tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34904359802133021272024-03-05T17:34:10.868-06:00Rust, Dust & CeramiteWargaming obsessions, collected and strewn about randomlyDrywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-22058800844957871722015-05-26T12:03:00.002-05:002015-05-26T13:11:41.691-05:00X-Wing: When All Else Tries, Fail Fail Again (1 of 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I'll be the first to admit that my... somewhat unorthodox approach to squad building in X-Wing doesn't always pay dividends. I spend too much on whiz-bang gadgets, end up with too few ships on the table... and then the swarm-stomp eats my lunch. I am too enamored with those shiny Mangler Cannons, and Proton Missiles, and Engine Upgrades, and Elite Skills, and, and, and...<br />
<br />
The most logical (read: boring) outcome would be that I use those losses as a teaching moment, and change my tactics.<br />
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Never happens.<br />
<br />
If ever I am close to revisiting my tactics, the five year old in me drags it's grape-jelly-slathered angsty self to the forefront of my conscience, stomps its dirty foot, and steadfastly insists I keep hitting myself in the head with the hammer... because <i>the next time will be different</i>. I never learn, and it never is.<br />
<br />
Except... when it works...<br />
<br />
Rewind the clock to about a month ago. Maniacal laughter echoed throughout the house as I exuberantly sprained my arm patting myself on the back. I had undoubtedly cobbled together The Scum List To End All Scum Lists (TSLTEASL). Came up with a sooper-slick moniker for this I-WIN button... "Mangled Crow". How cool is that?! No need to be a gracious loser this time... no sir! I would sustain myself on the tears...<br />
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Whatever. You get the point.<br />
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PS7 Palob would front this merry band of sure-fire-thing; dealing scorching death death from range 3 and stacking Focus so high I wouldn't be able to see my opponent across the table. His backup singers, the Three Sisters of the Critpocalypse, would make short work of pesky low-PS Tie Fighters with their Manglers... gleefully shredding cockpits and setting fires as they flit about the board like angry crit-slinging wasps. <br />
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At least... that was the plan...<br />
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Secure in the knowledge that the world was simply not prepared for my level of genius, I anxiously awaited the scheduled arrival of my prey... ahem, my worthy opponent.<br />
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Then, it happened...<br />
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The rotten no-good, double-dealing, floor-flushing such-and-such rails against my meticulously constructed plan for cosmic domination. Instead of the expected Tie Swarm variant, jerk drops a PS8 Decimator on the table, with Expose and a Mercenary Copilot in the passenger seat. Thus ensuring any defeat was as humiliating as possible. I think Kir Kanos and a couple of Academy Pilots may have been thrown in there for good measure. Not sure, as I was too fixated on that stupid Decimator to really notice.<br />
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In case you haven't caught on at this juncture... this is <i>not </i>the part that works. Not even close. To be fair, Mangled Crow is not a bad list. I fully believe it would have performed, had I not suffered from an acute case of cranial-rectal inversion for the entirety of the game. I won't relay the blow-by-blow, as it is too painful and too recent for me to confront. Suffice to say; mistakes were made. I ran the Three Sisters way too close and spent the first three rounds playing bumper-car conga line with them... leaving them unable to perform even the simplest of action. However, the pinnacle of idiocy that day... the true Pièce de résistance of ineptitude, was the number of times I <i>did not fire</i> the Manglers.<br />
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See... Palob needs to blow a Focus to fire that Blaster Turret. I was so focused (heh) on keeping Palob alive that I deluded myself into believing that the same held true for the Manglers. As The Sisters had no Focus (or anything else action-related) for half the game... they were relegated to a 2-dice attack. Right?<br />
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Wrong. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.<br />
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Inevitable result is inevitable. I lost. Soundly.<br />
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The image of a gloating Decimator was seared into my brain, framed in the burning wreckage of what was once TSLTEASL. I vowed at that dark moment I would accommodate neither sleep nor sustenance until the glorious day I see it fall (not strictly true... I've slept and eaten plenty since then).<br />
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From that ignoble defeat, came the spark that would become TLTAW... The List That Actually Works. However, as this post is already well past wall-of-text, TLTAW will have to wait until the sequel: Part II, This Time It's Again.<br />
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To be continued...<br />
<br />Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-46540346896006443572015-05-26T01:06:00.001-05:002015-05-26T12:16:56.086-05:00Dumb Name, Great Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My interest in standard board games is strictly hit-or-miss. And, as a general rule; movies, games, or books of the classic horror genre which don't have at least a sprinkling of scifi elements don't get my propeller spinning. So when a friend showed up at the house for a regular X-Wing session with <b>Betrayal at the House on the Hill</b> tucked neatly under his arm... I was less than enthusiastic. As 50% of the other members of my household are unappreciative of war-gaming, and in the interest of crossing off from the to-do list the obligatory "do something with the family this weekend", I accepted my fate of abject boredom and dejectedly settled in at the kitchen table. <br />
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Wrong is wrong... and I was indeed that.<br />
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Outside of the weird title, which still feels to me like a bunch of words strewn together for effect, I can find absolutely nothing to complain about when it comes to this board game. As I have elevated nit-picking and complaining to an arcane art form, that's saying something. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I immediately placed an order on Amazon for a personal copy.<br />
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BatHotH (looks even dumber as a acronym... lets just call it "Betrayal" from here on out) is a Wizards of the Coast offering touted as a "fun and suspenseful game" which "is a new experience almost every time you play". Recommended age is 12+, and the game is designed to be played with 3-6 players. You could probably make it work with a two-player session, but the experience would be diminished for the good-guy side as it would be extremely rough going. The 'why' of that last bit is explained below.<br />
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At first glance Betrayal appears to be a standard build-as-you-explore format. Player characters advance through the square grid'd map and tiles are randomly drawn as the player moves through a door or up/down a staircase to reveal the 'room' beyond. As the room card is revealed, a symbol printed on the room tile corresponds to one of three specific piles of randomized cards and indicates whether the player has discovered an item, unleashed a random creepy (and generally highly detrimental) event, or unearthed an 'omen' and accelerated the encroachment of the "haunt". It is the "haunt" mechanic that makes this game stand out.<br />
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While I won't go into the minutia of the game mechanics, suffice to say the players want to hold off the haunt as long as possible while gathering items and powers will assist them once all hell breaks loose. The more 'omens' that are on the table, the better the chance (its a die roll) that the haunt begins and the players are up against it.<br />
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Here's the hook: there's a traitor in the player's midst, and no one playing has any idea who that malcontent is until the haunt begins. Not even the soon-to-be traitor themselves. So while the first portion of the game is 100% cooperative, there is an overarching air of suspicion and tension... however unjust. Once the haunt finally drops, players reference an easy-to-read table based on the name of the room where the last omen was drawn, the player who drew it, and a small number of other factors. This provides a 1-100 result which corresponds to a page number in the included "DO NOT READ" scenario booklet. It is at this point that that traitor's identity is revealed (much to everyone's surprise) and the vs. phase of the game begins, with the traitor on the side of the house/monsters.<br />
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The end result is 100 separate potential scenarios involving anything from werewolves to carnivorous creeping vine plants to vengeful soul-sucking poltergeists. The good guy players receive one set of secret instructions/goals, the traitor receives a differing set of secret instructions/goals, and the information is not shared between the two. The traitor knows that the players are up to something which could defeat the monster(s), but not exactly what that 'something' is... and vice versa. The game is won once one side is, erm... well... dead. <br />
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This all translates into 2-5 players on the side of good (more akin to "survive") versus 1 player and an equivalent number of monsters on the evil house side. Despite the apparent inequity in numbers, the game is remarkably scaled depending on total number of players and balanced enough to ensure both sides have a fighting chance at ultimate success.<br />
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The randomization of potential scenarios and layout of the house itself, and the fact that the the "bad guy" could be any player in any game, make Betrayal eminently re-playable. There are elements to the game that some may find disturbing (ritualized demonic summoning, lots of gruesome descriptions, pervasive creepy concepts, monsters, etc.), so not strictly a "for the whole family" entertainment option. Age 12+ is probably close to spot-on. YMMV<br />
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In case it wasn't painfully apparent, I thoroughly enjoy this game and have no issue making it a strong recommend. As a bonus... it makes the "spend family time" obligation much less painful. As of this writing the second edition version (most recent) it is going for under $35.00 on Amazon.<br />
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More information: <a href="https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=ah/prod/houseonthehill">https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=ah/prod/houseonthehill</a><br />
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<i>To my adoring wife: if you are reading this, spending time with the family is not painful. This was just dramatic prose. No, really... I mean it! Nothing is better than family time. Nothing!</i><br />
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<br />Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-10145266616284143212015-05-25T22:13:00.001-05:002015-05-25T22:52:35.932-05:00Best Laid Plans...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As if not readily apparent; the touted revitalization of RD&C did not go according to plan. Life... it happens. Long hours of work, vis-à-vis short hours for play, means prioritizing towards actually <i>playing </i>these games over which I obsess and devoting considerably less effort towards endless trimming-gluing-priming-painting-rinse-repeat cycles.<br />
<br />
So... that's exactly what I did. Rolled some dice. Actually, a lot of dice. Not well... but damned if I didn't roll 'em anyway. The gods of random chance have been cruel as ever with the actual dice rolled I <i>needed</i>... but it was a fine change of pace. Easy to forget, when you're knee deep in discarded sprues and resin flakes, that there are supposed to be, you know... <b>games </b>in the mix somewhere.<br />
<br />
And... if I were to be completely honest; the dizzying rapid-fire release of a new $50.00+ hardback codex(es), which utterly invalidates the previous $50.00 hardback codex you bought nary a year ago (looking at you Craftworlds, and soon to be Space Marines) leaves a sour tinge in my mouth and causes this writer to lean towards 'somewhat numb' from a creative standpoint. <br />
<br />
So here's the scoop: RD&C is not dead. 40K still a passion, though I am focusing more on 'skirmish' builds and Kill Team games. May even revisit Special Operations Killzone for another go. For me, skirmish scale is simply more entertaining and manageable. That said... RD&C is branching out to other facets of war gaming. Evolve or stagnate.<br />
<br />
X-Wing eats up a well-deserved portion of my gaming cycles as of late. Three full tackle-boxes of Scum, Rebel, and Empire (not counting the GR-90 or CR-75... which fit in exactly no carry case of reasonable size) attest to the unhealthy level of infatuation I have for this game. Already have a number of articles queued up on this very subject, and those shall be filling space on RD&C in short order. In the interim, I highly recommend The Metal Bikini (<a href="http://www.themetalbikini.com/">http://www.themetalbikini.com/</a>) and Unofficial X-Wing Squadron Builder (<a href="http://xwing-builder.co.uk/build">http://xwing-builder.co.uk/build</a>)... if you weren't already in-the-know.<br />
<br />
Wave 7 fascinates me, and it is a forgone conclusion that at least one K-Wing...<br />
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...and three Kihraxz...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9XcJ8IzXL2xy8wR3zb2kLXrVgMgAkekMV7g3Jn3v8T9Sm9NuSVnlDyRBKmkMz0OTf8x3bQ7X54Ln_5P1fL9DsG7KYf5Q0NfdGPzmm6a6uAqOlO29h_QKSYfVFFw-W7XYyBh-_xvTayZU/s1600/kihraxz.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9XcJ8IzXL2xy8wR3zb2kLXrVgMgAkekMV7g3Jn3v8T9Sm9NuSVnlDyRBKmkMz0OTf8x3bQ7X54Ln_5P1fL9DsG7KYf5Q0NfdGPzmm6a6uAqOlO29h_QKSYfVFFw-W7XYyBh-_xvTayZU/s320/kihraxz.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
...will be resting atop the already preposterous pile of FFG plastic in the collection, immediately upon availability. Now, if only the damnable Imperial Raider would touch down in stores.<br />
<br />
Unsurprisingly, I'm already core+two expansion packs deep into Armada as well. At this point it might be more efficient to simply direct deposit my paycheck into FFG's corporate account.<br />
<br />
And then there's Infinity...<br />
<br />
At any rate, that's enough blathering on for the time being. If you're still here, thanks for sticking around.<br />
<br />
TLDR version: Alive. Yes, 40K still. Plus X-Wing/Armada. Plus, various other TBA.<br />
<br />
Yeah, yeah. I know... heard this before: "updates incoming" and all that jazz. This time, it's different.<br />
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Maybe...<br />
<br />
-Dryw<br />
<br />Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-71553096762534867562013-02-18T22:04:00.003-06:002013-02-19T04:14:05.735-06:00Back From The Abyss...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Taking stock after emerging from an extended encounter with an intense and lengthy reality storm. By all appearances the dreadful environment I was forced to endure on that pitiless plane of existence seems to have left me no worse for wear. My sanity too appears no less fragile than two years ago when RD&C communications ceased without warning. A minor miracle, considering the maleficent nature of the Reality Plane denizens with which I was forced to do battle. Twisted, vile daemons with despicable monikers such as "Physician" and "Lawyer". Both of whom used the most heinous of their nefarious talents in repeated attempts to drain the lifeblood from my broken body. Escaped though I have, it would be dishonest if stated I will not cautiously peer over my shoulder every day in clammy anticipation of them locating me... only to drag me back to that dark pit of despair they laughingly call "the real world". </div>
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Now that I am returned... I see that much has been neglected, and much more remains to be discussed. So much time has passed... so much to accomplish...</div>
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<i>(Short Version: down for two years due to real life ridiculousness, but I'm back-in-black ladies and gents. And Holy Hoppin' Horus has a lot transpired between then and now. I have some catch-up ahead of me)</i></div>
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Crackin' my knuckles and sorting my ideas. May take a day or two for me to prioritize projects and snag some decent pix, but expect posting to resume on a fairly regular basis any day now. I have a few new FW kits/bits I'll want to highlight, a couple of kitbashes which deserve the light of day, and an extensive collection of half-finished cityscape terrain/buildings that are just begging for grim-dark completeness.</div>
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Just a matter of what I wish to address first. I'll get back to you on that. Soon.</div>
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If you stuck around... appreciate you doing so. I'll see what I can do to not disappoint.</div>
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-Dryw</div>
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Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-31089864330023888192011-01-14T22:59:00.008-06:002011-01-15T01:09:36.093-06:00FAQ'n Power Armor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOVlhyphenhyphenM8CuF7qpsQmsnx2JocOcoorXqRg8hDgGPS-PuzE4bSVNAmMx7BymKQBqJfKJDyHWCg9b67R4I7pVje4gCO9lzzkDVZBZ7Bn8YFu2emwlKdvLa9DC2ZmRCDn1BdElbsB9lSidfR_/s1600/FAQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOVlhyphenhyphenM8CuF7qpsQmsnx2JocOcoorXqRg8hDgGPS-PuzE4bSVNAmMx7BymKQBqJfKJDyHWCg9b67R4I7pVje4gCO9lzzkDVZBZ7Bn8YFu2emwlKdvLa9DC2ZmRCDn1BdElbsB9lSidfR_/s200/FAQ.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
If you've been living under a rock, blindfolded, with a burlap sack over your head, you may not have seen that Games Workshop FAQ'd power armor all to hell and back.<br />
<br />
Nope... using the acronym as a euphemism for something else never really gets old... shuddup.<br />
<br />
Links below are as much reference for me as they are for you:<br />
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<a href="http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1620227a_Space_Marines_Version_1_1.pdf">Space Marines FAQ Version 1.1</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1620224a_Blood_Angels_Version_1_1.pdf">Blood Angels FAQ Version 1.1</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1620225a_Dark_Angels_Version_1_1.pdf">Dark Angels FAQ Version 1.1</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1620228a_Space_Wolves_Version_1_1.pdf">Space Wolves FAQ Version 1.1</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1620223a_Black_Templars_Version_1_1.pdf">Black Templars FAQ Version 1.1</a><br />
<br />
There's an emo space elfie one too. If you want that one bad enough... you can find it.<br />
<br />
So... I know I'm not the sharpest spoon in the drawer, and admittedly I'm not very well read on the <i>We're-Not-Chaos-No-Really-We-Promise</i> crew (never been a big fan), but I am seriously failing to see why ye olde Dark Angels Deathwing are now the flavor-of-the-month. Everyone seems to be clearing the shelves of green and cream paint after this FAQ. Someone help me out here... why all of the sudden are DA a viable force to reckon with? Where's the magic 'win' button in those FAQs?<br />
<br />
Yeah yeah... I know. I haven't posted a damn thing I said I was going to earlier in the week. I'm short pictures, and I've been too lazy to whip out the tripod (pretty sure there's an off-color joke in there somewhere). It's the weekend, so I'm all over it.<br />
<br />
Probably.<br />
<br />
...Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-79404921331562563472011-01-10T20:57:00.009-06:002011-01-11T12:11:51.328-06:00Xmas Detox @ 97.5%<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOIVTfz9lzsGkWnImmBNyYSRVvloHIHC0YRksAFrelacOIWiSUGoIo_CmbJrBGYhyphenhyphen2Iq4ijO3ybnWT0eWzZFkF0At-K8Lv-5V_fQFMSRpnDcuhhaIMfGTXmUGgAyyVGXQDuK8H-o65BLZ/s1600/detox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOIVTfz9lzsGkWnImmBNyYSRVvloHIHC0YRksAFrelacOIWiSUGoIo_CmbJrBGYhyphenhyphen2Iq4ijO3ybnWT0eWzZFkF0At-K8Lv-5V_fQFMSRpnDcuhhaIMfGTXmUGgAyyVGXQDuK8H-o65BLZ/s200/detox.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Recovery from the insanity of the silly season in progress. While a full week off of work is a singular joy, catching up on the backlog that time off creates is the inky black fabric of nightmares. Ten days into twenty eleven and I'm caught up enough to refocus on that which is truly important... Boy Barbies.<br />
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In the event you hadn't seen the latest Forge World must-have, I give you the magnificent T<i>yberos the Red Wake</i>:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5i9-MLUxaYj8xO0mntIWkA941wonG8sIBvkWDtYYd_IYGtipuPnRSiwBuMTSu68WczqfK4RnAw-CcifVoVjqWS3rtciSN4op6Ty-hgk4u6l6gp2LtUok5JkPOSS1rvn3dxi8KuZ6FMsLz/s1600/tyberosp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5i9-MLUxaYj8xO0mntIWkA941wonG8sIBvkWDtYYd_IYGtipuPnRSiwBuMTSu68WczqfK4RnAw-CcifVoVjqWS3rtciSN4op6Ty-hgk4u6l6gp2LtUok5JkPOSS1rvn3dxi8KuZ6FMsLz/s320/tyberosp1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/TYBEROS-THE-RED-WAKE.html">http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/TYBEROS-THE-RED-WAKE.html</a><br />
<br />
Dual chainfists under each lightning claw... nice (if a tad over-the-top goofy). And loving the Mk.V-esque helm. Shark fins at the base of the LC blades need to go. Otherwise... perfect. Price isn't terrible either (for FW at least). I smell a new <i>Spectres</i> HQ/IC coming on.<br />
<br />
Incoming this week:<br />
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- More <i>Void Spectres</i> background. To include an introduction of their non-Astartes auxiliary (mercenary) forces, the <i>Smoke Jackals</i>. That armored car and cavalry tank built so long ago have finally found purpose.<br />
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- All the pieces for the Mk.II + Achilles + Extra Armour Land Raider build-up are prepped for production. Possibility of a WIP pictures thread from beginning to end. No promises though.<br />
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- Hab Blocks One and Two are mounted, rough painted, with proper 'glass' windows installed. Pictures incoming with plans and premise.<br />
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- First attempt at an objective literature/game system/add-on review: Special Operations Killzone. Going to try to make this feature a more common occurrence, and attempt to focus on the stuff that hasn't already been reviewed eleventy-grillion times before.<br />
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- Kustom-ish Ork Kommandos pix and background.<br />
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- That's five things above... you're looking for a sixth?<br />
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Ambitious list, I know. Trying to keep RD&C a little more current in ought 'leven. It was either that or quit smoking as a New Year's resolution.<br />
<br />
Predictable outcome.<br />
<br />
...Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-90244664033681438812010-12-24T16:51:00.005-06:002011-01-14T23:06:44.967-06:00Incoming: Killzone and Death Squads Updates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdF_R8kDv3v2CnNqLGpqlcEb-DdOB_OJEX_pgQFq82mKnnji9x2AD5MaYLUCfWK5Oc6acJoxQPVL_ANzBjPdI4szhyphenhyphenGzoY7k6vrR8d3Ce0A5fcbLjetWG7TEoqCruz1sz89Zg24GEidri/s1600/News.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdF_R8kDv3v2CnNqLGpqlcEb-DdOB_OJEX_pgQFq82mKnnji9x2AD5MaYLUCfWK5Oc6acJoxQPVL_ANzBjPdI4szhyphenhyphenGzoY7k6vrR8d3Ce0A5fcbLjetWG7TEoqCruz1sz89Zg24GEidri/s200/News.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Since it's (almost) Saturnalia, I'll step outside my own little self-absorbed world and promote a couple of projects which are well deserving of attention.<br />
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</div>First up, Big Jim over @ Galaxy in Flames indicates a <b><i>Special Operations: Killzone</i></b> update is imminent. Sounds like there's been some significant reworking of the PDFs and all sorts of adjustments and additions. Supposed to be up Friday evening. Links:<br />
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Galaxy in Flames: <a href="http://galaxyinflames.blogspot.com/">http://galaxyinflames.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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Killzone Discussion Boards: <a href="http://specopskillzone.freeforums.org/">http://specopskillzone.freeforums.org/</a><br />
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Second in order (but not cool factor) is another squad-based combat offering in Mordheimer and crew's <i><b>Death Squads</b></i>. Death Squads differs from Killzone in that it is extremely character-centric, with enough customization options to choke a grox. Well suited for long-term campaigns. Newly revised version, now in a split core/scenario format for less printer ink pain, due for release any second. Great stuff.<br />
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Discussion boards & downloads: <a href="http://www.deathsquadsgame.com/">http://www.deathsquadsgame.com/</a><br />
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Take a few and check out these phenomenal fan-based projects. It'll be worth your time.<br />
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Good deed... done.<br />
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...Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-45394260873692607602010-12-22T13:22:00.010-06:002010-12-22T21:47:34.723-06:00Horus on the Throne: Eh... wat?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXnbV6sTBVDlNwSQPSnzTqxtqNk2wqDTz0yzgT_OCcVIgaGp-weOAz_7Y1qJz2oWR-eZ0S1mY9sj0BEExW8_izuoveJG0TdWtouNpz74XNy5ERFMnOp1phvOCqvyPWKboWeisxYlrhceq/s1600/HeresyStamp.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXnbV6sTBVDlNwSQPSnzTqxtqNk2wqDTz0yzgT_OCcVIgaGp-weOAz_7Y1qJz2oWR-eZ0S1mY9sj0BEExW8_izuoveJG0TdWtouNpz74XNy5ERFMnOp1phvOCqvyPWKboWeisxYlrhceq/s320/HeresyStamp.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Let's see if we can't get this 40K train back on its tracks... shall we?<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span>A few weeks back a posted a bit of random fluffery which, without context, likely doesn’t make a hell of a lot of sense. I wanted to get it ‘down on paper’ so it wasn’t forever relegated to the idea dustbin… forgotten due to my ridiculously short attention span. Re-copied below for reference with (somewhat verbose) perspective after. TLDR crowd skip to the bottom for synopsis.<br />
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<blockquote><i>The Emperor is dead. Vanquished millennia ago. His physical form obliterated and his essence cast to the void. Brought low in the cyclopean final struggle with his tainted prodigal son.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Utterly broken, bonding his spirit to his wrecked form though sheer force of will, Horus unleashed a final nefarious gambit. So infused with unfathomable malevolent energies was Horus that the staunchest of Astartes was made to believe through warpcraft that the shattered form laying before them was that of their beloved Emperor. Tears in their eyes, the finest soldiers in the Imperium reverently carried the most heinous creature born of man back to Terra and dutifully followed his instructions in the building of the life-sustaining Golden Throne. So wracked with grief that never did they question the monstrous cost or motivation. And thus did Horus achieve ultimate, treacherous victory. Absolute and unquestioning worship as a living god by every soul in the vast Imperium of Man.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>The Imperium crumbles upon itself. The darkness which festers at its core rots it from within. Unfortunate pawns, the mislead dutiful zealously guard and protect the very evil they are forsworn to destroy. Though it pains to bring harm to the virtuous; if enlightenment to the treacherous truth is not possible, the ignorant and the stubborn must be swept aside. Their immortal fate is not ours to decide.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>Until the last, never shall rest come until the Golden Throne is torn asunder and the malignancy is ripped from the very heart of the Imperium.</i></blockquote><br />
First off; conscience-driven full disclosure in that the basic premise is not mine. Some time ago I stumbled across a well written short story, one which I can no longer locate, that sets up the concept. Reading that story was one of those “YES!” moments for me, and I ran with it because it meshes so well with the rest of my cheese… er, umm… ‘fluff’. Here’s the overview:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiDCItkKOUoremJ3MSacZEDr52v-1ILACUy_vkEzZJx8x2noHr6id8M0k1Jv30P_YeuV55_Wnz4NNw0AxUwRQBw_nb_GgEKoviyz55LcsFwXvOt7JQV35m78LpsCngjEI8xjvpc_8P_9o/s1600/Emperor_VS_Horus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsiDCItkKOUoremJ3MSacZEDr52v-1ILACUy_vkEzZJx8x2noHr6id8M0k1Jv30P_YeuV55_Wnz4NNw0AxUwRQBw_nb_GgEKoviyz55LcsFwXvOt7JQV35m78LpsCngjEI8xjvpc_8P_9o/s400/Emperor_VS_Horus.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Commonly accepted accounts of the Heresy are relatively accurate, allowing for the passage of eons and random embellishment by transcribers, right up to the final conflict on the bridge of Horus’ battle barge. Horus however was not utterly destroyed by selfless sacrifice of the Emperor of Mankind. In fact, it is the inverse which is wholly accurate. It was Horus who bested and obliterated the Emperor; so swelled with nefarious energy and reinforced by Warp entities that he was neigh unstoppable. The enormous energy expenditure required to combat such an opponent left Horus drained as never before. In this debilitated state, Horus was momentarily vulnerable. The Emperor’s last great act of defiance (conceivably with the assistance of Sanguinus… though this possibility is in dispute as the timeline of Sanguinus’ demise, before or after the Emperor fell, is uncertain) was to lash out with all that was left in him, leaving Horus severely wounded… but far from impotent. Such was the force of Horus’ psychic rage in retaliation that the energy he directed completely annihilated the Emperor’s physical (and potentially, ethereal) form.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiAcqrgSI8IYq5V7ij2qZ3WaZLYMAlOTbtrhZiz2Yu03UYZhrdIppL5tO_nbPZfVZSI5gpSW-o7gTFqJDRtq7p-mSBxVUMLwhWfvII1etOq0OQpDhmTBLQcS2A39OeKnZQm8RhewzDs9L8/s1600/God-Emperor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiAcqrgSI8IYq5V7ij2qZ3WaZLYMAlOTbtrhZiz2Yu03UYZhrdIppL5tO_nbPZfVZSI5gpSW-o7gTFqJDRtq7p-mSBxVUMLwhWfvII1etOq0OQpDhmTBLQcS2A39OeKnZQm8RhewzDs9L8/s400/God-Emperor.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><br />
Knowing his life essence was slowly leaving him, and left with few options, Horus perpetrated the ultimate deception. The loyalist forces rushing to the aid of their Emperor found a broken, twisted, and unrecognizable form. Through strength of psychic will, Horus clouded their minds and left the faithful convinced he was in fact their beloved and ‘triumphant’ Emperor. Dutifully they conveyed the object of all their hatred back to Terra, and followed his instructions to the letter in the building of the ‘salvation of mankind’, the Golden Throne. Rumors exist that such was the intellect of Malcador the Sigilite he saw through the ruse, but was dispatched by Horus before an alarm could be raised. However, these accounts are anecdotal at best.<br />
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Thus did Horus achieve ultimate victory. Adored and sustained by Mankind’s countless billions, his very existence at the core of the Imperium sews discontent, malice, paranoia, fear, and uncertainty… slowly corrupting and crumbling the Imperium from within.<br />
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Synopsis:<br />
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- Horus drops the Emperor like a bad habit<br />
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- Horus convinces the loyalists that he is the Golden Boy<br />
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- Loyalists build an infernal machine to Horus’ exacting specifications, and place him in it to be worshiped for all eternity<br />
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- Horus wins<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg849xLZ5qbGsuyBmaOhr0SROJcMl1gkVTAAGX-lCgLPrNfFBribvLeJVoCH_uGOe1jAGsOhiY5Q0qVxl6dGUWYuR40xi2IWVKuRfjsc7eQRt8KB2kLLPzMoa5Lf4h7FHOlwldDFQSu9ooU/s1600/SPECTRE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg849xLZ5qbGsuyBmaOhr0SROJcMl1gkVTAAGX-lCgLPrNfFBribvLeJVoCH_uGOe1jAGsOhiY5Q0qVxl6dGUWYuR40xi2IWVKuRfjsc7eQRt8KB2kLLPzMoa5Lf4h7FHOlwldDFQSu9ooU/s200/SPECTRE.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><br />
I latched onto this premise for a number of reasons, not the least of which is my penchant to be drawn to the antihero archetype. With the above, the Void Spectres get to play both the good guy and bad guy role at the same time, without all that messy chaos complication. They know the ‘truth’ and ain’t havin’ none of it. No… we don’t really want to slaughter those Imperial Fists. Damn shame they have bought into the lie though… tough luck, that.<br />
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There are actually a number of background threads throughout canon 40K fluff which (both directly and indirectly) could support the Horus on the Golden Throne theory. Examples:<br />
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1) Horus deceived a significant portion of Astartes into betraying everything they hold dear, and consigned them to an eternity of misery and pain in pursuit of his cause. What better target for their never-ending enmity and loathing. Of course they know the ‘truth’ about the current resident of the Throne, and every self respecting Chaos Space Marine has cried “<b><i>Death to the False Emperor!</i></b>”<br />
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2) The Golden Throne consumes innumerable souls to sustain the ‘Emperor’. Not exactly benevolent, and even stretches the ‘needs of the many’ concept. Warp entities consume souls. Interesting parallel.<br />
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3) Since the internment, the Imperium has been in steady (and sometimes rapid) decline. It could be theorized that the pace of rot is greater even than could be explained by negligence or the absence of a ‘live’ Emperor. Fear, uncertainty, and paranoia are the norm. A vessel through which the Ruinous Powers could work directly, situated at the very heart of the Imperium? Convenient.<br />
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Am I saying this is the One Truth to Rule Them All? No. Pretty sure it isn't. But that’s not going to stop me. Dovetails nicely into The World As Dryw Sees It, and that’s really all that matters.<br />
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Right?<br />
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…Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-24179314429923404522010-11-16T23:36:00.006-06:002010-11-17T00:14:33.052-06:00Worst Update Post Ever - Eldar 4 Sale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyEtQBCOof038tAKIWl-gfhf3POETLG2N-rOtKkPL7aMBNrP6n9F9DgzYdZ1SBn3wnbaIy8_-1nW7MA1coQVmpnmSb8wIHArJzTTT8IyhxB0Jm05rJM4AT2NeZ1p18edoinTz1r9B7YW41/s1600/saleSign.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyEtQBCOof038tAKIWl-gfhf3POETLG2N-rOtKkPL7aMBNrP6n9F9DgzYdZ1SBn3wnbaIy8_-1nW7MA1coQVmpnmSb8wIHArJzTTT8IyhxB0Jm05rJM4AT2NeZ1p18edoinTz1r9B7YW41/s1600/saleSign.gif" /></a></div><br />
It would seem I have no shame. Two weeks without a word and my first update is a plug to sell models. Unfortunately I find myself in a position where I need to scoop together some cash in short order. No sob story, just household and automobile issues which require immediate attention. So I dug under the table and came up with this motly assortment of Eldar which could use a loving home. They certainly aren't going to get any attention here. Essentially its an Eldar Battleforce + Striking Scorpions Box + Warp Spiders Box.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The Wave Serpent is almost completely assembled, but the turret weapons are not yet glued... leaving the new owner the option of replacing the weapons. Cleaned, sanded, primed and put together by yours truly. The War Walker is in similar good condition, just not assembled yet. Here's the breakdown:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Eldar Battleforce</b> (Retail: $90.00)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1960000">Link: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1960000</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Dire Avenger Squad</b> (4 Avengers, 1 Exarch) - Primed. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Guardian Squad</b> (7 Guardians) - Primed. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Heavy Weapon</b> (2 Crew) - Primed. Optional weapons included.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>War Walker</b> - Cleaned/sanded with partial assembly. 90% primed. Optional weapons included.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Wave Serpent</b> - Cleaned/sanded with 99% assembly. Optional weapons included.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Striking Scorpions Box</b> (Retail: $30.00). NIB.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440240a&prodId=prod1090009">Link: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440240a&prodId=prod1090009</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Warp Spiders Box</b> (Retail: $33.00). 80% NIB. Exarch cleaned & primed.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440243a&prodId=prod1090160">Link: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440243a&prodId=prod1090160</a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Photos of the actual stuff:</span><br />
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</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">What you see in the pictures is exactly what you'll get. I believe one infantry model (either Avenger or Guardian... them Eldar confuse me) is missing a head. I am reletively certain that every other piece is there. <b><u>$125.00 + $10.00 shipping</u></b> (to anywhere in the continental US only please) is the asking price. That's like getting one of the Aspect Warrior boxes for free. Not being elitist by any means limiting it to US folks only, but shipping overseas can be troublesome for a private individual (me) and the cost would likely push the asking price close to what the stuff would cost you retail. PayPal is the preferred payment method.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">If you're interested please drop an email to <b><i>rdceramite at gmail dot com</i></b>, and then leave a comment here in this post indicating the same so I know to check my spam filters. Selling this will </span>definitely<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> assist.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I truly appreciate you taking the time to consider the above.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">-Dryw</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">p.s. I have a ton of Orky goodness that I may list soon as well. Friend of mine is pouring over my list of demands and if that falls through you can expect to see that info here. After that, I'll stop. Promise.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">...</span>Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-91315686148676975332010-10-22T11:36:00.011-05:002010-10-22T17:23:38.612-05:00Oath of the Spectres<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQ698UfwOttewGe0qS5DXxZqGnfrDhC6Jx5TJEDa3CPExrXRGECCPmPAujjDHd_UoZVeYZLrLJaSVtB1uIVC40B07Xt4HRRjnzvsEZEvV29ewTj5S9KYcMAttHyzs5oft-ccR0_4OIyx8/s1600/SPECTRE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQ698UfwOttewGe0qS5DXxZqGnfrDhC6Jx5TJEDa3CPExrXRGECCPmPAujjDHd_UoZVeYZLrLJaSVtB1uIVC40B07Xt4HRRjnzvsEZEvV29ewTj5S9KYcMAttHyzs5oft-ccR0_4OIyx8/s1600/SPECTRE.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<i>The Emperor is dead. Vanquished millennia ago. His physical form obliterated and his essence cast to the void. Brought low in the cyclopean final struggle with his tainted prodigal son.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i></i><i>Utterly broken, bonding his spirit to his wrecked form though sheer force of will, Horus unleashed a final nefarious gambit. So infused with unfathomable malevolent energies was Horus that the staunchest of Astartes was made to believe through warpcraft that the shattered form laying before them was that of their beloved Emperor. Tears in their eyes, the finest soldiers in the Imperium reverently carried the most heinous creature born of man back to Terra and dutifully followed his instructions in the building of the life-sustaining Golden Throne. So wracked with grief that never did they question the monstrous cost or motivation. And thus did Horus achieve ultimate, treacherous victory. Absolute and unquestioning worship as a living god by every soul in the vast Imperium of Man.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i></i><i>The Imperium crumbles upon itself. The darkness which festers at its core rots it from within. Unfortunate pawns, the mislead dutiful zealously guard and protect the very evil they are forsworn to destroy. Though it pains to bring harm to the virtuous; if enlightenment to the treacherous truth is not possible, the ignorant and the stubborn must be swept aside. Their immortal fate is not ours to decide.</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<i></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Until the last, never shall rest come until the Golden Throne is torn asunder and the malignancy is ripped from the very heart of the Imperium.</i></span><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><i></i></span><i>...</i>Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-50192360526944363282010-10-21T20:39:00.009-05:002010-10-21T21:15:20.373-05:00Spectres: Part Two - 'Slingers & Swingers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4dtG11DbW5wB1P_GArLDKSIYSdGeF3DSUrDeLjKKETKInyh8JQu64x_6OyXlQq2p3hIooIboeEKngkcH3nCwB4HDGIMKvq50TXwU9OminSvQ_Jr6WF4LNEq5mBRgw1cjQKJWGECmXVzd/s1600/SPECTRE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4dtG11DbW5wB1P_GArLDKSIYSdGeF3DSUrDeLjKKETKInyh8JQu64x_6OyXlQq2p3hIooIboeEKngkcH3nCwB4HDGIMKvq50TXwU9OminSvQ_Jr6WF4LNEq5mBRgw1cjQKJWGECmXVzd/s1600/SPECTRE.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
Prior to C:BA I had never run with an Honor Guard. Partially because I am a long time, dyed-in-the-wool renegade (CSM) player and only bought the vanilla Space Marine codex for the sake of curiosity. Admittedly, even once I had the Blood Angels tome in my dirty little you-know-what grabbers, I ignored Honor Guard in favor of Sternguard because they had such cool toys and could pick ammo. It was only when I started missing my five Melta Chosen that I started exploring other options. Once I looked, I was hooked. I am a customization fiend and the crazy selection of wargear options won me over. It’s an eclectic arrangement I have going... that's for sure.<br />
<br />
(Note on the images: I've specifically washed out most of them to highlight the models. WIP, of course. Click for larger versions)<br />
<br />
The HQ Crew ("Gabriel Seth" analog, Novitiate, Honor Guard Veterans):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lGUDcQSl1xZOtVe9rkBg7E9Vm-pT4HLBQNWmrlzTdrBStRDmyWlRXLF7uQtrj9bBkmgbDIuhPBecx99kugau0zi-1XYoP-HRsVi6X1OTFv2sBJCY8vJmdNFpW7V7rkyTbzIIYdP68HYH/s1600/DSCN8103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lGUDcQSl1xZOtVe9rkBg7E9Vm-pT4HLBQNWmrlzTdrBStRDmyWlRXLF7uQtrj9bBkmgbDIuhPBecx99kugau0zi-1XYoP-HRsVi6X1OTFv2sBJCY8vJmdNFpW7V7rkyTbzIIYdP68HYH/s400/DSCN8103.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span>- Novitiate: Standard load-out (Bolt Pistol & CC), but <i>Feel No Pain</i> & <i>Furious Charge</i> for all. The gift that keeps on giving.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5l4AXF_c1TJYm-4nr2RwHkmJ6UqIN6YASqMCASjLfI_ACNzc-RWv4TWi2bHN_RRbaVpdH93JfVjbk-gTU17I6aobPbVDl-m9yXg95AZlWDi3ev8qnyeDY4s9MOVXwh6VxfAMpOQBgrrG/s1600/DSCN8109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5l4AXF_c1TJYm-4nr2RwHkmJ6UqIN6YASqMCASjLfI_ACNzc-RWv4TWi2bHN_RRbaVpdH93JfVjbk-gTU17I6aobPbVDl-m9yXg95AZlWDi3ev8qnyeDY4s9MOVXwh6VxfAMpOQBgrrG/s320/DSCN8109.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
- Spectral Guard #1: Lightning Claw & Storm Bolter. What can I say? I like Storm Bolters. If only they were Assault3...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLEdPGVksy4ER5PRW2zhBUiBvuhZ_fVtvOIRy40YjzpW0lHISKmdRFwEfEM1b3_P55T0t5ssMFxtqcWVBUhu85iJQoO22meC8Lp72Va0yO1gVtQJv1OP1DbnjAewouNTtmk3FaAYw8gnD/s1600/DSCN8120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLEdPGVksy4ER5PRW2zhBUiBvuhZ_fVtvOIRy40YjzpW0lHISKmdRFwEfEM1b3_P55T0t5ssMFxtqcWVBUhu85iJQoO22meC8Lp72Va0yO1gVtQJv1OP1DbnjAewouNTtmk3FaAYw8gnD/s320/DSCN8120.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
- Spectral Guard #2: Storm Bolter & Bolt Pistol. The pistol is irrelevant, but default and it fits with the “gunfighter” theme I was shooting for. <b><i>*rimshot*</i></b><br />
<b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmv8KSI0b6TLX70fTJyuubclpFETAinBFh-YfyjjJZX98vcfXA-91O9D1kll51LC-qnsU7RVAy04YQ80S1XfFYPoh7iyyV7u4ZuSU5W2P9U9qYmEdQKsbjBLhdyxkgMiT28_Zw7rdq-SM/s1600/DSCN8118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmv8KSI0b6TLX70fTJyuubclpFETAinBFh-YfyjjJZX98vcfXA-91O9D1kll51LC-qnsU7RVAy04YQ80S1XfFYPoh7iyyV7u4ZuSU5W2P9U9qYmEdQKsbjBLhdyxkgMiT28_Zw7rdq-SM/s320/DSCN8118.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><b><i><br />
</i></b><br />
- Spectral Guard #3 and #4: Meltagun & Flamer. This one’s weird. Codex permits two specials on these guys, so I’d be a moron not to go with it. As the Meltagun tosses the extra CC attack out the window anyway, going with a full-on Flamer costs me nothing (combat-wise). Flamers are the "hand" versions, but count as the full size models. Kept the models in-balance aesthetically.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23CUht4T2laoBJMFLq6zci3KSQXKPa5U2Bdh5FVfSUfGbEkLQMVIKR8QZJYQ6n2-IqdHzKwGM-1-o-qXnw6PLPU4kjhcT_Tp1SmnnjJaXk9Q3ULP58xZ5uzDq7k8H0FFwx7Gfx9CVfh15/s1600/DSCN81122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj23CUht4T2laoBJMFLq6zci3KSQXKPa5U2Bdh5FVfSUfGbEkLQMVIKR8QZJYQ6n2-IqdHzKwGM-1-o-qXnw6PLPU4kjhcT_Tp1SmnnjJaXk9Q3ULP58xZ5uzDq7k8H0FFwx7Gfx9CVfh15/s320/DSCN81122.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Gabriel Seth analog: I honestly don’t know why we don’t hear more about this guy. He consistently ranks in the top five wound-inflictors for me, and he looks pretty damn cool doing it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIp2dv8CroocQQLKVJbFD2QuizJsTuR8aj_CFN0QAEVNhowff06M_wEHlOhIkFH900jKKpR0SROQNj8RNxM36AJ5twJc4TjpHkiRp_wGJUeV-usBFsKfOgs28wa1x0oMxPlw3Z7ao7hfCs/s1600/DSCN8114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIp2dv8CroocQQLKVJbFD2QuizJsTuR8aj_CFN0QAEVNhowff06M_wEHlOhIkFH900jKKpR0SROQNj8RNxM36AJ5twJc4TjpHkiRp_wGJUeV-usBFsKfOgs28wa1x0oMxPlw3Z7ao7hfCs/s320/DSCN8114.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I have never used <i>Whirlwind of Gore</i>, but more often than not there's no need. My opponents tend to beat themselves to death against him due to <i>Ferocious Instincts</i>. This is generally followed by a series of facepalms and phrases like "<i>are you SURE you're reading that right?!</i>"<br />
<br />
<i>Blood Reaver</i> is quite the cool (read: fluffy) concept, and four standard attacks at STR6 without <i>Furious Charge</i> ain’t too shabby. Yes, that's a Plasma Pistol. No, it's not accurate to the roster. Supposed to be just your run-of-the-mill Bolt Pistol. I'm either going to modify what he's already holding or replace with something "special".<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMSlejOwqrFl4ehqnAIW3Il21Ty6xjvwXy_6SAYcCa0FNt9jyBnuNUJbczE4bqhipdrLKaw5VJsvtFM05HMDY-GRmZT8ol4kR3nUzQJmacHS-Szzxn7LyZkpolBFzD0l-iar1iR_qun7n/s1600/DSCN8123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdMSlejOwqrFl4ehqnAIW3Il21Ty6xjvwXy_6SAYcCa0FNt9jyBnuNUJbczE4bqhipdrLKaw5VJsvtFM05HMDY-GRmZT8ol4kR3nUzQJmacHS-Szzxn7LyZkpolBFzD0l-iar1iR_qun7n/s320/DSCN8123.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
The Razorback is mostly standard fare. Either twin-linked Assault Cannons or twin-linked Heavy Bolters depending on my point cap. Some modeling love ala Forge World Extra armor (not necessarily represented in the roster), and a custom armor front plate.<br />
<br />
Coming soon: "Revenant" Assault Squads, and the joy of hybrid turrets.<br />
<br />
...<br />
<div><br />
</div>Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-44048337986971418382010-10-21T14:50:00.004-05:002010-10-21T14:57:14.288-05:00Updates? Yeah, yeah… working on it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYW5uNQBS_lbG1I5r3d9NnjVCVEM2mFQoTWlek2HpQ6-T9J4uS7-jurt_yVLxsh4y7UkrPsH_pfC71rkEezRvcSkuum3tqSZxvf-dInVGXXkMF8LnDTg2XmVrPnszLjAglk_jsHbwtbreq/s1600/breaking+news.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYW5uNQBS_lbG1I5r3d9NnjVCVEM2mFQoTWlek2HpQ6-T9J4uS7-jurt_yVLxsh4y7UkrPsH_pfC71rkEezRvcSkuum3tqSZxvf-dInVGXXkMF8LnDTg2XmVrPnszLjAglk_jsHbwtbreq/s320/breaking+news.png" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
Now that I got my little pseudo-rant off my chest, I can get back to the important stuff.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Spectres: Part 2 tonight. No… really. Either the Spectral Guard (analog Honor Guard) or the Assault Squads & their Razorbacks. The Spectral Guard’s cooler to talk about, so likely the winner. Oh… and the list changed slightly.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span>Dice on Deployment (working name): Slow going, but far from dead. I’m still at a loss for contacts. If you know soldiers on deployment, please have them drop me an email. I really want to get this thing up and moving. Original post: <a href="http://ceramite.blogspot.com/2010/10/community-assistance-request-plastic.html">http://ceramite.blogspot.com/2010/10/community-assistance-request-plastic.html</a><br />
<br />
Industrial Terrain: Yep… there’s actually some movement here. Couple of days and I’ll have some new WIPs.<br />
<br />
House of Paincakes: Proud new member. Seem like just the sort of laid back (read: ambivalent) guys I can relate to. 'Course... I'm wrong a lot too.<br />
<br />
Can’t think of anything else at the moment. Couple hours… because I know every single one of you will just be sitting there hitting refresh over and over and over until RD&C updates.<br />
<br />
I’m insightful like that.<br />
<br />
…Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-66191572721535848192010-10-21T14:01:00.009-05:002010-10-21T14:52:19.371-05:00Opinion: Why I Don't Do Opinion Articles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIzUKI8DyXAGiq5hDSRN-8S4uT_6VBWLQw6l4Rah_q9ntw0UlsmImS2h4jnScESV7blq0j0Sr2rV9hExgopk4GRK8p1gcPRe6GMQGp5bo6FAsIemVCayO7bYD3DVeYr4iwm4f7E0mnhxR/s1600/blah-blah-blah.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIzUKI8DyXAGiq5hDSRN-8S4uT_6VBWLQw6l4Rah_q9ntw0UlsmImS2h4jnScESV7blq0j0Sr2rV9hExgopk4GRK8p1gcPRe6GMQGp5bo6FAsIemVCayO7bYD3DVeYr4iwm4f7E0mnhxR/s1600/blah-blah-blah.png" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t do Op-Ed. It is my belief that opinion pieces exist for one of two reasons: promote an agenda, or slip in a rant under the auspices of polite debate. I rarely have cause for either. What follows here could be considered a rare exception, but I’m looking at it as mental house cleaning. Bear with me (or don’t) as I vomit this out of my psyche.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span>I have been known to scour the internet for anything vaguely 40K related. Army builds, rules debates, unit effectiveness, tactics, rumors, “what works”… all the electronic flotsam one could stomach, and more. So while I’ll never refer to myself as an expert in such things, I am certainly perceptive enough to grasp trending. And the trend in the blogosphere (or whatever you want to call it) I am seeing as of late is a relatively consistent mix of:<br />
<br />
- Competitive vs. Non-Competitive, and Why Your Style Sucks<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">- Comp Score vs. no Comp Score (or Sportsmanship Score, or Painting Score… insert any variation here)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">- The Metagame (?!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">- Unit Spam</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">- “We Knew About This Yesterday, POST FASTER!”</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">- “So-and-So Sucks Ass, and Here’s Why”</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span>In the midst of my latest bout of masochistic perusing of article comments it hit me like a locomotive…<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>I. Don’t. Care</b><br />
<br />
<b></b>My game. I paid for every last bit of it. I glued and sanded and primed and painted every piece. I would have to try really hard to care less what the collective “you” considers correct/appropriate. I don’t like tournaments, and I don’t care if you do. I can’t stand brutal players or sore losers, and have no time for you if you are either. I have a great time rolling dice with a ridiculous army build, losing, and laughing about it. Metagame? Seriously? I have a wife, two kids, a career, and impending economic doom to worry about. Why would I waste cycles caring what our little plastic men are thinking when we’re not around? I despise rules lawyers. If you’re playing with me, you’re in my house and a friend. Cookie-cutter your army all day long with 4x Missile Devastators... don’t care. And finally… your opinion of why Joe Shit the Ragman is an asshat means exactly squat.<br />
<br />
So… I just stopped. Lots of places I won’t be visiting any more as I can’t relate. They’re playing a different game than I am. On the other hand, tons of hobby-esque cool places I will frequent more often. Jim and his Killzone, Mordheimer and his Death Squads. Conversions, house rules, out of the ordinary 40K? I’m there.<br />
<br />
That’s it. I’m done. All I wanted to say. No need to pontificate any further and justify ten ways to Sunday why I’ve written what I’ve written. Know why?<br />
<br />
My blog.<br />
<br />
…<br />
<div><br />
</div>Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-59067229358184349962010-10-13T17:20:00.000-05:002010-10-13T17:20:14.856-05:00Community Assistance Request: Plastic Armies for Real Soldiers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFQmt0iwr7RaJeg0nQfEUn48Hypzd_0i0Ri8mqPuK-fpR5-brtYEw0KpV_2SMZF0tUAvl7HGowQNxI9vVAfeIlTS_JV-v63NxqfYEzlnVJs6_PYeWtGj6iAXy-eLYsM_GOXEqvuxKhcGJ/s1600/militaryseals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTFQmt0iwr7RaJeg0nQfEUn48Hypzd_0i0Ri8mqPuK-fpR5-brtYEw0KpV_2SMZF0tUAvl7HGowQNxI9vVAfeIlTS_JV-v63NxqfYEzlnVJs6_PYeWtGj6iAXy-eLYsM_GOXEqvuxKhcGJ/s1600/militaryseals.jpg" /></a></div><br />
So I got this wild hair, and I need some guidance from the 40K community-at-large:<br />
<br />
The other day I was reading comments on Big Jim's blog regarding the Killzone rules and how well they are being received. One of the responses was from a serviceman who indicated that he was deployed to Afghanistan and his squad is loving the game. I felt like an idiot that it never dawned on me previously... that these men and women deployed overseas would prefer to spend their downtime pushing plastic and tossing dice. This got me to thinking; I bet its damn tough in many of their situations to actually acquire those 40K models to put on the table. And possibly even harder to find time to assemble it all. Maybe I can do something about that and thank them in some small way. A couple of assembled and/or painted models here and there, spread across multiple servicemen and/or units. Yeah... that's infinitely doable.<br />
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The problem? Not sure how to get the ball rolling.<br />
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The logistics I can do. The issue is I can't for the life of me figure out a good way to identify the appropriate servicemen or units. I have a tentative process in mind for acquiring and tracking the models, but how the heck do I even begin to figure out where the stuff should be sent? I don't want to spin up the whole thing only to figure out there's no one to send the stuff to. So I'm looking to the community for ideas, and here's what I need:<br />
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How do I identify 40K players in the service, deployed overseas? While I wish I could do this for all our servicemen deployed abroad, my preferred focus would be those areas like Afghanistan where gaming paraphernalia would be hard to come by. <br />
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Once I've developed a solid plan to identify individuals and shipping addresses, I can move onto phase two... gettin' the goods.<br />
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So cough it up geeks. How do I go about finding these folks? I don't have a heck of a lot of followers, but I get a ton of hits, so I'm hoping anyone who is interested in the idea will pass on a link to this post.<br />
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Would really appreciate your input on this one guys. Thanks in advance.<br />
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-Dryw<br />
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...Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-37132234569079554842010-10-10T16:29:00.002-05:002010-10-10T16:32:38.015-05:00Spectres: Part One - Dakka & Docs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuCQCKoY2CG11B9qNXJ3P7NRGDG11TeDUvuP4HnBFuIwmzA8hK2-fOcYTLBiLgniMlBcDp2QwS0GyhF6ReLkkJ0MryLJP1HfOwPO_VitO011SgzMOQHAXWoh4rZzyzr0svUNTZf2_2V8d/s1600/SPECTRE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRuCQCKoY2CG11B9qNXJ3P7NRGDG11TeDUvuP4HnBFuIwmzA8hK2-fOcYTLBiLgniMlBcDp2QwS0GyhF6ReLkkJ0MryLJP1HfOwPO_VitO011SgzMOQHAXWoh4rZzyzr0svUNTZf2_2V8d/s200/SPECTRE.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">As promised... dug out the digicam and strained my mediocre photography skills to the limit. Going to try to cover each of the units in some detail, and in the focus of this first episode will be the healers and the shredders. But first, a word from our sponsors (Spectres, class of M41):</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAdvUZJ9QIarJzql5yl6Do_rLkoFNjkZ1okjIVNxQCV3ydpGNZFVARQ4pxRo-GG88eyfdfALM6PwDHs79_kzqI0HgZcPO8jBe1YJE0qOCL6O-GzTcBHVjAJZQ1FR918pyTRtH7Qx_6kXA/s1600/spectres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAdvUZJ9QIarJzql5yl6Do_rLkoFNjkZ1okjIVNxQCV3ydpGNZFVARQ4pxRo-GG88eyfdfALM6PwDHs79_kzqI0HgZcPO8jBe1YJE0qOCL6O-GzTcBHVjAJZQ1FR918pyTRtH7Qx_6kXA/s320/spectres.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I'm <i>really</i> not happy with the quality of the shot, but it's all I have at the moment. I'll work on it, but this gives a general idea of where I am and where I'm going. I wouldn't consider a single one of them 100% finished at this point, but hey... they're getting there. Notably absent from the group photo are:<br />
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<b><i>Baal Predator with MK.IVc turret</i></b> - not a drop of paint on him and he refuses to be photographed nekkid<br />
<b><i>Bike Squad</i></b> - showcased these custom jobs before, but going to wait for the reveal until they have more than a primer coat<br />
<b><i>Furioso Dreadnought with Forge World MK.IV "Blood Talons"</i></b>- same as above. Primer coat, but not ready for prime time just yet<br />
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And that brings us to our spotlight squads. First up, Spectral (Sanguinary) Priests flanking the Honor Guard Novitiate:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2F1aWCvmgX1ZVE53yeTgWx3wl5RLLEe6L5JqlrgbgnV5lvc0rFyyvle0Un4VEZffmi9l70mLxOFLJcH3lMH4ZR2B_dK-ctpFjTLnlZ8LQ5-vezcXW6KnE7NlnewhPQ5wwNRdmwCzAoK8/s1600/DSCN7980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2F1aWCvmgX1ZVE53yeTgWx3wl5RLLEe6L5JqlrgbgnV5lvc0rFyyvle0Un4VEZffmi9l70mLxOFLJcH3lMH4ZR2B_dK-ctpFjTLnlZ8LQ5-vezcXW6KnE7NlnewhPQ5wwNRdmwCzAoK8/s320/DSCN7980.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
These field medics have been worth their weight in gold Imperial Crowns (Thrones... whatever) on the tabletop. Priests attached to each Assault Squad with Furious Charge and Feel No Pain. Simply exquisite. I am extremely pleased with the finished result of the customization. Forge World MK.III, Chapterhouse Studios shoulder guards, Terminator Storm Bolters and a custom hand cannon (based on a Khorne Berserker pistol) for the Novitiate. WIP as they obviously need more than just a metallic highlight.<br />
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Last but not least for this entry... my homage to Robotech's RaiderX Destroid:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGit3fwD7mU2W0DuvV54wG1UZ0VCKaW6iVSowpYa6Gf4txZkQkIFBE0kq5XcMXoW9lfsQCyG80KxyNthvJsAVJFJfe4Trrw6l0pYeXsfx2mlA1uQHbDz-sUul_RLARH9kxn-wJYkSey4Hg/s1600/DSCN7987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGit3fwD7mU2W0DuvV54wG1UZ0VCKaW6iVSowpYa6Gf4txZkQkIFBE0kq5XcMXoW9lfsQCyG80KxyNthvJsAVJFJfe4Trrw6l0pYeXsfx2mlA1uQHbDz-sUul_RLARH9kxn-wJYkSey4Hg/s320/DSCN7987.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I know I'm biased, but gawddamn these things are just freakin' cool! The majority of my shooting wounds by far come from these lead slinging machines, and there is a tangible wide-eyed psychological factor when they hit the table. At worst, they freak my opponents out so much that they spend a good portion of the game chasing Pain & Panic here around the table and trying to pop them through cover... leaving the rest of my units to flank and spank. Its a beautiful thing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPBDz3ZBbG1-DRfVDuTvOOjfbFk6mVALk_siJ85Z5uVzVAfaSw_MtiiiyyCQD5Peu8ppqWhgGm9Zs8z4zGBM2cMYPkF4aCfJF_s-JnOzq5crE4-z6JeH1dZ-pnBe93PAPITscNWsYq56l/s1600/DSCN7990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPBDz3ZBbG1-DRfVDuTvOOjfbFk6mVALk_siJ85Z5uVzVAfaSw_MtiiiyyCQD5Peu8ppqWhgGm9Zs8z4zGBM2cMYPkF4aCfJF_s-JnOzq5crE4-z6JeH1dZ-pnBe93PAPITscNWsYq56l/s320/DSCN7990.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Pretty straightforward conversions. I'm sure you can figure out what came from where. I'll happily relay some penny-saving advice if you're in the market; grab yourself the Ironclad torso/leg combos from your favorite bits store as you don't need anything else once the Forge World Autocannons arrive. Should be able to get away with about $15.00 per (sans the FW parts, of course). Certainly better than the $40.00+ for the full GW Ironclad kit.<br />
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Thats it for now kiddies. Thanks for taking the time to peruse. Feel free to leave suggestive comments (heh).<br />
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Next issue: why I'm not ashamed to be a Mech whore.<br />
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...Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-52139219153827315632010-10-08T22:03:00.005-05:002010-10-08T22:15:01.898-05:00Back in Black: Void Spectres<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcahxc-5ARzTE2MDzM46YWMAjTt8o3A6Ih4SMgZrQa0gEYEV1rVUIUc5zIwAbGCG_3bSB_ln8uxwn4H9r5AztPJ6EzFxqtywi4ntzosLvid-kMN2DAstgguuiDux4BEjh9fMj3RUs0U3gw/s1600/CASPER.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcahxc-5ARzTE2MDzM46YWMAjTt8o3A6Ih4SMgZrQa0gEYEV1rVUIUc5zIwAbGCG_3bSB_ln8uxwn4H9r5AztPJ6EzFxqtywi4ntzosLvid-kMN2DAstgguuiDux4BEjh9fMj3RUs0U3gw/s320/CASPER.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Long time no blog, eh? Metric tons (or is that tonnes?) of work hours and a bit of interwebz burnout killed the desire for a time. Easing back in with a new army and a new concept. <i>Void Spectres</i>.</span><br />
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Hopefully I can come up with a chapter symbol thats a tad bit cooler than Casper up there.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Yep... it's a Blood Angels clone. Nope... I won't excuse my bandwagon-ness other than to say my real interest is the zippy quick tanks. Give me those in a CSM army and the red pretty boys book goes back on the shelf. If pushed, </span>I'll admit the literal slew of magic Feel No Pain field medics is sorta' sexy too.<br />
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I have a boatload of new models to showboat. Many of them are even... wait for it... <b>painted</b>! Been lazy with the digicam. I'll hit the clicks hard this weekend and get some shots up. Gabriel Seth analog, tailored honor guard, couple of assault squads and enough mech to make Caterpiller jealous. I'm especially fond of the Robotech Destroid Defender Dreads. The moniker will make more sense when you see the conversions.<br />
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In the interim I'll preview with my standard 1250 build. Decent successes thus far. Think she's a keeper.<br />
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1250 Pts - Void Spectres (Blood Angels)<br />
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1 Chapter Master @ 160 pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Iron Halo; Power Armour; Blood Reaver; Bolt Pistol; Fearless; Ferocious Instincts; Independent Character; Whirlwind of Gore)<br />
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Honour Guard @ 227 pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Veteran; Veteran; Veteran; Veteran; And They Shall Know No Fear; The Red Thirst; Razorback)<br />
1 Apothecary (Blood Chalice; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Bolt Pistol; Chainsword; Feel No Pain; Furious Charge)<br />
1 Veteran (Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Lightning Claw x1; Storm Bolter x1)<br />
1 Veteran (Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Flamer x1; Storm Bolter x1)<br />
1 Veteran (Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Flamer x1; Meltagun x1)<br />
1 Veteran (Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Flamer x1; Meltagun x1)<br />
1 Razorback (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank, Fast); Transport Capacity: 6 models; Access Points: 3; Fire Points: 0; Smoke Launchers; Searchlight; Twin Linked Heavy Bolter)<br />
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1 Apothecary @ 58 pts ([Power Armour])<br />
1 [Power Armour] (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Blood Chalice; Power Armour; Melta Bombs; Chainsword; Storm Bolter; And They Shall Know No Fear; Feel No Pain; Furious Charge; Independent Character)<br />
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4 Assault Squad @ 181 pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Remove Jump Packs; Bolt Pistol x4; Chainsword x4; And They Shall Know No Fear; Combat Squads; Descent of Angels; The Red Thirst; Razorback)<br />
1 Sergeant (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Remove Jump Packs; Bolt Pistol; Power Fist x1; And They Shall Know No Fear; Combat Squads; Descent of Angels; The Red Thirst)<br />
1 Razorback (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank, Fast); Transport Capacity: 6 models; Access Points: 3; Fire Points: 0; Smoke Launchers; Searchlight; Lascannon and TL Plasmagun)<br />
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1 Apothecary @ 58 pts ([Power Armour])<br />
1 [Power Armour] (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Blood Chalice; Power Armour; Melta Bombs; Chainsword; Storm Bolter; And They Shall Know No Fear; Feel No Pain; Furious Charge; Independent Character)<br />
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4 Assault Squad @ 181 pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Remove Jump Packs; Bolt Pistol x4; Chainsword x4; And They Shall Know No Fear; Combat Squads; Descent of Angels; The Red Thirst; Razorback)<br />
1 Sergeant (Unit Type: Infantry; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Remove Jump Packs; Bolt Pistol; Power Fist x1; And They Shall Know No Fear; Combat Squads; Descent of Angels; The Red Thirst)<br />
1 Razorback (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank, Fast); Transport Capacity: 6 models; Access Points: 3; Fire Points: 0; Smoke Launchers; Searchlight; Lascannon and TL Plasmagun)<br />
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1 Dreadnought @ 120 pts (Unit Type: Vehicle (Walker); Smoke Launchers; Twin Linked Autocannon; Twin Linked Autocannon; The Red Thirst)<br />
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1 Dreadnought @ 120 pts (Unit Type: Vehicle (Walker); Smoke Launchers; Twin Linked Autocannon; Twin Linked Autocannon; The Red Thirst)<br />
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1 Baal Predator @ 145 pts (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank, Fast); Smoke Launchers; Twin Linked Assault Cannon; Heavy Bolter; Scouts)<br />
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More to come. Stay tuned.<br />
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...Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-65523441442762117132010-09-25T11:22:00.004-05:002010-09-25T11:27:41.191-05:00Break's Over... Back to Play<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlkQG8i_oHc7fGfuIjP89cXu6Q6F91j0uCdLa6Xk6Se8rEG83pRNfZLeNB9kBGLfLdRkcXGtudKFguXHgw7AvFJYQpk9uRYrkDkFRSC_-w2-6Ti_b_dQybAJXzDaU6ZX5FX_N-jtiPVwK/s1600/Smiley-Angry-256x256.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlkQG8i_oHc7fGfuIjP89cXu6Q6F91j0uCdLa6Xk6Se8rEG83pRNfZLeNB9kBGLfLdRkcXGtudKFguXHgw7AvFJYQpk9uRYrkDkFRSC_-w2-6Ti_b_dQybAJXzDaU6ZX5FX_N-jtiPVwK/s1600/Smiley-Angry-256x256.png" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Anger issues? Who?! Actually... me.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Had to take a break from the 40K interwebz. Found myself becoming more involved in the community as an electronic vigilante than a game player. Hanging out in seedy comments sections of blogs, swatting down neckbeard nerdrage rants and bitching at (however well-intentioned) "<i>here's how to be a decent human being & play nice</i>" articles. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">That's fun. Except, not. So I pulled the plug for awhile. Easing back into it.</span><br />
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Turns out there's actually a really real GAME that goes along with all this 40K internettery. And it has some pretty cool models! Also: I have... like, a blog and stuff.<br />
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I'll be damned.<br />
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...Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-22761800101465015982010-08-13T18:18:00.008-05:002010-08-14T00:05:35.069-05:00Say It Ain’t So, Part II – The Mako<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGjl6G-lhU1JsgtW0Ifq-tnyoYIsuyy9rEykiYXugt8si2ra8y4iHOzjLRCYDZuymdWUPtI_Db6aoJGZ4E2VoQmShGizxUy-V3mpUt1yPGiHmgyL4r_coBsxS12b634NnKp1LpxcFoDd6/s1600/Shortfin-Mako-Shark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGjl6G-lhU1JsgtW0Ifq-tnyoYIsuyy9rEykiYXugt8si2ra8y4iHOzjLRCYDZuymdWUPtI_Db6aoJGZ4E2VoQmShGizxUy-V3mpUt1yPGiHmgyL4r_coBsxS12b634NnKp1LpxcFoDd6/s320/Shortfin-Mako-Shark.jpg" /></a></div><br />
What a terrifyingly awesome fish that is. Mine's not nearly as cool as the picture above... it’s just a mod’d Piranha. The bastardization of the Greater Good continues.<br />
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Figured the upstart DToM (Don’t Tread on Me) rebellion might need a bit of extra firepower to fend off the slew of Battlesuits and Hammerheads the Space Sushi are going to toss at them. Enter the Mako.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRRGBHVphfADIPM9uSDsXfvWlDw2IDmQQNOQgAplqaGpLevZxm0eUqNPJr7ae22L0uhGDoNEp3reBdIA2rrAU-WbaynojSJEI0yfUn-gWTeDwTA3g1iE43ujbowFVqvlMWs7L-S4rbAuE/s1600/DSCN7769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFRRGBHVphfADIPM9uSDsXfvWlDw2IDmQQNOQgAplqaGpLevZxm0eUqNPJr7ae22L0uhGDoNEp3reBdIA2rrAU-WbaynojSJEI0yfUn-gWTeDwTA3g1iE43ujbowFVqvlMWs7L-S4rbAuE/s320/DSCN7769.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Pretty straightforward conversion actually. Created some wing-mounting spacers, shifted the wings towards the back, gave them more of a downward angle, and sheared off any portion of the wing which extended past the back of the fuselage. Thick plasticard insert (with some added internal bracing) for the cockpit section, and then metric ton of sanding to get everything to blend correctly. Bit and bobbles tacked on as inspiration hits.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMK0TKigDbKx4W15hMurkJGtw_m1B5UNMhJK93upawMVaBW83mdUsLglQvBdJaVYQ2Iz-uNIJzJWsQJoOGDH2b3hX9BIMFUbaV1Y2i3uNJpBdIqlZ_iVUPSFXL9sPeTAxk2edWUhaA6tYH/s1600/DSCN7765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMK0TKigDbKx4W15hMurkJGtw_m1B5UNMhJK93upawMVaBW83mdUsLglQvBdJaVYQ2Iz-uNIJzJWsQJoOGDH2b3hX9BIMFUbaV1Y2i3uNJpBdIqlZ_iVUPSFXL9sPeTAxk2edWUhaA6tYH/s200/DSCN7765.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuc2jjRMXCYWd6Ls7oshKyiasjdUxefRmd0auA9zfHbmzfOZ10qR1mCCgWpLgp7VzxIcFwY269xoSRe0aY3Wq1heaNpIwxo-JV-v21I-HvQwWET2dpg-zCVPiw96c_H2lAs1IiWEm5fO_i/s1600/DSCN7772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuc2jjRMXCYWd6Ls7oshKyiasjdUxefRmd0auA9zfHbmzfOZ10qR1mCCgWpLgp7VzxIcFwY269xoSRe0aY3Wq1heaNpIwxo-JV-v21I-HvQwWET2dpg-zCVPiw96c_H2lAs1IiWEm5fO_i/s200/DSCN7772.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Not sure about the ventral tail. I love the aesthetic, but it’s beginning to look like it will be difficult to acquire the Land Speeder tail in “bits” form and I would like to be able to recreate the model if I get itchy for a squadron of the aggressive-looking buggers.<br />
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Not quite done with the gluing yet. Needs wing guns, a bit more texture to the flattened cockpit, and maybe a Seeker Missile or two. Stats-line is identical to the Piranha. Inspiration? <i>Global Hawk</i>. Looks mean just sitting on the tarmac.<br />
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“DToM” is just a working name for the rebellion, by the by. Though I must admit that it’s growing on me.<br />
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Freshly-diced Tau… delicious and low in saturated fat. Yum.<br />
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…<br />
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UPDATE: Tried a Stealth Generator on for size in lieu of the inverted "U" ventral fin. Not entirely convinced yet, but I think I like it...<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">...</div><br />
UPDATE 2: Close to primer-ready:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">...</div><br />
</div>Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-14737455527689879732010-08-13T11:22:00.008-05:002010-08-13T11:29:09.698-05:00MK V Heresy Armor - And Its All Over Folks! He's Down!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUucgZZC9GeajS9JUri5mRvT4wKEomyF6C55_KoT5peaMAbl7XzVahcBX05AR9YTrwwlwEwDvHxqe2obnPhFyibUNWP9KqblI1PvCUg4Ruull0bvDxPgBxElVHOi-8SJDmiG7QcbrWDXfA/s1600/sucker_cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUucgZZC9GeajS9JUri5mRvT4wKEomyF6C55_KoT5peaMAbl7XzVahcBX05AR9YTrwwlwEwDvHxqe2obnPhFyibUNWP9KqblI1PvCUg4Ruull0bvDxPgBxElVHOi-8SJDmiG7QcbrWDXfA/s320/sucker_cookie.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I could only bob-n-weave for so long. Even knew it was comin'. Wasn't enough. Just don't have the stamina to fight it any longer...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Bampf!</i></b> Sucker punch right to the jaw... and I'm seeing stars. P</span>re-order placed.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Phobos Patterns were a kick to the groin while I was down. Have they no shame?!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Damn you Forge World... damn you to hell! You're killin' me here...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">*<i>shakes fist</i>* KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">...</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span>Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-17768603590175743522010-08-07T11:45:00.021-05:002010-08-13T21:05:15.291-05:00Say It Ain't So... Tau? Seriously?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQ7kSFMuZSqjkCIBDG2pas_L5mMHkGDFPg9dDb_SwQpjxp8gHSV_xffMHe6DfjGT9WBW-zh22dualqHLiFp-kJWIeMg4bwoFZ3HIZIFxMqvVAk1j125t40c9067YoAxivxWTh4wsTIYYB/s1600/TF2_2_Reaction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQ7kSFMuZSqjkCIBDG2pas_L5mMHkGDFPg9dDb_SwQpjxp8gHSV_xffMHe6DfjGT9WBW-zh22dualqHLiFp-kJWIeMg4bwoFZ3HIZIFxMqvVAk1j125t40c9067YoAxivxWTh4wsTIYYB/s320/TF2_2_Reaction.jpg" /></a></div><br />
It's not. Well, not <i>really</i>. I haven't fallen off my high horse yet.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">A little background here: I despise the Tau. In the opinion of this author, Tau are the Jar-Jar Binks of the 40K universe; created solely for commercialization purposes to draw in younger players and Anime buffs. The concept was far from original, being an amalgam of several well-known Sci-Fi staples, and it wasn't executed well. A considerable chunk of the models, intended to be eye-candy, are mostly crap (chicken-legged Battlesuits anyone?). That being said; GW has every right to try to make money... and make money off the Tau they have. Even my money, I am ashamed to admit.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Wanting to draw my son into the hobby, I purchased a respectable army of Tau kits </span>for him to build and play. I was successful in that it definitely generated interest in him, and he absolutely loves the game now. Although it <i>does</i> require a fire-and-brimstone speech from me to get him to read the damn rules. A few months in however, my spawn yanks the carpet out from under me and the little bastard repays my generosity by summarily pushing aside all the Tau plastic in favor of Black Templars. Awesome (not). Fret not... revenge will be mine when "<i>can I have a car</i>" or "<i>can I get my driver's license</i>" time comes around. Oh yes... <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;">revenge </span><b>will </b></i>be mine.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So, there they sat... bins and bins of discarded Pulse Rifles, ridiculous monocular helmets, and half-built Devilfish.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Fast-forward to this week. Work has been absolute hell, and my creative energy reserves are dangerously low. By the time I get home I'm so mentally fried that I just sit and stare at my poor Kommandos. Time for something new and different to lubricate the mental gears and get back up to full steam. I grab Catachan legs, some of the discarded Firewarrior torsos, a few Elysian drop-troop respirator heads, slop some glue around... and viola': Human Auxiliary! Good looking ones at that.</span><br />
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But wait... I hate the Tau. Really didn't think this one through, did you rocket scientist?! Ok, ok... just slow down. Surely there's a way to cheese in some believable background. And then it hit me...<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Human Auxiliary Renegades (<i>*disgusted groans from the crowd ensue*</i>). Now wait... stick with me here... this one's not all that bad. Imagine a human world/sector/colony under Tau influence which decides to wake up and see that they sure do seem to get the short end of the stick more often than not when it comes to this "greater good" garbage. No matter how pampered, a pet is still a pet. So they toss off the yoke of the oppressors, grab the good gear for themselves, and plant the Don't Tread on Me flag.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;">"Don't Tread on Me" Cadre Trooper (Firewarrior):</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;">WS:3 BS:3 S:3 T:3 W:1 I:3 A:1 Ld:7 Sv: 5+ Options: as Firewarrior</span><br />
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</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;">"Don't Tread on Me" Cadre Officer (Chez'frijoli, or whatever that Tau Sergeant word is):</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;">WS:3 BS:3 S:3 T:3 W:1 I:3 A:2 Ld:8 Sv: 5+ Options: as Chez'frijoli</span><br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"><br />
</span> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: black;"> </span></span></span></b></i><br />
Think I'll toss together a Kill Team, and maybe 500 points. Use the Tau army list with little/no modification. Not bad, yeah?<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Shuddup... who asked you anyways?!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In other news: work progresses (albeit, slowly) on the Baal Pred.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6_st7M1fJ4dY7eZGZwBLo0Qw8Y6-qbyohmFUkTg9oaimWSi68WJuYvyx1VL1wbcsI1ZOuFJNk0g2VMfaOf3Eb-c_kwxSgYiG0HhFWF5dRAZ_qRSyCgDtScoc7K5aWfIl0ChjoWASBWIf/s1600/DSCN7717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAM4xijgF4wsO1_NhKLyRtYLNB6oywQgPOHIimOC8VBs-Kp2LQqRMXOa8E0XdPX6PjrJOFp8Pu1JqwQHmBqz9Pa0mQTXjRdXj484so2JuFXXRxZyfkMFINyRLZjbbL7TZYAH3Oc9BYdgH2/s1600/DSCN7721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAM4xijgF4wsO1_NhKLyRtYLNB6oywQgPOHIimOC8VBs-Kp2LQqRMXOa8E0XdPX6PjrJOFp8Pu1JqwQHmBqz9Pa0mQTXjRdXj484so2JuFXXRxZyfkMFINyRLZjbbL7TZYAH3Oc9BYdgH2/s200/DSCN7721.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZDp0qFf-Zn4E6KrbSXQBRBrg1tbi8LEpZC_Q4kCdclBAKJtQckPTtwt-1hjz0rfkvps_qYOy9T3nYoL1a2xFHA3tB8WWuivZlqz1bkubIkhFKVxtj4HytGdHTU9Iptbe45ACKt4d2ZDQ/s1600/DSCN7723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuZDp0qFf-Zn4E6KrbSXQBRBrg1tbi8LEpZC_Q4kCdclBAKJtQckPTtwt-1hjz0rfkvps_qYOy9T3nYoL1a2xFHA3tB8WWuivZlqz1bkubIkhFKVxtj4HytGdHTU9Iptbe45ACKt4d2ZDQ/s200/DSCN7723.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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...Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-24643007343546012382010-08-06T08:53:00.003-05:002010-08-06T08:57:07.196-05:00MK IV Maximus Armor - No Pox For You!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJD8oOnRHikQJRp4izm77RDztCBsrAhWPNjmtlqtGQ3YVNIJc8pqlriljG0HbaKMA0JYkRIUh0QA7-0Nofnbx-PXL-4-qR_KaD130ExyTaHMX2JzKvfNNZCwjwJ2R5DM72y737SauUgAKB/s1600/mkIV-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJD8oOnRHikQJRp4izm77RDztCBsrAhWPNjmtlqtGQ3YVNIJc8pqlriljG0HbaKMA0JYkRIUh0QA7-0Nofnbx-PXL-4-qR_KaD130ExyTaHMX2JzKvfNNZCwjwJ2R5DM72y737SauUgAKB/s320/mkIV-5.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/MK-IV-MAXIMUS-ARMOUR.html">http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/MK-IV-MAXIMUS-ARMOUR.html</a><br />
<br />
Mk.IVs this week. Nice, but I essentially have these with my Red Scorpions upgrade of yore. You manage to squeak by this week without a curse from me... Forge World my nemesis.<br />
<br />
Now these? These are somewhat tempting...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrH4It8Ds8qQTGTJewWzo7yrAty_laIi2UzHFEiFXwNE5UhHxOfYwdzqIaZny64bS6mjFPJk4gfXGZiiagWCtmBFifw5RFJN47X43qi-AtnpFSm60Xa4OQifFx26am_iOsqrgm4Gto1irH/s1600/umbra-ferrox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrH4It8Ds8qQTGTJewWzo7yrAty_laIi2UzHFEiFXwNE5UhHxOfYwdzqIaZny64bS6mjFPJk4gfXGZiiagWCtmBFifw5RFJN47X43qi-AtnpFSm60Xa4OQifFx26am_iOsqrgm4Gto1irH/s320/umbra-ferrox.jpg" /></a></div>..but can wait.<br />
<br />
Next Friday I expect the Mk.Vs will be gracing the "new stuff" page. I can feel the dollar bills rustling as they try to fly out of my wallet at this very moment. Damn it all to hell and back. I need to get out of this hobby.<br />
<br />
Gene Simmons, you ain't lyin'.<i>"Every time I walk through that door it's the same damn thing, that bitch bends over & I forget my name"</i><br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>...</i>Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-28406289378907840992010-08-03T20:04:00.000-05:002010-08-03T20:04:07.353-05:00Ain't That A Hoot: Forge World Mk.III & Mk.V Trophies<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Kommando upgrade set from Forge World arrived today. So as soon as I arrived home from work I giddily shredded the box to inspect my latest toys. Summarily tossed aside the Bosspole to get a better look at the gas masks, then something caught my eye...</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL36AlylVuY3PbcRFqpq9hj3flUJPRvH7DNbvkdcwlwT79hAwCtsUDlrCS9YzIw4vds4ehUxs3i3yC-r_bJH0iVbgqNeUOGCIWgu4OZSELBDX5cd9aYc0mLeRl8w7Z1ht-U7ee2utQ9h5p/s1600/DSCN7687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL36AlylVuY3PbcRFqpq9hj3flUJPRvH7DNbvkdcwlwT79hAwCtsUDlrCS9YzIw4vds4ehUxs3i3yC-r_bJH0iVbgqNeUOGCIWgu4OZSELBDX5cd9aYc0mLeRl8w7Z1ht-U7ee2utQ9h5p/s320/DSCN7687.JPG" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Interesting, no? Now I ain't never been accused of being the sharpest spoon the the drawer, but gol'durnit that one shore do look like one of them fancy-pants Mk.III helmets on the "What's New" page... do'nit?!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">And then there's this...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKImIauV3az5Qfa0j4DzzVH2Q6wDACZEHqr1DIXLvb-TyDHWiNmfJ4VGodIhoZ49VI6wzPfA_j407sOORK9XVl_EMchuAL-rWiJBbafgmMQ_0Ka_WdlWxJ2gld3NgvfX09oDlSkRtwlxGG/s1600/DSCN7696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKImIauV3az5Qfa0j4DzzVH2Q6wDACZEHqr1DIXLvb-TyDHWiNmfJ4VGodIhoZ49VI6wzPfA_j407sOORK9XVl_EMchuAL-rWiJBbafgmMQ_0Ka_WdlWxJ2gld3NgvfX09oDlSkRtwlxGG/s320/DSCN7696.JPG" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Could've sworn I saw a newsletter recently touting this </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">exact</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> helm as a sneak peak. Ok, ok... enough already you conniving Brits. Cut the suspense and just release the Mk.Vs so you can squeeze more cash outta' me, would ya'?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Nice one FW. I like the continuity, and the fact that you didn't make a big deal out of it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">God I love/hate this hobby...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-63093698109191523252010-07-30T11:58:00.000-05:002010-07-30T11:58:31.065-05:00MK III Iron Armor - A Pox Upon Forge World!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Incentive to bring me out of my self-imposed purchasing moratorium...</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUSg-caSKrdtTTICbHFEDA71JiQFHi6no9i2A0Fzld16OXeYwPEmDnEJQeVTN0bnhBXPX9PCphaoRcBd5KaB7mcSzpaLFOE1vsRBTRUw4zIvtCPOArXaXYwMI1XVa_ApJd9Y7yJUEGj0X/s1600/mk3-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUSg-caSKrdtTTICbHFEDA71JiQFHi6no9i2A0Fzld16OXeYwPEmDnEJQeVTN0bnhBXPX9PCphaoRcBd5KaB7mcSzpaLFOE1vsRBTRUw4zIvtCPOArXaXYwMI1XVa_ApJd9Y7yJUEGj0X/s320/mk3-1.jpg" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/MK-III-IRON-ARMOUR.html">http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/MK-III-IRON-ARMOUR.html</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Every time I think I'm out... the bastards drag me back in...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Oh, and there's a Caestus: </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1K-YBZKsjLl7gyoAYcpmMsZmdmMfi6sjY86mKZhEHoPjVpb9_aAJCv05FjDEPeI-N0hM644zHSLi-7wMbDDmtIxh5w-8mekcFMKxhc83MuKjbbVMZo-5l1Sk3Dyf1zjbfdlrJK8-g_OU/s1600/caestus12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih1K-YBZKsjLl7gyoAYcpmMsZmdmMfi6sjY86mKZhEHoPjVpb9_aAJCv05FjDEPeI-N0hM644zHSLi-7wMbDDmtIxh5w-8mekcFMKxhc83MuKjbbVMZo-5l1Sk3Dyf1zjbfdlrJK8-g_OU/s320/caestus12.jpg" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><a href="http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/CAESTUS-ASSAULT-RAM.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/CAESTUS-ASSAULT-RAM.html</span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div><a href="http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/CAESTUS-ASSAULT-RAM.html"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Other new goodies:</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</div>Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-48778723211117845202010-06-16T18:17:00.007-05:002010-06-16T18:33:43.522-05:00Return of the… Thing (Part III)<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXK35SjKC336JZW8-bEw7yDxvFubInvich6BUT6AfBQo_iAfQw000n7fpo69mo_nSjCYQdIgA4dmRYowpvRa49tz1h0cqkRcTW0ontFb7jm1uOHS9QrDK_h5hgR5V2nYzmUSOgaOGRynw4/s1600/DSCN6959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXK35SjKC336JZW8-bEw7yDxvFubInvich6BUT6AfBQo_iAfQw000n7fpo69mo_nSjCYQdIgA4dmRYowpvRa49tz1h0cqkRcTW0ontFb7jm1uOHS9QrDK_h5hgR5V2nYzmUSOgaOGRynw4/s320/DSCN6959.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Not a whole lot a description required around the above in-progress item: a Forge World Landspeeder Tempest. </span>I snagged one because I’ve migrated back to a set of Astartes which can use one (Blood Angels renegade analog), and simply because I’ve always thought it was an amazing model. Now that I have one, I am seriously considering another.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvcllZFdc7V3R55GdSH0hxStreJb4_ZTQ9C2ApwSv3r423pvxdovYYNWxkAwpy307wVmW2W8y_4HLblOLWr9asugVMEKjNF3eqrG7p7b3efHF8hL0XZHmhYU11eVjPN_hMJ4JPPm97KnQ/s1600/DSCN6957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBvcllZFdc7V3R55GdSH0hxStreJb4_ZTQ9C2ApwSv3r423pvxdovYYNWxkAwpy307wVmW2W8y_4HLblOLWr9asugVMEKjNF3eqrG7p7b3efHF8hL0XZHmhYU11eVjPN_hMJ4JPPm97KnQ/s200/DSCN6957.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8DwZF9KLcRfOpfIjNFW7npQGVvh1IxfyTvfVYTfoYfjHjEySDerFuWk5AjYks_QuigUZzIXVIhg_RHUVd1MlUyP0fI9VELv6sRJuRLzaNsqIIsUlzL5Vj23D83IseBRSg2MK7wjLtkOO/s1600/DSCN6962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA8DwZF9KLcRfOpfIjNFW7npQGVvh1IxfyTvfVYTfoYfjHjEySDerFuWk5AjYks_QuigUZzIXVIhg_RHUVd1MlUyP0fI9VELv6sRJuRLzaNsqIIsUlzL5Vj23D83IseBRSg2MK7wjLtkOO/s200/DSCN6962.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Not a lot of warping or flash, easy to assemble. Highly customizable… just replace the nose-mounted Assault Cannon with your chosen flavor of death. Best part? You can easily “hide” the integrated Typhoon Launchers for those WYSIWYG lawyers. ‘Nuff said.<br />
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Second item for your perusal is the Forge World Mk.IVc Predator conversion kit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9tRWrbeMPmaouJ5Tm6r9F52KBox6ghyphenhyphen5xFET9Bdze_gQtzo59gBV0MYuCUxb3BcUZpXuLfqzMhyphenhyphenQVS_HnJypwMljdo7pLOqCAv2UZvqfWIT_PV6J-JljonyGJZRlZZ6G26ktKhhsvLzn/s1600/DSCN6953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9tRWrbeMPmaouJ5Tm6r9F52KBox6ghyphenhyphen5xFET9Bdze_gQtzo59gBV0MYuCUxb3BcUZpXuLfqzMhyphenhyphenQVS_HnJypwMljdo7pLOqCAv2UZvqfWIT_PV6J-JljonyGJZRlZZ6G26ktKhhsvLzn/s320/DSCN6953.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Of all the bits, bobbles, and pieces-parts I have acquired from Forge World over the years, this is likely the only kit I would <b><i>not</i></b> recommend for purchase. There’s actually nothing “wrong” with the kit, and it’s a decent deal compared to the retail Predator (as you get a full Rhino hull as well as the resin portions) but the differences between the Mk.IVc and the Mk.IVb (the standard kit) are so minor as to be almost unnoticeable to all but the most discerning eye. In fact, from a distance of greater than perhaps a few feet it would be exceedingly difficult to spot dissimilarity between the Mk.IVc and the Mk.IVb with turret (FW) Extra Armor.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9tRWrbeMPmaouJ5Tm6r9F52KBox6ghyphenhyphen5xFET9Bdze_gQtzo59gBV0MYuCUxb3BcUZpXuLfqzMhyphenhyphenQVS_HnJypwMljdo7pLOqCAv2UZvqfWIT_PV6J-JljonyGJZRlZZ6G26ktKhhsvLzn/s1600/DSCN6953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndKo_H4X_CsGNCAMFMnLJoF6yf56tkkks7pXcHPe_H8SvgRxyi7Atq0In_t8RZYRZUzrlD_ywz-QxiRdcpOHaPtfequDmK9ENhmVEm4lFcLTDmbDJVMSOFn3WrtE__UIMHXnbQC7Bx-MX/s1600/DSCN6947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndKo_H4X_CsGNCAMFMnLJoF6yf56tkkks7pXcHPe_H8SvgRxyi7Atq0In_t8RZYRZUzrlD_ywz-QxiRdcpOHaPtfequDmK9ENhmVEm4lFcLTDmbDJVMSOFn3WrtE__UIMHXnbQC7Bx-MX/s200/DSCN6947.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSN5PT0oM4S7fCi4lQxLbMTIlnuxdaS-c2WRPO5GSvN8FR0s51kIQe6D58CuMg5A40IuFL3qclAVPoy444IyFoaLV6QM-rDtVKLl_f3YI0cDDgjaIGyG8GMcfZE7s2WJIG0oc8MKACzGkx/s1600/DSCN6945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSN5PT0oM4S7fCi4lQxLbMTIlnuxdaS-c2WRPO5GSvN8FR0s51kIQe6D58CuMg5A40IuFL3qclAVPoy444IyFoaLV6QM-rDtVKLl_f3YI0cDDgjaIGyG8GMcfZE7s2WJIG0oc8MKACzGkx/s200/DSCN6945.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">I would have killed for some comparison pix when I was considering the purchase... and after scouring the interwebz I simply couldn't find any which fully satisfied my curiosity. I've taken more than a few shots of the conversion kit for your benefit if you're debating. One good deed a month... that's my motto.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Summary: the Mk.IVc turret is slightly more streamlined, the hatch has a different offset, and the upper sponson supports blend more smoothly than the standard kit’s 90-degree angle.</span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioA_b7MbBmkWKLJrg2Poz0HKMXBJlPTNmfJGCSHFTL2ECMqotJTWzZt53IumLv4NHaiLSg2fydh-GstGJQ1hgyNh9Ik8rFsh8DAMjZN_jpRaK_5bw2Z2p5rSF8x7yQ023zEIbwTc4AL-aV/s1600/DSCN6989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioA_b7MbBmkWKLJrg2Poz0HKMXBJlPTNmfJGCSHFTL2ECMqotJTWzZt53IumLv4NHaiLSg2fydh-GstGJQ1hgyNh9Ik8rFsh8DAMjZN_jpRaK_5bw2Z2p5rSF8x7yQ023zEIbwTc4AL-aV/s200/DSCN6989.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg480yOE1gHcz-hp4Pv13fqO1unXyu1j0FOJQGqF73ZAoX9CniMIk8TxXzc6VnpdYx4HwdWnxOxiL8LEB47EXnpydKmAsNtlEv6BahyD9SGm_zQzunVrZesG-6D6AqVS9zCc7s1P5-xjyAv/s1600/DSCN6979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg480yOE1gHcz-hp4Pv13fqO1unXyu1j0FOJQGqF73ZAoX9CniMIk8TxXzc6VnpdYx4HwdWnxOxiL8LEB47EXnpydKmAsNtlEv6BahyD9SGm_zQzunVrZesG-6D6AqVS9zCc7s1P5-xjyAv/s200/DSCN6979.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
All the above being said: being a discriminating (read: obsessive) hobbyist, I am fond of the kit’s aesthetic and have decided to utilize it to flesh-out the <i>Predator Which Shall Never Be Completed</i>. This did generate some of its own challenges as the resin is cast specifically to fit the included twin-linked Lascannons, and the Mk.Dryw will sport twin-linked Assault Cannons of the new Baal kit variety. Fitting the Assault Cannons into the turret itself wasn’t too difficult after some cutting and shaving, but I soon discovered that the IVc turret sits considerably lower in the turret ring than both the standard and Baal kit turrets due to shape (the standard Predator turret has more of a wedge shape on the underside). This was resolved by completely removing the IVc resin turret insert and adhering it firmly to a modified Razorback “turret”. This allows the IVc turret to sit high enough to provide 360° clearance over all the sensor spines, viewports, etc which exist on top of the Predator hull. Also gives the turret ring a bit more character/texture... an unintended boon.<br />
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I've added the Baal front plate from the new kit (very streamlined and smooth… I like this new piece a lot) and the IVc sponsons. Of interest: the width of the IVc sponsons is notably less, even with extra armor installed, so when in-place there is a noticeable gap between sponson and hull. A bit of putty/green stuff may be required.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span>The <i>Predator Which Shall Never Be Completed</i> may soon require a name change.<br />
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Miracle of miracles.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"></span>…</div>Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3490435980213302127.post-26547795389457747932010-06-15T17:16:00.005-05:002010-06-15T20:09:16.099-05:00Return of the… Thing (Part II)<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoboftNjKBNpVIhM9_hd66NSYIuEB7cEEy7aPuMUJrPwuNNG9ATT9WZCX1Tb9ZBAQyOHvUEdVk-gqqpNNpoPal9QhpOTd4ptllJZUxg1sZaJOk28f8BCnUk3gau99yLLPhuN_lUAyzIgu/s1600/ferrari_tank.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoboftNjKBNpVIhM9_hd66NSYIuEB7cEEy7aPuMUJrPwuNNG9ATT9WZCX1Tb9ZBAQyOHvUEdVk-gqqpNNpoPal9QhpOTd4ptllJZUxg1sZaJOk28f8BCnUk3gau99yLLPhuN_lUAyzIgu/s320/ferrari_tank.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><b>Forge World</b>: bane of my bank account. Hard to dispute they <i>are</i> the Ferrari of 40K vehicles. Thankfully I have yet to succumb to the temptation of a <i>Lucius Pattern Jackal Warhound</i> or a <i>Marauder Destroyer</i>… but I’ve come perilously close on multiple occasions. During those intense moments of weakness I’ve been able to satiate my consumer daemons with smaller digs into the wallet. My sole Macharius Vulcan was one of those stop-gaps. I don’t own an Imperial Guard army, but that meant nothing as I needed to own one of these beautiful pieces of machinery.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Initially I assembled it in standard configuration. Cool, but my incessant need to tweak & customize changed that in short order. A cloud of sanded resin dust and tube of CA later, I brought a “Macharius Vulcan Annihilator” into existence. Custom sponsons with Lascannons, a twin-linked Lascannon replacing the hull Stubber mount. Final result was a great looking model. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4u4XNEbZPVQ2-eLhmjF8Ty9W5t3a6U3cQJp-z2yS6HgCJb_rb_jYGpSR59TiZWjsXUE1aKeowbpr4Em9QSNSw77HjAblHONmQEalcu_4Z2vsT_NoO1w04iQeLrqSWpWGtB9qnzz_yiFI/s1600/DSCN5329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4u4XNEbZPVQ2-eLhmjF8Ty9W5t3a6U3cQJp-z2yS6HgCJb_rb_jYGpSR59TiZWjsXUE1aKeowbpr4Em9QSNSw77HjAblHONmQEalcu_4Z2vsT_NoO1w04iQeLrqSWpWGtB9qnzz_yiFI/s320/DSCN5329.JPG" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">That iteration lasted all of one month. Just didn’t make any logical sense (to me, because I think about these things) that a dedicated infantry shredder would dual-purpose as a tank hunter. Off the Lascannons came, and it was back to the drawing board. The poor Macharius was relegated to the dusty top of the display cabinet to await an acceptable customization epiphany. Her salvation came in the form of another Forge World offering… Aircraft Punisher Cannons. The minute I saw them I could envision the horrifically ridiculous end result. And… viola’!</span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Snapped a few pix prior to the final coat of primer to help highlight the additions. The “extras” should be painfully obvious. Punisher Cannons, Assault Cannon on the hull, two additional Storm Bolters, and the Dozer Blade. Small tweaks here and there such as sensor pods, a more modernized look, etc.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jLSsIyQgBFkKVt8njmfprnk4cWoGl_4OBZ4vmLE9CdWMvVpEtQtKc3rrFR5Am-sGvkQGJaLyi5-6poBghk4vrHMGJ_7I5uModtcV3v0_nzTKillUcCYZZg1QKP5y2C6xgZwfsnk7JCeD/s1600/DSCN6915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jLSsIyQgBFkKVt8njmfprnk4cWoGl_4OBZ4vmLE9CdWMvVpEtQtKc3rrFR5Am-sGvkQGJaLyi5-6poBghk4vrHMGJ_7I5uModtcV3v0_nzTKillUcCYZZg1QKP5y2C6xgZwfsnk7JCeD/s320/DSCN6915.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Preposterous? Absolutely. You’re not going to see me even attempt to justify this monstrosity. She’ll likely never see the table except as an objective or some wonky one-off cinematic slaughter-fest. Doesn’t matter to me one bit. As far as I am concerned, she’s perfect.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Now… paint, and a name. I’m open to suggestions on that second part. “Macharius Cheesewagon” just doesn’t have the appropriate ring to it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In part 3: Landspeeder Tempest and possible final iteration of the favorite Predator.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>Drywhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09472198223289961442noreply@blogger.com6