Canis Wolfborn: A Photo Diary

Sometime ago on Facebook, I made this Photo Diary of the painting of Canis Wolfborn for my Space Wolves army. I decided I'd convert it into a blog post to share with you. Bare in mind that this was before Finecast and the new paint range.   

The model comes in about 7 pieces. After cleaning it up and removing all of the unsavoury bits you get with metal models, I super glued it all together. There were a few gaps here and there which I filled with putty - known in the business as "Green Stuff".

The face is always the focal point of a model, so I started that first. After undercoating the model with Chaos Black spray, I gave the face a coat of Tallarn Flesh foundation, followed by a wash of Ogryn Flesh, to provide shadow in the recesses.

Leaving the original colour in the recesses, I painted the rest of the face with Dwarf Flesh, then painted the raised areas with a mixture of Dwarf Flesh and Bleached Bone. I then added Skull White to that mixture and further highlighted.

The eyes: Painting them to make the character look to one side is both easier to paint than trying to centre the eyes and also adds to the expression.

The hair was first painted with Scorched Brown. I then highlighted it with Vermin Brown before another highlight of a 1:1 mix of Vermin Brown and Vomit Brown.
I then added Fortress Grey to this mix for a few highlights around the beard etc. He is several centuries old after all!

I basecoated the wolf's fur with Khemri Brown Foundation.

Fur - Chaos black at the top - drybrushing further down. Bleached bone thicker at the bottom, drybrushing upwards. Then Skull White drybrushed from the bottom up. Highlighted with Fortress Grey and Skull White on the black.
Then it was all given a wash of Devlan Mud.
I'll write about the detailing on the face when it's finished.

 

The eye has been painted and further highlights to the tongue and teeth.

The armour has been painted with a 1:1 mix of Space Wolves Grey and Shadow Grey. The cape and fists were painted with Mechrite Red Foundation.

Any skulls or bones were first painted with Vomit Brown, followed by Bleached Bone. Then a wash of Gryphonne Sepia. Then highlighted with Bleached Bone and finally Skull White.

The gold on the armour etc, was painted first with a 3:1 mix of Shining Gold and Bestial Brown. It was then highlighted with Shining Gold before being given a wash of Ogryn Flesh. The final highlights are Burnished Gold, followed by a 1:1 mix of Burnished Gold and Mithril Silver.

With the model just about finished, it was time for the base. I marked out where I wanted the model to stand and then covered the base in sand.

After undercoating the base with Chaos Black spray, I gave it two coats of Graveyard Earth, followed by a drybrushing of Vomit Brown. Then a lighter drybrushing with Bleached Bone.

I then stuck the model to the base and sprayed it all with Purity Seal to protect it.

I added snow effect and dead grass to the base.

The finished model.

Tom and Me - Part Three: I Am Sam

So it was while I was happily playing away on Ghost Recon on my new PC that I heard about Splinter Cell creating waves over on the Xbox.

 

I managed to get a hold of a copy of the PC version through a friend and really enjoyed it. The true Splinter Cell obsession didn’t start right away though. In fact, Pandora Tomorrow came and went and I didn’t even check it out.

 

But then something happened. I was round at a mate’s house when he decided to draw the curtains and turn out the light. This would have been somewhat worrying if he hadn’t then booted up the Xbox, tuned up the volume and proceeded to show me Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. And I was blown away. It looked amazing and this was truly the way it should be played.

 

By this time, I had bought myself a PS2 and so the next day I went out and bought Chaos Theory. And then the obsession started. There I was in my front room, curtains drawn and a small sound system doing its best to vibrate the walls – playing Chaos Theory over and over. Hours spent in the dark. Superb.

 

I went on to buy Pandora Tomorrow both for the PS2 and the Gameboy Advance. I got Chaos Theory again for the Xbox (once I’d got the 360), the mobile phone and the DS (a terrible version!).

 

When Double Agent was released for the 360, I also bought the Xbox and PS2 versions! I have to say, as good as the 360 one is, the story is told much better in the 6^th gen version and if you’re a fan, you should check it out.

 

 

Then all when quiet for a while. I moved on to other games and there was no sign of a new Splinter Cell. Not until 2007 when we were greeted with this:

 

A hobo Sam Fisher. The gameplay video for Splinter Cell Conviction was interesting. A new take on the franchise. A bold step in a new direction. But then it disappeared. There were delays and rumours that the game had been scrapped. Thankfully, this was only partly true.

 

Splinter Cell Conviction remergedat E3 2009 with a whole new look that put the hobo to shame. With the Mark and Execute and Last Known Position features, Sam Fisher was made into a predator, slick and efficient. When the game was finally released in April 2010 - Brilliant story-telling, amazing gameplay and a superb co-op campaign to boot ensured that Splinter Cell Conviction rose to the top of my Xbox 360 titles and became one of my favourite games of all time.

 

And it looks like the sequel – Splinter Cell: Blacklist could well do the same. I’ll leave you with these demo videos, showing two different approaches to the same mission. Enjoy.

Warhammer Painting Progress - Part I

Yesterday morning I was sorting out my paints and generally clearing out a drawer when I came across a packet with "Forge World" emblazoned across the top. It took me a few seconds to realise what it was - A Space Wolf Venerable Dreadnought I'd bought from a Forge World day at Warhammer World a few months ago. I'd completely forgotten about it. If this isn't a sign that I buy too much hobby stuff, I don't know what is.

And then the very same day the new Warhammer 40,000 box set was revealed with some stunning Dark Angel and Chaos Space Marine models. Obviously, I have to get it.

But let's get a handle on things here. I need to get on top of the painting. Get stuff done and finished before moving onto something else.

So I thought I'd list what I still have unpainted as a means of motivation and keeping myself and others who might read this blog up to date on my progress. So here goes:

Ultramarines:

• 5 Tactical marines
• A Devestator Squad
• 3 bikers

Space Wolves:

• A Venerable Dreadnought (which I still need to buy the arms for)..

Eldar:

• Striking Scorpians
• 5 Dire Avengers
• Swooping Hawks (Going to buy some Finecast ones of these to replace my metal ones)
• Harlequins
• Avatar of Khaine

Dark Eldar:

• Lelith Hesperax

Scenery:

• Finish Basilica
• Two Bastions
• Quad guns etc

Dreadfleet:

• Grimnir's Thunder
• Flaming Scimitar
• Seadrake
• Skabrus
• Treasure tokens
• All auxiliaries
• Navigation rod, wind gauge etc.

Other:

•   Karazov on the Throne of Judgment.

Wow. I've depressed myself now. A lot of work ahead.

When I've finished the Blood Claws I'm working on at the minute, I'm going to go back to Dreadfleet. And we'll just see how we go from there.

I'll keep you posted.

Top 5

 

 Fellow list-lovers.

The words of a friend of mine from a piece he wrote a while ago:

"....every list has to be preceded with a disclaimer that the list is only valid for the period of your life up until now. you cannot claim that x will definitely be your favourite film of all time ever. that just cheapens the value of the list.
I'm looking forwards to day when the man visits me on my deathbed with the reel-to-reel to record my definitive lists. Be prepared."

Brilliantly put.

I want to address something that I’ve been experiencing over the past year or so. I’m finding it easier to make definitive lists.

For as long as we’ve been doing Top 5s and Top 10s, it’s always been quite scatological, determined by your mood and experiences at the time. The lists have come with an unspoken caveat that this is transient. In the moment. Likely to change.

But recently I have found that I can more easily slot a song choice into a list and say – that’s it.

 
With films, I’ve never been able to answer the question – “What’s your favourite film?” We’ve always had to categorise. Top 5 Action, Horror, Romance, Comedies and so on. But I was watching Casablanca sometime last year (something I do every couple of months) and as I half-mimed along with the words coming out of the TV, I was struck with a thought: This is it. This is my one. Casablanca is my one. My favourite, my be-all-and-end-all.

You might argue that I was just in the moment and enjoying the film to the point that all others felt inferior. But the thought has stayed with me. Casablanca stands firm. My number one, with a bullet.

How did this happen? Why is it that I can now say that Elvis Presley’s “American Trilogy” and “If I Can Dream” are in my Top 10 songs along with “All My Loving” by The Beatles and, dare I say it, my FAVOURITE song, “One Fine Day” by The Chiffons?

Is anyone else experiencing this? And what does it mean?

I fear it has something to do with age. Have we reached the point for the first time, where we have seen enough films, read enough books, listened to enough songs to be able to make more informed and concrete decisions?

What is going on?

Musical Moments in Movies

I wrote this article as a note on Facebook a few years ago. Thought I'd share it here - My ten favourite musical moments in film. The rule is – they must be songs and not scores, and no musicals. (In no particular order).....

1.) The end of Jerry McGuire when Bob Dylan’s "Shelter from the Storm" plays over Jerry, Dorothy and Ray’s walk through the park.

2.) Another Cameron Crowe movie: Vanilla Sky. David Aimes removes the mask and heads drunkenly into the night in search of Sophia as REM’s "Sweetness Follows" kicks in.

3.) Dazed & Confused. "Tuesday’s Gone" by Lynyrd Skynyrd serenades the party as it winds down. The empty cup, over the tap of the empty keg just the perfect image.

4.) "Just Like Honey" by The Jesus and Mary Chain, growing in strength as Bob and Charlotte part ways in Lost In Translation.

5.) The long tracking shot into the Copacabana club in Goodfellas is probably the most perfect shot in cinema. Made all the more so with "Then He Kissed Me" by The Crystals.

6.) Singing "Falling Slowly", Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova fall in love before your eyes in Once.

7.) Edith Piaf singing "Tu Es Partout" as the troops wait for their finest and, for many of them, final hour in Saving Private Ryan.

8.) Fight Club. The Pixies. "Where is my Mind?" = Possibly the best ending to a film ever.

9.) Creedence Clearwater Revival’s "Fortunate Son" greets the arrival of Forrest Gump into Vietnam.

10.) Jim Carrey in Yes Man, urging a guy off the ledge with "Third Eye Blind’s" Jumper.

Mean Machines Sega

Inspired by @warllama40k's video reviews of White Dwarf magazines, I dug out this old copy of Mean Machines Sega and made a video of my own. 

Here it is, devided into two parts. The quality is a bit rubbish, but ne'mind.

Tom and Me - Part Two: Believe in Ghosts

While everyone moved onto the PS2, I was left behind. It would be some time before I would get one myself, but in the meantime, we upgraded our computer.

The first game I bought was Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon. Combining the tactical gameplay of Rainbow Six with more open warfare, this game – along with its two excellent expansions 

Desert Siege and Island Thunder – made a big impression.

I bought Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm on the PS2 sometime later and while it wasn’t up to the same standards as the PC games, it entertained, largely due to the headset that came with the game, allowing you to issue orders to your squad with voice commands.

Now the PlayStation 2 might have been selling bucket loads around this time, but it was the Xbox that was gaining ground as the most powerful console on the market. That is no excuse, however, for the difference in quality between Ghost Recon 2 on the Xbox and the version over on the PS2. The latter was pretty terrible. It did, however, introduce Captain Scott Mitchell and a third-person perspective to the series.

For the PS2 at least, we were back to first-person for Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, but that was eclipsed entirely by the same game on the new Xbox 360. It is difficult to quantify how important GRAW was to the 360. When the console was released we had PGR3 and Call of Duty 2 among a few others. They played and looked well, but it wasn’t the big step up we were all expecting. Then Advanced Warfighter came along and blew us away. Stunning graphics and terrific gameplay which – aside from a few glitches and a lot of screen tear – still holds up even now. GRAW set the ball rolling for the Xbox 360 in a big way.

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 didn’t make any huge leaps, but it refined the mechanics of the previous game and was a joy to play.

Then everything went silent. Ghost Recon Future Soldier was set for a 2009 release, but was pushed back to 2010. It would be delayed twice more until it finally released in May 2012. Thankfully, it was worth the wait.

With brilliant stealth gameplay mechanics and graphically sharing some similarities with EA's Frostbite 2 engine, Ghost Recon Future Soldier came along at the perfect time for all those looking for a Call of Duty alternative.

The game garnered positive reviews and sold well, proving the market is still there for Tom Clancy flavoured gunplay.