Drybrushing, Lack of Faith, and the Angels of Gloom

It feels like when I paint this IG army - pretty standard Tamiya German Gray base coat, plus metal helms and flak armor - it feels like it never fucking ends.  I am eager to play with the orders and Battle Brother etc. in 7th edition, but Jaysus, if I finish this army to table ready level, ever, I will be amazed (just like 6 more days til a premier of some kind, I guess).  Also, gotta get these Inquisitorial retinue cranked out (crusaders and warriors are nearly ready - the fancy ones may need to wait)

If I went bonkers on it, I could set the veterans up as these IG-kitbashed-with-Imperial-Flagellants as some Veterans, and it'd be cool as fuck, but it means the delicate swapping out of a lot of weapons.

I think at the rate I am going I will have Celestine ready by January or so.

Back to my metaphor (and I think Adam pointed this out on last weeks Beer and Bolters 40K) that like painting swarms of troops is a slog and he'd rather spend the points on models that are easy or fun to paint (I think he said something like this).  These huge squads are terrific time wasters - it's now 1:30 and I need to take the dog out.

Sisters are worse.  I've been putting them off for literally 5 years or so, and they've been primed and waiting forever.  Celestine, too.  The models are all detailed, and it's kind of like an Act of Faith just getting them ready for a game!

One problem is that I learn and forget, learn and forget, learn and forget.  I don't stick with the hobby long enough to get good or learn to paint well.  I mean, I enjoy it, and I'm nuts at the idea of fun conversions (and making terrain out of junk, for some reason perks up my ears)

Anyway, more tomorrow.  Maybe some picture

For my Sisters, here's what I rolled up from the 1d4chan Sisters of Battle Creation Chart:

Minor Order

Descended from the Order of the Bloody Rose

A Standing Force (to guard a way-shrine?  And take confessions?)

Pride in the Colours (won't submit to other authorities)

Suffer Not the Works of Heretics! (A keen and watchful eye on the locals, and monitor all trade and warp traffic closely, and quietly.  If I went with some kind of Librarian sisterhood, it would mesh well with my Dark Angels Succesor Chapter, who I've now named The Stormcrows)

Primary Saint : A Seraphim Commander - kinda goes with the Celestine presence on the list, and maybe I can convert something fun up, on this.  I note with some interest that there is a single Sister head on the Immolator sprue, and I'm sure I could cook something up with the bodies of the grey knights, and I have the BA Assault Squad sort of sitting there in the bag...

Deeds of Legend : The Seraphim Saint attacked an Eldar Craftworld.  Maybe these can be bitter enemies of a Dark Eldar cabal, or something.  That's pretty neat.  I don't know anything about the DA whatsoever.  Guarding a Shrine to the Saint, which sits upon a long-buried DA warp-gate that could be opened if the local populous gets too frisky, and reads too many heathen texts

Homeworld : Medieval, Industrial (Vandross Betelgeuse VII, makers of Lasguns and Shoelaces, not quite a Hive World, but not very well maintained and plagued by pollution and mutations)

No involvement in local politics, except the occasional assassination of too-curious tourists or meddlers in the Black Arts (they are leery of Exterminatus, and work closely with Inquisitor Van Helthrack but none other, since he already knows of the Warp Gate below the planet's surface, and his lineage is charged with searching out the other side of it). They may occasionally work to destroy and torture Dark Eldar raiding parties and keep these battles from the knowledge of the general populace.

Slight Variation in the standard order, in that the Battle Sisters are relatively few in number; the mass of the convent is archivists, researchers, librarians, torturers, and geneticists.

Well versed in close and ranged combat, orbital insertion (for the occasional Hulk that wanders through the nearby space, and to raid DA raiders pre-emptively), and terror of the local populace.

Bestial Companion:  Given the whole thing so far, I'm going to go with Bats.  Bat Servitors, Bat-winged Jump Packs on the Seraphim Superiors, Maybe I will modify the scheme of the sisters I've already painted (I don't know if this will fly, but we'll see).  Mobs of Doombats...  Hmm.  This could be fun.

Method of Worship:  Purity of (Wo)Man - "Protect the Hallowed human form from rusted iron".  No bionics, if possible (should be easy).  The penitent engine could be a big batty death machine.  The Woe Grinder or something

Size: Nominal - taking choice recruits from the potential Vestal candidates in the cities, wastes, and sumps

Friendly with: Imperial Guard, from a nearby world (from the local world, Vandross Betelgeuse VII)

Enemies: I already picked Dark Eldar, so no need to roll here

Name

Ehh

eh

The Most Holy Order of the Angels of Gloom: imagine if you will a thousand Batgirls with plasma and boltcannons, and then maybe I can convert some interesting figures, in addition to the ones I have already (only 2 squads and Celestine, as well as a Seraphim Squad and maybe some on the way)

Stop the Presses! A Shadow Over My Heart!

My close associate and sometime co-conspirator +Wayne Snider turned me on to the wealth of weird models of Inq28

that is all

It's like a cross between Necromunda and Inquisitor and you don't need to make those models like gigantic and gangly and there's a jillion bits in the world to make things aright

Hmmmmm

Also, this thing to make Orders of Sisters

Yarrick Approaches

He's here. The foam in there is experiencing catastrophic failure, so that's cool.  Blister pack says 1997.

  I think that right about then I had given up on my SM and focused on a pretty fun Scavvies band in Necromunda, alternating out in our little group with an Orlock every so often (bolstered by some IG Catachans sergeants as the Gang Leader and Heavy)

Maybe if I hurry I can prime all this IG stuff but I don't know if it'll all be table ready in 8 days. Dammit.

I was outbid on the repentia and the seraphim. Thank God.

See below some WIP for my IG and Inquisotorial retinue.

painting up stuff and acquired Yarrick

I love the story of Yarrick

Always have

Old man - past his prime. Mean as a snake. Arm cut off. Bale eye.  That stuff.  I got the old-style crab claw type instead of the new style power claw type.  He's been nerfed pretty badly but I like him nonetheless.

"All humies is scum and deserves ta be stomped. Except Yarrick - Yarrick knows how ta fight."

I figure soon I can field 50 man blob squad complete with a variety of heavy and special weapons, and if I can find an aegis wall then Skyfire to keep off certain flying MC. I'm actually planning an army to meet one specific threat and so The Apocrypha of Macharius dictates I must lose over and over.

I'm becoming lost and diffuse - ought to get a plan together. Even bidded on some repentia sisters against all good judgement. The whole Battle Brothers thing and the mixing of troops and IC really makes one think.

Probably ought to invest in some armor for that army but it's neither here nor there.  Dammit.

Yarrick arrives Monday - later today I will post my "children's toy to scratch-built shield generator" project

Update: Outbid on some Sisters Seraphim (thank goodness) but still high bidder on some repentia

I need to quit eBay

IG - Forward to Death!

I'm going to invest in the AM Codex, I suppose. And like I said I want some Ogryn to complement my Ratlings

Anyway, up to 12:15 or so mucking around, and I find I'm quite happy with the character side of my IG. I think this Commisar is the best fig I've ever painted. In terms of the rest of the Cadians it's a slapdash affair - I primed some of them pretty badly but if you mix em up you can't tell too much

I'm still too leery to finish my WW2 bomber-to-IG air support conversion. Really it's just a matter of adding some greebles and painting it up - part of the issue is that I'm not clear on the color scheme nor the mounting of the rear-gunner weapon. And I need to jimmy up  a flight stand for it, of course.  More on that later.  My nose art is going to be a sororitas - "Sister Superior" - transfer but it's going to take some fidgeting

This weekend is basing and sorting out the color scheme for the Catachans - probably dark gray and red to keep it in line with my other figs

Lastly I'll do the old Penal Legions I rigged up from the flagellants

First priority is to sort out a way to do wide swaths of flesh since I'm going to count the Catachans as veterans (they're 3rd edition plastics mostly)