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?

Picture Friday: July 19th Edition

In an effort to keep true to my promise of pictures at least every Friday, I sat down last night and worked on my Hive Tyrant.
I added the shading wash to his armor, and then the first blending coat. It's not much to look at right now:

You can see how uneven my base coats are when I start on these armor parts. This is due to white primer, large flat areas, and green paint from the flesh. By the time I'm done, you never even see those splotches any more. Any that you do see are semi-intentional, as they give the carapace a somewhat natural mottled look in small areas.

I'd forgotten how long a process painting the brown is. I think I use a total of 8 or 9 different color transitions from dark to light, including the streaking colors. I could probably get away with fewer, but oh well. If it's not broken, don't fix it.
Since I'm halfway through the third color in the process, only six more to go after this! Muahahah!

I've also got a quick shot of the next Sternguard model in the line:

It's just a basic grenade throwing pose. I wanted to have at least one guy who wasn't just standing there aiming a bolter. Plus, I have a ton of those damned grenade arms. I could probably start chopping the hands off and replacing with pistols and such. I'd have to save the removed hands, because I'm silly like that.

Looks to be a busy weekend in non-hobby life, so I'll see you when I see you!

If It's Brown...

...it means I'm making progress! Or it means you were raised in a water-conserving household.
The green on my Tyrant is done, and I've moved on to the brown carapace. Here's the washed-out photo to prove it:

 

This is just the basecoat color, which will be shaded and brought up to match the arms. If you forget what those looked like:

 



It may not look like the greens match, but that's because I'm terrible about setting up my lights. The first shot was taken right under my OttLight, and that gives it a blue tint. The second was a little out and to the right of the light.  

 

I think the best, most motivational time in the process of painting a model is when you finish the "main" color. For these Tyranids, it's the green. The process of painting the green body is long and tedious. For my Ultramarines, it's the blue. As soon as I get beyond those two colors and start hitting details, the process becomes far more interesting. I think it might be because when you're going from primer to body color, there's not much to look at. You have some nicely shaded and highlighted blue or green, but little else. Once you start hitting detail colors, the model really starts to take shape as an actual [I]figure[/I] instead of just a [I]model[/I].

 

I foresee my work ramping up on the Tyrant as a result of this extra little bump of motivation, at least until I hit the base building stage. Still stumped on that one, and really need to do some experiments with it. I've just been too tired or busy lately.

 

I'm going to try to have a photo of some kind of work in progress every Friday from now on. The blog has a lot of text-only posts, and those are pointless, especially when I'm talking about painting!

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.

Sternguard! Jumping Bug!

I found the time this weekend to take some semi-good photos of the Sternguard model I just finished, and the current status of my Hive Tyrant.
Here's the Sternguard:

 

 

Simple and clean, as is my current trend with Marines. This is the last Sternguard model to use a Mk8 armor torso. As much as I like the look, it's just too much of a pain in the ass to get the painted heads in there without damaging the paint. 

This guy also has a Forge World etched brass Aquila added to his shin. I bought a whole sheet of those, having seen them used to great effect on other peoples' models online. They are a major bitch to work with, however. The smallest two sizes are so tiny that it's nearly impossible to bend them neatly, and I ruined two of the smallest sizes working on this model. That's ok, as the sheet comes with tons of them. I'd originally planned to put an Aquila across his brow, or on the backs of his hands, but failed in the bending of the pieces and settled for the shin.
The tiniest two sizes also have minute detail on the feathers that is obliterated when you prime them. I know some folks use etched brass pieces without painting them, but it just looks odd to me when you have unpainted parts on a painted model.
I've already begun working on the fourth squad member. I've got him base coated in Ultramarine Shadow and a base picked out.

Then, there's the Hive Tyrant:

 

 

There's not a ton to see here. I've got three and a half color coats on him, with another quick coat of Olive Green needed before I continue up the spectrum. The flesh will match the rest of the model...eventually.

The 40mm base is there just to have something to hold on to while I paint, though I'm finding myself holding on to the top carapace as well due to the top heaviness of the model. When I'm don painting, I'll pop the model off the 40mm and put it on its proper 60mm.

 

I have 4 of 5 Genestealers mounted on wires and corks, and still have to build my cork holder. I also have to do some experiments on basing the Tyranids using grey-brown paint and resin sand, then adding static grass and small plants. Maybe a mulch-as-rock piece on the larger bases.

 

It's nice to be moving forward!



Where's the Violence? Where's the Blood Spray?

 

 

I've been reading upcoming 40K release rumors on the blogosphere lately (don't worry, it's not interfering with my painting), and they have me greatly concerned.

It's widely apparent that a re-re-re-release of Apocalypse is slated for July. Great, but no one really plays Apocalypse locally, though I'm sure there are many fans worldwide.

I'd bet that most of you have seen the new Lord of battles model coming out for Chaos in this release. Big robot guy welded to a Baneblade chassis. Meh. Neat idea, but not something I'd want to put on the table.

I'm really more concerned with the rumors for the next Space Marine codex. They'll finally be recutting the Tac Squad sprues, which is great. I'm all for additional detail, so long as it doesn't force me to assemble all my models in one specific way like the arm/weapon sets on the Grey Knights and Blood Angels (and some small parts of the Space Wolves) kits.

Then there are the rumblings about Marines getting a new "super walker" kit. Something larger than a Contemptor Dread. This bothers me greatly.

I was/am drawn to 40K because of its background and atmosphere. The crumbling, rotting Gothic feeling is appropriate to the universe. I like that humanity is on its last leg, with its ultimate fate poised on a razor's edge. I like the constant threat of Chaos, baroque Chaos Marines, twisted cultists. I like the jagged violence of Orks, lithe, dying grace of Eldar (Dark or otherwise). I like that technology has ground to a halt, with even the most mundane of machinery kept running on prayer and rote. I do not like Tau or their aesthetics, because they break so completely from the Gothic image.

Then I hear about the super walker, and I despair. I love the simplicity of power armor, and I love the idea of Dreadnoughts. Eternally entombed warriors who slumber in forced comas until they're activated and interred in a millennia-old Dreadnought is so brutal, and yet inspiring. It retains the personal grit of warfare in 40K. While the Marine may be isolated from the outside world by his near-death state and physical containment in his ceramite sarcophagus, he still interacts with the battle on a tactile basis. He's there in the bloody trenches, fighting equal opponents.

But if you slap a Space Marine into a giant walker body, you lose that magic. Marines are superhuman, able to take on scores of ordinary men alone. They stride the battlefield in ancient and revered armor, and any Marine lost is a great tragedy for human kind. But to install that walking god into a titanic walker is to lose that tactile, personal level of warfare. A Marine entombed in a Dreadnought has failings: he's shattered wreck of a being, but he fights on despite that through force of will and genius of mind. His armament is formidable, but not titanic.

The super walker violates all of that, either by placing an already godlike figure like a Marine into a pure pilot position, or by making the fractured Dreadnought pilot absolutely unstoppable in an even larger walker. You remove the fragility, leaving a Voltron or a Might Morphin Power Ranger. Impersonal.

 

I get that GW is trying to sell large kits, and wants everyone to have one, but they're compromising the integrity of the background story by doing so. The Gothic grim darkness is violated when you invent new super walkers for Space Marines who don't need them.

 

I guess what I'm lamenting is the personal level of warfare that 40K fiction portrays. Yes, ranged weapons are used, and untold millions are destroyed in volleys of massive cannons, but those weapons still possess an appropriate level of Gothic imagery. The orbital bombardment is enacted by a press gang of a thousand men who often die just loading the guns. The gun is prayed over, anointed with oils, and revered as a living being.

Even a Titan requires a crew of hundreds to function, and at great expense. But to shrink down a Titan so a marine can pilot it removes all of the risk, all of the insanity. It's like putting Superman inside a larger Superman. You don't want to see Superman be a driver, you want to see him be super!

 

I guess what I'm ranting here is that I want my 40K to stay Gothic, stay personal. I don't want it to evolve into a clash of giant robots. Giant robots don't have souls, and a pilot inside a behemoth is not a hero.

Advice Taken

In response to my last post, I've taken the advice of some of the FLGS folks (Thor, who commented on the post, is one of those).

I've boxed up all of the sprues I have for Nids, and put them away temporarily. I cleared my desk of all Nid projects except the Tyrant, five Genestealers I already built, and one Hormagaunt. Now, I'm working on a way to batch paint five Troop models at once.

In the past, I've pondered how to properly mount the thin-legged/thin-ankled Nid gribblies. Genestealers have a single, small foot print that I can drill into very carefully and insert a thin pin for mounting. But, with a thin pin I'm concerned that it will spin in whatever holder I'm using. I don't have enough old Dremel chucks to hold five models securely! I'm thinking that I'll use wine corks instead. I've used them in the past for Marine parts, but found that the natural corks tend to not hold pins securely for very long. The soft natural fibers tend to expand as the pin shifts, slowly allowing it to spin.
I've got one synthetic cork I'm going to try out, and see how that goes. But, I'm also going to try mounting the pin at an angle, instead of straight down. Here's a quick MS Paint illustration:

I figure this should be enough to keep the pin from spinning around in the cork. I should be able to simply remove and reuse the pins from the models without removing them from the corks for each succession of five models.

Due to the wobbly nature of corks, I also need a place to hold them. I've got scrap wood in the garage, and the wife just bought me a new table saw for Father's Day. I figure I can rip a 2x4 down to about a foot long, and use a 1" boring bit to punch some holes in it. Set the corks in the holes, and it should be good to go. Much better than the hanging rig I made from a paint stirrer and some eyelets.

Some progress was made on the Tyrant this weekend. I got his shading wash applied, so I can move on to layer painting now. I'll have to get out my Paint Book, as I can't remember the succession of blends I used for the rest of his body. The Paint Book is just a big, blank book I got ages ago on sale at Borders. I've only used three pages of the 100+ it has, but it has helped immensely in my painting work. I jot down the recipes I use for certain things, like Scout Camo Cloaks or Tyranid skin. I also use it for standard measurements like Rhino top hatches, side doors, etc.

The Genestealers need to have the slotta tabs removed from their feet in order to have pins put in, and also some small gaps filled where their heads meet their necks. Stealers are a weird model. Tons of posability in arms, absolutely none in body, legs, and head.

The Hormagaunt also needs to have the slotta tab removed, as I simply can't think of a way to base an already-painted model. I'm extremely paranoid about getting basing paint or material on the already-painted Nid. I'm thinking that I can cut the slotta off, and then put a pin in between the Gaunt's legs. That way I can complete the base, and then just use the pin to attach him to it. Less ankle and leg breakage down the road as well. If I paint the pin black and hide it a little with some foliage or grass, it should be ok. It would also allow me to recenter the model on the base. Hormas are notoriously front heavy models that tip like crazy. I'll probably also cast up some of my base weights to keep them from falling over.

I think the small batch plan will help me stay motivated with Nids. The Tyrant really has gummed up the works, being such a major project. I'll still be picking away at him, but also attempting to churn out Troops models at the same time.

How do you Nid players store your models, though? Marines are easy, as they have very limited pose ranges and everything fits nicely in standard square tray slots. Genestealers and Hormagaunts, or any other spiky, taloned Nid is going to be a bitch to store. If the storage slot is too small, claws and talons snag on foam and ruin paint or break edges. Too large of a space, and they bounce around and get damaged. What are you folks doing for your Nid models? How about big baddies like Tervigons and Mawlocs?