Miniature Painting

Been Far Too Long

2011-08-28T19:40:00.001+01:00

It's absolutely amazing how quickly time slips by; it's been far too long since I posted and just as long since I played a game. So now that my dissertation is all but done it's time to dust off the toy soldiers for a game or two.

In preparation I've put together the following 1750pt List.

Comments and criticism would be gratefully received and thankfully applied.

Cheers folks.

Oh, and here's DR; gorgeous isn't she?

HQ - 255pts

Master of the Forge - Conversion Beamer
Chaplain in Terminator Armour: Melta Bombs

Troops - 370pts

10 x SM Tactical Squad: HB, Flamer
5 x SM Tactical Squad

Dedicated Transport

Rhino
Razorback: TLLC

Elite - 770pts

1 x Dreadnought - Lascannon, CCW, Stormbolter
1 x Dreadnought - Lascannon, CCW, Stormbolter
6 x SM Assault Terminators; 3 x TLC, 3 x TH & SS

Dedicated Transport

Land Raider Crusader: Multi-melta

Heavy Support - 355pts

1 x Dreadnought: Assault Cannon, CCW, Stormbolter
1 x Dreadnought: Assault Cannon, CCW, Stormbolter
1 x Vindicator: Siege Shield

1750 points

Baby Cypher

2011-04-15T21:21:00.000+01:00

I know, I'm about as reliable at posting updates in this blog as a chocolate fireguard. I'm truly sorry. There is a good reason for it, and it's not just the fact that I'm up to my eyes in writing papers, doing fieldwork and trying to figure out how to get my dissertation started, it's also due to the fact that I'm working my arse off trying to get the Child's Play Charity Army Build going.

However, all is not lost. I recently entered a conversion competition over on Relic News Forums and came a very respectable 2nd place. It's my highest ever placing and I'm extremely proud. I would like to thank my hairdresser, my gran's cat and (Oh shut the fuck up. There were only 2 entrants).

Ahem, sorry about that, I was getting all Oscary on your arses.

Anyway, I'm now going to paint Baby Cypher up for the painting part of the competition. This is him in all of hi converted glory. Why Baby Cypher? Well there was going to be a true scale one in the competition as well.

Any way for putting up with this drivel, here's a pic of DR. Geez, I wish I was a cartoon sometimes.

A Little Gem

2011-04-09T15:36:00.000+01:00

Yet more procrastination and little movement on the army building or painting front. Never mind; only one more paper to go and then a dissertation. Woohoo, I'll be educated. Well, allegedly.

Anyway here's a little gem for you all to cast your eyes over.

If you feel you want to help; simply follow the Blog and Like the Facebook page.

http://bloodravensbuild.blogspot.com/

Cheers folks, much appreciated

Long time no post

2011-02-16T21:19:00.001Z

Sorry I haven't been around for a while; been up to my eyes in the proverbial with University and work. I know, trying to educate myself at my age. Perhaps if I'd behaved at school then I wouldn't be there now.

Anyhow, enough drivel.

I'm working on a project and would appreciate if some of the fine people out there could take a look at the following army list and comment.

HQ – 180pts

1 x Librarian: Epistolary, Terminator Armour, Storm Bolter

Troop – 440pts

1 x 10 SM Squad: ML, Flamer: Sgt with PW
1 x 10 SM Squad: ML, Flamer: Sgt with PW

2 x Rhino

Elite – 560pts

5 x Terminator Assault Squad: 5 x TH and SS
1 x Dreadnought: TLLC; Heavy Flamer
1 x Dreadnought: TLLC; Heavy Flamer

2 x Drop pod

Heavy Support – 320pts

1 x 5 SM Devastator Squad: 2 x HB
1 x 5 SM Devastator Squad: 2 x HB

2 x Razorback: TLHB

1500 pts

Many thanks

Time to Jump on the Bandwagon

2011-01-16T18:25:00.002Z

If the 40k blogs that are appearing in droves prove anything; it is that like any other game known in the history of humankind, there are players who want to win at all costs.

Now that's a bloody shock to the system.

Meh.

That's my unequivocal opinion on the matter. Why? It's something I learned a long time ago. Do I hold a special place in my heart which is reserved for hating these people so much that it consumes my every waking moment, erhm no. Because let's face it, nobody enters into a contest wanting to lose. And I'm no different. What is different is the lengths that people will go to, to win.

I read this post over on BoLS today which has started up a reasonable response rate and, to be honest, as far as I can see it pretty much sums up the approaches that players take to the game. What it also did, was got me thinking about a couple of other posts which I'd read over the past few days, one of which was an editorial over on House of Paincakes in which GMort had a little trip down memory lane. It was perhaps one of the best posts I've read for a while, highlighting the fact that he would have walked away from the hobby if someone hadn't taken the time to work on the finer points of his army building etc. and how in turn he helped someone else.

It is, probably, a story that's been played out in countless stores by numerous players. However; (and I know it's about illegal first armies) would he have been so magnanimous if the army he was facing in a tournament had glaringly obvious weaknesses he could exploit to the full? Well, I wouldn't bet my mortgage on it. You see, people don't enter competitive arenas to get their arses handed to them on a plate. They do it to win, or go as far as they can. They do it to see what's winning games and how those games are won, and they do it to tweak their own army so it has a better chance next time.

In other words, it's the competitive side of the game that breeds obnoxiousness like a buck rabbit with 2 dicks, 4 bollocks and a warren full of does. But is it wrong? Obviously not, enough people want to play in tournaments to make it viable. Does taking your tournament army to the local store for a game make it wrong? Only if you don't tell your opponent it's a tournament list.

I don't play in tournaments, I build lists I like and hope they do well. I don't want to lose, but I do; comprehensively in some cases if my old fart memory serves me well. And, if I'm entirely honest with myself, at times I'm just a little pissed off. But what I don't do is get all hung up on the obnoxious little bastard who has appeared half way through turn one where my mild mannered opponent was a few minutes ago. I simply say 'good game', concede the loss and pack my models away. Go and look for another opponent and start again.

Try it, it's actually quite amusing. Either that, or buy this book -

Time to Pay the Piper - Part 26

2011-01-12T19:40:00.003Z

If you look closely at the picture on the left, you'll see me participating in the only continuous hobby I've ever had; playing the bagpipes.

So what the hell has this to do with 40k, the blogsphere and why isn't there a picture of Durham Red in really skimpy clothes to take my mind off this drivel?

Some of you are actually thinking that aren't you? Go on; you can be honest with yourselves; you won't hurt my feelings and you'll feel better.

Well you see, on a bagpipe chanter there are nine notes; more if you count notes that are made by flattening the existing ones, but in reality only nine. There are loads of embellishments that are made from these notes from the simple gracenote to a crunluath a mach which is used in piobaireachd, that allow the movement between the normal notes to sound better. But as before, still only nine notes.

And you see, it's the nine notes that count here.

Given that there is a finite number of ways in which these notes can be played properly, then sometimes the result is that one tune sounds a lot like another one, only different. And to get the best sound possible, your chanter and drone reeds need to be tuned.

See where I'm going with this? Yep, that's right, 40k.

Using the Standard Mission Chart, there are a finite number of ways in which your opponent can set up his force. Add in your agreed point level and that number of ways is going to drop slightly. Your opponent needs 1 x HQ and 2 x Troop choices to make his army legal, so you should be able to roughly work out what the minimum and maximum points they are going to spend are, and how many they'll have left. Look at the units and wargear that are going to cause the most havoc during a game, and the number of ways your opponent can set up their army drops even more.

And this is how to start getting your own army balanced. Take the worst case scenario you think they're going to bring to the table and build your list to counter it. Take the next biggest nightmare they can bring and tweak your list to try and counter that without losing too much of your first list's integrity. Of course, there's no guarantee that your opponent is going to do what you would like them to do; but if you build your army to face a horde of Orks, then tweak it slightly for the armoured options you know they can take, you stand a better chance of giving them something to think about.

It's not a science and only game play and repeated list building will really give you the experience you need. It is, however, a starting point and maybe, just maybe, if you spend long enough learning to tune your army you'll be able to hit the right notes.

Anyway, here's a special treat

An Irrational Fear of Vampires

2011-01-07T19:38:00.002Z

Or Blood Angels.

These pesky buggers are, to put it politely, just a little bit of a pain in the arse. In fact whenever my Deathwatch army see them they shake their little plastic heads and say 'Bollocks, it'll be an early bath for me then'.

But it needn't be. In fact, this year I'm going to make it my goal to stomp them into the ground. Metaphorically of course. So how am I going to do it? Well, first of all I'm going to look at something that can bog them down with a better than zero chance of staying alive and there's only really one option open to a Vanilla player for that, Terminators.

1750 pts List

HQ - 130 pts
1 x SM Chaplain, Terminator Armour, combi-melta

Troop - 410 pts

1 x 10 SM Tactical Squad, Flamer, ML - Rhino

1 x 10 SM Tactical Squad, Flamer, ML - Rhino

Fast Attack - 130 pts
3 x Scout Bike Squad, Sgt with Melta Bombs, Locator Beacon, 2 x Grenade Launcher, Cluster Mines

Elite - 630 pts

1 x 10 SM Terminator Assault Squad, 5 x TLC, 5 x TH and SS

1 x Dreadnought, Assault Cannon, CCW

Heavy Support - 450 pts

1 x 5 SM Devastator Squad, 4 x HB - Razorback, TLLC

1 x 5 SM Devastator Squad, 4 x HB - Razorback, TLLC

Basically I'm looking for the Dreads and Devastator Squads to tie down the middle ground whilst the Scouts Drop the Locator Beacon in behind Nosferatu and his pesky crew. Bring the Terminators in behind with the Chaplain and then let them loose.

The reason I've went with so many Heavy Bolters and Assault Cannons is simply to put a rapid amount of fire down the range, hopefully whittling the buggers down.

2000 pts List

HQ - 130 pts

1 x SM Chaplain, Terminator Armour, combi-melta

Troop - 420 pts

1 x 10 SM Tactical Squad, Flamer, ML - Rhino, Sgt with Melta Bombs

Fast Attack - 145 pts

4 x Scout Bike Squad, Sgt with Locator Beacon, 2 x Grenade Launcher, Cluster Mines

Elite - 630 pts

1 x 10 SM Terminator Assault Squad, 5 x TLC, 5 x TH and SS

1 x Dreadnought, Assault Cannon, CCW

Heavy Support - 675 pts

1 x 5 SM Devastator Squad, 4 x HB - Razorback, TLLC

This is pretty much the same as the 1750 pts list with an added Devastator Squad, Razorback and Scout Biker.

Comments and criticisms would be more than welcome.

Here's a proper Vampire

Private Frazer Strikes Again

2011-01-06T10:36:00.000Z

Private Frazer for those of you who don't know is a cantankerous old Scottish git (a bit like myself), whose catchphrase in the show Dad's Army was, well it's in the picture. Now it takes some doing for me to post a picture of this old bugger instead of DR, but it seems that this link has heralded the forthcoming Apocalypse.

I originally posted it yesterday lunchtime (UK time) over on Relic Forums regarding the recent slump in the GW profits and share price and it's appeared on sites such as BoLS. What has accompanied it is; you've got it, the internet equivalent of Frazer running about shouting 'We're doomed' and the usual rants about GW prices.

Yes, we all know that it's cheaper to buy our products online, in fact my previous post mentions it and I do it myself. But before having a pop at GW for their pricing policy and declaring that we'll never step inside one of their stores again, it's perhaps prudent to see exactly what you get for your money.

Games Development and Production Costs - I know, it gets trotted out every time by someone trying to defend GW prices. Unfortunately for the naysmiths, it's a fact. Wayland Games, MiniWarGaming and ebay etc. simply do not involve themselves with developing the fluff or designing new models. They don't employ people like the Perry Twins or Dan Abnett to bring us a Universe that is the envy of the wargaming world.
Places to Play - I live in the UK, so I can't speak for people in places like the US or Australia and won't attempt to do so. What GW does provide for people like me is a place to play whenever I can get to one of their stores. I've just done a quick search on their online store locator. The parameters I used were within 25 miles of my postcode, all GW shops, independent retailers and clubs. It brought up 4 GW stores, 6 independent retailers and 2 gaming clubs. Now, having been in 4 of those independent stores I can assure you that there is nowhere to have a game. No tables. No terrain. No-one to play. In my neck of the woods, independent stockists aren't interested in providing a gaming area and it's certainly not an online option is it? Now this may not be the case in your local area and if so, I'm jealous.
Sensei - Ok, I'm kicking the arse out of it here because even I wouldn't describe GW employees as uber teachers, but there is a point to be made. How many of us were attracted to the game by walking past a store and seeing the painted models in the window and when we entered, were introduced to the game through a one turn demonstration by one of the employees? Quite a few I would imagine. How many of us have been half way through a game and asked an employee for a rules clarification? Again, quite a few; and that's something you don't get online.

There are probably a few more reasons for going to a GW store; although in my experience to pick up a girlfriend isn't one of them.

There is another side to the story, that of the online store and let's not beat about the bush here, they're out to make money as well. What overheads do they have? Well probably -

Cost of a website.
Employee wages.
Storage facilities.
Transport.
Utility costs.

All on a much smaller scale than GW. And there's another thing before you go off on 'it's 10% cheaper on blah, blah, blah'.

GW operate a tier system for their independent stockists, with cost prices varying depending on what level of customer support they offer. By customer support I mean providing somewhere to play, information on how to paint your models etc. So all of those sites who have suddenly put up video tutorial links aren't doing it for your benefit, they're doing it for theirs to try and get an extra percentage discount.

Independent stockists who offer a full GW experience without the GW name above their door get the greatest discount, with purely online stockists getting the least, however, GW do not set a minimum purchase price on their products. This means that www.blahblahblahminiatures.com can sell you GW products at whatever price they want. They themselves have a valid argument; GW makes money from them as well, so it's still lining its pockets.

I know money's tight, I've got a mortgage and 2 kids to support and with a 2 year pay freeze to look forward to, I know that I'm not going to have as much disposable income to spend on luxuries. So any purchases I make from GW stores will be impulsive ones when I'm in gaming. Any large ones will probably be made online; however, I'm also fully aware of the big part GW play in our hobby, and how much of a loss to the gaming community a single store would be.

Oh, here's DR

The Last Bit of Christmas Cheer

2011-01-03T19:19:00.001Z

Of all of the gratuitous pictures of Durham Red I've managed to fit into my posts, this one is probably the best for summing up what's going to happen to our hobby in the UK at midnight tonight.

That's right, the VAT Vampire is going to bite right into your wallet and suck out even more of your hard earned cash. VAT for those of you who don't know is Value Added Tax; is set by the UK Government and is added to almost everything. Currently sitting at 17.5% in the £1, at midnight it rises to 20%. So who pays it? You the customer. Whilst there may be the odd business or two out there who will take the 2.5% hit; there will be many who won't.

This means, in simple terms, the cost of gaming in the UK is going to go up.

Now 2.5% doesn't seem a lot in the grand scheme of things. For example a box of Tactical Space Marines on GW's site is currently selling for £22.50. Of this price £3.35 currently goes to the Government as VAT. At midnight, however, this will rise to £3.83 or an extra 48p. Total cost for the Box of Marines rises to £22.98. This is, of course, assuming that GW will pass the VAT increase onto you.

In itself, this isn't a massive rise; however, when added to all the extra 48 pennies that are added to things like fast food, insurance, bus fares etc. it means that there is a lot less in your pocket to spend on building up that army of yours.

The only way around it, as I'm sure most of you already do, is to buy your gaming supplies from online stores. Wayland Games currently sells their Tactical Squad for £18.45, that's £4.10 cheaper than GW, and have a sign on their site saying that until the loyalty scheme is fixed that they will hold off on applying the VAT rise. The VAT they apply to their Tactical Squad at the moment runs at £2.75 and, when they do apply the rise it should come in at around £3.14; a rise of 39p or a total cost of £18.84.

That's a massive £4.14 cheaper than GW.

Now, I'd like to point out that I'm not in any way shape or form endorsing Wayland Games, they're not the cheapest out there for UK Gamers.

What I am highlighting are sites like Mega Minis. Price comparison sites for Warhammer Fantasy and 40K that allow you to quickly compare the costs of your models from different suppliers. It may be that you've got into the habit of automatically going to your favourite online store to buy things, and have forgotten that perhaps it may be just a bit cheaper elsewhere. If you're rich enough not to worry, then I salute you; however, for us mere mortals, shop around for those 40k bargains and keep the VAT vampire as far away from your wallet as possible.

Guaranteed it ain't as pretty as DR.

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T20:07:00.000Z

Well it's that time of year when we make resolutions and mine is to try and be more productive. I got a couple of models amongst my Christmas goodies. First up is Pedro Kantor. I've always liked this miniature and am hoping that I'll be able to do it some justice.

I initially undercoated it with Vallejo Game Colour Night Blue, to which I added just a touch of GW Chaos Black to try and get that really dull dark blue that the Crimson Fists have.

The Power Fist was basecoated with a mixture of GW Blood Red and Scab Red. Personally I don't like the 'shiny' paint schemes that a lot of SM Chapters seem to have and prefer darker, more matt schemes. What I'm hoping to get at the end of this is a realistic colour scheme that doesn't look to cartoonish.

Anyway, enough of my drivel, here's some pics.

Now for Something Completely...

2010-12-20T20:09:00.000Z

... the same as all of my other posts about getting stuff done. Well, there has been very little movement on the painting or gaming side since I started my Masters. So far I've been running at an essay around every two weeks which, when coupled with field trips and field work on my dissertation has left very little time for anything else.

But, enough of my wargaming woes, it was, after all, my choice to return to university and something has had to give. So what's happening then? Well, apart from the obligatory DR picture to give you something to look at, I'm looking at the possibility of trying find 40k players in Cumbernauld so that we can get a regular gaming night on the go.

This, of course, will have to wait until I've finished my dissertation, however, I'm looking to try and get the basics done before hand. So with this in mind, I'd be grateful if anyone out there has some advice on how to go about it and could post your advice here.

Many thanks in advance and, just to show I haven't been completely lazy, here's some pics of the little progress I've made.

Cheers

An Entirely New Method Of Procrastination

2010-07-31T19:20:00.004+01:00

Yet another picture of my favourite Sci Fi Vampire to brighten up this entry and take your minds off the drivel written below.

Having failed to make any real progress on the painting front due to actually playing the game and having to work for a living to pay the bills, I've re-assessed my approach to getting a fully painted army on the gaming table. Or as the title of this entry suggests, a new method of procrastination.

With the exception of 10 Scouts and 10 Tactical Marines my army is almost completely built. I reckon that having taken the time to build that mountain of plastic I'll be one step closer to getting it sprayed black. Given that it's a Deathwatch army I'm building, my reasoning is that it about one third done at that stage. Paint the bolters and weapons red, apply a little dry drush of boltgun (up to mithril on chest and shoulder pads) and hey presto, two thirds into getting a fully painted army.

How far am I into this madness? A long way, the painting on the other hand is way behind. So far I've got this done -

Not shown are -

1 x Terminator Squad

2 x Devastator Squad

1 x SM Captain

1 x Command Squad

2 x Tactical Squads

Now, I'm going an an archaeological dig for a fortnight on Sunday, so I'm taking a lot of models up to try and get some work done in the evenings.

Photographs to follow.

Building From The Centre

2010-05-31T19:52:00.005+01:00

Why the picture of Durham Red? No real reason, I like it and it's got your attention.

How do you build an army, say for instance, one at 1500 points? A simple question that can have a myriad of answers and one that has no right answer. It's all down to personal preference. For me, however, I like to start in the middle and work my way out. 40k battles are generally won in close combat and that means you have to beef up your assault squads, especially with the new Space Wolves and Blood Angels codices.

What choice as a vanilla marine player is going to give these guys something to think about? Terminator Assault Squads.

Taking this as a starting point, what's going to improve their performance to the point that they become the unit to avoid? Adding a Chaplain in Terminator Armour. That's you at 330 pts. Equip the assault squad with twin-lightning claws and do the math. On the assault that's 23 rolls to hit. 4 for each assault terminator and 3 for the chaplain who allows to re-roll misses. The lightning claws give the terminators the chance to re-roll non-armour save wounds, giving the possibility of 20 wounds. There is a choice of Thunder Hammers and Storm Shields here; however, I personally like the idea of a squad capable of taking out ten space marines in one assault.

HQ - 130 pts

Chaplain: Terminator Armour, Stormbolter

Elite - 200 pts

5 x Terminator Assault Squad: 5 x Twin Lightning Claws

So what's next, it has to be something to take out that pesky armour your opponent is going to put out against you. As I said in my previous post, for me it has to be a lascannon or two somewhere, and, building from the middle, leaves you plenty of points to spend elsewhere. Again, I'm going to hit the Elite choices here and take 2 dreadnoughts with Twin Linked Lascannons, CCW and Heavy Flamer. At 145 pts each, that's a steal.

HQ - 130 pts

Chaplain: Terminator Armour, Stormbolter

Elite - 490 pts

5 x Terminator Assault Squad: 5 x Twin Lightning Claws

2 x Dreadnought: Twin Linked Lascannon, CCW, Heavy Flamer

So far we've got a hard ass assault squad, and a pair of armour killing platforms walking about the board. Next choice has to be the Troop, and given that you've already got the core of your army, this can be relatively simple. Personally, for all their attributes, it would be suicide to rely on the dreadnoughts for taking armour out. The next best option here is in the form of Razorbacks, again with lascannons at 75 pts each.

Taking two 10 man tactical squads with two Razorbacks and powerfists on the sgts is going to cost you 540 pts.

HQ - 130 pts

Chaplain: Terminator Armour, Stormbolter

Troop - 540 pts

10 Man SM Squad: ML, flamer. Sgt with PF. Razorback: Twin Linked Lascannon

Elite - 490 pts

5 x Terminator Assault Squad: 5 x Twin Lightning Claws

2 x Dreadnought: Twin Linked Lascannon, CCW, Heavy Flamer

That's leaving 340 pts to play with. So what's the army lacking? I'm happy that I've got enough anti-armour, 4 twin-linked lascannons and 2 missile launchers. Could possibly do with more guys on the ground, but how to get them there. Another tactical squad is going to give me 30 troops, but I'm a bit concerned that there's going to be too much pressure on the Terminators. I've used up my maximum Elite choices, so I simply buy the maximum allowed and another chaplain in terminator armour. Combat squad the assault terminator squad, attach the other chaplain, and there's an army that your opponent will really have to work to bring down.

HQ - 270 pts

Chaplain: Terminator Armour, Stormbolter, Meltabombs

Troop - 540 pts

10 Man SM Squad: ML, flamer. Sgt with PF. Razorback: Twin Linked Lascannon

Elite - 690 pts

10 x Terminator Assault Squad: 10 x Twin Lightning Claws

2 x Dreadnought: Twin Linked Lascannon, CCW, Heavy Flamer

Is it perfect, either the army or the method? Far from it, adding the terminators and another HQ with the left over points could easily have turned into Fast Attack, Tactical Troops or Heavy Support options and, on another list, may well have ended up being just that. How do you build your armies?

Lascannon Lust

2010-05-29T14:54:00.002+01:00

Having been absent from the 40k tabletop game for more than a few years, I was surprised at how, particularly with the gamers I play against, the preference for anti-armour weaponry had shifted to the multi-melta.

A lot of the responses I received when asking why, focused around the cost of a lascannon, as well as the AP of the multi-melta.
Personally, I'm not ready to get rid of my lascannons just yet.

There are 9 options for getting a lascannon into your army -

Tactical Squad
Razorback
Sternguard Squad
Venerable Dreadnought
Dreadnought
Legion of the Damned
Devastator Squad
Land Raider
Predator

Infantry

Tactical Squad: The 10 man Tactical Squad option is cheap and cheerful, however, when placed alongside a free missile launcher, multi-melta or heavy bolter, it is often scorned, and I can see why. The missile launcher and heavy bolter both provide a decent ranged anti-infantry option, and with the missile launcher there's the anti-armour use as well.

Sternguard Veteran Squad: The Sternguard options cost slightly more, and even the option of using 2 per 5 man squad doesn't make it that great a choice. The other weapons available (at a lower cost) have the same advantages as those in the Tactical Squad. 2 heavy bolters or missile launchers for 10 pts anyone?

Legion of the Damned: I'm yet to be convinced of the practical use of a LotD squad, yes they have a load of very good looking models, and fluff wise are the dog's bollocks, however, the cost of upgrading this squad with anything, never mind a lascannon, is mind boggling.

Devastator Squad: The cost of running these guys with the maxed out 4 lascannons option is just nuts. At 230 pts before any of the Sgt's options, you're just short of buying a Land Raider. And given that you'll probably want a little bit of protection in the form of Dedicated Transport for these guys, then that cost is just going to go up.

Realistically, there isn't a compelling argument for taking a lascannon in any of the infantry options available (and although I know Sternguard, LotD and Devastators aren't troop choices, they are on foot). Infantry are, after all, just like in real life, simply there to take and hold ground, and what anti-armour they do need is more cheaply available in the form of missile launchers, or as an upgrade to dedicated transport options.

Dreadnoughts: This is where lascannons start to earn their wages, a dreadnought with twin-linked lascannons is going to give any opponent you are facing a few things to think about. My favourite load out for a Dreadnought is Close Combat Weapon, Heavy Flamer (in place of Stormbolter) and Twin-Linked Lascannon. Perhaps a bit pricey at 145 pts, but look at what your getting, Strength 9, AP 2, 48" Anti-Armour, Template Anti-Infantry and someone's going to get hurt Close Combat. And for me? It's the lascannon that brings it all together. Best suited to working in a similar manner to a squadron (either 2 or 3), I see these guys as moving anti-armour platforms. The threat of two or three twin-linked lascannons being able to hit almost everywhere on the board is enough to keep a lot of heads down, and armour hidden. This also makes them an attractive target, but your opponent is either going to have to get his own armour into the open to face them, or get up close with something that can take them down.

Armour: I've included the Razorback in here even though it's a Dedicated Transport option. The lascannon load out on either the Predator or Razorback has, although slightly pricey depending on your choice, got to be seriously considered. Both can give you a cheaper, less armoured version of a Land Raider, with the same advantages; range and strength. As with the Dreadnought, using these guys in two's or three's is going to control large swathes of the board, and your opponent is seriously going to have to commit to kill them off.

Whilst there are undoubtedly advantages to using multi-meltas on Fast Attack options such as the Attack Bike and Land Speeder, where they can close in quickly with the enemy armour and do the damage, it's worth remembering that a throw of 6 on a lascannon hit, is going to penetrate anything in the 40k universe.

Not Quite Dead

2010-05-27T19:32:00.000+01:00

Well I'm not quite dead, although the post count would argue otherwise. I've really been up to my eyes in it and gaming has taken a back seat. Why I decided to go back to University in the Autumn is beyond me, not one I've my saner moments methinks.

Anyway, dreams of being an archaeologist aside, I have managed to do some gaming and painting. I decided that I was pig sick of trying to get a Chapter I liked and that would hold my attention whilst I tried to get an army painted. Soooo, I dug out all of the Deathwatch and Chapter Shoulder Pads I had and reignited my Deathwatch Army.

So far they're, well, perhaps the best way of describing them is black with bits of colour.

Some of the stuff I have to paint up

Shoulder Pads Started

I'd love to say that there will be some rapid progress on this lot; however, given my track record...

All quiet on the Western Front

2010-03-10T19:48:00.000Z

Gratuitous boobies pic aside, I've been particularly unproductive on the painting and modelling side of life, real life just comes up and boots you in the knackers sometimes.

Anyway, I have been up to some stuff and am going to be playing my first Kill Team game next week. My initial instinct was to go with a Terminator Assault squad, 2 x Thunder Hammers and 3 x Lightning Claws.

However, after reflection, I realised that I could end up having to take my leadership tests before I got to grips with my opponent. This has led me to looking at a Terminator Squad with Stormbolters and Power Fists, Sgt with Power Sword and 3 x Fearless. It may appear to be a bit cheesey, but I watched a couple of games yesterday and noticed how hard it was to take SM or MEQ down. Now I know that I'm likely to be facing Genestealers, so I'm viewing it as an open Space Hulk game.

Surprisingly, I'm really looking forward to it; a couple of quick lunch time games is sure to get the blood up for a full blown game. And of course force me to get my finger out and paint that plastic.

Scout Only Army Lists

2010-02-23T20:49:00.002Z

I was looking through BoLS the other day and came across this excellent article by Darkwynn, and I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring with a couple of Purely Scouts Army lists.

The first is a 750 pt effort, with the second being 1000 pt one. Both are purely Scouts with the exception of the HQ Choice which is a Chaplain. I reckon this is in line with fluff.

So what are the drawbacks?

Short answer to this would be, erhm, a lot. As with any Scout Only List this one lacks any of the Elite, Heavy Support or (with the exception of the Land Speeder Storm) transport options which, you can bet your bottom dollar on, your opponent's army doesn't. Couple this with a severe weakness at close combat and you can see why it ain't up there with the top army lists.

So what are they good at?

Infiltrating, stealth (with Camo cloaks), scout, move through cover and the squad with Telion gains Acute Senses which on the face of it isn't that great, unless you end up playing the Dawn of War Mission. They also have a chance (very small admittedly) to take out armour using the rending rule with sniper rifles. If it works, you'll be boasting about it for weeks.

So with the limited resources at your disposal, perhaps the best way to play a scout only army is to try and give your opponent the Muhammad Ali experience, float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, which is what I've tried to do with the both lists.

750 pt Scout Only List

HQ

SM Chaplain - 100 pts

Troops

1 x 10 Man Scout Squad with Sniper Rifles, Sgt Telion, 1 x Heavy Bolter - 200 pts

1 x 10 Man Scout Squad, 1 x Heavy Bolter - 150 pts

1 x 10 Man Scout Squad, Sgt with Power Fist/Melta Bombs - 170 pts

Fast Attack

2 x Land Speeder Storm, 2 x Multi Melta - 130 pts

Total - 750 pts

1000 pt Scout Only List

HQ

SM Chaplain with SM Bike - 135 pts

Troops

1 x 10 Man Scout Squad with Sniper Rifles, Sgt Telion, 1 x Heavy Bolter, 10 x Camo Cloaks - 230 pts

1 x 10 Man Scout Squad, Sgt with Power Weapon, 1 x Heavy Bolter, 10 x Camo Cloaks - 195 pts

1 x 10 Man Scout Squad, Sgt with Power Weapon, 1 x Heavy Bolter - 165 pts

Fast Attack

2 x Land Speeder Storm, 2 x Multi Melta - 130 pts

1 x 5 Scout Bike Squad, Sgt with Power Fist, Cluster Mines - 145 pts

Total - 1000 pts

Are the lists any good? I don't know, but I do know that if you were to build one and learnt to use it, you would, if nothing else, be following the 'Most Important Rule' and having fun.

Cheers

Finally, some progress

2010-02-21T14:46:00.000Z

Well given my track record it is. I've started the Land Speeder Storm that I'm hoping to enter at Conflict Scotland, along with the duel minis that I've shown previously.

At the moment I've got the interior mostly finished and hope to get onto the front two Scouts this week. I'm quite pleased with it so far.

First Real Life Painting Comp

2010-02-13T09:12:00.004Z

I've decided to do the whole enter a real competition and see how bad my minis are thing.

The Golden Griffin painting comp is being held at Conflict Scotland on the 18th April and, although I seriously doubt I'll get anywhere, I'm looking forward to the experience.

I'm going to try and enter 2 or three categories, so hopefully there'll be a little more activity on the painting and blog front.

The Three Ages of Wargaming

2010-02-05T22:22:00.001Z

What got you into wargaming?

I was reading a blog the other day and had been thinking about this for a while when I realised that deep down, I’d never been not into the hobby. For me it started way back with Airfix soldiers that grew into something of an obsession. I had hundreds, as did one of my best friends, and although we didn’t realise it, every time we had a ‘battle’ we were in fact trying to play a game with movement, shooting and assault phases. If my memory serves me properly marbles were involved somehow, don’t ask me how, but I’m positive that I remember marbles.

Anyway I digress. Once we went to High School we both joined the Wargaming Club which, to our initial disappointment, involved setting up lines upon lines of Napoleonic Troops and measuring things before you got to shoot. Our rules were much better; my marble just landed on your panzer and killed all of your German Ghurkas. However, initial pooh poohing aside, we soon got into the mechanics and the more we played the more we began to read on the subject, and the more we enjoyed the games.

This was before girls became the distraction that put a stop to my first age of wargaming.

My second age began after reading Ian Watson’s Space Marine novel. This led me to the local GW store and my first excursion into the 40k Universe, which continued unabated until I got divorced from my first wife. Again, it was women that led to my inner geekiness being repressed and leaving the models (I was looking for another type by then) behind.

The third age began with a sale. I was posted to Germany and the local NAAFI store had a GW display which, to the best of my knowledge, had not moved any stock in years (perhaps if their prices were more realistic) and had decided to discontinue what they had. This led to a shark like feeding frenzy and my buying loads of models (most of which are still unassembled, never mind painted), as well as my rediscovered age old obsession with toy soldiers which, I’m happy to say, continues to this day.

Is there a moral to this story? Well, not really it’s not one of Aesop’s Fables, but if anything can be taken from it it’s the fact that I’ve realised I’m just a bigger, fatter, balder and older version of that boy who loved playing with plastic soldiers, and long may it continue.

Duel Dryad

2010-02-03T21:50:00.002Z

Here's a couple of pics from of the dryad that I'm painting up for the Relic Quarterly Comp Duel category.

Still got a lot of work to do with this, but I'm reasonably happy with it.

Getting there, slowly

2010-01-27T22:15:00.002Z

Very slowly.

I've done some more work on my army and some time in 2010 I'd like to think that I can field a fully painted one, I'll get pics up shortly, but in the meantime I've been working on my 750pt list again and it now looks like this -

HQ - 123
SM Chaplain with Jump Pack, Storm Bolter and Melta Bombs

Troops - 425
1 x 10 Man Tactical Squad: Sgt with Boltgun and Chainsword. 1 x Multi-Melta, 1 x Meltagun
1 x 10 Man Tactical Squad: Sgt with Boltgun and Chainsword. 1 x Missile Launcher, 1 x Flamer
2 x Razorback with twin linked Heavy Bolters

Fast Attack - 202
1 x 9 Man Assault Squad: Sgt with Powerfist, Chainsword and Meltabombs - 202

Total: 750 Pts

Any comments would be appreciated.

And another thing

2010-01-19T19:46:00.005Z

I forgot to add my two dreadnoughts to the list before, this was after I'd remembered that I'd forgot about them, prompting a quick hunt through the only box that I hadn't looked in for my stuff.

They were originally being painted up as part of my Imperial Paladins army, so I had to do a quick paintjob to get one of them to my new colour scheme.

I'm quite pleased with this one, it's an AoBR dread, it only took me about two hours to change the colour. Sorry about the photos, didn't have time to set the studio up.

Still needs another coat of wash, but nearly there.

And a half done dread in Imperial Paladin livery.

A bit of a reality check

2010-01-17T13:20:00.003Z

I've finally managed to retrieve all of my stuff from the packing boxes after moving back to Scotland.

And I've just had the mother of all reality checks.

This is just the Space Marines I have to paint up -

1 x SM Commander
1 x SM Command Squad
3 x Tactical Squads
2 x Devastator Squads
2 x Assault Squads
10 x SM Veterans
1 x Librarian in Terminator Armour
20 x Scouts
10 x AoBR Terminators
1 x Assault Terminator Squad
1 x Terminator Squad
7 x SM Bike
1 x SM Attack Bike
2 x Predators
2 x Razorbacks
2 x Drop Pods

This of course does not include the following -

Wood Elves
Empire
Sisters of Battle
Inquisitor and Retinue

It's actually quite depressing when I measure what I have actually painted against what is still in pristine plastic condition, however, it has made me realise a couple of things -

I'm getting my capabilities mixed up with my limitations when it comes to how good a standard I can actually paint these guys, and that I bought them to play games with so the standard of painting doesn't need to be uber fantastic.

I've got a colour scheme that I'm relatively happy with and it's not to difficult to do reasonably quickly, so that's what I'm aiming for.

On the upside, I have done a little bit more work on the Empire Wizard -

I'm quite pleased with this guy, particularly how I managed to blend his mantle from Tanned Flesh up to Bleached Bone.

A bit late

2010-01-08T17:41:00.003Z

But Happy New Year nonetheless.

I haven't been really, really lazy recently, and have, in fact, picked up my paint brushes in anger.

Being a glutton for punishment I've entered the latest Relic Painting Comp in both categories, Single Figure and Duel. For the single figure I'm going to paint up the Emperor's Champion in the post below (he's still in all of his shiny goodness) and for the Duel I'm painting up an Empire Wizard and a Wood Elf Dryad.

I've got the Wizard started and as soon as my camera stops playing at silly buggers I'll get some photos posted.

I've also been writing (intermittently) a fan based Codex for the Ordo Xenos with a lot of help from the guys over on Astro, and hopefully in the near future it'll be refined, play tested and properly written up.

On top of that, I've got a three week dig coming up, an archaeology course, an English language paper to get finalised and then it's off to The University of Glasgow to do my MLitt.

No wonder I can never get any better at this miniature painting game.

Another Day, Another Dollar

2009-12-23T21:46:00.002Z

Well, judging by what's happening in the Relic Comp I'm getting my backside handed to me on a plate. Whilst I'm personally disappointed, looking at the models that are leaving me standing still, I can see why. The Single Figure Upper Tier Comp is undoubtedly the best I've seen on those boards with exceptional entries from Durham_Red, SilverTabby and misterjustin.

Durham's and Tabby's are simply breathtaking.

Anyway, enough moping, I've had The Emperor's Champion kicking about in my box for about 6 months, and I thought I'd try and paint it. Whilst it is one of the best GW sculpts about, I've decided to convert it a bit, giving it a Thunder Hammer and a Boltgun. Given the pose, I've tried to make it look as though he's prowling about the battlefield looking for something to fight in a single duel. Here's the initial pics, blue tacked, but with some greenstuff to do.

Relic Comp Photos

2009-12-19T09:24:00.004Z

These are the photos of the Jump Pack Chaplain I've entered in the Relic Quarterly Comp. I could have tidied it up a bit more here and there, but I simply ran out of time. Still, I learnt a few things along the way which, hopefully, will help me in future.

Test

2009-12-18T20:42:00.004Z

This one was just a test to see how I was getting on with Gimp.

Jump Pack Chaplain Update

2009-12-16T20:26:00.002Z

Still getting the hang of the new photo set up and Gimp, but managed to get some work done on the Jump Pack Chaplain.

Updated 750pt List

2009-11-27T15:25:00.003Z

After some more advice (big thanks to the folks on Relic and Astro) I've updated the list. No more buggering about with it, I'm building the models up.

HQ - 120
SM Chaplain with Jump Pack and Melta Bombs

Troops - 425
1 x 10 Man Tactical Squad: 1 x Multi-Melta, 1 x Meltagun
1 x 10 Man Tactical Squad: 1 x Missile Launcher, 1 x Flamer
2 x Razorback with twin linked Heavy Bolters

Fast Attack - 202
1 x 9 Man Assault Squad: Sgt with Powerfist and Meltabombs - 202

Total: 747 Pts

I'll post pics up of the army, but hey not much chance of them being painted by Thursday.

750 Point Space Marine Army List

2009-11-26T15:07:00.005Z

I've been playing around with this list for a while, and after some excellent advice from the folks on Astro and Relic, it's evolved into this -

HQ - 120
SM Chaplain with Jump Pack and Melta Bombs

Troops - 420
2 x 10 Man Tactical Squad: 1 x Multi-Melta, 1 x Missile Launcher
2 x Razorback with twin linked Heavy Bolters

Fast Attack - 202
1 x 9 Man Assault Squad: Sgt with twin Lightning Claws - 202

Total: 742 Pts

I'm going to be giving it an outing next week, so hopefully it'll perform reasonably well

Konig Mini Studio

2009-11-25T20:36:00.002Z

Getting the hang of this photography shit now, well that's my opinion. Here's the Konig Mini Studio that I got.

I also used Gimp to clean up the photo in the previous post. Still got a lot to learn, but I'll get there.

Progress on the Photography Front

2009-11-23T15:16:00.001Z

Happy birthday to me.

I got a mini studio for my birthday and took a couple of photos of the small progress I've made on the Jump Pack Chaplain. I'm pretty happy with the results, and hopefully in time I can improve on the actual photography.

Yet another WIP

2009-11-06T20:09:00.002Z

This for a comp I've entered over on Relic. It's a Jump Back Chaplain, not shown are the slight conversions I've completed; I've swapped out the bolt pistol arm for one that has a melta bomb and I've added a Servo Skull on the jump pack just to 'even' the model up.

I really like this sculpt, although my lack of skill with a camera is beginning to severely piss me off.

Model cleaned

With a primer of SW Grey

With a first coat, details picked out and positioning of highlights

Another view of the above

Internet Resources

2009-10-31T21:15:00.013Z

I've been looking around the internet and stumbled across a series of videos posted on YouTube by a guy called

doremicom. The videos are top notch and as well as the 'How to play 40k' below, he's posted a load of good stuff about the hobby.

Well worth a look.

Sort of finished

2009-10-24T18:16:00.003+01:00

Done some more work on my Veteran with the Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield. To be honest I'm not too happy with it, but I had to get it finished and entered into a competition I'm running over on Relic Forums.

I'll get around to tidying it up when I've got some time, but it did teach me a few things I needed to know about painting white models, shading them and using different types of washes on it, so from that perspective I'm quite happy.

Quick Update

2009-10-17T18:46:00.002+01:00

Managed to get some painting done. Started an SM with Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield for a competition I've entered over on Relic.

Looking really rough at the moment, but once I start cleaning them up, they should look a lot better.

I was toying for a while about doing a White Scars army, but decided against it due to not really liking the sculpts for the Bike upgrades that much.

So, still going with the White theme, I've decide to paint them up as Luna Wolves.

Now I know that they're more 30k than 40k, however I like the paint scheme.

Getting some stuff done

2009-10-13T22:21:00.007+01:00

Here's a couple of SMs that I've started on, both will have twin lightning claws, with one being an Assault Marine Sergeant.

So without much ado -

Vic and Bob

Those with sharp eyes will see that Vic has got his arms on in an earlier post, and Bob, well he used to be blue.

My photography skills suck

2009-10-04T13:17:00.002+01:00

Looking at the photos I just posted made me realise how bad my photography is. Now I know that I'm not the greatest painter in the world, but I'm not as shit as those photos, honest.

Anyway, here's another photo of a Chaplain I painted up for a competition over on Relic, and of the AoBR free Terminator from White Dwarf.

Well that last post was a load of bollocks

2009-10-04T12:24:00.010+01:00

As the title says, even starting a blog hasn't helped me get my finger out. Though to be honest I've been really busy this year, finishing my BSc, starting my BA (Hons) and moving countries hasn't helped.

Did manage to do a little painting though -

And the final one is a converted Assault Marine Sergeant with a pair of lightning claws taken from an Assault Terminator sprue.

The Deathwatch marine and Rhino are in the initial stages of painting and still have loads of work to do,

but hopefully now that I'm back and settled, one last paper then no

more University work until October 2010, I can be a little more

productive.

Finally getting off my fat arse

2009-01-25T13:49:00.004Z

Starting out

I'm not the most prolific of painters kicking about, and I can't even claim that this lack of work is down to the huge amount of time that I spend on individual pieces, that would just be lying.

However over the past few months I have amassed a large amount of space marines, 2 x battleforce, 2 x drop pods, 1 x assault terminators, 1 x terminator squad, 1 x terminator librarian, 1 x terminator chaplain, 2 x dreadnoughts, 2 x devestator squads, some second hand scouts and a couple of second hand techmarines.

Miniature Painting

Been Far Too Long

Baby Cypher

A Little Gem

Long time no post

Time to Jump on the Bandwagon

Time to Pay the Piper - Part 26

An Irrational Fear of Vampires

Private Frazer Strikes Again

The Last Bit of Christmas Cheer

Happy New Year

Now for Something Completely...

An Entirely New Method Of Procrastination

Building From The Centre

Lascannon Lust

Not Quite Dead

All quiet on the Western Front

Scout Only Army Lists

Finally, some progress

More Top Notch Videos

First Real Life Painting Comp

The Three Ages of Wargaming

Duel Dryad

Getting there, slowly

And another thing

A bit of a reality check

A bit late

Another Day, Another Dollar

Relic Comp Photos

Test

Jump Pack Chaplain Update

Updated 750pt List

750 Point Space Marine Army List

Konig Mini Studio

Progress on the Photography Front

Yet another WIP

Internet Resources

Sort of finished

Quick Update

Getting some stuff done

My photography skills suck

Well that last post was a load of bollocks

Finally getting off my fat arse