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Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/09/11 22:21:07


Post by: Ragsta


NOTE 17/05/2020: This thread lay dormant for 4 years while I was busy getting over myself and fending off Real LifeTM. I will now be rebooting my thread, likely intermittently, and the reboot starts on Page 4

I've been a lurker on Dakka for ages - the bulk of my contributions have been on Warseer. I really like the banter and the skills I've seen on Dakka and I wanted to contribute to the forum. Therefore, here is my humble log and I hope you find something you like here. If it helps me to improve my painting and modelling all the better!
Having a thread will also hopefully encourage me to get a bunch of my model mountain finished off - updates will be occasional rather than regular to start with but hopefully I can improve as time goes on

I have been hobbying for a loooong time , maybe 16 years now. My first model was an Airfix Blenheim bomber and I loved every minute of slapping her together! My first memory of Warhammer was at primary school. I remember looking at some hulking warmachines in a strange little magazine called White Dwarf and it spiralled out of control from there These days I am more of a painter and modeller - I haven't played any 40K for years and it seems unlikely that I will do so any time soon. I do like playing Necromunda and games from 2 Hour Wargames though!

If anyone is in Edinburgh and fancies a game please let me know!


My old Imperial Navy task force.


Ork Pirates.


Brazen Guard Space Marines.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/09/17 09:28:30


Post by: Ragsta





First squad complete! I've used these old fellas as a test bed for multiple ideas. The paint scheme will probably evolve. The freehand symbol is an improvement on the old one but I think it still looks rather crude - should I give them all the red T? I could try the tutorial here (the picture links are busted but you get the idea) - thoughts please?
Note the simplistic bases. Rimmed in black (that really brought the bronze effect out) and flocked with brownish flock. I then added some static grass to break it up a bit.

You might like this. After I added the grass it looked rather flat and depressed. So I held the model upside down and gave it a good shake - now the static grass is much bushier!

I hope you guys like them - please do let me know your thoughts and criticisms as I'll be painting shedloads of these and I want them to be good!

Luv Ragsta


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/10/08 10:17:28


Post by: Ragsta


After feedback my interpretation of this project has somewhat evolved.

The armour on the Terminators looked too pale - it was practically silver so I have worked on making these guys look more bronze as they should be. The tones seem much richer, which is good. I like the contrast of the eyes - haven't finished the helmet sensors yet. Note that one Marine has a silver pad - I'll be using him as a squad veteran (back in Rogue Trader SM squads had a sergeant and a combat leader if remember rightlym so the silver pad is my first step in distinguishing him). The bases need static grass spread across them and maybe some red flower type things to continue the theme.

Thanks for looking guys


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/10/08 10:27:16


Post by: ph34r


Honestly though the paint job is pretty good, I don't like them. The Brazen Minotaurs are a bright, bold bronze color. Your marines are silver, or slightly bronzish silver at best. Perhaps you should consider running Silver Skulls?


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/10/10 15:15:08


Post by: Ragsta



Thanks for the feedback, ph34r, it's appreciated. I agree that the scheme is rather pale - there are several bronze recipes on Dakka so I will try a few alternatives.

Glad the paintjob is alright anyway! I have a thing for White Minotaurs at the moment (not Brazen Minotaurs BTW) - ideally I don't want to move to a different Chapter but I will if that's the group consensus.

Let me post up a full Tactical squad with finsihed basing etc and see what you think then. Should be able to do that by next week - I have a wedding getting in the way before that!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/10/10 15:40:03


Post by: Meph


Welll, no matter the chapter, they look good mate. You could keep 'm silver, or of course experiment with a very thinned dark yellow/light brown glaze. You might get some very cool tints out of them.
but that beign said, they look good as-is, and I love the eyes. ^^


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/10/10 15:50:57


Post by: SuckMuffin


ph34r wrote:Honestly though the paint job is pretty good, I don't like them. The Brazen Minotaurs are a bright, bold bronze color. Your marines are silver, or slightly bronzish silver at best. Perhaps you should consider running Silver Skulls?


I believe you're thinking of "The Minotaurs" from IA 10, which are a bright bronze with red shoulders.

At the end of the day, these are little plastic space men. Call them the care bears if you want, it's completely up to you. Pick a name and a paint scheme you like and run with it.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/10/23 11:12:02


Post by: Ragsta


Meph wrote:Welll, no matter the chapter, they look good mate. You could keep 'm silver, or of course experiment with a very thinned dark yellow/light brown glaze. You might get some very cool tints out of them.
but that beign said, they look good as-is, and I love the eyes. ^^


That's very kind of you, Meph, I love your work so that means alot. Your glaze suggestion is a good one - if I did I would want to base it on what you did with your Stromraven pilot. The eyes are insultingly simple - I've moved away from the OSL effect to make things easier for me but still like how they're coming out. I'll stick with my current colour scheme for nnow and see what the feedback is.

SuckMuffin wrote:
ph34r wrote:Honestly though the paint job is pretty good, I don't like them. The Brazen Minotaurs are a bright, bold bronze color. Your marines are silver, or slightly bronzish silver at best. Perhaps you should consider running Silver Skulls?


I believe you're thinking of "The Minotaurs" from IA 10, which are a bright bronze with red shoulders.

At the end of the day, these are little plastic space men. Call them the care bears if you want, it's completely up to you. Pick a name and a paint scheme you like and run with it.


Suckmuffin, thanks to you I've started tellling people I play with little plastic space men!! Unfortunately, I haven't read IA10 - I've been dabbling with Chapters that include 'Minotaur' in the name for 2 years so needless to say I was a bit annoyed when GW upgraded the fluff to include them! My Chapter are going to be White Minotaurs - there are pictures of them in Lexicanicum and GW Codex but no fluff as far as I know. That leaves me plenty of room for some fluff of my own.



Chapter armour is a well polished bronze dependent on combat exposure and the whims of the warrior who tends to the suit. Their shoulder paudrons are red to symbolise the blood of martyrs that the Imperium is founded upon. The colour of the suit itself is linked with the Emperor's Golden Throne - a crude form of hero worship through idolisation. That the Chapter worship the Emperor foremost rather than a primarch is interesting - it sets them apart from the majority of Adeptus Astartes Chapters. Crusader is decorated with personal slogans or quotes from Imperial dogma that the marines etch into their armour themselves. This practise is encouraged by the Chaplains as part of tending to the Marines' spiritual wellbeing.

I'm making slow but steady progress on these guys - I'm quite pleased with how the freehand on their shoulder pads has come out. Still need to do their purity seals and add some equipment - the fact that these guys were eBay rescues means some of the armour is damaged or poorly assembled and I intend to disguise that with some well places scrolls/ seals. They aren't game legal yet - I need to add Sergeants, heavy weapons and add some more Tacticals so I can field 2 full squads. The bases need static grass added too but I will hold off until I have more of them to do.

Hope you guys like them - critique is encouraged!

Cheers, chaps


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/10/23 14:20:23


Post by: Almarine


I think they look good. Maybe try some washes to make them more bronze, like gryphonne sepia should work alright. Or if you decide to do your own thing, maybe mix some baal red in to tie in with the red shoulders. Copper + red.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/10/24 19:33:23


Post by: Meph


Well, the more I look at the pale tint of metallic you've got, the more I'm liking it. It' something you don't see that often and it's a very nice tone.
Perhaps if you'd colour some detail a bit darker, it would stand out even more. I'm thinking of maybe just the little tech bits on the front of the backpacks, and the 'rubber' groin, knee and armpit bits, as well the cabling on the chest (but just the cables, not the 'sockets').

On my blood angels I just paint 'm in Vallejo's 'Dark Rubber', which is basically a dark grey, with a very slight blueish tint, and give them a black wash. It's easy and quick but does tend to tie the models together and bring out the armour pieces.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/11/05 15:06:14


Post by: Ragsta


Almarine wrote:I think they look good. Maybe try some washes to make them more bronze, like gryphonne sepia should work alright. Or if you decide to do your own thing, maybe mix some baal red in to tie in with the red shoulders. Copper + red.


Thank you for the kind words, Almarine. The armour has two coats of Gryphonne Sepia over a base of Boltgun Metal. It then gets a coat of Devlan Mud for shading and Boltgun highlights followed by Chainmail if I want to make something really pop. I'm really interested in your suggestion of Baal Red but I'm reluctant to change the scheme now as I'm on a roll now!

Meph wrote:Well, the more I look at the pale tint of metallic you've got, the more I'm liking it. It' something you don't see that often and it's a very nice tone.
Perhaps if you'd colour some detail a bit darker, it would stand out even more. I'm thinking of maybe just the little tech bits on the front of the backpacks, and the 'rubber' groin, knee and armpit bits, as well the cabling on the chest (but just the cables, not the 'sockets').

On my blood angels I just paint 'm in Vallejo's 'Dark Rubber', which is basically a dark grey, with a very slight blueish tint, and give them a black wash. It's easy and quick but does tend to tie the models together and bring out the armour pieces.


Thank you very much for that suggestion, Meph - I'm going to do just that. I will add Adeptus Battlegrey to the areas you suggest (with a little highlighting) then some Badab Black. I'm going to wait until I have some more squads before I take this step though - that will make it more time effective.

Cheers fellas

Ragsta


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/12/17 13:45:12


Post by: Ragsta


It's been a while I've been working on Battlefleet Gothic fleets and tinkering with a Leman Russ scratchbuild, so I haven't been totally lazy but still...

I have been working away at my Marines - what I like about this project is going back to models I previously painted for the force and adding further bits and bobs to them as I flesh out the fluff. For example, initially only 70% of the Marines had freehand script on their pads but now I'm embracing the zealotry of these guys... So had to go back and give them all freehand

Anyway, nothing left on the latest ones except some bolters and their purity seals but I'm leaving that for another day - they need plenty of those and my hands are rather shaky after last night's pub adventure Oh, and I still need to paint in the 'circuit boxes' as suggested by Meph.


This Chapter maintains their forebearers' reputation for crusading zeal. Fanatical in their devotion to the Emperor, they honour the concept of supreme sacrifice in the Emperor's name and revel in the effect that their idealism has upon heretics and aliens.

Armour is a bright bronze or duller golden hue in acknowledgement of the Golden Throne - the red pauldrons of their armour represent the blood of martyrs that the Imperium is founded upon. As previously described the pads are decorated with personal slogans or sections of Imperial dogma. The Marines are encouraged by their Chaplains to decorate their suits with these inscriptions as part of the bonding between Marine and armour.

Distinctive features of ideology are an emphasis on attaining physical and mental perfection. Marines will spend hours perfecting different forms of armed combat or occupied with deep meditation and prayer. Their belief in the purity of human form has meant strained relations with the Mechanicus and those Chapters descended from the Iron Hands. Faith in technology and bionics does not sit well with these Marines.

Similarly, the Chapter has no psykers in its ranks – the Chapter maintain that they are loyal to the Imperial creed by magnitudes above those that employ such mutants. The strength of devotion means Chaplains are highly regarded by their congregations and there are frequently at least two within each Company. They are depended upon when a new Chapter Master is chosen - all Chaplains will convene and determine the new leader by virtue of strength and battle honours.



Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/12/17 16:52:28


Post by: Veteran Sergeant


Jihad_Ragsta wrote:Unfortunately, I haven't read IA10 - I've been dabbling with Chapters that include 'Minotaur' in the name for 2 years so needless to say I was a bit annoyed when GW upgraded the fluff to include them!
As far as I know, the Minotaurs were mentioned as far back as 1989. I remember them being mentioned and pictured in the original depiction of the Badab War from the Warhammer Compendium.

But your Marines still look good, and there's no problem with calling them Brazen Minotaurs. "Crusaders" isn't really any more original, and there are how many chapters named "Angels", "Dragons", "Hawks", "Storm", "Swords" etc. In fact, looking it up, it appears the Crusaders were mentioned in Chapter Approved 2001. But they don't seem to have a color scheme, so you're all set.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/12/17 22:33:21


Post by: Llamahead


They look good. I've always been a fan of metallic marines and these have been done to a high standard.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/12/17 22:38:02


Post by: SilverMK2


Very nice painting - I don't know how you do it, but that slightly matt effect on them looks great.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/12/17 23:51:19


Post by: Ragsta


Veteran Sergeant wrote:As far as I know, the Minotaurs were mentioned as far back as 1989. I remember them being mentioned and pictured in the original depiction of the Badab War from the Warhammer Compendium.

But your Marines still look good, and there's no problem with calling them Brazen Minotaurs. "Crusaders" isn't really any more original, and there are how many chapters named "Angels", "Dragons", "Hawks", "Storm", "Swords" etc. In fact, looking it up, it appears the Crusaders were mentioned in Chapter Approved 2001. But they don't seem to have a color scheme, so you're all set.


Thanks for the info, that's good to know. I'm quite happy with the somewhat generic name of 'Crusaders' now, plus it's helped give me some idea of what to go for model wise e.g. sections of dogma, small totems and icons on the backpacks to emphasise the idea of crusading warriors.

Llamahead wrote:They look good. I've always been a fan of metallic marines and these have been done to a high standard.


Thanks, mate, very kind of you to say. I am pleased at the standard they're at - from two feet away they look very respectable!

SilverMK2 wrote:Very nice painting - I don't know how you do it, but that slightly matt effect on them looks great.


When are we seeing more of your truescales, my friend? Thank you for the kind words on the painting! I'm not sure what effect you're seeing here - the basic paint job is several washes over boltgun metal. I have actually been wondering whether to apply matt varbnish to dull them down OR gloss varnish to make the metallics 'shine.' I take it you support the matt look?

Thanks for the comments, guys - I have 3 sergeants and a Chaplain coming up next. Not too happy at the prospect of painting black armour though


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/12/18 00:11:43


Post by: SilverMK2


Jihad_Ragsta wrote:When are we seeing more of your truescales, my friend?


I may well be doing some more work on them next week as I am off from work

Thank you for the kind words on the painting! I'm not sure what effect you're seeing here - the basic paint job is sevearl washes over boltgun metal. I have actually been wondering whether to apply matt varbnish to dull them down OR gloss varnish to make the metallics 'shine.' I take it you support the matt look?


Yeah, I love the look of the bronzes - the "matt" metallic effect looks awesome - I especially like the difference between the eagle emblem and the rest of the armour - I assume you just did less washes on it to give it a more silvery appearance?


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/12/18 02:34:52


Post by: lipsdapips


Cool! I'll be following closely!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/12/18 04:45:42


Post by: A Kvlt Ghost


Looking good, really like the script work. You should post some of your BFG minis imo.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/12/18 12:20:21


Post by: Ragsta



Silver - The basic paint job for these Marines is a basecoat of Boltgun Metal, then two washes of Sepia followed by a shading wash of Devlan. The chest eagles I then pick out with a watered down highlight of Boltgun, which I also run over the helmet features and anything else that juts out like shoulder pad edges and backpacks.

Lips - Hey buddy! I will try to keep you interested and thanks for posting.

Ghost - BFG eh? Well, if you look at my signature you'll notice that I have plenty of THOSE for ya


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/12/19 08:29:29


Post by: Almarine


They really look much better now than in your first post. The grey guns are especially interesting, it's too bad I can't do that myself, my guys are grey already.

By the way I agree that Crusaders isn't very original. How about Red Skulls lol.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/12/19 09:48:36


Post by: genom.cor


Cool. I like the piety fluff. Possibly think about using Templars as a basis for your lists? plus they going to be getting an update soon. keep it up!



Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/12/20 18:53:03


Post by: Ragsta


Almarine wrote:They really look much better now than in your first post. The grey guns are especially interesting, it's too bad I can't do that myself, my guys are grey already.

By the way I agree that Crusaders isn't very original. How about Red Skulls lol.


Hey fella, I am very pleased you have seen an improvement. I too am much happier with the updated paint scheme. The grey guns are very simple actually:

Black base, then Adeptus Battlegrey all over it.
Drybrush Codex Grey all over then a wash of Badab Black.
Watered down Codex Grey applied to the upper edges for some definition.

It's simple yet effective, I'm wondering how it would look on a larger scale... Do you have any pictures of your Marines?

As for Red Skulls - you've been watching too much Captain America Besides, if I call these guys that it would offend my Inferno Skulls. Old pics incoming!!



genom.cor wrote:Cool. I like the piety fluff. Possibly think about using Templars as a basis for your lists? plus they going to be getting an update soon. keep it up!



I haven't played for about a decade now, so haven't put a lot of thought into lists... I want the Chapter to favour Codex tactics over charging straight into assault but I definitely want to retain a Templar vibe to them. I was thinking adding personal icons to a few of each squad plus a banner per unit too. For the actual list it's probably standard Codex for now


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2011/12/20 23:37:23


Post by: lipsdapips


Loving the uniformality of all the 'crusaders'
shoulder pads are neat


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/01/10 18:56:18


Post by: dsteingass


I'm not generally a fan of Space Marines, but I love a good paintjob, and I really like these, Subbed and looking forward to more!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/02/29 20:01:43


Post by: Ragsta


Thanks for the comments, guys, I really do appreciate them.

My apologies for such a long silence - I am having problems getting myself motivated to paint recently What with work and trying to get some exercise (!) I don't have a great deal of time to hobby at the moment. Plus the fact that the room I live in is rather rubbish and dust gets everywhere.

Anyway I am back and have decided to make this a rather more general log for all of my toys - that way I can post more regular updates!



Here is a small posse of Survivors made by Hasslefree Miniatures. I found them a great break from 40K - the sculpting and detail is VERY good, with hardly any flash to remove. If you guys want close ups on any of them please let me know. I have a bunch of other survivors I can post up here too.




What are survivors without a zombie apocalypse to go with them? I have since finished the basing on these gribbly little suckers. They are zombies from Mantic Games. I am also painting some metal ones from Tengu. Very soon I will have a horde of 50, which is where I will stop for the time being...



Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/02/29 20:04:20


Post by: Arm.chair.general


Nice minis, keep up the good work man!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/03/01 19:24:45


Post by: Ragsta



Thanks, buddy! I will get some better pictures up at a later date but am pleased you like them!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/03/01 19:56:40


Post by: Sir Calvin


These space marines looks very nice! I'am looking forward to see the sheme applied on Tanks.
Subscribed!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/03/02 00:43:46


Post by: Swordwind


Loving the OSL on the eyes.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/03/02 02:01:56


Post by: Faust


those crusaders or whatever name you'll finaly choose for them are awesome man
the paint job is wonderful and the color you choose is quite unusual but actually it fits them very well.

you should keep in that way for it is amazingly painted.

the zeds are quite cool too


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/03/03 20:49:17


Post by: Scarper


Great survivors, Ragsta! Love the eclectic collection - looks like there's a story behind each of them. Good use of the Hasslefree stuff The paintjobs look really good - any chance you could upload to dakka so I can zoom? Your pic is a little small

Major kudos to you for painting 50 of those mantic zombs - wish i had you stamina / willpower

Also - can't believe I haven't commented on the new coppery marines yet, was sure I had. Love them though - far as I'm concerned, it's much better to do your own backstory and come up with a scheme you enjoy than have people unhappy about you not adhering to the plan for a particular chapter.

Really liking your models, and can't wait to see what else you've done now that your plog's a bit more general. Keep up the ace work!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/03/04 15:18:46


Post by: Ragsta



Scarper - Thank you, my friend. It took much beating of my head off the desk to get 50 zeds painted but the finished effect is nice

I'm glad you like the Marines! I am having a bit of an off period when it comes to painting them but I too am liking where their fluff is going. I have some character models to finish, at which point I'll inject some more fluff.

I do have quite a bit of fluff behind the survivors as I posted alot of this stuff up on Warseer previously. Maybe I'll put it up here if people are interested? I have actually been inspired to pick these guys up again by your own log and it's individuals - you can expect more survivors to come.

Faust - Welcome, friend! Those are some very kind words, thank you very much Yes, I am still having real trouble with the name for my Chapter hahaha! Once I get some group shots and the Chapter symbol organised maybe you guys can help me finally sort one out!

Yes, I am very happy with how the paintscheme has worked out - their tabletop quality is quite nice and they look pretty cool en masse.

Sir Calvin - Thank you! Ah yes, vehicles... Currently I don't have any vehicles but I would like to kit the squads out with Razorbacks at some point. I am actually more inclined to paint vehicles grey (like their guns) with red trim rather than bronze.

However, if I get some dreadnoughts they will definitely use the same scheme as the Marines

Swordwind - Thanks, buddy! I am also rather happy with the eyes!


Page 2 of my newly generalised log! Hurray! I have updated the pictures so they link to the Dakka Gallery now


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/03/04 15:33:30


Post by: Faust


Rest assured amigo we'll help you out wi the name somehow

anyway keep posting pictures of them we can't wait to see more of them


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/03/04 19:49:49


Post by: Sir Calvin


I will definitely follow this, cant wait to see the dreadnoughts.

Now hurry up with the next update!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/03/11 12:01:16


Post by: Ragsta



Thanks, guys, I will post up more Marines soon - I'm trying to avoid posting PIPs though. Please do let me know if you want to see works in progress anyway
And oi! what's with the Jedi mindtricks trying to get me to buy some dreadnoughts eh? Well... Maybe... But I'm trying to clear out a bunch of stuff I already have first! Er... Yeah...

And now for something completely different!

Anyone who has looked at my Battlefleet Gothic thread will have seen that I like to scratchbuild ships. One of my recent projects was bulking out my Ork pirate fleet, and with the addition of a final 2 escorts I am happy to say this project is now complete !


Onslaught Attack Ships


Hammer class battlecruiser Juggamork and two escort ships


Fleet shot of the finished ships!

Every ship was scratchbuilt - I used to have a fleet of the original metal fish heads from GW but I got bored with those and flogged them. Light quality for these photos is not that good, so apologies for that. I am very pleased that I can call these guys done for now. Actually, I want to go back over them and add weathering powders and windows but I'm rather worried about taking the plunge... Here is what I am thinking of using to weather them:

http://www.bragdonent.com/weather.htm

Anybody got any experience of using these?

Anyway, I hope that you like them - please do post up any suggestions or criticisms!

Have a great day, everybody


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/03/11 12:04:37


Post by: SilverMK2


Love the skin colours and blood on the zombies - the ships are also pretty damn awesome - good use of bits


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/03/11 19:17:49


Post by: dsteingass


I still love the mesh use! Very badass!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/03/17 10:02:28


Post by: Ragsta


SilverMK2 wrote:Love the skin colours and blood on the zombies - the ships are also pretty damn awesome - good use of bits


Thanks, Silver! Painting zombies is great fun - any time I got bored I just slapped some gore on them. I want to try that Tamiya Red stuff that everyone bangs on about at some point.

I wanted to use lots of bits on my ships to make them look really ecclectic - I also have a serious grudge against my bits box and wanted to use up a bunch of stuff

dsteingass wrote:I still love the mesh use! Very badass!


I love using brass mesh, it's a really easy cheat for adding detail to models! Thanks, man!

Thought I would post up some works in progress - I only get the chance to paint during the weekends so it can be difficult getting stuff done.
One of my goals is to clear my desk of a bunch of projects before my birthday in April - just so I can move on to new toys really!



Work in progress on an oooold Terminator Captain model. There is a HUGE amount of detail on this guy that needs to be done yet! I thought it was a shame for him to go unpainted so he's going to join my force of Marines.
To be honest, I don't really see a place for Terminators in my force but I'll get them finished first, then maybe flog them off.



Some more zombies from Tengu Miniatures - the sculpts are very nice and characterful. I have 6 to finish, at which point I will have completed the 50 zeds we've been talking about. After that I have 3 more survivors to post up, and I'll throw in some fluff too.

I've been watching a whole load of Battlestar Galactica recently - what a blast! It has, however, made me start thinking about spaceships and security personnel... Hmmm...



Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/04/04 14:20:03


Post by: MrMerlin


Great blog, your painting is very good!

Since you offered closeups of the survivors on the last page and they interest me... can we get some more pics?

Also, I love your zombies!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/04/04 14:23:36


Post by: dsteingass


I LOVE the bloated one!! very cool!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/04/07 12:04:17


Post by: Ragsta


How did I miss your replies? Sorry, guys, that was rude of me!

dsteingass - Hahaha yeah he's cool isn't he! I will post up some proper shots of him once he's based up, which will hopefully be this weekend.

MrMerlin - Thank you very much for your kind words I'm glad you like this stuff - here's some close ups for you from a while ago!



There's alot of things I'm not proud of okay? I don't wanna make excuses for myself or Baker - I knew we were in deep **** and I just wanted to get through it. Baker was always a creepy guy but at least someone had my back y'know?
We were in this store trying to stock up on supplies - I was an idiot for doing that, the place was rammed with panic buyers already. Talk about bad timing! There was this TV above the counter just blaring away with images of some crazy **** going down. That didn't help- I don't remember a single person who wasn't going bat **** crazy back then!
Don't know when they showed up - was still trying to wrestle these cans off someone when there's all this shouting and breaking glass from the shop front. Couldn't see for the crowd but... That's when I vaulted the counter - the owner tried to stop me but he lost interest real fast... Sounded like a riot was breaking out behind me, I could hear sirens and that ****ed up wailing that... You know, those freaks just put out there.
I got into the shop's back room - I was freaking out big time. Baker was right behind me, trying to wedge the door shut even while other people were trying to follow us... ****, man, I told you I ain't proud.There was a fireaxe and I used it to get out through the back. Baker grabbed this crowbar - man, I think he was actually enjoying himself. I still remember the sounds coming outta that place as we ran...




Don't intend anybody to read this unless it's found. My name is Aldo Rhames and I'm a police officer. It's been a week since I got out of the station - we were keeping the 'subjects' in the cells but they got out when the power failed. Arrested two kids for looting but nowhere to put them after that - they're still with me. Kev and Baker - don't trust them but they're good at finding us food.

Some crazy old lady tried to shoot me - my uniform saved me before she managed it. Mean looking shotgun - not as mean as her though. Fran - she keeps the kids in line.

One thing more - ran into a soldier. Not National Guard but can't tell much else - doesn't talk much. Kovacs? He was walking down the street - walkers following him when we showed up. Think he's lost it. But we need the guns.





I hope you like the shots. There have been some improvements to these minis since they were taken (especially Officer Rhames - feedback on his uniform meant some substantial highlighting improvements and tweaks to hine belt were carried out).

I have some more survivors to come and I have also done some work on my Space Marines so hopefully there'll be another update before the Easter weekend is over




Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/04/07 12:24:48


Post by: dsteingass


Man! Those are great! You managed such great color dynamics!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/04/07 12:55:44


Post by: MrMerlin


Great minis, and great background! Those are some very characterful models!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/04/09 13:53:04


Post by: Ragsta


dsteingass wrote:Man! Those are great! You managed such great color dynamics!


Thank you! Part of the reason I painted up these figures was I wanted to push myself into using bright paints, I'm glad that you've picked up on the colours!

MrMerlin wrote:Great minis, and great background! Those are some very characterful models!


Thanks, buddy! The fluff was fun to write - I'm a sucker for zombie films and I also really like The Walking Dead series and comics. Still waiting for the actual zombie apocalypse to happen though....



A Seneschal (rank equivalent of Captain). Seneschals are responsible for the command and administration of a company of Marines. Their duties include matters of local justice and exercising Imperial authority where the Administratum is not present. Each Seneschal is expected to carry out his duties without recourse to external aid - the Chapter strives to attain perfection and to think that one of its members would need to turn to lesser men is repugnant to them.




Inquisitor Gerion Thorne of the Ordo Hereticus. This inquisitor is wearing Mk 6 power armour, which appears to be naked steel save for the Inquisitorial seal on left shoulder.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/04/09 14:12:41


Post by: Commander Cain


Jihad_Ragsta wrote:. Actually, I want to go back over them and add weathering powders and windows but I'm rather worried about taking the plunge... Here is what I am thinking of using to weather them:

http://www.bragdonent.com/weather.htm

Anybody got any experience of using these?



While I have never used that specific brand of powders. I have played around with the FW ones (this set- http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Modelling-Supplies/FORGE-WORLD-WEATHERING-POWDER-SET-2.html) and was blown away by how easy they were to use as well as the amazing results they can produce. The site you are looking at makes no sense to me, pretty sure I could design a better webpage they have in an hour or two! Nonetheless, their powders could work just as well, if not better than the FW ones.

Loving all your work so far. The zombies and survivors are my favorites, all are full of character and really well painted. All they need now are a few buildings to go along with them, corner stores and the like.

Keep up the great work! I will be checking regularly for updates now.

Cain


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Forgot to mention how much I love the bfg ships. I wanted to make a fleet myself, you may have just convinced me to do so!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/04/09 14:30:09


Post by: logg_frogg


I'm loving the zombies!

At some point I will also be headlong into a Zombie making project for an appocalypse unit

I will be checking in regularily for some high quality inspiration!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/04/15 17:16:10


Post by: Ragsta


logg_frogg wrote:I'm loving the zombies!

At some point I will also be headlong into a Zombie making project for an appocalypse unit

I will be checking in regularily for some high quality inspiration!


Always glad to inspire, it's one of the things that keeps me posting! Thank you for the comment, I have some zeds right here just for you

Commander Cain wrote:
Jihad_Ragsta wrote:. Actually, I want to go back over them and add weathering powders and windows but I'm rather worried about taking the plunge... Here is what I am thinking of using to weather them:

http://www.bragdonent.com/weather.htm

Anybody got any experience of using these?



While I have never used that specific brand of powders. I have played around with the FW ones (this set- http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Modelling-Supplies/FORGE-WORLD-WEATHERING-POWDER-SET-2.html) and was blown away by how easy they were to use as well as the amazing results they can produce. The site you are looking at makes no sense to me, pretty sure I could design a better webpage they have in an hour or two! Nonetheless, their powders could work just as well, if not better than the FW ones.

Loving all your work so far. The zombies and survivors are my favorites, all are full of character and really well painted. All they need now are a few buildings to go along with them, corner stores and the like.

Keep up the great work! I will be checking regularly for updates now.

Cain


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Forgot to mention how much I love the bfg ships. I wanted to make a fleet myself, you may have just convinced me to do so!


Cain, thank you for your feedback re. weathering. I will definitely do this at some point but I want to get the rest of my fleet back on the painting table first so they are all 'uniform.' I agree, Bragdon's site is rather bizarre but hopefully we'll get there in the end!
And you may be on to something re. buildings for my apocalypse... Currently I just don't have the space though.

YES!! MAKE SOME SHIPS!! It is a very fun thing to play around with - you can make your own for cheap from the bits box like Llamahead has done here: http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/356363.page

And here's another cool thread on scratchbuilding starships: http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?141591-In-space-no-one-can-hear-you-Scratchbuild!



The Tactical Squads of the Chapter have several noteworthy features - each squad has a veteran combat leader as well as a Sergeant commanding. These veterans are referred to as 'Vaunted' by the Marines. They wear a bare metal shoulder pad and also carry icons of religious meaning on their power plants.
'Vaunted' are troops that have reached a peak of training and religious piety within the ranks. They are looked to by Chapter Initiates as a source of wisdom and leadership when the officers are hard stretched. Inter squad rivalry within the Chapter is always strong and the Seneschals use this as a means to exercise good morale and emphasise the need for constant training. The Vaunted are used for inter squad contests as unit champions.


I put these Marines together as combat leaders for my Tactical Squads. I wanted to reflect the zealotry of my Chapter by using some of the religious icons in the SM sprues that we can get now. So much nicer than those shady banner poles I think!



Operation Failsafe was what they called the attempt at stopping the spread of the virus. Military units created a cordon, supported by the police. The idea was to seal off trouble spots and filter uninfected through stated checkpoints. Filter them and funnel them to refugee camps behind the lines. That was the idea.

The army - I'm not talking national guard, I mean the ARMY - wore full MOPP suits. Now, you ask anyone who's tried to wear riot gear for any length of time and they will tell you how bad things get in that gear. These MOPP suits definitely contributed to the confusion. The civvies were in no mood to be controlled like that, there were multiple instances of rioting.

This was also where the distinction was drawn between shamblers and... Oh I dunno, 'sprinters.' I don't think the runners were quite dead - they might have been a result of virus mutation but these days who really cares? Anyway, runners got in amongst the crowds and that was pretty much it. The army panicked and it was a massacre.

Those pretty little refugee camps behind the lines? Well, to a zed there ain't no such thing as boundaries - I don't think any of the perimeters held for more than a week after... Well, after Failsafe failed.


I finally finished the zombies from Tengu. I was very happy at the finished result after the basing. I also realised how slow on the uptake I've been - only just realised that these guys represent Boomers, Tanks and Witches from Left for Dead!

Thanks for looking, everyone, can I just say thank you for posting your comments here as it really makes me feel good about my updates. I hope to continue to provide some useful and fun things here.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/05/13 22:26:31


Post by: Ragsta


Hello Dakka

I was quietly browsing the web as you do on a Sunday and I suddenly realised that I had something to share with you (my only other option was watching humpback whales wrestling on TV... sorta).

Some of you may have noticed that I love to scratchbuild starships. This actually all began when I had an army of Epic Orks and made myself some junked trucks and battlewagons. Sadly, the army was sold long ago but I still have these pictures of my scratch built Gargant Da Red Bad Un.




*Sigh* I sold this fella too... I really loved the job though, even the simplistic paint job was fun!

Let me know if you want to see the WIP shots - it really is great how easy building Ork stuff is!


Love n hugs

Ragsta


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/05/14 20:40:35


Post by: Scarper


He's awesome Ragsta! How big is he? I know the epic stuff is pretty tiny, but that looks like it would have made an awesome ruzzbot or something even at 40k scale. Really like the paintjob too - decrepit, multicoloured and orky, without being painful to look at. Tough to do, i hear

The L4D zombies look ace too - nice use of the varying skin tones! Did you get a look at zombicide while it was still a kickstarter, by any chance? Hope you've got more survivors in the line some time soon.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/05/15 09:32:59


Post by: Ragsta


Thanks, Scarper! The paintjob was ridiculously easy to do:

1) Undercoat black.
2) Drybrush Boltgun Metal.
3) Light drybrush Mithril Silver.
4) Wash with heavily watered down Dwarf Bronze.
5) Block in the primary colours, leaving splashes of the metallic base shining through!

I am pleased you like it - the model itself was twice the height of a Terminator, so maybe slightly taller than the Epic Gargants we get now.

Varying skin tones on zombies are what keep me sane! I think I would have gone bonkers if I had to paint 50 zeds all the same way!

I looked at Zombicide with great interest my friend - I was very tempted BUT I am trying not to buy anything new until I get some of my current toys finished! Gah!

I have 3 survivors in the pipeline for you - a combination of child, chemicals and fuzz

EDIT: 100 POSTS ON DAKKA!!! WOOT!!!!




Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/05/15 09:36:41


Post by: Scarper


Haha, if it's hasslefree, I think I may be able to guess one or two of them

Looking forward to seeing them - I really liked your background on the last guys!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/05/28 11:42:29


Post by: Ragsta


I'm glad you like my fluff, it's rare but I like doing it for the survivors. I am looking forward to the fluff you plan to put up for your objective markers!

SO I was browsing my dusty computer archives and realised that one of my past projects might go down well here. Anyone who likes scratchbuilding will hopefully like this!



Ragnarok Pattern Leman Russ Battle Tank. Number 8 of the 2nd Company, 2nd Battalion.

Initially I didn't enjoy painting this at all- while the turret turned out nice I really disliked hand painting Knarloc Green all over this swine! I used Magic Ink from the Warstore to wash it. That was annoying too. A coupla drybrushes and some chipping made alot of difference in my mind. Really pleased with the finished article tho

Comments and criticisms very welcome- let me know your thoughts on the stowage! Also, hope you like the mud effect I've gone for. I gave it extra armour on the sides using track links. No baggage there tho. Depends on feedback!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/05/28 12:29:07


Post by: dsteingass


Awesome! Show us more please!!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
..The scratched Tank Treads is something asked for quite a bit around here!


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/05/31 13:26:49


Post by: Scarper


You scratched that entire tank? Wow, Ragsta, that's really impressive! I'm a bit of a plasticard failure - I can't imagine the patience and attention to detail it takes to knock together something like that...

It looks really good - based of the chimera chassis? Does it count as an LR? The stowage you've got on it looks ace, but I think it could handle a little more - that kind of thing on tanks is really a matter of taste though, so it all depends on what you think with a dry fit! /copout answer.


Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/06/04 17:26:56


Post by: Ragsta


DAMMIT. PC CRASHED AND MY REPLIES WERE LOST

dsteingass wrote:Awesome! Show us more please!!
..The scratched Tank Treads is something asked for quite a bit around here!


Aha, tracks aren't scratch built I'm afraid. You can buy them here - I recommend the fellow's work for sure! Awesome toys here too!

Here are some PIP shots for you, as requested





My Rivetting Technique


  • I cut open a water filter cartridge and poured all the little balls into a big dish.

  • Using a vice drill with a small drill bit I drilled shallow holes where I wanted rivets to go. My formula was 5 twists of the drill clockwise then 2 anti- clockwise to get the plastic rubbish cleared out. Yes, I know that's a bit scarily involved.

  • Watered down PVA glue and dabbed a little bit into each hole.

  • Scooped out a little pile of balls (shh) and spread them out on a tile. Then I picked out sizeable ones using tweezers and plonked one into each hole.

  • Using the flat edge of a scalpel I gently pressed each ball into its own hole. After that, another dab of watered down PVA to seal them in.


  • Scarper wrote:You scratched that entire tank? Wow, Ragsta, that's really impressive! I'm a bit of a plasticard failure - I can't imagine the patience and attention to detail it takes to knock together something like that...

    It looks really good - based of the chimera chassis? Does it count as an LR? The stowage you've got on it looks ace, but I think it could handle a little more - that kind of thing on tanks is really a matter of taste though, so it all depends on what you think with a dry fit! /copout answer.


    Your construction fu is also impressive,but thank you anyway! Yes, all scratch built except the tracks. It's my interpretation of what a Ragnarok pattern Leman Russ should look like. The hull's been stretched to improve trench crossing performance. And I agree - needs more stowage!

    I have a second Raggie in the works..... And this time the tracks ARE scratchbuilt!




    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/06/30 17:23:24


    Post by: Ragsta


    It's been a while I have just moved back to Edinburgh, and I am loving being back ! Finally managed to unpack all my hobby stuff. Finally there is no DUST screwing with my painting!



    Three new survivors for my zombie apocalypse. The middle one's name is Josiah but I don't have names for the others yet. Josiah wears a red jacket and jeans but he's looted body armour from somewhere along the way. I like the idea that he was just a random guy who managed to loot some military kit.

    Any suggestions for the psycho kid with a machete happily received!

    Comments welcome! I have 10 zombies that I can start working on soon, plus I have some more random survivors to get started on too.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/07/01 15:35:15


    Post by: MrMerlin


    The three new survivors look great, as always plenty of character. And the tank is really cool as well.

    And I understand why you like to be in Edinburgh! Been there once, loved it. I'd really have liked to go there this year too, but we drove past it just today


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/07/01 20:53:00


    Post by: Ragsta



    Thank you, Mr Merlin! Very nice of you to comment, I am trying to work out why I get so few of them! I think maybe my thread is getting a bit too random for people to maintain interest?

    Yep, I love the character behind zombie survivors! Once I clear out my 40K stuff I am hoping to be able to devote more of my time to them!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/12/21 22:42:14


    Post by: Ragsta


    Hello everybody

    It has been a long time since I updated this thread. I have made some really fun friends on Dakka and it's wrong to neglect them!

    I had a feeling that 2012 was going to be a big year for me and I was not wrong - I worked in London and then moved back to Edinburgh (I love Edinburgh!). Now I am finally settled into my own place and feeling happy. I have a bunch of new stuff to show you and I look forward to doing that!



    This Assault Squad came out quite nicely for a bunch of eBay rescues! I would say 70% of the Marines I am putting together have been rescues like this, it's actually quite nice knowing I have given them some care and attention. The squad will be getting some extra attention later (few more highlights, purity seals and extra gear) but right now I am more interested in getting my minis painted to a nice standard and out of the to do pile!



    The Chapter's Chaplains perform their duties of moral guidance diligently. They scrutinise young initiates for signs of physical and mental corruption with ruthless zeal - on many occasions the Initiates carry out any purgation themselves, such is there obsession with purity.

    The Chaplaincy of the Brazen Guard is a well developed institution. The Chaplains are expected to assist the Seneschals in the execution of justice over Imperial dominions. Considering the religious convictions of your average Chaplain such judgements are usually swift and brutal. The Brazen Guard pride themselves on exercising this justice upon their own troops too. Battlefield executions for dereliction of duty are rare but not unknown.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2012/12/22 15:19:26


    Post by: Ragsta


    Here are two military types from Hasslefree miniatures. I imagine the smaller female to be in charge of this pair. Funnily enough.



    I have recently been collecting 1:43 scale cars for my zombie apocalypse, and have also been gathering a collection of free terrain downloads that I will hopefully build at some point in the future.

    Hope you like these recent pictures, any comments much appreciated as ever!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/01/20 19:20:05


    Post by: Ragsta


    Hi everybody! Hope you have had a nice weekend.

    I have managed to complete a squad of 5 zombie hunter troopers using Pig Iron miniatures. Their bases still need static grass but I am happy with the table top quality of the paintjobs



    And I just remembered another squad of 5 that I managed to hammer out too! These have not photographed very well at all - their visors actually have some depth in RL. Oh well




    Cheers


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/02/02 14:08:52


    Post by: Ragsta


    Today I have finished the Devastator Squad for my Marines! Well, when I say finished I am actually lying - there are still a few tweaks I would like to do BUT I am currently trying to get a bunch of my stuff to a table top standard only and off my bloomin desk!



    The sergeant is a minor conversion from the old Black Reach sarge I think - hacked his head off, changed the chainsword arm and blinged him up with a Forgeworld combiweapon (thank you, Scarper!). Quite happy with him - the head is a Steam Knight head from MaxMini and is one of my favourite heads

    In other news - I am going to be 31 in three months!!! *Sigh* As such I have decided to launch an offensive against all the old stuff sitting on my workbench:

  • 20 Zombies (wtf! seriously, I have no idea where they all came from! They seem to be multiplying!)

  • 4 Devastators

  • 4 zombie apoc survivors

  • 1 Marine Captain

  • 1 Techmarine

  • 8 Scouts


  • That's 38 models in 3 months. Hmm, that seems achievable I intend to speed paint the bulk of them e.g. zeds, scouts. If I manage to achieve my goal I am going to treat myself to a vehicle building/ painting frenzy


    Edit: POST-TACULAR!!!

    I have had a very good start to my 'clear up offensive' this weekend! Have managed to get those 20 zombies done for my zombie apocalypse survivors.



    Photo's not the best but what I'll do is get the survivors finished then post up a major 'army shot' of all the stuff I've got together after that I will ensure I get some nicer background and quality photos for us.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/02/03 16:19:43


    Post by: Ragsta


    Double post.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/02/03 17:15:59


    Post by: Scarper


    Wow, Ragsta, the camo is beautiful on those two Hasslefree soldiers at the top - they genuinely look absolutely stunning! I'm a big fan of those sculpts, and you've done them great justice.

    The zombies look ace too - a nice variety of skin tones and some fun poses. That's quite a rate of painting - do you use an airbrush? That kind of model output would take me a month or two

    The zombie hunter troopers from your post on the 20th seem to be broken - might just be my computer, but I can't see the pictures :(

    Great to see you producing some things though - I don't understand why your stuff isn't getting more comments?! Are you back in Edinburgh, btw? I'd love to get a game of zombicide in some time, over a few beers if you fancied!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/02/03 21:02:38


    Post by: SilverMK2


    Haha, love the zombie legs

    And your marines still have a very excellent look to them.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/02/06 16:34:13


    Post by: Ragsta


    Scarper wrote:Wow, Ragsta, the camo is beautiful on those two Hasslefree soldiers at the top - they genuinely look absolutely stunning! I'm a big fan of those sculpts, and you've done them great justice.

    The zombies look ace too - a nice variety of skin tones and some fun poses. That's quite a rate of painting - do you use an airbrush? That kind of model output would take me a month or two

    The zombie hunter troopers from your post on the 20th seem to be broken - might just be my computer, but I can't see the pictures :(

    Great to see you producing some things though - I don't understand why your stuff isn't getting more comments?! Are you back in Edinburgh, btw? I'd love to get a game of zombicide in some time, over a few beers if you fancied!


    I have PMd you about that game, my friend! Yes, I am back in Edinburgh for the long haul now! Thank you so much for your kind words - it is nice to get some feedback. Glad you like the Hasslefree troops, the camo looks nicer in RL but I am pleased anyway! Mass painting zombies is very forgiving actually - I wouldn't give myself too much credit for those.
    I don't use an airbrush, no - I think that way lies insanity. And I'd probably end up blowing up my house or getting compressed air up my nose...

    Zombie hunter squad photo link now fixed for ya.

    SilverMK2 wrote:Haha, love the zombie legs

    And your marines still have a very excellent look to them.


    Haha thank you, mate! I am glad you like those bizarre figures, I figured I would make a couple like that to boost the numbers somewhat. Some of them look a bit contraversial with that spinal column but hopefully nobody will notice

    And thank you for your support of the Marines - the colour scheme seems to go down well!
    I am hoping to get my 8 Scouts finished this weekend (if I can stay out of the pub long enough). After that it's on to the characters!

    Guys, thank you so much for your feedback - it really means alot.


    Ragsta


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/03/29 10:46:59


    Post by: Ragsta


    Hello everybody. Well, it's been a month since I last posted, oh dear oh dear However, I have continued to work through my personal painting challenge!


    Yes, I know they weren't on the list but I got rather distracted! And it still counts as 5 models towards my goal - 2 grey Cobras to fill out the squadrons I already have plus a squadron of 3 blue vessels as a change of palette to keep me sane. They'll eventually be part of a Rogue Trader fleet..


    Not 1 but 2 Techmarines! I have decided to put my commander on hold for now as I am somewhat lacking in inspiration for him. The second Techmarine is to make up a little bit for lack of characters. They are made from assorted bits and FW gubbins (thanks Scarper!).


    Not 8 but 10 Scouts! I quickly slapped some paint on my 8 Scouts but they didn't sit well with me - had to go back and bring the unti up to 10 These were very speedily painted - I don't see them having much tabletop time anyway but still pleased with getting them done.


    And finally, 3 out of 4 zombie apocalypse survivors. The young lady on the left was (ironically enough) a total nightmare to paint and put together. She is made from the most beautiful resin and has rather detailed curves but I am reasonably happy with the paintjob. I enjoyed painting the riot cop, and the 'leader' made me laugh!

    Soooo where does that leave me? I have 20 days left before my birthday deadline - 4 Devastators and a zombie survivor left to paint! How hard can that be? I am really NOT enjoying painting Devastator Marines at all - they're the old metal/ plastic hybrids and they're horrible! I will see what I can do though.

    In other news - I recently had the pleasure of meeting Scarper from this very forum! We had a few brews and played some games of Zombicide with varying degrees of success - it's a very cool game and I am delighted that Scarper took the time to play! I also got a peek firsthand at some of his zombies and conversions and they are very cool indeed. Check out his thread for some very cool stuff.

    Thanks for looking everybody - any comments or criticisms are always very gratefully received! Some of the photos are rather sketchy - I really need to sort out a proper setup some time.

    Have a great Easter Weekend


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/03/31 11:19:02


    Post by: Llamahead


    I still have nightmares from ontinually regluing those hybrids together I ended up gluing myself to them or my fingers together so many times. Really like the style of the leader figure although he does make me root for the zombies a little. Also a great model for the razed scientist whos experiments got a little out of control. Where is he from by the way?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/04/02 22:12:50


    Post by: Ragsta


    Hahaha yeah, he's going to be very wonewy in the apocalypse

    All these survivors are from Hasslefree, my friend. And I'm glad I wasn't the only one who managed to glue myself together working on the Devs... :(


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/04/03 16:56:34


    Post by: Llamahead


    Do like Hasslefree. Especially their WW1 Hobbits. They just seem right some how.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/04/04 23:03:13


    Post by: ghosty


    Wow! Love the blog, especially the Zombie Survivors. The little kid with the Machete could, if all else fails, be called Vorhees, or Jason, or something? It's always a bit of a letdown when you post some stuff up and you get little response, but you have to keep plugging away I find, otherwise you'll just lose faith in your own ability to make and paint miniatures!

    Looking forward to seeing more Zombie stuff too, the flavour text you had for them at the start was really fun, and it was an enjoyment to read.

    Subbed.



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/04/05 06:53:37


    Post by: Scarper


    For a speed paint those scouts look fantastic! Really like the survivors too - great fade effect on the riot shield.

    Do I spy some FW parts among the techmarines?

    Cheers for the plug too, really appreciate that. I am excited for necromunda!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/04/06 23:37:04


    Post by: Skalk Bloodaxe


    Greetings, Ragsta! I followed a link that Scarp posted on his blog. A recommendation from him carries a lot of weight for me as I've checked a few of them out of the ages and he's never disappointed. This thread is another example of his impeccable judgement and taste.

    Your zombies at truly horrific and terrible to behold. The bright of the guts and gore mixed with the subdued shades of filth and rot really work and the combination makes for a great looking collection.

    The Space marines are sharp and the color choices you made are excellent. The contrast makes them stand out and the conversions are well done.

    The jewel of this thread IMO are the BF Gothic miniatures, both for the excellent paint job and for reminding me how much I truly enjoyed that game. Maybe someday I'll get someone to play again. But happily I FINALLY got someone else interested in playing Necromunda w/ me after talking about how much I enjoy it, so perhaps the same approach over time will yield the same result. And Blood Bowl. And Mordheim. and Epic. And Space Hulk. And (insert name of any game GW produced before 1998).

    Subbed, and I'll be back!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/04/14 13:14:56


    Post by: Ragsta


    ghosty wrote:Wow! Love the blog, especially the Zombie Survivors. The little kid with the Machete could, if all else fails, be called Vorhees, or Jason, or something? It's always a bit of a letdown when you post some stuff up and you get little response, but you have to keep plugging away I find, otherwise you'll just lose faith in your own ability to make and paint miniatures!

    Looking forward to seeing more Zombie stuff too, the flavour text you had for them at the start was really fun, and it was an enjoyment to read.

    Subbed.



    Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed the fluff! I am not very good at writing it, I find I get frustrated and throw stuff out the window! It does help to get a better feel of what my characters are like in their little world. Going forward I hope to write up more fluff for them - I am hoping to start playing some single player games using Akula's AR:SE. Yes, I went there.

    Scarper wrote:For a speed paint those scouts look fantastic! Really like the survivors too - great fade effect on the riot shield.

    Do I spy some FW parts among the techmarines?

    Cheers for the plug too, really appreciate that. I am excited for necromunda!


    Read the original post, you lazy oik! Yes, they're using FW parts kindly donated by your good self I have a real grudge against my bits box - I don't like having piles of unused stuff so this kinda conversion is a great way to use up all those parts. And thank you for the kind words re. the Scouts - the GW washes are, as is well known, sent from Gork and Mork to aid us humble painters.

    And credit where it is due - your log is awesome and it's been a privelige actually playing some games with ya!

    Skalk Bloodaxe wrote:Greetings, Ragsta! I followed a link that Scarp posted on his blog. A recommendation from him carries a lot of weight for me as I've checked a few of them out of the ages and he's never disappointed. This thread is another example of his impeccable judgement and taste.

    Your zombies at truly horrific and terrible to behold. The bright of the guts and gore mixed with the subdued shades of filth and rot really work and the combination makes for a great looking collection.

    The Space marines are sharp and the color choices you made are excellent. The contrast makes them stand out and the conversions are well done.

    The jewel of this thread IMO are the BF Gothic miniatures, both for the excellent paint job and for reminding me how much I truly enjoyed that game. Maybe someday I'll get someone to play again. But happily I FINALLY got someone else interested in playing Necromunda w/ me after talking about how much I enjoy it, so perhaps the same approach over time will yield the same result. And Blood Bowl. And Mordheim. and Epic. And Space Hulk. And (insert name of any game GW produced before 1998).

    Subbed, and I'll be back!


    Skalk, thank you very much for your kind words, you are a scholar and a gentleman I love working on zombie apoc figures, I stumbled across games like All Things Zombie and Akula's zombie fighting rules and it snowballed from there. Although I haven't used either system yet! With my zombie figures I am in the happy place where they mob up nicely and look cool BUT there are plenty of things I can do with them - some extreme highlights, a little more work on the bases and minor details at a later date.
    I can see you're a man after my own heart, I love BFG! I am still haunted by the memory of selling a whole fleet of Imperials and Chaos when I was a youngling If you are ever in Edinburgh let me know and we'll play a game!

    Wow, some very cool Dakkaites commenting here, it is a genuine honour getting your comments and feedback. I intend to spend more time on Dakka, it wasn't my first forum but it is definitely my favourite now.
    With my 31st birthday around the corner I have been trying to clear out some old hobby junk on evil bay - so 5 out of 10 baggies have been flogged! Fingers crossed I can get rid of the others soon (and my ill gotten gains will be saved for a future project).

    Here is a pic of my workspace - the tool tidies come from Lidl and I have several cutting mats and desk tidies to keep my OCD happy. AND a pic of my hobby stash too - I have a bunch of Imperial vehicles, vehicle junk, OOP paints and the lovely lovely Battlefleet Gothic game in there I also have a large toolbox in there for more bits (another Lidl lovely, you gotta love Lidl).




    My painting challenge is grinding to a halt now that my birthday party is around the corner - it's going to be a Pirate Party! But I digress - I have checked the project and my original intention was to paint 38 models. I have managed to do exactly that - just not the original 38 I intended! And the 4 Devastators are STILL in progress Never mind.


    My entire Zombie Horde. 70 Zombies all painted and fully based. The majority are from Mantic with a few Tengu minis thrown in. As I said to Skalk, I would like to go back to these and add some bits and bobs to the figs, maybe add more metals minis from Tengu and Lead Adventure in particular to make it a round 100.


    My zombie apocalypse survivor posse! 15 Survivors all from Hasslefree Miniatures. I am very proud of these little guys, simply because they a bright, characterful and fun. Not all of them are heroes, just a group trying to get by. I actually have a bunch of free cardboard buildings to do for them...

    Thanks again for the comments - I am currently working on some Battlefleet Gothic cruisers as part of a redux for my Imperial fleet. ALSO, after some recent games with Scarper I am going through my bits box for suitable parts I can make a Necromunda gang out of. Early days on that. Looking forward to bringing you some more updates very soon


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/06/22 10:21:29


    Post by: Ragsta


    Stasis interrupted. Purging cryo tube... Purging... Purging... Purge complete. Please complete form.

    It's been a while Soooo what's been happening? Girlfriend moving in with me so that's keeping us busy. I have also hit 31 years old so associated parties and feeling old and grumpy have effected my hobby time! I have still been working on stuff though, and am looking forward to some rapid fire updates now!



    This week I had a game of Battlefleet Gothic with Scarper. Needless to say his first game of BFG ended in me getting totally trashed (curse those plasma drive explosions!!!). I was then inspired to sit down and do retouches and repairs, including solidly gluing ships to bases (this was doing Scarper's head in during the game bwahahaaaaa) and varnishing everything. The current fleet is now around 5000 points and I have 4 capital ships to add, then it will go on the backburner.




    Here is my second squad of Assault and Devastator marines respectively. Some of the bases need static grass but I am very happy that I have got them to this point. The Assault squad was a real slog to paint but I like the chain pikes and boarding axe.

    So what's next? Might be advisable to get as much stuff done as possible before the missus gets here
    I have a few bits and bobs that I will post up soon (including my current mini project of a Necromunda gang to tackle Scarper!). Here is the display case I am currently proud owner of - the above painting challenge will mean there will be nothing but painted models in it! Weirdly, I found the display unit behind a hair salon on my walk home from work



    As ever, any comments, criticisms or suggestions in general very much appreciated! Have a great weekend guys



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/06/22 17:15:47


    Post by: Malika2


     Jihad_Ragsta wrote:
    Stasis interrupted. Purging cryo tube... Purging... Purging... Purge complete. Please complete form.






    What are those ships on the right behind the Cobras? (in the front) Got a close up?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/06/23 18:48:12


    Post by: Ragsta



    Not sure which ones you mean, Malika, but I think it will be one of these?



    Two scratch built counts as Falchions plus some Swords there. The bases are all black now, maybe one day I will go back and add some stars or 'tactical map lines.'



    And these are the other ships behind those Cobras - Firestorm Armada Soryllian frigates. I use them as counts as Swords, an experimental Ad Mech pattern. Most FA ships scale up rather large but I like the Soryllian stuff I have. I have 3 cruisers as previously pictured too.

    And today I decided to do something completely different from my painting plan! I have a squadron of 3 scratch built light cruisers - the BFG rulebook states cruiser squadrons are 4 - 6 so I finally decided to finish it off and build one more


    I am constantly at war with my bits box so using up so many pieces was really good therapy! It's going to be light carrier - just need to add detailing around the prow and I'm calling it done. Thanks for looking, and any suggestions for the light carrier much appreciated.



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/06/23 21:29:51


    Post by: Llamahead


    Brilliant. The Heavy Bolter and Searchlight conning towers are inspired. Could do with an eagle prow however. Banner top maybe?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/06/24 16:27:40


    Post by: Malika2


     Jihad_Ragsta wrote:

    Not sure which ones you mean, Malika, but I think it will be one of these?




    Got close ups of the scratchbuilt Falchions? How did you build them?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/06/24 17:41:26


    Post by: LeadLegion


    Have to say I love the colour scheme you've chosen for your Space Marines -and the old Inferno Skulls theme looks pretty damn nifty too.

    Can I recommen the plastic wargames factory zombie packs (male and female) and survivor packs? They're excellent value for money, despite the badly placed mould lines running down the centre of the heads. Not the best sculpts in the world either, but very cheap and they look good when painted up with a bit of care.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/07/13 20:25:32


    Post by: Scarper


    Great photography, but they still look even better in person


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/07/21 18:58:59


    Post by: Ragsta


    Malika2 wrote:

    Got close ups of the scratchbuilt Falchions? How did you build them?


    Hmmm, if you give me a week I will try to post up a pseudo - tutorial. What I can tell you now is the engines are Baneblade smoke launchers, hull is rectangular plasticard tube details with tank tracks + BFG antenna. The bridge is a 1:72 Warrior APC's headlight plus plasticard. I like to cheat like crazy with scrathbuilds - 1:72 kits are great for parts.

    LeadLegion wrote:Have to say I love the colour scheme you've chosen for your Space Marines -and the old Inferno Skulls theme looks pretty damn nifty too.

    Can I recommend the plastic wargames factory zombie packs (male and female) and survivor packs? They're excellent value for money, despite the badly placed mould lines running down the centre of the heads. Not the best sculpts in the world either, but very cheap and they look good when painted up with a bit of care.


    LeadLegion, thank you so much for your comments here! I have c.20 Marines left to do before I put the Brazen Guard on hiatus I am pleased people like their colour scheme, wanted something bright for the shelf! The Inferno Skulls were fun to create, very pleased you like them.

    Llamahead wrote:Brilliant. The Heavy Bolter and Searchlight conning towers are inspired. Could do with an eagle prow however. Banner top maybe?


    That's what it was! A searchlight! I couldn't remember what it was, thanks Llamahead See the attached picture, I have reduxed the light cruiser following your comments.

    Scarper wrote:Great photography, but they still look even better in person


    Er really? Photography has always been my weakest point, I don't have a light box and the latest pics have been on a dodgy iPhone! Thanks though, buddy

    So recently myself and Scarper played a game of Zombicide with his lady friend as a third player. Needless to say, Scarper dashed off ahead, triggering a whole load of zeds and stealing all the experience points. The resultant frantic dice rolling had me and Lady Scarper fighting against inanimate objects (trying to hack down telegraph poles) and each other (XP points baby!). And here's what happened after some unfortunate Random Events:

    3 heroes munched - yes, that's them under all those zeds!!


    A Dauntless light cruiser I have adapted to look like a Rogue Trader. Also, a GZG games NSL vessel that I have done a bridge swap on so it looks more like a 40K cargo ship. And finally that scratchbuilt light carrier with updated prow and some details after Llama's suggestions

    Not sure if I can make the painting deadline at this rate but I promise another update soon! Cheers guys!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/08/03 20:20:16


    Post by: Ragsta



    Hello everyone. So I missed my painting challenge deadline by 2 days. I did manage to paint 12 more models though! Just not the ones I thought I would be doing - I had zero motivation to work on my veterans.
    Sorry for the quality of the photographs, I took them with my phone and they are rather poor. Just wanted to prove that progress has indeed been made!



    My final batch of cruisers are done! I am so chuffed to have rounded out the fleet like this! In the future I have a scratchbuilt grand cruiser to do but not for a while, thank you very much



    Here is the last lot of civilian transports for my merchant navy. I had a lonely light cruiser with no purpose so converted her into a Rogue Trader. The other 3 ships are NSL warships from GZG Games. They are very cool in general. That brings my civilian fleet to 12 strong, and they are all shapes, sizes and colours



    Dang! I realised that I never actually showed you guys my completed scratchbuild for Ragnarok number 2! Here it is. I am very proud of my 2 wee tankies.



    And finally, 5 Scouts for my Brazen Guard. I tried some extreme OSL and I'm not sure it worked out that well to be honest. Never mind, it adds much needed colour and it's another 5 minis off the pile! I am 10 models away from completing my current force of Brazen Guard space marines. This will be quite an event, as it will mean many of my projects will be wrapped up!

    Thank you for looking at these pages - I realise that it is not to everyone's tastes having a general thread but I have been enjoying showing you my mixed bag of stuff. As ever, comments, critcisms and suggestions are all very welcome.

    Next update - my Necromunda adventures with Scarper!!!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/08/04 18:45:34


    Post by: Llamahead


    BFG's stuff looking good got to agree with you about GZG. Such a lovely range full of goodies shame they don't have a better website.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/08/04 21:54:23


    Post by: jonkofi


    Your stuff is looking really nice fella. The battlefleet stuff hasnt ever really been me but i like what you've done with models!!!

    What colours did you use to paint the spacemarines weapons and jump pack harnesses? I really lile the affect of the all metal finish. Keep up the good work.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/08/19 18:03:53


    Post by: Ragsta


    Llamahead - GZG must lose business from the poor state of its website! A great source of stuff though I loved using their ships in my merchant fleet.

    jonkofi - Thanks for the kind words, fella, I have a real soft spot for battle fleets I am flattered that you're asking about the gun/ pack strap recipe! Basecoat Mechanicus Standard Grey then shade with Badab Black (Nuln Oil will still work). Then block in watered down Mechanicus, leaving the dark recesses. Finally, highlight with Codex Grey along most of the edges. I have found that it makes for a rather exaggerated effect but this works really well in massed ranks!


    Here is a squad of Veterans that I am working on as a centre piece for my Brazen Guard. Very little to see so far. After this I have 6 Tac Marines left until I put the Brazen Guard on a hiatus!



    My latest squadron of Ork scratchbuilds - 2 Onslaughts and 1 Ravager in the background. And one more WIP Ravager too! This will be the last (planned) escort of my Ork Waaargh.


    Here is my latest craze! My first Necromunda gang based on Pig Iron's Feral and Kolony Militia figures. Some of the heads come from Puppets War, I am using House Cawdor rules and wanted everyone to have masks. No way am I paying eBay prices for a Necromunda gang The Red Hand gang have played 3 games so far and it's safe to say things have been very bloody! Their leader got sold off to slavers, another ganger is dead and last game my Scummer broke his neck after being blasted off a gantry!!
    I am very much enjoying finally getting to play some games - it's been something like 15 years since I last played a game, and I always wanted to give Necro a try. I am meant to be playing a game against Scarper tomorrow night so will post an update on their fortunes soon!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/08/19 18:41:37


    Post by: Llamahead


    Ebay prices on Necromunda are weird it's either great or rubbish. Definitely a look for junk lots rather than a gang at one however. Gang looks awesome like this though. GZG does lose custom from the state of their website although I prefer buying from them at Triples each year anyway.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/08/19 18:46:13


    Post by: kestral


    Do more BFG - I love your scratch builds, especially the orks! The official ones leave me cold.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/09/17 21:13:36


    Post by: Ragsta


    Llamahead wrote:Ebay prices on Necromunda are weird it's either great or rubbish. Definitely a look for junk lots rather than a gang at one however. Gang looks awesome like this though. GZG does lose custom from the state of their website although I prefer buying from them at Triples each year anyway.


    I am glad you like the miniatures I am using for the gang, Llama, I appreciate your feedback muchos I have to be strong - no more spaceships allowed for now! Although I have recently been playing some Battlefleet Gothic games with Scarper...

    kestral wrote:Do more BFG - I love your scratch builds, especially the orks! The official ones leave me cold.


    Thank you, kestral! Very kind of you Yes, I sold off all the goldfish metal Ork ships a long while ago - I just didn't fancy them. Every single ship in my Orkmada is a scratchbuild, I am very proud of them. Played a game of BFG against Scarper last weekend with them, and my girlfriend managed to stand on them The fleet has survived though - more than I can say for their in game performance - another drubbing from the pesky Scarps!!!

    Scratchbuilding an Ork Killkroozer as a direct result of the last game - this one's for you, kestral!



    I had an old Imperial cruiser hull doing nothing - some of the glue was so old it's bridge fell off?? Therefore, she is now being repurposed for better things.



    And here is a new shot of the Red Hand gang.
    I have now played 5 games in total and have really enjoyed my new entry to Necromunda, even if I've only won ONE game out of five so far The new shots show the gang fully based and modelled with the correct equipment at last. Next phase is the painting, quite looking forward to that! Oh, and there's the little matter of trying to win more games...



    Thanks guys!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/09/18 18:17:01


    Post by: Llamahead


    Nice especially the bases rather loving the LAYZORS on the Killkroozer its got a definite Monitor (the shore bombardment vessels of the early 20th century not the Civil war Ironclads) vibe. I can definitely imagine it firing of an earth shattering kaboom.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/10/13 00:11:44


    Post by: kestral


    Outstanding! If I get into BFG I'm sure to emulate. I agree that the "Ork fish" models are lousy. They're orks after all - their ships should either look like other people's ships with more guns, or odd bits welded together!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2013/10/27 12:07:24


    Post by: Ragsta


    Llamahead wrote:Nice especially the bases rather loving the LAYZORS on the Killkroozer its got a definite Monitor (the shore bombardment vessels of the early 20th century not the Civil war Ironclads) vibe. I can definitely imagine it firing of an earth shattering kaboom.


    Interesting - sounds like it would be a great Exterminator for Planet Strike missions then. Glad you like the basing on the Necro figures - it's random clock parts and sprue pushed into Milliput with sand on top.

    kestral wrote:Outstanding! If I get into BFG I'm sure to emulate. I agree that the "Ork fish" models are lousy. They're orks after all - their ships should either look like other people's ships with more guns, or odd bits welded together!


    You are too kind! Yes, you must model up some ships dooooo iiiiiiit!! When I cobbled my Ork ships together I tried to emulate some of the Reaver ships from Serenity.



    A painting in progress shot of my Veteran Squad for the Brazen Guard. It seems every time I think I'm done with them I find something else to add, but then again I really want these guys to stand out from the rank and file. I have the banners and basing to do then maybe a completed picture and fluff can be uploaded!

    And nothing too remarkable here but a paint in progress picture of my last 7 footsloggers for the infantry. To spice things up I have used as many 'naked' heads as I could grab, and added some segmented armour shouler pads from Anvil Industries. I also added running legs to the majority of the 7 to add some movement to my squads.



    Necromunda News

    The Red Hand gang recently had a series of fights against a group of criminals known as the Quadring Accord. My redemptionist Cawdor were initially eager to take them out with early success (a victorious Shoot Out), only to get a bloody nose in the following Scavenge scenario (I blatantly forgot about lines of fire and Scarper has a heavy bolter soooo..... Several Red Hands still aren't talking to me).
    The final 2 games we've had were brutal - my Cawdor swept into town and managed to temporarily seize the QA's settlement after knocking out his Warden in The Hit. Immediately after this we rolled a Raid scenario and Scarper rather unfortunately rolled just a single sentry to guard his settlement. Long story short - the Red Hands burned this den of inequity to the ground!! I almost felt bad about it too....


    Hope you guys like what you're seeing here, thanks for watching as ever


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2014/01/04 15:36:00


    Post by: Ragsta


    Brazen Guard 4th Battle Company

    Happy 2014 to everybody! I hope the year brings you good health, happiness and wealth.

    Today I sat down and photographed the entirety of my Brazen Guard battle company. This felt really good - they were one project I wanted to complete for 2013 and I managed it! I also managed to complete my Imperial Navy as previously pictured, which is very satisfying.



    All of the scouting forces for my battle company. I have included a Pig Iron system trooper and slightly converted Eversor Assassin into the mix so that they could theoretically see some games in some form.



    Three squads of Tactical Space Marines comprising the backbone of my Brazen Guard forces. My battle company is short 3 squads of Tactical infantry, but they have 15 Scouts so I like to think that this force is suffering from natural attrition and is in the process of reestablishing itself.


    Devastator Space Marines provide heavy weapon support and anti tank capability.


    Assault Marines


    The elite command cadre of my Brazen Guard, including two Chaplains to lead the company and my veteran combat squad. I am very pleased with how the veterans finally came out - I removed the back banners as they didn't fit into my perception of what the Brazen Guard look like in battle.

    Hope you guys like them!

    The next photo selection will be my Ork Pirate fleet in its entirety, I'm hoping to get those up next weekend These were another project that I've managed to finish off before the year ended.

    Current projects for 2014

  • I have recently been gifted with a massive load of figures that my parents scored off a colleague - this was an awesome Christmas present and I will be raising a small Khorne Berzerker force as a result!

  • Klingon battlefleet for Full Thrust

  • Paint my Red Hand Cawdor gang

  • Finish my Penal Legion chain gang





  • Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2014/01/05 12:41:26


    Post by: Llamahead


    Sounds great looking forward to the massed Orks.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2014/04/19 00:15:09


    Post by: Ragsta


    Bloomin' Nora, it's been a while since I've updated! Real life has kep me very busy but I have still been getting some games in and painting minis, sorry my lack of updates!

    Ork Pirates finally varnished here!

    I finally got the oooold Brazen Guard termie squad how I like them and wanted to post a glamour shot here:




    Also cobbled together a trio of some random Warbots - two of them Heavy Gears and one is a Pig Iron Wardroid:



    I used a mud pen to dirty up their lower legs and it looks better in real life, sorry about that! Eventually, these guys will be supporting some militia infantry I'm cobbling together.
    As soon as I get them varnished I'll post my Cawdor Necromunda gang here, thanks for looking, gang!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2014/04/19 06:55:13


    Post by: Llamahead


    Nice warbots whats your plan for the game for them?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2014/04/21 19:22:16


    Post by: Ragsta



    Thank you, mate, glad you like them. The warbots will be support for a few squads of militia I'm going to build. I'm thinking I'll use FUBAR as the rule set for them, something quick and easy to modify. I also recently bought Nuts! from Two Hour Wargames, so I'm hoping to use them for that system too.

    In other news, finally got some pictures of my Red Hand Cawdor gang







    Not the best pictures I could have taken but I am very pleased to have their pictures up on this thread.
    These guys are my first Necromunda gang and I am very fond of the frothing little maniacs!
    Currently the gang are having mixed fortunes, with only 4 territories and 9 gang members but some solid gangers and weapons behind them.
    Here's their gang roster for anyone who's interested


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2014/05/05 17:58:04


    Post by: Ragsta


    Had a very chilled out bank holiday Monday with the missus - her on the sewing machine and me trying to get some models finished!

    While spring cleaning old pictures on my laptop I realised I never showed you guys my old Oceanic Union Defence Force. These come from the GZG universe - I strongly recommend people look up GZG games to see some hobby eye candy!
    The army was a refreshing change from my Warhammering at the time - I just picked up what I thought looked cool. The two tanks come from Old Crow Games and were very nice pieces. Everything else was GZG.


    Powered armour from the New Anglian Confederation - I always thought these would represent lightly armoured special ops rather than heavier hitters.

    The rather bizarre yet strangely endearing 'Eggman' power armour for the Oceanic Union.

    OUDF infantry. I bought a host of them from the OUDF and Dutch options just to have some variety. These are 25mm sculpts, a little skinny and based on 2ps. They were very relaxing to paint up!

    Two heavy walkers painted in ambush camo. I was very happy with the final result and the highlights on the canopies.

    Some dirty l'il mercs Like I said, the fun in this project was just grabbing what I thought looked fun instead of being stuck to organisational charts etc. I liked the bowl helmets and berets in particular and the paint scheme was fun!

    Cockroach anti grav tank. Loved painting this thing, even if it ended up slightly pinkish. The Old Crow models are a brilliant source of 28mm vehicles - chap that does them is currently working on RL stuff but he still responds to emails I am told

    And one final fuzzy picture of part of the army to give an idea of comparitive scale and also show my Glaive APC. The whole force was eventually sold to make space and I hope that somewhere they are still fighting the good fight.

    Thanks for looking everybody, hope you like!



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2014/05/05 21:25:13


    Post by: Llamahead


    Great stuff in there the Glaive is still on my to get list possibly


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2016/04/08 12:06:05


    Post by: Ragsta




    It has been.... A while. Though I have posted on the forum I haven't been updating this blog for a very long time.

    Part of the reason for this is my lack of good photographs rather depressed me so I stopped sharing. However, now that I am somewhat older (three years older!) and wiser (erm...) I have decided that it shouldn't bother me as much. It is still really good to share the hobby with others and hopefully encourage others to share, which is what this forum is all about! I will definitely concentrate on improving picture quality. I really like Dakka Dakka as a forum so it's only right and proper that I make a proper effort to contribute again to these esteemed/ notorious pages.

    So I'm back, and one of the first things I'm going to be doing is posting some updates on where my projects currently stand and more importantly pictures of how they are looking! First round of pictures will be this weekend, that's a Ragsta promise that is

    Hope you are all hammering the hobby desks and see you this weekend!

    Ragsta


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2016/04/08 15:46:54


    Post by: Llamahead


    Looking forward to seeing you back old boy.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2016/04/09 18:32:08


    Post by: Ragsta


    Nice to hear from you, good chap!


    I brought out my current zombie horde for some up to date shots. One of the many things I have done since my last posts was streamline my hobby collection. I let a bunch of models go including many of my more colourful zombies, only to replace them with NEW zombies from other suppliers So now aswell as Mantic I have some from CP Models (previously Tengu), Hasslefree and Studio Miniatures.







    There are actually some apocalypse survivors from Hasslefree in there too! I wasn't happy with some of my attempts and repurposed them as living dead. Much happier with Kim Jong Il in particular, if you can spot him! Standing next to Kim is another of my favourites that was actually crafted from a 1:43 scale Rexell truck figure. I call him Bob Zombie and his jolly yellow overalls have appeared in several games I've played. Good old Bob.

    The zombie horde currently stands at 77. I repainted the bases for ALL of these little blighters and added some tufts from MiniNatur. Also touched up each of the models with some highlights, washes and nice, lifeless, dead white eyes where I could. After varnish was applied I was really pleased with the improvement! I hope you like them. Everyone needs a zombie horde.

    Have a great weekend, everyone, it's really good posting to these pages again


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2016/04/09 20:29:58


    Post by: Llamahead


    Heh just starting on mine. Bit older fashioned than yours as it's based on Zombicide; Black Plague and will also provide some dangers for Frostgrave as well.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2016/04/20 14:32:16


    Post by: Ragsta


     Llamahead wrote:
    Heh just starting on mine. Bit older fashioned than yours as it's based on Zombicide; Black Plague and will also provide some dangers for Frostgrave as well.


    Everybody needs a zombie horde in their life! I've tried to keep the figures generic so I can use them in both modern and sci fi games. Replaced a bunch of the Mantic zombies (they all seem to be wearing loincloths - I try not to think about that too much) with some more clothed models and I would like to pick up some more in that style. Zombicide is great fun! Haven't played Frostgrave but it seems pretty solid.

    I've recently been whittling away at some more Battlefleet Gothic builds. I think my interest might have been stirred by the recent game coming out but it's just nice to be scratch building for a bit.


    Two Ork Ravagers built from lascannons, dreadnought shins, SM missiles and Tau gubbins. I really like this ship class, they are great fun to use! Once they've had their paintjob I can add further details using sponging, chipping and windows/ lights.


    I had a few quid left over on a voucher so I picked up these ships from Spaceship Yamamoto as I wanted to see what the models were like. Not too bad but they don't really suit my personal tastes that much. I will be using these as generic pirate marauders and paint them up to match my Ork pirates.

    Photography wise I think recent pictures are a little better than what I have exposed you to in the past. I'm going to see what apps I can get for my phone to improve them further.

    Thanks for looking


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2016/04/22 20:57:53


    Post by: Llamahead


    Heh Ravagers are awesome my preferred tactics with Orks was always ordnance deluge. Turrets against Assault Boats or Torpedoes my good sir?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2016/04/24 20:37:42


    Post by: Ragsta


     Llamahead wrote:
    Heh Ravagers are awesome my preferred tactics with Orks was always ordnance deluge. Turrets against Assault Boats or Torpedoes my good sir?


    Haha yes, the ordinance vomit attack was always fun, which is the most important thing surely! Now I really want to start playing some games again!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2016/04/25 20:08:27


    Post by: Ragsta



    In my quest to post up all the stuff I've worked on in my long absence I thought some more toys from Pig Iron Productions would do nicely.



    I used a few GW parts with these figs but the bulk of the bits are Pig Iron. They make really nice paramilitary / near future police / general mercenary types, which is how I've been using them in my solo games.


    We are moving house very shortly so service may be temporarily interrupted but I cannot wait! I'll be getting a small room of my own, so I will be working toward some much better lighting and better photographs.

    Before I leave you I had a great flashback this afternoon and remembered this- a short interactive game called Survive The Outbreak. I lost count of the number of times I died in this but it was great fun. Give it a go if you have 15 minutes


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2016/04/25 20:22:14


    Post by: corpuschain


    I love the space marines - very slick and shiny. I'd love to see them on the tabletop! The zombies are wonderfully zany, and I'm inspired to start my own random zombie horde!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2016/05/21 08:34:25


    Post by: Ragsta


     corpuschain wrote:
    I love the space marines - very slick and shiny. I'd love to see them on the tabletop! The zombies are wonderfully zany, and I'm inspired to start my own random zombie horde!


    Thank you for the comments, corpuschain, glad you like what you see! Do it! Join The Horde! My Space Marines have been rather drastically downsized but they still hold a special place in my heart. I keep pondering relaunching the Brazen Guard at some point but so very many projects already

    In other news, we have been in our new home for three weeks now and things are oh so slowly coming together. I have managed to break out all of my hobby stuff into our 'study' (!) and had a play with an Imperial Guard project I've had simmering away for a while now.



    Just this humble shot for now - the bulk of troops being Wargames Factory Shock Troops shock horror gasp!! I'm finding the builds rather pleasant to come together actually, in the picture I'm gradually organising the mob into squads. The flying robot will not be part of the force


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/05/17 13:18:22


    Post by: Ragsta


    SO. So. I'm going to bite the bolt shell and do this - I'm going to reboot sharing my hobby again.

    I had developed a rather annoying self conscious aversion to posting pictures of my stuff - I felt my photo skills were painfully bad and my models were looking like assorted squig dung piles This has since been diagnosed as Heavy Metal Syndrome (for those of you who have access to the relevant Inquisitorial archives the more modern description may be classed as Get Over Myself - Life Is Short). I am now ready to do it anyway

    My old threads are still here, and recently I went back through the dust and cobwebs of the ancient crypts to repair all the links and pictures where I could.

    That's it! Thanks for bearing with me! I don't have any concrete goals and my updates will likely be irregular but I hope people like what they find, and any and all comments gratefully received!


    Kind regards

    Ragsta


    Automatically Appended Next Post:
    The fact that I'm posting Primaris models here amuses me. I'm a somewhat veteran of 2nd edition, and was fading out of the gaming aspect by the time 3rd edition came along. I like any game system that flows relatively quickly these days - if the latest edition is doing this then all power to 'em! I just wish the fluff had taken a different direction re. these latest models. I picked some up cos they were going cheap and I wanted some Marines that were actually 'truescale' against my other forces. Going forward I would use older marks of helmet and the original boltguns and backpacks to try and ground them in the older background. I worked hard to get some weathering on the armour, which came out kind of okay. The photo set up is also a first for me! Some of the colour and details are a bit washed out and lost but I'll work on it, and I do like the overall outcome. Hope you like



    Of those 400 men
    Only 4 would come home again
    Regardless of faith and how hard they trained
    Only bitterness and doubt remain




    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/05/17 18:34:57


    Post by: Malika2


    Where is that bare head from?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/05/21 17:22:50


    Post by: Ragsta


    Hello Malika. Gimme some feedback before you go firing off questions ya young whipper snapper!

    The head comes from a sci fi conversion set Northstar do for Frostgrave - they have several cool sets.

    I am stuck indoors due to a certain illness in the household. Happily this means I can see about further updates sooner than I'd planned!
    I always enjoy reading the bestiary section in the ancient Rogue Trader rule book. Lots of strange flora and fauna to fire up the imagination for a sci fi universe! Inspired by this, here are some terrain pieces my sister very kindly gifted me several Christmases ago:



    Definitely still learning - this shot used daylight instead of artificial lighting. Out of whimsy I continued to dabble with photograph effects and I like where they're going so far.
    I ended up using the sponging method for the bulk of painting these and I quite enjoyed it - pleasantly therapeutic slopping paint on some man eating plant matter!
    Come to think of it, I wonder if these colours would work for Orks? Maybe some day.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/05/26 13:03:08


    Post by: Syro_


    Hi Ragsta, it's nice to see you back. My interest in BFG led me to finding and enjoying your blog during your hiatus. It's nice to know that you will be active again, welcome back.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/06/01 20:29:36


    Post by: Ragsta


     Syro_ wrote:
    Hi Ragsta, it's nice to see you back. My interest in BFG led me to finding and enjoying your blog during your hiatus. It's nice to know that you will be active again, welcome back.


    Aw hey, thanks mate! I really appreciate that. I'm glad somebody enjoyed looking at my posts. Do you have BFG stuff yourself? I intend to roll out my BFG forces here and give them some wee touch ups as I go along for sure.

    One of the first forces that came to be for me was a rather rag tag force of Imperial Guard comprised of very hard plastic Warzone troopers from Prinz August miniatures. I was able to get something like 80 of them for £20. This coincided with the release of the first GW layer paints and washes (Charadon Granite and Devlan Mud era!!). My original Warseer thread had multiple units created back then thanks to the ease of assembly and ease of painting. Years went by, the warp grew in strength yet I couldn't seem to shake my fondness for the 'Flexberg 17th Infantry Regiment'. The background and painting style has evolved steadily from its original form. I will be showcasing all of what I have here and performing some wee touch ups as I go along. I hope you like what comes.



    Recruited from the industrial slums and urban sprawls of Flexberg, the Flexberg 17th Infantry was assigned to 4th Army Group under Lord General Menelaus as part of the Augustine Crusade forces.



    One of many patrols winkling out rebel fighters in an unidentified township. Primarily composed of former gang members and habworkers, the fledgling regiment could count on a certain level of combat experience among it's officers and men. This was offset by disciplinary issues caused from an ingrained distrust of ‘outworlders’ that would quickly earn the regiment a prickly reputation.



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/06/06 00:04:04


    Post by: Syro_


    Do you have BFG stuff yourself?


    I don't have any BFG stuff, I'm interested and have been planning to get some, but for years I keep thinking that GW is about to re-release BFG. So I keep waiting thinking I can get a new box set, soon.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/06/12 16:09:31


    Post by: Ragsta


     Syro_ wrote:
    Do you have BFG stuff yourself?


    I don't have any BFG stuff, I'm interested and have been planning to get some, but for years I keep thinking that GW is about to re-release BFG. So I keep waiting thinking I can get a new box set, soon.


    That's fair enough, I can understand that. If you don't have any of the previous stuff it will be easier too, as the eventual new ships (I'm sure they WILL do it eventually) won't be out of scale with the old ones. I guarantee there will be a scale difference but it depends how much of a purist you are. Vanguard Miniatures do a range of BFG style ships already and I'm writing for them to get their butts in gear and release some more before I get a new fleet from them


    So I had planned to post some more IG but I need the time to get some larger group shots set up. In the meantime I have more exotic flora to distract you with!



    I am not mad. I know I am not. Because I saw them! Plants the size of men! Plants that ate men!! When the others return they will tell you the same!!

    These are Triffids from CP Models. I like to paint up random beasties that I could potentially use for random encounters or even as background pieces on the tabletop - at a pinch these could be used as rather bizarre scatter terrain! Random models like this are also a really nice palette cleanser after slogging through a squad of infantry.

    These models were lovely and I based the paint scheme on some Leopard plants that rather resentfully live with us. There are other plant monsters in various online places and I'm pondering adding to these using the not Triffids from Crooked Dice...



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/06/14 23:35:42


    Post by: Syro_


    Thanks Ragsta, I'll check out Vanguard Miniatures. I'm certainly not a purist about the ships, but I do like the old scale of the original BFG. So, that's a good point about the possible/eventual upcoming re-release. They certainly changes the scale a lot for Titanicus. I've mostly been too cheap to throw down the kind of money needed to get any amount of ships that I feel would be worth it So many I should start looking at the 3D printed route, and 3rd party producers.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/06/23 06:54:15


    Post by: Ragsta









    3rd platoon led by Lieutenant Grunled, part of the 19th Company Flexberg 17th Infantry Regiment. 3rd platoon carried the company's heavy bolters with them and operated in a fire support role for their companions. These pictures show their heavy weapons being carried by certain individuals of either great strength or augmented supporting body armour. It is very unlikely they would have been fired in this manner, however.

    Much of the original equipment for the Flexberg belonged to the recruits themselves, with a modicum of Munitorum supervision to ensure standardised ammunition types and spares. The Commissariat found that indoctrination of the new recruits went more smoothly if they were permitted to retain certain original possessions like these. Integration of rival gangs was another matter entirely.


    I don't want to bombard you lot with picture after picture of Poor Bloody Infantry but at the same time I feel like it's only fair that my weary Guardsmen get their moment in the spotlight!

    I never intended to create so many infantry for this force but it seemed to develop organically. Many somewhat whimsical side projects ended up getting integrated into the project - so abortive Necromunda gangers along with zombie apoc survivors all ended up pressed into service by the Commissars!

    3rd platoon uses the spot colour of yellow and many bald heads as it's 'accents'. I've made an effort to introduce different ideas like this to each of my platoons to help give them some sense of identity and hint at some vestiges of their past as gangers and other rabble.

    Thanks for looking



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/07/19 21:32:22


    Post by: Ragsta



    So I have been working on some very random alien gribblies for some random encounter types in sci fi and post apoc.
    I'll be brutally honest - I did not enjoy these sculpts AT ALL. The clean up was very bad for me and the finished job not my best work but at least they are done, and now I know to be more careful when I buy models on a whim!

    I don't mind buying minis out of whimsy sometimes but this particular experience has made me reconsider the way my projects stand. I have 40 infantry I was GOING to use as a wee stand alone platoon but now I am going to fold them into my Flexberg as reinforcements because I know I will enjoy the painting scheme!




    Emperor save me, even the picture is bad haha! Oh well, at least the miniature mountain has been reduced


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/07/29 06:39:23


    Post by: Ragsta




    ++M42.037 Augustine Crusade - Imperial fleet assets under Admiral Krenzler launched strikes against orbital defences in the Minos system among several others. The INS Victory, Rampart and Dominion participated in each of these actions.++





    These are some of the oldest models in my collection. One of my goals for 2020 was to finish off and update my Imperial fleet - usually my tweaking paint jobs and tidying up odds and ends. The nice thing about this thread is it helps encourage me to do so! I have also given each of my ships a nameplate from the excellent people at Versatile Terrain. The Imperial Navy is not free from vanity it seems :p

    I will continue to post the Navy as I go along, and I will include some backstory from the Augustine Crusade background that the mighty Apologist has been pioneering here. The same goes for my Imperial Guard, which I've already started doing a little of.

    Thank you for looking everyone


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/08/09 19:25:37


    Post by: Ragsta



    I'll slowly be posting up my entire Imperial fleet collection, each with a little bit of fluffery for them. The nice thing about returning to Dakka is I've been able to perform a series of wee touch ups to some old paint jobs. The patient little fellas deserve as much.

    When the ship exited warp space we gave thanks for three days. Primary power was out - it took the techs that long anyway to get under way. We attempted to pick up one of the Telepathica relay signals but there was nothing. Proxima Salvator. Gothrika. Flexberg. All silent. My ward did not speak for all that time - he spent the hours in the small chapel behind the bridge. I am his bolter bearer, and honoured to be such - it is not my place to question and yet he seemed deeply affected by the silence around us. The Emperor Protects.




    I went through a multitude of colour schemes for a Space Marine force. Grey. Black/ purple. Red/ blue. I'm pretty sure most of us have done so during our thrashing around in the hobby!
    This figure represents the culmination of what was my Brazen Guard Marine Company project, resplendent in a delightfully straightforward paint scheme that still looked good en masse. Okay okay - I discovered the GW washes and they pretty much saved the day!! You can find them in my older posts - I ended up selling all but this guy and a squad of veterans.

    He was also my first attempt at true scaling a Marine model, and attempting to get some dynamic movement in what were then rather static sculpts. Some plasticard boosters in the boots and waist coupled with some hefty armored shoulders. After these pictures were taken I pimped out his base a little more - always room for improvement. Looking at him now there are things I would change but I still like him alot. He also looks like a total bampot!!!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/08/29 21:07:43


    Post by: Ragsta


    Not everybody gets the gene boosting, the mind wipes, cybernetic enhancement and ceramite armour. Special security detachments, my friend - mucking out every infested sewer, burned out lab and nightmare haunted asteroid you can think of!



    I painted these after I plucked up the nerve to try painting white armour. It turned out okay - who doesn't like a wee homage to Imperial Stormtroopers?
    The models themselves are from Heresy Miniatures and the heads are from Pig Iron. I picture them as a security team for some mad scientist or holed up Inquisitor somewhere, the poor blighters who get called in as soon as there's a security breech by something horrible breaking out of containment!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/09/13 12:13:06


    Post by: Ragsta


    Hello everyone

    I continue to photograph all the varied bits I have painted over time. What I am driving towards is posting up ALL my painted projects as a wee message in a bottle on the fickle tides of the interwebz.
    While I am happier with the photographs these days I'm beginning to think a light tent and actual camera rather than my dodgy iPhone may be an idea. One day perhaps. There's clearly some issues I'm having with focusing my shots so I think a wee tripod and time delay is called for. Also lighting in general. Anyway!




    Here is a cyber thief and attendant droid for all sorts of random sci fi shenanigans. The thief is cobbled together from Wargames Factory, GW and Anvil Industry parts. The droid was bodged together using Tau parts and some tow hooks for little manipulator arms underneath. Think I used some BFG antenna too.

    I really enjoyed the varied colours I used for them, it encouraged me to branch out and do some more rather random chaps:



    A droid from Pig Iron, a VERY random adventurer I put together using Frostgrave and Heresy Miniatures parts, a bounty hunter/ mercenary using GW, Pig Iron and Wargames Factory pieces and a smuggler sort from Heresy Miniatures. He does have a head swap though, much happier with the swap My friend Scarper very unkindly nick named him 'Fry' and now I cannot unsee the similarity!!

    Again, while I do like my wargaming stuffs in regimented squads and whatnots, having the oportunity to kitbash and paint up random space opera options like this was very therapeutic. I particularly liked the Frostgrave conversion and his pose - he looks like he is questioning his life choices

    OH, and here are 30 infantry I have churned out over the last few weeks for my Flexberg - I will take some nicer shots once have finished the final 12 footsoldiers and their heavy weapons!




    Happy Sunday all! Be kind to each other!



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/09/13 13:49:21


    Post by: FeistyRips


    Great stuff in here Ragsta! Keep it coming!
    I think it's an awesome idea to try and get all your painted stuff posted on here, something which I should do as well! I must say I am really inspired by the variety of your collection and the quality of the paintjobs! Looking forward to more!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/09/15 21:05:31


    Post by: Ragsta


     FeistyRips wrote:
    Great stuff in here Ragsta! Keep it coming!
    I think it's an awesome idea to try and get all your painted stuff posted on here, something which I should do as well! I must say I am really inspired by the variety of your collection and the quality of the paintjobs! Looking forward to more!


    Thanks so much for your comments, Feisty! You've already got some nice threads, how much more stuff can you possibly have??
    Yes, while I'm not getting many comments I am indeed enjoying cataloging my patient plastic friends. I feel like I may end up blogging these in the future when my photography and set up improve. One day!

    You made my day, thanks again. I'll delve into the pile and get some more updates sorted ha.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/01 15:09:26


    Post by: Ragsta


    Some very random fantastic beasts and aliens that were lurking in my cabinet. Many moons ago I actually stumbled across a small stash of Warhammer models at a car boot sale - hardly ever happens to me! Both of these hounds come from that stash - one is an 80s Chaos Hound and the wee mutt with the pink hair do is a Kroot Hound.



    Their self appointed Beast Master is a Sharclon from Heresy Miniatures. Very nice chunk of metal - I could see this figure being used as a Demiurg or some other Abhuman. He was a refreshing change of scene at the time

    I use my iPhone for pictures but I am beginning to think I should get a camera and wee tripod. Does anyone have any wisdom surrounding how they photograph their own stuff?

    Thank you for dropping by!

    Ragsta


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/03 16:20:00


    Post by: Ragsta


    So this post is in response to an exchange I had with the talented FeistyRips. He has recently posted up some very nice Armsmen and it got us chatting about them a little.
    I've always liked the concept of Imperial Navy Armsmen. I remember the original artwork of navy personnel moons ago by Jes Goodwin, I think when Spacefleet was a thing.



    Fluffwise they seem to be a take on Royal Navy Marines, providing protection for ships and offensive capability for operations. When I think about an Imperial force attacking an enemy world it makes sense to me that any forces capturing orbital facilities would consist at least in part of Imperial Navy 'Marines'. Imperial Guard regiments have Elysian Drop Troops, who have a history of ship to ship combat, but not ALL forces would have the luxury of such troops. That's where the Imperial Navy comes in!




    Legs are Unity Council Marine legs from Anvil Industry. Armoured arms, Void torsos and different shotguns are also from Anvil Industries. Some of the heads are Space Police (?) from Mad Minis, and some are Imperial Navy pilot heads from... erm the Valkyrie set maybe? Och I don't know, it was a big pile of bits!
    Painting wise I was initially going to go for white armour and grey fatigues considering the ship to ship combat, but then I hesitated. My painting ability isn't strong enough to do white armour justice, PLUS when I think about the Royal Marines they're usually rocking camouflage fatigues. Plus camo seemed cooler to me, so ultimately there ya go! :biggrin::p

    As with many of my whimsical projects I eventually folded this idea into my main Imperial Guard force. They now comprise part of 1st platoon, and when I eventually get around to some proper group shots I will wax a little bit lyrical about the composition of those forces a little more.

    Thank you for reading!

    Ragsta


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/03 16:44:09


    Post by: Malika2


    Is it just me or are none of the latest pictures showing?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/03 16:55:32


    Post by: Llamahead


    Nope not just you. Which is a definite shame.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/03 20:57:22


    Post by: Ragsta



    Aw no! Are they working now?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/03 22:23:44


    Post by: Llamahead


    Far better and the random sci-fi adventurers look good.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/04 09:10:15


    Post by: Syro_


    That was a nice find with that boot-sale. That beastmaster is definitely immediately recognizable as a Sharclon/Sontaran from Dr. Who.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/13 08:04:56


    Post by: FeistyRips


    Wow very nice and impressive Armsmen! gotta say I love the selection of bitz and the paint scheme you chose for them which ties it all together! I really like the Anvil Void torsos with their high collars, might have to grab some of them myself at some point! Keep the cool stuff coming!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/13 09:49:35


    Post by: Malika2


    Very cool armsmen!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/14 20:01:32


    Post by: Ragsta



    Thank you so much guys! Really pleased they've gone down well, they were a fun kitbash of parts. I'm glad the painting has been well received! I feel like I would like to have another go at Armsmen actually - the Genestealer Cultist suits, shotguns and with these heads from Anvil Industry feel like they could work quite nicely...

    I continue to grind my way towards completing my IG infantry company - 9 more infantry painted! I have 3 more troopers to paint and that's ALL the foot soldiers for this force complete. I am holding back from giving too much info as I would really like to do a big roll out of pictures and background in due course!

    I have 12 heavy weapons to paint up - they will be on 60mm bases and I'll be providing crates and sandbags to make them more diorama style. The crew are actually based separately - it's not like I'll be gaming with them anyway so that's fine with me, plus it means more space for gubbins around the guns. I am semi optimistic that I'll be able to sort these out by Xmas time but we will see!



    I sat down and planned, replanned and then planned again how the structure of my company and squads would look. Despite many scribblings and toting up what models I already had I still ended up many missile launchers short! What you see here is my solution, plus some extra ground pounders to fill in the gaps amongst my squads and platoon HQs. Parts from Victoria Minis, Pig Iron, GW and CP Models all in the melting pot.

    3 launchers came from G Dubs - I kitbashed the users as best I could. Having run out of stock parts I ended up scratch building two more launchers and scrounging another back pack one from Pig Iron:



    Styrene rod and strips, handles from an IG heavy weapon hand grip and targeters from Victoria Minis. I was pleased with the results and they painted up just fine. They make me think of lighter LAW style anti tank weapons.



    Other things on the table? Well, if I paint up those 5 orbital facilities then my Imperial Navy would actually have somewhere to dock...


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/15 11:21:38


    Post by: gobert


    Yep, definitely the look of a LAW style launcher. The whole HWTs look great , lots of neat kitbashes here!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/15 11:51:31


    Post by: 416_SpaceWolves


    Terrific and unique stuff here. Well done.

    I am also a big fan of the anvil industries stuff.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/15 15:07:35


    Post by: IGtR=


    Fantastic work on the missile launchers - they fit in perfectly and the squad looks great. A great collection, and thanks for sharing!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/10/31 17:00:15


    Post by: Ragsta



    IGtR= - Thank you so much! Really pleased at how well the launchers have come across, glad you like my random oddments!

    416_SpaceWolves - Thank you for the kind words, it means a lot. I do have a minor obsession with Anvil bits, there'll be more scattered around soon

    gobert - Thank you, gobert! I am very pleased with how the kitbashing in general has gone down on these pages - I didn't originally intend the Flexberg to be like this and I'm glad it developed a growth (erm) of it's own.

    My apologies - I cannot get multi quote to work so I went for the above style instead I tried searching for solutions but no joy - any guidance appreciated!

    I continue to grind away at the final (ha!!!) pieces for my Flexberg infantry - I don't tend to post WIPs so I have something completely different to show you for now:

    'Cobalt Security' mercenaries in carapace armour and armed with hell guns. Two of them are wearing Breacher style void helmets, giving them protection against vacuum and small arms fire during ship boarding actions. They also appear to have acquired some form of xeno tech drones for additional fire support, which suggests their usual operations are far away from Imperial administration... If you hear some mook broadcasting for Cobalt then just remember this - we're pretty sure they're deserters from their original outfit and the nasty little bastards have now ripped off enough people or shifted enough illicit product to afford these shiny toys. Now if you would be so kind as to tell me where you heard about them...





    A friend of mine donated me a box of Scions many moons ago. At the time I didn't have any real forces to tag them onto so I just bashed the models about and painted them in colours I usually don't use. A small merc outfit emerged, and I bolstered their hi tech appearance with the addition of some old drones I had bashed together from SM pouches, Tau lenses /sensors and some vents from Cities of Death terrain sprues!

    Afterwards they reminded me of the Protector Sentinels from HALO. The merc helmets come from Heresy Miniatures Sharclons and I really like them - they look like you could actually fit a human head inside with some room to spare for a wee HUD. Just saying.



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/11/01 08:41:21


    Post by: gobert


    Cool scions, but those drones are aces! Great bashing again.

    Multi quote should work by selecting the multi quote button on each of the posts you want to quote and then scrolling down to select the post reply button after the last post. If you’ve done all of that and it still doesn’t work I think there’s a help sub forum somewhere here


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/11/12 10:31:09


    Post by: Ragsta


    Glad you like them, gobert! I'm not even sure how old the bashed drones are but I do like them!

    As the mighty Captain Brown would say, the long painting war continues... I've recently been feeling a bit battered as I've had a trapped nerve in my shoulder, some arthritis in my right hand and a wee bit of RSI from all this home working. I do intend to get a better desk setup but that needs time and of course money. We will all get there in the end

    Nonetheless I have made progress on one of my projects - 6 heavy weapons are now based and varnished and ready to have their attendant crewmen man them.




    I won't be basing crew on the bases themselves. Part of the reason is I have actually been working on using up all the infantry figures I already painted - in order to do this I wanted to have crew on separate bases. It makes sense in my own head okay!!
    The tripod stands for the heavy bolters are from Anvil Industries. All the crates you see on these bases are also from Anvil, as are the carriages for the lascannons. I do like the parts Anvil do!
    I will be posting better pictures in time, but I was pleased with progress so far and wanted to share. The weapons and bases were painted and varnished separately then glued together. This will be even more important for me to do when I tackle the auto cannon emplacements and mortar pits.

    SO this leaves me 6 Heavy Weapons and 3 infantry left to do. I'll be really chuffed if I can nail this by Christmas. I do like completing projects, it's a wee bit OCD of course and no wargaming project is ever really 'finished'. I can already see some armour I'd like to add for example...

    Stay safe everyone!


    Ragsta



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/12/13 15:36:59


    Post by: Ragsta





    Being the 1st platoon of 19 company 17th Flexberg Infantry. Lieutenant Darrul Dreyd commanding.

    The Flexberg regiment would deploy into the Gethrika sub sector in the opening stages of the Augustine Crusade M42.037. Numbering over 10, 000 fighting troops they would lead the pacification effort in that region of space and comprise the backbone of those forces intended to 'pinch out' the pockets of resistance the flying wedges of 1st and 2nd Armies had left in their wake. The Gethrika sub sector was not considered to possess any key worlds at that time. What it did possess was a conjunction of stable warp routes that the Crusade forces were able to use as a springboard to further conquests. The consolidation of this hub was considered important, and later vital, to the security of reinforcements and resupply.




    Heavy bolter fire support from 4th platoon. I don't like the fact that heavy bolter muzzles are massive yet their ammo belts are tiddly. The shells on Marine HBs are significantly larger!! Therefore, to my mind these HBs fling out shaped charges like the auto grenade launchers we see on the news these days. I therefore replaced their ammo belts with drum mags trimmed from IG grenade launchers. That way they now look like they might hold a clip of shells that might fit those muzzles! I added random crates from Anvil Industries. The crew members are Pig Iron pieces.




    Lieutenant Dreyd, one of the original founding officers from the regiment's raising, accompanied by Commissar Grell and command squad. Formally Flexberg PDF. Sporting modified carapace armour plating to the torso and lower body, probably acquired from battlefield salvage. The use of chainswords was actually quite uncommon amongt the junior officers and NCOs in the early stages of the Gethrikan campaign, yet it would appear that Lt Dreyd took to its usage and intimidation factor with practised ease.





    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/12/14 16:51:07


    Post by: Tyranid Horde


    You've done some really nice work in this thread, particularly on the BFG stuff and the anvil industries kitbashing, I've been picking up their bits for a while and always seem to find a use for them somewhere!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/12/14 18:12:44


    Post by: IGtR=


    The troopers are looking fabulous as ever - the ramshackle mix of parts really makes them look like veterans/survivors of hundreds of battles with kit scavenged/scrounged/issued in different batches etc.

    Great stuff, and most inspirational!

    Thanks for sharing


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/12/19 20:54:45


    Post by: Ragsta


    Tyranid Horde wrote:You've done some really nice work in this thread, particularly on the BFG stuff and the anvil industries kitbashing, I've been picking up their bits for a while and always seem to find a use for them somewhere!


    Thanks so much, mate, really appreciate the kind words. I really love BFG in general, I have more toys to show in time. Anvil Industries is the gift that keeps on giving!! Every time I pick up a few more extras I find myself pondering what kind of kitbashes I could create next. Couple that with the potential for Imperial Guard regiments and it's a very slippery slope!

    IGtR= wrote:The troopers are looking fabulous as ever - the ramshackle mix of parts really makes them look like veterans/survivors of hundreds of battles with kit scavenged/scrounged/issued in different batches etc.

    Great stuff, and most inspirational!

    Thanks for sharing


    Dude, I'm really happy that this aesthetic is coming across for you. The regiment slowly evolved over time, picking up some random collections of uniform and weapons from my bits box and aborted projects and it's come together in a personally gratifying fashion

    I was chatting to FeistyRips about Battlefleet Gothic and kept saying I was going to post more ships:



    These are 4 of my oldest cruisers, and therefore some of my most long suffering models in the collection There's been some minor kitbashing for the prows and bridges/ superstructure on some of these. Those were my smallest steps towards modifying 40K kits at all. The name plates come from Versatile Terrain and I recommend them if you want to add some personalisation to your forces.




    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2020/12/19 22:33:07


    Post by: Llamahead


    Excellent stuff just been reminded of Fry. To really twit Scarper you need the rest of the crew though.......


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/01/02 21:39:25


    Post by: Ragsta


     Llamahead wrote:
    Excellent stuff just been reminded of Fry. To really twit Scarper you need the rest of the crew though.......


    Glad you like it, mate! Happy New Year to you by the way! Ha, Scarper is a busy guys these days, but it would probably tickle him if I attempted to do more members of the Futurama crew! I have a few ideas about Dr Zoidberg actually...

    Happy New Year and a Merry Christmas to all of you, as the fresh winds of a new year stir the swathes of dust covering the crumbling halls of this noble forum

    My apologies - posting a single picture of but 4 space ships is hardly a return to proper coverage of past glories. I now return with the eyes and ears of the fleet - again some of the oldest ships amongst my BFG collection.




    Dauntless light cruisers. Happy memories of these babies popping like pimples under the guns of Ork Savage Gunships



    Sword Frigates and Cobra Destroyers. If memory serves the single band painted on the Cobra prows was a major step forward in my detail painting



    There isn't much point in me doing a hobby recap really - I lack the painting prowess or modelling kung fu of other mighty users around here! However, for myself I am still quite pleased with how things have gone, for a couple of reasons:


  • I finished all my Battlefleet Gothic models this year

  • My Flexberg Infantry Company have also been finished

  • My Chaos forces had their last few models at the very start of 2020 too!

  • I plucked up the nerve to start posting my toys on Instagram and Warseer again


  • Being a hobby butterfly any 2021 goals set need to be very open ended so I don't fail immediately! Here goes:

  • Complete the Flexberg vehicle park for 19th Company - I have a pair of Sentinels to add to them

  • Add the heavy support for the Chaos force, and start posting them onto Warseer! Several vehicles and heavy weapon squads to do for this

  • Refurbish my zombie horde, really just tweaking some paintjobs and replacing somewhat natch modelling with fresher efforts - I would like to round up to a 200 strong horde

  • Um... I may have bought a primarily 2nd edition Eldar army earlier this year... Might need to get started on them too...



  • Thank you to everyone who's looked at my stuff, I really appreciate your comments. It's nice hanging out at Dakka again

    Cheers everyone! Ragsta



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/01/05 15:03:58


    Post by: Tyranid Horde


    Happy New Year to you, those BFG ships are looking great and those name plates are awesome.

    Keen to see what you bring in 2021, you should drop a link to your instagram, I'll give you a follow as it's one of the few platforms I post on


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/01/24 22:56:18


    Post by: Ragsta


    Oooft. Hello. This is my second attempt at writing this. That figures. 2020 was a slugfest for me and my family, as with so many others. I was the only member of my family who didn't end up being treated for serious illness (not that one, no). Happily they have all recovered well, and now my dad has been released from hospital this January. He has a ways to go yet but we're just happy to have him home. My thanks to the health service, they are the mightiest of awesome.

    I wasn't going to bring this up at all - there are so many worse off than I. But my latest news from so early into 2021 has really knocked the wind out of me. I was told on Monday that my role is being made redundant. 5 and a half years of solid work with my team doing so very well during the pandemic and now I have this hanging over me. Again I'm sure I will come through it but I'm more hurt than anything. At least I can use my company's sociopathic tendencies as fodder for fluff in the grim dark Imperium Also, I am treating this event with positivity as best I can - it's a golden opportunity to start something new darnit! Just give me the money and I'm gone

    So that implies I'll have even more hobby time right?! I completed 107 models in 2020 - my best effort since I started tracking it so if I can achieve anything like this I will be really chuffed!
    Some photographs to set me up for my hobby drive into 2021 (it can go hang already, I tell ya!):



    This is my second purchase from Sphere Products in the UK and I would recommend their products if that's the kind of thing you like to accessorise your hobby!
    A lovely new paint rack holding my array of paints, including two new sets from Vallejo to give me much needed 'new blood' in my paintstream!



    A very humble light tent to photograph my toys in. Cheap as chips - I didn't want to go too crazy in case I end up sucking at this but fingers crossed! I am hoping this will give me a regular setup so I can work out how to take consistently decent pictures.



    My draw of hobbyness. I count rough 80 28mm figures with a selection of other larger pieces. These will keep me busy with enough variety to keep me engaged I hope!
    Worryingly this doesn't include the Eldar forces I have amassed but we'll see what happens.

    Tyranid Horde, my Instagram is iragsta, mate! I have already found ya on there...



    We'll be resuming normal programming going forward, thanks for looking and I'll see you all aroond toon!


    Ragsta






    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/01/25 00:17:33


    Post by: Syro_


    I'm glad to hear your family has all recovered, and I wish your father to complete is recovery quickly. Nice work on what you accomplished in 2020, and I wish you a bright future.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/01/25 11:50:26


    Post by: KernelTerror


    Trying times indeed Ragsta, best of luck to you going through it.
    Nice looking setup and lightbox though, looking forward to seeing how well it works with these incoming infantry...


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/01/25 12:11:41


    Post by: Tyranid Horde


    Chiming in my support as others have done, good to hear recovery is going well for your family and it's good your father is able to get home. Family members in hospital is tough for everyone.

    You've got plenty of infantry to work on! Keen to see how you get on with them.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/02/20 17:46:40


    Post by: Ragsta


    Thank you so much, guys. I really appreciate your kindness


    I have actually been rather productive recently (still currently employed but that will likely end very soon). However, I still have lots of basing to do and don't really want to show you WIPs yet

    I want to continue cataloguing my whole collection, and as such here are the beginnings of my rather worryingly significant collection of random robots!



    These pictures are my first tests of the wee light tent I picked up. I added an additional lamp behind the camera to remove some shadow but I am pretty pleased with the result. Plenty of improvement for me to work on no doubt!

    The two wee dudes come from Zombiesmith miniatures and they are adorable - if you like random sci fi and Rogue Tradery style miniatures then give them a look. The big droid is a kit bash using Warlord Games Gates of Antares pieces. I like the idea that the two small droids guide their more ponderous big brother around the action only to hide behind him when things get rough!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/02/20 19:00:06


    Post by: Tyranid Horde


    A collection of random robots is never really a bad thing to have I think! Lovely big robot and the two little ones have plenty of character to spare. Nice basing too of course.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/02/26 22:55:33


    Post by: Ragsta


    Cheers bro! Appreciate the love, and the Zombiesmith sculpts really do have character. Glad you're cool with the basing!

    I'm slowly learning the ropes with the light tent - it's a cheapo set up but I'm liking the pictures so far. I'm working hard to have the paint jobs look as life like as I can, even if it highlights where I need to improve!!

    More robots for the horde - I promise they're not all painted green and white but there's a reason for it that may become apparent eventually..!



    Pig Iron Productions do some really nice stuff - these are from their War Droids set with bio hazard heads from Max Minis. They could make nice alternative Ogryn for techy Guardsmen or of course Ad Mech :rolleyes: Really enjoyed weathering these guys up.

    I have around 50 infantry to base up now - it's been a bafflingly productive start to the year and I'm not even a bum yet! Officially unemployed as of Monday...


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/02/27 12:46:00


    Post by: Llamahead


    Good luck with that really liking those Wardroids with Stargrave on the way the Pig Iron stuff is looking tempting.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/03/05 23:12:43


    Post by: The Riddle of Steel


    I love the bots. I am a sucker for a good green and white color scheme - always one of my favorites. The basing is truly impressive. Where do you get that large variety of plants?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/03/14 23:32:07


    Post by: Ragsta


    Llamahead wrote:Good luck with that really liking those Wardroids with Stargrave on the way the Pig Iron stuff is looking tempting.


    Thanks Llama! Yes, Pig Iron would be great for Star Grave, they have so much variety. My Flexberg use lots of their sculpts amongst their infantry.

    The Riddle of Steel wrote:I love the bots. I am a sucker for a good green and white color scheme - always one of my favorites. The basing is truly impressive. Where do you get that large variety of plants?


    Thanks for the love, Mr Riddle, I really appreciate it. Yeah, I'm braving painting white more and more often now, its a fun colour combo but there will NOT be any Biel Tan in my future thank you!!
    Glad you like the basing! I wanted to inject more flavour and a sprinkling of colour into my projects some time ago, so I started pimping them up a little more. I mainly use tufts from Tajima and would recommend them for quality. Serious Play Scenics for some more variety plus Mini Natur for sheer volume of l'il dead tufts


    So I have been unemployed for two weeks now. I'm slowly ramping up on actually finding work again. Good news is my dad had a very positive post operation report from his doctors, so it looks like the family are continuing to be fortunate where it matters We have also recently fostered two guinea pigs (the warhamster is not impressed) so that is keeping us occupied!

    Some pictures of my old collection to keep people amused - I have a HORDE of new toys to show you but they need their basing finished as I have previously mentioned. I don't want to take short cuts- I must stay strong



    Some kitbashes I cobbled together using my bits box. I didn't really know what I was building until they were finished but it looks like I've ended up with some suitably grim looking henchmen for an Inquisitor type.



    We call them Perceptors, 'cos of that big ol' burning eye they pierce ya with. Don't get too close... I don't know what it is they're roving around here for and I don't want to either.
    The Cogheads out at Fortuna won't speak of 'em but they don't go out after them either so I dunno - maybe they're Imperial? But that means there's gotta be someone inside there right? Yeesh...





    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/03/15 16:56:05


    Post by: Tyranid Horde


    Cool kitbashes and minis, all suitably grimdark which appeals to me. Great news about your dad too and enjoy the new furry additions to the family.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/03/19 12:23:28


    Post by: Ragsta


     Tyranid Horde wrote:
    Cool kitbashes and minis, all suitably grimdark which appeals to me. Great news about your dad too and enjoy the new furry additions to the family.


    Thanks chief, and I'm glad you like the builds. I like cobbling things like this together as it fleshes out the 40K universe for me. Plenty of nefarious characters that can fit and flesh things out. Maybe some good guys too? Nah...

    I have been unemployed for c. 3 weeks now, so my hobbying has been chugging away quite nicely. You may have noticed my 2021 goals from earlier in the thread so we don't need to go there again - needless to say I have a small heap of models I would like to finish off sharpish so I can move onto new projects!!



    I have been hacking my way through a random mob of Wargames Factory, Mantic and Victory Decision zeds and here's my progress so far. The WF sculpts were very soft but the end result came out nice. The zombie dog picture figs were not painted by me - I bought them from the mighty Wyrmalla and performed a refurb on their basing and painting touch ups. It's still progress!



    Edinburgh Miniatures Company figures with parts from Pig Iron, Anvil Industry, Northstar Miniatures and Victoria Lamb. I bought them on a whim and painted them to suit my Chaos forces only to laugh when I realised they looked a bit like Death Troopers from Star Wars!



    A small work in progress Imperial Guard project. I have my Flexberg infantry company but I wanted to create a smaller force to contrast with them in style and doctrine. No further info for you guys as yet - want to take better pictures with a larger force and fluff to back them on my blog in due course.


    Thank you for looking. I am so very close to having a 'finished' zombie horde, a 'finished' Flexberg infantry company (HA!!! flippin' Guard...) and a 'finished' Chaos force but it will very likely take the rest of the year to beat them into submission. Luckily I seem to have the time...



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/03/19 13:42:12


    Post by: Tyranid Horde


    You're really motoring through the minis Ragsta! How do the infantry models scale with each other? They're looking good nevertheless.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/03/21 09:17:15


    Post by: Ragsta


     Tyranid Horde wrote:
    You're really motoring through the minis Ragsta! How do the infantry models scale with each other? They're looking good nevertheless.


    Thanks bro! Yes, I have a certain number of figures I really want to complete soon to get this monkey off my back and so far making good progress!

    Regarding scale, these troopers scale up nicely with my other stuff. I should have said these are Tox Troopers conversion parts - here is a link with scale comparisons that the creator has pulled together: https://miniaturesofthenorth.blogspot.com/p/scale-comparisons.html


    Progress continues - 9 more zeds for the horde, and that FINISHES my current collection of zombie stuff to do!! This picture highlights the limitations of the old Wargames Factory zombies - they're all pretty much dancing to Thriller... But I'm not complaining as the horde I bought ended up barely 50p a figure



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/03/21 10:20:30


    Post by: Ezki


    I like your gritty style! Bunch of cool stuff across the pages.
    I'm pleased to note I was not the only one who started a hobby blog almost a decade ago, then had a a few "short breaks" along the way

    Sorry to hear about the work situation, but I'm glad that you have managed to make the best of it hobby wise!
    Having hobbies we enjoy is really important during these times.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/03/21 18:40:15


    Post by: gobert


    Pretty about work, but you’re properly cranking out the minis. The tox troopers looks great, must resist buying more plastic! Great job finishing off all your zombies, and will we be getting a monster group shot?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/03/22 14:59:23


    Post by: Tyranid Horde


    Your zombies are looking great, the flesh especially so!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/05/04 20:23:35


    Post by: Ragsta


    Ezki wrote:I like your gritty style! Bunch of cool stuff across the pages.
    I'm pleased to note I was not the only one who started a hobby blog almost a decade ago, then had a a few "short breaks" along the way

    Sorry to hear about the work situation, but I'm glad that you have managed to make the best of it hobby wise!
    Having hobbies we enjoy is really important during these times.


    Hey thanks man! I'm pleased you like the grit And also relieved that I'm not the only one with a blog that likes to take rests haha.
    Absolutely yes, having hobbies is really key in such times.

    gobert wrote:Pretty about work, but you’re properly cranking out the minis. The tox troopers looks great, must resist buying more plastic! Great job finishing off all your zombies, and will we be getting a monster group shot?

    For you, gobert, I promise a group shot of all the zombies ASAP. I've been working on magnetising all their bases, along with the rest of my model horde, so they can be transferred into more space efficient Really Useful boxes. Once this is done I can see about some pictures! It also has the added bonus of freeing up space in my display cabinet... Would be a shame to leave it looking so empty...

    Tyranid Horde wrote:Your zombies are looking great, the flesh especially so!

    Thank you sir! I do like painting up zeds, there's so little risk of messing them up eh.

    While I was away I celebrated my latest birthday, which was very nice thank you. I am nearly at a noteworthy conjunction of decades appropriate to the Warhammer universe... So maybe there's still time to finish all my current projects before this time next year??!

    I also have something completely different to show you - I shared a fleet of Orks on these hallowed pages many moons ago and this will be me sharing their current state. They've been bashed together using kit leftovers, pen lids and all manner of McGuffins.





    I hijacked a blissfully straightforward paint scheme from The Beard Bunker for these ships - I wanted a relatively quick and dirty scheme to be able to churn out a time effective project!
    It's a spray base coat followed by heavy silver drybrushing, then weathering powders. The powders I used can be found here - I'm not convinced they work quite like other weathering options but I'm pleased with the tabletop quality. The name plates come from Versatile Terrain.

    I have plenty more where these examples came from, so I'll work on getting larger group pictures that don't look like bottom.

    In other news I have managed to get a new job! I don't have a start date yet, and I've been warned that their HR can be between 6 and 12 weeks but I'm still really pleased! It's a total change of career for me, I'm looking forward to the next steps.

    But that also means I better get a move on and churn out more projects while I have the time...


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/05/04 21:18:00


    Post by: Llamahead


    Excellent news! Those Orks in the new scheme look excellent although one thing which still bugs me. How do Orks get rusty in space?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/05/05 07:10:09


    Post by: gobert


    Great news on the job, now get cranking out projects!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/05/05 16:54:01


    Post by: Kid_Kyoto


    Love the orks!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/05/07 16:08:53


    Post by: The Riddle of Steel


    Ragsta, I love what you did with the Tox Troopers from Edinburgh. I think your heads are much improved. It’s too bad they seem to be mostly out of stock - and not shipping outside the UK anyway - because otherwise I might be tempted to do something similar. I’m still looking for the right models and bits to do a traitor militia for Horus Heresy to align its my Sons of Horus.

    I also like your zombie horde. Very bloody and menacing, with some nice variety!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/05/09 08:25:41


    Post by: Ragsta


    Llamahead wrote:Excellent news! Those Orks in the new scheme look excellent although one thing which still bugs me. How do Orks get rusty in space?


    Hey chief! Glad you like the scheme, and the answer to your question is of course 42

    gobert wrote:Great news on the job, now get cranking out projects!


    Thank you! I'm trying, I'm trying!

    Kid_Kyoto wrote:Love the orks!


    Thank you, buddy, really appreciate that.

    The Riddle of Steel wrote:Ragsta, I love what you did with the Tox Troopers from Edinburgh. I think your heads are much improved. It’s too bad they seem to be mostly out of stock - and not shipping outside the UK anyway - because otherwise I might be tempted to do something similar. I’m still looking for the right models and bits to do a traitor militia for Horus Heresy to align its my Sons of Horus.

    I also like your zombie horde. Very bloody and menacing, with some nice variety!


    The Tox Troopers are good pieces, they need a little bit of clean up but nothing you shouldn't expect from the hobby. Glad you like the head swaps - I don't mind the originals but I like the personalisation. Yeah, Brexit has kiboshed a whole load of hobby fun - I can't get Mad Robot stuff for the very same reason :/ They might be a shot for your militia actually? And I'm pleased you like the zeds, they're always good for a palette cleanser!

    Thank you very much, mate! I was really pleased with the end results, and it's pretty fun knowing none of the ships are official models either. I can get away with using them as pirates, Orks or Chaos! Probably won't stop me picking up a Chaos fleet at some point to avenge the one I sold off in the mists of time... :rolleyes:

    Another picture deluge of my Reaver fleet. I have pictures of the flagship too but that deserves a separate post, I think.

    While I am okay with the pictures it's clear that I still have a way to go. My lovely lady says she likes how they appear to be hanging in the blackness, so that's good - gotta love fiddling those settings eh

    The smaller multi based ships are Vanguard's civilian ships. I bought some and couldn't work out what to do with them until I rewatched Serenity haha. I would use them as counts as Ramships.
    There are also multiple metal Klingon models assimilated into this host - again because I had no better place to put them! They are from Studio Bergstrom's Sing On range and they are lovely chunks of metal.
    Name plates from Versatile Terrain.






    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/05/09 17:22:27


    Post by: Boxhead


    I stopped by to take a look through all the work and it's amazing! Love all the little different projects that have been compiled together here.

    Really like those Navy Marine minis from a couple pages ago! The heavy armor bodies and Maxmini space police heads really mesh together well.
    Also, I'm really a fan of all the BFG stuff you've done over the years. One of the few blogs I've seen that have such a variety of them! A true ship yard in this log. haha

    Can't wait to see how log continues to progress! Also, what brad is your lightbox for your newer photos? I'm in the market for one and can't really decide.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/05/12 12:23:00


    Post by: tzurk


    Mate thats a wonderful fleet. Really creative use of bits and a great scheme. Love the bases of baby ships to give some scale and gravitas to the bigger ones!

    Congrats on the job too mate! Hope it's a quick turnaround and doesn't get in the way of showing us more of those green robots!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/05/16 13:37:07


    Post by: Llamahead


    Good news on the job have you checked out A Billion Suns? Osprey starship rules well worth a look.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/06/27 20:09:25


    Post by: Ragsta


    Boxhead wrote:I stopped by to take a look through all the work and it's amazing! Love all the little different projects that have been compiled together here.

    Really like those Navy Marine minis from a couple pages ago! The heavy armor bodies and Maxmini space police heads really mesh together well.
    Also, I'm really a fan of all the BFG stuff you've done over the years. One of the few blogs I've seen that have such a variety of them! A true ship yard in this log. haha

    Can't wait to see how log continues to progress! Also, what brad is your lightbox for your newer photos? I'm in the market for one and can't really decide.


    Hello Boxhead! Glad you're enjoying my random stuff, I do have a soft spot for BFG I must say. I see you've picked up a light box now - my one isn't really worth naming as it was dirt cheap and extremely basic really

    tzurk wrote:Mate thats a wonderful fleet. Really creative use of bits and a great scheme. Love the bases of baby ships to give some scale and gravitas to the bigger ones!

    Congrats on the job too mate! Hope it's a quick turnaround and doesn't get in the way of showing us more of those green robots!


    Thank you so much, tzurk. Really pleased you like the fleet and the basing for the smaller killers in particular. Yes, I'm looking forward to getting back to work in something new!

    Llamahead wrote:Good news on the job have you checked out A Billion Suns? Osprey starship rules well worth a look.
    Hello mate, great to hear from you! I've had a look at Billion Suns yes, I'm still mulling over the options. I do have a soft spot for Full Thrust - the ship building rules are great fun once you get your head around them


    It's been a while since I've posted but I haven't been idle. I have been magnetising the bulk of my collection so they can sit neatly inside Really Useful Boxes. The tutorial I followed can be found here. One advantage of this is I've been able to properly organise my display cabinet so there is some structure and attractive organisation of figures instead of the mass scrum there was before - the Really Usefuls came in reaklly handy as a 'transit' stop during this process.

    I have also been churning out Imperial Guard - I intend to post some group shots of my infantry company very soon.

    Gobert asked for a zombie horde picture so I have decided to post the whole bloomin lot of 160 zombies in a mob of pics! You can see an example of my magnetised basing in the first picture too:



    I also have some more progress on my Ork Reaver fleet, being their flagship the War Bastard. I was tinkering with this model for literally years, slowly adding more and more junk to the hulk until I was happy enough to paint it. Painting was primarily several different spray cans, some heavy metal drybrushing then numerous weathering powders.
    I will have some more pictures using my starfield battle mat in the future - I have a few escort ships and cruisers that need to be touched up before then.




    As we march into the second half of 2021 I have taken stock of my hobby progress in the year so far. I've managed to paint 90 models this year, creeping up on my 2020 total of 107 rather quickly!! Here's a list of what I hope to finish in the next wee while - I always tell myself NOT to post To Do lists like this on my hobby threads but it helps keep things in perspective!

  • 3 BFG Ork escorts to refurbish (weathering powders/ some modelling)

  • 6 BFG Ork cruisers to refurbish (weathering powders)

  • 15 assorted Imperial Guard infantry to paint

  • Inquisitorial Henchman kitbash to paint

  • Giant lizard to paint

  • Giant spider to paint



  • Thank you everyone for looking at my pile of junk, I really appreciate you guys

    Ragsta





    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/06/27 21:33:41


    Post by: osjclatchford


    These ork ships are astounding!
    the effect it gives is just superb. a great way of unifying a rather differing and eclectic mix of ship designs.
    to damn good effect. more please!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/06/29 19:13:35


    Post by: gobert


    that’s one amazing shambling horde of zombies! The closer shots give a sense of a massive herd of them, so big they can’t all fit in shot! Thanks for posting, must’ve take a while to arrange them all


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/07/01 22:11:42


    Post by: Ragsta


    osjclatchford wrote:These ork ships are astounding!
    the effect it gives is just superb. a great way of unifying a rather differing and eclectic mix of ship designs.
    to damn good effect. more please!


    You are far too kind, you know I love your own ships and their execution! Praise from the praiseworthy. I am chuffed that you see the unifying effect too, one of the few times I have ever executed some form of plan with a project like this!

    gobert wrote: that’s one amazing shambling horde of zombies! The closer shots give a sense of a massive herd of them, so big they can’t all fit in shot! Thanks for posting, must’ve take a while to arrange them all


    So glad you like the shots, mate! My friend also said the same thing, I'm just really pleased that my wee fellas have gone down so well!

    The weather in gloomy Scotland continues to be awesome. I have recently discovered that actual daylight photos of my hobby makes me feel better about what I'm achieving for some reason. Therefore, I have exploited our front room to maximum potential while I still can!! My new job starts at the end of July, so I still have SOME time to eke out a bit of hobby...

    Mr Latchford asked for MOAR PICTURES of Da Boyz, so I took the opportunity to refurbish some of the cruisers as mentioned in the last post. Oh, and post them all up here of course:



    There are 4 Ravagers to be added as they need a little bashing before I consider them done. Also got the chance to use my lovely star mat that a mate got for me. Good times!



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/07/02 02:14:31


    Post by: Syro_


    Wow! That is a massive and diverse fleet! It looks like da boyz have been lootin' from multiple sci-fi universes.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/07/09 14:18:00


    Post by: osjclatchford


    Holy smeg! thats a great lot of salvage going on there!
    certainly enough to give a certain armageddon fleet a run for its money...

    thanks for this!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/07/09 17:40:07


    Post by: Captain Brown


    Very nice armada Ragsta.

    Cheers,

    CB


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/07/19 18:16:06


    Post by: Ragsta


    Syro_ wrote:Wow! That is a massive and diverse fleet! It looks like da boyz have been lootin' from multiple sci-fi universes.


    Thanks man, they've been looting all over yep yep!

    osjclatchford wrote:Holy smeg! thats a great lot of salvage going on there!
    certainly enough to give a certain armageddon fleet a run for its money...

    thanks for this!


    Your Armageddon fleet is awesome too, mate, and I can assure you that these Orkses would most likely pop like pop corn in an open engagement haha!

    Captain Brown wrote:Very nice armada Ragsta.

    Cheers,

    CB


    Thanks Captain!

    We've been away on a lovely 2 week holiday (highly sanitised and restriction aware thank you very much) and now I'm back. I am still waiting to start my job but I have a suspicion I will be getting official confirmation any day now so I REALLY want to finish some stuff off before then.

    With this in mind I have finished off an allied force for my primary Flexberg company, being light infantry elements of the 44th Proxima Salvad Prosecutors:






    I wanted to reflect their being a more self sufficient, hi tech force than the grizzled Flexbergers. They therefore all have respirator heads or gas masks (BIG thanks to Skinnereal) to make them more sci fi and capable in hazardous environments. They also have backpacks and extra kit aplenty, with each squad carrying a comms pack and weapons with extra bling.

    Heavily influenced by the excellent converting skills by The Rook Archive to make the standard Cadians look more dynamic in action I shaved wedges out of waists and ankles, repositioning and bodging accordingly.

    They were a refreshing change from my previous Guard sure enough! I'm pondering giving them APCs using Leman Russ hulls, reflective of the WW2 Kangaroo APCs used by the Allies. BUT then I start thinking maybe I should use the tanks to add to the Flexberg instead? Any thoughts?

    Thank you all
    Ragsta


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/07/19 20:23:55


    Post by: osjclatchford


    conversion, colours, weathering, all top notch.
    lovely unit great use of anvil in there too. like your flexbergers, these guys are great. nice and realistic yet highly detailed.

    a great acompanyment to the flexburg infantry.

    as for the tanks? Its tricky. like you, as you're probably aware, my royston rifles were a lot like your flexberg in that they were a somewhat irregular force. all uniform in look but with a certain degree of induviduality to the men that i see you've too been just as insane as I to do in a guard army... with great results, though!

    as such I decided that my armour and artillery were an allied regiment that mostly comprised of converted steel legion.
    perhaps you could do the same? as you've done here, with these drop-troops, specialist units from allied forces to fulfill the roles that the flexberg cannot fill...

    however as these are droptroops (thats quite an asumption on my part so do correct me if wrong, but they kinda looked that way) mechanising the squads with chimeras makes very little sense. so perhaps do the tanks to go with the flexbergs...

    however its also an excuse to buy some of the new dkok when they come out and do some veterans or perhaps another platoon altogether to go with the vehicles? it could also be a fine excuse to do a different colourscheme, perhaps even convert them to something like sleel legion (using madrobot's caparii shok troop heads?)if such a thing takes your fancy...just an idea.

    ..an idea I cant afford to do myself so hoping someone can do and I'll enjoy them vicariously


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/07/20 01:19:12


    Post by: tzurk


    Wow mate, those are lovely guard. They definitely came out a lot more dynamic than the stock poses - the work paid off!

    Basing looks great and the armour chips on them are mint.

    Armour question is a good one. I am trying to solve a similar problem for my guard! I could see individualised transports for each regiment, or one supplying APCs while the other provides MBTs or artillery...or each tank being its own STC with bespoke gribblies and unique construction.

    Anyway - I have no answers, but good luck! I am sure whatever you come up with will be aces.

    The ork fleet and zombie horde at the bottom of the last page deserve praise too. You've put a huge amount of effort into painting an enormous amount of minis to a high standard - really inspiring stuff mate.

    Thanks for sharing!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/07/20 13:14:49


    Post by: Syro_


    That's a good looking chunk of guard you have produced.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/07/20 15:43:37


    Post by: Captain Brown


    Very nice work Ragsta.

    Cheers,

    CB


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/07/24 20:50:35


    Post by: Ragsta


    osjclatchford wrote:conversion, colours, weathering, all top notch.
    lovely unit great use of anvil in there too. like your flexbergers, these guys are great. nice and realistic yet highly detailed.

    a great acompanyment to the flexburg infantry.

    as for the tanks? Its tricky. like you, as you're probably aware, my royston rifles were a lot like your flexberg in that they were a somewhat irregular force. all uniform in look but with a certain degree of induviduality to the men that i see you've too been just as insane as I to do in a guard army... with great results, though!

    as such I decided that my armour and artillery were an allied regiment that mostly comprised of converted steel legion.
    perhaps you could do the same? as you've done here, with these drop-troops, specialist units from allied forces to fulfill the roles that the flexberg cannot fill...

    however as these are droptroops (thats quite an asumption on my part so do correct me if wrong, but they kinda looked that way) mechanising the squads with chimeras makes very little sense. so perhaps do the tanks to go with the flexbergs...

    however its also an excuse to buy some of the new dkok when they come out and do some veterans or perhaps another platoon altogether to go with the vehicles? it could also be a fine excuse to do a different colourscheme, perhaps even convert them to something like sleel legion (using madrobot's caparii shok troop heads?)if such a thing takes your fancy...just an idea.

    ..an idea I cant afford to do myself so hoping someone can do and I'll enjoy them vicariously


    Some great thoughts here, OSJC, thank you for that.

    Firstly, yes the Proxima Salvads are indeed more like drop troopers than anything else. I think I just wanted to shoe horn them into my collection, but I'm coming round to the idea of just churning out some proper tanks instead of modding them into APCs. I have a fresh squadron of 3 Leman Russ in the 'To Do' pile plus 2 Griffons incoming, so that should make for a nice set of armour. Likely an allied unit like the Salvads, and possibly with some mechanized squads in the future.


    tzurk wrote:Wow mate, those are lovely guard. They definitely came out a lot more dynamic than the stock poses - the work paid off!

    Basing looks great and the armour chips on them are mint.

    Armour question is a good one. I am trying to solve a similar problem for my guard! I could see individualised transports for each regiment, or one supplying APCs while the other provides MBTs or artillery...or each tank being its own STC with bespoke gribblies and unique construction.

    Anyway - I have no answers, but good luck! I am sure whatever you come up with will be aces.

    The ork fleet and zombie horde at the bottom of the last page deserve praise too. You've put a huge amount of effort into painting an enormous amount of minis to a high standard - really inspiring stuff mate.

    Thanks for sharing!


    I like your armour so far! You should share more shots of 'em!

    It was my pleasure to share, made more so by getting nice comments from you guys! Really pleased you liked the Orks and zombies - those hordes have been growing steadily over many years but only now have the reached a point where I am happy to leave them. For now of course, you know how it is

    Syro_ wrote:That's a good looking chunk of guard you have produced.


    Thank you, Syro! Much appreciated!

    Captain Brown wrote:Very nice work Ragsta.

    Cheers,

    CB


    Thank you very much, mate.

    SO I start my new job on Monday! The party's over! I have been organising my hobby space for maximum efficiency as a result, and alot of recently acquired shinies have been going into the Biostrip to pave the way for future endeavours (thank you OSJC!).

    I also managed to tick another thing off my short term project list - the final 4 Ravagers for my Ork Reaver fleet:



    If you look up some of my older Ork BFG entries here, you'll see that these ships are the oldest of my collection. I even came close to scrapping them for parts but luckily crazier Ork minds prevailed! I ended up applying the same weathering powed process to these, along with festooning them with missiles from the IG heavy weapon sprue. I am very pleased with how they came out.





    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/07/25 08:36:23


    Post by: osjclatchford


    they're lovely ships!
    all business with those missile racks.
    its clear the orks were like, ok we need a torpedo boat.so they build the torpedo launcher prows. ok now it needs to fly, adds engines... done...

    lovely weathering.

    oh and seem to remember someone asking at how bfg ships can even have weathering in space? bfg ships have void shields that cover the entirety of the ship. these are capable of housing atmosphere just as any bulkhead would. you can quite easily walk around the surface of a cruiser without a voidsuit on... not advised in combat scenarios mind you but go play firewarrior. one level had you fighting guardsmen and marines on the surface of an emperor-class... mental yes but possible in the lore. also, as far as orks are concerned if the junk was rusty before it was assembled and put to space...?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/07/25 13:06:35


    Post by: Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll


    Battle damage? Void shields down for repairs while going through an asteroid field or dust cloud?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/07/26 22:26:04


    Post by: Captain Brown


     Ragsta wrote:
    I also managed to tick another thing off my short term project list - the final 4 Ravagers for my Ork Reaver fleet:



    If you look up some of my older Ork BFG entries here, you'll see that these ships are the oldest of my collection. I even came close to scrapping them for parts but luckily crazier Ork minds prevailed! I ended up applying the same weathering powed process to these, along with festooning them with missiles from the IG heavy weapon sprue. I am very pleased with how they came out.


    Good stuff Ragsta.

    One should never speak the words: "I even came close to scrapping them for parts" when discussing Orks...there are only 'improvements' to offer more dakka.

    Cheers,

    CB



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/09/13 21:02:13


    Post by: Ragsta


    Very wise words indeed, Captain! Using that logic I may actually have some other junk I could utilise in time... Hmmm...

    I have been nearly two months into my new job. It was a massive change for me - leaving the financial office management side of life for working in the NHS in theatres. I am glad I made the change. The change in lifestyle has been formidable, and the learning curve and different shift pattern is proving to be quite something!? As a result my hobbying has been a little less significant, but I welcome the changes and look forward to adjusting my hobby pattern accordingly.

    Recently I shared with you my gribbly zombie horde. I would now like to show you my similarly sized post apocalypse mob of zombie survivors!


















    The bulk of the horde have been cobbled together using the now defunct Wargames Factory zombie apoc survivor kit. It got to the point where I was running out of weapon arms so I made a few unarmed civvies too - that was strangely satisfying.

    Also figures from Hasslefree and Pig Iron Productions. Some vague resemblances can be seen here including Chuck Norris, Bill Clinton, Gordon Freeman and the father of Arseface (if you get that reference right away well done you lol).


    Stay safe out there, and for goodness sake wash your hands!!

    Ragsta


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/09/16 12:21:20


    Post by: gobert


    Sounds like you’re settling in to the new job, sounds busy too! The survivors all look great, is the dog Scooby Doo? I hope so! Cool stuff


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2021/10/04 12:47:42


    Post by: Skalk Bloodaxe


    BFG is such an awesome and underrated game. I genuinely miss playing it.

    Your zombies are great! Very dark and dirty. The Survivors by contrast are light and vibrant. The symbolism is not lost on me.

    Your project is 100% relevant to me as my gaming group just started playing Last Days. I am running a complete dirtbag group (Merciless Thug, Gang Members, Tough Guy) so when they get eaten alive or shot down by another group I won't care.

    Great work as always, looking forward to seeing more.

    And we're even.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/01/24 22:12:45


    Post by: Ragsta


    Thank you gobert and Skalk. Yes, that is indeed Scooby Doo

    So it’s been a while. I hope everyone is doing well and remembering to be nice to one another.

    The strange blurring of 2020 and 2021 ended in a few noteworthy things for me. I painted my most models ever (lockdowns and redundancy will do that!!). I lost my job and got a new one with the NHS (no regrets but wow - it can be tough). I started posting my shizzle on DakkaDak, Insta and my original haunt of Warseer again (now very haunted indeed…)

    My new job has numerous long shifts that suck up my time - it means home life and hobby fun have been significantly impacted and painting productivity much tougher to achieve. It also means my lovely wife finding me asleep on the sofa some nights!! As a result I’m going to need to think long and hard about time efficiency when it comes to future projects. I also held off from buying shiny toys, but there’s still a significant hobby horde to tackle!

    Anyway, here’s a splurge of hobby photos for you chaps, as I still want to honour what I said I was going to share next!



















    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/01/25 02:33:01


    Post by: Boxhead


    I missed the rest of the fleet... I mean armada on Insta. Amazing collection of navel assets you have Ragsta!

    Cheers to the New Solar Cycle and continued hobby exploits!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/01/25 08:16:56


    Post by: gobert


    Glad to hear the job is going well even if it’s eating up time. The Battlefleet certainly turned out well!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/01/26 12:58:15


    Post by: Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll


    Fantastic fleet, it looks great en masse!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/01/26 13:52:00


    Post by: Kid_Kyoto


    Love the ships! Are they conversions or 3d prints?


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/01/28 22:24:45


    Post by: Syro_


    Wow! What an amazing fleet of ships. Thanks for sharing them with us.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/02/06 13:06:33


    Post by: Ragsta


    Boxhead wrote:I missed the rest of the fleet... I mean armada on Insta. Amazing collection of navel assets you have Ragsta!

    Cheers to the New Solar Cycle and continued hobby exploits!


    Happy times to you too, buddy! Really glad you like them!

    gobert wrote:Glad to hear the job is going well even if it’s eating up time. The Battlefleet certainly turned out well!


    Thanks gobert, I’m actually changing roles at the hospital for better hours and slightly more money soon - the work will still be insane but perhaps productivity can adjust accordingly

    Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll wrote:Fantastic fleet, it looks great en masse!


    You’re a gent, thank you so much!

    Kid_Kyoto wrote:Love the ships! Are they conversions or 3d prints?


    Thanks Kid! Appreciate the praise from a fellow pew pew starship fan! No 3D prints here - 20 years (oh mah gud…) of kitbashing and scratch building! I’ll be posting more pictures of the scratch builds and conversions with some more detail in the future.

    Syro_ wrote:Wow! What an amazing fleet of ships. Thanks for sharing them with us.


    Thank YOU for liking them, dude!

    So a while ago I expanded my special security section to 10 troopers because my brain was on full hobby butterfly mode. Sitting in a movement tray from Oshiro Terrain. Extra figures were kitbashed using heads from Victoria Lamb Miniatures and Pig Iron Productions then weapon arns and guns from Heresy Miniatures and legs/ shoulder pads from Anvil Industry. Phew! Also some nice backpacks from CP Models tho you can’t really see them…




    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/02/08 21:18:37


    Post by: Syro_


    Wow, those are complicated miniatures. I think it's cool that those are probably one of a kind figures even though they come from commercially available bits.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/02/09 12:54:09


    Post by: KernelTerror


    Late to the party but wow, that is a magnificient fleet, looks awesome together but ship all have their own presonnality and customized traits, amazing work.
    Nice stormtroopers too !


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/07/16 16:43:09


    Post by: Ragsta


    Thank you Syro and KernelTerror as ever.

    5 months since last update hahahahahaaaaa... *Sigh*

    I did it. I finally completed my 5 platoons of Imperial Guard infantry. Big up to OSJC Latchford, the absolute gent who torpedoed my thinking I was already done with these guys, and selling me a lovely horde of older Guard metals that I just HAD to fold into the Company!



    Flexberg 17th Infantry Regiment, Company 19

    I have 270+ infantry, with each platoon having a standard bearer for some extra pop (albeit painted in drab colours - they don't wanna be bullet magnets I guess) and assorted heavy and special weapons for flexibility - strictly rule of cool here thank you very much! Anti tank squads and mortar teams along the back line.

    I'll be sharing more pictures in time, along with some background for them from my own musings. What you're seeing here is the result of over 10 years whittling, and folding multiple side projects into this, Company 19, to create their grizzled and rag tag appearance.

    Things to come? Their command squad along with priests, commanding officer, commissar cadre and supporting elites. I mean of course right? And the 4 Leman Russ, 4 Sentinels and 2 Griffon mortar carriers.... Yeah....














    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/07/16 17:11:49


    Post by: Syro_


    Very nice, I love seeing that amount of infantry. I would like to see more guard forces heavy on the infantry. Manpower is the Imperium's greatest resource


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/07/21 08:47:59


    Post by: Ragsta





    Thank you Syro, you’re my biggest fan! I’m really chuffed to have a distinctive infantry force - it really fits the Guard theme of massed waves of PBI.

    Here are my heavy weapon support squads - 2 anti tank missile launcher units and a unit of lad cannons, plus mortar squad. Again, I kitbashed and bits box raided loads to give these units some personality. I also tried to add extra kit and sandbags/ crates to the bases to create small vignettes.

    It has been HOT, so I’ve been modelling rather than painting. Hoping to get my stormtrooper squad sorted next though.

    Thanks for reading









    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/07/24 16:51:30


    Post by: osjclatchford


    Some very familiar troopers in those lascannon teams...


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/07/25 06:38:31


    Post by: Ragsta


     osjclatchford wrote:
    Some very familiar troopers in those lascannon teams...


    I wanted to do your generosity justice and also the paint jobs were nice and it made sense to keep them! I did repaint a few of course Really looking forward to working on the characters but we may be moving house soon and the hobby area needs to be beautified for photos so who knows what will happen next!!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/07/25 09:38:23


    Post by: Guardling


    Very cool army, loving the mix of models!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/07/25 19:32:57


    Post by: Captain Brown


    Ragsta,

    For that kind of dedication, what else can I say excepted...Exalted.

    Cheers,

    CB


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/08/31 13:54:36


    Post by: Ragsta


    Guardling wrote:Very cool army, loving the mix of models!


    Thanks Guardling! Praise from the praiseworthy! I do love utilising all the options we now have out there.

    Captain Brown wrote:Ragsta,

    For that kind of dedication, what else can I say excepted...Exalted.

    Cheers,

    CB


    Far far too kind. Thanks, Cap.

    I continue to chip away at my hobby mountain. We're currently in the fascinating situation of trying to sell our flat, with all the stress that entails, but we're also making the best of it and enjoying what's left of our summer too.

    Here's more generosity from the OSJC Latchford treasure hoard - I acquired 7 of the old metal Stormtroopers and boosted them to 10 strong by kitbashing 3 squaddies. Parts used included SM Scout legs, Cadian torsos and 28mm sci rebreather heads from CP Models.





    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/09/20 01:41:08


    Post by: Skalk Bloodaxe


    Thank you sharing that amazing BFG fleet! The kitbash and conversions could pass as stock (even though I recognize at least one of the bitz). Its a game I miss playing but will always be interested in and I appreciate seeing the labors of someone elses continued love for a game from arguably the highlight years of GW.

    Your IG is staggering. I got back into IG about a year ago and thought I had a lot of models. Your collection is massive and fully painted. Yes I know a portion was from osjclatchford but your original army was strong to begin with and is still an active project. I'm a huge fan of mass infantry even to the point of unbalancing my list in my opponents favor. I play the lore and I play for fun. If I lose (which these days is more likely than not, thank you new Eldar Codex) I still had a good time.

    Looking forward to seeing what you post next.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/12/30 17:33:32


    Post by: Ragsta


    Skalk, you're a gentleman and a scholar. Sorry I didn't respond sooner, I'm somewhat reluctant to post without eye melting pictures...

    So 2022 drags to a close, and I have managed to paint up 90 figures. That's a pretty happy average for me - I did take the liberty of classing some of the larger projects as 3 figures though The last 18 months have been a bit of a slog for me workwise - my job with the NHS has proven to be very stressful (golly gosh!). I am looking forward to handing in my notice upon return from holidays as of the New Year - now that I'm a shiny 40 years old I find that my pritorities have changed to actually trying to be nicer to myself!! I look forward to the change.

    I heard something... Karl, more light here...




    I painted the giant spider from Heresy Miniatures. I've had this model for a long time and I'm happy to put it down as 'Good Enough' for my shelves at this point I based the colour scheme on a garden spider called Maria that took up residence in our kitchen window frame, and turned into a magnificent specimen while munching on wasps and bees galore!!!








    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2022/12/31 18:02:38


    Post by: gobert


    That’s one scary spider Ragsta! Copying nature is always a winner on minis like that, making it freakishly realistic! Sorry to hear your job has been stressful, it’s a tough time being in Public Services. Hopefully the New Year and new job bring you what you’re looking for


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/04/09 18:40:16


    Post by: Ragsta


     gobert wrote:
    That’s one scary spider Ragsta! Copying nature is always a winner on minis like that, making it freakishly realistic! Sorry to hear your job has been stressful, it’s a tough time being in Public Services. Hopefully the New Year and new job bring you what you’re looking for


    Thanks Gobert, I'm glad you liked it


    Hello! As usual it's been a while. After 18 months working with the NHS I managed to get a new job with Rockstar Games, which makes me sound much cooler than I actually am!! I consider my time working with the health service as a privilege, but only because I got to work with some truly awesome people led by absolute muppets. Which is an insult to muppets.

    I'm looking forward to a much less stressful role in the new job I'm currently trying to get my exercise levels up by working towards some half marathons. Now if I can only get the comfort eating under control...

    I DO have picturific pictures coming eventually, as I am working on a bunch of things that will probably end up finished all at once. Sigh. I usually hold off on posting WIP stuff, but I wanted to do this one as a reference point for myself. Needless to say I have quite a few things on the hobby pile!!!

    Things I really want to finish sooner rather than later

    Sentinel DONE
    Sentinel DONE
    Sentinel DONE
    Sentinel DONE
    'Dreadnought'
    6 combat medics
    5 officers
    1 commissar
    5 Chaos character types
    2 ministorum priests
    19 Guardsmen DONE


    Things I would LOVE to start in 2023...

    2 Farseers
    3 Warlocks
    20 Swooping Hawks
    16 Striking Scorpions
    5 Dark Reapers
    27 Dire Avengers
    10 Wraithguard


    Things that don't stand a hobbyist's chance in heck of getting started soon

    39 Termagants
    58 Hormagaunts
    2 Biovores
    10 Genestealers
    10 Spore Mines
    2 Screamer Killer
    1 fugly 3rd edition carnifex (yuck)
    37 Rippers
    2 old school Gargoyles
    3 Raveners


    I painted 90 minis in 2022 - it's already April in 2023 and I haven't finished anything yet hahahaaaaa - below is what I currently have on the hobby desk:


    [Thumb - IMG_8023.jpg]


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/05/30 19:57:53


    Post by: Ragsta


    Hello everyone!

    I have recently finished a squadron of 4 Sentinels for my rag tag scumbag Guard, the Flexberg 17th Infantry. A combo of new and evil bay rescues, let's just say I am very relieved to see the finished results!!


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    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/05/30 23:32:21


    Post by: Syro_


    They look good Ragsta I bet it feels good to check them off the list as well. Have you decided which you want to work on next? I'm curious about the "Dreadnought"


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/06/01 07:49:02


    Post by: Ragsta


    Checking things off is extremely satisfying, Syro I’m glad you approve, thank you very much for that.

    Yeah, I think the ‘dreadnought’ will be soonish, more so now there’s interest in seeing it!

    In the mean time, here’s some shots of my converted grand cruisers for BFG Imperial Navy. The idea was lifted from the noosphere- it wasn’t mine but I’m really happy with them. The idea behind my Navy is many of them come from fleet reserves and have features from older designs. I do love my mongrels



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    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/06/01 23:37:55


    Post by: Syro_


    I love seeing BFG stuff (even though I have never played it), so I'm quite happy with this update too.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/06/02 15:55:55


    Post by: Ragsta


    I’m glad you like them! I haven’t played for years either but I do love modelling my sci fi starships. I said ages ago I would post more pics of the converted stuff so hopefully I will stick with that.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/06/08 19:23:17


    Post by: gobert


    Love the sentinals, rescuing eBay minis is very satisfying I think, especially when they end up looking that good!

    The cruisers looks cool, are they 2 ships stuck together? The bottom half looks standard imperial ship, only upside down!” To me


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/08/15 13:31:54


    Post by: Ragsta


     gobert wrote:
    Love the sentinals, rescuing eBay minis is very satisfying I think, especially when they end up looking that good!

    The cruisers looks cool, are they 2 ships stuck together? The bottom half looks standard imperial ship, only upside down!” To me


    Glad you like the chicken walkers! The finished results were satisfying but the rescue effort was quite something - you’ll be very familiar with that yourself!!

    The cruisers are indeed doubledeckers! The conversions come from here: http://www.wargames-romania.ro/wordpress/articles/hobby/building-an-imperialgrandcruiser/

    I was really pleased with the finished articles - they definitely emphasise my theme of battered old hulls being pressed back into service.

    I have recently found myself playing actual games!? After what has been genuinely TWO decades I’ve found myself playing games of 10th edition 40K with some guys from work, and I’ve actually had fun!? It has a decent flow but yeah, it still takes hours even using 500pts. I would like to try Grim Dark Future next

    My Flexberg 17th Infantry linked up with a force of Vostroyans on patrol, only to run into a combined force of Orks and the ever mercurial Dark Angels. Despite some spirited fighting we found ourselves caught in a pincer of frothing green loonies, and enacting a Custer’s Last Stand just before we lost the will to live from exhaustion If anyone’s watched We Were Soldiers think the ambush of the French at the start and you’re right there



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    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/08/15 16:21:34


    Post by: gobert


    A real life game! Awesome, glad you had fun even if the games still take an age to play!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/10/09 09:10:26


    Post by: Ragsta



    Yeah, the games I’ve played have been fun, though I have lost every single one so far hahaha. My wife says I lack tactical wisdom, guess that’s why I play Guard!!

    It’s been a while. I have painted some stuff but can feel my hobby motivation weakening as the autumn kicks in. We are also having the flat decorated so all my toys are now stored away. With my painting mojo wilting I switched to building models instead, and it’s been rather productive!

    I’ve been churning out Gaunt after Gaunt, then Rippers upon Rippers. The horde I’ve collected is strictly rule of cool and based around my hobby nostalgia rather than common sense - so you can expect to see a bunch of 2nd edition gribblies eventually!! So far I’ve built 80 Gaunts/ Hornagaunts and 45 Rippers have been based up.

    I have updated my hobby list in light of recent changes:

    Things I really want to finish sooner rather than later

    Sentinel DONE
    Sentinel DONE
    Sentinel DONE
    Sentinel DONE
    'Dreadnought'
    6 combat medics DONE
    5 officers. DONE
    1 commissar
    5 Chaos character types
    2 ministorum priests
    19 Guardsmen DONE


    Things I would LOVE to start in 2023...

    2 Farseers
    3 Warlocks
    20 Swooping Hawks
    16 Striking Scorpions
    5 Dark Reapers
    27 Dire Avengers
    10 Wraithguard


    Things that don't stand a hobbyist's chance in heck of getting started soon

    40 Termagants BUILT
    40 Hormagaunts BUILT
    2 Biovores
    10 Genestealers
    10 Spore Mines
    2 Screamer Killers
    1 fugly 3rd edition carnifex (yuck)
    45 Rippers. BUILT
    3 Raveners


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    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/10/12 04:42:07


    Post by: Shrapnelsmile


    Ragsta this is a killer batch of minis, and that giant spider above makes me very happy. Well done.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/10/12 10:48:55


    Post by: osjclatchford


    That is a worrying amount of niddage on display there. Both as a guard player and as a painting prospect.

    'Geiger Alien' vibes from the heads makes me say, spray it black and dry brush those suckers with metallics and greys, Then let some bluey green washes do the rest!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/10/13 23:00:14


    Post by: Ragsta


    Shrapnelsmile wrote:Ragsta this is a killer batch of minis, and that giant spider above makes me very happy. Well done.


    Hey, mate, thank you so much! I appreciate the kind words, and I’m really glad the spider is a hit!

    osjclatchford wrote:That is a worrying amount of niddage on display there. Both as a guard player and as a painting prospect.

    'Geiger Alien' vibes from the heads makes me say, spray it black and dry brush those suckers with metallics and greys, Then let some bluey green washes do the rest!


    See now, I have contemplated that idea! I was also thinking about this Nid scheme from Hobgoblin on LAF.

    https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=88065.60

    I quite like it. Guess I’ll need to try a test Ripper or two, anyone’s thoughts would be appreciated!



    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2023/10/21 20:31:03


    Post by: gobert


    That’s one heck of a horde of nids! Either the Alien inspired theme or hobgoblins slapchop-esque scheme would be awesome and relatively straightforward to do. Why have a mountain of minis if you can’t change the painting plan!


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2024/01/12 07:40:33


    Post by: Colonel Jacka


    Ragsta,

    Mate nice work with the IG still. Those Sentinels would fit straight into my IG Army. Great work mate.


    Ragsta's Hobby Hole @ 2024/01/14 09:58:37


    Post by: Karak Norn Clansman


    Glorious battlefleet.