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Coils of the Hydra: Destroyer Squad Complete

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Once started it didn't take me long to get the squad finished. To be honest, i haven't enjoyed painting this much for a long time! I think its the use of different colors and paints that's making this project that much more interesting. 


This is the squads Sergeant, marked out by the different markings on his helm.


Legionary with a missile launcher. Yes i know it looks like a grenade launcher! Apparently its a missile launcher according to Forgeworld!


Some details of the jump pack and Alpha Legion Markings. 


The rest of the squad.




This squad will be tasked with weakening enemy characters with their Rad weaponry and attacking key armored targets with their Melta Bombs. It will be quite a costly unit for a 5 man squad, but we'll see how effective they are in play.

Overall i am very please with how this color scheme has turned out, and now i'm even more excited about the Alpha Legion army!

The GunGrave

Blessings of the Omnissiah: Ordinatus Ulator WIP 2

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Phew, it seem's that i have finally managed to wriggle free of the Hydra's coils for a few moments and get some more work done on the Mechanicum Ordinatus! By some work i mean nearly finished!


Its come a long way since my last post, with all of the base colors down, along with washes, second coats, and highlights. Below you can see the sponson mounted Volkite Culverins that the Ordinatus packs. I have magnetized these purely for ease of transport as they're likely to ping off if glued on.




The main drive unit is complete.


The main weapon carriage is also mostly complete - and i have to say it is rather impressive!


These bits were rather fiddly to paint, even un-assembled.


I followed the Forgeworld's painted example of the Ordinatus fairly closely, but did decide to add some extra brass trim to the main weapon.


The control console is also sporting a Volkite Culverin turret!


I left the weapon un-glued for easy removal. The join meant that i didn't have to magnetize this weapon. You can see the control console a bit better here. I'd like to add some detail to the display screens before i'm finished.


This is the targeting array. I had a lot of frustration with the lenses of the array, i just couldn't get them right! I'm happy with the blue lens, but the red and green lens may see some more attention before i'm done.


The array has also been magnetized for transportation purposes.


Very close to completion now! Just have to do the bits that are still bugging me (lens, display consoles) and the two Mechanicum crew.

The GunGrave

Coils of the Hydra: Sicarian Battle Tank WIP

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Following the successful completion of my first Alpha Legion Squad, i was keen to get a vehicle done to see if the scheme worked as well on tracked armor! 

This Sicarian was originally earmarked for my Heresy Death Guard. However, it was intercepted en route by a Alpha Legion task force and brought to the Legions forges for....reassignment!


The only criticism of my Alpha Legion scheme is the shading. While the watered down Asurman Blue did a good job of the shading on an infantry model, i wasn't so confident it would cut it on a larger piece. 

I have seen zenital highlighting/basecoating done before but i have never tried it. Seemed simple enough, so i decided to give it a go here. As i had already undercoated the Sicarian in white, i used an airbrush to apply some black to the areas i wanted a little darker. A little backwards, but i hoped the effect would be the same. 


I applied my transitional Teal paint with the airbrush and this was how it turned out. It is definitely darker where i applied the black, but perhaps a bit to dark... I do like it, but feel that if i had used a grey shade instead of black then the shading may have been a bit more subtle, and of course not quite as dark!


I will see this experiment through to the end and complete the tank, but i think i'll use a grey for the shaded areas next time and see how it looks. I'm still very happy with the transitional Teal paint, and i'm sure it will look even better once the blue wash is on.

More soon!

The GunGrave

Trying Something New - Infinity

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Those of you who know  me will know full well that I'm far to lazy to try another game system. I just can't be bothered to learn it! However i was struck by a bit of an epiphany the other day while working on the recent Mechanicum Ordinatus. Though i enjoyed the recent excitement of the huge war machine, i just felt like i was going through the motions a bit. This could be born of a generalised boredom of 40K/30K, using the same painting methods without much change, or maybe a lack of hobby direction (ie: painting all these models, but not using them etc) Could be all of them!

Whatever the reason, I've acknowledged I'm starting the feel like this about my hobby. Salvation was at hand however, from a chance encounter at a friends wedding! I started chatting to a bloke who turned out to be a wargamer as well. Although he didn't play 40K/30K he did play Infinity. He told me about it and offered me a demo game, which i took him up on!

Long story short, i had a blast! The mechanic was very different from what i was used to and the universe it was set in was colourful and interesting. The mini's are also stunning and highly detailed. So I grabbed myself a copy of the rule book and started studying. While i was in my FLGS the owner also suggested a also get myself a copy of this book:


It is a masterclass volume by the renowned painter Angel Giraldez. The multiple tutorial's take you by the hand and walk you through step by step. As i had never painted an Infinity model before, this was really helpful. It also came with a free mini!

I went straight in and applied the tutorial from the book to the free mini, a Joan of Arc figure. Now these figures are incredibly detailed (more  than any metal figure has any right to be!) I had to buy some new fine detail brushes especially! Anyhoo, here is my first Infinity miniature attempt:





All in all i spent about 6hrs on this model. For a first attempt I'm pretty happy. Though there are a few things i would  change for next time:

  • I undercoated the model with a canned grey primer (Army Painter) While this is usually OK i got a very rough undercoat out of it. It could just be bad luck, but I'll use the airbrush next time. 
  • Never use a colour that hasn't been thinned! The apex highlighting with the white was straight out of the bottle, but i should've thinned it to calm the colour down a bit. 
  • Get some proper brushes. I'm talking Windsor Newton Series 7 here. Cheap brushes just won't cut it, the detail is simply to fine. The ones i bought for this model will probably only last me for 1-3 mini's before they die, and the tips become hooked. 
I really enjoyed painting this mini though, and i haven't felt this engrossed in a model for a long time! I also challenged myself a lot here. OK, i did cheat a bit using a guide, but the techniques were different enough to make the process interesting, and the final result worthwhile. I hope I'll be able to replicate it in the future, hopefully to a better degree!

40K/30K will still form a large part of the content here on AGGTG, but expect to see a lot more Infinity on here as well! Now i just need to choose a faction and get collecting!

The GunGrave

Infinity - ALEPH Asuras

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Having been thoroughly bitten by the Infinity bug, i started to research the various factions to decide on an army to collect. It didn't take me long to read about the ALEPH, the AI that controls huge amounts of Human operations across known space. As ALEPH is an AI, it needs cyborg operatives and remote constructs to defend itself and the interests of Humans in the physical world. Sounds pretty cool to me!!

First things first then, the ALEPH starter set!


The first model i decided to paint was the Asuras. All said and done i think i spent around 8 hours on this model. I was able to employ the techniques i used on the Joan of Arc model i practiced on. I was able to refine the process a bit more, still a bit of work to go though.



The bases are from Antenocitis Workshop, called Hex Bases. They fit very well with the Infinity aesthetic.


This is just a quick size comparison for those who have never seen an Infinity model in the flesh. As you can see, they are considerably smaller than what we 40K hobbyists are used to!!


More Infinity soon, but fist i think i need to finish off some of the 30K projects on the go.

The GunGrave

Blessings of the Omnissiah: Ordinatus Ulator Complete!

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The last WIP post on the Ordinatus Ulator saw the monster nearly completed. Since then i've added some minor finishing touches (but still not the crew, they'll have to wait!!)

Apologies in advance for the encroaching white of the light box - the beast was just to big for it to handle! And also for the lack of text, i'll let the pictures do the talking!






I finished off the control screens with some more shading t make them pop a bit more. I admittedly wasn't brave enough to freehand some detail onto them!



To finish off the tracks i hit them with some MIG weathering powder like the other Mechanicum Tanks.




Next up - Alpha Legion Sicarian!

The GunGrave

Coils of the Hydra: Heresy Alpha Legion Tactical Squad 1 WIP

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Now that my Infinity itch is scratched and the Ordinatus Ulator is consecrated and ready for mass destruction, its time to slip back into the Hydras grasp and get some more mini's done!

Now you may be asking, dear reader, what happened to the Sicarian? Well, for all intensive purposes it is complete, but i am waiting for something special to arrive from Fallout Hobbies before i can call it finished. More on that soon!

In  the meantime I've turned my attention to one of two Tactical Squads that I've got tee'd up for the Alpha Legion.

Before i started i got the whole squad mounted on some wooden blocks for easy of painting. Not something I've usually bothered with before, but due to the amount of airbrushing the Alpha Legion require i took the time do get it done. This squad had had the Alpha Legion torsos and heads added. 


Right onto the painting. After completing the Destroyer Squad i wanted to see if i could achieve better shading during the application of the Teal base coat, which would of course aid the washes later on. So i decided to give zentithal shading/base coating a go.

When i tried to achieve better shading on the Sicarian i used black on a white undercoat. This made the Teal darker in the areas where the black was applied. Afterwards i thought the black made the Teal a bit to dark, so this time i'm going to apply the same principle but with grey. So i tried the whole process on a test model before i rolled it out on the rest of the squad.


Then i applied white to the areas that i wanted the Teal to be brighter on. In retrospect i should have been a bit more careful in the application here, but i pressed on.


Feeling rather good about things so far, i pressed on with a thin coat of my transitional Teal paint. And that was where the magic ended....the paint killed the whole effect and did nothing for the model at all!


Feeling despondent about my experiment, i tried to reverse engineer the effect by spraying on some Teal lightened with some white. This only went on to kill the teal effect and make the colour 'matt' rather than metallic!! Disaster!


Never mind, back to the original plan of white undercoat with Teal over the top then!


I'm glad i gave it a go, but to be honest, i think the paint selection let me down here. I think this effect will work much better with colours that are a bit more transparent (like washes or very thinned acrylics) so that the effect shows through. The Teal paint is a bit to heavy for it here. As I've got units on the go in this scheme as well, i can't face changing it now.

After the failed experiment i moved on to the squads bases. Urban rubble is the theme here (as it is for most of my armies!) I applied some green stuff to the bases first to give them a bit of texture, then sanded and sprayed. I may add some black oil paint wash over them as well to give them a bit more definition.


More on these and the Sicarian soon!

The GunGrave

Coils of the Hydra: Sicarian Battle Tank Complete

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While i was getting the first Alpha Legion tactical squad off the ground, that special package from Fallout Hobbies arrived!  This meant that i could finish off the Sicarian. More on that in a minute. First up, here she is:






So as you've probably already guessed, i was waiting for some smart vinyl airbrush stencils from Fallout Hobbies to really finish this tank off. I went with Dragon Scales 2 to create this effect, which i am very happy with! Not only does it make the vehicle pop, but also really helps to break up all the metallic colour.


Sadly this Sicarian was afflicted with the common curse of all Sicarian tanks, wonky barrels. I tried my best to get them straightened out, but this was as good as it got.


The usual heat distortion was added to the Lascannon barrels.


Here is the Hydra family portrait so far! I'm really pleased with the continuity of the metallic Teal across the models so far. Hopefully i'll be able to maintain this. I'll also be coming back to all of these models later with some Forgeworld Alpha Legion Transfers once i get around to ordering them.


That's all on the Alpha Legion for now. Next up, some more dabbling in the world of Infinity, then back to the Alpha Legion Tactical Squad.

The GunGrave

Infinity - ALEPH Naga

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So this is the second Aleph model from the starter set i bought a few months ago. Admittedly this guy has been sat, mounted, prepped and ready, on my desk for a while as i was working on my Heresy Alpha Legion. However, a few spare evenings of painting presented themselves which i gave over to the much neglected Naga!

I felt that i achieved a better paint job on the Naga than i did on the Asuras. I think this is just down to being more used to a new way of painting, and also painting this level of detail. Suffice to say, i am very pleased with the outcome!




My Infinity journey is really only just beginning, so i am analyzing every brushstroke at the moment in the hope of improving my painting with every model. So this time around, the things that went well:

  • The colour transitions were much better with the shading, especially with the black and the grey of the arms, areas that i was really pleased with. 
  • A consistent tanned/bone colour was achieved with minimal effort on the legs and shoulders. 
  • I managed to get the base looking nearly exactly the same as the Asuras base. 
Things i need to work on for next time:
  • Although the colour transitions were better for the shading, i think the colours themselves need to be applied more consistently. By that i mean the pigmentation is the same for the colour all over the area that it's applied. I find that this becomes more of a problem the more i thin a colour, so i'll have to watch out for that next time. 
  • Be more patient when using glazes! I tend to slap them on a bit thick if i start to get impatient which is a no no! This was really only a problem on the face (which i hate doing anyway!) Thin, fine layers, patiently applied. Easier said than done for me, but i will try and achieve this next time. 

As a parting shot, this is the Aleph family so far! Next up is the Deva from the starter set which is mounted and primed already. Once she's done i'll probably do the Dakini Tacbots as a batch to get them squared away.


The GunGrave

Infinity: ALEPH Dakini Tacbots

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While the proverbial Infinity iron was still hot, i've decided to crack on with my 3 Dakini Tacbots from the starter set.


These are the basic line troopers for the Aleph. Points wise they're reasonably cheap and come in a variety of flavors. These are the basic Combi Rifle flavor. I applied all the airbrush work as a batch, then did the detailing individually.


The reverse of the models are all done the same, so here's a sample of one, and also a closer shot of  the front.


The completion of these three Dakini's gives me a small but playable force to practice with! I've only had a few small games just to get the feel of the game, but i'm loving it so far!

More soon.

The GunGrave

Coils of the Hydra: Tactical Squad Pt1

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So a quick break from all the Infinity madness lately in the form of some Tactical Marines for my budding Alpha Legion.


I split the painting of the squad into 2 to make sure i could get them done in one sitting. The first 5 came out pretty good considering the time it took!

I'll probably use the next set of Tac' marines to break up the Infinity painting. I've rather enthusiastically signed up for an Infinity ITS tournament in June, so I've got a lot to get done before then!

The GunGrave

Infinity: ALEPH Deva

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The next step on the Infinity train is the Deva from the boxed set.

Deva's are the 'human' face of Aleph, assigned to or tactical liaison roles. In game terms, they are a cheap lieutenant, and can also take a synchronized Devabot for fun!

As they are the human face of the Aleph, i used darker, more realistic skin tones for her, rather than the pale synthetic look the other models have.



The detail on this model is comparatively basic to what I've done so far. It was still a fun model to paint though!

The GunGrave

Infinity - ALEPH Agema with Multi Sniper Rifle

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Once the Deva was completed, i ran out of models for my Aleph, so it was time to go shopping!

One of the big problems i've had in games is loosing men to ARO's, especially from snipers! Time to get some revenge of my own! An Agema with Multi Sniper Rifle should fit the bill nicely (and its a lovely model to boot)


I really enjoyed painting this guy. Everything just felt like it came together really well, and i was super happy with the end result!




Lets just hope he performs in games!

The GunGrave

Infinity - ALEPH Naga with Monofilament Mines

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With the Infinity ITS tournament just around the corner, its time to keep pumping out those Aleph units. 

One of the most important things to do in an Infinity game is to control the moments of the enemy soldiers as much as possible. A great way to do that is with mines! Monofilament ones tend to be particularly nasty, and the model is quite nice as well!


I was a bit more restrained with the shading of the black on this model, and tried to keep it to the very apex of the shaded areas. This would help me create better contrast.




Hopefully he'll be clogging up the enemy advance very soon!

The GunGrave

Interruption to Service...

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Its been in the pipeline for a while now, but me and Mrs GunGrave have bought ourselves a house!! Its our first house, and thanks to being in senior positions in our respective workplaces, we've been able to bag ourselves a good one! Most importantly, it has a rather large basement, perfect for my new hobby cave!

However, before this hobby wet-dream can come true, we need to move. This means i'm having to shut down the Forge for the relocation and while my new Forge is being renovated.


The basement requires damp proofing, plastering, a new ceiling plus lighting and a new floor installed. It also needs new windows (pesky UK fire regulations...) Its no small task, but i have builders coming in 2 days after we get the keys for quotes! No messing around here, i want this new Forge operational ASAP!

In the meantime enjoy the hobby content that will remain on AGGTG, and i hope to be back online in a few months. I may be able to sneak on pics of the building work as it happens, so watch this space!

The GunGrave

The Birth of the New Forge!

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Well, sort of....Its still an embryo!



The house move is complete and we're finally in, after a grueling 12 hours of moving. The whole house needs gutting really, and every surface needs stripping, plastering and repainting. Many months of hard work ahead i'm afraid!



Which of course includes my new Forge! When we were looking for houses we had to get one with a basement (i threatened Mrs GunGrave with taking over another double bedroom if we didn't!) We succeeded with our search and found one with a sizable basement.



Though i have to admit, the broken glass and the bolt lock on the OUTSIDE of the door left me a little disconcerted...what did the previous owners keep down there???





Your in trouble if your tall here!





Some random pillars which will be removed. All 4 structural engineers who've seen it were like WTF?? It will give me a lot more space once they're removed.





So this is the fate of my hobby for the moment, boxed up! As you can see, its a pretty big basement. 33 meters in fact!









I'm in the process of finalising the quote for the conversion with the conversion company. However, as the costs were mostly in the region of £15,000 for a full conversion (yikes!) I've decided to just get the basic's done and finish it off myself. The basement floor will be removed, drainage systems put in, re-floored with concrete, and the walls sealed with a damp proof membrane. just that lot is nearly £6,000!!!



So to reduce cost i'll be finishing it off myself. I'll be doing the stud walls and plaster board, the new ceiling and tiling of the floor which will give me something to get my teeth into. Not sure how long it will take, but i'm aiming for completion by the end of the year.



But i won't be waiting that long to get into my hobby again! I bought myself a cheap desk and set up shop in the corner of the dining room!





Not to bad once i got it all kitted out.





To get back into the swing of things (its been at least 2 months since i painted anything!) I've unpacked some Alpha Legion Tactical Marines and some Infinity to warm me up again. It'll return to me soon enough.





So the bulk of the blog updates will probably be building related ones as the basement starts to be pulled to pieces! I'll try to get many models up in the meantime. 


More soon.


The GunGrave

Return from the Grave!

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Wow, its been so long I've had to dust off my keyboard to begin writing this!

(Archive media - not GunGrave's actual computer...but pretty close!)

Just a quick one to say that i'm back online after a very busy few months, mainly with the new house, but also with lots of hobby goodness that i want to share with you all! A few of the highlights to come:

  • A shed load of new Infinity models!
  • My first Infinity Tournament.
  • A Meg Maples painting masterclass.
I'm also pleased to say that my 30K interest is slowly returning, mainly due to the Custodians and Sister of Silence release. I may even start to rummage through the boxes and paint some of them up. So what else has been happening?
  • I sold my Warlord Titan - ...and my Reaver...and my Legio Astorum Knights! Yes, i know this basically amounts to hobby treason, but a very nice guy from America made me an offer i couldn't refuse, and i was able to install a brand new boiler and central heating system in my house as a result! It was a shame i couldn't get him to the table, bit at the end of the day he was just sitting in a cabinet looking awesome. Now they're all in a new home being used loads and still looking awesome! I have vowed to the Omnissiah to one day rebuild the Legio!
  • The Basement dream is dead - well at least for now. As the quotes kept coming in it was becoming increasingly obvious that i would need more money. A LOT more money!! With a new house and a wedding next year, the reality is that the hobby basement will have to wait. For now i was able to upgrade the existing hobby space, pics to follow. 
  • I got a new job - I've spent the last 6 weeks going through interview processes (3 jobs, 3 stages to each interview, each with a presentation!) ergh, i've so had it with interviews! Good news is i got a tonne of offers, and i picked one i liked! More money, company car, and a shed load of other perks mean the basement can get back on track a little bit quicker!
Those are the broad strokes for now! I've got a load of hobby content coming up very soon.

The GunGrave

Infinity - Alpeh Sophotects with Netroids

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Hi again! as promised i have a shed load of Infinity models to share with you. A lot of these have been done for a while, mainly in preparation for my first Infinity tournament that was back in September (more on that soon)

So first up in a long line of Infinity posts is my Sophotects. For me an 'auto include' model for any Vanilla Alpeh force due to her Doctor/Engineer abilities. She's also pretty fast!! I've also painted up the Netroids that came with the Sophotects set. I still have the 2 Yudbots to paint up.




So far she's been performing pretty well! I won't be dropping her anytime soon!.

The GunGrave

Infinity - Aleph Agema with Missile Launcher

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Another good performer for my Aleph force, the Agema with missile launcher.

The Launcher combined with MSV lv2 is a great combo, and when placed in cover, will make your enemy think twice about advancing up that flank! At least until they shift him!

Although i like the model itself, the pose does make it look like he has a hell of a belly underneath that amour!





The GunGrave

Infinity - Asura with Spitfire

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Asura's are great models and even better in game! I've had a lot of fun with my other Asura, so it was time to grab another but this time packing a little more heat with a Spitfire! 

I really enjoyed painting this model, and i really live the sculpt! She really reminds me of Major Kusanagi off Ghost in the Shell fame! Problem with this mini is that it costs a fortune in points...worth it though!





The GunGrave
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