What's worse?

What could be worse than a Space Marine Legion that fell to the Chaos powers and rebelled against everything they once respected? We don't know, but it was probably pretty bad.



Friday, December 17, 2010

Eldar List Build


I'd like to try something different today. Instead of me getting on a soapbox or pulpit, I'd like to hear from the followers and RSS Readers of this blog. Especially you Eldar players.

I Challenge Thee to an Foot-Eldar List Building Exercise!


OK, so here's the deal. Create a 1,000 and/or 1,500 point Eldar List(s) that includes NO tanks. Yes, good ol' fashioned FOOT'DAR (as the interwebs has so graciously deemed to name it). Put a summary of the list below in the Comment Section - don't worry about all the nitty gritty details, just list what the unit is, how many in it, and any paid-for upgrades.

Here's an example

Seer - Spear, RoWard, Doom
Aspect A (10) - Exarch, Exarch Weapon, Exarch Skill
Guardians (16) - Warlock, starcannon
Jetbikes (3) - shucannon
Aspect B (6) - Exarch, Exarch Skill, Exarch Skill


If there are enough responses, then I will compile them in a future post or two and discuss them. I may even be able to create a competition out of it, but we'll see how the response is first... ;-)

There we have it for today. A short one. But hopefully it will be fun for those who post something. TGIF!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

MJ;-) Project Log: Deathguard Terminator Lord/Sorcerer


Personal Confession. I am NOT a converter. But what I AM, is a Kitbasher.

"What's the difference" you ask?

Converters are the types that can take something and add-to or alter it through the use of scratch items - sculpting epoxy, plasticard and plastic rods, cardstock, etc.

Kitbashers are the types that can combine pieces from different kits into a single model.

So today's topic is how I recently kitbashed a Deathguard Terminator Lord/Sorcerer. The inspiration comes from the existing GW Typhus model. What I wanted was a similar looking figure, but for use as a standard Lord or Sorcerer.

Oh yeah, and my apologies for the horrible pictures. Not only am I not a converter, but I'm also NOT a photographer...



Here we have a literal pile of bits. There's a mix of Chaos Terminator Lord bits, some standard Chaos Terminator bits, a few odds and ends - mostly from the WHFB Zombies sprue, and the coup de grace - a Forgeworld Deathguard Terminator Torso and Shoulder Pads. Ultimately, I did not use all of the bits shown, but I did use most of them.



Here we have the Deathguard Lord taking shape. I glued the Chaos Terminator Lord's scenic base and also used some 2-part plumbing putty to bulk it out a tad. After all, as a Chaos Lord, the guy certainly needs something epic to stand upon.



One of my most extensive Kitbashes to date is the Lord's Daemon Weapon. This one arm and single weapon took bits from five different kits. The most stressing part of this, but by no means was it "hard" to do, was cutting the Terminator Power Mace and hand off at the wrist so that the sorcerer's staff and hand bit would join seamlessly. Mission accomplished. So anyway, with a Terminator Arm, Sorcerer's Staff, Scythe blade from a Zombie sprue, a Possessed hook bit, and a few spikey things from who knows where, I welded all these things together to form a very Typhus-like Daemon Weapon.


In the end, I used my tried and true Lazy Man's Painting Method to give this guy some un-life. At some point, I hope to create a banner for his banner pole. Speaking of which, using mostly Zombie bits, the banner pole features some rotting carcasses/skeletons hanging from the crossbar. Good Nurgle Lord, Good Nurgle Lord...






Again, sorry for the poor pictures, but eh, what can I do...

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Toys for Tots 40k Charity Tournament - SUCCESS!


A week ago, I ran what we hope is "The 1st Annual Toys for Tots Warhammer 40,000 Charity Tournament." Planning is already underway for "The Second Annual..." event in 2011.

Turns out, a few other locations also held charitable events that weekend. So we'll see how that impacted our results below. Gamers' Armory in Cary held an event, and SciFi Genre in Durham extended their help by acting almost as a Brother Event where toys were collected and added to the donations from the event I ran at All Fun & Games in Apex. It is rumored that a store in Southern Pines also (independently) held a Toys for Tots charity event. Research is underway in regards to this rumor... Stay tuned for additional details to come...

The opening image of this post shows most of the donations to Toys for Tots received at the event at All Fun & Games. Three additional items were donated after that picture was taken, bringing the number of donations at the AF&G event to 26 items! Not bad for only 6 participants... What is surprising is the number of non-participant donations we received. All Fun & Games donated several games, which is greatly appreciated! 40k gamers who could not attend the event also stopped by, or sent family members, with toy donations. And a number of AF&G customers who saw what was going on proceeded to purchase items for donations along with the items they initially came to the store to get. That was phenomenal - there may have been six participants (plus myself) at the event, but we likely received donations from well over a dozen sources all combined.
The AF&G event ultimately consisted of six players, with what I'm going to say is probably one of the strangest list of armies present at a tournament that I've ever seen:

  • TWO Necron armies
  • TWO Daemonhunters armies
  • One CSM Undivided
  • One Tyranids

If you'll recall from THIS POST, the missions used in this event were basically home-made, but followed the recent trend at events where a series of tiebreakers are listed, pretty-much eliminating any "Draw" results. The three primary win conditions were alternately the three main scenario types in the 40k v5 rulebook. Although I did alter the objective-capturing-based missions to dictate where the objectives would be ultimately placed for each game. All three of the secondary conditions (1st Tiebreaker) were largely updates to old rules - capturing Terrain Features, Table Quarters, and Moving into the Enemy Deployment Zone (Recon). The Tertiary objective (2nd and Final Tiebreaker) was Victory Points - yet another homage to the 4th edition missions. VPs followed the system laid out in the current rulebook (pg. 108) but differed only in that a player won this condition if they scored even 0.5 points more than their opponent.

Daemonhunters and Necrons Battle Over 5 Objectives

Following a tiered-scoring system for the win conditions, a possible 60 points was available for Battle Points (3 wins on primary conditions).

Sportsmanship was scored as well, similar to the Battle Points just discussed. Sportsmanship was scored each round by opponent with bonus voting at the end of the day - the third round report form also asked players to list "their favorite opponent of the day." Sportsmanship was scored on a similar scale to BPs, so 60 sportsmanship points would be a perfect score.

In the end, we crowned the three following winners:

Best Overall - Todd Craig, Tyranids


Hive Fleet Craig Fans-Out on the Offensive


The Overall Winner of the event was Todd Craig, or should I say Hive Fleet Craig! Craig wasn't pulling any fancy schmancy hooligans. No, Todd fielded a straight-up Tyranid force of some Monstrous Creatures backed by a handful of Genestealer units. Todd helped show that the Tyranid codex is still a punishing opponent to deal with - that whole "brick to the face" thing often hurting...


Best Sportsman - Barry Wilson, Necrons

Compared to some of us, Barry is a relative newcomer to the game of 40k. However, his Necron force is well though-out, and can deliver on a number of battlefield situations simultaneously.

Best General - Randall Elmore, Chaos Space Marines


Sons of Malice CSM Grab Center Field Early-On, and Never Let Go.

So in all, we had a great day. Participants were very giving with their donations, and many other folks - gamers who couldn't make the event and strangers at the store who saw what was happening and contributed toys on their own - gave to this worthy cause as well.

Above, I eluded to the "Brother Event" at SciFi Genre in Durham. A Shadow Agent of mine, who goes by the handle Russ, attended the 40k tournament in Durham, challenging participants there to donate toys to be included with the items from the AF&G event.

Fifteen toys and games were donated at that event! Combined with the 26 at AF&G, our concerted efforts raised OVER 40 TOY DONATIONS FOR TOYS FOR TOTS!!!!

SciFi Genre Toy Donations - THANKS GUYS!!!


So, in the end, a lot of people had a great day of playing Warhammer 40,000. And they plus a number of other individuals managed to collect 41 toys and games for the Toys for Tots charity here in the Triangle.

THANK YOU ALL!!!! Keep an eye out for next year's event - likely to be held the 2nd Saturday in December. We hope to round up the other local area stores and see how many are willing to host events for this worthy cause!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Scenery Review: Temple of Skulls, Arcane Ruins, and Urban Barricades

Boy, it sure has been a while since I've posted here. Lot's of medical issues, plus a couple of secret projects that I'm not ready to make public yet. Big thanks to MJ for keeping the home fires burning!

For some reason I got it in my mind recently to spend some money on the scenery that GW has been putting out recently. I'm a HUGE fan of the Moonscape and a firm believer that every single 40k player should own at least one set. (I have two!) The Planetscape-specific version fell a little flat due to the weird decision to use vac-forming instead of injection molding like the Moonscape, but the original is still available and awesome.

So, thanks to a gift certificate to The War Store, I got my hands on The Temple of Skulls. It is really, really cool.

It is marketed as a Fantasy Battle terrain piece, which doesn't make much sense to me. Yes, it has more skulls and less guns, but it is pretty impractical in a game of Fantasy Battle. Only skirmishers, monsters, and individual characters have any chance of making it onto the thing without falling over. The slope on the side is very steep.


It comes in a large box around the size of a starter army set. The base is one single piece and it comes with a great "skull and column" sprue for the three upright skulls and the two columns. I've painted mine in a rough limestone style that I can't keep myself from using. (I think I'll be painting the opposite side of my three 2'x4' table toppers in a similar fashion so they all match.)

The most impressive thing about the Temple is how sturdy it is. Years ago this would have been so flimsy that you wouldn't have been able to put a dragon or Land Raider on the top of it without risking permanent damage. Now, you could safely stand on it. See the following picture of the underside.


It obviously was made as a proof of concept for the design process which made the Realm of Battle boards a possibility. I'm fairly certain if the RoB had kept its rumored $200 price point that a great many more would have sold. If I could have received the internet's normal discount I'm pretty sure that I would have one by now. Having two would have made my in-house Apocalypse game setup much easier, but there's no way I'm dropping that much on it.

I was so pleased with the Temple of Skulls that I picked up the Arcane Ruins set as well. This is another set that will be very difficult to use in a game of Fantasy Battle, in which case it will probably just be impassible to any ranked unit. See below for the 'assembled' version.

Of course, it is a ruin by name and looks even better knocked over.

I've been planning to make a skull-themed table for a while, inspired by the recent battlefields featured in a few recent White Dwarf reports. The Isle of Blood was particularly nasty looking. One of the great and unmentioned things about the Arcane Ruins is that it comes with way more skulls than you could ever use on the piece itself. Below is what I had left over, perfect to be used on my project to tie everything together. That's a lot of skulls!

Even more delighted, I decided to spring for the Urban Barricades set. As you can see below, you get six barricades in the set. I have the unfortunately-discontinued Sandbags set which came pre-painted (looks like a single coat and drybrush) and flocked. I think it is some sort of light resin. This set is also resin, but unpainted. It has a much higher level of detail, though, including a crashed Space Marine bike. Unlike pretty much everything else mentioned in this review, these really need painted before use, especially the one with the bike. There are a wide variety of textures and they don't look very good in the default grey resin.

I painted the bike in a non-descript color, added some metallics and rust here and there, and now they look great.

So, to cut to the rankings: (With a Moonscape at a 10/10.)

  • Temple of Skulls: 8. Less useful as a Fantasy Battle terrain piece, but very, very sturdy and nicely detailed.
  • Arcane Ruins: 7. Not as nicely detailed as the Temple, but the abundance of extra skull bits helps a lot.
  • Urban Barricades: 7. Nice off-the-shelf, impressive if painted.

For the money, the Moonscape is still the best bet. Every player needs a set, and the price is low enough that everyone should have one. If you are thinking about a second Bastion, I'd recommend the Temple of Skulls instead. It might make a good, albeit small Landing Platform (if protected by chaos magics, that is).

Next time, notes about joining in the Biggest Apocalypse Game in the World!

Friday, December 3, 2010

MJ;-) Project Log: Logan's Hunters, Logan and Njal

















Hmmmm... Looks like a week has (almost) passed me by, and no updates to the blog.

Epic Fail on the 12 step program.

In my defense, its been a busy week. Work has had me slammed, there's been a death in my family, AND I'm gearing up to run a TOYS FOR TOTS 40k tournament tomorrow.




A few weeks ago, I managed to finish SQUAD 2 for my LOGAN'S HUNTERS army.

At pretty much the same time, I painted my two characters - Logan Grimnar, and Njal Stormcaller.

So today, I'll post up some pictures of these bad asses!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so given my time constraints today, I think I'll just let the pictures do (most of) the talking.




















Wednesday, November 24, 2010

MJ;-) Project Log: Logan's Hunters, Squad 2

OK. So its a Terminator Thanksgiving! Continuing with the Terminator Theme that has run through my last two posts, here is an update on the Second Squad for my Logan's Hunters (Wolfwing) Army.

One thing I intend to do with the army is to demarcate different squads through the use of different accent colors. In the FIRST SQUAD, the primary accent color was red. For the second squad, the primary accent color was yellow. I used the Foundation paints Mecharite Red and Iyanden Yellow, respectively.

I have also decided to wait until all the squads are done and then do all the bases at the same time. I find that (a) gives me more of a sense of accomplishment (churning out squads faster, even if the base is not done), and (b) makes basing across all the models more coherent.

Squad 2 is pretty self-sufficient in just about any role. It features two Wolf Guard with storm bolter and power weapon/frost weapon, two Wolf Guard with storm bolter and power fist, and one Wolf Guard with cyclone missile launcher, storm bolter, and chainfist. This unit can lay down some serious small arms anti-infantry fire, can hunt tanks at range, butcher infantry in close combat, and even rip tanks a new (deleted by the Inquisition) when they assault armor.
















This storm bolter/power weapon WG model is from the Space Hulk set. For this one, the primary accent color is used on the cape.



























Here we have Mr. Storm Bolter/Power Weapon Number 2 (hmmm.... I may have to come up with real names for these guys someday).

Unfortunately, this Assault on Black Reach model did not lend itself well to using the Iyanden Yellow accent. I plan to do some somewhere on him, just need to figure out where. Maybe a gauntlet (or both). Hmmmm.....















Ahhh... Another of the wonderful Space Hulk terminators. Here, the primary accent is the power fist.

To give the model a little pop of color, I painted the Tyranid carcass purple and dry-brushed it with a lavender.

























Next up is a terminator that has used mostly Wolf Guard bits, although I believe the storm bolter arm is from an Assault on Black Reach model.

Again, the primary accent color here is on the powerfist.

























Last, but certainly not least, is Mr. Rockets. As a side note, I've found that more often than not, if you say during a game that you're shooting your "missile launcher," that it will miss. After all, "miss" is the root of "MISSile launcher."

The primary accent color is on the chainfist as well as the trim of the CML. Although you can't see it, I did not do the whole CML in yellow, just the "band" that wraps around the front of it.



So there we have it. Squad Number 2 is (almost) complete.

I've also (mostly) completed the two characters for the army - Logan Grimnar and Njal Stormcaller. However, that will be for a future post (or two).

Until then, make sure the safety switch on your chainfist is ON - I'd hate for anyone to take off a nose while digging into some delicious Thanksgiving Dinner!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Terminators, Terminators, and more TERMINATORS! (Part II)



Continuing from my EARLIER POST regarding my favorite 40k models - Terminators...


Last post, I dealt with the traditional terminator army, the old school one if you will - Deathwing. Today, I'll expand our terminator horizons by discussing the use of the Space Wolf codex to field an all-terminator army and also discuss the use of "Counts As" for fielding terminator armies that aren't Dark Angels or Space Wolves.

First, lets cover the alternative to Deathwing - that which the interwebs has dubbed "Wolfwing."

Prior to the current Space Wolf codex, Codex:Dark Angels was the ONLY way to legally field an all terminator army outside of games of Apocalypse. But the current Codex:Space Wolves came with one interesting chain reaction.

Logan Grimnar allows Wolf Guard as Troops. Wolf Guard may be clad in Terminator Armor (TDA). Therefore, one could field Logan + Terminators (as Troops) for a legal all-terminator force that differs from their Deathwing counterpart.


"How are the two Terminator Armies different?" you ask? Well, if you're not familiar with the details of both Codex:Dark Angels and Codex:Space Wolves, let me give you the nutshell version.

Standard "Ultramarine" armies can field 2 types of terminator squads, one with guns, and one with close combat weapons.

Deathwing Terminators collapse these two into a single terminator squad - one in which you can field terminators with guns or terminators with close combat weapons, but mixing-and-matching the two types within each squad. In the end, though, each individual terminator is either like an Ultramarine Tactical Terminator or an Ultramarine Assault Terminator.

The Space Wolf codex takes this "mix-and-match" idea one step further, allowing a Wolf Guard to essentially equip each arm as he sees fit. So instead of being a "Tactical Terminator" with a Storm Bolter/Heavy Weapon and a Power Weapon-Fist-Chainfist OR an "Assault Terminator" with twin Lightning Claws or Thunder Hammer/Storm Shield, the Wolf Guard in TDA can equip each arm individually to combine Tactical AND Assault roles into a single model. Storm Bolter and a single Lightning Claw? No problem. Power Weapon and a Storm Shield? No problem. Thunder Hammer and a Combi-Melta? NO PROBLEM! It should be noted, and will be touched upon in more detail below, that this "ultra mix-and-match" style of equipping terminators is not new; it is how Chaos Space Marine Terminators have equipped themselves for a while now.


In essence, with one fell swoop of the Codex:Space Wolves hitting the shelves, the Terminator Community was in an upheaval. Do you scoff at the "new, shiny" and play Deathwing because you always have, and always will? Or are you tired of Cyclone Missile Launchers that only shoot one missile and Storm Shields that provide a 4+ invulnerable save in close combat only and break from the ranks of the old school to embrace the new generation?

Seriously. The release of the Space Wolves codex really lit some flames under hardcore terminator players, with folks arguing and defending both options.

Sgt. Brisbane at The Sons of Thunder blog did a really nice article on the PSYCHOLOGY/PSYCHOSIS OF A 'WING PLAYER. I highly recommend this read.

DEZARTFOX, RON (both featured in the previous DFIR Terminator post), and RUNTMCRORY (of The Military of Ultramar blog) also discussed their views on the subject, comparing and contrasting the two, and ultimately sticking with the Deathwing.


{insert awkward segue here}


The release of Codex:Space Wolves also fostered the expansion of another element of Terminator Armies.

COUNTS AS

Counts As Terminator armies weren't new per se; however, I've seen a huge upswing in the number of Counts As Terminator armies since the release of Codex:Space Wolves.

Not surprisingly, given that there are two ways to field an all-terminator army, there are two general trends in the Counts As Terminator army choices.

There are those who follow the traditional Deathwing template, such as RuntMcRory at The Military Of Ultramar. Runt is an Ultramarines player. Rightfully so, he drew the conclusion that at some times, the Ultramarines would be faced with a challenge that only a Terminator Force could solve. So Runt has added enough Terminators, Dreadnoughts, and Land Raiders to his Ultramarine army that he can field them by themselves as a Counts As Deathwing army.


And I think that Runt's use of the Deathwing Template is very appropriate to depict an Ultramarine force consisting solely of Terminators and Terminator Support.


Another application of the Counts As Terminator army is to field an all-terminator Chaos Space Marine force.

Ron at FTW was one of the first I saw do this with his (now famous, and now sold to someone else) LUSTWING.

The Lustwing is a Slaaneshi-themed all Terminator Counts As Deathwing force. I guess it goes without saying that the Lustwing uses the Deathwing template (but I better say it nonetheless, just in case you haven't had your coffee/Red Bull yet).

The army is beautifully converted and painted. It definitely gives off a Slaanesh vibe, even if the "rules" driving it are imperial.








Another Chaos-themed Counts As Terminator army, and another stunning example of high-quality conversion and painting work, is THE GOREWING.

Unlike Ron's Slaaneshi-themed Counts As Deathwing Lustwing force, Elazar The Glorified used the Space Wolves codex to formulate The Gorewing.

Given that the standard Chaos Space Marine Terminator is similar in its options as a Space Wolf Wolf Guard in TDA, the use of the Space Wolf template really fits with this army, just as much as RuntMcRory's use of the Deathwing template really fits his Ultramarine terminator army.

For example, Elazar's use of "Lone Wolves" with "Fenrisian Wolves" (Fleshhounds) puts a little icing onto the Gorewing cake, IMO.











So there you have it. Deathwing, Wolfwing, and a variety of Counts As Terminator armies.

So, where do I stand in all of this?

I put one foot into each of the camps. I played Deathwing from way back. Lets just say that my first Deathwing army was all metal. Ron's Lustwing really inspired me visually, and then the splash release of the Doombringer Annihilation Force bundle by GW to support Apocalypse Reload caused me to sell the all-metal Deathwing force and replace it with a Counts As Deathwing Chaos force (Flawless Host color scheme, kind of - Homage to Ron!).

But over time, I became more and more dismayed by the neat toys other Space Marine armies got that my Deathwing didn't have.

Master of the Deathwing does NOT have a 4+ invulnerable save Iron Halo? Seriously? You're trying to tell me that the Master of the FIRST COMPANY of the Dark Angels doesn't have what his nine other counterparts have?

Cyclone Missile Launchers with one shot. Meh.

Sub-standard Storm Shields. Meh, again.

No Land Raider Redeemer. Meh, again.


So, as my WOLFWING posts of late have shown, I have chosen to build up a Space Wolves Terminator force now. There is definitely a place in my heart and soul for my first ever 40k army, the Dark Angels. But I have divested myself of all those models, and patiently await the day when a new Codex:Dark Angels comes to life. I suspect that another True Deathwing force is in my future, once we see that release.


Well, I guess that is about it for today. Until next time, keep your Crux Terminatus polished, and have a Happy Thanksgiving (if you live in the U.S., that is).

Friday, November 19, 2010

Terminators, Terminators, TERMINATORS! (Part I)




What's your favorite model in 40k?

Mine (in general) is that of the mighty Terminator. I love them all. I love the clean and crisp lines Imperial Terminators exhibit. I love the spiky-goth-emo Chaos variant. And above all, I REALLY love the various Terminator Characters AND the Forgeworld Terminators.

Forgeworld SPACE WOLVES Terminators
Forgeworld RED SCORPION Commander Culln
Forgeworld ASTRAL CLAWS Commander Lugft Huron
Forgeworld WORLD EATERS Terminators
Forgeworld WORLD EATERS Lord Zuhfor
Forgeworld DEATHGUARD Terminators


But maybe you already were aware that I absolutely love Terminators, given my handful of posts regarding my Wolfwing project.

So today's post is simply going to compile several of the many Terminator resources I frequent on the internet. These aren't all my resources. And there's resources I used to visit frequently but are now dead (R.I.P. Gods of War). No, what I'm sharing here today is the more extensive Terminator (some even "Terminator-Centric") websites that try to deal with the whole package - painting, converting, playing, tactics, rules, galleries, and even background/history.


First up is one site that I have LONG kept an eye on, and returned to frequently to be inspired by lists and paint schemes.

I present to you, THE DARK FORTRESS by Isiah.

Isiah's Dark Fortress is a Dark Angels resource, with a heavy hand in the Deathwing Terminator world. The site has a ton of resources, but what I like best is the ORATORIUM, which compiles numerous images of painted Dark Angels forces and models.

The most recent addition to the Oratorium is RAZIEL. Raziel is a heavily converted Deathwing Commander sculpted by Scibor. Absolutely amazing. What has two thumbs and is jealous? THIS GUY (me).




If you're a fan of Imperial Terminators, I highly recommend trolling around the Dark Fortress' Oratorium checking out all the beautiful pictures of Deathwing Strikeforces.


Next up is an awesome site that has TONS of history on Terminators. Not the "fluff" type history, but the real history of Terminator Models produced through the ages.

I present to you THE VANUS TEMPLE.

Dezartfox has compiled The Terminator Tomb that shows some really really obscure terminator model productions that I have no idea where he even got the images from. Seriously, you probably don't want to lick some of those models, I suspect they're old enough to really be made out of lead. The Tomb also features wargear as well as Terminator tactics.

Dezartfox also has painted several Deathwing forces for himself, as well as commission jobs. He's included one awesome twist on painting - glowing green light effects. What has two thumbs and is jealous... yeah, you get the picture. Speaking of which, here's a picture of one of Dezartfox's Belial models, complete with glowing green effect. (side note: Necron players, you should incorporate said green glowing light effect in your 'Cron forces)




To wrap up the Deathwing resources, I'll point you in the direction of FROM THE WARP.

Ron has done amazing things with his FTW site. Primarily, Ron has collated over 600 blogs into his FTW Blogger roll. In fact, DFIR is one of the multitude of FTW blogs. The other thing Ron does is cover TONS of tutorials on modeling and painting. Numerous tricks and tips for conversions, and painting methods, and all sorts of things. The best thing is, while his posts feature something specific he's working on, the tips and tactics he's discussing cross-cut any army and even any game system.

"But Wait! What About The Terminators?!?" you're saying.

Right.

Ron is not only a premiere modeler, he also is a Deathwing player. Ron has moved outside the box to create a very stunning-looking Deathwing army, that features a very quick and easy paint scheme that really portrays a "battle hardened and in-the-thick-of-it" look. In other words, Deathwing after weeks of scouring a Space Hulk, not Deathwing marching across the parade grounds in gleaming white/bone armor.

Here's a shot of Ron's latest Deathwing force featuring the down-and-dirty look he's mastered (btw, the nutshell version of this paint scheme is prime, minor detail, wash, done).





Well, now. That seems to be more than I was anticipating. Yet I have LOTS more. Did I mention that I love me some Terminators? ;-)

So I'll leave it at that - Deathwing - and go label the title of this post "Part I".

Coming Soon to a DFIR Blog near you, Part II (Wolfwing, Counts-As Deathwing, and a variety of Chaoswings). Stay Tuned!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

UPDATE: Toys for Tots Warhammer 40,000 Charity Tournament


This coming Saturday will mark the "Two Weeks Until Toys For Tots Charity Tournament" milestone. So today, I have some BIG updates to the event. The two big updates are:

PRIZE SUPPORT

and

MISSIONS

But to keep ALL of the info in one place, I am re-posting the earlier details here along with the newly-added details.

Another interesting twist to the subject, though, is that Sci-Fi Genre in Durham is hosting a 40k tournament the same day. Although they are not hosting a Toys for Tots event per se, I have sent an interloper to attend their event, and bring back toys that some of the gamers there are donating to the cause. Tis the season of giving, and I'm glad to hear that folks beyond the event I'm organizing are contributing! THANKS!

Onto the finer details.





TOYS FOR TOTS WARHAMMER 40,000 CHARITY TOURNAMENT

Saturday, December 4, 2010

All Fun & Games. Apex, NC

Call All Fun & Games to RSVP your attendance to the event. You do not have to RSVP, but any walk-ins will be allowed to participate on a first-come/first-served basis after all the RSVP folks. Attendee limit is currently at 18 with the option to increase to a max of 24 players.

Check-in begins at 10:15 a.m. day of event

Games begin at 11 a.m.

Entry fee is "new in package" toy donation(s) to be given to Toys for Tots Foundation (benefiting the Raleigh Chapter http://raleigh-nc.toysfortots.org/local-coordinator-sites/lco-sites/default.asp). "Dig Deep" and give as much as you can - many children in the area wouldn't get a holiday gift if it wasn't for the U.S. Marine Corps' Toys for Tots program!
**SPECIAL OFFER FROM ALL FUN & GAMES: All Fun & Games will provide a 15% discount on any games, puzzles, etc. purchased for donation; there will also be a 10% discount for purchases for yourself. Just inform the store staff at checkout which items you are donating to receive the special discount on them.

Army lists are 1750 points

3 Rounds

2:15 time allotted per round

Random pairings in Round 1; Swiss-style pairings in Rounds 2 and 3

Missions will have primary, secondary, and tertiary objectives (with the Primary being means of determining winner and Secondary and Tertiary objectives acting as "tie breakers" if need be - see details below)

Crown "Best Overall," "Best General," and "Best Sportsman" winners

PRIZE SUPPORT WILL BE AVAILABLE. Over $100 in prize support will be offered throughout the day's event. Prizes will include Best Overall, Best General, and Best Sportsman. Other prizes will also be offered during individual rounds, and as the TO sees fit (in other words, *how* prizes other than "Best X" will be awarded is still To Be Determined).

WYSIWYG required; "Counts As" is acceptable within reason.

Painted strongly recommended, but not required.

EVENT SCHEDULE

10:15 a.m. - begin registration
11:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. - Round 1
1:30 to 3:45 p.m. - Round 2
3:45 to 4:30 p.m. - Food Break
4:45 to 7:00 p.m. - Round 3
7:00 p.m. and beyond - announce winners, brag, commiserate, pack-up, clean-up, etc.



Missions

Deployment

Primary

Secondary

Tertiary

Dawn of War

Seize Ground (Mod.)

Terrain Features

VPs

Pitched Battle

Annihilation

Recon

VPs

Spearhead

Capture & Control (Mod.)

Table Quarters

VPs

Primary. Determines the winner of the game. If someone wins on the Primary Objective, you can stop here; otherwise, refer to Secondary.

Secondary. First tie-breaker. If the primary objective is tied, utilize the Secondary Objective to determine a winner. If the primary objective is tied and the secondary objective produces a winner, you can stop here; otherwise, refer to Tertiary.

Tertiary. Second tie-breaker. If the primary AND secondary objectives are tied, utilize the Tertiary Objective to determine a winner. Since the Tertiary Objective is Victory Points for all missions, simply calculate VPs (pg. 108 of rulebook) and any player with even 0.5 more VPs than opponent wins.

Mission Objectives

Modified Seize Ground

· 5 objectives – 1 @ center of each quarter (total of 4) and 1 @ center of table

§ Each scattered 1d6+3” prior to roll-off to see who goes first; use little arrow on “hit” but halve distance (rounded up)

· Only Scoring Units may claim objectives; any unit may contest

· Player with most objectives wins this mission objective

Modified Capture & Control

· 3 objectives – 1 @ center of each players’ deployment zones (total of 2) and 1 @ center of table

§ Two Deployment Zone objectives scattered 1d6+3” after roll-off to see who goes first, but prior to deployment of any units; use little arrow on “hit” but halve distance (rounded up)

· Only Scoring Units may claim objectives; any unit may contest

· Player with most objectives wins this mission objective

Annihilation

· As per pg. 91 of 40kv5

Table Quarters

· Person w/ most Scoring Units in a quarter claims it; unit must be completely in quarter to count

· Any units except dedicated transports count for this purpose

· Player with most quarters wins this mission objective

Recon

· Player w/ most Scoring Units completely within opponent’s deployment zone wins this mission objective

Terrain Features

· Person with most VPs in an area terrain feature (which is defined as any terrain feature that is demarcated by a base and is not impassible) claims the terrain feature

· Player to claim the most terrain features wins this mission objective

Victory Points

· As per pg. 108 of 40kv5 (except player wins this condition if 0.5 VPs higher than opponent’s total)

Mission Special Rules (all missions)

Reserves, Deep Strike, Infiltrators, Scouts, Outflank, Seize the Initiative

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Lets Get Ready To Rumble! Glue vs. Weld





VS.
























The first of my new 12-step program...

Its fall. The weather here in the Southeast U.S. is gorgeous. So how do I spend my time in this epic portion of the year? Simple. I stay indoors and build models.

Huh?

Not really, I get outside a lot during this time of year.

But the truth is, I spend many of my fall (and spring) evenings building stuff for 40k, and priming it during the nicer days. Around these parts, its too cold in the winter and too hot/humid in the summer to get good priming done. So I tend to mass build and prime during the nice weather - effectively building myself a stock of stuff to paint during the not-so-pretty months of the year.

So it occurred to me the other evening, as I was building my latest Nurgle Sorcerer/Lord in Terminator Armor (post forthcoming sooner than later), that I wonder how many folks are tuned into the awesomeness that is Plastic Weld.

You've never heard of it? Man, have you been missing out.

At the top of this post, you see two images, one of the tried and true-blue model cement (glue), and one of some weird bottle of "Pro Weld." WTF is that, you are probably saying to yourself.

Simple. Model glues, like the Testors product shown above, are simple adhesive products. They take Part A and Part B and put a bonding agent between them, so they stick together.

But Plastic Weld, like the Ambroid product (that I use) pictured above, is different. Plastic welders dissolve and liquefy the surface of the plastic items, which you stick together, and then when it dries (very quickly, I might add), the two parts are not so much bonded together, but they are literally fused together into a single object.

Let me pretend to do some math and show you what a "built equation" might look like. A and B are the two parts to be put together.

Plastic Cement. A + Glue + B = AglueB
Plastic Weld. A + Weld + B = AB

Not only do I use weld to bond separate pieces together, but I have also used it in a few other ways on plastic models.

Gap Filler. If you're putting two pieces together, and there is a tiny gap between the two, you can simply fill it with weld liquid, and the gap will fill itself up. Granted, the gap cannot be to large. But I noticed this application of the product when I was putting together a bunch of Cities of Death buildings. A few of the CoD building panels I had shaved the mold lines off a little too aggressively, so when put together, there was a thin gap along some portions of the panels. I spread a little more weld along these sections - the water-like consistency of the weld means it will wick into any space - and voila, the gaps disappeared.

Surface Smoother. In a few of my projects, I've had to scrape away some detail. A good example was having to remove all the Blood Angels icons (blood drops and chalices) from the Space Hulk Terminators I purchased for my Wolfwing Project. Although I did a decent job of doing this, in some instances, the surface I left behind showed some angles or rounded areas that exhibited flat facets. I found out that putting a thin coat of weld on the surface, waiting a moment or two, and then putting a thicker drop on it did a good job of smoothing-out those noticeable imperfections to make them smoother, if not "perfectly smooth."



Before you start to think that I *LOVE* Plastic Weld, and I want to marry plastic weld (oops, too late), let me caution you with some things that plastic weld WILL NOT do.

It doesn't work on metal.

It doesn't work on resin.

Super-glue is still the product to accomplish bonding these types of materials (or these types of materials to plastics).

It doesn't fill large gaps.

Green stuff (kneadatite), milliput, or some other modeling/sculpting product are your best answers for accomplishing larger gap filling.


In conclusion, plastic weld isn't the end-all, be-all of the model adhesive world. BUT, it IS the bee's knees when it comes to bonding plastic-on-plastic. There simply is no reason to use "plastic glue" as long as companies like Ambroid continue to produce and sell plastic welders. If anything, the worst problem for plastic welds is that your average hobby/game store doesn't carry it. You may have to seek out specialty shops, like model train stores; or you may have to go ONLINE AND ORDER IT. The product lasts a VERY long time. I've built entire armies, several at that, and am currently on my third bottle of Ambroid Pro Weld - having been using the stuff since 2006. That's three bottles over the course of 4 1/2 years!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Time to Get This Party Started!!!


Honestly, I THINK about this blog a lot. And I mean A LOT!

Problem is, some form of neurotic perfectionism plagues my thought processes regarding this blog.

But why, I ask you? WHY?!?

There's a lot of really good blogs out there. There's some great ones too. And a few are even excellent. But does DFIR really need to be in that latter category? Why can't "good" with the occasional splash of "great" be sufficient?

So today, I start my 12-step program to rid myself of thoughts of perfectionism. {Hell, those thoughts don't permeate any other part of my life, so why should they bring down my blogging?} My new goal is to post at least 3 times a week to this blog. Nothing ultra fancy, or at least not all the time. Nothing supremely earth-shattering. I'll start my 12-step program with "baby steps." Simple posts that range from the good to more in-depth posts that border on greatness.

So until tomorrow, enjoy visions of Optimism.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Toys for Tots Warhammer 40,000 Charity Tournament




This December, DFIR blogger MJ;-) (yours truly) is going to organize his second ever Warhammer 40,000 tournament.

The tournament will be a Charity event to benefit the U.S. Marine Corps' Toys for Tots organization. I've actually been "threatening" to do just this for like the last 4 or 5 years. But I've finally pulled the trigger and followed through on my past threats.

So if you are in the central North Carolina area (or a glutton for a good road trip), then ready your force, pick up some toys for your entry fee, and head on over to All Fun & Games on December 4!

Here's the skinny...

TOYS FOR TOTS WARHAMMER 40,000 CHARITY TOURNAMENT

Saturday, December 4, 2010 at All Fun & Games. Apex, NC

Registration begins at 10:15 a.m.

Entry fee is "new in package" toy donation(s) to be given to Toys for Tots Foundation (benefiting the Raleigh Chapter http://raleigh-nc.toysfortots.org/local-coordinator-sites/lco-sites/default.asp). "Dig Deep" and give as much as you can - many children in the area wouldn't get a holiday gift if it wasn't for the U.S. Marine Corps' Toys for Tots program!
**SPECIAL OFFER FROM ALL FUN & GAMES: All Fun & Games will provide a 15% discount on any games, puzzles, etc. purchased for donation; there will also be a 10% discount for purchases for yourself. Just inform the store staff at checkout which items you are donating to receive the special discount on them.

Army lists are 1750 points

3 Rounds

2:15 time allotted per round

Random pairings in Round 1; Swiss-style pairings in Rounds 2 and 3

Nova Open / BFS style missions (i.e., missions will have primary, secondary, and tertiary objectives with the Primary being means of determining winner and Secondary and Tertiary objectives acting as "tie breakers" if need be)

Crown "Best General" and "Best Sportsman" winners

WYSIWYG required; "Counts As" is acceptable within reason.

Painted strongly recommended, but not required.


EVENT SCHEDULE

10:15 a.m. - begin registration
11:00 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. - Round 1
1:30 to 3:45 p.m. - Round 2
3:45 to 4:30 p.m. - Food Break
4:45 to 7:00 p.m. - Round 3
7:00 p.m. and beyond - announce winners, brag, commiserate, pack-up, clean-up, etc.

Friday, October 8, 2010

MJ;-) Project Log: Logan's Hunters, Squad 1


Well, this unit isn't quite 100% complete, but I can't wait any longer to post up some pictures of BONA FIDE PROGRESS!!! Bases need a little work. Can't decide if the ones with the models standing on larger rocks should have black/gray rocks or darker brown rocks. Also plan to paint the face of the base a frostbite skin color (my first P3 paint product).

This squad consists of Arjac (or simple TH/SS if I can't "afford" Arjac's hefty price tag in terms of game points), a 2nd TH/SS model, 2 Twin Wolf Claw members, and a Heavy Flamer with Chainfist.





















Above, we see "Arjac" in a slightly top-down shot. Arjac was completely built out of Wolf Guard bits. On this model's base, I need to do a little "white wash" of the crevices to tone down the blue, but the effect I'm going for is cracked ice/tundra/glacier. I also am going to use a few fine tip pens to do some freehand symbology and other work on his banner.





















One of my prouder moments in painting this squad was Arjac's Storm Shield. For this, I dry brushed a medium gray over the whole central part, then dry brushed a very light gray over the wolf skull and crossbones, followed by a light dry brush of ivory over that. The trim was picked out in red foundation paint, and the recessed portion around that was washed with badab black wash. Finished it off by painting the very edge with a metallic green (emerald) color.




















Here we see my two Twin Wolf Claw troopers. The one in the foreground is an Assault on Black Reach snap-together terminator with Wolf Guard wolf claws and shoulder pads. Plus a Wolf Guard "gubbin" on top.

The Wolf Claw trooper in the background, although not as easy to see do to the focus (or lack thereof), is one of the Space Hulk terminators.

Like Arjac, both of these guys need the blue in the base's crevices to be toned down with a white wash. The one in the foreground also needs me to decide how I'm going to do large rocks on the bases.





















Finally, we have the Heavy Flamer - Chainfist trooper. This was another one built entirely out of Wolf Guard bits. You can't really tell in this picture, but I did a devlan mud wash on the front 2/3rds of his flamer's muzzle, to give it a "used" look. He also suffers from the same base issues as the others - white wash the crevices, frostbite the face of the base, and figure out what to do with larger rocks.

So there you have it. Real progress. One squad, in about one week. Its not as assembly line as I usually paint, but in the end, I was able to stick with my "average" of one figure per evening rate of production. Here's hoping I can keep it up for a bit!