Great initiative while recovering! glad to see some nids on the forum. nice work!
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So I’m still excited about minis, but very much aware of my current limitations. I finally got to play some Kill Team over the weekend, and it was great! My Tyranids did very well, but more importantly I enjoyed the core game loop, which is a nice surprise.
To that end, I’ve pivoted my hobby gremlin urges into terrain:
Just a few barrels and crates from a 3d printer on eBay, glued to MDF bases I had lying around. I’m counting them as 4 models, they’re just going to get some spackle on the base and a coat of grey spray, maybe some black wash if I can gather the enthusiasm.
BATG score: +38
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The scenery run continues; picked up the sewer grate “Br1an” from Miniature Scenery:
Then I built it, somehow backwards:
It’s been very chilly but if the weather is acceptable then I’ll be taking to it with a can of spraypaint soon.
BATG score: +39
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I got some more scenery, all MDF:
- 7 shipping crates
- 11 barricades (actually 12, but one is broken)
- 3 “foundations”
- 4 sets of stairs
I have learned that MDF is very stinky and it has all been banished to the garage to offgas for a little while.
Also, still no spraycan weather, so no more progress on anything.
HALP.
EDIT: Progress pics!
I got a moment of warmth and decent humidity just before sunset and snuck out to do some undercoating.
Stinky MDF.
BATG score: +64
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I got some more stinky MDF:
2 radio masts, another foundation block and four sets of steps.
Also, for a painting challenge in the Aus Kill Team Discord I put together a space marine because I thought it would be funny to put heaps of effort into a tactical marine:
That is all.
EDIT: Oh no I’ve cracked a hundred already
BATG score: +67
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I think you’ll find that MDF in and of itself is not stinky, now… laser cut/burnt MDF is a whole 'nother business. ^^
It sounds like you’ll have a great table though, I’m quite envious! 
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I’ve been working on Brian the sewer drain for a week or so and I’m ready to call it finished:
I did some experiments with craft paint, which were mixed but got the job done.
Also a pair of Ferratonic Furnaces arrived in the post, so one step forward, two steps back!
I think I’ll try to get my barricades built and sprayed over the weekend, for some easy points.
BATG score: +68
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That transterranic gantry bit is a choice piece! Could really be chorfified just by covering that cybernetic eye with some fire.
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There are updates!
To fuel my sudden Kill Team addiction, I picked up the Nachmund box set. I’m calling this 20 models in the Kill Teams (which I’ll be moving on soon) and 14 models for the terrain - which is more of an average than anything else since it comes in bits and gets moved around.
I also undercoated a few models:
I think this is like 53 guardsmen and 11 barricades. Maybe I will feel strong and finish some of them.
ALSO ALSO:
This blue guy. He’s WIP for a painting competition in my local Kill Team Discord. We’re supposed to spend a month painting and honestly this only took like two hours to get to this point and I’m not sure how I’m going to drag it out.
ALSO ALSO ALSO:
I actually finished something! It’s a dreadful photo but these six Azyrite Ruin pieces are complete. Basecoat and two rounds of drybrushing is all it took.
So 34 added and 6 removed from the pile for today’s update, for a net change of +28. That will take me almost to +100, about the same place I was last year.
How do I feel about this?
BATG score: +96
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Today I finished up my 11 MDF barricades (they’re still a bit sticky but it’s been a week so clearly that’s not changing).
They’re a cheeky speed-paint, just dabbing some Ratling Grime along the bottom and a couple of rounds of drybrushing.
It’s not much but it’s honest work.
Furthermore, while I have a few things in the post I have decided to set myself a challenge:
No Model May
I shall not buy any new models during May. Hopefully I can paint a few things, but more importantly I’m going to spare my pile any expansion next month.
Let’s see how I go.
BATG score: +85
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Yeah, I’m convinced that MDF will be super easy to use and look great on the tabletop. I’ve decided on MDF terrain as my “foundation” pieces and will use plastic for more intricate pieces or centrepieces.
Today, a couple of things arrived in the post:
First, two pieces of terrain - a Sector Mechanicus Haemotropic Reactor for my Kill Team collection, and an Azyrite bell tower for fantasy/Sigmar. I won’t be counting these against No Mini May because I bought them last month, they’ll be the last miniatures I buy until June.
Item two was this awesome HeroQuest expansion, I didn’t have it growing up so I’m super excited to play it. Since I’ve decided that I’m not painting up any of my HeroQuest, it won’t count towards BATG at all. It’s just neat.
This? Oh, that’s not really relevant don’t worry about that.
In more mini news, I did a bunch of undercoating yesterday, putting spray on 20 more infantry:
Hopefully I’ll feel well enough to do some batch painting soon.
Finally, I’ve sold off the Kill Teams from KT Nachmund. Since I picked them up this year, I think there’s no dispute that they should be removed from the count. So that’s twenty I can cross off!
BATG score: +67
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Third picture is definitely the best!
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Okay, I am back with some updates!
I am still holding strong in No Mini May, and haven’t bought anything hobby related except this month’s White Dwarf and a pot of Spaceship Exterior from Army Painter (it’s nice).
I’ve been helped along by two things:
- I told my fiancée about this plan - she’s been asking me suspiciously what I’m up to whenever she’s seen me scrolling through Facebook marketplace
- Some friends invited me to play on their Valheim server, which has been awesome.
This has not amounted to being very productive on the painting front, though, and only in the last week or so have I gotten any painting done.
I have two Leman Russ battle tanks on the painting desk at the moment, and they’re currently done up to basecoats and awaiting some shading.
I’ve also finished two models!
The first is a test model for my Horus Heresy solar auxilia/militia:
I started with Grey undercoat, cover everything in Ratling Grime, and drybrush with Spaceship Exterior. The brown is Gore-Grunta Fur, the blue is Stormfiend followed by Talassar Blue. The pants were then painted in with Spaceship Exterior and washed with Soulblight Grey. Then I picked out some details in appropriate colours and painted the metals with Leadbelcher and a layer of Ratling Grime. Hopefully that will prove a scheme that I can reproduce many many times without tiring.
On the other end of the spectrum was the Ultramarine I had planned to enter into a local competition:
Sadly I missed the deadline by more than a week, but I wanted to finish him anyway.
After spending heaps of time on blending the blue, I decided I’d take it easier on the rest of the model and just get him done nicely but not competition quality - so no eyes or wet blending or anything. Actually, I mostly painted him without using a wet palette, just because I was feeling lazy.
He ended up being a 2nd-edition style Ultramarine because I’ve wanted to paint a Rogue Trader style Ultramarine unit for a little while, but kind of had a brain fart while building him and put together a model that really wouldn’t work in the old colour scheme. So, he next most retro option happened. I’m not sure if I’ll end up padding this guy out into a full kill team or do a through-the-ages series or just this one guy. We’ll see what bits I can be bothered gathering, but the blue is definitely nice to paint.
Anyhoo, that’s 2 in the completed pile after a pretty chill month. Hopefully I can find some time and energy to get more done soon, before I lose my self-control and buy more dudes!
BATG score: +65
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One thing is certain, I’ve memed myself into the quantum realm of confusion. I’ll never know what is a real mechadicus maximus name generator or not.
But hey, at least I’ve relegated myself to making fun of the names, as I can’t fault the terrain, those bits look so useful…
Congrats on picking up that rare expansion to Heroquest, “the shiny ring of ultimate sheen”
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I studied Latin so I often forget that GW’s names for things are super complicated.
I’m like “yeah, sure, blood rock power thingy in the industrial area. Makes sense!”
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It ain’t much, but it’s honest work:
One “Foundation” from Knights of Dice - who will sadly be closing soon because I have the touch of death.
Lots of drybrushing. I added some colour to the top because it seemed very plain, otherwise.
BATG Score: +64
I have succeeded at No Mini May!
As of today it has been 30 days since any new models arrived at my house.
I have rewarded myself with more models.
But they’re not here yet, and they’re not the reason I’m posting today.
Year of the Tank continues! I’ve completed 2 Leman Russ Battle Tanks for my imperial guard collection, and they’ll do double duty in Horus Heresy as well since they have no sponson weapons.
Proper lightbox pictures are forthcoming, my cat needed some attention before I could get things set up.
EDIT: Here they are:
It might be a little while before more tanks get done, sadly - it is looking to be a quite unpleasant winter which will make priming annoying. Hopefully I can find some good spraying days.
BATG score: +62
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I’m off to a decent start for June! Today I finished painting five more troopers for Horus Heresy:
While I waited for some of the wetter colours to dry, I also painted up a Cadian-come-Mordian according to Chris Peach’s tutorial:
I’m planning to paint up my Cadia Stands set in the scheme, with head swaps, just as something novel.
That’s six minis down for today!
BATG score: +56
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Two steps forward, one step back - a few models I wasn’t expecting yet arrived early:
Two Commissars that I ordered waaaay back when they were print on demand earlier this year.
And my Malcador battle tank and House Greim Minilatry Attaché (with bodyguard) that I ordered as my reward for completing No Mini May.
I’ve wanted all of these minis for ages - years, in a few cases, so I feel they’re justified.
As you can see, I tore open the Malcador and got started on cleanup immediately. Soon it will get to the painting table.
Soon…
Until then, that’s plus five on the count.
BATG score: +61
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