Rust, Dust & Ceramite

FAQ'n Power Armor

2011-01-14T22:59:00.008-06:00

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.

Nope... using the acronym as a euphemism for something else never really gets old... shuddup.

Links below are as much reference for me as they are for you:

Space Marines FAQ Version 1.1

Blood Angels FAQ Version 1.1

Dark Angels FAQ Version 1.1

Space Wolves FAQ Version 1.1

Black Templars FAQ Version 1.1

There's an emo space elfie one too. If you want that one bad enough... you can find it.

So... I know I'm not the sharpest spoon in the drawer, and admittedly I'm not very well read on the We're-Not-Chaos-No-Really-We-Promise 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?

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.

Probably.

...

Xmas Detox @ 97.5%

2011-01-10T20:57:00.009-06:00

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.

In the event you hadn't seen the latest Forge World must-have, I give you the magnificent Tyberos the Red Wake:

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/TYBEROS-THE-RED-WAKE.html

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 Spectres HQ/IC coming on.

Incoming this week:

- More Void Spectres background. To include an introduction of their non-Astartes auxiliary (mercenary) forces, the Smoke Jackals. That armored car and cavalry tank built so long ago have finally found purpose.

- 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.

- Hab Blocks One and Two are mounted, rough painted, with proper 'glass' windows installed. Pictures incoming with plans and premise.

- 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.

- Kustom-ish Ork Kommandos pix and background.

- That's five things above... you're looking for a sixth?

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.

Predictable outcome.

...

Incoming: Killzone and Death Squads Updates

2010-12-24T16:51:00.005-06:00

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.

First up, Big Jim over @ Galaxy in Flames indicates a Special Operations: Killzone 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:

Galaxy in Flames: http://galaxyinflames.blogspot.com/

Killzone Discussion Boards: http://specopskillzone.freeforums.org/

Second in order (but not cool factor) is another squad-based combat offering in Mordheimer and crew's Death Squads. 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.

Discussion boards & downloads: http://www.deathsquadsgame.com/

Take a few and check out these phenomenal fan-based projects. It'll be worth your time.

Good deed... done.

...

Horus on the Throne: Eh... wat?!

2010-12-22T13:22:00.010-06:00

Let's see if we can't get this 40K train back on its tracks... shall we?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

Synopsis:

- Horus drops the Emperor like a bad habit

- Horus convinces the loyalists that he is the Golden Boy

- Loyalists build an infernal machine to Horus’ exacting specifications, and place him in it to be worshiped for all eternity

- Horus wins

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.

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:

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 “Death to the False Emperor!”

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.

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.

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.

Right?

…

Stupid Real Life is Stupid

2010-12-21T22:26:00.006-06:00

Busier than a one-legged cat trying to bury a turd on the ice the past few weeks... which is why you've seen exactly squat from me. Vacation can't come soon enough.

Actually do have some things in the pipe (MK.II Land Raider + Achilles + Extra Armor kitbash, progress on the industrial terrain, etc)... but no updates tonight.

Few more days, and I'll get something worthwhile up here. In the interim, amuse yourselves...

(At no point did I say that any of the above was related to gaming... or even makes sense. Blame stress.)

...

Worst Update Post Ever - Eldar 4 Sale

2010-11-16T23:36:00.006-06:00

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.

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:

Eldar Battleforce (Retail: $90.00)

Link: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod1960000

Dire Avenger Squad (4 Avengers, 1 Exarch) - Primed.
Guardian Squad (7 Guardians) - Primed.
Heavy Weapon (2 Crew) - Primed. Optional weapons included.
War Walker - Cleaned/sanded with partial assembly. 90% primed. Optional weapons included.
Wave Serpent - Cleaned/sanded with 99% assembly. Optional weapons included.

Striking Scorpions Box (Retail: $30.00). NIB.

Link: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440240a&prodId=prod1090009

Warp Spiders Box (Retail: $33.00). 80% NIB. Exarch cleaned & primed.

Link: http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440243a&prodId=prod1090160

Photos of the actual stuff:

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. $125.00 + $10.00 shipping (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.

If you're interested please drop an email to rdceramite at gmail dot com, and then leave a comment here in this post indicating the same so I know to check my spam filters. Selling this will definitely assist.

I truly appreciate you taking the time to consider the above.

-Dryw

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.

...

Update… Sort Of. Maybe? Ok, Not Really…

2010-11-04T11:43:00.006-05:00

Not a heck of a lot on the 40K front for me the past several days. Other interests (and non-interests) absorbing any time which would have been otherwise devoted to tossing dice.

Forced to do a metric crap-ton of this (stupid bills and food and whatnot)…

Bought one of these…

And spent a small fortune putting forty caliber holes in these…

Great for stress relief. Hard on the wallet. On the plus side… consistent 4”-6” groups out to 25 meters.

No… this is not turning into a “gun blog”. Shuddup. More 40K goodness incoming shortly.

Once I get the feeling back in my hands.

…

Something Different: SIG .357 Saturday

2010-10-23T19:30:00.003-05:00

Stepped away from plastic army men and spent the better part of the afternoon (and 250 rounds) with my SIG Pro 2340.

Owned this weapon for over ten years, and have yet to find any pistol I enjoy firing more. .357SIG has a bit of a bite in this model due to the polymer frame. But I like that sort of attitude and its damn fast back on target. Hogue Handall is not optional with my tentacle-like bony fingers.

Came home reeking of cordite, a smile on my face, and a good chunk of stress vaporized. A good day.

We now return you to your regular scheduled broadcast...

...

Oath of the Spectres

2010-10-22T11:36:00.011-05:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

...

Spectres: Part Two - 'Slingers & Swingers

2010-10-21T20:39:00.009-05:00

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.

(Note on the images: I've specifically washed out most of them to highlight the models. WIP, of course. Click for larger versions)

The HQ Crew ("Gabriel Seth" analog, Novitiate, Honor Guard Veterans):

- Novitiate: Standard load-out (Bolt Pistol & CC), but Feel No Pain & Furious Charge for all. The gift that keeps on giving.

- Spectral Guard #1: Lightning Claw & Storm Bolter. What can I say? I like Storm Bolters. If only they were Assault3...

- Spectral Guard #2: Storm Bolter & Bolt Pistol. The pistol is irrelevant, but default and it fits with the “gunfighter” theme I was shooting for. *rimshot*

- 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.

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.

I have never used Whirlwind of Gore, but more often than not there's no need. My opponents tend to beat themselves to death against him due to Ferocious Instincts. This is generally followed by a series of facepalms and phrases like "are you SURE you're reading that right?!"

Blood Reaver is quite the cool (read: fluffy) concept, and four standard attacks at STR6 without Furious Charge 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".

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.

Coming soon: "Revenant" Assault Squads, and the joy of hybrid turrets.

...

Updates? Yeah, yeah… working on it.

2010-10-21T14:50:00.004-05:00

Now that I got my little pseudo-rant off my chest, I can get back to the important stuff.

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.

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: http://ceramite.blogspot.com/2010/10/community-assistance-request-plastic.html

Industrial Terrain: Yep… there’s actually some movement here. Couple of days and I’ll have some new WIPs.

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.

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.

I’m insightful like that.

…

Opinion: Why I Don't Do Opinion Articles

2010-10-21T14:01:00.009-05:00

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.

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:

- Competitive vs. Non-Competitive, and Why Your Style Sucks
- Comp Score vs. no Comp Score (or Sportsmanship Score, or Painting Score… insert any variation here)
- The Metagame (?!)
- Unit Spam
- “We Knew About This Yesterday, POST FASTER!”
- “So-and-So Sucks Ass, and Here’s Why”

In the midst of my latest bout of masochistic perusing of article comments it hit me like a locomotive…

I. Don’t. Care

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.

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.

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?

My blog.

…

Community Assistance Request: Plastic Armies for Real Soldiers

2010-10-13T17:20:00.000-05:00

So I got this wild hair, and I need some guidance from the 40K community-at-large:

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.

The problem? Not sure how to get the ball rolling.

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:

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.

Once I've developed a solid plan to identify individuals and shipping addresses, I can move onto phase two... gettin' the goods.

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.

Would really appreciate your input on this one guys. Thanks in advance.

-Dryw

...

Spectres: Part One - Dakka & Docs

2010-10-10T16:29:00.002-05:00

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):

I'm really 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:

Baal Predator with MK.IVc turret - not a drop of paint on him and he refuses to be photographed nekkid
Bike Squad - showcased these custom jobs before, but going to wait for the reveal until they have more than a primer coat
Furioso Dreadnought with Forge World MK.IV "Blood Talons"- same as above. Primer coat, but not ready for prime time just yet

And that brings us to our spotlight squads. First up, Spectral (Sanguinary) Priests flanking the Honor Guard Novitiate:

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.

Last but not least for this entry... my homage to Robotech's RaiderX Destroid:

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.

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.

Thats it for now kiddies. Thanks for taking the time to peruse. Feel free to leave suggestive comments (heh).

Next issue: why I'm not ashamed to be a Mech whore.

...

Back in Black: Void Spectres

2010-10-08T22:03:00.005-05:00

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. Void Spectres.

Hopefully I can come up with a chapter symbol thats a tad bit cooler than Casper up there.

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, I'll admit the literal slew of magic Feel No Pain field medics is sorta' sexy too.

I have a boatload of new models to showboat. Many of them are even... wait for it... painted! 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.

In the interim I'll preview with my standard 1250 build. Decent successes thus far. Think she's a keeper.

----------

1250 Pts - Void Spectres (Blood Angels)

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)

Honour Guard @ 227 pts (Unit Type: Infantry; Veteran; Veteran; Veteran; Veteran; And They Shall Know No Fear; The Red Thirst; Razorback)
   1 Apothecary (Blood Chalice; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Bolt Pistol; Chainsword; Feel No Pain; Furious Charge)
   1 Veteran (Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Lightning Claw x1; Storm Bolter x1)
   1 Veteran (Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Flamer x1; Storm Bolter x1)
   1 Veteran (Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Flamer x1; Meltagun x1)
   1 Veteran (Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Flamer x1; Meltagun x1)
   1 Razorback (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank, Fast); Transport Capacity: 6 models; Access Points: 3; Fire Points: 0; Smoke Launchers; Searchlight; Twin Linked Heavy Bolter)

1 Apothecary @ 58 pts ([Power Armour])
   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)

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)
   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)
   1 Razorback (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank, Fast); Transport Capacity: 6 models; Access Points: 3; Fire Points: 0; Smoke Launchers; Searchlight; Lascannon and TL Plasmagun)

1 Apothecary @ 58 pts ([Power Armour])
   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)

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)
   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)
   1 Razorback (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank, Fast); Transport Capacity: 6 models; Access Points: 3; Fire Points: 0; Smoke Launchers; Searchlight; Lascannon and TL Plasmagun)

1 Dreadnought @ 120 pts (Unit Type: Vehicle (Walker); Smoke Launchers; Twin Linked Autocannon; Twin Linked Autocannon; The Red Thirst)

1 Dreadnought @ 120 pts (Unit Type: Vehicle (Walker); Smoke Launchers; Twin Linked Autocannon; Twin Linked Autocannon; The Red Thirst)

1 Baal Predator @ 145 pts (Unit Type: Vehicle (Tank, Fast); Smoke Launchers; Twin Linked Assault Cannon; Heavy Bolter; Scouts)

----------

More to come. Stay tuned.

...

Break's Over... Back to Play

2010-09-25T11:22:00.004-05:00

Anger issues? Who?! Actually... me.

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) "here's how to be a decent human being & play nice" articles.

That's fun. Except, not. So I pulled the plug for awhile. Easing back into it.

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.

I'll be damned.

...

Say It Ain’t So, Part II – The Mako

2010-08-13T18:18:00.008-05:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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? Global Hawk. Looks mean just sitting on the tarmac.

“DToM” is just a working name for the rebellion, by the by. Though I must admit that it’s growing on me.

Freshly-diced Tau… delicious and low in saturated fat. Yum.

…

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...

...

UPDATE 2: Close to primer-ready:

...

MK V Heresy Armor - And Its All Over Folks! He's Down!

2010-08-13T11:22:00.008-05:00

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...

Bampf! Sucker punch right to the jaw... and I'm seeing stars. Pre-order placed.

The Phobos Patterns were a kick to the groin while I was down. Have they no shame?!

Damn you Forge World... damn you to hell! You're killin' me here...

*shakes fist* KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!

...

Say It Ain't So... Tau? Seriously?!

2010-08-07T11:45:00.021-05:00

It's not. Well, not really. I haven't fallen off my high horse yet.

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.

Wanting to draw my son into the hobby, I purchased a respectable army of Tau kits 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 does 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 "can I have a car" or "can I get my driver's license" time comes around. Oh yes... revenge will be mine.

So, there they sat... bins and bins of discarded Pulse Rifles, ridiculous monocular helmets, and half-built Devilfish.

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.

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...

Human Auxiliary Renegades (*disgusted groans from the crowd ensue*). 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.

"Don't Tread on Me" Cadre Trooper (Firewarrior):
WS:3 BS:3 S:3 T:3 W:1 I:3 A:1 Ld:7 Sv: 5+ Options: as Firewarrior

"Don't Tread on Me" Cadre Officer (Chez'frijoli, or whatever that Tau Sergeant word is):
WS:3 BS:3 S:3 T:3 W:1 I:3 A:2 Ld:8 Sv: 5+ Options: as Chez'frijoli

Think I'll toss together a Kill Team, and maybe 500 points. Use the Tau army list with little/no modification. Not bad, yeah?

Shuddup... who asked you anyways?!

In other news: work progresses (albeit, slowly) on the Baal Pred.

...

MK IV Maximus Armor - No Pox For You!

2010-08-06T08:53:00.003-05:00

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/MK-IV-MAXIMUS-ARMOUR.html

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.

Now these? These are somewhat tempting...

..but can wait.

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.

Gene Simmons, you ain't lyin'."Every time I walk through that door it's the same damn thing, that bitch bends over & I forget my name"

...

Ain't That A Hoot: Forge World Mk.III & Mk.V Trophies

2010-08-03T20:04:00.000-05:00

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...

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?!

And then there's this...

Could've sworn I saw a newsletter recently touting this exact 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'?

Nice one FW. I like the continuity, and the fact that you didn't make a big deal out of it.

God I love/hate this hobby...

...

MK III Iron Armor - A Pox Upon Forge World!

2010-07-30T11:58:00.000-05:00

Incentive to bring me out of my self-imposed purchasing moratorium...

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/MK-III-IRON-ARMOUR.html

Every time I think I'm out... the bastards drag me back in...

Oh, and there's a Caestus:

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff/CAESTUS-ASSAULT-RAM.html

Other new goodies: http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/New_Stuff

Return of the… Thing (Part III)

2010-06-16T18:17:00.007-05:00

Not a whole lot a description required around the above in-progress item: a Forge World Landspeeder Tempest. 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.

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.

Second item for your perusal is the Forge World Mk.IVc Predator conversion kit.

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 not 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.

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.

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.

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 Predator Which Shall Never Be Completed. 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.

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.

The Predator Which Shall Never Be Completed may soon require a name change.

Miracle of miracles.

…

Return of the… Thing (Part II)

2010-06-15T17:16:00.005-05:00

Forge World: bane of my bank account. Hard to dispute they are the Ferrari of 40K vehicles. Thankfully I have yet to succumb to the temptation of a Lucius Pattern Jackal Warhound or a Marauder Destroyer… 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.

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.

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’!

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.

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.

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.

In part 3: Landspeeder Tempest and possible final iteration of the favorite Predator.

…

Return of the… Thing (Part I)

2010-06-15T11:02:00.004-05:00

Ok, so… CISSP test passed (thankfully) and I’m back-in-business with that which is truly important: building twenty different 40K models at once and never finishing a’one of ‘em. The poly/resin dust clouds are once again choking the air due to eternal sanding, and I have been one busy little Grot…

(Safety note: in case you were not already aware, resin dust is HIGHLY toxic and incredibly bad for your lungs. You really should wear a filter mask when doing any manner of sanding, but with resin work a mask is mandatory if you fancy continuing to be able to breathe. Don’t say I didn’t warn you)

First up we have a joint project with my bud and primary opponent. I’m thinning my extensive 40K herd and sold him a substantial number of (exquisitely constructed) Tyranid models. This new acquisition, combined with his ongoing frustration with the length of time it is taking him to acquire and assemble his Krieg Guard army, lit a ‘Nid fire under his ass. He is now all about turning me into food paste for the Hive Fleet. Gods help me…

With the models I sold him, he has roughly 1500 points in several configurations, but was short a solid HQ unit. Hive Tyrant was the obvious choice. Due to my obsession with customization of, well… everything, and through my silver-tongued maneuverings, I succeeded in convincing him to “go different”. What you see below is the result.

She started life as a Trygon/Mawloc kit. Some bits box rummaging, trimming, sanding, more trimming, some sawing, more sanding, and a gallon of cyanoacrylate… we have ourselves a highly-customized Hive Tyrant. Which, believe it or not, is WYSIWYG: complete with Lash Whip (tail), Bone Sword, Venom Cannon, and Scything Talons. We’re both pretty darn pleased with the end result. Still a WIP, but the concept is solidified.

I had initially intended to bring everything up-to-speed in this one post, but I think I’m going to have to split it up into at least two entries as there’s a lot to cover: a Macharius conversion, Forge World Landspeeder Tempest, and even possible resolution for “The Predator Which Shall Never Be Completed". And did I mention I‘m building a Blood Angels analog? Renegade, of course.

Like I said…been back at it with a vengeance. More soon.

…

One Hour, Each Day - BF:BC2 (PC)

2010-05-27T09:45:00.014-05:00

Not wargame-related, but my sole source of recreation until I get past the certification test this weekend...

Shout at me if you see me in-game. Surprisingly, I'm not too shabby.

...

End of the World As We Know It... And I Feel Fine

2010-05-13T12:01:00.005-05:00

In the event you've not had the opportunity to witness fellow geeks screaming themselves red in the face on the likes of Dakka and BoLS: Games Workshop has a US price hike scheduled to go into effect May 31 on our beloved/despised plastic methamphetamine.

By the by: don't go to Dakka. It’s ugly in there. The BoLS discussions are at least civil.

This affects me not at all. Why? I can't remember the last time I purchased a plastic kit of the GW flavor. Bought the Blood Angels codex last month, but beyond that... GW just hasn't been getting my hard-earned pennies. The last price hike solved that for me. Lately I've focused on much smaller scale, squad-based armies like Infinity. Lower cost-per-army.

EDIT: not strictly true. I did purchase the new 3x Killa Kans set on release. But that was an absolute steal for what you get. AND... because there was a part missing I got six for the price of three. Can't take issue with GW's customer service. Beyond that... no clue when the last purchase was.

Did I emorageqquit and storm off? Nah. Wasted energy. Just stopped buying. It is a game after all, and strictly non-essential. Besides, I have a metric crap-ton of kits waiting to be built... and enough bits to choke an elephant. I'll just work with Orks/'Nids/CSM/Marines I have in-hand. That in itself is a considerable amount... in the thousands of points per. Hell... this might actually encourage me to finish painting my personal reserves.

Not quitting the game by a long shot. I enjoy it too much. And no matter how cool the Infinity/AT-43/Warmachine/insert-your-preference-here rule set is... it just won't match the richness of the 40K universe background. I couldn't walk away from that if I wanted to.

But... sorry GW. Nothing new, thanks.

...

Forgotten, But Not Gone

2010-05-04T13:08:00.003-05:00

Yeah... I'm still around. Haven't lost interest. Ever-increasing demands in my professional life conspire to ruin my hobby time as of late and eat up a rapidly diminishing pool of that mythological concept... "free time".

Add to the mix intense study for an enormous certification test at the end of this month (CISSP, for those who are curious) and... I'm swamped.

I expect I'll get back in the swing of more enjoyable stuff as we enter June. I honestly wouldn't expect a heck of a lot from me here on RD&C until then. Not for lack of desire... trust me.

Oh... FYI (and for your protection): I've had to start moderating/approving your feedback as some enterprising (read: asshat jerkoff) folks in the east have been dropping malicious links in the comments section. I really despise link 'hackers'... term used extremely loosely. If you're going to try to whack someone... at least work for it. So if you respond to something, and don't see it right away... nothing's amiss. It just may take me a day or two to "approve" the response. Apologies for that inconvenience. The only other option is "follower" comments only. I may go that route, but I'd prefer not to force someone to follow the blog just to comment on something. Seems disingenuous.

In the mean time: the Death Squads folks have ventured into v.5 territory. v0.5.1b to be exact. Tons of enhancements and additions. Good stuff. Plenty of reading until I come back around. http://www.deathsquadsgame.com/

Because... of course, you're all not going to know what to do with yourselves in the interim without RD&C updates.

Right.

'Departure'

2010-03-31T11:10:00.018-05:00

Intense white-glare of floodlights. Flurry of activity. Showers of sparks amongst brilliant backlit strobes of plasma welders as framework is broken down and stowed. Metal crates on pallets pushed via suspensor into bulk lifters to be strapped in place for the out-atmo journey. Row upon row of crate and box and barrel awaiting transfer. Muddied flakboard stacked haphazardly. Everywhere there is motion.

The Nephilim are leaving.

The only quiet spot in the manufactured forest clearing. Tall, lithe figures form out of the darkened scrub; not so much coming into view as simply materializing at the clearing’s edge. Raised voices in alarm. Electric whirr of .75 caseless rounds cycling into firing chambers. Chains on a sword spin at idle. A massive hulk of ebon ceramite pushes through the perfect double tier pincer which has subconsciously formed. The giant’s lip quivers a nanosecond faint smile of approval before moving towards the shadowed intruders; eternally loyal Staff Sergeant Otan steadfastly at his side.

Commander Akkon Sek strolls to within a few meters of the encroachers, apparently unfazed by the multitude of gracefully aggressive weaponry pointed unwaveringly at his head.

‘You and your kin have become complacent and careless, Witch. How long ago... my life would be forfeit, and you long gone, before my men knew you were ever here?’

A voice soft and melodic. ‘Not long at all, overconfident Astartes.’

Sek’s eyes widen slightly at the audible click and increasing pitch of shuriken weaponry en masse, activating behind his perfectly formed pincer line. An evilly triumphant smile crosses the pale, angelic features of the female Eldar. A beat of three, and Sek’s expression morphs as a smile creases his own chiseled face.

‘Bold indeed. And yet, I am not flummoxed. Why is that do you suppose?’

Deeper, more guttural and distinctive hum as a cadre of Spectres step from shadow; a series of compact meltas held at ready and glowing to life. The Witch’s smile fades to a smirk.

‘An impasse, it would seem.’ Surprising humor in her voice.

Sek steps forward a pace, nods respectfully and extends his hand, palm up. ‘You honor us with your presence, Farseer.’

The Eldar Farseer closes the remaining distance and grasps Sek’s wrist in greeting. ‘The honor is ours, Sek of Nephilim. Your spark shines true and strong.’

Instantly weapons are lowered and the manufactured tension vanishes. Wrists are grasped, earnest greetings exchanged, and voices are raised in laughter and good-natured ribbing. A moment passes as the two commanders soak in the comradery. Increasingly rare, moments such as these. As the din abates, the leaders turn towards one another and the Seer’s face darkens.

‘The Imperial settlement is besieged. My rangers estimate they will hold for no longer than forty-eight of your Imperial standard hours.’

Anger briefly flashes across Sek’s face. ‘Not my hours, Seer.’

‘Just so. I misspoke. Regardless, the Ruinous Powers have amassed a substantial force. The settlement is composed of miners, shopkeepers. They are citizens… not soldiers Sek. They will not survive.’

‘Explain to me in detail how their lack of planning for adequate defense, is an issue of mine Seer? And frankly, why you care even remotely about their fate? I’ll not waste the lives of my men rescuing sheep who will as soon spit upon us as praise us when our... independence becomes known to them!’

Several tense moments pass. Otan and the Seer’s adjutant stare at the ground.

‘You are leaving.’ A statement. No hint of recrimination.

Sek’s shoulders noticeably sink. For the briefest of moments, his great age is laid bare. ‘A history repeated, Seer. Variations on a tired theme. Cheer as we liberate, and scorn when it becomes apparent we hold their lauded corpse-god in contempt. It is not sustainable for my men. I owe them more than this’

The Farseer nods and speaks with genuine sympathy in her hushed tone. ‘Though it would be a singular honor to fight these dark forces alongside you once again, I understand… my Lost One. I truly do. Your chosen path is a difficult one. You must follow destiny’s call for you and yours. ‘

Taken aback by the Farseer’s overtly familiar interaction with his commander, Otan glances away uncomfortably. Well aware of the mutual respect the two hold for each other, he marvels silently. Surely nothing more?

Noting Otan’s discomfort, the Farseer resumes her regal demeanor. ‘My exarch thirst for the blood of this ruinous throng. I must appease their spirits.’ Several rapid hand gestures and her escorts melt back into the shadowed foliage. She herself turns to depart. Prior to being swallowed by the shadows, she pauses. Her graceful profile illuminated by the camp’s floodlights.

‘Commander? The path you choose should be your own, and would that I not dare attempt to manipulate that crossing. You do not seek to justify yourself in the eyes of those who turn their back on you, this I know. But the Way inquires… if you yourself do not show them the truth, how will they ever know?’

And with this, she is gone.

Sek inclines his head slightly and exhales. Otan silently watches his commander. An eternity of seconds passes. Centuries, Otan has known his commander. The intent is clear. Without a word from his senior, Otan spins on his heels to face the warriors who have resumed takedown of the encampment.

‘Desist and attend! Spectres! I require eyes-on topographical auspex and tactical analysis of the settlement by 0300. Transport! Give me ingress route by same, complete prep of our rides no later than 0345 for mount-up at 0430. Tac! Full weapon inspect and readiness drill by 0400… I expect a status report prior to mount-up! Move your collective asses, you sons of whores! Edge and in-line! And Raptors?! You hot-charge those turbines again, and it is my oath to you that I will pulp your skull with that same jump pack! Now, move! ’

Immediately, activity in the encampment becomes frenetic. Weapons are oiled and cycled. Crates of ammunition and medical supplies are hefted into Rhinos, whose grumbling engines sympathetically throb with anticipation. Armorers dote on miniscule adjustments to power feeds and neural interfaces. Helmet comms are activated and tested. Movement is constant and determined. The Spectres set out on foot to reconnoiter the settlement. Fluid and silent, they vanish into the night.

With a slight nod of approval to his second, Sek turns and walks with purpose along the flakboard walkways towards his quarters. A singular motion, he draws his sidearm, checks the load and reholsters. Before he passes from sight, Otan sees him make a gesture of an outstretched and closed fist to one of the younger Tac initiates in a show of encouragement. The Marine returns the gesture and moves off with notably increased vigor in his step.

Otan nods, and smiles grimly. A good day to die.

...

Infinite Possibilities...

2010-03-19T19:37:00.011-05:00

Two little-known facts:

1) Eons ago, after hearing some friends speak enthusiastically about a tabletop war game set in the distant future wherein genetically-altered space troopers battle against space elves, space zombies and space orks... I rushed down to the closest brick-and-mortar and excitedly purchased my first two squad boxes in giddy anticipation of my first game.

One box of Tau Fire Warriors. One box of Necron Warriors.

Imagine my utter dismay when my companions literally laughed themselves out of their chairs as I proclaimed proudly I was "ready". They pointed at me too. While laughing. Pictures of me with a mullet are certainly more embarrassing... but not by much.

2) Upon hearing that I would likely need several more 30.00 - 40.00 boxes just to qualify for entry-level games, and the the strength of the models was directly proportionate to the amount of money spent on each, I swore on every shred of my existence on this material plane that I would NEVER even CONSIDER participating in a game so obviously designed to bilk money from consumers! I demand freedom! Military-Industrial Complex be damned! No sheep, this guy! They could take their overly-expensive game and shove it!

Yeah... okay. So much for scruples.

So what does this have to do with the price of wheat in China? Here's the thing... my recent (re)interest in slightly more micromanaged squad-based combat, and consequently the Kill Teams/Necromunda/Death Squads rule-sets, got me to thinking: while I can (and, will) use Games Workshop models in these smaller scale confrontations... I don't have to. I'm not strictly playing 40K any more, so the obsessive-compulsive inside me doesn't need to be bothered on a very basic level if every one of the models that hits the table doesn't have some GW basis under the conversion. As epiphanies go, its not a doozy... I know. Not always the sharpest spoon in the drawer, me. But coming to this realization ramped my (re)enthusiasm up by eleventy and opened up a world (wide web) of possibilities.

I hit the internet and started my searches with coolness as the the determining factor. Two of Merc's Minis Kemvar line (featured in an earlier post) were the first purchases. They got here yesterday and man, they are pretty damn incredible... if a bit of a pain in the keester to assemble. Then I recalled stumbling across the Infinity line some time back and how impressed in general I was with the sculpts. But... darn it all, I couldn't use them because they're not official models.

I have five on the way...

These won't be used with the Infinity rule-set, as the last thing I need at the moment is to drop 50.00 on a rulebook for yet another game system. The miniatures I chose are generic enough that I will have little problem customizing them and combining with the Merc's Kemvar to so as to appear as one coherent unit.

I'm psyched. Been ages since I was this hyped about tabletop.

Freedom. Accept no substitute.

...

On The Bench: 03.17.10

2010-03-17T22:03:00.003-05:00

Making a reappearance for the first time in many moons... Factory Unit A:

Not much (if anything) has changed since she last saw the light of day. An issue I intend to remedy in very short order. She's close now... just some attention to detailing required. Will keep you posted.

Below... shades of what can and will be. Tank Farm, Refinery with huge smoke stack, Generator Building (sporting huge smoke stack no.2) and a yet-unallocated structure which will likely end up being some manner of vehicle repair center.

Not shown are of course Hab Block One & Hab Block Two, who are both receiving their own special treatment currently and neither are feeling very photogenic at the moment. They too will receive updated pictures quite soon.

On the upside I'm fairly convinced I will be able to empty out the vast majority of the pointy bits, sprue chunks, and flostam which appear to multiply in the darkness of my miscellaneous bits boxes as flair and accouterments are added to these dingy industrial city streets. Less clutter is almost always good.

Definitely going to need to pick up grey spay paint in bulk... and some large brushes. Lots of large brushes.

...

Signs, Signs... Everywhere a Sign

2010-03-17T21:25:00.007-05:00

As I ramp up my interests in squad-based mayhem, completing the multiple pieces of industrial terrain I have in-progress has garnered renewed focus. While this post isn't specifically about those pieces (that's coming soon), it dawned on me that I have a metric crap-ton of WW-I and WW-II era propaganda posters I've collected from all corners of teh interwebz over the years.

I know from experience how difficult it can be sometimes to locate quality bits and bobbles to add flair to terrain cityscapes, so I figured I'd give back to the community a bit and offer up some of these pix. The Communist and Fascist basis of the originals are undeniable. But when resized to 40K-scale the writing is mostly illegible anyway and it becomes all about the dark, paranoid imagery. Tailor made for our favorite dismal future. All can be easily modified with additional text or more appropriate Imperial imagery to taste.

Thus, my good deed for the day is fulfilled. Enjoy.

(Don't forget to click on each the images for full-sizes. Higher resolutions increase reduction qualities when printing propaganda for your favorite street corner)

Heading Underhive

2010-03-16T15:49:00.025-05:00

When you are through changing, you are through. ~Bruce Barton.

Why Necromunda? Months of anticipation awaiting the release of Battle Missions, followed by somewhat of a letdown from the rather generic Kill Team rules included in same, has renewed what was only a causal/passing interest in Necromunda from way-back-when. The new Battle Missions Kill Team rules are acceptable in the context of quick-n-dirty for the 40K player who wants small scale squad-on-squad once in awhile. I’m more interested in some depth from the individual units as I won’t have to worry about three dozen of them at a time. I’m also keen on the possibilities for character/model advancement in a campaign setting, with the corresponding options to tailor skills, allow for originality, and permit customization. To “be different”, so to speak.

And anyone who has had the misfortune to see my cheesy CSM/Kroot army build knows I am all about different.

In my furious searches for rapidly dwindling Necromunda resources on the internet, I stumbled across the fan-based project Death Squads. These folks (who obviously are all independently wealthy and have little to no need for sleep, or are robots) have compiled a marvelous work which builds on the original Necromunda rules and incorporates many of the cooler aspects of its more modern cousin, Mordheim. Through this massive undertaking they have managed (in my opinion) to remain true to the original Necromunda, and anyone who is familiar with those rules will note the enhanced similarity immediately. I have not gone through both sets of rules and picked out the differences… and likely won’t. On cursory comparison it seems the Death Squads rules exist as a natural progression of Necromunda if the latter had been supported at the same level of 40K through the years. As opinions vary, I encourage you to take a look for yourself.

Death Squads most recent “Living Rulebook” at v0.44, and it is well worth the 30sec it will take to register at their forums and download. I see it as high quality stuff… and I’m a picky bastard. If interested, find all the information you desire @ http://www.deathsquadsgame.com/

While I am currently building Necromunda gangs and getting my feet wet on the tabletop (what an odd statement) with those rules, I have no doubt that very shortly I will migrate to the Death Squads venue as it allows for additional races, options, weapons, skills, etc. which simply don’t exist in the original Specialist Game’s offering. In anticipation of requiring some unique character models, I’ve been digging through my various dusty crates (more on those later), and have purchased these phenomenal figures…

I’m hyped about the concept overall, and I’ll keep you posted on the lot of it. I think this is just the sort of spark I needed to reignite a dwindling interest in the hobby.

That, combined with avoiding the ridiculous, angsty, argumentative 40K forum threads on the interwebz like the plague… and I might actually start enjoying the game again.

...

Ork in Progress: Killa Kans

2010-03-08T22:41:00.004-06:00

Quickie tonight. Just a single shot of Killa Kan #2 (with Kustom Mega Blasta) in-progress.

Perhaps I'm looking in all the wrong places, but I haven't been able to find many examples of Mega Blastas on Kans... so I winged it and kitbashed this one. While the majority of it turned out well, not 100% certain I'm satisfied with the barrel just yet.

I'll sleep on it and take give it the once-over again tomorrow.

Update:

Tried using a Tau Fusion thingee as a basis. I like the square-ish symmetry a little better than version one... but I'm still undecided.

Update #2:

Final version.

And... done.

"Generic" Bikers

2010-03-07T18:55:00.005-06:00

These guys definitely weren't on my to-do list. Had the misfortune of a flu-relapse over the weekend (how the hell does THAT happen?!) and I just couldn't drudge up the energy to hang out at the workbench for any length of time. So I grabbed a Marine Biker set the misses gave me last Xmas, an X-acto, some glue... and started to tinker. The below is the resultant product of a (literally) fevered mind. They're all very WIP, as illustrated by the plastic chunks, rough edges and dust. But, far enough along to show I think.

First up, the ubiquitous Sergeant/Champion with Power Fist:

I've attempted to keep these as generic as possible so they can be used with either vanilla Marines or Renegades. Of course, they'll likely end up as part of my angsty cheese CSM force. Of note is the fact that the plasma pistol on his hip would not be WYSIWYG if standard Marines. Not an option. Sure as hell doesn't justify the fact that CSM bikers are 40+ points more expensive comparatively. Good thing I'm not bitter...

You may have noted the bolter positioning. Haven't seen it anywhere else (though I'm certain I'm not the first to think of it). Turned out quite well on all three. Definite cool factor to it as well.

Bike #2 has his bolter-combo to one side to facilitate melta mounting. Bike #3 is getting a mounted flamer... somewhere. Haven't decided exact positioning and configuration as of yet. Currently I'm thinking top of front wheel-well.

Updates as progress dictates.

Industrial Terrain: Hab Block One & Two

2010-03-07T18:31:00.001-06:00

Considerable progress on the Hab Blocks. Not too much which requires explanation.

Both units looks almost identical, so just the one picture. Nice, cement-ish grey base, couple different lighter shades of subtle light grey and white highlighting completed. Semi-gloss (to simulate metal) maroon-ish doors scuffed/lightly sanded appropriately near the latches and kick plates. Both units need additional weathering and a good, dark wash to fill in the recesses. After that, all that's left is the addition of "windows" (small clear plastic sheets) and permanent mounting to 1/4" MDF. That's when the fun begins.

The MDF mounts (already cut) are approximately double-size of the models. Sidewalks, some different shades of lawn, bushes... maybe a rusty swing set and merry-go-round to make it look more pedestrian. The benefit of mounting the pieces is that I'll have ready made to-scale "curbs" so I can just plop the pieces down on the table and create an instant street between them. Really looking forward to detailing these pieces.

Random Bragging

2010-03-05T20:18:00.010-06:00

Ok... I lied about the previous being the last update for tonight. It happens.

One more. A series of random pictures (99% my own stuff) I just never got around to posting on RD&C.

No rhyme or reason... just self-indulgence.

Finally... my friend's Necrons (which have whooped my ass more times than I care to count):

40K: Looks Good on Paper

2010-03-05T19:44:00.004-06:00

Though I have a metric crap-ton of updates in the queue, just a quick update today highlighting a blog with significant coolness factor to it. The Grim Cheapness

This guy's building paper tanks. Not a new idea, but he is working on one of my personal favorites... a Malcador.

I'll be following this closely, as there's no money in the coffer for the foreseeable future to acquire Forge World's offering of the same. Now if I can just locate this Jeff Vaughan character (template designer) and go about grabbing some of his templates myself.

As far as my own workbench? Plague of Zombies project is on hold for the time being. Not dead, just resting. Being ill for a week straight took a lot out of me, and I just can't spin myself up enough to repetitively glue together 30+ of the same heads/arms/torso/legs. Plague Marines and Typhus are assembled and primed, with an initial grey drybrush highlight applied.

Credit for Typhus' rapid assembly goes to Zephri for the "dip in in water" advice re: superglue. Thanks whippersnapper.

I wasn't completely stagnate whilst recovering. Both Hab Block One and Hab Block Two are now in the highlighting/weathering stage and almost ready to mount permanently to MDF. Also managed to slap together three Bikers with some pretty damn awesome conversions (if I do say so myself). Pix forthcoming.

No... bikers weren't on my list of in-flight projects. Short attention span. Get used to it.

More tomorrow.

No one to blame but myself...

2010-02-27T12:19:00.012-06:00

...mess with zombies long enough, you break protocol. Then you're in for it.

Zombification process has already begun. I'm five days into what were are playfully calling "the flu" to keep my spirits up, but I know the truth. I see the symptoms. I can feel my brain rotting.

The family quietly removed "the kit" from storage last night. They don't think I saw them.

Protect yourselves. Be prepared. Cover all exposed skin and brain regions.

Godspeed. It's too late for me.

Did I growl when I said that?

...

Zombies Ate My Project To-Do List

2010-02-18T22:03:00.012-06:00

Happened across an old printed copy of the Apocalypse formation "Plague of Zombies", and I had forgotten how enthralled with the idea I was. The whole concept of a 40K zombie invasion vs resolute but hopelessly outnumbered Imperial Guardsmen sounded like my idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon. The holdup was always cost. I could never find plastic undead that truly satisfied my discerning tastes, and white metal shamblers were always prohibitively expensive. GW's offering was just... off, somehow. So the idea went back in the "to be looked at later" bin.

Then I stumbled upon the Wargames Factory, and this beautiful offering:

$14.95 gets you (24 models/4 sprues in plastic!):

1 x Dr. Zed (and/or duster/raincoat Zed)
1 x Fat guy torso
1 x Bare chested surfer-dude torso
1 x rotted shirt torso
1 x suit torso
1 x button down shirt torso
1 x drawstring short legs
1 x rotted long pant legs
1 x suit pants
1 x mailman shorts
1 x cargo pants
4 x sleeve right arms
4 x bare right arms
9 x heads 28 unique parts per sprue. 936 unique combinations! (Over 1800 if you don't care whether the arm is bare or sleeved!)

Short trip tomorrow to the local brick-n-mortar will score me this guy as my Terminator Lord...

...and likely these guys as his entourage...

...and in a few weeks, possibly these guys...

All with the end goal of the bucketful of fun described below:

Plague of Zombies

Chaos Terminator Lord (Mark of Nurgle; Twin Linked Bolter x1; Daemon Weapon; DW: Plague Bringer; Fearless)
10 Plague Zombies (Fearless; Feel No Pain)
10 Plague Zombies (Fearless; Feel No Pain)
10 Plague Zombies (Fearless; Feel No Pain)

Troops: Plague Marines
4 Plague Marines (Blight Grenades; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Mark of Nurgle; Bolt Pistol x4; Bolter x4; Close Combat Weapon x4; Fearless; Feel No Pain)
Plague Champion (Blight Grenades; Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Mark of Nurgle; Bolt Pistol; Bolter; Power Fist; Fearless; Feel No Pain)

Total Roster Cost: 500

This'll be my fist foray into putrescence, pestilence and ichor. And its a big step for me in the twelve-stage "I will no longer fear zombies" program. Man these things (zombies) flip me right the fook out. A lot. Grown man... ridiculous.

Anyhow... its coming, so we're boarding up all the windows and checking the ammo/battery supplies. No turning back now.

*whimper*

1000 Points of Cheese

2010-02-12T16:26:00.006-06:00

For use this weekend. Yes yes... I know. At least I admit it's a kooky build.

Gods help me I do love it so...

HQ: Kharn the Betrayer (165 Pts)
Kharn the Betrayer: Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Personal Icon; Mark of Khorne; Gorechild; Plasma Pistol; Blessing of the Blood God; Fearless; Furious Charge; The Betrayer

Troops: Noise Marines (220 Pts)
6 Noise Marines: Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Mark of Slaanesh; Bolt Pistol (x6); Close Combat Weapon (x6); Sonic Blaster (x6); Fearless
Noise Champion: Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Mark of Slaanesh; Bolt Pistol; Doom Siren; Sonic Blaster; Power Weapon; Fearless

Troops: Khorne Berzerkers (105 Pts)
5 Khorne Berzerkers: Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Mark of Khorne; Bolt Pistol (x5); Close Combat Weapon (x5); Fearless; Furious Charge

Elite: Chosen (195 Pts)
4 Chosen: Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Icon of Khorne; Mark of Khorne; Bolt Pistol (x4); Close Combat Weapon (x4); Meltagun; Meltagun (x3); Infiltrate
Aspiring Champion: Frag Grenades; Krak Grenades; Power Armour; Melta Bombs; Mark of Khorne; Lightning Claws (pair); Infiltrate

Heavy Support: Obliterators (150 Pts)
2 Obliterators: Obliterator Weapons; Power Fist; Show Weapon Stats; Lascannon; Linked Flamer; Linked Meltagun; Linked Plasmagun; Multi-Melta; Plasma Cannon; Fearless; Slow and Purposeful

Heavy Support: Hunter Kindred (61 Pts)
4 Hunter Kindred: Kroot Hunting Rifle (x4)
Shaper: Kroot Hunting Rifle

Troops: Kroot Carnivore Kindred (104 Pts)
9 Kroot Carnivore Kindred: Kroot Rifle (x9)
Shaper: Shuriken Catapult; Frag Grenades

Total Roster Cost: 1000

Clearing the Workbench on March 6

2010-02-08T16:34:00.000-06:00

Why you ask? This...

Have you ever seen anything more beautiful in your geeky lives?! Brings a tear to my Ork-lovin' eye.

The price is a little salty, but there are three of them in that box. The irony is that I just finished assembling one of the older white metal versions after procrastinating for months. It's decent, but these gorgeous chunks of plastic absolutely put it to shame.

C'est la vie.

The Joy of Analogs: Part Deux

2010-02-08T14:41:00.004-06:00

Unit two completed and splashed with primer.

Overall I am pleased with the end result. I'll touch-up and detail as time allots. Shouldn't be a tough paint... lots of metallic dry-brushing with copper/brass highlights and weathering. No sweat.

While an "interim" solution to my Obliterator counts-as conundrum, these'll do quite nicely on the tabletop for the foreseeable future. More importantly, I can stop thinking about the damnable things.

Closure. Accept no substitute.

The Joy of Analogs: Obliterator & Berserkers

2010-02-07T13:24:00.009-06:00

After much deliberation, I settled on an interim solution to satisfy my ongoing search for the perfect Obliterator counts-as. The fix was found in what I originally created as mechanical Chaos Spawn. Parts are relatively easy to identify (Necron Destroyer body, turbines and sensor stalk from a previously ruined Land Speeder, chainsaw/chainsword from a Sentinel, etc).

I'm certain the models will be much more effective as Oblits than they ever were as Spawn.

Two work-in-progress shots:

And the completed bastardization, primed for action and posing with his "Berzerker" buddies:

Not a bad result. Not bad at all.

Ork in Progress - Looted Wagon

2010-02-03T11:08:00.003-06:00

The monstrosity above began life as mindless fiddling. I have a dirge of Rhinos from various sets & battleforces laying about, some of which have been painted and stripped multiple times. This critter was one of those over-loved models. As such, and because I am ferociously particular about the finishes on my vehicles, it was destined to be either a wreck or spare parts. I was suffering somewhat of a creative block, so I absent-mindedly stuffed a Battlewagon turret into the Razorback ring for a laugh. Ended up liking the result, started slapping on some Orky bitz… and it was all downhill from there.

As stated above, the turret with Boomgun is straight off a Battlewagon. The “sponsons” are actually modified Trukk ‘ard case parts (from the bed area), and the remainder are various sundry chunks from both of those kits. It’s amazing what a wealth of customization bits are available in these new GW Ork boxes. For an obsessive like me those bits are a dream come true… or they act as an enabler.

She doesn't hold together very well under fire (AV11), but generally long enough to send a couple of decent large template/double penetrate Ordinance shots downrange before she pops. She's definitely a focal point for my adversaries, which is used to advantage.

Likely the concern has something to do with the enormous-looking smoothbore.

Just a guess.

Conscious Neglect & "The List"

2010-02-02T22:32:00.005-06:00

Though it has been quiet on the blog for a couple of weeks, I've actually made quite a bit of headway on my multiple projects. No, really! I swear it!

You wouldn't know it here, as I've been dropping all my WIP pix on BoLS modelling forum. Bad blogger. Bad.

I'll coalesce my thoughts and get my butt in gear here on Rust. Expect multiple updates tomorrow. In the mean time, the ridiculous list of all things in-progress:

World Eaters Squad (gotta' start somewhere)

MK1 Land Raider clean-up/rebuild/customization

Analog Kharn

Analog Huron Blackheart

Renegade Chosen Squad

Renegade Havoc Squad

Hab Block #2

Industrial Tank Farm

Ork Looted Wagon

Ork Lootas Squad

Ork Trukk

Ork Battlewagon

Ork Choppa/Slugga Squad

Kitbash double-length Rhino... thing. Now with two quad autocannons!
Lascannon/Twin-Link Plasmagun Razorback

Tau Hammerhead (WTF is that doing in there?!)

And, as always... The Predator which shall never be completed

There's other stuff, but the list is already embarrassingly long.

Someone jingle some keys in front of me and get me to focus.

Neurotic Annihilator WIP & Dryw-Style 'Rivets'

2010-01-19T02:54:00.007-06:00

One of those projects. One you want to get just right. You pick it up every so often, fiddle with it, glue a smidgen, sand a minute amount, touch up paint here and there... and then put it away. The Predator Annihilator below is that project for me, going on two years or so now. I'm overly meticulous with the hobby regardless, but for some unfathomable reason I am especially neurotic about this one model.

Relatively standard fare here. Forge World reinforced armor, subtle metallic gunmetal highlighting (still very much in-progress), some additional plasticard plating, and lovingly customized lascannons. Those cannons are the penultimate example of how I approach the craft, for better or for worse. Like those lascannons, most of my custom work is extremely subtle... even unnoticeable to the casual observer.

Many hours were spent crafting those barrels to my demanding satisfaction, and had I not pointed it out I doubt few would have spotted the difference. The result is perfect in my estimation, but exactly why I will never be able to churn out models with any rapidity.

The additional plating on the fore (where the Rhino windows would be) has some rivet detail. That's significant as I don't generally do rivets, for a number of reasons. It's easy to overdo, it can be difficult to stay true to scale and not have rivets the size of a (scale) human's fist, and it's crazy time-consuming. However there are some instances where I believe rivet detail is necessary, and this is one as the plate would just appear to bare without them. Helps it mesh with the rest of the model. Some modelers carefully glue punched plasticard, some utilize the bead method, my method is straightforward and relatively simple ...

The materials consist of plasticard, pin vice, and generic plastic model contour putty (Testor's, in this instance). Mark out the desired locations for the 'rivets' beforehand, and then score the 'dots' with a X-acto knife to give the pin vice a guide hole. A couple of twists with the tip of the blade is more than sufficient. Place the plasticard face down on a folded paper towel and go to work with the pin vice until you've punched through. A couple extra twists to clean the hole, some minor knife work to remove the 'flash' created around the hole edges, and some fine grit sanding around the hole to smooth the whole thing out.

Now you have a choice. You can leave as-is, and it makes perfectly acceptable "recessed" rivets (check out the additional plates on the Predator pic above, just above/behind the headlights for reference). Or you can take it one step further to acquire the "bulge". This part is ridiculously simple.

Smear a small amount of the contour putty on the backside of the plate, over the hole. Tiny amount of pressure and the putty squeezes though, leaving a "bubble" on the visible side. When creating multiple rivets, be cautious not to fat finger and smear your previous work, as the putty takes several hours to solidify. And that's all she wrote. Let dry, carefully sand off the backside and touch up the visible side as you feel appropriate. Paint to taste. The center front plate in the picture above is a completed example.

This has been one of my rare tutorials, hope all three of you who read this blog find it of use. Admittedly it's not an incredibly complicated subject, but it does save me a huge amount of time with good results.

And time is something we all wish we had in abundance, but never do.

Faux Sentinels

2010-01-18T18:45:00.016-06:00

Thread over @ BoLS made me realize I have a couple of custom Sentinel analogs which have not seen the light of day. Realizing this post for what it truly is (pix whoring), let's not kid ourselves and delay with an eloquent preamble...

Originally a Trumpeter 1:35 Hotchkiss H35/39, now serving as an autocannon-toting, armored Sentinel. Storm Bolter is just for show, a stubber would fit the theme better. With a small amount of work the main gun can be changed to any of the four new Sentinel options.

The below is a Tamiya 1:48 Kfz.222 scout car, which was specifically built to pull double duty as either a third autocannon Sentinel or a Salamander Scout. In the former role, the Heavy Bolter is of course non-functional.

I was particularly pleased with the custom-built 'brace' for the Heavy Bolter and how smoothly the Chimera turret blended with the stock kit.

Last, but not least... the monstrosity below was built before the new plastic kits were available. The original idea was a fully enclosed, NBC (Nuke/Bio/Chem) shielded cockpit with extra reconaissance sensor apparatus... but I was not keen on the looks or weight of the Steel Legion white metal beast. Spent a massive amount of time with plasticard, putty, and fine grit sand paper to close 'er in. Two months later the new kits hit the shelves. C'est la vie. Though it did give me the opportunity to steal the missile turret from the new kit release for my Frankenstein.

Leave the cash on the nightstand.

Sabre - Overkill?! Puh-Leeze!

2010-01-18T14:57:00.010-06:00

Many moons ago a thread over on the Bolter & Chainsword inspired me to have a go at creation of the ancient Sabre Tank Hunter design. Had a Forge World Vindicator resin set collecting dust that fit the bill perfectly. Over the course of many more months, I tried a myriad of attachments, bits, and custom-made barrels... but I never really met with much success. I found the fix in the release of the Shadowsword kit, as I ended up with additional barrel parts after I built the Stormlord.

The obvious rules option would be to mirror the Destroyer Tank Hunter's main weapon (Laser Destroyer: 72" S10 AP 2, counts as Ordinance for armor penetration - no blast template. Use BS to hit), but I am rather partial to the Valdor's main weapon, though admittedly the PDF source I have is clearly stated as experimental:

Neutron Laser Projector: 60" S10 AP2 Ordinance, 3" Blast, Primary Weapon, Shock Pulse (non-superheavy hit = automatic Crew Stunned result)

Edit: a reader pointed out that the experimental rules have been modified in their final form (ala Siege of Vraks 3). The actual stats are as follows:

Neutron Laser Projector: 72" S10 AP1 Ord 1, primary weapon, shock pulse (non-superheavy hit = automatic Crew Stunned result), feedback (failed penetration roll = roll a D6, a 1 = automatic glancing hit on Valdor)

Still undecided and mulling it over. Yes... I know that's a stubber. No matter what I did, the Storm Bolter never looked quite right.

Barrel length envy...

Green Stuff Sucks & The Forlorn Razorback

2010-01-18T00:11:00.006-06:00

The ramp-up continues...

Found time to finish organizing the myriad of poly chunks and half-finished kits strewn everywhere on the workbench/game table (now all neatly tucked away underneath on shelving) and finally get back to work on several projects which had been languishing. One of which being a small, 500 point, Vanilla Space Marines (VSM) force. Up until recently I have been a vehement opponent of the Emperor's Finest, because I felt the new codex crams enough cheese between its pages to make Wisconsin jealous. To be honest, this opinion hasn't changed all that much but I wanted to give the Astartes a fair shake in light of the powerhouse that is Tyranids v5.

Though I have plenty of completed models to satisfy tactical requirements, I am fond of the whole sniper rifle/scout premise. So I set about tossing together a few of the neophytes. And then I remembered why I never used them before... I hate the Scout Marine models. A lot. I need to remind myself to make sure I answer the Forge World question what is the one model you want us to make next time I place an order with "for the love all that is holy... a decent Scout Marine!" The heads are ridiculously square and frankly, the faces look like low-brow drooling idiots. Add to that the head sits way too far forward on the torso without significant modification. Looks like an Orgyn stuffed into carapace armor. Though my green stuff skills are sorely lacking, with a SpecOp style mask in mind, I gave it a go... results below. Wasn't easy with the shaky meat hooks I have for fingers.

Not spectacular, and they sure don't look like much at the moment (putting it mildly). Once painted they'll satisfy I think. Five painstakingly puttied faces down, I turned my attention to the Razorback.

After I gave the SM codex a fresh look, I was drawn to the blurb regarding the antiquated Lascannon/Twin-Linked Plasma model. Sounded like a flexible type and a good compromise between dedicated tank killer and infantry liquefier. I was a bit surprised when an image search turned up very little in terms of kitbashes or discussion of this variant. After staring at a bare Rhino for some time, I conjured up what I believe is a rather elegant modification... and damn easy to do. I like easy. Easy suits me just fine. Needs some work still, but I'm satisfied with the result.

Even managed to squeeze a game in today. IG brought the pain to my poor Boyz, but it felt good to get back in the swing of things after such a long hiatus. It's getting late and this post is already a bit long-winded, so I'll split out and BatRep separately. As a teaser though, I'll illustrate what can occur when the Emperor's Hammer pisses off a Warboss by turtling in a Hab Block for the whole game...

Before:

After:

Power Claws, accept no substitute.

Unhealthy Resin Fetish

2010-01-06T16:12:00.002-06:00

No build update today (hey… gimme’ a break! I just got up-and-running again!), but posted for your perusal under “things I want simply because they’re astonishingly cool… even though I can’t use them with any army I currently possess”, I am in the throes of a quandary.

I will acquire one of the below, I am just not certain which. I suppose it’s a bookend compliment to the other super-heavy I cannot use… my Vulcan Macharius. The exchange rate isn’t doing anything but worsening, so I want to pick one up sooner rather than later. My jumbled thoughts as follows:

Defender: Smart concept. Infantry slaughterer. Very WWI retro boxy (ugly is beautiful to me). Dakka to make an Ork, well… orkgasm. My least favorite of the four. I’m honestly uncertain as to why.

Vanilla: Excellent ordinance range from the Battle Cannon and a possible 3x Autocannon. Very appealing. A good, solid build.

Annihilator: 3x Lascannon possible with a Demolisher? Lotsa’ zzap, with a boom bonus. What’s not to love? The points cost… that’s what. 335 (in that config) buys a lot of other cool stuff. Like seven grillion infantrymen. Points cost aside, top of the leader board at the moment.

Valdor: The asymmetry of this thing makes me weak in the knees with geek infatuation. Visually striking… attractive like an A-10 Warthog. The single sponson is brilliant. Somewhat of a one-trick-pony in my estimation. But man… what a trick!

So there you have it. I am open to input. Convince me to love one over the others.

Helliday Season (aka Why I Hate Santa Claus)

2010-01-05T09:52:00.001-06:00

Hindsight being 20-20, I now see spinning up a brand new hobby blog directly before the hell of the holiday season was not the most shrewd of ideas. Simply not enough hours in the day… what with all of the “Christmas Cheer” and “Seasonal Joy”, yadda yadda blah. Gods I’m glad that’s over and done. Add professional responsibilities to that mix and the sad result is that I haven’t picked up a paint brush in over a month. A disheartening truth I intend to set right.

The fires have been stoked and we’re building up steam pressure again. Sacred unguents have been applied to the oxidized cogs, and many a grot has (quite uncharacteristically) bravely sacrificed themselves in the smoking machinery in the effort to bring it back to life.

Apologies I appeared to vanish, but I’m back… and I’m mad as hell!

Well, not really mad… but “focused as hell” didn’t have the same oompf.

Industrial Terrain Project - Day 11

2009-11-08T20:38:00.006-06:00

I am constantly on the prowl for scenery 'on the cheap'. As much as I believe I have every right to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on the highest quality resin-cast structures, my children constantly bombard me with irrational and self-serving arguments such as "it's cold" and "I'm hungry".

Whatever. Call when you get work.

Anyhow... O-Scale model train buildings are generally pretty darn close to 28mm in most cases. Problem is, anything a retailer can add the words "for model train sets" to the description gets a 700% markup (your mileage may vary). So stumbling across a decent deal on a decent O-Scale building is, well... decent luck.

I found me one of them "good deals". Bachmann Plasticville O Kit, Apartment House, 45980. Approximately fifteen bucks each + shipping. They have the right retro feel, and when I am done appropriately "dark futuring" them up they will be a perfect addition to my industrial city as Hab Block One and Hab Block Two. Pix below are original nasty plastic color after assembly, with the second unit one step further (primed). FrankenOrk & Sparkz the 'Bot for scale reference.

Don't expect much from the kits themselves. There is no internal detail. No windows either, but I'll be fixing that by using some of the hundreds of discarded clear plastic packaging pieces I have been hording since last Christmas. You know... the ones your IPod, Car Charger, or other electronic must-have thingee came sealed in? The packaging that is impossible to open without the Jaws-of-Life and an acetylene torch? It has a use.

The base plastic as-formed colors (maroon/gold) are hideous. But there's a considerable number of raised textures which I am positive will respond well to drybrushing. Each kit is a ten minute assembly. Use super glue. The plastic is some manner of mutant polymer that standard Testors model cement couldn't dig into.

I like these so much, that I am positive there will be a Hab Block Three and Hab Block Four.

Plasticville. There's a pop culture reference in there somewhere. Just don't feel like digging it out.

Epic Possibilities

2009-11-08T11:42:00.005-06:00

While collecting and tossing out all of the GW plastic kit instruction sheets which I have meticulously kept throughout the years for some inexplicable reason (not really inexplicable... even as I throw them away I am half-convinced I'll need them at some point), I happened across the dust encrusted case which holds a motley assortment of CAV white metal 'mechs'. The CAV models had crossed my mind once or twice in the context of possible Ebay fodder, but I'd not had the burning desire to actually dig them out and take a gander in a very long time.

For those unfamiliar, CAV (short for Combat Assault Vehicle) is/was a game produced by Reaper Miniatures in the vein of "oversize metal robots blasting the everliving crap out of one another". Somewhat standard fare, though the CAV in-game scale is a little more personal than Battletech. More akin to walking main battle tanks than walking battleships. To Reaper's credit, most of the models (such as the Dictators pictured above) are just downright incredible and are formed decently enough with minimal flash. Unfortunately, Reaper screwed the pooch in terms of... well, everything related to the second edition release of the game. The release delays of CAV second edition rules (based on Reaper's multi-genre R.A.G.E.system which CAV shared with Warlord) were multiple and lengthy, and when ultimately blessed for public consumtion the CAV second edition rules were only available in the $40.00 boxed starter set. To add insult to injury, those 'included' rules were on a CD in PDF format. Reaper did at one point say they would make the individual (PDF) rules available for download purchase from their online store, though by that time I had long since lost interest as I was having to try way too hard to remain a Reaper customer. It didn't help that in this time frame Reaper had a data breach and my credit card information was compromised. Failure cascade.

Rambling diatribe about Reaper aside, I'm left with a few dozen N-Scale models which have no purpose in life. With the resurgence of Epic 40K as of late I wonder if any all of these would be suitable for that system. The man-sized figures have as much detail as any tiny little chunks of white metal could, and the Heavy Troopers bear a striking resemblance to Astartes.

This whole thought train is a first-blush, "I wonder" thread. So there remain a few points yet to determinine:

1) Scale of Epic as compared to CAV. I vaguely recall reading that Epic was N-Scale as well, but I am rapidly approaching 'venerated' (sans the deserving of honor part) and my memory fails me more often than not.

2) Are any of these CAV models viable counts-as?

3) Do I even want to delve into yet another systems of miniatures?! This is probably the most important question of the three.

Likely going to drop a post in the BoLS Lounge... see if the general geekdom has some input. I'll be pleasantly surprised if any of them has even heard of CAV. And if none of this works out, I'll make a few bucks on Ebay.

Maybe.

Rotten Luck & Customer Service

2009-11-06T10:53:00.003-06:00

The really, real world took it upon itself to repeatedly curb-stomp me this week... and then kick me in the jimmies for good measure.

For all three of you who read this blog, posts to occur today-ish.

Something I feel important to mention: Purchased a Battlewagon recently which had an unformed part. Contacted GW and inquired about the best way to go about acquiring that single part, as it is relatively important to the model. Support was extremely amicable and indicated they'd send out a replacement part right away. What they sent me was an entirely new Battlewagon kit.

Games Workshop models are a bit salty (expensive). Everyone knows this. Doesn't stop me, or any number of others, from buying them in droves... as we bitch incessantly about the cost. I guarantee the above-and-beyond customer service I received will factor heavily next time I'm waffling about a model's cost.

Well played GW.

'Ork in Progress Part Deux - Captain Trips Edition

2009-10-26T20:20:00.007-05:00

Not an especially productive week... from a 40K or any other perspective. Spent the better part of four days slowly withering away from Captain Trips (obscure Stephen King superflu reference +1). I did however manage to assemble the remainder of my 500-pointer...

...turn my Boyz into 'Ard Boyz...

...kustomize my Warlord...

...and get the lot primed for painting.

Then there's this poor fella'.

All he wanted to do was be a 'Ard Boy like his mates. Snatching a pauldron from one of 'dem fallen Chaos 'umies, just like some of the other lads 'ad done, seemed like the best way to go about it.

Nurgle? Whodat?!

Wayback Machine - What IS That Thing?!

2009-10-22T11:02:00.007-05:00

Come with me, intrepid traveler, two years into the distant past. Where the man who never finishes projects (MWNF) happens across an article on GW's website detailing two Rhinos kitbashed together into the awesomeness that was the "ASC". MWNF deludes himself into believing he absolutely cannot live without one, and sets about hacking and sanding and plasticard'ing and slathering glue. Surely THIS will be the one project he finishes!

Fast-forward to present day. The original ASC article is now defunct, vanished into the black hole of the interwebz, and there she sits... collecting dust. Unfinished. Kudos MWNF. Well played.

Help me out here. What purpose should this bastardized monstrosity serve? As you can see the plasticard work is solid, so it's worth salvaging. I have ideas - such as 4x Heavy Bolter sponsons and a pair of Twin-Linked Assault Cannons ala land battleship. No doubt cool, but relatively unremarkable. I think this model has a great deal more potential... but I'm at a loss as to exactly what that potential is. Some sort of massive artillery piece? Mobile C&C Prometheus-esque platform? MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System)?

Input please. I have some time here while the primer dries on my new Ork Bikers and I flesh out exactly what I want to do with my World Eaters. Time to get this thing close to some semblance of finished.

By the by: if perchance you, dear reader, have an archived copy of the original ASC article, I'd be extremely interested in acquiring it for nostalgia purposes.

'Ork in Progess

2009-10-16T22:30:00.005-05:00

In case it has not become increasingly apparent, I tend to jump between projects quite a bit. I enjoy the hell out of customizing/painting/building, and am generally in no big hurry to get any one of them done... so puttering on whichever model strikes my fancy at the time works for me. That, or I am trying here to excuse my pronounced lack of attention span. Regardless…

Up until now I have been perfectly content with my 500 points of happy green goodness. They’re fully painted (which is a novelty in and of itself) and they’re my simplistic diversion army when I want some comic relief.

A few nights ago I was rummaging through the storage and bits box under the game table, looking for some obscure piece which I never found, and a Deffkopta clattered to the floor. As I was reaching to put it away, it dawned on me that there were a sizable number of Boyz bitz strewn about under there, and I really had no idea exactly how much Orky goodness might be lurking in the gloomy depths. So I started digging. The end result surprised even me, and I am fully aware of my obsessive-compulsive 40K purchasing.

The discoveries included:

- 3 Deffkoptas - ala Black Reach
- Nobs box set - purchased for conversion bits
- Killa Kan – unassembled. A birthday gift from my son
- Stormboyz box set – likely an impulse buy. Love the models
- Five of the OOP bikers (not sized correctly, but fully painted)
- Nob that came with White Dwarf Black Reach release
- A primed Big Mek
- Trukk – the OOP one, also not sized correctly
- Buggy – half completed
- 5 Nobs – more Black reach goodness
- 20 Boys – even more Black Reach goodness
- 1 (AWESOME) Boss w/ power claw - Black Reach strikes again
- Looted Rhino – half finished. Now defunct, but possibly usable

Though I have not taken the time to rough-calculate the exact point value of all the sundry bits, there’s no question that this is a sizable addition to my existing horde. Quite possibly edging the green guys into the top slot as my largest army to date. Think I’ve found my weekend project. Couple gallons of green paint, some high-caffeine beverages… and we got ourselves a party!

I need to get out more.

Weekend Project Reveal - Custom Heavy Weapon Bases

2009-10-12T21:00:00.008-05:00

Close friend of mine has a birthday fast approaching, and I wanted to give him something unique. As he's a new IG player, I figured I couldn't go wrong with the gift of 40K. We had a match scheduled for Sunday, so I was scrambling to get these completed, and spent the better part of the weekend obsessing over every minute detail (because I am like that). What you see below is the end result.

Unfortunately the match was not to be, as my pal was unfortunate enough to require an emergency room visit. Happy birthday and get well soon bud, so you can see these things in person!

(Credit for the photography: my lovely wife. Additional shots @ 'read more')

In the eternal struggle between good and evil…

2009-10-12T16:30:00.008-05:00

…evil always has more fun.

I’ve come to the conclusion that my next army project must be no holds barred, wanton-destruction-for-its-own-sake, full on 100% Chaos. No more fence-straddling, angsty anti-heroes for a while. Time to take the gloves off and embrace the darkness.

So what does this mean?! It means I need to choose… and I have some prerequisites:

1) Evil - no apologies, no soul-searching, no regret. Kill! Maim! …you get the point.
2) Well established background – though I enjoy it immensely, I tire of self-fluffing (yeah, I said it). I want history, dogma, gear and well defined options out-of-the-box.
3) If I’m going cult, there’s really no way around the fact that 4th ed CSM has the better rules for that purpose. Of course, full agreement amongst the gaming group is a requirement.*

* I prefer 4th ed CSM for cult traitor marines, simply because of the depth of the rules. However I am one of the apparent few who actually like the 5th ed CSM codex, because I see it for what I believe to be its intended purpose: generic renegades. That publication covers those generic renegades admirably, and it served me well in this regard. I never got the sense that the codex was meant to encompass or define the pure cult traitors. That being said, this will be my first pure cult army. So I was fortunate enough to escape the sense of betrayal felt by those poor souls who possessed well established Word Bearers, Iron Warriors, etc upon the release of the new codex.

Here are the chapter options and personal opinion of dogma/tenants:

Word Bearers: In terms of unadulterated, despicable evil, these monsters are hard to outdo. The Word Bearers don’t just do the deed… they ruminate over perfecting each nefarious act. Flawlessness in execution of debauchery and depravity being the ultimate aspiration. Academic malevolence and fanatical devotion to the ruinous powers… the Word Bearers ooze unrepentant wickedness. One of the better takes on the ‘Bearers I have read (and the partial inspiration for this thread) is Matthew Farrer’s short story, Snares & Delusions.

World Eaters: The sharp point of the Chaos spear. When you want something dead, really dead… accept no substitute. Vicious and vile, the ‘Eaters are the best amongst equals at storming a target and making it disappear. Straightforward brutality. Violence its own reward, but quantity far outstrips quality in the act. Devotees of Khorne (who else?), the only non Chaos Undivided chapter in the list.

Night Lords: Undisputed masters of terror. In contrast to the raw terror of certain death inspired by the World Eaters, fear inspired by the Night Lords is dread of the unknown… of one of any number of atrocities to come. Stealth, darkness, and horror are the mantra of the ‘Lords. Death from the shadows, their forte. The ‘Lords do not worship the Ruinous Powers as gods, but this reality makes them no more virtuous. Unspeakable acts of depravity are their calling card, and are likely the only sign of the Night Lord’s presence a living being will ever encounter. Though the premise is fantastic, the Night Lords strike me as a niche army, and difficult to represent well. In addition, I think their hit-and-run tactics could prove challenging in games.

Iron Warriors: Paranoid in the extreme, merciless, consummate masters of the siege. Ruthless & coldly efficient, Iron Warriors pour steel rain on ill fated foes with an overwhelming number of large-bore weapons (four Heavy Support choices). The only Astartes, loyalist or traitor, with the capability to field a Basilisk. Iron Warrior Possessed are unique in the utilization of bound daemonic energies to power an array of cybernetic enhancements, as opposed to outright mutation. A lot that is fascinating, but don’t really have the “boogymen” feeling to them. More of a calculating, mechanical amorality.

This is where I stand at the moment. I’ve made no decision as of yet, but have definite leanings. I’ve placed a poll to the right, and would be interested to hear opinions on a preferred army, and the reasoning for that preference.

Death to the false emperor!

Weekend Project

2009-10-11T20:17:00.002-05:00

Spent the entirety of the weekend working on a special project.

Watch this space for an update shortly.

Industrial Terrain Project: Day 10.5

2009-10-09T01:01:00.003-05:00

After receiving requests to see some WIP shots of Building One (which I don't have), I decided to toss some of the various pieces I have (in numerous stages of completion) on the table to give a better overview of what the end result will look like... eventually.

The pictures really speak for themselves, and they illustrate much more concisely than my original description how the edges of each piece form streets, curbs, etc. I do apologize in advance for the picture quality. Though I am working on it, my photography skills are far from respectable. As I luck into better pix I'll replace the worst of the lot in this post.

Finally & completely unrelated, a gratuitous 3/4 beauty shot of my converted Macharius Annihilator. For no other reason than it is a damn fine piece of machinery.

Wayback Machine - June '08 - BoLS Machaian Crusade IG Regiment Challenge Entry

2009-10-08T20:54:00.008-05:00

Went back in time a ways to grab and preserve here my entry in the BoLS Macharian Crusade minidex IG Regiment Challenge, along with my background as originally submitted (before I knew they has Adrantis V well-covered).

Macharian Crusade IG Regiment Challenge - June '08

I ended up sending the model to the BoLS guys to do with as they please. Though I do wonder what ever became of him. I have to say that I'm pleased my painting skills have improved somewhat since then.

The Scourge

Self-named The Scourge, and labeled “Red Devils” by Imperial forces, these enigmatic forces presented a considerable threat to Third Army Group perimeter and reconnaissance forces for the duration of the Macharian crusade in the Ghost Worlds region. Scourge forces struck rapidly utilizing highly fluid tactics which consistently demoralized the more rigid Imperial troops through the use of insidiously clever ambush and hit-and-run guerrilla tactics; generally preferring to strike at night or in poor weather conditions. Advanced liquid propellant-based projectile weapons, which made a distinctive low-frequency thwumph sound and X-shaped red-orange muzzle flash when fired, only served to add to the elusive adversaries' mystique and further unsettle the outclassed guardsmen. Specifics regarding troop disposition, motivation and origins were never significantly discerned as Scourge infantry were morbidly adept at discovering creative means of suicide to avoid interrogation. The ultimate fate of Scourge forces after the crusade remains unknown; though haunting regional tales persist of unidentified raiders striking fringe settlements and unwary patrols without warning, leaving only the corpses of their victims as evidence of passage as they seemingly vanish back into the ether.

Doctrines: Die-Hards, Drop Troops, Sharpshooters, Carapace Armor
Preferred Weapon: Liquid propellant-based sabot projectile cannon (lascannon equivalent)

Original Background:

Shrouded deep within the Segmentum Pacificus and separated from the Imperium of Man for some five thousand years, few could claim surprise at the proud inhabitant’s of Adrantis V refusal to bend to the will of the Macharial Crusade when the Third Crusade Army Group under the command of General Tarka mustered around the planet and demanded fealty to the Immortal Emperor. The Andranti’s incredibly advanced technology coupled with a philosophy which venerated knowledge and held religion and superstition in disdain gave the inhabitants of Adrantis valid reason to believe the technologically-backwards fleet which settled into high orbit above them posed only a marginal threat.

Attempts at planetary bombardment were utterly thwarted by Adranti planetary defense batteries, and beachheads were hard-fought and even harder won as regardless of the Imperial Guard’s superior numbers, the Adranti possessed the advantages of both superior technology and familiarity of terrain. Adranti troops initiated a highly effective campaign of hit-and-run assaults, decimating Guard supply and command structures, and seeding paranoia amongst the Guard rank-and-file. The conflict quickly degenerated from stalemate to quagmire from the Guard perspective.The Macharian High Command grew increasingly impatient at Tarka’s lack of results and apparent inability to bring the Adrantians under the yoke of Imperial rule. Pressured to produce and frustrated with the stagnant conflict, Tarka sealed Adranti V’s fate as he ordered the re-orientation of celestial body AS-327a to ensure the comet’s revised route intersected with the planet.

Even in the face of certain annihilation at the hands of Tarka's redirected comet, a significant portion of the Adranti forces continued their desperate assault against retreating guardsmen to both stall Imperial evacuation (thereby inflicting additional casualties on those unlucky enough to remain) and permit their own attempt at civilian evacuation, regardless of the futility of the effort. 395M41 brought an end to the Adranti conflict as AS-327a breached the upper atmosphere, evaporating it in a millisecond, and careened into the hapless planet… the verdant rainforests and majestic city spires obliterated in a maelstrom of flame and pressure waves.

While an indescribable multitude of Adranti ships were destroyed attempting the frantic run against Tarka's blockade, an undisclosed number of vessels managed to slip out-system. The ultimate fate of these escapees remains unknown; though haunting regional tales persist of organic-looking "ghost ships" striking without warning and leaving only the venting hulks of their victims as evidence of passage as they vanish back into the ether.

Adranti troops utilized highly flexible protective fatigue of unknown manufacture and material. Composed of a loosely fitting cloth-like garment, augmented with ultra-lightweight molded plates at critical locations such as torso and groin, this armor possessed characteristics similar to the Imperial Guard’s Carapace armor while permitting the wearing to retain close to 100% maneuverability. Unlike Carapace armor, troop endurance and stamina remained virtually unaffected when worn in the field for extended periods of time.

Standard Adranti infantry-level weapon technology appears to have been based upon the utilization of a semi-viscous and stable liquid accelerant which became volatile only upon the application of electrical current. The liquid was introduced to the firing chamber via nozzle and current was applied to the chamber through diodes; with the resultant reaction propelling caseless multi-flechette or high velocity sabot ammunition. While the Adranti rifle possessed remarkably similar characteristics to the standard-issue Imperial lasrifle in terms of range and stopping power, the weapon was purportedly more refined and simplistic in design, allowing for considerable advantages in ease of operation, reliability and maintenance. There also exists some speculation that the Adranti weapon possessed higher inherent accuracy due to advanced manufacture techniques. Representatives of both the Adeptus Mechanus and Ordo Obsuletus collected samples of the Adranti rifles during the conflict, though it is unknown if any examples of the technology survive to this day.

Dryw, Renegades and a Bit of Cheese...

2009-10-08T16:48:00.031-05:00

I imagine it’s time I provided a bit of insight into the author.

The crafting aspect of 40K is just as enjoyable to me as the game itself. Coming from a long and undistinguished career of military diorama modeling, my 40K end results tend towards more subtle & dingy/less flashy colors. I spend way too much time on each model/scenery piece, and I avoid Cool Mini or Not as the disgusting amount of skill some of those guys possess makes me weep.

I only play friendly ‘home’ matches. One too many temper-tantrum-getting-screamed-at-who-needs-basic-hygiene bad experiences in a LGS pushed me out of that arena for good. I much prefer a regular group of players who never get wrapped around the axle about rule interpretations or that extra 1/16th of an inch the Carnifex may have moved. I’m a crotchety old curmudgeon, and just don’t have a whole lot of patience for that sort of garbage in my favorite pastime. So to ensure that sort of environment, I built a 4’x8’ monstrosity in my rec room and once or twice a month the gang gets together and tosses dice. I’d have it no other way.

As for armies themselves, I am invariably drawn to the weird, the one-off, the kooky, and the just plain odd. Coolness factor ranks high, even if whatever it is doesn’t necessarily work very well or even reliably. The few times it _does_ work are worth the pain, and getting a good laugh out of it is a plus. I run four armies exclusively: Renegade Marines, Orks, Tryanids, and Kroot Mercenaries. The Orks and ‘Nids are relatively sane/vanilla straightforward builds and are great when I am in a smash-and-grab mood. The Kroot Mercs? Well, they lose… a lot. But they’re damn fun to play (albeit a massive pain in the ass to assemble).

The Renegades… need a bit of explanation. Not excusing, mind you… just explanation (read more link below).

Striving to deviate from the norm, I built the Renegades around a premise of “outlaw, but not Chaos”, and I chose the 5th ed CSM because I wanted power armor without the itchy guilt of 5th ed SM codex munchkinism (my humble opinion). Soul Drinkers had been done to death and removing all the Chaos from CSM turns them into, well… cupcakes. So now what? Counts-as seemed the logical answer. My regular game-mates wouldn’t take issue with it so long as it was reasonable, so it was a win-win. Or so I thought. This became one hell of a rabbit hole.

I wanted cult Noise Marine counts-as, so combat drugs (‘Prime’) and an advanced prototype bolt rifle (MK. VII-x) found in some abandoned AdMech facility on a forgotten moon. Ok so far, if a bit cheesy... but doable. Doom Siren on the Aspiring Champion? Drop in another piece of archeotech with a fluff background. Ok… we’re really stretching (have snapped?) the limits of believability with the archeotech stuff now. Then came the ‘Berserkers’…

The background I created for these renegades indicates the cadre is dying. Losses are not replaced and they are down to a couple hundred Marines, if even that many. So I had this ‘brilliant’ idea (note the quotes) that to supplement their forces, the Renegades found… you guessed it… archeotech automatons to fight for them. I giddily went about converting five Necron warriors… all brass and silver. Weathering and such. They turned out beautifully if I do say so myself. And viola’! Berserkers!

So then I converted a Heavy Destroyer body to a counts-as Chaos Spawn…

…and then I got my neurosis under control, battled the munchkin daemons fighting for control of my soul, and stopped myself.

It works, this hodge-podge pseudo-cheese Renegade Marine army I’ve built from harvested body parts, stolen from fresh graves in the dead of night. And it’s actually not quite as goofy as I’ve made it all sound. I get compliments on the models all the time, and none of my match-mates ever have an issue facing them down in a game. These renegades are my guilty pleasure, and I’d rather chew off my own arm than get rid of them. Suffice to say, the army would never pass tournament muster.

Then again… that particular fact matters to me not at all.

Industrial Terrain Project: Day 10

2009-10-08T10:23:00.018-05:00

Ok, that’s not entirely true… Day 10. I only recently started chronicling/blogging my crafting exploits and I have been fiddling with the four terrain pieces I'm detailing in these posts for quite some time. So I actually have no clue of the actual ‘start date’. Arbitrary number ‘10’ it is.

Almost all the terrain builds for 40K I see out in web-land consist of structures which have been pulverized or half buildings with the plumbing hanging out. Don’t get me wrong, many of these pieces are absolutely brilliant. Wanting to do something different I opted for an intact industrial landscape. The revised 5th ed. building rules (treating them exactly as a non-moving vehicle) and PlanetStrike allow for easy integration and management of solid structures in most games.

This piece below, artfully named 'piece one', is a motley assortment of PVC fixtures, gutted electrical boxes, plastic cross-stitch lattice (I think that’s the technical term) and various sundry pieces from the bits box all mounted on ¼” MDF. Once complete and on the table, the edges of the pieces will serve as street curbs to form streets. Each structure will possess an address which allows for easy identification of the building specifics for game purposes. For example: this structure will be Building 1, Capacity 5, Armor 10. So the address sign will read: B1C5A10.

Build stage 1 complete and primed. Detailing to follow.

Combat Pharmacuticals

2009-09-26T23:42:00.007-05:00

Category: Background & Fluff

Prime - Stimulates nerve endings in an electric wave of intense agony. Ingestor is rendered exceptionally awake and alert. Narrows concentration to a highly focused point and eliminates strenuous emotion, causing the user to become extremely cold and rational. Side effects include an astute awareness of pain, occasionally lending itself to low pain tolerance with excessive/unchecked dosing.

Substitute for MoS (Mark of Slaanesh): +1 initiative characteristic.

Syn or Sin – Concentrated artificial synthetic endorphin which imparts euphoria, adrenal rush, and invulnerability to pain. Ingestees experience significant increases in synaptic and reflexive responses. Prolonged use requires geometrically higher administered dosing to achieve desired effects. Forgoing artificial blood cleansing after usage causes a measurable loss of tactile sensation and eventual emotional instability. Regardless of cleaning regimen, recommended administrations of only 3 – 5 doses prior to period of mandatory abstainment of minimum ninety days sidereal.

Substitute for MoK (Mark of Khorne): +1 attack characteristic.

Meestag / Medical Stabilization Agent (MeSTAg) – Anti-trauma agent . Stops blood loss from massive tissue damage through minor abrasion, provides septic protection and subsumes pain response. Ingestee perceives pain sensation as an irritating itching near the areas of the wound. Subject will be unable to sleep both before and after the drug wears off, and the eyes tend to become sensitive to bright light. Delusional responses have been noted in some subjects, imagining large insects and maggots wriggling through the wound(s) and perceiving this to be the cause of the itching sensation.

Substitute for MoN (Mark of Nurgle): +1 toughness characteristic

HVOF (High-Velocity Oxy-Fuel) Plasma Sprayer

2009-09-26T22:11:00.025-05:00

Category: Background & Fluff

[Counts-As: Noise Marine Doom Siren]

A mixture of hydrogen/methane fuel and oxygen is fed into a high-focus magnetic-contained combustion chamber, where the combined gases are arc-ionized, ignited, and combusted continuously upon activation. The resultant superheated gas (20000 °C) at extremely high pressure emanates through a diverging nozzle at a velocity exceeding 1000m/sec.

Low heat-dispersion metallic powder in liquid suspension for efficient feeding, is introduced into the plasma jet where the material becomes molten and is propelled outwards through the weapon’s ‘barrel’ in a narrow fan-shaped stream.The resultant effects provide for high-dispersion wound capacity as per more conventional flame-throwing units combined with armor defeating potential of slow-cooling molten metallic globules.

Liquid-suspension metallic powder reservoir with integral rechargeable cell for gas ionization/ignition (approximately the same size and shape as a standard Mk. Vb bolter magazine) is replaceable via pressure latched access panel near the dorsal front of the weapon housing

Mk. VII-x Advanced Prototype Bolt Weapon

2009-09-26T22:11:00.024-05:00

Category: Background & Fluff

[Counts-As: Noise Marine Sonic Blaster]

The Mk. VII-x Bolt Weapon is the evolutional advancement of the ubiquitous Astartes Mk. Vb – Godwyn Pattern Bolter. The VII-x specifically addresses multiple inherent limitations of the Godwyn; providing superior performance and fire mobility at the expense of increased maintenance and manufacture complexity.

Whereas the Mk. Vb and its predecessors rely upon ignition of solid propellant inherent to the bolt round itself for initial propulsion of bolt round, the Mk. VII-x utilizes linear magnetic acceleration to propel an inherently caseless bolt projectile prior to stage-2 ignition. As standard bolt rounds require a measure of distance to accelerate after stage-2 ignition, short-range stopping power of bolt weapons is questionable due to lack of kinetic potential. Historically this has been addressed through enhancement of the bolt itself via millisecond-fused mass reactive warheads. The linear magnetic acceleration of the VII-x overcomes this inherent issue as the round possesses significant kinetic potential immediately upon discharge, and retains velocity beyond the point of stage-2 ignition.

The VII-x is a smoothbore weapon and fires a specialized .669/17mm projectile, as opposed to the more traditional .75/19mm bolt round; the smaller, lighter bolt round allowing for higher cyclic rate of fire. Primary stabilizing spin is imparted through strategically placed conductors along the barrel length. Further spin stabilization enhancement for distance accuracy is provided via the integral bolt round rocket nozzles. As felt recoil from the weapon is virtually nonexistent, the inherently stabilized nature of the weapon permits a high level of firer mobility while retaining in-motion downrange accuracy.

Electrical current for magnetic acceleration is provided via rechargeable storage cell integrated into each weapon magazine. A larger rechargeable reserve cell replaces the stage-1 bolt ignition mechanism inside the weapon housing. The reserve cell is designed to be field-replaceable via pressure latched panel located along the rear dorsal spine of the weapon.

The external appearance of the Mk. VII-x is virtually identical in almost every respect to the Mk. Vb, due to original VII-x design considerations which permit as much component interchangeability with the Mk. Vb as feasible. This grants the additional benefit of facilitating the utilization of preexisting manufacture processes and resources. One notable deviation from the Mk. Vb is the absence of protruding barrel and corresponding gas port compensator on the VII-x. As no explosive gasses are expelled, accuracy compensation of this nature is not a requirement. This reduction in overall length of the weapon, and removal of protrusions which could potentially cause snags, also promotes the use of flush-fit fifteen round (commonly termed “F3”) magazines for ease of combat-ready tactical holstering.

Due to magnetic acceleration of the specialized .669 round, standard .75/19mm bolt rounds cannot be fired from the Mk. VII-x (presuming theoretical barrel, chamber, and feed mechanism change-out are mechanically plausible) as no ignition mechanism exists to facilitate stage-1 round propulsion. Conversely .669cal rounds from the Mk. VII-x cannot be fired from standard Godwyn pattern weapons as .669 rounds contain no stage-1 propellant.

A small number of more advanced prototype design rounds exist (such as oxy-phosphorus gel infused and adamantium-cored penetrators) however manufacture process complexity of these charge types has caused duplication attempts thus far to meet with limited success. As such, charges of this nature are rarely utilized.