I’ve spent a lot of this weekend staring at various online shops and thinking about buying more models.
Then I remembered I’m trying to pay off my wedding and save some money so, in the dying hours of Sunday I painted three guardsmen models instead:
Sorry about the shocking picture, I’m still dialling-in photos on the new phone!
There’s nothing special about these guys, they’re just in the rogue trader tribute scheme I figured out last year.
Three off the pile.
BATG Score: -24
Over the course of a few evenings this week, I’ve painted the last four Ironguts for my Ogor Mawtribes:
I had to do a little reverse engineering to get the paint scheme right. I figured out the pants (Flesh Tearers Red with Basilicanum Grey over the top), but was unable to replicate the rusty steel from the first four. I suspect my original recipe was overengineered anyway, the new guys look fine and the difference is less than I care to notice.
Here’s the full unit of eight:
They look pretty meaty! You can barely tell they were painted almost two years apart (!).
With that, I have 1010 points of Ogors painted (thanks Dataslate) and I only have the Mawpot left to paint. That will probably have to wait a while: I’m really not confident about my storage arrangements for terrain at the moment; I want to spray prime and the weather is not being cooperative; and I want to varnish it, which is a process I’m completely unfamiliar with so will want to practice in ideal conditions.
Anyway, 4 off the pile and a unit completed.
BATG Score: -28
I’ve been reviewing my old Cadians and they’re almost complete, but I was missing a heavy weapon team.
So, I got a heavy weapon team. Just 52 old Cadians left to paint.
2 on the pile.
BATG Score: -26
Today I boxed up some stuff and put it in the post.
First is all the rest of the historical models I picked up for Turnip28 a couple of years ago. I’m done with the game for now and I can pass them on to a friend who wants to get into the game, so this is a win-win.
This little box has 50 models in it! 32 Napoleonic soldiers and 18 Agincourt men-at-arms, off to a new home.
The rest is the on-sprue Cawdor models I got for my Cities of Sigmar project, which is dead in the water now because of the recent changes to the model line. The project stalled so hard the units I wanted them to represent got discontinued.
This is 13 models - 10 Cawdor gangers, 3 Redemptionists and a pair of upgrade sprues. All the sprues are basically untouched. Beautiful models all, but I just have no use for them - and I do have the leftovers from the other sprues, if it comes to it.
These won’t count towards the BATG score, but they do help bringing my overall backlog down.
63 off for Shame Golf.
Meanwhile, the hobby table is very busy with various Astra Militarum stuff:
Send help.
I gave myself a treat today:
A Van Saar gang from Necromunda, and an upgrade sprue for some extra weapon options and arms. I plan to use them as Catachans in 40K and as Reconnaissance Squads for Horus Heresy,
]And I had decided in advance that I wanted to have these guys built the day I got them, try and recreate the old magic of tearing off the shrink wrap and building the new models immediately, just like when I was a kid (with more time and less concern about ventilation).
Hopefully I’ll get a free moment this week to prime them. I’m planning a super simple paint job for them - as stealthy sneaky guys - so that should translate to a quick turnaround on the painting table.
10 on the pile.
BATG Score: -16
The Van Saar scouts are painted!
These guys will serve as Catachans in 40k (note the flamers) and as Reconnaissance squads in 30k Militia. I wanted them to feel grungy and stealthy, to suit those roles.
I used my paint palette for the rest of the Heresy Militia for these guys, only leaving out the sky blue I occasionally use on lenses and plasma coils:
They were so simple that I was able to do almost everything on the couch in front of the TV with my wife. I only had to stop when it got dark, and came back to do the metals, final wash and basing at my hobby desk.
If only everything was so easy!
10 off the pile.
BATG Score: -26
I decided to try out brush-on primer, and it turns out that Ammo By MIG stinks to high heaven. So, I took the models outside and attacked them with a spray can just to cover up the smell.
At that point, I figured I might as well just paint the affected models.
Four grenadiers for my Horus Heresy Militia, mostly done from the couch.
Also one Cadian I mostly finished a while ago, who was waiting for the final wash:
I have five more of those on the painting desk at the moment, but they reward care when painting them so I haven’t taken them to the couch. They are a desk job.
Five off the pile.
BATG Score: -31
It seems like it’s time for my annual flirtation with a terrain project.
I’m getting excited about actually playing Horus Heresy, so I’ve been staring at terrain for Zone Mortalis for about a fortnight.
After much back and forth (and some self-reflection about the pile of stinky unassembled MDF in my cupboard) I decided to go with GW’s absurdly-priced official terrain.
I don’t have a 3d printer and I don’t have a good place to put one; buying 3d printed terrain is absurdly costed, and… yeah, MDF is stinky. So, I went with plastic.
This box is big, but only contains 6 walls 4 walls and 5 doors, so I’ll need at least 2 and probably 3 boxes altogether. But, that’s for later - as mentioned in my goals I’m hoping not to go too absurd with purchases.
I’ve just realised I need more Genestealer Neophytes…
15 on the pile.
BATG Score: -16
A little bit more painting done since the mail arrived:
Two more Militia Grenadiers and a Militia Commander!
With them done, I have finished a third squad of these guys! The commander has a command squad too, but they’re going to be finicky so I decided not to do them yet.
Three off the pile.
BATG Score: -19
For some reason, three models at a time seems to be my jam at the moment.
Militia officer, plasma gun and standard painted:
With that, I’ve got a very playable 1000 points of militia painted!
Commissars and Sentinel borrowed from my 40K collection, but fully-painted is fully-painted.
I’ve really gotta sort the Photo Booth out.
Three off the pile.
BATG Score: -22
It’s been A Bit Of A Week with some family stuff going on, but nonetheless I’ve scratched out the time to assemble and prime my Zone Mortalis terrain (there’s more on the way, too…).
Today I had a crack at painting a couple of the columns, just to see how they turned out:
I’ve done nothing particularly special with them, since it’s a lot of bother to set up the airbrush just at the moment I’ve decided to go full brush on them. That will take longer, of course, but it means Incan just work on a few pieces whenever I have the time.
Inspired by State of Play’s series on Zone Mortalis terrain, I’ve gone with:
As I say, pretty simple stuff.
Two off the pile.
BATG Score: -24
My second Zone Mortalis set arrived:
I will have to be careful and at least paint the other set entirely before picking up another box, otherwise I’m going to squeak over into the positives and maybe run out of momentum.
Cross your fingers for me!
Fifteen onto the pile.
BATG Score: -9
I am sick at the moment - not badly but I have so much cotton in my brain that I can’t think straight enough to focus on work. So, this afternoon I finished the rest of my first pack of Zone Mortalis walls & doors:
Four more columns, five walls, and four doors, altogether. I found some craft paint in the garage and used it for the base coat - rather than burn all my expensive Rhinox Hide on scenery, I opted to mix an equivalent from the tubes and use that instead.
Altogether a pretty quick and delightful experience.
Thirteen off the pile.
BATG Score: -22
My terrain enthusiasm hasn’t faded yet, but I’m looking to supplement my growing Zone Mortalis with some “budget-friendly” pipes:
I’ve got a couple more of these packs coming, too.
Since I intend to chop-and-change them a little to better interact with the Zone Mortalis terrain, but I also don’t want to over complicate things, I’m going to say these are 4 models per set of pipes: the three long lengths and the terminal. All the corners and the adapters won’t count either as models in or out of the pile. Mainly, I think counting all the little bits and bobs would be artificially inflating my painted model count when it comes time.
BATG Score: -18
Sorry for the lack of updates but the last few weeks have been pretty hard. Family members unwell, a funeral, some legal stuff to sort out.
I have indulged in some retail therapy:
Sadly this will bring me into the positives and it looks like I’ll stay there a little while because the weather is astonishingly hostile to priming at the moment.
24 onto the pile.
BATG Score: +14
Uh… it’s going to be a bit of a blowout this month.
I’ve picked up some OOP imperial guard models to spruce up for my Heresy force: 3 Elysian Sentinels and 3 Rapier Laser Destoyers.
I’m not confident about their provenance, so I’ll leave the pictures out so as not to risk the forum getting in trouble.
There’s also some more stuff coming, because - well - it’s cold and I need the dopamine hit. Hopefully I should be able to get back in the positives in the next couple of months.
6 onto the pile.
BATG Score: +20
Today in the mail I received an Aeldari Spiritseer:
I’ve been flirting on and off with the idea of collecting a small force of Eldar Wraithguard since just before 40k 10th edition was released - and I put it off because I didn’t want to seem like a bandwagoner when they were unbeatable.
This week, for whatever reason, the instinct became irrepressible and I ordered this model and a unit of Wraithguard, fast-tracked to try and get them before I fly interstate on holiday next week (?!).
And, uh… I painted it:
I had to stay online late for work so while I waited for my boss to do his thing I brush-primed the Spiritseer, spent a while faffing around with a value sketch to get the hang of the model (I.e. lots of drybrushing) and then slapped on the colours using mostly Army Painter speedpaints.
The blue is AP Raging Ocean, the black is AP Grim Black, the brown is AP Hardened Leather and the white is AP Spaceship Exterior. The burgundy colour is GW Volupus Pink.
There’s some highlights on top of that, but the paint is doing most of the work on most of the model.
The colour scheme is for the craftworld “Iybraesil” which autocorrect keeps trying to change.
It’s the first time in a long time that I’ve built & painted a model the same day I bought it, and much much longer since I’ve painted an Eldar model! Someone should have reminded me how fiddly they are! I broke the sash at least twice.
Still, it’s a dope model and I’m happy with the paint job. I considered switching up the base style for it, but after a few experiments I decided to stick with what works.
1 on the pile… 1 off the pile!
BATG Score: +20
Today the second part of my Aeldari folly arrived:
Five Wraith constructs, which will be built as Wraithblades.
I’ve really blown out my score this month, with some pretty big purchases and not much painting. However, I have the second Zone Mortalis set built and ready to prime once I return from holiday, and some guardsmen on the painting table to build up momentum.
Between those, I should be able to stay roughly where I am even though I have a set of the ruined Zone Mortalis on preorder. As long as I can get those built and have a day of good priming weather, I think I can get back below zero by September. If the weather continues to be damp and cold, though, I might not get back into the green 
Five onto the pile, to cap off a pretty absurd July.
BATG Score: +25
The madness continues!
I’ve been feeling a bit demotivated and am resorting to giving myself little treats to perk up.
As such, I was obviously going to preorder the new Ruined Zone Mortalis stuff:
This kit looks like it will interweave in some really awesome ways with the non-ruined Zone Mortalis kit, so the instant I can find more of them I’ll be adding to my pile.
I also grabbed these little guys because they’re cool and, if I ever actually play a game, I’ll want objectives!
Seventeen onto the pile. Ouch. I’m hoping and praying for a good weather day that will let me prime just a whole heap of stuff that I can speed paint. I might have to scour the pile for some undercoated stuff that I can blitz through.
Alas, these were preorders so they count as extra in the Shame Golf count, too.
BATG Score: +42
