Cheers mate!
As always I'm always open to comments and questions about certain elements or techniques, I'd gladly elaborate.
Some slight progress on the shoulder pad. I misted on an extra layer of yellow to strengthen the colour a bit and fade out the cracks slightly. Then I highlighted almost all the cracks by hand, just some of the yellow mix I made for airbrushing, a big drop of Vallejo skull white, a few drops of Vallejo retarder (handy!!) and a few drops of Vallejo thinner. Next up is an oil paint treatment to dirty up the cracks and it'll also deepen and dirty the yellow.
The cracking was done with this crackle medium I found in a local arts store, it's a cool thing to work with. It's a one-layer application so you paint your undercoat, let dry, paint on a layer of the crackle medium and let dry. and then between 0.5 and 3 hours you paint on the top layer. the thicker the layer, the bigger and larger the cracks, the thinner the layer, the smaller and more numourious they are. But one the crackiling starts, which is very fast, if you paint on more paint, that does nothing and even stops the crackling process that was going on. So the coat has to be applied in one solid go...
Therein lies the difficulty with airbrushing yellow over a dark undercoat. (Damn the universe for making yellow translucent!) I was forced to layer on the paint relatively thickly in order to have a covering coat of yellow but thinly enough to have an interisting crackling pattern. It's quite exciting to have such a random process taking place in front of your eyes. You lay on the paint and then within a minute you see this little cracks starting to open and spread over the surface like a virus and the final result is out of you control really...
^_^
And as of those who are curious how I take the pictures. Here's are some declassified photo's of my highly advanced and professional light box and camera studio. ^_^
But now that you've seen it, I'll have to, of course, kill you. To prevent the technology from spreading, you know how that goes... :vryhppy:
The yellow pad received a treatment with untinned Burnt Umber oil paint. I just painted it on thickly so it covered the entire surface, let it rest for a few inutes and then start gently wiping it off using some soft paper towel and finally some soft cloth, gently bringing out the yellow again, almost polishing it but never applying firm pressure. The goal was to leave the brown in the cracks as well as enhance the yellow subtly. The large cracks came out a bit bare here and there so I touched that up with some burnt umber, thinned to the consistency of an ink. I let it set for a while and finally I took a small flat brush, slightly damp with turpentine and one by one cleaned up the edges of all the cracks.
The left pad received a light coating of satin varnish. Then a very light sponging treatment of red and one of boltgun metal. The crackling on the icon is actually just from the printing (old printer) but I like the effect, it suits it.
The helmet received a light dry-sponging of boltgun metal and a very, very light one with soem black here and there. I've also started painting out the ear pieces, mouth piece and 'cheek-tubing' or whatever that is.
Next up is fixating the lot with some satin varnish and then the blackening of the detailing where needed. I'll fixate the shoulder pads at this stage too and then switch the masking to I can start work on the shoulder pad rims, they're going to both black I think. Also his left knee will be black and the skulls I'll make copper.
Not that much progress. All parts received a light coat of satin varnish and then detail parts were painted. The coat of varnish is necesarry because of the oil paint. If I painted on directly, the acryllic paint wouldn't hold neatly on the oily surface.
Metallic parts and details were given a slightly thinned black undrcoat and will be drybrushed later on or left black. The tubing and joint parts received a coat of Vallejo 'Dark Rubber' paint (from their Panzer Aces range), which provides a nice undercoat for some inks, to slowly build up the colour to a dark, rubber-like effect. Some parts are not a full 100% covered as i didn't want to risk touching the red parts, but in this case a full 100% covering into every nook and cranny of this tubing wasn't necesarry. Some parts won't even be visible on the finished model and in general all details will receive several layers of inks and weathering anyway.
The shoulder pads and legs received masking. I used Tamiya masking tape and plain common low-tack masking tape you'd use when painting rooms and such. These are now ready to receive basically the same buildup as the red parts. This means; metallic & rust undercoats, salt treatment, black coat+highlights and manual paint weathering.
GooOOOoo Mono-Thread! C'mon guys, don't be shy now y'hear.
Here's some slight progress. I gave them a metallic undercoat and then a rough rust coloured covering here and there. ready to receive the hair spray and salt...
The salt is on, so is the black paint.
I already washed it off, but as I suspected the bared metal/rust of the chips has too much contrast with the black. A light layer of misted on black will be needed. it's pretty aazing how well the masking tape holds up to being held under strealing cold water for several minutes whil being brushed upon...
I'll post some pics tomorrow.
Don't worry Meph its not a Mono-Thread any more ... Its now a Stereo-Thread !!! .... Maybe we can build it up to a Surround-Thread !! ... That ageing technique looks very effective with those cracks :cool:, and must admit I've never used that salt method either, ...
Still very much interested mate, ... Just been quite busy lately (RL), which shows with my own 40K thread progressing at the speed of a snail towing a 100 Kilo slab of concrete ..... So don't lose motivation when you don't get replies straight away, Keep going mate !! :thumb:
The Updates look great !! ... Waiting to see the next stage unveiled when all that masking tape & salt gets removed, ....
I haven't even looked at my LR in a month or more.
Coming along well there Meph. I'm following along fairly regularly, albeit (mostly) silently. It would have been nice if you didn't pick a lame Chapter, but you can't have everything I guess.
It would have been nice if you didn't pick a lame Chapter, but you can't have everything I guess.
Whyyy you little....!:fishslap:
ROFL!
Although I am seriously considering of perhaps buying another one after this and seriously going to town on it in terms of converting and sculpting...:devil:perhaps, perhaps... But what chapter then?
In the mean time, gone be the salt!
And some work on the metallics on teh helmet, just some drybrushed Boltgun Metal.
I've always been a Dark Angels man myself, but that was before they were retconned into poncy robe wearing types. Seems like everyone in the 40K universe is emo these days. Maybe you could try something a bit different than the usual boring quartet of loyalists.
It would be cool if they offered some sculpted shoulder pads for specific chapters. Even cooler would be a Terminator in that scale.
Arch! A termy in that scale... what a modeler's wet dream that would be... :P Hmmm perhaps I should get into sculpting...
True, very true that they overdid it with the current backgrounds of the Dark Angels and Blood Angels. Actually I'm quite affronted with the fluff stuff about their maturing in sarcofagi instead of just brutal training like the rest of the chapters... I was a fan way before that, ever since I saw that menacing terracotta guys on the back of the very first Space Marine paint set...
Same with the Dark Angels... In the original Deathwing short story, they had this cool native-american-like background instead of these self-guilt, isolationists that gallavant around the galaxy trying to clean up their dirty secret before someone else finds out, oh noes!
I kinda have an idea for a diorama with another large marine. I picture a marine, peppered with bullet wounds and obviously dead and bled to death, sitting slumped against a closed escape hatch, surrounded by empty shells and bullet holes in the walls. The sign next to the door displaying 'escape pod launched' and give the diorama a title 'Hero'.
So for that I'd need a colour scheme that cool looking but not too bright or dark so it can display blood well. Whaddayathink.
Well of the known post-Heresy loyalist chapters, the White Scars or Imperial Fists would probably contrast the best with blood. You could always make up your own scheme of course.
Mmyeah.. but white or yellow... not exactly the most attractove of colours on large stuff. I'll have to ponder on that...
In the meantime, the tape got stripped after some light misting on of black.
Next up will be the copper, gold, and silver details (some more tapin' and sprayin') and then it's on with the weathering.
I've posted a few pics with different lighting. Sunlight was fading outside and it weren't the best of conditions...
It has been kinda slow the last few days, wasn't home mouch. I have steadily been busy with masking the chest eagle to prep him for spraying. To tape around the pointy feather, it's a lot of fiddling around with tiny pieces of masking tape.. :S
Alrighty, some updates. I finished prepping the parts for the next fase, the large golden details.
I've used masking tape and even tried some aluminium foil. The purplish stuff is Humbrol masking fluid, which I used for the fine edges.
I've prepped some paint for the airbrush. Two tints of gold, the Vallejo Green Gold and - Old Gold. I let the alcohol evaporate in a small smooth bottle cap, scooped the paste into a paintbrush jar and added acryllic Vallejo thinner. It produces a good sprayable paint like this.
The details that are still red will first receive a thin rusty undercoat before I apply the gold.
I actually sprayed on the 'Green Gold' yesterday, looking spiffy I must say but it needs a second layer as I had a serious case of airbrush clogging... One little lump of gold paste that didn't dissolve well in the thinner blocked the paint flow at the airbrush's needle head halfway though the spraying. Took me frickin' 20 minutes to clean, which basically means partially disassembling the airbrush and trying to get a miniscule lump of paint out of a nozzle that's even tinier and finer than any household item you can think of (yes even those ultra-fine pins used for cloth and clothing). So basically I made sure the airbrush was as clean as possible, reassembled it and then spent 10 minutes of continually spraying with a little pot of water attached, continually moving the needle/valve open and closed, with the airbrush's needle pushing out the tiniest amount of the tiny paint lump through the valve, wipe, repeat... until after 10 minutes water started spraying again. Victory!
I then boldly continued only to be clogged again within a minute... Less severe this time so I was able to finish, albeit with about a half-power spray due to partial blockage. The little pot of green gold I bought apparently is a lot older than the 'Old Gold' I used for the helmet, so the pigment paste is a lot lumpier. Very tiny lumps that don't easily dissolve while shaking the paint pot. They're barely noricable but that airbrush needle is incredibly tiny as well...
Due to these issues the first layer is not that solid at the moment. But as I also seemed to have forgotten the salt weathering (Curse you unbridled enthusiasm!). So the lumpy fumble actually gave me the opportunity to be able to lightly sponge on some weathering before I'll apply the second layer today. It should produce a similar weathering effect as the salt technique.
By the time I was finished yesterday it was already getting dark so I took the pics today.
I've also remasked the lower right leg today as that brass detailing almost slipped my mind.
Oh
My
God!
That IS awesome!
:eek!::eek!::eek!::eek!:
That thing better come out for PC too or else there's WAR! :eek:
In the mean time, here's some more awesomeness of my own! Huah!
First off, some dry-sponging of a mix of vallejo paints
1 part Tinny Tin (I kid you not:D) (Like GWTin Bits, but better consistency)
2: Yellowish Rust (GW, dunno, some dark flesh, leathery colour)
2: Track Primer (GW dunno, some very dark stony grey, almost black)
1: Smokey Ink (GW dunno, blackish ink with a subtle brown shine)
Another layer of the Green gold misted on, juggling the spray consistency like juggling wet cats because of the ticky paint consistency; Turned out ok though, the paint seems to be lying on thicker in the pics due to the lighting.
After that i airbrushed on a layer of thinned GW yellow was, thinned with some Vallejo thinner and Johnson Klear.
After that a thin misted wash of the leftovers of the yellow ink with some more GW Rust brown ink to an almost 1/1/1 mix of the previous yellow mix/rust brown/Klear. Again, the effect is a lot more subtle and playful on the real model than photo.
Aaaaand I stripped it and oh boy, spending hours of meticulously applying tiny bits of masking tape with tweezers sure pays off.
Also, masking fluid is one kickass substance, with a toothpick you can carefully apply it in every nook and cranny and it comes off so cleanly it can make grown men cry...
I can only detect two microscopic spots on the whole of the thing that need a tiny touchup...
Now all the big stuff is done, the small metallic details are going to be painted in by hand and then they'll receive an oil paint wash. After that I can go to work with the weathering powders, which will be a first for me...
I'll also use the masking fluid to outline the razor wire line around the red shoulder pad before carefully painting it golden bronze.
But some aesthetic questions need some pondering and feedback. I'm kinda curious how you guys would fill in the detailing.
-The teeth of the skull on the knee and the backpack, leave them gold or paint them sivlver?
-The eyes of the skulls, paint in black or darken them very much with plenty of layers of black ink so the gold still shines through a bit?
-The tiny BA symbol on the bottom of the backpack, paint silver, gold, of colour, like black rim & wings and while circle?
-The large emblem on the yellow shoulder pad; silver & gold/bronze or full colout with black zim, crackled white circle (tiny crack as white covers well and can be applied thinly), black wings and red drop? Or silver rim and wing/drop with a black circle (with or without cracks)?
Congrats on the header btw. You shot down Binkerman.
:eek:That's a scary surprise, all I've got to defend myself with is a dismembered marine...
It's still a nice compliment which I accept humbly, no matter the cost to my future self.
Shot down, ... but the ejector seat worked !!!, .... Now I've gotta thumb a lift back to base damn it, ...
Well deserved Header Meph !! :cool: ..... For the Knee Skull, I would just apply some chips of grey and age it similar to your Backpack .... and yeah don't paint the skull eyes completely Black, ... make it look like a sculpt with the gold still seen in that area, but just darker ....
Too many choices for the large emblem on the yellow shoulder Pad, .. If undecided, ... take a good shot of the pad with your Camera and do the combos in Photoshop, .. Post the results of that so people can make a better decision, if you still want feedback before doing it to the actual Model ....
His armour is starting to look the Biz :thumb: !! ...
This is absolutely fantastic looking, Meph! I love the corrosion and rust! I love it!
You might consider the Grey Knights as your chapter of choice for the diarama. (It's because I'm a huge fan of the Knights and the grey is excellent for the display of almost any color, including dried or fresh blood.)
This is one thing I will definitely be watching with extreme interest.
@Binkerman: Indeed, I'll bring the emblem into photoshop and play with it a bit. Good idea mate!
I'll have to do it today as I'm also preparing to reinstall my Windows.
I'll be going from Windows XP Pro 64 Bit on a dying IDE disk to a Windows 7 on a Raid-5 setup running at 14400rpm... . Right now I'm emptying two 500GB HDD's, when that's done, I'll chuck in a third and setup the Raid-5. So between the painting in I'll be reinstalling my Windows today or tomorrow... Even though I can do it blindfolded and one-handed with my back turned, I loathe the time it takes to reinstall every little app... After this reinstall I'm also going for a 1TB hotswappable Sata Disk to simply ghost my entire C drive...
@Berticus: Cheers mate, hmmm yeah Grey Knights would look cool but that would mean I basically will have to sculpt most of the model myself. I'm not sure if I'm up to that...
Buuut URGENT QUESTION that needs urgent answering. What to do with the rim of the feet? leave them red, paint them black or make them fully metallic? At first I was leaning towards bare metal but now I'm starting to doubt that that might make the foot look a bit funny, framed in like that. Whaddayathink?
I cannot believe I've missed this for the last month... the degrees of awesome are only surpassed by my degrees of jealousy... I like the idea for the diorama with a marine on this scale.
Posts
As always I'm always open to comments and questions about certain elements or techniques, I'd gladly elaborate.
Some slight progress on the shoulder pad. I misted on an extra layer of yellow to strengthen the colour a bit and fade out the cracks slightly. Then I highlighted almost all the cracks by hand, just some of the yellow mix I made for airbrushing, a big drop of Vallejo skull white, a few drops of Vallejo retarder (handy!!) and a few drops of Vallejo thinner. Next up is an oil paint treatment to dirty up the cracks and it'll also deepen and dirty the yellow.
The cracking was done with this crackle medium I found in a local arts store, it's a cool thing to work with. It's a one-layer application so you paint your undercoat, let dry, paint on a layer of the crackle medium and let dry. and then between 0.5 and 3 hours you paint on the top layer. the thicker the layer, the bigger and larger the cracks, the thinner the layer, the smaller and more numourious they are. But one the crackiling starts, which is very fast, if you paint on more paint, that does nothing and even stops the crackling process that was going on. So the coat has to be applied in one solid go...
Therein lies the difficulty with airbrushing yellow over a dark undercoat. (Damn the universe for making yellow translucent!) I was forced to layer on the paint relatively thickly in order to have a covering coat of yellow but thinly enough to have an interisting crackling pattern. It's quite exciting to have such a random process taking place in front of your eyes. You lay on the paint and then within a minute you see this little cracks starting to open and spread over the surface like a virus and the final result is out of you control really...
^_^
And as of those who are curious how I take the pictures. Here's are some declassified photo's of my highly advanced and professional light box and camera studio. ^_^
But now that you've seen it, I'll have to, of course, kill you. To prevent the technology from spreading, you know how that goes... :vryhppy:
The yellow pad received a treatment with untinned Burnt Umber oil paint. I just painted it on thickly so it covered the entire surface, let it rest for a few inutes and then start gently wiping it off using some soft paper towel and finally some soft cloth, gently bringing out the yellow again, almost polishing it but never applying firm pressure. The goal was to leave the brown in the cracks as well as enhance the yellow subtly. The large cracks came out a bit bare here and there so I touched that up with some burnt umber, thinned to the consistency of an ink. I let it set for a while and finally I took a small flat brush, slightly damp with turpentine and one by one cleaned up the edges of all the cracks.
The left pad received a light coating of satin varnish. Then a very light sponging treatment of red and one of boltgun metal. The crackling on the icon is actually just from the printing (old printer) but I like the effect, it suits it.
The helmet received a light dry-sponging of boltgun metal and a very, very light one with soem black here and there. I've also started painting out the ear pieces, mouth piece and 'cheek-tubing' or whatever that is.
Next up is fixating the lot with some satin varnish and then the blackening of the detailing where needed. I'll fixate the shoulder pads at this stage too and then switch the masking to I can start work on the shoulder pad rims, they're going to both black I think. Also his left knee will be black and the skulls I'll make copper.
Metallic parts and details were given a slightly thinned black undrcoat and will be drybrushed later on or left black. The tubing and joint parts received a coat of Vallejo 'Dark Rubber' paint (from their Panzer Aces range), which provides a nice undercoat for some inks, to slowly build up the colour to a dark, rubber-like effect. Some parts are not a full 100% covered as i didn't want to risk touching the red parts, but in this case a full 100% covering into every nook and cranny of this tubing wasn't necesarry. Some parts won't even be visible on the finished model and in general all details will receive several layers of inks and weathering anyway.
The shoulder pads and legs received masking. I used Tamiya masking tape and plain common low-tack masking tape you'd use when painting rooms and such. These are now ready to receive basically the same buildup as the red parts. This means; metallic & rust undercoats, salt treatment, black coat+highlights and manual paint weathering.
Here's some slight progress. I gave them a metallic undercoat and then a rough rust coloured covering here and there. ready to receive the hair spray and salt...
I already washed it off, but as I suspected the bared metal/rust of the chips has too much contrast with the black. A light layer of misted on black will be needed. it's pretty aazing how well the masking tape holds up to being held under strealing cold water for several minutes whil being brushed upon...
I'll post some pics tomorrow.
Still very much interested mate, ... Just been quite busy lately (RL), which shows with my own 40K thread progressing at the speed of a snail towing a 100 Kilo slab of concrete ..... So don't lose motivation when you don't get replies straight away, Keep going mate !! :thumb:
The Updates look great !! ... Waiting to see the next stage unveiled when all that masking tape & salt gets removed, ....
Jas
Coming along well there Meph. I'm following along fairly regularly, albeit (mostly) silently. It would have been nice if you didn't pick a lame Chapter, but you can't have everything I guess.
Whyyy you little....!:fishslap:
ROFL!
Although I am seriously considering of perhaps buying another one after this and seriously going to town on it in terms of converting and sculpting...:devil:perhaps, perhaps... But what chapter then?
In the mean time, gone be the salt!
And some work on the metallics on teh helmet, just some drybrushed Boltgun Metal.
It would be cool if they offered some sculpted shoulder pads for specific chapters. Even cooler would be a Terminator in that scale.
True, very true that they overdid it with the current backgrounds of the Dark Angels and Blood Angels. Actually I'm quite affronted with the fluff stuff about their maturing in sarcofagi instead of just brutal training like the rest of the chapters... I was a fan way before that, ever since I saw that menacing terracotta guys on the back of the very first Space Marine paint set...
Same with the Dark Angels... In the original Deathwing short story, they had this cool native-american-like background instead of these self-guilt, isolationists that gallavant around the galaxy trying to clean up their dirty secret before someone else finds out, oh noes!
I kinda have an idea for a diorama with another large marine. I picture a marine, peppered with bullet wounds and obviously dead and bled to death, sitting slumped against a closed escape hatch, surrounded by empty shells and bullet holes in the walls. The sign next to the door displaying 'escape pod launched' and give the diorama a title 'Hero'.
So for that I'd need a colour scheme that cool looking but not too bright or dark so it can display blood well. Whaddayathink.
In the meantime, the tape got stripped after some light misting on of black.
Next up will be the copper, gold, and silver details (some more tapin' and sprayin') and then it's on with the weathering.
I've posted a few pics with different lighting. Sunlight was fading outside and it weren't the best of conditions...
Jas
It has been kinda slow the last few days, wasn't home mouch. I have steadily been busy with masking the chest eagle to prep him for spraying. To tape around the pointy feather, it's a lot of fiddling around with tiny pieces of masking tape.. :S
Alrighty, some updates. I finished prepping the parts for the next fase, the large golden details.
I've used masking tape and even tried some aluminium foil. The purplish stuff is Humbrol masking fluid, which I used for the fine edges.
I've prepped some paint for the airbrush. Two tints of gold, the Vallejo Green Gold and - Old Gold. I let the alcohol evaporate in a small smooth bottle cap, scooped the paste into a paintbrush jar and added acryllic Vallejo thinner. It produces a good sprayable paint like this.
The details that are still red will first receive a thin rusty undercoat before I apply the gold.
Too bad the gold paint is already on, perhaps I can fill it with a little bit of extra paint.
I then boldly continued only to be clogged again within a minute... Less severe this time so I was able to finish, albeit with about a half-power spray due to partial blockage. The little pot of green gold I bought apparently is a lot older than the 'Old Gold' I used for the helmet, so the pigment paste is a lot lumpier. Very tiny lumps that don't easily dissolve while shaking the paint pot. They're barely noricable but that airbrush needle is incredibly tiny as well...
Due to these issues the first layer is not that solid at the moment. But as I also seemed to have forgotten the salt weathering (Curse you unbridled enthusiasm!). So the lumpy fumble actually gave me the opportunity to be able to lightly sponge on some weathering before I'll apply the second layer today. It should produce a similar weathering effect as the salt technique.
By the time I was finished yesterday it was already getting dark so I took the pics today.
I've also remasked the lower right leg today as that brass detailing almost slipped my mind.
On a remotely related note, did you see this one yet?
Join our fancy Discord Server!
My
God!
That IS awesome!
:eek!::eek!::eek!::eek!:
That thing better come out for PC too or else there's WAR! :eek:
In the mean time, here's some more awesomeness of my own! Huah!
First off, some dry-sponging of a mix of vallejo paints
1 part Tinny Tin (I kid you not:D) (Like GWTin Bits, but better consistency)
2: Yellowish Rust (GW, dunno, some dark flesh, leathery colour)
2: Track Primer (GW dunno, some very dark stony grey, almost black)
1: Smokey Ink (GW dunno, blackish ink with a subtle brown shine)
Another layer of the Green gold misted on, juggling the spray consistency like juggling wet cats because of the ticky paint consistency; Turned out ok though, the paint seems to be lying on thicker in the pics due to the lighting.
After that i airbrushed on a layer of thinned GW yellow was, thinned with some Vallejo thinner and Johnson Klear.
After that a thin misted wash of the leftovers of the yellow ink with some more GW Rust brown ink to an almost 1/1/1 mix of the previous yellow mix/rust brown/Klear. Again, the effect is a lot more subtle and playful on the real model than photo.
Aaaaand I stripped it and oh boy, spending hours of meticulously applying tiny bits of masking tape with tweezers sure pays off.
Also, masking fluid is one kickass substance, with a toothpick you can carefully apply it in every nook and cranny and it comes off so cleanly it can make grown men cry...
I can only detect two microscopic spots on the whole of the thing that need a tiny touchup...
Now all the big stuff is done, the small metallic details are going to be painted in by hand and then they'll receive an oil paint wash. After that I can go to work with the weathering powders, which will be a first for me...
I'll also use the masking fluid to outline the razor wire line around the red shoulder pad before carefully painting it golden bronze.
But some aesthetic questions need some pondering and feedback. I'm kinda curious how you guys would fill in the detailing.
-The teeth of the skull on the knee and the backpack, leave them gold or paint them sivlver?
-The eyes of the skulls, paint in black or darken them very much with plenty of layers of black ink so the gold still shines through a bit?
-The tiny BA symbol on the bottom of the backpack, paint silver, gold, of colour, like black rim & wings and while circle?
-The large emblem on the yellow shoulder pad; silver & gold/bronze or full colout with black zim, crackled white circle (tiny crack as white covers well and can be applied thinly), black wings and red drop? Or silver rim and wing/drop with a black circle (with or without cracks)?
Fire away!
Join our fancy Discord Server!
Definitely could do with some ink washes. Maybe some brown inks for the gold areas?
Congrats on the header btw. You shot down Binkerman.
:eek:That's a scary surprise, all I've got to defend myself with is a dismembered marine...
It's still a nice compliment which I accept humbly, no matter the cost to my future self.
Cheers guys!
Well deserved Header Meph !! :cool: ..... For the Knee Skull, I would just apply some chips of grey and age it similar to your Backpack .... and yeah don't paint the skull eyes completely Black, ... make it look like a sculpt with the gold still seen in that area, but just darker ....
Too many choices for the large emblem on the yellow shoulder Pad, .. If undecided, ... take a good shot of the pad with your Camera and do the combos in Photoshop, .. Post the results of that so people can make a better decision, if you still want feedback before doing it to the actual Model ....
His armour is starting to look the Biz :thumb: !! ...
Jas
You might consider the Grey Knights as your chapter of choice for the diarama. (It's because I'm a huge fan of the Knights and the grey is excellent for the display of almost any color, including dried or fresh blood.)
This is one thing I will definitely be watching with extreme interest.
@Binkerman: Indeed, I'll bring the emblem into photoshop and play with it a bit. Good idea mate!
I'll have to do it today as I'm also preparing to reinstall my Windows.
I'll be going from Windows XP Pro 64 Bit on a dying IDE disk to a Windows 7 on a Raid-5 setup running at 14400rpm... . Right now I'm emptying two 500GB HDD's, when that's done, I'll chuck in a third and setup the Raid-5. So between the painting in I'll be reinstalling my Windows today or tomorrow... Even though I can do it blindfolded and one-handed with my back turned, I loathe the time it takes to reinstall every little app... After this reinstall I'm also going for a 1TB hotswappable Sata Disk to simply ghost my entire C drive...
@Berticus: Cheers mate, hmmm yeah Grey Knights would look cool but that would mean I basically will have to sculpt most of the model myself. I'm not sure if I'm up to that...
Buuut URGENT QUESTION that needs urgent answering. What to do with the rim of the feet? leave them red, paint them black or make them fully metallic? At first I was leaning towards bare metal but now I'm starting to doubt that that might make the foot look a bit funny, framed in like that. Whaddayathink?