Deathwing progress

You may have spotted these guys in the recent battle report. Blink though and you'd miss them as they were torn asunder by a hungry Trygon. Pretty much all the bonewhite elements have been done and they're ready for the next set, 50:50 bonewhite and white.

Also some thin chaos black has been added where appropriate.

First bit of extra colour, the Crux Terminatus has been made Mechrite Red as per my idea on fluff. This ties the Deathwing into Ferron Proxima as a recruitment world. Obviously the knightly aspect of Caliban doesn't sit too well with the old Red Indian theme of the Deathwing but this is where I can say it's specifically a place where those Native American Indian types came from because the landscape is very Monument Valley - red, flat with sudden up-cropping hills and mounds. It's all coming together, I just wish I had more time and enthusiasm to paint. The wife hasn't done any night shifts for a while and my late nights of TV watching and gaming are not conducive to another night of painting, which is why I've been painting a bit here and there when I have 5 or 10 minutes. The desire is there, it's just the willingness to do it is reduced because there's significantly more to do on 5 Terminators than a dozen Termagants

To Do List 2011/12

I really should get a list of things to do so I know just the scale of the projects still ongoing, so here goes:

• AoBR Tactical Squad
• AoBR Dreadnought
• AoBR Terminators
• Scout Squad
• Ravenwing bike squad
• Dark Angel Drop Pod
• Purity Seal all of my son's Tyranids
• Gloss Varnish all of my son's Tyranids
• Tyranid Prime
• Mycetic Spore
• Paint Vent Tower
• Paint defence platforms x4
• Complete pot pourri vegetation
• Complete future containers
• Complete 40k Cathedral tower
• STC Single story ruin
• STC Hex Defence platforms
• STC Targus Assault Blockade
• STC Vent tower
• STC Athena plateau
• STC Mercury plateau
• STC 40k Cathedral tower
• 60mm Dreadnought crater

Not sure if this includes everything 'on my plate' at the moment but it certainly seems like the bulk of it. Of course I've got a few Rhinos and a Land Raider and any number of marines but these are the target items, although I haven't set a date for any of this to be done by, so don't get your hopes up just yet.

The fact is we are getting a new kitchen in October, which on the plus side may mean we can get a bigger dining table that may support a 6'x4' gaming table but on the down side it'll mean at least two weeks of upheaval which won't allow much chance for hobby stuff. Regardless at least I now have a direction and something I can tick off and you all know what I'll be aiming for and hoping to receive in the form of STCs

Old Skool Samurai

So it would seem back in the day, before Nippon was excised from the Warhammer world Citadel had a passion for representing famous Japanese swordsmen in miniature. And although this doesn't match up with any of the figures on solegends it's clearly from the same era, before the slotta base no less.

I really like this pose, and the overabundance of Humbrol and an undercoat respray hasn't done him any favours a Dettol bath should fix that, I look forward to getting a second chance at this fella.

http://www.solegends.com/citboxes/dl1orientalheroes.htm

When I last mentioned ninjas in the blog I suggested that they may have been painted 'a la stars and stripes' in reference to the film American Ninja although it would seem he doesn't wear such an outfit and I'm not even sure I watched the film. That was when home videos were like gold and 'the man' used to come round with them to rent in the back of his estate and we got all sorts of rubbish ninja films and more high-brow classics like Hawk the Slayer and Sword and the Sorceror. Anyway, I digress, I'm sure you didn't actually believe I performed such a heinous crime but unfortunately I did not dispose of all the evidence and lo I put to you proof of my crimes. In actual fact though I do believe there was an altogether simpler reason for this bizarre choice. As you can see there is a ninja on the left with 'Tiger Claws' for scaling walls. Missing an arm, obviously, I was clearly big on the amputation of my figures at that stage but also you will notice the shoulder pad. So I concur that around this time I was in fact reappropriating these ninjas as an all Nippon BloodBowl team decked out in the flag of the United States... no I don't know why either.

Oh, and see that hammer wielding guy second from left on the bottom row, I had that figure, the guy next to him with the sword and shield, the ninja on the end and the archer above him. You forget so much of the junk you bought!

http://www.solegends.com/citc/c05orientals.htm

And lastly some of the earliest figures in my collection as these were in fact my brothers that he bout from the independent games shop in Liverpool at the time, cleverly called Game. I took my first trip to Liverpool to just go there once. Got on the train and this wedge shaped building with the door at the thin end. You had to go into the basement down this thin stair case. All the figures were in glass fronted wall cases one figure deep and the counter had a rack of tiny draws behind were after choosing your miniature they would find them in the drawer. I bought my first mini, a bearded, norse-like barbarian  for about 60p and went home. The train fare cost more than that! 

UPDATE: here's where Game was, today -

 

Terrain is everything - Vent Tower pt 6. COLOURISATION

The Vent Tower, finally with a bit of colour - Red Oxide Car Primer spraying at an angle can help generate some shadows but as I'm going to be adding more paint it's not essential.

Next up is my old Vermilion art acrylic to highlight, then some black poster paint shading washes to try to tone down the glossy finish to the red highlights. Then perhaps a little paler drybrushing to bring out all the edges. Plenty to do on the arch as it's going to have the same Ver-di-gris effect as my Honored Imperium statue. I had intended for the railings to be a scuffed yellow but I'm reluctant to introduce another colour so I'll see how things go.

Overall I'm amazed to finally get to this point when I think back to all the trials and teeth gnashing over the roof. The first Vent Tower post was in February but as you know most of my blog posts are written long before their posting date so it's a labour that has been long in development. The only things I think it lacks are a couple of dangly lights on it's corners and copper lightning rod strips going down the spires. Oh and how about some more height...?



WFB - Empire General on Pegasus

My recollection on this is a bit hazy I'm afraid. I've no idea on why I thought orange and green would be a suitable colour scheme for the pegasus but it was fun to do and suitably 'fantastical' to warrant doing and I think it still holds up today. The general himself with his red-metalled armour was also quite innovative for me at the time. Mixing new metallics up to get the effect I wanted. Not so sure about his magenta and yellow clashing with his mount but it's not like he was accessorizing was he?

So one of the questions I can't answer myself is the removal of his saddle and saddle back. It was quite an ornate piece of work which I've replaced with a piece of Milliput pricked within an inch of it's life to show some seating arrangement that look more like chainmail or a Rastafarian's hat [?]. The fact is I still have the seat and I had started to paint it a bit so what was I planning to use it for?

Just a couple of full length shots for your delectation.

WFB - Elf

Totally random I know but this fella was one of the WFB 4th Edition High Elf Archers. I painted him along with the rest of the Heroquest guys, just to play around and if we did play Heroquest there was another Hero to include.

Elves with blue hair, whatever next?

++ Contact 07/89#d ++ Xenos Incursion ++ Tyranid turn 2

First up the spore mine drifted around but was still nowhere near the Tac squad observing it from their vantage points on the containers. The Tyranid Warriors advanced around the bindweed and the Biovore moved out of the building towards his objective, which he'd foolishly abandoned.

The Trygon suddenly became enraged with hunger and reverted to it's instinctual behaviour seeking out the nearest man-meat to feed on. Smashing through the ruins it slithered towards the Deathwing. Meanwhile the Genestealers under the withering gaze of their Broodlord had bigger fish to fry and went looking for the Dreadnought.

The barbed strangler finally paid dividends removing the Missile Launcher marine from his position in the containers. He'd been more than useless. I'd taken advantage of the Krak missiles to try and take out the Warriors in most turns. What with his high BS it was more likely to hit and kill a warrior than multiple frag hits that only have a 1 in 3 chance of being on target. He didn't hit once!

Meanwhile the Biovore targetted the Deathwing only for it to deviate and blow up next to the Dreadnought, but it was unable to dent it's Adamantium hide!

The Genestealers stormed the Dreadnought, possibly unfair to get that difficult terrain modifier, what do you think? Brother Cask pulped a Genestealer with his CCW.

The Trygon had run and charged, barrelling into the Deathwing

Back with the Stealers the Broodlord visited all sorts of damage and so too did it's smaller kin. A couple of stuns, an immobilised and ultimately a massive explosion ripped through the dreadnought incinerating one of the Genestealers as it exploded, I really must make a 60mm crater for his carcass.

Back with the Deathwing, Belial struck out with his claws making two bloody slashes across the monstrous creatures worm like hide. The sergeant was next to face the beast...

With one swipe of his power sword he added another searing wound to the beast, it's blood coating everyone. The rest of the squad braced themselves as they tried to bring their power fists to bear but the Trygon, wounded and blind with hunger slashed manically with it's sycthing talons, pinning the marines one by one and devouring them whole. The only one safe from it's predations was the Terminator Sergeant and Belial, who still suffered a glancing wound thanks to his heroic efforts to bring down the beast.

 Sadly, time was called at this point and again thanks to objectives I was winning at this point. We may set this back up to finish the battle off, I don't know. I'd be hopefuly that the Deathwing could avenge their brothers in the next round and hopefully the Tac squad could finish the Genestealers with Bolter fire and cleansing flame but there's still the full squad of warriors to take down and I think they'd maul the squad into submission. Perhaps by that stage the Biovore would recapture it's objective, mine may be lost but Belial and the Sergeant would be either moving to contest or hot footed it back to the container facility to help wipe the Xenos out, maybe we'll never know, warp storms have cut off all comms links into Ferron Proxima...

What did I learn? Those containers are cool but more than one marine on each causes wobbly model syndrome. Adjusting them so you don't have figures falling over isn't helpful when your sentry gun with a fixed 90° fire arc suddenly can't target something it did last turn 'cos you moved it! Belial's a beast but how much better if the squad had a banner: +1 Attacks and an Apothecary: Feel no Pain! Of course they were all deaded cos of Power fist Initiative one. I think a full lighning claw squad would be cool...