'nids part 199 - 31 Genestealers

I know there's been little evidence of progress, or anything else on the blog but I assure you things have been moving along behind the scenes with the Genestealers. It's just a little hard to show what's changed, until now at least.

As you can see I got the opportunity to do some toxin sacs. These 6 stealers came out really well in the end.

All the talons and claws needed doing, and unlike my traditional recipe with black, black highlight 1, and then various highlights with more turquoise and white I decided to go all GW and use Dark Reaper as my first highlight and then do the Bahama Blue and white with a white pin light, much how I did the Ravenwing

These are still at the Dark Reaper phase which I think is sufficient. I also did the Bonewhite chips on the bases too. Some elements were dragging on longer than anticipated but for the most part I've smashed my estimates which either makes me a bad planner or I've overcome my generous timescale because I'd thought the whole project was too laborious and ultimately depressing. It's required perseverance and determination to push through these last parts but it's been far from miserable.

I also did the Mechrite Red bases [I still have some left]. As alwys the foundation paint is super opaque but is not quite as bright as the Valejo Heavy Red finish on the marine on the right. So the Mechrite gives me the coverage and then a subsequent coat of Heavy Red makes it look nicer.

Here they all are having had their bases edged. All that needs to happen now is Army Painter Anti-Shine the lot of them, gloss varnish on the claws and half of them will have some form of yellow flock, the other will be left without, I just need to judge which bases will benefit from the addition and which will look to busy

And while I was at it I cracked on with these Carnifex heads. I decided to do some blue for the Bio-plasma, I don't know why I;'e been doing it the same green as Toxin elements elsewhere but it just seemed worth trying and although it looks superclean among all the other nid goodness I think it was worth doing because it doesn't look too bad. Should I ever do anymore of these heads I'll do an orange one too, I could have gone one orange one blue but for the sake of expediency they both went blue.

They just need magnets put in the necks then alongside the double tusk head I'll have four spare Carnifex heads, just need four more Carnifex to put them on! Ha, ha, not for long time. Anyway, next up the finished pics, just as soon as I can get a chance to take them...

First Anniversary of the birth of the Man Cave

On this day last year the 40k Addict Man Cave was born, it took a few weeks to then get it up and running, coupled with petitions to the machine spirits within but this was the culmination of months of debate and research.

At the time I had no concept on how this was going to impact my hobby, in actual fact it's been a boon of epic proportions.

As it is today I may well have filled it full of crap, so it's not as homely inside as I'd like but it's still a work in progress, with most of the progress on hiaitus as I spend most of my time working on figures!

That said I'm really pleased with my year 1 in the Man Cave and look forward to year 2.

eBay sales you won't regret

With the Genestealers in progress there's not much to see at the moment, however I wasgoing to share a link to my mate Liam's ebay auction for a 2nd edition Epic Space Marine. Unfortunately the auction has already ended and sadly this whole lot went for just £6!!! A tragedy really, he did mention perhaps some of the stuff might have been mine, which I thought likely as most of my gaming stuff from that era was either in his house or Chris's.

Having looked closer at it I know I've got a metal Rhino that is orange, the Legion of the Damned Rhino is also something I think I did and some of the Guardsmen look similar to some I had. He said I could have it but I hoped it would bring him some funds for more toys as who doesn't want to see what Liam does next? He's spent a lot of time completing his Degree and is preparing for an MA but he still likes to paint toy soldiers. So I'm a little sad it didn't go for more, someone got an absolute bargain.

That said I did my own purchase and finally picked up a copy of Space Hulk. Taking itno account funds are a bit tight I foolishly snapped this up but for £45. Now it doesn't have the Terminators, whcih is a shame as I'd like to have converted them to Dark Angels but everything else is there and these are going for £100+ usually so I can't really complain and I;ve got terminators painted anyway.

I'm not sure how I'm going to explain it to the wife, but all sorts of parcels are turning up as it's her birthday soon, so maybe she won't ask too many questions... Fact is I've actually worked out my costs for this year and it comes to around £274 [including the £130 for our jaunt to Throne of Skulls] so I don't think £144 of 'real' spend is too much. That's £24 a month, whic is what I was spending on my kendo fees roughly. Anyway, I'll have a proper break down of my pends later in the year, until then keep it tight.

1850pts battle report - Tyranids v Necrons

Ben and I haven't had a battle since mid April, so it was about time we did and about time the Hive Fleet Gorgon took on the Necrons once again. We even upped the ante and went 1850pts.

Psychic Powers Winged Tyrant HQ Winged Tyrant Tervigon CC TR Tervigon Plain Tr Onslaught Warp Blast Onslaught Warp Blast Psychic Scream Paroxysm Dominion Dominion Dominion Dominion Magus Tryst Psychic Shriek Dominate INVISIBILITY!!!!!

The low down:

• One of the Maelstrom missions - 3 cards per turn
• Vanguard Strike
• I lost deployment but was asked to deploy first and Ben seized thanks to his +1 to Seize warlord trait
• Warlord Trait - Move through cover and Stealth [Ruins]
• No night fighting.

Ben did give me a sporting chance by not taking the Decurion but other than that there was a lot to be wary of: 6 Wraiths, Triarch Stalker, two units of Immortals, Ghost Ark, Tomb Blades, Annihilation Barge as well as Doom Scythe delivering Lychguard and Warriors into the fray.

I'd used a lot of my Throne of Skulls force, but got three Dakkafex and two Flyrants in as well two Tervigons. The key being I went for two CADs and the Genestealer allies.

Ben Went first and advanced everything, he managed to kill a Termagant in my big brood and the Tomb Blades took my Genestealer hybrids down to 4 and the Magus [on 1 wound] thanks to ignores cover upgrades! He was unable to score any VPs though.

I was extremely lucky with my cards, I pulled hold objectives 1, 5 and 6, which were all closest [or inside] my DZ. Number 6 was in the ruined tower on my left, I spawned out on 9 Termagants to secure it, the big blob got number 1 and the remaining Cultists held number 6 on the right in the wood. Meanwhile the Carnifex and Hive Tyrant took the centre. One Flyrant managed to cast Warp Blast but failed to hit the Stalker, which might have brought his Quantum Shielding down so the Brainleech could glance it.

So instead everything fired at the Wraiths, all the Dakkafex and the Flyrants - 70 shots [plus a few Termagants might have caused a wound] and it was just enough to beat the odds. He failed only enough saving throws and Reanimation Protocols to kill the squad. It was a devastating blow but took all my resources. I ended the turn with 3VPs plus First Blood.

But NEcrons are an implacable foe with a Doom Scythe appearing above

and Flayed ones appearing below. Unfortunately the second unit of Flayed ones mishapped and I deployed them out of harms way in the far corners [although not far from objective 4 so still of use should Ben get the card].

Ben initially brought the Doom Scythe on here, but due to the hull mounted weaponry having little to shoot at moved to the other side of the Chaos Shrine and deplyed the Lychguard onto objective 2.

In his turn 2 Ben managed to complete two missions - capture objective 2 with the Lychguard and Assassinate - killing my second Flyrant [the one with Warp Blast!] with the combined shooting of his Ghost Ark and Immortals. I think the Carnifex I'd given spine banks to was also killed, Ben had managed to recoup the value of his lost Wraiths.

The cards were kind again for me, objective 6 was secured by the remaining Cultists for a second turn and I was able to manifest 3 psychic powers: Tervigon cast Warp Blast, hit the Tomb Blades but they Jinked and survived. Warlord Flyrant cast Psychic Scream but the nearby Immortals survived no problem and something was Onslaughted. Manifesting the powers, even with little effect on the game netted me 2 out of D3 victory points.

Turn 3 and Ben managed to overrun my Cultists with the Tomb Blades.

The Doom Scythe targeted my Dakkafex with little joy, but it [or the Ghost Ark] did deposit a bunch of Warriors in the middle of the board just to ruin my day.

The middle of the board was looking pretty solid and to cap it all those misplaced Flayed Ones did come into their own and secure objective 4 in the top left to score Ben a VP.

Underneath the Skyshield the Flayed ones charged the Termagants. I could only get 16 in pay and managed to bring their number down to 5, but with 25 attacks on the charge they slaughtered the 16 they could reach, leaving them locked with the remaining 13. The Lychguard charged the Dakkafex in the middle, I avoided their Mindshackle Scarabs [I hate them with a passion] and it stomped on one or two but they cut him down with ease.

My turn 3 and I drew objective 4 and 2, [both in Ben's DZ and one held by the Flayed Ones the other by Immortals] and a VP to have three units in my own DZ and none of Ben's. Due to the positioning of the Flyrant I had to turn right instead of left, towards the objectives and give support to the newly arrived Tyrannocyte and Rippers. The Pod had landed almost exactly between obj 2 and 4, the Rippers could claim one as they were ObSec but only with a run which they made. 

The Flyrant took out the Annihilation Barge regardless, while the Tervigon assaulted the remaining Tomb Blades. Underneath the Skyshield the Genestealers broke the deadlock with the Flayed Ones securing me the VP but that is an issue I'll get to at the end...

The Termagants having made a disastrous charge on the Immortals turned tail and were chased by the Immortals, the other spawned gaunts tried to tar pit the Lychguard

Everything else poured fire into the exposed Dakkafex, except for the other broadside of the Ghost Ark which aimed at the Tyrranocyte. The Dakkafex went down to just one wound and then took another 5 that I had to save

Yeah, not on this watch!

The Dakkafex fell.

The Flayed ones wiped out the Rippers to secure objective 4 and a VP.

The Gaunts managed to pull down a few more Lychguard, and I was able to secure objective 5 in the ruined tower for another VP. Meanwhile on my right flank the Flyrant had managed to reach the Tomb Blades locked in combat with the Tervigon. The Flyrant managed to cast Psychic Scream, with Ben looking out on a 12 on the Leadership wiping them out and freeing up the Tervigon.

But they were ultimately slaughtered, leaving the Necron Overlord to hunt larger prey next...

The Flayed ones from objective 4 continued to be useful [considering Ben wasn't going to put them on after the mishap] by wiping out the Tyrranocyte, 

it did kill at least one of them in combat though which is always nice to see :)

The Overlord charged the Tervigon, which was down to 2 wounds so it was not going to survive but as both were Initiative 2 I could achieve mutual destruction with a Smash! attack. One roll of the dice and I hit, and I got a 2 to wound. He failed any save [if he had one] and his Reanimation Protocol but he took out the Tervigon as he went.

This wiped out a number of Termagants in the ruins.

Ben's turn 5 and despite our early start we're pushing 12:30am and Ben manages to secure objective 1 with the remaining Lychguard and 3 to score 2VPs and I think he gets Linebreaker. Given the hour we decide to call it.

For the first time ever Hive Fleet Gorgon has won against the Necrons, with 9 VPs, plus 2 for First Blood and Slay the Warlord I'm on 11 and Ben scores 8 but in writing the report I realise I've cocked up. I'd been thinking how I'd achevved it with some expensive units effectively just holding objectives - the Cultists and Genestealers which I could have done with a 40pt unit of Termagants The Cultists scored 2, for  a cost of 150pts and all the Stealers did was broke the deadlock with the Flayed ones to score 1 VP and they cost 130pts, except when I went to look how much they were I realised when I'd switched from my ToS starting list of 1 CAD plus allies to 2 CADs plus allies I;d had to drop the Stealers to fit the second Tervigon  and small unit of Gaunts in. So in effect I played with the Stealers when I shouldn't have :(

This would make the score more 10-8, I'm pretty sure the Termagants, even with the Venomthrope couldn't have bested the five flayed ones, 13 attacks, plus the 3 poisoned [2+] Venomthrope shots and it's Toxic Miasma. I'd have been lucky to take out three of the five which would have left them in my DZ/table edge. They'd have then been killed by the 20 attacks in return but what would they have done after, and how it would impact the remaining game I can't tell. To say I'm p'ed off is an understatement. My first success ever and I went and screwed it up with a mistake.

'nids part 198 - 31 Genestealers

With the Dark Angel Jetfighter done I should be in a bit of a slump but for some reason I immediately cracked on with some Genestealers.

I managed to get some arms done and suddenly I could see the timescale ahead.

I started on some of the metallic elements on the bases too.

This meant I was able to do the first set of Bonewhite highlights in 7 days, 11 days ahead of schedule. I could then see another 7 for the second highlights plus the remaining days making 18 days until completion. With 9 weeks until the end of the hobby season that was two sessions a week

Or, just crack on with them as the next project, complete them in 18 days and then see where I get with the next thing I think I can manage in what time is left...

Dark Angels - Jetfighter - Moar TO DONE!

Usually I add the 'obligatory phone pics' on the end of my TO DONE! post. I take them as I usually need pics on my phone that I don't need to view via the cloud. However, I'd ogt a tonne of pics from camera and these just turned out so cool I thought they deserved a post of their own.

In case you're wondering the camera app is called Camera 360 and it's got loads of filters [which I'm sure other apps also do] but they work pretty seamlessly. The below ones are more 'enhanced', not really very good pics but this help in low light conditions for my battle reports and the Double Trouble shots. Obviously this was well lit, hnce why the colours are pretty stark.

However other filters brought out these richer tones and made it far more brooding.

Hope you liked these more dramatic shots, I wonder what's next on the table?

Oh and I suddenly had a thought to do a video, it's not great at all, I'll try to do better in future but as I just threw it together it's definitely something I may well do again and get it right.