Assault Squad WIP 2, Decals

Assault Squad Cyrax is nearly done. I'm at the decal stage, after which only basing is left. This is what the squad-side shoulder pads look like on each Marine:



Raven Guard Sergeant Fast Attack Pad

You'll notice that the pad is very shiny. That's the gloss varnish I use before applying decals to avoid air bubbles and silvering. Silvering is where the translucent decal paper around the design becomes apparent and ruins the effect of the decal. The gloss varnish, combined with Micro Sol and Micro Set, eliminates that.

I used to despise decals when I was first learning to paint my Ultramarines. I tried using an old set of Third Edition decals on my first ever Ultramarine model (a sergeant). I only used water, and the decals were so bad I had to scrub them all off and repaint the shoulders. I switched to freehand for years, up until I started Raven Guard and realized I would never be able to freehand the Chapter symbol. Ever.

I managed to score a full, untouched sheet of Forgeworld Raven Guard decals. I got them secondhand, as FW no longer produces this nice set. The current Legion sheet for 30K is worthless for 40K models. The Forgeworld sheet is very nice and has a ton of symbols and numbers of all sizes.

The Fast Attack squad symbols are actually straight off the regular GW Space Marine decal sheet. They applied nicely after I cut slits between each arrow. This allowed them to sit flat on the curved surface. After they had dried overnight, I glossed lightly over them. I allowed another night's drying for the varnish and today I layered the black squad numbers over top of them. Layering decals works very nicely as long as you gloss varnish between layers. I wouldn't put too many layers though, or you risk a big, thick area of varnish.

The shiny finish is easily knocked back down to matte using Testor's Dullcote.

 

I also found some time to start assembling a Harlequin Troupe. Six models in the unit. The only thing I've done so far is assemble the legs. These things are so foreign to me after working with Marines for so long.

Harlequin legs, so dainty!

After looking at the instruction sheet and assembling the legs, I felt a little disappointed that there will only ever be six poses in my entire force. But then I realized that that is actually more or the same variation than there is in most Marine armies that use the older kits. When I combine the swappable torsos, arms, and masks among the units, I think it'll be fine. I can also always try to get some of the most recent metal/Finecast models (not the ancient ones) to provide some tiny variations as well.

I think this will be a great army to build and paint.

As a final note, you'll notice that I've started adding captions, title, and alt text to my images after reading a great article over at Broken Paintbrush. I'm also loading my images directly to Blogger instead of hosting them on Photobucket. Photobucket has become nearly unusable for me due to all the ads and scripts. I opened the Photobucket page an HOUR ago and it's still not loaded properly. Does anyone know if there are any down sides to hosting images with Blogger?

And Away We Go...

It's official, the Shadow Captain project is off the ground. I just submitted my order with Fore World for a Captain Korvydae model and the Mk4 Legion Power Weapons set. Expensive!

I bought the power weapon set purely for those old-style lightning claws and the giant chain sword. You see, I really can't stand the current incarnation of lightning claws with their "brass knuckles" look. I can suffer through it on standard Marines and Terminators, but for Raven Guard, I felt they really needed the old school type, because those allow the wearer to open and close his hand. How are you going to perch on spires, climb walls, and otherwise be vertically inclined if you don't have a free hand because you have to hang onto your weapon all the time?

I thought about trying to acquire some of the claws from older GW models, like the Mk2 Veteran or something, but eBay searching turned up nothing, and I didn't want another pile of veteran models hanging around that I'd never use and couldn't sell/trade (seriously, no one wants those any more). If I had bought that set, I was going to try to get a hold of the loose claws from either of the Tartaros Terminator upgrade kits (here and here), and put one on the back of that powerfist veteran's arm. I even thought about grabbing the claws and adding them to the back of plastic powerfists, but by the time I did that, I was better off buying the already-built claws, and it would turn out cheaper!

More than likely, I'll end up reselling all the rest of the Mk4 Power Weapons kit to recover some of the costs. While the power weapons are neat, I have more than enough plastic versions to cover my needs. If you'd be seriously interested in taking the rest of the kit off my hands, leave me a comment and we can haggle about it.

The important thing is that I finally made up my mind on how to build the model. I've spent untold hours looking up possible conversions for the claws, examining possible ways to build the model by reposing plastic parts, and potential poses. In the end, I just wasn't confident enough in my current abilities at sculpting and altering models to pull off what I wanted: a nicely detailed model that I can spend some serious time painting.

Little Things and Talky-Talky

I took a much-needed break from worrying about the hobby for the past week. It's necessary after a long build up to a big event. I've gotten over my general malaise about the Standoff, which is good.

Instead of drafting up lists or planning the next, big unit addition, I'm building and painting some stuff that I think I'll enjoy because they're fun models or projects.

I've made some very minor forward progress on my Genestealers. These guys are nice and simple to paint. I'm using the same general green recipe from the Tyrant, but applying it much quicker and with less minute attention to detail. They lack any brown chitin, so they paint up faster. in fact, the only brown you'll see on them is their little head plates. I think they'll turnout quite nicely for basic troops models once the ivory on the claws and talons and the purple of the ribbed flesh is done.

I also built and magnetized my first drop pod using the From the Warp tutorial. It took several days to get everything glued properly and assembled. Unfortunately, I somehow leaked glue into the pivot disc for the interior gun mount, so while it is magnetized, it no longer rotates. Bah. I've been using Testor's Liquid Cement instead of the usual plastic glue, and it has a capillary flow that is sometimes maddening. Lesson learned. The magnets I used for the doors help them stay shut, except for one. I'm not sure what happened, but one door just flops over without the magnets working. I triple-checked the polarity, so that can't be it.
Overall, it's a really neat kit that is a bitch and a half to put together. I have two doors that keep making contact with those little binding struts near the top of fins, though that does help them stay shut. My concern is that it'll chip off paint with repeated use. I also wish they'd included five of each chapter symbol for the doors, instead of four, but I understand that the sprues were crowded already. I'm pretty sure I already have a couple spares from past bitz trades anyways, and they're plentiful enough on eBay and Bartertown that it's not a huge issue. I was actually a little surprised at how hefty a model the drop pod is. I'd seen them on the table a hundred times, but never actually lifted and held one.

Forgeworld sent out an email about the revised Imperial Armour 2, and while it would have been a good idea for an XMas present from the wife, I went ahead an bought it for myself. There's just so much great stuff in there. I'm hoping the updated rules for the Deathstorm Drop Pod have been fixed to allow them to fire on landing.

Of course, all of this rambling is pretty pointless without some pictures. I need to sit down and take some properly-lit shots of the Tyrant and the Genestealers (maybe just one). It's been a while since I took any shots of anything! I'd tried to do a step-by-step on the process I used to make the Tyrant's base, but got so caught up in trial-and-error that I stopped taking shots a third of the way through.

New Forgeworld Space Marine rule sheets

Just got this bit of news over the wire. Forgeworld has just released their updated rules for 6th Edition Marines. You've got a comprehensive Chapter tactics sheet for all of the chapters FW has focused on in their books, and a retooling of just about every Marine character they've had.
Links here:

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Downloads/Product/PDF/C/Charcterupdate.pdf
http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Downloads/Product/PDF/F/FWchaptertactics.pdf

I've only skimmed them so far, but my initial gut response is "Wow."

The characters are neat, but Bray'arth Ashmantle stands out as really good. You better bring some lascannons to down that bad boy. Of course, he's a Salamander, which means his weapons are short ranged and he's slow as molasses. He'll be slogging across the table. You're probably thinking "drop pod!" but to play spoiler: he can't take one.

The best part are the Chapter Tactics though. There are some really interesting ones, like the Fire Hawks who get +1S on flame weapons when they arrive from Deepstrike, and +1S to HoW hits. Raptors, who get the option to change their bolters and bolt pistols to Heavy 1, Rending if they don't move. All of the Tactics have a reason, and fit the chapter's background.

Of course, every one of the new Characters and Tactics can be run using the standard Marine codex, which enters into that "is it Ok to run X as Y?" conundrum. Knight-Captain Elam Courbray is a jump pack Captain of the Fire Hawks, and provides some seriously cool rules (and the Fire Hawks' Chapter tactics). But should you run him under those rules while the model is painted as an Ultramarine? It's the same problem I ran into regarding White Scars, but adds the extra element of Forgeworld rules. Is it different to run counts-as using Forgeworld rules than to run counts-as within your core codex?

It's something to think about, and also an opportunity to paint something other than blue...

No Pics, Tourney Summary Instead

So, I missed Picture Friday on the 26th of July due to work becoming a bitch and a half for the last couple weeks. Oops.

However, I was actually able to attend the FLGS's monthly on the 27th at the last minute. I'd made up a few lists at the scheduled 1250 point level just for fun, and ended up bringing:

Librarian (Gate, Might)
Two Tac Squads in Rhinos
Two Dreadnoughts
Thunderfire Cannon
Two Landspeeders with Multimeltas
Two Attack Bikes with Multimeltas
Three Attack Bikes with Multimeltas

Did you notice that Fast Attack slot packed with melta?

I was a tad grumpy when I showed up, due to carryover from the previous hell week. When I first arrived, there were only four people present, including myself. Ugh. I decided that if two more didn't show, I was going home. I had yard work and gardening to do instead of a 4-person event.

Thankfully, two more players did show, so we ran a 6-man event.

My first game was against Thor from Creative Twilight, and his Chaos Marines. I remember a Chaos Lord, two units of Plague Marines in Rhinos, a Helbrute, a Forgefiend, a Defiler, and a Predator. We played on an ice board with plenty of 2" hills. The games are a bit of a blur to me at this point, but there were two crucial points in the game.
First was my collapsing of his right flank by blowing up the Defiler and the Forgefiend with the fast melta units in a single turn.
Second was my tendency toward bloodlust/tunnel vision costing me the game. We were after objectives as a primary, and I held one on the final turn, as did Thor. But, I had my attack bikes lined up perfectly for a turbo boost onto his objective when my final turn came around. I was thinking ahead for once. But when my turn arrived, I moved the bikes forward to boost range and then fired their weapons at the unit squatting on the objective (Plague Marines with Lord). I rattled off almost my entire army at those Plague Marines and failed to knock them out. With only two units left to shoot, I realized my mistake. I'd fired the attack bikes instead of boosting. CRAAAAP. It cost me the primary win, instead knocking me down to a tie.
The fast melta was a champ in this game due to the large number of walkers across the table.

It was far less useful in Game Two, where I faced a CSM/Daemon zombie horde. Typhus, Huron, three huge squads of zombies, a Helldrake, Spawn of Nurgle, and a Maulerfiend. I simply didn't have the guns for this one and lost. Folks at the FLGS groan when they see this list across from themselves, but I don't mind it terribly. I always take it as a challenge to my maneuvering and dice rolling to see if I can down that many zombies and still meet mission objectives. I do hate that damn Helldrake, though.

Game Three was against a Tau/Ork combo. Kill points primary, objectives secondary, something else tertiary. This one was played under Hammer and Anvil (short board edge deployment). I lost on KP, simply because it was too hard to make Tau units flee inside the Ethereal's 12" Leadership 10 bubble when they're behind Aegis Lines. I forced morale on one unit of Kroot every single game turn (though we only got three turns in 1:45) and they never broke due to one model inside the Ld10 bubble. I do have to wonder if I'd have done better if I'd left the Rhinos off the board in reserve. Two of the three KP I gave up were those Rhinos. Everything else was durable or unflappable.

At the end of the day I landed in 4th of 6. Typical for me, right in the middle areas of the pack.
I did alright with basic Tactical Marines. They're not flashy, but they do stick around forever. I also really love my Dreads, but they don't tend to put out much damage. I think this is due to a very low rate of fire. Unless you run the Rifledread, you're capping out at six shots a turn (assault cannon and storm bolter or auto cannon). Plus, those shots are all anti-infantry strength values and Marines have plenty of anti-infantry guns all around. My theory is that this is why the Mortis Contemptor is so popular. Those two Kheres Assault Cannons crank out a bucket full of shots every turn, while the regular Dreads simply don't measure up. I've got the rules for the Contemptor in IA:Aeronautica, but to tell the truth, I'm not a massive fan of the Contemptor's look (nor that of the Tartaros Terminators).

I can't think of another Marine unit that can really put out the volume of fire that a Kheres-armed Contemptor is capable of, can you?

Only Three More Games?

If the rumors are to be believed, there will be a new Space Marine codex out around Labor Day. I think this means I'll only get three more games in with my Space Marines before they're overhauled. The FLGS' July tournament is on a day I cannot attend, so that only leaves our August monthly in which to play!
I don't get the chance to make it to the weekly 40K night at the shop due to life. This summer it's hockey (my team skates on Wednesday nights), but typically it's just lack of free time.

I think I might put my Marine plans in a deep freeze until September. I've been working on Sternguard models lately, with a third model 90% done, and two more in the works for a squad of five. After that I was planning on Scout Bikes or a Storm Raven. I'm icing those for now, as I won't have time to finish any full squad or vehicle model other than the Sternguard before Labor Day. The best plan is probably to work on basic Marine mainstays: Tactical Marines or Rhinos.

So, what will my "last hurrah" with my Marines be? I guess it depends on the August event format. Do I want to go back to the core roots of marines with Tacticals and various support, or run the bikes one last time before the new book invalidates the build without paying an extra $50 for the White Scars supplement? Only time will tell!

I think that I'll turn my focus to finishing the Hive Tyrant to a nice standard for our big event in November. I don't plan to play a Tyranid army then, but he'll be a nice submission into the painting competition. Nids are also supposedly right behind Marines for a codex, if you believe the Internet whisperings. That makes me hesitant to keep plugging away on models, as there's no clue what they'll change, and if any of the models I create between now and then will become invalid. Marines are easier to cope with changes, as they all have pretty standard armaments. Bugs have varied wildly from third edition on up.

Hilariously, I did just buy some bitz for my Nids, alongside some parts that will be used to create the painting trophies for the November event. I bought the body and legs for a Carnifex, as I already have several weapon sprues and heads/carapaces for that model. The parts were cheaper than retail by a good margin, and will help me clear up the pile of unused bits. I also nabbed a set of Vargheist wings to see how they stack up to the Forgeworld Shrike Wings kit. I bought that kit a couple months ago, and am honestly not super impressed with it. The wings don't match the current Nid aesthetic. I figure with some clever modifications, I can make the Vargheist wings look more Nid-like.

Speakling of Forgeworld, they just released two new HH kits. The Palatine Blades and Destroyers with jump packs. Wow. Nice models! I really like Mk4 armor kits, though I'm not a huge fan of the rad-shielded helmets. The Palatines have some great parts, but all the EC-specific icons would have to be sold or traded away.