Friday 26 June 2015

Naught but Dreads

Ever since the original Deredeo 'egg on legs' design got scrapped in favour of today's mobile coffin of choice, I have liked the Space Marine Dreadnought.




Big, boxy and aggressive, it really looks like what it's supposed to be - an undead Space Marine in Gundam armour. Those half-way-house Centurions just don't hack it for me at all. I'm very content to have finally painted a brace of them, they're proper icons of the Grimdark Future.



Joining the gradually swelling horde of the Crypt Angels is a double tag team of Dreadnoughts. Not only a pair of standard Space Marine ones (one of which is a Blood Angel Veteran originally, I think)...

The arms are not glued on, so you can swap the loadout as required.


Arm-oury


...but also a pair of Chaos Space Marine Hellbrutes. The Crypt Angels (I'm told) will use anything that gives them an edge in combat, regardless of its source or percentage chance of infuriating the nearest cell of inquisitors. So these two are going to be counting as whatever the army of the day requires in terms of two-legged stompers.






Chaos Eyes have been filed off and painted with Crypt Maws instead. Tricky - feels like they're going a bit World Eater, which I want to avoid. 

By the Power of Greyskull!

The blade has been pinched from another kit (Grey Knight Dreadknight, who in tern is pinching someone else's sword) and glued crudely but efficiently into the gaping mouth in the power fist's palm. I reckon it's retractable. If you're going to conceal a weapon, make it a massive one. 

Painting Guide:


  • Black - Gods, black is quite hard to paint right, isn't it? This is Chaos Black with Eshin Grey and Dawnstone layers, even a touch of Pallid Wychflesh here and there. If it got too bright, I slapped Nuln Oil over it to calm it down again. 
  • Red - Khorne Red with Nightshade Blue wash, then a little Blood Red and Wazdakka Red layering
  • Brass - Tinbitz with Runelord Brass
  • Metal - Leadbelcher, Nuln Oil, Mithril and Runefang silver layers
  • Scrolls - Ratskin Flesh with Pallid Wychflesh, Laundry Pen Black text
  • Gems - Deadly Nightshade, Teclis Blue and Etherium Blue with White Scar dots
  • Hellbrute Flesh - Eshin Grey with Nuln Oil, Dawnstone and a lot of Pallid Wychflesh for the one with the sword. Ratskin Flesh, Carroberg Crimson and Ungor Flesh for the other. 
  • Power Blades - Averland Sunset with banded layers of Golden Yellow, Bad Moons Yellow, Hexos Palesun and Hexos Palesun plus White Scar. The darker areas then got a bit of Agrax Earthshade for extra shadow. This is my first attempt at what seems to be the GW Standard way of power blades, and I'm not unhappy with it
  • Bases - Eshin Grey with Dawnstone drybrush and Nuln Oil. The edges of the bases will end up an earthy brown, but I'm out of XV88 and Steel Legion Drab at the moment, and they're the two I'd normally use. Black does work with the busted concrete vibe, mind you. 


Just to keep myself (and this blog) grounded in Fantasy, at least until Age of Sigmar comes out and Space Marines become The Empire, I have also painted this wolf this week.

I realise wolves are not actually fantastic animals. 

Don't bring me down.

5 comments:

  1. Not that the Dreads aren't worthy of comment, but what's the paint recipe for the wolf? It looks a lot more natural that my usual trick of slapping grey highlights on black.

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  2. Well, looking over wolves on the internet, I saw that they have quite a lot of brown in their fur. Bit like German Shepherds, really. So I copied a scheme from an actual wolf, basically, including doing the eyes with their 'raccoon mask' thing. I used Zendri Dust for the brown, I think, then Chaos Black for the back, with Tyrant Skull and Pallid Wychflesh highlights before a bit of White Scar to finish off the tail and flanks.

    The Dreadnoughts would look a lot better, obviously, if there were nature pictures I could copy.

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    Replies
    1. Lords of the Serengeti, the mighty Dreadnoughts roam in packs of one to three in search of prey. A typical dreadnought must consume five tons of antelope every week in order to power its ferocious power claw. Although seemingly impregnable, many of these proud creatures will not make it through the rainy season alive.

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    2. Although considered to be apex predators, fully-grown Dreadnaughts will still avoid confrontation with a honey badger...

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    3. Sadly, these gentle goliaths of the plains are on the decline. Local tribespeople believe their purity seals are an aphrodisiac, and hunt them mercilessly.

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