Saturday, October 26, 2013

Custom Space Wolf Dreadnought #1

My first dreadnought was a vanilla marine I picked up off of ebay for about $10.  My goal was to turn it into a Space Wolves Dreadnought.  To accomplish this I used a combination of Apoxie Sculpt, Green Stuff and a little tough love.

I began by removing the paint with Super Clean.  This normally works very well but will sometimes not remove black primer.  In this case it worked well enough to move on.

I used Apoxie Sculpt for all fur, and Green Stuff for more minute details. In this photo you can see one of the furs on the first Dreadnought.  I use dental tools to sculpt the fur.

I also went about magnetizing the Dreadnought and the arms so that I can change up my list to meet specific threats.

You'll notice that there is still some paint on these.  I soaked them in Super Clean for a couple of days and what you see left is the tough stuff that stained the plastic.









The Lascannon received a Green Stuff wolf icon. The hash marks help the Green Stuff adhere to the plastic. I then spread a ball of GS across the side of the lascannon and carved out the wolf using a x-acto knife and dental tools.

The Missile Launcher got the same treatment.  I also added a bit of small chain to the missile launcher. I got this from Michael's craft store. Check out their jewelry section. There are a lot of great necklaces that can be used as chain and power cords.

The legs of the dreadnought were missing the shin guards.  I fixed this by cutting a piece of styrene tube to length and then cutting it in half.  I applied those to the front of the legs and finished them off with some more Apoxie Sculpt fur and a Green Stuff banner.  I "Wolfed up" the feet by cutting notches into the toes and cutting some sprue into claws.


For the classic wolf skull and cross bones I created a push mold of an original using Apoxie Sculpt and used that to press a Green Stuff duplicate.

A coat of Wolf Grey primer and base coat from The Army Painter  really starts to pull it all together.

Next came paint. I don't have any in process pictures but the colors used were Wolf Grey, Dragon Red, Greedy Gold, and Weapon Bronze, from The Army Painter as well as various craft paints.  The mechanical details were blackened out out and then dry brushed with Games Workshop Boltgun Metal.  I used The Army Painter washes for shadows and Secret Weapon Miniatures pigments for rust/weathering.  The base was flocked with Army Painter snow and some other snow flock I had on hand.

Tada!
Space Wolf Dreadnought 1

Space Wolf Dreadnought 2

Space Wolf Dreadnought 3

Space Wolf Dreadnought 4

Space Wolf Dreadnought 5

Friday, October 25, 2013

Space Wolf Dreadnoughts - WIP

So I recently picked up a couple of Space Marine Dreadnoughts off Ebay for about $10 each.  One was a vanilla marine and the other Dark Angels.  My goal was to turn these two Dreads into Space Wolves Dreadnoughts.  To accomplish this I used a combination of Apoxie Sculpt, Green Stuff and a little tough love.

I used Apoxie Sculpt for all fur, and Green Stuff for more minute details. In this photo you can see one of the furs on the first Dreadnought.  I use dental tools to sculpt the fur.
I also went about magnetizing each Dreadnought and all the arms so that I can change up my list to meet specific threats.


For the close-combat-weapon I added a fur pelt across the top, a skull  and trim on the front face, removed a cable and replaced it with "Power Cable" made out of a section of necklace I picked up at Michael's.  Lastly, I cut notches into the fingers and cut out sharp finger tips from styrene card stock.


You'll notice that there is still some paint on these.I soaked them in Super Clean for a couple of days and what you see left is the tough stuff that stained the plastic.









The Lascannon received a Green Stuff wolf icon. The hash marks help the Green Stuff adhere to the plastic. I then spread a ball of GS across the side of the lascannon and carved out the wolf using a x-acto knife and dental tools.



The Missile Launcher and Multi-Melta get the same treatment.

I also added a bit of small chain to the missile launcher. I got this from Michael's craft store. Check out their jewelry section. There are a lot of great necklaces that can be used as chain and power cords.


The legs of Dreadnought number 1 were missing the shin guards.I fixed this by cutting a piece of styrene tube to length and then cutting it in half.  I applied those to the front of the legs and finished them off with some more Apoxie Sculpt fur and a Green Stuff banner.  I "Wolfed up" the feet by cutting notches into the toes and cutting some sprue into claws.


Dreadnought number 2 still needs a lot of work.  I'veadded plenty of fur, some wolf details, a banner, and I've used some green stuff, styrene tube and a space marine head to create a "Venerable" feel.  I added a skull to the shin and claws to the toes again.  For the classic wolf skull and cross bones I created a push mold of an original using Apoxie Sculpt and used that to press a Green Stuff duplicate.


A coat of Wolf Grey primer and base coat from Army Painter really starts to pull it all together.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Looking for some great paint? Look no further!

The Army Painter

For many years I've relied on cheap craft paints for all my painting needs.  Often I've been frustrated by thin coats and unwanted textures.  I primarily paint Games Workshop miniatures and I was never very satisfied with Citadel paints, they always seemed to dry out before I got to use them all.  I'm happy to say that I've found a new brand and a brand that I can happily recommend to my fellow gamers and artists alike.

I recently started using Army Painter brand primers, paints and washes.  They produce spray primers with 100% match bottled paints.  This makes the painting process a breeze.  No longer do I spend hours applying base coat after base coat.  Now in minutes I can apply a solid primer and base coat in one.

Using their bottled paints for touch ups and detail work has been the single best experience I've had with a paint product.  It goes on one smooth coat each time, every time.

You can buy online or check your local retailer.  The primers are a bit pricey at $14.99 a can, but believe me when I tell you the quality and time you'll save more than make up for it.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Imperial Guard - Leman Russ Battle Tank


I've been fairly busy lately, playing and painting but neglecting blogging.  This tank has been a long time coming, I've finally finished one of the Leman Russ Battle Tanks.  This Model is equipped with my custom cannon collar which allows for quick swapping between the Battle Tank, Punisher, Demolisher, and Vanquisher cannons.

I used a tank accessory kit from Tamayo, necklace chain, wax rope, and decals for detail.  It was painted using the hairspray technique for added weathering effects.  For additional weathering I used dry brushing techniques, detailed application of metallic colors, and I applied dry pigments from Secret Weapon Miniatures.  It was all topped off with multiple coats of clear matte finish.