Update

I have been absent for awhile because I hurt my back and have been unable to do much in terms of modeling. But I did manage to get some stuff painted before that happened though so I will just be posting some update photos of my Cryx army. No blood effects tutorial though unfortunately, that will be up after Christmas sometime. I have lots to discuss in the new year and will try to be more adamant about posting once the holidays slow down. Have a happy and safe whatever you celebrate!

All the minis shown are done being painted, but have not had the finishing touches added yet like battle damage, blood effects, barrel holes or scenic bases. All colors used are GW paints. I am more worried about getting everything painted first and then go back in to all the minis at one time and finish them off. This is how I go about preventing painters burn out. I like to have a few different projects on the go, so if I don't feel like doing a particular thing, I can just do something else that is still productive.

Bone Jacks:

I decided awhile ago I was going to go with a blue black scheme for Deneghra's battlegroup. I discovered really early on it is extremely difficult to wet blend black with any color. I tried a few different things before I found this combo. I tried layering the paint first and found it looked too blockey, you could see a clear separation between  the colors, so I tried just straight blending it. It looked too soft for my tastes so I started over and used a combination of techniques. I wet blended the bottom areas with black and blue a quarter of the way up, then let it dry. I then layered  regal blue, starting just above the line of transition, and once it was dry I applied blue wash to the whole area. This brought the blue down to a more even tone with the black, I then drybrushed the top or the armor plating with enchanted blue, and letting it softly tranition into the darker blue. I then applied another layer of blue wash to the top half, making sure only to cover the areas that are enchanted blue. I then did a small bit of straight blending at the very top where light would glint the sharpest.

This paint scheme ended up being more of a challenge than I thought it would be. But it was nice to fumble my way through, and figure it out (Even if it was frustrating). I am attempting something a little simpler for the Slayer Hell Jack. So far I have painted it with a base of blue and applied two layers of black wash to bring it down almost to a black, I might end up just doing the 6 step process I just described though, we'll see.

Skarlock Thrall:

 I had a hard time getting the pure white spectre flesh to look right. I painted the body three different times over before I got it to the point where I was.... we'll say pleased. Not entirely happy of rearing to show it off, just content and ready to move on. The green "ectoplasm" I tried to go for a "Slimer" from "Ghostbusters" feel. In person it looks a little more yellow green than in the pictures. I Started with a base of snot green and gave it a coat of green wash. I then layered and highlighted up the green spectrum until I reached scorpion green. For the final highlight I mixed 1:1:2 ratio of scorpion green, sunburst yellow, water and just applied it to the edges. I wish I had "Nec. Green" from Privateer press at the time but I did not. The Slayer has it on the vents and it really makes the green vents glow.

Pistol Wraith (Alt):

Pretty straight forward, Liked the way it turned out. It was a bit of a bitch painting it though because every time my finger touched the back plumes or the robes the paint would come off and I would have to re touch it, and re-touch it. So I suggest gut leaving the back plumes till the very end, just paint the top and sides of the robes.

Bile Thralls:

I had just used one mini for the tutorial and cut the pictures after the flesh was done. I only had 8 but have since gotten the other two for a full squad. I haven't completed them yet but here is the squad of 8.

Really happy with the way they turned out, they should look crazy with some blood effects.
So that's all I have finished painting for my army thus far. I am about half done the slayer, and the other two bile thralls so hopefully I can get started on the other unit and two solo's!

WM:Two Player box

 Got the Warmachine: Two Player Box set today, featuring the armies of Menoth and Khador. After cracking it open  I thought I would do an unboxing for the people who are unfamiliar with Warmachine, or are just curious to what the contents of the box are.The box set comes with two armies and everything you will need to start playing the game of Warmachine.The minis are unassembled and unpainted so there will be some standard modeling work to be done before you can actually start playing.

Inside the box is a tournament sized full color rulebook that has only the rules for the game. There are no back stories or fluff. This rulebook is similar to the rulebooks that come in the "Warhammer Starter Sets." There is also an introduction guide that familiarizes you with the contents of the box and a quick look at some of the other factions in the Iron Kingdom world. It also comes with a quick start rule leaflet that is also in the battle boxes you can buy for each faction. Set also includes four d6, a paper ruler, full color stat cards for each model included in the box, and of course the minis.

The models included for the Khador Faction are:

Kommander Sorscha

Juggernaut Heavy Warjack

Destroyer Heavy Warjack

and 5 Man-O-War Shocktroopers (Unit)

Menoth Army comes with:

High Exemplar Kreoss

Crusader Heavy Warjack

Vanquisher Heavy Warjack

Repenter Light Warjack

5 Exemplar Cinerators (Unit).

Once I get the stuff assembled I will post some pictures of everything. My first impressions are really good. Some of the resin pieces have bent and will be need to be straightened out in warm water, but this is to be expected. The rule book has a matte finish to the pages which make it kinda look like I printed it at home in full color from a high quality pdf. Other than that I am very pleased with the minimalist approach to packaging and the models look really good and clean. It looks like they may have been already cut off a sprue, I hope upon closer inspection I won't have to do too much gap filling, or have any poor cuts or gouges. Only time will tell.With that all said I would still recommend this box set to anyone interested in getting started in the game, or if you are an existing player looking to get into one of the two featured armies.

Until next time happy gaming!