Above ground: constructing the upper levels of the Tomb Complex

Here is a series of images that show the upper levels of the tomb as I built the upper, or ground level.  This part had all sorts of challenges!

Now that the basic structure was figured out, it was time to figure out exactly how to configure the various lights all throughout the tomb.



These views of the interior show the 4 main lights.  I needed to figure out a way to have these lights show maximum brightness while hiding the fact that they are under cabinet lights!





Now it was time to build up the back wall as well, as that will be a critical area for telling the story of the Tainted Pharaoh!




It was also time to start planning out where things will go on the upper level, making sure that it will still fit under the glass cases...


Here you get a sneak peak at the scratch built Titan and Screaming skull catapult!


I also had to do some weathering on the obelisk and the back wall...


I thought at this point that I had things settled.  However, I still had to do something about the big light that was above the Casket.  It hung down way too far, but there was not a lot of depth to the horizontal surface on the upper level.  I had to worry about the whole structure being too tall, so that part was 1/3 as thick as originally planned.


Tomorrow I will post the solution to this issue, provided by the apprentice Necrotect Cathy!

Two minutes for boarding... the second round of painting images of the army board.

This post gives you the rest of the WIP images of the process of painting the army board.  Once again, I cannot say enough how impressed I was with the magnetic primer!



In this image, you can see more of the eyes begin to emerge as they get a bit of an outline...


This is carried all throughout the tomb:




I also made sure to continue carrying the patterns onto the bases of the units.  It slowed me down a bit in painting the overall board, but it needed to be done anyway! :-)



A closer view of this...


I made sure to do the Ushabti bases as well...




At this point I started to define the skulls more clearly...




Another closer view, this time showing the more advanced skulls...


The next post will have lots of pictures of the construction of the upper, or "ground" level.

Why does it always have to be snakes? Tomb Kings Armies on Parade WIP

After another late night, we have some Stalkers ready for painting.  As most of you have already seen in the post about painting the interior of the tomb, there are some sneaky snakes coiled around a few of the pillars.  I have had to change my original idea a few times.  This was the first concept:



Originally, the whole unit was supposed to fit into place underneath where the Empire guys were digging that hole.  However, it became very clear when I positioned the pillars in the sketch that this may not work out.  Once I went to the actual board assembly, that was the final word.  I would have to have each of them out "on their own", so to speak.

Now, these are magnetized so that when I need them for a game, they will go on bases already set up for them.





The basic part of the coiled snake is made of Apoxy Scuplt, with layers of green stuff over that.  I had to scale back on my original sculpting plans here, since time's a wastin'!

You look like you've seen a ghost...

OK!  I finally have the pictures of the finished Ghost Knight squad!  When you look through these, you will see just how many arms and weapons were magnetized. :-)  If you recall the first Ghost Knight that was painted a few weeks back, this group was made to match him.









Here's a combo standard bearer/regular Knight:




And a few "regular" guys:




And now for some group shots:

Chairman of the Board. Painting the lower tomb level.

Since there are so many photos of the painting process, I will be doing two posts on the painting of the lower level of the army board.

I discovered while I painted this that the magnetic primer is actually very nice to paint on!  It had a bit of tooth, but it was much more silky than my usual gesso.  The gesso tends to create more striations, even when you apply it with a very soft brush.

I was able to get a lot of smooth transitions, and it was very fun!

Starting off, I placed the units where I wanted them to be, so that I could make the rest of the open spaces flow well with these units.


The first layers were pretty simple in the nature of the colors.  I used a Paynes Grey acrylic paint, mixed with alternating turquois and Vallejo emerald.  The Acrylic paint let me cover a lot of area quickly, and it also stayed wetter for longer, allowing me to do lots of blending right there on the board.



My first goal was to advance across the entire board, getting all the surface covered quickly.




Once the whole surface was covered, I could start to think about where I wanted those batches of skulls and demon faces to emerge...


You can also get a peek at the pillars, which I also primed during this stage:


Here I am starting to plan out where those areas of interest would be, trying to space them out a bit, so that the viewer could have a few places to rest their eyes!



Now the details begin to emerge.  I am also putting the same colors and designs on the bases of the horse archers, the chariots, and the ushabti.


I also had to carry the base designs from the casket of souls out onto the board...


More definition is done on the demon faces, and the areas of skulls are mostly laid out...


Some of the lightest colors are used on the demon faces, getting them ready to determine where the eyes will go.  I dug out my fluorescent paint to do the eyes...


Tomorrow I will post the next 10 images that show all the rest of the painting!!!

Seeing Red again

Grey Knights in red have always been a favorite of mine.  :-)