Mail Call!

Got home from errands today and from performing various tasks of good will for family and friends to find a package from none other than Games Workshop! Now I can get a list built before I go spend my cut of our Tax Refund! Woohoo!

Project: Grey Knights - Prep

As I anxiously await the arrival of my copy of the Grey Knights Codex, I decided to start prepping for my new army. While I haven't created a list yet, I have decided to include a Brother-Captain as one of my HQ choices right off the bat. I ordered one of the metal models from the website last week. I've got it assembled, based and primed and ready for painting.

I also found a Terminator Librarian in my boxes of unopened models. While I have assembled that one as well, I'm not completely sold on the towering iconography that I attached to the top of the model. Personally, I think the model is suitable as a Chief Librarian, but not as a rank and file battle-brother. So until I can come up with a more stripped down version of a Terminator Librarian, I'm going to set him aside for now. I have a Venerable Dreadnought and a Stormraven on hand as well, but I want to wait until I get the Codex (hopefully by Friday), to decide on how to kit out those models.

Other preparations include getting fresh paint, some of my older pots are drying out or I've used some of the more common colors up, so I'll have to grab a few more pots.

That's it for now, if anyone has any cool recipes for Terminator Librarians, I'd appreciate the suggestions.

Grey Knights....Yeah, I'm gonna do it.

Yep. I'm going to do it. I'm going to start a Grey Knights army. This time, I really mean it. I mean these models are too cool to pass up. To say nothing of the chapter's background. I think it's frikkin' awesome! But for this project, I want to do it up right. Get a new carrying case, new dice, some Forge World stuff to really dress it up. I even plan to go ahead and move forward with a Red Hunters Space Marine force. This army will give me a chance to use many of the kits that I have packed away and never got around to using such as the Venerable Dreadnought and a Land Raider. Oh and I forgot about Inquisitor Lord Hector Rex. I've got one of those too.

I went ahead and ordered the Codex and some of the models, but what do I do in the mean time? Well, I will be reading the new White Dwarf from cover to cover. Tons of Grey Knights stuff. I also got my hands on a couple of HQ models that I can use right now to get started. Tomorrow, I'll head into the local GW store and try making a list.

Warhammer Fantasy - 8th Edition

I recently got back in touch with my old gaming group, who at the time was heavy into 40k and Blood Bowl. Well now it seems that they have made their foray into Warhammer Fantasy. They've invited me to get in a few games, which I'm excited about. I haven't played in a couple of years. My plan was to jump back in with my High Elves. But the group is small and they already have a high elf player. Damn.

I've got a bunch of Lizardmen that I have not built, so I will probably start working on that project in order to get back into fantasy. I guess it won't hurt to have two Fantasy armies anyway. Better pull out the Lizardman book.

Grey Knights in WD 375

Just got back from the local GW store and I renewed my subscription, so I can get the latest copy of White Dwarf. I was going to renew in a couple of weeks anyway, so it wasn't like they roped me into it. I'm looking forward to building a squad or two of these awesome looking models. It looks like the new Tomb Kings stuff is coming out in May. Can't wait to see that. I've always been a fan of Egyptian mythology (mummies, anubis, pyramids, etc.).

I finished reading Volume I of the Siege of Vraks and started Volume II. I actually found it a pretty good read. It was like reading one long WWI trench war story. If the Death Korps weren't so damn expensive (and I had a job), I'd probably start one of those armies.

Next topic: What's been going on at Kantor Base? Well, I've been catching up on my Blood Angels and Crimson Fists, but I have yet to play a game with them. It seems being a volleyball and softball coach takes up a great deal of my free time. But...that's starting to wind down and my plan is to get a game in - that is one of my resolutions. The other plan is to break into Warhammer Fantasy, but probably won't tackle that until summer.

What a Movie...

I got a chance to see Battle: Los Angeles and I have to say that this is THE best alien invasion movie of all time. It wasn't too 'Hollywood' (as in Independence Day), but more like Blackhawk Down, but against space aliens. The movie was a dark, grim look into war against an unknown enemy.

The characters and heroes of this movie were just your basic G.I.s, fighting for their homes and doing their duty for their country. Great film, with good special effects and kept you in the dark, just enough to make it enjoyable. I highly recommend it.

40k for the First Time...Again

It's embarrassing to say, but it's been more than a year since I last played a game of 40k and as with many things, if you don't use it, you lose it. So I've set myself to the task of getting back into the game and not just building models and watching the paint projects back up. I need to learn the rules again. How will I manage to pull this off? Simple. I've got a copy of AoBR laying around that I never got around to using, so I'm going to quickly assemble the models and sit down with my 13 year old daughter and get back into the swing of things. I really need to inject new life into my gaming and this seems the best way to do it.

I've spent far too much time running around for others and damn it, it's time to do something for myself. Ha! So I'm sitting down to get the models built tonight and the plan is to get a game in with the quick start rules tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes.

White Dwarf 373

Finally....some 40k content!! Don't know about everyone else, but I've about had enough of Skaven. It seems like it's been non-stop Warhammer Fantasy and Skaven for the last few months and I for one am jonesin' some 40k goodness. Well thanks GW for February's White Dwarf. I just picked mine up and it's chock full with Blood Angels and 40k treats, including a Battle Report, Apocalypse Datasheets and what looks to be a great article on the Armageddon war. Check it out!!

Blood Angels - Progress

Here's an update on my Blood Angels projec that I started last summer. I've put it off for a while, but with the new stuff coming out, I thought that I'd put a little time in on it.

Mephiston

Sanguinary Priest

Tactical Squad w/ multi-melta, flamer

Tactical Squad w/ missile launcher, melta gun

Assault Squad w/ melta x2, pw & plasma pistol for sgt

Baal Predator

Dreadnought w/ assault cannon, heavy flamer

The goal here is to hurry up, get caught up and complete my other projects.

Season of the Witch

I got a couple of hours to myself last week, so I thought that I'd take in an early matinee while the wife was having lunch with her lady friends and the kids were in school. Nicholas Cage's new flick, Season of the Witch. It was much better than I thought it would be.

It's the story of two Templars who become disillusioned with the devastation that the crusades are causing and become deserters. They are caught and imprisoned while making their way back home. Their only chance for freedom comes from a plague-ridden cardinal who needs an alleged witch transported to a distant abbey where a ritual can be conducted to help end the curse of the plague. As a fan of Templar history (fictious or otherwise), I loved the story and the eerie demonic/witchy elements were very cool as well. Good special effects that were not overdone just added to a well written adventure. I thought it was a good, balanced mix of action and story. I recommend it.

Got a New Game Today...

So I ordered a copy of FFG's Dust Tactics and it came today. I've been checking this game out for a few weeks now. Doing internet research, reading testimonials and game reviews and most of importantly, looking at the figures that come with the game. I was able to download the rules and read through them, finding easy and straight forward. Nothing complex at all.

Just at first glance, there's a few things that really reach out and pull me in. First, the back story is just awesome. It's set in the 1940's, during WWII and the Nazis and their Axis allies have discovered a crashed alien ship and used the technology to develop superior weapons. The allies have done the same, but not to the same level as the Axis. The second thing that I love about this are the figures. The robot tanks and soldiers are just amazing. They come pre-primed and in two colors: green for the allies and gray for the axis units. They can be painted and their was a limited number of deluxe versions of this game produced with painted figures, but at $300 or so a pop, I'm not too worried about getting one. Most of the sources out there are stating that it a knock off of AT-43 (which I own, but have never played). The story and the figures that come with the game took me back to my childhood and I found myself fondly remembering playing with my plastic army men on the kitchen floor. Yeah, you old timers know which army men I'm talking about. Well, this soldiers are way way freakin' cooler than those.

The rulebook is a short 24 pages and it comes with a quick start rule card, some plastic terrain pieces, a campaign book and 9 of those heavy stock game tiles that are used as a game board. I'm still going through the contents, but I'll be playing a couple of games. Over the weekend I'll be setting it up on the dining room table and testing playability for myself. I'll post images then.

Back in the Saddle....er, I mean Rhino

I assembled my Crimson Fist Tactical Squad and after adding a few bits here and there, and a little more filing, these guys are ready for primer. I'm looking forward to getting started on painting this squad with the new colors. I went with the metal shoulder pads because the decals don't settle too well on the plastic shoulder pads even using microsol.

For the basing, I used a mix of GW Sand and a Coarse Brown Ballast made by Woodland Scenics that I bought at my local hobby shop. I think the GW stuff is too fine to be used by itself, but that's just my two cents. At least now it looks more like what I would imagine as the rocky surface of another world.

Off Topic....Comics

In an effort to inject a little more variety into Kantor Base, I wanted to share another childhood passion of mine: comic books. As kids, I spent countless summer hours on the porch reading the latest adventures of Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and dozens of other heroes in both DC and Marvel universes. It's a past time that I have honored and enjoyed even to this day. But recently, with the upcoming Green Lantern film looming on the horizon, my love for comics has increased exponentially. After a brief and intermittent break from regular trips to the comic store to pursue other hobbies, I returned to the world of super heroes and sank my teeth into the Blackest Night series of graphic novels.

Blackest Night was a story arc that started a couple of years ago in the Green Lantern comic book. It tells the story of the walking dead in true DC Super Hero fashion. A dead DC character by the name of Black Hand is resurrected and is using the power of an artifact called the Black Lantern to raise dead heroes and villains from the dead. And as tradition demands all of Earth's heroes rush into action to save humanity.

This honestly has to be one of the best stories that has emerged in the comic book industry in some time. The story is awesome and the art simply kicks ass. I'm about two thirds of the way through and I can barely put it down. I'd check it out. It's awesome.

Getting Started on Resolution #3

I got a chance to stop in at the local Games Workshop to spend one of my gift cards and I noticed a Crimson Fist army on display. It, quite honestly, blew me away. I forgot how cool a fully painted Crimson First collection looks on display. The hobbyist (whoever he/she was) had a nice mix of plastic marines, metal veterans and some of the newer Forgeworld stuff throughout the force along with some cool conversions. I also really liked the shade of blue on the armor. I inquired and as luck would have it, the staff there had the color combinations used.

I ran home a painted up a test model. I was much happier with the way the test model looked as opposed to previous attempts at painting the army. So, I decided to begin keeping my resolution and got to work on my first unit of Tactical Marines. So stay tuned for more Crimson Fists stuff.

Best Wishes in the New Year...and Resolutions

I'd like to wish everyone out there a Happy New Year and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2011. May this new year, be better than the last, but not as good as the next.

With that said, I've compiled a list of resolutions for 2011. Scattered amongst the personal resolutions that I make every year and usually manage to break within the first week, I've included a few hobby-related promises:

1 - Game More

2 - Paint More

3 - Finish a Project (Crimson Fists)

4 - Catch Up on Horus Heresy Series

5 - Give Privateer Press Games a Shot

6 - Try 4th Edition D&D

7 - Post More Frequently