Revelators Scout Squad

I’ve finished some more models for my own Space Marine chapter, the Revelators! This time, a squad of shotgun-wielding Scouts.

So yeah, they’ve been a relatively long time coming, and I’ve shown them unpainted a couple of times already. As the construction has already been discussed, I’ll focus on the painting in this post. I’m glad to say that painting the Scouts was for the most part an enjoyable process. It was also a bit different from my other recent projects: I tried to keep them consistent with my other Revelator models, which meant no weathering and less highlights than with, for example, my Astra Rodentia or Inquisition models.

This is not to say that I don’t like the look! I’d describe the look as vanilla-GW-tabletop, and the slightly cartoony look is neat if a bit uneventful. I did however try something new with these guys, as I try to do with every project: I did their cloaks in six-color desert camo, which is about my favorite camo design. Well, to be frank, it’s more of a four-color desert, as I simplified it for the miniature form, but I think it reads well for what it should be. Might try all six colours for the sniper Scouts when I eventually get there, as there’s more room in their cloaks..

A note on the color scheme as a whole: I’m really liking that my chosen armor color of gray and the desert basing scheme allowed me to create a somewhat sensible scheme for scouts. I was a bit worried about my standard accent colour yellow, but then I realised that as Scouts don’t use company colors, I had no issues! Yeah, there’s some gold, but there always has to be some bling in Warhammer.. All in all, I think they look like an effective bunch of commandos ready for some close-quarters action.

I’m entering these guys to Ann’s April hobby challenge along with the Ork Boyz. Turned out that April was a very productive month for me, as I managed to finish eight models! Can’t even remember the last time I was able to do that. Thanks for the extra boost of motivation Ann!

Uriah Jacobus, Protector of the Faith

I’ve finished another model for my fledgling Inquisition collection. A model that I’ve wanted ever since I saw it as a kid, the good old Uriah Jacobus.

I got the model at the same time as the chainsaw preacher, and from eBay as well. This was right after GW had pulled Jacobus from sale, so I rushed to eBay and managed to get him at an acceptable price, albeit of course more than what I could’ve bought him for a week before. The model was properly old though, as it came in an unopened 3rd edition era blister pack, which was pretty cool.

Even if the model is positively ancient, I think it has aged really well. There are some details that are a bit clumsy, such as all the skulls, the fur, and the comically large hands, but overall ol’ Jacobus still holds up. Of course, just the pose and the concept of a “shotgun preacher” are cool enough!

Painting the model was largely similar to the last preacher. I chose to go with the studio paint scheme with this model, as I wanted to see if I could replicate the awesome skull design on the banner. While it’s not as nice as the original (big surprise, right?), the important thing is that the proportions look good to me and I’m happy with the result. Two other things I practiced while painting this model were the hot coals on the banner top and the more refined hazard stripes on the chainsword. I’m very happy with how both of these things turned out. Especially with the stripes, I feel like I’m approaching a good amount of weathering, and not over-doing the chipping.

And finally, I managed to claim another bingo square with Jacobus, this time for using a technique I haven’t mastered yet. I mean, really I could claim it with any model as even my basecoating could surely be improved, but this one is for practicing freehanding.

Capitol Special Forces Trooper

“Capitol, fuck yeah!” -Team Capitol theme song

I wanted to do a quick project after the Devastator Squad, and thought that my one Warzone figure would be perfect for this. It’s either a Capitol Special Forces Trooper with M516D Shotgun (according to the Warzone rulebook), or a Light Infantry Captain #2 (Prince August).

Painting him was pretty fun, and as this was a single miniature, I could try out some techniques that I wouldn’t have tried with a whole squad. I painted a camo pattern on the clothes, chipping on the armor and a freehand shoulder pad design. I’m very happy with the chipping and the armor panels, but the camo pattern didn’t work out as nicely as I had envisioned. Part of the reason I think is the fact that the sculpt was completely flat (and weirdly blocky), so that washes didn’t really help. I also got to paint an industrial base, like on my upcoming Skaven. I’ll probably make some alterations for those, but this was good practice.

I thought about the paint scheme for a good while (the figure had been primed since last October!). I originally thought I’d go for an urban camo, but when I found PDF-copies of some Warzone rulebooks, I spotted the illustration below. The American flag design really caught my eye, and I decided to go for it. The camo pattern might not be the best fit for the base, but it’s not an impossible match. The trooper could be in some industrial complex in the middle of a jungle.

Image from Warzone – Dark Eden. © Target Games AB 1997.

So where did I get the figure? I think my little brother got it in a trade from his friend circa 2000, and it eventually ended up to me. The original model and what little paint it had left on it can be seen below. It was never as cool as 40k models, but I thought it would be neat to try to rescue it. After stripping the model, I noticed it had surprisingly many details, especially on the face. Not much, but more than I originally thought. The eye on this model was a bit weird: it was a literal bead, which made dotting it pretty easy, but painting the white was awkward. Finally, there was a small nub on its back, presumably to attach a big knife/sword, but as I didn’t have the accessory I filed it off.

Again, one square off the bingo card! I’m calling this guy a pre-painted model, as I don’t think I’m going to repaint any factory pre-painted models any time soon.. Also, he counts for Azazel’s Armoured April, as he’s got some frankly ridiculous shoulder pads!