No Heroes Left in Man

I know I normally focus on models and little army men and such, but unfortunately, events have unfolded that drag me from my hobby to the real world. I think all my readers, if I still have any, all can see the problems, in the news and television, from the internet to the radio.

Mankind is in dire straits.

Around the world, people fight and die in droves, overlooked and forgotten. Syria, where 6000 died for freedom, ignored and repressed by brutal autocracy. Egypt, where the birth place of Moses has simply traded one man for a panel of arm-chair generals with aspirations of glory far beyond their means. Europe, land of plenty, is crippled by debt and infighting. Even America, the shinning jewel of the West, is beset by traitors and fools.

I don't mean traitors in the traditional sense, as these men clamour for the glory of the country. However, they have betrayed the ideals that our nation stands for. Freedom, tolerance, justice for all. No, these men would rather freedom burned, tolerance shattered, and justice raped than to see our country fall from a place of power. I think everyone sees where this is going...

Our government sits idle, as our debt grows and our people starve. Democrats squawk like crows and vultures over the near-corpse of social services that will fail to provide any service in a few years, instead of being the protectors of individual rights they once were. Republican fat cats lord up their wealth and life styles, while their glorious family values wither on the vine. Politicians on both side of the fence squabble and peck at each other, goaded by their own leaders into rabble rousing and partisanship, so that those leaders can look better.

However, the blame is not solely with the government. The Occupy movement, the largest protest in years, is little more than an excuse for rioting and hooliganism. Where are the Salt Marches, the Million Man Marches, the I Have A Dreams? As much as those actions of the past are lauded as examples of heroism, they are not mimicked, or built upon. Instead, we have bricks and firebombs thrown at buildings, and people assaulting each other in the streets.

Speaking of heroes, I have a bit of rile to throw towards our troops. No one can deny their sacrifices, and their courage, let me get that out of the way first. However, our troops seem to look more to Full Metal Jacket, and Apocalypse Now for guidance in how to act in war. No more do we have heroic acts, like the stand of the 101st at Bastogne, or the Battle of Belleau Woods. Now, we simply have names of shame and pain, like Abu Ghraib, and Chechnya. No more heroes like John Paul Jones, General Patton, Joan of Arc. Just ranks of faceless teens sent to fight and die and kill, supposedly in America's, or whatever country is on the international good list today's, name.

As tragic as it is to say this, I see a reckoning coming. The End Times are upon us. I don't mean this in the fire and brimstone fashion. That might happen, it might not, but that's not what I fear. No, what I fear, and what I can see, is a reckoning of darkness and fear. The next Dark Age, where wealth and paranoia drive mankind far more brutally than freedom and liberty. It's not that hard to imagine, it's already started. The wealth and power, being held by a small few, while the rest wallow in muck and back-breaking labor. This is the end of our glorious civilization, where either the whips must be snatched from those on high, or the beatings will continue. That is what I fear the most. Will we have any heroes willing to make such a stand? Will we? Can you look inside yourself and become it? Are there truly no heroes left in man?

Good night, and from the bottom of my heart, Good Luck.

Regular model postings may, or may not continue as (not) scheduled...

Inquisitorial Oversight

Well, I've been trawling the deep oceans of the internet, and have seen quite a bit of mad being generated by the newest Forge World publication, Imperial Armour Apocalypse 2. Namely, the fact that some units made by Forgeworld are going to be allowed in standard games, added to the codex forces. It seems a great number of forum-dwellers (Or maybe just a few repeating themselves, hard to tell with anonymous) are dwelling on the possible nastiness of a Lucius drop pod allowing nasty close-combat dreadnoughts to be dropped at extreme close distances and then allowed to assault first turn. Normal rules state can't assault out of deepstrike, but Lucius pattern apparently overrules that. This led me to read up on the drop-pod rules, and I discovered several NASTY responses.

1) Any of the special units that allow shots taken at nearby deepstrikers, outside of normal turn-order. This, coupled with a LARGE number of anti-light vehicle weapons, turns the drop pod into swiss cheese. And I haven't seen what happens when a deep-striking vehicle is shot to shit by interceptors, if it's unit inside is lost as well, which would make sense in a fluff point of view, or if the unit is placed and damaged, or what have you. But it could lead to some rather devastating counters.

2) Bubblewrap the available drop zones with disposable units, to wipe the deepstrikers out after they win that first combat.

And finally, I discovered an interesting loophole, that made me laugh. Specifically, in the drop pod rules. It can't be placed in dangerous/difficult/impassable terrain or on enemy units, due to standard deepstrike rules. The drop pod rule only counts for scatter. SO place your units and terrain accordingly! Don't give them an inch! On top of that, the actual loophole, Drop pod inertial guidance rule only covers units and IMPASSABLE terrain. I've checked the FAQ, and the codex, and it's never been mentioned. If the Drop Pod scatters onto dangerous terrain or difficult terrain, they are affected like normal deepstriking. It's a bizarre loophole, and you should check all the related rules before hand, just to make sure, but it might save your bacon! Also, more bacon saving can be pulled off by remembering that if the pod lands off the table, it's still mishapped!

So, end result, STOP BEING MAD and read the rules! There's loopholes and strategies to work around everything. And normally, I'd say follow the spirit of the law, and don't be a dick, but if the opponent is going to be using a min-maxed tourney list, or with tons of unfair Forgeworld units, and is making the game unfun for you, then take some pride in ruining them!

In the end, the choice is up to you. Either find a way to win, or keep playing which way you want, but no matter what, stop getting mad, and start getting smart!

Good night, and good luck!

Blood in the Water Redux

So, last time I mentioned doing a camo scheme for several panels on my Hammerheads. Now, I have pictures to exhibit what the scheme would include. This is simply one side, it would be mirrored on the other, but that would be the extent of the pattern. Black white and grey, for urban combat. Also note that there will be additional coloration, this was simply my devilfish that I hadn't fully finished yet, so it's a wip!

Enjoy!

Also, I plan to touch up the paint a bit, make it look better, and more smooth! But until then, what do you all think of the prototype?








This is all for this week! I hope to have a bit more finished by next time, soon!

Fancy feast, signing off!

Blood in the Water

So, to all my followers and assorted friends, lackeys, and tag-ons, I've finally finished my first beloved Hammerhead Gunship! It's a magnificent piece of tech, and I've actually enjoyed painting it this time. The broad curved faces are usually a bitch to paint with the colors I usually choose, however I used several of the techniques I covered in previous tutorials to end with an excellent product! The only problem I have is a possible lack of enough detail, so I'm leaving it up to my reviewers. I had thought of adding a black and grey zigzag camo scheme on several panels near the front, to break up the profile in a military fashion. What do you all think? Enough? Or add more?

As you can see, I used my white painting technique to great effect, the white paint is only a bit spotty at a very close distance (Primarily due to problems with the spray, and only one coat). The gem effect came out excellent on the rear taillights, and a bit of improvisation with the shape ended with the front cockpit lens in excellent shape! Finally, the black/grey highlights turned out quite sharp, although I was tempted to drybrush it on sloppily for the engine vents, making a sooty effect. But the sharp lines enunciate the model perfectly! Still need to work on the tank commander, don't have the paint to get the skin properly!

On a separate note, I need to rant a bit. I know this is a gaming/painting blog, but this is something that rather peeves me.

I have a rather good friend, who shall go unnamed at this moment, but he can probably recognize himself. Recently, my friend managed to convince a girl to go out with him. This is momentous, because he had a bit of a reputation as a flirt, and no girl seemed to get close enough to last. I'm friends with one of his old flames, through the school department I'm in. Recently, I was included in a conversation she initiated. The subject? You should be able to guess. 

Apparently, he had gone and done quite a bit with this girl, and when they broke up, she was not pleased. So, now that he's got a new girl, she is a mite bit jealous. Not pretty, let me tell you. Nasty comments, slipped into innocuous conversation. But this just took the cake. Apparently, she was being snarky about how she, in less time, managed to get further with him than his current gf. 

First, I wasn't aware that dating was a race to sex, with the fastest being the 'best'. That just seems slutty, for both man and woman. Secondly, and this was the part that made me both write this rant, and laugh at her pitiful comments, if the two in the relationship aren't going nearly as fast to get to sex, wouldn't that imply they actually care about the connection, and are doing everything to build it properly? Being the slutty girl who knows how to get into someone's pants isn't nearly as an achievement as being patient, so that the relationship doesn't end after you discover the other partner is only interested in sex. That's how I did it, that's how my friend's doing it (I told him, and he said as much), and that's how any good moral person does it. 

So to all the sluts and panty-jocks out there, fuck off and keep your genitals with your own strain of human morality. You can enjoy the shallow end of the pool.

Rant over, this is Fancyfeast, signing off. 

Good night, and good luck

Gems from the Deep

Well, I've been putting this off for a week and a half now, but I've finally finished the long expected GEM TUTORIAL!!! Trumpet fanfare, please!

So, as this is a similar tutorial to others online, I need to do something different from those to make it stand out! So, I'll be trying to simplify the process as much as possible, as well as making the tutorial readable by any Joe Painter off the street! This won't be getting any Golden Demons, but you'll be able to efficiently and effectively paint a full army of soul-stone bearing Eldar or windows on your Rhinos.

On to the tutorial!

Step one is to paint the entire gem black, as a base coat. This provides the depth and contrast. Personally, I wait to do this till after I paint the gem mounting, it's easier to get the detail that way. Use a 1:1 paint water ratio for this entire tutorial, you want a nice thin layer that will leaved a nice flat coat.

Follow the dried black with the shade. Take the black, and mix 1:1 with your gem color of choice. Then take this mixture, and mix with water again to achieve 1:1 paint water. Paint this layer on the lower two thirds of the gem. To achieve the proper look, alter the shape of the paint layer to mould to the gem/window. So for example, a square window will have an edge that looks like a boomerang or a sharpened chevron, while a circle would have a crescent shape. Turn the shape to the opposite 'corner' from the angle of chosen lighting, focus on one side.

Next, take the 1:1 paint water base color and paint a 1/3 mimicked shape , in the corner again. So you'll have a small shape on top of the larger shape ontop of the black basecoat.

Take the next shade brighter for your gem color (Orange for red, ice blue for royal blue, etc) and edge the gem color area. You want the effect of a final bit of inner color, to enunciate the shape and color. 1:1 water paint again.

Finally, take your finest detail brush, and put a fine white dot in the OPPOSITE corner from the color. This should be the effect of direct light bouncing off the polished surface. You can alter the shape if it is larger, but at the smallest sizes, it won't really matter.

You can also layer the gem in gloss varnish for more shine, but it's not necessary, unless you matte varnish the model for protection.

Here's some examples of the effect, both painted in green. Enjoy, and happy hunting with practice!

Good Night, and Good Luck!

Tuesday Picture Dump

Well, it's Tuesday, and I've been neglecting updating everyone on the latest of my painting exploits. I believe I've finally gotten the hang of painting yellow, and my Imperial Fists have flourished, but more on that later. I also managed to get some touch ups to damaged models, namely my black Legio trooper. I also managed to paint, very well in my opinion, my space marine Sergeant. Personally, I think he's one of my best so far!

On top of this, I took some pictures to notice the difference between a subtle black highlighting and a hardlined highlighted black. Left is Legio trooper, right is one of my commissars, actually the original one I ever recieved! I just love the model, it seems to fit Warhammer 40k in general, and the Guard specifically!

As you can see, the hard lined trooper has much starker lines, but also looks brighter, despite similar amounts of color. The commissar, however, is much darker and more befitting his menacing appearance. Mainly, this was achieved by skipping the final step of my black tutorial, the final codex grey highlight. Also, this is a key difference between hard armour, well maintained and polished in appearance, and a cloth/leather trench-coat, more likely to be dull and dark in the field.

Finally, we have some examples of my upcoming gem/glow tutorial. I've been practicing, and I believe I've gotten the technique down. However, close examination will show flaws, so for now this is tabletop quality only, unless you are feeling ballsy about entering a competition!

Gemmed bolter lens and eye piece

Gemmed eye piece

Gemmed Eye pieces

Glow effects on the back pack

In addition to commenting on the over all quality, please also mention your preference for my Tau paint scheme, I'm encorporating it into all my Tau army. I'll be posting more pictures of those when I have more finished.

Finally, the progress on my Fists as mentioned before. I was curious about the community's opinion on my choice of schemes. I have one painted as demonstrated by several tutorials, and one I developed on my own. I won't mention my preference, so as to not bias the decision, but the left, completed model is the tutorial. The right is my own test model, unfortunately unfinished. One of these will be the final look of the army, but that's up to you to decide!

The yellow coloration is the main thing I'm looking for, I've decided on every other detail. Also, the black trim is going to stay, as those are the appropriate colors. I hope to hear from all my readers in the comments below, but until then, this is Lord Fancy Feast signing off. Good night and good luck!

A Black Day

I know in my last post I said I was going to write a tutorial on gems and glow effects, but I need to do a bit more research and development stuff. Instead, I shall focus on painting black in an effective and dapper manner! This is effective on anything you want to paint black, from armour to cloth.

Step one is to start with a primer coat. This can be either black or white primer. I prefer a white coat, as it allows you to see the next layer better. The black will be easier though. In the end it's up to you.

Step two is to follow with a thinned layer of black paint. This can be applied with an airbrush, or paintbrush, whichever you find easiest. This is where the white coat comes into effect, you can see where exactly you need to apply the paint. The thinned paint shouldn't be quite 1:1, as that would run into the crevasses a bit too much, and would probably end looking dark grey. MAKE SURE THE COAT IS EVEN AND COVERING.

Step three begins with taking the black you used in 2, and mixing it 1:1 with codex grey. You can find the colors in whatever brand you want (I personally like Valejo, nice droppers for precise measurements) This dark grey is then applied to all raised edges, also called lining. Line all parts of the model that you wish to be black. This will take the form of turning the model to see just where the reflected light would come from, namely edges. This will be a difficult step, as the lighting and the paint are going to be very similar.

Step four is to take straight codex grey, thinned down, and hitting the extreme highlights. Hold the model at a specific distance and orientation to a source light, and hit all the spots that the light reflects from. DO NOT TILT THE MODEL in any fashion, as this will expose different highlights, making your over all effect a model standing in a white room, instead of a warrior on a battlefield. If you wish to, you can rotate the model around the vertical axis, giving an effect of a halo of light above the model. This is better for tabletop models, as the model can be viewed well from any position around the table.

Once this is finished, if the effect is too bright for your tastes, you can apply black wash to the model. This should be done after all other details are painted, to provide a dark shadow line for any changes of color (Between gun and hand, etc...) Black armour goes well with most lens and detail colors, the best being bright primary colors to stand out (Green, red, yellow). If at all possible, do not apply gloss varnish to the black armour, as the hard work you put into the highlights will be overshadowed by the near-mirrored light reflection of the varnish.

Another random hint, you can mix small amounts of other colors with the original black and greys to make an extremely dark version. This can lead to a black that seems red, green, of blue. Use this with care, and planning, as the new warm or cold version of the scheme will react differently to detail colors.

Pics of the only black model I have currently (His squad languishes in the torture box back home) and he needs some touch ups after a brutal move.

Good night, and good luck...