Sunday, January 20, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Tutorial: Hivefleet Calavera
So I have had a few people ask, so I though I'd knock out a tutorial for my new Nid paint scheme.
Step 1: First off I undercoat the model. I undercoat 100% by hand using basic paints. Some people say you need true 'primer' but in my expierience there is no real difference.
Step 2: Next I paint the black sections with Bestial Brown. Even at this stage you have to start the underwork for the striated carapace. Basically you just paint it on in lines. All the white parts are given a coat of Blazing Orange, mixed with a heavy dose of Gloss Medium. Also the tongue and tubes are hit with a little Red Gore.
Step 3: For the next step I use my 'rust wash'. This is made of a 1:1 mix of black and brown ink, with two drops each of Bestial Brown and Blazing Orange, and a small drop of dishwashing liquid. This is used to wash the orange areas. The striations are continued with Kommando Khaki. The Red Gore sections are washed with Purple Ink.
Step 4: I almost finish off the striated carapace with Bleached Bone at this stage. The washed orange is highlighted up with Fiery Orange, again with a heavy mix of Gloss Medium. The tongue and tubes are re-highlighted with Red Gore.
Step 5: Only the details left at this point. I completely finish the carapace with a small edging of Skull White. The eyes are painted Hawk Turquoise. And voila.
Step 1: First off I undercoat the model. I undercoat 100% by hand using basic paints. Some people say you need true 'primer' but in my expierience there is no real difference.
Step 2: Next I paint the black sections with Bestial Brown. Even at this stage you have to start the underwork for the striated carapace. Basically you just paint it on in lines. All the white parts are given a coat of Blazing Orange, mixed with a heavy dose of Gloss Medium. Also the tongue and tubes are hit with a little Red Gore.
Step 3: For the next step I use my 'rust wash'. This is made of a 1:1 mix of black and brown ink, with two drops each of Bestial Brown and Blazing Orange, and a small drop of dishwashing liquid. This is used to wash the orange areas. The striations are continued with Kommando Khaki. The Red Gore sections are washed with Purple Ink.
Step 4: I almost finish off the striated carapace with Bleached Bone at this stage. The washed orange is highlighted up with Fiery Orange, again with a heavy mix of Gloss Medium. The tongue and tubes are re-highlighted with Red Gore.
Step 5: Only the details left at this point. I completely finish the carapace with a small edging of Skull White. The eyes are painted Hawk Turquoise. And voila.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Battleforge 'Eavy Tournament 1/13/08
After yesterdays mega-battle I still managed to have enough time/energy to get down to the first tournament of the new Battleforge season. I brought my Mech Eldar army (the list is in a post below) to see how I could fare. I'll do a rundown...
Round 1 v. Sean's Nidzilla
I had played Sean many times before in the local tourney scene, but this is the first time we were matched at round 1, as opposed to a final round, winner take all situation. The primary objective was enemy lines. Through a few key immobilizations Sean managed to box me into my deployment zone while he advanced. Foryunately i had one unit of Pathfinders with a pretty clear line to his deployment zone, so they legged it. They managed to kill the one unit of Genestealers opposing them to get me a unit in his zone, while the fact that his monsters were so slow only allowed him to get one in on me. This meant no one got primary. I didn't get any objectives, while he got secondary, tertiary, and the 2 bonus points (one of them due to my Farseer killing himself).
My total points: 5 (painting 5/5)
Round 2 vs. Bullymikes Tiefwalder IG
Well first off you can see a pretty good account of the game here
I was able to get a really strong flank move going on in this game, with my Harlequins and Fire Dragons performing like champs. To be fair his heavy weapons really didn't seem to get as many glances as they should have. Thankfuly they performed as they needed to on the last turn when I turned my most expensive Falcons rear armour towards his last remaining unit to bag us both alot of battle points. :)
So I managed to pull off max points here.
My total points: 34 (another 5 on painting, and a bonus 2 for winning the knowledge quiz)
Round 3 v. Daniels Mech Tau
THis was a really good game in my opinion. The primary objective was loot counters, the secondary was table quarters, and the tertiary was having scoring units in cover at the end of the game. I have played very few games against Tau and their power surprises me every time I play against them. The roll for deployment zone was really important in this one, and I managed to pick a quarter with three of the four objectives in it. We tentatively shot each other for the first few rounds until stuff really started to heat up. I managed to get my Harlequins into the meat of his infantry which were guarding the one objective in his zone. We really beat each other up in this one, but I managed to get him down to one scoring unit, taking the primary and secondary. I pulled out 19 points in this one.
My total points: 58 (5 for painting again)
And that was good enough for 2nd place. Thomas got first with his big bugs, giving Sean a real beat down in the final round so I hear. And it was Thomas' birthday, good for him :)
For my prize I got a box of Tyranid Warriors for the expanding army. You'll see them soon....
Round 1 v. Sean's Nidzilla
I had played Sean many times before in the local tourney scene, but this is the first time we were matched at round 1, as opposed to a final round, winner take all situation. The primary objective was enemy lines. Through a few key immobilizations Sean managed to box me into my deployment zone while he advanced. Foryunately i had one unit of Pathfinders with a pretty clear line to his deployment zone, so they legged it. They managed to kill the one unit of Genestealers opposing them to get me a unit in his zone, while the fact that his monsters were so slow only allowed him to get one in on me. This meant no one got primary. I didn't get any objectives, while he got secondary, tertiary, and the 2 bonus points (one of them due to my Farseer killing himself).
My total points: 5 (painting 5/5)
Round 2 vs. Bullymikes Tiefwalder IG
Well first off you can see a pretty good account of the game here
I was able to get a really strong flank move going on in this game, with my Harlequins and Fire Dragons performing like champs. To be fair his heavy weapons really didn't seem to get as many glances as they should have. Thankfuly they performed as they needed to on the last turn when I turned my most expensive Falcons rear armour towards his last remaining unit to bag us both alot of battle points. :)
So I managed to pull off max points here.
My total points: 34 (another 5 on painting, and a bonus 2 for winning the knowledge quiz)
Round 3 v. Daniels Mech Tau
THis was a really good game in my opinion. The primary objective was loot counters, the secondary was table quarters, and the tertiary was having scoring units in cover at the end of the game. I have played very few games against Tau and their power surprises me every time I play against them. The roll for deployment zone was really important in this one, and I managed to pick a quarter with three of the four objectives in it. We tentatively shot each other for the first few rounds until stuff really started to heat up. I managed to get my Harlequins into the meat of his infantry which were guarding the one objective in his zone. We really beat each other up in this one, but I managed to get him down to one scoring unit, taking the primary and secondary. I pulled out 19 points in this one.
My total points: 58 (5 for painting again)
And that was good enough for 2nd place. Thomas got first with his big bugs, giving Sean a real beat down in the final round so I hear. And it was Thomas' birthday, good for him :)
For my prize I got a box of Tyranid Warriors for the expanding army. You'll see them soon....
Horus Heresy Final Battle: The Inner Sanctum, An Alpha Legion Perspective
So my Alpha Legion did pretty nice in the final battle. I arrived late (as did three other players, two on each side total), so brought my army on totally out of reserve. I got into the thick of the fighting quick, engaging the Raven Guard and Dark Angels on the far flank, and protecting a vital objective. Heres some pics...
Friday, January 11, 2008
Current Project: Hivefleet Calavera
Now for what I am working on at the moment, a Tyranid army I have dubbed Hivefleet Calavera. Some may question the bright orange colour scheme, but I have gotten alot of flak for all my armies being too dark, so I had to go all out. Bright orange just seemed like the way to go. This is the list I am working towards,
Hive Fleet Calavera
HQ
Hive Tyrant w/ Enhanced Sense, Extended Carapace, Toxin Sacs, 2* Twin-linked Devourer, Psychic Scream 156
Tyrant Guard w/flesh hooks 46
Hive Tyrant w/ Enhanced Sense, Extended Carapace, Toxin Sacs, 2* Twin-linked Devourer, Psychic Scream 156
Tyrant Guard w/flesh hooks 46
Elites
2*Lictors 160
Troops
16*Hormagaunts 160
16*Hormagaunts 160
6*Stealers w/ extended carapace 120
6*Stealers w/ extended carapace 120
6*Stealers w/ extended carapace 120
6*Stealers w/ extended carapace 120
Fast Attack
Ravener w/ Scythes+Claws 40
Ravener w/ Scythes+Claws 40
Warriors*3 w/ Wings, Scythes+Claws 114
Heavy Support
2*Zoanthropes w/ Psychic Scream, Synapse 110
Carnifex w/ Enhanced Senses, Barbed Strangler, Venom Cannon, Reinforced Chitin 163
Carnifex w/ Enhanced Senses, Barbed Strangler, Venom Cannon, Reinforced Chitin 163
Basically I tried to take everything that I never see anyone field to make a decidedly un-'power' army, that would still make for fun and competative games. I think I have done reasonably.
Here are the first models I have made for the fleet...
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Alpha Legion Cell II, Krusk Nebulae Garrison
This is my Pre-Heresy Alpha Legion army. I built this to play in the Austin Heresy-Era league which has been great fun. It took getting used to play Loyalist Marines again(they were one of my first armies 10 years ago), but I've completely enjoyed it. So much so in fact that they have become my go to army for Apocalypse. The greatest part about having a Traitor PH legion is that you get to field units out of the Chaos codex and Space Marine one. Rest assured my Techmarine+Possessed in a Rhino has been great fun.
The Alphas managed to come in 2nd at the first BFG Hobby Tournament in February 08' with two wins and a loss.
Tir'sahras Craftworld Strikeforce, 'Maunwe Shakar'
This army is my much reviled tournament army, and I've done pretty well with it, winning vast amounts of prize support to build my other armies. They're the workhorse that fuels this ship I call a hobby, but I also really love them. I got quite a bit of flak on my other blog, Bell of Lost Souls, for posting up a Tactica on Mech Eldar. Maybe some forms of the army are an autopilot win, but I really feel I've built mine so that some thought goes into it. But maybe I'm just in denial... here is the armylist as it stands...
HQ
Farseer Agwe: /w Doom, Mind War, a Spirit Stone, Jetbike, Runes of Warding 165
Farseer Oaxaska: /w Doom, Mind War, a Spirit Stone, Warp Jump Generator(Jetbike) 150
Elites
The Flaming Shroud Temple, Fire Dragons*6 w/ Exarch, Crack Shot 113
The Burning Light Temple, Fire Dragons*6 w/ Exarch, Crack Shot 113
The Midnight Dancers, Harlequins*5, Kisses, Troupe Leader w/ Power Weapon 126
Troops
The Shattered Shuriken Temple,
Dire Avengers*10: /w exarch, /w duel avenger catapults, and bladestorm: 152
in Waveserpent: /w scatterlasers, shuriken cannon, spirit stone 135
Dire Avengers*10: /w exarch, /w duel avenger catapults, and bladestorm: 152
in Waveserpent: /w shuriken cannons, shuriken cannon, spirit stone 120
The Wanderers, Pathfinders*6 144
Heavy
Darkfall,Falcon: /w Scatter Laser, Shuriken Cannon, Holofield, Spirit Stone, Vectored Engines 205
Windfall,Falcon: /w Scatter Laser, Shuriken Cannon, Holofield, Spirit Stone, Star + Vectored Engines 220
Lightfall,Falcon: /w Scatter Laser, Shuriken Cannon, Holofield, Spirit Stone, Vectored Engines 205
=2000
The Aventine Crusades
This is my Alpha Legion themed Lost and the Damned Army, called the Aventine Crusades. I was very sad when I learned that more than likely this army would not be redone any time in the foreseeable future, but that feeling was soon replaced with elation when I learned that my local gamestore, Battleforge Games, would be allowing their use in Tournaments. So, reborn, and dusted off with some jazz from the new Codex, I present the Crusaders...
