I think the subtitle of this post should be 'What the Hell is Wrong with Me?"
Of late, I've had this itch to sell all of the Space Marine bike models and parts from my collection. Hilariously, during the previous selloff I did of Marine models and kits, I intended to keep ONLY bike units. I'm not sure why, but I'm restless with this new codex.
I have long been "The Bike Guy" at my FLGS. Folks from other shops have actually recognised my army from this or that event without me being at the table. "Oh, it's that Bike Guy!" Got a question about how to use/kit/build/paint bikes? I was the guy to ask.
I enjoyed being that guy, and having that experience and expertise. But with the new book, I'm less in love with my bikes.
The reason for this eludes me. The White Scars chapter tactics are great. Khan is much improved. Bikes overall are far better and slightly cheaper on points. Folks are flocking to bike armies, and maybe that's why I'm less impressed by them lately. They're the new "power build," at least in the early going. I've never been the "power build" sort of player, and I think the situation feels a lot like what Necron and Eldar players, and to a lesser extent Grey Knights, players feel. You can have the original metal models for Necrons, but when you show up at the table and hand over a Necron list, you get that "broken codex" or "bandwagoneer" stigma. I have a minor fear of that stigma being applied to my bike army. It's an irrational fear, as my play group is tight knit and we all know each others' histories, but it's still there.
I also fancy myself as an opportunist and a bit of a 40K "flipper." I've bought and traded for things in the past, and then turned around and resold or retraded them at a profit. It's how I amassed some of my bike army, in fact. I'm seeing bikes being bought and sold online, and feel like I might be able to mkae a little money by selling what is a pretty complete bike army (though it lacks the min/max weapon loadouts). I've never sold a model I've painted before though, and I'm curious if I'll regret it in the long run, and a bit lost on how much to ask for.
If I were to sell the force, it would contain:
1 Captain (armed as a counts-as Khan)
1 Techmarine with power axe and servo arm
1 Apothecary
1 Company Champion with sword and shield
1 Banner Bearer, with magnetized banner arm
1 Storm Shield Bearer
10 basic bolter bikes
2 plasmagunners
2 meltagunners
2 flamers
1 Sergeant with power axe
1 Sergeant with power fist
2 Sergeants with holstered bolters (used as combiweapons)
1 Sergeant with plasma pistol
5 magnetized, metal attack bikes, each with heavy bolter and multimelta parts
3-4 new Scout bikes in box or on sprue
4-5 old scout bikes, unassembled and off sprue
3-4 additional metal attack bike sidecars with heavy bolter and multimelta options for each
A "remaining bike bitz" pile.
All of this is painted to a solid tabletop standard. Not "pro" level, but not "quick dip" level. No decals in the army, all freehand.
Retail, the completed models pan out just shy of $500, then add in the other kits and parts. But retail is a poor gauge of value for a complete, painted army. Of course, it only shakes out to about 1500 points, so it's not 100% "complete."
Anyone sold an army they've painted and built themselves over time? It's easy enough to flip models you never invested time into, but how hard is it to send away something you've put years into?
I wouldn't be divesting myself of all my Marines, obviously. I still have plenty of non-bike Marines to play with, build, and paint. I have several directions I could go in.
What do you folks think?
9.26.2013
9.16.2013
Three Games with the New Marine Codex
My FLGS had its monthly 40K event this past Saturday, and I was able to attend using the new Space Marine Codex.
I'd debated with myself about what type of list to bring, and under which Chapter Tactics. I was debating between a classic Ultramarines list with Tacs and such led by Sicarius or my Biker list. I opted to go with the bike list, led by Khan, running White Scars Chapter Tactics.
Here's a general breakdown of the list:
HQ
Khan on Moondrakkan
Command Squad (apothecary, champion, powerfist veteran, standard bearer, storm shield veteran)
Techmarine on Bike
Librarian (ML2, Jump Pack, Force Staff)
Troops
Bikes 1 (5 strong, 2 plasmaguns, plasma pistol vet sergeant, multimelta attack bike)
Bikes 2 (5 strong, 2 meltaguns, combimelta vet sergeant)
Bikes 3 (5 strong, 2 flamers, combiflamer vet sergeant, heavy bolter attack bike)
Bikes 4 (5 strong, power axe vet sergeant)
Fast
Multimelta Attack Bike Squadron (3 strong)
Landspeeder Squadron (2 strong, Typhoons, heavy bolters)
Assault Marines (10 strong, 2 flamers, powerfist vet sergeant)
It's a pretty straightforward "fast" list that I have played a lot in the past, and that is reasonably fluffy for a "White Scars" build.
Unfortunately, attendance for the event was only 5 paying players and a fill-in swing player.
My first game was against a Tzeentch/Slaanesh Daemons list. I won't bother with turn-by-turn batreps, as I can barely remember the games 10 minutes afterward, let alone two days. I like to just hit the highlights, results, and some lessons learned.
It was a pretty even game, and one of those that comes down to single models or inches deciding points. I gained 11 points in the loss. It took me a while to remember how toplaythe damned game, being so rusty and out of it. I actually forgot how to roll for charge ranges! No major highlights, other than blasting a MASSIVE unit of Seekers off the table with combined shooting from half my army.
Second game was against a blanced Necron army led by Zahdrekh and Obyron and a Destroyrer Lord. We played a mission that used the short board edges as deployment (Hammer and Anvil?). Primary was kill points, if I remember right. My dice rolled well, and the Necron dice did not. I tabled the Necron force except for Zandrekh, who was on his way to slowly whittling down Khan in a challenge, but the game ended before the deed could be completed. Highlight was the D-Lord getting up three separate times and menacing my surviving troops bikes before being repeatedly being put down by multimeltas. 30 points to me.
Final game was against Imperial Guard Gunline, painted as traitors. This one was a "hold the center" mission played on a board with several ruined buildings and some small forests. The Guard army contained a couple Russes in a squadron, a Vendetta, an ADL with quad gun, PBS, Chimera Vets, some Armored Sentinels, a Lord Commissar, and a unit of three Quad Gun Launchers (Thudd Guns?). I ended up taking a victory here, but not until the game had gone a full six turns and we were down to five models or less, each. There were some big swings in momentum in both directions. I took a hammering for three turns from the Thudd Guns before I manged to engage them in melee and run them off the board with my Librarian. Mobility was key on this one, as I was able to hold a bike troop unit (the meltagunner squad) in my own deployment area for a while and keep enough alive to take the objective. The Guard troops were bottled up behind that ADL in Chimeras with everything else blocking their access route to the center objective. It was largely uncontested for the entire game, and I played towards that end. The whole game was a highlight, being a massive killfest that was massively entertaining. I am not a fan of the Thudd Gun unit in terms of balance. Twelve small blasts in a single volley is too many. I was regularly seeing upwards of 20 hits per volley on my well-spread bike units. No other unit in the enemy army came anywhere close to the kill tally those guns had. Now, I could have reached them sooner if I'd deepstruck the Assault Marines with the flamers in some crazy maneuver, but by conventional means of reachign them, I was fighitng a major uphill battle. They dohave their weaknesses, like opposing artifllery units, Mawlocs, or what have you, butoverall they're a tad bit underpointed for what they do. I know it sounds silly to complain about a unit when you win a game, so I'll stop here, lol.
At the end of the day I took first place with 66 battle points! Hurrah! I banked the store cedit towards either a Stormraven or a Stormtalon, or maybe another drop pod.
Throughout the day, folks asked me how I liked the new Marines. My response is that they're good, but not crushingly so.
The White Scars Chapter Tactics are nice, but you have to read them carefully. Only bikes units get the +1 to Hammer of Wrath hit strength, auto-pass Dangerous Terrain tests, and +1 Jink saves. So my Speeders only had a 5+ Jink, and my Assault Marines didn't have stronger HoW or auto-pass DT tests.
All units get Hit and Run, though. Khan only grants Scout to Bikes and units with a dedicated transport (though the rules don't say they have to be IN said transport). So, my ASM and Speeders couldn't Scout. This was important in Game Two, as I ended up blocking several bike units from using a Scout move by placing the ASM in front of them. Oops!
The bonus strength to HoW was pretty significant when I managed to get a lot of bikes into base contact. The trick is getting a lot of bikes into base contact. I ran units of 5-6 models, so you're maxxing out at 5-6 HoW hits. Nothing overpowering, but the bump from S4 to S5 is definitely a difference maker. You end up being able to penetrate AV10 rear armor, or actually glance AV11.
The automatic passing of Dangerous Terrain tests was very nice. Since 6th dropped, I'd been ignoring terrain and making the rolls anyways, since I could take an armor save against it. But to completely ignore it removed any and all doubt about terrain. it also sped up my games by that tiny bit because I wasn't rolling for each individual bike as I moved them (which is how you're supposed to do it, you don't just roll them all together and allocate the wounds as you see fit, so cut that out!).
+1 to Jink saves is a beautiful thing for bikes. Boosting gives you the old-school 3+ cover save. It's great when you're trying to cross open ground, since it's even better than any terrain-based cover you'll get. However, it doesn't work if you go second, Scout move or not. Jink is only applied if you moved in your Movement phase, NOT if you moved at all. A Scout move is not done in your Movement phase!
Hit and Run is also nice. Bikes aren't a melee unit, unless you're taking a Command Squad. Hit and Run allows bike units to either risk the charge to get stuck in versus a shooty opponent, or get out of town when engaged (and not obliterated) with a melee opponent. You have a 66% chance that you'll get away, but I managed to fail two Hit and Run tests during my games. One was during an important turn.
Khan's Scout ability is tricky to use. If you go first and Scout, you can't charge in your first turn (unless the opponent Seizes the Initiative). If you go second, you won't get your Jink saves when the enemy shoots at you during that first turn. But, the Scout rule does allow you to outflank with almost any non-vehicle unit in your army. You're able to attack from all three directions if you set things up right. Just remember that you can't charge after arriving from reserves!
Ideally, I'd use the army-wide ability to Scout by going first in order to make a glorious attempt at getting stuck in to a very shooty army, like the Guard gunline from my final game. I'd have taken first turn, Scouted 12" forward, then moved another 12". I could either blast away from there, or boost for the 3+ cover save.
I also kitted my Librarian and my Techmarine with auspexes. They only cost a handful of points, and performed to that level. -1 to cover saves isn't exactly brutal, but it is helpful. Knock an ADL down to a 5+ save versus a 4+ save. A unit Gone to Ground in a forest is 4+ instead of 3+, etc. The trick is the 12" range. Slice the cover save from an intervening unit from 5+ to 6+. It worked nicely for my Assault Marines (via the Librarian) and bikes (via the Techmarine), but probably won't work so well with something like a Tactical Squad. It was nice that you can use the auspex on one unit and target an entirely different unit, though. Be careful using it with a shooting-centered unit, as you have to give up the model's shooting to do so. Hopefully, I did that in my games.
All in all, the book is nice but hardly overpowered. It's following in the "balanced, useful, Codex" trend GW has been on since the 6th Edition hardbacks started being published.
I'm likely going to skip the October event, as it's a team tourney, and I'm not a fan of those. Plus, with the abyssmal turnout we've had in the last few months, the last thing I want to do is clear my schedule for a tournament and have six people show up.
I'm looking ahead to the Standish Standoff now, and am hoping to line out some preliminary army lists. I'd love to run the list I ran this weekend, but the composition system won't allow it. I need some Elite and Heavy slots filled, and the four HQ slots I used would be illegal under the rubric. I may have to go to the traditional Tactical Marine list to play with anything resembling a useful composition score. It's a ways off, so who knows?
I'd debated with myself about what type of list to bring, and under which Chapter Tactics. I was debating between a classic Ultramarines list with Tacs and such led by Sicarius or my Biker list. I opted to go with the bike list, led by Khan, running White Scars Chapter Tactics.
Here's a general breakdown of the list:
HQ
Khan on Moondrakkan
Command Squad (apothecary, champion, powerfist veteran, standard bearer, storm shield veteran)
Techmarine on Bike
Librarian (ML2, Jump Pack, Force Staff)
Troops
Bikes 1 (5 strong, 2 plasmaguns, plasma pistol vet sergeant, multimelta attack bike)
Bikes 2 (5 strong, 2 meltaguns, combimelta vet sergeant)
Bikes 3 (5 strong, 2 flamers, combiflamer vet sergeant, heavy bolter attack bike)
Bikes 4 (5 strong, power axe vet sergeant)
Fast
Multimelta Attack Bike Squadron (3 strong)
Landspeeder Squadron (2 strong, Typhoons, heavy bolters)
Assault Marines (10 strong, 2 flamers, powerfist vet sergeant)
It's a pretty straightforward "fast" list that I have played a lot in the past, and that is reasonably fluffy for a "White Scars" build.
Unfortunately, attendance for the event was only 5 paying players and a fill-in swing player.
My first game was against a Tzeentch/Slaanesh Daemons list. I won't bother with turn-by-turn batreps, as I can barely remember the games 10 minutes afterward, let alone two days. I like to just hit the highlights, results, and some lessons learned.
It was a pretty even game, and one of those that comes down to single models or inches deciding points. I gained 11 points in the loss. It took me a while to remember how toplaythe damned game, being so rusty and out of it. I actually forgot how to roll for charge ranges! No major highlights, other than blasting a MASSIVE unit of Seekers off the table with combined shooting from half my army.
Second game was against a blanced Necron army led by Zahdrekh and Obyron and a Destroyrer Lord. We played a mission that used the short board edges as deployment (Hammer and Anvil?). Primary was kill points, if I remember right. My dice rolled well, and the Necron dice did not. I tabled the Necron force except for Zandrekh, who was on his way to slowly whittling down Khan in a challenge, but the game ended before the deed could be completed. Highlight was the D-Lord getting up three separate times and menacing my surviving troops bikes before being repeatedly being put down by multimeltas. 30 points to me.
Final game was against Imperial Guard Gunline, painted as traitors. This one was a "hold the center" mission played on a board with several ruined buildings and some small forests. The Guard army contained a couple Russes in a squadron, a Vendetta, an ADL with quad gun, PBS, Chimera Vets, some Armored Sentinels, a Lord Commissar, and a unit of three Quad Gun Launchers (Thudd Guns?). I ended up taking a victory here, but not until the game had gone a full six turns and we were down to five models or less, each. There were some big swings in momentum in both directions. I took a hammering for three turns from the Thudd Guns before I manged to engage them in melee and run them off the board with my Librarian. Mobility was key on this one, as I was able to hold a bike troop unit (the meltagunner squad) in my own deployment area for a while and keep enough alive to take the objective. The Guard troops were bottled up behind that ADL in Chimeras with everything else blocking their access route to the center objective. It was largely uncontested for the entire game, and I played towards that end. The whole game was a highlight, being a massive killfest that was massively entertaining. I am not a fan of the Thudd Gun unit in terms of balance. Twelve small blasts in a single volley is too many. I was regularly seeing upwards of 20 hits per volley on my well-spread bike units. No other unit in the enemy army came anywhere close to the kill tally those guns had. Now, I could have reached them sooner if I'd deepstruck the Assault Marines with the flamers in some crazy maneuver, but by conventional means of reachign them, I was fighitng a major uphill battle. They dohave their weaknesses, like opposing artifllery units, Mawlocs, or what have you, butoverall they're a tad bit underpointed for what they do. I know it sounds silly to complain about a unit when you win a game, so I'll stop here, lol.
At the end of the day I took first place with 66 battle points! Hurrah! I banked the store cedit towards either a Stormraven or a Stormtalon, or maybe another drop pod.
Throughout the day, folks asked me how I liked the new Marines. My response is that they're good, but not crushingly so.
The White Scars Chapter Tactics are nice, but you have to read them carefully. Only bikes units get the +1 to Hammer of Wrath hit strength, auto-pass Dangerous Terrain tests, and +1 Jink saves. So my Speeders only had a 5+ Jink, and my Assault Marines didn't have stronger HoW or auto-pass DT tests.
All units get Hit and Run, though. Khan only grants Scout to Bikes and units with a dedicated transport (though the rules don't say they have to be IN said transport). So, my ASM and Speeders couldn't Scout. This was important in Game Two, as I ended up blocking several bike units from using a Scout move by placing the ASM in front of them. Oops!
The bonus strength to HoW was pretty significant when I managed to get a lot of bikes into base contact. The trick is getting a lot of bikes into base contact. I ran units of 5-6 models, so you're maxxing out at 5-6 HoW hits. Nothing overpowering, but the bump from S4 to S5 is definitely a difference maker. You end up being able to penetrate AV10 rear armor, or actually glance AV11.
The automatic passing of Dangerous Terrain tests was very nice. Since 6th dropped, I'd been ignoring terrain and making the rolls anyways, since I could take an armor save against it. But to completely ignore it removed any and all doubt about terrain. it also sped up my games by that tiny bit because I wasn't rolling for each individual bike as I moved them (which is how you're supposed to do it, you don't just roll them all together and allocate the wounds as you see fit, so cut that out!).
+1 to Jink saves is a beautiful thing for bikes. Boosting gives you the old-school 3+ cover save. It's great when you're trying to cross open ground, since it's even better than any terrain-based cover you'll get. However, it doesn't work if you go second, Scout move or not. Jink is only applied if you moved in your Movement phase, NOT if you moved at all. A Scout move is not done in your Movement phase!
Hit and Run is also nice. Bikes aren't a melee unit, unless you're taking a Command Squad. Hit and Run allows bike units to either risk the charge to get stuck in versus a shooty opponent, or get out of town when engaged (and not obliterated) with a melee opponent. You have a 66% chance that you'll get away, but I managed to fail two Hit and Run tests during my games. One was during an important turn.
Khan's Scout ability is tricky to use. If you go first and Scout, you can't charge in your first turn (unless the opponent Seizes the Initiative). If you go second, you won't get your Jink saves when the enemy shoots at you during that first turn. But, the Scout rule does allow you to outflank with almost any non-vehicle unit in your army. You're able to attack from all three directions if you set things up right. Just remember that you can't charge after arriving from reserves!
Ideally, I'd use the army-wide ability to Scout by going first in order to make a glorious attempt at getting stuck in to a very shooty army, like the Guard gunline from my final game. I'd have taken first turn, Scouted 12" forward, then moved another 12". I could either blast away from there, or boost for the 3+ cover save.
I also kitted my Librarian and my Techmarine with auspexes. They only cost a handful of points, and performed to that level. -1 to cover saves isn't exactly brutal, but it is helpful. Knock an ADL down to a 5+ save versus a 4+ save. A unit Gone to Ground in a forest is 4+ instead of 3+, etc. The trick is the 12" range. Slice the cover save from an intervening unit from 5+ to 6+. It worked nicely for my Assault Marines (via the Librarian) and bikes (via the Techmarine), but probably won't work so well with something like a Tactical Squad. It was nice that you can use the auspex on one unit and target an entirely different unit, though. Be careful using it with a shooting-centered unit, as you have to give up the model's shooting to do so. Hopefully, I did that in my games.
All in all, the book is nice but hardly overpowered. It's following in the "balanced, useful, Codex" trend GW has been on since the 6th Edition hardbacks started being published.
I'm likely going to skip the October event, as it's a team tourney, and I'm not a fan of those. Plus, with the abyssmal turnout we've had in the last few months, the last thing I want to do is clear my schedule for a tournament and have six people show up.
I'm looking ahead to the Standish Standoff now, and am hoping to line out some preliminary army lists. I'd love to run the list I ran this weekend, but the composition system won't allow it. I need some Elite and Heavy slots filled, and the four HQ slots I used would be illegal under the rubric. I may have to go to the traditional Tactical Marine list to play with anything resembling a useful composition score. It's a ways off, so who knows?
9.11.2013
Blast from the Past: Master of the Forge
Yesterday I was asked how I created my scratch built conversion beamer for my Master of the Forge. This is a model I made when the 5th Edition Space Marine codex dropped. I'd done a ton of research on conversion beamer fluff, and even managed to get a bit from the old Space Marine board game. Problem was, that bit was lacking in detail. I decided to build one myself.
Originally, I'd chronicled the process over at Bolter and Chainsword on the blog I used to run there. When B&C crashed and decided to not revive the blogs, the whole process was lost to the Warp.
This is my "from memory" attempt to describe the process again...
The first thing I did was select all the parts I wanted to use:
Pictured are a Black Templars scabbarded sword (I wanted the option to give him a power weapon, but didn't want it blatantly visible and therefore a must-take), a set of used legs (this was back in my "too poor to buy new stuff" phase, where I was buying cheap lots on eBay and stripping them for parts and to refurbish), a damaged metal multimelta backpack (the previous owner had lopped off the cable feeds and put some sort of pin in the top), a metal Iron Warriors upgrade torso, bolter arms, the Techmarine head from the Ravenwing box set, a Mechanicus pad from the Marine vehicle upgrade sprue, an a Chaos Marine Terminator Reaper Autocannon.
The first thing I'd wanted to do was repose those legs and give him some bionics. I cut a piece of round sprue from a model jeep kit and replaced the thigh with it. I'd intended to add additional cables and coils around it. This shot shows how laughable the attempt was:
I then decided to get rid of the Dark Angels iconography on the Techmarine head. I didn't have any Greenstuff at the time, so I filled the area with plastic glue. I waited for it to dry, and then filed it down smooth. Again, pretty sloppy and laughable looking back:
I'd used 40-gauge floral wire to wrap the coils, and it was a bitch towards the end to keep together. This resulted in gaps. However, I needed some sort of support structure for the coils anyways, so I covered most of the gaps with pieces of bent 1mm plasticard (actually a 'for sale' sign I'd bought for that purpose). These are superglued to the coils and then plastic glue was used on the backside to blend the joint by the melt-then-sand method I used for the helmet.
I then added a final focuser to the front in the form of the upright from a radar dish off of the Marine vehicle sprue. But the gun was now massive, and would require two hands to hold and fire. I added a handle by chopping up some bit from a Baneblade sprue.
Because of the positioning of the handle, a regular bolter support arm wouldn't fit. So, I grbbed a spare biker arm, sliced off the hand (the grip was too small), and attached the hand from the bolter support arm.
By this time, I'd scrapped the idea of making my own bionic legs, and began searching for alternatives. One option was to slice the legs off of one of these old Devastator models:
But I somehow landed a set of bionic legs from the Iron Hands kit instead:
I wanted him to have a fancy shoulder pad with a deflector on it, so I glued plasticard to the back of a metal Ultramarine pad, and then trimmed away the excess. This is what bitz poor people do in place of expensive bitz!
Some posing and assembly of his body:
And then assembly of his gun, arms, and pack, plus the addition of his fuel delivery lines. These are actually wires from a phone cable I tore out of my house while redoing rooms.
Some WIP paint pics:
And finally some completed shots:
And there you have it! I was pretty proud of this model when I finished it. Lately, he's been showing his age. Funnily enough, while my painting skills have improved overall, I no longer make creative, scratch built models like this. Somewhere in the progression, I lost that bit of creativity and boldness that would push me to make a model like this. I've actually been thinking of replacing him with a new version that uses the Forgeworld Valthex model as a base. I don't' think I ever will, though, as this guy has seen the table less than ten times, ever.
Originally, I'd chronicled the process over at Bolter and Chainsword on the blog I used to run there. When B&C crashed and decided to not revive the blogs, the whole process was lost to the Warp.
This is my "from memory" attempt to describe the process again...
The first thing I did was select all the parts I wanted to use:
Pictured are a Black Templars scabbarded sword (I wanted the option to give him a power weapon, but didn't want it blatantly visible and therefore a must-take), a set of used legs (this was back in my "too poor to buy new stuff" phase, where I was buying cheap lots on eBay and stripping them for parts and to refurbish), a damaged metal multimelta backpack (the previous owner had lopped off the cable feeds and put some sort of pin in the top), a metal Iron Warriors upgrade torso, bolter arms, the Techmarine head from the Ravenwing box set, a Mechanicus pad from the Marine vehicle upgrade sprue, an a Chaos Marine Terminator Reaper Autocannon.
The first thing I'd wanted to do was repose those legs and give him some bionics. I cut a piece of round sprue from a model jeep kit and replaced the thigh with it. I'd intended to add additional cables and coils around it. This shot shows how laughable the attempt was:
I then decided to get rid of the Dark Angels iconography on the Techmarine head. I didn't have any Greenstuff at the time, so I filled the area with plastic glue. I waited for it to dry, and then filed it down smooth. Again, pretty sloppy and laughable looking back:
I then started working on the beamer. I began by lopping the barrels off the autocannon, because I wanted those recoil compensators to be energy coils. After some misadventures, I ended up drilling three lengths of paper clip into the front, and slipping tubing from Q-Tips over the top and bottom ones. I then found some random flat oval bit, drilled matching holes, and used it as a brace or end cap. I think my intent was to use this assembly as an energy collection point, with the tubing painted like it contained an energy beam inside each one.
The amount of glue used to make all this stick was appalling, and it really ruined the finish on the parts. Plus, it looked a little too thin to be a big, scary weapon. I decided to wrap the whole thing in wire to remake the coils. Also, I'd replaced the Terminator arm section with the equivalent piece from a regular bolter arm:
I'd used 40-gauge floral wire to wrap the coils, and it was a bitch towards the end to keep together. This resulted in gaps. However, I needed some sort of support structure for the coils anyways, so I covered most of the gaps with pieces of bent 1mm plasticard (actually a 'for sale' sign I'd bought for that purpose). These are superglued to the coils and then plastic glue was used on the backside to blend the joint by the melt-then-sand method I used for the helmet.
I needed a little more structure, so I added a random piece from the jeep model underneath the assembly, and then added focusing/discharge coils in the form of the shock springs from the same jeep kit.
I then added a final focuser to the front in the form of the upright from a radar dish off of the Marine vehicle sprue. But the gun was now massive, and would require two hands to hold and fire. I added a handle by chopping up some bit from a Baneblade sprue.
Because of the positioning of the handle, a regular bolter support arm wouldn't fit. So, I grbbed a spare biker arm, sliced off the hand (the grip was too small), and attached the hand from the bolter support arm.
By this time, I'd scrapped the idea of making my own bionic legs, and began searching for alternatives. One option was to slice the legs off of one of these old Devastator models:
But I somehow landed a set of bionic legs from the Iron Hands kit instead:
I wanted him to have a fancy shoulder pad with a deflector on it, so I glued plasticard to the back of a metal Ultramarine pad, and then trimmed away the excess. This is what bitz poor people do in place of expensive bitz!
Some posing and assembly of his body:
And then assembly of his gun, arms, and pack, plus the addition of his fuel delivery lines. These are actually wires from a phone cable I tore out of my house while redoing rooms.
Some WIP paint pics:
And finally some completed shots:
And there you have it! I was pretty proud of this model when I finished it. Lately, he's been showing his age. Funnily enough, while my painting skills have improved overall, I no longer make creative, scratch built models like this. Somewhere in the progression, I lost that bit of creativity and boldness that would push me to make a model like this. I've actually been thinking of replacing him with a new version that uses the Forgeworld Valthex model as a base. I don't' think I ever will, though, as this guy has seen the table less than ten times, ever.
9.10.2013
Hit the Brakes!
Immediately leading up to the release of the new Marine codex, I was planning on switching over to a full Drop Pod-borne force. This was due to the improvements to Tigurius making the force reliable from reserve, my interest in Forgeworld Deathstorm Drop Pods, and a general sense of boredom with my bike force. I was even pondering selling off all my bikers to finance the additional drop pods I'd need.
I've hit the brakes on that plan, and I think I'm going to stick with bikers for a while.
The reasons for this are several. At first, I was adamant that I would only ever use Ultramarines Chapter Tactics, as that is what I have my Marines painted as. I called codex-hoppers cheese dicks, and burned some bridges. Then I realized that my fellow Ultramarine players were taking non-Ultra CTs, and that even in prior editions, I was using non-Ultra characters like Lysander from time to time. I was being a hypocrite! So, instead of being a hypocrite and an elitist, I'm embracing the mechanic and the options it presents. (Part of this was also inspired by reading an article over at House of Paincakes about archetypes at an FLGS, and realizing I was one of those fluff guys who was acting better than others based on army choices).
So, I am going to use White Scars Chapter tactics for my bikers. I've spent YEARS building the force, and now it's finally "good." Why not play it like it's designed to be played? It's all the things I always wanted my bikers to be!
I'll also be using my Khan model, which I've used for ages as my Biker Captain. Khan is cheaper now, and the only major change to his stats is the switch from "everyone can outflank" to "everyone has Scout (which allows outflank).
The change from bikers was also based in part on the frustrations of the Fast Attack slot. ALL of my solid supporting units were crammed into the FA slot. Attack bikes, speeders, Assault Marines, scout bikes, etc. Add in the Stormtalon, and it was one crowded slot.
However, the new book adds some speedy choices to different slots, freeing up some FA roles to be filled by those other units. Vanguard Vets moved to Elites from FA, which is AWESOME. They're still an expensive unit points-wise, but the fact that they use an Elite slot makes them the best and only speedy Elite I can take in my themed forced.
Techmarines moved from Elite to non-slot HQ. I can now take my Techmarine Biker as a non-slot choice. Nice. Of course, he doesn't fill the Elite slot for composition scoring like he used to, but oh well.
The Stormraven is officially added, and it is in the Heavy slot. That slot was always a bitch to fill for my bikes, and I often ended up taking a lone Predator which was promptly blown up by all of the antitank in my opponent's army. I can also use the Stormraven to deliver Vanguard Vets or Assault Marines. Dreads don't fit the theme, so I'll leave the grapple empty.
Command Squads also got cheaper on bikes. They used to cost 90 points for bikes. Now, just 35! Of course, I have to pay for an Apothecary, but bitching about that while still saving 40 points would be foolish.
This decision alters the to-do list quite a bit. It ends up looking like this:
- 5 Vanguard Vets with jump packs. No upgrades.
- 1 Jump Pack Librarian. Replaces my current JP Lib who's looking a little underwhelming next to my current models.
- 1-4 Biker Command Squad veterans armed with power lances. I've had the bits to do this since 6th came out, now I have reason to bother with them.
- 1 Stormraven Gunship. Fully magnetized and interior painted.
I'll still be working on the Nids and non-bike Marines for variety's sake, but I think I have my immediate queue lined out for a while.
I've hit the brakes on that plan, and I think I'm going to stick with bikers for a while.
The reasons for this are several. At first, I was adamant that I would only ever use Ultramarines Chapter Tactics, as that is what I have my Marines painted as. I called codex-hoppers cheese dicks, and burned some bridges. Then I realized that my fellow Ultramarine players were taking non-Ultra CTs, and that even in prior editions, I was using non-Ultra characters like Lysander from time to time. I was being a hypocrite! So, instead of being a hypocrite and an elitist, I'm embracing the mechanic and the options it presents. (Part of this was also inspired by reading an article over at House of Paincakes about archetypes at an FLGS, and realizing I was one of those fluff guys who was acting better than others based on army choices).
So, I am going to use White Scars Chapter tactics for my bikers. I've spent YEARS building the force, and now it's finally "good." Why not play it like it's designed to be played? It's all the things I always wanted my bikers to be!
I'll also be using my Khan model, which I've used for ages as my Biker Captain. Khan is cheaper now, and the only major change to his stats is the switch from "everyone can outflank" to "everyone has Scout (which allows outflank).
The change from bikers was also based in part on the frustrations of the Fast Attack slot. ALL of my solid supporting units were crammed into the FA slot. Attack bikes, speeders, Assault Marines, scout bikes, etc. Add in the Stormtalon, and it was one crowded slot.
However, the new book adds some speedy choices to different slots, freeing up some FA roles to be filled by those other units. Vanguard Vets moved to Elites from FA, which is AWESOME. They're still an expensive unit points-wise, but the fact that they use an Elite slot makes them the best and only speedy Elite I can take in my themed forced.
Techmarines moved from Elite to non-slot HQ. I can now take my Techmarine Biker as a non-slot choice. Nice. Of course, he doesn't fill the Elite slot for composition scoring like he used to, but oh well.
The Stormraven is officially added, and it is in the Heavy slot. That slot was always a bitch to fill for my bikes, and I often ended up taking a lone Predator which was promptly blown up by all of the antitank in my opponent's army. I can also use the Stormraven to deliver Vanguard Vets or Assault Marines. Dreads don't fit the theme, so I'll leave the grapple empty.
Command Squads also got cheaper on bikes. They used to cost 90 points for bikes. Now, just 35! Of course, I have to pay for an Apothecary, but bitching about that while still saving 40 points would be foolish.
This decision alters the to-do list quite a bit. It ends up looking like this:
- 5 Vanguard Vets with jump packs. No upgrades.
- 1 Jump Pack Librarian. Replaces my current JP Lib who's looking a little underwhelming next to my current models.
- 1-4 Biker Command Squad veterans armed with power lances. I've had the bits to do this since 6th came out, now I have reason to bother with them.
- 1 Stormraven Gunship. Fully magnetized and interior painted.
I'll still be working on the Nids and non-bike Marines for variety's sake, but I think I have my immediate queue lined out for a while.
9.09.2013
Short Story Review: Bastions, by Rob Sanders
On Friday evening, I wanted to test out the actual reading functions of my Kindle Fire HD. Up until now, it was just a way to surf the web, watch Netflix, and play Plants vs. Zombies while sitting on the couch or in bed.
The Black Library is doing a series of 1000-word short stories via eBook leading up to Games Day. they're covering a lot of obscure Marine Chapters in these, so I decided to spend the $1.99 and buy one. I ended up choosing "Bastions" by Rob Sanders, largely because it was about zombies on an orbital defense station, and also because it was about the Excoriators, a chapter with little background (I think Mr. Sanders created them for his Legion of the Damned novel in the Space Marine Battles series, which I have not read).
You can buy the short story here:
http://www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer-40000/bastions.html
Without spoiling the plot, here's a general synopsis:
An Excoriators Chaplain and his human retainer are accompanied by a 5-man combat squad onto an orbital defense station that has gone silent. The station was manned by humans and Excoriators Marines, so it's odd that it is non-responsive.
When the unit boards, they discover the reason the station is silent. Zombies! It's not explicitly stated, but it appears to be the Curse of Unbelief.
There isn't a ton of character development, as these are only 1000 words long. However, the story is enjoyable despite its brevity. It's got a good ending and enough action to keep it rolling.
If you have a couple bucks to spare and want a quick read, it's worth it. Also, if you've read Legion of the Damned and are familiar with the Excoriators, you might find it a nice addition to your "collection" of Excoriators fiction.
I may grab some more of these stories in the future, as the price isn't too bad, and the Chapters covered are obscure enough to be interesting.
The Black Library is doing a series of 1000-word short stories via eBook leading up to Games Day. they're covering a lot of obscure Marine Chapters in these, so I decided to spend the $1.99 and buy one. I ended up choosing "Bastions" by Rob Sanders, largely because it was about zombies on an orbital defense station, and also because it was about the Excoriators, a chapter with little background (I think Mr. Sanders created them for his Legion of the Damned novel in the Space Marine Battles series, which I have not read).
You can buy the short story here:
http://www.blacklibrary.com/warhammer-40000/bastions.html
Without spoiling the plot, here's a general synopsis:
An Excoriators Chaplain and his human retainer are accompanied by a 5-man combat squad onto an orbital defense station that has gone silent. The station was manned by humans and Excoriators Marines, so it's odd that it is non-responsive.
When the unit boards, they discover the reason the station is silent. Zombies! It's not explicitly stated, but it appears to be the Curse of Unbelief.
There isn't a ton of character development, as these are only 1000 words long. However, the story is enjoyable despite its brevity. It's got a good ending and enough action to keep it rolling.
If you have a couple bucks to spare and want a quick read, it's worth it. Also, if you've read Legion of the Damned and are familiar with the Excoriators, you might find it a nice addition to your "collection" of Excoriators fiction.
I may grab some more of these stories in the future, as the price isn't too bad, and the Chapters covered are obscure enough to be interesting.
9.06.2013
Tyranid Test Bases
Here are the two test bases I did up relatively quickly. The first is Liquitex Resin Sand mixed with an equal amount of craft paint. I then dry brushed it up through different shade of a brownish-grey, and added a bit of GW static grass:
The second is just craft sand painted in the same colors, again with static grass (but under different light):
I like them both, in their own ways.
The resin sand version comes out lighter due to having less small texture. It also provides a more three-dimensional look, depending on how much of the material you use, and how you pile it up. Little clumps of resin sand in one area make those little peaks and valleys you can see in the pictures. The valleys are where I intend to put static grass and small plants. It seems to be a pretty durable finish as well. I believe I can glue small plants right to the painted base in those low areas and make them look convincing.
However, the resin sand method is imprecise. I had no idea what the base texture would look like when I applied it. The binder in the material evaporates and shrinks as it dries overnight. I'm not sure how this would translate to a 40mm or 60mm base. I can try it out on a 40mm spare, but I don't have any 60mm junk bases to play with.
I'm also not sure how I could sink rocks and other items on these bases. The resin sand medium is sloppy and goopy. If I placed a cork rock in the middle, would I be able to make it look convincing?
The craft sand version is darker because I essentially soak the sand in the darkest color, and then dry brush those tiny grains up to light grey. However, plenty of the dark color still shows through. I can dry brush more of the lighter colors to reduce or eliminate that, but I've found that it tends to look smeared and shitty when you do so.
There is much more control with the craft sand, as I'm painting on white glue, and then covering it with the sand before painting. I can glue rocks and other items right to the base before glue and sand and it looks nice enough. I'm positive that I cannot glue small plants to the sand. I'd have to attach them to the base before applying glue and sand, which would require precision to avoid sanding the leaves of the plants. No one likes sandy leaves. The alternative is drilling holes in the base after sanding, poking the plants through to the underside, and then gluing them in place.
Affixing the models to either base is about the same. Add a small piece of plasticard to the base where the feet go, apply basing, then scrape away the paint and sand from the piece of card. Glue as needed.
What do you folks think? Resin sand or craft sand?
Does the grey color stand out enough from my green/brown Tyranid scheme, or should I consider another color set?
Obviously, these are quick mockups that I threw together. A finished base will have static grass and various scattered small plants to break up the grey. I'm not 100% sure how I'm going to make the plants, but my first though is to grab some cheap silk plants from the craft store, and then cut my leaves and stems from those, using the appropriate scale. Then I'd bind it all together with floral wire (I already have a reel of it from past projects) and glue to the base using that coiled wire. I think I could also break out the airbrush to quickly spray the leading edges of the leaves another color like a light green, teal, or crimson.
In slightly related news, there was a list of interesting rumors online regarding a new hive fleet "Karkinos." That's my fleet name, dammit! The rumors talked about how Karkinos focused on poison and gas. However, the rumor set was debunked this AM as fake, but it did get me thinking.
What if I wanted my entire Hive Fleet to be poisonous? Every Nid kit is packed full of toxin sac bits, and you can buy them by the hundreds from bit sellers for a song. Adding a toxin sac to every melee claw/talon/blade arm would be some work, but it would also give me a chance to break up the monotony of green with more little purple sections as I would paint the sac-looking pieces of those bitz to match the ribbed flesh I already use.
On the table, I'd simply require every model to pay for toxin sac biomorphs, even if it makes little game sense. Toxin on a Carnifex with crushing claws? Go for it!
Speaking of painting, I have gotten all of the base blue colors down on my fourth Sternguard model. I just need to line highlight his armor and I'll be ready to move forward to the details. I'll try to get a WIP shot up early next week. The new book is out tomorrow morning as well. Huzzah!
The second is just craft sand painted in the same colors, again with static grass (but under different light):
For fairness' sake, here they are side by side under the same light:
I like them both, in their own ways.
The resin sand version comes out lighter due to having less small texture. It also provides a more three-dimensional look, depending on how much of the material you use, and how you pile it up. Little clumps of resin sand in one area make those little peaks and valleys you can see in the pictures. The valleys are where I intend to put static grass and small plants. It seems to be a pretty durable finish as well. I believe I can glue small plants right to the painted base in those low areas and make them look convincing.
However, the resin sand method is imprecise. I had no idea what the base texture would look like when I applied it. The binder in the material evaporates and shrinks as it dries overnight. I'm not sure how this would translate to a 40mm or 60mm base. I can try it out on a 40mm spare, but I don't have any 60mm junk bases to play with.
I'm also not sure how I could sink rocks and other items on these bases. The resin sand medium is sloppy and goopy. If I placed a cork rock in the middle, would I be able to make it look convincing?
The craft sand version is darker because I essentially soak the sand in the darkest color, and then dry brush those tiny grains up to light grey. However, plenty of the dark color still shows through. I can dry brush more of the lighter colors to reduce or eliminate that, but I've found that it tends to look smeared and shitty when you do so.
There is much more control with the craft sand, as I'm painting on white glue, and then covering it with the sand before painting. I can glue rocks and other items right to the base before glue and sand and it looks nice enough. I'm positive that I cannot glue small plants to the sand. I'd have to attach them to the base before applying glue and sand, which would require precision to avoid sanding the leaves of the plants. No one likes sandy leaves. The alternative is drilling holes in the base after sanding, poking the plants through to the underside, and then gluing them in place.
Affixing the models to either base is about the same. Add a small piece of plasticard to the base where the feet go, apply basing, then scrape away the paint and sand from the piece of card. Glue as needed.
What do you folks think? Resin sand or craft sand?
Does the grey color stand out enough from my green/brown Tyranid scheme, or should I consider another color set?
Obviously, these are quick mockups that I threw together. A finished base will have static grass and various scattered small plants to break up the grey. I'm not 100% sure how I'm going to make the plants, but my first though is to grab some cheap silk plants from the craft store, and then cut my leaves and stems from those, using the appropriate scale. Then I'd bind it all together with floral wire (I already have a reel of it from past projects) and glue to the base using that coiled wire. I think I could also break out the airbrush to quickly spray the leading edges of the leaves another color like a light green, teal, or crimson.
In slightly related news, there was a list of interesting rumors online regarding a new hive fleet "Karkinos." That's my fleet name, dammit! The rumors talked about how Karkinos focused on poison and gas. However, the rumor set was debunked this AM as fake, but it did get me thinking.
What if I wanted my entire Hive Fleet to be poisonous? Every Nid kit is packed full of toxin sac bits, and you can buy them by the hundreds from bit sellers for a song. Adding a toxin sac to every melee claw/talon/blade arm would be some work, but it would also give me a chance to break up the monotony of green with more little purple sections as I would paint the sac-looking pieces of those bitz to match the ribbed flesh I already use.
On the table, I'd simply require every model to pay for toxin sac biomorphs, even if it makes little game sense. Toxin on a Carnifex with crushing claws? Go for it!
Speaking of painting, I have gotten all of the base blue colors down on my fourth Sternguard model. I just need to line highlight his armor and I'll be ready to move forward to the details. I'll try to get a WIP shot up early next week. The new book is out tomorrow morning as well. Huzzah!
9.03.2013
So Excited!
I have to say, I haven't been this excited about 40K in years. Basically since the last Marine Codex was released. Four days and a wake-up til I have the new Marine 'dex in my hands!
I have my preorder in to the shop for the book, a box of Sternguard, and the new Librarian. When I found out that the model's little demon-cherub thing was a separate part and didn't require any removal or alterations, I was sold. I'm not a huge fan of the bearded Merlin-style head, but there should be plenty of others in the Sternguard box to use as a substitute. Hell, I might even use one of the old bare heads I have kicking around or even a helmeted head, if one will fit.
The model in question is here, for those of you who haven't seen it yet:
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440160a&prodId=prod2160138a
Pretty snazzy, minus that effing cherub. He'll make a nice Tigurius, a character I'm happy finally has playable rules. I've really enjoyed his appearances in both Fall of Damnos and The Chapter's Due, so it will be fun to actually play him. I'd originally planned to use a modified version of Turmiel from the Dark Vengeance box as my on-foot Librarian/Tiggy, but this one is so much better. I'll save Turmiel for a jump-pack Librarian model and retire my old one. That model is sorely outdated and suffers from a serious case of Wobbly Model Syndrome.
I'm warming more to the idea of having Marines in my collection without helmets on. I was adamant in the past that I'd never have any, considering it tactically moronic. But the new heads in the new kits are really well done, so I might find my way to include some. I also really enjoyed painting skin when I did my sniper scouts.
I held off on buying any other new kits. While the Centurions have grown on me, I don't feel like shelling the cash for them just yet. Same with the Hunter tank. I'd love to start a unit of Vanguard, but it looks like their rules didn't get any better at all, though they're cheaper points-wise. I was sorely disappointed that the new Chaplain model is currently only available as part of a bundle with a Command Squad and a Razorback. I don't need either of those kits, so I'll wait on the Chaplain. I have a metal model sitting in a blister waiting for a jump pack anyways, and I have my counts-as Cassius for a foot version and my TDA version. I just need a biker Chaplain and I'll have one for every situation.
I am doing up a couple test 25mm base schemes for my Nids. I was waiting for paint to dry last night, so pics will come tomorrow or the day after.
I put a couple coats of midtone blue on my next Sternguard model and assembled the fifth squad member. Once those guys are done, I think I'm going to either do a standard bearer for a foot command squad (so I don't have to use my metal Honor Guard model as a lowly Company Banner Bearer) or start work on the two drop pods I have.
I have my preorder in to the shop for the book, a box of Sternguard, and the new Librarian. When I found out that the model's little demon-cherub thing was a separate part and didn't require any removal or alterations, I was sold. I'm not a huge fan of the bearded Merlin-style head, but there should be plenty of others in the Sternguard box to use as a substitute. Hell, I might even use one of the old bare heads I have kicking around or even a helmeted head, if one will fit.
The model in question is here, for those of you who haven't seen it yet:
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?catId=cat440160a&prodId=prod2160138a
Pretty snazzy, minus that effing cherub. He'll make a nice Tigurius, a character I'm happy finally has playable rules. I've really enjoyed his appearances in both Fall of Damnos and The Chapter's Due, so it will be fun to actually play him. I'd originally planned to use a modified version of Turmiel from the Dark Vengeance box as my on-foot Librarian/Tiggy, but this one is so much better. I'll save Turmiel for a jump-pack Librarian model and retire my old one. That model is sorely outdated and suffers from a serious case of Wobbly Model Syndrome.
I'm warming more to the idea of having Marines in my collection without helmets on. I was adamant in the past that I'd never have any, considering it tactically moronic. But the new heads in the new kits are really well done, so I might find my way to include some. I also really enjoyed painting skin when I did my sniper scouts.
I held off on buying any other new kits. While the Centurions have grown on me, I don't feel like shelling the cash for them just yet. Same with the Hunter tank. I'd love to start a unit of Vanguard, but it looks like their rules didn't get any better at all, though they're cheaper points-wise. I was sorely disappointed that the new Chaplain model is currently only available as part of a bundle with a Command Squad and a Razorback. I don't need either of those kits, so I'll wait on the Chaplain. I have a metal model sitting in a blister waiting for a jump pack anyways, and I have my counts-as Cassius for a foot version and my TDA version. I just need a biker Chaplain and I'll have one for every situation.
I am doing up a couple test 25mm base schemes for my Nids. I was waiting for paint to dry last night, so pics will come tomorrow or the day after.
I put a couple coats of midtone blue on my next Sternguard model and assembled the fifth squad member. Once those guys are done, I think I'm going to either do a standard bearer for a foot command squad (so I don't have to use my metal Honor Guard model as a lowly Company Banner Bearer) or start work on the two drop pods I have.
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