Just this past week alone, I have been able to finish not one but two units of Skitarii- a new squad of Vanguard and a squad of Sicarian Ruststalkers. For both, I decided to use some of the new GW paints, namely Nuln Oil Gloss and the shinny and new "warpstone" technical paints. So- let's take a look...
Sikarian Ruststalkers
Now, up to this point, I have only done the Infiltrators. With their large helmets and cabling, they looked weird and very different from the other Skitarii. I was also interested in them because of the Taser Goads- which are great close combat weapons. So naturally I did 10 of them in total.
I was initially less impressed with the Ruststalkers. Their headgear was certainly less impressive and less "odd", as compared to the Infiltrators. As far as weaponry, I was less than impressed by their load out. The chordclaw is fine (1 attack fleshbane) enough, but the trasnoic razors / blades are less than idea. In the first round of combat they have AP 2 only on a to wound of 6. In subsequent rounds of that combat, all hits are AP 2. That means to be effective they must survive (in sufficient numbers) for at least one round of combat in order to be really effective. Kinda sucks if you ask me.
However, I HAD to build at least one squad of Ruststalkers if I am ever to do the War Convocation formation from an issue of White Dwarf. So, in earnest, I decided to assemble a new box of Sicarians as Ruststalkers.
I still think the headgear isn't as cool, but the chordclaw looks really nasty. I highlighted the claws with the new GW metal paint Stormhost Silver. That paint is incredible. I always had a hard time with the previous silvers- either being too thin or not bright enough. Like Retributor Gold, this goes on so nicely and leaves it looking very bright. The grasping chordclaws really pop now, as compared to the rest of the model.
As for the transonic razors / blades- I decided to do a little experiment. I painted them first with Mephiston Red. Then I painted the whole blade with Evil Sunz Scarlet. Then I highlighted with Wazdakka Red, and finally Fire Dragon Bright. Once that was done I used the "warpstone" technical paint Spiritstone Red. I must say that I really, really like the effect. It is kind of like Bloodletter Glaze, except that it really brightens and shines the blade. The technical paint really makes the blades "pop" as it were. Indeed, with my dark color scheme of Stegadon Scale Green and Leadblecher hit with Nuln Oil (matte) for my Mechanicus, the bright red blades really change the dynamic of the model, with your eyes first being drawn to the blades, making a great contrast with the dark and dingy Sicarians.
I ultimately do not know how these guys are going to do in-game. I believe that I will need to do up 5 more, just to bulk out the squad. My instinct tells me that they are just too squishy in a unit of 5 alone- they NEED to survive a round of combat to be effective. I think 5 won't cut it. So- it will have to be 10.
Skitarii Vanguard
So next up I have another squad of Skitarii Vanguard. This will make 20 Vanguard total for me (and I plan on adding a few more at some point). They are quite a good troop unit- cheap with great access to special weapons (as befitting a Mechanicus army). I had initially hoped that Kataphron Destroyers would be the bulk of my Mechanicus force, but for all their power, they have some limits. They can't really hide in cover all that well as they are too large for example. And they are more costly points wise. For me, Vanguard will fill in that gap nicely.
At any rate, I really like the almost Roman-esque look of these guys- their helmets are really remeniscent of Roman style helms. Naturally I assembled most of them with their standard Radium Carbines. I painted them Dryad Bark, making them look like old wooden rifles, in complete odds with their otherwise mechanical look. I highlighted the helmets with Stormhost Silver, again really loving the new paint.
For the Vanguard Alpha, I decided to go with the mace, as I had already done a Vanguard Alpha with a sword, and my Alpha Ranger has the taser goad. In my gaming circles, that doesn't matter so much- as long as he looks like an Alpha that's all that really counts, and we can WYSIWYG it before the battle. I used the new metallic paint Skullcrusher Brass for his face plate. As I said before, I have been really pleased by the new paints overall, and this one is no exception.
I also made a Vanguard with a Data Tether. He looks different enough that I could use him as an Auspex or Tether, as well as another Vanguard if I decide to split the 10 Vanguard into 2 units of 5. His face I did Rakarth Flesh with Cmmoshade over, and a little highlight over his cheekbone. The rest of his face is mechanical, lending him a cruel visage.
One of my Vanguard was "converted" due to a happy accident. I was cutting off his left arm from the sprue and when I did it just flew off, and I simply couldn't find it anywhere! So- what to do? I then saw my Ruststalker spues, and there are mechanical arms for the Infiltrator Pinceps computer- with a bit of trickery I made it into his arm. There was little mechanical digits as well as a full connection to the hand on the rifle. Hence, it looks like a totally mechanical arm. Adding screens (blue and green) on the flat parts (where the computer was supposed to go on the Princeps) and a targeter in the front (in red) makes the dual limb arm look mechanical indeed.
The special weapons I did my old way but added 2 steps to with the new paints. For the Plasma Caliver, I started with Khorne Red, highlighted with lighter reds before finally drybrushing on Ryza Rust orange. But this time, I decided to add 2 more short steps. After the orange drybushing, I put Nuln Oil Gloss into the recesses of the coils, giving it a deeper but glossy shadows. Then, I used Spiritstone Red over the coils.
Compare the two. The nearer one is the new one (done as described above). The further away one is the old one, painted in the same way minus those last two steps (didn't have those new paints then). On my camera it my be harder to see, but the fact is the Spiritstone Red just makes the whole thing pop- it adds a brightness to it.
The same thing was applied to the Arc Rifle. This time I started with greens, ending with a Moot Green highlight. And again, I added 2 extra steps. I did the Nuln Oil Gloss into the recesses of the energy chamber, and then I used the technical paint Waystone Green. Again, the result made for a brighter and more dynamic looking weapon.
Again, compare the results. The near one is the new, the far one the old scheme. The difference is greater in person, but here you can see it is a subtle but notable difference. It just looks deeper and more vibrant.
Well, that's all I have done for now. I have a few more Mechanicus items that I am working on, and then I will be doing some other "mystery" things. I want to paint my Deathwatch set, and then my mystery Horus Heresy project. I'll be back to show them as soon as they are completed.
Until Next time!!
