# Attempt at a full army - Blood Angels log



## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

Hello and welcome to my army building log. About a year ago I started a project log up on Dakka about building up a new army after a long hiatus from the hobby. However after the summer I had to return to uni for the final year of my law degree and had no free time at all so the project got put on hold. Now a year on I'm back from uni having finished and have a lot of free time again so decided to start the project up again. This time I've also decided to post it onto other forums though to get some more opinions and hopefully some more motivation  

For my new army I chose the Blood Angels which I got rather excited about after seeing they got a new codex and minatures. It had been a good few years since I'd painted any miniatures so I was a bit rusty and decided to start with a test miniature:



Looking back, this model had a lot of problems but really helped me get back into the swing of things.

Here's a group shot of how the first five tactical marines we're progressing:










After this the next marine I completed was going to be the plasmagunner for the squad who has a purity seal on his hand to hopefully stop any overheating  





At this point I'd worked out quite well how I was painting each stage of the model and the next two squad members came along quite quickly then.




This next picture also shows the arms of Brother Noctis from Space Hulk and the arms of the Tactical Squads Lascannon marine.



And finally here's a shot of the first four marines defending an imperial Shrine I'm building.



Expect some more updates soon as I work through the rest of the log but this will do as an introduction.


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## cruor angelus silicis (Jan 13, 2010)

A man after my own heart, am a blood angels collector myself.

You've made a great start to your army.

When you say full army, what are we talking? A full company or the whole full 10 companies plus vehicles and HQ's?


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## Varakir (Sep 2, 2009)

These look really nice :victory: Normally i would suggest breaking the red up as there is so much of it, but for some reason it just works.

My only real criticism would be that the purity seals get lost in the armour, and the bases look a bit drab.

If you're churning out minis this good and you're still a bit rusty, i can't wait to see how this progresses


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## Bane_of_Kings (Oct 28, 2009)

They look really nice, I'll be following this .


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## Tossidin (Dec 10, 2008)

That looks very good. Will defeintely keep an eye on this one as well


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## Hammer49 (Feb 12, 2011)

Great start to your army!


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Definitely a nice start mate! I would add another layer of highlighting past what you have now. Just along the edges of the armor plates that would catch the most light, just to get some further definition, but that is more a personal preference than a necessity as your models are looking very nice already. I look forward to following along with you progress!


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

Thanks for all the comments and feedback guys 

@cruor angelus silicis: Glad to know your a blood angels collector aswell. Blood Angels we're the first army I ever collected 
back when I was 12 so when I decided it was time to get a full army completed they sprang to mind. 

To start with I'm just going to get a fieldable army ready so I can play some games but I do intend to exapand much further
after that. How far I go we shall just have to wait and see.

@Varakir: Cheers for the feedback, the bases are to fit with a modular cities of death board I'm making but there will be more
detail on those to come.

@Bane_of_Kings, Tossidin and Hammer49: Glad you like them guys  stay tuned there's more on the way.

@Midge913: Thanks for the feedback mate that's exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for. These first pictures were all taken
with the flash on and I think that dilutes some of the highlighting but keep checking in as there's more on the way soon.


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## Kaiden (Apr 1, 2010)

Great looking angels, I really like the plama gun coils too.


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## Stuntiesrule (Mar 22, 2009)

Love how the final red is coming out very nice.


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

@kaiden: Thanks mate I'm particularly proud of the plasma gun coils myself 

@Stuntiesrule: Thanks for the comment I'm very happy with the red and if you want to know how I painted it I've got a tutorial up on my website:

http://www.thewaaaghstudios.com/tutorials/bapaint.html

As for an update here's a shot of a Sanguinary Priest model I converted from a number of spare pieces I got from friends:



and then here's a shot of the fifth tactical marine I painted:



After I had completed this tactical marine I received a Razorback box set from my fiance so started work on that. Right from the start
I had decided that I would magnatise it so I could use it as either a Rhino or a Razorback.

The first part I completed was the main body work:



Then I worked on the top area and began adding the magnets to it:



Then finally I completed all of the extra parts that go onto the top. This allowed it to be made into Rhino mode:



or Razorback mode armed with a converted twin linked assault cannon:



Well that's enough for this update stay tuned for more soon and as always comments are appreciated


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## Hellados (Sep 16, 2009)

Mate they look amazing! ! ! +rep for you my dear fellow


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

The Sang Priest Conversion is very nice and I love the tonal quality of your reds. Everything is really looking good mate!


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

Thanks for the rep and the compliments guys  Should have some more updates for you soon so stay tuned.


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## WinZip (Oct 9, 2010)

Nice crisp tones and beautiful minis! I love anything blood angels related and will deffinetly keep track of this thread, keep up the good work! :victory: +rep!


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

Here's the next update then. After finishing work on the Razorback for the time being I finished up the lascannon trooper for the tactical squad:





This was the point that I went back to university and so didn't get any time to finish any blood angels models until I got back this summer. After returning I redesigned my commission site as well as the way I take photos of my models and they are now much more accurate to how the colours look. 

Here's the first tactical marine that I completed after my return:



That brings them up to seven now, not bad for 10 months of work :grin:


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## Achaylus72 (Apr 30, 2011)

I am so jealous, i can't seem to pain blood red well, and here you go and paint Blood Red very well, loved those Rhino's nice even Blood Red coverage and a touch of wear and tear, and it is not over the top.

Looking forward to seeing more.


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## Stuntiesrule (Mar 22, 2009)

Love the sang priest can't wait to see him all painted up


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

@Achaylus72: If your having trouble painting Blood Red you should check out the tutorial I have for painting Blood Angels. It's much easier than it looks.

http://www.thewaaaghstudios.com/tutorials/bapaint.html


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## Achaylus72 (Apr 30, 2011)

AlexHeap said:


> @Achaylus72: If your having trouble painting Blood Red you should check out the tutorial I have for painting Blood Angels. It's much easier than it looks.
> 
> http://www.thewaaaghstudios.com/tutorials/bapaint.html


You are a genious, also a rep coming your way, thanks i'll give it a go.


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

Here's another update guys.

While I've been painting the Tactical Marines I've also been working on some Sternguard. Here's the first two 
that I completed:





I actually managed to get these two done while I was at University so they're a bit older than the last tactical marine I showed.


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

Here's the third Sternguard member:


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Really loving the gold on the helmets. Great work on those!


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Very smooth reds, and the heavy shade works well.


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

Here's another update, this time it's the sergeant for my tactical squad armed with a powerfist and combi-plasma.



Only two more members of the tactical squad to complete now and I'll have my first completed squad.

As always Comments and Critique are appreciated.


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## shaantitus (Aug 3, 2009)

Beautiful colors, that razorback is so smooth. Fantastic work. Very nice all round.


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Excellent work on the face.

The only tweak I can suggest is making the purity parchment slightly less white; it might just be the photograph however it looks unnatural at the moment.


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

@Dave T Hobbit: Thanks for the feedback I'll have a look a the purity seals to see if they need some extra work.

Here's the ninth member of the tactical squad.



10th and final member has just got the backpack to do and then he's done. When the whole squads finished I shall add the army/squad markings to the shoulder pads and knees and drill out the boltgun barrels.


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## piemaster (Oct 9, 2009)

Well, these guys look rather good. Your Rhino/Razorback has some nicely chipped areas and things seem to be coming on nicely. +rep


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## louisshli (Aug 19, 2010)

Hey fellow BA collector. Nice marines you got there. They look very clean and the shading/highlighting is phat!! Fantastic job.... Have some rep...


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## Djinn24 (Jan 12, 2008)

The chest pieces kinda look unfinished. I really did not notice it until I got down to the Sergeant. Also I would recommend drilling out the barrel of your guns, it adds a lot to the model. The red on the armor is really well done and the eyes/gems are pretty amazing as well. Your sergeants face is amazing and really catches that hard weathered look.

Are you planning on doing something with the should pads? The blank ones are.... bleh.

Keep up the great work.


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

After the sergeant the chest pieces have all received an extra level of highlighting. Once the squads all finished I'm going to go back over them, touch them up and add the army/ squad markings to shoulder pads etc


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

Well here he is the tenth and final member of my Blood Angels Tactical squad:


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Nice looking piece mate! The gems are particularly nice.


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## Bane_of_Kings (Oct 28, 2009)

Really nice work on those amazing Blood Angels, keep it up. .


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## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

I am a big fan of clean, neat paint jobs and this definitely fits the bill. Nice work.


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## Hellados (Sep 16, 2009)

how did you do the gold on the command squad? they look really nice and it looks like the look i want on one of my guys soon


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## Zodd (Jul 27, 2009)

Very neat Blood Angels in all aspects i must admit. Looking forward to a photo of the squad together.


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

Most of my recent time has been taken up with commission work so I've not had much time to work on my own things. However with a tournament coming up I've been trying to get some more Blood Angels done. Here's an assault squad I've just finished the bodies of:



Still got to do the shoulder pads and backpacks but I'd at least be happy to field them on the table now.


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## jaysen (Jul 7, 2011)

Judging by your very cool looking avatar, I'd really like to see your work. However, my network blocks all picture hosting types of websites. Can you upload a few pics either as attachments or to the gallery, please?


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Nice work on the yellow mate! Excellent additions.


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

I've got some more done now, here's a picture of a Dev Squad that I've nearly finished just got to add some Shoulder Pads and squad markings to the knees:










I'm also particularly proud of the Sergeants face so I've got a zoomed in picture so you can see the detail better:


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Fantastic work man! The sgts face is really nice, as is the blue on the helms.


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## zxyogi (Dec 7, 2009)

Agree with Midge!! Very nicely done!!! Have some rep!! :wink:


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## Hammer49 (Feb 12, 2011)

Fantastic work!


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## sponsra (Aug 11, 2011)

Great work! You can clearly see the progress through the thread! The red is really good! Maybe you could try to smooth out the highlights on the bolters a bit, and blend the grey into the black. Black is always hard to paint since your base color also is the darkest shadow color -one way to give it more life could be to give it a wash i with either a warm or cold hue. A thin wash will also break up the harsh transit between th black and the grey high light color. The golden helemts are lookin great by the way!

Edit:nit-picking really, but that's just because your army looks so god


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## Disciple_of_Ezekiel (May 23, 2010)

Alex, These marines look freaking awesome mate. Super job on them and your sergeants face and wonderful! 

Enjoy some Rep Sir, Im sure that took some time!

Regards,
DoE


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

Thanks for all the great comments guys 

I've also been working on a librarian to accompany the assault squad. He's made from parts from the Death Company Boxset and the Grey Knights Boxset aswell as a resin base from Dragon Forge Designs. Here's a picture of all the parts that will be involved:


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## jaysen (Jul 7, 2011)

Okay, for some reason the Dakkadakka picture gallery has been unblocked, whoot! Are you going to keep and use this army to play? Or, just sell or display?


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

This is my own army so it will be getting lots of play time when it's finally finished


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## WarlordKaptainGrishnak (Dec 23, 2008)

Looks awesome man excellent work. I like the vibrancy of your red, your gems, and the nice crisp finishes. Look forward to the Librarian! Are you going with the traditional blue armour? + rep


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## jaysen (Jul 7, 2011)

Well, it looks great!


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

@WarlordKaptainGrishnak: Thanks for the compliments. The librarian will be getting the regular librarian colour scheme so blue armour with the left hand shoulder pad being chapter colours.

I've just finished some greenstuff work on the model adding curved horns to the skull icons on him to show his rank as a Librarian.


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## WarlordKaptainGrishnak (Dec 23, 2008)

Nice GS work mate.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Libby is looking great man! I am with Grish, nice GS work.


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Very tidy horns.


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## Dagmire (Oct 9, 2008)

Some great work here man. The only thing I dont think is 100% top notch is the bases. I think they need a little bit of colour to break up the overall look of the model. I do understand that you have a theme though.
Good work though.


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## The Wraithlord (Jan 1, 2007)

Wow those are prime! I love the clean, neat look that you have achieved on these models, very well done indeed.


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

Thanks for the comments guys, all this positive feedback is definitely keeping me motivated 

@Dagmire: Your right the bases are following a theme I have however added in spent shell casings which provide a brass spot colour to the bases which I think fixes the problem you mentioned.

I've now added some powercables to the Librarian:



So that's him all finished now I think. So unless anyone has any suggestions it's onto the painting table with him.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Nope, no suggestions. Looks great man look forward to the finished mini.


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Those cables are very well applied.

My suggestion is that you send him to me after he is finished.:wink:


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

I've now finished the librarian and here's a picture:



If you click on the image it will take you to the project log on my website and their are some more pictures from different angles on there.

On another note I had my first 40k tournament this past weekend. It was a doubles tournament and I used my blood angels with my team mate using Orks.

Despite us never having played in a tournament before and me only having played about 2 games of 5th edition (one of which was the night before) We managed to come home with trophies for 2nd place. Even managed to get the same number of points as first place with 2 wins and 2 tables but got beaten by them in the finals which I'd like to think was because the game ended on turn 3 as the hall had to close for the night.

All in all a great weekend and for those that are interested here's the list I took:

Librarian: Shield, Lance

Sanguinary Priest

5 man Assault Squad - Meltagun, Meltabombs, 
in Assault Cannon Razorback

5 man Assault Squad - Meltagun, Meltabombs, 
in Assault Cannon Razorback

5 man Devastator Squad with 4 x Missile Launchers

5 man Devastator Squad with 4 x Missile Launchers


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## elmir (Apr 14, 2011)

Looks really good man. The face came out great


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## Reactive (Aug 25, 2010)

Everything is looking great so far. I especially like the face on your Librarian, lots of a nice detail. The sword looks pretty awesome as well, keep up the good work!

Oh, and that's quite a list of heavy war gear, I take it you guys saw quite a few vehicles lol.


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

The red cloth is very good.

I also like the decision to have purity seals a different colour from the cloth; the whiter tone makes them look much more like wax.


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

Thanks for the comments and the compliments guys 

@Reactive: Oh yeah there were tons of vehicles. I'm pretty sure my Dev's managed to kill several thousand points worth of stuff over the course of the day.

I've also now finished the Sanguinary Priest from my 750 point army:


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Very skilled application of white.


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## moo (Aug 12, 2008)

I really like how neat and tidy your painting is, i think if you added more contrast to your blends you can take it that extra step further. Still i think as the models are they are superb. Very well done mate  what you got planned next?


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

moo said:


> I really like how neat and tidy your painting is, i think if you added more contrast to your blends you can take it that extra step further. Still i think as the models are they are superb. Very well done mate  what you got planned next?


Seconded.

Loving the look of the Sang Priest and the white looks great!


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## AlexHeap (Jun 3, 2011)

I've not updated this in a while as most of my time is taken up with commission work and I don't really get much chance to paint up my own models.

However I recently managed to get a free Mephiston model thanks to Gamesworkshop's excellent replacement policy so I thought I would paint him up for my army and here is the result:


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## Dave T Hobbit (Dec 3, 2009)

Excellent reds; the variation really stops it looking like a huge red blob.

My only niggle is that the contrast on the sword is too high for my taste; however it is technically well executed.


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## Midge913 (Oct 21, 2010)

Dave T Hobbit said:


> Excellent reds; the variation really stops it looking like a huge red blob.
> 
> My only niggle is that the contrast on the sword is too high for my taste; however it is technically well executed.


Dave hit my thoughts to the T. Not much else to say other than nice work!


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## Mike3D6 (Jul 25, 2008)

I really like your clean style, +rep and following


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## Hellados (Sep 16, 2009)

subscribed and +rep, i wish i was that neat but i think i'm gonna have to start weathering my guys instead


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## rich11762 (Jul 18, 2010)

Really like your work its solid looking simple and effective metal parts look well detailed and the flesh parts are very effective id do well to learn from it, im not personally convinced about the white I can understand how others may like it but it just don't do it for me. Great log.


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## troybuckle (Nov 24, 2010)

Very nice work with Mephiston, the reds are very rich.


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