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Fire & Hammers - Salamanders Log

70K views 277 replies 92 participants last post by  Varakir 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi all,

I have recently returned to the hobby at full steam after a very long on and off hiatus. My first foray into painting (about 12 years ago) was utterly terrible, but since returning a few years back it's started to improve, and i want to keep improving. The more i read online, the more techniques i'm eager to test, so hopefully the quality will continue to develop. I've got a lot of good tips and ideas from the forums, and now some c&c would be appreciated.

I don't have a particular aim for the log, just to keep painting, try a bit of converting and hopefully churn out some half decent models.

Here's what i have completed so far. I've also got a command squad that just needs basing, so they will be up soon.


1st combat squad I painted


Scouts - i tried to sculpt a cape for the seargent but it didn't quite go to plan :/




Razorback



Bike squad with minor conversion



Attack bike

All comments welcome, cheers!

Notes on my Army:


I started them before 5th edition, and i hate the coal black skin & red eyes rubbish - they are staying dark skinned.

I very rarely play, and never against anyone who minds, so I model whatever wargear I want to. Generally I want to stay fluffy going forward with Flamers/meltas, hammers and converted cc(mastercrafted) weps, and techy stuff.

My swords are massive, because that's how we roll.
 
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#5 ·
Thanks for the comments guys :)

The flames were done with some milliput I had lying about.

Basically i just stuck a blob on the front of the bike and then eased it out into the general shape with a butter knife. Then using a wet scalpel blade i carved some peaks and troughs, easing the clay up around the edges.

I'm quite happy with the effect but i think green stuff would be easier. Anyone who has tried green stuff vs milliput care to comment?
 
#174 ·
im a big fan of the milliput personally, my Dad is into model trains and that sort of thing, and he always has the stuff lying around. one day i'd used up all my green stuff so I nabbed a bit of his milliput! i use it mostly for filling in gaps in my arm joints on my marines but never really tried sculpting like you have with it, but i think its effective for what i use it for
 
#7 ·
hey, nice Flames, look crisp on the paintwork =]

Milliput is a lot better for the initial... sculpt personally, for example it can't be in too much water for smoothing it because it sorta slowly crumbles, for details its GS hands down, so much more finer and durable to work with

well thats personally, Yet again, loving the flames, nice original idea ;)
 
#10 ·
Finishing touches are all done on the Command squad and Captain N'keln. I'm planning to fill out my small army as 3rd company, though i will probably get some veterans and termies at some point in the future as well.

I thought it was a but unfair that only the 1st company get to have a cool name (Fire drakes), so i decided to dub the 3rd company 'The Ashbringers'

"the fires of the salamanders burned purposefully into the night, spreading quickly between enemy ranks. Engulfed by the flame, the xenos fell by the hundred against the relentless son's of Vulkan.

As daylight broke the horizon over the battlefiled, the salamanders had long departed, and only ash remained."


Anyway, i digress....here's the pics:


N'keln - combi melta and power sword


N'keln - salamander cloak


Company Champion and Apothecary


Ashbringer Command Squad

next up is finishing touches on Chaplain Xavier and starting assault squad.
 
#12 ·
heh, too big?

I made these quite a while back and have considered replacing them with hammers several times, though at the same time i am rather partial to massive swords.....
 
#13 ·
Great work on N'keln cant wait to see more:victory:
 
#14 ·
Green has gone onto my assault squad now, Xavier will have to wait.

I've tried to do some blending with the green, but i think it could look better. I might try putting a wash over it and then highlight again.

Comments welcome.



also close up of my home made Thunder hammer (sorry it's rather blurry), converted from a power axe and bits left over on the razorback sprue.

 
#17 ·
Thanks for all the great comments so far :)



whatever do you mean ;)

I should probably explain my swords a little....basically i read the fluff about the salamanders blacksmith background, and thought it'd be fun to have some 'master-crafted' 2 handed swords in my army. I regularly change my mind about whether it looks silly or TOTALLY AWESOME.

It makes my army a bit more individual, so i'll probably keep them for now.

yay someone else who apretiates the salamander apothecarys colours .
I actually painted him up in standard green originally. One night when i was perusing the interweb i saw that scheme and had to do it immediately :)
 
#16 ·
yay someone else who apretiates the salamander apothecarys colours :grin:. though its meant to be Right arm red /left arm white , grumble, then they made the plastic ones and put the reductor on he left arm then changing the colour sceam, grumble. like what i see of the home made TH. i also noticed the nice old school skin colour i could never get it right so i have MASSIVE respect for those who can. May the ashes of your enemy's fall like snow.
 
#20 ·
I am going to have to answer for my bloody swords for the whole WIP thread aren't i :grin:

I should probably explain my swords a little....basically i read the fluff about the salamanders blacksmith background, and thought it'd be fun to have some 'master-crafted' 2 handed swords in my army. I regularly change my mind about whether it looks silly or TOTALLY AWESOME.
 
#21 ·
Update time.

Have done some more work on the assault squad, some more paint on them and a little bit more conversion work. Wife has nicked the camera so no WIP shots for now :(

However i managed to get Xavier finished and take some pics before she went - so here he is.

C&C appreciated as always.







My devastator squad and dreadnoughts arrived this morning, so lots to get busy with now...i'm even going to remember to take the mould lines off this time.
 
#24 ·
hi i think they look sweet but one problem their skin is pure black..
I'm aware, but i just don't like the look of the black skin & red eyes. I just paint for fun with the occasional skirmish with close friends, i don't want to hate my models just so i can follow the fluff.

I think xavier is also dead now too?


WHY is The sword so BIG!
I actually did some more modelling on the giant swords.....i made them bigger! Pics up soon :D
 
#27 ·
I think he's compensating for something...

Anyway, these are all really well painteed. Look forward to seeing more.
 
#26 ·
Update Pictures

Finished some re-modelling and got most of the paint on the assault squad now, just a few finishing touches to do before basing.

As promised, there is a bigger sword....but i've just extended the grip so it looks more like a 2-handed chainsword. I've modelled my lightning claw as giant salamander teeth, and i'm pretty pleased with the way the thunder hammer came out in the end.

Can i ask what you all think of the green? I tried some very basic blending, washed it and re-highlighted. I quite like how it's turned out, but i need to put more effort in next time.









I've also started work on my 2 AOBR dreads, they will be both be running MM and flamers once i've finished kitbashing.




 
#28 ·
I like. Nicely done sons of Vulkan. The big swords are very cool. I have abezerker champ with a huge two handed chainsword that is a counts as PW. All the other weapons in 40k are huge why not swords?
Rep
 
#29 ·
Woohoo, someone likes my swords...i am not alone in my madness :biggrin:

Thanks for the comments guys, but do you think i should keep going with the blending on the green? any tips?
 
#30 ·
Assault squad down

Assault squad is finished, leaving me free to play with my dreads (and chage my signature). C&C is appreciated :grin:






Both my dreads are AOBR, and i don't want them to look too similar despite running the same weapons. Below is my second dread with a bit of kitbashing done - i'm thinking of sculpting some scales on to this one to really set them apart.

Any other suggestions to get them looking different would be welcomed.

 
#31 ·
I require all your melta dreads!

I kinda wish I could have found a way to make my green more yellow. It'd add that extra little bit of color. Your models make mine seem a little monochrome.

Those chainswords are definitely outlandishly long. 2x length isn't really necessary is it? I'd be afraid of breaking them off every time I closed my cases, that is, if you luck is anything like mine.

Anyways, you have good stuff going here, keep it up.
 
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