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Millest's Mediocre Meanderings is pleased to announce that we have now joined forces with the "Bell Of Lost Souls" Blog ring. This links this blog to over 1200 followers and around 500 other blogs who all have views and thoughts on gaming, as well as numerous unique armies and modelling options.

This is a great opportunity for all on the blog to visit some new sites and see something new.

Please visit From The Bell of Lost Souls:

BOLS Bloggers Group
http://www.belloflostsouls.net/

And of course my blog, Millest's Mediocre Meanderings:
http://millests.blogspot.com/

Rynn's World - Steve Parker

When the ork hordes of Warlord Snagrod lay waste to the planet of Badlanding and wipe out the Crimson Fists sent to stop them, Chapter Master Kantor prepare a hasty line of defence on the Fists home planet of Rynn's World. Tragedy strikes when an errant missile destroys the Space Marine's Chapter monastery, killing most of their warriors. With a handful of Crimson Fists left, Kantor must fight the campaign of his life, to defeat Snagrod's orks and prevent his Chapter's annihilation.


CAUTION MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!

The Ork invasion of the Crimson Fist homeworld of Rynn's World is one of the more famous battles the Space Marines have been involved in and is the defining moment for the Crimson Fists Chapter. This book tells the story of that invasion and the horrific consequences for the chapter.

The book like many of the recent novels is split into multiple parts. In this case its split in to three parts. The first part sees the lead up to the invasion with details of invasions elsewhere, warp news and the Librarium all making an appearance. Then it moves on to look at the invasion itself and most importantly the catastrophe that strikes the chapter.

The second part follows the defence of New Rynn City and the brave defenders holding at all costs. It also examines the trek of Chapter Master Pedro Kantor to New Rynn City along with his bunch of survivors, both marine and civilian. The final part details the retaking of the New Rynn City Spaceport and ends as the liberation begins, but doesn’t detail any of the retaking of Rynn’s world.

This was an excellent book that I felt looked at one of the most interesting and devastating events that could impact a Chapter, however despite been excellent I’m afraid it could have been better. The book was fast paced and I managed to get through it extremely quickly, without missing any of the action or wondering what was happening at any point, the book was just so well laid out that it moved on with little pause.

The language used was simple, if sometimes overly so, but on a whole read well. I did find parts of it to be a little over the top and did notice one or two mistakes in the tense used in the novel.

One thing that I did like that despite the loss, anger and in some cases just plain rage there were some nice humorous sections, almost grave digger style humour but it worked and helped portrait the marines as something other than automatons, however for the most part they did stay true to character as it were.

The book also had some nice little features like the 4 colour pages in the centre with maps of the planet, continents and cities. This single little touch really helped finish the book and really makes it stand out as something different to the normal warhammer 40000 novels out there.

The things that I felt could have made the book better were little things that if I hadn’t played 40k for so long I wouldn’t have noticed. For example Cortez, in current fluff he’s a survivor and has no problems, however in the book despite surviving and theoretically being fit for duty there is a major change to established fluff.

As pointed out by a number of other reviews the story of the Land Raider Rynn's Might (remember the land raiders shown on the Land Raider poster in White Dwarf and written up in issue 256) this almost pivotal component of the siege was missed and was actually disappointing not to see.

My final gripe and one that I though could have made the book an outstanding pinnacle of Black Library fiction was the liberation, or in this case lack of one. Whilst the planets liberated and we know this, what we don’t know is how or who by. To me adding a few more chapters covering this and all the forces involved would have really finished the novel off and would for me as a gamer opened up some interesting avenues for modelling and army building.

An excellent book and as the opening salvo in the Space Marines Battle Series was an excellent read and was well written and true (for the most part) to accepted cannon, it was nice for the writer not to reinvent things, and helped detail something many gamers have read about in brief but haven’t had the chance to explore in detail.

Well done Mr Parker and let’s hope that the second book in the series, another Imperial Fists Successor novel in the guise of the Black Templars, holds up to the standard set by this novel.

With all that in mind though Rynns World is an excellent read and is well worth of a 5 out of 5.


Availible from:
http://www.blacklibrary.com/
Rynn's World - Steve Parker
softback, 416pp • ISBN 9781844168026


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Blog News - Work it Doth Sucketh!!!
Well folks just a quick update, due to a large amount of work and then another 4 days of long shifts there has been no painting as such, and wont be for a fair few more days due to me having absolutely no free time!


However to satisfy my need to blog and peoples appetites for some of my models there will be postings of some recently completed works over the next day or so, and a book review that was just posted before this post to keep you entertained. The First WIP pics i hope to have up tomorrow for you all.
Also those of you that have asked about painting I'm pleased to say that not only have the paints been ordered but I have also ordered some basic Marines and Guardsmen to do some test painting on which means some up coming votes on colour schemes. Once there is more information the blog will be the first to know.

Hello folks

here is the first of the catch up posts while I'm working to show you what Ive been up to recently. The guys are quite simple conversions of Kasrkin models with the old metal scout biker shotguns and a lot of green stuff to fill gaps and re-sculpt hands.

All the models will have alternative back packs to the standard power cell backpacks for the Kasrkin. I have decided in the end to use the backpacks from the Kasrkin Grenade Launcher, this not only keeps the theme and style of models linked but it also does look like the backpack would hold ammo rather then just batteries.

here's the pics:



My apologies for the group pics but it was the quickest and easiest way to show you all 10 of the models. Individual or at least more detailed pics will be up later in the week. hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think.

As promised here are the more detailed pictures of the latest models out of the Conversion Corner, my Shotgun Storm Troopers. The pics show some more detail on the work carried out and give you an idea of the look in going for.






as you can see, simple looking conversions but strangely difficult! I currently have 10 but I am thinking of possibly adding another 5 or so to allow me to field full 10 man squads with Sergeants and Special weapons. Colour schemes will be put up for vote hopefully by the end of the month once I have received all my orders and completed some test miniatures to show the schemes.
Hope you enjoy these and feel free to leave any feedback.

:O

Really nice conversion, Dave!

Well folks after a week of waiting with baited breath for the postie to arrive, well when I haven't been stuck at work that is, all the modelling bits and airsoft bits I've been waiting on have finally arrived! YAY!

The Airsoft bits were the first to arrive and once I've finished the alterations to my M249 I will make sure that they are fitted then get some pics up for you all later in the week.

On to the modelling and painting bits! Other then new books these have been my first purchases of models and paints in well over a year. I dug out my old paints and bitz and found that it had all either dried up (apart from a couple of pots) or I had traded it away, so I set out on the task of restocking and getting enough models to tie me over until next month. In the end i ended up ordering:

[*]A Bucket load of paint
[*]Couple of varnishes
[*]Some paint palettes
[*]5 snap together Cadians for test models
[*]A box of 5 Space Marines for some test models
[*]20 Marine shoulder pads for casting pads on to (Thanks to imcdonnell on Dakkadakka for giving them to me for free).

Once all this lot arrived in its various dribs and drabs I was a happy bunny, though admittedly I did spend my first day off having a very interesting day out at a local music festival. To be fair though it was worth it and it was definitely a great way to spend the afternoon with the other half! So once I got home and unpacked everything I was confronted with this little lot:


I know it doesn't look too much but considering other then books I haven't spent a penny on 40k stuff for a long time its a vast amount of stuff for me. Well now that lots arrived I have a lot of things planned and now realise I need to buy some important things, like the Guard and Marine codexes, still lots planned over the next few weeks when I can slot things in around work and the real world! So as a brief run down and to help me remember here's a list of whats coming up:

[*]Mentor Legion Test model
[*]Red Hunters Test model
[*]Guardsman Test model
[*]Storm Trooper Test model (using guardsman)
[*]Inquisitional Storm Trooper Test model 1
[*]Inquisitional Storm Trooper Test model 2

So as you can see lots planned and over the next few weeks there will be a couple of polls appearing on the blog for some important decisions, and as always any feedback, help or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Helsreach - Aaron Dembski-Bowden

When the world of Armageddon is attacked by orks, the Black Templars Space Marine Chapter are amongst those sent to liberate it. Chaplain Grimaldus and a band of Black Templars are charged with the defence of Hive Helsreach from the xenos invaders in one of the many battlezones. But as the orks numbers grow and the Space Marines dwindle, Grimaldus faces a desperate last stand in an Imperial temple. Determined to sell their lives dearly, will the Black Templars hold on long enough to be reinforced, or will their sacrifice ultimately be in vain.


CAUTION MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!!

The Second book in the Space Marine Battles series deals with the second Ork invasion of the Planet of Armageddon. This is one of the more famous planetary invasions and leads to a series of battles that many Space Marine Chapters of the Warhammer 40,000 have been involved in and is the defining moment for many a Chapter or Space Marine Hero. This book tells the story of that invasion and the horrific consequences for population of Helsreach, its Defenders and it Enemies and concentrates on the Black Temaplars Space Marines.

The book sees the lead up to the invasion with details of the invasion and the preparations and decisions that lead to the eventual outcome. The book also deals with the siege of Helsreach and final outcome to save the city and its population. This was an excellent book that I felt looked at one of the most interesting and devastating events that could impact a world and ultimately a Hive city.

The book was well metered for the most part, though some small parts did seem to drag rather slowly and this seemed to pull the whole book back and make it seem a slow read in the places. The story was pretty straight forward and for the most part however did seem well planned out, but there were some issues with the format and style it was written in. The thing that particularly frustrated me where when it flicked between the flowing story and Grimaldus’ inner monologue, those bits whilst interesting and involved didn’t seem to gel with the rest of the book. Again like the first book in the series this book had the 4 colour pages in the centre with maps of the planet, continents and cities. This single little touch really makes this series stand out as something different to the normal warhammer 40000 novels out there.

The story was a very good telling of the siege of Helsreach but rather then concentrate on this (which in my view would have made a great guard and titan novel and could have been expanded) this book looked at the “limited” involvement of the black Templars. And most importantly looks at the development and failings of Grimaldus, a black templars chaplain.

Whilst the novel was well written I wasn’t impressed overall with the battles as the few that the marines seemed to be involved in were over too quickly and didn’t go in to the greater depth I expected to see in the Space Marines Battles series. Most of the characters were fairly two dimensional as well and were pretty much 40k stereotypes, but this I guess is what made it a true 40,000 novel! The novel again was a good start to a good series and is going a long way to help set some of the best short fiction stories down on paper in a more in depth and complete manner then before

As with the previous book in the series (and I’m taking this almost word for word about the previous Space Marine Battle series review) is that my final gripe and one that I though could have made the book an outstanding pinnacle of Black Library fiction was the liberation, or in this case lack of one. Whilst the hive is liberated and we know this, what we don’t know is wholly how or who by. To me adding a few more chapters covering this and all the forces involved would have really finished the novel off and would for me as a gamer opened up some interesting avenues for modelling and army building. Not to mention finding out the fate of the Black Templars Techmarine after his sins!

With all that in mind though Helsreach is a reasonably enjoyable read and because of that and its place in a great looking series of books I personally think this is worthy of a 4 out of 5


Availible from:
http://www.blacklibrary.com/
Helsreach - Aaron Dembski-Bowden
softback, 416pp • ISBN 9781844168620

Hi folks
for those of you interested in these things i have updated my blog with details of a new Space Marine Battles novel from the black library staring the Dark Angels thats coming in the new year here:
http://millests.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-release-news-purging-of-kadillus.html

I have also updated the blog with some more pictures and information on my airsoft toys here:
http://millests.blogspot.com/2010/07/airsoft-armoury-m249-project.html

hope some of you find these of interest and enjoy looking at them,
cheers
millest

well folks after sorting out my models, paints, supplies and workspace over the last month I've now come to the stage where I need to sort out rules and project requests and more purchases. So tonight's post is a post of at least two parts, so lets begin!

The first part is nice and simple, as I'm building two forces I need to pick up the codex for each force! Now as I'm planning Guard and Marines it could be expensive but now that the allies I was planning, witch hunters and daemon hunters, now have their codexes available as PDF this makes things a lot cheaper. So come payday this month I will pick up the first codex of the two and a unit from that codex, and then next month I will pick up the other. So the question to you, and one you can vote on on the right hand side of my blog here - Millest's Blog Spot, is:

Which Codex should I get on payday?



Nice and simple choice, so please help me out and cast your vote. Then later in the month once the votes are in I will reveal the results and then ask for suggestions on a unit to pick up at the same time!

Second thing is not so simple but is quick to ask, does anyone know any UK or USA based casters that would be able to cast full figures in resin or metal? I'm only looking for 20 or so but no one I have contacted so far as been prepared to work on such a "small" project. Failing that does anyone know any good cheap UK based sellers of rubber mould materials and resin?

Finally keep your eyes out over the next few days for some new regular features such as Blog News, Hobby News, Mondays Mirthful Meanderings, Fridays Five Finds and also the addition of Keywords to posts to allow for quick and easy searching within the blog.

All the best and enjoy your weekends!

Finally got round to opening up my box of Space Marines and my Snap-Together Imperial Guard last night after work and unfortunately I have decided I had to post as I was a little shocked at the quality of the models! I was originally going to leave this post until I had made some progress on the test models and could show you some progress on that. As I say though I really was disappointed with the models, so lets have a look at them.

IMPERIAL GUARD

Initial impressions as they stand now the models aren't too bad but I was extremely disappointed with the fit, I knew they would never be perfect but given the gaps between the gun arms and the body as well as between the holding hand and the arm was vast. In the end some serious bending, gluing, filing and hacking was needed to get them this presentable!

but wait it gets worse.......

SPACE MARINES

This is the final stage I managed to get my Marines too! That's right this is the best I could get my marines, there was a serious mismatch between the front and back of the moulds for these with a misalignment of roughly 1mm all round the model! The mould lines are amazingly bad. not to mention there were some serious problems with the models as a whole, these two were put together using the best parts I could find from a box of 5 marines!

Whilst I appreciate sometimes models can be difficult to put together I really wasn't expecting worse quality control on Games Workshops "main stay" products than you get from Forge world. I am annoyed that this is the state of their current moulds and just prey this is a one off incident and not the shape of things to come.

I suppose the only saving grace in this case is that these models are destined to be Test models and just glorified palettes for my ideas rather than actual table top figures.

Please if you have any thoughts on this or have had similar issues please post them and let me know just so I know what I will be facing!

More updates to the blogs, including airsoft updates, blog updates and also some more info on the Storm Wardens project, can all be found here:
http://millests.blogspot.com/

cheers


Automatically Appended Next Post:
More updates to the blogs, including airsoft updates, blog updates and also some more info on the Storm Wardens project, can all be found here:
http://millests.blogspot.com/

cheers

Morning Folks,
just a quick post here due to work and life, seems the results for the Codex vote have come in today and the results are actually quite surprising to me.

The winner of the vote is:



I must say given the number of Space Marine players and fans out there I was expecting a run away win for the Space Marine book, however the results clearly show that the Imperial Guard fan boys were out in force! The end results were 20 votes cast, with 16 for the IG book and only 4 for the SM book.
A big surprise but exciting and interesting for me. Time for me to get on and order the book, if only I could decide which unit to pick up along side it now

Thanks to all that voted in the poll.

In other Blog news recent posts have included this weeks MMM and also an airsoft armory upload, all of which can be found here:
http://millests.blogspot.com/

Cheers
Millest

Path of the Warrior - Gav Thorpe

The ancient eldar are a mysterious race, each devoting their life to a chosen path which will guide their actions and decide their fate. Korlandril abandons peace for the Path of the Warrior. He becomes a Striking Scorpion, a deadly fighter skilled in the art of close-quarter combat. But the further Korlandril travels down this path, the closer he gets to losing his identity and becoming an avatar of war.


WARNING CONTAINS SPOILERS!!

The latest Warhammer 40,000 from the Black Library deals with the ascension from lowly elder to warrior and beyond of one member of the Craftworld Alaitoc. Now before I begin I must point out that I am an Imperialist through and through, whilst this meant I approached the book from a different point of view from an Eldar fan I still think it would be an interesting read for all to give a view in to the mind of the Eldar.

The Novel deals with the life of Korlandril as he move along the various paths each member of the elder race must travel as they develop and grow. The novel begins as Korlandril the Sculptor treads his path creating beautiful and masterful artworks. Korlandrils personal life soon begins to unravel and it casts him down in to a dark and dangerous place. The speed and way this is handled in the novel despite trying to be aloof and above petty mindedness just ends up making the “young” Eldar look like petulant teenagers and for the most part makes them seem more Human than Eldar, however this pretence is soon dropped once the next path is chosen.

Once of the most impressive parts of the first part of the novel and the initial parts of his move on to the path of the warrior is the way the image of the craftworld is painted. It is shown in a way to show its vastness and it also ends up developing a character of its own. This part of the Eldar way comes to life towards the end of the novel when the craftworld begins to react to invaders but it really helps you understand why each individual craftworld and its residents have their own character.

Once on the path of the warrior things seem to move quickly, though I judge by the writing that it is meant to be months that pass however I don’t think that is conveyed too well, and before long Korlandril has mastered the ways of the Striking Scorpion and is deemed ready for battle. On joining battle things don’t go well or last for long however this unexpected outcome of the battle leads to yet another dark turn and almost too quickly (as even noted by other characters in the book) Korlandril takes a turn on to the part of the Exarch. The move to Exarch again is swift and shocking and again uses the size and Varity of the craftworld to present a completely different view of an aspect Shrine. Finally Korlandril joins the battle for altioc as an Exarch and goes on to join with the Phoenix lord and continue his existence there as an eternal part of the lord.

The novel was well written and gives an interesting overview of the Eldar, their way of life and most importantly their belief system. Each chapter was prefixed with a short “Extract” of the Eldar myths and legends, whilst written in a pseudo Lord of the Rings style and reminiscent of some of the myths and theology of the Indian subcontinent. When reading these insights it does help set up the novel and make you realise why things are as ritualised and as ordered as they seem to be for the eldar. The whole novel is sprinkled with references to the fall and these legends and these mixed with the constant changing of characters names (and unfortunately the tense in which they are talked about) do slightly confuse the past with the present, it seems when Korlandril became an Exarch he was no longer Korlandril and in places it became confusing but for the most part the novel worked and flowed well.

The ending of the novel was interesting and brought all the characters, be they Eldar or the Craftworld together. The ending also in my mind answered many questions on the nature of the Phoenix lords, and most importantly gave the Black Library chance to get Space Marines in to the novel (and a mention of what I can only assume was the new Caestus Assault Ram from Forge World).

My only major issues with the novel as a whole, despite its smaller failings, was the speed in which it developed. The novel moved too quickly through the path of the warrior and ended too soon. The characters and their interactions could have been further developed and could have revealed more about the Eldar and their beliefs but I guess it was just one novel not a series.

Overall due to the brief nature of the novel I think it have earned its three and a half stars and that’s from someone who isn’t an Eldar fan so for all those Pointy eared types out there this would be a great novel to pick up.


Availible from:
http://www.blacklibrary.com/
Path of the Warrior - Gav Thorpe
softback, 416pp • ISBN 9781844168743

Daenyathos - Ben Counter

Exclusive prequel novella to the Soul Drinkers series by Ben Counter.

Held prisoner by the Imperial Fists and on the brink of being condemned by their fellow Astartes, the once proud Soul Drinkers are a pale shadow of what they once were. Daenyathos is the story of how, over millennia, the seeds of their damnation were sown and how a single corrupt librarian became a canker at the very heart of a Space Marine chapter.


WARNING THIS REALLY DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS!
If like me your were lucky enough to get hold of a copy of Daenyathos or were foolish enough to splash out that much on a small book, depending on your point of view, you’ll know there is something different about the way this book is put together. Just like the Iron Warriors book before it this limited edition book is smaller in foot print then a normal Black Library hard back book and is a lot thinner. That been said it really doesn’t take away from the content of the book! The book was a limited run of 1000 and was signed by Ben Counter so I’m happy own it in that respect as I always get a bit excited about signed items!

The book charts the rise of Daenyathos from the roll of Battle Brother to the spiritual father of the Soul Drinkers chapter. Despite being only 6 chapters and 126 pages long the book crams a lot in and follows his swift path through the ranks. The book opens with a letter to what I can only assume is a serving member of the Imperial Fists or an Inquisitor explaining that the novel is evidence in the trial of the remaining Soul Drinkers.

The first chapter deals with the assault on the Ecclesiarchal Palace during the reign of Vandire and the part Daenyathos plays in it. The opening chapter sets much of the scene and introduces most of the main initial players as well as some characters that appear again. My favourite part is the appearance of the Brides of the Emperor, it’s nice to see them get the pre Sisters of Battle history brought out in to the open. This chapter deal with how Daenyathos and his squad interact and how “initially” they were righteous and were on the right path.

The second chapter concentrates on the chapters dealings with an Inquisitor, his prey and the exterminatus of a planet. This chapter is the most important when it comes to reoccurring characters and starts to deal with the slow fall Daenyathos starts upon. It is at this point that Daenyathos begins to question the part humanity is playing in its own downfall and his place, and that of his chapter, within that scenario. This chapter basically signals the beginning of the end, at least in the eyes of the imperium, for Daenyathos and the Soul Drinkers.

The third chapter is where Daenyathos takes these thoughts to heart and decides to become a Chaplain within the ranks of the Soul Drinkers. The novel primarily deals with the trials and rituals that are used by the Drinkers to induct their chaplains and to ensure their purity, though the way in which they do it seems intrinsically flawed and hence why it seems Daenyathos passes and moves on to become a chaplain. This is where he also decides to codify his beliefs in what goes on as we all know from the Soul Drinkers novels the founding tenants of his chapter.

In the fourth chapter Daenyathos is a fully fledged chaplain and on a mission with the Reclusiarch the threads begin to unravel and it seems that the manner in which he rose to power is more than just a little stained with the blood of the innocent. It is in this chapter that he takes the first step of no return on the path to downfall. Initially during the mission the teachings of his book is questioned and its wide spread acceptance amongst the Soul Drinkers is also raised. Daenyathos uses this as a chance to appear humble but also to trick those who might unravel the plan in to a suicidal attack which when it doesn’t quite work he then completes the task of their eradication himself. This leave him free to take up the mantle of Reclusiarch himself and ultimately damns the chapter!

The fifth chapter concludes the pursuit of a heretic by Daenyathos and his eventual torture at the heretics hands. This is one of the overall story arcs of the book and helps tie the whole novel together. It is here whilst at his weakest and strongest that the whole corruption of his ideals is revealed and is ultimately committed to being enacted. We also see him reduced to a shell of a marine but in this he still proves he is stronger and better than most humans, and this alone seems to cement his beliefs.

The sixth and final chapter sees Daenyathos reduced to the living core of a Dreadnought, although as far as the chapter is concerned he is dead, and his three prodigies being entrusted with his legacy. We also learn more of his plans as he reveals them to one of the heroes of the imperium and also how he intends to enact these plans from his sarcophagus. This chapter is the most important chapter in the future of the Soul Drinkers and goes a long way to explain just how they could become so misguided and ultimately corrupted. The final part deals with him leaving the chapter to its dark future.

The novel is extremely well written and deals with and explains well all the things that caused the great Soul Drinkers Heresy. The prose is flowing and most importantly doesn’t get confused between past and present even when it does need to refer to past events in the present. The descriptions although at some points truncated really do make the book work, that in itself is one of the joys of Black Library novels in how they have a wealth of imagery and background to draw from. The thing however that makes this book stand out from its Iron Warriors counterpart and from all other Black Library novels are the notes and sketches interspersed throughout the book. Ben Counter has gone to great pains to make it look as though the recipient or sender of the evidence has gone to great pains to annotate the book and contradict/correct comments. The sketches of marines, books, weapons and forces make the whole book pop and virtually every few pages there has been something included to make you look at the sketch and think how it might fit in to the “legend” of the Soul Drinkers. I have included some of the sketches from the novel that are available on the Black Library website below this review. A great novel and great filler piece to explain how and why the chapter fell, if one crops up on eBay or anywhere all I can say is get it!



An excellent bit of historical novel writing from the 40,000 point of view and well deserving of 5 out of 5 stars.


Available from:
http://www.blacklibrary.com/
Daenyathos - Ben Counter
128page hardback, numbered, with marker ribbon, custom artwork and hand signed by the author • ISBN 9781849700085

Well folks despite a shocking few days at work it seems that today is an exciting day afterall! I returned home not only to find the Sabbat Worlds anthology from the Black Library on my mat but also my copy of the Imperial Armour 9! First impressions are they look great and I'm looking forward to reading them (shame I'm a third of the way through Hunt for Voldorius and I'm away this weekend but still their time will come!) and as always the books have a great finish.


Once they were unpacked and all dribbled over I have had a flick through them both. Sabbat Worlds looks like a rip roaring collection of different stories from all around the Sabbat Worlds area, most importantly theres not just one Ghosts story, but two! So that looks good. Plenty of other good stuff from Nick Kyme and the like.

Then had a quick flick through the Imperial Armour 9, some interesting sections, lots and lots of fluff as well as some great colour schemes and details on iconography, however the most pleasing thing for me was this:


Yep, I've been lucky enough to get it signed again! That means if I remember rightly that so far I'm fully signed on all my FW books, including aeronautica. As I know I'm not going to get much chance to read this for a few days and I suspect I'm lucky enough to be amongst the first few to get it here is a picture of the contents page and if anything on it interests you or you would like to know more let me know and I'll see what information I can give you (however I wont copy pages as I wouldnt want to breach GW copyright) so here it is:


Enjoy and let me know if there is anything you'd like to know.

Hobby Tips - Green Stuff Moulding and Casting Tutorial

Hi Folks,
Today is the first in an infrequent series on the various hobby tips I've picked up or developed over my time playing and modelling. Hopefully for some people this might be useful but for those of you that are old hats at this modelling malarky please feel free to offer tips and suggestions as to how to improve my tutorials and the techniques I use. Also as a heads up as I'm still only at the modelling stage of my current project most of my first tutorials will deal with this, painting will come later.

I've been asked a few times in the past how I recreate some of the icons I've used, how to replicate an icon from a shoulder pad or even how to cast an item off a flat piece for use else where. So I decided to make my first tutorial a quick guide on Moulding and Casting with Green Stuff.

To begin moulding and moving on to casting you will need a few items and I have cut my list down to the bear minimum for speed and cost. To make a successful mould you will need:

The Item you wish to mould

Blank Shoulder pads or items you wish to cast on to
Green Stuff
Cutters
Hobby Knife
Kitchen roll/towel
An old paint brush
Tweezers
Some kind of lubricant

As you can see from the list and the picture this is not a huge list and certainly only covers basic simple push moulds rather than two part moulds. Once you have all these bits assembled you can then start on the following step by step guide on how to creat a mould and then cast the icons in question:

1#
First job is really simple, all you need to do is decide on the the items you wish to cast, in this case I will be using the two shoulder pads that Ron over at ++From The Warp++ sculpted for me for the Red Hunters and the Mentor legion. Using these is twofold, 1- they arent produced by GW so dont break any copyright and 2- I need them for my upcoming marine forces. Once you have the items its prudent to check them over and remove any flash on the pad and tidy up any rough areas on them to help produce a smooth lift from the mould, this is illustrated below:


2~
Next step is to measure out the green stuff you require to cover the whole front of the pad to a depth of around 3mm and to give an excess all the way around the rim of the pad to roughly 3-4mm, this is a ball of roughly 1-1.5cm in diameter. Leaving an excess round the edge gives you something to hold on to whenremoving the pads and the depth assists when you start casting later and means you dont end up pushing the green stuff through the front of the mould. As you can see from the picture below I do a little extra prep on my green stuff:

As you can see from the picture I have cut the amount required, I have then cut the thin strip out where the two seperate parts of the GS meet. This is something I recommend doing to help give a smoother putty to work with. I have found that sometimes if you have an older batch of GS the section where the two colours joins has often started to cure, by removing this it makes it easier to kneed the GS and gives a smoother finish, slightly wasteful I know but we're going for results here!

3#
Once you have mixed your GS the next step is to take your Old Paintbrush and use it to apply a liberal coat of luricant to the front of the item you wish to cast. There are various types of lubrication you can use but I personally recommend anything water based, this makes it easier for washing off later and means you can make other moulds or even paint on to the item easier.

4#
Once liberally coated the next step is to push your pad in to the freshly mixed GS, I start by making a rough ball of GS and slowly pushing the pad face down in to the top of the ball. I make my best effort to get the centre of the icon in to the very top of the ball, this just makes sure the GS covers and fills the detail of the icon and helps locate the pad in the center of the GS, once completed the pushing the mould should look like this:

As you can see at the top and sides I have left a 3-4mm overlap with the GS coming well clear of the edge of the pads, this gives me something to grip for removal and something to push against later for casting.

5#
Once you have finished the pads you should leave the moulds in a warmish place for 36+ hours, as I knew these would be getting some punishment I left them for just over 48 hours just to ensure they were fully set and rock hard, do not remove the pads from the moulds before this time as it means they do not support themsleves proerply and are likely to deform.

6#
Once this period for setting has elapsed you can then remove the pads from the moulds, to du this you can use your cutters, tweezers or fingers to grip the pads and pull, there is also still some give in the GS so you can at least try to tease it from the edges of the pads. Once done you should be left with something like this:

I would then recommend leaving the moulds for a further 12-24hours to make sure the inside of the mould which was proctected from the air by the pad and lube has fully cured. This isnt nessescary but its a useful suggestion to prolong the life of the moulds

7#
Now the mould making process is complete you can begin on the casting. This is where you will need you blank shoulder pad. The first step is to mix up a small amount of GS as shown here:

As you can see from the 6mm airsoft BB in the picture the ball of GS required is somewhere between the size of a Space Marine Shoulder pad and a 6mm BB.

8#
Step one of the actual moulding process is to take the mould you wish to use and cover the relief image of the icon and all of the internal part of the mould with lubrication:

Feel free to be fairly liberal with the amount you use as any excess lubrication should squeeze out when you start the push casting.

9#
Next take your ball of GS and push it in to the mould gently, to ensure I roughly cover the whole of the icon before I start on the pushing I put a small amount of lube on the round end of the paint brush and push the GS gentley until I end up with this:

as you can see this doesnt quite cover the whole of the inside of the mould and is still pretty uneven but this will be rectified soon.

10#
Next take your old brush and cover the GS you have just put in to the back of the mould with GS. Once you have done this place the shoulder pad in to the GS and gently push, you should then end up with this:

As you can see the excess GS and lubrication has started to be pushed out from around the mould and the pad.

11#
Next take the mould and the kitchen roll/towel, place the mould on the roll/towel with the pad facing down (if the pad was uncovered you would expect to see the icon facing up towards you. Then gently apply pressure to the mould and push down as hard as possible but slowly and gently. keep this up for 30 seconds to 1 minute and you should have like below:

here you can see the excess lubrication and GS has being fully squeezed to the side of the pad and should be completely pushed in to the icon.

12#
Once this is completed you should now have a small amount of GS left over from what you moulded up, I personally use this to make rudimentary sandbag shapes for future terrain, you should therefore be left with this:

there seems to be a lot of excess GS sticking out from the mould but this is actually more of a bonus than it seems as it means you now have something to grip to help remove the cast from the mould.

13#
This step is nice and simple, leave the pads in the moulds for 24-48 hours to allow the GS to set and to make sure the icon stays crisp.

14#
After letting the GS set you can then use your cutters, tweezers or fingers to grip the pads and pull, this sometimes removes the pad and the GS cast, often though it will just remove the pad and leave the icon in the mould. If the pad takes the icon with it I then use my tweezers to grip the excess GS and remove the icon from the pad, if it doesnt take the icon with it I use the tweezers to remove the icon from the pad by the excess. Once removed from the mould or pad you should have this:


As you can see there is an awful lot of overflow but its very thin and easily removable with either cutters or a hobby knife.

15#
The next step is to clean up the icons and if needed remove a small amount of GS from the rear of them, rinse them to remove any lube and then stick them on appropriate shoulder pads. Personally I wait until I have cast all the pads I need of a type before I tidy them up and mount them on pads.
Well folks there we have it the step by step guide on making icons for short runs of pads or the odd character. I hope this is of use to someone and gives you a good basis for future modelling projects!

As I need lots of both icons and pads my next tutorial will deal with making a silicon mould for casting larger numbers of self sculpted or custom sculpted pads, this is why there are no finished pads above but tune in again soon when once I have completed an additional 5 Red Hunters pads I will then show you how to make moulds of them for a more production line casting process.



Any questions, tips or requests feel free to drop me a line.


**Please Note to comply with the GW copyright rules (and to cover my arse!) this is only to be used for casting either self sculpted or comissioned icons or casting icon that are part of a larger item - please do not use this to cast and replicate parts or icons that are readily availible from Games Workshop **

Latest novel review of Hunt for Voldorius can now be found here:
http://millests.blogspot.com/2010/10/hunt-for-voldorius-novel-review.html

cheers and enjoy
millest

Well folks today I finally took the plunge and did three things I haven't done in a while, with rather pleasing results! I recently decided as I hadn't painted in a while rather then go in blind I thought it a good idea to book a refresher at the local GW store.

Today I headed in to the store and did the first thing I haven't done in a while, which was to visit a GW store. Once inside I met the new store manager, an avid Guard player with too much money and too many armies! Got a chance to look at some of the new scenery and models as well as have a drool over the display armies and the silver Golden Daemon entry in the cabinets.

Once there and settled I did the second thing I haven't done in a while and that's to paint. I must say it was a joy to get some good honest advice and to meet some of the new regulars and gamers as well. The guys and gals (and no I'm not making that up) also took time to look at some of my conversions, most of which have already appeared on the blog and gave some good honest feed back, most if not all of which was positive. I was please when i found that once i was painting the advice given was simple, constructive, patient and helped explain the new foundation paints and the new washes. I found that the techniques I was using weren't new to me and that I simply needed some gentle coaching to wake me up to what I was doing.

The final thing I did today was to actually buy something in a GW store. OK so I was a little bit shocked at the prices now I was pleased that the guys in the store didn't jump on me and suggest I buy everything they were happy just to get me the bits I asked for. A nice change and despite the price differences definitely an improvement on the old style of the stores.

OK so I bet your all wanting to know how I got on with the painting and what it looks like, well its coming up in a second after a brief explanation of what you ll see, but I'm also going to be sneaky and make you all try to work it out! When I went in rather than get a box of Cadians and make a few up, thus meaning i couldn't base them properly, I thought it a good idea to use some of my at ease Cadians as this would give me a clear view of the whole model and what I needed to do and where. So here below are the two models painted today as test models for the force, one by me and one by the store manager. Your mission using either comments or the poll on the side of the blog is to let me know which one is the best model in the first poll and then in the second poll to let me know which one is mine and which one is the store managers!

So here are the front and back pics, the models were rotated not swapped so the model on the right in the top picture is still the model in the right on the bottom picture.





So there you have it, my attempts and the managers attempts, Below is a picture of them from a little farther away to give you an idea of what they look like from a gaming perspective so just let me know.



Please vote in the polls on my blog (http://millests.blogspot.com/) or place your comment below to let me know which is best and who you think did which guardsman.

Comments, criticisms, praise, tips and advice are all gratefully received, please don't hold back, feel free to comment.


Finally I'm also looking for good options for urban bases for the force, if anyone knows of any sellers that do good value detailed city fight style bases for the force (and eventually for the marines too) please let me know as I would like to get a decent set that are easily recognisable, customisable and affordable. Any ideas please let me know.

Enjoy

Nice work on those pads!

I really wish I wouldve gotten Daenyathos. It looks excellent.

Real nice work so far!

not really much between them, i would say test model 2 because the gun looks better, but test model 2 also has some spots of overpaint. so, only just test model 2 lol

cheers for the feedback guys, test model 1 is mine. when i finally work on them properly there will be more details picked out, pouches etc. glad they look ok, think they might be tad dark but not sure.

i haent painted for so long down to cash, motivation and real work but now im back in looks like its gonna be all three! next plan is to work out a nice 1500 pt list (with a 500pt add on)

cheers again
millest

i dont think the scheme is too dark, they will look completely different once based

Hey Man,

Thought this might be of interest to you:

Manok.

manoknok that picture is the very reason i decided on Mentor legion i love it and thnaks for posting

calibanite lion, the scheme looks good in those pics with the flash but in the real world actually looks very dark, will try to dig up a picture with out the flash later today after work

cheers guys
millest

Calabanite lion and other to help answer your questions about lightening up the fatigues on these guys and why it needs it. Below to help answer that is a picture of the two models taken without a flash and just using the ambient light from a 40w (my arse is it!) energy saver bulb and as you can see the models love extrememly dark:


To me they seem very dark, almost black in this light! I would keep the armour the same shade but would probably like to lighten the fatigues up at least a touch. Any thoughts on that suggestion?

Also since my last book reviews i have posted reviews on the blog for the following publications:

Sabbat Worlds Anthology review is here: http://millests.blogspot.com/2010/11/sabbat-worlds-anthology-novel-review.html


Imperial Armour 9: Badab War part one is here: http://millests.blogspot.com/2010/10/imperial-armour-9-badab-war-part-1.html


Hunt for Voldorius review is here: http://millests.blogspot.com/2010/10/hunt-for-voldorius-novel-review.html


Fear the Alien compilation is here: http://millests.blogspot.com/2010/10/fear-alien-novel-review.html


Nemesis (horus heresy series) is here: http://millests.blogspot.com/2010/08/nemesis-novel-review.html

and that folks brings me just about up to date with my book reviews.

enjoy
millest

I am tempted to read the latest HH one, but I don't know. A lot in that series are soooo bad...so...I will read your review!

manoknok - already looking good for the latest HH, looks very good and some very nice hints and nods at the future. this one im halfway throgh and its a definate purchase for anyone that hasnt got it yet.


anyone got any thoughts on the colours? lighter or stay is it is for the fatigues? armour will stay dark green.

Millest - thats the assassin one, or is there a newer one?