Hi everyone,

Welcome to my world of musing, painting, grumbling and general irreverence. Hope you enjoy your stay and be sure to tell your friends :D

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Scott aka Iacton and although new to this shiny new site, I've been somewhere not very far away from Warhammer 40k in it's many forms since 1987. I painted and gamed back then - both rather badly i might add - and collected all sorts, but I have always loved marines since the start and when I returned to the hobby a couple of years ago I decided to try and improve my level of painting and conversion skills.
I am not the most prolific of painters so I won't add loads of shiny new jobs every week. But please feel very free to comment and question anything that you see. I hope that I will be able to help in any way I can.

I've been (very) slowly trawling through the large pile of RT marines recently and mostly painting up as PH legions. Here are a couple of them, the Ultramarine was my 1st ever attempt at gold NMM using GW standard and foundation paints (I LOVE the foundations!!! :D ). I'm transferring some of my pics off my PC and into a photobucket so I will add to this thread as I upload.

What do you think? I'm thick skinned enough to take it, especially since my CMON scores are going backwards!!

Hello Iacton.

Great to have you here.
I love your painting, especially the Ultramarine one.

What colours have you used for the blending of the blue?

The luna wolf gets my vote! They look great, especially for old models...

Small note: Would it be possible to layer the pictures below each other, this way plays havoc with the browser and the reply screen...

Right then,
Started with Mordian blue over a black primer. Blend in some enchanted blue in successive coats ( I actually have some really old enchanted blue in the white flip top lid, it is a slightly better paint for adding to the foundations IMO). Once you have got to pure enchanted blue, start adding ice blue for a couple of layers - no more than that though cos it goes very turquoise. Add a bit of skull white to the mix and do some extremely thin final highlights. Finally use a really thin(and I do mean really thin - you can do more than 1 coat if you want) coat of Enchanted blue to tone the highlights down a touch and bring it all together. The colour mixes from start to finish should fill all the wells in a circular pallette (about 10 shades), not including the original basecoat.
The shading was thinned Midnight blue with a touch of black ink and a touch of purple ink.
My biggest tips are use a drop of flow improver every 2 or 3 shades (especially in the white coats because it gets chalky otherwise, and use really thinned paint.
It might make the paint job take a bit/lot longer (depending on the colours involved) but the finished article is infinitely better and more tidy!
I don't think there are any demons heading my way for a couple of years but I firmly believe in pushing myself with every figure I paint. Not being a player means that I can concentrate on quality over quantity.
I welcome anyone helping me with my technique and would be more than happy to help others with theirs.
And if anyone can help me with my photos without the aid of photoshop (cos I ain't gonna buy it!!) I would be extremely grateful.



Posted by Weiss.
Small note: Would it be possible to layer the pictures below each other, this way plays havoc with the browser and the reply screen...

It's all stacked on my browser? I am on firefox and there are no problems - sorry

Fake Edit:
Fixed it! Wasn't stacked on IE was it?

I love them! It's always cool to see really old models painted in the new styles... really ties everything together.

It must be easy to be thick-skinned when you're that good! There's never a worry about critiques! Most impressive. Is the Luna Wolf the same model GW is offering in their "Space Marine Armo(u)r through the ages" set?

No, I think the LW is an older single piece metal model. The one in the GW pack is armless so you can stick on your choice of bolter.

I do like your painting style, Iacton! Very..how can I say..chalky, ashen? Lovely blending. The nmm technique looks simple but is very effective.

I also like the basing. Is it your creation?

Thanks guys,

Yes the LW is the old single piece, with a couple of bits of GS stuck on for obvious effect.

The painting style is not as scruffy as the pics suggest! I am struggling to make the pics right <_<
However, the principles are sound and practice makes......slightly better than the last! :lol:

The NMM was quite simply done, much the same as the other blending, but I want to be a bit less safe next time. I'm happy that the effect was so noticeable after a 1st go at it.

The plasma gun is NMM too, I have only done standard NMM a couple of times before but again I am happier with this 1.

As for the bases - No. I buy in resin bases. I get really frustrated making them. I'm just not into the mess of it all!!

Having said that, I have been chopping bits up and breaking out the drills and files for the banner comp. I shall say no more for now :ph43r:

Great to have you aboard,Iacton,Love the mini's,I have some old RT mini's
myself including a Leutenant commander and a normal Leutenant,all in beaky
They're my fav's gonna put em in my Pre-heresy army!(don't Know which one!) ;)
And oh yeah I forgot guy's I'm getting a RT Chaos Termi capt,(Gonna trade a bunch of DA stuff to my bro here,as we are needing new models since our
Gamer's haven burnt down by someone! )Gamers in CDA ID have no new place
to game or buy our mini's :( !

Iacton - unless you have any complaints, I'd like to add your minis to the inaugural board gallery, along with your painting tips. Is that ok?

The minis and the pics are of suitably great quality so I think I can produce something special from them.

Those are some good r/t minis.
They usually do not look as good but you made them shine.

How did you do the grey for your luna That is exactly how I picture the color.

Wow Shroud!

I'm stoked that you think so! Please go right ahead. If you want to PM me or something I can happily tap up some of the fomulae for the colour blends that I work on and tutorials that I work from also.



@Big Will

The LW colour is based on Astronomican Grey from the foundation colours.


I have ALL the RT marine boys to paint (eventually). Bless Ebay! Who knows what Legion comes out next! :blink:

id you use fortress grey for higlights?

I think I did, but mainly I mixed with white because Astro grey is pretty light in the 1st place. The pic doesn't show that well but there are some very fine pure white highlights too. Especially around the visor plate.

A couple more for the family album :P



Iron Hands Veteran Sergeant (RT Helmet markings - yay!)



"Artificer" armour Death Guard

The Death Guard is absolutely FAT! (with a "ph" of course... :) ) Not too keen on the Iron Hand, but that's just the model, the painting is great, keep up the good work!

I think all of these look fantastic.
The armor styles seem to fit perfectly on the chosen legion colours, I'm also a fan of the older models.
Please keep posting on your progress.

These look out standing. great job on the IH sgt to i like the helmet work.

Good Lord, those are fantastic. painting is absolutely superb as for the foundations i most agree, they totally rock

Cool, i love them all!

Where did you get the vet sergeant?

Wow, more great minis!

Please do PM me with a painting guide for each of them... what colours you used, any tips etc. I've started a rough article layout and a special banner for your showcase - if you'd like your real name to be included as well as 'Iacton', please PM that to me too.

Wow... These are awesome! :D

Keep up the good work!!

He's just one of the old RT marines, done nothing more than strip his old paint job - I think the previous owner had painted him with Dulux emulsion - and paint him up as an IH boy. It just seemed to fit.
There's an even better RT marine that would be absolutely perfect as an IH vet - he's almost more machine than man! I will get around to painting him one day. There are a few other chapters to represent before I get back to the hands though ;)

@ Shroud

Yeah I'll tap up a couple of colour recipes that I'm happy with along with some notes on brushes, extra materials and general planning/philosophy that I implement with each paintjob. I really am not an expert I just think I use good discipline, try to take good advice on board, and TAKE MY TIME!

I'm really hopeful that my entry for the banner comp will make a good stage by stage article because I am just starting to use GS and do a bit of converting alongside improving my painting technique.

Plus I just got some new brushes!! Oh yes!! Will raise a topic about that very shortly!

We had such a nice sunny day yesterday that I took a load of pics of marines that I painted over the last year approx. 1 or 2 aren't strictly PH for which I apologise and hope I'm not being self indulgent :huh:
Also reposted Ultramarine so that his real colours show up


Space Wolf in RT/PH colours


An RT chaplain that on reflection would make a superb night lord



Iron warrior with conversion beamer


Techmarine



Imperial Fist Veteran Sergeant.

Salamanders Apothecary



Ultramarine...again

Wow theyre great! are you using normal gw paints? I lve the space wolves face B)

Yes most are the standard GW paints. Some of the more recent jobs are using the foundations also.
I really enjoy doing the skin jobs, they're so quick to do usually but really set the figures off.

Wow, they look great man. I wonder what your paint work would look like on a current sculpt? (hint,hint... :D )

cough* banner comp * cough :lol:

Here you go chaps and chapettes.
Finally a "new" figure.
I called him Br. Taeson, 2nd Company Standard bearer, Emperor's Children.



He's my entry for the banner comp. Took nearly 3 weeks to complete and was a massive learning process (I repainted the helmet 3 times before I was "happy").
All done with GW paints, a little dabble of GS, a good hunt round the bits box for some must have items, et voila!

Let me know what you think. :)

:o Very, very impressive. My only area of concern would be the blade shape, as at the angle it's at it looks rather butterknife shaped rather than battle shaped.

how did you pain th the yellow om the IF marine?

Power Katana?

I think it looks brilliant, really puts my EC to shame.


I'll just have to try harder from now on.

Is it the old power sword blade on the close combat sprue per chance?

Yep yep!

I don't quite know what the handle comes from - It was in the bits box.
However the blade is indeed the old power sword from mk2/3 40k.

The single edged blade also fell in with the arrogance and higher level of blade skills of the ECs for me. ;)

Nicely work done Iacton! Say,is the banner that is being used,from the Blood Angel
honour guard?And I don't recognise the Legs and Helm on the guy,
what are they from?They look cool! Specially the helm,I like it! And did you
make the banner detail from green stuff?Awesome work!

Thanks Torg,

The banner is indeed the BA honour guard with some bits removed and a bit of Gs and resin to make the insignia up (it is based on 2 pics from the 1st HH artbook - in case anyone wonders why it is like this - I'll find the page refs if anyone is interested)

The legs are just a standard plastic marine set with the purity seal on the ankle, I then filed down and reshaped the knee pads and made a GS border for them so that they matched the Mk4 armour. The keen eyed may spot the skull too on 1 knee pad, this is actually from a plastic Mk7 chestplate that I removed really carefully with a blade.

The helm is a standard Mk7 plastic that I shaved the cables and front grille off, then I modelled a GS faceplate and smoothed it into the top of the helmet. I added the eyeslits, vents and cross to the faceplate to create a crusader style helmet which is partly like the ones seen on the BAs, ECs and mostly UMs. I felt it looked suitably heroic.
Here's a blow up of the face


Finally the resin pieces on the shoulderpad and banner are actually from the non GW Custodes terminator sculpts - That Itsme submitted in a previous thread - Again they just suited the iconography of the ECs down to the ground. B)

I recognise the hand, but cannot place it at the moment...

I thought it was Azrael's but it's not - although he has the same sword hilt as this,. It's not the DA chaplain either.


Also Dorn,
I can't quite remember the paint job on the IF guy but I know it is essentially sunburst yellow with a bit of light grey in it. I plan on doing a new IF job soon(ish) but I have a few more ideas to paint up before that, including my first priority which is to try and get Magnus finished!!

Are you planning on doing an Emperor's Children force, because i really want t see more of them after that standard bearer