[Review] The perfect Primer

This is something that may be of particular interest to Adeptus Custodes or Stormcast Eternals players, but might also be helpful to anyone looking for a good undercoat for gold.

For the longest time, I'd been priming miniatures in black, and then using something like Mournfang Brown to basecoat sections that were to be gold.  It works okay, but you have the primer, then a couple thin coats of brown, then 1-2 thin coats of gold.

I've used Vallejo AV primer for the longest time, and I brush it on because weather and space concerns really keep me from using aerosol sprays or an airbrush.  But I've heard a lot of good things about Stynylrez from Badger.  They have a red-brown primer that looked to be perfect.  However, with the really cold weather we've had here for the last couple months, there was no way I could mail-order it and not have it frozen to uselessness by the time I get home to get the mail.  Well, the weather's finally warmed up to the mid-40s so I ordered some a couple of days ago and it arrived today.

I have got to say, the stuff is wonderful.  It goes on nice and smooth, even with a brush,  It's self-leveling like Vallejo but it dries with a matte surface rather than the shiny finish of Vallejo primer.  It's got more tooth for what you'll paint over it, and coverage is great.  And where Vallejo's ideal cure time is measured in days (one to three days was killing me to wait), Stynylrez cures in hours.  I primed a couple of Custodians before dinner, watched a little TV and came back to basecoat the gold.  They were ready to go.

Here's the best part.  Where I used to have to do three thin coats of gold to cover the black primer, Gold goes over red-brown Stynylrez in One. Thin. Coat.  And the brown undercoat makes the gold look really rich and warm.  Because you're applying fewer coats of primer, basecoat, and gold to cover, detail is preserved far better and the model doesn't look "painted".  I highly recommend this stuff for anyone who paints Custodes, Stormcast, or anything where you'll be doing a lot of gold.  You'll wonder why you waited so long.

Work-In-Progress: Custodes Venerable Contemptor Dreadnought

Just a sneak peek at something that's on my painting desk right now...

Because the Custodes are an elite army of few models (my 1500-point army numbers all of 17 models!) I want to make sure they look special.  Even the humblest Custodian Guard has ornate armor and weaponry, the Wardens and Shield Captains even moreso.

So then you have the Contemptor.  It's a pretty basic plastic kit (around 12 parts total) and there's nothing about it that makes it look like a revered veteran of centuries (or even millennia!) or warfare.
I've wondered what I could do to solve this - I've seen Contemptors from other Chapters that conveyed the image of a venerated warrior.

Then I saw a picture in the Codex and it was exactly what I wanted:

And I realized it wouldn't be difficult to do at all.  I have 2 boxes of Custodian Guard and so I have a spare vexilla I'll never need.  The parts are basically just the "wings" of the standard, with the ribbons clipped off and reapplied elsewhere on the arms.

So I studied the photograph and did exactly that.  Here's what I've got:

Visually it goes so well with the other models, and because of its size the eye will be drawn to it (and probably a considerable amount of enemy fire, as well...)

I've got two more models finished on the desk - My Shield-Captain and Vexillus Praetor from the Wardens kit.  I used one of the capes from the Shield-Captain in the Guard kit to make my Praetor look even more special and impressive. 

In my next post, I'll be featuring the characters of the army, after I've completed Captain-General Trajann Valoris as well.  Three models down, only 14 to go!

Adeptus Custodes are here!

Last week saw the release of the newest faction for Warhammer 40,000 - The Adeptus Custodes.
These gold-clad warriors are the Emperor's household guard and possess physical characteristics, training and equipment beyond even those of the Adeptus Astartes.  They number 10,000 strong - ten times the size of any individual Chapter of Space Marines - and they are effectively immortal unless killed in battle.

Why would someone want to play this new faction, you might ask?  Well, there are a few reasons:
 First of all, the stat line: Each of these warriors, even the line troops, is easily the equal of a character in any other army.  Even the basic Custodian Guards have an impressive set of characteristics.

Those of you who may be familiar with the datasheets from the Talons of the Emperor box set might notice that the Ballistic Skill has gone from 3+ to an even more impressive 2+.  These guys are comparable to Space Marine Lieutenants - and they are your Troops choices. As you might expect, the Custodes characters are accordingly more powerful than the basic Custodian Guard.

The second reason for playing Custodes is that they are fairly easy to paint - someone with a basic amount of painting skill can still get a good result with a few colors and a wash, while a more skilled painter can take the time to pick out the lavish detail.

Which leads to the third point: These models are gorgeous.  They are covered with all sorts of embellishments, symbols and details.  You can truly believe that the ornate suits of armor they wear are ten thousand year old heirlooms.

But to me, the most important reason that this is a beginner-friendly army to collect is the low model count.  Because each individual Custodian is a powerful character in his own right, their cost reflects that.  Where a Space Marine army might contain 50 or more models, a Custodes army can be much smaller.  This does mean that it's more challenging to play them, but that makes victory more rewarding!

To give you an example of how easy this army is to collect, here's a sample 1000-point battalion that can be made from just three Custodian Guard boxes - the same models that are also found in the Talons of the Emperor box and the Burning of Prospero game:

HQ - Shield-Captain:  Castellan Axe (124)
HQ - Shield-Captain: Castellan Axe (124)

TR - 4x Custodian Guard: Guardian Spear (208)
TR - 4x Custodian Guard: Guardian Spear (208)
TR - 4x Custodian Guard: Guardian Spear (208)

EL - Vexilus Praetor: Castellan Axe, Misericordia, Vexilla Magnifica (128)


EDIT: It was pointed out to me that the Custodian Guard box does not include Axes, which are found in the Wardens kit.  This leaves you a few options:

1)  Get the axes on eBay or a bits reseller (I use Hobby Titan personally)
2) Do a little conversion work - I'm sure there are suitable substitute axes in the Age of Sigmar range, but this may require a little extra work.
3) Rearrange the list a little - replacing the Axes with Spears frees up 6 points.  In that case, take the Misericordia away from the Praetor and give one to each Shield-Captain.  That'll leave you at 998 points.
4) (And this is my favorite option) If you can afford to - especially if you are planning to expand your army in the near future - invest in a box of Wardens.  The 1500-point army list I'm working on has a squad of three Wardens in it.  Use the other two to model your Shield-Captains - or one Captain and one Praetor.  The robes and other extra details will make your Characters stand out better!


If you play Open with Power Levels, this is a PL52 army - within the normal range compared to the Matched Play points (I've found that generally points/20 gives a rough power level to aim for).  Because it's a Battalion, you'll have 6 Command Points to use for Stratagems - and Custodes get some pretty nice ones that will help to offset the low model count and lack of high-powered weaponry.

Because the kit contains parts to make a Shield-Captain and/or Vexilus Praetor, you won't need to buy other kits or models to start.  And you will find that it's easy to expand on this core.

I picked up the Codex the other day and I'll be getting my models over the weekend.  I still need to finish my Necromunda gang in the upcoming week before our league begins, but I hope to see how quickly I can get my Custodes army ready for play!  If I had somewhere indoors to undercoat the models with gold spray, I imagine it would be quick indeed.

Stay tuned - I hope to have some pictures to share very soon.