Trying Something New - Infinity

Those of you who know  me will know full well that I'm far to lazy to try another game system. I just can't be bothered to learn it! However i was struck by a bit of an epiphany the other day while working on the recent Mechanicum Ordinatus. Though i enjoyed the recent excitement of the huge war machine, i just felt like i was going through the motions a bit. This could be born of a generalised boredom of 40K/30K, using the same painting methods without much change, or maybe a lack of hobby direction (ie: painting all these models, but not using them etc) Could be all of them!

Whatever the reason, I've acknowledged I'm starting the feel like this about my hobby. Salvation was at hand however, from a chance encounter at a friends wedding! I started chatting to a bloke who turned out to be a wargamer as well. Although he didn't play 40K/30K he did play Infinity. He told me about it and offered me a demo game, which i took him up on!

Long story short, i had a blast! The mechanic was very different from what i was used to and the universe it was set in was colourful and interesting. The mini's are also stunning and highly detailed. So I grabbed myself a copy of the rule book and started studying. While i was in my FLGS the owner also suggested a also get myself a copy of this book:

It is a masterclass volume by the renowned painter Angel Giraldez. The multiple tutorial's take you by the hand and walk you through step by step. As i had never painted an Infinity model before, this was really helpful. It also came with a free mini!

I went straight in and applied the tutorial from the book to the free mini, a Joan of Arc figure. Now these figures are incredibly detailed (more  than any metal figure has any right to be!) I had to buy some new fine detail brushes especially! Anyhoo, here is my first Infinity miniature attempt:

All in all i spent about 6hrs on this model. For a first attempt I'm pretty happy. Though there are a few things i would  change for next time:

• I undercoated the model with a canned grey primer (Army Painter) While this is usually OK i got a very rough undercoat out of it. It could just be bad luck, but I'll use the airbrush next time. 
• Never use a colour that hasn't been thinned! The apex highlighting with the white was straight out of the bottle, but i should've thinned it to calm the colour down a bit. 
• Get some proper brushes. I'm talking Windsor Newton Series 7 here. Cheap brushes just won't cut it, the detail is simply to fine. The ones i bought for this model will probably only last me for 1-3 mini's before they die, and the tips become hooked. 

I really enjoyed painting this mini though, and i haven't felt this engrossed in a model for a long time! I also challenged myself a lot here. OK, i did cheat a bit using a guide, but the techniques were different enough to make the process interesting, and the final result worthwhile. I hope I'll be able to replicate it in the future, hopefully to a better degree!

40K/30K will still form a large part of the content here on AGGTG, but expect to see a lot more Infinity on here as well! Now i just need to choose a faction and get collecting!

The GunGrave