Ultramarines go forth.....

Hello hobby fans.

Well its been a busy few weeks on the Gareth hobby scene. Firstly the UltraMarines have had two outings in the tournament currently underway at the game club I attend in Hemel. On both occasions I am pleased to have come away with two victories.

To answer the question I posed in a previous blog I made up my spare points with a Land-speeder Storm carrying a unit of Bolt-gun touting Scouts, this unit was picked out by my girlfriend because she thought "it looked cool" and I have to say they have been awesome. Maybe a new way to build army lists? Push your girlfriend into a GW store and just ask her to pick random boxes on models.... seems to work.

Land Speeder Storm

In the first game they took to the field against the Tau, it was a fairly one sided affair in the end as in the first turn I managed to take out the Quad Gun and the main battle tanks, after this it was just a case of teleporting in the Terminators to clean up and the Scouts to zoom in and nick the objectives.

In the second game I faced a Marine Biker army, from my side of the table it looked pretty scary with all the T5 bikes zooming in. It got pretty messy but I managed to escape the worst of the shooting and a decent Vindicator hit on one squad and getting the Terminators into combat turned the game in my favour. The Tactical Squads were able to move onto the objectives whilst the Terminators cleaned up with help from the StormTalon and Predator. I also managed to get all the secondary missions (Line Breaker, First Blood etc...) Although the victory point count was high for me it could have gone the other way.

So I am pretty pleased so far, for your basic Marine list its performing pretty well. 6th Ed definatly seems to favour armies that can bring some firepower to the table, combat doesn't seem as much of an influence unless its being delivered by some 2+ save, power-fist carrying Terminators.

Painting wise I have been pretty busy, I like to play with fully painted armies if at all possible so I have been trying to get the list I am using in the tourney finished as I decided to use some new units. I have finished the Land Speeder Storm this week (although I need to do the crew still), that just leaves me with the Predator to finish and a unit of Scouts, they should be done before my next game. I also want to do a new Vindicator, the one I am using is the old Forgeworld kit and it's showing its age so once the army is done I might paint up a new one so it looks a bit better.

The Dreamer and Lord Choppy Bits

Its been a bit of a new games month as well, I have been wanting to get into Malifaux for a while so I have bought some models for that, you only need a few models to play a game so getting a "crew" ready for the table wont take long.

Flames of War is another system I have been looking at for a while, there are a lot choices when it comes to building an army which is a little daunting. But with the release of the starter set it makes getting into the game a lot easier. The box comes with enough models to build two armies to begin with so I have made the purchase and have painted up my first test model.




So here are the pictures....

Land Speeder Storm.

Flames of War. German Tank.

Until next time...

Tourney Tourment.

Hey Folks

The club I go to in Hemel is running a 40K tournament over the next few months, below is the army that I intend to take. I normally play games at 1850 and having to go down to 1500 was tough. 

My only concern is that I am a bit Troops light with only two Tactical Squads, of course they can combat squad to make four scoring units but only having units of five marines is risky. 

Firepower wise I think its pretty good and with the two Terminator units it has plenty of staying power. 

I have 145 points left to spend but not sure what to spend it on, its either: - 

1. Thunderfire Cannon and some Librarian upgrades. 
2. Defence Line with Quad Gun and some Librarian upgrades. 
3. Dreadnought with Las and Missile Launcher. 
4. Second Pred. 
5. Something else...... 


HQ: Space Marine Librarian in Power Armour (1#, 100 pts) 
1 Space Marine Librarian in Power Armour , 100 pts

Troops: Tactical Squad (10#, 170 pts)
9 Tactical Squad, 147 pts = 9 * 16 (base cost 16) + Sergeant 26
1 Sergeant, 23 pts

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 260 pts)
9 Tactical Squad, 162 pts = 9 * 16 (base cost 16) + Plasma gun 10 + Plasma Cannon 5 + Sergeant 26
1 Sergeant, 23 pts

1 Razorback, 75 pts = (base cost 40 + Twin-Linked Lascannon 35)

Fast Attack: Storm Talon Gunship (1#, 155 pts)
1 Storm Talon Gunship, 155 pts = (base cost 130) + Typhoon Missile Launcher 25

Elite: Terminator Squad (5#, 230 pts)
4 Terminator Squad, 190 pts = 4 * 40 (base cost 40) + Cyclone Missile Launcher 30
1 Sergeant, 40 pts

Elite: Terminator Squad (5#, 205 pts)
4 Terminator Squad, 165 pts = 4 * 40 (base cost 40) + Heavy Flamer 5
1 Sergeant, 40 pts

Heavy Support: Predator (1#, 120 pts)
1 Predator, 120 pts = (base cost 60 + Lascannon (each side) 60)

 Heavy Support: Vindicator (1#, 115 pts)
1 Vindicator, 115 pts 

Suggestions welcome........

Nurgle Dilemma.

Hey Folks.

Following on from my recent Nurgle Inspiration post I have pretty much painted all the Nurgle models I currently have and I think they look awesome. So this brings me to a bit of a dilemma - what to do with them?

There are a few options : -

1. Build a complete 1850 Nurgle Daemon army.
2. Build an 1850 Daemon army with Nurgle stuff mixed in.
3. Build an 1850 Chaos Marine army with some Nurgle Daemon allies.

I would like to do an all Nurgle army as I think they would look really cool and, as we all know, I do like a good theme but from a competitive view point the army would be very limited and maybe a little boring to play. 40K is now very much a shooting game and in that respect Daemons are very limited. However rumour has it that there is going to be a new Daemon Codex out very soon which could change things.

A mixed Daemon army can be competitive and I have most of the models for this kind of build. I have mixed feelings about the mixed Daemons, the original fluff about Daemons that was written into the original "Slaves to Darkness" and the "Lost and the Damned" books explained how Daemons allied to certain gods would not fight in an army with Daemons from other gods, of course in the game that 40K is GW would be limiting people and potentially limiting sales if they kept this in place, but for someone who read those books and knows the background the mixed Daemon list still goes against that subliminal message in the back of the mind that Khorne and Tzeentch would never fight together no matter how good Fateweaver with a unit of Khorne Bloodcrushers sounds.

A Chaos/Daemon allies army could be cool, Plague Marines and PlagueBearers etc. I have knocked up a couple of army lists and I am not keen on the builds, you don't get much once you have factored in the points needed for the allies. There are some great combos, Plague Marines with Epidemius allied in is a great combination, also pile in a massive unit of Cultists and then when the Tally hits 20 those cultists are going to be ripping apart everything they come into contact with.

So..... many options there, I love the way these models look, the painting technique was a real eye opener for me, I tend to paint everything in a particular style and this was very much a different technique for me and I think it looks great and a whole army of Nurgle Daemons would look really cool.

I have other 40K armies, and those are designed to be more competitive, so I think based on this I am going to go down the all Nurgle route, it will be an army based on aesthetics rather than competitiveness and I will probably take my time in anticipation of a new Codex coming out in the near future.

So here are the models. 

Essentially the paint scheme is a White undercoat with various washes applied to the skin areas. After this the details are picked out in appropriate colours. Its really simple and very quick and it looks very striking. 

Until next time...

Release the Kraken!!!!!

So it's 2013 and Christmas is done. I managed to have a few days off over the festive period and finished off a few models and started some new projects to add to all the others that are on the go.

Recently I have been really getting into Warmachine, it's one of those games thats easy to learn to play, but to really master it and get good at it takes a lot of time. My Cryx army has been expanding nicely over the last couple of years and has just got a big boost in the form of the Kraken. The latest expansion to Warmachine - Colossals adds giant Warjacks to the game, these machines are huge and powerful but do rack up the points meaning the rest of the army will be a little light so you still have to be careful how you play it and it isn't an automatic choice. However, the model is just too awesome not to play on a regular basis. When I first saw the model I wasn't instantly taken with it, but once assembled and a bit of paint thrown on it I have come to really like it, especially when it smashes face and takes out other Heavy Warjacks in one go.

I have also painted up a new Warcaster for Cryx army - The Witch Coven of Garlghast, you can see from the picture below the sheer size of the Kraken next to the Witch Coven.

Also this month, also in a way influenced by the Warmachine Colossals release I have started looking at Khador as an alternative faction, at the moment I just have the starter set as I wanted to paint up a couple of the models first to see how they looked. The Conquest which is the Khador Colossal is one of the best model releases of 2012, so I am going to build a Khador army so I can get one. This will be a slow burn project and I will build/paint when I have some down time or fancy a change from other projects. So this is the first model completed, the test piece really. 

And finally this month I finished of some more Nurgle Daemon models, I am not really sure what I am going to do with these, maybe build my 40K Daemons up a bit, or maybe diverge into a Chaos Marine/Daemon army. I really like the look of these, the models but also the paint scheme and I want to use them somehow.

Until next time... 

Nurgle Inspiration....

Inspiration. Where does it come from? A lot of what I paint, the conversions that I do and the armies that I build tend to be inspired by other people, sure I have a few original ideas (the Squigoth Leman Russ being one of them) but I would guess most comes from seeing other peoples work. The simplest seed can often evolve into something different and that in turn may inspire someone else and that is one of the great things about the hobby we have.

I bought the Nurgle Daemon prince model from Forge World years ago for a Daemon army I was building (when Daemons were good) but I never got round to painting it as my hobby butterfly tendencies took over and no doubt I ended up doing something else. But I was reading this months White Dwarf and right at the back was a really small section about one of the writers trying a new painting technique out on some Plague Bearers. The technique was simple, white undercoat and the just using the new Shades to give it a Nurgle paint scheme. Wow I thought, those models look awesome and it was a technique I had never considered before. So I went upstairs and extracted the Nurgle Daemon Prince model from the draw he has been living in for a couple of years, gave him a white undercoat and got to work. I think you will agree from the pictures below he looks awesome and has inspired me to have another look at the Daemon army, its also shown me a new painting technique to add to my range. It just goes to show the smallest thing can inspire you to action and potentially a new hobby avenue.

Also this month we have been playing a lot of Warmachine at the club I go to in Hemel, as I like to play with painted armies I have again been inspired to finish a couple of Cryx models that have been sitting on the shelf for a while so have actually completed the Deathjack and am eyeing up the Kraken next.

It's been a productive month, and adding to the completed list is the second Ultramarines StormTalon which means my 1850 Ultramarine list is now finished. Of course no army is ever really complete and I have a few ideas for some additions. I am thinking of adding to the Inquisitors retinue, to get these models into the list I need to swap the two Las-Cannons for Missile Launchers in the Dev squad so those are the next things to paint up. I have also started work on the second Grey Knight Paladin squad for the game we plan to run at Salute next year. I have a suspicion that this may inspire me to complete a Grey Knight force in the future.

One other thing that I have found to help the inspirational juices flow is having a good tidy area to paint, as you may have seen from my Facebook post I recently gave my painting area an overhaul and have found that this has given my painting a new lease of life, if the environment is right then the results will come.

So if you are lacking in inspiration or motivation, take a look around at the next club day, look at the armies, models, lists of the other plays and see if something clicks to inspire you in your own work. It could be the smallest thing, a single model, a small conversion but it could lead to a whole new project.

Until next time....

A new HQ in town (and a plane).

Hi Folks.

I am off for a couple of weeks on a well deserved holiday so thought I would do a quick Blog before I go. I have managed to get a good few games in with the Ultramarines and am finding a build that I like. I have been playing with Grey Knight allies which have been performing well zooming onto the table in their StormRaven.

I also got inspiration for this model from a recent White Dwarf that should a similar conversation. I use this model as a Space Marine Captain in Terminator Armour (my HQ choice for the Space Marine part of the army) but I wanted a bit of a theme. I have converted and painted the model as an Inquisitor Lord the idea that he is leading an army of Ultramarines and Grey Knights on some mission for the Inquisition.

The model itself is based on a Space Wolf Terminator body, the Power Fist and Shoulders are from the Space Marine Venerable Dread kit. The right arm is the Bolter from the Chaos Lord kit with the Grey Knight Terminator Psy-Cannon stuck to the side. I snipped the end off and stuck on the muzzle from a Plasma Gun to give the model a massive Combi-Plasma gun. The head and icon are both from the GK Terminator kit as well.

I think it came out pretty good, its a little more static than I was hoping for but if I had put on legs that gave a sense of movement then the model would have looked top heavy. With the wide stance of the legs it balances out the shoulders and power fist a lot better.

I went for a faded gold colour scheme, the gold is to make him stand out from any other Terminator model on the table but also to give him a more archaic look.

Also this week I managed to finish the first of my Ultramarine StormTalons. I wasn't that keen on this model when it was released but its actually growing on me. They have been very good in the games I have used them in so far, although they do tend to get taken out but it's normally after then have caused some damage. With their special escorting rule I tend to have one of them coming on with the GK StormRaven, this looks really cool on the table and the combination of the two planes can wreck a unit. Also as the StormRaven has a Machine Spirit you have the option of directing the Melta weapon on a nearby vehicle - double threat. Its a really great combo.

So i'll leave you with some pictures of the StormTalon whilst I head off to a secluded beach in Brazil.... its a tough life.

Until next time...

Stuck to a StormEagle.

Hey Folks...

Quick update, I felt I must Blog after the last four hours.... So picture the scene, its cold and windy outside so I thought I would spend a nice afternoon watching the England V Wales Rugby League match whilst sticking together my new ForgeWorld StormEagle.

Well four rather stressful hours later, several incidents of gluing myself to other bits of myself I finally managed it. I love ForgeWorld stuff, but sometimes it really doesn't fit well together and its just a battle. This model was a total nightmare, I managed to get it together in the end but there are a few gaps that will need filling and the rear door really hasn't gone on well, but you can't really see it so not too much of an issue. I built it with Ultramarines doors as it will be fitting in with the blue fellas and transporting some Terminators into battle, overall it is a nice model and will look pretty intimidating on the battle field. In the future I was thinking about doing a complete Pre-Heresey army with another StormEagle, I might rethink :-)

I have also finished painting Draigo for the Salute army, He came out pretty nice, the only thing I don't like is the sword, as it's Finecast the sword is a little bent, and even trying to straighten it with some warm water didn't really help. But overall it's a great model with loots of detail and I really enjoyed painting him.

Ultramarines StormEagle.

Draigo.

Until next time...