Excommunicate Traitoris

More Long fangs

2012-01-31T16:23:00.000Z

Another “I built this” post… getting close to the end of them, I promise..

My original long fang squad was the classic four rocket launchers.

Having played with them, I felt like I wanted to expand the roster and give myself some more options.. that’s what this army has become, not a build or a list.. but a set of units that I can use or vary according to points, mission or my mood… and I kinda like it like that.

Anyway, I built myself some lascannons..

And some plasma cannons..

The idea being I can now field mixed units, 3 las/2 miss or 3 miss/2 plas or whatever…

Lets me see how much better long fangs can be.

Oh and a second bossman.. at least he can be built with some poseability or personality.. something quite hard to do with normal devastators…

AOBR – Space Wolf Dreadnought conversions

2012-01-24T16:03:00.000Z

So I’m now at four dreads…

Three of them are AOBR dreads…

This one isn't, but he donated some weapons to the others :) a backfield dread like this is a very useful addition to a SW army. I can’t see why the so called “rifleman” dread is so popular now, it’s just a hydra after all :)

A fairly standard AOBR dread, albeit with a flamer conversion and some “wolfing up” needs a bit of tidying up prior to paint.

An AOBR dread with the assault cannon from the “proper” dread kit, and again some wolfing up.

Lastly, some posing of the leg, a plasma gun donated from the sentinel kit and the usual wolfing out.

Now.. with a contemptor to convert into Bjorn…. I’ve also got the makings of an apocalypse formation.. Bjorn's sternguard or something :)

Jump Pack Wolf Priest Painted

2012-01-21T22:13:00.001Z

Been a slow week for painting due to ill health, but I managed to finish this guy today.

He’s had a couple of changes since you saw him, I reneged and swapped out the combi Melta for a Plasma Pistol, and I added the medic’s tubes and whatnot, as re-reading some fluff, that’s what the Wolfpreists are. chaplains and Medics (where’s my FNP then, eh?)

Now, it’s not my best paint job I grant you, but he looks okay from a few feet away, and like I said I’ve not been well :)

Seriously though, I do struggle with black, proper black. I've got away in the past with faking black, using a deep charcoal colour instead, but I wanted to give black a go again, like I said it’ll be fine on the table :)

I do have somewhere an old UM metal jump pack chappie, for which I love the model, maybe a future project will be a wolfie conversion of him..

Anyway thanks for reading, I will try to up the pace on these guys :)

Grey Hunter Reinforcements

2012-01-17T15:54:00.000Z

Along with the Rhino rather than Razorback approach (though the hatches can still take the guns, if needed) I needed a few more troops to bulk out the Grey Hunter Squads to 10 each.

as the last lot were quite feral and armed with melee and bolter, I decided to build these guys with a little more restraint, as such they are more classic bolter pose marines. I tried to keep some dynamism though, and blended with the other fellows I think they'll be okay.

Once thing you will notice is that they dont have the moulded pads, I’ll be honest after some reflection and in the cold light of day I dont like them much. and I’ve got another strategy, but I’ll ask about that shortly :)

for special weapons I’m mixing it up, some squads with melta, some with plasma.

I also went with power weapons rather than the mark of the wulfen. I know wulfen is more efficient, and maybe I'll model some up down the line,but for now, it’s power weapons.

I’m keeping the wolf banners though.

So essentially I’ll have enough marines for- 2 x squads with 2 melta, power weapon and wolf banner.

And 1x squad with just 2x plasma guns.. this squad is a nice cheap objective holding, shooty unit that with counter attack can still afford to sit there and wait :)

Hopefully, paint is incoming.

Two More Finished Wolf Guard Terminators

2012-01-14T23:17:00.001Z

So I’ve actually got a painted Squad now!

(as long as I overlook the guy on the end who is a very slightly different hue, due to him being the first one painted :) )

Took me a while to get to a pint where I had a colour for the tanned leather I was happy with, and typically I didn't write down the recipe.. snakebite, dehneb and bleached I think.. :)

Quite happy with this blokes face, it has some real character in person. but I’m still struggling to adjust to mini photography again and cant quite get the colour/exposure balance right.

It’s nice to have a finished squad, but it’s been a bloody long haul so far on these wolves. the drive on the rhinos the other week was the start of trying to speed up a bit, so I’ll be trying to build another unit or two, and get a few more painted in the coming weeks.

Thanks for reading!

Wolf Priest with Jump pack conversion

2012-01-10T12:38:00.000Z

This bloke is intended to lead the skyclaws previously posted.

His BS4 means I feel a bit more warranted giving him the combi melta, but might swap it out for a plasma or bolt pistol yet, depends how I feel.. so far I’ve only managed to play him as “counts as” with a Bolt pistol cos I couldn't find the points, maybe that will change, maybe not, but the model looks cool with a big gun imo :)

His head is the skull from the wolf pack sprue melded with a terminator helmet and some GSfu, the rest of him is pretty standard. the paint will have to help him to stand out as a Wolf Priest.

Oh and the Crozius is a thunderhammer and a flag topper :)

Skyclaw Squad Conversions

2012-01-05T17:39:00.000Z

I know, I know, it’s probably cheaper and more efficient to put blood claws in a rhino..

But these guys are cooool.

The notion of a feral Astartes with a rocket strapped to his back. well I’ve always loved assault marines, and being an Ork player taught me the value of no of attacks over skill, – these guys are great skirmishers and line harassers.

So i had to model some.

Plus these blokes were essentially free.. some re-purposed ultramarine assault troops (let’s face it, I’m never playing smurfs again, nor am i ever going to get my ass in gear to ebay them) with some wolfie bitz and a few leftover FW weapons.. et voila…

Flamer guy. BS3 means no melta for them :)

Extra attacks however.. means it’s worth taking a Pfist…

yeah, he’s cannon fodder…

these guys might as well have red shirts on….

Oh yeah, look at that hair.. this guy is always the first to die :)

Hoping to get some paint on these fellows soon, after some clean up of course..

Why is it that whenever I take pictures I see about a million things i need to fix?

Space Wolves Rhinos Finished

2012-01-02T17:37:00.001Z

..or are they?

See, I can’t decide whether to put a bit of snow on them. I should, as I’m making snow bases, but it’s not something I’ve done before so I’m hesitant. And then, do I go the way I do bases? white glue and fake snow.. do i Use ground white pastel? do I go with a light airbrush of white? hrm. choices..

You’ll also notice in keeping with the previous questioning post that the Rhino are from different great companies. Engir, Egil and Bran’s to be precise, all three with an affinity for Grey hunters in transports according to fluff, (i think)

These Represent something new for me – doors that open, and a nod towards throwing some paint inside. I like it, and might do more of it :)

A wee note on the photography – I don't know how, but that Red is really over exaggerated in the pics, it’s nothing as bright in real life.. also, picked up some glare too, as I’m out of dullcote for the moment.

Anyway, a few more shots for you.

That’s it for now, Thanks for reading, and hopefully have some more up soon.

Space Wolf Army Composition Question

2012-01-01T16:41:00.000Z

So I’m doing something different. New year, new plan and all that.

If I’ve one resolution, it’s that this year the bulk of the Space Wolves Army is getting painted!

I’ve ditched Sven Bloodhowl, and the moulded shoulder pads.. mainly because I don’t want to be limited.. either in the special characters I can use, or in the Paint i can sling.

My Wolf guards are all being painted as Logan, the Great Wolf’s company. likewise any rune priests, or wolf priests.

The three grey hunter packs are being painted up from different wolf lord’s great companies too.. Egil Iron wolf’s, Engir Krakendoom’s and Bran Redmaw’s

Long fangs supplied by Gunnar Red moon..

Swiftclaws from the stormwolf..

Scouts obviously will come from Morkai,

And so on. Basically trying to fit the unit to the wolf lord that most epitomises them and their use/tactics..

Now I know this might sound like heresy to most of you, and the new codex seems to suggest one should “pick a great company”, But ..

I remember the old codex, where a space wolf army was made up of different companies, tied together by a purpose, and sometimes and “army badge”. So that’s what I’m doing, mostly for the paitning challenge, but also because this way I can keep adding units, and modelling wolf lords etc untill the ~~cows~~ wolves come home.

What do you think? mental or inspired?

Is it still acceptable to build a Space Wolves army like this?

Annus Terminus

2011-12-31T11:53:00.000Z

Here we are at year end.

I won’t do a personal reflection, rather a blog and hobby one, suffice to say, the got progressively harder to find time to paint, between work, Xbox games and other factors.

that said i still managed more posts this year than in the previous two. (wow, I’ve been doing this three years?) way more in fact. 93! (94 once this is up)

Whoa, if I'd managed a whole year of blogging I might have got close to 200 posts!

if, should, could. heh.

I’m happy with the number of games I’ve managed, it’s up on last year, still not as regular as I’d like, and I didn't make the second blog wars but not to worry.

I’m also happy with my painting progress, I’m getting 6/7’s on CMON when I bother to post stuff, sure it’s not the 8’s I’d like, but for one or two figs it’s been close. and I feel like I’ve learned a lot this year, especially from taking my time with the wolves.

Well we’ve broken 70,000 page views this year, which is amazing.

okay, top five posts this year for page hits…

The single most popular post this year was still the AOBR grey knight conversions, which surprises me with a new plastic kit out there.

Still, nothing to say people liked what they saw just that they got the search result and looked at the page :)

Next most popular was the Cadian snipers. another surprise for me, as they aren't a unit per se. guess a lot of other people don’t like abhumans in their IG :)

My Logan and rune Priest conversions clock in next, kitbashes really as not much bar assembly was done with them

The old Daemonhost greenstuff tutorial slides into fourth, again possibly due to the popularity of GK with the release of the new codex

And in last (for this list) place comes the quick build gaming table.

Out of the five, two of those posts are from 2009! so I guess I owe a good chunk of traffic to the GK codex. shame I can’t bring myself to play it.

Lastly a quick shout out to my traffic sources..

Considerably more than half my hits are from referring sites

Being the top five, but a host of others as well, so thanks for that guys.

So that’s my hobby year. I hope yours was as good, and maybe a little more sustained than mine :)

let’s hope the next one is at least as decent.

Happy new year.

Alas, Poor Yarrick

2011-12-30T15:27:00.001Z

A fellow of infinite jest.. well, actually he only knows one joke, and that starts with “what’s the best type of Ork..”

I treated myself to a quiet day to do some painting, no plan, no army scheme, no batches, just one guy, start to finish, busking all the way

I’m fairly happy with him. sure there are some dodgy bits, there always are when you start up again after a break. I'm a tad rusty, my hands a bit shakier that it was six months ago, but so it goes.

the photos are a bit shoddy too, I’ve done allsorts with my camera since i last photographed a mini so I've got to find all the primo settings again. heh.

Anyway, here's a few more pics, and if anyone out there still reads this old blog, let me know what you think of him.

I’m mid- weathering on a few Wolfie Rhinos so you should be able to see those in a day or two, then I’ll slap some primer on some recent conversion/builds.. then, I dunno, maybe paint some more wolves :)

That or get swamped with work and go quiet again, who can tell :)

I do promise to try however.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:50:00.001Z

Or should that be Khanmas?

I can never decide where my geek allegiances lie at Christmas..

on the hobby front, Santa brought me a finecast Yarrick for the giant pile of unpainted goods… so I might try and get him painted quickly so as to not add further to my list of unfinished things. :)

looks like a wicked model though.

Hope Yodasanta brought you everything you wanted, and that you get to spend the time with the ones you love in fellowship and overindulgence.

I… Live.. Again…

2011-12-19T13:22:00.001Z

Ancient spirits of evil, transform this Skyrim addled form into..

…well, you get the idea.

This game will EAT YOUR LIFE. it should have a health warning.

at least however I’m not the only one

Okay, granted i did say when i posted last… ohmygod.. six months ago, that I was playing Deus ex, and you shouldn't worry..

Well Deus ex turned into Skyrim, and with the usual difficulties of starting a new term, added to a whole new raft of work related pressures and difficulties, well it’s taken a while.

Not that I’ve been totally idle. I built a few space wolves, got a couple of games in, and I think I’ve cracked how I should be playing wolves. although Ive essentially got two space wolf armies now.. and then some.

I’ve a game coming up, if the snow doesn't prevent it, and I've got some paint on some Rhino’s – pics when they are finished so all in all I'm starting back into the hobby.. just in time for Christmas..

and assassin's creed… uncharted 3.. ahhh dammit.

Look, hopefully there will be a triumphant “finished rhino’s” post in the next few days, if not, have a Merry christmas and a happy new year all, and try to get some hobby in :)

I am indisposed

2011-08-31T09:03:00.000+01:00

It's that time of year.

The beggining of the academic year always takes a large chunk of my time and energy away and its not untill things calm down that i get my hobby time back in any major way.

However, theres a further complication this year.

Deus ex: Human Revolution has me. I've clocked it once, on hard, but to make my life more awkward I've decided to chase the pacifist and "no alarms" acheivements.

So all my free time is being taken up by my xbox. it's a bout time, there hasnt really been a game since fallout new vegas to get me this interested.

rest assured normal service will be resumed once things quiet down. at the moment however i'm preparing to tech game design for another year, and playing the heck out of DX:HR.

New Banner?

2011-08-18T15:04:00.000+01:00

I’m considering changing the banner above.. it doesn't reflect my main in development armies anymore, and on what is becoming a very busy blog, I feel I need something a little more simple,

I knocked this up earlier, and wanted to garner any thoughts from you. which you prefer, pointers for development, imagery, typography colour/b&w etc etc..

It’s a characterful leader(ish) type from each of my 40k armies… and should tone in with the BG colour of the site.

I’d like to hear your thoughts..

Wolf Guard 3, completed paint

2011-08-17T14:05:00.001+01:00

These are taking me a while to paint. each one is more involved than my average guard squad, and taking me about as long to paint. though I do feel now that I have the method down, if not the technique.

For your perusal then, a standard-equipped WGT.

Can you believe I missed a purity seal? I didn't even register it was there until I took these shots, damn. (and yes I can the the tiny mould line on the back of his hand too dammit.) I should just stop taking photos, it always shows me my mistakes!

The scheme is the same as posted elsewhere, with a little more contrast on the power weapon and a little more time spent on the face. as I “get” each part of the paint such as the NMM gold, I’m pushing myself to work more on another area.

The gunmetal NMM is still probably the most problematic thing for me now, and I think that’s largely due to the wildly differing concentration and quality of pigment across the white/black ranges I have (GW and Vallejo) (if anyone knows a UK distributor for Reaper paints I’d quite like to give them a go!)

On the topic of refining technique, I’m giving serious consideration to adding more weathering to the process.. some muzzle burn on the bolters, and some rust streaking down the armour….. possibly, let me know what you think.

Oh and I’ll leave you with a group show so far..

Any bets on when I’ll be finished? :)

Brushes.. What’s the Diff?

2011-08-11T10:56:00.001+01:00

My recent post about brush sizes made me think and so I ordered a few brushes….

I’ve been using Windsor and Newton series 7 brushes for about ten years. sure I use cheapo synthetic brushes for suicide missions and as dry brushes and stipplers etc, but any “proper” painting has been with the W&N.

You’ll see also from an earlier post that I’ve been using size 0 as my “goto” size, with smaller for more detail. and if you read that post you'll see I went up to a size 1.

This change, and subsequent improvement in my painting, even if it’s only “feel” has led me to re-examine my other “known truths”

You see it was a “known truth” to me that size 0 was the best for basing and general use.

I decided to question my choice of manufacturer and subsequently ordered a 1 and 00 from both DaVinci and Raphael.

the first thing you’ll notice is the size diff.. now there isn't an industry standard for the brush sizing among different manufacturers. you can see this here. (scale is CM)

(top to bottom, Cheap synthetic, Da Vinci, Raphael, W&N series 7)

You can see there's not a lot in it.

The Raphael range is noticeably much larger for the “same” sizing. the davinci is the smallest of the four, and the girth as well as bristle length varies. you can see that all three sable brushes have decent tips, but the synthetic is hooking.

The 00 again show large variance, with the raphael noticably larger.

(top to bottom, Davinci, W&N, Raphael)

in fact when we put the Raphael 00 next to a da Vinci 1…

And when you start using these brushes you notice further differences.

The larger Raphael has a very soft tip, with good spring. it’s long hairs and good flexibility reward a firm controlled use of quite wet paint. my only criticism is that the tip on the 00 isn't as crisp as the others. my conclusion – excellent base and wash brushes, good for all painting if you use the juices technique and use with dilute paint for best performance.

W&N I've used for a long time, and can be considered my baseline. it’s hard to fault these brushes. if you overload them of course they will splay at the tip, and they need to be looked after, but they have good firm spring and hold fluid very well. the substantial feel of the heavily lacquered handle is something the other brushes don't match as well, and as a result it feels the best constructed of the three.

da vinci brushes seem very comparable to the W&N in both size and feel. as above they feel a little lighter and less substantial through the handle but the bristles are good quality, hold paint well and hold their tips well.

baseline cheap synthetic. utterly horrid. hooking at the tip after 1 use, splaying with minimal water on the bristles. ugh.

Basically, any of the three ranges will reward you, they are all good quality brushes with noticeable differences in size, and between the W&N/Davinci little difference in feel, whereas the Raphael does give you something different. which you choose, would I think be down to personal preference.

I think I’ll be using the Raphael's when I work wet more often, and the more solid brushes for thicker pigments and smaller details.

Video - How to paint Space Wolf Armour with Rust Chipping

2011-08-07T14:44:00.000+01:00

As promised, a vid on how I go about this.

It’s a bit long, but that’s Youtube’s fault for lifting the restriction on time :) ordinarily this would have been a part 1 and 2 affair.

I’d give props to the people whose recipes I read through and experimented with before arriving as this way, but they are too numerous to mention, so I’ll stick to the most influential, two painters I admire greatly both contributed either recipe or technique Ideas to this method, the Brush Bros and iguazzu art studio, two truly astonishing artists, who I cant even hold a candle to.

Anyway, here’s the vid.

I’d really appreciate any feedback both on what’s in the vid and on the vid itself, I’ve not made too many of these, and I do worry about quality, clarity, length etc, and even if these have the same value as the still pic tutorials I do.

(for some reason YouTube has altered the aspect ratio, I’ll have to look into that, but it seems to be still watchable..)

Anyway thanks for reading, and watching (even if you only scan through)

Is yours too small?

2011-08-05T15:38:00.000+01:00

Brushes of course.

This is my current set of “go-to” brushes. now for the last couple of years I’ve used a 0 for almost everything, reaching for the smaller sizes when I needed to dot an eye or paint a pattern etc.

Then I bought the 1. (or rather it was bought for me) I find the quantity of paint it holds and (as its new) the sharpness of the tip combine to make be better able to get smoother blends.

I can paint detail as well as ever as the brush and tip quality are still very good, but I can keep that “sweet spot” of brush loading going for longer, and get less “dry out” and less “flooding”.

It’s a revelation to me, thinking that a larger brush (just a bit mind) can give you more paint control, and that detail isn't entirely reliant on tip size. The recent wolves and tiny cyber spiders were painted almost exclusively with this brush.

So I ask you..

Is yours too small?

Malifaux – Post first game musings

2011-08-03T15:31:00.000+01:00

Okay, So I played a game.

It’s very interesting.

I love the mechanic, the small stage, the various game objectives. I love that even though I don't know what everything does when it’s that models turn i can grab a card and see my options.

I’m not playing Ramos right, as the game progressed I could see so many things I can do, and synergies between models, but by then it was too late. Nicodem beat my ass.

As a pair of summoning casters I found the styles required very different. we both approached this first game keeping our masters to the rear, and while this works quite well for nicodem it’s too far for Ramos. he needs to be closer to the action. but he’s slow.

So I think I’ll be need a brass arachnid and stoke, just so Ramos can keep up with his crew.

The crew is also seriously lacking some ranged goodness, So I’ll be looking into that.

I’m eager to get another go in and see if I can put into practice some of what I learned.

Oh and Nicodem is a summoning monster!

(pics next time, I promise)

First Finecast Experience – Najal Stormcaller

2011-08-01T15:26:00.001+01:00

Or Nigel as I like to think of him.

Either the Quality control has improved, or I got lucky, as I didn't really see any major flaws with Nigel.

He was purchased by a friend as a gift (I got older recently) online and so was “selected” by GW staff, not someone in a store.

at first glance the sprue seems a bit flashy, but most of this is structural, or paper thin, and it cuts very easily

Once separated from the sprue you can see the “real” flash mostly from vents, as we used to have with pewter but with the added bonus that they stick out, so you can see them, rather than those old sneaky spidery threads folded in under a hand or whatever.

The material itself is very flexible, and the one downside I can foresee is that it’s very elastic.

Springing back and holding its form very well. That means you will most likely need heat to deform the material. so no more quick bendy limb pose adjustments as with pewter.

I assembled him without any pins, so we’ll see how he holds up. the material takes superglue very well though, so I am hopeful.

I don't miss the heft as much as I thought I would, but maybe that’s because I went for a very heavy base for these wolves.

Anyway he’s an awesome sculpt, with good detail on the new material, I didn't have any issues with the resin or flaws, so I find I have to say, thumbs up.

I know many peoples finecast experience has been significantly sour, so take care before you plunge in, but this is one model I look forward to painting.

LFG!

2011-07-29T16:56:00.000+01:00

Yep, that’s right. I’ve decided to make earnest attempts to find a local gaming club where I can get more games in than my usual handful a year.

I don;t expect to be a regular, but maybe during the summer at least I can give a club or two a test and see where I go from there once work starts back up.

So I’m looking for a good club, with active 40k and/or Malifaux in the UK, near Cannock to be precise.

I’m mobile and willing to drive a wee while, so Tamworth, Sutton Coldfield Walsall Birmingham, etc are all within reach.

So if anyone knows, or is a member of a club i can reach in a reasonable timeframe, drop a comment or an email and I’ll get in touch with you.

Cheers everyone!

Aux Dear…

2011-07-28T16:53:00.000+01:00

Those of you already bitten by this bug (puns intended) Will recognise the Steampunk Arachnid Sward from Malifaux.

This game system is what’s got my attention this summer, not at the expense of my wolves, but alongside.

The low model count skirmish game has a “buy-in” less than most 40k units, an intriguing card-based play system and some amazingly sculpted models. if you like figs, it’s worth a look even if you’ve no intention of playing. I was considering painting a few of these guys as display pieces a couple of years ago when they came out, but now they have a successful and interesting game system, I couldn't hold out any longer.

I intend to paint these guys fairly well, as they have a low count for a crew, I want to do my best with them, the models are very well detailed but some small parts and tiny features makes them hard to assemble and I wouldn't recommend it for the very young, or if you’re a bit shy of putting in a pin here and there.

This piece represents a Steampunk arachnid swarm, which in play can be split into individual spiders, and re-formed, so these guys are all magnetised.

I’m fairly happy with the paint, my base sculpting could be better, but these are without static grass and weathering until they are dullcoted.

I’ve 1 more set of these guys, a master and a huge arachnid thingy to get through (The Ramos box if that means anything to you all), oh and a board underway, though that needs a lot more work yet.

So there you have it, that’s the summer distraction, a game system with awesome minis, an interesting skirmish card based mechanic, and adding a new “unit” will cost 5-6 quid after a twenty quid buy in for figs. Rulebook a tenner. That’s it. you can buy a special deck of cards or play with a normal deck. the deck is four quid.

Really.

GW need to shake up their specialist games if they want to compete with this.

Amazing Gravestones!

2011-07-27T16:20:00.000+01:00

So as part of my summer project I needed some gravestones, and was happily chipping away at some plaster when the internet turned up a marvel!.

This company makes a number of plastic kits for fences, buildings etc, but the one that caught my eye, and to my mind no undead player, mordhiem modeller etc etc should be without is the gravestone set.

It’s very reasonably priced and comes with two sprues, the ravens alone made it worth it for me (choosers of the slain anyone?) but the 20+ headstones on each sprue make it a total must buy in my mind. the size is perfect for 28-32mm gaming models and tables.

Detail is good, and there are even assembly options. for fillers in ranks of undead you can’t beat this.

Okay so, I need to explain, I’m not being sponsored, bribed or paid off, this is just such a good product, and a good level of customer service that you guys need to know about them imo.

Grab some, you won’t regret it.

I cant speak for their other kits yet, but I intend to find out.

The Summer Project

2011-07-25T15:37:00.001+01:00

Being and educator gives me good long summer holidays. I personally feel usually that I really need it, teaching is a challenging, performic profession and i enjoy and need my annual leave.

I’m also acutely aware that were I to just crack on with my usual hobby focus, I’d burn out. because I rarely go away I invest time in the house, garden and hobby, and were I to keep going with, say the space wolves, full pelt (pun intended) I'd be sick of them in a week.

So what I try to do is keep that investment of time the same, and work up a summer project. regular readers will remember various things, new armies started, Mordhiem re-positioned at the fore, etc.

Well this year is no different, but I don't want to post about it yet. I’d like to get a few things finished, get a game in then do a “reveal” if you like.

So rest assured, I’m chiselling away behind the scenes on something. it’s something that’s seen me use a few new suppliers and I’m mightily impressed, so the next few posts might be a shout out to a few suppliers you might not be aware of who are making some interesting products.

These aren't “adverts” and I'm not being paid, bribed or otherwise coerced, I just wish I’d known about a couple of these guys earlier :)

NB: a quick search for a relevant image gave me another blogger and educator making the same point! - http://gonetoground2.blogspot.com/2011/07/staving-off-hobby-burnout.html

NMM Gold – Wot I Do

2011-07-20T14:05:00.000+01:00

It’s come up a couple of times since I started the wolves; how I go about the gold, and it’s not really that difficult at all if you've a basic grasp of layering and of thinning your paint, so I thought I’d run though the recipe and technique here.

A wet palette is very useful, it allows you to set out your colours and then work through the stages without fear of drying. a simple one like this, made in an old plastic box with some greaseproof paper as top layer and two folded sheets of bounty beneath (soaked through) will keep paint liquid for days, even a week, and a few drops of water brings it right back for another week.

The NMM Gold Recipe I’m using at the moment uses six paints, but can be accomplished with less, (Scortched brown, Parasite brown and White), with more manual mixing of steps would work fine.

On the pallete we have from left back to right front:

1) VMC German Camo Black Brown (Scorched brown i think is the GW) / GW Bestial Brown in 1/1

2) VMC German Camo Black Brown (Scorched brown i think is the GW) / GW Bestial Brown in 1/2

3) GW Bestial Brown

4) GW Bestial Brown / VGC Scrofulous brown (GW parasite brown i think) 1/1

5) VGC Scrofulous brown

6) VGC Scrofulous brown / GW Iyanden darksun 1/1

7) GW Iyanden darksun

8) GW Iyanden darksun / VMC Ice Yellow (no idea :) ) 1/1

9) VMC Ice Yellow

10) VMC Ice Yellow / VGC Dead White (it’s just white) 1/1

11) VGC Dead White

I work over a base of pure VMC German camo black brown and paint each layer several times, with thinned paint to achieve a blend over the previous colour.

The thinness of the paint is crucial here, and its something that cant really be told as a hard and fast rule, the reason being that different paints have different properties, especially when it comes to yellows. Anything from 1:1 to 1:4 or higher to achieve the watery (but not too watery) consistency we are aiming for.

I remember starting this type of painting and seeing “Skimmed Milk” all over the internet, it really didn't help me understand, as I’m sure it doesn't many of you, but it’s probably the best descriptor. Runny without being watery, still holding some surface tension and viscosity, leaving fluid colour in it’s brush stroke but without flooding.. there's so many ways to try and describe it, the only true way it to experiment, you’ll know it when you've got it.

Then it’s just a case of taking each, separate surface within the gold material and highlighting it from the darkest to lightest colour.

Something with sculpted contours is probably the easiest to start with, large flat expanses of material will be the most difficult.

Just keep applying the paint, from dark to light in several thing coats per colour, decreasing the area as you go, towards the raised surfaces.

When you hit the last colour, the pure white go back through and pick out some edges, even in the darker reaches and that’s when you'll get the pop. the last highlight, the specular highlight is the one that really brings it all together, and there will be stages in between when it looks like garbage and you want to totally give up, don't, push through, be methodical.

And most importantly, enjoy the process.

I hope this post was useful somehow, thanks for reading :)

The Bolter Colour Heresy

2011-07-18T08:54:00.000+01:00

Eep.

I didn't expect that.

Seems lots of people while they like my wolf guard definitely think that the storm bolter should be a different colour.

So many in fact that it gets it’s own post.

Now, I did make the decision for a reason, and I’m going to try to explain, not to convince you all that I’m right, but so that we can have reasoned debate on the subject and so that you all have the information that I’m working from.

In my mind there are three possible colours that a Wolf Guard bolter could be, Yellow, Red or Black.

Yellow

I decided against using yellow because I was worried that with me using nmm gold it might be “read” as more gold, but badly done.. also the colour doesn't appear anywhere else on the model. now I could remedy that as wolf guard pack markings are yellow and black, so I could get some in, but that NMM/Yellow clash fear is still there

Red

This colour really isn't anywhere on the model, and it would be adding another, model that doesn't really “fit” in the scheme, you see gold and blue are complimentary, they work well together, red really doesn't fit in that picture in my mind.

Black

And black. which would make sense, he has a black shoulder pad, it wouldn't clash colour wise.. but.

I’m using NMM for the metals, including the silver. so I’d have to not highlight or blend the black at all, or run the risk again that it would look like more metal.. so its have to just have an edge highlight, and I was worried that basic pant might throw off what I was trying to achieve with the model.

I tried it on my grey hunters, and I'm not sure how successful it is..

On this guy it works because of the gold border, not sure how well it works without it..

So there are some mock ups and a catalogue of my worries about the different possibilities.

In the face of them I went with armour-colour, as a last question on top of those other points..

Do you think it needs to be another colour because you think it would look better, or simply because they usually are?

Wolf Guard Terminator 2 - New Paint!

2011-07-15T22:07:00.001+01:00

I’ve deliberately made this fellow brighter overall than the last, so that I can push the contrast more.

I made the decision also to photograph him on a darker background as one of you kindly pointed out via email the browns were quite pinkish on the last pics. I can attest it was purely the preponderance of blue combined with the auto- white balance on the camera throwing it out.

I’m fairly happy with this fellow, sure there’s some things to do better next time, but there’s also, I feel, improvement over the last one.

This is most likely how I’ll paint the rest of them, with maybe some small refinements, such as; I plan to sponge on the masking fluid for the damage, I’ll work more carefully on the face and hair, I might try to push some of the other areas of contrast to pure white as well as gold. I’m close with the rest, but I hold back a little so that the gold looks “shiny”

Anyway, I’d be glad, as always to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for reading!

The First Wolf Guard Finished

2011-07-09T20:09:00.001+01:00

If you remember this is the first te4st guy, and no the final scheme, but I thought I’d finish him off.

The latest WiP is a bit brighter than this overall, and the battle damage is achieved a different way, but hopefully this fellow won;t look too out of place in the finished lineup.

If I get the gold on the new guy finished he’ll be up in the next few days for you to compare.

Thanks for stopping by!

After asking you all about drop pods…

2011-07-05T22:28:00.000+01:00

Would it be very wrong of me to sack it off and go Foot?

Logan

Rune priest (living lightening and tempest’s)

3x WGT squads

5WGT; 1 TH/SS, 1 PW/SB, 1 SB/CF, 1 SB/WC, 1 SB/WC/CML

1xWGT squad (Logan goes here)

5WGT; 1 TH/SS, 1 PW/SB, 1 SB/CF, 1 SB/WC, 1 AC/PF

1x PC/ML Dread

1x MM/DCCW Dread

2x MM Land Speeders

bang on 1750

not competitive, but then neither am I, and with a bit of practice it might give a few people a surprise.

dropping the drop pods and fettling a bit gets me the extra squad.

at 2k the dreads get pimped more and I add 2x dakka preds.

I need to get some games in with it, to really know where it needs tweaking to fit me, but it should be a solid base to build from.

Second Wolf Guard Terminator In Progress

2011-07-03T19:55:00.001+01:00

While I’m happy with the colour combinations on the original guy, I am a little dissatisfied with the overall “pop” of the guy, So for this second one I decided on a few changes to the “recipe”.

I lifted the whole tone of the model to have a much brighter endpoint, I’ve pushed for more contrast overall, and after seeing the brush brothers WGT step-by step I decided to use their weathering technique rather than the one previously shown.

It’s a technique I;ve used often before, but never for a single mini, always on vehicles.

Here he is with the flat paintjob, (really must be less lazy and get tripod out more often, damn shaky hands)

and here after the masking fluid is removed to reveal the rust effect beneath

finally, with the chips highlighted.

I think some of the blobs are a bit big, – a hangover from my usual use of this technique on vehicles, and something I’ll fix for next time, and obviously nothing else is painted yet, but I think already he has more pop than his predecessor.

Once both are painted, I’ll pop “finished” posts up, and maybe a side-by side too.

Thanks for reading!

Miniature Wargaming Conversions

2011-07-03T10:00:00.001+01:00

If you Don’t know this site, you should.

You might notice two new banners/linkboxes to the side there, well they’re both to this site, for one, because their content is awesome, and always a good read, for two, because they regularly run competitions and giveaways like this conversion contest I urge you all to enter.

And lastly, and possibly most importantly because they are involved with a lot of charity work.

Go on, click these links and have a read. They explain far better than I could. All in all I’ve watched this blog grow exponentially, from a few small giveaways, to massive followship (is that a word?) and prize support (a titan for the love of Steve!) to now hosting regular competitions and charity events.

IT makes you feel humble, and a little selfish, which All good charity projects should do. plus it’s just a cool blog, with good tutes etc.

I’m sure you’re all already followers, but if not, check em out.

A Small Change

2011-06-29T22:25:00.001+01:00

Having hit 300+ followers, I figure it’s time I share the love properly, finally pulled my head out of my ass and put a proper blogroll up.

The 400+ blogs I follow appear in the list, but only the top 25 recently posted will be visible.

I’m thinking of a bit of a redesign so take this as the first tiny step in that direction.

I wont be changing what I do at all, but I wouldn't have 300 followers with the blogrolls of others, so I slapped one up.

If you aren't in there, and think you’d like to be, let me know in a comment :)

The Second Drop Pod Conundrum

2011-06-28T17:30:00.000+01:00

Dreadnought drop pods.

What do you do?

It seems there are three choices, none of them ideal.

Forge world

Awesome model, but.. over fifty quid a pop. for what is essentially terrain. hm.

Games Workshop

Lots of folk use a normal DP and don't put the harnesses in. but similarly, some folk have issues with that, cos “it’s not the right one”.

Scratch build

Okay, so the effort would be an issue here, but also, it’s highly unlikely that you;d be able to make opening doors, and no matter your skills, it’s still going to feel, if not look like a blue peter job.

I honestly think this is the only model in the whole of the GW codex/range that has this issue. and it’s simply because there is a model that’s almost right.

Tyranid? no issue, there isn't a model, do your best.

I suppose the best analogue is the Hydra, there isn't a GW model, but there is a FW one, so some use FW and some build their own conversions of chimera. either is valid, no-one complains.

But somehow the dread drop pod causes more issues than that.

So, Where do you stand, scratch, FW or GW without it’s guts?

(images borrowed from the net, if it’s yours, and you’d like me to take it down, please drop me a line. no infringement or claim is intended.)

Logan Grimnar, Rune Priest and Wolf Guard Terminators Built!

2011-06-27T18:09:00.001+01:00

So I’ve assembled the wolfwing troops for now. I’m not sure 15 is enough at 1750, but with thier support we’ll see how they do and adjust accordingly.

It’s really no hardship to build these :)

The Man Hisself, Logan:

And the squad he will lead:

The Rune Priest:

and his Squad:

This fellow:

at 1750 is just a termie with TH/SS and a Squad leader, but at higher points he can stand in for Arjac

His Squad is rounded out by the guy you’ve seen getting test paint.

Not a lot of dudes.

The plan is for drop pods all round, the two Dreads youve already seen, two MM/MM speeder and two AC/HB Preds.

Like I say likely not at all optimal, but should be fun and I’ll let you know once I get a playtest or two in :)

For now…

PAINT!

Shall we fight in the shade?

2011-06-25T17:16:00.001+01:00

300?

Cool.

Scary.

Cool.

Look, just, thank you. anyone who reads without being a follower, anyone of the 300 who follows, Thanks.

Ron at FTW has been posting recently about why we do this, what our blogs are for. and this seems like a good place for me to answer.

I’ll be honest, on my recent return to the hobby, I had no players around me at first, no local scene I was part of, and so to get opinion I went to a few forums.

That was okay, I got some useful feedback, but after a while I began to notice that these forums were essentially cliques that were only interested in certain things, and I lost interest.

It’s about that time that a couple of refugees in the process of moving from forum to blog were posting to each other, I joined in, and followed them here. one no longer posts, but the others were Big Jim and Admiral Drax. If you look right back at my first post, you’ll see Drax was my first commenter.

The supportive nature of the blogosphere, and more than that the explosion of sharing of creativity and passion out here was enough to get me hooked.

So I show people what I’ve been doing, and they tell me if they like it, luckily they often do. I also show people how I’ve done stuff, I suppose that’s the teacher in me; and I ask the community that reads questions to help me decide things.

More recently I’ve been going to play games, both at the highly entertaining Blog Wars but also with fellow bloggers at their kind invitation.

It’s been very good for my hobby life, and for that I thank you. If something I’ve done has been useful, or entertained for a short time, I’m honestly honoured to have been able to provide you with something.

What’s next?

Well a whole heap of more of the same really, I am looking into finding a local club in order to try and get more games in, so that might see more batreps appear. I’m also considering entering a few more IRL and web based painting comps, as I feel I wont start to get better really unless I’m putting my guys down next to other people models.

other than that, you tell me, Is there anything I don't do enough of you’d like to read more of? anything I do too much of that you could live without? I’m a teacher, feedback is always welcome :)

oh, did I say thanks?

The Drop Pod Conundrum

2011-06-22T13:20:00.000+01:00

To Glue, or not to Glue, that is the question.

Whether tis nobler on the table to weather the ..

Images stolen from GW as mine aren't painted yet, used without permission

Yeah, I’m done with that. but the question remains.

I’m going to go through the arguments here, because I really can see both sides.

Glue em shut!

Because most other vehicles have glued shut doors.

Because nid drop pod (spore whatsists) conversions have glued shut doors

Because the fluff says the blow off, not open so whats the point.

Because we measure from the hull anyway.

Because painting inside vehicles is hard.

Leave em openable!

Because they are meant to open on landing, dummy.

Because it prevents LOS arguments

Because the gun is inside!

You see I’m not debating how the model works, what its rules are etc.

I fully accept that you can draw LOS through a drop pod after landing and it confers a cover save. I accept that however its modelled you can fire the bolter/missiles after landing. This is because in the rule the doors come off when it lands. I’m not suggesting as some RAW adherents will that i can deploy 2” from the tip of a door because its open topped, I fully accept it’s the hull I deploy from.

Ultimately I think I’m planning on gluing them shut, because I’m working on this whole army being NMM and having 5 drop pods.

25 NMM drop pod tread plate door insides would probably drive me mad.

So, If I turn up with glued Drop Pods, but fully accepts that they aren't LOS blocking and assert I can fire out too, would you find that a problem?

Or should I just shut up and paint the damn things inside and out?

Space Wolf Dreadnought Conversions

2011-06-20T17:20:00.000+01:00

Continuing the theme of sorting out my space wolf army, and essentially “giving up” as my mate puts or, or “shelving” some of my other guys, I thought I;d show you what I’ve done to these guys.

Yeah, my Grey knight and AoBR Ultra dreads.

I stripped off any conversion bitz and detached the arms, piling everything in some of plastic tub.

Then I introduced them to an hour of fairy power spray.

The GK dread came out stripped to its primer, but the UM one needed more persuading, so back in it went.

My bitzbox and Greenstuff and a blast of new primer later, and here we have two new Space Wolf dreads.

The las/missile guy, he looks like he was a long fang in life, so i gave him iconography according, and then I carried on to give my close range dread some blood claw iconography.

I’m also thinking of painting the right arm of each black, and giving them Logan’s icon there, as though these Dreads are still wolf guard.

Weep not for them, for they have found new life in service :)

Two Year Anniversary Prize (almost) Finished!

2011-06-19T12:55:00.000+01:00

When Commissar Dave and I exchanged emails about his victory in the prize drawing, he had some awesome ideas about how he’d like a marine painted.

Not being a marine player, he wanted it to be for display rather than play, and his first thoughts were just for something weathered and well worn, but no real paint scheme was in his mind.

Ultimately, his praetorian army led to thoughts of a desert camo scheme.

I suggested one of the original Badab schemes and then we were on a winner.

A different chapter badge appealed, but that was the paint scheme.

I suggested using a different mini than the one originally offered as the prize for a couple of reasons, firstly the AOBR captain is all cloak and that wouldn't have worked as well with the camo, secondly I had an old 2nd ed bolter in a bitzbox just begging to be used on this model.

so, a dremmel a metal death company marine, a marauder head, an old bolter and a spare jump pack later…

There’s no chapter badge yet, as I intend to print a decal (yeah I know, wussing out on the freehand) and I may still push a couple of highlights brighter, but for all intents and purposes he’s done.

I enjoyed working of this guy, and am quite happy with the results, in choices and style if not always in technical execution :)

I hope Dave finds him worth popping on a shelf. (or ebay, I dont mind :) )

Thanks for reading!

Time to focus on a new project: Space Wolves

2011-06-18T17:05:00.001+01:00

So for a while now I’ve been putting all my energy into my guard, and if you look back through the blog you might see the odd Space Wolf and the odd Ork.

Well I finally have my guard “Finished”.

This set up here, with the addition of the guys here

now all painted (yeah, I know I need to tak eanother army shot)

Anyway. Now I now that, okay, nothing is ever finished, there are things I want to add, but I have an apoc-playable points value of Guard painted to a decent standard and ready to go whenever. So that tells me it’s time to get some of my other guys up to snuff and out of primer.

I have been reflecting on the armies I own and what I want to develop. I currently have a totally painted guard force, a DH codex mostly painted =][= force, a small contingent of Ultras, Orks, some painted, some not, and Space Wolves, mostly unpainted.

I love the guard, and being vets they play in the middle of the 40k spectrum, not horde, not elite, able to gunline or assault, they really are the swiss army knife, able to do everything but not excelling at any really. they stay and are my current “go-to” army.

The DH. I’ll be honest I don't like the new codex. it’s too cheesy by far, and I wouldn't feel right playing it. so they stay shelved for now.

The smurfs, well I’ve no real interest in developing them, they aren't well painted or really a cohesive force, so they wont be saleable, so they stay boxed and get the occasional use as a “foe” or guest army.

The Orks, my horde, I love them they let me paint green and yellow and are fun to model, they stay.

And the wolves. well here's the tricky one, I wasn't totally happy with the test models, or the pseudo netlist I was working with. but out of all the above, a plan begins to form.

I’m aiming then for three working armies, the Guard, which is done, the Orks who will be a horde and the Wolves, who to fill the playstyle slot, need to be built as an elite force.

Yeah, I’m building a loganwing.

I know that they suck, I know DA and Belial do it better, I know. But I want to do it, I’m excited about it, and so I’m doing it.

Expect to see a lot of termies hereabouts. and a lot of losses :)

Wolf Guard terminator: Painting in Progress

2011-06-13T22:50:00.001+01:00

I’m getting more used to posting works in progress, though I still don’t enjoy the mess :)

I felt I had to pop this up though, as in response to a post over at the Brush Brothers where you can see someone achieving what I’m trying :)

The brush brothers post has shown me I need to push my contrast harder. I’m getting some smooth blending, but its too subtle in the colour range.

Now, this isn't finished, I had planned to take the gold to white, the silver isn't even started yet and the furs need more. I did think I’d done with the armour, and I am for this model, as I’ve done battle damage and some feeble freehand already, but the next one will get more contrast.

So what am I trying to achieve?

I’ve a post coming about my armies and my next project, but basically I’m going to build a Loganwing. (I know, let the next post deal with the wailing and gnashing of teeth, I know it sucks, but let’s talk about the model for now, the army later :)) Mainly because I’ve always fancied and all termie army and the wolves just have the coolest fit for this.

I decided to try and do a good job on the paint for each model. I know this doesn't look like it yet, but I’m going to be learning a lot here and setting myself new challenges. I’m not using any washes. I’ve become too reliant on GW’s “make everything look better juice” so washes are out. metallics are out, and NMM is in, smooth blends are in, paint chips are in and crappy freehand is in, cos gods know I need to practice that.

I still haven't got the bottle to freehand the wolf that walks between stars though, I’m going touched up transfer there.

Anyway, I hadn't posted in a week, so I thought I’d let you know what I was up to.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned, cos he might look better when he’s finished!

Blog Wars - After Action Review

2011-06-06T18:46:00.001+01:00

(*Photos shamelessly stolen from various blogs without permission because me camera on my phone is terrible and these are better)

What can I say? The event was very well run, Alex did a fangtastic job of keeping things going even while playing himself. The venue is amazing and I have no excuse for not knowing that, it’s just over an hour away from me. the company was top notch, everyone seemed to be there in the right spirit and I personally saw no asshattery, and nothing too cheesy in the lists, although I do struggle with the new Grey Knight Codex in general, rather than any player I saw’s specific use of it. I think that’s where a really fun codex to play casually and with friends crosses over into a tournament context and starts throwing up issues. but I digress, and it’s a general issue, not one with any player I met, as I will expand on further down.

The three games I played on Sunday represent about 20% of my games in 5th. It’s made me realise I do enjoy playing almost as much as modelling and painting, and that I need to get out there and do it yet more. I may even have to look for a club in the local area.

Game one

My First opponent was a tau player, and initially i thought “okay, I’m used to Tau, I’ll be okay” as my friend runs them.

Not so.

This was plasma torrent tau (11 plasma/missile suits and 4 broadsides), run by Craig and effectively. the board had no LOS blocking cover, and he had the only high ground. Not ideal for Mech guard.

Most of my stuff either exploded in midfield or whiffed at his suits saves and shield drones and only ended in a draw because the game ended before he had time to shoot my ass off my objective.

Draw

Game two

Looking at the drawing before lunch revealed I’d drawn Guard, and Tim. This pleased both of us, seeing the only (i think) Valkyrie/Vendetta users at the tourney to face each other felt like karma. (although Andy had his lovely conversions now I think about it)

His army was a stunning looking IA Elysian list, and the dice gods were really not with him during our game. For me it was the almost exact role reversal from my first game. this time I was the guy who has brought more armour, and more gun and the results reflected it. I managed to pop a lot of his AV 12 flyers and that really hurts a list that relies on mobility, I know.

Tim was a great bloke and a gracious player and I did feel very bad as the dice continued to see his vehicles roll 5 and 6’s on pens while i managed to whiff 1’s and 2’s.

Exactly what he didn't need in an annihilation match.

Win

Game three

Grey knights.

Should I stop there?

Actually it was Steve and his list wasn't cheesy, outside the inherent cheesiness of the codex. It was actually quite fun, and with another game and no stupid mistakes I might have made his life much harder.

The stupid mistakes? a) forgetting to roll reserves on turn 4, when the sentinels did come on turn 5 they came on just where they needed to, and another turn of running would have seen them contest. 2) going off mission and chasing up the left of the board for a kill when those troops could have defended an objective and given me a capture. iii) not reserving my Elysian's for late game contestation and using them to whittle away troops when that wasn't really the way I was going to hold of the GK’s.

That’s not to say Steve only won because i made mistakes, or i was tired. It’s simply that IMO the points system refines you to players at your level as the day goes on, so we were quite well matched, and I couldn't afford to make any mistakes at all in such a tightly fought match. and I did.

Either way I doubt I would have pulled off a win, have won, I just feel I should have been able to hold that to a draw.

Lose

I don’t feel bad about my or my armies performance, I’m not an experienced player by a long shot, and at a tourney of 26 to come in 14th is something I’m comfortable with.

I especially don't feel bad because between Tim (see above) and Myself, we split the best painted prize! Tim was very gracious indeed and took only a small nibble from the prize pot allowing me to pick up a box of WGT for a fiver!.

All in all an excellent event, and I will SO do this again.

If I had a single regret it’s that I didn't get to speak to more people, put more names to faces and tell more of the people there how much I enjoy reading their blogs.

With a day to spare!

2011-06-03T21:03:00.001+01:00

It seems my blog wars paint is in hand.

I’ve still got tweaks to do, like the muzzles havent been dirtied down yet, and the russ’ oil paints are drying as we speak, but I’m all good for units painted for blog wars, and I’ve got tomorrow in hand.

The light isn't great, still on my new setup, I'll have to fix that. here’s the Cadians I needed to by Wysiwyg, two meltas a sergeant without special weapons and a new Harker, to mark the occasion. still distance to travel with that notion though.

The second elysian squad, armed with grenade launchers.

The second stormtrooper squad, with 2x melta, apparently led by Jason Statham. they should be okay then.

I’m impressed that with some pewter butchery I managed to get two full 2x melta squads out a single kasrkin box set with a flamer, grenade and hellguns. with the rise of finecast, gone are such challenges. :(

anyway if you’re on your way to blog wars, I’ll see you there!

You can never have too much metal.

2011-05-29T23:19:00.000+01:00

Trying to get caught up with my Blog Wars painting, this week has seen my finish a Russ, two Hydras and a Bane Wolf. I also finally got round to using two of the metal crewmen I’ve had for a while.

The Russ, nothing special, in it’s normal configuration here, but this is the one you saw me magnetise fully the other day.

Told you those magnets on the side wouldn't look too weird :)

Bane Wolf. again this is magnetised, but photographed in its Blog Wars configuration. I tried to branch out a little with my markings here, while still making everything thing feel like it belongs to the same force.

And the Hydra. pig of a model to build, but decent looking once finished.

Again I mixed up the markings, and am quite pleased with them, and again used a metal crewman in emulation of the build on the FE website.

These vehicles have had my usual paint and weathering treatment which can be found by clicking the links.

This leaves me just with twenty single minis to paint and another russ.

I can do that. *ulp*

Thanks for reading :)

Gunnery Sgt Harker – Conversion 2.0

2011-05-23T21:31:00.000+01:00

If you remember last year, I made Cadian versions of a few of the character models from the Guard Codex.

This was my Harker -

Well With Blog wars looming and my plan being to take Harker as my Unique, I thought I’d revisit the concept and see if I couldn't manage something a bit more dynamic and interesting than just “guardsman with a Hvy Bolter”

Here's 2.0

Some of the pics are a tad shaky, but I think you can just about make out what’s been attempted.

Yes, that is a green beard.

he’s more dynamic that he predecessor, leading his men on, which I feel is apt for an assault squad, I’m not toally happy with the angle on the ammo belt, but bolter round sized ammo belts are hard to come by (these are from the dark angel ravenwing bike sprues.)

I’m not adverse to tweaking if anyone has any recommendations.

I’d even take a “why bother the first one is better” ;)

Primer

2011-05-22T17:10:00.000+01:00

Having built a few new things recently seemed a good time to address this question I’ve been asked a few times.

“What primer do you use?”

Well, I don’t use anything fancy, although in the past I’ve used Vallejo and citadel aerosols, Japanese smelly airbrush stuff, and Gesso.

Now I just use Halfords automotive primer, in Grey.

It has a good spray, behaves well in all conditions, sticks well due to its high solvent content and never goes powdery on me.

I make sure to hold the pieces I’m spraying with a glove, and to use a respirator, especially is doing multiple pieces.

I usually rack them up in an old tray and spray them in the garage.

Here’s a bunch ready for spraying. The primer dries very fast, finger dry in 15 mins, but I usually try to leave it 24hrs before paint to ensure the solvent is entirely gone.

And this is how it behaves, you can see it on (left to right) Pewter, Plastic and Resin. there's no loss of detail, the colour is a nice neutral grey and there's decent coverage.

I use grey as default now as I like the neutral, flat undertone. There are occasions I would either use white, or apply zenithal white, but I can’t think of a reason to use black anymore.

Anyway, that’s what I do, hope you found it worth your time to read.

Cheers!

Blog Wars list

2011-05-21T17:00:00.000+01:00

lots to do, oh my, oh my.

1. Primaris Psyker

2. Veteran Squad with 3xMelta guns and Chimera (Hull flamer)

3. Veteran squad with 3xFlamers led by Harker in chimera (Hull flamer)

4. Veteran Squad with 3xGrenade Launchers

5. Vendetta Squadron

6. Leman Russ MBT, Hull Flamer

7. Bane wolf (hull flamer)

8. Veteran Squad with 3xPlasma Guns

9. Scout Sentinels (Autocannons)

10. Hydra Flak Battery (Hull flamers)

11. Storm Trooper Squad (2x Melta)

12. Storm Trooper Squad (2x Melta)

There’s a second russ in this list, but not appearing in the shot.

It’s exactly 1750.

I expect to get my ass kicked.

I’m not a tournament player. With the frequency of my games I’m barely a player, but I intend to turn up, roll some dice and have some fun. I know it’s too many kill points, I know I’m lacking redundancy and I cant deal well with termies, and hordes will tear me a new one etc etc, but I don't care.

Alright, I care a bit. I cared enough to drop the silly 400+pt strakenstar, as its too specialised for an all comers list. and I care enough to pack a bit more melta than usual and trim some fat. but that's it, you wont see me “castling” or using silly formations or any of that, I’m going to play.

And I’m going to spend the next two weeks painting my ass off :)

Leman Russ Smoke Launcher tweak

2011-05-20T15:08:00.001+01:00

After Commissar Dave’s comment pointing out what I already knew, –( that my placement of the smoke launcher on the most recent Russ looked daft :) ) I set out in search of a solution.

I hacked it up to look more like a “proper” one, as the supplied part looks daft to me, and that monstrously big thing sat on my track covers usually offends me so much i dont use it.

I felt I had to put this one on tho as I’m off to a tourney and want to try for wysiwyg as much as possible, at least as far as weapons and gadgets go. I’m not about to start pulling dozer blades off tho. :)

Cheers!

Magnetising Made Easy – Leman Russ

2011-05-19T18:53:00.000+01:00

My previous post carries my endorsement for magnetisation, if not full then at least the options that interest you.

The Russ is an odd beast, and this tutorial will show you how to achieve full magnetisation, however I’m most likely only to ever run the russ or vanquisher variants, so one bit later on might be more annoying if you plan of regular use of the other two.

We’ll start with the sponsons.

Build you chassis following the GW instructions to this point, leaving the tracks off for now.

Then build you sponsons following the GW instructions.

The first deviation is here, where we reinforce with a section a sprue, providing a mount for a magnet, and insert a slamm flat magnet into the cupola on the sponson.

The sprue we insert needs to be offset to avoid obscuring detail on the russ’ side. this is achieved by resting the sprue piece on the tank in the desired position, and placing a pre-glued sponson down onto it :)

The weapons get the rear of the mounting strut shaved down to allow for the passage of the magnets, and a magnet inserted to mate up (watche those polarities!)

We now have a finished sponson, with magnets, ready to go.

At this point we need to blob a bit of black paint on the sponson magnet to help us locate the hull magnet attachment point. once we find it, drill, insert and glue.

Tt is entirely possible to make the magnets invisible by flush mounting them, and even GSing over them. I have left this one proud because I intend to magnetise some “gubbins” as I like my tanks laden with supplies similarly the slightly jutting shape wont stand out badly if simply painted in with the rest of the hull.

These new kits dont half have lots of options!

Onto the turret.

This is dead easy. first off, just glue some 1mmx2mm magnets into the mounting brackets on the turret.

Assemble the various weapons.

Then clip off the mounting studs on each weapon drill out and insert magnets. simples!

You now have a Russ chassis where each sponson and front mount weapon will swap out at will, the sponsons are detachable and the turret weapon is snap fit :)

I hope that helped, and gave you a few more tactical options :)

Thanks for reading!

Poigniancy

2011-05-19T16:53:00.000+01:00

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I teach Game design.

Sometimes at my college we have guest speakers, and most recently my colleague managed to book Ian Livingstone.

It led me to an interesting day. with the recent furore over pricing and corporate direction, and the move to resin instead of pewter, i found myself in a GW yesterday, looking at Yarrick and pondering weather to buy him in pewter, or wait for resin.

I have a feeling i will miss the challenges and the heft of lead. but in the end I decided to wait and let him be my first finecast.

So fast forward and I'm watchin Ian livingstone start his presentation to out students and lo and behold he starts with his GW days, and shows us a bunch of photos of the first citadel miniatures facility. three men with beards and a few vulcanised rubber molds with a vat of boiling lead.

I know he was there to talk about Eidos and the report he recently published to government and Lara and all that, but having a day where the current state of GW was on my mind, culminate in seeing one of it's founders show us it's begginings twanged a string for me.

Where do I stand on finecast? I'll be happy to give them a go. but I've been playing with "little lead men" for nearly thirty years, so it's a tad sad that I wont have that feeling of weight anymore, more from nostalgia than practicality i think.

Magnetising Made Easy - Hellhound

2011-05-17T18:39:00.001+01:00

Magnetising vehicles is an investment of time in the build phase, but it’s such a good idea to take that time and do it. the flexibility this gives your models as playing pieces is huge, I wish I’d started doing this earlier, being the list tweaker I am.

The Hellhound is a very simple model to magnetise, requiring no advanced modelling skill, just a few magnets of different sizes a sharp blade, some superglue and a little putty.

The first thing to do is glue some plasticard behind the opening for the hull mounted weapon. If you done have plasticard, a small piece of sprue would work, or in a pinch thick card.

glue a small flat magnet to the middle of this.

next we need to stick corresponding magnets into the weapon options. (watch your polarities!)

Where we have a solid weapon, drill a 1mm hole and insert a 1mm diameter magnet. job done.

Where we have a weapon with a void, I use a larger magnet and gap fill the void with GS.

Voila, done. this is the same for every chimera chassis you own.

the turret is slightly more complex, but not by much.

the first stage is to glue magnets to the back of each weapon option, then allow it to grip a second magnets and dry fit this in the turret receiver.

You'll see the magnets is am using fall short. I simply measured a peice of pcard, (again use sprue) as a spacer and glued the spacer and magnet in place.

you will need to widen the square hole a little, but gentle rotation of a scalpel blade will take care of it.

Then simply assemble the turret (you can see the weapons in the background) and you’re good to go, the weapons clip in and out and wont fall off.

Hellhound

Devil Dog

etc.

Hope that was of use. The Russ is next.

Other bloggers aren’t cannibals*

2011-05-15T20:35:00.001+01:00

*Mostly. (not a guarantee,excommunicate traitoris takes no responsibility for other bloggers who choose to visit with people who may or may not be cannibals)

last weekend I jetted off down a very wet M42 to meet with a few fellow bloggers and roll some dice. Zzzzzz was our gracious host, also in attendance were Admiral Drax (who I found out was at the same uni at the same time as me, for a year. bloody odd place this world.) and Sovietspace who has a new, beautifully painted nurgle army led by an evil thing I'd never seen fielded before.

I took some pictures, but my blackberrycrappycam and the lighting did not aid me in my reportage.

The day saw Drax and I on the side of the imperium, while Zzzzzz and Sov took on the more disloyal side of the fence.

Zzzzzz’s own blog already has a lovely account of the combat patrol we played, in which Drax’s guard gunline climbed out of the trenches and walked slowly towards the enemy, strangely prevailing almost totally unsupported for three turns until my air cavalry arrived in the proverbial nick of time. (actually, probably a bit late, but hey )

We then played a crazy apoc game which saw scores of valks, tanks and light armour, and no less than three super heavies (two Baneblades and a Stormlord)

It was really good to meet everyone and to get some gaming in, I don't do enough of it.

Rest assured these pictures don't do it justice.

Forge World Hydra - Build Guide

2011-05-10T21:27:00.001+01:00

In this post I’m going to try to help you go from the bag on the left to the model on the right quickly and easily.

This could be a very offputting kit if you are an inexperienced modeller or if this is your first hydra. but it needent be, a few simple fixes for some of the kits issues will see you autocannoning your opponents into dust in no time.

What you’ll need:

clippers
scalpel
file
sculpting tool
clay shaper
glue
greenstuff
plasticard
lube
a hairdryer

The first thing is to use the hairdryer to turn the badly warped cannon you can see in the bag into the much straighter cannon you see before you.

Heat the part, one bend at a time with the hairdryer until it becomes pliable and bend it into shape, let it cool and viola. repeat as many times as needed and in small bends untill it looks spot on.

Next, assemble the chimera chassis to this point, its worth noting here that this is my first time building the “new” chimera and wow is it an easy kit. brilliant!

Attach the hydra top plate to the back piece, creating two sub-assemblies, this can take some fenegling and the pieces may need some heat to reduce warping.

Its important to note here which chimera back peice I have used and that I have removed the two big locating studs. this makes the rear panel fit much better imo.

Glue the two sub assemblies together. You can now begin to see why I say this isn't a beginners kit, even unwarped and assembled carefully the kit is flawed.

But the back seems to fit okay.

While that sets up, assemble the guns. please take pains to ensure that the barells are level with each other.

For this model I’ve decided to add the crewman you can see, simply because on the FW website he looks so comfy in the hydra :)

Time to dress the chassis. I’ve gone for heavy bolters here and the usual hatches

I did however decide to shave down the internal ring on the cupola so it would sit flush to the hull, I felt this helped the profile of the tank and didnt distract from the turrets.

All the panels and hatches in place.

The first stage of dealing with this awful holes is to glue some plasticard in place. just sit it inside the seam and run some glue down.

For ease, leave a log strip until the glue is set, then trim off.

The tracks on this generation of chimera couldn't be easier.

Just clip off and lay them out for ease of planning. (make sure the track direction is consistent on both sides)

And there you go. beats the old one hands down.

The its time to infill those holes, and to run some weld seams into any other gaps.

Start with a sausage

Flatten and smooth until happy.

other small gaps can either be invisibly mended or run in GS and roughly smooth into ridges to resemble weld seams.

There we have it, two Hydra. If I wanted to add more detailing I could do that now, but I’m feeling these as a fairly basic pair, I’m going to let the turrets do the talking.

Next up for assembly, another elysian squad. these guys are getting grenade launchers, which will be harder than the plasma, and the sgt is going to be a real headscratcher as I cant have both elysian sarges have mechanical arms.

The problem is twofold, theres no fat at all ont he squad, no spare bits, and the elysian codex (therefore kit) gives the sgt a lasrifle, which we cant do with the new IG codex.

I’m sure I’ll work something out, stay tuned to see what :)

Trees – quick and easy

2011-05-09T12:14:00.000+01:00

I’ve been quite happy with the trees I threw together for my new board.

they are a little fragile, but I can suggest several ways to reinforce them for those who either play more than me, or with younger fingers :)

This most recent style of tree was stolen from the world of model railways, and involves using SeaMoss (or SeaFoam) as an armature.

This is what you will need.

A suitably shaped sprig of sea moss for each tree. If you want stronger trees or larger trees you can combine sprigs and bind the trunks with wire.

Glue – watered PVA is fine, wood glue is better

Foliage. you can use anything, foam flock, leaves, but I've found the best in noch foliage.

A base – I’m using a mini base here, but Drax has put me onto some wooden discs I can nab from ebay, so I’ll likely move to those as plastic is a little light for these.

you’ll need to drill out the base and glue the stem of the trunk in place

This should give you a workable armature. you could paint this, but as its a natural product it has a colour variation already, and I promised you quick and easy

Base the tree as normal, you can paint this later to match your table

Give it a good dunking in glue. the more glue you get into the armature, the more the foliage will stick

I use a max of dunking into the foliage and sprinkling on, mainly because i need to ensure I get leaves in natural looking places, and because leaves usually face up and out.

There we have it, rinse repeat and paint the bases for an instant forest.

Hope that was of use, thanks for dropping by!

Black Reach Captain Winner

2011-05-08T11:27:00.001+01:00

I used Random.org to select a number for the winner and it told me…

Commissar Dave.

So congrats!

Ironically one of the few without a chapter in mind.

Dave, email me at Karitas@hotmail.co.uk and we can have a chat about some ideas for him, and ultimately a postal adress :)

And thank you to all those who take the time to post, and who continue to take the time to read my blog.

Stylish with the what now?

2011-05-08T11:19:00.001+01:00

Damn.

So I’ve seen this floating around the ether like another potentially world-ending Meme..

I glanced at it, and wrote it off as not much better than a chain letter. i tutted and sighed at it’s insistence I share seven things about myself and nominate 10 more people to receive this “award”, full of scorn at this self-propagating thing, a notch above a facebook “send to 10 ppl or ur mom will die” message.

And then I got a mention in someone's list. not just someone. Klaus; you know, the utterly awesome scratch builder and modeller from Dei Greci.

And now I have to recant, because to receive an accolade from a blogger like Klaus is really very cool. I understand now. it’s not the wonderfully designed logo that makes this an award, nor is the sharing of seven wonderful facts the heart warming part of this thing.

It’s the fact that someone out there who you admire says they think what your doing is cool too.

So now I need to pull together a list of bloggers I admire, thats going to be hard, becase there are so many.oh and I need to link back to Klaus.. okay done that.

oh, aaand tell you seven things about me. that’s easy, lets do that first.

1) I teach computer game design in the uk.

2) I have a three legged ginger cat.

3) I originally trained at an avant garde arts college, creating installations and time based sculpture and performance work.

4) i got over it.

5) I am from Lancashire originally,

6) I’m horribly dyslexic

7) I had an eldar army before there were aspect warriors.

okay, and onto the blogs. Sorry Klaus, this one is going to look quite a bit like yours.

From the warp. - Where would we all be without Ron? fumbling in the dark like a teenager in a cupboard at a party, that’s where.

Dave taylor – I’ve stolen so many Ideas from him I figure I owe him a nod on this list

Massive Voodoo – inspirational painter, generous blogger, read this one.

Admiral Drax – wicked conversions, and an all round good bloke.

Galaxy in flames – Jim was the first respondant on this blog, my first commenter, and his blog is a wicked read, good for breaking you out of your hobby rut and looking at things a new way.

Carmens fun painty time – amazing paint, non-GW models and stunning conversion and photography, whats not to like

Dei greci – Klaus does things with plasticard that make me weep. no, not those things, just check him out.

Tower of heroes – this man’s paint makes me green.

And for slightly different reasons

devos iv – Zzzzz has shown me that it IS safe to go to the house of someone you meet on the internet and play 40k. not everyone is cannibals

from the fang – for organising blog wars. seriously. you should go to this.

I seriously could write twenty more, so please don't be offended if you aren't here. there are sooo many outstanding blogs out there – I’m following over 450 blogs, some active, some inactive; but I at least scan every new post that appears, every day or two.

I wouldn't be without any of them

Painting Vehicles – Part 2, Weathering a StormSword

2011-04-27T22:43:00.000+01:00

In Part 1 I talked about the base coating. including some basic modulation done to add highlight and colour variation.

Here's the quite flat looking basecoated model, following very similar steps to the Valk in article 1.

In this part I’ll talk you through the rest of what I do normally. I say normally because sometimes i’ll omit a step, or add another such as a colour dot/blend, but in general most of my vehicles get the treatment from the preceding and this article.

Decals.

I’m not proud, I’ll use em these days :)

It’s Important to plan the placement of Decals before you start, and to make sure that your model isn't dusty. I’ve tried to decal a model that's been sat in the paint queue a while and gathered some dust.

It’s a bad Idea.

I use Micro sol and set, Realistically I only use sol if I’m trying to bend or fit the decal to an awkward surface, set usually does the job for nice flat areas like this.

With the decals cut out and a shallow dish of water handy I’m ready to go.

The Decals get soaked, 1 at a time, untill the transfer is just lifting from the paper.

For small decals i just pick them up with a paintbrush or needle. Larger decals need to be slid from the backing paper onto the model to avoid tearing.

Give the area to receive the decal a slight wetting with mirco set before you place the transfer, this will help adhesion.

Once the transfer is in place, you can shuffle it around ising the brush to slide it or push at the slightly raised edge.

Once the decal is where you want it, a light brushing of micro set and you should be fine to leave it to dry in place.

Apply all the decals to the model before the next step.

Chips and scratches.

I’m going to show you a couple of different tools I use for scratches and chips. you can use any or all of these on a single vehicle as they will give you slightly different results.

The paint I use for scratches and chips is a mixture of greys and a very dark brown.

I find these colours work well with any paint surface, but if you want to try and simulate primer or rust you can always very these tones.

The real trick is not to blend the paint, and leave a marbled mix as above. this means that your chips and scratches will very slightly in colour.

The three tools I use for this are - (from top to bottom) a make up applicator sponge, a piece of blister foam (held in a haemostat) and a size 000 brush.

The large pores of the blister foam make for good, deep, large scratches, I usually use this on the front of the hull, and anywhere there are likely to be frequent impacts and abrasions.

The smaller pattern of the make up applicator is excellent for normal wear and tear and chipping such as you find on frequently eroded surfaces and edges.

The ultimate controllability of using the edge of a small brush is good for areas where a sponge would cause too much transfer to unwanted areas.

Here's the scratched tank.

As a last step, I use some of the base colour of the hull to weather in the decals.

I take this opportunity to visit any areas without paint, such as headlights, and other details to make sure everything is at least base coated.

Seal with gloss coat.

I airbrush on undiluted Klear to give myself a gloss surface for the next stages of weathering.

The next steps us turpentine based products which not only works best on a gloss surface, it can be moved an manipulated with ease. sealing the paint below is not only enabling it protects the paint.

Weathering

For me, the first step of weathering is a wash. I years gone by I would have mixed my own oil paint and turps wash, but MiG now make one ready mixed, so on it goes. it defines panel lines and bolts, so it goes everywhere.

Once dry this wash can be further manipulated to give a weathered effect.

Using a soft brush slightly damp with turpentine the wash can me lifted and moved around. most usefully the wash that has gathered around the bolts and panel lined can be gently dragged downwards to create streaking.

Oil

A combination of airbrushed brown ink placed around seals and bolts and a burnt umber oil wash targeted on fuel lines and barrels gives us a nice shiny oil like appearance. some of this is also layer onto the freshly drybrushed gun barrel.

Dust

Dust is layered on using weathering powders and white spirit. I’ve found the best way to apply this for a dusty finish is to wet the area with white spirit using the airbrush, then sprinkle on the powder, and to finally spray more white spirit.

ne mindful though to use a low pressure on the airbrush or you risk blowing the powder away.

Soot

This really couldn't be easier, just gently airbrush black paint where there would be soot and scorching.

Verdigris

Vallejos verdigris glaze is the key to this effect. all the brass plates are treated to a layer of this paint, watered down to a glaze consistency. you can afford to flood, and to allow runoff.

once this has dry completely, go in with a hard brush and you will find it easy to dust the glaze off the raised surfaces leaving a convincing build up in the recesses.

Mud splashes

A mixture of weathering powders and matte varnish, splatted onto the model using a brush with stiff bristles and a scalpel created quite natural looking mudsplashes.

Worn metal

The last step for me is to go in with a soft lead pencil and run the side of the lead along any raised edges I feel need additional wear.

the before and after below should show you the impact of this simple step.

That’s it, that’s what I do. you can see the results below or in my previous post.

I hope that’s been useful to some of you and that you'll have a go at some of these simple (and not so simple) techniques, and If anyone has any questions I’m always happy to try and help.

Thanks for reading!

Super Heavy

2011-04-27T21:48:00.001+01:00

You may remember this fellow.

Generously donated to the cause of me having more to paint by Brian at “A gentleman’s Ones” and originally much hoo-haaed about.

I had considered making a Space wolf Super heavy with it, but I ultimately reneged and decided to do a “standard” guard treatment to fit in with my ever growing IG.

I can see me working on this mob for a while yet. Mainly because I’m enjoying the models and the armour. and I’m learning too.

This Vehicle was the model of record for the second part of my vehicle tutorial, mainly because I was able to throw a lot of weathering techniques at it and not overwhelm the colossus.

I’ll have that up in a day or two, for now, These Finished Pics will have to suffice.

Thanks for reading!

Techpreist Enginseer

2011-04-26T23:05:00.000+01:00

I may well never field him, but I do like this model.

Sadly the pics are a little dark, and obscure a lot of the metallic gradients. I might need to throw another lamp on this big set up I’ve created :)

I’m going to give him these two servitors for now, ultimately, if it looks like I’ll field him, I’ll give him some shooty assistants too.

That's all, just a quick update today, thanks for dropping by!

Psyker Battle Squad Painted

2011-04-25T21:55:00.000+01:00

They even have a ride now too, repurposed from my currently “in retirement” =][= forces.

Yeah, that’s a FW autocannon turret, I have a normal multilaser one i can drop on there in non FW freindly games.

I’m quite happy with the way these guys turned out. the build looks more IG than using basic Flagellants, which is something I very much wanted. The poses are all unique, and I think pulls of the feeling that these guys aren't really soldiers.

The colours I’ve used tie in with the army, as there arte flashes of red here and there, but also serve to set them apart from the troops, and the purity seals and =][= on the transport does the job, I think, of letting you know what unit they are meant to represent.

Anyway, you tell me :)

Here are a couple of closer shots.

Two Years!

2011-04-24T16:37:00.000+01:00

if you troll back through the archive you’ll see that my first post on this blog was made on the 24th April two years ago.

Wow. doesn't feel that long.

I wanted to do something to mark the occasion, and to say to all the lovely people who follow the blog and comment, thank you, your help, input and encouragement has kept me blogging, and hobbying at times where I might have otherwise not. It’s been important to me that there’s an “audience” of sorts to react to what I’m doing, its been helpful and encouraging and taught me new things.

All in all it’s a rewarding aspect of the hobby, being able to reach out through this small window, and be heckled :)

So here's what I’m going to do.

I have this unpainted black reach captain -

I’d like to paint him up for one of my readers.

I’ll paint him to fit with your army if you like, or for any chapter you choose, to be part of an army you have, the start of a new one, or if you don't play marines, then I’ll put him on a socket instead of a base and paint him for your cabinet/shelf. or hell you could simple green the guy or ebay him. whatever you choose I'll paint him up and post him to you.

Oh and if you’d rather have a sword than a hammer, that’s an easy swap too.

All you need to do for a shot at him is post in this thread saying what chapter you’d like, and whether its to be played with or displayed.

Realistically I know I’m no golden demon winner, and that not many people play SM captains any more, but of all the minis I have sat here unpainted, he’s the one that would probably fit in almost everyone’s collections, even if he never gets played, and I wanted to say a small thank you to the people who drop by and read.

Some of you are way better painters than me, and likely have no use for one of my minis, some of you have no interest in marines, so I wanted to leave this “opt-in” rather than a blanket draw, and ultimately if no-one comments and wants this guy, I have a plan “b” in mind.

So drop a comment and I’ll pull a name out of the hat in a few week’s time

Blog Wars!

2011-04-23T14:11:00.000+01:00

If you havent yet found out what this is, and youre a blogger in the UK, you need to know about it!

Click the image to be taken to the tourney organiser from the fang’s website

Okay so, I coughed up for my ticket now, and plan to take the guard.

I know it’s my weakest army, having had much more definitive wins with both my wolves, Daemonhunters and Orks, but for a number of reasons it’s the one I’m taking.

MY wolves are a bit too cheesy, and nowhere near painted, so they are out.

My orks would need a support far just to get them there.

I haven't entertained the new DH, sorry GK codex, and might never, so that army is “in retirement”

And my guard are my current obsession. I can tell this becuase every time i get close to finished I find other units I want to add.

Thanks for reading, and checkout that link!

Painting Vehicles – Part 1, Basecoating a Valkyrie/Vendetta

2011-04-22T14:48:00.000+01:00

I’ve split this in two and will be showing techniques spread over two vehicles simply because I got bed/no usable pictures of the second part of the Vendetta paint job, so all the weathering will be demonstrated on something else :)

I’ve made several posts in the past on both airbrush use and vehicle painting, but I’m at a stage now where I feel my “technique” if it can be called that is both more effective and streamlined. however for those of you wanting a slightly less beaten look, or wanting those introductory airbrush articles the following posts might be of interest.

http://excommunicatetratoris.blogspot.com/2010/02/times-they-are-changing.html

http://excommunicatetratoris.blogspot.com/2010/03/promised-kroot.html

http://excommunicatetratoris.blogspot.com/2009/06/painting-chimera.html

A note on primer.

I now use a flat grey halfords car body primer for everything I paint. I like the neutral tone, and the grippy surface. if you use black, you WILL need to apply more paint and in more coats, and if you use white, you will get brighter more vibrant results.

The very first thing for this colour scheme is to give the while model a coat of VMC Iraqi sand. the slightly pink cast adds a very authentic desert camo feel to the rest of the paint. you can of course substitute any light tan or khaki here.

While this coat Dries I apply a layer of humbrol maskol to the clear plastic parts of the canopy. this allows me to spray the canopy the same as the body, but without risk of damaging the clear plastic.

do take care however not to get this on the frame, as it will lift any paint that lands on it.

The next step is to hit the raised areas, upward facing surfaces and any angles that would catch the light such as the bend in the wing a dusting of a lighter colour, here I used VGC bonewhite. this provides some tonal variation, and a sense of highlighting.

I then block out all the metallic areas with black. this provides a solid ground for the next stage which is the careful dry brushing of the metals.

other metals are picked out too, such as the brass engine cowls

Drybrushing is absolutely best done with a large, soft brush, and a literally dry brush. there should be no liquid paint at all remaining, just a transfer of dry pigment, such as you might get from a dusty rag.

I also give the Khaki areas a drybrush with bonewhite to bring out the raised edges.

Careful masking of the underside of the hull is done with masking tape, making sure good contact is gained and that no bleed will occur.

During the spraying, the paint is kept to a very dry application, allowing no pooling, this further reduces the risk of bleed, as does control of the direction of spray, making sure not t spray “up, under” the tape.

The accessories are sprayed at the same time, and the metallic weapons drybrushed and detailed.

The pilots and cockpit are painted using various colours, keeping them bright so they still be visible through the cockpit

And the canopy is sprayed and glued in place.

At this point, the basework is done, these stages are universal to all my vehicles, the next stages however vary, but I’ll try to run through -

Applying decals

Klear coat

Sponging on scratches

White spirit wash

Rust spotting/weather streaking

Oil/grease and soot

Weathering powders and dirst/dust.

Might take me a few days to get those done, so bear with me, and thanks for reading.

Strewth, I actually got to play!

2011-04-21T14:02:00.000+01:00

I don’t play often.

In fact I think I’ve managed less than 15 games since 5th launched.

I was fortunate the other day, that once I’d finished the boards to a playable level i sent out an “all points” to a few friends who play and a couple f them popped round.

This allowed me to both test the boards, and a 1750pt guard list.

My reflections and ruminations on the effectiveness of the list, and proposed changes subsequent, can be found in the preceding post. for now, I just wanted to share a few pictures.

“Do you think they saw us Sarge?”

”These new krootscoops are pretty combat effective, eh?”

“hothothot!” – blast markers totally stolen from http://santacruzwarhammer.blogspot.com/2009/09/great-way-to-watch-your-models-burn.html

“Sneaky scouty…”

“Ahh dammit, who gave the Tau a Hill!”

“You know, I want to rethink… Armoured sentinels sound good right now..”

“Okay, if Rogers had the map.. and he’s now a puddle of plasma.. Sarge, are we lost?”

All in all we managed two games, a 1750 with my guard against tau, and a three way 1200. odd I know, but there were three of us :)

The 1750 rolled as annihilation and DOW, and I was very greatful that IG vehicles tend to have searchlights as it helped with turn 1.

It’s also never struck me before, but that combination of missions really favours going second. it gives you more targets to shoot at in turn 1, and you have much more of an idea of the killpoint level you need to hit/beat for victory conditions.

My guys did okay, but victory was only ensured on the last turn, when I went all out for the easy kills in order to snag those KP, mopping up the off FW squad and light vehicle.

The second game was again annihilation, at 1200pts with an Eldar player throwing down as well.

I’d never really played mech Eldar before, not since 3rd ed and man they have some evil toys and funky tanks. holofields suck.

I did learn 1 thing, having seen Straken not do much, I dropped his command squad and swapped in a Primaris, who really worked for me at that level, I also dropped the grenadiers from all my guys and that worked too, those things are now making their way into my list proper I think. anyway, I refer you to my earlier list posting once more :)

That’s all for now. Cheers.

Alternate IG 1750 lists

2011-04-20T11:40:00.000+01:00

After the game the other day, I’m not convinced I should be taking my expensive Straken blob squad to a tourney.

I mean, I’m not a WAAC guy, but if I know something's going to get me killed, and threes a perfectly fluffy way round it, why not, eh?

The core fluff Idea behind my army comes from that Abnett ghosts book where they are heading to the Saint’s shrine. I fell in love with the idea of an IG armoured column of vets, – its evolved over time to have some scout elements such as the snipers and the walkers, and some air cav support in the form of elysians, but it’s essentially still intact, fluffwise.

I think this alternative list still would be too, but without the expensive and possibly weakening HQ

Cadian Chimera Flamer Vets (13#, 297 pts)

1 Ministorum Priest (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Rosarius; Shotgun; Eviscerator; Independent Character; Righteous Fury)

1 Primaris Psyker (Psyker; Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Refractor Field; Force Weapon; Laspistol; Independent Character; It's For Your Own Good; Lightning Arc; Nightshroud)

9 Veteran Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x9; Shotgun x6; Flamer x2; Heavy Flamer)

1 Veteran Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Bolt Pistol; Power Weapon)

1 Chimera ((IA1, pg. 128); Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Turret Multi-Laser; Heavy Flamer; Amphibious; Mobile Command Vehicle)

Cadian Chimera Plasma Vets (11#, 195 pts)

7 Veteran Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Lasgun x4; Plasmagun x3)

1 Veteran Heavy Weapon Team (Missile Launcher; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1; Krak Grenades)

1 Veteran Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon; Plasma Pistol)

1 Chimera ((IA1, pg. 128); Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Turret Multi-Laser; Heavy Flamer; Amphibious; Mobile Command Vehicle)

Elysian drop troops flamer (11#, 215 pts)

9 Veteran Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x9; Shotgun x6; Flamer x3)

1 Veteran Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Laspistol; Close Combat Weapon)

1 Vendetta Gunship Squadron @ 130 pts (Deep Strike; Grav Chute Insertion; Scouts)

1 Vendetta (Extra Armor; Searchlight; Twin-linked Lascannon x3)

Elysian drop troops plasma (11#, 315 pts)

7 Veteran Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Carapace Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Lasgun x4; Plasmagun x3; Grenadiers)

1 Veteran Heavy Weapon Team (Missile Launcher; Frag Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x1; Flak Armour; Lasgun x1; Carapace Armour (Based on Squad); Carapace Armour (Based on Squad); Krak Grenades)

1 Veteran Sergeant (Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Carapace Armour; Close Combat Weapon; Plasma Pistol)

1 Valkyrie Assault Carrier Squadron @ 145 pts (Deep Strike; Grav Chute Insertion; Scouts)

1 Valkyrie (Extra Armor; Searchlight; Lascannon; Multiple Rocket Pods x2)

Elite: Storm Trooper Squad (5#, 105 pts)

4 Storm Trooper Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Carapace Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x4; Hot-shot Lasgun x2; Hot-shot Laspistol x4; Meltagun x2; Special Operations)

1 Storm Trooper Sergeant (Carapace Armour; Close Combat Weapon; Frag Grenades; Hot-shot Lasgun x1; Hot-shot Laspistol x1; Krak Grenades)

Heavy Support: Leman Russ Squadron (1#, 190 pts)

1 Leman Russ Squadron 1 Leman Russ Executioner (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Executioner Plasma Cannon; Heavy Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Lumbering Behemoth)

Heavy Support: Leman Russ Squadron (1#, 200 pts)

1 Leman Russ Squadron

1 Leman Russ Battle Tank (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Battle Cannon; Heavy Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Knight Commander Pask; Lumbering Behemoth)

1 Knight Commander Pask

Heavy Support: Hydra Flak Tank Battery (2#, 150 pts)

1 Hydra Flak Tank Battery

1 Hydra Flak Tank (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Auto-targeting System; Heavy Bolter; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Twin-Linked Hydra Autocannons x2)

Fast Attack: Scout Sentinel Squadron (2#, 80 pts)

1 Scout Sentinel Squadron

1 Scout Sentinel (Unit Type: Vehicle (Walker, Open-topped); Autocannon; Move Through Cover; Scouts)

Total Roster Cost: 1747

What’s changed? well this list has the expensive Straken HQ that literally did nothing last game but kill a fire warrior squad. part of that as where i’d put it, but it reminded me why i dont really like death stars.

It swaps the demolisher for a MBT with pask at the helm, removing the unreliability of that scatter at 24”. Yes i have had it blow one of it’s own sponsons off.

much more to the point, it gains another scoring unit, and keeping the priest, with a PW sgt and the FW on the primaris, means it still has some CC punch.

I retained the sentinels, cos lets face it, it wouldn't be much of a scout force without the only codex unit with “scout” in it’s title would it?

the only real loss seems to be the astropath, if i reserve anything my advantage is gone, but I can live with that. In higher value games I’ll make a static CC with astropath MoO and a mortar.

So, anyone out there got thoughts, is this a stronger list? does it look like I am sacrificing my fluff to go this way?

I’ll be honest, I've wanted an excuse to buy hydras for a long time, I play Tau and Eldar a lot :)

Addendum…

I scheduled this post the other day, and since have continued to trim the fat from the list, then use that fat to buy toys..

Cadian Chimera Flamer Vets (12#, 235 pts)
   1 Primaris Psyker (Psyker; Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Refractor Field; Force Weapon; Laspistol; Independent Character; It's For Your Own Good; Lightning Arc; Nightshroud)
   9 Veteran Squad pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x9; Shotgun x6; Flamer x2; Heavy Flamer)
      1 Veteran Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Laspistol; Power Weapon)
      1 Chimera ((IA1, pg. 128); Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Turret Multi-Laser; Heavy Flamer; Amphibious; Mobile Command Vehicle)

Cadian Chimera Plasma Vets (11#, 170 pts)
   9 Veteran Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x9; Lasgun x6; Plasmagun x3)
      1 Veteran Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Laspistol; Close Combat Weapon)
      1 Chimera ((IA1, pg. 128); Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Turret Multi-Laser; Heavy Flamer; Amphibious; Mobile Command Vehicle)

Elysian drop troops plasma/flamer in Vendettas (22#, 470 pts)
   9 Veteran Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x7; Lasgun x4; Plasmagun x3)
        1 Veteran Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Laspistol; Close Combat Weapon)
   9 Veteran Squad (Unit Type: Infantry; Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x9; Lasgun x6; Grenade Launcher x3)
      1 Veteran Sergeant (Flak Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon; Plasma Pistol)
   1 Vendetta Gunship Squadron (Deep Strike; Grav Chute Insertion; Scouts)
      1 Vendetta (Extra Armor; Searchlight; Twin-linked Lascannon x3)
      1 Vendetta (Extra Armor; Searchlight; Twin-linked Lascannon x3)

Heavy Support: Leman Russ Squadron (1#, 205 pts)
1 Leman Russ Squadron @ 205 pts
1 Leman Russ Executioner (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Executioner Plasma Cannon; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Lascannon; Lumbering Behemoth)

Heavy Support: Leman Russ Squadron (1#, 215 pts)
   1 Leman Russ Squadron @ 200 pts
      1 Leman Russ Battle Tank (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Battle Cannon; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Lascannon; Knight Commander Pask; Lumbering Behemoth)
         1 Knight Commander Pask

Heavy Support: Hydra Flak Tank Battery (2#, 150 pts)
   1 Hydra Flak Tank Battery @ 150 pts
      1 Hydra Flak Tank (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Auto-targeting System; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Twin-Linked Hydra Autocannons x2; Heavy Flamer)
      1 Hydra Flak Tank (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank); Auto-targeting System; Searchlight; Smoke Launchers; Twin-Linked Hydra Autocannons x2; Heavy Flamer)

Fast Attack: Scout Sentinel Squadron (2#, 80 pts)
   1 Scout Sentinel Squadron @ 80 pts
      1 Scout Sentinel (Unit Type: Vehicle (Walker, Open-topped); Autocannon; Move Through Cover; Scouts)
      1 Scout Sentinel (Unit Type: Vehicle (Walker, Open-topped); Autocannon; Move Through Cover; Scouts)

Fast Attack: Hellhound Squadron (1#, 120 pts)
1 Hellhound Squadron @ 120 pts
1 Devil Dog (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank, Fast); Melta Cannon; Heavy Flamer)

Elite: Storm Trooper Squad (5#, 105 pts)
4 Storm Trooper Squad @ 105 pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Carapace Armour; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Close Combat Weapon x4; Hot-shot Lasgun x2; Hot-shot Laspistol x4; Meltagun x2; Special Operations)
1 Storm Trooper Sergeant (Carapace Armour; Close Combat Weapon; Frag Grenades; Hot-shot Lasgun x1; Hot-shot Laspistol x1; Krak Grenades)

Total Roster Cost: 1750

By dropping the priest (why would I be in CC without Straken? really?) and a few plasma pistols and a missile launcher I claw back enough points for a devil dog (or other variant)

I’m not sure now If I'm actually improving the list or just finding ways to fit more vehicles in :)

Building a terrain board in four days.

2011-04-19T12:00:00.000+01:00

If you’re a regular or semi regular reader you’ll have seen recent shots of my new game board/photography set.

Below you will find a bunch of step by step or “how I did” shots and descriptions, the pictures however, will suck as my garage has very poor light. hopefully there's something here that will help someone.

Materials

The main material is the board itself and the terrain covering, I used a 25mm thick MDF sheet from B&Q in the uk, I purchased and 8’x4’ board and the guys at the store cut it into four for me free of charge, so i then had four 2’x4’ boards. three of these I used for this board, the leftover will make an expansion board to use in place of any that don't work, or to add another panel for larger games.

The pink foam is insulation board. I was able to buy boards, again from B&Q that were 2” think and 4’ by 1’9” that’s not ideal but they were £4.50 each and in the UK that’s amazing for extruded polystyrene.

Now as those sizes weren't ideal i first had to cut the foam boards to size.

I am lucky enough to have access to a large hot wire cutter, if I didn’t I’d have to make one, and still might, as it’s still not quite big enough. without one, you’d have to forgo the re-sizing I was able to do.

Each foam board was cut in half, to make a 1” thickness. and it’s this material that provides the “ground” for the table. it probably wasn't necessary as it really only saved me a tenner, but I didn't need the depth and had the cutter.

Other materials used - Ready mixed filler, powder filler, expanding foam, various sand and ballast mixes for ground work, plaster of paris (not necessary really) household paint, plastikote paint spray cans, home made washes and flock.

Tools used - Wire brushes, hot wire cutter, hot air gun, soldering iron, many sharp knives, hot glue gun, sandpaper, various paint brushes, paint pallet knife.

Please note – some of this stuff can be dangerous, sharp, hot or toxic, please don't attempt anything without adequate ventilation, protective gear advice or supervision. a hobby should never be a hazard.

Construction

I’ve described cutting the foam down, after this each board gets a 1” layer of foam glued to it, and this is allowed to set.

If this is a flat board (this one is) you can go ahead and just apply initial texture to this now, two main techniques are used.

the first, uses a wire brush to roughly erode the surface and a hot air gun to re—bond that surface

This can be used to shape terrain but also to create craters and features such as the ramps you will see later.

The second technique uses a hot soldering iron to burn into the surface of the foam. as already stated, be very careful not only of the hot implement, but of any fumes that may be generated by the melting of foam, use adequate ventilation and a fume mask, an additional fan pointed at the work area can also help to usher fumes in the direction of the window or door

The next board was to have the addition of a ravine, this required the fixing of two more shaped pieces of foam.

This was achieved the same way, but with the addition of some expanding foam filler to fill the gap between piece edge and board top.

The more complex end piece needed several layers of foam cutting and affixing together, a hot glue gun was used for this, the gaps willed with foam and then a wire brush used to shape the joined pieces.

Details were etched in with the soldering iron

and the cliff edged carved with a long sharp blade, using smooth converging cuts

The boards were test fitted together, and the terrain blended with the wire brush.

The last step was to use ready mixed filler (spackle across the pond) to fill any visible seams or small gaps.

Painting the board

Before paint the board was given a quick sand with a coarse grit, to remove any smooth areas and to take the peaks off the filler.

A textured paint was made using sharp sand, railway ballast and a tin of brown earthy paint that was on the “reduced” isle at B&Q due to a small ding in the can. you have to hunt for bargains like this as paint is awfully expensive.

I used a small cheap roller and tray with a mop head, and mixed the textured paint in the pan before rollering the whole surface of the board.

This colour is a little off for our board, but it isn't the final colour at all, just a base to work from.

the next stage is to sprinkle powder filler while the board is still wet. this adds much more additional texture to the board, above that given by the paint.

one this is done, its a good idea to douse the whole board with watered down PVW in a pump-spray.

let that all dry, preferably overnight.

once that has set up, I did two things, the first was to use a wash i had made myself from W&N ink and media, and loaded into another spray to give the whole board a dousing, this darkened the recesses for me and gave me a good basis for the next step.

Using two different tones of plasticote matt brown spray paints, i went to town on the board, creating areas of contrast. I could have done this with the airbrush, but I have quite a small reservoir on mine, so spray paint seemed easier.

at this stage I could have continued, and ultimately, probarbly will as I continue to improve the board, but using some more washes and airbrushing/drybrushing to create detail ad contrast. but it had already eaten three days and I have a very short attention span, so at this point I applied a little more wash and proceeded to flock the board.

The results of this labour can be seen in this post, this one and finally this one.

I hope there's something in this article of use to you, and even if not, thanks for taking the time to read.

Whole army shot

2011-04-18T11:11:00.001+01:00

That’s every painted imperial guard unit so far.

I’ve got the pysker battle squad to finish, and there might be some new additions the more I reflect on how units performed in a recent game. but that’s another post.

Here you see one of the game board sections set up as a photo “set”. I need to clean up how I’ve masked off the back, and throw another light into it, and as I said it needs some more work before I take many close-ups, but it looks okay.

It wont be often that I take whole army shots, its more likely to be used for this kind of thing -

Hope you enjoyed those, I’ll try and upload the stages of board building, as I did take pics, however I took them on my phone and essentially in the dark, so they are pants.

1750 test list, in pictures

2011-04-16T21:47:00.000+01:00

I’d appreciate any comments from the list builders out there, I’ve never built for 1750 before, and though I’m not a competitive player, I do like to hear the thoughts of those who are.

HQ – Straken, astropath, banner, medic, flamer, two bodyguards and a Chimera (flamer.

Troop- Veteran squad, plasmas, plasma sgt, Chimera (flamer)

Troop – Veteran Squad, Hvy flamer, 2x flamer Power weapon sgt, Chimera (flamer)

Troop- Veteran Squad, Plasmax3 Sgt Plasma,

Fast Attack - Valkyrie, Rocket pods.

Elite – Stormtrooper squad, 2x Melta

Fast Attack - Vendetta

Fast Attack – 2x Scout Sentinels, Autocannons

Heavy – Leman Russ Demolisher, Hvy Bolter sponsons, Flamer

Heavy - Leman Russ Executioner, lascannon

I think I’m two points shy of 1750.

(apologies for the photography, this is set up in my kitchen at the moment and the light there is very poor)

New “Steppes” Board Dressed

2011-04-15T21:39:00.001+01:00

I’m saying “dressed” rather than “finished” simply because I want to continue working on this to improve it, I can see things I’m not happy with, but with an hour here and there I will be.

Let’s just say the focussed flurry of activity is over, and slow, gradual improvements will be made, such as the rock colour of the stepped hill edges, I bought a crappy art paint and its, well, crappy.

There's a few patches where filler scatter has broken loose that need to be quickly hidden, and There's many more of those trees needed.

The buildings all pretty much just have base coat and a drybrush or airbrush and need detail and highlight/shadow work done

But those errors highlighted, I am happy with it.

Now I just need to know how it plays…

The Table’s progress

2011-04-14T22:29:00.001+01:00

Brace yourselves cos it’s at the “it looks like ass” phase

Its had a blast of textured paint, and a dusting with filler powder, next it gets the spray paint of fury, then the airbrush.

After that it’s flock and done.

Hal’jin asked me on my last post “Is it me though or is it sloping in one direction, making it perfect for some "Omaha" kind of scenario?” and he’s right on the money, as I hoped it would work well for “spearhead” type games where the direction of board travel is reversed, as well as still work for normal deployments.

I’ve got some Imperial sector buildings assembled and a base coat on them, but i’ll hold off posting them for now, at least until threes more detail on them.

To tide you over, here is some of the “window dressing” for this board,

some trees I’ve put together. a bit fragile, but pretty enough to make up for it.

And some resin inca heads I bought while high on paint fumes. they've painted up well though.

Oh and in between all these board shenanigans I got some paint on the Vendatta/Valkyrie from my magnetisation article.

I’ll have to get some pics and get him up too,

That’s all for now, take it easy out there and thanks for dropping by :)

Anyone remember “populous”?

2011-04-12T20:46:00.001+01:00

That game took days of my life.

as I work on my latest project, I am reminded of it…

Yeah, it’s time for a new board to play on.

As it stands I’ve done the rough shaping, I’ve got most of the groundwork still to do and then terrain, texture and paint.

I’m aiming for autumnal colours, and there's a “story” or “reason” forming as I build. don't get me wrong, It’s not going to be a board with a narrative gameplay element, but I have to have a reason why the things I’m building are there, it helps me understand why there's a ruined imperial building next to a tree, by a pile of older stones etc etc.

Without that, hm, let’s call it a “rationale”, without that “rationale” the place doesn't come together for me and I find it hard to know what to do next.

The rationale provides a framework for me to make aesthetic decisions, much as when working on a mini.

I’m aiming for a world that's dying off, at a place where the desert gives way to steppes, there will be ruins such as have been left by an early civilisation, and more recent ruins from an imperial archaeology or exploratory team. That’s enough for me to hang it together and make sense of why I'm building.

Anyway, didn't want you all to think I’d wandered off again, so I hope you like the WiP and I’ll share copious pics of the boards when finished :)

Thanks for dropping by!

Elysian Squad done – Plasma Gunners Painted

2011-04-08T22:37:00.000+01:00

So that’s a full Elysian Vet Squad painted now, with plasma gunners, a Plasma pistol packing sgt, oh and the vox guy got his whip aerial.

These three were the final bunch. a bit slap dash, but blame it one the fact that I was sick as a dog last week and have a bit of “gettitfinishednow” syndrome still lingering due the time away from the paint table

solo shots:

Kasrkin Stormtrooper Desert Scheme

2011-04-06T22:31:00.001+01:00

I had to convert the pants of these guys, and I’ll freely admit they are a shoddy job, but they should work on the table.

Ironically, for what was meant to be a shoddy job of converting, and a fairly slap dash paint job, on a real throwaway unit, I actually like these guys a lot.

What does that say about me?

Aaany way here's the solo shots, with a bit of info about each conversion.

Sarge. in the codex, really does have a Hellgun like the troopers, and not upgrading him to a power weapon or anything keeps the disposable melta delivery system a bit cheaper.

He was a standard trooper till his head came off. replaces with an empire militia head, and a cadian respirator, with GS work to bring it all together.

Just a vanilla trooper this one. I did intend to replicate a Kasrkin camo in desert colours, but the base tan just looked really good to me, so I left it unmolested. never underestimate the power of a complimentary colour scheme :)

Vanilla trooper two. I spent a bit more time on their faces than the rest of them, knowing those well sculpted masks would be a draw. glad I did, but the rest of them have such glaring faux pas, mould lines, bits of bad paint, ah well. maybe next time I’ll take some care, I do have five more of these somewhere.

Melta trooper one, formerly hellgun trooper 3, I chopped it off and swapped in a melta, yes it’s ugly, but it’ll do and it satisfies WYSIWYG

This is melta trooper two, formerly flamer trooper one. this one took a bit more doing, involving some press moulded melta bits and the front of a melta gun. it’s ugly too. but looks more like the Kasrkin melta trooper.

Well that's another unit done, you know I might actually reach a point where I can call this IG army “finished” and move on to my Orks or Wolves.

Now that’d be scary.

Valkyrie/Vendetta Magnetisation

2011-03-30T19:32:00.000+01:00

So. One Valk box, and one FW Vendetta upgrade kit.

A few months ago before my untimely departure from the blogosphere I received a wee bag o magnets from the lovely people at Magnet expert on the understanding that I use them and give feedback. well I guess better late than never applies here, as I’ve finally got around to a small project where I could use their products.

I will say first that I was already a customer when they sent me this assorted bag, mainly because they sell the right size magnets for me in the right quantities and damn are they strong!.

anyway, I set about giving myself options with the flyer.

One of the most important things when magnetising is to have a drill bit close in size to the magnets you’re using, you can see the side by side here.

And here you can see how well this1mm diameter magnet fits in the hole made by this 1mm bit :)

In the hard point here I used a 2mm long magnet, as this extra size would give it more strength.

And on the weapon itself I fitted a 1mmx1mm, right in line with the mounting groove

A couple of test fits and then I could attach the weapon mount to the wing.

The front hard point needed a different solution.

First I glued some plasticard into the weapon mount to provide a stable backing, then attached the mount to the hull.

Here you can see I’ve glued a 4mm diameter but .5mm length magnet (essentiall a very flat wide magnet) into the hard point.

And the same magnet onto the back of each front mount weapon – single las, double las and multi laser.

As always with magnetising you have got to make sure to get your polarities right, or you'll end up repelling not attracting (like I did with the double las here and had to remove and re-attach)

A little perseverance and fettling however will get you here. (I used a slightly longer magnet on the rocket pod as the attachment groove is considerably shorted on the model)

Valkyrie

Vendetta

I hope that was of use to someone and that you’ll forgive my blurry pics, low light camera shake is something I thought I was over, but it goes to show if you aren't paying attention, you'll make mistakes.

Thanks for reading.

Psyker Battle Squad conversions built

2011-03-29T20:01:00.000+01:00

It’s Abnett’s fault. He gave me this mental image of the Psyker battle squad, never better described than in the comments section of my test-fig post, where Bix said “unkempt and almost rabid, mad with fear and loathing of what he is. All that pent up, abused and unstable psychic power ready to be unleashed on the enemies of the Imperium.”

I set about making more. I decided that I didn't want them just to look like flagellants, nor did I want to use the cookie cutter clone army that is the current GW lead figs. I couldn't bring myself to just use guardsmen in a different colour, so this is my solution.

Each one is meant to be individual, and for them to decidedly not be soldiers.

This guy has the most movement. It’s really amazing what you can do with these flagellant robes if you strike off the feet.

This guy looks like he's about to fall over in these pics, but the model on the table looks a lot less goofy, trust me :)

I think, before the black ships found him, this guy worked in a munitorum abattoir.

An older man, he’s been with the guard a long time. and he’s learned the value of a coil of rope :)

This angry bloke is the first of two using Micro arts studio heads I've had for ages and not used. technically they are a bit big for these models, but I'll live with it.

The second Micro arts head. in every case where I’ve used a weaponless arm, I’ve made sure the fig has a holstered pistol/

This ungainly guy represents about the third time in two armies I’ve used this flagellant head. shh, if I paint the hair a different colour no-one will know!

and this last guy has a head from the empire archers box, cos I thought the metal gubbins was cool.

There they are, now I’ve one last thing, it’s a question.

I intend to use this model as thier overseer.

I don't really want to mutilate him, for fear of doing more damage than I intend. but he’s holding a bolt pistol.

if you were playing me, would you let me off, or would it be better to try and neatly hack that off and pop a laspistol on there?

thanks for reading, and let me know your thoughts!

Nurgle Daemon Prince conversion - now with paint!

2011-03-28T19:11:00.000+01:00

Well here he is.

It’s probably the most sculpting I’ve done on a miniature in years, and I’m not sure I’ve done it justice with the paint.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not wailing and gnashing my teeth here, or fishing for compliments, it’s a solid paint job. but the feeling…

I’m happy with the result. let me say that. But it’s the first Nurgley thing I’ve ever painted, and it probably shouldn't have been. I was really feeling my way through this, learning how to paint this style of creature.

And I shouldn't really have set out to learn on something this much of a centrepiece.

Again I must stress, not that I think this is terrible, but that I think maybe had I had more confidence with the nurgle style I could have done better.

Ah well here some more pics, he’s off to his owner today (that's one reason for fewer posts last week, I didn't want to put up WiPs of this) and if there are any major changes needed to fit him into that army, I’ll make em :)

Thanks for reading!