'nids part 155 - The Spawn of Cryptus

Hurrah, I've done something! Well enough to actually post about but I won't hold out too much hope for a regular update just yet, bloggin mojo is on short supply. Hobby mojo is bubbling over, I just need to tap into it. I'm looking at a number of projects and really want to be much further on with them. Unfortunately I'm adding in elements like the Spawn, just because it's cool, when I have models much further down the line that are actually on my To Do List, c'est la vie.

Anyway, you should be able to see his base is done, excet for the Bonewhite chips. I'm still enjoying this 'backwards' order of base first and the Red Oxide is also helpful. I find most white Primers temperamental, black would be too much and grey not as useful. Red Oxide though gives me my base and will create an instant subsititue for the old 'liver' colour I used to create saving me time and effort. It also increases the contrast of the colours.

He really is quite a beast but I think he should nbe relatively easy to paint, it is just an oversized Genestealer afterall. Do you reckon they just scaled the Space Hulk Broodlord by 130% then added some extra bits? It's an amazing model but I do think it could have done with some touches to make less 'perfect'. There's nary a blemish or imperfection and it's very symmetrical which is far less organic than I'd like considering the nature of the Tyranids. When you take into account the crazy Nurgle stuff that's coming out this super sleak bioform seems quite 'manufactured'. Still, he is a beast.

I foolishly forgot about Monkeychuka's Broodlord comparison with the reposed arms and have ended up with the 'big fish, little fish, cardboard box' I'll survive though.

Whilst I was in the zone I thought I might as well do the Malanthrope base too so I should have both of these moving along at a similar pace.

I'm hoping to do the basecoats next and perhaps do some first highlights to a couple of my Dark Vengeance Deathwing Terminators whilst I have the Bonewhite out. Although I'm desparate to move forwards I'm once again stuck with a hobby attention span of around 30-45 minutes so fitting in production line painting is off the cards. I'm also enjoying other distractions on our new TV, particularly as the heir apparent is sitting watching TV with me. It may not be the greatest 'quality time' but at least it is time together.

Blood Bowl - Elves TO DONE!

April 2012 seems to be the first time I talked about these but it's only now that they're complete, finally!

This has come at a real opportune moment as PeteB has only gone and got himself a copy of 2nd Edition BB. I'm sure he'll have a team up and running in an afternoon but my major concern is getting in a game before he sells it ;)

Anyway, the team is very uniform and will either be the Haffenheim Hornets or the Codillion Clarions. I wanted them all to be blonde but I may come back to them at some point and add some individual coloured stripes in their hair and numbers, perhaps when I get the treeman to join them.

I also have another catcher and kicker that I can add, actually I've a half dozen extra elves but I may well part with them at some point.

Not to mention the Goblin/Skaven team, Halfling team, Dwarf team and the Chaos team [Chaos Dwarves, Goblins, Mutants, Orks, Ogres etc.], all unpainted.

These all got a subsequent varnishing.

They do look like angry wasps so the Hornets may well be their moniker.

I tried to do some spidery eye make-up, it's OK but I decided just to leave it.

I know I had an Elf Blitzer with the big hair and Ice Hockey Mask but unfotunately I could only find the two short haired mech mask ones :(

Hopefully we'll have a game soon that I can share.

Just in case anyone asks, as it always attracts a lot of interest, this is the 2nd Edition Astrogranite pitch, painted with various household emulsion tester pots. it's slightly smaller than the current pitch dimensions but I do think it's a classic design.

I really wish they'd reissue BB, they coudl even do a hard plastic pitch now!

Anyway, in amongst the Elves I finished up Frank N'Stein, undead Star Player, he'll me joining my Mongrel Horde Chaos team, hence the black and pink colours, nice.

He also sports camo pants as per the 80's 'eavy metal guide to painting Imperial Guard camo - grey trousers with a white stripe and black stripe inside.

And lastly I finished my referee. Don't know where I got this from but I love the idea of a short-sighted deaf Dwarf as the ref.

He dyes his beard by the way!

 

So there we go, Elves are done and a big fat red stamp of approval. Things have been very slow, but we've made progress, particularly as this has been on the books for years.

Deathstormin'

Wayland Games had some extra stock! So despite all the other competition for my funds at the moment I went ahead and ordered a copy. At £60 it's the cheapest around and although the free delivery offer for spends over £40 doesn't include 'bulky' items I think it's a bargain. I'll be selling the Blood Angel stuff and the rule book alone is averaging £25 so the miniatures are equivalent to £40. Even if I only got £20 for the Blood Angel side [which would be disappointing] that means a Carnifex, 3 Warriors, 8 Stealers and the biggest Broodlord ever for just £20!

Of course I did just get myself a Carnifex off ebay because I couldn't get Deathstorm so now I'll have three :( oh dear, how will I cope? Now I need procure two pair of Tyrannofex Fleshborer Hives...!

Anyway, it has crystalised my thoughts, at least in one direction anyway. None of this fits in with my Hobby Season To Do List, which is fine they don't need to be painted or anything. But the more pressing issue is I never meant to purchase much else when I set the To Do List in August. I had plans for three Lictors so I can do a Deathleaper Assassin brood and then a Carnifex but other than that I was going stop. Well this will be the New Years Resolution [aside from the Lictors at some point ;) ]

NO NEW TYRANIDS IN 2015

Of course that takes the Tyrannocyte out of the question but I will make do with my scratchbuilds for the time being. The fact is I need to do things on my list and as much as this is a great bargain, as my wife would say it's just 'more shit'. I have a potential big purchase for my Dark Angel force, I will be adding an Imperial Knight as soon as my Google Adsense earnings reach £60 and then I have an interesting idea to follow. But I want to focus on what I've got, consolidate and then see where I'm at at the end of the Hobby Season.

'nids part 154 - Malanthropism!

Back in the day I think it was Ron off of From the Warp who said you should never have to apologise for not being able to blog, that life comes first and most readers should respect that. However, that doesn't take into account being brought up to be polite and well mannered. Although I agree with the sentiment in practice I can't help but apologise because some folk may well have been waiting for my regular posts and might well think I've been buried under a pile of foamboard, nibbled at by the cat and never to return...! So yeah, I'm sorry but mojo is in short supply as was hinted at in previous posts. Sadly it's the blogging that is very low on my hobby matrix but I have tinkered away with a few things and here's the evidence - the 'Filth', Damnasia's Plague

Apparently the Malanthrope is the bees knees so I had to get one. I think that Monkeychuka's kitbash may be better looking but without the tentacle maker and the spare bits I was forced to go with this fella.

He's quite deceptive, I think thanks to the tapered shape in that he doesn't look too big, then you put it next to another model and he is indeed quite impressive.

I've secured the acrylic rod in a Barbed Strangler barrel which will suffice.

I'll paint the base and Malathrope separately but this is really just to kick start the hobby again, slowly. Doing bits here and there that I'm familiar with while I finish up the things I promised to do. Blood Bowl Elves are complete I just need to varnish and photograph them

Hopefully having him in the background to add basecoats and washes too will help motivate me in the other things.

So it's not much and may be a while yet for another post but I appreciate everyone's patience while I get back on the horse instead of the wagon I've been on ;)

GW Southport

When I was at GWSouthport for Armies on Parade I took some pics of the figures in the display cabinet. So I thought I'd share them here because I still don't have much content to keep me going so I'll just have to make do with this for the mo.

 A nice Necron Night Scythe

Space Pixie paper plane.

Some crazy dark Space Wolves

Fab purple metallic Necrons

Yet more of the Crons

And that's your lot.

What's on my palette?

Crap all! As Blog Wars apporached and the building work transformed into decorating pretty much the only painting I did was walls, doors and skirting boards. The den where I do most of my hobby work became a dumping fround for soft furnishings preventing me from painting and I've still to discover my missing 11 Genestealers amongst all the detritus. However, as of Tuesday the last of the carpets were fitted and asside for tidying and remedial bits and bobs the house is pretty much done.

I'll expect a renewed push by my better half to remove the hobby paraphernalia to a shed or garage within the next couple of months particularly as I feel some stirrings of my hobby mojo. I was actually devoid of all mojo for a period, definitely not helped by those missing Stealers. I still pottered but I felt no desire or motivation to get on and do stuff but I'm starting to feel like I've lost a lot of time and just want to get stuff done. Unfortunately I have a lot of stuff at building stage when I actually just want to paint. So I'm going to be sensible and just do the things that will move me on.

1. First up my Blood Bowl Elves only need to have their base edges painted and varnished. That's a super quick win and they're on my hobby list too.
2. Secondly, my Realm of Battle board. I just need to add some extra washes in all the crack and then do the skulls again, so many skulls...
3. I've some resin that needs washing...
4. And if I get bored with all that my Dark Vengeance Tactical Squad can be finished off. 

Four tasks that I'm going to focus on and get boxed off and hopefully in the porcess I'll discover those missing Stealers! I appreciate this isn't much of a post but it's a statement of intent that I'm off the wagon again and gearing up to paint.

Terrain is everything - 'Tis the season to pick up your trees

A few years ago I picked up a bag of model trees from Dobbies, our local garden centre [and craft shop]. They only have them in the run up to Christmas as they're for making your own Christmas scene with miniature revelers and holiday nik-naks. In fact I tried to get some more last year and they had none in stock.

Now I haven't had chance to go this year but I'm hoping they're back in stock and just thought I'd remind folk about them. The set I got was 21 pieces from a company called Lemax for £13 which I think is good value. Clearly there's at least two that are just a bit too big, they're the same size as my 40k outpost that got bigger! but great line of sight blockers for a Trygon!

Of course they weren't going to fit with my table so I decided to paint them - undercoating them all in Red Oxide primer and then repainting them in shades of yellow.

And here's the finished result: