Cheers guys,
I have yet to summon up the courage to enter Golden Daemon.
I did place about 18-20 years ago, but the competition was very different then (you had to enter local heats and then if you got through you then got judged by the Golden Daemon judges - I was very young but entered a Rogue Trader Ogryn, the original Jes Goodwin one and managed to get through the regionals but no further. Did get a cool T-Shirt out of it though that I still have but that doesn't fit!
)
I must also admit that I think painting has come a long way since I started, and although I do really enjoy painting and have been doing it for a long time I don't think I'd walk away with a trophy, but I should enter just to see if I place, but more importantly to get some feedback from the judges.
My ambition though is to get an army in White Dwarf. I consider myself to be an army painter and paint better than gaming standard so I would love to get one of my armies featured, hopefully this one if I finish it.
I hope that doesn't sound too pretentious, or a bit sad, but seeing other people's armies in WD is one of my favourite bits of the magazine, and I think my armies would be of interest to people.
That's mainly why I am doing something quite different, as my other armies are pretty much painted as they appear in the Codex (Ultramarines, Black Templars and Cadians) and I was advised that these aren't the sort of armies that get picked for this sort of thing.
It's the armies that stand out and are individual, hence my take on Macragge PDF / Ultramar Defence Force which I hope will be different enough for White Dwarf to take an interest. But if they don't then I don't mind as this project has already proved to be great fun, and I haven't even started on the cool stuff yet!!
OK anyway, enough of my ramblings, I'll try to answer some of the questions.
@ Artcore: I am indeed much better thanks, I seem to have been a bit cursed recently but am now back on track so can hopefully get more modelling and painting done.
As for the Ultramarines blue I have two methods, one for vehicles, one for troops.
Vehicles:
Spray Black Undercoat
Mix 50:50 Regal Blue:Chaos Black and drybrush liberally
Drybrush straight Regal Blue over this
70:30 mix Regal Blue:Ultramarines Blue and drybrush
50:50 mix Regal Blue:Ultramarines Blue and repeat
70:30 mix Ultramarines Blue:Regal Blue and repeat
Gently Drybrush straight Ultramarines Blue over this.
The important key to this is to drybrush more gently on each layer to leave the shading colours beneath, but to also make sure you drybrush in the same direction to keep the shading/highlighting consistent. Also wait for each layer to dry before applying the next one, or the drybrushing can remove the paint as well as put it on.
Once all the drybrushing is finished then edge highlight all the straight surfaces, first with straight Ultramarines blue, and then steadily by adding Skull White to Ultramarines Blue until you have the desired effect. The weird thing is that the blue looks darker once all the edge highlighting is in place.
Troops:
Spray Black undercoat.
Base coat all armour areas in Regal Blue, leaving a tiny bit of black in the recesses.
Paint armour in straight Ultramarins Blue again leaving some of the darker Regal Blue in the recesses.
Then make a glaze of Regal Blue (very thinned down paint) and apply this to the recesses. This tones down the black and neatens up the graduation of the layering.
Reapply some thinned down Ultramarines blue to touch up any areas where the glaze may have ran, and then highlight the edges of the armour by adding Skull White to Ultramarines Blue. Again the armour will look strangely a darker shade of blue once the highlighting is in place.
@ Only Slightly Crazy: Yes you're right, I still have a fair bit to finish off on these guys. The leather areas need to be highlighted up, and then I need to sort out the lasguns, back packs and smaller detailing.
@ Tryanotherone: Fugitive is correct, the Hellhound does indeed use the Flame Storm cannons from the Land Raider Redeemer, I had two spare from my Land raider Crusader. They took quite a bit of cutting to fit the Razorback Turret though, and in hindsight I should have just used one Cannon and mounted the Heavy Stubber on the other side, as it doesn't really work in the driver's turret position, but I would also have been able to make 2 Hellhounds out of one (expensive) Land Raider kit.
Using the Razorback turret though looks cool I think, and allows me to play around with some other cool ideas. My Manticore will use the Whirlwind turret for example, and I have some nice ideas for a Banewolf too.
Cheers guys, should hopefully have more to show you soon.