Final Blood Angels Test Model

Todays post centres on my final Blood Angels test mode which I've been working on this week. My goal was to reach a point where I had tested and documented the main steps in the process I will follow to paint my Blood Angels.

The process steps are detailed below:

Undercoat

• Airbrush Vallejo black. 
• Airbrush Vallejo grey (zenithal highlight) 

Basecoat

• Airbrush GW Air Mephiston Red 
• Airbrush GW Air Evil Sunz Scarlet (zenithal highlight) 
• Paint details with GW/Vallejo base paints 
• Paint base with GW Steel Legion Drab. 
• Paint lighter areas of base with mix of GW Steel Legion Drab + GW Skull White 
• Pick out individual details on base with base colours 
• Apply gloss varnish 
• Apply decals 
• Seal decals 

Shade

• Apply brown/black oil wash to model and base 
• Tidy up shade with white spirit 
• Apply washes of thinned GW Steel Legion Drab mixed with earth coloured weathering powders to recesses on the base and lower areas of the model 

Highlights

• Highlight details on the model 
• Dry brush base with various earth coloured paints e.g. GW Tallarn Sand 
• Tidy up base 

Seal

• Vallejo Satin varnish

This process has been formulated from techniques observed on Youtube and from within the ForgeWorld Modelling Masterclass Volume 1 book. The scheme has been designed to combine elements of the Blood Angels livery from both 30K and 40K- hence the gold hand and other areas. Whilst the quality of the model isn't the highest (which wasn't part of my objectives), I feel as though I have sufficiently tested and learned enough about the scheme to move forward with starting on my army. The only tweak I will make is around the base. I didn't water down the GW Steel Legion Drab enough and so the base isn't to the quality I am trying to achieve (I want to get as close to the base on my Contemptor Dreadnought as possible- as it looks awesome!).

Next up I will be starting to work on my Blood Angels units... at last!

Black Crusade: Angel's Blade Limited Edition

After returning from my honeymoon, todays post covers the Black Crusade: Angel's Blade Limited Edition which I was lucky enough to pick up last month.

I've never been one for limited editions, preferring frugality over indulgence. However, this one peeked my interest and I'm very happy with it. The quality of the artwork, the extra objective markers, psychic cards and tactical objective cards is top notch... as you can see in the pictures below.

I'm currently 1/3 of my way reading through the narrative detailed in the book. Once completed I will focus on the formations and use them to help focus my efforts in building a suitable list. 

Contemptor Dreadnought Rebased

Todays post covers a rebasing of my Contemptor Dreadnought. I haven't been happy with the original base for a while now, and this week I wanted a quick and easy hobby project so thought I'd spend some time giving this model a more detailed base. I've included a comparison image of the old base... I hope you agree that the new one looks much better!

New Project?

If you cast an eye (or two?) over my recent blog posts it's no secret that my hobbying hasn't had much focus! I've chopped and changed between Blood Bowl, Blood Angels, a Land Speeder Storm and a box full of scenery. To add to this, over the past few weeks I have also found myself being tempted by Age of Sigmar.

I think its fair to state that AoS had a slow start but has nicely found its feet recently. Whilst on a day out to watch some cricket recently I visited Excelsior Comics and picked up a couple of classic White Dwarfs and the Generals Handbook. I'll post about the White Dwarfs at some point in the future.

Anyway, back to my point: So alongside AoS finding its feet and the purchase of the Generals handbook, I absolutely adore the recently released Sylvaneth! They are about as far removed from Power Armoured dudes as you could want... and I find that VERY appealing. Check 'em out:

Of course, this temptation brings with it a bucket load of hobbying guilt. I have a couple of Blood Bowl teams to paint (and some star players), a small Blood Angels force and enough scenery to keep me occupied until England next win the World Cup. I dont 'need' a new army... but why do I want it so badly? I'm not really one for giving in to the impulse buy for the new shiny so there must be more to it?!?

Well, I think the root of the matter is that AoS is a more accessible game... and I'm missing the fun of getting my models onto a board and rolling some dice. Whilst I love 40k, considering where I am in my life at the moment, AoS could be the a very sensible avenue for me to explore and allow more gaming opportunities (and when I say 'more', I mean 'any!').

I am currently working on a Human Blood Bowl team so, at the very least, I want to use this interest in the Sylvanth to help push me to complete this team and then maybe some further outstanding units. If this all pans out, my next post will cover a completed Blood Bowl team!

Damn You GW!

1 week from today I will be getting married... and as a result, finances have been rather tight. Which is fine; weddings and honeymoons cost money but are once in a lifetime events so should do!

But then GW go and put the Angels Blade up for pre-order today. Thanks GW*sigh*

Now, I'm not usually one for 'collectors editions' but if there was ever going to be one that I would buy, its this one. So... yeah, this morning I jumped on the GW webstore and placed an order. Oops!

Luckily my soon to be wife is very understanding and supportive of my hobbying so didn't get upset at this rather costly purchase just before our nuptials.

Result :)

I'll maybe do a post covering the contents once I'm back from Honeymoon.

Work In Progress: Blood Bowl Ocs and Humans

Today I want to cover some models in (another) 'work in progress' post. 

These two sets of models are the Ocs and Human teams from 3rd Edition Blood Bowl. I owned this back in the day (it was initially released in 1994) but somewhere along the way I sold the game on eBay. In 2014 I managed to find a well priced auction (on Ebay) so took advantage of the deal and picked up the game 

Since that point it has remained on my shelf; not getting the love it deserves! With ForgeWorld working on a new edition (due Christmas 2016 I believe), my motivation was rekindled so I dusted off the game and started to paint the models! 

The Human team had received a fairly basic paint job from the previous owner but the paint wasnt thick so I didnt bother to strip the models down. The Orc team was still fresh plastic. The first step, as is usually the case, has been to undercoated and base coat the two teams. Next, I'll start working on a team at a time (I'll probably tackle the Human team first) and will post an update when I have completed team(s) to show.

Dusting off 3rd Edition Blood Bowl

So after dusting off my Human and Orc Blood Bowl teams I was motivated to play a game so invited @bignerdbowski over for a match. 

Although I own the original Blood Bowl video game (which I didn't really like and as a result I didn't managed to complete a match!), it has been over 22 years since I last played a Blood Bowl match from start to finish. Needless to say, it was epic fun playing a game and I'm annoyed that I waited so long to reconnect with the game.

In the single match that we had time for, I played as Humans whilst my opponent played as Ocs. 'Back in the day' my team was Ocs so it was a new experience playing as squishy 'umans. Without going in to too much details of how the game played out... it finished 1-1. My opponent had an opportunity to score with a long bomb in the last turn but fumbled the throw.

Off the back of this match I have been trawling eBay and have picked up some Orc and Human star players. I'll get to work on these when the models arrive and I'll post updates at that point.

Bases!

After my experimenting with Blood Angels test model, this week I have mostly been experimenting with bases! The bases photo'd in this post all use GW texture/dry paint combinations and basing stones.

I haven't completely settled on which colour I will go with for my Blood Angels although I'm leaning towards the 'urban' Astrogranite/Longbeard Grey combination. I'm also not entirely certain whether I will use the texture paints as I found them quite hard to apply. no matter that decision, it has been very useful to built this suite of test bases. No matter which style I choose for the BAs, I will retain these testers for any future projects.

Blood Angels Test Models (2nd Set)

Last night I spent some time working on further Blood Angels test models. Following my post earlier this week, I wanted to spent some time experimenting with a technique which would be quicker to paint and could result in a higher standard of paint job! a.k.a. a win/win!

So, these three, roughly, follow the same base coating/washing process (with some slight differences on each model, which I cover below):

• Undercoated Black
• Airbrushed Mephiston Red
• Gloss Varnish
• Oil based Wash

Blood Angels Draft 1,500 point List.

Today I wanted to cover my draft BA list.

For this 'core' list I have focused on Blood Angels specific models and will try, when I get the chance, to play this as a fast attack, 'in your face' list. One main principle of this list is for the scouts to persue any difficult/remote/backline objectives and thusly call down the Terminators from Deep Strike to bolster their attacking or defensive requirements. The Death Company will arrive in the Storm Raven and so have a good range of options to get to where they are most required. I'll probably combat quad the Tactical Marines so I have 3 x units which can secure objectives and the Assault Marines can support the combat squad which doesnt enter the battle in the Rhino. Throw in the Blood Angels Chaplain with Jump Pack, a Sanguinary Priest & this list starts to feel very much inline how BA should conduct their battles.

HQ

Chaplain [90]
+ bolt pistol
+ jump pack [15]
= 105

Sanguinary Priest [60]
+ chainsword
= 60

Troops

4 Scouts [44]
+ 3× Space Marine shotgun
+ missile launcher [15]
+ 1 Scout Sergeant [11]
+ melta bombs [5]
+ teleport homer [10]
= 85

9 Tactical Marines [126]
+ grav-gun [15]
+ heavy flamer [10]
+ 1 Space Marine Sergeant [14]
+ power weapon [15]
+ inferno pistol [15]
+ melta bombs [5]
= 200
• Rhino
= 45

Elites

5 Death Company Marines [100]
+ power weapon [15]
+ power fist [25]
+ inferno pistol [15]
+ thunder hammer [30]
= 185

4 Assault Terminators [160]
+ 5× thunder hammer and storm shield [20]
+ company standard [20]

+1 Terminator Sergeant
= 290

Fast Attack

4 Assault Marines [68]

+ flamer [5]
+ hand flamer [10]
+ 1 Space Marine Sergeant [17]
+ power fist [25]
+ plasma pistol [15]
+ melta bombs [5]
= 145

Heavy Support

Stormraven Gunship [200]
+ side-sponson hurricane bolters [30]
+ extra armour [5]
= 235

Baal Predator [115]
+ flamestorm cannon
+ sponson heavy flamers [20]
+ storm bolter [5]
+ hunter-killer missile [10]
= 150

1,500 points

Alongside this list I have Commander Dante and a Lord Executioner as options. I will also (most likely) paint up my 30th Anniversary Space Marine as a Blood Angel and use him as part of the tactical squad... just for some added cheese!

In terms of modeling, I'm going to make these units as detailed as possible and replace 40k models, with 30k (Horus Heresy) equivalents, e.g. I will pick up the ForgeWorld Rhino instead of the GW Rhino.

There are a few of reasons for this approach:

1. the models look better!; 
2. Blood Angels were my first army: I feel drawn to many ForgeWorld models as they are based on the early incarnations of, for example, the Rhinos and Land Raiders, which I had back in the early 90's; and 
3. I want, where I can, to have units which could function both in 30k and 40k.

 It's going to be a little while until I can start this project without distraction as I want to complete my Space Marine Army first but I now have a solid list to which I can use to direct my hobbying activities over the next 12 months or so.

Blood Angels Test Model (1st Set)

I only have 2 or 3 models left to paint for the Space Marine army so I've started to cast my eye towards my next project, Blood Angels. These were my first army back in the early nineties so I have been itching to start this next project and I'm determined to do them justice by adequately planning the paint scheme and general aesthetic.

The first step in achieving this goal has been to paint up some test models. I experimented on 5 different models in total, using various colours, styles, methods but this model below is my favourite. For him, I followed  GW colours scheme for Blood Angels contained in the Sons of Sanguinius: Blood Angels Painting Guide as follows:

• Mephiston Red base coat
• Agrax Earthshade wash
• Evil Sunz Scarlet highlight
• Fire Dragon Bright highlight
• Ungor Flesh highlight

Out of this batch of test models, I found this scheme created the most striking looking marine, remained true to the Blood Angel colour scheme (I guess 'cos this is the GW scheme!) and  would be relatively easy to paint.

I now have to decide on base styles, weathering options and which units I want to purchase for my army. Fun times!

A Refined Evening Of Boardgames

Further to my last post about being up in York, whilst there we spent a quality evening playing these bad boys: Forbidden Desert, Ticket to Ride and Sushi Go!

Each provided different mechanics but all were very enjoyable to play. All have been covered by TableTop on Youtube so I have provided links to each of those videos below if you wish to learn more about the games.

Forbidden Desert was is a fantastic co-op game and blimey is the game tough. We played on novice difficulty and got spanked a few times before moving on to Ticket to Ride. 

Ticket to Ride is a great game! I admit to being biased as I won the game on the final turn (which has never happened to me, in any game I've played, before!). This aside, I found the mechanics and aesthetic of this game to be top drawer and very enjoyable.

Finally, we played a couple of rounds of Sushi Go! For such a simple game, it was awesome and was the perfect game to wind down on. very colourful cards, great mechanics and very easy to understand! 

All in all, it was a great evening of gaming. My other half now has Forbidden Desert on her list of board games to add to our budding collection.

Keeping It In The Family: The Great Scenery Rescue of 2016

On a recent holiday up to York to see a friend (who is taking a break from the hobby) & his family, I purchased his scenery collection. It's quite the collection, as you can see in the photo below, so wanted to cover it in a post.

After returning to the hobby in 2013/2014, I played my first battles against my friend at his house. As a result these pieces of scenery are quite close to my heart and remind me of some good times rolling dice and chilling out with my friend. During those weekends at my friends house, aside from facing off my Spare Marines against his treacherous Chaos army, we would spend time panting some of these pieces up. Hobbying is something most of us probably do alone so it was awesome to to sit outside (in the sun), drink beer and hobby with someone doing the same!

Due to the never ending battle between hobbying need and grown-up 'real life' needs my friend has since chosen to watch the hobby from the sidelines and has been looking to move on his collection of scenery. So, it would have been a shame for these to be lost to some lucky eBay punter and it's good that they are to remain within our hobbying 'family'.

My medium/long terms plan is to purchase a suitable gaming mat/board for use at home and it's at that point I will be able to use these items all all their glory. In the mean time I will give each piece a touch up; testing out some of the new skills I have picked up over the last few years. I'm especially looking forward to repainting the broken Aquilla piece in a marble paint effect (again taking advantage of a GW 2015 Advent Calendar video), adding some weathering to the Space Marine statue (using the technique described in this video tutorial by Tabletop Minions) and getting down and dirty with the Bastion (making it look suitably battered!).

X-Wing Pew Pew!

Something a little different today; a post about X-Wing.

In an effort to engage in table top gaming with friends, I have been experimenting with X-Wing from Fantasy Flight Games. It's a great game! Very accessible, cheap to get into (£25-£30 for the starter set), quick to learn and fun to play. the models are also of an excellent quality; but I assume this isn't news to a reader of a hobbying blog.

In the photo's below I was playing against as the Rebel Alliance and got absolutely trounced in the couple of games played! No matter the results, I thoroughly enjoyed the game system and have picked up the Force Awakens version of the starter & a 'starfield' gaming mat set since these photos were taken. I will probably focus on building a Rebel Alliance list and *may* experiment with repainting some of the models... although that activity certainly isn't high on my list as the models look pretty awesome as they are!

Work In Progress: Grimwrath Berzerker

Going a little rogue with this one... a Dwarf Age of Sigmar model!

I know, weird right! This model was purchased via a lucky dip in the Warhammer Bath store as part of their store birthday painting competition. Unfortunately I haven't been able to dedicate enough time before the competition entry deadline to complete the paint job. I will continue to work on him  when the mood takes me, and will post photos of the finished article when completed.

I haven't ever painted a Dwarf before so the large amount of skin/hair has (and will) pose a new set of challenges and expand my experiences.

Who Dares Wins, Rodney!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I ordered some Tempestus Scion heads for use on the Land Speeder Storm model I am currently building. These arrived this afternoon so this post covers what they look like 'in situ'. I haven't yet completed removing all of flash and mould lines so please excuse the messy plastic work in these close up photos. I hope you agree that they look pretty awesome and really do add to the aesthetic I'm trying to achieve with unit/model.

Work In Progress: Land Speeder Storm

Todays post covers another current 'work in progress'. This Land Speeder Storm model was my purchase from GW Barcelona store (link to my original post about visiting GW Barcelona here) a couple of years ago. I always wanted to pick up one of these so when faced with choosing something buy from the Barcelona store which wasnt too expensive and could easily be transported home, this was my choice.

So far, as you can see, the model is fully built aside from heads on the Scouts. Why is this you may ask? Well, the traditional GW scout heads look rather rubbish (in my opinion) and after spotting a scout model with an Tempestus Scion 'Beret' Head used (photo below) I knew that was the way I wanted to go. I think the head with Beret gives each scout a realistic military, Second World War S.A.S. vibe, which suits the Land Speeder Storm unit brilliantly.

Trying to push this a little further, I added as many little extra bitz/details onto the hull of the Land Speeder as I could. My goal is to recreate a 40k equivalent to the famous SAS Land Rover as seen below.

Carry on, what what....

Learning 7th & Getting a Spanking!

Before venturing out to the local club, or hosting games at my flat, I need to know the rules a bit better! Thanks to a very accommodating Fiancée I have recently been able to test out my knowledge on her. For this battle I played as Chaos space Marines using the models from Dark Vengeance, whereas my other half played Space Marines; a Terminator Squad and Captain in Terminator armour from my 'Light Knights' Space Marine army.

As you can see in the pictures, we used the X-Wing star field mat as the gaming surface and enhanced the battlefield with a couple of DVDs and candle holders as scenery. 

Obviously she gave me a spanking (tabling me in 3 turns) but it was great to run a small skirmish game and embed some of the basic rules around shooting and combat. Next I will re-run a similar size game but bring in some vehicles/psykers in order to expand my familiarity with those units/phases of the game.

Her Legion Praetor (aka Terminator Captain) wiping out a brave band of Chaos Cultist.

Me, deep in concentration, checking the rules!

My final Chosen model, surrounded. He didn't last very long...

Space Marine Librarian

Today I'm happy to present a finished Space Marine Librarian.

The early promise that this model would turn out to be my best didn't quite pan out. I'm still happy with the end result; I just didn't quite nail it.

Work In Progress: Space Marine Librarian

Today it's time for a 'WIP' post covering my Librarian. This guy is shaping up to be the model I have painted to the highest standard yet. I initially base coated with Macragge Blue with my airbrush and worked on each base coat before applying careful washes of Agrax Earth Shade, Nuln Oil and Reikland Fleshshade to each element. I am most pleased with the detail on the staff. The swirly line is probably the finest detail I have attempted to paint yet and so far it looks great! 

I will continue to work on this model during the week and aim to have completed the paint job by the weekend.

Space Marine Legion Praetor

I purchased the Legion Praetor models a couple of years back with a view to painting them up and using them in my 40k Space Marine army (mainly because they are stunning models!). As I'm coming towards the end of painting up units for my Space Marine army, I can focus on more of the independent character models I haven't completed and first up has been this guy. 

I'll use him as a HQ Terminator Captain in my army and want to acknowledge that the unit is from 30k, reflect this age of this amour and in doing so test out some weathering techniques. I have been a big fan of the Advent Calendar painting tutorial videos that GW posted on YouTube in December 2015 (if you haven't seen them; check them out here!) so I decided to follow the tips from the 'Chipping and Scratches' video to add a worn/battered look to the armour. The principle is quite basic and therefore straightforward; Using Rhinox Hide one paints narrow lines randomly across the armour, these were then follow this up with a highlight of Fensirian Grey underneath the Rhinox Hide lines. I don't feel like I applied enough of these lines to 'nail' the look but I'm generally happy with how the effect looks. On future miniatures I will focus on the application of the effect rather than worrying whether the effect looks suitable or not.

Space Marine Sternguard Veteran Squad

This weeks post covers a Sternguard Veteran squad. As is the case with all the newer Space Marine kits, these models are top drawer! Just a with the Vanguard Veteran Squad, these were a pleasure to build and paint.

Before I completed painting these marines, way back in 2014 I was able to deploy them during a couple of battles at Warhammer World. Delivered in a Drop Pod they were used to harass backfield units. I remember that they performed quite well and hopefully, now painted up, they will continue that trend!

I found the robes quite difficult to paint but I think they have tuned out quite well. I'm also not quite sure whether I prefer green eye lenses or red for marines with white helmets.

Salute 2016

After a few years of missing the event, this year I was determined to attend Salute in London. I'm very happy I did. Its a great day out for any hobbyist no matter your favourite gaming system. As its the year of my wedding, I set myself a strict budget for the day but I still managed to come away with various modelling bits and a couple of bargain! (like a built Blood Angels Death Company squad for £15). 

I think next year I will be able to take a bigger budget and full advantage of the offers from the various vendors. I will also consume the show better; by not buying anything until I haven't visited all the stalls and then go back to each stall to make purchases. For further info on Salute take a look at http://www.salute.co.uk/

To cap of what was a great day at Salute, I was also able to visit Brewdog and Bodeans in Soho for some epic beer and BBQ food! Oh and this was the day I won the painting competition!

Being a Lean, Mean Hobbying Machine... And Also an Adult!

For most of us (unless your name is Carl Tuttle [from the Independent Characters]!) hobbying, and specifically it's cost, needs to be considered in the context of our adult lives. e.g. if I spend £100 on a boxed game of Warhammer Quest, Betrayal at Calth, Renegade etc. what cool thing will I be unable to do with my partner, or what other more essential 'stuff' will I be unable to purchase.

As I've mentioned in a couple of posts, 2016 is the year I get married. Weddings and honeymoons are expensive. Not only is my monthly pot of 'spending 'money' smaller than it has been in the past, it will likely always remain that way as, ultimately, I need to pay my way and would prefer to have the ability to take my Fiancee/future Mrs. Banjo on surprise holidays (or more local adventures to the pub). The challenge which needs to be considered is, I am passionate about Warhammer... which as we know, is a rather expensive hobby... and it is much easier to buy models than dedicate the time required to prep/build/paint them.

Taking this (self imposed) limitation into consideration, and bearing in mind just how easy it can be to end up with a load of boxed models which will most likely remain in that state for years, I have recently taken to clearing out a lot of miniatures. The goal is to free up cash to fund my next project, Blood Angels and keep my hobbying back log 'lean'. This BA force, as with all that I undertake moving forward, will be of a smaller scale than my Space Marine army. For example, for Blood Angels I will focus on the fast attack/combat specialisation of that Chapter and will built a 1500 point (fluffy) list consisting of as many specialised Blood Angel miniatures as possible. I will cover my planned list in an upcoming post.

Interestingly, to co-incide (or maybe kick-start this clear out) with this action I watched a good video by TableTop Minions titles 'Dont Be A Warming Hoarder' (linked below) and whilst my backlog of models is much smaller than Atom Smasher's (host of the video), I can relate to the point he is raising. I guess the message is; be lean with you hobbying, be agile and don't waste money. This will be my mantra with hobbying from now on.

Having written all this, yesterday I was in Warhammer Bath and to be honest, I don't quite understand how I exfilled the store without a copy of Warhammer Quest under my arm.

The passionate mind is not logical... so lets see how these grand plans play themselves out shall we? :)

Space Marine Vanguard Veteran Squad

Whilst it has been a while since my last blog post, I have continued to expand my Space Marine army and have added some new completed units to its numbers. To be honest, since Christmas I have known that I will be getting a new camera so have waiting to post any new blog articles. Now I have it, on with the show!

 One of the units which has waited patiently for its time in the spot light is this Vanguard Veteran Squad. This unit was a pleasure to paint and is, in my opinion anyway, the best standard of painting I have achieved to date. I went with 2 x Thunder hammer/Storm Shield and 2 x Lightning Claw marines to give a bit of balance to the squad. 

I'm most pleased the Storm Shields and how the Relic blade on the sergeant turned out. The white helmets also turned out very well using (base) Celestra Grey -> (shade) Nuln Oil -> (layer 1) Ulthuan Grey -> (layer 2) White Scar .

Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower

I'm very excited by this release! I vividly remember washing my parents cars, cleaning out the garage and cutting the lawn in order to save up the £45 to purchase the original Warhammer Quest back in 1995. I then took some of the models away with me on the family holiday that year as I slowly made my way through painting up the many miniatures (and blimey there where loads!). I've also sunk about 35 hours into the iOS game! So, as you can probably tell, I quite like Warhammer Quest. 

This new, Age of Sigmar, version of the game looks to be brining back the basic concepts but with some added mechanics. I'm not certain whether I'll be able to pick this up on release day as the contents of my coin purse need to go towards paying for my wedding and honeymoon later this year, but we shall see!

I Won A Painting Competition...

As part of the 30th Annivery Space Marine events at the local GW store here in Bath, the manager was running a 'design your own space marine chapter' painting competition. Considering how I have been painting a home brew chapter for a while I wanted to paint up a model and enter it for consideration. To my surprise, I won the Intermediate level competition!

My prize is to have a large marine painted up in the colour scheme of the chapter and this model will form the centre piece of scenery which will be used in Warhammer Bath store for years to come. I haven't been back to see the finished result but will post pictures once I have them.