Grimdark Horus Heresy Challenge - I Judge and Give Feedback to the Top Entries!

The Grimdark Community is running monthly modeling and painting challenges. These challenges ae great fun and all are welcome! Check out this long commentary video as k03rnl, bloodasmedium, and myself review, score, and determine the winner of the Grimdark Horus Heresy Challenge!
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[@VoiceInTheGrimDark]

I am VoiceInTheGrimDark and I can see what you are saying about the lack of surface variation, however I can confirm that no varnish touched this mini (although my Dark Mech entry has been hit with it several times, hope that doesn’t bite me next month!). There is some variation on parts of the model but it is limited and not easily seen in the front on photo. Thanks for the critique, got some stuff to work on for future minis, particularly my basing which I think was just a failure to convey what I pictured. Some larger bricks or concrete with bars would have helped here.

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

Barrie! Awesome work man! I use varnishes a lot just not as a finishing touch for obvious reason. Take note of the finishes that different materials have. Try to push that! See if it makes a difference for you! Thank you so much for participating!!

[@LucionFrostBurn]

Always excited to see DarkMech models!

[@chrisg3726]

This whole video and set up are superb! I learned so much and really enjoyed the breakdowns of each miniature and your observations!

[@Gogsnik]

Interestingly, having listened to your comments about textures, your to-camera conclusion really seemed to be the perfect example - you've got the sheen of the mic arm, the matt of the t-shirt, the gleam of skin and then some shine from the glasses (even the dullness of those wool daubers you've got hanging up and the little white dish all add textures and finishes. I wouldn't have noticed any of that before this video!!

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

Exactly!!!

[@eccentricbear]

Thanks for running the competition - good fun to enter and nice to have some feedback! I can see what you mean about the head alignment with the bolter. I think personally I quite like the running pose as the fluff talks about marines running a lot and i imagine with the transhuman physiology and power armour they can get up quite a head of steam!!

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

Great entry!! Thanks for participating!!

[@Sandmann1193]

Normally iam a pretty silent fan of your work. I was always interested in Grimdark for warhammer but felt like my T'Au wouldn't fit. However, with the years I got way better at painting and the newest additions to my army look so much better than the older models I painted and I thought about stripping and repainting 2k points worth of models. But it would a) cost me way too much time that I don't have and also it would be sad to just "delete" my early experiences in the hobby. So after bingewatching through your channel again I decided I will take the leap and try my best to just convert them into grimdark 4th expansion, devastated and torn after meeting horrors in the warp. Your videos gave me the ideas for bases, the baseline of what to use and when to use it, several ideas how to convert them and most importantly the courage and motivation to do that as it's a totally different approach but one that I really like. So, thank you. Really. Your videos are amazing.

[@buzz_deedigitalart7045]

would love to see what you would do with thousand sons, the theme of dusty ancient warriors combined with that style offers great space for wear and pigments

[@churchoftheairbrush1533]

Great job everyone!!! Talk about cream of the crop there. Good luck for the people entering the next competition.

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

ty ty!!

[@carlh8731]

Some great entries and loved hearing the feedback. Giving me a lot of ideas on what to improve on. Though a big one for me is improving my photography skills

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

Thats great! Yes photography is important for miniature painting.

[@gasmonkey1000]

Kinda curious how you'd would make Grimdark Emperor's Children legionaries, pre and post heresy.

[@jostonpowell1346]

Love all the hard work everyone put into their own pieces. Struggling to get a good pale skin color like some of those top entries have pulled off.

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

Mziu's skin is money. Looks like light flesh tone from abteilung502.

[@ernestgraves4401]

Very cool models!

[@greggonzalez661]

When a person runs, their arms and legs move in opposite directions. Right leg forward generally mean right arm back, and left leg back generally means left arm forward.

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

True! That why that pose seemed odd. Didn't realize it till I read this.

[@greggonzalez661]

@@GrimdarkCompendium plus the line of sight was off from where the gun was pointing. Which you did point out. It looked like a fine model, but posing is important.

[@EnterTheFenix]

except that the mini is aiming his weapon. So the alternating limb position is moot since his right arm has a task to perform. I get what you're saying, it looks janky - but its not incorrect.

[@emanueledibona5929]

Great format Grim Master. Really like it.

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[@MultiCyberAngel]

Really like your comments, but one note: Space Marines do run, they are faster than humans and are quite mobile in their armor.

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

I figured. It's just odd to think about something like a space marine having high a degree of agility.

[@callumstuart9094]

@@GrimdarkCompendium To be fair man, lore accuracy wasn't being judged and that model in particular doesn't look natural in a running pose. It looks like a fat man wearing power armour. Think it's one of those Tortuga Bay sculpts, they're all a bit bulky around the midriff! 🤣

[@MultiCyberAngel]

@@callumstuart9094 ​ @Callum Stuart Nah, that's FUMMELFINGER 3d sculpt. I actually really like them, can't stand looking at GW marines legs. They are most definitely skipping leg day.

[@victorylatheworks873]

@@GrimdarkCompendium if they didn't they would never stand a chance against the Tyranids...

[@dmajor9982]

Finally get to see the grimdark Gigachad!

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

Hah

[@mastodonseven]

I'm so confused that blowout one made it in over the others

[@adamtoth3611]

Can you do a dedicated video to making grimdark bases please

[@Wijkert]

Love these kind of video's; great work! I have a couple of suggestions for next time. - I would use the mouse pointer to indicate what area of the model you are giving feedback to. It was at the bottom of the screen, so it seems like it was recorded. - I would try to not read the evaluation of the other judges as to not influence your own. If it is not possible not to see them, than at least not read them before you judge the pieces. I know people tend to think that they can be objective, but we are all influenced by the idea's of others no matter how hard we try not to be.

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

Thank you!

[@adamtoth3611]

32:20 sounds like you are trying to cover a fart with a cough. Grimdark

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

Haha. I'm so surprised this is the first comment that points this out.

[@adamtoth3611]

@@GrimdarkCompendium hahaha, of like to see you do a challenging model in the grim dark. Like a 40k Ork, one of the more difficult sculpts for this style... Like some of the kommandos

[@Wijkert]

Would it be possible to have 3 pics per person (or finalist)? Would love to see multiple angles.

[@dolu6434]

hey my man. I love your painting style and adapted a ton of it into my own style. but you have to give the link to the music artist's bandcamp or whatever. I only found one band. much love

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

In most of the content I've posted in the last couple years, the music is original and owned by myself.

[@RestlessSoul45]

All in all great models that were shown here, for evryone new in the hobby or "the grim dark style" dont think Grim dark is a Pro therm or smtg. you can achieve really convincing effects on propperly weathered and textured "battle ready" Minitures. its a constant process of learning and tweaking. in the long run your artstyle hat to suit your modeln , not for others. and keep in mind, this presented here is not a tabletop standard so no gatekeeping involved here ;) . gtreat vid , eventoug i think your critique was a bit harsh.

[@danielk1055]

need grimdark votann if its possible

[@chris-k6v]

what a mess that 40k blowout marine is .its gone to far to much weathering no detail

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

I'm curious. What kind of details do you think are missing?

[@Instar_nine]

How do I enter this? My alpha legion would smash it

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

It has concluded. A new challenge is up on the grimdarkcompendium.com

[@schwacked226]

next time add links to the pictures in the description so we can see better photos please

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

Good idea. 👍

[@shibuishibui3706]

Mavericks paint was in this???????

[@GrimdarkCompendium]

Indeed