2021 Yearly Review.

 After checking what I'd proposed for this year the only thing on the list of 3, Necrons, Armies on Parade board and The Lion, to get finished was The Lion, I did make a start on at least a test piece for the project Tomb World colours thought. The Armies on Parade idea got bounced, if I'm going to go ahead with that idea I'd need to build the wall and gate as well as stuff for the dreads to stand on behind the close combat weapon versions, which makes everything way more interesting and complicated. 

So plans for 2022 besides trying to get used to writing that in any format. 

Imperium Collection

To come up with a name for the Chapter that I've painting the Hounds of Morkai in and will be adding the infantry to it as well. The Sisters of Battle will be added, maybe as another alternative Björn using the Morvenn Nundamn as the Alternative Björn and watch the hate fly. Think I'll do them in the Space Wolf colours, the Mechanicus stuff is still undecided but I'm pretty certain I can't work that army into the Björn Meta Crisis team. The Necrons are planned to be painted for the as yet unnamed Tomb World, I do have a name for the Over Lord now, Pakal The Great, at least. 

The Lion's Blades will be getting the ATV and I do think I'll be buying 2 of that issue and I will getting 2 Ridge Runners to give me 2 squadrons of 3 of each. I do have a metal land speeder to replace the plastic Conquest one that fell apart at Warhammer World, which I'm stripping this month and putting back together with the tornado missile launchers mounted on it as the lead for that squadron. 

The Harlequins will be getting the Duela Dent mini replaced after I dropped it and broke the fingers holding the card off, as well as the special character that was released with Sister Stern that I bought of a mate 

The Fallen Björns need to be finished, to add to this the Imperium Sisters of Battle, and as mentioned above the Imperium Marines are going into this army. 

And hopefully some more of the Necrons can be done, or I'll sell them... 

January 1st to February the 12th

I started the year off with the challenge of converting a few of the remaining character minis from the Indomitus Crusade box, the first one was Pedro Kantor made using the Indomitus Captain. 

Next finished where 2 Crusaders for the Ordo Chronos Inquisitior that never did get painted... 

And the last thing done for that long month was the first Primaris Ezikael, while doing this someone in the Dark Angels Facebook group had said they would have used the Phobos Librarian for this conversion which lead me to ordering one of those to the order for the next month. 

I did manage to grab WarCry Khainite Shadow Stalkers box that sat untouched for about half the year. 

February the 12th to March the 12th

In February I started the Primaris High Marshal Halbrecht conversion using the Indomitus Primaris Chaplain. 

I finished off the last of the Indomitus box Blade Guard Veterans as well as ordered the Blade Guard Veterans box and Mounted Chaplain, I built the Veterans first before starting on the mounted Chaplain. 

I used one of the Veterans swords on the Action Ezikael. 

March The 12th to April the 14th, or so auto fill is telling me

I had a crack at Primaris Beliel, but as these are the only pictures you'll find of it in this year's, I never did get it looking like I wanted/hoped for. 

I got the Watcher In The Dark finished for the Primaris Azrael. 

Polished off the High Marshal Halbrecht 

I had ordered the Mandalorian box that got stuck in Covid limbo for ages, which when it arrived I painted one and left them, I might go back and do a Boba Fett this year. 

Then started the penultimate of the loyalist Björn the Fell Handed, with the Björn on Thunder Wolf. I loose the head of that wolf at some point, which only turned up again in November 

April the 14th to May the 12th. 

I carried on with the Björn for a little bit, before switching to two of the metal Ezikaels, one with dual blades and one built as is for a joke image, with Gwy Kon and Obi Wan facing off against another Librarian in a training mission. 

I'd managed to find a Forge World Mk4 dread for cheap on ebay when I was still looking to do the Battle of Gate 9. It was about this time I dropped the plan for Gate 9, and so painted it black. 

There has been a Dark Vengeance Company Master lolligagging around for a while, I tried something with that that I'd planned to use on The Lion later. 

I look like I'd ordered the Björn claws off ebay to spruce up the 3rd edition Venerable Dreadnought of Björn as well. I know i didn't order a full dread with this one. 

May the 12th to June the 12th 

Turns out one of the people I follow on Twitter leaves close ish to me and they were selling the Dark Vengeance limited Chaplain this year, so I bought that and again tried the Coelia Greenshade wash effect on the robes to gauge how it looks before I put it to the test. 

The claw arm in the classic Venerable dread Björn was finished along with the fur trim. 

I started on the Lion's cloak with the Coelia Greenshade wash, and I think it works... 

The mounted Björn was finished. 

I finally snagged a Dark Angels Venerable Mk4 Dreadnought, it is a beauty and by far the best looking dread in the collection. I had intended to strip and repaint it in my colours but once it was in my hands I understood the heresy in that choice. 

One of the things that had been pointed out to me with the alternative Björn Time Line Project was that infinite universes would include some Chaos versions so I picked up that challenge and planned somethings to do the work after checking what I needed to buy. I found a (still) new on sprue dark Vengeance helbrute and picked that up and quickly through something together. 

I also started a plastic Mortis Contemptor that had been untouched for ages. 

June the 12th to July the 12th 

I finished the Contemptor, the Dark Vengeance helbrute Björn the Fell Handed and found a dread with twin auto cannon arms for next to nothing on ebay. 

The rest of the month I was run ragged with work so it was mostly plans. 

One of the things that got me interested in the alternative Björns was the orginal metal version I'd painted in the Pre Magnus thousand sons colours for the Armies on Parade board, that got bounced for a mk4 thousand sons dread in red and gold, and I knew that now I could definitely paint it better than I had 2 years ago, so I stripped it, as well as the World Eaters Contemptor that I have, and base coated both with ushabati bone, before the Contemptor was boxed and the dread went forward, I went the wrong way, so stripped it again and started again with the painting, using stormhost silver, seraphim sepia wash and I had to have a run into Preston for some of the apothecary white contrast. 

I also painted up 2 Intercessors in the same way to test if the contrast or a thinned pallid wytch flesh would be better, so will make those up to a full squad at some point. 

July the 12th to August the 12th 

I moved forward with the Björn dread, working on the yellow and blue shoulders. 

Stepping sideways after seeing how the stormhost silver and seraphim sepia wash looked I dug out the Iron Warriors Contemptor, stripped it and got it painted with an ushabati bone base coat before giving it a stormhost silver base coat and seraphim sepia wash. If I ever do get into the Heresy I like to think I'd consider doing an Iron Warriors army using this method. 

I plucked up the courage to finally start The Lion, mostly using contrast paints. 

There was a a break with the X Wing and some star wars lego. 

I also had a trail of a paint scheme for the Necrons of Pakal The Great. 

August the 12th to September the 12th 

Didn't really get much done during the end of August, so it was pretty much September 1st to the 12th.

The end of August was, shall we say hectic?, yes, hectic and I barely got to see my cats, let alone daughters or hobby time. So when I did get some time in September I started on, what ended up being a big job, the boxed Helbrute version of Björn the Fell Handed. 

After seeing how the claws looked I ended up on ebay, not finding any claws on their own I admitted defeat and just bought another Björn dread, new on sprue. 

September the 12th to October the 12th. 

It took me a week longer than I had planned or intended to get it finished with the only option not painted being the multi melta, but that is me 100% happy with how it came out. 

Next up is the 5 Assault Intercessors that are the first company veteran Primaris Astartes, and I have done the 6th and put it in the box, I'm sure I mention it later... 

At long last the Heavy Intercessors were released and I was able to get a squad of 10 done with the ones from the Kill Team box bought earlier in the year. 

And at long, long last I started the Harlequins with a mini from We Print Minis, their Duela Dent, which I've bought another version of recently to replace this one because I dropped it and broke the fingers off, as well as breaking the seal on the War Cry shadow stalker box to replace some of the older metal war dancer minis. 

October the 12th to November the 12th 

Most of the month was spent doing the replacement Harlequins. 

I finished off the Death Jester for Grey Angel's, before doing another White Queen.

The Taken King was next, before I started on the replacements for the Wyld Ones. 

While I was happy with how the first one came out on the build side, I feel I didn't land the paint job, the second one was definitely a more pleasant result. The last 2 worked perfectly. While I was digging for bits I found a grenade launcher that I added to the spell singer/ shadow Seer. The Executioner was replaced as well. 

With a little bit of time left I finished the Assault cannon Dreadnought arm using the Kheres assault cannon as well as using a replacement knee pad for Assault Intercessors Number 6.

November the 12th to December the 12th.

And into the end of the year, The Hounds of Morkai squad had been sat for ages so I made a start, ushabati bone, stormhost silver and seraphim sepia wash, with the pallid wytch flesh wash over the top. I dithered over shoulder pads, eventually going with the molded ones from the upgrade sprue.

Next was another Phobos Librarian, this time using the orginal pose. 

And the last thing painted before I packed up for Christmas, and I have to pack up as my kids are here was the first batch of 5 Assault Intercessors. In a break from my normal style I didn't try free handing the wolf head on the shoulder and used the transfers.