Heresy & Heroes

This odd little blog of mine has just turned one year old!! Furthermore, with it almost being 2015 and with me being stuck in a relatively oppressive hobby malaise at the moment, I thought I’d take this opportunity to look back at some of the more active and happier times over the last 365. Ah, the memories…

The First Post Of Many

Ah. Our first stumbling block. Technically, the first post doesn’t actually exist anymore. The first post that went up here was something just to hold the place of an actual post and it was deleted when the first proper post went up four days later. The actual proper post (which will be a year old on the 19th) can be found here. It’s my first Mortifactors post! Nine completed tactical Space Marines, at the time still awaiting their sgt were the very first new miniatures that I put up here and it’s fair to say that this Space Marine chapter has been the stalwart of the blog this year.

I would later make the pledge that 2000pts of Mortifactors would be done by the end of 2014 and, if I’m being honest, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen now. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility, but it’s not looking too likely due to the malaise. But quite a few models have been and gone since I started this project and I’m almost there with the first part of this long term army, so I’m still pretty proud of the volumes of work that I’ve done. Rest assured, Mortifactors will be a big part of 2015 too, but for those really interested, this is where and when it all started (it’s probably only me who’s that interested but whatever).

The Importance of Being Useful:

It’s a good tip for any blogger whose work relates to any subject – being useful and providing useful and relevant ideas and information is the best thing you can do. Now, mostly, I spend my time examining GW’s practices, or showing off my awful photography of my hopefully-not-so-awful miniatures. However, I have also tried to bring you at least a little bit of usefulness too, and though I’m not exactly a master painter, I have been thrilled that what meagre walkthroughs and tips I can provide have been met with such a good reception.

Most popular by far has been my tutorial of how to paint urban camo cloaks. My Space Marine Scouts do look pretty nice (if i do say so myself) and most people who see them point to the cloaks. I still think it’s a good technique that’s relatively simple to pull off and I guess that’s why people like it. it’s nice to know that people are responsive to these sorts of ideas too, and I’ve also seen plenty of visits come through to the basing tutorials. That’s one resolution for the new year – do more of these tutorials.

Ordo Acronymicus is also getting plenty of views these days and I do try to regularly update it whenever I get a chance. And if I’ve missed something, let me know and I’ll add it in.

My Favourite Miniatures Projects From 2014

In no particular order, here are some images of the models that I have worked on this year that of which I am most proud. Yes the big pink one (as previously discussed, the undisputed king of my miniatures this year) is in there, but there’s plenty more too. Anyway, here’s a good list of the things I’ve done that I’m really of, and as I consider 2014 to be my best painting year ever, it was hard not to include everything.

(Some Of) My Favourite Blogs

The blogroll here has grown a lot this year and there are plenty of other sites that I regularly head to to gain some inspiration, and I think you should too. Everything on that roll (it’s on the right hand side of this page and every page if you haven’t spotted it) is worth checking out, but I’m just going to outline some things that I’ve come across lately that I’m really impressed with.

Officio Convertorum – As I’ve gone into the realm of INQ28, finding inspiration for conversions has been a big part of my growth in this area. This site is full to the rafters with brilliant ideas that trace Jeff Vader’s ideas from sketch book, into construction, through multiple WIPs and eventual completion. The man is a great talent across many hobby fields and if you’re looking to get inspired and see what sort of mind you need for INQ28, this is a great place to start.

FTGT – I have a genuine need to consume 40k opinion and ideas on a daily basis. Many of us in the hobby suffer/enjoy the same affliction. This is a great place to go when you want to gauge the thoughts of intelligent and talented painters, gamers and writers on a regular basis. The guys who run this blog have some great ideas and deal with the issues and challenges that we all deal with in the hobby, as well as finding plenty of time to enjoy themselves too. Need your daily hobby fix – go here.

Slave To Slaanesh – This is just one of those projects that I’m really enjoying watching progress. Craig is a very talented painter who shares my devotion to She Who Thirsts, though he expresses it in a 30k/Daemons kind of way and watching the progress of his Heresy era Emperor’s Children is so much fun. As the army grows, it just keeps getting better. Check it out!

4gotowar – I couldn’t not give a shout out to my No.1 buddy, Henry South and his blog. I read it with equal parts envy, enjoyment and pride and many of you will be familiar with his work that has appeared across the net and even in Visions. No, I’m not jealous at all (he types, stabbing the keys on his keyboard). Go and enjoy – the boy’s got a lot of talent and deserves your attention.

Thanks for Reading

I’d like to think that I’d still do this even if no-one was reading it, but knowing that you guys enjoy this blog makes it a lot more fun to write. In the last 12 months, so many of you have given me great feedback and I’ve not had any abuse, so I’d like to thank you for that. It has been a pleasure to keep you entertained, and it’s been great for keeping my hobby interest going. In fact, after writing this, I’m feeling more like wanting to paint than I have done in weeks. Maybe the next post will actually be about me painting something – you never know. Onwards!!