Last Chance Open 2019

YouTube sensation Aceface and Dice and Decks [the hobby shop formerly known as Wargames] are back with another one of their ITC tournaments. The Last Chance Open 2019, as the name suggests is the last chance to score big in ITC for those rankings and help secure places in the big ITC events.

As such it's a far more competitive gaming experience than me or my crew are used to, but when an internationally recognised two day tournament is going on in 'sunny Southport', only 20 minutes from my house it'd be rude not to. So we're all on board, Liam, Otty, Ben and myself [Scott might even turn up too]. We've no illusions about our chances but the 11th to 13th January dates means it will be ideal tournie prep for us for GT4 the following month.

There are still tickets available at £60 for the weekend. If the remaining 30 are sold Martin has mentioned he will release an additional 30 tickets to bring it up to 150 gamers [double what he had at the Last chance Open 2018]. If this does well he's planning to expand again next year to what could become one of the biggest gaming events in the UK. The venue he's secured is the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre what we affectionately call the Floral [where we've attended Rock Nights since 1992] so it can handle almost 300 folk in the future!

So check out the Facebook page for more information, or visit Dice and Decks where you can buy tickets.

Dark Angels - Ravenwing Dark Shroud part 4

This is pathetic really. I don't know what it is about the Dark Shroud that doesn't inspire me, but I put some wash on the Bone and Angels then highlighted the bone, then I moved back onto the Shadespire models 🤣

Such a window of opportunity now shut as the Knights take centre-stage. Frustratingly I kind of need this painted too as if I can't complete both Knights I'l rely more on my Dark Angels to fill out my army and specifically the Ravenwing which this will help with. However, it's far more progressed than wither of the Knights so there is chance it could be brought back online and completed if the need and, more importantly, the will was there.

Anyway, short and sweet, Knights are up next.

Deatwatch Overkillin'

When I went round to Liam's we had a game of Kill Team, with his son taking Skitarii and I used his Genestealer Cult. It was an interesting revision of the game I was particularly interested in the oversized tokens which could be streamlined a little bit to keep track of you actions.

However, we also had a game of Deathwatch Overkill. We started off the first mission, which I still believe you have to be some kind of special unlucky to lose as the Marines. Unfortunately I seem to have misplaced Jetek Suberei and Garran Branatar so he was reduced to taking these guys:

• Ortan Cassius - Ultramarine Chaplain
• Rodricus Grytt - Imperial Fist, Frag Cannon
• Drenn Redblade - Space Wolf, chainsword
• Jensus Natorian - Blood Raven Librarian

Cassius is pretty tough though so I don't think there were any disadvantages to this choice. I think at this stage he's already killed a Neophyte on the left and two Acolytes on the right.

It became clear Liam had grasped the importance of controlling my ambush points with Redblade and Cassius securing most of the right one and Natorian the other, although there was room just for my an Aberrant and Acolyte to arrive. Another Aberrant and Acolyte came in from their deployment having. Mining Lasers and Neophytes rushed the Ultramarine and Space Wolf.

Who blasted them to pieces with area effect weapons.

The Librarian was only able to take out one cultist, luckily for him it was the Aberrant

I think I managed to wound Rodricus Grytt but he healed himself while Cassius came forward to offer support, killing the Acolyte and Abberant.

More Cultists arrived but Cassius had joined Redblade to prevent more ambushes from that entrance. In response the section was booby-trapped while my Cultists lurked offboard.

Having spotted the charges Cassius and Redblade were forced out of the ambush point but still managed to kill the two Acolytes nearby. Grytt and Natorian also killed two Acolytes on the other side of the board.

But the Blood Raven had overstretched himself and the two remaining Genestealers managed to find chinks in his armour and bring him low.

With righteous fury at the loss of his brethren Cassius crossed the board taking on 5 Neophytes that had just burst from the depths.

Thanks to a Gambit bringing on more Ambushes there were Cultists coming from everywhere.

But Cassius blasted the five Neophytes apart while Redblade took out two Acolytes.

A further Acolyte bit the dust which gave Liam the win.

As usual we still played out the turn, even though the game was decided and the mangy Space Pup bit the dust for my own satisfaction.

Once again a really fun game, of course it gets better when you have access to the extra models, both deathwatch and Cultists, use the bigger board set ups and have a bigger deck of cards to play with. I really like the game, it feels a lot easier and quicker to play than the likes of Space Hulk and the Broodmind deck offers just the right amount of tactics without being too complex and gamey. I'd love to play out all the missions one day.

Warhammer Underworlds Shadespire Steelhearts Champions - almost there

With the preliminary basing of one Knight out of the way I felt sated enough I could try and move these closer to completion. I did all the obsidian weaponry and highlighted the leather on hilts and kilts.

I also did the obligatory glowing eyes with some dubious results. Then I added some battle-damage to the armour which I was even less pleased about. It doesn't look quite as bad in this picture but I thought it was too harsh and spoiled the prisitine look.

But these guys will have been in Shadespire for eons, brand new armour isn't an option so with one damaged and two undamaged I had a choice - fix the damaged one or push on through with the other two...

And I went for damage, this time with Skavenblight Dinge and used a sponge for more randomness. I think it was the right decision, although the execution was better this time it was still not quite right. however, better to try and fail [slightly] than to take the easy route.

I also added the [other] obligatory verdigris on the armour, some extra highlights and a little white stripe on his cloak.

Now to varnish and they're done!

Imperial Knights - House Corvus Twins in manufactorum pt2. 'the running man'

Got chance to go pick up my Knight legs from Liam, this is what he did for me.

I wanted it in motion, I had quite the mental block that was preventing me from attempting both knight's poses at once and we'd discussed how much he enjoyed the modelling side so I bullied him into doing it for me.

But I'm going to be putting it on a different base so it'll be moving a little bit more 'at pace'.

I think that tread pattern is ribbon cable actually. It's pretty cool anyways.

And the resculpted toe joints.

Here's the base, starting with a section from a Star Wars Ice Planet of Hoth toy that was going in the bin. I screwed it in place.

And tried three different placements. Starting in the bottom left black hole, then the middle left and finally I had to have it standing on the hatch.

Every other position had been unbalanced or almost horizontal! Now I have quite a linear approach to some of these projects. As much as the hobby butterfly flits me from one project to another when I get the urge I must act on it.

Filling out this base filled my thoughts not just over the weekend but I'd been visualising it ever since I passed the parts to Liam. With the bits back the Shadespire painting went backseat. I ripped up some MDF and hot glued it in place to bulk out the base.

I then covered it in tile adhesive/grout [although some of the previous MDF shot look better]. Regardless it adds weight to the base making the cantilever effect much more stable.

I added some crappily placed stones and slate, hopefully the subsequent PVA and sand will help it look better...

And again, in situ. There's a big screw in his front right toe that will be hot glued into the hole I made [and drilled through into my finger - Blood for the Blood G.O.D.!]. Another pin is in the corner of the right foot left toe and it'll just stand on the hatch for a third point of contact,

It's still leaning forward a little too much perhaps. I'll see when I come to glue it on if a slice of slate under the toe might just angle him upwards a few degrees more.

I foresee this being a Gallant perhaps, with the fist and sword running into combat

It should naturally be leaning back a bit more than this once it;s glued in place, but that shim under the tow might make it look more sensible.

And then I have to deal with it's twin.

So with that burst of single-minded effort I'm all tuckered out thinking I have to do it again, but stepping onto this old Ben10 toy...

Imperial Knights - House Corvus Twins in Manufactorum
Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |

Warhammer Underworlds Shadespire Steelhearts Champions - highlights

I'm starting to lay down highlights now on the grey. On the one hand that's really enjoyable, wet blending is quite rewarding in a way, although I'm probably not being as careful with the blends as I ought. To cap it all I was using a white craft acrylic that was thinning particularly well with water, which made the blending much more difficult.

On the other hand the effort/time spent doing it is beginning to move these from my 'muse' to something that I'm bored of, this is in part because I'm getting flashback to space marine armour. Particularly the thighs end up unrewarding... I might also mention I washed the purple to add some shading, except I mustn't have cleaned the brush thoroughly after the last thing I used it on - Warplock Bronze. So now the cloak is a little contaminated with bronze particles throughout...

I also shaded/highlighted the parchment scrolls. All the black needs to be done too - weapons and leather followed by the brown leather on the kilt and weapon handles, should I have gone with a different colour to reduce the palette?

Need to get these done!

Warhammer Underworlds Shadespire Steelhearts Champions - base/coating

I continue to avoid painting my Dark Shroud and instead invest more time in Steelhearts Champions
following this basing tutorial from RobPaintsModels I stippled on the greens and yellow for the moss, again a little brighter than Rob's but c'est la vie.

Rhinox Hide got added for the dirt and then a Stonewall Grey final drybrush just bleached a lot of vibrancy from it. In particular the purple and green washes seemed to have disappeared.

So I added some more purple, taking particular care to shade around the feet and underneath, not a shadow as such but that will help frame the models on the base.

Leave, vines, shading and highlighting the soil and the purple areas. I also painted the armour Stonewall Grey - completely covering up all that lovely zenithal pre-shading.

What I didn't realise was that thinning you paints meant tiny paint spatter flecks all over the bases! Bearing in mind I have spots all over my Red Planet BASES! you'd think I'd be down with tha but NO! I did a quick purple was over the top of it. They're not completely covered, you can still see some texture and it's even more purple but it's the best of a bad job.

The purple elements are really bright and glossy because the paint is really cheap from a stationers. I'm confident washes and varnish will knock it back though.

I keep referring to Rob's guide to painting the Champions but I'm also making my own changes. Metallics follow my own recipe - it's my signature now even if his way was easier, quicker and an opportunity to try something different...

I had painted the helmet bronze too, but switched back to white as he was too gilded. Waepons are black, they'll be Obsidian blades as I like the idea it looks like they're carved out of the Flyreslayers! 😀 

Some more highlights on the gold, then shade it back and highlight again. Pin shading has been done on the armour, so a tidy up with Stonewall Grey and then white.

Purples should be a lot fun too but that's something new, it already looks like it's tying the model into the base. It's almost like I planned it all this way!