On Sunday, I sent an email to the White Dwarf editors. I basically told them what I thought of the Warhammer: Visions debacle. I was as professional as I could be (not as angry as I had been on my blog, obviously). However, I iterated that the Visions book was not at all what White Dwarf had been, and that was not what I subscribed to, and that I felt that GW had betrayed its loyalest customers. I have not heard a response, nor do I think I will. I just wanted to get that off my chest. I also emailed Apple and told them that GW changed the product. Apple quickly gave me my money back (got it back this morning, as a matter of fact).
Now, at some point, if a particular issue of Visions is Chaos-centric, I might buy it. But it is not something I want every month. One day, if they change the format to something more to my liking, then I'd gladly subscribe to it again. And I will certainly buy the weekly if the contents are what I'm looking for. I won't buy any more Dwarf-centric issues, but when they do 40K stuff I will certainly buy it. I just think that GW should be more careful in the future, and should be more cognizant of how their decisions impact their loyal customers.
Anyways, now that is out of the way, let us check out my latest- an Ultramarine Stormtalon...
I have had Ultramarines since 2005/06. I had been playing Plague Marines and Chaos for a long time (my Dark Eldar had fallen by the wayside). I had decided at some point to chose a "good guy" army, as it were. And you certainly could not get any more "good guy" than the Ultramarines. Initially, I wanted to do Imperial Fists, but there was no way I could pull off that yellow at that time. With today's paints I might be able to, but certainly not then.
At any rate, I decided to go with Ultramarines. Mind you, I didn't do that bright blue that they had been in back in the day. I used some slightly darker blues for them. Unfortunately, I never wrote down what I used, and the new paints just don't quite get that shade, but more on that in a second.
I enjoyed playing Ultramarines, especially against my friend Pete and his Tyranid swarm and my brother's Black Legion. However, I never "loved" them the same way I love Chaos. I don't quite know why, but I guess I like the bad guys more. As it turned out, once the 5th edition book came out, I was pretty much out of the Ultramarines. I just kept doing Chaos, and of course the re-done Dark Eldar more recently.
This past fall, I picked up the Space Marine Codex in hardcover form. I didn't buy it on the ipad, as I figured I wouldn't be using it that much, and I wanted to save room on my iPad. The truth is, it is a great Codex. I have played against it several times, and I have found it to be a very fair and balanced book (even if the centurions are a bit too much at times). I then read the book more closely, and found that I was itching to play Ultramarines again.
Over Christmas, I got a few Space Marine models, in this case, a Stormtalon from my friend Pete. I must say that it was a real ease to put together, and I really like the look of the vehicle. I think it really matches the aesthetic of the Space Marines.
In terms of painting, I did an undercoat of Macragge Blue. Then, I hit it with Earthshade in the cracks and joints, etc. Then I gently brushed on Altdorf Blue- not too thickly. Then I used Calgar Blue for the highlights. This made it slightly brighter than my old Space Marines, but I like the look. I intend on painting all of my Ultramarine stuff like this in the future.
The metal parts I did with Leadbealcher, Nuln Oil, and some brighter metal highlights. The gold was done with a buildup with Ghenna's Gold and a Earthshade wash. The pilot was done in the same blue, but I added green lines on him, to make it look as if the cockpit console lights lit him up. It didn't turn out quite as I had thought, but it was my first attempt to do this technique.
Last, I decided to use transfers for the first time. I had never actually used them before. They are a bit flimsy, and I tore a couple of them, actually. However, I really like how they look on the model. Its just one more detail that I think really makes the model pop. I intend on doing more with transfers on my upcoming Ultramarine projects.
I am really happy with how my Stormtalon came out, and considering I haven't painted Ultramarines in years, the Stormtalon has gotten me excited to paint more Ultramarines. Now, I have to get a couple of games in with them... Ha ha.
Until next time...
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