Warhammer 40k base weights - 25mm and 32mm

Well, it has to be said, the Icelanders definitely know what size to make their currency.

1 Icelandic Krona (costing about .5 pence) is the perfect size to sit snugly within the circumference of the 25mm base, whilst being slightly indented within the rim.  The same currency usage also applies for the new 32mm bases, but this time by adding a 10 Icelandic Krona coin (about 5 pence).  For the money, I'm sure you couldn't even buy a more bespoke fit, let alone for the same low price!  The irony that using actual currency is probably cheaper than any weight which is sold on the market....  Just add some super glue to the bottom of the base, drop the coin in, leave it to set, and voila!

As you can see below, a perfect and slightly indented fit - quick, simple and cheap!

25mm base weight - 1 Icelandic Krona (Warhammer 40k)

32mm base weight - 10 Icelandic Krona (Warhammer 40k)

Space Hulk Blood Angel Terminators - Removing Bases

This quick tutorial has been setup just to show you how easy it is to remove the thick, built-in bases, from your Space Hulk Blood Angel Terminators, without running the risk of ruining the sculpts.

In a nutshell, Games Workshop unfortunately decided to include a fixed, moulded, base to each of their beautifully sculpted, limited edition, Blood Angel Terminator releases.  Initially a daunting process but this is far simpler than you may think and can be done to a very high standard with only minimal elbow grease - so long as you have the right tools!  With the now second release of this line, I thought I'd share a few tips I learnt when doing this on my own miniatures.

For the removal of the Space Hulk Terminator base you will need:

1. Bosch P40 Sanding sheet - for orbital sanders (it's sanding wood paper and used on their electric sander model GSS 280 AE).  A similar coarseness paper will also suffice.  I particularly recommend this Bosch sheet as it's thick-backed and glued onto a soft lining, which not only keeps the paper perfectly flat, but also prevents tears.  The size I used was approximately 23mm by 11mm, costing about £1, or the appropriate currency conversion, for a single sheet.

That's it!.....but the following items help in finishing the model off, just prior to gluing the miniature onto the standard 40mm base

2. Games Workshop hobby pliers* (or similar)
3. Games Workshop file* (or similar)
4. Games Workshop hobby knife* (or similar)

* to be fair, the sandpaper does 98% of the work so you may not even require the pliers, file, or knife if you don't happen to own any of these but they do help for the finer detail right at the end for the remaining 2% clean-up.  (I trust most of you will own atleast the pliers or knife as I would wonder how you managed to get the miniature of the sprue in the first place!)

Method for removing Space Hulk Terminator bases:

Lets start with a really tricky base to illustrate how easily this is done and Brother Goriel, with the Genestealer arm at his feet, is a perfect example:

1. Simply trim the red base around the very edges with a pair of pliers.  This isn't overly necessary but helps to save any needless sanding.

2.  Place miniature on the Bosch sandpaper and simply move it back and forward, whilst pressing firmly enough to keep the miniature flat against the paper, but not too hard.  With minimal effort, the base wears away very quickly on this grade of paper and, after 1-2 minutes of modest use, you will see the base becoming thin and starting to go lighter in places where the light is now able to show through.  The plastic around the Genestealer arm and Terminator's feet will become thinner and simply start to flake away.

3.  Keep sanding and apply pressure accordingly to ensure wear is even across both feet.  Once the plastic becomes thin, it easily just separates from the ticker areas of the Terminator feet, and Genestealer arm, which can then be peeled away with your fingers.  As you can see below, the sanding has almost completely worn through the red base, leaving the main sculpt intact.

4. Keep an eye on equal wear on both feet.  You may need to slight apply more pressure on one foot or towards the back or front of the miniature, depending if the wear is becoming uneven.  This is very common to happen on each model so simply keep an eye on the wear and apply pressure accordingly. 

Tip: stop to check the model every few seconds as you draw closer to the base being removed as it's too easy to start sanding into the models' feet at an odd angle and destroy the detail/sculpt.

5. Volia - a free-standing Terminator, prior to being glued and secured to its' base.  A job well done and this Terminator can now be used in a standard 40k game, without anyone ever knowing it was previously on a moulded base.  Just make sure you have pre-purchased some 40mm bases from Games Workshop, prior to starting work on your miniatures, as the Space Hulk Terminators obviously don't come with any of these in the Space Hulk box (or your ebay seller will not have provided you with any, unless they are overly generous and thinking ahead for you!)

A slight tweak/alternative suggestion to the above for additional Space Hulk Blood Angel Terminators where base detail isn't evident:

1. Hold miniature firmly on either side of the legs and push inward (when you cut-into the base, this will force the Terminators' legs outwards, hence pushing inwards will prevent any unnecessary bending or twisting of the miniature).  I'm using Sergeant Gideon in this example.

2. Score a line with the full length of the pliers first, then clip a line straight through the middle of the base.  I have found using the first 1-2mm tip of the pliers easily cuts through the plastic

3. Remove the middle section by repeating a second line of cutting*

4. Place miniature on sandpaper and simply move back and forward whilst pressing firmly enough just to keep the miniature flat against the paper.  With minimal effort, the base wears away very quickly on this grade of paper and after 1-2 minutes of modest use, you will see the base becoming thin and starting to go lighter in places where the light is now able to show through.

5. Keep an eye on equal wear on both feet.  You may need to slight apply more pressure on one foot or towards the back or front f the miniature, depending if the wear is becoming uneven.  This is very common to happen on each model so simply keep an eye on the wear and apply pressure accordingly. 

6. Miniature is now free from it's base and ready to mount on a 40mm base for regular 40k gaming.

Tip: stop to check the model every few seconds as you draw closer to base being removed as it's too easy to start sanding into the models' feet at an odd angle and destroy the detail/sculpt.

* you can avoid the first 3 steps altogether if you like and simply allow the sand paper to do the majority of the work.

I hope this helps anyone who owns these miniatures and wishes to achieve fantastic results, with only a few minutes being spent on each model.  No hacking required, or tears shed over a ruined miniature which cost you a fortune on ebay, or as part of buying the entire Space Hulk boxset.

Tactical Squad A

'Tactical Squad A' will be comprised of a retro style marine.  I've decided to keep this unit comprised of the following:

• Old skool beak helmets with green eyes
• Gold eagle chest plates
• Legs with rounded knee caps
• Backpack with selective use of silver, and a gold skull
• Standard bolter with simple painting style

This post will be updated as the army progresses but, for now, Bob will illustrate the theme of this squad:

Casual User To Addict

Well, it started off with something as innocent as a single metal miniature and after a few weeks and some sporadic painting sessions, I'm totally hooked and burning my wages to keep up with my habit.  There is no other way to say it than 'all in'.  Apart from HQ and transport choices, I have assembled an army of the following in one foul swoop:

• x1 box of Devastator Squad
• x2 boxes of Tactical Marines
• x1 box of Assault Marines
• x1 box of Sanguinary Guard
• x1 box of Death Company
• x1 box of Terminator Squad
• x1 box of Terminator Close Combat Squad
• x1 box of Scouts
• x1 box of Scouts with Sniper Rifles
• x1 Furioso Dreadnought
• x1 Space Marine Dreadnought (for kit-bashing)
• x1 Space Marine Bike
• x1 Fore World Blood Angel Terminator Shoulder Pads
• x1 Forge World Space Marine Heavy Weapons Set
• x1 Forge World Space Marine Special Weapons Pack
• x1 Space Marine Character Conversion Set
• x1 Mass ebay purchasing spree for an array of torso, shoulder pads and accessories to create a unique look to each unit

As detailed in my previous post, I have also bought a box of Ork Boyz and a spur of the moment upgrade pack in the form of the Forge World Ork Kommando Conversion Set.  It just looked too good not to.  These will also act as a bonus box in order for me to utilise spare parts for random decoration on my Blood Angels bases.

A selection of newly acquired army additions

A plastic case full of plastic 

The intension of this exercise is to develop a customised feel for each unit in my army.  Hours have been spent agonising over the various leg, torso, jump pack, shoulder pad, arms, weapons and colours that will be adopted by each unit.  I will start by painting one member from each squad to get an idea of what the whole army will look like when the miniatures are all stood side-by-side.  It should hopefully make the blog more interesting to follow for anyone who may be reading this....?

There's now just hundreds of hours of painting between me and my fully painted Blood Angels army.

My First Blood Angel - The Army Begins

So, here's my first Blood Angel army member.  The picture in my previous blog entry was of a different body and stance which I decided to use for my currently un-owned Devastator Squad.  I just figured that as the Tactical Squad are basically the 'runts' of the Blood Angels army, the very generic eagle body armour and classic space marine beak helmets would therefore make for a better choice.

I am pleased with this figure overall, my only gripe is that the tones and overall finish of the model have been lost with the quality of the photographs.  The lighting has made the red look very uniform in colour and much brighter than it is in the flesh.  Anyway, this is a painting blog and not a photography blog so rant over (although a light tent and day lamps would be tempting as the army evolves....mmmm)

This Assault Marine took all the techniques detailed in my 'style found' notes and replicated them exactly onto the model.  As a side point, I'd tried to make the gun look more metallic with a wet brush technique but as the gun and head are the main focal points, it wasn't in-keeping with the painting style of the rest of the model and detracted from the miniature itself.  A quick tidy-up later of a plain black basecoat with selective silver and gold applications and it shifted the eye's focus back onto the armour once more.  A very basic paintjob to say the least but it just somehow works.  I'm still very undecided on how the base should be tackled.  I'm tempted to make the cork look like grey rocks with a dark brown mud floor and grass tufts but they can be added later.  Watch this space.

A real milestone here as it's the best space marine I've ever painted and has kick-started this blog.  I'm going to have a break for 2 weeks as I'm on holiday but £200+ of Blood Angels will be waiting for me upon my return and the real collection of the army begins.  In addition, I've also ordered a couple of Orks just to experiment with different colours and painting techniques to try and broaden my skills.  Again, being red/green colour blind makes this a rather ironic army choice to be painting.  Thank you to Games Workshop for creating all the correct tones for me.

The first Blood Angel troop in my army, I could shed a tear.
Let's call him Bob

The back of Bob.  Making the most of a shoulder pad I
had originally purchased off ebay with a few other plastic parts

Style Found! (at last)

Ok, so here it is.  The combination of more subtle contrasts between paints, washes and highlights appears to have come together nicely.  The wash of 50:50 brown ink to water has worked very well and the use of Evil Sunz Scarlet as the edge highlight against the Memphiston Red basecoat sets the model off effectively.  Subtly is definitely the key in order to keep the colour gradients and transitions smother.

I have basically found that a white undercoat (2 thin wash layers) with about 3-4 thin applications of Memphiston Red, leaves a very smooth and even base colour.  The model was then washed 50:50 with Brown ink/water mix.  A 1:1:1 mix of brown: black: water mix was then carefully and ONLY applied into the deep recesses where the shadows fell.  The thin brown:water wash did leave white areas in a couple of places which needed tidying up.  The picture below was taken just before I added the darker wash mix and helps to illustrate the point.  Thin layers of Memphiston Red were then applied to the armour and slowly pulled closer to the edges where the eventual edge highlights would appear.  A thin edge highlight layer of Evil Suz Scarlet was then carefully drawn on the edges of the armour.  Where slightly thicker lines were created by accident, a few passes with Memphiston red soon restored it back to how it should be.  With regards to the black areas on the knee and arms joints, just use 1 or 2 thin applications of Abaddon Black.  I found that a pure black area with grey highlights didn't work, the contrast was too strong for my liking.  Notes to self, paint must always be thin and flowing nicely off the brush.  Patience and subtly is key.

Looking forward to completing the rest of the model now and sticking it all together.

Plastic Fantastic!

The new plastic kits!

The moment is here, I now have a box of Assault Marines and the Codex in which to hone my skills and also keep the miniatures in their official colours.  The Codex is also a great reference for some kit-bashing conversions to try and make the models a bit more individual than continuously repetitive ranks of troop choices.

The Codex.  A perfect reference point for colour schemes

and kit-bash ideas

Assault Marines.  Ready to be hit hard by my brushes

Notes from my first impressions of painting the plastic medium:

Style still trying to be found....

Here we have another attempt but this time, I've committed to the plastic models.  First things first, plastic models are wonderful to paint.  The colour just flows over the model so smoothly and evenly, instantly giving a clean, crisp, layer.  I've learnt that 3-4 thin layers of red really gives a much better finish and is worth the extra bit of time.  The shame is, I got a bit too brush-happy with the washes and made it too dark and cloudy.  This model had 3 washes in total.  I'll try two next time.  The effort to then rectify the situation with re-application of the basecoat and then progressive highlights just didn't work.  The wash was too dark and the highlight colour was too light.  Orange just doesn't work against the dark wash.  This model was coated with a 50:50 wash of brown:black ink.  I've halted progress here and will put this model down to wastage.  The next one will have a 1:1:1 mix of brown:black:water.  The highlight will also be Evil Sunz Red as opposed to Troll Slayer Orange.  On a plus note, I really like how the gold is set-off against the red.  I'll try and make the next model appear as though the emblem is made of bone and see how that looks with the plastic model detail compared to previous efforts on the metal casts.

My first attempt at plastic and a few things

 learnt to improve on the next one

Okay, I think I'm getting there now with this more realistic/cartoon style balance.  With this model, I applied the mix I previously suggested of a wash of 1:1:1 of brown ink: black ink: water.  I do like it but the edge highlights still contrast too much with the standard colours of the armour (test area done on the back).  The chest plate isn't finished but I prefer these being gold.  I'll reserve the bone effect for the Death Company models.

One more effort will be made today with a 1:1 wash of brown ink: water.  I think this'll be perfect for the realistic/cartoon balance I'm after.   Although the style below is rather gritty looking and there's probably nothing wrong with it, I still feel the armour colours could be that touch more brighter and permit the edge highlights not to look out of place.

A technique that has worked particularly well on this model is just applying one wash and then selectively re-applying the wash only onto areas which will typically fall into shadow i.e behind the knee pads and around the feet.  This method will definitely be used from here-on.

Close but no cigar