Thursday, April 12, 2012

Grey Knights: Converted Dreadnoughts Complete!

As of 3 am this past Sunday, the three Dreadnoughts in my Grey Knights force were completed. I was tired, and darn near falling asleep in my static grass as I put the finishing touches on, but they are done! I can honestly say that it was an interesting experience batch painting multiple Dreadnoughts at once.

Notice I said interesting, not fun, but interesting none-the-less.

 

Why not fun? Because I enjoy taking my time with this type of model, giving it the attention to detail it deserves. Batch painting them gave me a feeling like I was just painting another squad of marines, and not towering, entombed and ancient warriors of the 41st Millennium. Unfortunately, taking my time with these three was a luxury I couldn't afford with my current time frame. Yes, I know that's my fault, and mine alone, for putting them off for so long. What's done is done however, and while it may not have been as enjoyable as I had wished it to be, it was still a rewarding feeling to have them all done at the same time. I like the way they turned out, and will not be ashamed to field them on the table.

I followed the same formula for their main metallics as I did with their marine brethren, except for the highlighting of the armor. After the Badab Black wash, and before the 'bluing' of the armor, I gave them a drybrush with Boltgun, then a selective drybrush with Chainmail. Then came the thinned Asurmen Blue wash on the main armor plates. I also only 'blued' the armor, and not the mechanics or exhaust. This gave a nice, subtle contrast between the armor and the guts of the Dreadnought. The reds and "whites" were also treated the same in terms of color mix and formula, and I threw in a few gold and bronze accents for flavor.

As I finished with the weathering powders along the lower halves of the models, as well as the exhaust stacks, I noticed that I was weathering both the metallics and some reds and whites along the leg plates. I figured this would be an excellent opportunity to see just how different the powders would react on the two different painted surfaces.

Turns out my earlier theory on weathering powders having a harder time "bonding" to metallic paints may have some weight to it. The legs plates were weathered with the same amount of pigment, but compare the impact the powders still have on the white and red legplates versus the metallic ones. While I lost some pigment still on the white and red armor plates, it was no where near the amount I lost on the metallic ones. Definitely food for thought and it may warrant further experimentation on the subject.

I would love to go back in and do some detail work on the heraldic shields and shoulders, but only if time allows. And right now, time doesn't allow. Aside for that, let me know you think!

- Tim

 

11 comments:

  1. They are horrible, and you should just stop trying....

    But seriously, great stuff! I cannot wait to see the whole force together next week!

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    1. lol, thanks Josh :) I didn't sign up for any Seminars this time around, so I'm actually hoping to get quite a bit of open-gaming in this time around, and with this army no less :)

      Wait til you see the Paladins and Draigo when I get them finished this weekend!

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    3. Maybe you and I can get a game in on that Saturday now that I have dropped from the Fantasy event.

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    4. I don't see why not :) I've got Combat Patrol in the morning, then nothing after that.

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  2. I love the cannon layout on both these Cybots!

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    1. Glad you like them :) I was trying to go for something a little off-the-beaten-track.

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  3. Tim, you should be proud of these. I can certainly share the experience of painting well into the night to get something done for a game - you can always go back later and add a few extra details if you really want to after the game. But for now, you're done, in the game and with a great force which I'm sure looks just splendid on the table. Also, thanks for the heads up on weathering powders on metallics. It makes perfect sense, as the texture of acrylic metallics when dry always seems to be more smooth, slick even. Would matt varnishing the metallics, then applying the weathering powders, then fixing the weathering powders with a spray fixative help?

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    1. AridMonk made that suggestion in the comments of my last post on the Interceptors. Though, not with a paint-on varnish. That might help me get over the trepidation I have over the initial, light and far-back spray he was suggesting. Solid idea!

      Really glad to see you like them, Sydney, and thanks for the encouragement to go back later to add the small details I have to leave out for the moment. Sometimes I just don't go back, but with these I'd like to. :)

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  4. Wonderful work on the blending on that top sarcophagus. That really adds to the model.

    Well done Sir!
    Ron, FTW

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    1. High praise from you Ron, high praise indeed considering how much of your stuff I look at and go "I want to do THAT..." Really glad you like it, thank you! :)

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