Election 2012: Games Workshop Edition

I've been sucked into the Privateer Press world lately, but I also have many, many Games Workshop models awaiting my attention.  In light of this revelation, I wanted to get a feel for what people thought was worth spending some time on.  I'm inclined toward Fantasy, but 40k could possibly grab my attention.

I would like not to play a flavor-of-the-month army, and I won't play Space Marines, simply because the effort of forcing myself to play mirror matches whenever I DID get out to play would quickly sap the fun from the hobby.

I've attached some past painting efforts for your perusal and ask that you weigh in, down in the comments section with what might look nice as a painted army.  One army that isn't displayed, since my test model is currently residing with my brother-in-law is Lizardmen.  Ultimately I'm gonna do whatever captures my imagination, but maybe you could push me in the right direction.  Anyway...

EDIT: The Rat Ogre is not finished (not even close).

Old-School

Older-School

Death!

REALLY Old-School

Fatty

Bruiser

Space Pirate!

Finished Warlock

I went back and revisited some issues that I had noticed on the warlock I used as my OSL testbed.  Those two problem locations were fixed last night, and the other details on the model were finalized.  I'm not sure it will come out in the images, but the metal is subtly "highlighted" so as not to be overbearing, like many of the metals in my projects.  I'll include the new images below.

I've also returned to the Doomwheel based on the feedback I received to my posting asking for input.  I am not quite 100% based yet, but the woodwork on the model is totally complete.  I will post a WIP pic tonight before quitting time (assuming my professional quitting time is reasonable).

I've also come to something of a conclusion on the Warmachine v. Hordes faction issue that I posted about.  I've decided that I like Circle stuff, but until the Hordes 2 Player Starter releases, I will begin with Warmachine.  I have read plenty of interesting stuff about the play-styles of the factions and believe that, while I have a deep love of Russian history (despite my German heritage), I can't abide an army who's play-style is described as "walk straight at the enemy and punch them in the face"; it sounds flat and uninspiring to me.  I've read plenty that I like about Menoth building synergy and denying enemy abilities, as well as Cryx having a wide array of ways to "peel the onion".  This is coming down to a knock-down, drag-out thing here, but I'm close.  I just need a nudge in the right direction...

Anyway, skaven pics:

The blue is less pronounced in person...

This shows the sleeve I fixed last night...

...and the other sleeve.

Where next?!

So I'm in need of some inspiration on where to go next.  My problem, possibly familiar to other painters of skaven, is that the sheer number of models needed, and the profusion of awesomely sculpted minis in the army make choosing a direction for the next painting iteration difficult.

What I already have fully painted is something like this:

Warlord
Warlock,
Plague Monk,
25 clanrats with spears,
20 slaves,
15 giants rats,
10 plague monks,
1 beastmaster (or whatever the skaven one is called).

What I've got partly painted looks like this:

1 Poisoned wind mortar,
1 doomwheel,
3 rat ogres.

What I've got in need of building or still in the grey:

1 Hell Pit abomination
1 Warp fire thrower
1 War lightning cannon
A bunch of Isle of Blood rats,
A bunch of mod'ed skavenslaves (courtesy of Turiya64)

I always like to build/paint toward playing, and that argues for the rat ogres and mortar being finished.  In addition, the doomwheel could be finished, but I think I need to disassemble that a bit in order to hit the painting standard that I like to use for my models, and it's kinda broken in the points level of the game that I can enter right now, so that's possibly getting a lower priority.  The cannon looks appealing, but that's the single least built model in my collection (NIB currently).  Thoughts?!

Edit:

I've gone and started the process of breaking down the Doomwheel into more readily paint-able parts.   I had fully assembled the model back in the day, to get it playable, and it has been primed and based, but painting the driver and the rats inside the rims of the wheel would have been impossible with the side-mounted warpstone "arms".  I'll be making good progress on the model this evening, and the whole thing will be posted up in the next few days.

OSL Adventure

So I piddled around on Battlefield 3 tonight (PC gaming is my single greatest vice) and wasted precious time I could've spent on my warlock.  Knowing this made me guilty, so I set to work on my OSL version of the Isle of Blood skaven warlock.  I took a few pictures of the proceedings, so I'll attach them for your perusal and judgment.

The end result is somewhere between satisfactory and pleasing for me.  I could possibly have spent more time blending, but a more important observation was that, as the time drew on, I paid less attention to moving the highlights back toward the light.  I think it's pretty telling in the final product, but for future efforts with OSL, which I believe there will be many of, I will have noted this point.  At any rate, here are the painting sequence pics:

 

And here are the pics with OSL "done".  Feel free to let me know what weaknesses and places for improvement you see.

 

OSL mockup

I wanted to start doing something just a little more unique with my skaven characters to help them stand out and since there's such a profusion of warpstone on their models, I think it only stands to reason that I should try my hand at OSL.

I'm no professional-level painter (neither are most who claim to be, but that's a whole different matter), but I think I'm at the stage where I can try my hand at OSL.  The engineer in me demands that I prototype things, so I've gone and mocked up what I think the warlock will look like when all painted up.  I'll use this as a guide tonight when I start getting down to business on him.

Comments or suggestions are welcome.

Bouncin' Around

I'm feeling compelled to give some new models a look recently, so I've done a few things over the last day or so since the last post to justify further "investment" in the hobby.  I was recently looking at the new GW paint line and purchased a few of the paints from the "Paint Guides" page.  I gave my ogre from the last post a little further highlighting with "Eldar Flesh" which kinda helped to "pop" the musculature just a little more.  I'll have to re-post after I give him the final details I was considering.

I also did up a skaven warlock's flesh with the "Flesh" colors shown on that page.  The result is below:

He's not much to look at just yet, but soon enough...  I've got an idea to try something a little different with him, so tomorrow night I'll paint the remainder of the details, and then I'm going to venture into uncharted waters, all of which will be detailed here, for your amusement.

The Ol' Bait and Switch

So I know I said I'd be bringing you some Dark Eldar in the very near future, but I decided to pull a fast one and instead I present to you an Ogre Kingdoms Ogre (Formerly Bull, which I much preferred).

I am still trying to settle on some scheme details, but I think I like the high contrast flesh scheme seeing as the models have such accentuated musculature.  I think I may yet add some tattoos of the maw, as well as the bloodied fist so commonly seen in the ogres from the rulebook, but all in all, a decent go at it.  It should be mentioned that I had just finished doing the base drybrushing and it seems a bit glossy in the pics.  Also, I am experimenting with the best way to represent snow on the bases of my models, but when I settle on a decent, well-wearing way to do snow, I'll be finishing the bases and re-posting as a unit.  I've got to model the standard bearer for the unit still, but that might be a decent little post in and of itself.

I will need to build myself a nice little light box for shooting some pics of these models in the future as I get this blog moving, but I think this will suffice.

Farewell for now!