New Army Blog -- Mostly 3rd Edition Figs

Want to get advice on paints and colours? Want to brag about your models? Come here, my friend...

Moderator: Council of Elders

Jimmytrout
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 51
Joined: 20 Aug 2005, 00:09

New Army Blog -- Mostly 3rd Edition Figs

Post by Jimmytrout »

Hi everyone. I started a blog detailing the creation of my Wood Elf army over at Bugman's Brewery (because by day I masquarade as a Dwarf player), but it only seemed right to put it up in it's proper place. I started posting it over at Machiara's Battle Glade, but there doesn't seem to have been a post in their painting/modelling forum for over a week. So I'm bringing it here. What a long, strange trip. <_<

I've been lurking here for a long time, but I don't think I've ever posted anything. That's mostly because while I've had my WEs for a long, long time, I've never gotten around to painting them. But I love seeing what other people do with such great material.

My other armies are Dogs of War and Dwarves. The Dwarves have been my main army since I started playing as a 14-year-old, back in 1988, the good ol' days of 3rd Edition. I've remained in love with the 3rd Edition figures -- Dwarves and Wood Elves -- because of their uniqueness and individuality.

Over at the Bugman's Brewery, there's been a lot of talk about dipping as a credible way to quickly paint an army. It seems like dipping is all over the various painting forums these days. So I decided that I would give it a try. My Dwarf army is going to remain my traditionally painted army ... but I don't have time to paint two or more armies the way I'm used to, mostly because I'm really slow.

So, I'm going to be documenting my process of creating an army in a quick and mercenary fashion. . This is an experiment. From what I've seen of different people's dipped figs, I think the end result can be really high quality ... certainly tabletop quality, certainly higher quuality than can be achieved by me in equal time. But then, I'm a slow painter, and I only paint sporadically.

Most of my Wood Elves are 3rd Edition. The 5th Ed. WEs are pretty pants, IMO. And while the new ones are nice, for the most part, I prefer the old ones for two reasons: 1) I like metal, and 2) I hate having the exact same army as everyone else.

Because of the figures I have, I'm imagining a somewhat wacky army that will have something like 3 units of 10 archers, 3 units of 10 wardancers, 3 units of 10 dryads and a couple auxillary units, perhaps warhawks, probably a unit of glade riders. I have a conversion in mind for an Alter Noble. Very mobile.

I don't know how strong the army composition will be, but I don't really care too much ... it sounds fun and fast and, most importantly, uses what I have. I'm not too worried about winning. I'll add to it in time. :)

Okay, that's it for now. That sets up the project. I'll try to get stuff to you fairly quickly.

Thanks for reading!

Jimmytrout

Next step: Color Decisions!
Jimmytrout
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 51
Joined: 20 Aug 2005, 00:09

Post by Jimmytrout »

Step One: Choosing Colors

Wood elves are a little easier than dwarves in this sense, because they tend to have a pretty well-defined color palette. I wouldn't mind seeing someone throw that palette to the wind and have purple and blue wood elves, but unfortunately that person isn't going to be me. :) The current GW standard of painting is a h*ll of a lot better than the 5th Ed. "Red Period," but I don't love the way they've painted the WEs. It's okay but not terribly striking, IMHO.

There are two considerations as far as color goes:

1) Choosing colors I like
2) Choosing colors that will interact well with the dip. The dip is brown, so it's important to choose colors that will be reinforced by brown shadows. Luckily, this will be easy enough to do with WEs because they have a very earthy palette.

I didn't want to do a predominantly green scheme. That's been done to death. Luckily, I stumbled across some elves painted by Jakob Rune Nielson that totally caught my attention:

http://www.jrn-works.dk/gallery/mini.ph ... el=Scarloc]http://www.jrn-works.dk/gallery/mini.ph ... el=Scarloc
http://www.jrn-works.dk/gallery/mini.ph ... deGuardian]http://www.jrn-works.dk/gallery/mini.ph ... deGuardian
http://www.jrn-works.dk/gallery/mini.ph ... el=Archers]http://www.jrn-works.dk/gallery/mini.ph ... el=Archers

I love the rich grey—almost like clay—and the gold together. So that's what I'm going to work off of. Dark grey is going to be my dominant color. Original I was thinking that an olive-green would be my main secondary color, but when I did a test model of that I wasn't satisfied. So I'm using a lighter grey as my main secondary color, w/ green reserved for highlights (like scabards, gems, feathers on arrows). Boots and other leather will be brown (probably Bestial Brown), and most metal will be bronze. Originally I was going to use gold, but it gets washed out by the dip, and bronze shows up better.

So here's what the palette looks like, essentially:

Image

The orange at the end represents the bronze.

So here are some of the test models:

With these guys I'm beginning to figure out the palette. Gold was too light and I didn't love the green pants (the first trial was the left-most guy, and with the rest I got rid of the green pants and used Dwarf Bronze instead of gold). Otherwise, I'm pretty happy. This was a really fast trial ... it took me an hour or two, right before I was going out for the night.

For the record, I use Minwax Polyshades Antique Walnut Stain. I've just quickly basecoated all the figures, dipped them and vigorously shaken them until no more dip is coming off, let them dry, base, and then matte seal them.

Image

Here are the before shots, for those of you interested in dipping:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/ ... 0072_1.jpg

Alright, that's all for now.

cheers,

j
Last edited by Jimmytrout on 26 Jun 2006, 06:24, edited 1 time in total.
Heldrak
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 53
Joined: 15 Aug 2005, 02:42

Post by Heldrak »

Looking good! (apart from the guy with the stubby miscast bow... tutut_bad ). Can we see some tighter close-up shots so we can get a better look at the details and the bases?

I'm a big fan of the old Celtic-themed Jes Goodwin sculpts myself. My original intention was to mix and match some older and newer figures, but the scale creep in GW miniatures over the years makes it imparactical, as well as the very specific unified visual theme of the new models. Fortunately this isn't an issue with the 3rd edition Elf figures and the 5th edition metal dryads, as the Dryads are supposed to be larger anyway.

Have you considered what your character choices will be and what models you'll use to represent them?

P.S. I've got a fairly large supply of spare 3rd edition Elf models, so if you need a specific figure I may be able to help you out if you want to pm me.
Jimmytrout
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 51
Joined: 20 Aug 2005, 00:09

Post by Jimmytrout »

A couple of these posts are going to be a little rapid-fire, as I'm trying to catch up with my Bugman's thread. Yesterday and today I've been busy painting up a unit of 10 Wardancers, 3 command figs for my first archer unit, and my Alter Noble. It's been fun, even though a bunch of basecoating is pretty tedious.

I've decided that 5 is the optimal number of figures to work on at once. Enough to be efficient, but you finish figures frequently enough for it to be exciting.

So here is the almost completed archer unit. I need 2 more archers ... or 3, I suppose, since I doubt I will often be using a standard a unit like this.

Before:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/ ... G_1398.jpg

After:

Image

In unit:

Image

I should have the Wardancers this evening. I'm almost done basing them. I'm getting a little more creative with their basing, so it's taking a little bit of time. But it's really fun and I like the result.

cheers,

j
Jimmytrout
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 51
Joined: 20 Aug 2005, 00:09

Post by Jimmytrout »

@Heldrak

Thanks! I know, I know ... the stubby bow is a bummer. It's because of that bow that I chose him as a test case, but he came out well enough that I don't want to abandon him! :S I'll work on getting some closer shots.

As far as characters, I'm making an Alter Noble/Lord out of an old hunting dog and a Wardancer. My greenstuff work needs some more practice, but he turned out okay. I'll put up some pics soon.

I also plan to use Captain 02 and Champion 06 from the old Jes Goodwin command groups ( http://solegends.com/citcat88/0404elves.jpg ). I have a number of old sorcerers, but I might make some spellsingers out of old animal handlers (same page).
Jimmytrout
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 51
Joined: 20 Aug 2005, 00:09

Post by Jimmytrout »

Alter Hero (WIP):

Image
Isir
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 34
Joined: 08 Feb 2006, 13:36
Location: Budapest, Hungary

Post by Isir »

Wow!

A half-elf? Very smart idea, unusual, but smart.
Where the bottom half of the body came from? Is a cat or dog?
Kyte
Horsemaster
Horsemaster
Posts: 487
Joined: 05 Jan 2006, 22:09
Armies I play: Chaos, Chaos Dwarfs, Wood elves, Beastmen, Ogre Kingdoms
Location: Køge, Denmark

Post by Kyte »

now that's something ^_^ Keep it up! It's the best dipping I've ever seen.
Jimmytrout
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 51
Joined: 20 Aug 2005, 00:09

Post by Jimmytrout »

Thanks!

The legs are from the old warhound, from the animal handlers.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/ ... /Elves.jpg

http://solegends.com/citcat88/0404elves.jpg

But here's a demonstration of the dangers of dipping:

Before

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/ ... G_1399.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/ ... G_1400.jpg

After

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/ ... G_1403.jpg

That's the problem with shaking vigorously when the mini is only attached by one thin leg (I made the mistake of cutting off the piece that attaches the second leg to the base tab ... OOPS!). I've performed surgery and put a metal rod in his leg, but he still needs some cosmetic touchup.
Thanathos
Bladesinger
Bladesinger
Posts: 511
Joined: 27 Feb 2006, 15:43
Armies I play: Wood Elves, Tomb Kings, Tau
Location: The Lost Woods

Post by Thanathos »

Those are really looking pretty good, but i'm not a great fan of dipping. I think it takes the fun out of painting, and that's a primary part of this hobby IMHO.


Keep up the good work !


Thanathos
Kragg the Dragon Lord on druchii.net
Wyvern Lord on da-warpath.com
Tal'Rasha on khemri.co.uk

+++ Team Mulligans +++
Jimmytrout
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 51
Joined: 20 Aug 2005, 00:09

Post by Jimmytrout »

@Thanatos: I agree partially. Like you, I love traditional painting, which is why I would only do this with a second army. So I'm doing my Dwarves old school, and my Elves dipped. I'm using my Dwarves to develop more advanced techniques like blending and glazing. That said, I've been having a blast with this army. The results are better than I expected, and so I'm really getting joy out of quickly having a finished, decent product. Plus, I'm investing myself more in bases than I used to do, and I'm going to convert a larger portion of the army. With this method I think I could have an army painted in a month or two. I've been working on my Dwarves since '88. :) Well, there was a decade or so in there when I didn't touch them, but still (I wish I'd been developing my skills for 20 years!).

(Here's a small sample of some other, traditional stuff I've done: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v207/ ... 0Examples/ )

cheers,

j
Jimmytrout
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 51
Joined: 20 Aug 2005, 00:09

Post by Jimmytrout »

Update 6/26/06 -- Wardancers:

Image

Note: the movement tray is an old one for my Dwarves ... that's why the greens don't mesh. ;)

More pictures:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/Jim...rs/IMG_1414.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/Jim...rs/IMG_1415.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/Jim...rs/IMG_1417.jpg

And a shot of all the finished stuff to date:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/Jim...rs/IMG_1418.jpg

cheers,

j
Jimmytrout
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 51
Joined: 20 Aug 2005, 00:09

Post by Jimmytrout »

After surgery:

Image

So I just drilled (carefully) up into the leg bit, and then all the way through the foot bit, and put the metal rod through it all. I think it should be pretty strong. Stronger than the original. :)

Image
Image
theharlequinsid
Trusted Bowman
Trusted Bowman
Posts: 202
Joined: 21 Feb 2006, 18:16

Post by theharlequinsid »

Like the concept but the body is really long... kinda like, stretchy torso...
Jimmytrout
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 51
Joined: 20 Aug 2005, 00:09

Post by Jimmytrout »

I agree. He's a little long in the middle ... it was hard to shorten it more with where I had to cut the original figures. :( I hope it won't be too noticable on the table.

cheers,

j
Jimmytrout
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 51
Joined: 20 Aug 2005, 00:09

Post by Jimmytrout »

Update: Alter Hero, mostly finished (he falls over, so I need to weight down the base ... and I might put some more stuff on the base, a twig or some tall grass ... and I'm going to add a few things painting-wise to the fig).

Image
Image

cheers,

j
Jimmytrout
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 51
Joined: 20 Aug 2005, 00:09

Post by Jimmytrout »

Update: Two conversion prototypes — Dryads and Wild Riders

I don't have any GS done on these. They're just the barest of prototypes. The dryad is a mixture of DE witch elf, 5th Ed. dryad arm and new dryad arm. I need to use some GS to cover up some of the DE stuff and add some WE-looking stuff.

Image
Image

I can't decide whether to add the branch to the back or not. Here's a picture without:

Image

The Wild Rider is 3rd Ed. centaur body and 3rd Ed. wardancer body. Of course, I have to smooth the transition between them.

Image
Image

cheers,

j
Dori
Shadow Sentinel
Shadow Sentinel
Posts: 2023
Joined: 30 Jul 2005, 20:39
Location: In the dark and mildly active crypt that some people call the Battle Report Section
Contact:

Post by Dori »

Hi! I read your topic on Bugman's and I must say, good job on fixing that alter hero conversion ;)

About the dryad conversion, keep the branch hanging on the back. It makes her look more dangerous :D

If you could, would you post a picture of your whole army? I would like to see all the units in the same picture.

Dori
Ex Council Member
Check out my tactica's in my topic Dori's Tactica's
Foxtale
Bladesinger
Bladesinger
Posts: 793
Joined: 21 Oct 2005, 00:16
Location: Galadoria
Contact:

Post by Foxtale »

Hmmm first of all, great job on the dipping on those models.

Now I don't really like your alter kindred, it looks too basic on the part connecting man to beast. And the model for the man is not one of the best.

The branchwraith though, apart from the non-foresty legs, looks excellent. I like the pose of her left arm.
Mal: Do you want to run this ship?
Jayne: Yes
Mal: Well... you... can't.

Links
My Painting Diary
My Deviant Art
Jimmytrout
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 51
Joined: 20 Aug 2005, 00:09

Post by Jimmytrout »

@Foxtale: As I get better at converting, I might try a more complex Alter conversion. As has been noted as well, the torso is a little longer than one might want. It's curious though, when I read about the Alter hero, this is the very first image that popped into my heart. That's funny that you don't like the elf figure ... it's always been one of my favorite GW figures. I remember liking it back in 1988! It's odd how people have completely different takes on the same fig. :D Thanks for your comments.

@Dori: Your wish is my command. :)

Update 7/2/06: Here's a picture of everything I've already painted

Image

And here are my wild riders. I wasn't even thinking about doing these until last week, but I had the old centaur bodies and extra elves. I've never done much converting, but it's really fun. Ignore the hodge-podge basing. It's just temporary until they're painted and then they'll get good bases.

Before greenstuff:

Image

After greenstuff:

Image

Here's a closeup:

Image

There are more closeups here:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v207/Jim.../Wild%20Riders/

Comments & criticism are always welcome!

cheers,

j
Kyte
Horsemaster
Horsemaster
Posts: 487
Joined: 05 Jan 2006, 22:09
Armies I play: Chaos, Chaos Dwarfs, Wood elves, Beastmen, Ogre Kingdoms
Location: Køge, Denmark

Post by Kyte »

Great! Very Great! Keep it up and remember to post pics!

- Kyte
Enendill
Horsemaster
Horsemaster
Posts: 268
Joined: 13 Jan 2006, 19:58

Post by Enendill »

The centaurs are just fantastic. They are exactly what I had in mind should i bother to convert WRs to centaurs. Especially the muso is great! Can't wait to see them painted!
Beware the one lurking in the shadows
Image
Dori
Shadow Sentinel
Shadow Sentinel
Posts: 2023
Joined: 30 Jul 2005, 20:39
Location: In the dark and mildly active crypt that some people call the Battle Report Section
Contact:

Post by Dori »

I saw them on bugmans, since they are usually there first.

The wild riders are great. Keep up the good work.

Dori
Ex Council Member
Check out my tactica's in my topic Dori's Tactica's
BonsaiKindred
Newcomer
Newcomer
Posts: 17
Joined: 07 Feb 2006, 00:09

Post by BonsaiKindred »

I really like those Wild Riders, as well as the dryads, I think they are really cool ideas, can´t wait to see them finished.

Could you please explain briefly the "dipping" technique, or maybe someone who can post a link with a tutorial or something?
Foxtale
Bladesinger
Bladesinger
Posts: 793
Joined: 21 Oct 2005, 00:16
Location: Galadoria
Contact:

Post by Foxtale »

Those wild rider centaurs look fantastic. Just one small tip though: they look really thin because of the size of the models. Try adding some logs or terrain or something to the bases on the finished versions to flesh them out a bit.
Mal: Do you want to run this ship?
Jayne: Yes
Mal: Well... you... can't.

Links
My Painting Diary
My Deviant Art
Post Reply