Serphantim's Handpainted weapons thread C&C wanted

Serphantim

Hey everyone,

I've once again attempted a few weapons in handpainted style. I tried to go for a more futuristic look and if you could spare some time for feedback that would be great.

[sketchfab]a2d4641c6c224cc0a31c86aa53a5719f[/sketchfab]
Tech Blade by Serphantim on Sketchfab

On this weapon I intend to make it spin like a drill
[sketchfab]d98956e965b84eb18fa805ce534a4ffa[/sketchfab]
Tech Blade2 by Serphantim on Sketchfab

Serphantim

So after taking a look at my own models a day after I noticed a few things i didnt like and wanted to improve on so without further ado:



1: The blocks are too bland for my taste and i wanted to increase the colors on them.
2: Same as the above point. They felt really flat and i wanted to up the edges a little.
3: Due to the unwrapping and slight adjustments while modelling this space got very stretched which completelly went past me so i tried to repaint it a little to reduce the stretching.
4: This entire area felt too flat and the "energy core" was a little too bland and flat. I painted the lighter areas a little more bright and the darkers areas a little darker. I also added low/highlights around the energy cores to make it seem less flat.
5: These golden rings were too similar in color to the handle so i changed them to be the same color as the other metals. This also gave much better results when adjusting the colors.
6: The energy cores here were a little to bland and didnt give off any light at all so i increased the values a little and added a little orange light around it.

Here is the new version on sketchfab with a simple animation:
[sketchfab]074359370a3746858cef7c1254c09c0d[/sketchfab]
Tech Blade 1 Animation by Serphantim on Sketchfab


I also did the same for the second TechBlade:



1: The upper drill part had some adjustments in geometry but I didnt adjust it in painting leaving these dark seams on the upper part. I adjusted the painting a little to reduce the seams.
2: I also thought the blade was a little too dull and experimented a little which making it more "dented" as a blade that hits stuff while spinning probably loses durability fast.
3: The upper and lower area of the spinning energy core were bland and i adjusted the values a little. I also added more color to the inside of it to try and reflect the hot energy flowing from inside.
4: The energy cores were a little too bland so I increased the values and added small low/highlights to make it seem less flat.
5: The energy cores on the side of the handle were again to bland so I increased the values and decreased the values when going lower.
6: The Handle was also too similar in value so I increased the value on the higher part and reduced the value on the lower part.
7: The energy core was too bland while it is probably the biggest source of energy for the weapon so I increased the values towards the center. I also added a minor glowing effect to the edges to further enhance this feeling.

Here is the new sketchfab version with an animation which actually makes it drill stuff :
[sketchfab]53a58e7509bd49199f7a615f1e42605c[/sketchfab]
Tech Blade 2 Animation by Serphantim on Sketchfab

Once again if any of you have spare time and are willing to give me feedback or critique I would appreciate it very much. I strive to learn and improve as much as possible and you guys always manage to find major flaws I totally miss.

Thanks in advance,