Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Heavy Bolters with Hellfire Rounds!

Today's post covers the two Heavy Bolters on the Deathwatch Kill Team; each kill team can "upgrade" two space marines' weapons to two heavy bolters.  Normally a Heavy Bolter is a "move or fire" weapon, but these bad-boys come with suspensor links!  That allows them to move AND fire! Additionally, the hellfire rounds they carry are a "blast" weapon which has increased damage due to the "mutagenic acid" rounds they carry that get into the target's blood stream! (Ooh! Ouch!)

These two particular Deathwatch members hail from the Ultramarines chapter as well as the Imperial Fists chapter respectively...
(Vote on these Marines at Cool Mini or Not!)
 
When I was painting these guys, I dropped the Imperial Fist marine on the floor and he exploded; left arm one way, right arm the other (with the Heavy Bolter!), his backpack another direction, and the body a forth!  I was able to find all the pieces and assemble him back together, but I was still missing the left arm (Aargh!)
 
I spent the next hour going through EVERYTHING (including my clothes) trying to find the dumb thing!  It finally turned up... and where do you suppose it was? On the base of the Marine! ROFL! (Grrrr!!!)
 
You can see the Heavy Bolter in Action below:

Monday, December 30, 2013

Deathwatch Kill Team Codiciar...

Yesterday was a post on a Deathwatch Kill Team that I recently finished; wanting to get some better photos of these guys (they are way too cool!), I thought I would snap some shots and post them.

First is the Captain of the unit which I upgraded to a Codiciar Librarian.  He is armed with a Combi-multimelta, Force-mace, Psychic Hood, Frag and Krak Grenades.
 
The nastiness of a Librarbian Psycher (Magic User) is that he can cast one spell per turn in addition to shooting!  So, the poor sap(s) that get tagged with his spell of "Smite" is that it is almost impossible to roll an armor save! (Ouch!) Then he fires his multi-melta (like getting hit with a microwave), on top of his bolter! Vicious fire power!
 
 
Here is a close-up of this guy...
Please go to Cool Mini or Not and vote on him! :D

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Space Marine Kill Team!

This post is a for Space Marine Deathwatch Kill Team I have had sitting in my closet for years, nearly painted!  With a need to get some Space Marines out on the table-top for demo purposes, I decided to finish them up!  Before I get to the pics, I have got to get down a brief history of my Space Marine Armies that I played. (Being a former Marine myself... was there ever any other option?)

When I first started playing 40k "back in the day" I started with Ultramarines (like everyone else), and the artist in me decided to throw in a squad of Imperial Fists for the color change on the table-top... more than anything.
 
After I sold my Ultramarines, I decide to play Space Wolves to join my bio-bro on the field of battle, but since he was already playing Ragnar's Company, I decided to field the Great Wolf himself--Logan Grimnar! (This pic is a spectacular painting of Leman Russ, Primarch of the Space wolves)
 
I loved playing Space Wolves, and the versatility that they offer... but at the time I was playing, it seemed EVERYONE else figured out what my brother and I knew, so I sold that army off and decided to field an entire army of Imperial Fists!


They looked tremendous on the Battlefield (yellow against most table top gaming colors really stands out!), and then I came across rules for the Deathwatch Space Marine Kill Teams!  With access to M.40 Targeters to affix to the Bolters and Stalker Silencing shells which force pinning tests, not to mention the ability to bring in TWO Heavy Bolters with special ammo and suspensor links which allows you to move and fire, it wasn't hard to start salivating...
(click any pic to enlarge)
 
But one of the most attractive things about Kill Teams is that the Space Marine Captain can be upgraded to a Psyker (Magic User) for a few more points!  He comes with the spell "Smite" which is a potentially devastating cast with high armor penetration.  This particular model (when I got him) had a converted scythe for his force weapon and it looked ridiculous, so I converted it to a force mace... much nastier looking!  The pics don't bare it out too well, but I actually painted lightening flashes on the mace and down the shaft to the glove!
 
In truth, however, the thing that I love MOST about Kill Teams, is that the members a chosen from the very best the Space Marines have to offer, which means each member is hand selected from any chapter!  The only assemblance of their past loyalties is the right shoulder pad which bears their original chapter badge; so you can incorporate members from different chapters, and combine them into one unit! How cool is that?  Each Marine wears the Black Armor of the Deathwatch, with the Inquisitorial seal and Crux Terminatus on the left shoulder coupled with the steely, heraldic armored gauntlet reminiscent of the knights of old!

 
If you look close, you can see that in this squad, I incorporated members from: the Black Templars, the Crimson Fists, the Ultramarines, the White Scars, and yes... the Imperial Fists!

Here is a brief trailer from "Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40k Movie" with a squad of Ultras, led by an Imperial Fist Chaplain, and Fist Veteran Sgt!  Enjoy! ;D

Friday, December 27, 2013

Royal Marines on Display!

Christmas was great, but it is time to get back after the miniature thing!  Being a former U.S. Marine (with ties to the British Royal Marines) I had to "officially" display these miniatures that I was commissioned to paint for the pirate scrimmage game "Cutlass!"
 
Here is Admiral Dylan Lloyd, with his Captain and four Marines on the 'high ground' ready for action!
(click any pic to enlarge)
 
...the Admiral points, "See that tavern down yonder? That be our objective boys!"
 
With the Royal Marines firmly in place in front of the Tavern, they are ready to protect their favorite watering hole from any scurvy pirates!
"Form Ranks... Fix Bayonets!!!"
 
"Ready... Aim... FIRE!!!"
 
Here are the four Royal Marines lined up in formation (after the Admiral and Captain enter in!) to defend the local Tavern... The H*** with the occifers *hic* gotta protect that Grog!!!
 
For a flair of the "old and the new" here is a brief clip at Fort Henry, with historic uniforms from the Royal Navy with a short clip of the U.S. Marine Silent Drill Team from Marine Barracks 8th & I... check it out! :D
 

Monday, December 23, 2013

Holly Jolly Woodies!

With Christmas so close, and with such an amazing Blood Bowl Wood Elf team that I ran across awhile back, I have to introduce you all to Dave from Laughing Ferret Studios!  No way I could go into the Christmas Season, without letting you all know about his awesome miniature painting skills and tremendous Blood Bowl teams!  More specifically... his Christmas Wood Elves (No, it is not for a lack of pics like it was last time! *wink*)

I fell in love with Dave's work long before we connected through a mutual friend, and since that time, have actually exchanged emails back and forth regarding this particular team; it is (in his words) "...one of [his] favorites!" So, here they are...
The Christmas Wood Elves!
(click the pic to enlarge)

 
I think you will have to agree, what a tremendously FUN themed Blood Bowl Team!  One of the other coaches in my league decided that it would be a blast to have a themed Wood Elf team for each season of the year, and upon sharing that with Dave he emailed me back, informing me to 'thank' her for "the idea, now I'm thinking of finding miniatures for 4 wood elf teams, all the same and doing a spring, summer, autumn, winter version of each! I may not be able to get that idea out of my head!"
 
Well, Dave... if you ever do decide to pursue it, please do share with the rest of us!
For those of you that haven't met Dave at Laughing Ferret Studios, do check out his amazing work, and more specifically... his incredible Blood  Bowl Teams!
 
Merry Christmas!!!

 

Saturday, December 21, 2013

A Drunken Brawl!

I can honestly say, that while being part of a gaming store/environment is loads of fun... it seriously hampers (at times) my ability to get done what needs to be done!  I think it was a few minutes after midnight last evening when I finally kicked out the last of our 'dwarven' role-players! *wink*

Luckily, in addition to getting several minis completed, I was able to finish up the 'Cutlass' terrain as well as the miniatures in preparation for a random encounter... as luck would have it, my studiously disciplined gang of Royal Marines were preparing for a rumble when the Admiral stumbled into a group of scurvey dogs, and ended up in a drunken brawl!  The rules specifically state "any model that draws their weapons automatically lose the encounter!  This is an all-out first fight!"

Here are my marines, with Admiral Dylan Lloyd preparing for battle...
 
A bird's eye view of battle preparation...
 
Unable to hold their grog (or use their weapons), my Navy Captain, and Marines start tripping and taking themselves out of the rumble... the dice mark "stunned" results!
(click any pic to enlarge)
 
The Admiral is being swarmed by Captain McBride's scurvy crew of pirates, with the ever-lovin' Captain sneaking up from behind... what a scoundrel!
 
Well, with all of my Marines down (or taken out), it was obvious that the Royal Navy are not as good at holding their grog as the Captain McBride's crew are... it was a notoriously disastrous wipe for my men, with McBride making off with weapons, loot and about $110 with of my purse!  Easy come, easy go!
 
Overall, it was a tremendous amount of fun learning the new gaming system.  I really like the stat-die rolls as opposed to stat characteristics, as it adds a bit more of randomness to the game... but more importantly, a critical success adds successive rolls allowing for a common sailor to do some rather heroic things! Good fun... check it out!
(For a quick tutorial on how to play "Cutlass" click here!)

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Devil is in the Details!

With several miniatures of a recent commission job nearing completion, I am very excited to get up some of the first of the Dark Elf Blood Bowl team that I have been working on!  Here are two (of four) Dark Elf Blitzers, both of which are actually GW Wood Elf Wardancers being substituted in for the additional two Dark Elf Blitzers...
(Vote on them at Cool Mini or Not!)
 
With the recent Harlequin that I finished for the Eldar, it was rather entertaining painting the 'masque' once again, trying to use color and basing to give a cold, calculating feel that is so organic to the Dark Elves... I am rather happy with the result!
 
Ironically, the first set of pics I took earlier today displayed this pair with neither having had the jeweling on the war-belt painted, or the brass knuckles painted on No5; so I had to put everything aside, take a break and come back to them (the Devil is in the Details!).  These two will work very well with the team they will be playing on, devilishly-fiendish masks and all, and I think that the DElf wintery motif was definitely accomplished!

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

One Turn Touchdown!

I am still very active in my local Blood Bowl League, and was fortunate the other day to score a one-turn touchdown!  You study up on the moves, memorize, practice, and when it finally pays-off! Ooooh! So worth it!  My opponent sat there in stunned silence not sure how to react, while I was doing the victory dance and whooping and hollering all over my local game store!

In this pic here against the Norse (not the team I scored on... they were Skaven!), I have circled my catcher No8 who was the one I was able to run it in with and score! :D
 
For a standard human catcher with a MA8 it is going to take three 'chainpushes' to get it done. The following example shows a setup against 3 tight opposing lineman. For this one you'll need 9 players total including 1 being the Thrower in the backfield...
 
1) Step One: Blitz and close the gap... if you can get a "guard" on the line--even better!
 
2) Step Two: Move a player in to close the other gap.
 
3) Step Three: Throw the block and chainpush through!
 
4) Step Four: One last block and chainpush, and the endzone is within reach!
 
This is not as technically difficult as the one I had to do; multiple dodges, and gap plugs because my opponent did not stack his line 'side-by-side' like in this example, but the principle is sound none-the-less! Once you have it down... LOOK OUT!!! :D
 
(Instruction courtesy of http://fumbbl.com/help:HumanOTT)

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Bittersand Swamp Black Orc Blockers...

With FedEx misplacing one of the boxes for the store yesterday, it was a terrible time tracking it down to make sure that we received it... luckily it made it in today!  Unfortunately, it carved a significant portion of the day out... and so I had to wait, (yet again) to get these bad boys up!

Yes, these beasts have been waiting for a post for a couple of days now, so it is high time I throw them in!  These are the Black Orc Blockers for the Bittersand Swamp Gators (whom I posted previously) borrowing the color scheme from the Florida
Gators.

 
 
I customized these guys from a GW Warhammer Black Orc unit, and had a great time cutting, sanding, gluing, and posing these guys todether!  The "mighty blow" claw and knuckle-dusters came from some GW Ogre Battalion bits I had layin' around!
 (image borrowed from: www.games-workshop.com)
Black Orcs are the big, bad, nasty equivalent of the Uruk-Hai from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings!
 
They are brutish, unforgiving, and just plain nasty!  In Blood Bowl terms, they don't necessarily start out with any skills, but they DO come with a very high armor value, (and are at a strength 4 to hit!) so your average Joe as to come in with two buddies just to get an advantage!  Very valuable for forcing the opponent into attrition with his players, and while they aren't fast, they are the back-bone of any Orc team worth playing on the pitch!  Can't wait to use these guys on the grid-iron against my next opponent! :D
(Vote on these guys at Cool Mini or Not!)

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Aaargh! Ye Scurvey Pirates Impeded Me Progress!

I am rapidly learning that if I do not get my posts up early enough on Saturday morning, it will not happen until there is a break in the crowd at the local game store where I provide my services for mini painting; today was no exception! 

The determining factor (however), came as a polite request from the store owner (who is noticeably NOT quite as game savvy as I am) to help demo "Cutlass" from Black Scoprion Minis--a pirate skirmisher game which I have been longing to delve into... so it did not take much of a nudge!
 
Here is the rulebook, written by Gav Thorpe and Adam Clarke...
 
The game-play is a miniaturized table-top skirmisher (48"x48") with two, or more pirate gangs, duking it out for loot, fame and fortune!  Here is an 'example' of what one hopes for, terrain wise...
(click any pic to enlarge! :D)
 
But this is what we actually had to work with... improvised terrain! (If you squint really hard, they almost look similar!)

My Naval forces captained by Admiral Dylan Lloyd!

My opponant's privateer forces captained by Privateer Captain James McBride!

My opponant's ginormous Chessex dice, which I had to beg him NOT to use!
 
While I was not able to work through an entire "encounter" (as the rulebook refers to a 'one-off' game), I did get a feel for the game and the strategy that must be used to play it; in a nut shell, your commander gives you a number of 'player actions' that allow your gang members to move, fire, etc... but once you 'fail' then your opponent starts to use their 'action points' to do the same and play continues this way until your goals are accomplished for fame, and fortune!
 
The thing that is intriguing is that your roster is a 'living' roster, ie; you lose a gang member to death or disease and he/she comes off of your roster!  You must watch your fame (or infamy) rating, and keep your treasure trove well stocked to avoid mutiny!  I am intrigued by the game play, and am excited to get some more time in on it!
 
I also went here to get a bit more info on how the game plays, and found these good ol' blokes to be helpful!: http://www.beastsofwar.com/cutlass/play-cutlass/
 
Here are some more on the minis, and rules at:
(click the pic to go to the link)
http://www.blackscorpionminiatures.com/pages.php?page=cutlass&osCsid=in2krbt775gdhhl2u2hb6thid3
 
 At any rate (needless to say), painting was put on a bit of the back-burner today... and truthfully, it was a welcome break! Catch ya'll on Monday! :D

Friday, December 13, 2013

Tactically Taciturn!

 
Excited to see the finished Fists on display, I had to place them on the diorama that I have been working on... here they are ready to advance!

Zooming in, it is easier to see the Sergeant barking orders at his troops to move in!

Panning back, you can see the approaching beach assault from the advancing orcs and gobbos, ready to move in and overtake the Space Marines!

 
You can also see the 'seam' between the two pieces I had to cut in order to get the diorama to properly fit in the window.  The challenge is going to be making it look 'seamless' once I have it in the window... I'll keep you posted on this project! :D

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Fervor of the Fists at Full Tactical!

Well, yesterday I was able to get quite a bit done even though I have really been under the weather.  The full tactical squad of the Crimson Fists was completed and they will be ready to go in the diorama!
 
I have a whole other set of space marines to paint up for the demo table, and after doing these guys with such ease, I am seriously thinking about continuing on with the Crimson Fists.  The only frustration I had was trying to get the Fist decals to stay on, but ended up painting them on again (which is what I usually end up doing!)
Yes, I still need to go back over with some touch ups, but not a bad result for as lousy as I was feeling yesterday! Hopefully the diorama will be ready for display, and I can post some pics of it finished! *crosses fingers*
 

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Fervor of the Fists: Finding Potential Clients!

With another commission assignment wrapped up, I am in full swing of my next one (so I can get after a couple more that were dropped in my lap last weekend!) Wahoo!  I posted a pretty large diorama that I am trying to knock out awhile back, and the idea behind it was the theme of the store, "An Adventure Awaits Inside..." so the diorama has all kinds of goodies busting out of boxes and scrapping it up on the battlefield!

The core of the left side of the diorama is being filled by Crimson Fists Space Marines... these bad boys!  And I am trying frantically to get them finished, and get the thing put back in! (more pics to come! :D)
(Vote on this squad at Cool Mini or Not!)
 
There was a time when this level of basic unit painting was completely acceptable, and... even admired! However, mini painting has really grown over the last decade, and basing has become almost as big as painting the mini!  Don't get me wrong, I think the advances in technique (like NMM), and other master level things are cool... but what does one do if they just want a simple commission job painting standard troops at an affordable price?  Seems that several pro-painters don't want to swing in the area anymore, but would rather be hailed as another MP "Davinci" and to that I say, "Good on them!"
 
While you are thinking on that, here is a more dramatic pose of these guys!  Beautifully painted commanders and heroes are incredibly cool! But if there are not basic units for them to "show off" with as a backdrop, they will continue to collect dust on your shelf with occasional "oohs & aahs..." by few who are lucky enough to get to where they are' why not display them on the battlefield backed by simple but neatly painted units?
(click any pic to enlarge)
 
 
 
Some, might say, "Lou, that is a cop-out because I haven't seen you post anything that I would consider ML painting (rating 9+ on CMoN), but the truth of the matter is, I have done that type of work over the years, with some pretty neat results... (one was a custom inquisitorial assassin I sold to a chap in Scandanavia for a hefty $$$!) and perhaps I will do it again sometime.  For now, I am enjoying knocking out pieces that people can "see" and "touch" and get mystified as these little guys suck them (unwittingly) into this miniature world! So... until then, these guys will have to be content (as will I) sitting in a store window, and hopefully help in finding potential clients that will walk through the door, and want to know more!
Thanks for checking in!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

A Blogger's Busted Beastman...

Before I begin, just wanted to express my gratitude and appreciation to everyone who helped me reach 4,000 hits!  While this is a 'hiccup' compared to some of you who have been following my blog (who are now in the hundreds of thousands of hits) I can only say that every journey begins with it's first step... Thank you everyone! :D
 
Following my minor, self-adjudicated accolade, I had to share this loner beastman, that was supposed to be posted with the rest of the commissioned Chaos team which I finished and delivered.  Here he is, charging forward in an awesome pose, with malevolent intent ready to take out the opposition!
(check him out at Cool Mini or Not!)
 
I was unable to include him in this pic from a while back, because he was missing an arm (my fault-another story for another day! LOL!) So, I emailed Jorge Ruiz Munillo (Willy Mini Owner) and he was most gracious at getting me the extra arm so that I could finish this guy off and get him to the owner... a million thanks Jorge! (Muchisimas Gracias Compa!)
 
Thanks again to everyone who has been gracious enough to keep checkin in... I have purpose behind what I am doing here, and hope to let the "cat out of the bag" in short order! Make it a great day! :D