Mustering the NuMarines

  I haven't posted anything about the new starter kit, the 8th edition 40k rules, or even any thoughts on the Primaris space marines.  I have all kinds of thoughts, mostly positive (mainly because I saw it all coming, what with that pesky Age of Sigmar game being the 'test' platform now), but I just don't feel like going on and on about them.  After all, the game has been out a year, almost all the armies are redone and updated, and the opinions of every hobbyist with a camera and keyboard has already been splashed across the blogosphere.  So why waste the time?

  I've already played a gazillion games, most of them with my younger son and most of them with just a handful of the armies.  My boy built and painted all the Death Guard I could buy (he was like a little machine) and I built and spraypainted a small force of the new space marines.  That Dark Imperium starter set provided some great minis and the rules are really easy and fun (without losing that general feel to the game that we've grown used to).  So all in all, it's about getting the hobby going for this new stuff rather than waxing on about it.

  So the new marines, eh?  Larger versions of the dudes that I've painted literally thousands of, with cooler details and that 'true scale' (that I never really cared about anyway)?  How could I not be all about these!?  Unfortunately, a little mix-up saw me using a can of twenty year-old Ultramarine Blue spraypaint.  While I was happy to still have a working can, I was not terribly forgiving when it 'fuzzed up' on most of my marines.  This matters because it means I can't use my typical 'car wash' approach as fuzzy base means spongy base.  That dryness saps the water right out of paint and washes, killing any hope of doing this as well as I'd like.

  As cool as those Primaris models are, I was simply demoralized.  They've sat for months at that stage before my wife's industriousness motivated me to give them a shot.  So I got to work.  Please note a few things on the Intercessors (that's the squad of 'normal' guys)-
  1.  I'm taking pictures with my phone's camera.  I've gotten lazy and simply don't feel like pulling out the real camera to then hook it up to the computer and all that.  I'm just lazy and I have a camera on my phone.
  2.  I've only done the basecoat and wash.  That means regular 'block coloring' with a targeted wash over each color.  There's so much layering to do yet, so don't be too critical.  I've recovered worse, so this is just a 'first step'.
  3.  Finally, I'm using the original colours for the Ultramarines 2nd company.  That means a bright blue (remember that old spraypaint?), yellow trim, and red weapon casings.  I saw someone do it online (I think it was one of the BoLS guys, but I am likely wrong) and I thought it was neat to return to my roots with the newest stuff, so I copied the idea.  I forgot how good that old paint scheme used to look...

  Because the blue couldn't take the wash like I was used to, I'm going to have to layer it all the way up.  This may take a little bit, but at least it's only squads of five.  The bolt rifles and chest eagles are going to be quick and fun, so I'll save those for last.  It's that armor that I'm really going to have to focus on.  

  I had to get the captain painted.  The best things was that I based him by hand, so no ill effects of the old spray-paint on him.  I know that I should take him up at least one more layer in highlights, but I'm not sure if I want to do that now or when I finally put his markings on.  And the markings are confounding me because I'm not sure if I want to use decals (I can't find Microsol anywhere around here!) or hand paint everything.  But he looks good on the tabletop as he is, so I'm in no rush to solve these conundrums.  

  Oh, as a bonus to myself, I also painted up the Primaris Librarian at the same time...  

  Now that I'm trying to rebuild a game group and sell some more toy soldiers, I need to have a beautifully painted demo set.  The Dark Imperium is all about these Primaris Ultramarines defending against the Death Guard and that's what I'm going to work on.  In fact, my son and I are revisiting his Death Guard to start sprucing them up.  Wait till you see how well a 12-year old can swing a paintbrush with a little direction- I think I might just be proud!

  Also, I had anonymous ask about how I painted my old Word Bearers recently.  First, thank you for visiting my site!  I always love the attention.  Second, it was coincidental to be asked about that army as I'd just pulled it out and blew the dust off for a game recently.  After no use for some time (I think it's been on the tabletop once since Adepticon), the bearers of Lorgar's Word are suddenly drawing that attention that I love so much!  I decided to post a pic of that battle just out of a sheer sense of providence...