the mega force, I might as well put him to work.

On this model I also was trying out some of the weathering powders for both the model and the base. I had bought the set from Forge World as well as the Master Class book and was anxious to give it a try. They are a bit difficult to get into place, but I feel it gives a better blend when you mix the colors before setting them.

The model also includes a few custom purity seals to help accentuate the motion of the arms. I hate the normal static look of most dreads, so I really worked and ‘opening’ up the model and give it some motions. I did this at the shoulder joints by adding green-stuff cabling to push the arms outwards.

I also worked on some OSL from the upper lights but I’m not too sure how well I really like it, painting red light onto green armor isn’t too straight forward – it looks more like a blood pool – any thoughts on how to improve that?

I also hand painted the back banner to match some of the decals placed on the model such as the skull in the triangle and mentor badge.

Let me know what you think, I always look forward to hearing feedback.

Miniature of a Different Kind

Published by Joe B

So this isn’t too related to our plastic crack addictions, but as those who follow my blog can tell, I have nearly fallen off the face of the earth this last year. A big part of this is I have now joined the legion of hobbyist fathers!

My son at 7 days old and dressed up for Halloween.

On the plus side, since I’m taking time off of work to take care of him and the Mrs, I have actually got a bit done and will post it as soon as I get some sleep and edit the pictures.

Mentor Legion Chaplain

Published by Joe B

Another HQ from the limited edition of Dark Vengeance, this is Â Oldss Knirror, Mentor Legion Chaplain. When the limited edition was announced, this was the reason I jumped on it. While I haven’t been a fan of the other Chaplains, the billowing smoke from this guy gave it another level of sinisterness! Before getting started, I planed out what areas would be the green and red for the Mentor Legion, and what would be the black and white of the Chaplain. Leaving the robes white helpedÂ breakup all the other colors.

Very little was done to the model other than removal of most of the Dark Angel markings and the addition of the Mentors shoulder marking (another press mold). To do the Mentor Legion icon the whole shoulder pad details were removed and the press mold used to create the eagle head. I then took thin plastic strips to recreate the border. The edges were cleaned up with green stuff and the purity seal on the corner actually covers where I chipped a bit too much off.

I left the sword icons on the cape since I think they looked cool in their own right. I wanted the cape to be a brighter green than the armor normally to contrast with the black Chaplain armor. It actually took a few back and forth cleanups to get the line between the green back and the red front nice and crisp.

I debated on changing out the weapon head for something less Dark Angle iconic but decided it fit the general Angles of Death them just as well.

Considering this is a plastic model from a starter set, I found it to be a very impressive model and hope at some point they will ‘re-release’ it as a stand along clam shell. Or better yet, create a multipart kit like the Space Marine Captain that could create multiple poses and weapon options. Like the Librarian, painting the black armor is a nice change of pace to all those green and white plates.

Mentor Legion Librarian

Published by Joe B

And now for some HQ! I present Echst Ralelerin, Mentor Legion Librarian.Â The model itself is from the Dark Vengeance box with an arm swap with the weapon from the chaos terminator lord. The rest of the work involved careful removal of all the Dark Angel insignia. I really love the glaring look as he focuses at his enemies.

I thought the model had a great sense of focus and power except for the pose of the original sword, it was too posed for my tastes so a more relaxed arm stretched about behind gave more focus on his spell casting hand. The maced head staff helps give more dimension to the model as well by creating an up and out line.

You can also see from the picture above that I made some custom purity seals to both incorporate the new arm as well as cover the hand swap. I also made the Mentors icon a bit more interesting by covering the eye socket as well. The staff was made from a combination of pieces, mostly from a Chaos Terminator mace and Chaos Lord sorcerer staff. The length of the staff has a single, long pin to create strength through the cobbled together pieces.

The blue armor was fun to do instead of all the green and white and was in some ways was similar to my Behemoth Carapace plates. To tie him in with the rest of my Mentors I used white for the robe and green trim. Red was added through the staff and purity seals. The yellow was used to tie in with the rest of the Second Company and helps transition the blue and green.