Dum, dum, dum, dum de dum, dum de dum.

Here's the crimson guard, step by step with lots of pictures. Quick note I am in my 40s some of my paints are in their 30s but there are near enough versions around and I just like these colours. Here we go first step for me with anything red is GW foundation paints Mecharite red which they no longer make but I'm sur they'll have a base similar to it. If you manage to get hold of any on the onterwebs and like me you're a brush licker be warned, they taste like shit.

 The next stage is done with GW mephiston red base across the cloth areas only.

Then pick up the raised areas with a mixture of mephiston red and ruby red, the first picture below is left hand guy before right hand guy after.

 Then with all of them done.

 And finally a wash of Drakenhoff nightshade which picks out red shadows nicely.

After that leave it to dry for a night and come back to it, then you start it all over again but with thinner colours and this is what should you get the next day.

 Now with watered down mephiston red start toning down the ink and blending here's another A-B comparison.(there's a theme here)

 And now with a a highlight of mephiston red and ruby red mix A-B-C (see showing off now)

 And finally just picked out highlights in ruby red(A-B-C-D will it never end) when doing the highlights look at the miniature from above and pick out where the light hits.

 Now to the shiny helmet(couldn't help myself tried but failed) This is mephiston red mixed with quite a lot of ardcoat about 50/50 mix this is the base for all the colours so you'll have to have enough to finish all the figures but it only has two stages.

Add caption

 The next stage is add ruby red  till it's lightened to the point you like then pick out the edge of the head band bit and round the eye slit.

 Finally P3 Thamar black on the staff and GW irongut highlighted with GW chainmail  at the tip for the steel pieces. Then paint the base how you want and dirt up the bottom of the robes if it fits.

 And here they are with the rest of the completed figures.

 And finally this is what I've been doing over christmas, This the ghost from star wars rebels which I really hope makes it into X wing and it would be nice if the crew made it into  Imperial Assault.

I have you now!

What do I have? I have Imperial Assault! And it has many pretty toys find it here.
http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_news.asp?eidn=5263

And I have started painting the figures that have come with it which are quite a few and although not upto most wargame figure standards they are quite good for boardgame pieces.

I have split them up into two groups, Stormtroopers, Nexu and rebel heroes white, AT-ST and everyone else black. I had intended to spray them all white but didn't think I had enough in either can to completely undercoat either of them.

we'll start with the AT-ST.

I scoured google for images and the thing is pretty uniformly grey but it's a very light grey, I've used GWs Mechanicum Standard Grey as my base

Important tip and learn from my mistake, Build the sod first, there is absolutely no margin on the pins paint there is your enemy as is trying to get the chin gun in without snapping the barrels. Mine came with warped barrels and lightsabers these can be rectified with a cup of boiling water and a cup of cold water. Dip into boiling water for a couple of seconds bend straight dip into cold water to set.

And huge leap time because I didn't take any photos, hers the steps I took;

1. GW mechanicum standard grey mixed with old GW codex grey
2. GW codex grey
3. GW codex grey and P3 white
4. Rust patches are done using GW blazing orange (get most of the paint of the brush and dab) 
5. The barrels are done with P3 battlefield brown drybrushed on the with P3 black drybrushed on with GW blzing orange rust dabbed on at the vents.
6. GW nuln oils was used on all the cogs and then P3 turquoise ink added on top to give it that oil sheen
7. Green bits are GW straken green using the same technique as the orange rust
8. The base is a mixture of sand and gravel painted P3 bloodstone and then highlighted with a mix of P3 bloodstone and GW zandri dust
9. Finally some secret weapon weathering powders rust red and exhast black where added on the gun barrels to give it a flatter carbonised look and the rear vents for heat damage and rust red on the legs for dust.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. Finally added rust red round the rivets and painted 501 in Aurebesh and went over in grey in place to make it look as if it had faded off.

Now stormies;

Sprayed with GW white and then painted with P3 white and black, I use P3 white as it has more pigment in than GWs so it's less coats, There are some horrible mold lines on the troopers on the upper arms to the shoulder pads that you'll have to slice off with a sharp scalpel and one on the left hand side of the helmet that pretty much buggers up the vent details. 

So paint the white bits white paint the black bits black and they are quite acceptable, or you can then give them a very watered down GW nuln oil wash(or watered down black paint) then leave them to dry for a couple of hours.

Then take them back upto white again, I've used P3 white mixed with GW ardcoat to give the white a gloss sheen without making it look like I've lacquered them. Tidy up the black and add some wash to pick out the vents some more. The same basing as the AT-ST and don't wory about hitting the lower legs whilst drybrushing.

Finally using secret weapons rust red pigment powder brush lower legs and hands and barrel and everywhere you decide dust has gathered (less is more whilst applying this stuff) and bits of exhaust black to denote wear. When doing this so they didn't all look the same I thought about haw they got dirt on them, this guy just has general marching grime, this guy fell on his arse, this guy was crouched firing this one kneeling.

And finally I added some tufts which just make the basing infinitely better.

 And there they are.

I was planning on doing the crimson guard tonight but I'm sat waiting for an engineer so I can hand over the Fucking Electrics of death I've found on  a site today. I am in a pub in Liverpool there's no power because I've had to switch it off and It's December, I am a tad chilly and a Manc.

Till next time.