Hey everyone, almost another month of not updating, I've been busy doing all sorts of stuff and I had (almost) forgotten about ATT.
I have been painting but very slow, especially painting tyranid stuffs.

Anyhow, I'll just post up the last few bits of tyranids, I have almost finished my 1750 points project, the last thing for me to finish is the final unit of gargoyles but currently postponing that to paint some of my blue guys (I'm painting Tau again!).

Devilgants
painted as much as possible until I felt I had taken too much time on these 12 models.





Gargoyles
If you're wondering how I did it, it's simply white base, washed with watered down purple, then watered down blood red and lastly highlight with watered down very light purple.



I might have gone too far with trying to contrast my previous unit of gargoyles. The newly painted wings looked kinda gory and seems like more effort was put on to it.


Back to the Tau!

My first scratch built mini. This is supposed to be used as a Remote Sensor Tower from FW.
I'm not much of sculptor so this is something done based on imagination.
Unfortunately so I used wrong materials to built and mistakes happened.

As you can see, I used those sort of hard foams to build the base, didn't think spraying paint would disintegrate the thing and so it came out like that(melting from super glue should have made me see that coming). Regardless it was easy to build so I ain't complaining. When I started painting, I improvised what I can do with the destroyed based, and it looked like a piece of large alien-ish rock. So why not paint it that way then.


The drone parts are used as the twin-linked markerlight for the tower, the antenna thing in the middle is used as the positional relay and the four bulb thingies will be the multi-phasic sensor suite (re-roll shooting hits for one unit per turn).



For aesthetic purposes only. I guess.



Size comparison.


Will be painting up some firewarriors next, I probably won't post them since they are similar to their previous painted comrades.

Tiny update, built 6 shield drones out of gun drone bitz, very relatively easy to convert, you just need enough of spare gun drones.

Since 6th ed weakened vehicles, I might move towards a semi foot-slogging list and boost my broadsides' survivability a bit and also splitting them into single models since they removed target locks. Taking advantage of the wound allocation system too.

Took me less than a day to convert and paint them up, I guess it's only up to tabletop standard.




The picture frame is a reward for fourth place in a local double team tournament. It's just to cover the irrelevant background, honest.


PS: Will be staying at Aberystwyth University for a year starting from September, hope there are fellow players there to play with.

More drones for the Greater Drones.
I've no idea how to paint them so I just doodled stuff on top.

Woooah, I bet everyone watching those pictures just can't think of anything to say, and so just go away ashamed by your skills!

I really love drones, crazy patterns, and lovely glow effect on Shielded ones! Also, I just have to bookmark this onto my inspirational folder because of the scratch-built sensor tower.

Keep up such great work!

@Amis, I'm pretty sure it's because there are other more eye-catching models the fellow members here have painted. But thanks for the compliments.


Pathfinders, "converted". I think I was pretty lazy with the camouflage pattern, grey - dark grey and brown - brown + dark grey.







Consider yourself, marked.

Really love the pattern on your pathfinder team was it just layering single brush strokes or is there a specific technique to this. All I can say is that it was what I’ve been looking for but did not know how to execute. Please explain either in a PM or right here. Thanks again.

It's as you said,

I primed it black, proceed to use my fizzed up and slightly big brush (its bristle damaged, something you would use as a dry brush) and paint with grey layer paint (fortress grey) with one specific diagonal direction. You don't need to get all the areas of the model, just patches of it since other paints will eventually fill those spots.

What I mean by painting diagonally is when you directly look at your model at its ground level, paint all the parts that you can see without turning the model. For an example, imagine your facing the right side of the model at ground level, you'll probably just see - side of the pulse rifle, right side of the head, arm, hip and leg. Once that facing is done, proceed to the frontal/backside/leftside or bird side view of the model. Try to trace the strokes to the other sides that have not been painted; instead of continuing where the brush strokes ended, start from the other side instead (camouflage patterns aren't suppose to be tidy so no one stroke connects itself to make a loop).

The grey layer is just the primary layer as thinner strokes of other colours will be covering it, eventually it will not be the base colour you will but just brush strokes. The sequence of paints I used were light colour then darker version of it - then a different but slightly contrasting light colour then darker version of it; the paints I used are bright grey (primary) then dark grey --> bright brown then dark brown (I mixed with dark grey, was lazy) so I guess a minimum of 3 or 4 colours to make a nice pattern. All the colours are painted with the same technique as I have described but instead use a fine detail, detail or standard brush depending the size of the model your painting.

There should be no majority of one type of colour when you're done. If there is, just paint the area with a different colour.

Not especially proud of my firewarriors, but at least their painted so why not a pic for them.

All 36 firewarriors, painted sub-par standard because it'll take a considerable amount of patience to finish every step.

Juuuust don't torture me for my heresy yet, opinion needed. I've decided to ally my cadre with GK, mainly because I wanted to field a Vindicare Assassin. However, I didn't like the one GW had and went for Soda Pop Miniatures, ordered Rin Farrah(Vindicare) and Prefect Valeria(Inquisitor).

Now the advise I need is to whether swap Tau heads on the GK strike squad instead of the ones that come with it.
Although this has never been done before, but I'm not sure it is a good idea to be the first.


I needed to shave back of the FW helmets to get it to fit in. I need to shave three more which is the other reason I need to get opinion, pointlessly damaging the helmets isn't really my priority.


Justicar count-as head? Will be holding a force halberd instead for him.


So yes or no??

PS: I just found out how limiting the poses are because of the models using two hands to hold the force sword.

Heresy might be a strong word, but tau psykers are going to give fluff experts headaches.

Have you considered Kroot heads? They have psykers, and even better, they have the mechanism needed to enhance their natural psyker abilities to the point where every member would have the minimum psychic potential to represent a Grey Knight, let alone their inclination and capability in CC.

Just a thought. Awesome models, by the way, and highly entertaining painting!

I agree with Unusualsuspect, but the fluff can be changed. Instead of psychic powers, the Tau could've created a technology similar to the force weapons (which would follow the game mechanic of force weapons). This is similar to Tyranid psychic powers. Though literally not psychic, they use the collective power of the Hive Mind to harness abilities. They use the same rules as psychic powers, and are treated as such, but are not "psychic" in the fluff.

That certainly would allow the models to look more properly proportioned. Kroot are bit longer and leaner, comparably...

It also fits in pretty well with Tau experimental weaponry. Rail Rifles and R'elai both represent experimental weaponry in the field, and had the Gets Hot rule to represent the kinks still getting worked out. The Perils of the Warp could be a similar, experimental backlash...

That's a great suggestion! But one thing bugs me would be the Tau detesting close combat fighting; maybe Shas'O Da'Myr (my HQ) is someone more like Farsight, perhaps?

My allied force is actually quite small.
1. An Inquisitor (female).
2. A Vindicare (female).
3. 5-men GK Strike Squad.

I was thinking more along the lines of a top secret agreement. The (very)radical inquisitor who were willing to help the Tau in exchange for acquiring the use of their technology for their own benefit, ie. represented by the helmets used. Whilst the inquisitor had agreed to introduced a "Shas' Ui" to one of their GK squad (which will temporary help the Tau) to both better utilise the integrated technology for the humans and understand the principles of close quarter combat. He wouldn't just be on Day 1 - tadaa, an elite GK, but may have undergone gruesome training and he was not just any "Shas' Ui"...

Because they are "Tau Knights??", I'm more inclined to use them defensively, (Shas' Ui) 1 Halberd, 3 Swords and a Pyscannon.

Kroot heads are actually quite big, mainly because of those spiky hairs that interfere with the power armour. With Tau helmets I can shave them to fit and actually suit it instead. I thought about kroot assault termies but just doesn't seem right for kroot to have too much armour at all, hahah. Thanks for the compliments though.

That could very well work. There are many Inquisitors considered radical by the Imperium because of their desire to learn of a Xenos species. Said Inquisitor could be in a deep investigation of the Tau race, perhaps to find a weakness to exploit (not that GK don't have a piece of war gear that makes Tau useless) .

If you don't like that for your Inquisitor, she could perhaps have been investigating them openly while they did the same, and she became fond of their tactics, beliefs, etc. and decided to stick around.the rest of her "army" disagreed with her and left, leaving the one squad of GKs who stayed loyal to her, or the squad could've been her escort/security while she executed her mission.


Just spitballing some ideas .

Maybe the Ulumeathi Plasma Syphons are used for a contingency plan just in case the Tau suddenly changes their mind although that's unlikely but you know how the Imperium is. Mainly because it's not Tau technology and can be kept unknown to them.

Yeah she could be doing an investigation indeed, learning their ways of battle and maybe the Greater Good too. You never know, those water caste negotiators is said to be very persuasive to anyone when it comes to trying to convert someone to the Greater Good.

Instead of a large army to be lead, inquisitors usually don't need a whole army to get their job done, unless it concerns something that only on a scale of problem such as an ork incursion or a tyranid infestation. I'm looking at Ben Counter's GK fluff for inspiration instead of the codex itself which depicts only a couple of grey knights are attached to a single a single inquisitor's military force.

So yeah, the grey knights may just be either be loyal to the inquisition or have trusted the inquisitor's doings in the past to let her slide in this agreement too. However, the grey knights rarely interact with other Tau except for that one "Shas'Ui" in their squad.

The female vindicare would probably be the inquisitor's personal bodyguard for her entire life, and also acting as her person to rely on when she wants some puritans dead.

The one Shas'ui could be the "tour guide" to the Inquisitor. He could be explaining how Tau weapons work, who is what, and what's happening in the battle with the rest of the Tau. In order to keep the guide close to her, she gifts him with GK armor and adds him to the unit.

I'll implement the ideas. Hopefully I'll finish assembling them all by this week and start painting.

I hate to be the guy speaking out and please don't take this the wrong way, but I really struggle with the concept. Inquisitors are known for their radical wackyness so no real qualms there. No matter how loyal or familiar to the inquisitor though, if the grey knights suspected heretical behaviour they would very quickly apply boot to face .

On the other hand the most pious and incorruptable warriors of the ordo malleus are highly unlikely to consort with a xeno. Grey knights are amongst the most staunch and adherent defenders of humanity. Them allying themselves with a xeno feels highly unnatural, although I suppose not totally unthinkable in some kind of nightmarishly desperate situation (So I can bite my tongue on that one).

Going a step further though and gifting the Tau with a suit of grey knight power armour and bringing him directly into a squad is a huge stretch. Being bestowed with a suit of grey knight power armour is an honour that even space marine chapter masters can only have wet dreams about. It is written that a regular space marine is to a grey knight, what a guardsmen is to a space marine. They are the best of the best of the best of the.......... best of the best even after being compared to a galaxy full of genetically altered super soldiers personally trained by Chuck Norris. To wear the armour of such an order is an honour almost without comparison. Convincing your grey knights to not immediately stab the Tau in the face is one thing, handing over a suit of armour and bringing it into your squad is another entirely (Even if the emperor himself said pretty please, It'd be a coin toss).

Please don't take my comments as coming down on your idea. I only offer them in the hopes of helping. I personally think the models look really cool. If you start telling people about grey knight squads taking in xeno recruits though, your background begins to loose credibility.

Having said all of that though, they are YOUR models. If you REALLY want Tau knights then don't let anyone tell you not to do it .

I know quite well the contradiction with the fluff since I've read all 3 books of Ben Counter's GK and digging through lexicanum.
However, the background is totally just an addition since people wondered.
I'm primarily concerned whether the heads suits the GK models that's all, if they look cool I could care less. Much even that I'm going to use Soda Pop Miniatures as the inquisitor and vindicare.

Painting and modelling has been my number one interest ever since I picked up a brush and painted my first battlesuit, whilst wargaming comes to a close second and fluff at a very far third.

People already gave the funny look when I painted my battlesuit teams all sorts of colours, since an army should be painted uniformly, but I prevailed. And later using Shas'O Ralai, on the earlier days people will question whether I could bring him to play but luckily I had a friendly shop owner who gave the OK sign for me.

No worries, I respect your opinion, but you're pretty much advising me not to do it without a reasonable compromise, although with a very valid reason that I totally agree on.

The Tau head looks great, but I'm not sure on the helmets.the helmets make me think there's a whole Tau suit inside the armor. It might be better with all Fish heads, or maybe Pathfnder heads? The helmet still looks great, but I think the head looks better