Incoming Dire Trolls

So I'm being really good at updating...

A quick update now before I get better pics together to put up: I was stuck at my parent's place this weekend cat-sitting, and decided to bring along all my airbrushing gear, and some models that need the work!

For now, the photos are the best a cell phone can pull off in a dark basement, but I assure there are better photos on the way, once I can hook my better camera back in. The first set of trolls (and Madrak) are done, by the way, and I'll have photos of them finished as well shortly, I hope.

This is all balanced on a sink, giving me quick and easy access to water and washing. Instead of a fancy airbrush holder stand, I have an old vice clamp that while it's not so good as a clamp, it's great as a holder!

I quickly determined that I wanted different colour depth on each troll, to give them some variety. That also meant I had to start lining up the hands for each to their various DTs!

The next layer was a more purple tone to shade, and also darken around the various rocks and whatnot on them. I figure purple's the Dire Troll equivalent of more ruddy skin on humans.

Here you can see a bit of the purple on the palms.

The next layer was the skintone mixed with pale sand, providing an appropriate highlight. The mix was thin enough I got to overlay a few times to make the colour build up. Due to a happy accident, it didn't highlight entirely cleanly, so their skin looks rougher as a result. This chap above is both converted in pose, and in getting a kilt, and looking more like Rok.

Here's the Earthborn Dire Troll, with purple, and highlight. I may yet do a green wash to make him look more earthy, but I'll have to decide once I get the stones done.

Yay cellphone pics

Here you can see the overall effect on the dire trolls after all the airbrushing was finished.

Hopefully it shows through that Rok (bearded/kilted troll) is paler, while the middle guy with bonus armour plates is the darkest skinned of the lot. I'll be able to bring out the differences slightly more with washes, and then it'll be on to detail painting!

Here's hoping it's not a month that slips by before my next post!

Geckos Nearly Done

Well, despite the madness of the holidays, I've still managed to get some painting done! The Morats have been getting some armour painting, though I'm not certain how I'll paint the main plates. More importantly, I've made forward progress on the Geckos!

I love how, with no TAG arms, they look so stumpy!

First up is the main bodies. I've been carefully washing with agrax into the cracks, and even more carefully drybrushing white and edge highlighting to get the sharp redness.

Put 'em up... you wanna go?

It's been hard getting just the right amount of highlight. As much as his paintscheme is awesome, the main Infinity painter I feel does his models too pink, not enough red. To that end I've been trying to carefully only highlight with white, and if it goes too strong, I cover it in red and try again. I'm also trying to make the armour not look metallic red, which can be a challenge.

Now I need to determine where, if any, to depict white stripes and alternate colour plates. I may do the pilot's arm bands, torso, and chestplate in black, as well as certain elements of the helmet and legs in white. I also purchased a Gundam decal sheet so I can do a lot of appropriately accurate "Caution" warnings and arrows, since every real military vehicle has loads of those just in case. I'll have to consider where on the TAG warrants such a warning!

The metal bits are done in my favourite NMM-with-metallics method, going right from almost-black to mithril silver. I've decided to go a bit brighter than I normally would for military troops, because these are TAGs driven by pilots who know they're going to be spotted, might as well be flashy!

After I decide where all the proper military elements will go, I shall also be adding pilot art. (Think bomber art circa WWII.) I need to decide what style to do though: I can't just go scantily clad women for both! I'll likely pull inspiration from said bombers, and also any Starcraft Terran Marines I can find; they often have neat elements of the sort.

Not So Camouflaged Update

After great deliberation and much consideration, I stripped the paint from my Geckos and started again. As much as I liked the camouflage look on the infantry, for the TAGs it just didn't quite feel right. (Also, the paint came out fuzzy on the feet for some annoying reason, and that just can't be let go!)

Eventually what I figured was unlike the line infantry, who want to not be readily seen, the Geckos can't really hide, so instead they're trying to draw fire to help keep the nearby infantry safe. Also, in boarding actions, being a large terrifying blazing red behemoth could help when a poor defender hears the ominous thumping preceding its bursting around the corner, weapons blazing!

That said, images time!

So far they're entirely red. At some point I'll decide which plates (if any) will become other colours, and how to pattern them. These lads were airbrushed, with proper Vallejo Air paints, and I'm getting more used to using an airbrush for detailed work, not just coating or basic highlighting. I'm certainly nowhere near an expert yet, but I can at least come up with something competent looking!

Ah, the forest of bitz. Even more than the main body of the tag, these parts make me happy I'm going the red route. The bright shiny red shoulder pads alone make it worth the effort.

Next up is careful highlighting of edges, and determining if (and by how far) to highlight brighter than red. If you're not careful, the red starts looking either orange or pink.

I also have finished Tomcats photos, I'll probably do a post with them this Sunday.