Steve Troughton-SmithThere are few things quite as satisfying as slapping down Skeleton Horde Contrast paint on an actual skeleton
Getting the hang of this; I feel pretty comfortable painting a skeleton now
You did say you wanted the return of classic modelsā¦
So enjoy cutting off all the flash and metal gates, sanding, resculpting missing detail, pinning, Green Stuff-ing all the massive gaps, and cutting new slots in the plastic base to fit the actual tabs in the model š
This Green Knight sculpt is gorgeous, but Iām definitely feeling the curl of the monkeyās paw
What's on the painting desk this weekend? More skeletons, of course
Easing myself back into painting with an easy project: touching up a model I did 2009-ish. Still need to base it, but pretty happy with the result!
And weāre done! One Terminator Chaplain repaint complete š
More skellies! Have to search my bits box for the rest of the shields, mind
And shields for everybody! Now I can actually call these complete. I only wish more of them had survived since I opened the box (ā¦in 1998?), but maybe I can bulk them out with spare parts later on
Next assembly line up and running. Left is washed. Middle is recess-shaded. Right is finished test mini. Painting is exhausting š“
Iām still highlighting these Death Guard. Finding all those edges is *exhausting*; I can manage maybe a couple a night
Itās slow going, but next up is the metallics and that will make a big difference quickly
NGL, this has been a marathon project. Certainly in no rush to paint any more Death Guard in immediate future š Canāt argue with the results!
This has been two weeks of 2ā3 hours a night, or two seasons of Hellās Kitchen worth according to my watch history. Itās real nice to do something analogue for a while
Not a whole lot left here! Bones, cloth, and final details
And just to highlight what 5 years of progress looks like, here's where I gave up the first time trying to paint these models, back in 2019!
Iām so glad I donāt have a timer counting how long these have taken to paint. The people who can do this all day every day are heroic
Tomorrow, the Death Guard will be done! Feels real good š
And weāre done; a full painted squad of Death Guard before Christmas šØāšØ
One for the Reddit crowd:
Spent December painting up some Death Guard a la the TableTopReady tutorial and they turned out neat!
Before I run out of energy, I figured Iād begin a test model for some very classic Dark Eldar I have lying around. Even the studio paint jobs for these were awful, just like the models š So I have very little to go on; uncharted territory
I know sex is good and all, but have you ever successfully painted twenty eyes at 28mm scale with a size 1 brush?
(Keeping this one in the thread)
Closing thoughts on last monthās Death Guard: that was a real slog, but they look better than I could have hoped. The minis are incredible, but because there's so much variation it's impossible to build up a rhythm and each one has to be tackled individually, which is exhausting. I have a dozen more to paint, but I'm going to have to really be in the mood to commit to another three-week paint job. Immediate plan is more Dark Eldar, then some Ultramarines, and a Stormcast test mini
Trying my hand at something different. Old model stripped of paint and prepared for workā¦
Though my good brushes are on their last legs now after a solid few months of painting, so it's probably time to replace my setup š„²
Surprise morning project! Painted up the mini that brought me into the hobby all those years agoā¦
One classic Carnifex š
I was too busy being sick š¤§ today to post in-progress pics of this guy, but rest assured it went through an āugly phaseā like all the others. It wasnāt till I was 90% done that I could see it was going to be ok in the end, and I had to abort and re-try a couple portions along the way
I have never had so many upvotes on r/Warhammer40k š I guess people really like a classic Carnifex ā it is one of my all-time favorites
First batch paint of 2025 complete! Thereās something quite endearing about these awful classic Dark Eldar sculpts when painted in a modern style
Keeping that painting desk populated for the hours I can steal late at night
Had the flu this week, so having to slowly force myself back into painting by doing tiny little bits. Avoiding the internet feels like the right thing to do lately
You spend so much time looking at this stuff up close, flaws and all, that seeing it from the intended distance feels like a whole new experience
Joe Chott@stroughtonsmith Utterly spectacular!!! :)
MatchaMakes@stroughtonsmith What flaws? Could be a golden demon winner.
Spice MerchantThat Aggressor looks awesome! I hope you're feeling better soon.
Adam Bell 
@stroughtonsmith the best
tylercheung@stroughtonsmith spirit fingers! Jazz hands!
scotticus
@stroughtonsmith LOL - I love it! :)
@stroughtonsmith They're also easily compatible with more modern plastic Dark Eldar parts with minimal hassle, an easy "glow-up".
A J Gershom@stroughtonsmith This is pretty cool. Are you someone that regularly designs action figures and the like?
@ajgershom I just paint minis!
@stroughtonsmith still cool.
@stroughtonsmith omnomnom
Chris M.@stroughtonsmith Looks amazing! I always wanted one of those.
How much epoxy and pinning did it take to get it to stay together? š
@chrisplusplus I think the body and legs are held together with green stuff from another era, but we'll see if it falls apart at some point š
Michael Heilemann@stroughtonsmith I had me one those back in the day. So good š
@stroughtonsmith very nice
SunDancer@stroughtonsmith Nice screaming terror-fex 8)
Johnnie Walker@stroughtonsmith curious to know - do you play the games associated with these figures, or is the painting part more interesting for you?
@mrwalker playing requires two people, a gaming space, and a big chunk of time commitment. So Iām painting purely for the cabinet, and to learn
Sheikh Russell@stroughtonsmith nicely done!
dadarepublic@stroughtonsmith Beautiful!
I wish I had time to dedicate to Warhammer 40k, I used to play in college quite a bit and now Iām gonna be selling all my old unpainted blood angel sets.
Itās great to see you keeping it alive for yourself!
Nicolas Marien@stroughtonsmith nice highlights!
@stroughtonsmith I feel like youāve broken entirely free from the āfollows tutorials to paint good looking figuresā.
You are now SOLIDLY in the category of just ridiculously excellent painter in your own right. I mean that VERY sincerely!!
When I was a kid I remember seeing people playing warhammer and I wanted to get into it but then I found out that individual figures could cost over $100 once painted (in the 90ās!!!). And the bare figures were lifeless so I didnāt want them.
@stroughtonsmith Your artistry is on that same level - just SEEING the figures you paint now is enough to make people realize that using unpainted figures would be depriving themselves of SO much enjoyment.
I absolutely love your work but especially I love that Iāve seen your progression over more than a decade of time now.
You are inspiring!!!! :)
Kais Karim@stroughtonsmith did you 3d print it and colored it??? It looks awesome
@kais this is a classic metal miniature from Games Workshop!
@stroughtonsmith ah! gotcha! looks really cool :D
Brian Grinter
Moritz Dietz
Darren McGuicken@stroughtonsmith Deeply jealous that you held on to your First Time Around kit.
@dmcgk oh yeah, I think I have basically everything I had as a child, painted and unpainted. Feels good to be able to take a second pass at them
Doctor Spork@stroughtonsmith Love seeing the comparison between the two.
I have a huge pile of 3rd ed Dark Eldar that is going to be quite the project at some point, I'll be going with the classic green bases though.
dmitriidI can't unsee a bad Elvis impersonator :) I have to maie myself see the lower part/beak :)