Procrastination by Numbers

[cunningmatt]

1. You're amazing
2. They're blue, sounds like ultramarines to me!
3. Army - I considered skaven so would get my money's worth with 300 odd rats but decided that was cruel. Instead I'll go for some nightmare inducing undead in the form of tomb kings. Lets see those big monsters!
4. The garden of morr kit is awesome value and gives loads of bits to play with.

1: Thanks
2: You have synesthesia
3: I will lay down a tray of Rolos and hopefully it will happen.
4: I do like that kit, but I worry it will take ages to paint, plus I do have the old fully painted/flocked Graveyard GW did years ago. But it is tempting, think Dreadstone Blight might be my first choice though.

Thankee, top notch stuff but still dubious about the existence of mr shakey shakey. Plays with awfully Matt like lists with 2x big glade rider units and unformed skirmishers!

Are you accusing me of writing anything but the truth?

Wow.  That high elf army is amazing.  Gives you that (brief) moment of insanity when you think, yeah, why don't I have a fully painted army pushing 10,000 points?  Everyone should have one!

Cheers. Problem with a 10,000 point army is you soon realise no one else has a 10,000 point army to play against you, plus it's a pain in the behind to transport anywhere!!

[fatolaf]

Dreadstone blight lovely model, warning however, the mould lines are horrific , be warned

[cunningmatt]

Dreadstone blight lovely model, warning however, the mould lines are horrific , be warned

Oh bugger. Have to take it off my Christmas list now!

[cunningmatt]

Procrastination by Numbers: Update 90 – Gun Muzzles and Bullet Holes Wednesday 14th November 2012



Coming up on this week's Procrastination by Numbers:

• 90.1 – Meet the Team
• 90.2 – Tale of Gamers: Ultramarines – Month 1, Day 24
• 90.3 – Competition Results
• 90.4 – Get In Touch

90.1 – Meet the Team

They've still not been locked up for crimes against the Warhammer community, here's the Procrastination by Numbers team.

Matty the Painter



Matty the Painter is the main writer on Procrastination by Numbers, and his brain represents the place where the other writers live. He is a prolific Shakeaway drinker, and he can be followed on Twitter at @ProByNumbers – go on he might follow you back.

This week Matty has again been pissing about with blue paints, his hands look like they could perform in the Blue Man group.

The Resident Six-Year Old Artist



For all those things that can't be photographed, the resident six-year old artist has joined (read "imprisoned by") the team. Bribed with Smarties and the promise of seeing daylight again, she draws all the pictures this blog needs. Her recent work includes the iOS6 maps.

This week the resident six-year old artist has had trouble drawing a Tomb Kings army for the winning prize of The Guess the Weight of the High Elf army. In fact the request to draw a mummy resulted in a horrible retaliation against her indoctrination.

Mr Shakey Shakey



Mr Shakey Shakey is Matty the Painter's Wood Elf painting friend. He's been painting a Wood Elf army for about 24 years now. His name is nothing to do with the popular milkshake, but instead refers to his inability to hold a paintbrush steadily in his hands.

This week Mr Shakey Shakey resigned from his role as Mitt Romeny's campaign manager – turns out he wasn't a safe pair of hands!

Sandra the Tactical Pot Plant



Sandra the Tactical Pot Plant is a brand new member of the Procrastination by Numbers team, not only is she's the independent adjudicator for all Procrastination by Numbers competitions. But she is a Warhammer tactical genius and can often be found revising the rules and coming up with the filthiest armies known to man.

Sandra the Tactical Pot Plant was named in a Newsnight investigation into seedling abuse at Kew Gardens. As a precautionary measure she's been separated from the Resident Six Year Old Artist, and will strangle Philip Schofield with a vine if her name goes anywhere near one of his cards.

90.2 – Tale of Gamers: Ultramarines – Month 1, Day 24

The Tale of OG Gamers continues to rumble on, other people's blogs have finished models on. Here you will find a barren wasteland without a single finished model on. Oh well we press on.

Last week I finalised my blue colour scheme, and the good news is I haven't changed my mind since then! Horray!!

Here's where we got to:



Which was achieved with the following paints: Caledor Sky was used as a base, before washing with Drakenhof Nightshade. Once this was dry I layered the armour with Alaitoc Blue, then highlighted with Teclis Blue. Finally I gave the raised areas a light drybrush of Etherium Blue and then a couple of layers of Gulliman Blue glaze finished the effect.



Admittedly this is quite a complex procedure for just a standard trooper, but as this was the majority of the model I felt it was worth the effort.

The next test was of course how the blue looked when I combined it with other colours, so using the Ultramarine Painting Guide:



I painted up the Gold Trim, Boltgun, Metal Vents, Eye Lenses, Purity Seal (and Parchment), White Arrow and the Crux Terminatus (I don't know if that's what it is called on a standard Marine, but I used the bit for Terminators listed as Crux Terminatus – answers on postcard if you do know!!).



I'll talk more about the colours used at a later date, but pleasingly unlike the blue I was happy with the result on each so didn't need to tinker with the scheme!! The other good news is I'm really pleased with how the colours work with the blue – yes no more changing of blue colour schemes.

This just leaves a few bits to do to finish this test model, the grenade – which I've decided to paint silver metal like on the Boltgun. I'd initially considered going for red as another bright colour, however this does a feel a bit Ultramarine circa 1997, so I went against it – I'll save red for some of the characters and more important units. The other bits were the leather pouches – which weren't in the Ultramarine guide, but they are featured in the How To Paint Citadel Miniatures Book



Under the Aurora Chapter guide (why they couldn't have done Ultramarines in that book and save me buying the app I don't know?!).




So more colours I need to purchase, I'll add them to the colours I need for the base (and the flesh colours for the sergeant who annoying has his helmet off – stupid reckless prick) – which I'm not totally sure on – ahhh decisions I hate them, I can't even decide how to finish this sentence. I was going for a joke, but I don't think it's going to work. Or maybe I should?!

So all I have to do in the remaining 11 days of the "first month period" (woman's things) is decide on the basing colours, paint the grenade and leather pouch add transfers and varnish the model. Oh and then replicate that across another 11 models! You're right I don't even know what I'm moaning about.

Fortunately the scheme paints over the foolish base coat and wash I did on the other models that then went wrong. Not sure if the model I fully painted and glazed using a different blue will be that lucky. Do I need to strip him down? How do I even do that? Answers on a postcard. How many postcards do you have?!

I appreciate the picture below...., here again, because... well... why not?



As I was saying this picture possibly isn't the best example, so I took the model along to OG Games (premier gaming spot in the world), to show some people. Thankfully it being winter and the appalling lighting in the games' room meant that everyone thought it was good. Hahaha fooled them! Ol even suggested I show it to "Space Marine Master Painter" Seb of Blood Angels fame – who liked it, except apparently I shouldn't be painting Ultramarines – racist! No it's not that apparently their background isn't good. Meh I like blue I'm going for it!

Now seems like a good time to go on an aside about gun muzzles on my Ultramarines. This is in fact the perfect time to talk about this, and absolutely not because I forgot to mention in it a previous blog.

I haven't done this with Warhammer though there aren't so many guns, but I have drilled muzzles into the Ultramarines, which actually is a lot simpler than I thought. For the Tactical Squad the boltguns were separate so easily fitted in a vice:



And then I bored holes in with the Pin Drill:



Easy, sadly I hadn't been so lucky with the Terminators and had already glued their guns on sigh! So it was a bit more tricky but I bored two holes in their double-bolters (that may not be exactly what they are called). So as you've all suspected I've been very boring, very boring get it? Oh sod you then, I'll head back to painting.

90.3 – Competition Results

Last week saw the gripping conclusion to the epic blockbuster Guess the Weight of the High Elf Army Competition, where we saw Dave win the prize of a picture painted by the Resident Six Year Old Artist, he chose a Tomb Kings army. And here's the picture...



...in fairness I've seen worse painted Undead. Hope you approve Dave!

90.4  – Get In Touch

That's it for today, apologies it's a bit of a short update (you lot probably prefer it that way, less to skim and pretend you've read it), but this weekend is Mr Shakey Shakey's stag do and as he has no friends other than me so I'm, by process of elimination, the Best Man. Problem is Mr Shakey Shakey can't hold his drink, not because he's a lightweight, it's his shakey hands which throws the liquid all over the floor.

Anyway if you want to get in touch and fill up the pages of the blog, please do here's some topics you could help with – or just pick your own:

• Thoughts on test Ultramarine
• If that thing on the test Ultramarine is called a Termiantus Crux or not?
• If I need to strip my fully painted, washed and glazed 1st test Ultramarine, or can I just paint over it with the new colours?
• Or just nice compliments please!

Remember you can follow me on Twitter @ProByNumbers where after the last two week's Twitter excitement I've failed to capitalise on my celebrity status and have said nothing of note. But don't let that put you off following me, I may tweet something amazing at any time, you cannot be sure!

[Dave]

Not only do I approve the TK pic I think it has some genuine artistic talent, the Carrion in particular tickled my fancy.  I was slightly confused by the mummy guy with the crown and then I realised it was a Tomb King, having never used one myself I somewhat forgot about them...

Ultramarine, looks pretty decent, I like the scratched up bronze on the trims in particular gives a nice battleworn feel.

As to stripping your marines I'd say don't bother, just paint over it, unlikely to be so thick that it really hides any details and blue on blue shouldn't struggle to badly to get a decent coverage whilst keeping it thin.

Drilling out bolters is dull, but ultimately it's usually worth the effort, looks so much better.  Other option I've seen is getting some think & hollow plastic tubing and cutting off the front of the barrels and replacing with the tubing for 'pre bored' muzzles.

Do you have any spare space marine heads?  If so you might consider chopping the sarge's head off and replacing it with a helmet to improve his safety!

[cunningmatt]

Not only do I approve the TK pic I think it has some genuine artistic talent, the Carrion in particular tickled my fancy.  I was slightly confused by the mummy guy with the crown and then I realised it was a Tomb King, having never used one myself I somewhat forgot about them...

Thanks I..., I mean the Six Year Old Artist, is very pleased to hear you liked the Carrion - she spent a lot of time on it.

Ultramarine, looks pretty decent, I like the scratched up bronze on the trims in particular gives a nice battleworn feel.

That was actually supposed to be highlighting, trying not to go for a battle-worn effect. Awkward! 

As to stripping your marines I'd say don't bother, just paint over it, unlikely to be so thick that it really hides any details and blue on blue shouldn't struggle to badly to get a decent coverage whilst keeping it thin.

That is the right answer - fantastic!!

Drilling out bolters is dull, but ultimately it's usually worth the effort, looks so much better.  Other option I've seen is getting some think & hollow plastic tubing and cutting off the front of the barrels and replacing with the tubing for 'pre bored' muzzles.

To be honest that seems more effort than the drilling, I guess the trick is to remember to do it prior to gluing the model together! 

Do you have any spare space marine heads?  If so you might consider chopping the sarge's head off and replacing it with a helmet to improve his safety!

Sadly as I only have the Assault on Black Reach kit I have no spare bits, to be honest I can see why for a modelling point of view it works, it's just a health and safety nightmare!!

[TkaiC]

I like the scheme, and I think painting over the other models should be fine rather than stripping them.

And, model related rather than painting - The sling on the gun looks odd to me, I wonder why Mr Marine hasn't got it round at least one shoulder.

Finally, I'll raise your 11 further models with 9 further models, 2 jetbikes and a flying space boat to paint before the end of the month! Stupid DE and their cheap(er than marines) points cost.

[cunningmatt]

I like the scheme, and I think painting over the other models should be fine rather than stripping them.

Thanks I am glad this is the consensus I cannot face stripping again!

And, model related rather than painting - The sling on the gun looks odd to me, I wonder why Mr Marine hasn't got it round at least one shoulder.

I know what you mean, I'm going to paint it a leather colour which hopefully will make it look less odd. I'm guessing that modelling a strap round a shoulder would be awkward to make it snap fit - though if it's anything like my luggage the strap has probably slipped of his shoulder for the upteenth time and he's just sworn in that helmet.

Finally, I'll raise your 11 further models with 9 further models, 2 jetbikes and a flying space boat to paint before the end of the month! Stupid DE and their cheap(er than marines) points cost.

Why do you think I didn't paint the Orks from The Assault on Black Reach box?

[TkaiC]

the strap has probably slipped of his shoulder for the upteenth time and he's just sworn in that helmet.

Whilst searching his pockets desperately for his passport before remembering power armour doesn't have pockets.  Space Marines on holiday...

[cunningmatt]

Whilst searching his pockets desperately for his passport before remembering power armour doesn't have pockets.  Space Marines on holiday...

He's going to have had an awful time at the metal detector!