Back to the Bases

Renovations on the house have kept me away from models and hobby in general for a few weeks. I have been thinking a lot about it though, more specifically my Heresy Alpha Legion.

Firstly I've been looking at alternative color schemes (more on that soon!) I'm not convinced i'll change the scheme, but i need to scratch that itch before i continue painting any more.

The other thing I've been pondering over is bases. I generally put a bit of effort into my bases, especially the larger ones. However, i kept looking at my Alpha Legion and thinking that something was missing. They were quite bland. I did a quick trawl of the internet to get some ideas and found a great tutorial from Third Eye Nuke Studios on how to paint urban bases. I highly recommend it! I couldn't replicate their tutorial completely (i'm waiting for spare parts for my airbrush) but i did try my best to do so using weathering powders.

Below is a Destroyer. I had used some weathering powder on the Destroyer bases, but they did little to make them more interesting.

So what i did (using Third Eye Nukes ideas) was add some black weathering powder to the recesses of the base and anywhere i could achieve a good contrast between the powder and the grey of the base. Then i added some dark rust colored powder over the top of it (sometimes mixing the two before application) This is what the base looks like now:

I think its a big improvement! Golden Daemon statues didn't start falling from the sky, but it just makes the base a lot more interesting and gave the overall appearance of the model more depth. I also took some proper photos in the light box so you could see the effect better.

After thew Destroyers bases were 'treated' i moved onto the Tactical Marines i'd done.

Again, mode depth and better contrast, making the base a bit more interesting! I'll be giving Third Eye Nukes technique a proper go once my airbrush is operational again. I'll let you know how it goes.

How do you do your bases? Do you have any good tricks that can supplement this method?

The GunGrave

Infinity - Aleph Marut

I've had this guy/girl for a while now, and since completing him i've been dying to show him/her off! I'm not sure about the gender of this remote TAG, but i think the breasts lean it towards female for me.

As far as the model goes, its a pretty awesome sculpt! My only criticism is the manga bunny ears she is rocking! I guess the Multi HMG she's packing kinda up's the seriousness of the model though! That and the big ass sword! Its a good job to, as the Marut is the only TAG available to the Alpeh (if your not counting Achilles!)

For those of you who haven't seen a Marut in the flesh, here is a size comparison.

Very much looking forward to getting her on the battlefield!

The GunGrave

Infinity - Aleph Phoenix and Eurodos

As my force has grown i've been really feeling the need to include some named characters in my force. The Aleph have plenty to choose from! I have gone for Phoenix and Eurodos.

Eurodos is first up, Mr Pasty as i've come to know him! I will have to go back and re-do his skin tones, they are just terrible!! Other than the pasty skin i like the model. To be honest though, i haven't really found his place in my armies yet. I'm not really sure what to do with him and his Mk12...more games will help i think!

Now here is someone i DO know what to do with! Phoenix, or the Ginger Ninja as i like to call him! Phoenix is packing a Heavy Rocket Launcher and can be your armies Lieutenant which is handy! I tend to run him as he is though, leaving army responsibilities to someone else. This leave him free to blast away with that Launcher! I'm not the adept at using him yet, but a few more games will see him settle comfortably into my force.

The GunGrave

Infinity - Aleph Thorakite and Zayin Rebot

A double whammy today with a Thorakite with Chain Rifle and a Zayin Rebot with HMG.

I'm looking at getting a Steel Phalanx force off the ground soon, so bought the starter set. The Thorakites are the foot soldiers of the Steel Phalanx (along with the Myrmidons) so it seemed like the best place to start! This guy is packing a Chain Rifle.

To bolster the vanilla Aleph i cracked on with a Zayin Rebot with HMG. This is a great choice for an army, but they are a NIGHTMARE to put together!! To the point where i won't buy another model based on this chassis until they're re sculpted! Shame really, a Total Reaction HMG is a valuable asset! I am very happy with the paint job though.

The GunGrave

Infinity - Aleph Myrmidon Officer

What good is a band of bass ass Myrmidons without an officer to lead them. For that i drafted in a Myrmidon Officer! I really like this  model, she's got a real 'i'm gonna slice your face off!' look about her!

I modeled her with a Combi Rifle, but regret that choice now...I always use the Boarding Shotgun profile!! Doh... Her Chain of Command ability is especially useful as the Aleph Lieutenants tend to be a bit obvious! This means if i loose my Lieutenant, the army does not retreat as the Myrmidon Officer takes command automatically. This is something the ISN'T so obvious! 

The GunGrave

Infinity - Aleph Myrmidons

A staple of many an Alpeh list is the humble Myrmidon! For such a small price tag (16pts at base) these guys pack a lot of gear! ODD, Chain Rifles, and smoke grenades to name a few! The boys below are packing a few more toys as well!

This is the base Myrmidon with Chain Rifle.

Next up is a Myrmidon with a Combi Rifle.

Finally for a little more punch, a Myrmidon with Spitfire!

These guys see regular action, and will do for a while yet! Maybe i'll actually get some pictures of my games one day soon...

The GunGrave

Infinity - Aleph Ekdromoi

These are interesting troops. They have a real talent for messing up enemy plans with their Advanced Deployment rules (that's Deep Strike in old money!) I've actually got 2 of these guys, but only painted one for now. I really enjoy playing them, but admittedly he doesn't make it into my lists as much anymore. Mainly due to the high cost of Asura's!! Shame really, because he does look like a bad ass!

The GunGrave