Another long gap

I can’t believe it was March when I last wrote a post.  You may recall that I was starting a new job and may also have guessed that this has been in some way related to the lack of posts – you’d be correct in that guess 🙂 I’m leaving home before 7am and not getting back until after 6.30pm, currently I’m working around 45 hours a week and in truth when I get home the last thing I want to be touching is a computer!  Unlike previous hiatuses however this lack of computer enthusiasm hasn’t rolled into the amount of time I’m spending painting and if anything I’m doing more as a way to unwind from the day.

Quite a few things have occurred between March and now, the most significant being that Games Workshop have released a new Space Wolves Codex and a handful of new releases including a fantastic flyer (technically two variants) and a less-fantastic (IMO) hover-chariot for Logan Grimnar.  The new codex is really nice and lots of options for making a very flavoursome Space Wolf army.

Painting wise my pack of Blood Claws and Grey Hunters are pretty much complete and just need their bases edged (not decided what colour) and a coat of matt varnish to seal everything in.  I’m currently working on four vehicles – a Rhino/Razorback, Predator, Vindicator and one of the new Stormwolf Flying Transports.  Overall progress has been really good as I’ve used the airbrush to get the main hull colours on and have edge highlighted most of them in a couple of weeks.  One hiccup I am having is that the flyer is such a large model I need to sit at the dining table to paint it which means I’m reliant on daylight which I only get during the weekend (the nights have started to draw in).

I’m now at the less exciting stage of blocking in the metallics and regularly swearing at the Citadel Leadbelcher.  Sadly although this is a lovely colour it doesn’t have the covering power of Balthasar Gold so I’m having to re-undercoat all of the silver elements black.  Although it’s pretty straightforward if I use the Vallejo Model Air Black Surface Primer, having to paint some (fairly large) expanses twice does slow the whole process down.  That said as I type this I’ve just had a brainwave and might try mixing some black primer with Leadbelcher for the first coat, this should provide the coverage and a second coat of straight Leadbelcher just push the colour up…

I promise I’ll try and get posts up more regularly, I have the two packs to get better photos of and will get those up soon 🙂