Switch Theme:

Charting Zambro's Hobby - Eldar, Kill Team, Events, WHW, more!  [RSS] Share on facebook Share on Twitter Submit to Reddit
»
Author Message
Advert


Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you:
  • No adverts like this in the forums anymore.
  • Times and dates in your local timezone.
  • Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance.
  • Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely.
  • Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net.
If you are already a member then feel free to login now.




Made in gb
Steady Space Marine Vet Sergeant





United Kingdom

Tommygun1918 wrote:That's just a beautiful paint job on that giant lizard. That's not something I get to say often.


Thanks!
It took a while to paint, and I'm procrastinating in starting the second one...

Nevelon wrote:You can field units of that thing? By itself it’s an absolute Unit! Love the way it turned out.

I mostly just use one paint range these days. But if different companies offer paints with different properties and colors, no reason not to avail yourself of the options. I think it would be worth a little clutter at the paint bench for the options at hand.


In a recent game, a unit of 3 of them ate the equivalent of a Bretonnian hero on a Hippogriff. Great stuff!
I picked up a multiset of 6 Scalecolour greens. I think I'm leaning towards refreshing my paints, and thought the upcoming Striking Scorpions could be the best opportunity to test something out. I wonder if second hand paints sell on Ebay? I have far too many, and a lot are very niche colours (I have 7 purple colours, from blue-purple to red-purple) for past projects that I have not used since. Nice to have, and free to store, but realistically I'm highly unlikely to use them. I definitely do not have space to have them all out when I'm painting for the most optimal and perfect paint choice. There must be a critical mass of amount of paint colour options for painting minis. I wonder what it is? (I'm almost certainly well past it).


Progress wise this week - I got a game!





My Corsair Voidscarred infiltrated Volkus' inner defences, their mission to steal the targeting array technology. A plucky Inquisitor foresaw the infiltration and rallied his forces to fight me off. It wasn't enough - the Inquisitor himself was gunned down by a Shuriken Cannon. The Corsair raiders took casualties, but ultimately escaped with their objectives in hand. A 16-11 win to me.

It's been months since I have played KT (my first game of the new edition). I really enjoy the game. It can be fast paced and absolutely brutal (I was surprised a plasma gun annihilated one of my Ops in one round - but in hindsight a plasma gun should probably do that!). Made all the better that I played at a friend's house, after he moved in just around the corner. I can't remember the last time I walked to a friends house to play a game.

As for paint, some scorpions below. Plus, some progress on my Fantasy miniatures. Progress is slow going with the fantasy, so I'll save the update pictures for another time. I'll keep this update to 40k. The required proof pic for the monthly comp:

And the start:



So far, I've got a base down with Black Forest Green, and a wash of thinned Akhelian Green contrast. I hope a blue wash adds some depth to the green's shadows. I think I will keep the green fairly subdued, and not go much brighter than this. But we'll see how it comes out.

   
Made in us
Walking Dead Wraithlord






Hurray for the victory. I'm liking that green, already. Thr dino from the last page is cool, too.
   
Made in at
Bounding Assault Marine






Austria, Segmentum Solar

Zambro, I gotta say I love this blog! Your Eldar are looking great already and I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out. I also went back through the older stuff and I especially enjoyed your White Scars and Imperial Fists projects from years ago. You're a painting machine!!

   
Made in us
Ragin' Ork Dreadnought





Deep in the Outer Boroughs of NYC

Good progress on your striking scorpions, Zambro. And lucky you, getting to actually play a game. I'm super jealous.

Waaazag da Kan't Stoppable (ORKS) ~6,000 points
Orks-in-Progress, Finished Orks.
Terrain I'm making.
The Darion Sector War Campaign.
Into the Jaws of Hell 40k campaign. 
   
Made in gb
Steady Space Marine Vet Sergeant





United Kingdom

youwashock wrote:Hurray for the victory. I'm liking that green, already. Thr dino from the last page is cool, too.


I'm quite surprised by the victory. It's great how swingy the Kill Team games can be. Small decisions matter, and there is always the potential of a comeback just around the corner.

FeistyRips wrote:Zambro, I gotta say I love this blog! Your Eldar are looking great already and I'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out. I also went back through the older stuff and I especially enjoyed your White Scars and Imperial Fists projects from years ago. You're a painting machine!!


Thanks a lot!
The Scars and Fists were great projects. I'm genuinely sad I have sold them and moved on. They were a product of the time - I was a University student with low number of lessons per week and no job. No wonder I was a painting machine! I aspire to 3-4 painting sessions a week these days. Sometimes I am way off that.

Warboss_Waaazag wrote:Good progress on your striking scorpions, Zambro. And lucky you, getting to actually play a game. I'm super jealous.


Thank you! Some more progress today, but unfortunately no KT games on my horizon.


So I got an afternoon session in today with the paintbrush. I managed to work out my green. I like it. And it's easy enough to replicate across 10 guys.

Base of Black Forest Green, wash with thinned Akhelion Green contrast. Quick layer of BFG back over the flat areas. 50:50 BFG with Irati green. Then highlight Irati green.



Once I block in the other colours, I suspect it'll start to look the part.

   
Made in us
Incorporating Wet-Blending





Japan

Yowza, pages and pages of great work in this PMblog. It'll take me a while to look at everything.

I like your approach to the Scorpions so far.

Now showing various models from the previously adandoned projects!

Painting total as of 3429/2024: 56 plus a Deva King statue
Painting total as of 12/31/2024: 107 plus a set of modular spaceship terrain and two walkers and a quad mech and five giants



 
   
Made in us
Walking Dead Wraithlord






Nice and rich with plenty of contrast. Very nice. I am constantly telling myself that it is ok to live vicariously through you guys painting the new Eldar minis. They're great, but the last thing I should do is buy more figures. Especially Eldar. Keep up the good work!
   
Made in gb
Steady Space Marine Vet Sergeant





United Kingdom



Remaining colours blocked in.
Chipping away at this one. Hopefully a completely finished Scorpion by the end of the weekend.

   
Made in us
The Marine Standing Behind Marneus Calgar





Upstate, New York

Going two-tone on the gun? Not seen anyone do that before with Eldar. Marines yes, with colored caseings.

Coming along looking great!

   
Made in gb
Master Engineer with a Brace of Pistols





Northumberland

Agreed with Nev, don't think I've seen that but it looks really nice. Darker colour of the Scorpions armour looks awesome too.

One and a half feet in the hobby


My Painting Log of various minis:
# Olthannon's Oscillating Orchard of Opportunity #

 
   
Made in gb
Steady Space Marine Vet Sergeant





United Kingdom

Nevelon wrote:Going two-tone on the gun? Not seen anyone do that before with Eldar. Marines yes, with colored caseings.

Coming along looking great!


Olthannon wrote:Agreed with Nev, don't think I've seen that but it looks really nice. Darker colour of the Scorpions armour looks awesome too.


Huh. Maybe it's all those Marines I've painted over the years - it just felt natural.

I'm really drawing out the painting process for the Scorpions at the moment...



This is the first one finished. Going to be a sprint to finish the rest next week (I might even need to run into the extra day should Nev be gracious enough to run it a day longer... hint hint! )

The close up pictures have not been kind to it. My edge highlighting is rough. I should work on that. My Eldar are going to be Saim Hann themed, and I'd like to have some running painting themes through all the models (including the Aspect Warriors). The gems on all the Eldar will be green. Not great for the Scorpions that are already green, but I'll just have to deal with it. The red cloth straps will be a running theme through the aspects to tie them into the rest of the Eldar. It looks good for the Scorpions, but when it comes around to some Spiders, it might not look the best there. But a coherent theme is a coherent theme.

My weekend post is landing quite early this week. I'm going to a gaming tournament this weekend. I'm playing The Ninth Age, and it's going to be amazing. The Art of War is the best event in the tournament calendar. Accompanied with the War of Art, which is a paint competition running along side. I hope I can come home with something. My next update will have plenty of Fantasy to show off.

I also impulse bought something... I won't get to unbox it before I have to leave, but I look forward to sharing it with you all.

   
Made in jp
Incorporating Wet-Blending





Japan

I like your not-quite-turquoise green on the armor, and the yellow stripes hit me in right in the nostalgia bone.

Now showing various models from the previously adandoned projects!

Painting total as of 3429/2024: 56 plus a Deva King statue
Painting total as of 12/31/2024: 107 plus a set of modular spaceship terrain and two walkers and a quad mech and five giants



 
   
Made in us
The Marine Standing Behind Marneus Calgar





Upstate, New York

Looking good!

If you need an extra day, just ask in the comp thread. It’s a short month, and extra day or two would be fine.

I’m also a firm believer in uniform bits across the army for Eldar. Ribbons are red, soulstones are green (although not all gems are soulsontes, so get to mix it up). Helps keep what could be a random bag of skittles looking like they belong together. Even if it’s a little off for some aspects.

Good luck at the tourney!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2025/02/21 18:34:12


   
Made in us
Walking Dead Wraithlord






Looks very cool all finished up. That yellow really sets off the green, and the bone pistol goes well with both. Going to be a scorpion-y February in the comp.
   
Made in gb
Steady Space Marine Vet Sergeant





United Kingdom

How is everyone doing? It feels like it's been a while since I posted anything. I've been saving myself for a big update - time for the mega massive March update!

Starting with the Striking Scorpions. Sneaking them over the finish line in the Monthly Comp's extra time.







I enjoyed painting these, even if they did take a while to get through. I'm learning a few lessons from the first 40k models I've finished in a long time (the Corsairs are essentially abandoned). I'm poor at edge highlighting. I need to get better at that. And faces... I've been painting scales and lizards for too long! And if I'm honest, I think the yellow is a tad too bright. I should have dialled it down after the test model got finished. I'm my own worst critic - they look fine on the table for play.
I hope these guys can see play in due course. Having perused the Blades of Khaine KT rules, I think I can technically run all Scorpions as a team. But I think including some Dire Avengers or Banshees would be a good excuse for some retail therapy.

With the Feb contest all closed down, it's time for March... Space Marine!

The only question is, what Chapter? I have dabbled with many over the years. I went back through my gallery to find what I've painted in the past. A total of 7 chapters over the years.
Spoiler:

Imperial Fists, of course.

White Scars (two armies, at different times, actually)

And the OG White Scars

Space Wolves

Blood Ravens

Salamanders

Sons of Medusa (I found the blog post about them, but I've deleted the pictures apparently!)
Emperor's Children (They're chaos, but it still counts!)



While we're talking about which Chapter to paint. I did something.

I scratched an itch, flexed some retail therapy, and bought a whole new set of paint. I have all of the colours from the Scale75 Scalecolour range, and a few from the Metal and Alchemy range (the rest to be purchased when they come into stock). I really like the paint - I used them to finish the Scorpions. And there is something that feels right about having a single range of paint as the core, to be supplemented with GW washes and the odd contrast. My paint stock is vast, hundreds of colours from multiple ranges. It was frustrating to have so much. There was no way I could have it all out / set up at any one time. My portable paint station lets me have about 80-90 paints on the go. Trying to decide which shades of blue out of the 12 or so blues / purples to have out seemed pointless - I think there is a critical mass when it comes to paint. Having 5 blues, sensible. More, they get increasingly more pointless as the shades are so minimally different it's arbitrary. I will do a full inventory in the coming weeks and put them up on eBay. No idea if there is a market for used paint, but in 99% of the bottles, the paint is still good so maybe someone will get the benefit of them.

Paint shenanigans aside, I spent last weekend at The Art of War 7. A Ninth Age tournament in Bristol. I have 5 great games, 3 of which were against fellow Team Wales players - funny how pairings work out some times! I once drove 4 hours with a bunch of locals and played them all in the same event...
Game 1 against a High elves. A small loss for me, 12-8.

Game 2 against Beasts. A medium loss for me, 15-5

Game 3 against Beasts again. Small win for me this time! 12-8.

Game 4 against Warriors. I got hammered! 19-1.

Game 5 against Ogres. Much better, I won 20-0. (But he was a brand new player, so I am that person that spanks new players, apparently)


The event has always been themed around a mischievous goblin. This time, he was on a gambling spree. Each round you were able to take an IRL gamble (high or lower, spin the wheel, etc), for in game benefits (rerolls, new spells, etc). The last round, you gambled on how many points you were going to get at the end of the game - get equal or more points at the end of the game, and you win what you gambled as bonus points. But dont, and you lose the number of points you gamble. So play it safe, and gamble low, or embrace the recklessness and go big. It was a fun gamble, and impacted the overall final positions quite significantly. I gambled 12 points, and won them, thrusting me to 14/40 on the final standings. It was great fun!

And all events mean a painting competition too... The War of Art 7 occurred simultaenously. Naturally, I entered all the categories. Here are a selection of the best pictures I took, with my army up first.
Spoiler:














I believe the Orc / Gnasher won the player's choice best army vote. The remaining categories were judge voted. The categories were best small, best large, best unit, best dressed and judges open. So many entries, loads unpictured. Such an incredible display of patience, art, and passion. It was really great to look at it all.

As the event wrapped up, it just left the awards.
Spoiler:

I won 3 things!

Best painted large, for the model in the picture. I won the dry brushes - which I was super excited for! They are really nice brushes, I have since found out they are £55!
Best in race. Everything else pictured was the prize for best race - there was this much swag for 16 BIR awards. The prize support was incredible! The event organisers said it amounted to over £3,000. (The prizes in the raffle itself was amazing!).
Best sport. I was jointly voted best sport, but lost out to the tie breaker.


That's me all wrapped up for this week. We'll see what I crosses my desk in the next week.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2025/03/01 22:08:07


   
Made in us
Walking Dead Wraithlord






Good work wrapping up the unit. Congrats on new paint and the tournament fun!
   
Made in us
The Marine Standing Behind Marneus Calgar





Upstate, New York

Grats on the tournament. Looks like a good time.

On the paints, it might be worth it to stash them and evaluate them on a project by project basis. For example, you might have a dozen blues, but keep 2-3 in your ready box as everyday paints. But if you start a project where you need more, like Ultramarines or Dire Avengers, you can hit the deep storage and get a base/shade/highlight for that particular scheme.

Of course, I’m a pack rat from a long line of pack rats, so take that with a grain of salt...

Do you have plans for more marines to follow, or just the captain as a painting project? If you do have an army in mind, what does it look like, what chapter would suit it’s play style? Gravis armor I think would be a good fit for Imperial Fists.

   
Made in gb
Steady Space Marine Vet Sergeant





United Kingdom

@Youwashock - thanks man!
@Nev - No immediate plans for a SM army, but who knows what will happen down the line..? I'm not going to retread old ground with IF again. I'm feeling something new. I've narrowed it down to 2 chapters... But I'll leave you in suspense until my first WIP picture.

I've been away with work for a week, and won't be home until early next week. But I did snap a very quick wip picture of what I was working on before I went. I teased him a while ago as the best mini I've seen in years. Behold:

Metzli, the ruthless. By Lost Kingdom Miniatures.

He will be a Skink on a Pouakai Sky Tyrant for the ninth age. His ability to ambush anywhere on the board (deep strike) is excellent. A big beastie like this will surely sow discord amongst RnF units in the back field!

I'm really looking forward to painting it. I want to predominantly use the airbrush for him. Recently my airbrush has been a glorified rattle can, just priming miniatures. I'm hoping to flex a bit, and try something new with this big boy!

   
Made in gb
Steady Space Marine Vet Sergeant





United Kingdom

A quick WIP picture of my Space Marine.



I went with the boys in blue. I am quite surprised that I have come this far in the hobby without ever painting Ultramarines. It was a close call between these and Blood Angels, but the poster boys were calling. Base coated, and washed in the picture. They will be parade fresh, and edge highlighted. I'll take the lessons from the Scorpions and spend some time refining my edge highlighting skills here. I'm contemplating NNM too (got to make it special somehow!). But I will make that call once I have the blue down.

   
Made in us
The Marine Standing Behind Marneus Calgar





Upstate, New York

Always the correct choice. What color trim?

   
Made in gb
Steady Space Marine Vet Sergeant





United Kingdom

 Nevelon wrote:
Always the correct choice. What color trim?


A picture speaks a thousand words:


I decided against the NMM. I'm using the model as an exercise in edge highlighting. I will save the NMM exercise for another day. I can see it becoming a bigger piece of work if I add extra bits to it.
There are a few spots that need touching up, then I can make a start on edge highlighting. Mid way through the month, and all is in hand.

I also rather impulsively got out some Aeldari I have. I set myself a challenge, paint these 3 minis in 2 hours. They started as base coated red, so already had a bit of time put into them. They are only jetbikes, nothing too special. In trying to do them in 2 hours, I would have to accept certain standards. There is no way I can do excellent layering and shading in 2 hours, for example. Here is the finished products.



It actually took closer to 3 hours. At the 2 hour point, I was really happy with how they had progressed. Accepting whatever I could achieve in 2 hours was quite liberating. It's gotten me into a rabbit hole of the "Pareto principle" (80% of the result comes from 20% of the work) - ie, what are the really easy things to do that make the mini 'pop'. Decals firmly sit in this category. Painting fantasy for years has meant that I haven't used them in a very long time. I should have taken a before and after picture, it adds so much to the miniature. The subtle one on their head is a really great detail, and the huge Saim Hann serpent makes the bike pop! (with the added bonus of coving up my dodgy attempts at doing chevrons!). The gems and edge highlights also fit into this category. The gems are easy to do and break up a sea of red, while the edge highlights give the pop from the distance.
My White Dwarf subscription arrived yesterday, and on initial flick through there is a 16 page "Designer Notes" article on Aeldari. Taking us through the years, showing off some great models, etc. It's perfectly timed and peaking my interest in painting them. There might be more on the way!

In the spirit of painting things quickly, I did some quick and dirty barricades for Kill Team.


Big bird also got some airbrushing love.

I have quite a few Fantasy models on my desk. I have a tournament in a month's time, I need to get it all up to 3 colour minimum before going back to get the details. I think Big Bird will sit in this state for a while before I circle back.


That is it for now. Have a good weekend all.

   
Made in us
The Marine Standing Behind Marneus Calgar





Upstate, New York

Gold trim of the 2nd? Acceptable. At least you’ve accessorized in the colors of a real company...

Eldar alway surprise me how fast they paint up. At one point I also did a speed paint on some bikes. Not 2 hours mind you, but for one of the comps the theme was something speed related and I wanted to take that both literally and subject mater and banged out a squad of bikes in a little time as I could. You are right about the decals, they really help finish minis and give them that completed feel.

Are you freehanding the chevrons? I had horrible luck when doing that. Tape is the way to go. Ideally mask areas off and airbrush. Or just work with the fuzzy stick if that’s what you have (like me)


   
Made in gb
Steady Space Marine Vet Sergeant





United Kingdom

Just a super quick update this weekend. Not much progress this week (other priorities), but a few finished minis nonetheless.




I am taking 74 Saurus to an event in the next couple of weeks... That is a lot of bodies! I need these guys to bolster my numbers.

   
Made in us
The Marine Standing Behind Marneus Calgar





Upstate, New York

74 in a couple of weeks? I hope that’s a total and you already have a chunk of them painted. Even with a super simple paint job that would take me months at best. An I’ve painted less models then that some years!

Those guys are looking good!

   
Made in gb
Steady Space Marine Vet Sergeant





United Kingdom

Thankfully, not 74 to paint! I once batch painted 60ish skinks and vowed to never again do anything like that.

Between already painted models, and unit fillers, I have the vast majority sorted. Those 3 complete the unpainted minis I have. However, I have a bunch of ebay rescues that I will need to clean up to make the 74...

Not a particularly productive week. I have managed to 'finish' the Space Marine for this month's comp. I won't get a chance to do any more, so took some 'finished' pictures at this stage. Probably 85% done. I will no doubt finish him off, but not in time for the comp closing. This will have to do...






As an exercise in edge highlighting, I've (re-)learnt a fair bit. The important of fine brush control being the main one. And the necessity for strong contrasting pops of colour. The edge highlighting needs to be vastly brighter than the main colour to have the desired effect. I'm not entirely sure I've had the effect here...

I put some stuff through the airbrush too.


Inspired by my 3-hour windriders, I'm stacking up some Aeldari to get across the desk. I have a few weeks off coming up, so I'm just getting myself sorted for some hobby time.
Oh, and 2 literal scrap heaps for next month's painting comp. That'll be me starting to chip away at the Hivestorm terrain.

Unfortunately, I will not be updating the blog next weekend. I'm overseas for work this week, and straight back home to a weekend of hosting friends. My first week of not updating the blog this year... I think you'll survive. After all, I went 7ish years without updating it

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2025/03/30 20:55:24


   
Made in gb
Steady Space Marine Vet Sergeant





United Kingdom

Well, a week off turned into two weeks off. But I'm back with a pot of morning coffee and my weekly update. We've got a lot of ground to cover...

Firstly some unfinished business. My Space Marine for Mar's comp wasn't quite finished. I took some selective pictures previously to enter it into the Comp, but here is the finished work.

Some extra details have been picked out, and I finished the base properly. I'm glad I did it, there is something nice and familiar about power armour. But I'm not in a rush to get more Marines across my painting desk.
On the theme of the Comp, I've done this month's entry too.


Super easy by comparison to the Marine. Quick and dirty, and I think they are the first piece of terrain I've painted (potentially ever, but definitely in the last 3-4 years). I'm surprised how quickly they came together. They don't look particularly grand, but it's effective enough to be scatter terrain around a Kill Zone. I should look at some other Kill Zone bits in due course too.

I was having a bit of a play around with bases recently too. I wanted a theme that would work primarily with the Aeldari, and that could also be appropriate for the Warriors of Chaos army that I want to start (pipedream, currently). I'm a bit tired of the generic granite / rubble base that I default to for 40k, so had a play around with some other themes.

I landed with the one on the left. And bonus points, as it fits with all of the foliage that I have already. I have adopted it for my Eldar, which means I have one or two things I need to go back and rebase (5 Scorpions and a Warlock or two).

I have pushed ahead with some Eldar since my last update. The Guardians that got a lick of primer have been finished. I actually quite enjoyed painting them. They weren't particularly onerous, and I kept it to 'quick' painting techniques. I recognise that they are just basic troops, so tried to channel the 'speed paint' that I had with the Windriders a few weeks ago into the guardians. There are more of them, so it naturally took longer, but I felt that the progress was quick enough to see and not lose interest. There is nothing worse than being on the 3rd of 5 layers when batch painting a unit (and trust me when I say that, I did 30 Dark Elves to a high standard years ago and it's scarred me). These guardians are quick enough, easy enough to replicate, and I am VERY happy with the result.





They are Zenithal primed, and get their base red airbrushed on (this is where the picture in the last update is). Nuln oil, same red again on the flat surfaces to even out the shade, orange dry brush on their chest / shoulder area, then the same orange edge highlighted prominent points. I found that drybrush step is amazing at taking the pressure off the edge highlight stage. It softens the edge highlight, and brightens up the area of the model that you naturally look at. I'm really happy with the bases too. I think they compliment the red well and are low maintenance enough to be mass produced if required. I only regret that I didn't do the weapons platform at the same time. I will have to circle back to it at some point and finish it off.

I also took the opportunity to fix up my Kill Team models.

These are two very annoying breaks, as a result of storing them in foam. Nevertheless, a bit of drilling and pinning, and we're back in action.

I am looking to get back into the habit of playing KT regularly. I think Tuesday will be my effort to get a local game of KT on the go.

And now for what has been occupying most of my time recently, my Fantasy. First up, a Saurus character I needed for an event.

Quick and easy, nothing to really write home about.

Some Ripperdactyl Riders too - a little bit more involved than the character.




These guys are excellent in The Ninth Age (called Rhamphodon Riders in the game). I have only recently started playing with them, and really enjoy it! They're torpedos, to be fired and forgot about. They usually kill something, or at least maim a unit before dying to make the enemy easier to deal with in later turns.

I have just about settled on my Army List for the ETC this year. This is it, but with some caveats.

I have played it a few times, and really enjoy the list. The two units of birds on the left and right need to be filled out to 6 each. The Skink riding a carnosaur needs to be a saurus riding a carnosaur. There is a carnosaur without a rider. The slan needs a few paint touch ups.
While the army list is done, and I can visualise it on the table. There is still some work to do.

I played a different list in a Ninth Age tournament last weekend. Here are some pictures from games and best painted.




I ended up going 3 losses and 1 win (my round 1 opponent didn't show, so I got a bye). A bit disappointing, but the social was great fun (as always). We all went for a curry after, and it was such a good time. The game brought me in, but the people have kept me.

On Thursday this week, I did something that I have never done before. I went to Warhammer World in Nottingham. and OMG. What a time. It has never been convenient to get to where I have previously lived, often being 3-4+ hours away. Currently, I live 2 hours away and with a week off work, I decided to make the trip solo. The best thing I have done over all of my 2 weeks off. I made a conscious effort to not spend my entire time taking pictures, and to actually look at the models direct (not through the camera on my phone) - but I still ended up with 300+ photos. I tried to get them down to 10 to share here, but I'm at 11...











I arrived at 10am (opening time), and queued out of the door (school holidays, and loads of people just showing up to play - imagine that being your LGS?!). I went to Bugman's for a coffee (I'd have had a beer, but I don't drink these days). Then; exhibition time. 4 rooms of miniatures and dioramas. I spent 3 hours in there. 3 hours. And I felt like I rushed it in some places. The very first thing in room 1 was the RTB001 Marines (pictures above). It started with a 'history' of GW, some early miniatures. Excellent displays of old armies. Some old metal minis in blister packs from 80s/90s. etc. Then it turned into Fantasy / AoS / TOW displays and miniatures. I was surprised by the LOTRs dioramas (I don't really think about MESBG when I think about GW). The one pictures above is great, and I didn't even notice Frodo in it until I uploaded the picture! There was an excellent diorama of Gandalf riding his cart through the Shire too. The 40k/30k room was immense too. The scenes were utterly epic, with so much hidden detail when you look closer. Then of course there was the biggest diorama... 22 feet long by 12 wide. And 20 foot high. Unbelievable. The information plaque said there was in excess of 5,500 miniatures used, with terrain from 1,200 boxsets. Unfortunately, I could not find the assassin... (for those that don't know, an assassin model is placed on the display in a new place daily and the first to find it wins an assassin model). None of my pictures made it to the final 11, as the mood lighting (rotating variance of red/purple/blue/white light) made all of my pictures horrible. But it was quite the sight. The final few display cabinets had dioramas of all of GW's smaller games (KT, Necro, etc.). But the final final display cabinet was the coolest - guest miniatures on display. I didn't recognise the names, but presumably they were GW legends or significant names in the hobby. One was a Skaven army, the undercity of Talabacland, but the Skaven had learnt the Empire's ways. They were all converted to be dressed like the Empire, and it was actually used as an Empire Army! The Exhibition is well worth the trip, and I loved every minute of it. I think there will likely be diminishing returns should I go again any time soon. But I have done my Hobby pilgrimage, and don't need to visit again any time soon.
The store itself was impressive, having every model available for purchase. I was absolutely ready to drop some money, but nothing screamed at me. The Warhammer World Exclusives were tempting, but it would have just been a purchase for the sake of a purchase. Knowing what is there will prepare me if I go again - I'll have a plan for what I want!

I've had a bit of time to think and reflect on what I want from the Hobby during my time off. I very much enjoy painting and gaming, but it is definitely the people that keep me. My friends from T9A are amazing, and they have kept me playing for a very long time. But I think my T9A chapter is closing, the game is getting smaller and the UK scene is struggling. I am planning for this year's ETC to be the last hurrah. The Team Wales guys are dabbling in other games too, and I will break away as well. 40k, Kill Team, and TOW are where I want to be. This is exceptionally reinforced by my trip to WHW. T9A has been excellent (and is excellent), but there is a wider community that I feel I am on the fringes of. There are a few local clubs around me, and so much potential there that I want to get involved in. This realisation has shaped my short and medium term hobby direction. I have almost got my Army ready for the ETC, and that remains my priority. One last hurrah. But on the side lines I will continue to sneak the odd Eldar model across my desk, and dabble with KT games. I play T9A twice a month reliably, which means I can likely play KT on the 'off weeks'. I have everything I need to play KT ready to go, so I just need to show up. I will eventually pivot to 40k too. I want to buy the new Aeldari Combat Patrol - I've never painted Warp Spiders, and the Dire Avengers combined with Striking Scorpions will make the Blades of Khaine Kill Team. And I do still love the Fantasy aesthetic, I will raise a Warriors of Chaos army in time for some Old World battles. But I think this is an after summer ambition. It is always a little bittersweet to recognise the end of something (and in this case a something that has been a big part of the past 7-8 years). But nevertheless, new projects, new games and new people are always a good thing - and I'll still see all T9A guys anyway, as they're playing these games too!

My coffee ran out a long time ago and I've said plenty. Have a nice Easter weekend, enjoy the Bank Holiday for those in the UK - I hope it's sunny where you are!

   
Made in us
The Marine Standing Behind Marneus Calgar





Upstate, New York

Eldar are looking good, especially if that’s a “speed” job. Dinos are fun looking as always.

Jealous of your trip to WW. Looks like a lot of fun. I’d love to make a pilgrimage there some day, but realistically it will never happen.

Has T9A been going that long? I guess if we are on AoS 4th edition, that sounds right. With TOW being a thing now I’m guessing a lot of people who lost WHFB and didn’t switch to AoS are returning to the GW fold. Always sad when a chapter closes, but things move on. Keep painting, keep gaming, and keep having fun!

   
Made in us
Hurr! Ogryn Bone 'Ead!





USA

Trip photos look amazing. Loving the Warhammer Fantasy / Oldworld content too. I need to actually play a game (never played, even though I'm painting an army for the game).

Guard, Templars, Dungeons & Dragons, Terrain & More. - https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/800909.page

Way too little free time. 
   
Made in gb
Steady Space Marine Vet Sergeant





United Kingdom

Thanks Nev. The Eldar are quite an enjoyable side project. I'm looking forward to making them more of a priority. You're right about TOW and the GW hype. Having a big company behind something is working wonders. TOW is great for the overall fantasy genre, I'm still not a fan of the AOS fantasy style.

Never say never to the Pilgrimage...

@Blockade. Thanks! There is something about RnF games that I love. It feels more tactical, and strategy based, as a result of the movement constraints and lack of shooting. You can't hide in cover and blast stuff like in the 41st millennium - you need to risk getting up close and decisively engaged! You'll be running enemies down with your knights in no time!

   
Made in us
The Marine Standing Behind Marneus Calgar





Upstate, New York

Despite similar core mechanics, WHFB and 40k played completely differently. I used to say fantasy was won in the movement and psychology phases, while 40k was in the combat and shooting. AoS feels like a fantasy re-skin of 40k, and not a RnF game. Still fun, but scratches a different itch.

   
 
Forum Index » Dakka P&M Blogs
Go to: