Adepticus Prime

Moving soon.

2010-06-18T20:29:00.002-04:00

Not virtually, of course. But physically. In a few weeks, I’m moving out of my relatively small NYC apartment up to a giant palace in Syracuse, NY. My wife has to finish up some schooling, and where the wife is, I like to go.
One of the “joys” of moving is trying to figure out how to organize the vast collection of my hobby and then wracking my brain in determining the best way to pack it all for moving! I mean…the minis are easy. I have *just* enough foam to pack all the important minis like this always-near-completion-but-I-just-bought-some-more-minis Crimson Fist army. And my Tau are already packed and ready to go…so no worries there!

But what about all the other stuff? The boxes and terrain and bits and bobs and terrain-junk box and paints and WIPs and the cats and all the other stuff. You can’t just stuff it all into boxes and hope they make it, right? I mean…I spent days organizing my bits and bobs bins!

Do I unpack it all and stick into baggies? Tape all the bins shut with plastic wrap? Wrap it in bubble wrap, stick in a box and look forward to resorting all the bits? (Note: I’m probably going with that last option as I love sorting and resorting bits. My doctor says it’s cause I’m crazy. My wife agrees.)
What about the vast amounts of terrain?That’s not even all of it. I have an assortment of bastions and trees already waiting to get packed as I type this. My method? Wrap in bubble wrap and hope for the best. Oh. And then I’ll write “Fragile: Please don’t break my toys” and a crying face on the side of the box. Hopefully the movers will think I have a kid.
At least the books are easy except for their ridiculous weight…I didn’t even know I had this many White Dwarfs (Dwarves?)! And I’ve taken the time to consolidate all my uncut sprues into a few empty boxes. And put them on the shelf. The “Dark Angels Army” box? That has 5 Landspeeders and at least 18 bikes and 2 more Deathwing additions to my Dark Angels. Unassembled. I have an illness. This hobby. I love it. But man. It is desperately unfriendly to moving! And I forget how I packed all this stuff last time (and then bought a lot more stuff)…so I just know I’m going to commit the same mistakes all over again. I’ll designate a shelf in the new place as the triage ward for shell-shocked minis.
But when it’s all over, I can look at my wife and say…look! All my stuff is packed! I’m awesome. And then she’ll point to a corner of the office and smile politely…
DANG IT!

Flesh Tearers: Small Update

2010-05-28T07:35:00.000-04:00

Got 3 more Flesh Tearers assembled. I haven't had much time to hobby these past weeks as I've been swamped with work. I'm also prepping to move to Syracuse, NY from NYC. Any readers up there familiar with the area?

Here are the 4 Assault Squadies posing together. My night time shots are terrible, but at least you can see the amount of movement the new Death Company legs and arms offer! It's pretty awesome.

Here's a better shot of a Beakie marine rushing into battle. The Assault Pack is from DC set, as are the legs. Entirely by accident, this marine was assembled with lots of tassel-like things on his legs and pack, but in the end, I think it makes him look really dynamic. For the base, I've taken to using Ron S's (Over at From the Warp) method of lifting up the feet a slight bit so the marine doesn't look like they're sinking in to the flock. It works really well and allows me to go nuts on the base without worrying about blocking up all the detail on the marine's legs.

This next marine is another simple assembly just using DC arms. I wish I had taken better pictures. I've taken to using Picasa and getting better at them as I play around with the settings. If only I had more time to devote to the hobby and to documenting the hobby. I know. I know. The lament of every hobby blogger out there!

If you have any Flesh Tearer links, I'd love to see them! I'm a bit intimidated by the prospect of painting red, but I think it's time I stop being such a chicken about it and do it. Hopefully, I'll get some time this weekend to knock out a test model!

Terrain Tuesday +1: Last chance to vote for me!

2010-05-26T10:30:00.000-04:00

There are only 5 days left of voting over at the first ever Terrain From Junk Contest! I entered a rusty old fuel depot turned bastion. I figured any tall structure in a besieged city would be fortified in some way, so I thought, "why not make it serve as a bastion as well?" TfJ had a few rules (you can read here) that I followed and I managed to pull the whole thing together from start to finish in about two weeks. Must have not been working very hard.

Unfortunately, in the midst of making this terrain piece, my original computer crashed and I lost the majority of my WIP pics. I've now learned not to delete pics from the camera until I've made my back ups, but for this round of Terrain Tuesday+1, there are no WIP shots.

This is the only picture of the bits used that I have. In the back, I used cereal box cardboard for the detailing on the Coffee Can. I also used it to make the sidewalk tiles and the rivets for extra detailing. Cereal box cardboard rules! I've used it before on my DIY Drop Pods way back in the day and I'll probably use it again. It's cheap, abundant and doesn't look half-bad painted!

Also included in the picture is foam core...which every terrain maker knows about, so I won't get into it here. This was used for basing. The original plans for the oil drum was to have stairs going up to a second floor, but I scrapped the landing in the interest of time. For bits, I used various pieces from various sets (you can see an ammo box in a pic or two and the ladder came from a hobby train accessory set), along with a generator/pipe line from the IMEX Chemical Plant terrain set. The set I bought had extra pipes/drums but no platform pieces, so I can't recommend them based on quality control...but the pieces themselves make for great pipework detailing. I wish I had found a way to use more of the set in this piece!

Not pictured is the styrofoam tiles used to create the rubbled wall and the sculpting clay used to create the sandbags on top of the structure. Various materials assembled to form a piece of terrain worth fighting for!

On my long list of Terrain Tuesday projects, I plan to make a second Fuel Drum Bastion to compliment my first one and also to slowly convert my City-table into an Industrial Warzone table. I've kept the template I used to create all the details, so assembly should be fast enough that I can take pictures again!

Thanks for looking! Now please head over to the contest site and vote for my piece or if you like flamekebob's piece better, by all means...vote that way! Participation is the key to enjoying this hobby after all.

Terrain Tuesday: Tank Traps WIP

2010-05-18T00:01:00.002-04:00

I know what you’re thinking. How could he already be moving on to another project? He just started the Imperial Parkway last week!

You, reader, are correct! But let me explain! First of all, I haven't added any flock to the Parkway yet as I haven't had a chance to sit down and do it. Second, I'm playing in a massive Planetstrike game in a couple of weeks (June 5th!) and I've volunteered to make my own defensive terrain for it. Third, I can't help but have multiple terrain projects going. I think I have AADHD (the extra H is for Hobby!)...I get distracted by inspiration easily! Fourth, it can be used as a Cities of Death Obstacles strategem and I've been meaning to make a few of these to add to my barbed wire options.

Also, I really like alliteration and you can't beat Terrain Tuesday: Tank Traps, right? I mean...that's 4 Ts!
Ahem. Moving on. Here is a very dark shot in the Terrain from Junk style. These plastic cups are from our local takeout place. Usually filled with tasty sauces and dips, I've cleaned them (can't say this enough...clean the heck out of any food container you decide to use for terrain) and laid them out next to my Librarian (who's hiding in the shadows).

Very simple work! I cut out the base and laid out the cups with enough space for a single model to pass through, then glued on tops (to cover up the size info) and glued them to the base. The base is slightly bigger than the "6 inches" suggested by Cities of Death strategem, but with my play group, they won't really mind. It'll look good on a Planetstrike mission as well! Next step is to texture up the cups with some fine sand and then to flock the base with gravel. Knowing how I work, I'll probably flock these Tank Traps (I made 3. I eat a lot of delivery in NYC) at the same time I flock the Imperial Walkway.

The height and width of the cups look sturdy enough to stop a Rhino or give a Leman Russ reason to go around it. Quite a few of the ones I see for sale seem so tiny compared to the tanks they're supposed to stop! Besides, why buy it when you can make it, eh?

For the game, I'll probably propose that any tracked vehicle with a dozer can move through the Tank Trap with a dangerous terrain test (and destroying the trap), otherwise the terrain is impassable to all non-skimmers. It'll also grant 5+ invulnerable to infantry (and is not difficult for them). Lastly, since this is Planetstrike, the terrain can, of course, be destroyed and replaced with a crater during the Firestorm phase (which I love!).

Show me your custom strategem terrain or defensive terrain if you got it! I'll link it up and probably steal the design. I need to make minefields and gun turrets before 6/5...I'm defending a WHFB Fortress in the name of the Crimson Fists that weekend and the more guns, the better. Defense has it rough!

edit: I have no idea why these photos don't click/link to larger pictures. I uploaded via Windows Live Journal and for some reason only the first pic works. I'll check when I get a chance and sort it all out. If any one out there has any tips, let me know!

It Begins: Flesh Tearers!

2010-05-14T17:41:00.001-04:00

As mentioned previously, I’ve decided to add a newly minted Flesh Tearers force to my ever growing numbers of armies! A Battle Force box, 2 San Guard boxes (the second one is for the bits) and a Death Company box is a good start, I think. I figure this will give me 1k points and I can always add a Baal Predator later. The interwebs are all a buzz regarding the Priests, so I may need to make a few of those at some point as well. But for now, I’m setting down a core list to build around.

I love the new Death Company and Sanguinary Guard models. The improvements GW has made to their molding/sprue process is very evident in this latest release. I’m not just talking about the exquisite detail either! I think whoever laid out the bits on the sprue took careful consideration of where mold-lines might show up and adjusted accordingly. On top of that, they redesigned some flawed layouts…like the Jump Packs. Don’t understand what I’m saying here? Assemble a jump pack from the Assault Squad box. Then put together one from Death Company. The revised layout not only allows tons of detail, but it also makes assembly great!

Whenever I get a new project, I get crazy with organization. I live in a modest NYC apartment, so I can’t leave out tons of WIP stuff for too long or else the place gets cluttered. And with 2 cats and a wife, things may get eaten (by the cats) or accidentally shifted (by the wife). So I clip all the bits I plan to use to make a squad and drop them into a bin to keep them organized. From there, I clean up each model individually, decide on the pose using blue sticky-tack and proceed to glue! My first project is a 10 man Assault Squad…that counts as a Troop choice. 5 are in the box right now. The Death Company plus the Battle Force box gives me all the Assaulters (and jump packs) I need. One complaint is that the Death Company Box doesn’t have the jump pack torsos. I’ll dig them out of the bitz box to cover it, which will leave the DC torsos for my actual Death Company unit.The Sarge pre-assembly. The Thunder-hammer bits are so sexy I can’t help but use them right away. I might buy another set just to use it on a Crimson Fist Vanguard model.
The Sarge nearly assembled. I didn’t glue the TH just yet as I wanted to be sure I could reach all the fiddly bits for painting. He’ll be leading 9 more Flesh Tearers. Or maybe he’ll just be leading 4 more and I’ll make a second Assault squad with a Power Fist. I’m undecided and the army list is still in flux. So many options!

Anyone else starting up a Blood Angels or related chapter force? I'm scouring the webs now for Flesh Tearer painting guides...test models to be done soon!

Super Blog Chain Giveaway!

2010-05-12T15:00:00.001-04:00

Just a quick administratum post letting my readers know about the two new SBCG contests going on.
What? Two contests, you say? Your eyes do not deceive you! Dark Future Games decided to double down on the prize and choose two winners. Which is going to create 2 more winners. And eventually the 2 blog chains will cross streams and the universe will end, but until then, let's enjoy the ride!
In case you haven’t been following, here are the prizes and winners so far in this esteemed contest developed by Santa Cruz Warhammer:
So far prizes given/to be given away:
Santa Cruz Warhammer - 2 Winsor Newton Brushes, Brush Cleaner, Bin of Best Damn Basing Sand Ever (tm)
Adepticus Prime - 3 New Eldar War Walkers
Dark Future Games - A Custom-Dreadnaughts, winner's choice conversion/weapons/chapter!
Team Snake Eyes- A NEW Transport Vehicle of Winner’s Choice
Tales From the Warzone – A NEW Troop Box of Winner’s Choice

Now if the prizes aren’t enough for you to consider entering, consider for a moment the folks that will now visit your blog! Before this contest, I had never even heard of Team Snake Eyes or Tales from the Warzone…but just linking off Dark Future, I visited, followed and will now watch for updates. That’s community building and getting more folks connected. The prize is now officially icing on the cake!
Check out the links and enter! And follow these blogs! Both look great!

Terrain Tuesday: Imperial Parkway

2010-05-11T10:30:00.002-04:00

note: Apologies to folks that saw updates for all my posts. I've started using Windows Live Journal to post and I'm still learning. I think I got the hang of not blowing up the system though.

I have a confession to make:

I love making terrain. It’s a blast for me to cobble together all sorts of bits and bobs to make a nice City-Fight (I guess it’s called Cities of Death now) piece or a nifty industrial bit. I like how you start with nothing but craft supplies and end the process with a piece of terrain worth fighting over!

In an effort to reduce the size of my “terrain” bits box before I potentially move, I’ve decided to try and create as much terrain as I can over these summer months. It’s probably silly as moving with terrain means potentially broken terrain, but my wife might be upset when I pay the movers to carry a box full stuff that to the untrained eye, appears to be trash. The life of a hobbyist is complicated indeed!

For this Tuesday, I finished a project I started ages ago, an Imperial Parkway. The idea was simple enough. Take the leftover foamcore from cutting out the windows to my broken Cathedral and create a fence on a small bit of board. Sidewalks and eventually a statue. Nice bit of cover-creating terrain that wasn’t rubble.

For the bases of the statues I blatantly stolen the idea from Ricalopia. In case none of you have been over there, this guy is frakkin’ talented as hell and is a veritable GOLD MINE of ideas that inspire you to produce. The specific idea I stole was from his Imperial Objectives pieces. He used the non-bolters detail bits from the Bastions to make pillars. Simple, effective, genius…stolen!

I then grabbed 2 brutalized marines from an Ebay auction that I had been too lazy to fix and chopped them up a bit.

This poor marine took a few hits to the noggin.

Ow! My arm! Oh! The humanity! The humanity!

Carving up the marines was fun. Drill bits, hobby knife, clippers…teeth. All were used to desecrate the statues of these marines! Okay. Maybe not teeth.

I made the rookie mistake of poking bullet holes and carving impact cracks into the foamcore before gluing on any details. I know exactly how it happened too. I was cleaning up a few edges of the foam and was like, I’ll just put an impact crack here. Then I grabbed the pin and added bullet holes and before I knew it, I had no space to put on actual bits details.

I did manage to squeeze in a sword or two on the sides at least. I cut up a few Dark Angels vehicle symbols. I mean…I have a million of those flat-winged swords, so why not?

Lastly, I glued down some scouring pad to represent dirt inside each statue area. I’ll be gluing down some sand over it along with a few clumps of grass to represent the days when these statues were respected.

For painting, I expect it’ll be the same grays I use to paint the rest of my cities. I’m considering defacing the statues with Chaos script, but then it won’t match anything I’ve done so far. But so what? It doesn’t have to match, does it?

Comments are appreciated! I’ll post an update next Tuesday on the progress.

Administratum: Contests! Contests! Flesh Tearers!

2010-05-03T09:58:00.000-04:00

Just in case you missed the comments in my last post, Old School Terminator over at Dark Future Games is continuing the Super Blog Chain Giveaway contest. The direct link is right here. Head over there and enter! Deadline for submissions is May 10th. I'd enter myself if I could...his prize of a Winner's Choice converted Dreadnaught is not only cool, it's exactly the sort of prize no one could say no to!

So far prizes given away:
Santa Cruz Warhammer - 2 Winsor Newton Brushs, Brush Cleaner, Bin of Best Damn Basing Sand Ever (tm)
Adepticus Prime - 3 Eldar War Walkers
Dark Future Games - 1 Dreadnaught, winner's choice conversion/weapons!

Please enter! It's a great way to drive folks to see your blog and a great way to showcase your talent for creative prizes/ideas! Plus...who doesn't like a good contest? I know I love 'em.

Speaking of contests, as I mentioned previously, I had planned to enter the Terrain From Junk contest...and unlike previous attempts to finish on time, in this case, I finished my Coffee Can masterpiece:

Head on over there and vote for me! Or the other entry if you like it better. It's a great entry and I'm honored to be part of the competition. Most importantly, it got me working on terrain and finishing a project! A word to folks out there mulling over various projects...contests help inspire and get things done! Don't be afraid to to participate!

Lastly, as I hinted at over on SCWH, I have started a Flesh Tearers Marine force. I don't know why, but something diminished-strength Marine chapters struggling to survive really makes me want the army. My Crimson Fists are somewhere around 4000 points painted, so I think I can afford a small FT strike-force, right?

I bought a Battleforce, a Death Company box and 2 San-Guard boxes. I figure I can make everything I need for a 1100 point force from those boxes. So look for posts soon on the Flesh Tearers! Anyone else start up a BA force?

Super Blog Chain Give Away! Winner: Old School Terminator!

2010-04-30T21:01:00.003-04:00

As all good things must come to an end, and new things must begin, I pass on the prize and the SBCG burden on to Old School Terminator at Dark Future Games! It was a tough choice for me and I wish I could have split the prize and given something to everyone. But there must always be one and the idea of lusty Slannesh walkers was one I couldn't pass up and his prize of a painted converted Dreadnaught is something I'd love to see made and shipped.

It's the prizes made with love for the hobby that I love the most!

Congrats to the winner! And congrats to SCWH for putting together such an awesome contest! The entries I got below were just awesome.

And the prizes aren't bad either. Guess what I got in the mail today? 2 gorgeous brushes, brush cleaner and some fantastic basing material. I can't say enough good things about the guys over at Santa Cruz Warhammer.

I hope the other entrants will head on over to Dark Future games and post their prizes on to this contest! Keep it alive!

Super Blog Chain Give Away! Deadline approaches!

2010-04-28T07:44:00.000-04:00

My computer has crashed and I'm working hard to restore it, but in the meantime, I wanted to remind my readers of the Super Blog Chain Give Away deadline approaching on Friday!

The Prize is Three (3) Eldar War Walkers still on the sprue!

Already I see some awesome entries, so the competition is fierce (and difficult for me!)...but that doesn't mean you can't top someone on here for this great prize. And remember, if you win, you'll be running the Super Blog Chain Give Away next and Santa Cruz Warhammer and I will work hard to send people to your blog!

"The "Pay It Forward" Super Blog Chain Give Away" (part 2)

2010-04-24T08:40:00.001-04:00

The give-away feeling at Santa Cruz Warhammer is fairly infectious. The excitment of the prize, the daydreaming as you post...and then that email that says "You've won. Pay it Forward!"

It's a small thrill, but a wonderful one nonetheless and one I'd like to share with my own readers (and new visitors to my blog!). So I'm having a contest! Just like SCWH's Pay it Forward contest!

The prize? Three Eldar War Walkers still on the sprue. I'll never do anything with them and it'd be nice to send them to a great Eldar home. This means, the winner will receive, by mail, the sprues to make 3 walkers (minus 1 decorative piece), 3 large bases and 3 glass canopies. Oh! And 3 sheets of transfers! It's as if you time traveled back to when the Eldar were released and purchased a War Walker Squadron cause you thought you'd like to make an Eldar army!

The rules for the contest are simple...and copied verbatim from SCWH:

Rules.

1. you must have a blog.

2. you must have something worthwhile to offer up to give away for free.

3. if you win, you must hold your own blogsite give away using the same rules to pay it forward.

4. you must contact us with a link to your give away so we can send bloggers to your site.

5. you may only enter once per give away.

To enter.

leave a comment to this post as follows.

1st sentence, why you need the prize.

2nd sentence what you will give away on your blog to pay it forward.

I will choose the winner based on how convincing they are and what they offer to the next winner.

The winner will be announced this coming Friday night 9pm EST!

Be clever! Be witty! Be greedy! Be crazy! Be awesome!

40 Days of Painting: Failure and a new contest!

2010-04-14T21:23:00.000-04:00

I owe a few pictures for the 40 Days of Painting contest, but I thought I'd let folks know that I lost. Mainly cause I didn't paint a single Tactical model on Friday night before the deadline. The winner, Viper (on nerdnyc) had won in the first few days and received the gift certificate and our grudging admiration. If I could paint half as fast as him, I'd have 6 incomplete armies instead of a measly 3! There was a second place prize that I also did not win...but I could have scored if I had completed my tacticals. Curse my laziness!

No big deal though! Worst result out of this contest is that I'm out $10 and I've added another 1000 points of painted Crimson Fists to my collection. In fact...that's not a bad deal at all! I had a great time trash talking folks online and getting models painted under a deadline is great motivator. I mean...even if you don't win the grand prize...you still win those painted models, right? Right???

Speaking of contests, Terrain from Junk is holding a terrain building contest and I've decided to join. Which means I have 15 short days to pull together a 6x6 piece of terrain, take pictures (normally my undoing) and send them along to that fantastic (and fledgling) blog. Go over there and comment! DIY Terrain is a dying art! Revitalize it! With the power of junk!!!

I'll post updates as I go.

Step 1: Gather the materials!

More to come. This will eventually be a Fuel Storage silo turned bastion. It's going to be awesome. I make terrain way better than I convert/paint models. It's like a secret skill I have. Maybe it's why I enjoy basing models so much.

40 Days of Painting: Tactical Squad

2010-04-09T16:35:00.002-04:00

The original list for my 40 Days of Painting consisted of 2 Tactical Squads. Well, I completed 1 of them so far here they are!

For the most part, this is a very simple tactical squad. A few old metal models with new arms (though the guy with the knife and bolter has old arms...I wanted to make a model that looked like the old school Rogue Trader plastics). The Plasma Rifle tactical has a very modest conversion...I attempted to raise up the plasma rifle so it looks like he's aiming it. I used an old tutorial I found on Bolter and Chainsword that was pretty kick ass.

The lesson learned here is that not only for you need to adjust the wrists, you should also consider adjusting the joins at the shoulder. He looks great from the front, but from the top, he looks like he's holding that plasma as far from his face as possible!

Oh noes! Cawshis is cheating! His tactical squad has a meltagun model as well. No! I'm not cheating. I must have snapped this shot with the meltaguy instead of a tactical. I'll make up for it with the other tactical squad in the contest, I guess! The melta model is an older one, but I loved his face so much I highlighted it.

Lastly is my Tactical Sgt. He's got a magnetized banner pole (for ease of storage and less chance of breaks). At first I hated banners, but now I kind of want all my special marines to have one.

Another old model that I love and I'm so happy to finally have put a decent paintjob on. He's got new weapons and a new plasma, but his helmet barely fits in his neckguard. Awesome.

I'll be applying transfers next, but I'm going to wait until I get the microsol and apply in a huge batch. More to come! I hope folks enjoy these additions to the Crimson Fists!

40 Days of Painting Status Update:
Less than 1 days left...31 points complete. Still ahve to finish those tactical marines. Might. Not. Make it. Tomorrow we all get together for Kill Team games and paying of debts by losers and huzzahing (hating) on the winners. I'm definitely going to finish these guys though, so expect pictures of the rhinos and the tacticals soon!

40 Days of Painting: Captain

2010-04-08T20:18:00.000-04:00

About 2 weeks ago, I posted pictures of a WIP Captain. I figured now with only 2 days left in the original contest, I should get around to posting pictures of him. It's shameful. I know.

For the pictures this time, I set up 2 lamps and a white sheet of paper. I might need a 3rd lamp or I may just break down and buy a picture box. I don't know. I can't seem to get these pictures looking as crisp as other folks have them!

As always, my Crimson Fists are a very simple paint scheme. I take a bit more time and add a bit more highlights on my HQs and models I really like...but for the most part, it's drybrush Mordian Blue, a lighter drybrush of Ultramarine blue and then details and washes.

I tried to get the power sword to look like the charges were flowing across it in motion (he's swinging the blade across his chest). It looks good in person, but this is the only shot I got of it that looks decent. I think my macro settings wash out the details.

I really enjoyed painting this guy and I can tell I've made leaps since my very first Captains of days past. Although, looking at those old posts, I feel like my picture taking has gotten worse! Coincidence? Maybe I'm taking more time painting and less time taking pictures. Yeah. Or the lighting in here is awful!

40 Days of Painting Status Update:
Less than 2 days left...31 points complete. 9 tacticals in two days. I don't know if I can do it. But I did paint up TLHB and TLLCs for make my rhinos Razorbacks. That counts for something, right? Right?

40 Days of Painting: Assault Squad

2010-04-01T09:32:00.001-04:00

This past weekend I was at PAXeast. So the week before, I was working like crazy so I could leave to a game convention without any guilt. Instead, I transferred that guilt to not updating folks!

Anyways, I'm finally putting up some completed pics. I finished this unit so long ago, it's silly it took me 3 weeks to post them. Here is 5 Assault Squad members painted in your standard Crimson Fist colors. Or nonstandard! I wanted to see what a little drybrush of ultramarine blue did to the models. Lightened them up a bit, but that's okay.

Flamer Assault squad member. This is an older metal model (I have no idea from when!). Even the Jump Pack is metal! Lots of nifty details on this guy and I decided to paint his skin a darker color. I wish the skin hadn't come out so shiny (I'm guessing that was from the washes), but I'm hoping when I get around to the finish, the skin will tone down. Also, Hand Flamer! I love hand flamers and I am very disappointed that only the new Blood Angels have access to them.

I'll save that rant for another day though. Instead, more assault squadies!

Since I wanted to complete there guys as quickly as possible, I didn't do anything fancy here. Bases are very straight forward and color scheme is very simple. I may go back and do a few touch ups here and there (I don't really like the Black Templar badge for example), but these guys are tabletop ready!

40 Days of Painting Status Update:
Less than 7 days left...20 points complete. Have to highlight both rhinos and 10 tacticals in such a short amount of time. Also, I need to paint all the bolters...so actually, I have only 10 points. Damn you PAX!

New(ish) Blog: Terrain From Junk!

2010-03-18T11:00:00.000-04:00

We interrupt my 40 days of painting updates (or nonupdates as the case maybe) to pimp a blog I hope gets alot more views and pictures: Terrain From Junk (associated with Tristan, author for GWPertinent). It provides snapshots of terrain made from the junk around your house and I think it's brilliant!

I respectfully submit my own junk piece (unpainted, but to those familiar with my blog, this should come as no surprise!)...the Random Industrial building turned into a last-stand base. It was created from the humble packaging for my new printer (or really old printer at this point!):

Glorious junk, right? Endless possibilities! I used cereal box cardboard, lots of bits, some plasticard and clay-filler and produced a work of WONDER! Okay. Maybe not wonder. But definitely serviceable as some front-line bunker or cheap-o bastion.

I used bendy straws and wire mesh for the pipe system. One of the delays I have in painting it is that I've been meaning to pick up water effects to put down there, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Check out Tristan's new blog! Send in images for inspiration! With the unending number of terrain kits GW has been releasing, I've been missing the DIY folks that turn junk into terrain! I yearn for the days of WDs filled with coffee can terrain pieces and deodorant-container tanks!

WIP Jump Pack Captain

2010-03-17T14:03:00.000-04:00

note: This guy has been primed and painted already, but I wanted to show a WIP shot.

As I've become obsessed with Planetstrike games, I decided that I needed a Captain equipped with a Jump Pack to better support my assault/counter assault elements (both my 2000 points defender/attacker lists now have Jump Pack Marines). I didn't want to spend a million points on him, so I gave him the basics: Jump Pack, Power Weapon and a Melta Bomb.

Some very minor conversions went into this guy: I cut down the hip plates from a Terminator Assault set and had to place a spacer on his Jump pack to fit in the Iron Halo. If I do the hip plates again (and I will as I kind of like them!), I'll probably fit in some sort of spacer to lift them up slightly from the armor. They look a bit off...or that could just be me.

I heavily decorated the Jump Pack as I wanted the Captain to be able to fit in with the bling-laden Vanguard and still stand out. I think the seals and base will help in that regard. The base I received in a trade via Santa Cruz Warhammer Barter Bucket. I traded my OOP Imperial Guard along with an Imperial Guard on a bike for metal scouts, and Mike was awesome enough to toss in a few resin bases. It adds a great amount of height to the Captain and will be fun to paint I think.

I'm pretty sure the seals were from the Ravenwing set. I love that set just for the seals! On the top of the jump pack, I wanted to add some more bling (pimp my jump pack!), so I shaved down a pair of matching Terminator honors bits as far as I could manage and glued them on. If I had more skill (and time) to work with green stuff, I'd probably had been better served going that route. But I'm happy with the way it turned out.

I wish my pics weren't so dark. Taking pics while working isn't easy. Do you folks have a photobox set up that is quick to turnaround? Often, I'm snapping a pic under a lamp and trying my best to clean it up on Photoshop (my skills there a limited as well). My challenge is that I live in a NYC apartment that has nearly no space to permanently set up a photobox/lamp set up...so I make do with my work lamp on the coffee table so I can get something up. Perhaps it's a setting on the camera I can fiddle with...is there any setting that'll take brighter pictures despite crappy lighting?

Coming up: Finished Captain, Basing 101 and a 10 man Assault Squad!

Basing: Not Another Tutorial Part 1

2010-03-14T12:01:00.009-04:00

There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of basing tutorials on the web. Ron, over at From the Warp, has probably the simplest tutorial out there...add glue to base, dip in sand! Weemen extends Ron's 2 steps out to 10 in an easy to read and follow fashion. The talented folks over at Santa Cruz Warhammer not only expanded on Ron's simple format, they also introduced grass and a self-made nifty wash to it.

So, as I say in the title...this is not another tutorial. More talented folks have created tutorials for you to follow and use. In that linked post from Santa Cruz, they had a contest at the end that involved them sending some basing materials to a lucky winners. The only requirements...write a quick review. I sent John my review ages ago, but I still owned the blog a review. Here it is in the simplest and easiest form...and just in time for 40 Days of Painting!

First up, superglue a rock to the base...Santa Cruz (SC)'s kit came with a bin of slate that was perfect for my bases. Glue it anywhere you think it looks nifty. Don't over think it! Only warning: Try not to make it impossible to paint the model's feet!

Second up, add white glue. I just put 2-3 drops on the base and use a toothpick to spread around. Third, dip in your sand mixture. In the past I used a gravel-like mix for my models. Santa Cruz sent me a nice sandy mixture...it's the same mix they used in their tutorial. It sticks quick and then I just let it dry overnight.

Prime it! I prime my models using Gesso. I never liked the spray paints despite the speed and living in an apartment building makes it tough to "go outside" and spray. Besides that, priming with gesso allows me to really look at my models and mentally take note of all those details I may not have noticed before. Hand-priming, for me, has really improved my painting habits. Here's a pic of the brand I use.

I use one brush for the base and different one for the model when priming. I've learned through trial and error that using the same brush means you get a bit of base material stuck to your model and that you'll need to remove the gunk later...learn from my failures!

I then leave this to dry overnight! Stay tuned for the painting steps I take in part 2!
40 Days of Painting Status Update:
26 days left...9 points complete. That's 6 Sternguard, 5 Assault Marines and 1 Captain. I think I'm going to do Rhinoes next just to increase my score to respectable levels. Low hanging Fruit FTW!

40 Days of Painting: Sternguard

2010-03-13T23:12:00.002-05:00

Finally putting up some pics! With 12 days past, I'm sad to admit that I only have 8 points fully painted...the Sternguard ate up a lot more of my time than I'd like to admit. But hopefully I can make up time on the easier Tactical Marines and Rhinos!

I originally posted regarding my Sternguard a really long time ago. Back then, I had 4 of the splendid metal models to paint and 2 converted models. I primed them and basecoated them a long time ago and then got lazy for a bit. No more, I say! No More!

Being the obsessive guy that I am, I couldn't paint them with their bolters blocking all that chest detail, so while they are WIP, the arms are painted separately! I didn't take a shot prior to this, but from here I had a bunch of steps...lots of details to cover (especially the bling) and highlights to add.

As I post these pics, I can see I missed a tiny detail here and there that I'll need to go back and finish up. And I may consider highlighting the bling some more as they don't so much look "Shining Gold" as "Dull Brass" at the moment. Any veteran out there knows what colors I used. I like my crimson fist bolters to look all metal...as they would need to be cast quick and efficiently to rearm the chapter. Also, these guys are all about table-ready...so it saves me lots of time considering how many marines I'll have equipped with bolters!

The converted marines are fairly easy to spot, I think. They do fit in well with the rest of the sternguard, but I think for future converts, I'm going to ensure they have bolter straps and maybe a bit more bling. And Skulls on their helmets! I didn't notice that nearly all of the metal sterns have skulls on their helmets.

I'll be posting more as I go. Lots of pictures...but lots more painting to do! If it wasn't for the last minute, I'd never get anything done

40 Days of Painting Status Update:
28 days left...8 points complete. I'm way behind where I need to be!.

40 Days of Painting: Random Thoughts

2010-03-02T12:16:00.003-05:00

So without realizing it, the minis I pulled off the shelf for this contest could totally amount to a modest 1030 point army!

HQ (300 Points)
Captain with Jump Pack, Power Sword, Meltabomb
Captain with Terminator Armor and ChainFist

Elite (155 points)
6 Sternguard, 1 Combi-Melta

Troops (465 points)
10 Tacticals, Powerfist, Meltagun, Missile Launcher, Rhino
10 Tacticals, Plasma Pistol, Plasma Gun, Heavy Bolter, Rhino

Fast Attack (110 Points)
5 Assault Marines with Jump Pack, Flamer

It isn't the worst list in the world for a 1000 point game. A solid Troop core with an ability to tackle various unit types (Plasma on the MEQs, HB on swarms...Power Fist for Dreads) loaded in Rhinos and supported by 2 ICs and a Jump squad. I guess I'd march that Terminator Captain around the board as he'll be the slowest model out there...or use him as a counter-assaulter to support a HB or ML combat squad.

The Jump Pack Captain will support the Jump Pack marines and break up small enemy units or last-turn objective contest. I feel like the list is a bit naked without some sort of tank, like the cheap predator...but I wouldn't be adverse to playing with this list.

Might even be fun in a Planetstrike game as the defenders!

How do you decide what you're going to paint? Is it what tickles your fancy? Is it that neat conversion that you just have to paint? Or do you paint in blocks of required units? I usually paint in blocks of units I want to try out. This time around I just grabbed what I had assembled just to finally get them done. We'll see how that works out for me. I have a lot of other minis I should "just get done..." many of which you've seen right here on this blog (Dark Angels, Tau, etc!).

What do you have on your shelf that you just need to get done but you haven't been inspired to pull down and paint?

40 Days of Painting Status Update:
39 days left...all models are now primed and ready for base work.

I'm back and 40 days of Painting ahead!

2010-03-01T13:00:00.003-05:00

So after a too long hiatus, I'm back. I could post a litany of excuses...work, life, laziness, etc...but suffice it to say, I've missed posting and been aching to get back to it.

Over at NerdNYC, I've entered into a "contest" of sorts. We're all putting some money in a pot and the challenge is simple: 40 points worth of minis in 40 days. I have lots of minis just sitting on the shelf, assembled and unpainted, so I pulled a bunch down and I've decided to get these done!

Thirteen points: 2 Rhinos (5 each) and 6 Sternguard at 1/2 point each (since I've already started them).

Twenty-seven points. 5 Assault marines...one of which is a very old assault marine equipped with a very old hand flamer (which is simply a flamer in play). Terminator with Chainfist and 20 Tactical Marines. A lot of these guys are older Metal models with newer arms and bolters (though some have old bolters too!). I really emptied my "old bits" box to assemble these guys and I'm happy with how they turned out. Lastly, I made a Jump-Pack equipped Captain using various bits from various sets. He's been put on a resin (I think!) base I received in a trade not long ago. I wanted this Captain to stand out a bit and also be about the same height as my Vanguard and the resin base was perfect for it.

I made some minor conversions here and there and I'll try to highlight them in the future as I paint up the models. I'm excited to be back painting and modeling again! Stay tuned (for more regular posting!).

WIP: Crimson Fist Ironclad Dreadnaught

2009-11-11T14:43:00.002-05:00

For my Planetstrike game on 11/14, I've decided to field an Ironclad Dreadnaught in a drop pod. I've been using a regular AoBR dreadnaught proxy in games and I've really liked the Ironclad's performance so far. Slightly better than a standard dread and well worth the extra points.

I have the Ironclad set from GW, but decided to also kitbash up my own dread. After trolling various websites for inspiration, I came across an amazing model on Cool Mini or Not by Talarion. I loved the head piece and the bulky bunker-like look of the model. So I grabbed my bits and saw and knives and sticky tack and decided to give this conversion a try for my Crimson Fists!

The Dreadnaught shape, of course, is an AoBR model I picked up from The War Store. I then sawed off most of the front of the model (after much dry fitting and determining best fit and the like). I haven't glued on the front plate yet as I need to figure out what I want to do with any gaps, but so far, so good.

I used some old LR sponsoon bits (from my LRC) to form the front plate, cutting and fitting as needed. For the head-lens array, I used a Chaos smoke launcher (at least I think it's a smoke launcher), much like the original inspiration. Plasticard forms the helmet as well as the armor plate on the model (I don't know why I have black plasticard instead of white...the bag I bought had a large mix of colors and textures). For the Chainfist, I used an old Epic Titan arm and a plastic tube tacked onto the AoBR arm.

I'm going to detail it up with some pipes and wires and the like. And the pic makes it clear that I need to smooth out that arm immensely!

For the HK missile, I didn't really like the ones the Ironclad comes with. It really doesn't makes sense to me that the HKs on Rhinos look so different from the ones on Ironclads, so I just took a normal Rhino HK and cut it down to fit under the dreadnaught.

Lots more to do:

Bulk out the legs with some more armor plates and detail. Bulk out the body and arms as well...I'm not completely sure about the exhausts on the front...I like it but I don't know if it'll look good painted. And I haven't even touched the back engine! I also need to assemble the other arm and add in the melta gun/flamer options.

What do folks think? Any advice? I've got a ways to go yet and I may wind up proxying my Ironclad again on 11/14 if this beast isn't done yet. For fluffy reasons, I'm saying that Pedro Kantor had to reactivate some of the older dreadnaughts after the disaster on Rynn's World…the loss of their armory has left the Fists using whatever they have on hand!

ANFSCD*: Andira Runehand

2009-11-09T11:24:00.001-05:00

I saved the Andira Runehand post for last as she was actually the second the model I painted in this ANFSCD series and I had delusions that I would go back and correct all the tiny mistakes on her that add up to a mess of a model.

But then I remembered that ANFSCD isn't about obsessing over mistakes. It's about trying new things, seeing what went wrong and then trying again on a new model (in this case, Silo was the model I did better on!). It was also about keeping up with the hobbying despite having burnt out on Crimson Fists. At least I had some success there!

Runehand has been a staple mage in our group since day 1. Her focus has been on AoE type spells, both Breath and Blast runes to wipe out the little enemies so Lord Hawthorne and Silo can handle the big threats (while my guy ports around grabbing treasures and supplies). She's a neat character, though her base ability to pierce 2 armor has become slightly less useful as the monsters we're facing have advanced to Silver/Gold levels...they have a lot of armor to pierce now! Her player is brilliant though and has done a great job of rapidly building an attack plan and getting us on-board for the killing and the looting. Sometimes he bites off a bit more than he can chew and winds up getting beat up and sent back to town, but his sacrifices are always well-calculated for the overall team win.

This model is easily the weakest model in the set. Her fingers and head are mediocre sculpts and there is no rational explanation for her to be carrying a banner through the dungeon. It doesn't even connect to her power (which is a Runehand presumably.) Along with this, her drawing demands a gold trim and a highlight on the hand, both of which I failed at!

Many tiny mistakes add up to an angry Andira

I started with a black gesso base and then painted all her armor bits with the foundation paint Adeptus Battlegrey. In a moment of inspiration, I then decided to give her armor a wash of Asurman blue instead of using any regular paint...so what you see here is just straight blue wash over a grey-white basecoat. It actually came out looking rather nice for her...makes for shiny armor without using any metallics!

I then tried to use sunburst yellow along the edges (or is it golden yellow now?) and here is where I flubbed it. Lots of fat lines that should be thin and I feel like I should have used a different yellow to act as gold. Live and learn, I guess. Not much time lost though as I finished her in a night (not counting the gessoing that I let dry overnight). You'll note I didn't bother trimming every bit of armor as I didn't want to continue compounding the error...as stated, I was going to go back and fix it. But now I'm not. Take that, perfectionist tendencies!

She looks much better from the back...

This little trip into ANFSCD really worked to keep me painting and as of Sunday, I'm back to fists in preparation for Planetstrike on Saturday. Huzzah!

*And Now For Something Completely Different: A sporadic post about my exploits outside the WH40K hobby. I paint and play with other minis too!

ANFSCD*: Silouette

2009-11-08T10:00:00.002-05:00

In my continuing series of ANFSCD posts, I bring you Silouette! She's the rogue in our group, armed with a bow that she has come to use with great effect!

One of the neat aspects of the Descent: JitD Road to Legend expansion is the customization you can really put on your character. In the normal play version, you'd draw your abilities and play them out. In the RtL version, you start with a single ability, but then you can choose to buy your next few. Which means you can really tailor your character to do some ridiculous stuff. As is the case of Silouette here! As an archer, she has the ability to re-roll misses, draw LOS from a hex away and ignore the first LOS blocking terrain in her way...along with this, she has two kinds of bows...one for killing normal mobs and another that pierces the strongest armors. She's become a beast nearly as strong as Lord Hawthorne!

It wasn't always that way though. She started off very weak basically pinging anything tougher than a beastman for 1 point. I don't know if that was fun for her player, but I know it isn't fun for me (now that I'm the weak link in the party). So as a party, we invested in her gear and abilities and now she essentially carries the group. That and we're all having much more fun!

Anyway, here is the finished shot of her:

In the pits, she grew strong!

I'm most proud of the trim on her leather tunic. It matches the picture and doesn't look sloppy. I'm going to be posting Andira Runehand soon who has similar trim on her armor and I didn't really pull it off. But on Silo...I totally nailed it.

I also wanted to try freehanding a tattoo to match the picture. It was much easier than I thought it would be and I'm kind of glad I tried:

It's not a perfect match, but for tabletop play, it's close enough! For a night's work painting (After painting 3 other ones in as many nights), I'm fairly happy with the results!

*And Now For Something Completely Different: A sporadic post about my exploits outside the WH40K hobby. I paint and play with other minis too!

ANFSCD*: Lord Hawthorne

2009-11-07T18:30:00.002-05:00

As mentioned before, I burnt out for a short while and decided to pick up and paint a few Descent Adventurers instead of power armored Marines. Today, I'll be showing Lord Hawthorne!

In our Road to Legends campaign, Lord Hawthorne is a beast. Essentially he's our tank, dps and crowd controller on every level of the dungeon. Part of it is because we've pooled out efforts to gearing him out...and the other part is because his player loves to knock dungeon heads.

The joy of painting these Descent figures was the lack of any pressure to perform. I simply looked at the card, chose some colors and got to painting. Any painter can pick out the colors I used...mecharite red, chainmail, badab black washes, etc etc. I started with a black gesso and used foundation paints to get the colors started. For the tabard bit, I tried Grey with just a green wash. I like the way it came out...very light colored cloth!

Front View

Back View

I didn't make him as shiny as his picture though...these guys are dungeon crawlers, so I washed him with devlan mud to get him a bit dirty on the edges. I've got 2 more coming. Does anyone out there play Descent? Or Dungeons and Dragons (for the original dungeon crawling game!)?

Lord Hawthorne will pillage your dungeon!

*And Now For Something Completely Different: A sporadic post about my exploits outside the WH40K hobby. I paint and play with other minis too!

ANFSCD*: Runemaster Thorn

2009-11-06T12:00:00.001-05:00

*And Now For Something Completely Different: A sporadic post about my exploits outside the WH40K hobby. I paint and play with other minis too!

After reading Corbania's "That's it! I'm Burnt Out!" post, I couldn't help but empathize. At least twice this week, I sat in front of my painting station and thought "Man. I can't bring myself to paint another blue guy." But I still enjoy the hobby and I still love the relaxation I get with painting. So how to get it when I'm burnt out on Crimson Fists?

What I first tried to do was paint my Dark Angels or my Tau...but I found I couldn't even get into that. It was still too similar and still too many models to do and still too much. So I looked around my vast collections of minis for something else to paint. Lo and behold, my Descent: Journeys in the Dark box set was out from a game a few weeks ago. I'm playing in a long running monthly Road to Legends campaign and as a group, we've talked about painting our models for a long time. So I finally took the plunge!

The nice thing about painting these models is that they come with reference cards for each character:

Runemaster Thorn

So all I have to do is extrapolate the colors and get to painting! I started with my own guy first, the reasoning being that if I wanted to get back the Crimson Fists, then at least I'd look better than my fellow (unpainted) players. I freely admit that I didn't work extra hard on Runemaster Thorn. I gesso'ed him in black and then built up the colors form there. Veteran painters should be able to identify colors and techniques.

Another nice thing about trying a solo model is that it doesn't have to tie into the rest of your collection! So you can try something new (like the skin tones on this old guy) you read about on some blog or article. You can try different highlight schemes or wet blending or what have you. I played it safe on this guy, but I feel like I did some stuff I've never done before like with the beard. It's a stretch for me to paint hair since none of my Crimson Fists are Space Wolves in disguise (i.e. they aren't hairy!).

Runemaster Thorn is a spellcaster-type, but as he has the ability to teleport instead of move, I've been using him as a treasure grabber/portal activator. As such, I've fallen a little behind in the gear curve as we prioritized equipping our true killer-types (the archer and the warrior, coming soon). Eventually I'll gear up again, but right now I'm having a ton of fun porting around and sniping wounded monsters or grabbing their treasure and porting out before they can respond.

I'm debating if I should try flocking him (and the rest of the heroes), but I'm afraid I'll bury the feet. Maybe I could try painting a rock pattern? Or paint the base grey? On a separate topic, how do you get out of your army painting rut?

Crimson Fist Veteran Sgt

2009-11-03T10:00:00.004-05:00

I finally finished my Crimson Fist Sgt. I originally planned his construction and look for my Command Squad I posted ages ago. I didn't think it would take so long to paint him at the time (I even tried to get him done by the end of May...but work conspired against me!). Anyways, I finally completed him! For the too lazy to click on my link, here's the pic of the Sgt pre-paint job. Bits from various sets and I used cuts from index card to make the neck armor. To harden the card, I brushed on a light layer of crazy glue. Really stiffened it up!

For painting him, I used my standard Crimson Fist colors:

Mordian Blue Drybrush over Black Gesso

Ultramarine+Mordian drybrush to highlight

Straight Ultramarine for highlight.

Extreme highlight = Ultramarine+White

Mecharite Red Fists w/ Badab Black Wash in recesses/Baal Red wash on higher parts.

I quartered the shoulder icon...I'm going to have a few units with this quartered icon somewhere on them to represent their having fought with Black Templars. I plan to have a green half badge on my Sternguard to represent veterans of Rynn's World. I know the Fists don't cotton to elaborate badges and icons, so I'm hoping to keep it simple.

I'm gathering up the courage to try and freehand a design on the Banner, though in looking at this picture, I think I might have to clean up the highlight/lowlight colors. It's pretty stark how fast it goes from white-grey-dark grey! I also forgot to detail up the Purity Seals. Tiny things you don't see until you actually post the picture!

FTW: Must Have Unit

2009-10-31T10:10:00.000-04:00

From the Warp asked us a simple question:

"This time it's an easy one... What is your MUST HAVE unit in your army?...We all have that one unit we just can't bear to go without... For some of us it's an emotional attachment, some might just think it's cool, whatever the reason, let's hear about it."

For me, at least, Ron's right...his question is an easy one. The must have unit for my Crimson Fists are Assault Marines with Jump Packs. Simply put, Assault Marines are cheap for what they can do!

For less than 150 points, I can field a squad of 5 Fists that can hop 12inches over terrain, flamer an enemy unit and then charge in with Power Fist attacks! Toss in a melta bomb for the Sgt and even a Land Raider is in danger.

Crimson Fists Assault Squad Support Termies in Killing Nurgle Marines

They aren't invincible by any means and 5 marines with Packs won't break an Ork mob, but I always field them and every game they've managed to do something awesome. Be it having a Sgt that crushes 8 Skull Bashers in a single battle or a late turn revenge charge against a Land Raider to blow it up, the Assault Marines are mobile enough and flexible enough to be where I want them, when I want them!

I'd be remiss if I didn't at least mention the neat conversions you can do with Assault Marines. I've seen amazing jump packs, cool bases and neat motion effects. I also love the fluff that some folks have created for their Assault Marines. For AaronB (the occasional guest author), he decided that all his Jump Marines have Beakie helms and prefer axes over chainswords. His Sgts take Thunder Hammers instead of Power Fists...since they bash skulls so well!

Planetstrike: Crimson Fist Attacker Edition

2009-10-27T16:01:00.001-04:00

Are folks out there playing the Planetstrike? I'm not seeing as much buzz around it...though I guess much discussion time was swallowed by the Jaws of the Wolf and Tyranid rumours. In a few weeks, I'm having some friends over to play Planetstrike on my new table and I'm in the process of finalizing 2 lists...depending on who plays attacker and who plays defender.

Here's my thoughts on an 1850 Invasion Force (Sword of Dorn Formation):
Wave 1:
Librarian Epistolary (Force Axe, Bolt Pistol)
Sternguard, Combi-Melta, Power Fist
Land Raider Crusader

Wave 2:
Ironclad Dreadnaught SH+CCW+Melta w/ Drop Pod+Beacon
10 Tacticals w/ Meltagun, ML, Power Fist, Drop Pod+Beacon
10 Tacticals w/ Meltagun, ML, Drop Pod+Beacon

Wave 3:
5 Terminators w/ Chainfist
Captain w/ Jump Pack, Power Sword, Melta Bomb
5 Assault Marines w/ Powerfist, Flamer, Melta Bomb
5 Scouts w/ Melta Bomb w/ Landspeeder Storm+Multimelta

The Sword of Dorn is all about hitting hard, fast and often! The Librarian is fielded with the Sternguard inside the Crusader. This gives me a solid core of shock troops that can hopefully burst through a line. I haven't decided on the powers for my Librarian yet, but most likely it'll be assaulty-powers and maybe the Gate. I chose an LRC over a Redeemer as that's what I have built and painted. I doubt I'll get the Redeemer done by the game. Next time though!

The Drop Pods will drop in a good sized cluster or spread out depending on the terrain set up with the Tacticals devoted to busting up vehicles or bastions. Once they are situated, the squads will then provide fire support for the next wave of assault elements: Jump Packers and Terminators. With all the power fists and meltas, I'm thinking Bastions aren't going to last long and any vehicles still around are going to get devastated. The Jump Packers and Storm also have the added benefit of being able to seize objectives on the last turn if needed. Though I'm hoping my Tacticals can hold enough objectives or the enemy has been routed!

With Planetstrike allowing assaults after Deep Strike, I'm figuring I'll have pretty much all my troops deep striking and then use the beacons to guide them in for the kill. For folks who've argued rules, I wonder how they feel about Drop Pod assaults or Landspeeder Storm assaults…my opinion is that the "deep strike" ability of the transports are conferred to the units within. So if I wanted, my Tacticals could assault after a deep strike. But that might be pushing it (and also unbalancing for the defenders maybe?). We'll see how it plays out in play.

What do folks think?

Crimson Fist Land Raider

2009-10-24T16:09:00.000-04:00

Finally going to put up some pics of my Land Raider Crusader. This is the older Mark I model...with the metal hurricane bolters. Let me tell you...they were a pain in the butt to assemble. It's fairly standard Crimson Fist colors and not much detail. Unfortunately, many of the transfers I applied came off in transit...so I need to reapply (and get some of the Microsol suggested earlier). I've been practicing my freehand...but it still looks a bit unrefined, so I'll be continuing to use transfers until I can get the Crimson Fist to look nifty.

Can't really see here, but I did paint the interior. More drybrushed the interior up from black to a dirty-white color. I hoped using a lighter color would make it easier to see inside, but you really can't see. I did magnetize the door so it would seal shut when I closed it. I didn't like how it was always partly-open on the battlefield. Brother Whinicus would probably complain about the breeze blowing up his Terminator skirt or something. It opens and shuts now with a satisfying snap! For the Fists to rebuild, every Marine has to be a Fist first and Machine-God acolyte second! To reflect this, all my Crimson Fist Adeptus Mechanicus marines will be sporting the Fists colors and only their shoulderpad will have the Mechanicus colors. In this marine's case, he's working the Meltagun. Love that Multi-melta...especially with the Machine Spirit rules allowing it to shoot pretty much no matter how much I move.
I love the Crusader and it has seen combat against Eldar, Orks and Marine with great effect. Not only does it absorb an absurd amount of shots, it carries my Fists right into the thick of it fairly safely. For my upcoming planetstrike battle, I'm going to stuff it full of a Command Squad and a Librarian on the defense as a counterassault force and with Sternguard for an Attacker Force. Planetstrike post coming soon!
Eventually, I'm going to name her (taking suggestions...should be Spanish-esque!) and add in more banners, but for now she's battle ready!

Crimson Fist Librarian

2009-10-21T16:35:00.001-04:00

With the weather getting colder in NY, I'm back to being inside and painting. I guess from now on, I should let folks know I might not post much in the summer. Something about that weather makes me not want to sit in front of a computer updating my blog or in front of models. You'd think with more sunlight, I'd want to paint more by natural light, but it just never happened!

I'm back in the saddle though and preparing for my first Planetstrike game (post to come). I've got bastions to build and a few Crimson Fists to assemble and prepare for the fight. With the release of the Space Wolves codex and the amount of psychic powers my local opponents have the potential to play, I've decided that my Crimson Fists need a Librarian to keep things honest. Plus it was about time I get around to painting another HQ model for my Fists!

Click for larger version

This is an older model, though I don't think he's more than a few years old. He's not available from GW catalogue anymore, but he's in the How to Paint Space Marines book. I liked him cause of the book strapped to his armor. I decided that my Crimson Fist librarians take the red fists (on both to denote veteran) and use red for the distinctive horned skull.

My Crimson Fists work as my table-ready army with experimenting…mainly cause I spend so much time on my Dark Angels. I wanted a "Vanilla" marine army that could get on the table relatively fast and didn't frighten me when it comes to painting. So I usually skimp on the work and details. No mixing too many paints, and no agonizing over color choices. I make a list and don't really deviate.

Here's detail on the Force Axe which I was fairly proud of. Previously, I tried the Sepia wash on power swords for my Vanguard, but the more I look at them, the more I think they look lazy rather than awesome. A Librarian's Force Weapon should look a little different and ancient anyway, so I tried something different (And yet...entirely by the book!). I'm considering giving the metal a wash of sepia just to make it look slightly more ancient, but I'm digging the gold detail.

For the hood/helm, I went all out, painting individual wires and highlighting them up from black primer. Camo Green, Blood Red and Sunburst Yellow were my final highlights. I'm beginning to feel much more comfortable with my highlight work. I think I might try some new techniques on future models as I have my Fists down to a science. I completed this Librarian in about 8 hours…all while watching movies (Embarassingly: Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja, The Woods and People Under the Stairs) at the same time. Prolly could go much faster on the next one if I didn't watch tv!

Building Crazy - Ziggurat and Gaming Table

2009-09-23T12:32:00.008-04:00

I can't paint in the summer. I don't know why, but it seems more of a fall-winter-spring activity. But, what I can do in the summer is big projects. Here are the two I did this summer.

First my ziggurat (this is an older photo with just the first basecoat):

It's 15 layers (3 sheets x 5 levels) of 1/2" sheet insulation - the blue stuff. I cut all the sheets then glued and screwed them together. I then cut the steps out and cut the foam into blocks. After I cut some wear and tear into the blocks, I used the smooth part of a dental tool to make it look more like stone.

We used this as part of an Apocalypse event NerdNYC organized. It's pretty big 21" square and about 8" tall.

Next the gaming table:
This was a pretty simple job. I bought two 24" x 80" interior door slabs and a couple of 3.5" hinges. I tried to get the narrowest hinges possible, because the door is hollow. So if you go beyond the frame of the door you'll just be screwing into the thin luan.

After attaching the doors, I used masking tape to create the playing area, which I wanted to keep as 4' x 6'. I really like having the extra 4" on either side of the playing area, because it give you somewhere to put reserves, right before they outflank (hopefully right next to a devilfish, ha!) or a tape measure or casualty(previously mentioned devilfish).

I primed the wood with gesso and used acrylic enamel paint. I would recommend the enamel paint over regular acrylic, because a gaming table takes a beating with all the movement it gets and all the terrain pieces that have rough surfaces like sand/rock/rubble. I painted it dark grey and used a toothbrush to spatter it with a couple lighter shades.

If you want a final pic with terrain and models on it, ask Cawshis. It's his table now. Happy birthday!

Old School Mini Time!

2009-07-31T22:59:00.006-04:00

GWPertinent is having a friendly contest asking that we take a picture of our oldest model and post it for posterity. As I post this picture I realize I didn't include the slip of paper with his blog name, so I'll need to retake, but in the meantime, here's a blast from the past...a Mentors Legion Terminator Librarian with Force Sword and Storm Bolter:

Click for Larger Version

I think I painted this guy when I was like 10 or 11 (I might be dating myself here). I remember him coming with a few Punk Rock scouts and lots of Tyranid Warriors and Genestealer Hybrids. Maybe an old Space Crusade booster set?

I painted him in the Mentors Legion scheme (I hope!) and it looks to me like I converted the Force Axe into a Force Sword...which might make this my first conversion too! Shamefully, back then, I actually painted my minis but left them unbased! Now it's the opposite!

3000 pts of Crimson Fists (and a review)

2009-07-01T23:08:00.007-04:00

3000 Points of Crimson Fists!

As I've mentioned before, I've been prepping and building my Tau army for an Apocalypse game in July with my nerd friends, but that doesn't mean my Crimson Fists have gone unloved. I'll be bringing them to the game to field on a different table for a friend to play. So today I went through the task of packing them all for travel.

Which brings me to my review! The Sabol Army Transport Mark II has been my transport of choice for nearly all my games in the last two years. I love the rear loader and the large capacity in the small bag! I can fit this entire army into the transport with room to spare for a codex, rulebook and other accesories of 40k gaming!

Here is the troop all packed up and ready to go (once I close it). I don't have the pods in any tray as there is no tray large enough for my DIY pods. I also had to creatively pack the vanguard and a few marines into the 3inch tray with my rhinos....but it all fits!

I recommend the Sabol Transport Mark II. It's awesome!

Deathwing Librarian: Cape or No Cape?

2009-06-11T23:13:00.004-04:00

I never liked the arms on this guy. I feel like it was a great idea to use the plastic arms, but they just don't look right on this guy. And then The King's Standard Bearer saw my unprimered Librarian in my last post and made a great suggestion in the comments: Add a cape!

I hadn't considered it before and now that I look at the model, I think that a cape would really help to make him look a lot less static...this pose is just so...statuesque! What do folks think? Add a green stuff cape or stop obsessing and finish him already?

Mind you. I will probably not be able to do both for a long time...but at least the base is done!

Basing: My Private Shame!

2009-06-11T09:59:00.015-04:00

From the Warp provides the simplest tutorial on the webs for basing. Really. It is super easy to base your models. Do it! DO! IT!

In the comments, I mentioned that basing models was so easy that often I wind up with primered models and spectacular (in my not-so-humble opinion!) bases. Ron over at FTW seemed disbelieving, so in this post, I will provide photographic evidence!

Embarrasingly, my first pic is actually a completed base with an unprimered model of a terminator chaplain destined for Deathwing:

Next up, is the Deathwing Librarian. This Librarian model is relatively old (at least compared to the young sprite of a Chaplain above). I hated the arms on this guy as they were short and stubby as old metal Termies were back then. I wanted him to be able to blend in with my new termies, so I gave him plastic arms and converted a TH into a Force Axe. I also built the base up so he'd appear to be the same height as new termies. No short librarians amongst the Unforgiven!

I tried to make the pose look like he was brandishing that axe threateningly, but it's difficult when the body is essentially a block of metal. I'm not the happiest with the SB arm placement, but I've come to terms with it. What was I saying...oh yes. Again. Here we have a completed base. Unprimed model. I have a problem. The first step is admitting it.
Oh. The humanity! Here's a primered (Grey Gesso) Deathwing Assault Termie with a completed base.

Here's the Deathwing Sgt. Missing his head. And his stormshield. Yet. He is primered and standing on a fully painted base complete with Word Bearer wreckage (my friend plays Chaos Space Marines and rocks a Word Bearer paint scheme!).

You're probably thinking, "Jeez cawshis. That's got to be it, right? I mean...how many completed bases but not painted models could you possibly have?" To which I answer...TOO MANY!

Of course, since taking these pictures, I've since basecoated the Chaplain and Deathwing models above. The Ravenwing? Not so much. I'm not confident enough in highlighting black yet...but I'm getting there! To reveal a secret: I pinned all my Deathwing/Ravenwing models to their bases so that I could easily remove them for painting purposes...so painting the bases was actually pretty easy since I do them in batches separate from the model. I wish I'd get around to doing the models though!

But yeah. There you go, Ron! Primed models sitting on completed bases! Do you believe now? I really need to get better at not doing that...is there a support group out there?

Tau Firewarriors

2009-06-08T11:02:00.009-04:00

My return to 40k after many years being absent was because of a fortunate fusion of two events: I found some folks in NYC that were into the game and GW had just released the Tau. I loved their sleek look coupled with their "unique" empire fluff…they didn't seem as desperate or as xenophobic as all the other races available. The Greater Good was cool to me and refreshing in a universe filled with so much hate! Also of importance was the ability of Skimmers to move and shoot (with the right upgrade) and also reduce all hits to glancing. All hail 4th edition!

The Tau Empire force I have now is pretty expansive. Nearly 5000 points in various stages of assembling, priming and painted-ness. I'm heavily working on them now in preparation for a July Apocalypse game.

Below are shots of some of the first minis I painted after being away for so long…so forgive the amateur look! I look at them now and I think "wow! I've improved!"

Orange Squad -
This Firewarrior Squad was the first 40k unit painted in my adult years. I went for a really simple paint scheme and as you can tell, I didn't even bother painting the bases (It drives me nuts!). You can also see that I broke canon by giving my Tau pink faces instead of bluegrey. I don't know why I did this…I think it's because I didn't really know how to paint the faces so that they didn't look like the armor!

Right now, I explain it away by saying the 3 pink-faces are albino triplets serving in the same unit. Take that fluff-activists! I even buy the bonding knife to represent the brotherhood!

The Devilfish came later, though you can still see my lack of confidence and frustration with painting orange and highlighting it. I think I actually wound up just dry brushing yellow on the orange! Looks muddled…but hey…they were my first unit!

Teal Squad-

This unit came second. I got better with highlights and painting on this unit, so I'm pretty proud of their look. To avoid the whole-skin painting challenge, all my squad members are helmeted (who goes into battle without a helmet anyway? Only crazy marines!). Again, it's a Devilfish with 12 Firewarriors.

My strategy with FWs has always been keep them safe in their DFs until I can get close and lay waste to a weakened target. The addition of the SMS to the Warfish in the Tau Empire Codex made the eventual "Fish of Fury" fairly effective against weakened MEQs units and very effective against GEQs (Ap5 weapons rule!). They rapid fire pretty well and when supported by Pathfinders and Railguns, they do an excellent job of clearing an objective.

They suck in CC though...and with 5th edition making CC even more deadly, I worry about my sad little "warriors." I have no idea how they might work in 5th edition. I imagine preserving them for the 5th turn is the best strategy for winning...since they score...and Kroot tend to die very quickly for me.

One thing I'm considering is the Devilfish Gun Drones instead of SMS. Now with any unit contesting in 5th, the Gun Drones become annoy-devices in the late game. 2 drones don't really do much, so I don't imagine many players to pay attention to them...but they can still contest! 12inch movement on turn 5 to contest...and if that doesn't work...well then all I've lost are 2 drones. We'll see how that works!

What a month!

2009-06-05T10:37:00.008-04:00

So May has come and gone and now we're 5 days into June and I'm left wondering...how did time fly by so fast!?!

Work was super crazy for the month of May with nearly no time for updates. Any second in front of a computer was unfortunately spent doing work. Good news is, I'm back.

My friends and I over at nerdnyc.com are planning a 3 table Apocalypse game in July that I've decided to build up my Tau army to 5000 points for. It's nearly everything I own except the annoying Krootox(es). If you're in NYC, you should try and check out the Wargaming forums on the nerdnyc.com website. We're always trying to get games and discussions going!

Expect some posts soon. I apologize for the long wait thru June! Thanks for sticking with me.

April Challenge: Could have done better!

2009-05-04T10:44:00.005-04:00

So it's now May 4th...and I should tally the score for my April Challenge:

I finished the Land Raider Crusader and the Vanguard. I assembled and undercoated everything else on my list. My drop pods still languish in a half-completed state. So that's a grand total of 15 points out of a possible 57. What the hell happened?

I could give a lot of excuses, but the number one reason, I think, is that I had no plan beyond "get some minis" done. I'd sit in front of my painting set up and stare at my vindicator and my razorback and hem and haw over how to paint it. I'd spend way too long fishing out the paints and setting up. Then I wouldn't paint and instead I'd watch movies on Netflix.

Boo on me! I need to make an effort to write down my paint schemes (I just have colors written down) for each model before I start. I also need to establish a method to painting vehicles...I find them very intimidating to even start...since if you mess up, they're pretty much the biggest mistake you'll place on the board. One thing I'm going to try and do is photocopy the unit images in my codices and color them in before I paint. This way I have a paint by the numbers guide. I think my hobbying could benefit from more pictures to work with.

That all set, I'm going to set a May challenge that involves completing the Fists I've started and also completing some Deathwing Terminators for a massive Apocalypse game in July. To encourage me to actually complete this challenge this time, I'm going to start posting my paint schemes and WIP (probably terrible shots as I won't take the time to photobox 'em). That means an update every 3 days in May, starting in 3 days with a shot of a WIP model or a completed one. Expect a more refined painting list in the sidebar.

Lastly, though it was kind of a failure, the April Challenge really provided me with some good lessons on where I could improve (just paint, you fool!) and all the little things I do that stall my hobby progress (like keeping out a million incomplete models in front me...clear the clutter and focus!). Despite the low numbers, I do think I managed to produce more in April than a normal month...now I just need to keep working at getting better!

Back in the Synapse Again

2009-04-27T15:15:00.004-04:00

Last night I took all my Tyranids out and took inventory. The shiny new Space Marine codex distracted me from the Hive, but now I return. The image shown is the only guy who's fully painted. I have a good number of them either base-coasted or just primed.

Here's my 1500pt list which I'll later color-code in the Cawshis style:

HQ
Hive Tyrant - 186
[Talons, Toxin Sacs, Winged, Warpfield, Ad. Glands (+WS), Flesh Hooks]

Elite
6 Tyranid Warriors - 199
[talons, extended carapace, toxin sacs, barbed strangler, 5 x deathspitter]

Troops
8 Genestealers - 160
[feeder tendrils, scuttlers, ~~flesh hooks~~]

18 Termagaunts - 108

18 Termagaunts - 108

15 Hormagaunts - 180
[toxin sacs]

Fast Attack
3 Sporemine - 45
[bio-acid]

3 Sporemine - 45
[bio-acid]

Heavy Support
Carnifex - 163
[Barbed Strangler, Venom Cannon, Enhanced Senses, Reinforced Chitin]

Carnifex - 128
[Barbed Strangler, Scything Talons, Reinforced Chitin]

3 Zoans - 165
[Synapse, Psychic Scream ]

I was worried when I switched over to Space Marines that I would only end up with 2 half-painted armies, but with over 1500pt of Marines done -- I feel very confident that this army will come together easily.

April Update and Army List for Saturday

2009-04-22T12:29:00.002-04:00

Both work and inertia have conspired against me to make the April Challenge goal truly a challenge! With only 7 full days and a single (packed) weekend left, it's going to be tough to get it all done! Last night, I flocked and primed my Command squad, Sternguard and Pedro Kantor. One amazing thing about using gesso is the speed with which I can prime my models. Before, when I used to spray-prime, I'd force myself to wait until I had 30+models or lots of vehicles to spray…it made crawling out onto the (apartment) fire escape and angering the wife worth it. Now I can prime as soon as the flock is dry! If only it were this easy to get the painting done.

I have a game coming up this Saturday against Falgrim's DIY marines, "The Sigmar's Pride." They are modeled after the Space Wolves (instead using lions) but are using the SM:Codex at the moment. So it'll be a straight SM v SM codex fight @ 1750 points.

Here's the list I'm planning (and it makes me so happy they are all painted…if not quite WYSIWYG!) @ exactly 1750 points:
HQ: Captain in Termie Armor
Elites: 5 Tactical Terminators w/ Assault Cannon
Elites: 1 Dreadnaught w/ Drop Pod, Locator Beacon
Elites: 1 Dreadnaught w/ Drop Pod, Locator Beacon
Troops: 10 Tacticals, Melta, LasCan, Power Fist, Rhino
Troops: 10 Tacticals, Melta, LasCan, Power Fist, Rhino
Fst Att: 5 Vanguard Marines w/ Jump Packs, 2 Power Wpns, 2 Plas Pistols, Relic Blade
Hvy Sup: Land Raider Crusader
Hvy Sup: 5 Devastators w/ 2 PlasCan

The dreadnaughts, LRC and Rhinos w/ Tacticals make up the fast moving bulk of my attack force. Since 1 dread can deep strike in the first turn, the hope is that I can land, pop something large in the rear armor (like a vindicator or land raider with the MM) and then divert some marines to deal with him (though dreads do pop easy!). My LRC w/ termies will advance on any objective/easy kp supported by the tacticals in rhinos…in case any speeders or bikes with meltas show up. The Devs are there to (hopefully) pop rhinos or break up marine formations (plasma is nasty!). Finally the Vanguard can work as either an anti-assault force or a final objective contester. With the 2 locator beacons, I'm hoping that a Heroic Intervention isn't impossible. Being able to deep strike and then charge would be awesome (though I haven't had much luck with the Vanguard so far…costs as much as termies…die much faster! Nifty models though!).

Any thoughts? I don't have much time to build any new models, but I have a vindicator, razorback, command squad and the SG/Kantor models primed. Also a lot of Dark Angels…since I don't mind fielding a mixed list as long as they are all marines. Any suggestions?

Depending on how I do, this is probably my last game with the Crimson Fists for a little while. I've been meaning to get back into my Tau and with an apocalypse game planned for July, I think now is the best time! Expect more posts on the Apocalypse planning in May once the April Challenge is up. I also plan on starting up a May Challenge as well!

WIP: Vulcan Clone

2009-04-21T09:52:00.006-04:00

When I started the Skull Bashers, I wanted to go in the opposite direction of my Tyranids. I wanted tanks, good saves, templates and low AP weapons.

Six rhino chassis later, I'm working on the rest.

Vulcan really stood out in making flamers, melta and Assault Terminators extra dangerous. I was banking on the rumors of a model for him being true. The good thing is that there is a model for him coming out soon the bad thing: it's not my style. It's too busy and I don't like the idea of him throwing his spear.

So, I'm building my own model. It's the Commander chest and legs, with the Standard Bearer's pole turned into a relic blade with the help of some plasticcard and part of a hunter-killer launcher. The Gauntlet is a lighting claw with plastic tubing and plasticcard.

Still to do:

add some plasticcard on the legs to make the armor look different
custom backpack
scaled mantle

Thoughts? Anyone else doing a Vulcan conversion?

Introducing A New Poster: AaronB!

2009-04-20T13:44:00.007-04:00

My good friend AaronB has joined Adepticus Prime as a second author. He currently has two armies he is working on: A DIY SM chapter called the Skull Bashers and a Tyranid army. I've played several games against him (you can read our first marine vs. marine BR here.) and he's one cool guy.

I'll let him do a more formal introduction on his own, but I just want to say I'm glad to have him blogging with me as he's got mad skillz (as the kids would say) when it comes to painting and scratchbuilding units!

I mean...check out his Legion of the Damned converted marines. He made them to fit into the near-heretical fluff associated with this Skull Bashers! Essentially, his chapter of marines are supported by undead marines that are ushered into existence by the chaplains.

Burn the heretics, I say!

Please welcome him aboard!

Crimson Fist Vanguard

2009-04-18T10:14:00.005-04:00

Big progress this week! With only 10 days left in April, I have a pathetic 15/67 points completed. But I'm not giving up! I finished my LRC (pics to come) today and my Vanguard. My Vindicator, Razorback and Sternguard have been assembled along with my Command Squad and Kantor.

That means I have 32 points ready for undercoating and 20 points (Drop Pods) ready for detailing. I don't know what's blocking me from just finishing those damn pods, but I'm determined to get them done this week!

Back to the Vanguard, I went a little crazy detailing the bases as I wanted them to be taller than the average model. I used cork to build up the height of the base and tossed in some bits to get it nice and rubble-ly. The Vanguard are neat in that they also have their own bits on the metal bases! As these are my Crimson Fists, these guys are all about getting them ready for the tabletop. They're also about trying out new techniques I see online. It's going to make for a healthy variation, but I think that's okay. The Chapter is rebuilding, right? Only makes sense that the servitors assigned to painting the marine armor get better too!

For my two power weapon equipped VG, I tried the Painting Corps tip of using Sepia wash on bolt-gun metal to get a nice Ancient-Gold color. I figured I'd give it a try! I like the ancient gold look, but I don't know if it's the best look for marine weapons. Or is it? I can't decide really, but at least my Vanguard will be consistently geared with ancient power-swords!

I'll try and get up my LRC next. My friends and I are trying to put together an apocalypse game in July, so instead of taking pictures today, I tried building a massive power station with Orbital gun piece of terrain. It's way-too WIP to post, but I'll put up those pics later. I think May-June are looking like "Prepare for Apocalypse" months. Which is good! I need a distraction from the Imperial Guard overpowered codex (I flipped though it at my FLGS. Madness!)!

Thanks for looking!

Reader Request Day 2

2009-04-16T11:00:00.010-04:00

Tau Forces march thru the ruins of an Imperial City

As mentioned in my last post, I had two more large buildings I wanted to show off. Both of these buildings I constructed together as a pair, using foamcore, balsa wood, coffee stirrers and modelling clay to add in all the nifty details.

First up are the WIP shots of a 4 story building, fortified with a few sandbags on the top floor. I offer up the WIP shots so you can see the bits and stuff used. Cardboard for the corner details, wood for the flooring and lots of foamcore!

Up next are the painted versions and some detail shots. I'll admit I'm not the best photographer and taking pictures of terrain is tougher as I can never get the lighting right on the big pieces. If you've got any advice on snapping shots of terrain, I'd be happy to read them!

I learned a lot from my first batch of buildings and applied the lessons to these buildings.

Leave space on the floors for larger based models.
Don't clutter up the bottom floors too much. Less is more for ruined buildings you want to play on!
When painting terrain, drybrushing is your best friend.

WIP shots of my next building: My attempt at a "fortified" building for Cities of Death. I simply boarded up the windows! I guess the sandbags on the previous building might also quality it as fortified...so that's potentially 2 fortified buildings for my table.

And now the painted shots!

Thanks for looking! I hope these pieces inspire you to make your own city terrain! I really found a love of making terrain with this city fight project...and indeed the hobby. There is really nothing like defending your DIY ruined city with your freshly painted marines in 40k. It's why the hobby is one I've stuck with for so long!

Reader Request Day 1

2009-04-15T18:00:00.000-04:00

In my post "Setting up the Battlefield," Col. Corbane requested some more pictures of my terrain in the comments. As I am a slave to my few readers, I'm always happy to oblige a simple request like this!

All of my pieces are pretty much foamcore, cardboard, glue and bits/rubble. I used MDF boards as the base for all of the pieces. Some of the pieces were made using old GW templates that were available for download...while others were made using my own templates.

First up is my very first building...a ruined Cathedral. When designing it, I thought it'd be neat to construct a building that could be broken up on the battlefield if need be:
My second building was a little more complicated, if a bit smaller. As these were my first terrain pieces, I tried new things with each piece. The cathedral was very simply painted, with only a single color (Shadow Grey) as base and then successive lighter dry-brushed highlights.
I tried a two-color paint scheme and used a little bit of cardboard for detailing. I also laid down some flooring using wooden stirrers for detail and painted the rubble using different colors. For my third structure, I went a little crazy, adding in more detail and way too much rubble. I also made the floors a little too small. Only normal troops can stand on them!

You can probably see that the rubble is a little too dense. Regular troopers fall over on it and forget placing a metal model in that rubble...it'll never keep it's balance! I love this building, but it nearly always gets called "dangerous terrain" in my games.

Here's a work in progress shot:
One more building was made with this "batch" of City Terrain. I wanted to try a different color scheme and settled on a blue/brown scheme. I don't really like it, but I'm really proud of the shape of the building and it looks great on the table...just not the best colors. On this piece, I also added a little bit too much rubble...and the floors are just barely capable of providing enough footing to a large-based unit like a Tau Broadside Suit.

After finishing these buildings, I took a break for a few months to work on finishing up my Tau army (which I never finished). I then decided that I needed 2 more massive buildings and a few smaller rubble piles. I'll post them up next post. I took a few more WIP shots of my 2nd gen buildings, so I'm trying to avoid letting this post get too long. It's also sort of a neat look at how much I've improved in city terrain creation!

Any thoughts, comments, questions or suggestions for new pieces are appreciated! Thanks for looking.

April Challenge: Nearly half over.

2009-04-09T10:18:00.007-04:00

With 14 days passed, I thought I'd update interested parties on where I stand. I recently added a color-coded list to my sidebar to keep track of what I'm working on and what I have left to do for April. I maintain the list in Excel normally so that I can review it when ever I paint (I'm a nerd, I know!).

At this point, I have finished the Vanguard and working on detailing up the LRC. I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I haven't had a chance to snap any yet. Busy work week and taking the time to snap a pic seems crazy when I need to paint!

I'll have to admit to being slightly behind where I thought I'd be and a lot of that has to do with being lazy. Many a night instead of painting, I'll watch tv or play World of Warcraft. I'd like to blame work, but I've only worked late a few nights. I'm going to need to step it up if I hope to get 57 painting points this month!

Here's my new battle plan:
Finish Painting LRC
Finish Painting Drop Pods
Flock/Undercoat Command Squad
Paint Command Squad
Assemble Vindicator/Razorback
Undercoat Vindicator/Razorback
Paint Vindicator/Razorback
Assemble Sternguard/Pedro Kantor
Flock/Undercoat Sternguard/Pedro
Paint Sternguard/Pedro

I think knocking out the LRC and the Drop Pods will keep me feeling good about painting (since I'm actually getting this done!). Then moving on to the command squad. I like the rhythm of painting 5-10 troopers then doing a vehicle or two. Then back. I think it prevents me from getting overwhelmed by all the troopers I have waiting for me!

Eek, over at Heroes of Armageddon, created an awesome chart to help track his progress on his Salamander Battle Company. I may have to figure out a way to steal it and post it in the side bar instead of my lame color-coded text box. It's pretty damn cool, so check it out.

Painting List and April Challenge Progress

2009-04-09T10:04:00.002-04:00

A quick picture-less update.

I've assembled and primed my Crimson Fist Vanguard marines. With these marines, I didn't convert anything, they are straight out of the box as I find converting metal models to usually be kind of intimidating. All the packs and arms are pinned and in the case of the relic-blade equipped marine, I left the arm off until I can get the face painted. I built up somewhat excessive bases (pics to come, I promise), but I couldn't resist making the Vanguard seem ultra-tall.

To paint my vanguard, I simply used my normal marine painting list:
1. Prime blackgesso.
1a. Drybrush Base with Astromican Grey, Fortress Grey, Skull White.
2. Drybrush all armor Mordian Blue
3. Drybrush all armor Ultramarines blue
4. Wash all armor with asurman blue
5. Basecoat scrolls, chest eagles, tabards etc with Astronomicon Grey
6. Basecoat guns, chains, metal bits Chaos Black
7. Highlight Grey with Fortress Grey
8. Wash Grey with Badab Black
9. Drybrush boltgun/chains with Boltgun metal
10. Drybrush bling with Shining Gold
11. Highlight Grey with Skull White
12. Highlight bling with Mithril Silver
13. Wash bling with Devlan Mud
14. Wash Bolters/Chains with Badab Black
15. Paint Fists, Seals w/ Mecharite Red
16. Wash red with Devlan Mud
17. Highlight with Blood Red
18. Eyes, jade, ivy w/ Dark Angels Green
19. Highlight with Goblin Green
20. Highlight with Scorpion Green

Creating a painting list helps me stay focused and it turns painting into a simple paint by the numbers recipe. One thing that always happened to me before I started using painting lists was that I'd constantly have to go back and open a color I used the day before cause I missed a spot. Then I'd notice on a different model I missed another spot in a different color and so on. By following a list, I now take the time to check the the entire squad before I move on to the next step. It also makes touch ups easy too since I know what colors I used and at what step I paused to do touch ups at.

Another nifty side effect of having a list is clean-up/storage of my painting kit (I should put this up at some point). Since I live in a tiny apartment, I need to make sure I can set up to paint and clean up quickly before I go to bed. My painting kit is easy to assemble and transport when I have the recipe in hand. I bring it out to the coffee table, paint and put it away when I'm done!

Right now, I stopped my Vanguard at step 8. Tonight I hope to do the rest OR I'll finish basing my command squad. I might also decide to assemble my vindicator or the rest of my sternguard. Depends on what my mood is tonight. I'll try to get up pics of my WIP: Vanguard tonight or tomorrow!

WIP: CF Sternguard

2009-04-06T08:00:00.003-04:00

Sternguard WIP

My April Challenge list calls for 6 sternguard. I own the metal set, but I decided to use one of those guards as a Sgt in a tactical squad so that left me with 4 metal SGs. I didn't want to buy another set so I thought I'd try my hand at creating plastic sternguard marines. Kantor Base asked for ideas on converting plastic tacticals into Sternguard, so I felt inspired to try!

The first guard above is simply made. Weemen has a very simple and elegant tutorial on turning bolters into Sternguard bolters. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. And unhappy that I can't seem to find a single scope in any of my bits boxes! I'll need to grub a pair of them from friends before I can paint them!

For the leg band, I cut some thin plasticard into a strip and dabbed a tiny bit of zap-a-gap on one end. I then wrapped the plastic card all the way around the leg adding tiny drops of zap-a-gap (I used a tooth pick to dip and apply) to hold in place. Once I got all the way around, I cut the card and glued the final end on. I'm going to add white glue rivets following Santa Cruz's tutorial and use a pin to make really small ones.

Sternguard WIP

I notice now I forgot to do some clean up on both these minis. I'll get it done while I wait on those scopes. Suggestions are appreciated! I haven't yet glued these guys.

WIP: CF Command Squad

2009-04-03T20:09:00.004-04:00

Crimson Fist Command Squad

I've just finished my command squad and I'm fairly happy with the way they turned out. I wanted to practice some simple conversions and since my Crimson Fists are all about getting them on the tabletop as soon as possible, I'm not super concerned with achieving perfection. They're my practice army.*

All my pics should be clickable for the larger versions!

Veteran with Power Fist

I wanted this Veteran to look capable of leading a squad or fit into a non-jump pack Vanguard unit, so I gave him some bits from various sets. For the neck-armor, I used index card cut to fit and then sealed it with white glue to stiffen it up. I used this method before with my devastator Sgt., and it worked out pretty well.

Completed Devastator Sgt with Neck-Armor

Veteran with deluxe storm shield

For my veteran with a storm shield (who can say no to 3+ invulnerable saves?), I wanted to make a massive tower shield. This veteran uses his shield to protect the squad! I made it out of plastic card the I carefully heated to bend around the shaft of a fat pen. Then I detailed it using index card and a bit from a servo-skull. I think I need to add rivets and maybe something a bit more to really complete the shield. Any ideas?

Bannerman with plastic card.

Again, I wanted to practice with plasticard, so I made this bannerman a piece of groin-armor. It's different thicknesses of plasticard. I plan to paint the hanging bits as scrolls. The banner is pinned on so I can paint it separately (and turn it around for pictures!). I need to add some weight to this guy because he tends to tip over with all that weight on the banner.

Company Champion front

Company Champion back

No major conversions on the company champion except I used a Dark Angels power-mace instead of the sword. I like the mace better from the Crimson Fists...for no good reason. I plan to use the blade as a relic blade for the eventual Honor Guard anyway. I clipped the DA symbol and replaced with Terminator armors. I might add some leg-braces or armor, but I'm undecided on whether he needs more detail or not.

I didn't snap a separate shot of my Apothecary since I really didn't do much with him. He's a standard apothecary model out of the plastic box. I might have used the wrong head though as now that I look at my remaining bits, I see the apothecary head right here. I think I grabbed a captain's head. Makes him slightly different I guess!

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. I'll probably be painting the squad over the next week or so.

April Goal: 1250pts of Crimson Fists

2009-04-01T12:40:00.000-04:00

I know I said in a previous post I was going back to Deathwing, but I took out some DW termies over the weekend and wasn't feeling it. Instead, I felt inspired to work on my CF LRC and plan out a command squad. So, for the month of April, I've set a challenge to myself to paint 1250 points of Crimson Fist Marines in the 30 days of April (in the parlance of the 40k blogs, I think that's 57 points by Lone Pilgrim's method). It's ambitious considering how slow I normally paint (it took me 5 months to get my Crimson Fists to 1750!), but I think if I set the goal it'll at least encourage me to get it done! At the very least, at the end of the month, I can claim this was an elaborate April Fool's Joke on myself. Getting 1250 points done in 4 weeks! Haha!

Here's the planned list to add to my completed 1750 points list (seen here in a prior BR). I've started a few of the models already, so I've got a bit of a headstart going into April (+1 for Cheating!):

HQ- (420 points, 6 painting points)
Pedro Kantor
Command Squad:
-Veteran w/ Company Banner
-Apothecary
-Veteran w/ Storm Shield, Combi-Flamer
-Veteran w/ Powerfist
-Company Champion w/ Combat Shield, Power Weapon
Razorback w/ Hvy Bolter

Elites (220 points, 26 painting points)
6 Sternguard
Drop Pod
Drop Pod*
(*extra drop pod is to have a transport option in future games for dreads)

Fast Attack (250 points, 5 painting points)
5 Vanguard w/ Jump Packs
-Relic Blade
-Power Weapon w/ Plasma Pistol
-Power Weapon
-Plasma Pistol
-Normal

Heavy Support (360 points, 20 painting points)
Land Raider Crusader
Vindicator

It's a small list of only 17 minis and 4 vehicles (a testament to how much Space Marines elites can rack up the points!) which I know doesn't seem so ambitious, but I have multiple conversions planned for both the Command squad and the Sternguard. I want members of the Command Squad to also be able to function as Honor Guard or Vanguard squad members, so it's going to take some careful planning to make this work (and maybe magnets!). Also two of the Sternguard are going to converted from plastic marines and I've got very elaborate armor plan for the two of them. Alongside this, I want to get those objectives done by May as well. So there's a lot of work being put On The Bench!

I'm excited for this challenge as it'll get my Fists up to 3000 points (though I have 4 elites, so I'll need to figure out a new unit to squeeze into that 105 points remaining…I'm considering filling out the normal 5 man Assault Squad) and this second stage of the list will really test my skills in assembling, converting and painting in a rapid fashion!

Do you set painting goals similar to this? How do you plan your painting goals? What are your plans for painting before the Imperial Guard are released?

Battle Report: Crimson Fists vs. Skull Bashers

2009-03-31T10:00:00.002-04:00

Skull Bashers vs. Crimson Fists

Last weekend, I got the chance to play my Crimson Fists against a friend's DIY chapter, the Skull Bashers. This game had a special significance in that it was for the honor of my Fists! Emukt (his interweb persona) and I had made a bet months ago on who ccould finish painting up 1500 points of marines first, as a way of getting our armies finally done. I won the bet by a slim margin (2-3 models!) and took the prize: A new Redeemer/Crusader Kit. So this battle wasn't just for fun…the Skull Bashers were looking to redeem themselves on the battlefield!

Another friend, Falgrim, offered to host and we played on his amazing desert-world themed terrain set. He preset the terrain and he also handled any disputes that came up in play, looked up rules and trash talked us both. He took lots of pictures and tossed in his own commentary on them. Check out his flickr album! I'm really glad for his pictures as I only took a few since I was playing! Here's my shorter slideshow with some comments.

The game was 1750 points as both uf us were able to add a few more points to our lists between the bet and this battle. We rolled up Capture and Control, with a Dawn of War set up. I don't like Dawn of War all that much, so when I won the roll to go first, I happily let Emukt take it. I figured Night-Fighting + most of my units off the board would mean he'd essentially lose a turn of shooting…while I'd have a target-rich environment as my troops entered the board.

Crimson Fists
Captain w/ Power Sword, Bolter
Captain in Termie Armor
5 Terminators (Sgt w/ Power Sword, rest with SB/PF combos)
2 Dreadnaughts (MM+PF)
10 Tacticals w/ Las, Flamer, Rhino w/ HK
10 Tacticals w/ Las, Flamer, Rhino w/ HK
10 Tacticals w/ Hvy Bolter, Plasma Rifle, Sgt w/ Power Fist
10 Scouts w/ 2 sniper rifles
5 Assault w/ Power Fist, Flamer
5 Devs w/ 2 PlasCans, 2 MLs

Skull Bashers (from memory)
Chaplain in Terminator Armor
Legion of the Damned (8 w/ Multimelta and Melta, Power Wpn)
10 Tacticals w/ Plasma Cannon, Flamer
10 Tacticals w/ Las Cannon, Plasma Pistol, Razorback w/ Hvy Bolter
10 Tacticals w/ ML, Melta, Rhino
10 Tacticals w/ ML, Flamer, Rhino
10 Assault Marines, Storm Shield/TH
Predator w/ Autocan, Hvy Bolter
Vindicator
(all his vehicles had HK missiles as well!)

Set up and First 2 turns:
Dawn of war requires that you only set up 2 troops and your HQ to begin with and then the rest of your army pops in as reserves. Our first turn set up was pretty much all about securing the objective and setting up the attack. Really, it was the second turn when the game started (there were no casualties in 1.5 turns!). In the top half, the Skull Bashers pushed out enmasse, using cover for their approach towards my objective. Despite some heavy fire, the Skull Bashers didn't manage to do much beyond stunning a Rhino on the right flank. The Vindicator had been stunned by a lucky shot on turn 1, so could only lumber forward. The brutal roll of the turn was the Assault squad on the left flank failing their difficult terrain test to assault the CF squad near my objective.

At the bottom of the turn(which this map shows), all my reserve units - Termies w/ Captain, 2 Scout Combat squads - had rolled successfully for reserves. I had 1 combat squad (on the left with red arrow) come in behind the vindicator. The other squad moved in onto the hill to assault the Skull Bashers holding the hill (on the right). My Termies deep-struck behind SB lines to draw some fire so my troops could advance!

Skull Basher prepare to defend their objective

My scouts were ultra-effective, destroying the vindicator and completely eliminating the Tactical squad on the hills (SBs rolled terribly for saves!). I forgot to run my termies to spread them out, but on turn 3, the Skull Bashers failed to do any damage anyway, so I lucked out. We saw our first shooting casualties of the game with a SB Assaulter on the right flank going down to combined fire from the two combat squads and the Dev. I missed a critical shot off my other Dread at the razorback, however! I also managed to charge his assault squad with my own, but we traded marine deaths (2 vs. 2). The mistake we made was that I thought the sgt w/ TH had a combat shield and made Emukt save at 5+…but after the game I discovered it was a storm shield. A terrible injustice on my part! The lesson here is to let the player tell you what the trooper is equipped with rather than assume (even though he said his army was WYSIWYG!).

Turns 3 and 4
The Skull Bashers fired nearly everything on their side of the table at my Terminators, but they survived unscathed (all wounds saved and the plasma cannon scattered 6 inches away!). The SBs stayed on task, however, with the Razorback/Chaplain advance pushing toward the CF objective. The Legion of the Dead also appeared, popping a dreadnaught immediately under a hail of bolter/melta fire. The CF Hvy bolter squad in the woods came under some Razorback fire, but managed to survive. He managed to immobilize my center rhino as well.

Crimson Fist Terminator destroy the Predator

My Crimson Fists advanced on the center and right fronts, my Scouts rushing forward to contest the SB objective. My Termie captain split off from his Termie squad to assault the central Combat squad while his cohort assaulted and destroyed the Predator. My devastors and tacticals on the flank opened fire, slowing the rhino. The troops in the center disembarked and advanced with the other combat squad. Near my objective, the assault after two rounds was still a tie…the Skull Basher Assault squad couldn't do enough damage to win the combat. My scouts rushed south to support them. The CF dreadnaught charged the Legion and mud pit them as long as possible (with no power fist, they could only rely on Krak grenades on the front armor)…I had done this before to Emukt and he remarked "I need to add a power fist to that squad!"

The next turn saw fire fights on all side of the board, with my termies taking heavy casualties (4 fell to bolters and assault!), a pair of assaults on the right flank near the devastors ending in CF victory, the SB Chaplain advancing with the Razorback combat squad to destroy my hvy bolter team and the Assault on the CF objective finally ending in my favor when my scouts joined. At this point, I still held my objective, had mud-pitted the legion (despite losing his power fist) and contested the SB one with only a few remaining SB tacticals defending and both my captains in charge range. The assault vs. assault combat ended with only my Power Fist equipped marine surviving, but Emukt had his melta equipped marine in a rhino kick open the back door (fire point!) and melt him!

Turns 5 and 6

Skull Bashers Legion of the Damned conversions

The Legion managed to destroy the dreadnaught and advanced on the objective. The razorback tore up my scouts in the forest, killing 3, but I had 2 other combats squads near enough to score the objective. The Chaplain and combat squad contested it just in time on turn 6. On the other flank, Emukt played some delaying actions, but couldn't hold his objective and my Scouts scored it. Victory to the Crimson Fists on turn 6!

Skull Bashers contest the objective on turn 6

Things I learned in play:

The flexibility of Space Marines are awesome. Combat Squads, Scouts, Deep Strike Termies (and Legion) lets a player really put pressure on the opponent to react. And once you've got them reacting, it's tough to get ahead.

I was a little down on the scouts once I saw the new stat line, but it didn't really hurt this game! The ability to outflank coupled with CC-equipped scouts gives the ability to surprise and seize objectives before anyone knows what's going on.

Rhinos provide a real advantage in play! The Skull Bashers had a lot of mobility on both flanks and it was only lucky rolls that slowed them down. My own rhinos spent a lot of time stunned/immobilized, but still managed to get their cargo to their destinations.

Power Fists rule! I guess we all know this, but they really shined this game…crushing marines in the assault and destroying a rhino in the late game. The fact that Emukt didn't have one in his Legion slowed him down in the fight against my dread as well.

Marines win games by staying on plan and using units in concert. I don't think there is a "Nob Bike Squad" equivalent in a marine list (maybe 10 TH in a LR?)…you really need squads to work together.

This game really made me see the lack of a heavy tank/armor in my CF list. I'm working on an LRC, but I might add a Predator or a Vindicator to the Armory soon. I can't always depend on my powerfists and combat squad las cannons for vehicle popping.

Even with terrible rolling in the first two turns, the Skull Bashers managed to still contest my objective by the final turn 6. It pays to have a plan and stick to it even if the Dice Gods have turned against you! I fear our next Skull Basher game!

Objectives: Shrine Complete

2009-03-28T13:22:00.005-04:00

(You can click on any of the pics to get slightly larger versions)

A quick update on one of my Crimson Fists objectives I posted earlier this month. The Shrine is complete!

I had a few goals in mind when I painted this objective:

Match the colors of my City Terrain.
Function as a generic objective though I keep calling it a "Crimson Fist Objective"
Limited color-palette, so that it doesn't distract from the minis during play.

All things considered, I think I accomplished my goals! I wanted to practice highlighting black (since I'll be painting up my Ravenwing soon), so this shrine was a good opportunity for me to practice my light-touch. Here's a close up of the detail:
Paint Scheme:

Gesso Black Primer, Chaos Black basecoat
Rocks/Ground: Adeptus Battle Grey - Fortress Grey - Skull White drybrush (last brush was very sparing!) The large boulders also got multiple Badab Black washes.
Shrine - Used same colors as rocks ground, but did not drybrush. I wanted to try and make the shrine look like smooth rock...or obsidian. I think I got halfway there.
Seals - Khemri Brown/Mecharite Red, Devlan Mud wash, Bone highlight. Micron Pens for detail.
Incense Burner-Dark Angels Green-Goblin Green rope. Basecoat Dwark Flesh, Brass, Devlan Mud, Mithril Silver highlights (very light).
Skull - Khermi Brown, multiple builds of Bleached Bone/Mud washes. I wanted to practice doing great looking skulls too. This is similar to my Deathwing colors, but I didn't go all the way to the highest highlight.

Sovietspace requested more pics of my Dark Angels, so here's another teaser below. I've decided to go to my Dark Angels once my Crimson Fists get to 2k. Now I just have to decide if I should field them as Dark Angel Codex marines or Space Marine codex Dark Angels. :)
Thanks for looking!

On the Bench: Drop Pods

2009-03-25T14:43:00.002-04:00

Special Request Edition: GWPertinent asked to see my DIY Drop Pods. I aim to please!

Months (okay, like 2 years) ago, Santa Cruz Warhammer posted a link to a template for making your own Drop Pod. They then made a Dark Angel one and posted the step by step. The drop pod was so awesome, I thought that not only did I need that drop pod in my life...I needed 3 of them. GW didn't offer a plastic drop pod kit at the time (I think it was released the summer of '08?), so I downloaded the templates, printed enough to make 3 pods and got crackin'. For materials, I used foamcore and cereal box cardboard. I *really* cheaped out on these pods cause I was saving money for more Dark Angels!

I used the pin method to transfer the templates to the foamcore, played connect the dots and then spent a ludicrous amount of time cutting and fitting all the pieces. Unfortunately, I don't have a shot of all the cereal box cardboard, but trust me when I say that I eat a LOT of cereal and used a lot of cardboard. Cereal box cardboard is great for detailing buildings and drop pods. Not as good as plastic card, but much cheaper.

Two nearly-completed pods. They need rivets and engines. If you compare to the Santa Cruz one, you can tell I skimped on some details...I just couldn't bring myself to cut MORE cardboard after having cut enough for 3 pods. Bit off more than I could chew I guess. Ten points to whoever can identify the cereal box I used! I'm in the states, so this may not be fair to those readers across the pond.
Here is the obligatory Rhino comparison shot. It's hella-big and blocks some serious LOS! They aren't anywhere near perfect and some lines are a little off...but for less than 12 bucks for 3, I really can't complain!

After the release of the Space Marine Codex, I thought I'd give these pods to the Crimson Fists. Dark Angels pay 15 more points a pod and don't even benefit from the Drop Pod assault rule. The one issue: The Dark Angels insignia. I considered ripping them off, but decided against it. Maybe the Crimson Fists won them in a bet from the Dark Angels or something.

I've actually added scratchbuilt engines and started painting them in Crimson Fist colors. I'll try and get a post up soon!

My workbench overflow-eth.

2009-03-23T10:00:00.017-04:00

It seems like a standard habit when blogging about the hobby is to update folks with "what's on the bench" so we can all share the pain of having too many minis in progress. I know I have far too many minis in various states of progress.

To begin with, I've been working on my Crimson Fist Land Raider Crusader which will bring my final army list up to 2000 points. Eventually, I'll want to add units of Sternguard, Vanguard, Pedro Kantor and a Vindicator, but I'm in no rush to add to the Crimson Fists since I've just started playing with them (and I'm 2-1 so far). I've also got 3 DIY Drop Pods on the bench awaiting highlights.

I've also been slowly working on my objectives. The shrine is finished and I'm painting the ammunition dump and fuel drums at the same time (since they are so simple). Expect an update before March is up on those 3.

My two HQ units, nowhere near done...but prepped for battle anyway.

I can't decide if I want to go back to working on my Tau...lots of units there could be painted: Both my HQ Shas'Os need painting, 20 Kroot, 3 Pirahnas and 2 Sniper Squads are all based and ready for their colors as well.

Deathwing Assault Squad, bases done..models ready for bones colors.

Or maybe I want to return to my beloved Dark Angels...lots of units on the workbench there as well: 10 Deathwing Termies in various states, a basecoated tactical squad, 2 rhino chassis (with magnetized options for predator, whirlwind) with options basecoated. And 6 Ravenwing bikes still all WIP!

For 2009, I think I'm making a hobby resolution: Clear the workbench before buying any Imperial Guard. As much as I've always wanted to field the Guard (and I think I can finally paint them), I think I need to really take a chunk out of all the unassembled, unpainted, unloved minis I have collecting dust in my closet. Who knows...maybe I'll ebay some just to get to the Imperial Guard faster!

Setting up the Battlefield

2009-03-19T10:00:00.019-04:00

Imperial Guard Stormtroopers push forward under cover of rubble.

One thing that frustrates me about Warhammer 40k is how little terrain creation and lay out seems to play in the rulebook. The rules are pretty simple for setting up terrain and there are really no "rules" on what makes a fair table. Yet, terrain is such a vital element in any game! There are rules for movement through terrain, rules for interacting with terrain, rules for cover saves, line of sight is impacted by terrain, etc. The 5th edition RB has nearly as many pages on Ruins and Buildings as it does on Close Combat! Battles are fought over and inside pieces of terrain. But there is barely any advice on exactly what pieces should go on the table and in what proportions!

On one hand, the rules are purposely vague because GW cannot dictate or possibly know what kinds of terrain players will feel inspired to construct (though they probably would prefer if we all used the CoD, Craters and Trees kits they offer). Do a search for Warhammer 40k terrain images and you'll be stunned at the variety of types, intentions and playability of pieces! Every battlefield will, by necessity, be very different from any other battlefield…so rules on what types and where would be an exercise in exceptions. GW could never hope to publish rules governing it all!

Crimson Fist scout prepare to give their lives defending an Imperial Shrine.

And yet, I still wish there were some sort of definitive ruleset on how best to ensure that there are the right amounts of LOS-blocking terrain, difficult, area and cover terrain types on a board. I know, as a personal preference, I prefer a terrain heavy board, one covered in as much terrain as I can fit. I just like the idea of combat being close and deadly (even when I played my Tau…but in that case, I liked all the cover the terrain provided back in 4th edition.).

Skull Basher Marines hold the line against a Crimson Fist assault.

Surprisingly, I found it difficult to find articles on terrain set up in 5th edition! On the Dakka forums I did find a neat proposal:

Divide the board into 6 2'x2' squares and assign a number for each of them.
Divide the terrain in 6 roughly equal groups.
Roll a D6 for each group. That terrain group then goes into that square. If you roll a number with terrain already in it, move the pieces into an adjacent square.
Each player then alternates placing all the terrain in each group making sure not to initially position a piece of terrain within 12" of another
Roll a scatter die and 2D6 and move each placed piece that many inches in that direction.
Once everything is placed, a scatter die is rolled and any building on the board are turned to face the direction of the arrow.

I like this set up and will try and encourage my friends to try it out. Breaking up the table and randomly assigning terrain to each section appeals to the wargamer in me…now the set up isn't so much about grabbing pieces and trying to neutralize them…it's about creating the battlefield. The addition of 2 different scatter dice mimics bad intelligence reports on the direction of the terrain pieces and placement. My only change might be to ensure that the biggest piece of terrain available (in size or height!) be placed in the center first with appropriate scatter rolls. This creates a vital piece to fight over and prevents the railguns from firing across the table.

Tau Crisis Suit and Drones navigate an alley in front of Tyranid Gargoyles.

The last piece of terrain set up I'm still struggling with: Determining the terrain "Stats." Is it difficult? Is it Area? Does is block LOS? Since I have my table with DIY terrain, I prefer to try and assign the same pieces the same stats…so my rubble pieces are always 5+ cover, area, difficult terrain. My large buildings are 4+, WYSIWYG, only difficult to pass through the walls. And so forth. Occasionally, when playing someone, they'll want some impassable or dangerous terrain and I'll suggest pieces that look like they fit the bill. But again, I'm left feeling sometimes like "is there too much difficult? do we need 6+ cover terrain? Only my rubble pieces are area terrain…is that unbalanced?"

If I can get my friends to use the above set up, maybe I'll also declare that each player gets to decide what each terrain piece their Opponent set up does. And I have to flexible with each piece…maybe that building doesn't have to be difficult terrain...or the rubble could not be 5+ saves and instead only difficult. I just hope it doesn't add 40 minutes to set up! Maybe it needs to be timed as well. :)

How do you decide the terrain "disputes" at the start of your games? What method do you use to decide on how to set up the board?

Crimson Fist Objectives

2009-03-16T10:00:00.016-04:00

Being part of the FTW has many awesome benefits. Not the least of which is seeing the work of so many other talented 40k hobbyists and taking inspiration from them on a daily basis! I saw Admiral Drax's fine Imperial Guard objectives and MasterDarksol's Eldar objectives and I decided I should get around to finishing my own objectives for my home table.

First three were ones I made months ago just as a side project but never finished...they'll probably look familiar to anyone who owns the Cities of Death expansion:

"Ammunition Dump":

Simple ammo boxes and bolters. Nothing all that fancy here! This is all battlefield accessories bits with 2 space bolters tossed in.

"Fuel Dump"

Again. Nothing out of the ordinary here. The drums are from the battlefield accessories kit. The jerry-cans are either from a vehicle set or my bitz box. The large oil drum is from a 99cent-store construction-themed toy set.

"Shrine"

I wanted to have some sort of holy ground to fight over so I thought a shrine would work. I carved the rocks out of packing foam and carved a little slot to stick a skull inside. I then figured it would get seals and banners and all that good stuff.

The next two I made after seeing Drax's post! I felt really inspired (who knew an Imperial Guard commander could act as a muse!?!) so I really went a little crazy making these!

To start, I need the objective bases. To make things simple for my games, the obj bases are ~3 inches across so that you can almost eyeball who's in range to claim it and who isn't (you've got probably 2-inches around it to claim!). I used a large flying stand to create the circles on my foamcore:

Then I cut the circles out an angle with my exacto:

The nice thing about cutting it while it is still in the foamcore is that I get that table-blending slope without having to cut it out later. It also widens the base slightly since I cut out from the circle instead of straight or towards the center of the circle.

Now I've got the two bases ready to go, I'll layout my plan and look at it before gluing/committing:

The first objective is meant to represent an Imperial Agent or Pilot hiding in a ruined building corner. He's placed a beacon to signal for help and now he's waiting for pick-up (or maybe an Ork to bash his head if they get their first!). This can also double as a Observation Post for Cities of Death. Any player worth their salt could probably call out the bits used here: Cities of Death walls, terminator teleport beacon and the pilot from Battle for Maccrage.

Next up, after reading some of the terminator fluff in the SM codex, I thought it would be cool to lay out a badly damaged terminator in rubble…his shoulder Crux representing a prize to whatever army claimed it (and the honor of his chapter when they recover it!). As I was laying this servant of the emperor out, I thought it would be cool to include a half-cross and then added in a half-circle bit to add in a halo. He's a fallen saint now (hopefully it'll come out when I paint it!)
A lot of bits were laid out for this obj: Body and head from terminator set, battlefield accessories, legs from Dark Angel set, some CoD cut-offs and bitz box grabs. I had some old metal (lead!) termie lightning claws that I'll never use, so I added them in here:

Once I liked the position of everything, I moved to laying out the real foundation and gluing it all to the base:

You can see I cut down the ruins a bit as I thought the original was too tall. Now that I look at the picture, I may have cut it down too low! I might drill in some holes to add wires with foam/concrete blocks on it to add a little bit more height. I used sculpting clay to buildup the base. One trick is to use some white glue on the base, add the clay to get a great bond. Then jam in pieces with some more white glue. I do this because the clay doesn't really having any bonding properties to hold anything buy itself....but white glue works wonders!

Here's the model's eye view:

I was smart enough not to glue in the teleport homer for painting purposes…but silly me…I glued in the pilot. I might break him off for painting and then repair before I prime it.

My fallen saint terminator! I'm really happy with the way this came out. The terminator is removable right now so I can paint him separately. I cut and repositioned the leg to look like he fell back into some rubble. I also drilled and carved in some battle damage into the suit. I'm considering adding more. It should take a lot to topple a terminator from the Crimson Fists!

Next, I'll be flocking the rubble/gravel/sand to match the first 3 objectives. Then onward to painting! Knowing my painting habits, I'll probably get the first 3 done long before I finish the last two. But I don't know! Since I started this blog I already feel more productive. I appreciate any feedback! Also, I'd love to see more objectives that others use in their games. Seize and Hold is probably my favorite mission in 40k.

edit 3/17 - Added Master Dark Sol's Eldar Objectives! Very nice work!

Crimson Fist Terminators

2009-03-13T10:00:00.019-04:00

No other unit in the game makes me think "40k Universe" like the Terminator does. The SM Terminator is barely recognizable as human…a hulking distorted figure in heavy armor and wielding the most dangerous weapons the Imperium has available. They're the best of the best in the Astrates and when used in combat they excel at a single task: Breaking the Enemy's back.

By this I mean Terminators can decimate a unit of normal troops sitting on an objective if applied right. They can break an offensive line by charging a pivotal unit. They can stall an assault "hammer" by being simply lasting longer than any other unit. In game terms, Terminators kick butt and take names.

Like any marine unit, Terminators are pretty good at doing everything…but not the best at anything (except maybe their save). They have to be supported by Space Marine forces and should never be used to advance alone. Most players will have some AP2 weaponry or their own power weapons to deal with terminators…and you don't want to give them the chance to use them! Providing a support squad of Tacticals or Bikes give you ways to deal with any anti-termie threats or bog-units like swarms. You want to make sure your Termies get where they need to be and not get stuck in the mud!

I make 40k sound like an elaborate game of Rock-Paper-Scissors…but if you look at the army lists…that's what it comes down to: Making sure your rock hits their scissors and their paper isn't around to do anything about it! Or better yet, their paper is dealing with your scissors!

Here is my vanilla Crimson Fists Terminator squad from the Black Reach set:

I made only tiny conversions…removed the Iron Halo from the Sgt and glued some more seals and tabards to the squad to differentiate them from a basic AoBR set. All of the lettering detail was with a micron pen. One of the termies was from the White Dwarf freebie...but the targetter broke off in shipment. Rather than cry about it, I just shaved the bits off and painted it. I'm lazy that way. As I mentioned in a previous comment, I model the text as an arabic/english/chinese hybrid. I don't want any English on my models…it's a silly aesthetic choice I'm going to stick too:

I've since painted the Sgt's power sword in the same pattern as my two HQ units:

I think once I'm done with my Crimson Fist Land Raider Crusader, I'm going to get back to work on my Deathwing. I have probably 25+ termies in various states of assembly/painting - some of which date back to Rogue Trader. They've languished long enough in my closet! It's time to get to work!

Chess Lessons in 40K

2009-03-10T10:00:00.000-04:00

Or how I'm trying not to be a douche while gaming.

Inspired by the BoLS post by goatboy in which he talks about having fun with the game, I started thinking about my own flaws when it comes to tabletop gaming. For the record, I really like goatboy's posts on BoLS and look forward to them. He's got some great things to say about the hobby and seems like he's found a way to balance competitive playing with having fun.

Huh. Seems like I forgot about that hilarious leaping ability.

In my own personal gaming style, I know I've got some ways to go before I'm that guy that people love to play against. I think I'm a good, fun player and a decent host, but I do have some faults and I'm really trying not to indulge in them! One of my faults is that I participate in the metagame-disruption tactics without even meaning to do it. For example, when an opponent makes a move that not only surprises me, but I think is less than optimal, I'll make a sound like "huh." It comes so naturally that until a friend called me on it, I didn't even notice I was doing it! Once he pointed it out, I could see how it was rather obnoxious and metagame-disruptive!

I think the habit comes from my youthful days of playing on the chess team. In competitive chess, you'd keep careful notations of a game with every opponent so that later you can go back and review what you did right and where it all went terribly wrong. In addition to the game tracking, you'd also apply short hand notes next to a move, like "?" or a "!". The "?" represents a move that really threw you off (though it can also mean bad move) and you can't see why your opponent would do it. The "!" was when your opponent pulled a brilliant move that you didn't see coming and ruined your day.

When playing chess with teammates/friends, I'd say "huh" and note the "?" in the tracker. Actually, more often than not, they'd do it to me as I was an average player that made lots of mistakes. It was just a verbal signal to the other player that I might ask about this later so try and remember the why. The critical step is that you didn't interrupt the game to ask why...you're supposed to be playing competively!

The practice was all about learning how to be a better player by learning from your opponent's thinking. I'm by no means the best 40k player ever, but I am competitive (some might say "really" competitive!), so I try to optimize my moves on the board to win the game. If the person across the table does something that throws me for a loop, I can't help wondering why and I have trouble suppressing the urge to be all like "What are you thinking here?". That's when the "huh" sound pops out and I participate in the metagame disruption! My friends understand that signal to mean "bad move, sucker," so they second guess their next move or they feel thrown off (or just write it off as Cawshis being a douche again!).

I just want to say that I don't mean "bad move, sucker!" It's more "what's the plan here? I figured you'd do something else!" Imagine a battlefield and the Space Marine captain is getting signals about enemy troop movements and he sees the latest report and he thinks "What is that damned Farseer up to? What did I miss?" I'm just trying to get into your head to determine your next step. And, also, to be honest, sometimes I'm also thinking "gosh. that's not what I would've done in your shoes…why'd you do it?"

I wonder what's the best way in a friendly game to make it so that you can exchange these "?" or "!" moments in play without sounding like you're being critical or mocking?

Charging these Tau was AWESOME!!! They barely Fight at all!

It's easy to remember the "!" moments. These "!" moments are when both sides of the table are all like "that was awesome!" and you celebrate them right away or talk about them while packing up. They're one of the reasons why we play 40k (along with the strategy and hobby fun!). I don't think any friendly game group has trouble talking about the cool stuff! Amazing rolling. Unlikely victories. Neat tactics. That's the next best part about a day hanging out playing 40K with friends!

What worked for the Tau doesn't work for the Orks.

But how do you bring up the"?" moments in play? Do you ask at the end? Do you ask while playing and give the player the opportunity to take it back? How competitive do you keep a friendly game (by not asking), but still allow for opportunities to learn how to play better (by asking)? Is every friendly game an "open game" where all moves are discussed? Do you set up "learning games" with friends to try out new army configs or units?

I don't have the answer, but I'm sure now that going "huh" in play isn't the way to do it! How do you talk tactics and strategy in a game without infringing on the fun of the competition? Do you separate the two types of game and make it clear? What personal flaws are you working on to ensure gaming with friends stays fun?

Crimson Fist Tactical Marines

2009-03-07T10:00:00.003-05:00

As of this post, I have 3 full tactical squads painted (though they are missing the Fist icons on the shoulder pads). I don't really go for the names on each squad as some other folks do...mainly cause I easily forget them and cause I don't like to get attached to my marines.

They're supposed to die for the Emperor, after all. Why bother learning their names? Maybe after a few games with these guys, the stand-out marines who do well for me will earn their stripes...err...names!

For the first squad, I used a Sternguard veteran model as the Sgt. I figured if I field sternguard in the future, I can just grab him. He's my favorite model of the entire set...in a set of great models. His neck-armor and shoulder pads are just perfect and I'm now trying out ways to mimic his look on my plastic models. I think I can do the neck brace (you'll see an example later when I post my Devastator Sgt)...the thigh-armors have got me wondering if its finally time to try my hand at green stuff.

Here's squad two. All Black Reach marines except the Sgt. I wanted to mix up the look of the Sgts instead of using both Black Reach ones (I'll probably use the 2nd Black Reach sgt in my Dark Angels army!). I used the head from the Dark Angels set I think. Though it could be a devastator head.

Tactical Squad 3. All Black Reach marines (I shared two sets with friends. They got the orks. I took all the marines) in a standard Missile Launcher, Flamer formation.

This Sgt came out pretty nice for my first Crimson Fist model (I'm showing them in reverse order of painting). I used several washes for the face and even resurrected the old "Bronzed Flesh" color from GW. I can't say enough good things about the washes and foundation paints. They've really saved me time and heartache.

Since I wanted to keep them mobile, I added two rhinos to the armory and I plan to add a third.

I used to have a lot more citadel transfers on them, but they all seem to fall off minutes after I put them on. I'm exploring ways of keeping the damn transfers on until I seal the models. An astute Marine modeler might notice that the headlights are a little low on the model. Well, I glued them on wrong on my first rhino. Whoops! To keep the army consistent, all my rhino-chassis vehicles are going to have to have low-headlights.

As a former Tau player, I really like Tactical Marines. The versatility of their formations (different weapon load outs, transport options, Sgt. Customization and the ability to combat squad) really makes them a great Troop choice. They can do anything pretty required pretty well! Just don't ask them to stand up to specialized units like Assaulty-Orks or Shooty Guard. I like to field them as combat squads against horde armies (to divide up those assaults) and as full squads against other marines or necrons to improve their survival.

In play, my tacticals have a mission in my head supported by either some elites or support fire. Usually the mission is "take that objective and hold it." Sometimes it might be "Draw some fire" or "Destroy that gun" if I see something I don't like on the board but isn't relevant to winning the game (like an artillery unit not near an objective). I never send them out alone if I can help it...they're good enough to take a turn or two of punishment, but they need Elite or Fast Attack support to push enemies out of cover or to survive an opposing elite attack. I nearly always have two tacticals in all my lists, if not 3. They're just great bang for the buck! I've taken to always supporting them with Dreadnaught or two...for fluffy reasons (I'd expect the rebuilding of the Crimson Fists to involve a lot of Dreadnaughts leading the newly minted marines into battle) and cause I just love the model. I'll be posting the Dreads up next-ish.

Battle: Crimson Fists vs Orks

2009-03-04T10:00:00.007-05:00

Recently, I had the pleasure of having Jimble's Orks over for a 1500 point battle. It was a standard seize ground mission, with 5(!) objectives. It was Jimble's first game with 1500 points of Orks and my first "serious" game against his orks (I had battled him before in a 500 point combat patrol...but that was with my Tau...and he trounced me!). This time, though, I had marines, so I was prepared...with a hastily-tacked together LRC!.

We had the basic setup of long table edges and I let Jimbles have first turn. Usually I prefer to have first turn, but I didn't want to give the Orks the advantage of knowing where I set up...plus I was debating keeping some of my marines in reserve.

Here's our lists (from memory):
Crimson Fists:
Chapter Master w/ Terminator Armor, Combiflamer
5 Terminators, Sgt w/ Power Sword
x2 Dreadnaughts w/ MMelta, Power Fist, Extra Armor, Hvy Flamers
x2 10 Marine Tacticals w/ Rhino, ML, Flamer
10 Marine Tacticals w/ Power Fist, Plasma Rifle, Heavy Bolter
Land Raider Crusader w/ Extra Armor

Orks:
Warboss w/ 10-12 Nobz w/ Power Claws, 2Hd Axes (choppas?), etc.
Warboss w/ Mecha armow w/ 5 Orks in mechaarmor/powerclaws
Trukk for 2nd Warboss.
Looted Wagon w/ Big Gun and armor.
x2 Ork Boyz w/ ~20 orks+nob+powerclaw+bosspole
Gretchin Squad w/ Herder
Gretchin w/ Barrage gun thing.

Here's a REALLY blurry photo from mid game. It's terribad blurry. It's also missing ~2ft of the table on the bottom and a good amount of my Crimson Fists, but it gives you an idea of where everything went on the first turn. I apologize. I should have taken the shot right after set up and made sure it was nice, but you know how it is. You just want to get playing!

(click the pic for larger version)

Not pictured are the Defcoptas that scout-moved to the middle of the board and then moved some more to blow up a Dreadnaught in the Orks first turn. Red dots are the objectives.

I won't go blow-for-blow as it was a game for fun and learning our armies, but I'll list a couple of things I learned in this game:

Land Raider Crusaders kill Orks. It's almost like that's what they are designed to do...Machine Spirit let's me fire both the melta and the assault cannon up to 6 inches AND the bolters get to fire. It's pretty brutal on those Boyz out in the open.
Defcoptas are more dangerous than they look. The T5, 2W and 4+save makes them tough to bring down. And the TL rokkits make them dangerous! Turboboosting scout moves should give them great targets right from turn one! I'd hate to face squadrons of them!
Terminators with Power Sword kill Orks in Mechasuitz. The ability to strike first meant my Termie Chapter Master killed 3 mechaorks in 1 swipe (1 wounded Ork+5 wounds on 5 attacks= Victory in Assault).
Power Claws kill Dreadnaughts. 3 of them to be exact. Never charge a Nobz squad with power claws.
Orbital Bombardment has failed to impress. I'm 0 for 3 in calling down the pain. I might stop paying those extra 25 points for it and just field captains. Or invest a few more points and get a character.
Extra Armor is kind of meh on Dreadnaughts. I'm finding that the Dreadnaughts either explode when they get hit at OR they simply don't get hit. I've yet to downgrade a stunned. Might be worth paying for Venerables instead.

If you're interested, I put up a simple slideshow of the better shots. Jimble's orks are beautifully painted...so nicely done that I wound up taking a lot of pictures of them! I really love the Ork aesthetic..but with a Tau army, a Dark Angels army and now a Crimson Fists army, I don't think I should be adding another.* I look forward to the next game against Jimb! He's a great guy to game against and a good friend. Check out his blog and encourage him to post more!

*Especially with the Imperial Guard coming out!

Opening Salvo

2009-02-28T22:55:00.011-05:00

Inspired by the awesome work so many fellow 40k hobbyists are putting up on the web, I thought I'd carve out my own space and join them!

In the coming days, I'll start posting my various projects up for some to enjoy and others to laugh at. Hopefully, it'll encourage me to get more models done and to meet some other folks struggling to get our miniatures just right! As a bonus, maybe I'll actually get better at painting models. Right now, I've become pretty content with painted-for-the-table!

To begin with, I'm going to post a shot of my Crimson Fist HQs! I've just begun collecting a Crimson Fist army...I have about 1700 points painted, mainly in Tactical units and Dreadnaughts. Expect pictures of them to act as filler!

As most collectors already noticed, he's a straight unaltered Black Reach Captain. Painted him very simply...Mordian Blue-Ultramarine armor, Adeptus Battlegrey-Fortress Grey-Skull White for the cloak. The red is Mecharite Red. Some various colors for details. I did use the washes (Badab Black mainly) to deepen the shadows. It's no golden demon, but I'm proud of him!

The power sword was my first attempt at electrical highlights. I used the same method on my Terminator Captain below. I painted him using the same basic colors as my captain, but I think I did a slightly better job.
Hopefully I'll get brave enough to start doing some conversions on these standard minis!