The Eldar Phantom Titan: The Base

Greetings, all!
So, after some hiatus, it's back on with the big one- the Eldar Phantom Titan. Now, those amongst you with both eagle-eyes and excellent memories may have spotted the legs of the Phantom assembled in my WIP-shelves photo from my Hatcave (really must think of a better name than that*) announcement last summer. So, I thought I'd better bring you all up to speed with how I got the bottom half of the Phantom built. First, though, there's the base to consider.
A big model like this really needs a base to support it, as the last thing you want is to knock it over with some over-zealous dice-rolling and fracture a delicate part. Big bases are commercially available and the client sourced a suitable one from...errr, somewhere. I really must ask him where he got it from.
Anyhoo, the client asked if the Phantom could be posed standing with one foot on a broken-off Imperial Titan weapon (a Melta Cannon), so the first thing to do was to make the provided broken weapon look right, and position it onto the base.
To start with, I raided the bits box to build a piece that would look like the arm joint had sheared off at a pivot point, exposing wire bundles. I also made a couple of plugs to show where a couple of feeds had been pulled out.

Next up I wanted to make the weapon itself look like it had crashed into the ground after being snapped off the Titan. I figured that something so big and heavy, dropping from fifty metres up would not survive intact, so I wanted to add some heavy damage to it. I cut into the gun barrels and then heated them and bent them (judicious application of the required amount of brute force), as if they'd hit the ground tip-first. Some cuts with a knife and clippers added to the effect of damage.

Then I needed to do some damage to the guard that surrounds the gun barrels. I really had some fun with this, cutting and bending (a hairdryer is really helpful with this sort of thing) and I even broke out the mini-drill to make some scuffs and gouges.

Finally all the pieces were assembled (much forcing and swearing and gluing-together of fingers happened...) and attached to the body of the gun, which had also been heavily seen-to with the clippers, knife and mini-drill.

I then needed to paint the gun before it was attached to the base. I needed to do this as a) the barrels would need to be painted before the guards were fixed in place and it made sense to do the whole thing at once, and b) I wanted to be able to get some painting done, to get a feel for the scale of the thing. 

Finally, the gun needed to be fixed into place on the base. I glued it down, and built up some Milliput around it, along with some broken shards of Eldar architecture that the gun landed on.

So that's that. Now I was ready to begin work on positioning the legs. So far, it had been easy and a lot of fun and there was no reason to think it would be any different from now on...

*At the moment, I've using "Edward Shedward" or "Eddie McSheddie McWoo." My head is often an odd place...Please, someone come up with something better...

The Road To Golden Demon 2020

As you will know, if you saw my post about this year's Warhammer Fest, my entry to Golden Demon 2019 was not very successful. I spoke about some of the factors that I believe, lead to my less than stellar performance. One of these was lack of time management on my part. Leaving it until I'd started on my entry for The Masters, I then faffed about on other entries, and thus ended up with a below par Masters figure, and the other entries unfinished. That will not happen this year. This year I will have my other entries ready by the time the Masters figure is announced next year, and so I will be able to devote all my time to it. In order to do this, I'm starting my other entries now. I already have an idea for the Age of Sigmar Single Figure, and I've begun work already on converting the models for the AoS Duel. I also have a diorama, that was begun two years ago (it was supposed to be my entry into the 2017 Winners Competition, but real life stepped in and made sure that wasn't going to happen...) It's a complicated piece (for me) and I'm not sure I'll get it done in a year, so that's going to be of lower priority. I've also got an idea for a 40k Squad.
Working on these through the course of the year will serve another purpose, too...
Practice.
See, I do a lot of painting during the year, mostly commissions and the occasional bit for myself. None of this work is done to a competition standard so, the only time I paint anything to Golden Demon standard is for the Golden Demons themselves. That's like a jogger who does a couple of times around the block every day suddenly deciding, a month before the Olympics, that he's going to compete in the marathon. It's a whole different kettle of mixed metaphors. I need to keep my eye in at a competition level and that means painting more top-tier pieces. Plus, there's other competitions along the way during the year...
The categories for EverChosen have been announced, as has the deadline. July 27th is not that far away so it’s going to be a tough challenge. However, there is one piece to do before then. A standalone competition was organised by Victor Roman over on ‘Eavier Metal, and it’s to paint a model in 30 days. Hence the title, The 30 Day Challenge. The miniature selected (and everybody has to do the same one) is Festus The Leechlord. So, at least if I get this done, I’ll have at least one model to enter for EverChosen…
Also announced, over on ‘Eavier Metal, is this year’s Eadbanger. Now, I’ve never managed to find the time to enter this competition, and it’s gone from strength to strength over the years, becoming one of the most beloved of online competitions and I’d dearly love to have a go at it so, this year, I’m going to give it a shot for sure.
The first step for any competition is to decide which models to enter. The 30 Day Challenge was already decided on, so the next up was a figure for EverChosen.
Even with the maximum 60mm base size there was a lot of scope and I spent quite a while looking through what was available and…frankly, there was too much to choose from. I wanted something that would catch the judges eye, but not be too big, due to the tight time limit. Also, at the moment (as ever) funds are tight do I couldn’t stretch to a £30-£40 model at the moment. So I thought about the Mountain of Unpaintedness and started having a rummage and I found…this. It’s a figure I really like- it’s dynamic, with lots of movement; it’s got a good mix of cloth and armour and it’s got a really expressive face. Lots of scope for a nice paint job. I’m going to mount it on a hero base or maybe even the Dais Arcanum, if I can get hold of one.
Finally, we have ‘Eadbanger (or, to give it’s full title: ‘Eavier Metal Episode V: ‘Eadbanger Stikes Back…)  I'm not sure how many categories I'm going to have the time to enter (I'd like to give one of the larger miniatures categories a shot...) but, in the the Single Figure category, I'm going to enter something I’ve been waiting to paint for a while- a really special miniature that I’ve been saving for a special occasion…
Last November I went up to Nottingham to go to the 40k Vigilus Weekender where my Ork Kommando Boss won me a finalist’s pin. While in Nottingham I caught up with an old friend, the great Kev White, sculptor and driving force behind Hasslefree Miniatures. He gave me a truly wonderful gift- one of the few resin castings he had done of Mariku Yuri, a Van Saar gang leader he made as a personal project.

I’ve been itching to paint it ever since but I wanted to be able to give it the due time to get it right. It needed a special occasion. ‘Eadbanger V is just such an occasion. If I only get one model done for it, it has to be that one and at least I can be sure it won't be painted by loads of other people...!
So, there we have it. Minis chosen and ready to go (at least they will be when Festus gets here). Three competitions to enter is an ambitious task, but I really want to give all three the best shot I can. Watch this space for further updates…

What I Did Over The Weekend, by Stuart Thomas, aged 45¾

So, last weekend was Warhammer Fest. My third time at the Fest, my third time of entering the Golden Demon 'Eavy Metal Masters category, and my second time of coming away empty-handed.
Initially, I was disappointed and somewhat dispirited by not getting any recognition at all. I realised that getting a placing in the top three was going to be really, really hard, with the likes of David Soper and Angelo Di Chello entering, but I had hoped I'd get a Commended Entry or even a Finalists pin, so I have to admit to being a bit knocked back by not getting any result at all. However, having had time to think about it, I have to be positive about it and look at my work objectively. Why did I not get anything? Well, the hard answer is my work simply wasn't good enough but you have to look deeper and think: Why wasn't it good enough?
Well. first off, the most obvious was that, as usual, I didn't give myself enough time to a proper job. Of course, I had as much time to paint the entry as anyone else did (for the uninitiated, the Masters category is based around all entries being the same model, no conversions allowed, and the model is announced a couple of months before the event- this year it was the Isharann Tidecaster) but I didn't manage the allotted time properly. I wanted to enter a few categories this year, and so I spent a lot of time working on other entries instead of the Tidecaster.  As it is I didn't get close to finishing the other entries so all that time was wasted. This left me with too little time to get the Tidecaster done so it was a bit of a rush job.
Secondly, I didn't have a plan for the model, an overall vision as to how it would look. Actually I did, but I ended up deviating from it, and that's where I went wrong. To me, the design of the figure suggested the ornate and beautiful art deco bronze ladies produced by the likes of Tiffany. I decided to base my colour scheme on them- bronze or copper armour, alabaster skin and verdigris-coloured robes. Somehow, along the way, I lost sight of this idea so the colour scheme never turned out the way I wanted it to, leading me to not be satisfied with the look of it. In the end, the colour scheme didn't look too bad, but it wasn't what I had originally pictured in my head and, in those circumstances, it;'s difficult to produce your very best.
Finally, I committed a grave error, and decided to be a bit experimental with the rendering. I wanted to focus on doing different textures and finishes and, in doing so, I used techniques that I wasn't hugely familiar with, or over-confident in (such as the NMM on the armour) and the trial and error used in getting the effect right used up a huge amount of time. The armour, for instance, went through three different versions before I finally realised I was never going to get it how I wanted, and settled with what I had. As YouTuber Trovarion explains well in this video, Golden Demon really isn't the place to be stepping outside your comfort zone and trying something new like that. I should have stuck with what I knew and then I may have produced something that more realistically displayed my skills.
So, there we have it: how not to win a Golden Demon in three easy lessons. The thing is not to get disheartened. There's always next year. All I have to do is remember these lessons and put them into practice next year. In the meantime, I'm very interested indeed to see what Everchosen is...?

My Isharann Tidecaster

So, putting all that aside, how was Warhammer Fest?

Well, I have to say, the event goes from strength to strength, getting better every year. I'm certain it was busier than last year, and there seemed a lot more to see. It's actually getting to the point where I might have to consider going for both days, as there just wasn't enough time to fit everything in, even without going to any of the set seminars.
I'd decided that, this year, I was going to have a proper look around the licensee's areas, and see some of the other stuff that was on offer. I don't play as many games as I probably should, and wanted to have a good look at what was on offer. So, I managed to have a chat with one of the chaps who was demoing the new Blood Bowl Kerrunch 2 app game, which looked a lot of fun (I got a free t-shirt, too, which The Better Half has decided is hers...). I was also shown a demo of Warhammer: Chaos and Conquest, the new strategy game. If you're into worldwide conquest, it looks like the game for you. I also had a play on a level of Warhammer: Chaosbane, a Diablo-like isometric action game. Bloody good fun, that, and certainly something I'll be tempted by when it's out on PS4. There was also stations playing Battlefleet Gothic: Armada, Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus, Underworlds Online, Realm War and Vermintide, but I didn't get the chance to have a close look at those. And that was just the video games!
I had a sit-down demo session with one of the guys from Playfusion, taking me through my first ever game of Age of Sigmar: Champions, which I really enjoyed. I was instantly hooked and The Better Half seems interested in playing too...Unfortunately, I simply didn't have time to check out the rest of the  stuff that was on show, and completely missed having a look at the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay stand. Bugger.
I did, however, get to spend some time in the section devoted to the new Citadel Contrast Paints, and got to hear a lengthy discussion by studio manager Dave Cross on the ins and outs of the new range. I even had a short try out but, without my glasses, I couldn't really tell what the results were like! I have to say I'm very impressed by what I saw, though, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on them properly, glasses and all... As soon as I do, be sure that I'll be sharing my thoughts on them.
As always, the best part of the day was meeting up with people. Events like this are a great way to touch base with old friends and people who I normally only get to converse with online, and I really must try and get to more of them. As it was, I was able to catch up briefly with John Blanche, Gav Thorpe and Keith Robertson, and have a pint and a chat with Dave Taylor and Jamie Hutber and bumped into Art Steventon just as I'd finished buying the event exclusive Primaris Leiutenant, which may well be a Golden Demon entry for next year...
And that was it for another WHFest for me. There was still so much I didn't get to see, and so many people I'd love to have had a chance to chat to, but there just wasn't time to see and do it all. I really am going to have to give serious thought to going to both days next year. Still, what I did see was as impressive as ever, and I really had a great time.
So, thanks to all the GW staff who go to so much effort to put this event on, congratulations to all the Golden Demon winners and, hopefully, I'll see you all there next year!

Off to a flying start, this 2019 thing...

It's been a difficult couple of months.
I came back from Nottingham on a real high. It had gone well, catching up with some old friends, getting a finalist's pin, a relaxing weekend away...All good. I'd received a real boost to my confidence and I was looking forward to getting back to work and doing lots of new cool stuff.
It didn't happen.
I came down. Hard.
Depression is a horrible thing and it's really difficult to explain properly. It's actually an intensely personal thing, different for everybody it affects and so it's really hard to put across how it feels, so I'm not going to go into a great, deep explanation here today. Maybe one day, but not today. Today I'm feeling good and i don't want to dwell on the bad.
Anyway, suffice it to say I had a totally unproductive December. My head-stuff hit me hard and I just couldn't face anything more than getting up and doing the day jobs, and they were a struggle. What I was looking forward to was the Christmas break. When I'm under the depression thing, one of the worst aspects is the guilt. The feeling that I should be working, that there's nothing wrong with me, that I should man up and get out there and all the while the depression is going "Fuck that. You'll only screw it up. What's the point. Lie on the sofa and eat Haribos." And the days go by, each unproductive one adding to the vicious circle.
That's why I was looking forward to Christmas. I'd convinced myself that Christmas was the time when I could have the time off, guilt-free (after all, doesn't everybody?), enjoy myself, and get back to work, refreshed and happy, in the new year. It wasn't a new year resolution. It wasn't a "In the new year I shall beat the depression. Oh, and I'll lose some weight and go to the gym." It was more that I could enjoy a bit of time off, rather than beating myself up over it.
And it bloody worked.
I had a nice, relaxed Christmas with The Better Half. We socialised a bit, ate and drank far too many bad things, went out on new year's eve, the usual. On January 2nd I started my working week with my first shift in the shop, raring to get started again.
24 hours later I was in hospital with the flu, lying with the windows open and a fan on me as they tried to get my core temperature down from it's just-shy-of-really-fucking-serious level. Thankfully, it worked and they let me home the next day, but I spent the next week being essentially unable to do anything other than sleep. I couldn't even read, my head was so mushed. Facebook was the height of my levels of concentration. After ten days of this, I'd started feeling better so I'd gone back to work over the weekend.
The next day I woke up with a secondary sinus and chest infection, which knocked me out for another week. Strangely enough, through all this, the depression didn't kick in. There was no guilt because there was nothing I could do about it. I was ill, end of. It's weird because I know, intellectually, that having depression is as much "being ill" as having the flu, or a broken leg. You may as well say to a person in a wheelchair, "Stop being silly, get up and walk!" as to say to a person with depression, "Why don't you just, y'know, stop being depressed?" but, psychologically, I still beat myself up over it when I'm in the pit.
Anyway. Rambling.
Here I am, three weeks after falling ill. I'm betterer, but still far from 100%. I've been back at work in the shop for a while now and, though it takes it out of me, it's not knocking me for six any more and today I'm actually out in the shed for a couple of hours. I'm tired and weak and I've got no stamina but I'm feeling a little betterer each day.
Taking it slow, taking it easy. I'm writing off January. I'm going to try to get some hours in, but mostly I'm looking forward to starting February fit and well and raring to go.
I might even lose some weight and go to the gym.

Some thoughts on the 40k Vigilus Weekender and the death of mini Golden Demons.

Evening all!
So, last weekend was the Warhammer 40,000 Vigilus Weekender at Warhammer World, and what a highly enjoyable thing it was too. GW is really getting into the swing of these events and I really enjoy them. Although there's obviously not as much going on as at something like Warhammer Fest, there's still plenty to keep a fan occupied and, of course, being staged at WHW means that there's always the opportunity to spend some time wandering around the diorama displays and 'eavy Metal cabinets, something which I love doing.
The dioramas have had so much thought and work gone into them, they really do boggle the mind, and there's so much to see it's impossible to take it all in. I swear, next time, I'm just going to focus on a couple of the displays and really take the time to look in depth at them. The 'eavy Metal displays are even more of a draw for me, though. The chance to get to see the studio collection up close and personal is one that should never be missed. The photos online and in GW's publications really don't do these models justice. Being able to see them in the flesh really makes you appreciate the skill on display. Take it from someone who served nearly ten years as a member of 'eavy Metal- these guys are good. The work they are turning out now is head and shoulders above what we were doing back in the 90's. Next time, though, I must remember to take my glasses...
So, aside from the existing Warhammer World displays, the Weekender played host to a few members of the studio, including painters, artists sculptors and White Dwarf crew, plus stands from the various digital licensees. These are great to see and, because there are fewer people at these sort of events than at WHFest, it's easier to get to talk to the personalities, and to see the things they've brought along. I was able to have good long chats with artists Luke Blick and Lewis Jones, who were able to give me some really useful advice regarding digital illustration, something I really want to get into in the future. I also managed to catch up with old chums Dave Thomas and Aly Morrison. Oh, and Jonathan Taylor-Yorke, one day you and I will have that pint and a proper chat!
On a personal note, it was amazing to meet the great Tommie Soule and see his superb Ragnar Blackmane in the flesh for the first time. What a piece of work (and the miniature isn't bad, either...). Also a shout out to the ever-enthusiastic and marvellous Art Steventon, who was literally the first thing I encountered as I entered the arena. One of these days I'd love to be able to sit down and have a proper chat with that bloke.
On the whole, it was a great day. I only wish I'd had more time to explore everything. I never seem to have the chance to try out one of the demo games, or any of the digital stuff at these things, and I really should, as they really go out of their way to put on a good show of these parts of the hobby too.
Finally, thoughts come down to the painting competition. This was, as I'm given to understand, the last ever "mini" Golden Demon. From now on, GD competitions will only be held at WHFest and the open days, weekenders, etc. will host their own painting competitions. I'm in two minds about this. I understand the desire to re-establish the exclusivity of the Golden Demon and make it something special again, but I do wonder if that will mean the other painting competitions will be seen as not as worthy. I guess time will tell, and it remains to be seen what the format of the new competitions will be. Hopefully they will maintain some of the desirability of GD and still attract the "names" and the level of competition that comes with them.
As for myself, I was chuffed to bits to receive a finalist pin for my Ork Kommando. Having left it somewhat to the last minute (again...) and not being able to get quite the level of finish that I wanted due to running out of time, to get to the finalists was a hugely pleasant surprise.
So that's that. The next event for me will be Warhammer Fest in April/May, and I've got big plans for that one. I've already started work on my entries for it so, hopefully, it won't be such a mad rush to finish this time...
Yeah, right...
Okay, I'm away off, but I'll leave you with a piccie of my Ork Kommando with his pin. There'll be more pics of him on my Facebook page in the next couple of days.
Slainte!

A little bit of yellow, and a bit of amber...

Evening all!

A little while back I was approached by a chap called Anthony Mallett who is working on a pitch for a TransFormers tabletop game. He's hoping to be able to pick up an official licence from Hasbro and, to support his pitch, he's prepared some prototype miniatures and asked if I'd mind painting some of them up for him.
Well...
I've been a fan of TransFormers since they first arrived on the scene back in 1984 (when I was, at 11 years old, the perfect age to get hooked on the adventures of giant robots...) and have often wished for a tabletop game based on the franchise. Back in the distant past, whilst at the GW design studio, Richard Potter and I would dream of, one day, putting together a set of rules. Alas, this was just a dream that would never come to fruition. Anthony and his group, however, have pushed their version of the dream forward, and have got quite a long way down the path to a finished product. Whether it goes the distance and becomes a finished licensed product is down to their negotiating skill and the will of the Hasbro licencees but, when Anthony approached me, I couldn't refuse the opportunity to get involved right from the start.
So, a batch of metal prototype miniatures turned up and, while I'm still busy working through my backlog of commission projects that has built up during my personal upheavals of the past year, I just had to have a go.
So, here's the fruits of a few hours' labour (usually while waiting for other things to dry). Bumblebee is the smallest of the figures Anthony sent to me (30mm to the tips of his little horns), and the only one that is a single-piece casting. I'm told that these metal miniatures are test castings from the 3D print masters (or somesuch- it's all a little over my head...), and that the final miniatures will be moulded in plastic, with crisper detail. I think he looks pretty good as he is, and is certainly a pretty good representation of the original animation design.

(The base, in case you were wondering, is some textured plasticard and a bit of Zoid...)
More info about the progress of the game itself can be found on their Facebook page. I really hope it does well.

Next up, and back within my usual comfort zone, is one of the aforementioned backlog. This one is the Amber Wizard from Citadel, from pre-End Times Warhammer Empire. This was one of the early Finecast models and, as such, had a fair amount of gap-filling to be done, but the casting wasn't as bad as some of the horror stories I've heard of the material. I've stuck fairly closely to the original colour scheme on this one, the only addition being some slate to enhance the base. I wanted to lift him a bit and enhance his reaching-forward pose. I've got a few more of these old Empire (now Free Peoples in the Age of Sigmar) to do and I'm rather looking forward to them.

Right, that's it from me for now. I've got a big update on the Eldar Phantom Titan coming up very soon so be sure to check back for updates.

All the best,

Stuart

Behind these doors...

I'm back!
At last my enforced absence is over. As regular readers will know, my personal life has been somewhat chaotic of late and I've taken some time out to sort a lot of stuff out in the real world and to process stuff in my own head. I'm incredibly grateful of the help I've had from my family during this time. I hadn't realised what a strain thins had become until a lot of the weight had been lifted off me.
One of the more pressing physical issues I had was, with my dad going into a care home, was that I was going to lose my workshop (up until then located in the back of his garage.) The original plan for this eventuality had been to move into a shed, that had been bought for me a year and a half ago by my good friend Shiva, but I was worried that this wasn't going to be big enough so I began searching for alternatives.
As a few promising leads fell through it was increasingly becoming clear that adequate space was either not available or too expensive so the shed became my only option. If it meant some downsizing was in order, then so be it.
With the help of my brother David and nephew Michael (and some favourable weather), we got the shed built and fitted out and, after a brief but exciting adventure with expanding foam I was ready to move my stuff in. Now, I'm pretty good at making good use of small spaces but, with the floor area of the shed being roughly one third of my old workshop, I really did wonder if everything was going to fit.
I needn't have worried. With a few days of moving stuff, and a few more of shifting stuff around, and a few more still of final fineagling and fettling, it's all in! It's amazing what you can fit into 7'x6'...
It's snug but by no means cramped and everything is accessible, with plenty of space for me to work. And it's just at the bottom of the garden, so my penchant for working at odd times of the day are not going to be a problem.
I couldn't be happier but, again, I have to say how grateful I am to my family for helping me get this all set up.
So, here's the new home of Sublime Brushwork, in all it's aluminium glory...

She might not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid...

Magazines, books and boxes full of miniatures, the cursed hoard of any miniature painter...

The WIP shelves, both my own stuff and commissions I'm working on...

The desk, including homemade computer shelf! (I dun diy..!)

The obligatory workspace shot. The tidiest it will ever be...

So, there we are, I'm good to go and I can't wait to get back to work. You'll start seeing the fruits of my labours from what I am already referring to as The Hatcave (although I'm open to suggestions regarding the name...) pretty soon. 

Oh, and one final word of thanks to my wonderfully patient and understanding clients for putting up with my constant delays, particularly over the last few months. While I can't guarantee that I'm going to become Superpainter overnight, I'm really hoping (nay, confident) that my new situation is going to result in me being a better, more reliable and more efficient operator.

Cheers!