MOAR from my mate Liam - Scratchbuilt Thunderbolt

A couple of years ago my mate Liam shared some awesome scratchbuilt Flyers, back before Flyers had become the battlefield dominating must-have we know and hate today ;) Here's the finished little beauty

Anyway, he recently sent me a link to his progress pics that may be of interest to those out there who are anal enough to want to build their own, so here you go:

 

Hopefully you made it thus far and the pictures were satisfaction enough for your 40k addiction. I will let you into the secret that he's also sent me the links to his work in progress shots of his award winning Chaos Space Marine army too, so they'll be coming soon as well.

'nids part 80 - Tyranid Bastion pt1.

That's right folks, a Bastion - the logical progression from my Tyranid Aegis Defence Line. Of course if I do the Bastion then the logical next step is a Skyshield Landing Platform and then a Fortress of Redemption but lets not run before we can walk.

Occasionally I'll draw myself a little sketch of what I'm after and so my first attempt tried to match the proportions of the existing Imperial Bastion but this is going to be completely scratchbuilt. I'm all for Tyranid infested Imperial terrain but a completely scratchbuilt affair holds appeal for me because it will be unique, match my army, be a challenge and will cost me nothing [importance not in that order].

However, recently I've seen a variety of Xenos bastions that use the GW moonscape as a base and as I have a couple of spare pieces I thought they might be a potential stepping stone. Unfortunately this would mean the dimensions for the Bastion would change significantly. Using the base below I managed to do an area measurement of the dual crater and as you can see the slightly larger yellow circles have the same rooftop surface area as the Imperial Bastion, coincidence? On the one hand this is awesome on the other it means I can't use the crater edges completely to show my Bastion 'rupturing' through the ground.  

In some areas I'll be able to do it but overall I'd hoped to take advantage of the model but the tower will have to taper from the base and if the crater is already the area I need it will have to expand the crater beyond it's dual circular edges. Also, this will be Obviously be a different plan view and instead of a square shape will be more rectangular. Let's hope this isn't an issue, Tyranids are bio-constructs and nothing in nature is perfect so making a square shape would be unnatural.

So this is the revised concept sketch, however mounting the 'heavy bolters' on it's compass points will be difficult given the Chitinous towers already situated there. What I may do is make the towers sit slightly angled opposite each other that way the left and right weapon can be in the East and West positions and then the North and south guns will be asymmetrically opposite, one in the right hand Southern wall and the other in the left Northern wall. With 'sphincter doors' [as seen in Advanced Space Crusade] in the left Southern and right Northern.

And in case you need more reference, the ruler is just short of 17cm in height, which will be around the height of the battlements. I will create a foamboard skeleton something like this shape ‡ [or perhaps with three crossbars] rotated 100 degrees [to give the diagonal] with the two crossbars running out to the crater edges. I'll include the Chitinous Towers in each piece and then build on the ends using various plastic components that will be covered in Milliput. The other more organic areas... G.O.D. knows, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

 Another procrastination from my Dark Angels eh? ;) I'm sneaky like that!

Tyranid Bastion | Foamboard core template

Lord of the Rings - Moria Goblins Finished!

I'd originally intended to do a step-by-step for these guys but I also intended to do them quickly so those decisions proved to be mutually exclusive. After I primed them black I did the bases first. I thought as there was more area to the base than figure any overspill from the dry brush could be covered easier afterwards than try and paint round the model.

 

After a quick base of craft brown acrylic and subsequent lighter brown drybrushes I used my Vallejo BoltGun equivalent, the green that was supplied with my LoTR starter set [not bad considering it's 12ish years old] Mechrite red on the clothing and browns on various bits of leather.

I then washed it twice with my Army Painter Strong Tone [Devlan Mud replacement]. I was after a much darker effect than a single wash - to try and replicate the darkness of the movie goblins, even though I've introduced reds and greens. I'd intended to do one set of highlights but I was already feeling these were too bright and so many times I've just wanted to 'wash and go' with my painting because I believe they actually look good without the highlighting anyway. My only annoyance is that archer with the helmet. I'd pulled a stone off that was too big and it brought a lot of sand with it. It blended OK with the browns but I suddenly thought a dark pool of water would look good too so filled it with black - no it looks exactly like someone pulled off the basing sand to reveal the slotta base beneath - DOH!

Maybe some clear varnish will solve this. As overall I decided just to 'let go', this was always an exercise in speed. Doing something for the fun of it and things that work OK will suffice, no need to over-egg this pudding.

One last thing to do was add some grey teeth that were washed and some bulging luminous yellow/green eyes. One concern is just how obvious the mold lines are in these close-ups. luckily they're less evident to the naked eye but it's slightly annoying.

I'm really chuffed with the end result, to think these were still on the sprue a week or two back and had been languishing for a decade or more and now I've painted them up. Can't wait to have a little go on PeteB's Goblin Town board with them.

When we get chance to have a game I'll take some pics too. His Goblin Town has come out really well, supplemented by coffee stirrers. He's achieved a really realistic wood effect, I'm sure mine would have been much more cartoony.

Here's one of the before shots when I'd done the basing sand.



'nids part 79 - 'alien protection walls'

By popular demand I am creating some additional 'alien portection walls' and as I've shown before the fruit pot skeleton is in place. Having compared my line to the official proportions this set will consist of 3 long pieces and 4 short ones [aliens don't follow the metric system]. Below is one nights work with my favorite Terracota Milliput. Now I'm not sure if I should have added the holes in the front but it's too late anway.

Day two and I've completed the other halves of the long section and the backs of the two short ones.

I think the detail is pretty much the similar to my originals. When I come to try and cast them each set will have a random duplicate of the one of the long sections and two pairs of the short ones, still a long ways off though.

Terrain is everything: The Mandulian Chapel: Tyranid Terrain: Digestion Pool Part 1

Saw this and had to share, immediately.

The Mandulian Chapel: Tyranid Terrain: Digestion Pool Part 1

And while you're at it go here too:

http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/infopages/page493.html

Oh, and my own interpretation is still available here

Lord of the Rings - Moria Goblins

Oh no I didn't! Don't worry [or perhaps do worry] I haven't jumped ship to another game. During my last game with PeteB he revealed he'd bought The Hobbit for him and his son to play and then decide to build Goblin Town but expanded it greatly through the use of coffee stirrers [does GW know McDonalds and Starbucks are making Goblin Town expansion parts? Perhaps they should sue...].

Anyway, round about when the Lord of the Rings films came out and GW brought out the game they made a deal with one of those weekly 'part works' magazines. Y'know the sort -

'Mad about Galleons in issue 1, £1.99* you will receive a small cannon for a marvellous scale reproduction of a galleon. Each issue will include all you will ever need to know about Galleons including schematics and historical pictures alongside a new component to create your own Galleon. * Subsequent issues RRP £5.99 '

With 60 issues your Galleon works out costing £360, if you can be bothered to stick with it for that long, and you'd have been better off just nipping to the model shop to satisfy your Galleon needs. I digress, well the wife bought me the cheap introductory magazine that came with 12 Moria Goblins, 4 tiny pots of paint, a paintbrush and a single dice [cheap basta...]. This was before I got back into gaming and I think it was a joke that may have backfired on her since. I'd subsequently used the dice and brush but with an invitation to have a go on PeteBs Goblin Town I dug out the Moria Goblins with a plan to get them painted in time to take round [yes I know it's more procrastination from the Dark Angels].

So I glued them together, took about 15 minutes and I'll be basing them the next night before I prime them black but with a quick zenithal Red Oxide to hopefully add some weathering to metallic elements. Then I'll paint the bases, quick once over with the paints provided, Devlan Mud [or equivalent] wash, pick out the colours again for a bit of highlights and they should be done. 

I'm hoping this will be quick job, but that's what I thought of my cultists. Anyway, I'll keep you updated.

1500pt battle report - nids vs Imperial Guard

My second game against Ben and his 'on loan from Liam' Imperial Guard and my third IG battle in as many weeks. I have to give credit to Ben he went to Throne of Skulls with his Necrons and won all five games, he'd optimised his list to be as competitive as he believed it could be and was vindicated. But one of those match-ups was against another Necron player and despite prevailing he then realised what it's like for the rest of us to face Necrons and realised he didn't want to 'be that guy', hence the change to Guard

Psychic Powers Winged Tyrant HQ Tervigon CC troop Tervigon Plain troop Broodlord [Adrenal] Warp Speed Iron Arm Life Leech Warp Speed Haemorrhage Enfeeble Enfeeble NA Haemorrhage Doom of Malan'tai Psychic Shriek

The low down:

• Crusade.
• Hammer and Anvil
• I won deployment
• Warlord Trait - Move through cover for ruins.

This is after my setup, the importance being for the first time ever we did proper 6th edition terrain placement using the prescribed rules for terrain density. We also used mysterious objectives and terrain for the woods and even rembered night fighting which kicked in on turn 5. Have to say the terrain looks pretty anaemic at this point and really that crater field in the centre is just slowing me down.

4 Objectives, one in the middle right, just above my biovore, the other middle left alongside my Hive Tyrant.

Ben had an objective just in front of the ruined shrin on the hill and the other one in the petrified woods. Twin Manticores flanking the board, Leman Russ holding centre, Command Squad taking cover behind the Chimera with a Veteran Squad inside. Two Vendettas to come on, one with Penal troops and a second Penal Troop set to outflank. Ymgarls eventually hide in the crater field bottom right, only place really given the Guard set up in the only other area terrain.

First turn and thankfully Ben doesn't steal the Initiative, however what we have here I believe is referred to as an 'alpha strike'. My Tyrant has swooped forwards 24" and I had a choice, go for the Chimera or the Command Squad which included the guy that's going to make my reserve rolls at a -1. So out of 12 shots I wound 7 times leaving just a few guys left who bottle it and run off the board. At this point Ben wants to start again, it was a bit of a shock to the system but I manage to point out that all is not lost just yet, he still has a lot of options, however I have First Blood and Slay the Warlord.

Mawloc burrows. The CCTervigon spawns 8 and the vanilla spawns double figures but no doubles they all spread out to cover my two objectives. My Stealers are hiding out on the board edge hoping to avoid the twin missile launchers. Devgaunts, CC Tervigon and Hive Guard run forwards to pressure his deployment zone. The Biovore hits as well, doing some damage.

Having pointed out the precarious position of the Hive Tyrant he takes a wound from the Chimera Heavy Bolter but stays aloft, then gets hit by a fusillade of las-guns who can't hurt him but the deluge of laser light forces him out of the sky and he crashes taking a 2nd wound. 

As the Tyrant writhes on the ground the Leman Russ makes short work of him and Ben takes Slay the Warlord. So I traded 260pts for his 100 something, not a great trade although I got the extra VP and the impact of his Command Squad is worth more than their actual points. Time will tell if the numbers are misrepresenting the truth.

Both Manticores hit the Hive Guard, one dies and another takes a wound through all the explosions. The Tervigon is +3 Iron Armed so is nigh invulnerable but still takes a wound.

Ymgarls arrive from dormancy [no Doom] but only move 3" out of cover! Now I have a choice and 8" charge through cover to the Vets or a 9" charge for the Chimera? The Mawloc hits the Chimera taking a hull point and a vet.  The Devgaunts shoot the vets in the woods who die and the rest flee leaving the Ymgarls to go for the Chimera. CCTervigon spawns the magic 15, things are looking good.

Vanilla Tervigon spawns 10 [no doubles] who spread out to add redundancy covering objectives.

Ymgarls mutate to slashing claws giving +1 St declare charge and are peppered with las-guns which fail to wound roll for charge and snake eyes! Clearly that laser light blinded them for an instant as they re-roll thanks to fleet and get double 6! 

They charge in and manage to get 1 glance and a penetrating hit, a weapon is destroyed and the vehicle is wrecked disgorging it's occupants out the rear hatch.

The Vets prepare to get payback...

Their leader throws his demolition charge and as you can see in trying to throw it up at the Mawloc just ends up throwing it up in the air and hitting mainly his own squad - 2 die but the Mawloc takes a wound.

The Mawloc takes another two wounds and  two Ymgarls die from the Russ and Vets in the ruins. The Vets charge in, I kill just 1 and he starts lobbing Melta Bombs instead of hitting me with close combat weapons. I'm on 5 wounds and my only option is to 'Hit and Run' but I get a 6 and stay locked in combat :(

One of the Matnicores hits the 15 spawned gaunts and wounds all of them but one makes it's cover save.

Another 10 gaunts spawned by the CC Tervigon [11 by the vanilla] and still no doubles. Tervigon fails in his Iron Arm with double 6s and takes another wound. Lone Termagant from the now demolished 15 goes his own way.

Devgaunts head for the woods, the Vets who ran from this objective rally. 10 Spawned gaunts shoot the vets in the ruins alongside the Biovore who also pins them, they fail to make the charge and have two of their number shot for their temerity.

The Vets Meltabomb the Mawloc with ease.

Vendettas arrive.

And put a further 2 wounds on the CCTervigon, what a time to miss my Iron Arm. The Hive Guard are down to 1.

The last two wounds get shot off the Tervigon putting 15 wounds on the lone Termagant! And 4 on the brood of 8. They panic and flee leaving my forward push in tatters. Devgaunts fail a pinning test.

Despite hanging out on the board edge all 4 stealers are destroyed by Manticore fire and thankfully the Broodlord doesn't run off. Worst of all the Biovore is insta-killed alnng with some gaunts. He'd been bang on target all game and real danger to his Guard, I feel like I want to try 2 though...

The lone Hive Guard also bolts but immediately rallies as he comes into synapse range of the vanilla Tervigon.

The Doom arrives he sucks the life out of the Melta Vets and Psychic Shrieks the to leave him with 10 wounds. Devgaunts shoot needing 6's to hit against the rallied vets managing to do some damage. With the infantry gone the nearest target for the Spore Pod is the Vendetta, it's rear hatch just within 6". I let him have it and roll one 6. I roll to penetrate and make it, I roll on the table and get a 6! the thing is toast. However, even though the moment has gone I allow Ben a jink roll cos that's the kinda guy I am and he makes it, aah what could have been.

Ymgarl stealer pulls himself together and manages to get a Hull point on the Leman Russ.

Right hand Vendetta drops vets [or perhaps penal troops] out the back and they deviate 9" up the board.

Other Penal troops outflank the long way round but shoot a couple of gaunts.

The Doom is on ten wounds has to take a potential insta-kill save... and passes. Then he has to take another two saves from las-cannons... and I get a 1 and a 2!

Some Devgaunts die and fail their morale check and run back to my deplyment zone. The penal troops make it clear where they're heading, it's all looking a bit tenuous now. I suddenly spot Ben's Vendetta could contest either of my objectives because I didn't use the more than enough gaunt shield I have to screen the objectives by +3". Thankfully he just repositions for a better shot on my Tervigon.

But kills my Spore Pod, so I've lost linebreaker but have two objectives, Slay the Warlord and First Blood. Ben has Slay the Warlord and Line Breaker but only one objective. He needs the final objective but is 9" away so needs a 6 on his run roll... 

The guys make it and the game is square and given it's 12:15 and despite a 6th turn ready to roll I'm pretty sure it'd be an unpleasant turn where I lose troops, maybe not enough to lose control of the objectives but possibly. So a draw.

And here was Ben thinking it was lost first turn. It just goes to show that even when you think the game is over there are still tools that you can use and he may well have stolen the game at the end. If he'd contested an objective I would have lost but I'm glad of the result and glad that he persevered despite the drastic first turn. He chose this army as a challenge, in which case you have to accept they will die. I've had to do that with nids so it's great he came round to that conclusion by the end of the game. hope you liked it.