Good morning all,
Heres a project I’ve been working on over the Easter Holiday break. It’s about 4,000pts worth of 30k Iron Hands. I’ve still got Ferrus to go, and quite a substantial amount of Mechanicum too. This is just the first tranche to get the ball rolling. It was a real pleasure to paint. Black, as you all know, is a tricky ‘colour’ (it’s actually a shade) to paint. To make a black army look good is very difficult. I tried a few different techniques on this army to help overcome some of the obstacles faced by painting a black army.
You’ll notice that I’ve used the new Forge World Iron Hands decal sheet. I have to say, I am a little disappointed by it. There are a few pros, but also a few cons too. Let me explain. The main pro, is that, unlike the older FW decal sheets, each decal is printed on its own piece of clear film. So no more spending hrs cutting around 50 shoulder pad markings. Oh, the time I’ve spend doing that. Another pro is the totally awesome Clan markings. There are some really nice ones on this sheet. So thats it for the pros. A few of the cons. There are not enough Clan markings to do anymore that 15 or so marines. So that means, with a force this size, I would have needed to buy about 3-4 sheets if I wanted to do a whole army from the same clan. The other con is the lack of the roman numeral “X”. One thing I really love about 30k modelling, is festooning the marines and their vehicles with their legion number designation. It just looks hard as fuck. There are no Xs” on this decal sheet. Also, the new style ‘graphic’ decals look childish to me. I used them, and they look ok, and some had some cool shit on it (an inverted pentagram) but overall, not that impressed. I preferred the old decal sheet….
Ok, the models, behold!
Thug
Really like the new Spartan. Having the tracks cast on to the hull makes SUCH a massive difference when painting and assembling.
So as many of you know, the hull is based on the plastic Baneblade kit. The instructions that accompany the Fellblade are basically useless. This kit is a real prick to assemble. Looks fucking cool though! Tough as nails too…
I bought a Glaive turret off eBay so I could make two tanks with the one chassis.
Probably my favourite models from the FW Iron Hands range. These guys look like Special Forces about about go and kick down a door or something. They’re covered in bits of kit and just look like they’re ready for business. I want to get more.
Husta la vista….
These guys are magnetised so that they can take a variety of support weapon choices.
Thats it for the time being. Back to study now. See you all for the post Emperor’s Legions Epic Scale 30k Comp I’m supporting at BrisCon on 01 May. If you’re thinking of coming, please head over now a pick up your tickets.
Thanks for dropping in
John
Outstanding!
Thanks Chris, glad you enjoyed it
Awesome, just awesome.
Thanks!
Very impressive. Can I ask what paint scheme you used ? It seems to be a combination of black,metallic silver and a blue hint ?
All correct, but light grey instead of blue. I’ve had a few ppl think blue. But certainly no blue used
Outstanding stuff – that rust is superbly done. Really like the text along the hulls of the tanks as well – a very nice touch.
Thanks for that. It was a stencil I’ve had banging around for ages. I thought the side of a Fellblade would be an ideal place to put it
Great work- its a really impressive collection.
Cheers,
Pete.
Thanks Pete, it’s a great collection. A good foundation that can be expanded upon
Very nice. Love the Fellblade especially. Good to see the whole force too!
Drake, it’s good to finally see you over at the bunker. I’ve been a long time fan
Thanks for your kind words John. In return I would like to state that I have been a long time fan of your blog. http://battlebunnies.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/how-do-you-like-your-heresy.html?m=1
I think your work for the hobby is pristine and polished to the highest of standards. I do not think there is a man out there more dedicated, commited, self motivated or prideful in his work. You are a worldwide inspiration. Keep your love for the hobby and know that it is appreciated by your fans.
Wow! Now I’m blushing… Well, if the truth is told, the feeling is mutual. Thanks again for dropping in.
I wish I had more time for hobby these days….
You are welcome. Keep up the great work.
Outstanding work! The army looks great, and you made the black very interesting. Do you think, you`ll be doing a tut on how you do the black and rust effects? I would love to pick your brain about it.
Also excited to see some Zone Mortalis in the future, ZM is such a blast to play.
Hey Felixstowe, thanks for the props. I may do a Tute. It all depends on time. I’ll keep it in mind though. Thanks for dropping in
[…] The Xth Legion – Iron Hands – The Flesh is Weak […]
Great work here – the weathering and use of grey-as-black create a very effective impression and look for these models. Much nicer than the traditional “grey edge highlight” that is used by GW’s studio look. Did you apply them via airbrush?
Hey Azazel, yep, airbrush
So zenithal painting for the grey? I like it. Still a big fan of your 40k Iron Hands.
Wow dude, wow! I’m so glad I came for a zoomed in look. Holy shit these look badass. Love the weathering on the tanks and all the feature glowy blue bits. Top notch stuff, John!
Hey Jack, thanks for the props
The army is as good irl as it is in the pics. There is even more models than this. I’ve seen it first hand.
You have indeed….
[…] a fan of the embossed shoulder armour produced by GW and later FW, however after adding them to the Iron Hands I gained a new appreciation for the contribution these upgrades make to the aesthetic and theme […]