Tanith 1st and Only: Verghast Recruits from Vervunhive

"For Vervunhive! For Verghast! For The Emperor!" -  Battle cry of the Verghast
Tanith First and Only

Another month done for 2018. Where is the time going? Today I present to you my next squad of Tanith 1st and Only. This time is is my redone Verghast squad. Sharp minded readers might remember that I had showed off this squad Here back in 2016.

So you might be asking, Jon, why are you posting these guys again? Well they're part of the great "repaint of 2017 - 2018". Essentially I have started adding eyes to all of my Guard infantry models. Ive also added Tattoos to some squads like the one shown here. For the moment, im focusing on the eyes and repainting the flesh to be less flat. Ironically, the flesh paint I got for these guys originally was "flat flesh".

 Ive also finally found a supplier for Dark Reaper Layer paint so im adding in highlights of dry brushed dark reaper to all my models. Ive also started adding highlights to all the camo cloaks so all squads in the future will have their cloaks highlighted.These are really just touch ups to older models. My painting skills have improved,and so have my desires to make this the best army I can.

Now whats coming in the future? Well, first off Ive ordered myself a small group of Sisters of Battle. That order will be shown off and painted here. Secondly, Ive gotten my Marauder Bomber back from the gentleman that I had assemble it. Im going to get that model painted up and show it off here. I am excited to see that centerpiece come to fruition. Ive also started working on my Knight and Ad mech again. There are a lot of projects going on here. Perhaps too many!

A quick note: Part 2 for the painting Tanith series is coming. I just need to get back to them.

Until Next time!

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How to Paint Tanith: The Uniform and flesh tones (Part 1)

                   Today I present to you our first paint guide! I have decided that I am going to show off how to paint the Tanith First and Only models. The squad I am using is one of my many Tanith squads. I messed up these five Tanith models painting them and so after stripping them in LATA, I decided I would use them for the painting guide. When done, they should look like the first five Tanith you see in picture 1. It should be noted that this guide is not the only way to paint Tanith. This is simply my method.

Finished Squad

Picture 2 is the one of the models from the second squad of five after they were stripped in LA's Totally Awesome. After I got the models stripped, I realized that I was out of primer and so had to go get another can. Finally getting another can of primer, I was able to prime the models and prepare them for the paint job.

Step one is grey primer. The primer I choose to use is from Rust-Oleum and the type is 2x Ultra cover primer. This primer is the best grey I have found for miniature in rattle can form. If I were to airbrush more often, I would recommend Vallejo Grey Primer. After letting the primer dry, I brought the models in doors and set about on the second step.

Stripped in LATA and ready to prime

Step two was the base colors. I chose Vallejo Black-Grey and put it all over the model. The hair, as well as the gun strap was also done up in black-grey. After the black-grey dries, I then added on the flesh tones. The base color is Vallejo Rosey Flesh. Once I got a solid base of flesh, I switched over to Citadel Leadblecher and did up the metal parts on the gun. I also did up the buckles on the uniform and the metal straps on the gun strap. For the cloak, I used P3 Baston Grey. P3 paint can be pretty thick so you need to be careful when applying this color to the cloak. Lastly we add some steel legion drab to the stock of the gun in order to get that Nalwood look.

Just before the wash stage (and optional eyes)

Step three sees the model covered head to toe in Nuln Oil. Be sure to avoid the flesh. We dont want to get the skin covered in Nuln oil. We also want to avoid the stock of the gun if possible, although if some does get on the stock, then its easier to fix. We will need to let this wash dry. About a hour will do to allow for the wash to really get into the crevices. After the wash dries, we need to check the model and make sure the wash got everywhere.

Step four is optional but can be used to make the models look a little bit better. Eyes. Lots of people hate doing eyes but I have found a way to make them easier on models. Where the eyes would be on the model use Ulthuan Grey and paint around the eye area. After the paint drys, turn the model upset down and getting a small 10/0 brush draw a small black line down the center of where the eyes would be. Once you are happy with the eyes turn the model right side up and then let it dry. If the model seems a little bit crazy looking at this stage, DONT WORRY! We will be cleaning all this mess up.


Thats all for today. Join us next time when we clean up the eye sockets and proceed onto making this model table top ready! If you a new reader let us know what you think of this new series. Would you like to see more? Maybe another army? Comment Below!

Until Next time!

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Tau Sept: A Rising [Rip]Tide

Today we present you with a real treat. A Tau Riptide done up the Jar'Kia Sept scheme. This Riptide was a Christmas present from my father and was a gift I had been wanting for a few years now. Riptides are commonly though as OP (Overpowered for you non gamers) and so they are not given much mercy on the table. In the last three games I've used proxies for it, it has not died and in fact has killed a ton of points back.

So, how did I go about starting this build? Well first I clipped off the pieces and then laid them out to do sub assemblies on them. I highly recommend sub assemblies for this model due to its size and height.

Next, I set about doing painting all the parts in jade with a purple ink. After that I did the metals first with a bronze and then with a tin color. After that, I broke out my air brush and set to work doing all the jade parts you see before you. While the purple ink took two full days of on and off work, the jade only took 5 minutes with a air brush. A airbrush makes the job so much easier and enjoyable.

After the airbrush work, i let the model dry before going onto the detail work. First was the highlighting on all parts of the model. Then came the recessive highlighting with the purple wash. I then washed the blacks with nuln oil before adding a highlight to the black. Next came the metallic parts (again due to over spray with the airbrush) and then the washes on top of the metal parts. Lastly came the orange which I had stupidly left at my girlfriends house over winter break and so was forced to put that part of the project on hold for a long while. I then added a brown tone to the base and added some agrellian earth to the bottom in order to make the model look completed.

I have yet to try it in game yet but from what Ive seen of it played in proxy play, it is a beast of a model. Stupidly, once i finished the model I had burnt myself out on it and left the Burst cannon and secondary systems partly done. This has seen been corrected but it was a pain in the arse to go back and finish them out.

Overall it was a fun model kit to put together. While I am in no rush to get another Riptide, I do intend to buy 2 more someday. I think running a riptide wing would be fun (and cheesy as heck). Maybe I should save it for tournament level play?

In real life news I have found out that my Masters Thesis has been approved. This is a huge milestone for me and one that means life is about to get really busy for me. Not that i'm complaining though.

Leave a comment, say hi, or just let us know you were here. Every little bit helps!

Till next time!

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Krieg: The Status of the Bloody 18th

*A note about the photo quality. Bandogora doesn't have the best camera but we make do with the shots he can give us.

Welcome to the first official post of the New Year! Today we bring to you something from Bandogora01's desk. His 18th Krieg Assault Regiment and his Warmachine Khador.

Trying to organize the men

Parade Formation

Long time readers will remember that Bandogora01 sent me his first squad of Krieg back in 2015 in order to start his army. Over the course of two years, that army has grown into a nice battle group you see before you. Bandogora has started to prime his models and get down the base color scheme of the Bloody 18th on to his miniatures. He has also acquired some armored support in the form of my old Leman Russ "Lady"as well as my old Storm Chimera and a custom Thunderer I made for him out of the Leman Russ kit. Together his army is coming in nicely about 1400 points before upgrades. Not pictured are two more heavy stubber teams as well as some heavy bolter teams.  The second picture below shows the models a little bit more clearly then the first picture. As the bloody 18th rises, their story is sure to be told throughout countless 40k battles.

Speaking of which I got to teach Bandogora how to play 40k over the winter holidays. We played a small Kill Team game using the official 40k rules. We modified some of the individual movement actions so that Bandogora could see how squads work in 40k as well as get a feel for how a larger point game might go. Out of the three objectives Bandogora was able to shoot me off two of them and won! It was fun seeing his army that he has been working on forever get some table time.

Khador

Seen here is Bandogora's Khador for warmachine. This army is based around the warcaster Scorcha and has actually gotten a lot more table time then my own Menoth. Bandogora wants to do his Khador in a grey and black scheme that will be sure to put the fear of Khador into those who oppose the Empire.

As a Menoth player, I know that Khador is not a easy opponent having been assassinated last time I played against a Khador player.

As the New Year continues to unfold we hope you keep checking back! Give us a comment, let us know you were here and follow us if you want to be kept updated. A lot of really awesome and special projects are in the works for this year.

Till next time

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Tau Sept: Stealth Suit Ready!

Another unit that has been along time coming. Today we present to you: Tau Stealth Suits.

These models were done over the course of two weeks in batches of three. Special attention was given to the unit in order to make sure it looked like the squad was matched to the rest of the army.

These models are some of my favorites having been the original stealth suits of the Tau back in 2006. I much prefer this smaller and sleeker look to the bulkier plastic models that came later. With this squad I wanted to get back to painting bright colors after having painted blacks and reds for so long with my Tanith. It was a joy to be able to paint something that did not have to be grim and dark.

These stealth suits showed up in the battle report a few weeks ago. As a unit of four, they were able to inflict some heavy causalities on the Tanith guardsmen. The burst cannon is a nasty piece of tech for removing GEQ models (Guardsmen EQuivalent). A week later my brother and I replayed the same list as done up in the battle report. This time the Tau and the Guard were forced to withdraw after a lengthy battle that saw both sides reduced to very few in number. While I did not get any images of that battle, it felt good to get back into the fight.

This Tau unit of stealth suits saw action during that engagement. They were able to deep strike deep into the enemy lines and killed the priest that was accompanying the Tanith Veteran Squad. The next turn they were gunned down by the angry Tanith and removed from play. Still, the battlefield is ever changing and my brother might take them again. I'll have to be on guard against them.

As the year draws to a close, these blog post are going to become more spardic. I imagine that I will only get 1 or 2 more post in for the year and then we'll be in 2017.

Till Next time! Say hi, leave a comment or just let us know you were here. Every little bit helps!

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Paint Night: Start of a new series?

Krieg 18th Assault Regiment

 First time in a long time that I've done one of these! PAINT NIGHT! Hopefully these will be a part of a series that I do on a monthly time frame that will just show off some WiP stuff we've been doing and get you all pumped for a next post. If they prove popular i'll see about adding more into it.

For those not in the know, a paint night is usually a gathering of friends at somebodies house and everyone builds, paints and primes miniatures in order to work on their armies. However since all of us are all across the United States, we decided to get together on skype and bs around while painting with each other on camera.

Tonights models were a five man squad of Victoria Lamb's Border World Rangers (My Tanith) and a Death Korp of Krieg Heavy Weapons Squad done up in the colors of the 18th Krieg Assault Regiment by my friend Bandogora01.

Tanith Veterans 

We spent the better part of a hour on skype painting and talking. Bandogora01 had a hard time deciding what to paint before finally deciding upon his 18th Krieg Assault Regiment. Fans of this blog will remember that I posted his Company Command Squad I did for him as a commission earlier this year. Now Bandogora has taken it upon himself to finish the rest of the regiment and see to it that they get their proper colors done in order to hit the battle field.

For my own Tanith, I did a Platoon Command Squad of 5 guys. This squad I personalized a little bit more by adding a few wounds and scars on them showing that the had been in the thick of battle. I got the rest of this squad (another 5 models) that I will have to do but in the mean time I think i'll take them for a spin on the battlefield and see how they do. Painting the Tanith to me is always enjoyable because of the feeling that Im one step closer to the completion of this massive project. Although any true Guard player will tell you that you never have enough. We'll see about that in time

Till next time! Say hi, post your thoughts and just let us know you were here.

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By Order of the Inquisition: Tech Priest and Arbite Gregory Alexie

Dog and Master

So today is another day for a blog post! This time we bring to you two Forge World goodies. The Adeptus Arbite enforcer from Games Day with his cyber mastiff and a titan Tech Priest!

These are two models that I have had my eyes on for a while. Each one would serve perfectly for our INQ28 games or Dark Heresy and so I went a head and purchased them.

Each of the models were done concurrently while the other was drying. Special attention was paid to the cyber mastiff since its going to be a pet for my Inquisitor in game or a bodyguard for my D-44 Detachment while playing Guard.

Another view

 The Arbite enforcer is going to be be Arbite Gregory Alexie. A Arbite from a Hive world. He was played by my friend Saltybelt back in 2009 and became a part of our warband. Alexie has a tough my way or the highway attitude and served with Inquisitor Umarus during the Ventra Majorus Campaign in 2012. This character has gone through a lot of variations before I decided upon this model for him. The other model I used for Gregory has now become another Arbite for my second warband under Inquisitor Ardastia (from DOW II) which I hope to cover in another post sometime soon.

Titan Tech Priest

Next up is the Titan Tech Priest. This Priest of Mars was done up in the traditional martian colors since I wanted it to be no one character in particular. This model was a lot of work to get right and in some ways I am still not happy with it. I had thought to make it a character from our current Dark Heresy Game but it isn't close enough to the characters description to be so, nor was it close enough to be my own Tech Priest from Dark Heresy. In the end I decided it would just be a genre priest for my guard army or Inquisitor.

This model was a lot of fun to paint and I hope to get another one sometime soon in order to paint one up again for our Dark Heresy Group. As our current game is coming to the end of its currents season, many secrets have been revealed and the party is on edge. Whether or not these secrets will destroy the party or bring them closer to each other remains to be seen. They have already made many enemies, enemies that don't want to be found out by the greater imperium at large.

Back view

Since it is November, I hope to partake in Tanks-giving and get a few Gideon Tanks worked on. I am also putting together a few models for Bandogora01 to give as a gift to him for his 18th Krieg Assault Regiment. We'll see how that all turns out.

Till next time, keep checking back!

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Tanith 1st: Men of Tanith, Do you want to live forever?!

The Squad

So originally I had planned to do another product review for the second half of August but that plan has fallen through. Right now I'm out of paints I need to do my next project so while I wait for a supply drop, I figured I would present to you all another squad of Tanith.

 This squad was done over the course of two weeks. For my Tanith (and most of my line infantry) I usually do five models at a time with one example figure. That way I am able to concentrate on each model individual model and not feel overwhelmed. This squad is gonna be another line squad but I have not yet decided under who.

The first four Tanith

Of late I've been working on readying my army to completion and trying to get as much as possible painted. With my recent purchase of a airbrush this task has become much easier and faster. I hope to be able to work through my flyers and tanks fairly quickly in order to complete them before moving on.

With each model I am attempting to add small characteristics to the model to make them individuals. some models receive 5'o clock shadows or mustaches as part of their painting process. Others get beards or facial features painted up in order to differentiate them from other models.

Another addition to the models are a second coat of silver finish on the model parts of the weapons. I am unsure how it looks overall but I have attempted with two squads so far and found it to be excellent for adding a flair to the model.

The second six Tanith

So whats next? well I hope to be able to provide that product review I had talked about at the start of this post. Secondly, my FLGS is starting its own journeyman league in warmachine for MK III. I hope to start on my Menoth as soon as my supply drop comes in. With the grey primer that I use, I was thinking of using my airbrush to paint the whites and then add a coat of red in certain areas. However, this plan seems like it would be a waste of resources. Especially since the white would enhance the reds too much to be off color. Perhaps I will do a test model and see the results.

Till next time, leave a comment, say hi or just let me know what you think. Every little bit helps!

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[Forge World] Metallica: Welcome Home (Sanitarium?)

Wip before I added the final dry brush

Today I present to you the first models of my Forge World Metallica Army. These models are all nearly Exclusive Miniatures products with a few Games Workshop models thrown in since there were no 3rd parties.This army will be a slow build army since I mostly intend to play my Guard or my Tau. These models were chosen to be Forge World Metallica for two reasons. First, Metallica is a awesome metal band. Secondly, in Dark heresy, my friend Edwazhere, chose to be a tech priest from Metallica meaning that I've gained a fondness for the planet and its priest.

Added Dry Brush

These models gained a lot of negative press review when I first posted them. Since I hate the GW breacher models, I refuse to use their ugly models (subjective) and when to find models that I felt were closer to how I envisioned my army to be. These female breachers fit with the theme of a Tech Priestess Magos and her warband. The main bulk of the army will be female with the Skitraii being males. Thats all the backstory I have for them now but Im hoping in the future to bulk it out. In the coming days I will write another post on the Skitarri as well as the Magos herself. While many of these models might seem to be out of scale, my local friendly game store and opponent are more than happy to play with conversions and proxies. I'm lucky in that regard. However I know they would not be for everyone and will mostly be a at home army. Besides carrying 2 books and 2 sets of cards is annoying. Hopefully GW will combine them into 1 army. They deserve that amount of love.


All hail the Omnissiah!  Keep checking back and leave a comment to let me know your thoughts and views.

Till next time,

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A Tau Crisis [Suit] Story

Panoramic Shot of the Crisis Suits

 So once again, its time for another update! This time from the far eastern fringes. In what is a first for me, I have finally painted all 12! of my Tau Battlesuits. For the advanced Tau player this might not be much but for a Cadre that started out in mid 4th Edition, its been a hassle just getting to this point.

Top down view of the teams

Every time Ive painted them I have never liked a scheme enough to stick with it. This time however I have found one that really spoke to me. I started with a few of my regular suits to get to scheme down and then proceeded to continue on with a new suit each week. Overtime, the suits started to get better looking which helped me feel as if they were getting done. All of the Crisis suits have been converted to some extent since my cadre is using the XV-46 Crisis suit, a variant found in the DeathWatch RPG series. Of course since there is no official pictures of the suit, I went with what i felt best could be achieved closest to the writing of the material. The XV-46 is used a close range suit, designed to work in hostile, close quarters combat such as ship boarding and Zone Mortalis type games. My Cadre however, has requisitioned a few for field testing against their common foes of Necrons and Orks.

Another view of Commander MirrorWater

All the Crisis Suits line up by teams

So whats next? Well im not sure if I want to return to do some more for my Imperium armies or stay working on the Tau. I thought out moving on to the Stealth suits but they get so little game time it wouldnt be worth it (although it would be fun to paint!). Other considerations are the (old style) broadsides which have been converted or maybe a vehicle or two to transport my Fire Warriors. Im going to have to see how time allows me to do these. Im hesitant to work on the vehicles without a airbrush due having always burned myself out on them,  Readers, what would be a good airbrush for a beginner?  Let me know in the comment below! As always leave a comment, say hi! or just let me know you were here. Every little bit helps.

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2015. A Year in Review

    

Rolling for Happy New year!

 Where oh where has this year gone? Seems like only yesterday we were starting up a new year. This year has seen a lot of change in me. Memories were made, friends were made and lost, and the world turned daily. As we continue towards 2016, we here at Behind the Lines Gaming would like to wish you a Happy New Year.  At the beginning of the year we had promised to promote big news to you all. I can safely say that this big news is coming in 2016 so be on the look out and keep checking back!

2015 saw many new additions to my rooster. At the beginning I had just started on my Victoria Lamb based Tanith First and Only army. This army has rapidly expanded and grown in size!  Now numbering 100+ models, the final additions of a few female Verghast is planned for 2016 once they are released.

The Tau army that has been posted here throughout the year is also currently in major WiP mode. A few models and squads have been done. Those will be posted in 2016 as well. The Menoth army is back together again and primed ready for paint. 2015 might as well have been the year of stripping paint. Hopefully these new schemes of paint will improve the models and make them look even better!

As always we plan to do a Top three projects we have done this year. Located Here, the Gallery is a page dedicated to the Top work on completed models we've done each year.Give it a look and let us know what you think!

#1 as always was a hard choice this year. All of the models have been fun to work on and paint. However the winner was a commission given to me by Bandogora. This commission was for a Company command squad of the Bloody 18th Krieg Regiment.  Not only did I get some awesome artwork out of it from Kurt Mertz but the army was one that had a feel to it unlike any other ive painted!

Below are a few images from the Rise of the Bloody 18th post I posted throughout the year!

With the 18th came Krieger 18D. This krieger has been Bandogora's Dark Heresy Character and plays a critical part in the formation of the 18th. What secrets and history lays behind the gas mask are still yet to be known, however the Emperor, or maybe the Chaos gods have given a very special fate to this Krieger. All of that remains to be seen.

The company command squad was some of the most fun I had painting. Using their uniquely blue and red scheme, these models seemed to "pop" on the battlefield allowing them to look both uniquely grim dark, but also well done. These models were in rough shape and it was clear that who ever had owned them before hand had not taken care of them. This was not about to happen on my watch. After a lot of TLC, I was able to get them back to how they should have been all along. Ready to die on the battlefield for the Emperor!

This back view of the models shows their uniquely done backpacks. Forgeworld is always know its for wonderful models and these did not disappoint. A lot of time was given to the smallest of details. This is why they became my favorite project of 2015!

#2 was a easier choice to make, This project was one that will be seeing action this coming year in 2016!  My own take on the Panzer III tank from a chimera. This model was a lot of work to convert and took some time and effort. After a lot of glue, sweat and pain, the model was finally together and I was pleased with the end results.

Not the prettiest of jobs at the moment but when it comes time for primer and paint i think she'll do nicely. Im hoping that I will be able to convert it fully for a second one of these tanks. When that is accomplished then I should finally be able to get the model fully. It has to be noted that the treads were the hardest part of the whole conversion. Maybe I'll try to do a tutorial on my second one should I get the time. 

My third favorite project of the year was not really a model per say but was a aid for the game. This project took only a few hours but it was a lot of fun making them in order to help me better play in 40k. Of course what im talking about is my own custom designed cards that i made for Imperial Guard orders and warlord traits. 

Any good guard commander knows that it is vital to use your orders right and have them ready to use when you get to the game. These cards were made using the magic card game custom card creator. A nifty little program that allowed for me to fully customize my army cards on the battlefield. This set was a customized set for the program from the Star Gate series of card game. I ordered some card holders to place them in! Some people had expressed interest in them. Therefore I plan to make a free version for people to download if they wish. In the future I plan to add Stormtroopers, cadian traits and others onto this list. 

As the year comes to a close I wish to thank my loyal readers and those who follow me. It makes writing these post easier knowing that some people read them and enjoy the content of them.If you like what you see please become a follower of the blog or leave a comment below! Every little bit helps

With that I wish you the best in this ending to 2015 and a happy start to 2016! Keep rolling those dice and stay tuned for many new exciting things to come in 2016! 

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Wargaming and Attitude discussion

This has been a topic that I've been heavily considering writing on a for a while. In the course of painting models, a few topics came up the other day on one of my recent pictures posted online. The paint job in general was considered "unfinished" , "Just primer" and "Shit" by many that commented on it.

First off, let me make something clear. This is not a whining post! 

This is a discussion on how we as war gamers are not always welcoming to others that might wish to join in on our hobby of plastic soldiers (No matter the system!) When I posted the picture I never imaged the hatred I would receive from people that were looking to either boost their own egos or put down others. The worst part was that this was a group of gamers that I frequented often. This group has a wonderful membership but the fact remains that people will begin to feel uncomfortable posting their own models if they are only going to get told that their work sucks.

Over the course of the last few days I have been watching the group. In that time I've painted a few more models here and there. Detailed a few and enjoyed painting. However I am hesitant to show anyone my work. If I, a veteran painter and player am hesitant to post my work, how must a new player feel watching the community tear itself apart over one or two "bad" paint jobs. This is unacceptable.

Primer or Paint? Can you tell the difference?
side note: This was not the model in the discussion

The facts remain on those models. First off, it was not "just primer" or "unfinished". There were two coats of paint and two different washes on there for just the body alone. The rest of the model was covered in colors ranging from golds to grey. Secondly, anytime you call somebody's work "shit" or "unfinished", please realize that you are not adding anything to the conversation. A more helpful attitude would have been to suggest a way to better the model or talk about what the positives of the model were.  Thirdly, if the model in question is not one that you like or feel is to YOUR standards, instead of posting on it, leave it alone. It cost you nothing. I will be the first to admit that I am not a class A+ painter. However, this was shockingly below the average post quality of the group in question.


So what can we do to encourage people to post their work and not feel judged? Be welcoming for starters. Encourage people to show off your work and give helpful, good advice on what they can do. Be friendly, even if it is the internet, people still want to feel good about their models they put time into. "The Thin your paints!" and "My eyes drill your barrels" post are funny but tried memes at this point. Offer painting tips to new painters and new players alike. Finally, realize that people paint to their own standards. What might be "Unfinished" to your eyes might be a new timers "master piece".


I hope these ideas and topics encourage you to think about your own painting. If you got anything to add post in the comments below!

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