Aeon Trespass: Odyssey (ATO) by Lawnor

These two shared a common colour scheme so they got painted at the same time.  I suspect they are both made out of the abyss and that’s why their flesh and clothes are the same colour.  At least that’s how they look in the studio art.

Before I did anything else, I undercoated the flames white and airbrushed the yellow in to ensure it was as vibrant as possible.  I then painted everything else, leaving the flames until last.  That way I could clean up any mistakes, and it makes more sense for the fire to overlap on to other areas than for the clothing to overlap or be on top of the fire.

Bone
Base: P3 Beast Hide
Stipple: Thinned P3 Jack Bone
Stipple: P3 Menoth White Highlight
Glaze: P3 Brown Ink
Glint Highlight: P3 Morrow White

Black Flesh
Base: VMC70.994 Dark Grey
Drybrush: P3 Menoth White Base
Wash: GW Nuln Oil
Drybrush: P3 Menoth White Base to highest/shiniest parts only

Black Cloth
(Watcher skirt and helmet)
Base: VMC: 90.995 German Grey
Drybrush: P3 Sickly Skin
Wash: GW Nuln Oil
Drybrush: P3 Sickly Skin to highest/shiniest parts only

Bronze/Gold Trim
Base: Darkstar Blackened Bronze
Highlight: Blackened Bronze with Darkstar Royal Gold
Highlight: Above with more with Darkstar Royal Gold
Highlight: Royal Gold
Glint Highlight: Darkstar Pale Gold

Chrome/Silver
Base: VGC 72.053Chainmail Silver
Shade: Thinned Chainmail Silver with P3 Pig Iron
Highlight: Chainmail Silver
Highlight: Chainmail Silver with VMA 71.064 Chrome
Highlight: Above with more Chrome
Highlight: Chrome

Other Golds
Base: GW Retributor Gold
Highlight: P3 Solid Gold
Wash: GW Seraphim Sepia
Highlight: P3 Solid Gold

Steel
Undercoat: Black
Base: Mision Models MMM-002 Cold Rolled Steel
Highlight: P3 Pig iron
Highlight: P3 Quick Silver
Wash: Jan’s Magimix (6-8 Parts GW Nuln Oil, 6-8 Parts GW Agrax Earthshade, 5-6 Parts Lahmium Medium, 2 parts Athonian Camoshade.  Thanks, Januinevision)
Highlight: P3 Quick Silver

Red
Base: GW Evil Sunz Scarlet
Shade: GW Khorne Red
Highlight: GW Wild Rider Red

Human Flesh
Base: P3 Midlund Flesh
Wash: P3 Khardic Flesh
Highlight: Midlund Flesh
Highlight: Midlund Flesh and P3 Ryn Flesh
Highlight: Ryn Flesh

White Cloth
Base: Andrea Color White 1 Base
Shade: Andrea Color White 6, 2nd Shadow
Highlight: Andrea Color White 1 Base
Highlight: Andrea Color White 1 Base and P3 Morrow White
Highlight: Morrow White

Blonde Hair: 
Base: Reaper 09256 Blond Shadow
Wash: Coat d’Arms Flesh Ink
Drybrush: Reaper 09257 Blond Hair
Drybrush: Reaper 09258 Blond Highlight

Fire: 
Undercoat: White
Base: Mr Paint MRP-F005 Deep Yellow
Highlight: Deep Yellow and Mr Paint MRP-F008 Fire Orange
Highlight: Fire Orange
Highlight: Fire Orange and Mr paint MRP-F013 Deep Red
Highlight: Deep Red
Apply Coat d’Arms Ink Wash Yellow to recesses to brighten further
Glaze thinned white carefully to the hottest recesses
Just before varnishing I got some Kromlech Soot Black pigment on a finger and touched it gently to the model to add some just to the high points.  The varnish then sealed this in.

Flesh
Base: P3 Khardic Flesh
Wash: P3 Thornwood Greed and Khardic Flesh
Wash: P3 Skorne Red and Khardic Flesh
Targeted wash: Skorne Red and Thornwood Green
Highlight: Khardic Flesh
Highlight: Khardic Flesh and P3 Midlund Flesh
Highlight: P3 Midlund Flesh

Flamethrower Fuel bag
Zenithally primed, and caught some overspray of the flesh base colour
Drybrush: Scalecolour Iroko
Wash: Thinned Scalecolour Inktense Chesnut
Drybrush: Iroko
Wash: Inktense Chesnut thinned further
Wash: above Inktense Chesnut mix, dried out a little and applied around the edges only

Warkeeper Cloth
Base: P3 Hammerfal Khaki
Wash: Agrax Earthshade
Drybrush: Hammerfall Khaki
Drybrush: P3 Jack Bone

Firestarter Green Leather
Base: P3 Battledress Green
Wash: GW Agrax Earthshade
Drybrush: P3 Thrall Flesh
Wash: GW Athonian Camoshade

Piping
Base: P3 Greatcoat Grey
Drybrush: P3 Underbelly Blue
Drybrush Lighter: P3 Pig Iron
Wash: GW Nuln Oil

Ball Stone & Punch Globves
This is my basing scheme from KDM
Base: Mission Models MMW006 Transparent Dust (I’d usually use P3 Trollblood Highlight, but I’m running low and this was the closest colour I already own)
Heavy Drybrush: GW Karak Stone
Medium Drybrush: GW Screaming Skull
Light Drybrush: P3 Menoth White Highlight

Truthbearer Steel
Base: Mission Models MMM-002 Cold Rolled Steel
Pin Wash: GW Nuln Oil
Highlight: P3 Cold Steel
Highlight: P3 Quick Silver

Bronze: 
Base: Darkstar Blackened Bronze
Drybrush: Darkstar Bronze
Wash all over: Secret Weapon Sewer Water
Drybrush: Darkstar Bronze

Gold Chain
Base: Darkstar Royal Gold
Targeted Wash GW Seraphim Sepia
Drybrush: Darkstar Royal Gold
Drybrush: Darkstar Pale Gold

Leather Straps
Base: P3 Bootstrap Leather
Drybrush: P3 Hammerfall Khaki
Wash: GW Agrax Earthshade

Iron Nodes
Base: P3 Pig Iron
Wash: Targeted Italeri Wash Oiled Earth 4953AP
Highlight: P3 Quick Silver

Clay Pots
Base: Colours of War 383 Motherland Earth
Shade 1: Colours of War 322 Dark Leather mixed with Motherland Earth over bottom 3rd
Shade 3: Dark Leather in darkest regions only
Highlight 1: Motherland Earth and Colours of War 362 Sicily Yellow over top 3rd
Highlight 2: Sicily Yellow as glint colour

Fire
Undercoat white
Base: Mr Paint MRP-F005 Deep Yellow
Highlight: Deep Yellow and Mr Paint MRP-F008 Fire Orange
Highlight: Fire Orange
Highlight: Fire Orange and Mr paint MRP-F013 Deep Red
Highlight: Deep Red
Apply Coat d’Arms Ink Wash Yellow to recesses to brighten further
Just before varnishing I got some Kromlech Soot Black pigment on a finger and touched it gently to the model to add some just to the high points.  The varnish then sealed this in.

Rope
Base: P3 Rucksack Tan
Wash: GW Agrax Earthshade
High: Rucksack Tan
High: P3 Hammerfall Khaki

Grey Stone
Base: VMC 70.869  Basalt Grey Airbrushed on for transition.  Do after flesh base colour but before detail so you can fix unwanted overspray
Drybrush: P3 Jack Bone, maybe even P3 Menoth White Base
Wash: GW Nuln Oil
Revisit drybrushing if desired

Yellow Stone
Painted the same as the bases including extra pigment steps, which I carried down over the grey stone too.  I meant to glue some bushes up here but I think I forgot.

As far as I can tell a Godform is a bit like going Super Saiyan.  A more powerful version of an existing character.  Any Titan can do it under the right circumstances, and there are multiple different Godforms.  This is the only one in the core box, though.

I had hopes for this model.  I was going to paint the lightning a vibrant but pale blue, but couldn’t quite figure out what that looked like or how to make it.  I wanted to then highlight the middle all the way up to white so the whole thing glowed and looked like real lightning.  I couldn’t make or identify the colours I wanted, the brushes and paint didn’t cooperate on the model, and the lighting is so amorphous that it doesn’t have a consistent and meaningful middle.  Rather than go crazy trying and retrying, I accepted what I had.  I then got pigment stuck to the lightning just before varnishing, but didn’t notice until it was sealed in.  It’s done now and I’m on to the next project.  I may come back and fix the lightning later.

Flesh
Base: P3 Midlund Flesh
Wash: Midlund Flesh and P3 Skorne Red
Wash: Midlund Flesh and P3 Battledress Green
Wash: Skorne Red and battledress Green
Highlight: Midlund Flesh
Highlight: Midlund Flesh and P3 Ryn Flesh

Tan Skirt
Base: P3 Rucksack Tan
Wash: P3 Gun Corps Brown
Deep Wash Only: P3 Battlefield Brown
Drybrush: Rucksack Tan
Drybrush: Rucksack Tan and P3 Menoth White Base
Drybrush: Previous, and P3 Menoth White Highlight

Iron
Base: P3 Pig Iron
Highlight: P3 Quicksilver
Wash: Targeted Italeri Wash Oiled Earth 4953AP (I found it on my paint rack and didn’t know owned it.  Time to test it.  It’s a oily brown.  Gotta try it later on a larger area)

Bronze: 
Base: Darkstar Blackened Bronze
Drybrush: Darkstar Bronze
Wash all over: Secret Weapon Sewer Water
Drybrush: Darkstar Bronze
Drybrush: Darkstar Polished Copper
Drybrush: Darkstar Pale Gold

Hair
Base: P3 Morrow White and Reaper 09148 Ghoul Skin
Wash: Ghoul Skin
Highlight with base and then add more and more white for further highlights

Lightning
I just threw a bunch of different blues, P3 Morrow White and P3 Menoth White Highlight together to see what I could come up with.  I couldn’t replicate this again if I tried.  It ended up similar to GW Fenris Grey, but perhaps a little lighter?  I added more and more (Menoth?) white to it for the highlights.

I’m not 100% sure where this guy goes.  I’m told he’s a cycle 2 model, but there’s some suggestion that he can turn up in any of the first three cycles.  He also comes with a battle and map scale mini.  He’s a nice crisp clean sculpt and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with him.  I took him from primed to varnished in about 24 hours and I don’t feel like I rushed.

Ball Stone
This is my basing scheme from KDM
Base: Mission Models MMW006 Transparent Dust (I’d usually use P3 Trollblood Highlight, but I’m running low and this was the closest colour I already own)
Heavy Drybrush: GW Karak Stone
Medium Drybrush: GW Screaming Skull
Light Drybrush: P3 Menoth White Highlight

Gold Legs
Base: P3 Blighted Gold
Wash: p3 Cryx Bane base mixed with P3 Brown Ink
Targeted Wash: P3 Umbral Umber mixed with P3 Coal Black
Drybrush: P3 Brass Balls
Post varnish Highlight: P3 Brass Balls mixed with P3 Radiant Platinum

Black Ooze
Base: Revell Aqua Colour 36106 Tar Black
Highlight: Tar Black with a little Revell Aqua Colour 36174 Gunship Grey
Highlight: Above mix with a little Revell Aqua Colour 36176 Light Grey
Highlight: above with more Light Grey
Glaze with GW Nuln Oil to smooth the transition out
I didn’t push the highlights far enough so the two glazed needed to blur the transitions took the highlights down a little too far.
Gloss varnish when all is finished

This model makes me think one thing, and one thing only:  “Feed him to the Sharkticons!”

I’ve got the rest of the Cycle 2 models on my painting table ready to go and it’s made it apparent that these models don’t have a fixed scale.  Look at this pic below of two humans.  One is twice the size of the other.  I suppose he could be a giant or something.  I’ve not read anything yet.  I know it doesn’t affect the gameplay, but a lack of consistent scale bothers me.

Update 10/2/23:

I asked on the discord and here’s the responses I’ve gotten about the big little human.  Seems he is a character and might well be larger on purpose:

I think the Gamechanger is a cross cycle titan valid for the first three cycles, but I really can’t say for certain.  I’m putting off reading anything until I’m ready to begin playing.  There’s some good designs in this batch, but I’m starting to feel the softness of detail I’ve experienced in other big box KS pre assembled minis that are functionally high end board game models, and not wargaming pieces.

I’ve noticed a trend in the concept art.  They tend to be more muted or dark colours.  This works for moody art pieces, but its hard to replicate in models and still have them look interesting.  I’ll be going for stronger colours where I feel appropriate from now on, but still taking my inspiration from the art.

Cycle 1 Titan Skin
Base with a mix of P3 Ryn Flesh and P3 Menoth White Highlight
Wash with mix of base and P3 Sanguine Highlight
Wash with mix of base and P3 Battledress Green
Wash with P3 Sanguine Highlight in deep shadows only
Highlight with base
Highlight with base with extra Menoth White Highlight

Mazerunner Trousers & Gamechanger Cloak
Base VMC 70.994 Dark Grey
Drybrush P3 hammerfal Khaki
Wash GW Nuln Oil

Gamechanger Red Robe
Base GW Khorne Red
Wash GW Carroburg Crimson mixed with GW Agrax Earthshade
Highlight with Base mixed with GW Wild Rider Red
Highlight with GW Wild Rider Red

Logicbreaker Stone Armour
Base with VMC 70.869 Basalt Grey
Drybrush P3 Jack bone
Wash Jan’s Magimix (6-8 Parts GW Nuln Oil, 6-8 Parts GW Agrax Earthshade, 5-6 Parts Lahmium Medium, 2 parts Athonian Camoshade.  Thanks, Januinevision)
Drybrush with Jack Bone and P3 Menoth White Base to taste

Bronze: 
Base: Darkstar Blackened Bronze
Drybrush: Darkstar Bronze
Wash all over: Secret Weapon Sewer Water
Drybrush: Darkstar Bronze
Drybrush: Darkstar Polished Copper
Drybrush: Darkstar Pale Gold
Targeted wash of Sewer Water to only the deepest regions.
Gem: Mission Models Pearl Red

Gold Gamechanger Armour
Base GW Retributor Armour
Wash GW Seraphim Sepia
Highlight P3 Solid Gold

Dark Leather
Base Vallejo 302 Dark Rust
Drybrush/Highlight P3 Beast Hide
Wash GW Nuln Oil

Light Leather
Base P3 Bootstrap Leather
Drybrush/Highlight P3 Hammerfal Khaki
Wash GW Agrax Earthshade

Iron
Base P3 Pig Iron
Wash Jan’s Magimix (6-8 Parts GW Nuln Oil, 6-8 Parts GW Agrax Earthshade, 5-6 Parts Lahmium Medium, 2 parts Athonian Camoshade.  Thanks, Januinevision)
If rusty: Apply GW Typhous Corrosion, then drybrush GW Ryza Rust
Drybrush/Highlight P3 Cold Steel
Highlight P3 Quick Silver

Gamechager Red Frills
Base P3 Khador Red base
Wash GW Caroburg Crimson
Drybrush P3 Khador Red Highlight Didn’t work
Drybrush GW Wild Rider Red (Worked better, but not great.

Mazerunner Dark Grey Hair
Base P3 Greatcoat Grey
Drybrush P3 Cryx bane Highlight
Wash GW Nuln Oil

Logicbreaker Red-brown Beard
Base P3 Bloodstone
Drybrush P3 Bogrin Brown
Wash GW Agrax Earthshade

Logicbreaker Helemt Tail
Base Reaper 09150 Bloodless Skin
Wash Reaper 09148 Ghoul Skin
Drybrush p3 Morrow White

That’s Cycle 1 done.  That should give me a few weeks of play before I need Cycle 2 stuff done and ready.  There are 3 more models (I think) that can appear in any cycle so they’re my next mission: The Burden (Battle and map scale, and the Zeus Godform.  I think godforms are like going Super Saiyan and any Titan can do it if the right things happen at the right time.

This guy comes with two models for the different elements of the game.  most monsters don’t.  he’s a nice model that really conveys a sense of scale.  His mini me is a little soft on the detail though.

Wings
Airbrush Secret Weapon Tire Black all over
Airbrush VMC 309 Periscopes from the sides and above, trying to leave the base colour more prominent near the stem of each feather
Airbrush VMC 70.966 Turquoise mixed with periscopes mainly from above and leaving more of the base/stem end of each feather untouched
Airbrush pure Turquoise just from above and more towards the tips of each wing
Wash with GW Nuln Oil
Drybrush purely downwards with the two VMC paints to taste
This creates an almost colour shirt affect where the wings look dark from below, but bright from above.

Shoulder and Belly Feather Tufts
Base with P3 Cryx bane Highlight
Wash with a mix of P3 Thornwood Green and P3 Beast Hide, with just a touch of P3 Traitor Green (Optional)
Drybrush P3 Jack Bone
Drybrush P3 Menoth White Highlight

Flesh
(All paints from Nocturna Malefic Flesh paint set)
Base with Vallejo 74.013 Forest Skin
Wash Vallejo 74.009 Deep Forest Skin
Reclaim base
Highlight Vallejo 74.015 Pale Flesh
Highlight Vallejo 74.016 White Flesh

Beak and Claws
Base p3 Cryx Bane Base
Drybrush P3 Battledress Green
Drybrush P3 Hammerfall Khaki
Drybrush P3 Sickly Skin
Wash Jan’s magimix (6-8 Parts GW Nuln Oil, 6-8 Parts GW Agrax Earthshade, 5-6 Parts Lahmium Medium, 2 parts Athonian Camoshade.  Thanks, Januinevision)

The ships sails were painted using the Andrea colour white recipe used at the start of this project.  The eyes were just painted with an off-white.

This weekend I primed up the 7 Cycle 1 models and got to work on Alpha Temenos.  Brush access was clearly going to be an issue, so I used the airbrush to lay down the dominant colour and then brushed on the other base colours manually.  I normally like to complete one colour before starting a second, but I knew it would be a lot easier to fix mistakes if I based before anything was shaded or highlighted.  Once it was all based, I finished the skin, then the pyramids, and finally the base, glow, and then teeth.

Skin

(Using colours from the Blue Flesh recipe from Vallejo/Nocturna Malefic Flesh paint set.  Actual original recipe below))
Base: VMC 74.014 Cold Flesh
Wash: VMC 74010 Frozen Flesh
Drybrush: Base
Drybrush VMC74.015 Pale Flesh
Drybrush: VMC 74.016 White Flesh

Grey Stone
Base: VMC 70.869  Basalt Grey
Drybrush: P3 Jack Bone, maybe even P3 Menoth White Base
Wash: GW Nuln Oil
Revisit drybrushing if desired

Fire Glow
Undercoat White
Base (Airbrushed): MRP-F008 Fire Orange.  Allow for overspray down tunnel
Highlight (Airbrushed): Base + MRP-F005 Deep Yellow.  Less overspray.  Try to only hit centre of circle, leaving a more orange border
Highlight (Airbrushed): Just Deep yellow, again leaving a visible border

Teeth
Base: P3 Menoth White Base
Wash around base: GW Agrax Earthshade
Highlight: with base
Highlight: P3 Menoth White Highlight

As I was painting the base (See earlier post) with the solution of water, Lahmium medium, and Brokentoad’s Grimy Dirt pigment I thought I may as well apply some over Temenos.  He’s just burst out of the ground, so I gave him some residual dirt.

Temenos can be climbed upon, grating different options to anyone on his back.  As such, one of those pyramids can be removed and a platform put in its place.

The titans look like standard 30mm models, but they’re huge guys on 30mm bases.  A Human comes up to their ankle.  There is a human on Philoctera’s base.  look by her foot on the pic facing your right.

I painted all 7 models so far at the same time.  I sat down to varnish them all.  Glossed them up, and airbrush primed something while that dried.  I then applied 2 more coats of matt varnish (It takes 3 to de-gloss them) and noticed 2 black spots on someone’s leg.  On inspection I’ve got black primer overspray on 3 Titans AND coated it in 2 layers of varnish!  Gah!

Thankfully all their clothes and gear are dark so it can only really be seen on the flesh and the base.  The bases are already a little dirty and spotty by design, thanks to the final pigment stage.  I’m willing to call it dirt on the bases, meaning I only had to repaint the affected areas of flesh.  I was annoyed and frustrated and knew I only had myself to blame.  I rushed the repairs through and everyone is done now.

Flesh: 
Base: Reaper 9044 Tanned Skin
Shade: Reaper 9043 Tanned Shadow
Highlight: Reaper 9045 Tanned Highlight

Herodotus Flesh: 
Airbrush Base: Reaper 29828 Woodland Brown
Airbrush: Base with increasing amounts of Reaper 09150 Bloodless Skin
Airbrush: Above with increasing amounts of VMC 70.951 White
Pin Wash/Lining: Base thinned down (Possibly a darker brown, or mixed with a darker brown.  Apparently I didn’t take as many photos of my paint pot recipes as I thought I did)

Wood: 
Base: P3 Battlefield Brown
Layer: VMC 70.921 English Uniform
Drybrush: GW Karak Stone
Drybrush: P3 Menoth White Base
Wash: GW Agrax Earthshade
Drybrush: P3 Menoth White Base
Wash: GW Agrax Earthshade, but lighter
Wash: GW Seraphim Sepia

Dark Green Cloth:
Base: P3 Cryx bane Base
Wash: GW Agrax Earthshade
Drybrush: P3 Traitor Green

Lighter Green Cloth:
Base: P3 Traitor Green
Wash: GW Athonian Camoshade
Drybrush: P3 Thrall Flesh

Purple Cloth: 
Base: Reaper 09023 Imperial Purple with just enough P3 Ironhull Grey to desaturate it
Wash: Base with a little P3 Thamar Black, mixed with water and Lahmium medium
Drybrush: Base with a little more Ironhull Grey and some Reaper 09124 Amethyst Purple

Dirty Sail Cloth: 
Base: Reaper 09148 Ghoul Skin
Wash: Handcraft Tabletop Terrain Wash 267.01 Dunkelschatten (Dark Brown Grey)
Highlight: Reaper 09149 Moldy Skin

Helmets: 
Base: Darkstar Silver Verde
Wash: Handcraft Tabletop Terrain Wash267.03 Algenmoos (Yellow Greenish)
Drybrush: Darkstar Old Silver

Iron Weapons: 
Base: P3 Pig Iron
Wash Jan’s Magimix (6-8 Parts GW Nuln Oil, 6-8 Parts GW Agrax Earthshade, 5-6 Parts Lahmium Medium, 2 parts Athonian Camoshade.  Thanks, Januinevision)
Drybrush and some edge highlighting: P3 Cold Steel

Flexible Tubing: 
Base: P3 Ironhull Grey
Drybrush: P3 Underbelly Blue
Rings: P3 Pig Iron
Wash: GW Nuln Oil
Highlight with previous colours if wanted

White Beard: 
Base: Reaper 09150 Bloodless Skin
Wash: Reaper 09145 Ghoul Skin
Highlight with base, and then base with added P3 Morrow White

Red Hair: 
Base: P3 Bogwin brown
Highlight: P3 Ember Orange
Highlight: P3 Heartfire

Blonde Hair: 
Base: Reaper 09256 Blond Shadow
Wash: Coat d’Arms Flesh Ink
Drybrush: Reaper 09257 Blond Hair
Drybrush: Reaper 09258 Blond Highlight
This works better if you paint it instead of drybrushing.

Wood Arrow Shafts: 
Base: VMC 70.310 Old Wood
Drybrush: P3 Jack Bone
Wash: GW Agrax Earthshade
Light Drybrush: Jack Bone

Arrow Flights: 
Base: Reaper 08148 Ghoul Skin
Highlight: Reaper 09150 Bloodless Skin
Highlight: Bloodless Skin with added P3 Morrow White

Brown Leather: 
Base: P3 Bootstrap Leather
Highlight: P3 Beast Hide
Wash: GW Agrax Earthshade

Wood Bark: 
Base: Scalecolour Brown Leather
Wash: Scalecolour Inktense Wash
Drybrush: Coat d’Arms Horse Tone Bay

Grey Stone: 
Base: P3 Cryx Bane Highlight
Drybrush: P3 Jack Bone
Wash: Jan’s Magimix (6-8 Parts GW Nuln Oil, 6-8 Parts GW Agrax Earthshade, 5-6 Parts Lahmium Medium, 2 parts Athonian Camoshade.)

That’s everything for the Prologue done.  I think that can be completed in a weekend so I want all the Cycle 1 models done before I start playing.  That means next is 4 more Titans, Temenos, and a big and small scale Hermesian Persuer

This ship is the size of a city.  It’s made at a different scale to everything else.  The Titans fit comfortably onboard.  This goes on the world map tiles, and not on the game board.

Wood:
Base: P3 Battlefield Brown
Layer: VMC 70.921 English Uniform
Drybrush: GW Karak Stone
Drybrush: P3 Menoth White Base
Wash: GW Agrax Earthshade
Drybrush: P3 Menoth White Base
Wash: GW Agrax Earthshade, but lighter
Wash: GW Seraphim Sepia

Buildings: 
Base: Army Painter Troll Claws Mixed With Army Painter Arid Earth
Drybrush: Arid Earth
Wash: Troll Claws
Repeat drybrush

White Plating: 
Base: Reaper 9148 Ghoul Skin
Highlight: Reaper 9150 Bloodless Skin

Bronze:
Base: Darkstar Blackened Bronze
Drybrush: Darkstar Bronze
Wash: Secret Weapon Sewer Water
Drybrush: Darkstar Bronze
Drybrush: Darkstar Polished Copper

Tree Canopy: 
Base: P3 Gnarls Green
Wash: AP Green Tone Wash
Highlight: P3 Bog Moss
Highlight: P3 Wyrm Green

During the Kickstarter this model was pretty much just a metal bull, with a swappable part that I assume would have been organic.  When I saw the renders I didn’t know what was going on, and was a little disappointed in the change.  however, the more paint I got on this model, the more I loved it.  It’s such a narrative piece.  I’ve not read it’s lore, but you can tell what’s going on just by looking at it.  Some sort of eldritch mollusc has climbed inside a giant hollow metallic bull and is wearing it like a hermit crabs shell.

Bronze: 
Base: Darkstar Blackened Bronze
Drybrush: Darkstar Bronze
Wash all over: Secret Weapon Sewer Water
Drybrush: Darkstar Bronze
Drybrush: Darkstar Polished Copper
Drybrush: Darkstar Pale Gold
Targeted wash of Sewer Water to only the deepest regions.

Tentacle Flesh:
Base: P3 Troolblood Highlight, P3 Ryn Flesh & P3 Carnal Pink
Wash: Base +Traitor Green
Wash: Above+ Beaten Purple
Highlight: Ryn Flesh, Carnal Pink, and P3Menoth White Highlight

Blue Suckers: 
Base: VMC 70.866 Turquoise
Highlight middle with VMC 70.808 Blue Green
Highlight middle by adding more and more Reaper 09150 Bloodless Skin or any other off-white to the Blue Green

Purple Flesh:
(All from Nocturna Malefic Flesh set)
Base: VMC 74.012 Maelific Flesh
Shade/Wash: VMC 74.011 Purple Shadow
Reclaim base
Highlight/Drybrush: VMC74.015 Pale Flesh
Highlight/Drybrus: VMC 74.016 White Flesh

Tongue and Teeth:
The tongue was already coated as a result of the Purple Flesh layer, so I just washed it with GW Carrouburg Crimson and the  highlighted it with thinned Ryn Flesh.  the Teeth where painted with P3 Menoth White Base and highlighted with P3 Menoth White Highlight.

Banner White: 
Base: Andrea Color White 1 Base
Pinwash the runes with Jan’s Magimix (6-8 Parts GW Nuln Oil, 6-8 Parts GW Agrax Earthshade, 5-6 Parts Lahmium Medium, 2 parts Athonian Camoshade)
Shade: Andrea Color White 6, 2nd Shadow
Shade: Andrea Color White 6, 2nd Shadow mixed with White Base
Reclaim base colours where needed
Highlight: Andrea Color White 3, 2nd Light mixed with base
Highlight: Andrea Color White 3, 2nd Light
Highlight: Andrea Color White 3, 2nd Light mixed with P3 Morrow White

Tree Canopy: 
Base: P3 Gnarls Green
Wash: AP Green Tone Wash
Drybrush P3 Bog Moss
Drybrush: P3 Wyrm Green

Flesh Tones: 
Undercoat with Reaper 29828 Woodland Brown for deep shade.  Airbrushed into areas I’ll never get a brush in to
Base: Reaper 9044 Tanned Skin
Shade: Reaper 9043 Tanned Shadow
Highlight: Reaper 9045 Tanned Highlight

Stone Hands: 
Base: VMC 70.869  Basalt Grey Airbrushed on for transition.  Do after flesh base colour but before detail so you can fix unwanted overspray
Drybrush: P3 Jack Bone, maybe even P3 Menoth White Base
Wash: GW Nuln Oil
Revisit drybrushing if desired

Finger Nails: 
Base: P3 Cryx Bane Base
Highlight with thin thinned lines of P3 Hammerfal Khaki and P3 Sickly Skin.  Leave very little of the base showing through
Glaize over with some Tanned Highlight flesh colour

Eyes: 
Undercoat white
Base: VMC 70.733 Orange Fluoro
Rim the inside walls of the eye sockets with thinned P3 Khador Red Base
Paint a white dot at the centre of each eye
Paint over the white dot and some surrounding area with a mix of White and Orange Fluoro

Brown Cows:
Base: P3 Idrian Flesh
Shade: P3 Battlefield Brown
Highlight: P3 Bloodstone
Highlight2: Bloodstone mixed with P3 Hammerfall Khaki

White Cows: 
???  I could have sworn I kept good photographic records of every recipe I used, but I seem to have some blanks.  I seem to have painted them around the same time as the banners on the bull, so here’s that recipe.  It might be what I did.
Base: Andrea Color White 1 Base
Shade: Andrea Color White 6, 2nd Shadow
Shade: Andrea Color White 6, 2nd Shadow mixed with White Base
Reclaim base colours where needed
Highlight: Andrea Color White 3, 2nd Light mixed with base
Highlight: Andrea Color White 3, 2nd Light
Highlight: Andrea Color White 3, 2nd Light mixed with P3 Morrow White

Rope: 
Base: P3 Rucksack Tan
Wash: GW Agrax Earthshade
High: Rucksack Tan
High: P3 Hammerfall Khaki

These models come preassembled.  They’re already glued on their bases and sometimes they are moulded to their base so there’s no chance of safely removing them.  As such, the basing scheme for the game needs to be simple and easy to apply as access is going to be frustratingly difficult at times (I’m looking at you, Hekaton!)  I could have just repeated my Kingdom Death basing scheme, but I wanted to do something different.  I want these to look different, and it’s an opportunity to try and learn something new.  Add another tool to my toolbox.

So, yes.  Two different basing schemes needed, at least for now.  Mythical Greek  era landscape, and sea.  Let’s start with the sea.  I didn’t know how to paint a sea scheme so I searched the project system for Dystopian Wars content hoping to find a guide.  I found these examples by BritishLegion which intrigued me.  He had no guide, but I followed his videos back to his Youtube channel and found this video.  I didn’t have all the exact paints he did so I subbed out as follows:

Sea Base Guide:

Base: Vallejo Dark Prussian Blue
Drybrush: Ammo Dio Drybrush Medium Blue 0614 from the rear towards the front
Wash: Army Painter Green Tone Wash
Drybrush: P3 Morrow White from the rear towards the front
Finished with a coat of gloss varnish

There is directionally to the drybrushing so watch his video to understand it.

I was really impressed by how this came out, and it takes no effort at all.  Thanks, @BritishLegion

On to the land bases.  I like that they’re sculpted.  It saves me having to decorate them and gives me details I’d never get myself.  However, I hate hate HATE working with preassembled models and painted this bases is one of the reasons.  It’s impossible for me to get a brush under the Hekaton with any degree of control so I can’t pick out any of the detail.  I need to work with messy techniques and paint the base first, and trust the mess will do my work for me.  So here’s what I did:

Land Base Guide: 

Base: Army Painter Troll Claws Mixed With Army Painter Arid Earth
Drybrush: Arid Earth
Drybrush: White to pillars and manmade objects, and perhaps anything with sharp edges
Wash: Troll Claws to recesses only on manmade structures
Repeat drybrushes to taste

Once based, I then mixed up a solution of water, Lahmium medium, and Brokentoad’s Grimy Dirt pigment and applied it randomly around the base, avoiding the standing pillars..   I kept it watery and trusted the flow to do my work for me.  I then returned with the previous drybrush step wherever I wanted it.

Tree Trunks:
Base: Scalecolour Brown Leather
Wash: Scalecolour Inktense Wash
Drybrush: Coat d’Arms Horse Tone Bay

The plants:
Base: P3 Gnarls Green
Wash: AP Green Tone Wash
Drybrush P3 Bog Moss
Drybrush: P3 Wyrm Green

I then painted the models.  Before varnishing, I came back and attacked the bases with two dry pigment powders.  I switched back and forth between rubbing them in with a drybrush, and just tapping the powers off the brush and letting it land where it falls.  (Wear a mask to stop your breath moving it around!).  I then sealed it in with airbrushed varnish, which will change how it sits and looks.  Some sponge bushes were added for a final touch, and to break up the off-white stone.

Final Basing Pigment Rub/Tap
Vallejo 73.111 Green Earth
Vantage Modelling Solutions Spot On Pigments 02 EU Brown Earth, A

Spoge Bushes
Serious Play Old Dry Leafy Scrub Foliage

Brown Cows:
Base: P3 Idrian Flesh
Shade: P3 Battlefield Brown
Highlight: P3 Bloodstone
Highlight2: Bloodstone mixed with P3 Hammerfall Khaki

White Cows: 
???  I could have sworn I kept good photographic records of every recipe I used, but I seem to have some blanks.  I seem to have painted them around the same time as the banners on the bull, so here’s that recipe.  It might be what I did.
Base: Andrea Color White 1 Base
Shade: Andrea Color White 6, 2nd Shadow
Shade: Andrea Color White 6, 2nd Shadow mixed with White Base
Reclaim base colours where needed
Highlight: Andrea Color White 3, 2nd Light mixed with base
Highlight: Andrea Color White 3, 2nd Light
Highlight: Andrea Color White 3, 2nd Light mixed with P3 Morrow White

I found some time to clean up and prime the Prelude minis this weekend.  I should still finish off the KDM minis on my desk first, but this buys them time for the primer to dry, and gets them ready for a base colour the next time the airbrush comes out.  So far, I’d have to say I’m happy with the the mold lines.  The exist and need cleaning off, but I’ve seen worse.  There are times their placement is frustrating.  For example, they run across the “face” of the Hekaton in an annoying way, and they run through some shallow but busy detail around the “neck” of the Labyrinthauros.  The detail there is shallow enough I fear it might get lost in paint, but we will see.  I forgot to give the joins a good look over, but the fact that none of them got my attention is promising.

EDIT: Yes, I see that mold line on the raised Hekaton arm.  I’ll deal with it tonight.

Here’s pics of my models primed, along with the art work from their stat cards.  Keep an eye on their bases to get a sense of scale.  Those small shapes are often huge trees or pillars.  This is something like a 5-10mm scale game.

[Edit 20/3/23] I know I’m not starting this during the Spring Cleaning window, but I am still working on it and will be finishing the current wave of minis during that time so I’m tagging it for the competition.  Disqualify me if you want.  I more than understand.  No harm done by putting my name in the hat.

I backed this KS back in September 2019 and Wave one of two arrived recently.  I count 32 models in the box, with 12 plug and play parts for 6 of them.  You can climb some models in game so this lets you swap out a random tentacle or something and put a platform there instead so your Titan can actually stand on the monster.

What if the myths and legends of  ancient Greece didn’t end the way they did?  What if Gods and man worked together to bring about a world of cultural and technological wonder.  What if this went on long enough that the gods believed themselves masters of all creations and they’d learned all there was to learn.  They had one last secret of creation to learn and had an experiment that would give them the answer.  However, that experiment went wrong, and in the blink of an eye all the gods were wiped out, civilization took a kicking, and a new wave of humongous horrors got unleashed on an unprepared world.

After ten years of these monsters plaguing mankind, the game begins with us playing as the crew of the Argo, a vast city sized ship of advanced technology, setting out to figure out what happened and bring the fight to these vast incomprehensible Kaiju.  But what can a human do against a monster that towers over even the tallest building?  They can inject their consciousness’s in to modified Titans and pilot them in to battle in a style the lawyers from Avatar wish to discuss.

Gameplay wise, it’s strongly Kingdom Death inspired, but instead of the monsters getting weaker as the fight goes on, they get stronger.  The game has a much stronger narrative too, with half the game being world exploration, which I’m told is inspired by 7th Continent (I think?), but I don’t know anything about that game.

KS Link

I’ll do a more detailed examination of things later as I start working with it, but for now, here’s pics of the boxes contents before I took it all out to wash.  These pics are essential, otherwise I’ll never remember where it all goes later!

After only a quick inspection I’d have to say these models are probably better than any other prebuilt minis I’ve worked with (From Mythic, Steamforged, or Cephalofair games), but I reserve my final judgement until after I’ve actually put paint on stuff.

The intro / learn to play section called the Prelude only requires 7 models.  My first goal will be to get them painted up before I start playing.  After that, this box is split on to three story Cycles, with wave 2 containing two more Cycles, each supposedly bigger than Cycles 1-3 combined.

The box is slightly bigger than the KDM box, and noticeably heavier too.  It’s white on white art style makes it very hard to take pictures of.

I’ve a few other models in my painting desk to finish up before I can start work on ATO, but I hope to start before the end of Christmas.