War of the Ring

Like a lot GW gamers, I read the review on the new War of the Ring game. And I have to say that I was pretty impressed with the review. I haven't played Lord of the Rings in about 2 years, but this new rule set (on a larger scale) really sounds too tempting to ignore (I know, I lack focus). I stopped in to my local GW Battle Bunker yesterday and thumbed through the store copy and I really liked what I saw, so in anticipation of this weekend's release, I decided that I would begin yet another project. I chose the Kingdom of Rohan and bought a box of Riders of Rohan and a set of Cavalry Movement Trays. The cost was $31, which isn't too terribly expensive. The one box alone will give me three cavalry companies to begin with.

I like the Riders of Rohan because of the Scandanavian 'flavor' that they have as well as the variety of weaponry (spears, bows, swords) this army has in their arsenal. I've always been a fan of the nordic mythology and being an amateur history buff, I watched History Channel's show "Warriors" last week and wouldn't you know it, that episode was about viking raiders. It must be a sign.

So I look forward to Saturday's release of the game and I'll be jumping right in and starting my Rohan army tonight. Stay tuned.

Miniature Trading Site

I just registered at Rogue-Market.com, a miniatures trading site. Looks like a cool site, so I'm going to check it out and maybe conduct some trades on the tons of stuff that I have that I will probably never get to. Might be a great way to both get rid of unused stuff and enhance your own collection. It seems worth checking out at least.

Crimson Fist Update

Yesterday, I sat down (after the wife headed off to work) and started painting some of my Crimson Fists. Then I started to hear these voices in my head. I looked around and found that it was coming from a nearby box of Sternguard Veterans. The next thing I remember is two hours have gone by, five Sternguard models stood assembled in front of me and none of the other models I had set about painting were finished. Wierd. Anybody else experience missing time?

While I'm on the topic of Sternguard. Anybody know of or see any articles out there on converting other SM models to Sternguard? I'm kind of neurotic about duplicating models. If I can make reasonably distinct conversions, I think it will enhance my collection. I'd like to explore converting plastics as well. Let me know if anyone finds any. I'll post pics in the next day or so.

Sternguard Squad - 155 points
sgt w/ powerfist
veteran w/ combi-melta
veteran
veteran
veteran

Black Scorpion Miniatures

I found this miniature website online and they've got some sweet looking models. You can see them by clicking here. I've got my eye on the pirate models. I think I'll order a few of those...just to see.

Ahh, Fridays...

Can anyone guess who this is?

Dreadnought assembled

I finished assembling the Dread. It's out of the AoBR box. Now I just need to prime that bad boy and paint him up. Although I was going to add a few bits to it before I painted it. Ooh - just got an idea. There's CF plaques that came with the Drop Pod.

I used the pin vise to bore out the holes in the multi-melta, then used a round file to widen it. Quick and easy. Wish I would thought of that one sooner.

I want this model

Does anyone know where I can get this model without ordering $100 worth of stuff from GW? My wallet couldn't handle the strain right now.

Book Review: Dawn of War II

I finished reading DoWII last night and if any of you are one of those readers that require action to keep your interest, this is definitely a book for you. Not huge on plot, but loads and loads of action as members of the Blood Ravens 5th Company engage in assault after assault with endless hordes of Tyranids. The story seems to be a bit 'messy' as the Blood Ravens seemingly travel from one planet to the next in attempts to quash the infestation. But form a simpleton like me, it works. The battles were awesome with one heroic act after another.

If you're a Blood Ravens player or want to be, the book does a great job in mentioning notable characters in the chapter. It even comes with a 'Dramatis Personae' page in the back.

I definitely recommend it. It's a fast read and full of 40k excitement.

New Webzine hits 40k Radio

Got this lead from the gang at Bell of Lost Souls. 40k Radio has developed a new webzine for 40k. I've always been a fan of Firebase (from Warseer), so I was excited to see another online publication to feed my 40k addiction. Head on over to 40kRadio.com and download the first issue of Freebootaz!

Painting Purity Seals

While painting my Crimson Fists, I finally found a technique and color combination for painting purity seals that I am finally happy with. It's fast and easy and doesn't require mixing colors.

Blood Red, Bleached Bone, Devlan Mud Wash. Done.

Latest Pics - Kantor

Here's my most recent version of Master Kantor. Like I said, he doesn't look much different except for some color changes. I went with blud trim around the right shoulder guard instead of the boltgun and went with red on the ridge of the left shoulder guard instead of boltgun. I tried to drybrush a little metallic highlight around the laurels and other bling, but the shot doesn't really show it.

Another Update

Okay, it's really late, but I did get some painting done. I finished painting Chapter Master Kantor and three more marines. I'll post pics tomorrow. This 2.0 version of my Chapter Master doesn't look much different other than some color changes. I tried him on a 40mm base, but decided against it because it wouldn't blend in with the Honour Guard that he'll eventually have. Man, I'm getting way too indecisive about this army.

But anyway, I surfed the net a bit today and found some pretty cool poses for future models. I've also decided not to be so anal about the boxed sets (metal ones). I'm going to try and utilize some of the metals in different ways other than the standard textbook examples I've seen in catalogs or the codex. Hopefully, I can come up with a few cool looking conversions.

Happy Friday!

Okay, so I've been really, really, really busy, but this weekend - for sure I'll have something up. Promise. But until then, take a gander at Brandy Ledford from Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda series.

Busy Week

Man, what a week - I have not sat down for one second to paint, much less put two thoughts together. I've got some time this weekend (I hope), so I need to finish that second squad. For now I've got nothin'. But enjoy the Tyranid infested jungle image from Dawn of War II.

Tomorrow is Friday and you know what that means. Anyway, I hope to have some pics up over the weekend. Stay tuned.

Busy Weekend (non40k)

Sorry all, I was much too busy this weekend to lay any hands on my Crimson Fists. Saturday we spent about 8 hours at a volleyball tournament and yesterday we were celebrating our Irish heritage at Chicago's Southside Irish Parade (my other daughter's Irish Dance Troupe was in the parade).

Anyway, I did check out BoLS and they found some pretty exciting stuff. Rumors of possible plastic Grey Knights? Who knows, but if that happens, I'll have some great bits for my space marines. The boys over at BoLS came across probably the coolest GK art I've ever seen. Enjoy.

It's Friday

I love Fridays and I love Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3, Painkiller Jane, and Bloodrayne). Enjoy.

First Squad

Here are some pics of 2nd Company's 1st Squad. I used a flash while taking the shot, so they seem a lot brighter than they actually are. The lighting in my basement is horrendous. But, like I've been saying in recent posts, the new process I'm using looks a bit better and the fact that I'm not mixing any colors is speeding up the process. I finished a second Rhino and I'm half way through the 2nd Squad.

The third shot is the model that will represent the sergeant for 2nd Squad. I had a couple of boxes of the MkI and MkII veterans that I was keeping to the side for something later, but after extensive internet research, I think using the models as squad leaders gives each unit it's own distinctive look. I think it also gives a better 'collector's' feel to the army.

Imperial Guard New Stuff

The Crimson Fists, while mighty indeed are still a chapter well below full strength. So they're going to need support. So we call upon the Imperial Guard. Here's some of the new stuff that I've got my eye on. The Command Squad looks awesome and according to GW, the sprue comes chock full of option including respirator masks (now that I spent $30 on FW heads). But it will be nice to see them in plastic.

I'll start with a single platoon with a command section and 2 infantry squads.

Army Update

For the Emperor!! I finished painting the Tactical Squad and the second Rhino. I have also started painting the first half of the second Tactical Squad. I like the new painting instructions. No mixing colors, so once I sit and pick up that brush, I can make pretty good time. I also assembled the Dreadnought, so I made pretty good headway over the last couple of nights. I just got tired last night and didn't have the energy to get the camera out. I'll post some pics tonight or tomorrow.

My Favorite Day of the Week

...and here's why. This beauty is my absolute favorite. If I had to get bit by a vampire, I'd like for her to be the one to do it. So, I've got to post two pics of her. My favorite Kate Beckinsale movies: Underworld, Underworld Evolution, and Van Helsing, oh and the only girlie movie I ever watched: Serendipity.

Books: Dawn of War II

Started reading Dawn of War II about a day and a half ago and I can't put it down. This one, so far is a definite favorite. Much like Brothers of the Snake, it's non-stop 40k action. I'm definitely putting the Blood Ravens down as my next Space Marine project when I'm finished with my Crimson Fists (much later).

Books: Rebel Winter

I finished reading Rebel Winter the other day and as Imperial Guard books go, this one's pretty good in my opinion. The story was a little short on plot, mostly sticking to a very simple story with no twists or complex themes. I think it was more to introduce the Vostroyan Firstborn culture in the IG - which it did well. Lots of shooting. Lots of action.

Old School DnD

Sorry guys, but I need to take a stroll down memory lane. Not sure how many of you out there remember the good ol' days of Dungeons & Dragons, but I saw these pics out on the net and I couldn't help remembering all of the fun that I had. I wish I could get my hands on this stuff again. For nostalgic reasons if nothing else.

This was how we played back in the day. Enjoy!

Crimson Fist Pics

Check the model on the left. That's an example of when a decal turns out right. I used the 'ardcoat (as shown on the model, second from the left) before applying the decal. Then I used the sealant (Testor's - the GW stuff sucks).

Of Space Marines and Lizardmen...

It was a rough weekend. All three kids were sick with flu and fever, so I spent my entire weekend checking temperatures, spooning Children's Motrin and pouring chicken soup. But the good news is...I got to go back to work today to get some rest.

I did spend the wee, wee hours of the morning painting and assembling. I started putting together my lizardmen models. This being my timid return to fantasy after being absent for some time (except for that High Elf game against, my buddy John last year), I didn't want to pour through a book and structure a list. So I just dove right in and starting building stuff and was going for volume. I got ten skinks built then called it a night on Saturday. Yesterday I sat down to assemble my Kroxigors foolishly thinking that it would be a snap, everything dry fit nicely - except for the arms. What a pain in the ass. That took the whole day. That's why I hate working with metal models.

On to the Crimson Fists. I set to work painting my space marines and I have found the new paint instructions much easier and quicker. I abandoned the metal shoulder guard concept for the most part. Although I still have a few left, I thought that I'd try the decals. My first two attempts were pretty aggravating. I was using Microsol, but still not getting the result that I wanted. I finally decided to find a nice pair of sharp Fiskar scissors and trimmed along the line as close as humanly possible. This seemed to help matters a great deal. I took some pics of the models, but I forgot the memory card at home, so I'll post 'em tonight.

Oh, and I altered the army 1k list a bit in order to fit a dreadnought into the first phase of the project.