Fredman's Epic Project

[Fredmans]

Cool! That Zoat is gorgeously painted.

Thanks, the Zoat being slightly larger than ordinary Epic models helped a fair bit.

A new year begins, and after having crammed out an entire O&G army for a tournament (well, three colours at least), I can return to finish off and start some more Epic armies during 2011.

I managed to finish some Inquisitorial Stormtroopers for my Ordo Malleus Strike Force, and to give them some Rhinos. The Storm Troopers are the standard SG ones, and I have to admit they grew on me. Because they are so uniform, I decided to paint them in Ordo Malleus colours and disregard that they are part of the Inquisitorial Forces of the army list. Then I decided to paint them in an inverted colour scheme compared to my Grey Knights, so I picked out a deep red for the uniform with grey plasteel armour to match. Hellguns are black.





Ordo Malleus and Mystics do not match well, so I modelled a standard instead. The standard will represent a Command Squad, thus improving their FF skills. I also intend to run this platoon as a second Storm Trooper Platoon for my Steel Legion. The standard will then represent a Commissar (Leader and Fearless go well with standards). Now, I just have to paint up some Valkyries to match (already ordered).

The Rhinos were painted like my Land Raiders, but with a little more contrast added to them. I think it paid off, and future Grey Knight Land Raiders will be painted in the same way.

The Rhinos are old plastic ones, and I changed the front armour a bit, adding a bit of plasticard, some etched brass and greenstuff laurels.





and a shot of the entire formation



After a trip to the Canary Islands, some more gribblies and Chaos miniatures will make their appearance.

As always, thanks for watching (despite the crappy pictures).

/Fredmans

[McMullet]

Nice Stormtroopers, Fredmans! Good level of contrast on the models and with the bases as well. Something that is hard to achieve with Guard.

I like the extra-extreme highlights on the rhinos too - It's an effect that really works with Epic miniatures I think. I managed to find another player near Oxford who has a very nice IG army with extreme-highlighted vehicles.

Keep up the good work!

[Fredmans]

Nice Stormtroopers, Fredmans! Good level of contrast on the models and with the bases as well. Something that is hard to achieve with Guard.

I know. I have learned the hard way that all the details that seem so bold when you work in 100W direct light goes pretty much unnoticed in real-life-gaming. I gave the bases an extra Devlan Mud treatment before applying the final highlight.

I like the extra-extreme highlights on the rhinos too - It's an effect that really works with Epic miniatures I think. I managed to find another player near Oxford who has a very nice IG army with extreme-highlighted vehicles.

Keep up the good work!

I gradually swing towards extreme highlights as well. I am glad that you are still in the Epic loop, McMullet! In my mind, Orks vs Guards is one of the most entertaining match-ups.

/Fredmans

[McMullet]

Definitely so! The two armies are very different in character but both pretty fragile and very hordey. Great stuff.

I have been to a few more of the UK Epic tournaments, it's great fun though I've still only managed one very flukey win...

[the_gobbo_king]

Sweet. Will be looking into this game...

Scott.

[Fredmans]

Definitely so! The two armies are very different in character but both pretty fragile and very hordey. Great stuff.

I have been to a few more of the UK Epic tournaments, it's great fun though I've still only managed one very flukey win...

Flukey wins are an essential part of the game. What continues to amaze me about Epic games is how skills translate into the objectives of the game rather than, say, list-building skills or item-combos as in other GW games. You can win the battle and still end up losing the game. Going to tournaments is probably the fastest way to learn from the very best.

Sweet. Will be looking into this game...

Scott.

I hope you do, Scott. It is great fun collecting, converting and playing.

I have almost finished a batch of Genestealers to go with the Zoat, another Hariddan and finally got round to basing the Khorne Coven. I tried some water-effects on it and I am still undecided on the result, though.

/Fredmans

[the_gobbo_king]

Indeed.

I hear that it plays much more strategically than 40K (which would be a nice change, given how many mindless 10 year olds I've played at my local GW), and the models look gorgeous.

I'm very much attracted to these Grey Knights, but I can't see them on the GW or FW stores? Is there anyway I can get my hands on these? Or are they gone forever?

Otherwise, I would be thinking about scratchbuilding an Epic army made up almost entirely of Stompas... Because it's a force that you would never see in 40K, and it would hardly cost me anything to start up...

Scott.

[Fredmans]

Indeed.

I hear that it plays much more strategically than 40K (which would be a nice change, given how many mindless 10 year olds I've played at my local GW), and the models look gorgeous.

I'm very much attracted to these Grey Knights, but I can't see them on the GW or FW stores? Is there anyway I can get my hands on these? Or are they gone forever?

Otherwise, I would be thinking about scratchbuilding an Epic army made up almost entirely of Stompas... Because it's a force that you would never see in 40K, and it would hardly cost me anything to start up...

Scott.

The Grey Knights have been nick-named Gold Knights ever since FW discontinued them. They appear on eBay from time to time, but expect them to become expensive. If you live in the UK, you can sometimes find auctions that only ship to UK. Those auctions tend to turn up less expensive, since a lot of mainland Europeans watch the UK site.

Epic A is much more strategic than 40K, especially in the objective-game. 40K tends to be a bit weird with artillery, titans and tanks clashing it out over a blown-out city block. In Epic, the same wargear are put to use in more strategic roles. Infantry is used to claim and protect objectives. Artillery to soften up enemy formations before assaults. Armour is used for mobile fire-power. Teleporting formations are used for precision strikes (HQ or artillery). Titans are walking bastions. Aircraft is used for precision attacks.

A Gargant, Stompa, Dred & Kan army could be pulled off, but it would struggle a bit I am afraid. However, there is an alternative Gargant army list, where the addition of Drop Roks and other stuff compensate for some of its inherent weaknesses. Orks are one of the funniest army to assemble and convert, I might add.

/Fredmans

[orangesm]

Fredmans: Do you have an Army shot of the Inquisitorial/Grey Knights coming?

the_gobbo_king: My Epic Ork Army is about half walking (see the link below).

[the_gobbo_king]

Fredmans: Do you have an Army shot of the Inquisitorial/Grey Knights coming?

the_gobbo_king: My Epic Ork Army is about half walking (see the link below).

I had not idea that stompas were that small... I was thinking 40mm bases at least!

This truly is a game of epic (pun not intended) proportions.

Scott.

[Fredmans]

Fredmans: Do you have an Army shot of the Inquisitorial/Grey Knights coming?

the_gobbo_king: My Epic Ork Army is about half walking (see the link below).

I want to finish two more models first, but it could be arranged.

Now for something completely different, I finally finished my Khorne Coven.

In this force, I want to portray three themes running throughout the entire army; daemonic incursion, mutation and the malign Chaos Marine forces that started the uprising. Therefore, I have sprinkled Beastmen parts throughout the coven and placed some Chaos Marines amongst the cultists to bolster their will to fight.

First off, a Khorne Daemon Prince (with retinue). It is a Bloodthirster familiar, flanked by Beastmen, a Chaos Marine and a Daemon-Prince-in-becoming.


One Beastmen has even claimed the role of Herald.


The Big Mutants follow the theme of mutation increasing with size. The ogryn-sized minotaurs are more human than the full-sized minotaurs. The daemonic and malign forces are represented by the Jugger-riders. Every stand has two shooty and one close-combat mutant.





and the retinue:


/Fredmans

[Fredmans]

Update part 2.

I will use beastly daemons for chaos hounds. So for Khorne Covens, this means Flesh Hounds.


The Cultists are a mix of Dark Realm and GW miniatures. For GW plastics, I have made head and weapon swaps to spread the beast mutations around. Cultists will have a heavy weapon to distinguish themselves from mutants. Mutants will be more mutated, obviously.


For Traitor Fire Support, the Chaos Marines are in charge of the heavy weapons, which explains the better stats.


And the whole lot together. Khorne Coven with Daemon Prince, 5 Big Mutants, 2 Traitor Fire Support and 2 Chaos Hounds.


For Cultist colours, I have used red and black or red and khaki. The khaki parts are inked with a red and brown ink mix to get the Khorne taint. Gloves and boots are black or natural leather, mixed with the two colour schemes to produce four variations and add to the Chaotic feel. The Chaos Marine scheme is red with black helmets and hands. Daemonic red has a bluish tint to it, and beastly red (Dogs) has a more brown touch to it.

The bases start off with the same colours and materials as my Ordo Malleus force. Khorne units will add burnt grass and pools of blood/daemonic ooze to easily distinguish them from other daemonic forces. There will be Nurgle and Tzeentch variants as well.

As always, thanks for watching and commenting
/Fredmans

[Mr Feral]

That's real cool, I can never look at enough Lost and the Damned (note to self: paint Lost and the Damned). The red and khaki and the mash-up of models is the business! Are you going to be adding to these at all?

[Fredmans]

That's real cool, I can never look at enough Lost and the Damned (note to self: paint Lost and the Damned). The red and khaki and the mash-up of models is the business! Are you going to be adding to these at all?

I want to do some final additions to my Tyranid and Guard armies, and a Necron commission. When I get some free time I will add to my Inquisition vs Chaos match-up.

My main deity will be Khorne, so there is one or two covens coming up along with Daemonic Engines and daemons. Then I will stray into the realms of Nurgle and Tzeentch.

/Fredmans

[Fredmans]

Next up is an update for my tyranids.

First, some genestealer reinforcements. I made one more grey genestealer (in case I want to ditch the broodlord). Then I made a mixed colour formation to go with the zoat. These are the three colour schemes.


and a shot of the complete second formation (8 genestealers)


and led by the Zoat (hrm, I mean Broodlord)


and then a Tyranid Warrior formation. I use termagaunts as unit fillers, and this formation is mixed colours (to go with the previous brown and green ones)


As always, thanks for watching and chatting
/Fredmans

[Fredmans]

I also managed to finish a second Harridan.





and the two of them together


For wing membranes, I used a similar scheme as with the green one, only with reds instead of greens. I start off with 1:1 khaki/dark leather, followed by a khaki drybrush. I then use a "dirt ink mix", consisting of red, black and brown. Finally, I make thin khaki highlights following the patterns suggested by the ink wash.

I'm trying to clear my work space of started paint jobs, so updates should be more frequent for now.
Cheers,
Fredmans

[Fredmans]

I thought I'd celebrate 10 000 views with a little teaser. This is a test piece for upcoming Khorne Daemonic Engines.

Part of Assault Engine:


Where I want cultist reds to look like clothing, and where the Hounds and Daemon Prince were painted in a more brownish red (the DP looks like a dog with wings anyway), I want the Daemonic Assault Engines to look more "cool", like possessed metal, so I opted for a bluish tinge. I especially wanted to avoid the original 90's Khorne look with blazing reds and brass. Therefore, the skulls are painted in grays and the brass is highlighted with a bit of chainmail silver. The gun has some blue in its ink wash.

Since the flash is playing tricks with the colours, I add a picture sans-flash (but with Arctic daylight instead).


As always, thanks for watching (and commenting),
Fredmans

[Ozorik]

6mm conversions = mad (but in a good way)

[Fredmans]

6mm conversions = mad (but in a good way)

No conversions this time, just some pure old-school Chaos stuff.

So, I managed to finish some old antiquities from the past. They will form a Khorne support formation of assault engines for my LatD cultists. The details were in abundance, so to speak, but I tried to stick to a basic colour scheme with muted colours to dampen the Khorne effect a bit. I am quite pleased with them, although these older models have both their charms and flaws (mould lines one of the worst).

Group shot of Khorne Daemonic Assault Engines (left to right: Deathdealer, Blood Reaper, Cauldron of Blood, Brass Scorpion)


I have chosen to steer off from the blazing reds and bright bronzes of old school Khorne. Instead I have tried to get a coolish daemonic tinge (with some blue in it). The skulls are painted in a scale of greys instead of white, the metal parts have blue in their ink washes and the bronze parts is finished with a 1:1 mix of bronze and silver. This was my attempt to unify all the various colours going on on these models.

Deathdealer, picture 1


For this engine, I used a black helmet to tie it to the Khorne Marines who are part of the Cultists.

Deathdealer, picture 2


Blood Reaper, picture 1


Blood Reaper, picture 2


more to follow in next post,
Fredmans

[Fredmans]

Cauldron of Blood, picture 1


Cauldron of Blood. picture 2


Brass Scorpion, picture 1


Brass Scorpion, picture 2


Next up is some air cavalry and air support for my Imperial Guards. Thanks for watching,
Fredmans