From SteveA: Space Marines, old Beaky Mark 6 Crimson Fists (25 points)

 After indulging my impulse last week inspired by my recent playing's of Space Marine 2 to reach deep into my old pile of grey shame to paint some old Mark 7 Space Marines minis as Ultramarines, I had intended to return my brushes and attentions to the pressing matter of me putting pigment on the many minis urgently needed in table top quality for those several table tops games I have jaw wagged to my peers that I imminently will play...  However, as I sought to reseal my battered box of old and and unpainted minis where I keep all my many near forgotten space marines,  that pile of shame stirred, shifted as if jostled by a ripple from the warp and reached back at me!

A couple boxes of the original Games Workshop Space Marines Mark 6 Armor kits represented my crossing the line from collector of a few D&D minis into a dabbler of table top Wargames, with fever dreams of many fully painted armies for many games, and thus the line was crossed, more minis purchased than painted, the cycle began and thereby the piles of shame was born.  Now,  just over 2 decades later, these same old beaky marines refused to return again to the dark and dust, demanding I honor my decades old paint-sworn oath to paint them as near as their box art as I was able!

So with some Vallejo blues, bronze and black I endeavored to improve upon the Crimson Fist painting I had last done oh so long ago when I had hair atop my head rather than only whickers upon my chin.  

Some years of more experience with brush and paint, and the magic of liquid talent found within pots of Nuln oil and Agrax Earth shade did yield some more satisfying results than the small army of Crimson Fists I had painted as my first army of my wargaming and mini hobby.

Now these 5 stand on display in my mini display case,  in front of their few dozen Crimson Fist brothers that I had painted and played in my youth back when there were fewer editions of 40k than I had fingers on my hand.  Hereon, at least for the remainder of this year,  I hope my Marines dreams are sated and abated, and my next posts will be points for the armies I aim to play in the near coming days.  But painting space smurfs these past couple weeks has made me happy,  infusing  my other models in progress with more fun, and knocked off some of the oldest dust upon the pile of grey that pleasantly haunts me!

Total 25 Points:

25  pts = 5x5pts 28mm Foot Figure Space Marines

Great stuff here Steve! The RTB-01 Space Marines are awesome and it's great to see some more painted. It's great that you mention good old Nuln Oil and Agrax Earthshade... I recall that the first plastic Space Marines I painted in the late '80s were Space Wolves in grey. We didn't have washes back then but my "painting mentor" had a technique where he used a dark brown oil-based "antiquing stain." This was applied liberally to the model and quickly wiped off with a paper towel, leaving shade in the recessed parts... wow things were primitive back then!

Twenty-five points for your tally!

Dallas