Blood Angels Standard Bearer – 30k: Here I Come!

Posted by johnnya10 on 16/01/2016
Posted in: My Painting and Modelling, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , . 6 Comments

blood angel standard bearer

Happy New Year! Ok, so I’m several days late with that, but I have good news – exciting news even! I have taken my first step into 30k beginning with this, my Blood Angels Standard Bearer.

I am diving head first into the Heresy and I’ve decided that the Sons of Sanguinius will be chosen army because, ever since I saw the 2nd Ed box art, I’ve wanted a Blood Angels army. To that end, I’ve decided to use a lot of the styles in that artwork with this army. Black flames on red, yellow trim and occasional hazard stripes. I originally bought the above mini to be part of my Mortifactors army, but I’ve now decided that he and the Captain that came in the clampack with him will be the first part of this project.

In the image above, I’m most proud of the helmet. The dull green lenses, subtle highlighting… I was a proud man the day I finished that one.

forge world standard bearer

I was also really happy with the red cloak. I was a little worried that red-on-red would get lost, but I think it works. It’s subtle, and as this dude is ‘only’ a banner bearer, it means I’ll be able to make the Captain stand out more by going with a different colour. I also went with a plain metal bolt pistol – the yellow ones from the box art might be a little too retro for this project.

It was another good kit from Forge World. simple to put together, very few holes or lines. Happily it also fits in with the Betrayal of Calth set which I may have purchased already.

30k blood angel mkiv

Originally, this miniature was just going to be used as a test piece for the colour scheme – with Chaplain and Praetor in the Calth Box, and the eventual release of Sanguinius himself (one day…), I was alright for HQs. But then I got onto the banner and I think I’m going to keep these guys involved.

john blanche sanguinius

As John Blanche’s box art made me want to paint Blood Angels, it’s only right that I pay tribute to the man himself by putting his illustration of Sanguinius onto the banner. Or as close an approximation as I can accomplish with citadel paints on a tiny banner. I also included ‘IX’ to represent the legion number, and ‘XIII’ as I’m going to be working on the 13th Company (because why not). Also, I really wish the banner was a little straighter as it made doing that freehand really tricky. But I think it worked.

So that’s what I’ve been working on and that’s what I’m going to be working on for much of this year. Hopefully I’ll be able to post up a few things more regularly here too. And, something something still working on that titan… Onwards!

horus heresy blood angels standard bearer

Heresy & Heroes – 2015: A Year In Review, And A Look Ahead

Posted by johnnya10 on 21/12/2015
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment, Uncategorized. 4 Comments

2015

As 2015 shuffles towards its grave like a lone plague zombie sloping towards a Tau gun line, 2016 awaits impatiently to step into the light of the Emperor’s radiance. In this post, I would like to take the opportunity to reflect, over a slowly cooling coffee and perhaps a chocolate biscuit or two, about the last year, and the year to come. Let us take a look at what has been in 2015, and what is likely to be in the approaching 365.

How 40k Evolved In 2015

2015 codices

2015 was possibly the busiest year ever in Warhammer 40,000, and we didn’t even see a new edition released! We had new codices for *takes deep breath*, Necrons, Harlequins, Khorne Daemonkin, Skitarii, Cult Mechanicus, Craftworld Eldar, Imperial Knights, Space Marines, Dark Angels and Tau! I mean, Wow. Did I miss any of them? Applause goes to GW for pushing out all of that in the same year that they released Age of Sigmar. That is seriously impressive.

Through many of these we were also introduced into the ‘Decurian type’ detachment that has come to prominence in much of the meta out there. Though introduced by the Necorns who remain strong, Eldar are probably still the dominant book around despite having their serpent shield nerfed to an appropriate/not-broken level, though the Tau now have plenty of clout too and could claim that top spot for themselves.

john blanche ad mech

The addition of the Ad Mech in the form of its two codices was probably the exciting highlight of the year for many, and the sculpts have backed up the books by looking exceptional (even if they play like a bit of a glass hammer). Khorne Daemonkin has also been a big hit, allowing the Blood God’s followers to mix the best of both worlds in their armies, including the impressive new Bloodthirster.

We also saw rules for both miniatures and formations appear in campaign expansions with Blood Angels, Raven Guard, White Scars and others getting bits and pieces in the likes of the Kauyon and Mont’ka.

All of this (and more – much more that I didn’t have space for here) has made 2015 a revolutionary year for 40k, with huge amounts of new releases and models for us to enjoy, and an unprecidented amount of output from GW themselves. If all of this carries on into 2016 (and it shows no sign of slowing down), we have a lot to look forward to come the new year.

My Favourite 40k Miniatures of 2015

There have been plenty of exceptional miniatures produced by GW this year (leaving Forge World out of this one because it would be kind of like bringing a volcano cannon to a knife fight), so I thought I’d do a quick Top 5. There were lots of contenders, and I’m sure you will have their own ideas (do stick them in the comments below if the urge takes you), but here are my faves from ’15:

5. Storm Surge

storm surge

Yes, the Ghostkeel is a better looking model, but this, to me, is the epitome of how the Tau like to fight. As Xzibit might comment “we heard you like guns, so we put a big gun on your guns with some extra guns and then put some missiles on your guns too, dawg!”. I really do like the way it looks and though it doesn’t have the smooth lines and stealthy stance of the Ghostkeel, it is a monster of a machine with, well, lots of guns.

4. Skitarii Rangers

skitarii

It’s like GW reached into my head, pulled out exactly what I thought these guys should look like, and then made them. From the crazy guns to the long red robes and more, these fellas are spot on perfect. Maybe not the most impressive unit in the Ad Mech ranks, but in terms of them getting everything about them completely and utterly correct, these guys take it.

3. Space marine Devastators

devs

Having worked on the old Devestators kit that I hated with a vengeance, these guys brought the entire Space Marine line up to date and they look storming. So many little touches, from their big boy boots to that creepy little ammo-carrying baby, make these a real favourite of mine. I can’t wait to work on them one day, just so they can erase my memories of that awful kit that came before them.

2. Harlequin Skyweavers

Screenshot 21:12:2015 13:38 2

I was tempted to put in the whole Harlequin range as they are some of the prettiest models in 40k, but eventually I decided to just go with the Skyweavers. This is what Jetbikes should look like. With hints of the ancient lead harlequin jetbike, and modern day styling, they made something awesome here.

1. Bloodthirster

bloodthirster

This is what a greater daemon should look like, GW! Yes. Well done. Finally! As much as I’m not a fan of the Blood God myself, I am extremely envious that Khorne players get this guy to play with now. If they could just update the Keeper of Secrets and the Great Unclean One to a similar standard next year, I will be extremely happy. After years of lumpy metal monsters, this Bloodthirster shows us what GW are truly capable of when it comes to the Greater Daemons. More please!!

BONUS: The Warlord Titan

warlord

Ok, I said I wasn’t going to bring up Forge World, but how could I leave this colossus out? It is a beast of a thing with a billion details all over it, but more importantly, it represents where we are at the moment with the sculpting and production level of miniatures. The fact that this can even be created is incredible when you look back to the days when such a thing would ‘only ever be possible in epic’. It truly is an awesome thing.

All in all, this has been a golden year for miniatures and Nottingham has been leading the way. There are so many other things I could have added in here, from the new Assassins to the Blood Angels Chaplain and more. What a great year!

What I’ll Take From 2015

My personal hobby has fluctuated a bit over the course of the year. As I’ve pushed myself to be a better painter, I’ve become a slower painter too. What’s more, life has been busier this year so production has dropped. That being said, I’m happy with where I’m going. I’ve been trying a couple of new things recently and I may well have my mojo back.

mortifactors chapter master

I achieved a couple of amazing things this year. I appeared in Warhammer Visions for the first (and so far only) time with my Mortifactors Vanguard Vets, and then my Mortifactors Chapter Master appeared in an email from Forge World too after receiving a lot of praise from the fans at the open day and even John Blanche himself! I was absolutely delighted by both instances. If I’d looked at my models only a couple of years ago, I would never have believed I’d achieve either of those things. Brilliant.

mortifactors visions

Speaking of my Mortifactors project, it has stalled a bit. Well, actually, I’m just not doing anything with it. This is not a permanent cessation of efforts, but rather an extended break. One day I’ll get round to making them some more tanks and fun things to take to war. My titan project has also stalled but to be honest, I’m pretty intimidated by it. And while I’m still in the stages of building bits and doing all the boring stuff, it will take its time. But as soon as I get going with the fun stuff, I’m sure it will race along. But I’m not going to rush it. Oh no. That will be a long term project to enjoy at my leisure.

There have been lots of other highlights on the blog and my personal favourite mini has been my Slaaneshi Tech Priest who will hopefully kick off a longer project in the new year, but more on that later.

Slaaneshi Dark Mechanicum Magos

The Top H&H Posts Of The Year

A great many of you have visited my little blog this year and I’d like to start by saying thank you all for taking the time to read the drivel and doggerel that I’ve stuck up here. Ta muchly. But what were your favourites? Here are the three top liked or most viewed posts I’ve put up here in 2015.

Forge World Open Day 2015: Happy To Be Your Guide!

Screenshot 21:12:2015 14:16

I’m glad I could provide a good news service for you this year and apparently you really couldn’t get enough of the rumours and reviews of this always exciting event. Read it yourself here.

Old School Eavy Metal: Glad I’m Not The Only One

Screenshot 21:12:2015 14:18

It was great to take this trip down memory lane and I discovered some real gems out there. If you want to see what it was all like in the olden days, and why this made me fall in love with 40k, just click here.

How To Paint Skulls: So You Guys Like Tutorials, Right?

Screenshot 21:12:2015 14:18 2

Apparently, I have to do more of these, and having only put this one up a couple of weeks back, I wish I had been doing more for you as it has been sensationally received. I will try and make that happen, take another look here.

Where Is 40k Going in 2016?

So, what will we be seeing next year? If this year is anything to go by, a lot. Rumours abound that the Lord Of Change will get the new miniature in keeping with the Bloodthirster and that opens up a couple of other possibilities as well. Tzeentch Daemonkin is one of those possibilities given the success of the Khorne book, but what people are really looking forward to is a new Chaos Space Marine book. It’s the oldest (Sorry, Sisters fans – I’m talking about actual books here) and among the worst of the current codex editions, so it’s bound to be on the cards soon. I even heard a whisper of new mounted Noise Marines which would be amazing. Fingers crossed.

necromunda

The new specialist games set up is bound to expand the 40k universe in some way, with many touting Necromunda as being the first of the old boxed games to get a revamp. Others have pointed at a renewed Battlefleet Gothic being pushed forward to capitalise on the enthusiasm that people are showing for the X-Wing games. Either way, we win. Not to mention more games like Betrayal at Calth – another big highlight of the year for so many.

betrayal at calth

Tyranids and Daemons are also being talked about as strong contenders for a release in the first half of next year and given that Tyranid players are perpetually moaning about whatever book they get (you get no sympathy from a CSM player such as myself), they’ll probably be crying for a second update by year’s end (I kid because I love). 😉 But the big question is whether or not we’ll see a new edition. I don’t think 8th Edition will come out in 2016, but these days, who knows.

warhammer 40,000 8th edition

What Will I Be Working On in 2016?

2015-12-15-1450164883-1061198-2016yay

Last year I made the big mistake of announcing with pride what I’d be doing in the coming months and I’m not going to do that now. I don’t want to say that X or Y will happen and then renege on that in a few months time. There are however a couple of things I can promise you. Firstly, as mentioned, both the Mortifactors and the Titan will continue at varying speeds. I promise (cross my heart, hope to roll a ‘1’ while firing a plasma gun) that the Titan will be done in 2016. But for the rest of it, I’m going to keep it loose. I do want to get a little Slaaneshi ccult going too, mixing it in with Dark Mech, but we’ll see about that.

Secondly, I will be trying to post more on this blog. There have been less than 50 posts from me this year, and that’s not good enough. The year before I averaged more than one a week, and while I doubt I’ll get back to those heady heights, I want to do more, so expect more. That’s more Miniature Focus articles, more tutorials and more than that too.

Unknown

Lastly, the one thing that I can definitely attest to, but will give no clues to the specifics of, is that a new project has been confirmed for the new year. A little work has started on it but you’ll find out more about that later. Here’s a wee teaser for you though…

hh

And with that, I shall wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, a festive season full of fun, and a fantastic New Year. My 2016 bring you all you could ever want and more. Thank you once again for reading. Onwards!

How To Paint Skulls – An H&H Tutorial!

Posted by johnnya10 on 09/12/2015
Posted in: My Painting and Modelling, Tutorials. Tagged: , , . 4 Comments

Well, you asked for it, and I have delivered. Here’s my guide to how you paint skulls, complete with potato-quality iphone images, garbled nonsense and lots of images of my thumb. I’ve painted a lot of skulls in my time working on the Mortifactors and over that time I’ve got better and better at it. Time I shared some of that with you. But before I get to the step by step guide, let’s talk about prep work.

Mortifactors Skulls

Prep Work 1 – Look At Skulls

Sounds morbid, doesn’t it? But don’t worry. You’re not weird (well, you might be) – artists have been studying skulls for centuries. They are amazing things to look at on many levels, from the fact that it used to contain a brain, to the fact that it used to wear a face. But our purposes must start with pure aesthetics of the highest set of bones. There are so many intriguing and interesting shapes in there. From the ridges above the eyes to the bridge of the nose to the cheek bones to the upper jaw… there’s lots to take in. That’s why you have to look at them. A lot of them.

skull picture

I stole this image from the internet ages ago and having sat above my table for years now, it has become part of my flat. If I ever stop painting skulls, I may just have to frame it. Having something like this right in front of your eyes when you work is incredibly useful as it means you always have your reference right there. So step 1 really is to just look at skulls.

Prep Work 2 – Practice Drawing Skulls

As with most things, the more you practice, the better you get at doing something (look at some of my derpy early skulls). I used to sketch and doodle skulls when I was doing loads of Mortifactors stuff all the time. You get your hands used to the shapes and lines involved. However, though all of that is incredibly useful, painting something on a tiny scale (like a Space Marine shoulder pad) means you have to come up with a technique for constructing the skull with acrylics that differs a lot from drawing. When I start putting the shape down, this is what I do:

how to draw a skull

I hashed this together at the end of last night’s painting session to give you a rough idea of how I do this. For Step 1, you draw a little blob that looks something like a tooth with splayed roots. Step 2 involves you painting a set of shades. Practice getting the lines and angles right here – I think still the eye sockets are the hardest part but you get better at it over time. In Step 3, you need to create one of those Groucho Marx mask faces, and in Step 4, you need to give him a hat and a bit of warpaint at the top of his cheeks. When I get into the actual painting guide, this is the shape I’ll put down first.

Prep Work 3 – The Tools You’ll Need

In terms of a brush, you’ll want something with a very fine point (obvs) but make sure it’s what you’re comfortable with – not everyone likes tiny heads or thread thin grips. Just make sure it’s got a sharp point and you’re happy with how it feels.

paints for a skull

You’ll need five paints (shown above) and if you’re going by the Citadel range, that’ll be Reikland Fleshshade, Abaddon Black, Rhinox Hide, Screaming Skull and White Scar. Remember to add a little water to each of them (except the shade) on your palette to ensure they run smooth (see, I could do Duncan and Emma’s job!). How about we jump in to some actual painting now?

Step 1 – Abaddon Black / Rhinox Hide

FullSizeRender_2

Where is it!? Oh, there it is. Prime your shoulder pad with Abaddon Black before using Rhinox Hide to paint the outline of your skull. You can use the method described in Prep Work 2 above, or just do it however you like. It’s barely visible against the black, so don’t worry if you make any mistakes – this is just your guide.

Step 2 – Mocha / Cappuccino / Au Lait

No, you don’t need to drink all those coffees (though I won’t stop you if you’re in need of a caffeine fix). These are just the names I’ve ended up calling these blends of Rhinox Hide and Screaming Skull. Mocha (4 parts Rhinox Hide, 1 part Screaming Skull), followed by Cappuccino (50/50 mix of Rhinox Hide and Screaming Skull) and finally Au Lait (1 part Rhinox Hide, 4 parts Screaming Skull). It’s fine to add each one before the previous one has dried completely as this can help the transitions. With each layer, you paint less and less, turning the lighter shades increasingly into highlights. There need to be less light areas on the undersides and more on the crown of the skull and upward facing ridges. Hopefully the images below will make more sense than that description!

FullSizeRender_3FullSizeRender_4

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Step 3 – Screaming Skull

FullSizeRender_2

Lay down a final highlight at this stage with some Screaming Skull. At this point, take a look at your skull. Are you happy with the shape? If not, use the paints on your palette to touch up/change angles of lines.

Step 4 – Reikland Fleshshade

FullSizeRender_3

Now you want to cover the whole pad in Reikland Fleshshade. Don’t swamp it, but don’t be stingy either. This helps to bring all of those coffee colours together and give the outer edges a little softening – as if the skull is coming out of the darkness. Spooky. Leave to dry.

Step 5 – Reikland Fleshshade/Screaming Skull Mix

FullSizeRender_4

Now we move into the final stages. Add a little Reikland Fleshshade to some Screaming Skull on your palette until you get a nice little mix that looks like it’s half way between the two. Use this to start highlighting again, just to bring up some of those spots around the raised/upward facing parts.

Step 6 – Screaming Skull and White Scar

FullSizeRender_1

Do the same again with Screaming Skull, and then, make a 50/50 blend of Screaming Skull and White Scar. In moderation, use this to add a final layer of highlights to the parts that the light is going to hit.

Step 7 – Fill In The Gaps

FullSizeRender_2

Inside the nose and eye sockets, use a blend of Rhinox Hide and Abaddon Black to fill these in. Highlight with Rhinox Hide and finally a 3:1 blend of Rhinox Hide and White Scar to give a it some slight details.

And you’re done!

Mortifactors Skulls

A couple of little things to remember though. If you’re going to use this to paint bigger skulls (like on vehicles for example) you might want to add some more layers/steps to this and spend a little bit more time wet blending on the model as the strokes will be more obvious. If you’re painting shoulder pads like this, do them off the model. I use a bit of sprue and some blue-tack to give me something to hold while painting the shoulder pad – so, so much easier than having to deal with back packs and arms getting in the way. And finally, if you’re doing Teeth as well, use Dawnstone, Ulthuan Grey and highlight with White Scar.

I hope you found that tutorial useful, despite the poor photography. One day I may even get a decent video camera so you can watch me paint it in real time! Who knows. Any questions, just stick them in the comments section below and I’ll do my best to answer them. I felt very rusty doing this as I’ve not painted anything Mortifactory for a while now – need to address that! Onwards.

Hobby Insanity: How To Spot It, And What To Do About It

Posted by johnnya10 on 02/12/2015
Posted in: Silliness and Stuff, Uncategorized. Tagged: . 4 Comments

straight jacket

First up, I’d like to thank Mike Simeon (he of the many flying Necrons) for giving me this idea for a blog post while I was having some serious Writer’s block. And thanks to the whole gang on the G+ Warhammer 40,000 group for their input too.

Insanity is a relative term. To probably butcher a quote from someone whose name I can’t be bothered to Google, what’s order for the spider, is chaos for the fly. By equal terms, what’s sane for the hobbyist or miniature enthusiast, is bat-guano crazy for everyone else. Not in a dangerous way (unless your enthusiasm for the hobby has led you to try and build a working chainsword – stop that), but in a way that would certainly be considered unusual. In kinder terms ‘quirky’ and in blunter words ‘#!∂$ing mental’, we have among us developed many an eccentricity, several idiosyncrasies and a fair few curious habits that can help those who care about us spot Hobby Insanity. Consider this your public service announcement. Let’s look at the obvious symptoms.

The Association Of Deities With Inanimate Objects – “The Dice Gods are real, man!”

dice gods

All Hail! All Hail! All Hail!

Even the most rational amongst us knows full well that the Dice Gods exist. If a die rolls a 1 twice in a row, despite all evidence to the contrary, you know (KNOW) that it will roll a 1 on it’s next roll too. Yay, for the great and changeable Dice Gods hath deemed it to be thus! And just when you think you’ve figured out their ways, they change on you. I have witnessed confirmed atheists with a background in sciences refuse to roll their opponent’s dice because it might pass on some bad joo joo, or because they weren’t in his lucky colour and they didn’t come out of his lucky dice bag. For the Dice Gods will punish the impure with 6s on leadership tests, and 1s when saving a Terminator’s wounds, so it has been written. Ever notice how your favourite/best-painted model, the one you’re most proud of as a painter, always dies on turn 1? The Dice Gods can sense your impurity even then. As ridiculous as this all sounds, every 40k player knows that you cross the Dice Gods at your peril.

Self-Enforced Extreme Budgetary Justification – “£45 for a small piece of plastic is fine. I’m fine.”

money

I don’t need food this month. The miniatures will sustain me.

Every month, I make sure my rent, council tax and any other bills are paid. I put a bit of cash into my savings, and pay off as much of my credit card as I can or need to. I do not splurge unnecessarily on trinkets and doodads. Nor do I spend frivolously on feasting, gambling or chasing the ladies. I am thrifty and sensible for much of the month. And then I walk into a GW store and, like Dr Jekyll having quaffed from a frothing beaker, a switch flips in my brain. The next thing I know, I’m walking out of the store with new models, paints, books and all the rest. It happens every time (except for that one time when I came to as I was bounding across the rooftops of Soho but that’s a story for another day); I walk in and think ‘that’s nice but I don’t nee- I’ll take two!’. And then when you have to explain the amount you spent to other people! ‘Yeah, no, it’s not cheap, but…’ and you always have five hundred reasons why it’s ok, but none of them will keep the heating on this winter. We are uncontrollable in this aspect. Addicts of plastic crack, whose fiscal responsibilities are left at the hobby store door.

The Atypical Appropriation And Usage Of Materials – “Do you know what I can do with this twig!?”

random street

That exact stone! I need that exact stone!

Most people will walk down the street and won’t notice the little stone over there. If they did, the noticing of said little stone would not even require a thought, and on the extremely rare occasion that they do notice it and give it a thought, the thought will most likely be ‘there’s a little stone’. Whereas one of us, afflicted with the hobby madness, will think something along the lines of ‘Wow! Look at that little stone! it’s the perfect little stone to use on my display base! I must pick up that little stone, take it home, wash it, glue it to a piece of plastic, glue another piece of plastic to it, undercoat it, paint it and then they’ll give me the Slayer Sword for it!!’. We are harvesters of detritus, flotsam and nature’s least bountiful bounties as we pursue our skills in the creation of a universe we may enjoy but never truly occupy. Show me a twig, and I will show you a dead tree on the planet of Vrax. Show me a small bolt and I will show you part of a Manufactorum. The only limit is our crazy, crazy imagination.

Experiencing Delight At Mundane Purchases – “Do you know what I can do with this bag of sand!?”

charlie brown rock

And that’s what I always wanted!

Only a miniature painter could be tickled pink with a selection of small wires or a baggy of crushed cork arriving by mail. I work in an office and on payday it’s pretty usual for everyone to order a few things they’ve been eying up online from the internets which will then arrive a few days later. As people around me are showing off handbags, running shoes, books, t-shirts and new phones, I am smiling away in the corner, deliriously happy with couple of boxes of clay and some flock. Of course, the big models are what we really get excited about, but not since childhood have such mundane purchases brought so much happiness to so many geeks.

Self-Imposed Isolation And Antisocial Activities – “Yes! Five hours sat painting the colour black!”

isolation

It’s fine. I can talk to my little plastic men…

At the end of the working day, often the question is asked ‘what are you doing tonight’. To avoid boring people with the specifics, I usually say ‘Nothing. You?’ and let the other people explain how they’re going out for dinner, watching a film, going for a run or whatever. But inside my head, I’m thinking ‘All of that sounds well dull. I’m going to be undercoating and applying a base coat to twenty tactical marines and that’s freakin’ awesome’. We have such a capacity for solitude, patience and self-involvement that we can only be matched in those regards by actual rocks. Inanimate lumps of igneous, metamorphic or sedimentary solid matter, and us. I can get more thrills and enjoyment out of five hours of basing than most people can get out of base jumping. Ok, so I need nights off, but when I’m in that zone, nothing is more interesting than the tiny toy soldier that I’m working on.

Obsession With Fictitious Characters (Extremis) – “Dante must have all the Blood Angels!”

collections

Yeah, I know, but I need all of these because reasons

From fans of Star Wars to Doctor Who, many people get obsessed by characters who do not really exist. It’s hardly unusual in this day and age. But let us examine how this affects the hobbyist. Hobbyist A decides to buy Ghazghull Thraka because he likes the look of the miniature. As he is painting the miniature he begins to dwell on how cool Ghazghull is and imagines him leading a mob of boyz to battle. At this stage it is acknowledged that Ghazghull is not complete without the aforementioned mob of boyz. So a mob of boyz is painted to compliment Ghazghull. Spin forward two years and Hobbyist A now has a room in his house devoted to the hobby with over 5000 points of Orks and more on the way. All of this because he thought Ghazghull Thraka was cool. Don’t lie, you know this happened to you.

The Ritualistic Application Of Paint To The Body – “I’ve got what on my face?”

briton

Ultramarines painters be like…

Ever watch those videos of Duncan and Emma from GW painting the new models on the Warhammer TV Youtube channel? Notice how clean their palettes, pots and work surfaces are? Well, they have to look all clean and tidy for the camera, but the true hobbyist in his natural habitat knows that the most crucial tool is his own body. The back of the hand is great for getting rid of excess water. The thumbnail is perfect for removing excess paint from the brush. And then there’s the lips. For the finest point on a freshly cleaned (well, sort of cleaned) brush, accept no substitutes. These activities do end up leaving their mark though. By the end of a good painting session, the average hobbyist looks like an ancient Briton prepared for war. Not only that, but I’m pretty sure I could tell the difference between Mephiston Red and XV88 in a blindfolded taste test.

What To Do If You Suspect Your Friend Is A Hobbyist/Insane:

suspicious

He’s onto me!

Someone who has identified as a miniature painter or hobbyist is typically docile and may be approached. They often favour lurking on the edges of conversations unless they are with their own kind in which case they will contest the leadership of the group through obscure arguments and knowledge sharing. Traditionally they consume large amounts of caffeine, develop a prominent hunch on their backs and grooves in their fingers where brushes have been clutched tightly like Gollum’s Precious.

It is important to remember that by and large, the hobbyist is a docile, friendly beast whose insanity is relatively mellow, and whose symptoms are unobtrusive and mild. Do not be afraid to approach them (unless they are holding a full sized chainsword) and be kind to them. It helps if you bring them more caffeine. There should be no need to alert the authorities and they pose no threat to you (again, chainswords not withstanding).

This has been your Public Service Announcement. Onwards.

Specialist Games Are Coming Back – The Pitfalls And Potential Discussed

Posted by johnnya10 on 17/11/2015
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment, Uncategorized. Tagged: . 3 Comments

 

ralph wiggum i'm special

We got some interesting/exciting news last week regarding what Games Workshop refers to as it’s ‘Specialist Games’. In case you didn’t see the post which cropped up on the GW app or on facebook, here it is:

games workshop specialist games

 

Which is interesting in that it tells us something but it doesn’t exactly tell us much. That phrase ‘bringing back and re-vamping’ is the sort of thing that you say when you don’t want to commit to anything too concrete. Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly excited by this (giddy I say, giddy!), and the idea of finding some of my old favourites back on the shelves is lashings of awesome sauce, but I am not getting my hopes up just yet. Call me a cynic, but ‘bringing back and re-vamping’ is still something that makes me nervous. But why?

Let’s take Necromunda as an example. I loved me some Necormunda way back when. My Van Saar gangers ruled my local underhive with their grim faces, fancy suits and high-end tech. They were a good looking team too. However, due to what I call the Twilight/Ocarina factor, they may not be that good looking now. Let me explain…

When I completed Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess for the second time (100% goals and levels thank you very much) on the Nintendo Wii, I was hungry for more Zelda action, so I downloaded the Ocarina of Time on the same console. In my head, as I remembered it, it was a beautiful game, as beautiful as Twilight Princess (and that’s very beautiful), and I couldn’t wait to boot it up and start slingshotting my deku seeds all over the joint. And then I booted it up…

ocarina

SO MANY POLYGONS!! What the flute!? It looked awful (in comparison). I realised quite quickly that my memories had been coloured by the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia and I was pretty disappointed. I still completed it, but I couldn’t help but be creeped out by Link’s thousand-yard-stare and heavy shading. WHAT ARE YOU STARING AT ELF BOY!?!

van saar gang

Miniatures go through the same problems, and the Van Saar boys are a prime example. Look at that juve ganger second from the right on the bottom row. He looks like he just wet himself and is crying for his mother. Look at the faces on the others too. Ok, so they have beards but what skin shows through is almost featureless. Old models, when stacked up against newer models look bad, no matter how much we love them. I get nostalgic about a lot of models (hence the Miniature Focus series of articles on this blog) but would I want to paint a Rogue Trader era Ogryn or similarly ancient Noise Marine now? Hell no. I’m happy to let that stuff live in glorious memories and not have it stink up today’s painting table thank you. I can’t even finish off the old devestator squad I’m working on (which really isn’t that old) because the new SM kits are soooo much better. The glut of high quality sculpts has ruined me when it comes to tolerating the comparatively cruddy old ones.

So, when we get told that a ‘Specialist Products Design Studio’ will be ‘bringing back’ Necromunda, I get nervous because I want the minis that they might release to be modern incarnations of what they once were. If this is a case of just dusting off the moulds and sticking them in the plastic presses, I’ll pass thanks.

negative nancy

However, this apparent negativity that I’m throwing down (I’m actually pretty positive about this development, honestly) may be ill-founded as then we get the word ‘updating’, but again we don’t know what this means. Models getting updates? Box sets? Rules? Without knowing exactly what will be getting updates or what those updates will look like, I am screaming at the wind somewhat here. Necromunda and Bloodbowl were both really important games for me and I always want them to be immortalised in my memory as perfect things. Don’t show me those models now, give me something new.

man o war dreadfleet

There were rumours a while ago about Man O’War being updated and we got Dreadfleet. Dreadfleet isn’t a bad game – in fact I’ve had a lot of fun playing it in the past, but it is nothing like Man O’War. My old High Elf Hawkships and Eagleships used to send many a Black Ark to the bottom of the Great Ocean and I have fond memories of that game, so despite Dreadfleet’s playability (and I do think it got unfairly poor press post-release – it was fun!), it was not Man O’War.

But here’s the thing. Look at the models:

specialist games

The new ones are leagues ahead when it comes to how they look and how they are made. If this is what we end up getting for the likes of Necromunda, Blood Bowl and the rest, it will be one of the best things to come out of Games Workshop in years. Imagine the guys at Forge World sculpting gangers from House Escher or Delaque. Imagine being able to pick up a freshly sculpted Reikland Reavers team, free of mould-lines and complete with extra head and arm options. And how about Epic returning with its Titans and Super Heavy Tanks sculpted to resemble all of Forge World’s range!?

archer krieger

These are the things that my dreams are made of (apart from that one dream where the giant fish gore monster chases me through an endless hardware store where all of the tools are made of rubber and they scream when you pick them up …maybe that’s for a different blog) and I am excited. But for the love of everything, GW, please do this right. New rules, new sculpts, new boxes and continued, evolving support in terms of both production and development. That’s what we need.

I am super excited and I’m sorry if any of this seemed overly negative, but those precious memories need to be preserved while evolving what we could be getting. I’m sure, having seen the success of iOS/PC games that they’ve released, from Warhammer Quest to Blood Bowl, from Chainsaw Warrior to Space Hulk, the chaps up in Nottingham know that there is still an audience out there for these ancient treasures. As long as they don’t look ancient when they reappear, that would be lovely. And as someone who remembers going into my local GW when I was a kid and having perhaps five or six games to throw my pocket money at, rather than just three, I’m sure it will be a great way to get lots of new blood into the hobby.

necromunda gangs

Fingers crossed we get something amazing from all of this. I’m really confident they will do a good job, but I felt the need to voice my reservations. The weight of expectations from my childhood is on you GW, may you carry it in the manner befitting such a treasure. Onwards!

Slaaneshi Dark Mechanicum Magos

Posted by johnnya10 on 14/11/2015
Posted in: My Painting and Modelling. Tagged: , , . 6 Comments

Slaaneshi Dark Mechanicum Magos

I’m back from a brief sojourn in the warp and I have brought back with me a corrupted, metal monster – a Magos of the Dark Mechanicum who has pledged himself to She Who Thirsts, Slaanesh. I’ve been spending my days and evenings playing around with converting him, experimenting with unusual metallics and weathering things like the practice is going out of fashion. And it’s been buckets of fun too.

Why do this? Well, the Dark Mech are a great bit of lore that I’ve always enjoyed, and as you may well know from previous posts, Slaanesh is my choice of dark deity. I got the idea that, when Fulgrim turned, the Mechanicum forces within his fleet would have turned with him. Enter Magos Xykog…

tech priest dominus conversion

I started off by taking the Tech Priest Dominus model and immediately started hacking bits off it. The walking stick was replaced with a demonette’s claw, the weapon arm became a sonic blaster, and I added a small tail to the rear. Using parts from he hellstriders kit, I added some hooks coming out from below the robes, gave the hat some horns and added the small Slaaneshi symbol to the top of the axe. I also trimmed down the cog axe to have sharper points and I used one of the servo skulls from the Devestators kit because it has that nice eight-point star halo – very Chaosy for a Space Marine kit. Green stuff was used to close up a few gaps and add some texture.

slaanesh dark mech

I love that head. The tall hat look may not work for me (tried it – didn’t work) but on this mini, it’s awesome. It really is like something straight out of a Blanche illustration. Because of that, I went with a muddy, grubby looking paint job and topped it off with a couple of rows of checks.

The sonic blaster fit into the model easily and having worked on the metal ones before, the finecast version was a lot more fun to paint. I gave it a coat of Leadbelcher and then a couple of coats of Druchi Violet before highlighting. FYI, this is how you paint the purple that FW use for their Emperor’s Children.

dark mech magos

I really enjoyed painting the robes. I gave them that royal purple look – a play on the colours of Slaanesh, the Emperor’s Chidren and the Mechanicum red. When I gave them a cheetah print lining, visible on the sleeves, I was worried I was making him look a little bit too much like a space pimp, but I think I got away with it. What I really liked about them was adding the weathering around the lower threads.

I also really liked doing the brass armour which is a combination of Gehenna’s Gold and Leadbelcher, washed with Agrax Earthshade and then highlighted again. It would work great on Khorne models as well, but with me belonging to Slaanesh, I find that idea disgusting.

weathered metals

The revolver weapon was painted in different metals to keep it separate from the rest of the model. It’s shinier and tinted with a blue wash, whereas the rest of the silver-coloured metallics are shaded with Earthshade and a little Nuln Oil here and there. I’m really happy with the weathering all of the model which is somewhere between subtle and too much, like the sweet spot. Too much and it would be Nurgley, but not enough and he wouldn’t look like a 10,000 year old corrupted cyborg. I think I got it right.

chaos mechanicum

The final touch was the making sure the axe looked like a big gold-topped beat-stick because, y’know, Slaanesh.

So that’s him done then. On to what’s next. It might be more titan work, or it might be something entirely different. Who knows, right? Let’s see where the hobby wind takes me. As always, comments, questions and constructive criticism welcome below. Onwards!

Emperor’s Children Terminator – Taste The Terrifying Rainbow

Posted by johnnya10 on 28/10/2015
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a comment

emperor's children terminator

Every now and again, I need to return to the psychedelic madness of Slaanesh’s favourite legion and paint up something with neon pinks and greens, animal print and lots of gold. So over the last week or so, when I’ve had a mo, I’ve been playing around with reviving this old Emperor’s Children Terminator of mine. By the Dark Gods, it has been fun.

I should explain. About 5 years ago, I bought a box of Chaos Terminators for my Emperor’s Children army. I painted them with enthusiasm and I was proud of them. A couple of weeks ago, I was digging through my drawers for something to use in my Titan project and I came across the old boys, languishing in the darkest recesses of my hobby past. Their paint job was bad and there were several sins committed in construction and decoration that I just couldn’t abide. To give you a better idea of what I mean, here’s the new chap next to one of his old brothers yet to receive his revitalising tonic…

old and new csm terminators

IMG_0451

Now, as you might have noticed, my keen-eyed readers, is that I’ve been playing around with a moodier photography technique this week. It looks pretty cool, but it’s not great on highlighting all the details so allow me to walk you through some of the key changes.

The chap on the right lacks several things. For a start, the bare sand base is an awful look (and if you want to know how to do proper sand, you can check out my article here) and I’ve long since moved on from the ‘porridge dessert’ look. His parts are unhighlighted, his mould-lines remain, his gun barrels still undrilled… all of these issues and a few more have been rectified with the rejuvenated model stood proudly to the left of these pictures. He had his old layers stripped down with fairy power spray, was re-undercoated and had all of those little issues fixed. I even added the second trophy rack – all the old ones had just a single row of spikes which I’m sure was me trying to be interesting at the time. And of course, a skull on the base for tradition and good luck.

reaper autocannon

Those skull-themed shoulder pads are one of the best parts of the Chaos Terminators box and I was glad that I got to do it justice. And of course the reaper autocannon is the most iconic weapon in the kit, and turning that from a single silver dipped in wash into a more interesting blend of weathered and highlighted metallics made me feel good. But this was not about creating the perfect terminator, or doing my best paint job. Having spent a month staring at the bare grey legs of an unbuilt Titan, I needed to see some colour, and this guy is alive with all of Slaanesh’s favourite shades. I wanted to keep my eye in with these in an effort not to forget how to paint them.

chaos terminator

This model also has lighting effects that, in his former incarnation, he was severely lacking. The subtle glow of the red eyes is something I’m particularly happy with, especially because highlighting a red glow on a bright purple/pink is not an easy thing to do! I’m also really pleased with the pink lightning coursing over the obsidian axe (seen better in the picture at the top) which is something I wouldn’t have ever attempted a few years ago.

emperors children

So there you have it. My love for Slaanesh is rekindled, my ability to paint vibrant tones remains intact and I’ve had a bucket load of fun painting this Terminator. It also means that, one day, I could get round to doing the whole squad, but that will have to wait. There are plenty of other projects that require my attention for now. But can I resist the temptations of Slaanesh? We shall see. Onwards…

Miniature Focus – Ogryns

Posted by johnnya10 on 23/10/2015
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment. Tagged: . Leave a comment

What’s big, stupid and wears an Imperial uniform? No, not your Commissar’s mum. It’s Ogryns! These guys have been around for a long time, and they never seem to get much credit. This article aims to address that injustice.

A Bit Of History

eavy metal ogryns

When Games Workshop initially set out the outline of humanity in the Grim Darkness of the far future way back in 1987, they took into account that 38,000 years is a long time and that evolution might have a hand in changing a few things. True, actual evolution is more something that occurs over millions of years rather than mere millennia, but what with all the nonsense happening between here and then (and wanting to port Ogres over from Fantasy), we can take it as read that there may have been some acceleration involved.

Ogryn Champion

This was the first ever Ogryn (called an Ogryn Champion) and along with Ratlings and Squats, they made up the Abhumans (a early 1980s punk band name if ever I heard one). When I started researching this article, I was amazed that Ogryns have had models since almost the very start of this game but that guy above comes all the way from 1989, which puts him up there with some of the game’s legends in terms of longevity. More appeared either side of the 1990s and Bob Olley’s early sculpts inspired their looks for years to come.

andre

I also like to think this guy had something to do with it. Andre the Giant was huge back then (you know what I mean) starring in The Princess Bride and the WWF (for you youngsters, the WWF became the WWE). If any superstar inspired the look of Ogryns in any way, my bet’s on 7’4″ Andre.

Ogryns have had a number of releases over the years, and their look has changed a lot too (more on that later). I loved the mid-nineties release but I could only one find one image of the Eavy Metal ones online (at least I think it’s them – kudos to the artist if not) but I fondly remember their big square bases and hefty Ripper Guns. Nowadays though, you have more options for weapons, and you can even have the extra tough tough, heavy armoured Bullgryns too.

2nd ed ogryns

Let’s Get Fluffy

When humanity took to the stars, they settled on many different worlds, and when said worlds were harsh and barren, there evolved Ogryn. They’re not the sharpest tools in the box (think lump mallet instead of scalpel) and they tend to smell atrocious given that the world’s they come from aren’t really abundant with spas, beauty parlours, deodorant or even ground water to wash in. It’s not like they can nip down the chemist to pick up a can of Brut.

old ogryns

They are also huge, tough and very strong, making them excellent recruits for the Astra Militarum (which is good because many abhumans are just killed for being genetically heretical but usefulness is a good bargaining chip with the powers that be). Put a ripper gun or grenade launcher in their club like hands and watch them run unflinchingly into enemy fire, assured in their minds that as they will be bigger than everything else, nothing else can hurt them. This, unfortunately, is not true. And when they do encounter something bigger than them, they tend to trample to death the poor Commissar or psyker who is valiantly following them into battle. Most notable of all fighting Ogryn is the irrepressible Nork Deddog. Loyal to a fault, unusually intelligent for an Ogryn (he can count higher than 2), Nork is one of the Imperial Guard’s true heroes and one of their few genuinely likable characters.

nork deddog

Those Ogryn that don’t take to the battlefield can be found working heavy machinery and doing the heavy lifting in Manufactorums, Imperial Cruisers or anywhere where your average human can’t (or can’t be bothered to) lift something very heavy. It’s not a glamorous life for an Ogryn, but Ogryns don’t really care about glamour so they seem to be fine with it.

Time To Talk Tactics

Screenshot 22:10:2015 17:27

The term ’Meat Shield’ gets bandied about a lot in this hobby but these guys are pretty much the ultimate meat shields (because there’s so much meat). Bullgryns even make pretty good meat shields for tanks given their sheer size and their big shields (add camo netting to you AM tanks, roll ‘em up behind a wall of Bulls and that cover save becomes pretty useful).

That is just one facet of their usefulness though. Bullgryns are pretty useful with their good saves and hammer of wrath attacks. Smash them into smaller units of ork boys or assault marines/raptors and watch them clean house. Alternatively, stick them in a transport (and again, around the transport) with your boss HQ and you can really upset your opponent if he’s going for Slay The Warlord objective by sucking up all those wounds.

ripper gun

For Ogryns though (rather than Bullgryns) it’s a sadder story these days. Between the Bulls and all of the Astra Militarum’s available allies, there just isn’t much call for them at the moment. If you do want to take some, bring a Psyker too and try to get them into assault as quickly as possible, in front of other units. Again, they can suck up wounds and if they make it, they can still do a bit of damage too. Other than that though, there are better options out there.

If Looks Could Kill…

early ogryns

Ogres. As said earlier, it was any easy port, and some of those earlier sculpts were essentially just Ogres in 40k boxes and blister packs. But the lasting image of Ogryns (for me at least) comes from the 90s when they looked like a cross between Andre The Giant and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in Predator. Their hulking frames put them head and shoulders above Space Marines and you could easily imagine one of them having a fist fight with Deff Dred. I’m not such a fan of the newest sculpts but they still have some of that brutishness about them.

Ogryn illustration

Their stupidity also comes through the sculpts. The small forehead and larger jaw puts one in mind of a neanderthal. They conjure up images of those scary guys in the pubs you don’t go into unless you know you’re a local. The guys who can drink 12 pints and if someone were to punch them on tuesday they’d feel it on thursday afternoon. They exude toughness, and brawn, and a complete lack of brains.

forge world ogryns

We should also mention the amazing work Forge World have done with Ogryns. From the Plague Ogryns of Vrax, to Renegades and even the new Solar Auxilia guys, Games Workshop’s sister company has reimagined these hulks in brilliant ways and extended their appeal to many.

Ah, The Memories…

An Ogryn once almost got me kicked out of GW Reading, back when in was located back on Cheapside all those years ago. One of my earliest “conversion” jobs was to take the base of a shokk attack gun, glue about 25 lasguns all over it, and then mount it on an Ogryn. The guy in the store who worked for GW (who wasn’t that nice anyway) got unusually upset when I tried to shoot at his orks with 25 lasgun shots. I’m sure he was sick of dealing with brats like me all day (was about 11 at the time I think), but in that case, maybe working there wasn’t the best idea. Anyway, I shall ever remember that Ogryn. I might even try to recreate it one day. 😉

old ogryns

In Conclusion

Ogryns have survived where other abhumans have not, and I hope they continue to do so. From the lead minaitures of the Rogue Trader era to the latest box set, they’ve been whooping butts from Terra to the Ghoul Stars and back again for a long time. Where so much of the oddness and unnecessary variety that makes this game so fun has gone from the shelves, these guys are still at the Imperium’s front lines, doing the heavy lifting and firing their ripper guns into the massed enemy ranks. Long live the Ogryns, those glorious, hulking idiots. Onwards!

Titan Update 2 – No Longer Legless!

Posted by johnnya10 on 13/10/2015
Posted in: My Painting and Modelling. Tagged: . 4 Comments

If you’d forgotten that I was working on my first ever titan, a Warhound no less, then rest assured that I haven’t forgotten. How could I forget? My entire work bench is taken up with the damn project, but after a couple of weeks, I can finally show you my legs (saucy), so here they are!

warhound titan legs

Although these spindly, bird-like legs don’t look like much at the moment, it should be known that most parts of the kit are in these legs. This has not been easy by any stretch of the imagination and on more than a couple of occasions, I was convinced that I had bitten off more than I could chew with this project. I was actually scared of going further a couple of times for fear that I’d botch it. Combine that with a very busy schedule of late, and this has already taken longer than I would have liked. However, I have learned a couple of really big, important lessons that I would like to pass on to anyone else thinking of trying to build one of these. Firstly…

They’re Very Posable, But Not That Posable

Remember the old adage ‘measure twice, cut once’? This has been recanted by craftsmen for centuries to ensure that dramas are limited and quality is assured. I myself try to make sure of this and when I initially set up the legs, I followed this rule. Despite this, I found out the hard way (post JB Weld stage) that even though I worked out the angles for my legs perfectly, I didn’t think of the pistons. In its first incarnation, its stance was much more that of a stalking hunter. It was, in fact, modelled after these guys…

stalking lions

Stalking lions look so menacing and sneaky when they’re prowling towards their prey, and I imagined my Warhound, skulking behind smoke and buildings, waiting to pounce on its quarry. Those long, outstretched forelimbs leading forward just look so cool in a predatory sort of way. Alas, the peripherals of the legs simply wouldn’t allow this and so, despite my best efforts, I had to break one leg apart and start again. That was particularly stressful. The lesson here is to remember those pistons and extras when setting up your original pose.

Speaking Of Pistons…

Don’t talk to me about pistons. I hate pistons. I never want to have to assemble another Warhound titan piston ever again. How many are there, you ask? Well, each foot has nine (three in each front facing toe), then each ankle has five each. There’s a double one in the knee, one in each thigh and three at each hip, leading us to a grand total of 40 (well, 38 really as the knee is a double piston rather than two separate ones, but still!). And each one comes in two separate pieces and you can’t just put them together and glue them in. Oh no. You have to cut them down to size. 40 pieces cut to size to fit into 40 other pieces. That is not fun. Actually sticking them to the lower limbs is a whole other nightmare.

titan pistons

Thankfully, Forge World do provide you with a few spares which was is awesome, but even then, the stress of getting it wrong and cutting too short is a real fear. Oh, and typically, there are mould lines on each one that need to be removed, and, even though you look at them for ages to ensure they aren’t in any way bowed, one or two will get through your net and you won’t notice until everything is glued into place that there’s just something slightly off about one or two of them. It drives you nuts.

Get All The Tools You Need before You Start

Want to see how you cut the flash from the groin-piece of a Warhound titan? This is how:

sawing the groin

That is a coping saw. I didn’t own a coping saw when I started this (well, I thought I did but I couldn’t find it…) so I had to buy one such saw because this chunk of resin is attached to its flash by something about the thickness of a banana. You will need all the materials for pinning big bits too. The legs have six, large pins in them just to support the stupidly strong JB Weld epoxy. This is the outlay I was talking about in the last post, but I thought I’d show you it in action.

Those are the key lessons from this part of the project that you need to know about. If I save one of you even a bit of stress when building one of these things, my job here will be well done.

But Wait, There’s More!

That’s not all I’ve been doing! Lots more has been going on besides just putting the legs together. For a start, I’ve also been having some fun with magnets. I picked up some neodymium magnets which are loads of fun as they tend to fly around and stick firmly to almost everything metallic (which is even funnier when your bench is made of metal). I got some 2x19mm magnets, (and some 3x5mm) and they will be used to hold key bits together to allow for better transport options and posing.

big magnet

So far, I’ve used one big one on the groin/torso attachment part, and there’s also a big one and a small one on the foreward foot to help it stay steady on the base. I’ve also drilled holes for six pins that will also fix it to the base (which you can see above – a donation gratefully received from Henry South who thought it would be big enough for his Warlord Titan (the mad fool)) and I’m hoping that will be enough.

promethium pipeline box

This will also be a key part of the base – the promethium relay pipes kit from GW. It looks really cool, however I have to say, like other China-produced GW kits, it’s not quite as crisp as what comes out of Nottingham. The details are a little dull, but once painted, you can see from the box that this is barely noticeable. And my Titan is going to be stomping right through it.

Lastly, it should be known that my paintbrush has not been sitting idly by. Far from it in fact. I’ve started testing out the freehand style that I want to employ on the Warhound and these are the initial results:

painted shin titan guards test

While I’m very happy with the style and the techniques used/effects realised, the illustration itself needs work. Thankfully, you get four shin guards in the box (more spares from FW!) so I’ll keep this one for reference and have another go using one of those. For those interested, this scene was taken from Bruegel the Elder’s The Triumph of Death, painted in the 16th Century. You can find out more about the artist and the painting here.

Right. That’s enough for this update. It’s getting late and there’s a lot more to do. Basing, painting, building the body… this is going to keep me going for a long time. Stay tuned for further updates. Onwards!

How I’d Fix CSM – What I’d Like To See In A New Codex

Posted by johnnya10 on 06/10/2015
Posted in: Thoughts and Comment. Tagged: . 4 Comments

chaos star

With Dark Angels and Tau getting recent rereleases, can the ever evil Chaos Space Marines be far behind? As a long time dedicated servant of the Dark Gods, I have a few ideas of what I’d like to see in the new book. These are not necessarily improvements that would turn the CSM into a tournament lock, but rather these additions would make them competitive, dangerous, and force them to live up to their own fluff as “the greatest threat”.

When I look at what Chaos Space Marines can do now, it makes me sad. Yes, there is one competitive build in the book, but that is hardly befitting of the greatest enemy of mankind. If the 13th Black Crusade campaign was run now, Abaddon’s finest wouldn’t make it out of the Eye, and if they did, they would live just long enough to hear their loyalist cousins laughingly shout ‘Grav, lol’ before being beaten back into the Empyrean. They need some help, and not knowing what the higher powers in Nottingham have up their sleeves in terms of new units, this is essentially my wishlist. I’m not saying points wouldn’t have to be upped or anything like that, but I think that with my prescribed improvements, CSM could be as great a threat on the tabletop as ever they were. Here goes…

  1. Mutilators That Can Do Something

The CC variant of Obliterators should be able to do more than just turn up and get shot to pieces. Such a great idea deserves far better rules and so here’s my idea: Mutilators get to assault the turn they deep-strike. It’s as simple as that. Make a rule and call it ‘Unrelenting Slaughter’ (or something like that) and give them the ability charge straight into the melee as soon as they pop up. These monsters need to be able to do more than just appear and get shot. Wouldn’t it be crazy if people actually took them!?

Mutilator2. Bile At His most Vile

Fabius Bile is such a cool character and yet people think of him as a ‘tax’ if they want to take his enhanced Chaos Space Marines. So why not have him as being able to confer FNP to any unit he joins? It’s not a huge leap (he is/was an apothecary), but maybe make the Rod of Torment more than a walking stick too, so that he can hold things up in CC as well, and he’d be a beast. Imagine him leading a group of 20 cultists, giving them that extra saving throw and being able to reliably take on challenges. Pretty sweet, eh?

bile

3. Initiative Means Nothing To Noise Marines

Giving Noise Marines an extra point of initiative is, well, a bit pointless. Ok, so you field them with close combat weapons but then they’re not really Noise Marines, are they? Find a fluffy way of giving them +1 ballistic skill instead and they’d be terrifying. All those sonic blasters and blastmasters hitting even more would make them truly devastating. And while we’re at it, give them a box set to have in stores as well!

4. Give Them Access To Knights

Yes, Khorne have their own big ugly guy with loads of huge guns, but what about the rest of the ruinous powers? We’ve seen corrupted Knight Households in the fluff, so let’s have them in the game too. I know Forge World have their own, but one in the codex will make things all the better for Chaos. A couple of unique weapons wouldn’t go amiss either.

Dios Toros - Slaaneshi Imperial Knight

5. A Chaos-Specific Land Raider Variant 

For any power-armour clad force, the Land Raider is still the pinnacle of transport with strong armour and firepower, and yet, while the loyalists get access to the Crusader (such a great tank), the traitors are still relying on their Twin-linked Lascannons to make a difference. It’s not a bad tank, but it’s not great, and for the points cost, you want something better than ‘meh’. How about a Land Raider sporting quad reaper cannons? Or some warp-born plasma nastiness? It would set them apart and lift them up at the same time. Winner.

Chaos_Land_Raider

6. Speaking Of Vehicles…

Marks for vehicles would be such a win. I was thinking of the Vindicator when I dreamt this up but this could work with all the others too. Imagine a Vindicator that had a main weapon that had a Poison profile for Nurgle, 2x the shots for Khorne, Vortex for Tzeentch and some sort of sonic boon for Slaanesh? Ok, so that’s not a perfect system, but getting something for a couple of extra points per mark would give these guys so much flavour.

7. Lucius Being Actually Eternal Would Be Nice

In his fluff, it says he never dies, so how about, any unit that kills Lucius, after a turn of him not being there he comes back as a random member of their squad? It fits with what he’s meant to be like, and would make him a truly formidable HQ choice. Kill him before turn 4, and you’re going to suffer.

8. Grav. Just Grav

It’s the hot weapon at the moment, and the CSM deserve to have it as well. If you’re rocking Power Armour, you want this in your arsenal because, in many cases, it is the only way to stay competitive. And if they can’t have Grav for whatever reason (like they couldn’t nick it off someone?!) give them access to something fun like Volkite weaponry. That’s old, and Ad Mech already brought the rules over from 30k, so why not? It fits!!

Grav-Gun

9. Chapter Legion Tactics

Chapter Tactics have been a great addition to the Space Marine book, so why not add them to the Chaos book? All vehicles in an Iron Warriors army get It Will Not Die. A Night Lords army can take Raptors as troops and all vehicle units gain Outflank. These are just ideas but you could get some real fun and flavour added into this book by just adding this simple mechanic.

10. Forgefiends Need More Options

I never see these guys getting any table time (which is a shame given that it’s a pretty cool looking model). Maulerfiends get a little more action (a little more) but these guys are MIA and they’ve only been around in one codex! The plasma shots are as fraught with danger as any other, while the assault cannon shots are just underwhelming. Give them Grav arms, or missile/D-weapon options and they might crop up a little more. 

maulerfiend

And that’s it (like that isn’t a huge ask). To make playing CSM a treat and not a punishment (yes, it really feels like that these days) again, you’d only need to implement maybe 3 of these rules. It would add variation and bonuses that the CSM book is crying out for. I’m hoping that the delayed update from GW means they get something really special, but I’m not holding my breath. I just don’t want to see Cultist Blob/Drake Spam/Obliterator Spam as the only option going forward any more. It can be fun, but if you eat nothing but vanilla ice cream, it gets to be pretty boring before too long. Which is unfair because Vanilla is a great flavour. You just need some variation. Chaos needs its Tutti Frutti.  

There are a few other things I could add in here. Not having to issue/accept challenges being one of them, but I’m guessing ever long-term CSM players have their own ideas anyway. If you disagree with any of these, or have your own ideas, stick a comment below. If another ‘dex comes out soon, let’s hope we get some real rewards. Until then; Onwards!