Setting Some Painting Goals

So I haven't had much painting time this week, and all I've gotten done is the brown base coat on the next 5 horrors.  I use the brown as a base coat for the bone and the gold bits.  It is so slow going, but that's what I get when I have 4-5 layers per color I suppose.

It has been just over a year since I started in on this Thousand Sons army and it is nowhere near being done.  At one point I had hoped to have it done by this past summer.  There have been plenty of distractions.  I spent a ton of time 'redoing' my Templar to be a drop pod force.  I've revamped a bit of my orks as well.  I even painted a bit of Tau along the way.  But now I feel like I need to get serious.  I really want to dig into my Lizards, but before I do I am going to FORCE myself to get an 1850 list painted first.

This means I basically have to finish my horrors, the DP, 3 Rhinos, 2 Preds, 3 oblits, and 5 Termies.  Damn that looks like a lot.  Let me see if I can set some reasonable goals.

October- Finish the horrors.  The first 6 should be wrapped up this weekend.  That leave 12 more for my 2x9 squads.  I'd like to think now that I've got a process going I can finish them.  I also have my 8 Bolters that I've replaced for my 2nd squad of sons that I need to knock out here as well.

November- Rhinos, Predators.  These already have the 'bulk' painted with the airbrush.  So really what I need to do here is get all the details flushed out and figure out exactly how to make these look nice and tight.  I think I can do that all in Nov.

December- Daemon Prince, Oblits.  The Daemon Prince also has been hit by the Airbrush.  I'd like to think I can knock out this model in 2 or 3 solid sittings but we'll see.

The oblits are something I'm still chewing on as well.  I really now am regretting buying the 3 metal oblits.  Instead I really am liking the idea I have seen other 1ksons players do which is use the Termie Lord/Sorc to model unique Sorcerers as Oblits.  Cost ends up about the same but I already have these models.  I suppose I could ebay them but that's kind of a pain too.  So we'll see how I roll with that.

January- Terminators.  5 guys, lots of details but should be ok to get done in a month period.

I think that looks reasonable.  I'll have to force myself to not get distracted but there is some room for some fudging in there as well.  If I can keep myself from starting on the Lizards or going back to paint up stuff for other armies this would be great to have ready for 1850 games (even though it might still suck).

Once that's done I can start on the Lizards.  They'll hopefully be much faster as I plan on using Army Painter so while it will look good it shouldn't (emphasis on shouldn't) take nearly as long.  It would be nice to get those both wrapped up before what sounds like a Tau August release.

Of course this could all be scratched for new plans tomorrow...

Back from Buisiness, Back to Painting

Back from being out for work all week and now slowing going through my Pink Horrors.  It's kinda sad that I split for a week and Liam knocked out 10.  I have one done to make sure I know what I'm going...

...and 5 more that are most of the way there.

I know I spend more time than he does per mini but his certainly look great from the pics anyway.  Such is life.

I had a game with Lizards last week but it wasn't much to speak of really.  I thought it was going to be a little different then well.. Teclis vs Lizards but I was wrong.  OH but I also got to start with about 900 points of my 2500 pt army (I think he had 150 pts off the table) thanks to my awesome deployment rolls.

I'm not going to say I didn't learn anything 'cause certainly I see mistakes I made.  Rules were learned.  But sadly it sucks that I have learned jack and shit about how Lizards are supposed to work yet from the previous three games really.  I think I'm just going to have to hold off on playing until I can get down the LGS and spend a night watching people or playing a pick up game or two.

Of course that wont stop me from rummaging through my bits to put together some, well... 'magic item holders' more than anything else.

Painting New Pink Horrors

I'm working on the horrors slowly.  I'm motivated to do them and while I should probably work on other bits I know when its better to just let the motivation take me when it comes.

So I figure I take a few pics of how I'm doing the flesh.  It's pretty simple, but it's also the first time I've actually mixed new pots of paint instead of just using the wet pallete.  Here are 5 different models in each different step.  I thought I could get a nice pic of them together to show the differences but the best I could do was the above and sadly it just looks more muted than they do in person.

After primering them white I hit it with Dwarf Flesh from the Airbrush.

Then it gets a wash of Baal Red.  My Baal Red is a little 'thick' from age, so it might be darker then if you cracked a new pot.

Now I've mixed a bit of Red Gore into one pot of Dwarf flesh.  This gives a dark pink that is lighter then the washed model.  I'm not drybrushing this, but instead just trying to paint anything that isn't recessed much.

Now I give a layer of straight Dwarf Flesh.  Obviously I'm trying to focus on the ridges and the like, but on bigger spots like the arms I'm trying to get it to blend with the darker tones.

Now I final mix of Dwarf Flesh with a bit of white.  This is supposed to be to brighten the final model up a bit.

So there you have it, not so bad right?  I figure I'll do up 6 guys flesh, then move on to the gold armor, black/purple tongue, eyes, feathers and flames.  That should keep them moving and intersting, and in 3 'sets' I'll have my 18 done.

A Solid 40k Weekend with Orks

So I decided to take the previously posted 1850 Ork list out for the long weekend of gaming.  I figured for the sake of not looking like a fool it was best to take my strongest list.  It did not disapoint.

Originally we were going to try to play every other player, meaning 7 games, but about midday on Sat and we realized this was crazy talk.  But with those intentions in mind we set off for random set ups and a healthy dose of wild mission/scenarios to start our weekend of gaming.

Game 1
First up for me was Han's IG.  His IG list is heavy mech with PSB, 2x3 of sentinals (one scout type and one of the other), 3 LRBT, and I think 3 vet squads in chims and one penal legion squad.  We had to deploy 1/2 our army into 1/6 of the board and another 1/2 in the other 1/6 on that long table edge.  The game was a single objective game where a comet would randomly come down and you were supposed to claim it.  In addition ALL movement was counted as difficult terrain.  Wild stuff.

He won the roll off and the game was stiff fighting from the get go as his first round of shooting was brutal, but every turn it seemed to ease up (and not because I was laying waste to units).  By the time the comet came down it had randomly landed in a good postion for me, so from that point on the game swung my way.  For one I had some boyz on his position, and two I could play defence around the comet.  So this became a win for me.

Game 2
The next game was up against Jason's bugs.  His list was something like an Tyrant with Gaurd, 3 Hive Gaurd, Swarmlord with 5 or 6 warriors, 3 Zoes in pod, 30 gaunts, 20 gaunts, Tervigon, 2 Venomtrhopes.  We played on a board that was PACKED with city type terrain.  The mission was 'Its a Trap' where you have to start one troop in the enemy deployment zone and the rest goes in Reserve.  The trapped unit is worth 3 kp and everything else was worth 1.  The deployment was a Triangle type deployment.  He won the roll and put up his 30 bugs, and I put up the shoota boyz.

I had lousy reserve rolls and he did not (the +1 for the Tyrant helped of course).  My lootas did nothing all game.  I didn't think I'd ever make it across the table to him and I was trying my damdest to not be the pouty poop head I wanted to be with how the cards seemed stacked.  I finally made contact on turn 4 and for the following two turns I did my damdest to stay in the game.  Had the game ended on turn 5 I would have won due to some amazing saves from Ghaz.  The game went to 6 and Ghaz and another unit went down, but I killed off one last unit (I think the Zoes) and I think the Venomthropes just barely eeked out alive.  This made the game a tie.

Game 3
I got a chance to play Andy's BA next.  Andy had super stars Meph AND the Sanguinor, 10 shooty Termies with all kinds of toys, 10 tacts combat squaded with a razor with Twin Heavy Bolters, 2 Assault squads, and one Sanguinary Priest (if I recall).   The game was 6 objectives that you simply had to touch with a scoring unit once to claim (then they could be claimed back by the enemy), but only fast attacl could start on the board.  I can't remember if there where any other whacky rules.  His termies and one assault squad got the red thirst.

This game kinda went south in the bell shape for Andy.  I got lots of reserves in and he came in far more piecemeal.  I actually had better long range shooting capability, and could probably have just squatted on three objectives and hoped for a tie.  But the game really took the worst turn when his 10 Assault Marines barely put a dent in the 20 shoota boyz on the charge.  I think the boyz were still over 1/2 strength when that combat final concluded 2 rounds later.  From there I moped up all his troops and even though he had termies and his heroes that could have probably raped most of my army he was never going to flip the 5 objectives I had already claimed.  Win for orks.

Game 4
Another Nid game but this one with Eric.  Eric's was only a bit different than Jasons.  Tyrant with Gaurd, 2x3 Hive Gaurd, 2 Zoes, 2 Tervigons, 2x 30 gaunts, Mawloc.  The game was kp but killing all the troops was worth 3 and killing all the HQs was worth 3.  The game was otherwise pretty normal with a Dawn of War deployment.  I went first and set up my 30 boyz forward on one flank and 20 shootas in cover in some ruins on another.  He put nothing out and let everything walk on turn one.

The first round was pretty meh as we both advanced.  On turn 2 my 30 boyz were able to engage with one of his 30 bugs squad and it was going ok.  He popped out some more bugs but one Tervigon doubled out.  His Mawloc went under.  Stuff advanced, and I think the Tyrant popped the Ard boyz wagon.

Turn 3 I took more shots and killed more small bugs, but I called the waagh and Ghaz assaulted the HT and Gaurd, Manz assaulted a Tervigon, and the Ardboyz were able to make it up to the big combat on the right flank dead.  haz was killing off Gaurd, and the boyz almost wiped the two bug squads on the flank.  On his turn his Hive Gaurd moved away and I think popped Ghaz's wagon, and the Mawloc scattered away from lootas doing no damage.  Ghaz remained in combat and the boyz wiped out the two bug squads.

On my turn lootas, kans, and buggies focused on the Mawloc but only did 2 wounds.  The shootas shot more small bugs.  The manz assaulted one Hive Gaurd squad and wiped them, the 8 or so boyz with nob assaulted the Zoes killing them, and the Ard Boyz assaulted the Tervigon and got tied up with them.  Ghaz started to take a few wounds now that he wasn't uber invulnerable.  On his turn his Mawloc charged the lootas but they stuck around, Ghaz held on with one wound, and the Tervigon and boys traded more swings.

Turn 5 for me and the lootas and shootas brought his second big bug squad down to 1 guy but couldn't kill him off.  The manz assaulted the secound Hive Gaurd and killed them.  The Tervigon held on and so did my lootas.  Ghaz finally died.  On his turn the Mawloc finally killed the Lootas and the HT walked up to start killing Ard Boyz, but I think the Ard boyz killed the Tervigon here also.

In the end he had 1 gaunt, his HT with one Gaurd, and the Mawloc, and I had killed both hive gaurd squads, both Tervigons, 3 spawned bug squads, 1 gaunt squad, and the Zoanthropes.  Somewhere in there he had killed my KFF Mek, Ghaz, 1 Lootas squad, and both BW.  Even with the bonus points for killing all my HQs it was 9-8.  I don't think we even realized how close it was, or maybe my memory is hazy on the game... lord knows there was enough booze consumed.  Maybe it was only 2 points for killing the HQs for 9-7, or maybe one wagon lived. I thought it was a fun game, but I know there was some rounds where Erics rolls were totally amazingly bad ('oh look 5 ones, again') and it certainly FELT like it had been the rape of the bugs.  Had the game gone on he might have routed my Ard boyz, but I would have easily killed his last Gaunt giving me a bigger win for killing all the troops (even if the Mawloc could have reached something which I don't think it could have).  Either way it was a win for the orks, that much was clear.

By this point people were wiped out from all the 40k.  Looking at the totals for each player (3 pts for wins, 2 pts for ties, 1 pt for losses) we realized even if we squeezed one more game out Jason and I would be first and second and we were tied for points and 3 points over everyone else.  So the group decided we had to play AGAIN and on top of that they pulled all the mission and rules for us.

Game 5
At least this time we had a good board, pretty much a mixed up version of the first board I had played.  The depoyment was the one were you draw the line from oppistie corners and have a 24" dead zone in the middle.  The game was kill points but you got 2 kp for each scoring unit that ended in your opponents zone.  You also got 3 'fate dice' that you could use to reroll any single dice, but then your opponent could name any of your unit on the table and they would become a 2 kp unit.

It was long.  It was brutal.  It was full of mistakes on both our parts as we were exhausted and, well, pretty much inebriated also.  Jason forgot to fire at least 5 times, and also ran a unit he once meant to charge.  I horrendously moved up Ghaz's wagon thinking I would do an awesome combi flame (going so far as rolling and making Jason pull bugs) only to realize the wagon had suffered a shaken result the turn before and having to have him put bugs back and leaving the wagon in horrible position.

The game went on and on to the say the least.  A few people left, a few went to play kill teams and on it went.  All the way to the end of 7.  In the end all he had left was hit Tyrant, Gaurd, and Hive Gaurd.  I had lost my shootas, 1 lootas, both wagons, the Manz, and Ghaz.  That alone would have been a win for me at 8-6.  Jason had also used 2 of his fate dice (they both happend to FAIL on him also for extra insult) and I had gotten two bonus points for his Zoes and Pod.  Lastly I had conga lined my sluggas into his deployment zone.  We weren't really sure if the unit was supposed to be all the way in the deployment zone of if it just worked like an objective where a single guy would do.  Either way it would be a win 12 or 10 -6.

It was just about as tiring to write that all as it was to play it.  Or maybe I'm just recovering.  I did squeeze a kill team game in with Han.  I'd never played and just taken lots of boyz, he used Daemons.  He killed them bad.  So the orks did take a loss this weekend, but it seems pretty minor compared to the 5 games of slaugher that put them on top for the weekend.

The next day we played a huge 3000 pt planetstrike game (another first for me) but I'll save that for another post.

1850 Friend Event, Possible list for Amries

So this weekend there is a gathering of guys that I've met while playing in the LGS.  They're having a get together for 1850 and it will be cool to play on some new boards with some new folks I haven't played.

Of course with a full weekend of gaming the big question is, as always, what army to take?  It isn't a tournament per se so I don't need to be fully painted, though obviously that is always my preference.  Also while there are no prizes or what not there is always pride and bragging rights, so it's not like I want to go and just get beaten into a pulp game after game.

So what could I put out there.

Tau
Shas'El MP/Plasma, HWMT, TL
2xCrisis MP/Plasma, HWMT
2xCrisis MP/Plasma, HWMT
2xCrisis MP/Plasma, HWMT
6 Firewarriors
10 Kroot, 7 Hounds
10 Kroot, 7 Hounds
8 Pathfinders, Devilfish, DP, TA, HWMT, SMS
2x Piranha, 1x TL, 1x DP, 2x Fusion, 2x TA, 1 Seeker
2x Piranha, 1x TL, 1x DP, 2x Fusion, 2x TA, 1 Seeker
2x Broadsides w/ A.S.S., 1x Team Lead, TL, Drone Control, 2x Shield Drones
Hammerhead, Railgun, DP, SMS, TL, MT
Hammerhead, Railgun, DP, SMS, TL, MT

I know, I know... I'm always disappointed with Tau but (as I've said before) I just don't play them enough to refine or find the groove.  This list is certainly troop light and high on KP, but I'm really dying to see how it would do.  The question is if it sucks will I beat myself up for taking what might be my least competitive list?  Or would it finally give me satisfaction to have gotten lots of games in with Tau to put my mind at ease (be it a good list or just retired until a new codec)?

Chaos Space Marines
Daemon Prince, Wings, Warptime
3 Terminators, 3 Combi Meltas, 1 Chainfist
8 1ksons w/ Icon, Asp Sorc WT, MB in Rhino
8 1ksons w/ Icon, Asp Sorc WT, MB in Rhino
10 CSM, 2 Plasma, Icon of Glory in Rhino
9 Lesser Daemons
9 Lesser Daemons
3 Oblits
Pred Autocannon/ LasSpons
Pred Autocannon/ LasSpons

Like the Tau list this would be unpainted and another 'does this work?' list that is pretty untested.  I've never used lesser Daemons nor regular CSM.  Most of these changes have been brought about by the pounding I received from bugs.  I'd have to proxy in some templar for the CSMs and while I'm sure it isn't the end of the world, maybe I would be better served trying this out for some one off games rather than a weekend of gaming.

Orks
Ghaz
Mek, KFF
9 Lootas
9 Lootas
17 Shoota boyz, 2 BS, Nob PK/BP
26 Slugga boyz, 3 Rokkits, Nob PK/BP
18 Ard boyz, Nob PK/BP
3 Manz, 2 combi in BW BS, Armor, Rolla, Grot Riggas
Rokkit Buggie
Rokkit Buggie
3x Kans w/ KMB
BS, Armor BS, Rolla

Its tried, its true, its painted, and it is just tempered down from my last 2k event.  It is probably my most competitive army and list, and I've played it enough to know what it can and can't do.  The only army I've played more in 2010 is my Templar.

Black Templar
Champ, AACNMTO
Marshal, Terminator Armor, TH/SS
Marshal, Iron Halo, Twin Claws, Terminator Honors
Dread, Venerable, HF, MM, Armor, Smoke, Pod
Dread, HF, MM, Armor, Smoke, Pod
5 Initiates, PF/Melta, 1 Neophyte, Pod
5 Initiates, PF/Melta, 1 Neophyte, Pod
5 Initiates, PF/Melta, 1 Neophyte, Pod
6 Initiates, PF/Melta, 1 Neophyte, Pod
6 Initiates, PF/Melta, 1 Neophyte, Pod
6 Initiates, PF/Melta, 1 Neophyte, Pod
Speeder MM/HF
Speeder MM/HF

A modified version of my last 1850 list, with the cut in Deathwinds for more troops and a more 'killy' 3rd HQ.  This falls somewhere between the 'competitive' orks and the other two 'less/untested' lists.  This list is more of a refinement of previous Pod Templar lists I've run than anything else.  I'd have to use a few proxies (short 1 fist and 1 melta) and use my paper drop pod, but I think both would be acceptable by the crew going.

There are good chances of someone else bringing CSM , and maybe a slim chance of Ork showing.  So Tau and Templar would be 'unique', though I still think Tau will be soundly beaten over and over.

More work, some better pics

I had a good clip of Monday (yay for Labor Day Holiday off work) for hobby stuff as the wife and child ran out to the ranch to hang out with the inlaws.

So I went out to the garage, hooked up the airbrush, and went to town on the Pink Horrors.

While I was out there I also hit that second squad of 1ksons down with clear coat.  This is the first time I've used a gloss coat first (which I beleive will give better protection that the dullcoate) befoe hitting them again with the dullcoate.

Since I was out in the garage I was able to clear a space for my 'light box' area I have makeshifted together.  Amazingly the pictures look much better than usual!

I couldn't decide what picture was better so, hey, there's two.

So I'm happy with it all.  The gloss coat doesn't seem to make it much different once the dullcoate is applied over it.  Here's a guy from the first squad next to one of the gloss/dullcoated guys.

In addition I sat down and painted the three magnetized books that I'm using as Icons for theses guys.  They are horribly small and I had more trouble than I thought with some of the details.

I'm not totally thrilled with the pages, particularly the right page.  I decided on black for the corner bits, but I'm wondering if I should have just layered on some other ink to bring out those details.  I might go back over those later, but for now  it'll do.

Now I'll keep plugging away on the horrors.  I think I'll start with just 5 of them to see if I can get a methodology of how I want to do them.  I'll probably just try to follow similar steps to how GW lays it out on their website.  So far I've just got the 5 with the first wash of Baal Red.  We'll see how it goes this week...

A Bit of Chaos

So trying to ease back into doing some painting and modeling this week.  However there's two oth things that are keeping my 'hobby time' from getting a ton done.  First:

I've already beat the campaign on normal, but I felt it needed another play through on hard.  I haven't even tried to get online with friends yet.

The second:

In 6 days I've finished the first two 'books' of this Omnibus.  I can just not put it down.  It took me over two months to motivate myself to get through Mechanicum.  I couldn't get into it, and I have liked everything else from McNeil.  But Gaunt and his ghosts have me burning through the chapters.  I know the opinion of the back half of the book has been set low by a few friends but the first half was fantastic.

That not withstanding I've found a little time to get back to the 1ksons.  This is the second set of 8 with the final touch up work.

So I"m feeling pretty good and like I've made another big landmark.  Of course somethings still missing...

Yes the bolters are off them still.  I left them off to make them easier to paint.  I've already primered and basecoated the bolters.  Then I set them... aside... somewhere.  DOH.  Now I can't find them anywhere.  I've gone through every hobby bag, every desk, every place I can possibly think, and I'm still coming up empty.  The only thing I can think is maybe when I was cleaning a work area I dumped them.  I've done stupid things like this before but it seems like a stretch but I have no other ideas.

Of course it isn't the end of the world.  6 of the bolters are normal chaos bolters and 2 are metal that are kinda neat with some tzeentch/sons icon on them.  So I'll keep my eyes open for a few weeks around but likely I'm just going to eventually pick up some bitz to finish these guys off.  Not like I'm taking the whole army off to a tournament any time soon.

I also put together the 20 horrors I picked up when they came out a few weeks ago finally.

The models are quite nice.  The arms can pretty much fit on any body so you are bound to have lots of different looking guys.  The plastic itself has lots of detail and I think these had the most minor mold lines of plastics I've seen so far.  It was a real pleasure to put these guys together.

I debated whether I would put them on these bases as I still want to use the same resin bases on them as well.  However, like with my terminators, I've decided I'll paint them on these bases them pop 'em off and hope that doesn't chip off too much paint.

I also seriously thought about dipping these guys (as I plan on getting Army Painter stuff shortly for my lizardmen) but I think instead I'll do my best to work on a good wash/blend going on them instead.

Tomorrow I'll probably try to paint up the icons I have for the 1ksons, then hit those guys up with some clear coat, and maybe I'll get a base coat of paint down on the horrors.