Blood Angels Scouts

Witness here my secret shame -

Painted about 20 years ago, and treated poorly since. these might get stripped and repainited if i can resolve the following issue…..

See these are the second gen of scouts that were made. and the current gen plastic kit looks like this…

I mean, I need this customisability for the characters – my sgt is overpriced for a scout having both a grav pistol and a powerfist.. but they are a little chunkier that the more characterful metal counterparts.

The question is, is the disparity too great to have these guys in the same unit once stripped and repainted?

I vacillate between thinking it’s fine, and thinking they are too small…

Blood Angels – A New Old Army

One of my first fully completed armies was Blood angels, back when the “angels of death” codex had two whole armies in it for a tenner..

It goes further back than that for me tho, the first marines I ever painted were the RTB01 box. After looking in the Rogue trader book at the space marines page, I chose to paint my RTB01’s as Blood Drinkers.

I don't really have an remnants of that army left, except a few scouts and a few unpainted old metal minis, but with a new codex, and let’s face it some lovely looking new models, I felt the need to put together a small force (1850) to add to my growing armies of the Imperium collection. It also begins to develop my collection in an armageddony direction as I've always liked that fluff and those armies.

I’m also going to be using some boxes Ive had for a while with either plans to develop as wolves (which lets face it I already have too many of) or no plans at all.. so this is what I plan :

It begins with a tactical squad, hvy flamer, flamer and hand flamer and power sword on the sgt. In a drop pod. A sanguinary priest will accompany them.

The second troops choice from this force org will be the Baal Death company (Raphen’s)

Fast attack gets a grav biker squad, with a MM attack bike.

The elite slot gets a Furioso, and a terminator assault squad, led by a Termie Librarian. These will ride in a Stormraven bought in from the Stormwing detachment getting me two Stormtalons which will all be painted as BA models

An allied BA detachment brings a second sanguinary priest leading a scout squad, CC with a grav pistol on the sgt.

It’s not meant to be optimised, but should be good fun and will allow me to add some more death company or assault squads at a later time if I want to. I already have most of this, with the termies and libby on order so should have some builds to share soon, if not paint. I’m not going to rush this as I want them to look decent.

One thing I haven't decided yet and am throwing out as a question – Do I use metallics, or NMM for the gold and silvers on these chaps?

Modellers Manifesto for 2015!

So it’s time for the obligatory annual reflective/planning post wherein we ponder the yer gone, and the year to come.

Fear not, for some hobby activity is underway!

Allbeit hampered slightly by the stunning game offering that is Dragon age inquisition. after a feeble second offering, this game really surprised me, as it’s a corker.

Last year-

I got a lot done, and managed to blog a lot of it coherently. it’s only really this last stretch up to Christmas where but my modelling and blogging activity waned, and even then pre-planned content almost got me there. If I had gone for 1 post per week instead of two, I would have filled the year easily.

The guard I have are much easier to paint than the wolves, so I’m going to look at how to get paint onto the wolves in a way that pleases me both result and time wise. this will be an ongoing thing.

So to plans then.

I am going to buy less new stuff, and make more progress on the crack pile. the new wolves offered me very little I wanted to add to the force, ditto the new guard, and both forces are quite large now. my orks lie fallow and its likely that will remain the case – I may have to decide whether to part with what I have or to keep them around.

This notion of not buying new stuff has some exceptions – I’m going to allow myself to buy things that are need to complete units. whether that's bitz or boxes, i’m also going to buy hobby sullies that are needed.

Two other exceptions – I’m going to allow the purchase of plastic sisters if any come out and are good :)  if progress is good I will allow myself to put together that inquisitor i keep talking about for the armies of the imperium I seem to be gathering.

There were also some Christmas purchases that are on the list, but they don't count see, cos they were last year :)

The todo pile is quite large and looks kindof like this:

New army (yeah, i’ll make another post about that) to build, paint

Mansions of madness box to paint

Imperial assault box to paint

Super dungeon exp,lore box also for paint

Cadian heavy weapon teams to paint

Elysian sentinels and tauros to paint

Space wolves, loads to paint, like, loads. oh dear.

WW2 US airborne in need of paint.

some terrain still to assemble and paint for desert board.

A few guys in the bitzbox that aren't quite units yet who may get some attention of time/motivation blows that way.

See to me, that’s a full year of hobby stuff, even If I make lightening progress, so I shouldn't need anything new. there's enough variety there too so I wont get bored, and keeping to the rules should be fairly easy, I may need the odd guy here and there to fill out a unit or some bitz to finish a conversion, but that's all within the plan.

So that’s my manifesto for the coming year, I’ll set up some posts, one a week most likely Friday– to be done during holidays where I get a lot of hobby done, then I’ll make an additional post on Mondays if I’ve done anything that weekend. so it will be 1 or 2 posts a week. that should be achievable. :)

Here’s hoping we all have a healthful and prosperous year!

Star Wars Imperial Assault – What’s in the box?

The subtitle for this post being “Damn my IG sentinels look small now”

A large, well wrapped package arrived today, which is release day for the product.

The speed of arrival, and the process leading up to purchase such as an email to say it was about to appear on the shop and so on is exemplary of the awesome service I’ve had from Ben at http://www.gamessesh.com/ – he's a relatively new online vendor for stuff like FFG products and RPG’s etc, he's also carrying some of the awesome otherworld miniatures and a range of X wing stuff, check him out if you haven't already (BTW standard disclaimer he hasn't paid me to say this etc etc, he’s just a good indie retailer)

 

On to the product – wot a big box! opening it reveals the usual FFG “buy moar” leaflets and some rulebooks

 

A quickstart, a campaign book, a rulebook and a skirmish rulebook. – like dust this has both structured campaign play and skirmish for scrapping.

The other gubbins!

Dice look suitably complex to scratch my gamrbrain itch. My inner Nerd is satiated.

 

Campaign character cards. Yes that’s a Wookie. and yes, a Bothan. I assume He’s a spy. and that at some point he’ll die. apparently that’s what they do.

  

This box also comes with a Skywalker family twofer. (spoilers) and represents our first look here at the minis. they are a more firm resin/plastic mix than any FFG I’ve handled before such as Mansions of madness, and I hear it’s inline with the Dust plastic/resin compound. it feels firm yet flexible, I’ll let you know how it paints going forward.

 

This is huge. once I start work on it I’ll post it next to a sentinel. it will win.

 

The remainder of the minis in the box.

Transdoshans. really like the character on these, a little sad there weren't two sculpts, but still, lovely characterful guys.

Stormtroopers. oh yeah. and nine of them. co-incidentally that’s exactly how many of the original plastic toy Stormtrooper figures I had till some little scrote nicked them out of my desk at school. still haven't let go of that one.

“combat engineers” – emplaced weapons

Imperial guard. no, the other ones.

Officers

Probulator.

Wookie/General

Smuggler/Jedi

Bothan/Trooper

These character models are nicely sculpted and should paint up well. the poses are nice (cept the general) and dynamic – communicate the character well.

Okay, so no, it’s not a cheap box, but it’s full of goodness, and its STAR WARS. moreover it opens up possibilities like campaign play that spread across X wing and this – in both narrative and skirmish mode..

Anyhoo, that’s a Christmas present to myself – I should get a game or two of this in over the festive period and who knows, maybe some painting.

Where have you been?

Well, as I cautioned you all, I ran out of content, and work is crazy (again) with a higher workload than I should have, coupled with not feeling great, its meant I've been more inclined to veg in front of a video game or crappy TV show than head up to the desk and paint in the scant hours of free time I have had.

there have however been gaming development, which I hope to share with you here sporadically over the coming weeks as I can find the time to create write ups..

Also, this happened.

Oh Dear.

Oh Dear oh Dear.

No, really now..

Oh.

So that’s two starter sets, an X wing, a Y-Wing, Two B-wings, an A-Wing, a TIE fighter, TIE Advanced, TIE interceptor and 2x TIE bombers.

Oh.

Star Wars – X Wing the miniatures game-  really rather a good game, lovely little miniatures, which lets face it is why we’re all here, and they come painted. and they are actually quite good. dont get me wrong, my future does hold some repaints, and the creation of asteroids and wreckage etc. but its that perfect game sales model. low buy in, little needed, but a whole hell of a lot of WANT.

So that’s happening, I still have Cadians on the bench, and Elysians, and a new squad too, I’ll post them soon(tm) I also managed a few games, but write ups either wont be forthcoming or will have to be sans pics cos the shots I have are suffering from “Kitchenus too dingius” and are therefore pants.

I shall endeavour to update you next weekend as to how things are developing on the old workbench. Till then,. Fly casual.