MkIV Assault Squad - Part II

"I'll just cut myself a slice."

The MkIV assault squad has been sitting in the background for quite a while, but I've managed to get some more of them done while working on the dreadnoughts. They're still a long way from being finished, but the most difficult parts are done and they're mostly "filled in" - just a few details left (details that will nevertheless take ages to get done!).

There's nothing too surprising on the Marines themselves. Edge highlights have been applied, but a second pass will be done after the varnishing stage. Each model is somewhat unique from the Forgeworld parts, making batch painting less effective, but some areas can still be done all at once. Shoulder pads in general still need some work, particularly the Legion symbols, and that can all be painted up at the same time. It's the bases and particular nature of the resin production process that have been the most troublesome.

I find older resin parts from Forgeworld to be hit & miss. The detail with resin is incredible, but when there are mistakes, there are _really_ mistakes and they're next to impossible to clean up properly. Lines where the moulds join can shift, causing pieces to not just have obnoxious mould lines, but for each half to not be aligned at all. I really do like the detail, but I'm glad that the plastic process technology has improved so much that Forgeworld is reducing its contributions. This should in theory help Forgeworld concentrate on quality over quantity. The multitude of little mistakes are making these some challenging models to paint - not in a technical sense, just in terms of motivation. No small wonder that as a bit of a break I focused on the bases recently.

I've not been sure about the bases for quite a while, but ultimately it was inspiration from Trovarion's Grimdark Blood Angels video that set me on the current path. Green is normally a great colour for eye lenses because it contrasts against red, however on these models the eye slits on the helmets is very small: the lenses are painted, but are so tiny that visually they're simply lost at more than 20cm away. For this reason I didn't want a green base - it would draw far too much attention. Blue is a complementary colour, or pick a neutral of brown or grey. I had trouble visualising any sort of blue until I saw the video. With a bit of looking over colours on the palette (incidentally from lenses on one of the Contemptors) I've come up with the following:

• Iron Warriors across the metal plating.
• Dawnstone on any raised ridges. This will help them show through the next step.
• Incubi Darkness across the metal plating, and any artificial decking. This can be slightly patchy, and I find better if it is.
• Sotek Green dabbed onto metal plating in any area that seemed more opaque with the Incubi Darkness. Leaving edges mostly alone will allow the metallic undercoat to show through better.
• Mixing a little Temple Guard Blue into the Sotek Green on the palette can also be used to brighten some areas just a little more if desired.
• Rhinox Hide thinned down and dabbed into recessed areas, or anywhere that dirt would naturally gather.

I intend to add a little more Iron Warriors on select raised edges after the varnishing stage just to represent the wear and tear that many boots passing over any metal walkway would result in. The more artificial decking (perhaps some kind of bitumen surface) is far more haphazard:

• Incubi Darkness as mentioned previously. This is just to tie it together with the metal plating.
• Random mix of greys and light colours drybrushed, dabbed, and generally randomly applied across the surface to give it some texture.
• Basilicanum Grey over the surface.
• Agrax Earthshade in places to add variety.

While not done on the model shown, depending on the sculpted texture I'll also drybrush across the top just to picked out the surface more. I've yet to decide on an appropriate colour for this step, but white or light grey will almost certainly be too bright. Perhaps something with more of a blue tint.

I've also been a little random with Thondium Brown and various off-white drybrushes and Agrax Earthshade washes, which is intended to represent whatever ground the plating is put over. There's no particular formula here - just be random, it will look better.

Pouches, chainswords, some pauldron highlights, and the squad will be ready for varnishing. It doesn't sound like much, but I want to focus on the dreadnoughts over the next week. Maybe I can finish the squad after that.

-- silly painter.