40k Second Edition Army Challenge
Dr. The Viking of the c0wabunga blog is running another 2nd edition 40k painting challenge; his third so far. 24 participants, all painting a 1000 point 2nd edition Warhammer 40k army over the course of 6 months. The army is split into 5 ‘slices’ at the start of the challenge, and each month participants must paint a slice and keep everyone updated about it; with one spare month allowed to account for life’s challenges.
More about the challenge can be found on his blog, here:
I was 13 when the Necrons first appeared in White Dwarf 217 with a free figure adorning the cover. To my impressionable young mind these mysterious unknown terrors were the best things ever to hit 40k; every bit as cool as the Alien and the Terminator combined. Of course, being 13 I was never able to afford any evil robots beyond that free figure at the time. Not that long afterwards 3rd edition 40k came out and killed all my interest in 40k for a good long time. When I returned to the game much later the Necrons were now fully described and as a result significantly less interesting. So I am taking advantage of this challenge as an opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream; a fully painted classic Necron army from a time when they were still mysterious and frightening.
The list is as follows:
The Faceless Terror
1 x Necron Lord – 84 points
2 x Necron Destroyers – 150 points
14 x Necron Warriors – 616 points
5 x Scarab – 150 points
For a total of exactly 1000 points.
Not a large amount of figures, Necrons are quite expensive. But I am a slow painter, so that will help keep the challenge manageable for me.
So. The challenge began in December. A difficult month for painting. Weather is not great for spraying, work is hectic in the run-up to Christmas and then there are of course family commitments over the holiday. Still, I manage to get a start late in the month and get some figures prepped and based.
This first slice consists of 4 Necron Warriors and a Scarab. A good place to start getting the scheme settled before tackling the more challenging Lord and Destroyer figures. So far so good.
Unfortunately various December pressures and poor weather prevent me from getting the things primed until a few days after Christmas, so not much time to get the slice finished! Not having access to the spray booth in work, I do it in the shed.
Disaster! A rogue gust of wind takes my freshly primed figures and knocks them all over onto some tissue paper, which proceeds to get firmly stuck to the poor Necrons! Not irrecoverable, but with so little time left in the month I am forced to use my mulligan in the challenge’s first month. Not a great start.
So, to January. Tissue paper scraped off the models, figures reprimed and paint slapped down. The biggest problem I encountered was gun barrels.
I don’t have the steadiest hand to begin with, not ideal for getting green into those awkward gun barrels between the black and silver. But when I began this challenge I also decided I wanted proper green bases, though I have compromised and done my usual black rims. The green barrels just looked really odd next to the green base, with not enough contrast.
So, after far too many layers of repaint to be entirely comfortable about, the gun barrels are now purple.
At last. Despite the project feeling cursed at times, we have a slice finished; just in time for the January deadline. I say finished, but they are not quite. There are still a few little touches I would like to add. Some spot gloss effect. And I have decided to base my Scarabs in the end as well. But for the purposes of the challenge, I’m calling these done.
It’s been awkward getting this slice done, but at least I have a paint scheme sorted and figured out now for the rest of the challenge. The only thing likely to change between figures is that I’m considering using different coloured shoulder pads to denote squads.
More updates on the challenge next month! With hopefully some better photography.
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