Astra Militarum Primaris Psyker Conversion Painted!

Here he is, and below, with his predecessor and now companion.

the customary additional shots:

 

Primaris Psyker Conversion

You may remember this if you’ve been reading here a while:

Cabinet Reshuffle

I’ve given my two detolf's upstairs in the office a bit of a shuffle around to reflect the fact that my paint table is all guard at the moment, the Wolves have been relegated to downstairs.

The top shelf here has a couple of display figs, the last remaining Grey Knight conversions and a squad of Orks in it, just to remind me I do have two other armies in need of attention.

Armour – Superheavy plus two vanilla Russ chassis a demolisher with HB sponsons for CC and urban pacification and an executioner with a lascannon for those heavily armoured troops that really need to die today.

My sniper conversions, sentinels and FW Hydras along with a Mechanicus Priest and his servitors

and in the bottom, and Valk (with vend option magnetised) a squad of veteran elysians in cover and a quad0gun.

cabinet two houses the HQ options- a company command with a number of codex options and advisors; primaris psyker, commissar and Yarrick

My two Cadian Veteran Squads one with plasma, one flamer and their no-longer legal characters – well I can use Harker but Bastone is gone.

Kasrkin and Wyrdvane Psykers.

The second elysian Veteran Squad and their Valkyrie, along with the IG objective markers.

I’ll make some room for the platoon once they are painted and maybe I’ll pull them all out onto a table for a pic too, but for now that’s my office :)

Ork Stormboy “finished”

I can see a load more I could do to this guy…

but I’m going to stop and begin another one.

As I learn the figure and try some new things, I'm both completing a unit slowly, learning and hopefully getting to the point that I can do one of these to a good level.

I've gone for a lot of worn metal and peeling paint, but I can do these things differently and will on the next chap

I tried out the new modelmates rust effect, and I can really see its potential, but i need to use it differently than I have here.

 

I’m also interested to hear you opinions of trying to make the model “in flight” rather than the usual “tippytoe”.

I quite like the smoke in person, but it does need a better paint treatment.- more glowy inside for sure.

I also need to play more with the shade/contrast to make more prominent areas of the model pop and less important parts fade more out of our perception.

Going to have to give the “how” of that some conscious thought.

Games Workshop, You Confuse me.

First let me get a few things on record, I have no problem with Games Workshop being a model company, I have no problem with them operating like a company with a healthy interest in profits. This isn't one of THOSE posts.

In fact, as I conclude my point here, you'll see that my issue is that Games Workshop in this instance wont let me give them my money. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Let’s talk about the Astra Militarum codex. This is a post-chapterhouse studios lawsuit codex and it is probably the one where the impact of the aforementioned can be most keenly felt. Particularly in that there are a number of codex entries that have just vanished because GW don't make models for them.

We also have the added confusion with the AM codex that a number of models that GW still sell now no longer have rules. that’s okay, a lot of people are convinced this is due to an upcoming dataslate or mini dex (I’m personally not so convinced, as if “codex catachans” were a thing then i don't think Harker or Straken would have been in the main dex, but I digress).

All that isn’t really an issue to me, sure I posted about a few models I couldn't use anymore but that was more an update than a whinge of any kind.

This; this is a whinge. See, some where between the design studio re-writing rules to suite GW’s model line – The Ministorum priest lost his shotgun and eviscerator. I’m fine with that now and have enjoyed painting the recently posted Priests to update my force without destroying my earlier no longer valid models.

But the Priest also gained the ability to use a plasmagun. there’s one reason that ability was given to him, and this is the reason right here:

Look down the bottom of that pic however, taken just now.

“No Longer Available”

So GW have basically made everyone's existing models for a codex entry (all converted mind you) useless to replace them with their available models. Then withdrawn that model from circulation..

I am now, in order to have the codex legal models either going to have to convert, third party or pirate a miniature – everything that all these changes were instituted to prevent.

I know it may not seem a big deal, but its a big deal in principle and further, it means I cant get my mitts on a model I now feel I need.

That gives me an itchy brain.

Anyhoo rant over, and we now return you to the regularly scheduled updates of painted things. :)

Astra Militarum Ministorum Priests

as my conversions are no longer codex legal, and I wanted still to run some of these guys I thought I’d pick up some GW sanctioned models :)

 

I do actually quite like these models and they were good fun to paint, sadly the plasma toting chappie is still out of stock on GW’s site, so I’ll have to try and pick one up form ebay.

Apologies for the shinyness, these were photographed before mattecoat..

 

 

These models are both so full of character that I'm not at all sorry about retiring my other models, I didn't have the heart to take them apart to repurpose them, maybe in time I'll make an inquisitor and sneak them  into his retinue.

Thanks for reading, more soon!

Midweek terrain contest/raffle Heads up!

Support a cause, win some terrain…

Terrain tutor over on youtube is having a competition, get over to his page and support him..

His justgiving page is here:

https://www.justgiving.com/h4h-battlezones

Basically Mantic gave him the full deadzone set, so he’s making some nonspecific gaming terrain with it (its looking pretty sweet so far), and auctioning it off for Help for heroes so if you fancy wining it, head over pop some dosh down and cross yer fingers :)

DotCom bubble….

So this:

http://www.excommunicatetraitoris.com/

Now points to this blog.

And it’s an interesting tale as how how.. involving Some confusion on my part, and a large dollop of decency on the part of a fellow 40k blogger, Fritz.

I was looking through the blogroll as one does and saw a link with my blogname in the title, I got a wee bit excited to think Id been linked and by prominent blogger in the form of Fritz, whose Way of Saim Hann I’d been following for a long time..

I was surprised then to see this:

I posted a comment saying that this was the same name as my established blog and within half an hour had an email from Fritz. Thankfully, as I had originally been a bit taken aback, he was lovely.

Long story short Several emails later I was left hugely impressed by his decency and the proud owner of a .com, Fritz has defaulted to an alternate name and has started his new blog here at: http://www.berserkersofskallathrax.com/

If it ends up anything like his Saim Hann blog it will be an awesome read :) Please go check it out and support this affable and decent fellow blogger :)

Meanwhile relax and enjoy the benefits of your links now automatically redirecting to a spacious and well appointed .com..

Seriously though, nothing will change :)

FortyNumbda

A few weeks back I was fortunate to be party to a “Happening” as Casa Zzzzzz.

(the Players:Myself, PVP, Andy BG, Courtney, and Martin

Gaming, charred flesh, (both the barbeque and the unfortunate effects of sun + pale gamer skin) ale and fire made for an excellent man weekend.

Pictures, and some attempt to describe the game follow.

Upon arrival a bunch of gangs were laid out with character sheets, special rules and a briefing summarised on a shingle sheet. these were by turns amusing, inspired and terribly unlikely to come to pass.

By way of example i got the local constabulary as my initial force, three fast moving squad cars with 4 guys armed with shotguns in each, a riot squad in a repressor and the instruction to capture (ie subdue in CC) a member of each gang.

something which initially went very well for me with a quick snatch of a member of the cawdor gang to my right under Coutney’s control, but soon because a bad day for the officers of sector house 23 when a large heavily armed gang under Martins control laid waste to the force on the right.

Even the riot squad got shot up immobilised and pinned behind their ride. seems everyone likes to shoot at cops

I’ll be honest, I think my own tactical genius was to my detriment here, while others had forces wiped out and selected new gangs to re-enter the fray with, I managed to keep the beleaguered Arbites alive far longer than they were a viable threat for. ;)

throughout which all kinds of shenanigans were going on around me, with gangs giving way to organised cultists, Chaos marines appearing followed by agents of the inquisition – goat men, a T-Rex, Brothers of the Black Templars and even the Perfidious Eldar, whom I took control of in the form of a unit of striking scorpions charged with eliminating the veterans of the long war who had chosen to interfere in this internecine conflict.

I ended my time with them with objective accomplished thanks to a ill considered charge form Andy’s chaos marines, and the Exarch managing to slip away thanks to some ingenious shenanigans whereby a goat-mans corpse was used to lure the T-Rex into taking an interest in the Black Templars.

I attach below a further selection of shots form the day..

A Glorious day of nerdery!

(Over) A Week of blogging.

With the usually scheduled Fri/Mon posts this marks my 8th blog post in a row, and most of them have actually had content!

 

Its actually great fun blogging more consistently and were it not for that pesky day job I might do more of it. My usual schedule is twice a week, and I more often than not schedule those well in advance. in fact I have adopted the habit of using my holidays to binge on hobby and setting up a bunch of posts to occur throughout the coming half term.

Sure sometimes the wheels fall off and life gets in the way but then we all know that happens.

Anyway for those who missed my busy week of posts, here’s a recap:

  Monday

Teusday

 Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Thanks for taking the time to read the guff I put up.I really do appreciate it.