Tau XV104 Riptide Battle Suit Complete

 

So my first Riptide is done. I'm very happy with the colour scheme, and will be quickly rolling this out across the rest of the force as it grows. The whole model has been washed with a black oil paint wash, which is much less 'aggressive' than using the GW washes. You get a much more subtle effect. I'll also be using this technique on the next batch of Fire Warriors as well.

 

The sharp eyed among you will have noticed the lack of secondary weapons and support systems. Being a new Tau player I'm not really sure what to choose yet so I've left them off for now. The Shielded Missile Drones are built but not painted yet - they've joined the Drone painting assembly line!

 

Ion Accelerator

I airbrushed a lighter blue onto the sphere at the top of the iconography - I wanted these to look as though they were some form of power source built into the aesthetic design of the suit.

Pilot detail:

The base was painted to fit in with the Urban-Snow theme of  the army.

I didn't go to mad on the colours here, as I thought it would clash to much with the white of the Riptide. A small amount of rust and scorch marks were added using weathering powders.

Now the Riptide is complete I'll be focusing my attention on The Hall of Heroes! More on that next post.

The GunGrave

Riptide WIP



 

I've been taking my time on the Riptide. Having not painted Tau properly before, I've been finding it hard to get the colour scheme right,, However, I think I'm there!

 

I've added some weathering to all that white to break it up a bit.

 

 

One of  the most notable additions is the camo scheme. This took a bit of time, and I tried a lot of variations! This is what I settled on, and i'm very happy with it.

 

Camo detailing on the Shield and jet pack:

Ion Cannon - i'll be adding some blue into the recesses of the barrel end and get some OSL going as well!

With the Riptide approaching completion, I've been planning my next Apocalypse Terrain project: The Hall of Heroes. I've got the base mapped out, and now i'm just waiting for some parts to arrive in the post. Building will start in a few days!

 

Finally I've had to grab another display cabinet! With the Tau added to my collection, I've been running out of storage space!

 

More on the Riptide and the Hall of Heroes in the next few days.

The GunGrave

Tau Fire Warrior Squad Complete

 

 

 

So my first ever Tau squad is complete. So...the colour scheme - I think i'm happy with it, but now the squad is complete I think i'm gonna add that battle damage after all. The off white looks good, but there are some inconsistencies in the shades across the models, which would be next to impossible to avoid. I'm hoping the battle damage will mask these inconsistencies a bit, and achieve a more uniformed look across the squad. The Drones aren't quite complete yet, but soon will be.

 



 

So with the squad complete, i'm free to move onto the Riptide! Only as far as the undercoat at the mo', but today I'll be doing some work on it.

 



 

In other news, I've also started work on another Apocalypse Terrain project: Hall of Hero's! More on that soon!

The GunGrave

Tau Riptide Build Complete, Tau Test Models Done

So I've been beavering away with the Riptide build. Anyone who follows my Twitter feed would have experienced my frustration!! Pose-able models are great, but you need another 2 hands to create the poses you want!

That being said, i'm really pleased with the build:

 

I left the hips loose so the model can be posed differently, and also for storage and transport - this thing is a bit of a beast. There's no secondary weapons or support systems on him yet, as I haven't decided what to have yet!

 

Plenty of rubble and ruins on the base. 

 

I've also done 2 Tau Firewarrior test models. I wanted an Urban-Snow theme, and I think the scheme achieves that.

 

I didn't want a crisp, clean look for my Tau - I bet you'll never see a 'clean' warrior on a battlefield, so when I decided to go for white, I wanted it to be an off-white, a dirty white! I'm still trying to decide whether or not to add battle damage to the armour. Think I'll get the whole squad done first and see how it all looks before I make a decision.

 

The rest of the squad is nearly complete, and then its onto the Riptide. After that it'll be the Pathfinders (got some cool ideas for them!)

 

The GunGrave

Necron Night Scythe Complete

This is my first completed model since my year long abstinence from the hobby. Its by no means
my best work, but its not to bad considering....

 

The portal on the underside of the Scythe - typically green and glowy! There's actually a lot more OSL green on the hull, but it didn't show up very well in this pic. 

 

More glowy green engines.

 

 

I went with a blue OSL for the pilot and his control globe. Made a nice contrast from all the green!

Finally the base. As you can see, the end result is slightly different from the original plan, but worked out well once I sorted it!

 

The base in the end became a real headache. I tried to make a hole for part of the original flying base in the top of the obelisk, but it kind of ruined the areas around it and the paint wouldn't take. So I sawed the top off the whole thing!! Also the Scythe kept slipping down the length of the flying base, so I had to put some pins in it to keep it still.

Once the top was sawn off I plugged it with plasticard.

 

Then I added some milliput on the top to create a broken-top look (which again wasn't my best effort...)

 

Space was made for the the flying base which will be attached to the top of the obelisk.

 

And this was the finished result!

 

I have a unit of assembles Fire Warriors on my desk now, and have also started work on the Riptides scenic base. Next post: Tau!

 

The GunGrave

Its alive.....its A-L-I-V-E! The Hobby Mojo Lives Again!

Well, I never thought I'd see the day, I thought my hobby had died for good! I'm pleased to say that a pulse has been detected!

Life has been pretty busy anyways:  job continues to chew through my time, as does the Masters Degree, as does the girlfriend! The hobby has definitely been relegated in the last year.

So what changed? Not sure really, but the impending release of a new IA Volume and the Necron Tomb Complex from Forgeworld definitely got the juices flowing again. Then, just to make sure I got the mojo going again, GW release new Tau models and this bad boy:

I guess it was only a matter of time before GW released some super-mech for the Tau! This model is awesome, and I cant wait to put it together. I even bought the Tau codex for my iPad with a view to starting an army! As I rummaged through my storage boxes I even stumbled upon an unopened box of these:

I'd say that's a sign from the Ethereal's that I need to join the fight for the Greater good! But first - galactic domination and extermination of all life; that's right, its Necron time!

I wanted to get the Night Scythe finished before I started anything else. I undercoated it first, and while that was drying, set about creating the scenic base. You may remember the Necron Obelisk I made waaaaaaay back in 2011 - i'm making another one of these to go on the base of the Night Scythe.

 As I continuously use the shower gel this bottle belongs to, supply was not a problem. Though replicating the glyph would be....

I went old school and did a rubbing of the original. I then stuck it to some plasticard and i'll cut it out once its dried.

As for the Obelisk itself - I sawed off the bottom of it so I could glue it at an angle. It would be to tall straight up when the Night Scythe was attached. The Scythe will be tilted at an angle as if the craft was banking over the top of the Obelisk.

A few crystals on the base just jazzes it up a bit. I'll dig out some Scarabs to attach later on to.

It felt so good modelling again! So here's to the revival of the Dynasty, and the next Sphere of Expansion!

The GunGrave

Hobby Atrophy - is This the cure?

 

So.....its been a busy 2 months, just not on the hobby front. Ive moved house - AGAIN! I was asked if id like to head up the renal unit in Worcester, so said 'why the hell not'! By that time id finished setting up the dialysis unit in Llandrindod Wells so needed a new project. So i moved lock-stock-and barrel to a nice new apartment on the Marina!



 

New apartment means a new Forge - and here it is:

 

Same set up as the last one, just a new place really! The bad point is that it has cream carpets! That's gottta be a hobbyists worst nightmare.

I had to donate my Gothic Cathedral to my last gaming club as i now lack the garage to keep it. I did have enough space for the Hab Block and the Defence Laser (which i hope to get painted soon)

 

I invested in some additional storage for  my terrain pieces:

 



 

My babies are all unpacked and back on display:

 

The Wolves have got a look in this time while Praetorian is out for repairs:



These are the casualties of the move! All of the Ghost Arks Gauss Flayers broke off (naturally) and all or Praetorian's limbs came off. Some work will be required, but it wont be to much of a problem.

 

So whats next? I haven't played a game since February or picked up a paint brush in 9 months!! I'm in need of some serious inspiration. But i think my salvation is at hand.....

 



 

My copy of this came through the door the other day, and for £70, i was expecting great things. I wasn't disappointed. The book itself is gorgeous! The content is great and the illustrations impressive. The army lists inside are also interesting, but I've yet to put a list together.

 

The models that are being released for this series are FANTASTIC! Once I've decided on a Legion (which is a chore in itself!) I'll be getting a squad of Marines in Iron Armour, some Cataphractii Terminators and a Deimos Pattern Rhino! I'm hoping that will be the cure for my Hobby Atrophy!

 

The GunGrave