Nice write up , I like some of the mechanics and think the further roll on the fumble is a good idea. Instead of the 1 being an automatic fail a further roll could determine how not ideal the failure is (gun jam, weapon explodes, shoots friendly model, hits wrong broadside of the barn, or just doesn’t fire because doesn’t have clear shot after all).
Really like the unit basic instincts idea as well, means a leader can try and get people to do stuff, but if he fails then they might do something he doesn’t want them to do.
I like the increased role of leadership, giving orders and default behaviors. It makes it tougher to get your troops to do exactly what you want, instead of your army basically having a hive mind, as in some games. I like the idea that you have to position your troops for success, knowing you can’t count on always being able to micromanage them, so you have to leave more flexibility and redundancy in your plans. It certainly seems more realistic, but hopefully it is also fun and not frustrating!
The Riddle of Steel wrote: It certainly seems more realistic, but hopefully it is also fun and not frustrating!
-Rids
That's the really big issue, and why I'm going to need playtesters. And having civilians who are almost unmanageable certainly is less 'fun' than it should be! But it is also an important test, in that if low-leadership mobs aren't fun to play, that limits the game.
As someone who is always searching for the perfect game, I applaud you on making your own and then doing a play through. I concur that Training/Behavior is a brilliant concept that could be applied to many game systems. For myself I've been thinking that any miniatures game I try to design will do its best to use only modelled markers like casualties, smoke or shell bursts - I find that the amount of effort to put together nice figures and a table is so great that I don't want any excess stuff floating around. You had the boxes off to the side which is better IMO, but my tables never have enough space to do that it seems like.
Automatically Appended Next Post: What scale do you think you'll run at? This game had only 3 units on the table, but with the relatively simple mechanics it seems like you could scale up easily.
kestral wrote: As someone who is always searching for the perfect game, I applaud you on making your own and then doing a play through.
Thank you! It's also a sign of utter insanity on my part.
I concur that Training/Behavior is a brilliant concept that could be applied to many game systems. For myself I've been thinking that any miniatures game I try to design will do its best to use only modelled markers like casualties, smoke or shell bursts - I find that the amount of effort to put together nice figures and a table is so great that I don't want any excess stuff floating around. You had the boxes off to the side which is better IMO, but my tables never have enough space to do that it seems like.
Yeah, I've been leaning toward that direction myself. For example, if a model is Incapacitated, leaving a marker behind as the location of your Incapacitated models will be important for victory points and army abilities. Some folks will just use tokens, some folks will make lovely casualty markers. One of the key things I'm doing, which will be the subject of the next playthrough/reveal, is handling weapons fire differently, such as splash (explosion) and spray (automatic fire). Round templates cause so many problems with the 'is the model under the template', and having to measure-from-a-point also causes those issues. Scatter is another thing I dislike, as it ties into the artificial weapons ranges thing...and results in people AIMING to scatter to min/max their weapon's range.
As for the Unit Cards, there needs to be some place to hold the dice (and tokens, to keep the battlefield clear). I really like the idea of dice, but I think I see a way to use laminated Unit Cards which could use wet/dry erase markers to keep track of things as an option, which could keep the unit cards in a stack, instead of on-table (or, at least, a small section of table).
Also, table sizes for StrikePoint reflect a different scale/movement paradigm, no more artificial ranges. So, taking the 6" on each side of the table to make room for unit cards, etc is part of the game design! There's a balance between movement/range/table size, which I need to play with in order to allow for flanking movements (width) and envelopment (depth).
What scale do you think you'll run at? This game had only 3 units on the table, but with the relatively simple mechanics it seems like you could scale up easily.
I believe my "max units per side" would be a dozen at most, not only to keep the game at roughly an hour or so, but also to avoid cramming the table full of models.
On average a 10-model-squad takes up about 6"x3", same with vehicles. This means a dozen units lined up on the table requires a rough footprint of (6"x12=72") six feet in width and 3"-6" of depth. That doesn't include terrain.
If I were to attempt to scale up to larger conflicts, I'd want to push 'more tables, more players' and introduce simultaneous/team activations. Does that make sense? I can expand my thoughts out if need be, might even make fodder for a dev diary.
Okay, all the minor repairs are done, so now we're into the heavy lifting. But I need to check some OTHER things first, before committing to repairs and repaint/touchups, etc. Including finding the #*$)#* box that has all of the spare parts/extra bitz for this army.
So, since FW dropped the line, it's hard to come by Elysian stuff. I have a small handful of random bitz...and a pair of Sky Talons. I never did get any of the Tauros kits, and not they're long gone and very expensive in the after-market auction area.
Thus, while at Warhammer day, I wanted to support my local store, as the manager is a nice guy and does a lot of heavy lifting. I purchased two kits. A set of Munitorum containers and a Genestealer Cult Achilles Ridgerunner. For my Sky Talons to carry.
---
Note: The functions and abilities of the Genestealer Cult codex makes for a better Imperial Guard/Astra Militarum army than the actual Astra Militarum codex.
---
Now, I answer your BURNING QUESTIONS. I know every single one of you wants to know. EVERY. ONE.
Can a Sky Talon carry a Munitorum container?
Yes, with a bit of work. You have to widen the 'grip' of the four maglock arms by removing the spacer between the large "gripping" cylinder and the arm, and fiddle the arms a bit.
Is a Genestealer Cult Achilles Ridgerunner an acceptable replacement for a Tauros or Tauros Venator?
Yes.
Easily adaptable, there's a generic mount for a weapon and a little bit of work with the suspension could, if you wanted to, add a second pair of wheels, replace the rear wheels with treads, etc. That's a Space Marine Predator Twin Lascannon, over-sized for purposes of clarity.
Can a Sky Talon carry a Genestealer Cult Achilles Ridgerunner?
You betcha.
If you wanted to be 100% accurate, you'd bring the rear wheels in a bit, which is VERY easy to do on this model.
Are the Genestealer Cult Models acceptable stand-ins for Elysium models?
With the right head? Assuredly, even has kneepads. I had a spare head, so I posed it in. It isn't the SAME, but it is SIMILAR. OR, at least, close enough for people who wanted to make an Elysium army, without Forge World product.
But, how do the new Genestealer Cult models compare to, say, Cadians? Is Games Workshop finally down-scaling human-sized figures?
Not by a noticeable margin, but they are a smidge smaller. However, the boxes of Cult troopers and such are just Cadians with new heads.
And now you know. And knowing is half the battle.
--Brian
PS: The Genestealer Cult list, being filled with mining vehicles and high technology and such *ALSO* makes for a great SQUATS Army Codex.
Thanks for all that info Brian, it's great that you got so much versatility out of those models. The Skytalon transporting a Munitorum container seems like it would be extremely useful for a story scenario.
Interesting idea to replace the Tauros with a Genestealer Cult Achilles Ridgerunner. The Tauros Venator had a six wheel configuration and was longer (still would fit on the Sky Talon).
Braincj, this is an amazing post! Thank you for the great ideas and inspiration. I love the Sky Talon hauling a container; I never would have thought of that. For some reason, they are the only Elysian models left so I might have to grab one or just just for this purpose. The Ridgerunner is also a great idea. I have tried a few little buggy-type vehicles from other non-GW companies. Once I put them together, I will do a side-by-side. The Ridgerunner is a pretty cool model. The only thing I'm not sold on is the tiny vision slit on the turret thing. That just doesn't compare to the open design of the Tauros, but it seems like it would be a lot easier to build and paint.
Syro_ wrote:Thanks for all that info Brian, it's great that you got so much versatility out of those models. The Skytalon transporting a Munitorum container seems like it would be extremely useful for a story scenario.
Yup! I've been jonesing for a re-visit to civilian life in 40K, and the Sky Talons are perfect for such things. Story-based missions, etc. Because, frankly, they're not much use for anything else, given their rules.
Captain Brown wrote:Briancj,
Nice to see a Sky Talon in quite a while.
Interesting idea to replace the Tauros with a Genestealer Cult Achilles Ridgerunner. The Tauros Venator had a six wheel configuration and was longer (still would fit on the Sky Talon).
CB
Thanks! I have two of them, and they rarely saw any use.
I mentioned that in the post (re:Venator wheels). I can say that the conversion would take a little bit of work, because (a) not enough wheels in the kit and (b) the rear suspension would have to be finagled. But it would not be DIFFICULT. It also lends itself to a half-track style conversion, easily. It would be amusing to see small tracks up front and double-wheels in back.
The Riddle of Steel wrote:Braincj, this is an amazing post! Thank you for the great ideas and inspiration. I love the Sky Talon hauling a container; I never would have thought of that. For some reason, they are the only Elysian models left so I might have to grab one or just just for this purpose. The Ridgerunner is also a great idea. I have tried a few little buggy-type vehicles from other non-GW companies. Once I put them together, I will do a side-by-side. The Ridgerunner is a pretty cool model. The only thing I'm not sold on is the tiny vision slit on the turret thing. That just doesn't compare to the open design of the Tauros, but it seems like it would be a lot easier to build and paint.
-Rids
Thank you! The vision-slit thing is, sadly, VERY lame, but 'no interiors' is where GW's been going for a while. Sadly, under that 'hatch' is solid plastic, so you'd have to do some work to open it up. Probably not worth it.
---
I'm setting that project aside for a bit, now that I've found, I think, much of my missing pieces parts for the Minotaurs repair, and I can get back to that.
I'm really pumped that you're dipping into the GSC stuff and thinking in terms of both modeling and game stats. I love the Ridgerunner and Biker models and nearly jumped in when they dropped, but I saw the price and balked. Good to see that the model has some adaptability. Well done on extracting Elysians from those kits, and a point well made about the GSC codex versatility, especially for a Squat army. Oh, how I miss the Squats.
Sat down to paint miniatures for the first time in...a while. I mean, really paint.
Motivation provided by Kestral's campaign, and Dysartes' Twitch feed. I have to tell you, painting while watching a Twitch feed is ALMOST as good as painting with peeps iRL, and I'm going to continue to add these to my toolbox. I highly suggest checking out feeds of people painting, to expand your community and monkeyspheres!
--
I am so glad I installed a spraybooth into my work area.
Spent a couple of nights knocking out some penal legion characters, some "priests", a "Primaris Psyker" and repaired some Ogryns.
Play 'spot the Last Chancers and Tanith First and Only'...
Got the grey fatigues and started the green armor. Background for these guys is they're on a suicide mission (naturally) and have been given bottom-of-the-barrel leftovers. In this case, Cadian-pattern flak armor and weapons. Some of the troopers...okay, all the of the troopers, have acquired additional 'kit'. Now, forces Imperial have attached some...motivation...to the troopers in the form of Eviscerator Servitors (Ministorum Priests). For backup, the Electro-Priest (Primaris Psyker) has been assigned a group of Ogryns. the question is, who has enough "pull" to put a mission like this together?
I was able to lay down cream primer, the grey fatigues basetones, and the start of the Cadian green armor basetones. Hopefully, after a break, I'll get the green basetones onto the Ogryns.
Blocked out the rest of the greens, including the armour pieces on the Ogryns. Next up, I need to power-paint all the various fleshtones. Going to work on making these a lot more diverse than my previous efforts, as part of the whole "The Imperium Isn't White" concept.
Briancj wrote: Blocked out the rest of the greens, including the armour pieces on the Ogryns. Next up, I need to power-paint all the various fleshtones. Going to work on making these a lot more diverse than my previous efforts, as part of the whole "The Imperium Isn't White" concept.
--B.
theImperium is after all a beacon of diversity .
“We don’t care what color you are as long as your not filthy xenos scum “
Today, we have an interlude. I have been collecting "In World" props and such for Warhammer 40K, and here's a doozy I picked up for, basically, original price. It is the collector's edition of the Deathwatch RPG manual, from Fantasy Flight Games, made under license.
Spoiler:
Larger and heavier than I expected.
Chain, chain, chaaaaaain...
Key to my...heart? (The key is held on the side with magnets.)
Unlocked!
Revealed!
The purity seal/parchment is removable. The book is lovely, faux-leather, nicely bound. I am most likely going to remove the purty seal/parchment and frame it (after casting the seals...) and then use the box as a cosplay item, see what interesting relic would be appropriate for the box. MAYBE I could find/craft "The Emperor's Tarot"...
I hope you enjoyed this piece of Warhammer 40K history!
Took a long time to get caught up. Amazing stuff from the Epic to the Minotaurs, Nice to see your Imperial knight, Joining us next year at Adepticon? Running KF as a an event as well as a Warden get together.
Solar_lion wrote: Took a long time to get caught up. Amazing stuff from the Epic to the Minotaurs, Nice to see your Imperial knight, Joining us next year at Adepticon? Running KF as a an event as well as a Warden get together.
Keep up the inspiring work.!
I dunno, that's a good question. If I can get my cosplay act together, that would be a good event to hit. Plus, you know, Wardens!
IGtR= wrote: Valks look great in yellow at the moment. How weathered are you going?
AT THE MOMENT.
I suspect these will be hard-working sky cranes, I'm basing them on a few "real world" crane photos, so there's going to be some black applied to handling gear, the magnetic clamp arms, etc. then, of course, hazard striping as appropriate. I'm going to airbrush darker panel lines, then lighten up the center of each panel.
Sky Cranes are awesome. I'm sure there is an awesome 40K diorama one could make with civilian talons lifting a statue out before it falls in the hands of chaos or something. It is weird how much I like hazard stripes. We should be sure to have a game on a table large enough to allow them to fly vehicles around on it and pick them up again. Maybe 20 feet. : )
I believe I am going to use hazard stripes to pick out important details, much like on actual cranes.
I will be using black as the primary accent colour.
--B.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
kestral wrote: Sky Cranes are awesome. I'm sure there is an awesome 40K diorama one could make with civilian talons lifting a statue out before it falls in the hands of chaos or something. It is weird how much I like hazard stripes. We should be sure to have a game on a table large enough to allow them to fly vehicles around on it and pick them up again. Maybe 20 feet. : )
I’m loving the crane. It gives the whole table such a sense of height. I really think the vertical dimension is underused in this hobby. There is only so much flat space on a table. This crane will add a lot to the feel of the battlefield especially if you can add other towers and tall structures. Very cool so far. Looking forward to seeing it in a game.
Wow, that is shaping up to be an amazing table! Can you control the crane and smash stuff with it? Or ride around on a platfrom hanging from it? I really need to figure out a way to combine this:
Thanks! If I'm generating GW-table-vibes, I'm doing well.
Now, for the ground cover. This is brown acrylic house paint, with Woodland Scenics 'Talus' mixed in for texture. Basically, railroad ballast.
And here is the now-drying-overnight board, with the airfield in place.
The grids for the airfield are from Home Depot, they have a selection of 2'x4' metal grids, I'm presuming for grate covers, fireplaces, whatever. These are the "Union Jack" pattern.
The exposed pink foam in the corner will be covered up by more hills, as the Ordinatus is still partially buried.
We used similar grates to build decorative boxes around the hot water heating system radiators in our farm house- great use of an unusual material! Terrific looking table.
Good progress on the table. Hills and vertical features are always good. And the airfield looks intriguing. I’m looking forward to see how turns out. I will keep that idea in mind. It’s always nice to have some interesting texture from a ready-made source. And the crane will be an epic centerpiece! I want an infiltrating sniper on that thing.
I'm really excited for this... I love this scale and I have a pile of pink foam that needs a sense of purpose. I've also often looked at that display at Home Depot and wondered what could be done with it, so good on you for grabbing a sheet and building it in.
Wow, that came together amazingly and it a crazy short amount of time. Can't wait to play! Thanks so much for putting that together, and the game too. The chance to stand on top of the Ordinatus and proclaim the victory of the greater good is irresistible. : ) I'm also looking forward to seeing it closer and getting a feel for some of the techniques used. That airfield grating looks like great stuff. I wonder how hard it would be to make a bunch of platforms in the Deathwatch overkill style with it it.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Just got a look at the stained glass bits - excellent!
I liked the whitish grey they used on the Kickstarter for the basic guys and then adding in darker tones for the more tougher guys. Depends what your going to do for basing colors, will you try and paint the bases to match the “outdoors” on the boards? Can we get a closeup of one of the boards to see it for inspiration?
Not to push the Contrast bandwagon too much, but If I was staring at a huge stack of monsters, I'd mess around with contrast combos until I found one I liked. They are very ideosycratic so it is hard to say which one would "work", but there are probably some that would look great just over the grey.
I echo kestrel here. While I do not use contrast paints (other than the medium to make washes a little thicker), you want to have a simple painting process that you can repeat for the numbers you have there (and one you are happy with).
Yeah, the mass-painting route is what we'll be doing. I had pondered the contrast paints, but I have a lot of paints and inks already, so I'm probably going to leverage those.
I'm pondering really alien-looking combos, really trying to make a stark "these are alien" as well as ease of identification on the table.
What are these creatures' habitat? My thoughts are hunters and workers would be camouflaged to their surroundings so the same color scheme are where they come from. Hunters would want to be able to sneak up on prey and workers would want to be ignored. The tunnelers could be taken in two different directions either lots of pale colors like cave animals or colorful since in tunnels there isn't light to show how colorful they are and make them easy to spot if they are. If I recall correctly, in our visible light spectrum red is the first to lose its color and look black so maybe lots of vibrant reds and patterns of red? For the abominations I agree with the unusual color combos and the deep sea theme. One weird color combo I used once was aqua and a mix of magenta/violet, with yellow accents.
Dang man, where do you find such cool stuff? Just looking a that makes me hungry for Noodles. No matter how much I gaze out my window I don't see any flying Noodle vendors. Fething mundane reality. The 1950's promised me flying cas! Where are my finned Edsel's! I just know at least be of those pipes is dedicated to a steaming noodle pot.
So, this is a dump of all of the human "Empire of Men" vehicle minis I bought. I've showcased some before, but I went ahead and finally BUILT them all, so here we go. Spoiler tag because 25 images.
First up, the "Mammoth" walkers. Size/mass about double a 40K Sentinel, it puts them more on the "Dust Tactics" size of walkers. They'd probably make a reasonable stand-in for an Onager dunecrawler, I should dig one out for a later shot if I remember.
Spoiler:
With some Sentinels...
...and side-by-side.
Next, the "Wolverine" troop carrier, which is their Chimera replacement. It is slightly chunkier than a chimera, but not overall much larger. However, the turret is definitely more massive.
Spoiler:
And the variants I purchased. I did not buy the "V-9" missile launcher (the Deathstrike stand-in) because I've already got a fine and dandy Deathstrike. And an Ordinatus.
Firefly (Basilisk)
Flak Cannons (Hydra)
Multi Mortar (Wyvern)
Next to a Chimera...
...and fine interior detail, which warms my heart.
Then we have the "Little Eagle Mk. III" main battle tank. Significantly larger than a Chimera or Russ or even the Wolverine, it should make a decent stand-in for one of the IG "Heavy" tanks, getting measurements for the Malcador and Marcharius to compare.
Spoiler:
Salamander. The superheavy flamer turret...
King Cobra. The 'punisher' style Gatling turret.
It also has a "Stormdozer Mk.3", which is akin to a Demolisher, and a "Hammerhead" which matches up well with a Vanquisher.
Side-by-side with a Leman Russ:
Here is a front and top picture of both styles of tank.
Spoiler:
As you can see, the Chimera and Wolverine really are not that much different.
As you can see, I was wearing socks.
Next up, the Stahlratte Mk.I superheavy tank. This thing is a monster, larger than a Baneblade. This is the Armorcast one, but the scale's not that far off.
Spoiler:
And, sure, we'll put the modern Baneblade Main Turret onto the Stahl...
The Stahl's turret is larger than a Leman Russ/Chimera. Really, kind of ridiculous in that 'Isn't this the final boss tank of the C&C Tiberian Sun game?" sort of way.
Finally, the "Reaper" 'fighter', which did NOT turn out as expected. In fact, they retro-fitted it to be a Valkyrie stand-in. Which, meh. But...wings!
Spoiler:
The design, like much of the line, is German-inspired. THESE guys are definitely "Sky Captain" inspired!
But they are TRUE NAVY AIRCRAFT...
Yeah, that's right, the wings fold up.
They carry poor cramped men in the belly. I used the cover-plates to, well, cover them as I will not be using these as Valkyries or Vendettas.
And here's a side-by-side with a Valk:
Finally, here's a shot of everything:
---
The models are okay. Mostly clean, with only a little cleanup. However, the design of each is set up to allow for turrets to "snap in" to place, the wings to fold, the rear door of the Wolverine to open. And, while I appreciate this a LOT, the designers neglected to remember that resin expands and contracts, which means there's a LOT of trimming and fitting to make all the "special effects", such as the folding wings, to work. It is worth the effort, to be sure, but I ended up removing all the tabs on the rings of the turrets, because I wanted to be able to swap them out easier, and they just fit in better without them.
There's also no cockpit glass for the fighters, which is sad, they should have made and cast them in fine clear resin. Alas!
The Mammoths and Reapers each came with a standard molded round resin base, but the planes did not come with any form of "flight support", and the Mammoths really don't look good on the bases. All the bases are identical, so some variety would have been appreciated. I think I'm going to paint them up and use them as craters for exploded vehicles.
I only bought one of the Mk.IIIs and I don't really like the design that much, but I wanted one because I'm a filthy hoarder.
Overall, happy with the Kickstarter, the company had great communication, and they were packed very well.
These models, I believe, are still available.
I also got several of their infantry/cavalry miniatures which were advertised as being 28mm, but they are all very slight of build, so they are, in my opinion, fiddly.
Nice review of the Empire of Men stuff. Some pretty cool models in there with nice features like the interiors and the drop troops on the flyer. But no glass on the flyers' cockpits seems like a big miss.
The Riddle of Steel wrote: Nice review of the Empire of Men stuff. Some pretty cool models in there with nice features like the interiors and the drop troops on the flyer. But no glass on the flyers' cockpits seems like a big miss.
It's surprisingly hard to get truly "clear" resin to cast well, etc. Well enough to show interior details, anyways. I understand why they didn't.
I have some options.
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I've been holding on to (hoarding) three open-topped Sentinels, which I was going to paint into Scout models for my IG army..but the winter theme and open-topped never really 'gelled'.
However, with the Munitorum sets, we can get a passable Sentinel Powerlifter.
I think the lifter claw looks a bit oversized. What were you thinking that your lifter would be moving around? Maybe do some scatter of that and then design the claw around that?
Automatically Appended Next Post: Also, bay 12, please.
Flinty wrote: I think the lifter claw looks a bit oversized. What were you thinking that your lifter would be moving around? Maybe do some scatter of that and then design the claw around that?
Automatically Appended Next Post: Also, bay 12, please.
I am thinking of cutting the claw down, and moving the main 'joint' to the shoulder of the sentinel. And making the feet bigger, as per Graven's suggestion.
The original powerlifter's "claw" was also massive/ungainly, but I don't want to have to build from scratch.
Thank you both for the suggestions and feedback! MOAR WORK TO BE DONE.
Wow, that empire flyer is....very Horten. Which I like. Power lifters! Got to love any rear echelon unit. I remember a little tech track made from a centaur that was in a FW display table. Cool stuff
I adore flying ships, ever since Space 1889 hove over the horizon. How big is it? I'll have to look into the game.
The empire of Man looks to be a great source of Admech Tech Guard - kind of like the standard vehicles, but as if the Mechanicus had been tinkering with the STCs. Looks like an armored regiment in the making to me! There is a general lack of skulls, parchment and gratuitous power cables of course, but you could either add them or go with the idea that "mere" guard equivalents are not worthy of such things and their vehicles are more utilitarian.
The Chimera counts as packs too much turret IMO (though it would make a good light tank), but the firefly/flakk/multimortar are all solid.
The walkers are solid for Onangers, with the bonus that being a bit larger, I personally think they're reasonable for Rhinos or something like that as well.
The Russ type is particularly techi with the exposed sponsons.
The super heavy - hmm, needs more techno bling, but a great starting point.
Those planes - great score! the folding wings also make them easier to store in the cabinet. If you want to go truly crazy you could get the similar Dust Flyers - I have them, and they are really nice. Then you'd have a whole themed air wing.
Powerlifter looks great. I may press mold my tractor claw to try to copy it.
'd love to see MOAR!
Automatically Appended Next Post: In fact, I'm going to go grab one of those planes for myself since they seem to be still taking "late pledges'. I didn't see it when I glanced over the kickstarter originally.
kestral wrote: Wow, great stuff!
I adore flying ships, ever since Space 1889 hove over the horizon. How big is it? I'll have to look into the game.
I still have my Space:1889 rulebook. If you like that sort of thing, you can probably pick up Catalyst Lab's "Leviathans" for cheap. Great game, utter failure to launch. WWI flying battleships.
This game is "Avertigos", active and available. A free shipping deal is coming, I'll set you know. The makers are from Singapore. That ship is 3.5" long. The other 'large ship' is the Dynasty Destroyer, 4" long, equivalent to a 787 in length, game-terms-wise.
The empire of Man looks to be a great source of Admech Tech Guard - kind of like the standard vehicles, but as if the Mechanicus had been tinkering with the STCs. Looks like an armored regiment in the making to me! There is a general lack of skulls, parchment and gratuitous power cables of course, but you could either add them or go with the idea that "mere" guard equivalents are not worthy of such things and their vehicles are more utilitarian.
Yup, Agreed. Or another form of 'lost' STC
The Chimera counts as packs too much turret IMO (though it would make a good light tank), but the firefly/flakk/multimortar are all solid.
Unfortunately, the standard chimera turret looks just TOO small. But they're good for playing around with as Leman Russ or Predator swaps! ALSO, the flak/mortar turrets are interchangeable with the main Wolverine turret, and so I'm going to use those to build the Chimerax, Chimedon, and Chimerro variants showing in WD [UK] #185...
The walkers are solid for Onangers, with the bonus that being a bit larger, I personally think they're reasonable for Rhinos or something like that as well.
Could be rhinos, or some of the newer AdMech vehicle swaps. I imagine it as an AdMech troop transport...
The Russ type is particularly techi with the exposed sponsons.
Needs some work for me. According to IW,
The Macharius is 7 3/4 inches long, 5 inches wide at the sponsons. 4 1/4 wide without sponsons. 3 3/4 tall
And the "Little Eagle" is 6" long (6./5" with the rear trench rails), 3.5" wide w/o sponsons, and 2.5 inches tall. If I reverse the turret orientation, it looks somewhat like the Marcharius, and I can do a bit of hull extension/kitbashing. So that'll be what it plays out as, a PDF Heavy Tank.
The super heavy - hmm, needs more techno bling, but a great starting point.
Yeah, I really don't know what to do with these, aside from buying/building new turrets. I did ponder just using bits and pieces for things, but the assembled chassis really doesn't MATCH anything in-40k-universe, so I'm going to have to ponder. I may use the four base chassis to build the mobile repair fortress described in the novel "Baneblade". It can field-repair a superheavy.
Those planes - great score! the folding wings also make them easier to store in the cabinet. If you want to go truly crazy you could get the similar Dust Flyers - I have them, and they are really nice. Then you'd have a whole themed air wing.
I bought them at the last minute on the pledge, as I wanted to play with the hinges, etc. But they're not Valkyries, for sure. Good for PDF forces. I'm not sure how much more of this sort of thing I want to buy, although the temptation to buy some of the German Dust Tactics Walkers is HIGH.
Powerlifter looks great. I may press mold my tractor claw to try to copy it.
I'm happy with it, so much that I finished all three kitbashes!
'd love to see MOAR!
Well, okay!
All three Powerlifters. You could also easily put the claw centerline under the chin of the sentinel, and link it to the counterweight to the rear, but that would require a new box, instead of just being able to use the small crate from the Munitorum containers box.
Next up, moar back-rank goodness and...contrast paints! (#*)$#* these are expensive. $8.00USD a bottle?!?
--B.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Tonight on "Brian can't leave things alone, and owns a hacksaw"...
Interesting. The “new” version has a profile a bit like a Sicaran with the tracks sloping down to the front. I really like that body shape better out of the two. The only thing that looks a bit off is those liquid tanks (?) being on the front top in a fairly exposed position.
I like the power lifter sentinels. The claw is still a bit large but the modified version looks a lot better and overall it looks realistic enough. Definitely looks industrial instead of combat. I really like one with the claw twisted/rotated. It would be cool if it could be rotated 90 degrees but I assume it interferes with the body?
Lovely... and I know you will make the whole thing a fully working model train, then build a table with hand-laid track and a fully functional railroad!
Gitsplitta wrote: Lovely... and I know you will make the whole thing a fully working model train, then build a table with hand-laid track and a fully functional railroad!
The Riddle of Steel wrote: Oh, man. Gothic space train is looking great! Can't wait to see it progress. Does this thing go on tracks or cross country?
Given the 'design' of the munitorum trolley suspension, and the locomotive's wheels, some form of tracks/rails. As an actual model railroader, most of it makes me cringe, but I'll make the best of it.
--B.
*The locomotive can't actually handle curves.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Decided I needed a Trojan Support Vehicle, so I rummaged out a spare salvage Chimera, bits, and leftover parts from Powerlifter kitbashing.
Good use of leftovers. Mighty fine looking vehicle.
All Guardsman needs a Trojan now and then! I'll add the Trojan to my next Chimera installment photo shoot.
Automatically Appended Next Post: I think I need to scratch build some farming attachments for the Barmkin Chimera Unimog style. However....no farming on Taros. :(.
I remember the Kickstarter for that Grimdark train. I remember people thinking it was a bit narrow but here in the northeast most worksite rail systems were only 2ft tracks. Maine used to be covered in 2footers. Back to the new project, I'm looking forward to what you do with the Atlas.
Insurgency Walker wrote: I remember the Kickstarter for that Grimdark train. I remember people thinking it was a bit narrow but here in the northeast most worksite rail systems were only 2ft tracks. Maine used to be covered in 2footers. Back to the new project, I'm looking forward to what you do with the Atlas.
It is juuuust too narrow in comparison to the GW Munitorum Trolley, but that was an easy fix with some spacers. There's also a 'gothic train' laser-cut model, which is kinda ass, and a 3d printed 'gothic train' which is much cooler, but whose wheels are waaaay too small.
BUT, I believe the designers took into account the GW trolley, because the base/underfloor of each car fits VERY nicely into the trolley. That three-round-tank promethium car is an example of this.
I will use the 'wheels' and 'tracks' from the 3d printed models for an overhead crane system, or narrow-gauge tram system.
As for the OVERALL scale, well, it ain't O-scale that's for sure (1:48, or close enough to 25/28mm). But when compared to the other tractor models and such, it works okay. you can really see if when you compare the locomotive to the crane car. The crane DOMINATES.
Working on the Atlas now, from an original OOP old-school Leman Russ. Mmmm, proper tracks...
Insurgency Walker wrote: I remember the Kickstarter for that Grimdark train. I remember people thinking it was a bit narrow but here in the northeast most worksite rail systems were only 2ft tracks. Maine used to be covered in 2footers. Back to the new project, I'm looking forward to what you do with the Atlas.
It is juuuust too narrow in comparison to the GW Munitorum Trolley, but that was an easy fix with some spacers. There's also a 'gothic train' laser-cut model, which is kinda ass, and a 3d printed 'gothic train' which is much cooler, but whose wheels are waaaay too small.
BUT, I believe the designers took into account the GW trolley, because the base/underfloor of each car fits VERY nicely into the trolley. That three-round-tank promethium car is an example of this.
I will use the 'wheels' and 'tracks' from the 3d printed models for an overhead crane system, or narrow-gauge tram system.
As for the OVERALL scale, well, it ain't O-scale that's for sure (1:48, or close enough to 25/28mm). But when compared to the other tractor models and such, it works okay. you can really see if when you compare the locomotive to the crane car. The crane DOMINATES.
Working on the Atlas now, from an original OOP old-school Leman Russ. Mmmm, proper tracks...
--B.
I guess I'm the only person who disliked the old track kit eh?i actually don't remember if it was the old Russ or Chimera that was easy to end up with a little gap if not carefully done.
I am damn impressed with the contrast paints. The only thing that sucks is the price point, at $8.00 a bottle. But a little goes a LOOOOONG way with these, so I'm tempering my usual GW-is-too-expensive due to the results.
It took me a half hour, TOPS, to paint these sentinels. Sprayed their undercoat, which dried in 15 minutes. Slopped on yellow. Painted the boxes with 'normal' paint. Drybrushed with yellow. All that's left is detailing.
Spoiler:
Grey Seer undercoat. This is the 'cool' undercoat, they also have a 'warm' undercoat.
Iyanden Yellow contrast paint.
All Yellow.
Drybrushed Yriel Yellow layer paint.
To be able to go to a tabletop standard this quickly is, quite frankly, the boost the industry needs to bring in many new players who might normally be daunted at the time it takes to paint. I hope this truly inspires a new generation of players. Yes, hyperbole, but it is THAT GOOD, and I'm a jaded old saying this.
And here are two of the Munitorum containers, which took about 5 minutes each one the undercoat dried.
Spoiler:
Grey Seer undercoat again.
The blue container was brushed on with a large wash brush. I chose Ultramarines Blue so you could see what a Smurf vehicle would look like and the Terradon Turquoise. The turquoise was a test to see if these paints would airbrush. Yes, they do. A little thinning, and you're all set. This container took under a minute. UNDER A MINUTE.
Finally, how they look in the morning, 100% dry.
It is actually easy to use too MUCH of the contrast paints, either brush or airbrush. The coverage is just that good.
Hope this helps you understand GW's new Contrast paints! As you can tell, I'm sold. These are a solid new tool in the paintbox.
After doing all that lovely kitbashing and contrast painting, I decided to pivot back to Avertigos.
The kickstarter had an option to buy the rules for The Priate King, who flies a special variant of the Coaster. This is an AI-controlled game mode, using cards from a deck to determine actions, as well as a 'formation flight' widget, allowing him and his crewe to steal ships!
However, they didn't make a model for it. But they DID provide artwork and sails!
Hail to the King, baby:
And so I found some beads that roughly matched the look for the lions, sawed off the jaw, et voila!
And a closeup of the lions:
I'm VERY happy with the results, and when I posted it to the Avertigos FB group, THEY were very impressed! they even featured it on their main game page!
Automatically Appended Next Post: You have been busy, the Sky Pirate is awsome. From a RP perspective Kestrel and I have both wanted to do various crew with vehicle on trek. Everything from the Amazon Queen to Apocalypse now have a bit of that too it. Some 40k river barge fits rite in.
Very cool build of the pirate king, Brian. I'm glad your crafting skill was recognized and featured. On an unrelated note, you got your hands on every BFG magazine? I'd love to hear more about that.
Syro_ wrote: On an unrelated note, you got your hands on every BFG magazine? I'd love to hear more about that.
Yup! Missing #17, still hunting that. And then, regretfully, there's easily 50+ articles in Fanatic magazines. Those I may need to hunt PDFs for. I also have Planet Killer, Invasion, and Warp Storm, as well as the main rulebook and the Armada expansion. I've been rebuilding my BFG ruleset collection because I'm a HOARDER.
--B.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Reaper Bones 'Magic Circle' with Woodland Scenics 'realistic foliage'.
The awful part of all of this is that the 'trolleys' for the containers and such are not available separately, so I'm having to scrounge for a lot of crane kits at bargain prices. Now, to figure out what to do with the rest of the crane and tractor bitz.
The awful part of all of this is that the 'trolleys' for the containers and such are not available separately, so I'm having to scrounge for a lot of crane kits at bargain prices. Now, to figure out what to do with the rest of the crane and tractor bitz.
--B.
Start building a Adeptus Titanicus repair facility of course, complete with railyard.
A craneblade is on the list, FER SHURE, already have the chassis/kit ready.
More work done today...
First, the original article on the Epic-scale chimera variants...
And then the conversions, right left-to right. Chmerax, Chimedon, Chimerro.
Here's one of them in green, a Chimerro. I'm considering making all of these variant non-GW tanks a PDF, separate from my Engineers in winter camo.
Finally, a parking lot. I've been going through all of my vehicle options, working on getting them boxed up for project/organization purposes, and then painted!
Share your thoughts, comments, and ideas on the PDF forces, or anything else!
I thought I would review some tools that I have. I finally got off my butt and bought some, after making do.
The first one is a simple clamp-able bench vise. I can't believe it's taken me so long. This one has soft jaws to minimize damage, and an adjustable ball-joint to allow you to set the head at an angle.
Next up, is the NorthWest Shore Line (NWSL) Chopper 2. the second in the line of chopper products, this one is much sturdier. It uses single-edged razor blades to create precise cuts. The angle-guides provided allow you to set an exact angle for the cut. This tool allows you to cut styrene, wood, cardboard, etc over and over again, ensuring the same angle, or length.
It is also a boon to making rivets.
I know, I am showing some knee here. Forgive me for my sexy, sexy faux pas.
Finally, a Wet Palette. Folks, this this is a game changer. Not only does it DE-crease the amount of paint you use, but it automatically thins out any paint you place. The photo you see here was an experiment, I left it out overnight to see how much of the paint would dry out.
The paints are still wet after 8 hours.
Wet-blending is a skill I'm just starting to learn, but the Wet Palette is just USEFUL to all painters, by extending the working time of your paints.
Nice tools. I have the original chopper, and yours looks significantly sturdier. Mine is incredibly useful, and whilst I'm not going to shell out the big bucks to upgrade, yours looks even better.
I made my own wet palette, and can't believe what a huge difference it made to my painting, both convenience and quality.
Kid_Kyoto wrote: Wow those are some names I've not heard in a long long time. Great stuff.
Where did you get the chassis for the 3 Chimeras? They look almost GW, but I can't remember seeing them before.
Those are the Empire of Men chassis. The smaller turret is the one they came with, with main gun replaced with some of their Hydra-stand-in autocannons.
Do not worry. All Imperial equipment and spares were culled from the filthy Xenos, and have been returned to their rightful place in an Imperial Supply Depot.
I love those boats Brian. One of my first experiences in tabletop wargaming was with WWII naval battles. The love of ship battles has stuck with me ever since!
I like the model ancient painting, but really gets me is how bright your painting space seems to be. Maybe I shouldn’t paint in the dark so I get a better view of my iPad, maybe I should turn lights on so I can see what I’m oainting .
I have depression and seasonal affective issues, so everything is very bright and daylight here. I also have several lights set up JUST to hit all sides of the mini I'm painting.
Briancj wrote: Broke out the models for Black Squig Skwadron.
*SNIP*
I, I’m having a vision!
They’re flying towards me in slow motion (physics cries at the impossibly) surrounded by an aura of explosive destruction. Every movement is perfectly synchronized with the greatest rendition of “WAAAGH of the Val-ork-iries.”
For reference; get 100 gituarist with massive speaker stacks, 100 drummers, 100 bagpipers, and 100 vuvuzela-ists. Keep them awake for three straight days. Get them so drunk they’re on the verge of collapse. Have them play “Ride of the Valkyries.” This will give you a mediocre rendition of “WAAAGH of the Val-ork-iries.” The greatest rendition will cause Wagner to start spinning in his grave, soon enough the God Emperor will shed a single tear in sympathy for those poor instruments an instant before the energy created by Wagner’s spinning corpse discharges with enough force to completely obliterate the Sol system.
Interlude, a Rivet Zone "Suppressor", 3D printed/cast parts on top of a Rhino Chassis. A very nice kit. Disclaimer: Sam, the owner is a friend. I still recommend this kit!
The Black Squig Skwadron is impressive. Lots of flying Dakka! The yellow is looking good and sounds like a pretty simple recipe of Contrast base coat and dry brush. That big Skwadron all painted up yellow will look great.
Briancj wrote: Interlude, a Rivet Zone "Suppressor", 3D printed/cast parts on top of a Rhino Chassis. A very nice kit. Disclaimer: Sam, the owner is a friend. I still recommend this kit!
Brian,
My painting up of one of Sam's Suppressor kits didn't have anything to do with your interlude did it?
A bit. I got mine from Sam on Friday, and wanted to jump right into the kit!
I also bought him dinner, and caught up.
Now, onwards.
Painting the Arbites Repressor, parts by Sam Butler from Rivet Zone. Used Krylon "Ink Blue" Satin spray. Still shiny. I'm working on getting a mass-produceable blue for reasons which will be clear, soon enough.
Spoiler:
I also brought out the old 6x6 and dedicated it to keeping the rabble in check.
On the left, pure Krylon Satin Ink Blue. Middle is a single layer of Contrast Ultramarines Blue. Right is a Rhino primed with GW's Seer Grey undercoat. It took 2-3 layers of contrast paint to get to this coverage. Unsustainable.
Next up, more gothic train parts from Pinterrain on Etsy!
Defense turret, armoured troop car, and a "drop container - cage" on standard GW trolleys. Then, the defense car without the turret (landing pad?), gondola, and flatcar. And some knee. Scandalous.
Spoiler:
And now, some silly.
My new 'Pin'trest board:
An Auspex for cosplay:
My Exterminatus Warrant, so I can blow up this planet.
And, finally, I unearthed my treasure from visiting Warhammer World.
Another (real) tip: Pick up a pair of +3.00x magnification "reading glasses", you can find them at DIY stores/Pharmacy stores for under $10. Mine were $6. These are COMFORTABLE magnifiers for close up detail work, without all the fiddly giant headbands or what-have you.
Insomnia painting hours are some of the best. Means the spouse and kids aren’t bothering you about stuff.
I got new glasses recently (huge freaking ordeal that took 2.5months longer than it should ). Though they make my vision better, they have messed up my painting style....possibly for the better. My old painting sweet spot was about a foot from my face. These new glasses have a sweet spot about arms length away so I have to relearn all my muscle movements and detail accuracy for the new distance.
If you have a method WRITE IT DOWN! Can’t tell you how many times I get to a point in an army where I’ve taken a break and come back a month later and can not redo the same effect.
Transfers look great , do you use micro sol and micro set? Or do you have other tools for that?
I have the formula written down, and I use Solvaset, which is basically Microsol and Set combined. I also printed my own top hatch decals. Yes, I can print in white.
Greetings, Komrades! While Glorious October Revolution happening, we Sovietski have taken over stream to share incredible technology!
First, a set of highly accurate Soviet Heavy Mortars! Assured to send death and fear into opponents.
Then, glorious Red Banner Tractor Factory number 114 has produced excellent new Kataphron Servitor Tractor. Most useful in moving munitions around to fire from new Heavy Mortars.
We apologize for interruption, and invite you to continue to watch Orktober. We hear Kill Team is next.
The long gun is just another DeffGun, just ludicrous. The Orks are 100% contrast paint, with the sandy 'mud' texture on the bases. There is no 'regular' paint on those*.
As for the meth, it's Trintellix and Aripiprazole.
Great stuff - I didn't realize that repressor thing was wheeled - I like it even better. And those mortars are awesome! Are those the Russian Technocannon kits? I have two unbuilt, but I haven't seen them assembled as mortars.
kestral wrote: Great stuff - I didn't realize that repressor thing was wheeled - I like it even better. And those mortars are awesome! Are those the Russian Technocannon kits? I have two unbuilt, but I haven't seen them assembled as mortars.
Yup! Just aimed 'em up. They make perfect Krieg Heavy Mortars.
Your pace is unbelievable! And the range of projects is just as impressive.
I love seeing those old gretchin with the autoguns getting painted up and used. Brings back memories of using 40 of them to screen my entire army back in 2nd Edition.
And the Aquila Lander looks great. You never get to see the un-crashed version! Seeing it with those Arvus Lighters just looks great. Makes me want to that as the focus of a special scenario in your Taros campaign.
, I like some of the mechanics and think the further roll on the fumble is a good idea. Instead of the 1 being an automatic fail a further roll could determine how not ideal the failure is (gun jam, weapon explodes, shoots friendly model, hits wrong broadside of the barn, or just doesn’t fire because doesn’t have clear shot after all).
, looks at my own 12,000+ posts...... man I have spent a LOT of time talking trash....
, I cant afford those, but they make good looking Elysians.
theImperium is after all a beacon of diversity 
.
Wow that’s a bright yellow 
Maybe I shouldn’t paint in the dark so I get a better view of my iPad, maybe I should turn lights on so I can see what I’m oainting 
