Flesh Tearers: Small Update

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!

 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

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!

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!

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

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!

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?