I Don't Have a Problem

1. I have felt the need to Cut down on my painting
2. People have Annoyed me by criticizing my painting
3. I have felt Guilty about painting
4. I have to paint at least one Eye-opening squad before breakfast to steady my nerves

But I'd still deny there's anything wrong with me.

As my model count breaks ninety this month, I'm officially eating my Painters Anonymous chips. To round off the month as I started, some Spocks - Scorpions and Reapers.

Reapers are heavy weapon experts. In the fluff, they have big triangular earpieces on their helmets containing special tracking systems. Leofa's conversions do away with these ridiculous flaps, and it's all to the good.

I've kept to a fairly traditional look here, black and bone, in keeping with their grim reaper vibe. The helmets take a skull motif pretty well, and red gems give it the flair. The guns are so studded I was tempted to skip the addition of a shoulder gem, but then I thought they'd feel all left out, and chose purple for a second spot of colour. As always, the costume jewelry is a lot better than my lighting effects.

Painting Guide: -

• Undercoat - Black
• Armour - Eshin Grey drybrush, then very watery Ulthuan Grey highlights done carefully and slowly
• Bone - XV88 with Ushabti Bone layering, then a highlight of Pallid Wych Flesh
• Silver - Leadbelcher with Stormhost Silver layer
• Gems - Khorne Red, Wild Rider Red, White Scar dot

Striking Scorpions have my favourite Grimdark wargear name of all time, their Mandiblasters. Again eschewing the fluff, Leofa's have mini plasma cannons on their shoulders, a la Predator.

The paint scheme isn't far from that particular xeno either, although it's actually based on a terrestrial scorpion. They usually roll in green and yellow, so their weapons and gems provide those spot colours so they aren't too drab. Gloss varnish to finish, because I'm out of shellac.

Painting Guide: -

• Undercoat - Black
• Armour - Layers of Rhinox Hide, Scrag Brown and Deathclaw Brown, then 'Ardcoat finish
• Weapons - Orchide Flesh, Forest Green layer and Niblet Green drybrush
• Plasmacaster - Temple Guard Blue, White Scar
• Gems - Yellow gems are really hard to paint, I never feel happy with the results. This attempt is Abaddon Black, Zamesi Desert and Bad Moons Yellow (White Scar dot) and is a mild improvement on my last batch

Unusually for me, neither of these squads has had any washes. Hard to go down from Black, I think, although I know Saint Duncan backs it. They took four evenings total, which felt very fast. Either I'm really in the zone at the moment or washing is more time consuming that I thought.

Three squads and heroes to go, then the Spocks are done!