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I'm back!

My 4 months in America have been incredible. But I'm back now, in the UK, and more than ready to get my teeth back into wargaming!
The 4 months weren't a complete black hole for gaming. I got my Conquest cards sent out to me, and snuck in a handful of games of it. Not to mention, I was in Nevlon's neck of the woods, and we met up and played a game. You should check out the battle report.
Teaser...


But now I have returned, and I have my whole collection to look at and get back into. I bought the new SM codex, and it arrived today. I've looked through it (yet to fully read it, though), and a few things stand out as awesome. More on that soon...

Hobby wise, I need to relearn to paint. It's not like I've lost the ability to paint, just need to refamiliarise myself with holding the brush. I'll probably do a test model or two before I jump back onto the IFs.
As for the Fists, I'm pushing forward with them! On the horizon is another Devastator box (the new box, no less), and probably another Tactical box. I need to sit down and work out a list to build towards ASAP, but devs and tacts will definately be included so they are a safe bet.

There are a whole new group of people in my FLGS. They've been doing meet and greet games etc. so I'm hoping to push for 1000 points as quickly as possible and catch the last few small games of that.

I have some American friends coming to stay with me this weekend (which is going to be awesome), but it will eliminate any and all hobby time. It's likely to be a few days before I start up on the Fists, properly.
Stay tuned for my relearning to paint updates

Z

Welcome back, cant wait to see more of your IF

Glad to hear you made it home safe. You shouldn’t be that far from a 1k list right now for your ‘Fists.

Lib 100
Tac/pod 200
scouts 100
assault 100
ven dread 150
devs 150
terminator 200

Just ballpark numbers, but close. And you could alway borrow some scars as needed to flesh things out. Looking forward to seeing what you get up to!

Hey all,

So I headed out to the gaming store today, and spent a small fortune. Most of it was on X-wing. I bought almost every ship I needed. I was really getting into it before I left, but I didn't get anything for it knowing I was going away. Now I'm invested (heavily). But I did make some 40k related purchases:



The data cards were an impulse buy. Not really bothered about spending £7 more when I'm spending so much anyway. But I did want those Devastators, and I'm excited to put them together.

I have organised some games with a friend tomorrow afternoon/evening. We haven't figured out points, but I have put together a 1k list for the Fists, and will figure out another 500-1000 points of Scars to ally depending on the size of the game. I wanted to build the legs/body of the devastators so I could use them in the list, but apparently I dont have any glue. So will need to pick that up too tomorrow. The list is spoilered below:

Pretty balanced. Room for the Scars to pick up slack. And most importantly, almost fully painted! Will have 5 proxy devastators, the rest are painted.

I also did a little paint session. Just enough to remind me how to use a brush.

Few issues I ironed out. Brush control is still a little lacking. Needed to swap from a Size 1 to a Size 0 to hit narrower parts. I know I could have got them with the s1, but still a bit clumsy.

Thats all for now
Z

Hey guys

So, nothing was done over the weekend (was hosting friends), but I put together the Devastators:



I'll be priming and basecoating them tonight, and putting down the first layers tomorrow.

Tomorrows trip to the FLGS will be a busy one. Signed up to a charity X-wing tournament on saturday. Not played X-wing since May, so need to cram a few games of that in. But I have already scheduled a 40k game, and I'm playing in the WH40k: Conquest organised play too. Not to mention I want to watch the demo game of the Batman... It'll be a busy one! My time away has made me a fiend for gaming!

Anyway, pictures in a day or two!
Z

Looking good. I assume once you paint these guys up you are going to swap halves with your other squad? If not you are going to need to paint a lot of basic bolter marines so you can combat squad.

Planning on using the cherubs that came with the kit, or building some counts-as?

Have fun at the FLGS!

What took you to the States for 4 months? Must have been a great time.

Great looking Imperial Fists though, love the yellow and the associated battle damage.

Good to hear that you are returning to gaming with a bang as well, good luck in the X-Wing tournament.

Hey guys, back with more progress.

@Nev: Yeah, these are getting split into 2 5 man squads using the other devastators. I'll make up the armorium cherubs when I do the bases. They're a bit too small to glue them to a base and pop them off when I come around to basing. Same with the servo skull thingy that will sit on the sarge's base. I'll put that one the same way, too.
@Thraxas: I worked at a summer camp for 3 months, then travelled for a month after that. It was a truely awesome time. Still yet to play any Xwing. I've got my brother to play a few games later tonight. Those few games should refresh my memory.

So progress wise; they are primed and in the process of being base coated.




So the sargeant has been based and washed. He is wainting for his 4 buddies to catch up, then decals, battle damage and rest of details. The 4 guys are halfway through their silver pass, then I'll check again for red, do anything else that needs a base coat and then wash. Will probably be done on the weekend.

At the LGS, we're doing a league type series of games. I've made my 2k list, but I think I'll be changing it around again. All I'll need is 10 tactical marines and 2 drop pods. For the rest I'll use my Scars as appropriate stand ins.

Well, more around the weekend. Thanks for reading.
Z

How do you get the wash so nice and dark in the recesses and keep the yellow so smooth?

 Nevelon wrote:
How do you get the wash so nice and dark in the recesses and keep the yellow so smooth?

^ This, I want to know the answer to this!

I do too!

Hey guys,

@Nev, Knightley, Azalle: It starts with a smooth coat of yellow. The Airbrush helps a lot. Then, instead of loading the brush up and slapping the wash on, I wipe most of it off and paint the wash on making sure there are no pools on flat surfaces. It takes a mini or two to get used to doing. Especially if you're used to just slapping wash on.

We have some finished pictures of the Devastators
I finished them last night, and airbrushed the Matt Varnish on them this morning.
I have no place to set up my lightbox near a natural light source, so infront of a piece of paper will have to do.





Not terribly unhappy with them. They're rushed in a few places, but it just means I have something to improve on with the tactical marines I'll be getting next.
It's always hard returning to painting after so long. I had completely forgotten the process I follow to paint my Fists. The weapons cases are the wrong shade of grey, for example. I did the wash at the wrong time so the reds aren't as they should be. And I also did red lenses, not blue.

Like I said, not too big a deal. Calling them done and moving on. Tactical Marines are next. I want a demi-company in our upcoming league, which means I need to bite the bullet and get another 20 marines under my belt. Fortunately I can proxy 10 marines using the Space Wolves I have (old ally contingent for the White Scars). That just leaves 10 marines in need of doing. And after that, I'm thinking of basing (Is it finally going to happen?!)

On that note, I'll leave you with this:



Z

Cracking stuff, the sarge and beaky especially (don't know quite why, but I've always thought Beakies in IF yellow look great! )

One test would be to see how they mix with their previously done fellows, as you need to swap anyway. When you stick all 4 HBs together, can you tell the new from the old? Could we? And could anyone tell from arms’ length?

There have been a few times where I wrote down how I painted something. I did it for my basic scheme, not for my own benefit, but to answer “how do I paint an Ultramarine” threads. The other big one was how I do tabards, as I needed to remind myself on what paints I used. I will also frequently check back on my blog for how I did things, and often take a completed example of something I’m doing more of to the bench as a reference.

Subtle difference in styles not withstanding, they look great.

Cracking work there, how do you get the battle damage/weathering to look so realistic? Any time I try and do battle damage it just looks tacked on.

Hey guys, hope everyone's saturday was good.

@Para: Thanks Para!
@Nev: I can tell the difference between the new bolters, and the old. You could too if I posted side by side pictures and you looked a little harder than nromal. But casual lookers will not notice.
@Thraxas: I use sponge. If you have pick 'n' pluck foam trays, that's great stuff (and what I use). Dab the sponge into the paint, then dab most of the paint off onto tissue/paper then on the model. Very easy, and solid results.

So, I went to Dragondaze today. It's a small gaming and mini-comic con in Newport. I played in an X-wing tournament there. It was a casual tournament, with 12ish players. I was bottom tier, but I smashed my first game (100-0, the best win possible). All down hill from their
I managed to walk around a bit between rounds. Lots going on. A lot of TT games being displayed, and a whole boat load of board games being displayed. There was cosplay, too. An Alpha Legion marine and a Khorne Berzerker. It was a really nice showing of the hobby. More hobby stuff than comic related stuff, which is a problem I normally have with comic con.
Oh, and it's all for charity.

I also snagged something awesome from one of the bits sellers...


Perfect for basing!! Friday at the gaming store, I came so close to buying a GW terrain piece. Infact, that's what I went into the store area looking to buy. I couldn't find any, and thought I'd order online another time. Then I came across the bits seller at Dragondaze. I think its a combination of pieces, but the variety is awesome! And perfect for urban ruins basing. Not to mention, it costs me £10!
Lots of stuff there, but here are a few pics of clearer pieces:


I was also doing some digging around in the attic, and found my old black GW carry case. I took a peek inside, and found a bunch of things. The things of note are the 2 Land Speeders:


So I'm going to strip them tonight. Along with the Ironclad Dreadnought from my White Scars. I think it's about time to repent for the fluff heresy of a Dreadnought in White Scars colours Plus, it'll fit nicely in my Fists army.

Anyway, that's it for now. Looking forward to tomorrow, to play with the basing stuff!

Z

Nice haul of bits there, it'll certainly cover your basing needs for a while!

I think stripping the Dread is the right call. Nicely painted as it was, I think a Dreadnought (and particularly an Ironclad) fits the MO of the Imperial Fists far better than the Scars. I'm sure they've had one or two over the centuries, but it is certainly more fitting in IF livery!

Managed to strip those models last night.



They all had 2 45 minute baths in Biostrip 20. Then I put the land speeders in for an hour and a half extra.
It's not perfectly clean, but I'm happy enough with how much has come off, and it'll be unnoticeable when I start putting paint down on this stuff.

Z

/Mourn

Even in death, he serves.

I demand some sort of White Scars battle honor/markings on him to celebrate his service. Honour the battle gear of the Dead!

Hey guys!

I got myself another tactical squad I know they're not hugely interesting, but they're necessary. I promise something a little less generic next

 Paradigm wrote:
Cracking stuff, the sarge and beaky especially (don't know quite why, but I've always thought Beakies in IF yellow look great! )

And just for you, Para:


So they're together, awaiting priming and basing.
I'm off to the LGS tonight. I think I will pick up some an additional pack of basing accessories - ones that I've been eyeballing for the longest time. Hopefully I can start putting together one or two bases over this next week.

That's it for this morning, have a good day!

Z

 Zambro wrote:
Hey guys!

I got myself another tactical squad I know they're not hugely interesting, but they're necessary. I promise something a little less generic next

To be honest, the new Tactical Squad box is probably my Desert Island Kit, in that if I could have just one box of minis to work with (but with all the usual hobby supplies, paints ect), it'd be that. Tacticals as a unit might be a little bland, but there's just sooo much potential in that box if you're willing to do a little cutting, sticking, kitbashing and stuff.

Looking forward to seeing them!

 Paradigm wrote:

 Zambro wrote:
Hey guys!

I got myself another tactical squad I know they're not hugely interesting, but they're necessary. I promise something a little less generic next

To be honest, the new Tactical Squad box is probably my Desert Island Kit, in that if I could have just one box of minis to work with (but with all the usual hobby supplies, paints ect), it'd be that. Tacticals as a unit might be a little bland, but there's just sooo much potential in that box if you're willing to do a little cutting, sticking, kitbashing and stuff.

Looking forward to seeing them!

In full agreement here. The tactical box is one of the better ones out there. It’s just packed with options and different marks of armor. On a pedantic note: did you intend for that beakie to be in full Mk. VI? Because I think that’s a Mk. V chest. Mixing and matching armor is fine, just curious. I know you can get full suits of Corvus armor out of there, as I built modern replacements for my RTB01 squad out of the tac box.

Tactical marines might not be sexy, but they are the heart and soul of a marine army. Always nice to see them going together.

Love your painting styles, my guard had the same fate as yours. Making me inspired to do Marines, I miss my Death Guard ha.

Hey guys

@Para: Yeah, the Tacticals box is so nice! Lots of pieces, all of which are such good quality. They make a solid addition to any bitz box.
@Nev: Definately something a little more interesting going together next, though. Still on the fence about the monthly comp entry, though... But I garuntee it's better than tacticals.
@Spacewolverine: Thanks man, and welcome to my blog I am starting to realise that I like selling and acquiring armies I'm trying to trade my WoC for Daemons currently, after telling myself repeatedly that my 40k armies are not being sold.

More on the marines front today:

These guys are base coated completly. Just waiting on a wash (right after I post this), decals and battle damage. Then another pass to get the rest of the details and done. Probably finishing them on the weekend.

Here are those speeders that I stripped.


I had to break it down completly to get the Biostrip 20 out of all the recesses. That stuff is thick, and doesn't dry or evaporate. So I needed to get right in there to clean it out with some Q-tips.


I put it all back together, and with the exception of a few pieces I broke, it should look fine when painted. And even the broken pieces, I'll make it look like battle damage. I'm going to paint the speeder before I worry about putting together bodies to driver. And I need to figure something out about the heavy bolters that will sit on that metal rail. The rails broke. Got to look into replacing those.

And lastly, some Terminators that have been waiting a long time to get stripped. They have since been stripped in Biostrip 20 and are awaiting some attention from me.



Will update you on the weekend. Hopefully with finished Tacticals!
Z

You could probably bend some wire for a new rail. Or just make a foot/mount for the HB to sit on.

What are your plans for those two bikers? They going to join the Fists or be assimilated into the Scars?

You are plugging away at a good rate. Don’t forget your end of month pic! That’s a fun way to show your progress and a cool idea.

(speaking of end of month, I need to get painting.)

Looking good. Keep up the good work.

Haha... Pop culture reference out of the way... I've finally started the process of basing my minis!! *cheer*

I popped the scouts off of their bases and went to work on them.


I found it tough to get 'scenery' on the base with it being so small. Then I asked myself, why did I start with the smallest bases that my army will be using? So I popped my VenDread off his base and fixed that up.



I like the size of the dread's base. Gives you a lot of room to work with.

And while I was priming the bases with the airbrush out; I did these:



They are ready to go when I am.

On the Tactical Marines front, I'm not quite there yet. A few more and I'm finished. They'll be my next update. Not too sure if I'll get to their bases before then.

What do you think of the bases?
Z

Bases look good. How much more are you planning on doing to them? Going for the grey ruined look? How old are these ruins? Recent, where there should be soot marks on the walls, and maybe a small fire in a corner? Or older, where tufts of hardy grass are starting to take hold? All the way to ancient, when the non-rubble parts get flocked/static grass?

Are the buildings concrete, marble, or sandstone?

What did you end up going with to attach the HBs to the speeders?

I'll be doing urban ruins. The plan is for fairly recent ruins. So, so some weathering, etc. I'm glad you posed those questions, because I really havn't put all that much thought into it

I drilled into the HB and the chassis, then put a piece of wire into it. It doesn't look as good as the bar, but it'll hold well enough to hit the table.

Hey guys!

I've finished painting the bases and the Tacticals! Here is a photo dump













How do the bases look? Would appreciate any comments on them.
Marines will get their bases soon, too. I'm looking to work through the backlog of bases next.

I will most likely take real (better) pictures over the next day or two when I update the front page with an end of month army shot (Thanks for the reminder, Nev )

Thanks all,
Z