Lamenters: Decisions Decisions.... (2)

Originally posted in December on my other blog I've ported this one over.

I'm consolidating my blogs so I've ported this one over....

I'm trying to decide how to finish off my lamenters. These chaps are largely complete......It's simply a matter of deciding what colour to do on their shoulder pad trim. I'm also willing to try over suggested colours.

Right to Left
1/. Currently the base colour doesn't seem to pop enough. I've had the comment that the mini look unfinished.
2/. The gold is very similar and is hard to recognize as much different from the base colour. Perhaps the subtlety is good? Looks similar but there is a contrast? Not sure on this one.

3/. The white is alright. It pops. The checks still look good with it. This is an ivory, I may dirty it up a bit by doing a grey underneath and highlighting up to white. 

4/. The red also pops and looks good. It matches with the red line on the helmet. I'd prefer to dirty this one up a bit as well. I'd need to buy another red (darker) so i can highlight up to the blood red that is here.




5/. The black I don't particularly like as it detracts from the checker pattern. 










 The boys all lined up for comparison. All pictures should go much larger if you open as a new window.

I *may* also change the colour of the cover on the bolter to a khaki/tan type thing. Alternatively the bolter cover could match the shoulder pad trim.Comments highly solicited.


Here are the replies in the Comments (I received some others verbally and via email)

1/.
I did what I always do when I have a colour conundrum, which is ask Grace. She thinks the gold trim is best, but she also says that the other shoulder pad should be dark green.

For me, I like the gold and red options. The white is most contrasty, but I don't know if it works as well with the rest of the minis.

2/. Model with Red trim stands out the best IMO. Do not use Green on anything with Red, unless you are confident you can avoid the Christmas Colour Conundrum.

One Green Shoulder might look good with the Gold trim. I do like the Gold trim, but it unless you highlight your model more its going to blend in and look plain.

White is a poor trim to use on the Check pattern Red, Green, Blue or Yellow would be better.

In all cases use highlights to pick out any details that might blend in and not stand out. With painting minis I find there two classes. Tabletop and Collector. Models can be awesome in tabletop quality, but they tend to not be as awesome when looked at from about 10 inches or so. Collector Generally is good under close examination but fails to be impressive on the table unless great care is taken to make it pop.

I like your scheme with the red and the one with the gold. Red will pop on the table the Gold will look great with some extra effort and look nice under closer examination.

All IMO of course.

Lamenters: The story so far... (1)

The lamenters have been an on again off again project (like most of my projects).  I've had warhammer 40k marines for a while now, but was stumped on what chapter to do. I was going to do the mortifactors....

I planned on using bits from the legion of the damned, and plastic skeletons but finally decided against it when the price went through the sky and Bell of Lost souls did their Horus Heresy supplement. I divested myself of a lot of the bits and moved on...

I then thought I'd work a heresy force. I was tempted by the Luna wolves...but they switch paint schemes over to the sons of horus later. Also the difficulty in sourcing the beaky helmets and studded shoulder pads or the sheer amount of time to scratch build the amount you needed was a bit overwhelming. The moment passed. I divested myself of more bits....

Finally with the arrival of space hulk I decided on lamenters.

I hope my forces look even a fraction as good...

I remember staring at this pic and it didn't grab me, not until I saw some painted models did I fall in love with the Lamenters.

They are a successor chapter of the blood angels and I figured there wouldn't be many people who painted their space hulk figs this way. Well....not many but there are a few now.

Still, the lamenters are pretty cool in a doomed way. I first encountered them when I had advanced space crusade and they are one of the two chapters (the other the scythes of the emperor) to first encounter the galactic invasion (and almost totally wiped out).

While the Scythes were pretty cool the fluff has them reduced to a handful (literally less than 10 guys) of troops and some rescued gene seed fleeing ahead of the hive fleet to warn the imperium. I'd prefer something with a bit more numbers.....and more fluff. The lamenters are also participants (and villains of a type) in the Badab war. Bell of lost souls did a pretty wicked mini codex on the same (back when they were churning out original content rather then endless netlist analysis). I might even paint up my BFG ships someday for the lamenters. 

I've decided there are a number of miniatures an individual HAS to paint in this life. Marines are one of them (Orcs, dwarves, a dragon, elves, an a figure to represent a rpg character are a number of other ones I've come up with). This will be the start of a series documenting the growth of the lamenters.