# Boc's Angels of Fire - Army Challenge 2011



## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

*Cleanse and Burn! Boc's Angels of Fire - Army Challenge 2011*

As I continue with this project, I'll go ahead and update the introduction, with a few links to get you to bits of the PLOG that you may find interesting.

*Angels of Fire*
A successor chapter of the Blood Angels, the Angels of Fire were founded in the early 34th millennium. As with their parents, they excel at close combat and vicious assaults, primarily with jump-pack equipped troopers with heavy armour support. Operating along the fringe separating the Ultima Segmentum from the Segmentum Solar, the Angels have recently been drug into the Dalmian Crusades through actions fought at Viaticus Secundus and Hydraxus.

*Infernus Guard* - Sanguinary Guard
The elite in the First Company of the Angels are split into five primary components. The first among them are the Infernus Guard, numbering 20 total Space Marines. Each member of the Infernus Guard is a veteran of dozens, if not hundreds of campaigns, and second only to the Company Captains in deeds of valour and glory.

Veteran Brother Tillios
*Veteran Brother Gallius* - WIP - Complete
Veteran Brother Zevian
*Veteran Brother Lucian* - WIP - Complete
*Veteran Brother Nikodemus* - WIP - Complete
Infernus Guard - Squad Gallius

*Honour Guard*
The Honour Guard for the leadership of the Angels of Fire are extracted from the veteran squads in the First Company. Each member rotates out, filling the positions of honour and prestige for a twenty year tour until they return to their original squads.

Honour Guard - *Squad Adelais* - Assembled - Based/Minimal Detailing
Squad Adelais has been charged with being the personal security detachment for the Chapter's Librarians. Each member is rather new to the Guard, with Flame Champion Adelais being the senior member and sole survivor following the engagement on Hydraxus.
Veteran Brother Ignatius - No Assault Pack - Completed w/o Base
Veteran Brother Figaro - No Assault Pack - Completed w/o Base

*Predators*
First - Based w/some fire and lava cracks

*Original Introduction*

Okay all, I've finally acquired all of the models for use for the 2400 points worth of BA that I'll be painting over the course of 2011.

Didn't manage to take a picture of all the assembled Space Marines, since I got home from work and it was too dark to really get quality mass photos.

I did, however, get a picture of the incredible amount of armour I'll be using with the army.

3x Predators and 3x Baal Predators









Those will probably be broken up, so my first one will more than likely be started at the end of January once I get the colour scheme/patterns that I like drawn out.

First, as far as the bases go, I had been planning on following the Lava Bases tutorial, but after the first set of three I'm not too happy with how it's worked out with my substitutes for the yellow and black inks.










I think I may try darkening the whole scheme up with Badab Black wash, but that could be disastrous.

The original plan for the paint job had been, from the boots up, yellow -> orange -> red. I had wanted to do fiery details as each colour progressed to the next, but I'm not really happy how he has turned out. Any ideas on how to make the differences a bit more bold or make the fire stand out more? Do you think a wash may make it look better? I'm at a loss for ideas for this one, which makes me a sad panda as I was very excited about the fire (and... well... the name kind of goes with it haha)










After the attempt at the original scheme, I decided to try out a very slight variation on the standard Blood Angel colours. The Assault Marine and Tactical Marine below are not quite finished, as I've been waiting to GS all the jump-pack gaps in one foul swoop. Not to mention... well I'm still trying to decide for sure how to paint them as well! I'll probably be finishing up the bandoliers across the Assault Marine's chest in gold, and am playing around with going ahead with the standard yellow head for him as well.

Tactical Marine









Assault Marine









That's all I've got done as of yet, as I try to nail down where I'm really wanting the models to go. Definitely do plan on painting 'Stan' on one of the shoulderpad scrolls though... Stan the Space Marine has a very intimidating and sinister sound to it, am I right?

Any comments or ideas as to how to improve it would be much appreciated!


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## Brother Azeek (Mar 29, 2009)

I rather like the bases and the first color scheme. Dont give up because you didnt get it right on the first try, keep tring, give it a few more models,

As for the second scheme, i think its way to dark to be blood angels. it looks almost like a blood raven. It could be the photo though

Good luck to you in the challenge!

-Brother Azeek


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## wombat_tree (Nov 30, 2008)

The first base looks good, but the other two do look a bit strange. Try making a few more and you'll probably improve to a point where you're happy with them, otherwise either scrap the idea entirely or try reducing the amount of lava and increase the amount of rock so that if you screw it up on the lava it wont matter as much. 

The first chainsword marine looks good but at the moment I think one of the biggest problems it the white on his boots. At the moment it doesn't really look like it belongs, it looks more like you've accidentally spilled a bit of paint on the model. I would recommend that you either remove the white completely or use a lot more white so that it covers 1/3 to a 1/2 of the yellow. Another layer of yellow would also help. The red on the other marines looks good, if a bit too dark but then that's personal preference. Otherwise you've made a good start.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Thanks for the advice, guys. I've got two more bases GS'd and painted with the yellow base, I'll get those knocked out tonight. Good call on adding more rock, on these ones I just put it on the highest portion of the base, I may just have to suck it up and use more green stuff haha.

I think the biggest problem on the first marine was the base coat. I had wanted to use a white primer to make the colours stand out more, but the wife was kind enough to base them all in black while I was at work haha. I used mechrite red as a base for all red portions, then painted blood red over that and then washed with Baal Red, but I think the picture does make them look a tad darker than they are.

I'll try using Iyanden Yellow and Dheneb Stone for the yellow/orange and white parts, and definitely a good call on adding more white to make it look less accidental. Luckily I have a good amount of free time this weekend, so I should be able to get a few more models painted.

As for the jump packs, I was thinking about trying the same flame scheme, but I'm not sure if there'll be enough space to really pull it off. Maybe start at yellow to red to black from the front to the exhausts.

Again, thanks!


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Okay, after a long lack of progress (yayyyy holidays...) I've finally managed to get my first Sanguinary Guard model completed as a respite for my frustration with the overall paint scheme.

First, I apologize for the photos, as it's cloudy as hell here so I can't get a room well lit enough for the normal against-the-wall white background pictures, but I'm still incredibly happy with how they've turned out, especially given my relative painting experience.

*Infernus Guard #1: Veteran Brother Tillios*









The two real downfalls I see on him are the wings and the 'writing' on the scroll. Originally, I'd painted them solid white then done a blue wash. I stuck with the blue in the recesses as I painted alternating yellow - orange - red feathers, though I'll probably not do this in the future, as I finished the whole with a Baal Red wash. Next model I'll likely try a different patterning on the wings as well, probably starting with yellows as the lower tips and moving up through orange to red.

With the scroll, I tried using the finest tipped brush I had, I tried using a splintered sliver of wood, and am now at a loss for the writing. I can't get it defined enough, and after redoing it 4 times, I called it quits for now until I peruse the inter-webs on more fine-writing tips. So, despite the fact that it's currently just a black scribble instead of the word 'INFERNUS,' it won't be staying that way.

Hopefully you like it!


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## Dakingofchaos (Sep 29, 2009)

Fuck me, they look good, plus rep to you man! and on the wings, dryrushing them various shades of orange and yellow may look better than simply painting the seperate feathers, just a thought though


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

- Dakingofchaos - Thanks, mate! I'll definitely give that a shot on one of the next batch of SG. For this model's, I put a base layer of Iyanden Darksun onto the wings that I'll try to build out with the orange and red after washing it with a Baal Red. We'll see how that goes and then on to the dry brush method.

After about 4 hours or so tonight, here are some WIP pictures of my second sanguinary guardsman (as I'm excited with how it's turned out thusfar!)

*Infernus Guard #2 - Veteran Brother Gallius*









The only real work left on him (other than the jetpack and wings) are final touchups, some 'text' running down the devotional scrolls, and some 'ardcoat applied to all non-scroll and non-feather surfaces. I'll be using one of the bases completed in the first post for him as well, just as I did for the first SG.

I don't feel the picture really does the winged shoulderguards justice, but I'll again try to get some better pictures once it's sunny out (since I'm a cheap bastard without any bright lights in the house!)

Hope you enjoy :victory:


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## Fallen (Oct 7, 2008)

Boc these look awesome, cant wait to see more of them.


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## Bane_of_Kings (Oct 28, 2009)

They look awesome Boc, can't wait to see more .


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Looking really good Boc! I too am going to be using the silver armor scheme for my Sang Guard when I finally get back around to my angels, it looks great! +rep


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Thanks all! Gallius should be done tonight and ideally I'll get started on a 3rd before work starts back up again tomorrow.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Woo and finished Gallius, as well as got some better pictures of Tillios.

Updated Tillios:









Completed Gallius:









With his wings, I used a base of Iyanden Darksun, painting over it with Sunburst Yellow for the bottom 1/3, then Blazing Orange for the middle 1/3, and Red Blood for the top 1/3. It was followed up with a Baal Red wash, which I think made it turn out quite a bit better than Tillios. I'll be trying out drybrushing the three colors with my 3rd SG who I should be starting tonight.

And the Infernus Guard as of now!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

I like the way that these guys are shaping up. As personal opinion I like the wings on Gallius much better than the approach you took with Tillios. Looking good! Can't wait to see the whole unit finished up.


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## dark angel (Jun 11, 2008)

These are really, really cool. Typically, I loathe the Blood Angels and their Offspring Chapters, though there are a few awesome ones - The Angels of Fire now included amongst those ranks. Your painting has improved from the last piece that you showed me, or maybe it was just the quality of the photographs. I particularly like the wings on Tillios, but then the crimson finger-claw-things on Gallius are equally as well done. Will these make an appearance in any of your fiction works? Plus rep, keep up the good work. 

Edit - Saw the second page. 

The bases and wings are both equally as great, I reckon anyway!


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Midge - I definitely agree with the preference in the wings. Pending how #3 works out, I'll probably wind up painting over Tillios with either the dry-brush or the tiered colouring, that and Gallius's wings are just much cleaner looking.

DA - Thanks for the compliments and rep haha. And, if I ever get off my ass with Skull Reaper... they may be coming to say hello.


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## Dakingofchaos (Sep 29, 2009)

I agree with dark angel, the claws on the fists look really good! and aye, i'd say the gallius wings turned out better :laugh: i just love your power weapons too xD


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## Bane_of_Kings (Oct 28, 2009)

Fantastic stuff Boc .


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

After a busy week and not getting anything done, I have been saved by a slow Sunday!

Third model, and third method of doing the wings haha. I think I prefer Gallius's, but I will allow you to see for yourselves:

*Veteran Brother Zevian*


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

I like Gallius and Zevian. I think at this point it is which ever one you like the best.


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## Azwraith (Apr 23, 2009)

i like the style of Tillios but it needs to have way more contrast and smoother coats of paint to really pop.

i think gallius is the best but i think do some white tips on the wings and a darker red at the top of the wing.


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## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

I like them all including the bases, very well done. I will say that the base for Zevian is not up to the same level as the others however.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Thanks all for the comments!

As I mentioned before, I hadn't been overly happy with the way that the bases had turned out, as the tutorial required inks and I tried to pull it off without, so the overall product looks too dry for lack of a better word.

I'm knocking out the next several bases over the next few days, and will be using a 'realistic water' seal/detail I picked up from my FLGS that could make the lava look a little better. Concurrently with that, I'm finishing up my last two SG models as well as a HQ choice, either a librarian or Astorath which I should be posting some WIP pictures of tonight.

Thanks again!


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## Djinn24 (Jan 12, 2008)

I would say base the wings yellow, one thins coat of black wash, a few coats of red wash, dry brush the original yellow and then a light drybrush of white on the tips.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

djinn24 said:


> I would say base the wings yellow, one thins coat of black wash, a few coats of red wash, dry brush the original yellow and then a light drybrush of white on the tips.


Hmmm... I will definitely have to try this out as I finish my 4th model, although admittedly drybrushing is most certainly a weak spot for me (probably because my designated drybrush doesn't have stiff enough bristles...) An excellent idea though, thanks for the tip!

And yes... I suck for no picture updates, fething work!


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Okay, finally some WIP updates for my last two Sanguinary Guard. I haven't gotten close to as far along as I would have liked, but I got distracted by assembling/posing my Honour Guard and some HQ choices for February's Army Challenge.

Here's what I've got done on each of the last two models (Lucian and Nikodemus):

Black spray paint base
Dheneb stone as base for white/silver/gold portions
Chainmail for armour
Shining Gold for armour detailing/meltagun barrel (knee guards, heraldry, etc)
Mithril Silver highlighting on armour/drybrushing on gold wings
Skull white on shoulderpad wings
Asurmen Blue wash on shoulderpad wings
Charadon Granite on pistol for paneling
Boltgun Metal on pistol for mechanisms
Fortress Grey highlights on Charadon Granite
Badab Black wash on armour and pistols

I think that's it as for what I've done now, and here's how they're looking!

Lucian









Nikodemus









I've actually got Nikodemus's arms done as much as Lucian's... but it's kind of weird to take a picture of arms, so I'll leave those out until they're actually attached.

Here's the work left to do for each:
Skull white on purity seals/scrolls
Devlan mud wash (very light) on purity seals/scrolls
Mechrite red on power weapons, non-winged shoulder pads (and detailing on winged pads), jet packs, wings, and blood drop detailing
Blood Red on all Mechrite Red areas
Blazing Orange highlights on jet packs and blood drop detailing, lightning patterns on power weapons
Sunburst Yellow highlighting within lightning pattern on power weapon
Skull white highlights on scrolls/purity seals, detailing on power weapon lightning and blood droplets
Iyanden Darksun/Mechrite Red on wing feathers (for jet pack)
Sunburst Yellow/Blazing Orange/Blood Red on wing feathers
Baal Red light wash on wing feathers
Chaos Black to touch up shoulderpad trim and jet pack
Codex Grey for jet pack trim
'ardcoat

AND DONE... except for the bases, which I've still got to finish. I do plan on using Djinn's recommendations for one of their wings as well, to see how it looks as I've still yet to do Astorath and I'd like to use the best as-yet wing scheme for his.

I should hopefully finish up tomorrow and be able to concentrate again on figuring out how the heck I want my assault squad paint scheme to look. Thanks for reading!


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## DrinCalhar (Jul 10, 2010)

The wings and the bases look awesome.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

@DrinCalhar - Thanks mate! Much appreciated 

Okay, finally managed to finish these last two models up, and I'm fairly happy with at least the figures themselves. The bases I tried in a little different of a method than before, and I'm still undecided as to whether I like them this way a little more. For lack of a better explanation, I tried painting them more than pseudo-inking, which I felt gave me a lot more control than before.

I also tried using stuff called "realistic water" and applied it on all 5 of the bases. I think it did a pretty good job of giving it more of a wet look than before, since I felt that the lava looked far too dry.

And I present you with the newest two members of the Infernus Guard:

*Veteran Brother Lucian*









I must say, I was _very_ pleased with how the lightning effects worked out on his weapon. Someone remind me to rep Wraithlord for the awesome tuturial on that. I made sure I added the slight white specks at the widest parts of the bolt and it really brought the whole thing to life.

With the wings on Lucian, I *tried* doing Djinn's advice, however I think I put the red wash on there too thickly, and didn't allow for enough time to dry. The yellow highlighting really didn't turn out quite as strong as I'd wanted, but I'm still fairly satisfied with the result. As I paint further squads maybe in the future for some Apoc-fun, I'll have to try it out again, since I think your suggestion really has a lot of promise.

*Veteran Brother Nikodemus*









I tried for more of a flame-type pattern on his Glaive, but I think I should've stuck with the lightning. It looks pretty good, better than my old power weapons, but it could have been much stronger.

*Infernus Guard of the Angels of Fire*









January challenge completed! Time to start figuring out what to paint for February...

Thanks all for reading, and as always, C&C are more than welcome!


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## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

> Someone remind me to rep Wraithlord for the awesome tuturial on that.


Hey I am just glad you found it useful mate 

I think the whole squad looks good overall with the wings being the weakest point simply because they are on the flat side compared to the rest of the models. Can't honestly give you a better idea for them however as I am completely uncertain myself as to how I would have painted them. I might have tried to do them in layers going from dark to light from the recesses up, not in vertical layers like they suggest. Example: each feather would have been based in a dark red and worked up to a bright red or orange from there. Not sure if that would look good either though.

In any case, still a nice looking batch of models.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Looking good Boc! I like the front of the wings on Lucian alot, but the back seems a bit uneven in the application of the wash. I would suggest doing several very watered down layers of the wash as opposed to a heavy wash. It will go on more evenly. That being said I really like your squad and I think that the scheme is very original. Good work mate!


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

@Wraithlord: I'm definitely tracking on the wings, I tried a different method on each model and am still undecided as to which I like the most. I may have to try working it from the recesses on Astorath when I get to him in the coming months for the Army Challenge. Who knows, maybe I'll buy some more SG for a Dantewing list and have a little more experimentation to do.

@Midge: Aye, the red ink came out muuuuch thicker than I wanted it to. My whole understanding of watering down colours is a work in progress, and I'll be careful to make sure that I use a significantly more watered down variant to keep from the nasty clogging that happened.


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## TattooedGreenMan (Nov 4, 2008)

Very nice job on the wings. Looks like a great army. Would love to see it on the table. + Rep from me.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Thanks, TattooedGreenMan!

And as of now, they'd be rather boring on the table. 5 painted SG, 2 assault marines and 1 tactical marine and the rest would be either gray or black haha. Hopefully, if I keep up with the Army Challenge, I'll make a bit of progress though (and maybe finally stop whoring Chaos pieces and start building this force up!)

As far as my project for this month, barring any side-work on my CSM army to make sure everything is painted for a tournament... I present my first Predator:










I still need to file it down a good bit in parts, and come up with a paint scheme, but I do have something in mind.

Whole body in a base of Mechrite Red, built up through Red Gore to Blood Red (probably minimal weathering, I'm a firm believer that SM keep their shit looking good!).
In the front of a vehicle, a flame pattern using white/yellow/orange. 

*Question from the colourblind guy:* Which yellow have you all found to be the brightest? I have Sunburst and Golden, and would like to make sure the flames really stand out.

Along the rest of the body, I would *like* to try and paint "lava seams" with much of a similar effect as on my SG power weapons, however a little thicker and more deliberate. This is the part I'm most iffy on, if I pull it off... epic. If not, they'll look ridiculous!

I'll try to get some progress posts up in the next few days, and actually keep up with the WIP as I should, to hopefully positive results.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Okay, sorry about the incredible lack of updates, but February was much busier than I anticipated, with a snowboarding vacation (wooo!) and changing jobs, etc etc I wasn't able to get anything done.

The pred is still a work in progress, don't have any pictures yet, but there's not much to show other than a base coat of mechrite red and a single layer of blood red. Yeah... so not much.

However, for my March entry for the Army Challenge I started knocking out my Honour Guard, which makes me a bit sad since I'll be using them rather than the Sanguinary Guard I wasted soooo much time on. But such is life...

I apologize about the photos, but I'm on my work computer, and conveniently don't have administrator privileges to download and install Flash Player so I can edit them to make them not look like shit. Believe you me, though, once I get them finished I'll put up quality pictures.

Before photo:










The only work I really got done with them:
Basing in mechrite red, then working up with 3-4 layers of Blood Red (still need one more layer)
Basing in Dheneb Stone, then working up 4 layers of Skull White (for Sanguinary Initiate)
Chaos Black for boots, knee pads, and trim
Dheneb Stone to Skull White for any Angel Wing detailing, tabard, and scrolls
Shining Gold drybrushed with Mithril Silver on Aquila/skull/random other shiney pieces

*Initiate Callis and Veteran Brother Vito*









*Veteran Brothers Ignatius and Figaro*









*Blood Champion Adelais*









With the Blood Champion, I tried to get some flames going up his leg, but I didn't really have the proper tools with me (I use snapped toothpicks for the really fine work). I'll be repainting over them with red and then giving it another shot in the next day or so, hopefully with a little more success.

Still left to do:
Azurmen Blue wash on Angel wings, then highlight with Skull White
Badab Black wash on Shining gold portions
Charadon Granite on bolt pistol casing, highlighted with Fortress Grey, boltgun metal on mechanics of pistol with a Badab Black wash
Power weapon detailing - blazing orange/golden yellow/skull white for lightning effect on champion's fist and sword
Another layer of Blood Red on armour, highlighted with Blazing Orange, then Baal Red Wash
Bestial Brown on ropes with Vermin Brown drybrush
Flesh wash on scrolls then re-highlighting with Bleached Bone and then a black fine-point pen for writing
LIGHT Devlan mud wash on the tabard, highlighting in Skull White
Blood droplets - another coat of Blood Red (no Baal Red wash), blazing orange/skull white for shine effect
Golden yellow for X patterns on kneepads
Jetpacks will be done in a similar manner to the SG, pure blood red with blazing orange highlights, trimmed in Chaos Black with Codex Grey highlights
Chainmail for the joints with Badab Black wash
And finally, the 'ardcoat to make it aaaall shiney, because the Blood Angels and successors (except those silly Flesh Tearers) like to be pretty haha. Unless you ask Xenobiotic, since he's slightly battle-damage-happy.

Christ... when I list it out like that, it makes it seem like I got nothing done!

Still undecided on:

- Since this is the honour guard, I want to do their helms in a manner different than the rest of the Angels (i.e. red for Tacs, yellow for assualt... I know I'm original!) I was debating between just Blood Red with Golden Yellow on the plating, Shining Gold for whole helm, or Chainmail for the whole helm to go along with my Sanguinary Guard theme.

- Storm shields/combat shield: I'm leaning towards doing the flame pattern on this as well, which will be the same method as the power weapons.

- Eyes: The debate is to just fill it with Badab Black to let it settle in the crevasse (i.e. the lazy method!) or trying to get some pinpoint work with Goblin Green
Initiate: How do you all highlight (or in this case, lowlight) white? I was debating fortress grey highlights, but figured this may look tacky. Any suggestions? I've never painted an all-white model before so this is new haha.

- Bases: Should I keep going with the lava bases? Or keep those special to my SG and try something new, knowing that I'll be making a display board at some point in the future and making a 2'x2' bed of molten rock will be a sliiiiight pain in the arse!

What do you all think?


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Okay, finished up most of Ignatius, still need to start on his jump pack though as well as get a base knocked out for him. Well, bases done for everyone, but might as well start with baby steps rather than get overly optimistic.

*Veteran Brother Ignatius*


















I was much more pleased with how the flame pattern has worked out on him, both his shield and his greaves. I'll definitely re-do Adelais once I get back to him to make sure his boots are at least as good as Ignatius's.

As far as the eyes, I opted for a Scorpion Green fill with Badab Black applied, and they don't look too shabby. Not as good as other eyes I've seen, but for ones I've done they're pretty solid and I'm satisfied.

Hopefully I'll be able to finish the rest of the squad by the weekend and maybe even get started on their assault packs/bases on Saturday. *crosses fingers*

Anyways, C & C is always welcome, and I hope you enjoy!


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Okay, just realized how terrible the picture of the Infernus Guard was, so I decided to update it when I actually had some real lighting, the page shrunk the image down a lot so I opted for the clickable thumbnail so you can see the full sized photo.

View attachment 11732


Additional update for the Honour Guard, I'm working on Figaro now, hopefully I'll have his body done by tonight so I can knock out his and Ignatius's assault packs at the same time, so I can paint one while the other dries.

Thanks for reading!


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## warsmith7752 (Sep 12, 2009)

Nice mini there, the flame effects are pretty good and the shield is brilliant too.


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## Siskin (Mar 23, 2010)

Hi there nice log.
For the bases I would see them darker, what i did i start with white then yellow,orange and form now on dry brush of red (mixing in more and more black) to finish with blak drybrush.
Some reflections on the models would look cool too. ( see my shadowseer you will see what i mean)
On the whit what I would suggest is start form astronomican grey and build up to white(blending). The gryphonne sephia is nice for the wash on white.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to drop me a PM.

I like the silver color scheme on the sang guard, and the flames idea on guard models.

good job


Siskin


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Thanks for the comments! I'll have to try that on the Sanguinary Initiate, I'll just need to pick up some Astronomicon Grey, since apparently I don't have it (surprisingly enough...)

Once I get the bases put together and painted, and after gluing the models to the base, I'll experiment with reflections a bit to try and build up a glow from the lava below them. Of course, this will be lots of trial and error, so be prepared for 4 different methods of reflection with 4 different models.

Today I did manage to finish up Figaro, except for his assault pack. I'll be knocking both his and Ignatius's assault packs tomorrow if I have time.

*Veteran Brother Figaro*

















I'm pretty satisfied with how the flames came out on his shield, since it didn't have the benefit of being mostly obscured by the angel wings I was concerned with how well the free hand would hold out.

That's it for updates tonight, hope you all enjoy!


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Did a little bit of work on the Predator that was supposed to be February's Army Challenge entry (clearly failed...). Mainly, trying to get the flame and lava detailing on it to where I thought it didn't look like shit.

While I'm not _entirely_ pleased with how they turned out (I think the flames have way too much white in them), it still could have been much worse.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

All right, finished up the actual models for Figaro and Ignatius! I've gotten a little bit of work done on Vito (the melta gunner), and for the most part will just have some detailing and finishing touches on him tonight before I get on to the Sanguinary Initiate. I've been debating painting the SI red... I had painted him all white under the incorrect assumption (and the internet/codex weren't nearby for reference) that apothecaries were pure white, not just their helms... woops!

But anyways, here are the completed (except for the bases) Ignatius and Figaro:


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

It has truly been a productive Sunday! Managed to build Vito up from what was shown in the group photos all the way to the finished product tonight. Of course, as with his brothers, I still need to base him, but I'm still happy with progress, maybe I'll actually get this month's Army Challenge completed!

As a brief, slightly cheesy explanation as to the pose, the first game I played using the Honour Guard unit, I had to soak up a lot of invuln saves (plasma cannons = oh noes!) I didn't have the models really mocked up yet, as I didn't have the melta to go with the melta/SS model, and was playing with a bare torso as my model for Vito. He, somehow, made a grand total of 5 invuln saves throughout the game (his brothers were less fortunate), so his "pose" is my attempt at humour, after just having been blown to his arse yet another time from explosions he had to pick up his meltagun and just run with it, shield ready for another hit.
*Veteran Brother Vito*


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

And I've finished up the Honour Guard! ...except for the bases, of course. I'm not overly satisfied with how the Initiate's head turned out, but I was at a bit of a loss as to how to actually bring out the white, other than the light coat of Gryphonne Sepia that I applied. As the other Sanguinary Priests progress, we'll see how the white progresses.

*Sanguinary Initiate Callis*









I had to redo the Blood Champion's pose, since the wing attached to the right shoulderpad would not fit under the assault pack... I don't quite like the new pose as much with the Pfist down by his side, but it still works, I suppose.

*Blood Champion Adelais*









And all together...

*Honour Guard of the Angels of Fire*


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## Dakingofchaos (Sep 29, 2009)

I dont know if it's the hightlights or just me, but on Callis i think he might need another coat of red, there seems to be some of the basecoat shining through, it might jus be highlights though im not sure xD and i think the white seems a little flat on his helmet, im not sure how you'd highlight white, so ill jut suggest a wash or two of devlan mud - my personal favourite paint, it'll shade anything with next to no effort! :victory:


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Aye, I definitely do need to touch up the white both on his helm and the red on his legs.

Now, I already put the 'ardcoat on them, would that cause problems when trying to apply a wash?

As for my upcoming project, I'll be knocking out an assault squad as well as their accompanying Sanguinary Priest:

*Squad Charron*

















Question to you all: What do you think of the gloss finish? Should I just leave that for the "elite" units who have much shinier armour or keep it going throughout the army?


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## Siskin (Mar 23, 2010)

I like the squad!
I feel like the flames are a bit lost on the red of the shields, what I would do is make a grey or very dark red "shadow" to cut them off. I hope you know what I mean.

The army is shaping up nicely.

Siskin


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Thanks for the comment, Siskin, but unfortunately I don't have any more shields planned for the army haha.

I have, however, finished up the first two members of Squad Charron:

*Brother Sergeant Charron*









*Assault Marine 1*









As you can see, I haven't put on the 'ardcoat yet, simply because I'm still debating as to whether or not I want to haha.

Anyways, I hope you all like them, and C&C are always welcome and appreciated!


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## Siskin (Mar 23, 2010)

Try this on the flames you are painting on the legs they are still on the red background.
I feel that they will pop up nicely and this will allow you to tone them a bit down more red/orange les white.
try it on a sprue or sth (I can make a draft and send you a pic via PM if u want).

It is up to you just throwing ideas

I personnaly do not put the ard coat on my plastic models.

As for the model above I like it; one thing though maybe some more highlight on the brown stripes(belts) on the chest?

keep up the good work

Siskin


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Oh okay I think I get what you're saying, do the first "layer" with a darker red, probably red gore or scab red, then follow it up with the orange-yellow-white to help it stand out better from the rest of the leg armour?

I'll have to give that a go with my next models, I finished up 3 more yesterday that I need to post up today when I get home


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## Siskin (Mar 23, 2010)

yea you could even go with a mix of red and black to create the contrast, the outer (dark) line does not need to be very thick.
You can even add the outline to the existing flames painting them the way you like and then adding the outline.

also I have the impression that you could add just a tuch more water to you paint, this will allow you to better blen the colours on the flames.

continue good work

Siskin


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Aye, after this last batch I'm definitely going to water down the paints for the flames a bit more, as they (as you said) aren't blending too well. Watering down has never really been a strong point of mine, but hey gotta learn sometime!

But I finished off the first half of the squad on Sunday, so here it is!

*Assault Marine 2*









*Assault Marine 3*









*Assault Marine 4*









With the highlighting on the belts, I've tried to do a Vermin Brown along the separated segments over top of the Bestial Brown. It's a _little_ more noticeable on the models themselves, but not enough to really be a quality highlight. What colours would work best to highlight the brown? Maybe mixing a bit of white with the Vermin Brown?


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Snakebite Leather works really well for highlighting browns mate. Mix a little vermin into it and you will have a nice color that blends into the lower layers.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Haven't, unfortunately, remembered to pick up the snakebite leather yet >.<

I'll try to remember next time I swing by my FLGS, which should possibly be in the next week or so...

Anyways, here is the completed Squad Charron:


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## Hammer49 (Feb 12, 2011)

Nice looking unit. Look forward to seeing what you do next.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Cheers, Hammer, thanks! And finished up the Chaplain, though I think I rushed through him a bit due in part to my assembly-lining the assault marines:










I need to do the models 1-2 at a time, I think, so that I can keep the attention-to-detail to a maximum without worrying about "AH FUCK I NEED TO FINISH THE SQUADD!!!!"


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## Hammer49 (Feb 12, 2011)

Chaplain looks good.
I think Im the opposite to you in that I paint too slowly, and never get anything finished.


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## Mossy Toes (Jun 8, 2009)

It pains me that you've left the Dark Side, but...such is life. In any case, cool models. I look forward to seeing you do more with these!


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

@ Hammer: Aye, but painting slowly also means that you're more likely to catch your errors, and I rush enough that the errors are a-plenty haha.

@ Mossy: Don't worry, the dark side still resides in me, I just picked up a Khorne Lord on Juggernaut as a counts-as Bravvick/CSM Khorne Lord that I will hopefully get to over the summer. It's just that in order to complete the challenge I have to focus on these haha. The Venom Guard are still strong!

As far as actual progress, surprisingly there has been none in the past 3 weeks, but I'll be "out of town" per se until the 21st, so I have a nice, manageable goal for May.

*Brother Librarian Corsico*









Really terrible spray-paint base job, but maybe I'll get around to touching it up haha. If not, that's what washes are for!


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Finished up the Librarian and am mostly done with Astorath, however the latter isn't ready yet to be posted.

*Librarian Corsico*










I owe a better picture, and hopefully I'll have one up soon, depending on how sunny the weekend is.

Next up... Furioso!


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## Mossy Toes (Jun 8, 2009)

So, is his name Mertius or Corsico? Or do you just have 2 models?


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Mossy Toes said:


> So, is his name Mertius or Corsico? Or do you just have 2 models?


I don't know what you're talking about 

As a very small update, I finally did the bases for the Honour Guard, Librarian and Chaplain last night, so here they are actually completely done:


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## Bane_of_Kings (Oct 28, 2009)

Pretty nice stuff, Boc .


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Cheers, BoK, now I just need to go out and about to find some more rocks haha.

Now, back in February, I had hoped to start/complete a predator. I... failed, miserably, as my natural distaste for painting vehicles kicked my ass and I was unable to finish.

This last week, though, I've forced myself to finish up the predator that I'd started back then. Each time I found myself wanting to pick up a new model, I pushed it down and picked the predator back up, and, though it's far from perfect, I'm quite pleased with the end result. Hopefully you all will be too!

_*Burning Fury*_

















The biggest improvement that I'll be making with the next pred (or other model which will require covering lots of area with the same colour) will be the introduction of Flow-Aid to my Blood Red as recommended by Djinn. I had already done the lava criss-crossing with this one months ago, and I would have died a little inside if I'd had to have stripped it and started over, so Predator V2.0 will have the change that will hopefully improve the appearance of the red.


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## Mossy Toes (Jun 8, 2009)

Hot _damn _that looks awesome. Great work, Boc!


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Thankya, Mossy! It was a royal pain in the arse to do, and sadly, I'm about to start work on my first Baal pred... debating now whether to do the paintjob the same as the regular preds, or make each variant (annihilator, destructor, baal) it's own distinct scheme. We'll see...

As for what I've been up to the past week or so, got 7/10 tactical marines done, hopefully the last three will be finished tomorrow before I start up on the first Baal.

*Squad Virgo*


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## TheReverend (Dec 2, 2007)

There's some really nice work going on here. I love the colour scheme and all the fire/lava going on. 
I especially like your work on the chaplain (my favourite chaplain mini) and the librarian.

How come you are using 'Ard coat? are you putting a coat of purity seal over this to matt down the glossyness? do you like the shinyness? 

Keep it up anyway.

+Rep


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

I must admit, I used it because I liked the shininess haha. I wanted the elite units to stand out, and having their armour polished to the 'mirror sheen' that they so often refer to in the books seemed like the way to do it. Purity seal? I may have to try that out, thanks, maybe it'll help the honour guard look less, well, overly-shined.

I decided not to do it with the whole army though... it would make it look a bit funky.

Glad you like the army though!


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## Azokazor (Jun 12, 2011)

I think this guy's pose is epic. Looks like he's about to bash down a door. Great work!

+rep


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Thanks man, glad you like the pose! I should be getting around to repainting that model with his assault squad in August (maybe July, still debating whether or not I want to tackle another tank or not...)

I was sorely tempted to simply sham out next month, since I'll be doing Army crap for a good chunk, and just pass this scout squad off as my July entry. However... integrity slapped me in the nuts, and I figured I'd go ahead and post them up!

Without flash:









With flash:


















Should ideally be getting a predator done next month... but we'll see how that goes since the last one took me abysmally longer than I'd predicted haha.


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## Boc (Mar 19, 2010)

Yeah... it's been a slow couple of months. With the predator, all I've managed to do is paint it red. Very exciting, I know.

With my RL work often taking up about 16+ hours a day, it's been difficult for me to find the time/motivation to get painting done, so the AoF have been slacking off since June. Luckily, I've only missed one month of the painting challenge so far...

Anyways, my August entry was just Astorath the Grim.










I wasn't overly happy with how he turned out, I wound up rushing through him over a couple of several-hour-blocks of free time and motivation, without quite as much care as I should have shown such a model. I do like how the haft of the axe turned out, very bone-y looking, and the paint scheme for his armour took a few tries before I settled for what it is now.

Next month: maybe some TH/SS termies with a chaplain or Libby or maybe a tank. Maybe an assault squad. Who the hell knows!


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