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.

Jihad_Ragsta wrote:
I haven't posted much on this forum (hoping to change that sharpish) but wanted to say I'm enjoying your log so far! I have a box of Marines that I really want to get stuck into and this log is helping me get motivated for that.

Nice idea about the bases - I think I'll try the same idea.

Keep posting stuff! I like hearing about your battles so far so keep it up - its all a learning curve!

Ragsta

Wow, cheers! I am glad that you have found something useful in my ramblings and model fumblings. As for that learning curve...I find it more of an uncomfortable learning right-angle when it comes to battles.

Next on the agenda is getting the beefed up scout squad fixed up, then painting a Rhino. So stay tuned!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Oh, and promise to share your efforts with that box of marines?

Right then. Scouts. As I mentioned earlier, I did not want them to stand out on the battlefield. No white to be used.

Then something interesting happened. I had them undercoated but not painted and was using them in a battle. My opponent kept forgetting about them. The flat black was making them easier to overlook...



And here they are now. Nearly finished. I am keeping the capes flat black, and have gone for the most basic urban camo job I thought I would get away with. A few details to polish off and the purity seal to toughen them up for gaming and these chaps are done. Phew.

The scouts came out great! I really like the camo.

Wow! They look great, and its an awesome contrast to the rest of the army. I think at a latter stage you should consider re-basing them to a more urban theme in keeping with their camo but for now they look superb.

tony_nids_10 wrote:The scouts came out great! I really like the camo.

Thanks. It did seem to turn out OK in the end.

Lennysmash wrote:Wow! They look great, and its an awesome contrast to the rest of the army. I think at a latter stage you should consider re-basing them to a more urban theme in keeping with their camo but for now they look superb.

Gah! You are quite right. I missed a trick there. Though keeping them based as is sort of ties them in with the rest of the army.

Hello again! This weekend saw me partake in a 1000 point battle at GW Manchester after one of the staffers had chatted to me about possible ways to end my current drought of victories. The new army list he suggested worked wonders, so I am taking heed and changing things. A lot.

First off, tony_nids_10 mentioned a Librarian in Terminator armour as my force commander. I mentioned this to the staffer who agreed it was an excellent idea. So, I finally picked up one of the new Finecast kits. First impressions are ok. Good detail, not so bad with the flashing and bubbles...but a few bits of damage here and there where the more brittle resin has snapped off.



Nothing so drastic that I want to take it back, but having to file off half a horned skull at the very top of the armour is not a good start. I am not certain this Finecast stuff is an improvement, but I am willing to wait and see if they manage to up the quality control a bit, once they have a little more experience of casting resin under their belts.

I also got a second hand unpainted Terminator Captain in the mail from Ebay. Cracking off the ancient superglue was a doddle and it is now ready for me to (re)build.



Now I have made plenty of resin kits in my time. 'Garage' kits have been a favourite of mine throughout the years from Star Trek ships, to Babylon 5 craft, to Anime and movie machines and figures...and most of the stuff I have made has been fan produced (hence the 'garage' part. More often than not that is where these brown box kits are manufactured).

When resin is cast, the mould is first coated with a goop to stop the dry resin sticking in place and being damaged when removed. It ends up being left on the finished parts and will stop glue and paint getting a proper hold. Some companies claim to wash this slippery stuff off, others don't. Either way, step one for me is to soak the model overnight in a mild detergent solution. I use washing up liquid.



Tomorrow I will then go at it with a toothbrush before rinsing it off under cold water. Meanwhile, I am going to get on with the captain.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
New army list:

HQ: 305pts

Space Marine Chapter Master (125pts): 165pts
Terminator Armour (30pts) Digital Weapons (10pts)

Space Marine Librarian (100pts): 140pts
Terminator Armour & Storm Bolter (30pts) Digital Weapons (10pts)

Elites: 530pts

Terminator Squad (200pts): 230pts
Cyclone missile launcher (30pts)

Dreadnought (105pts): 105pts

Venerable Dreadnought (165pts): 195pts
Twin Linked Lascannon (30pts)

Troops: 564pts

Tactical Squad (90pts): 181pts
1x extra Space Marine (16pts) Melta Bombs (5pts)
Razorback (40pts) Twin Linked Lascannon (35pts)

Tactical Squad (90pts): 146pts
1x extra Space Marine (16pts) Melta Bombs (5pts)
Razorback (40pts)

Scout Squad (75pts): 227pts
Telion (50pts) 5x Extra Scouts (65pts) Missile Launcher (10pts), Camo Cloaks (27pts)

Heavy Support: 350pts

Predator (60pts): 120 pts
Lascannon sponsons (60pts)

Vindicator (115pts): 115pts

Vindicator (115pts): 115pts

Total: 1749pts

And here is my Chapter Master in terminator armour. All cleaned up, drilled and pinned, ready to be assembled. Now I bloody hate that massive bendy banner pole. So I am not using it. Instead I have filled the gap with greenstuff.



So yes. A little superglue. A little greenstuff...



Ta-daa! All built and ready for undercoat.

Next up, the Librarian.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
And my first foray into finecast is built. I am still undecided about it. Yes there is a lot of detail in it. But the detail is rather spoilt by all the little imperfections. And the huge ones. It took a long time to clean up, and even longer to repair.

The material itself is odd. Most resin is very, very brittle. This stuff has elastic properties. It may save the model in the rough and tumble of wargaming. Even so, I had to clip off a few bits that I thought would not last long. I drilled and pinned all the various parts in place for extra strength. I also did not like the staff that the Librarian was wielding, so I replaced it with a sword from the bits box.

WIP of the Librarian. Base coat of Mordian Blue.

Looking good! How do you like the Foundation Paints?

Briancj wrote:Looking good! How do you like the Foundation Paints?

Thanks!

I was not keen on the foundation paint at first. I tried drybrushing with them direct to start with, but they left a terrible dappled finish. Watered down a touch, they turned out to be fantastic though.

Kaff-kaff. *WHEEZE*



There, new additions acquired. Built. Undercoated.

And an updated WIP of the Librarian, who continues to come along nicely.



Busy busy busy...

Aaaaaand. One Librarian finished. All painted up, but yet to be named. As with all my characters, I wanted to name him after an Arthurian figure. Then came a long and rather stupid thought train where I pondered hard about Arthurian wizards or magicians and failed to come up with one. Then a little voice in the back of my mind murmured 'berk'. This confused for a moment, as I did not recall a mage named Berk from the round table legends...then enlightenment dawned.

But the thing is, he does not much look like a Merlin.

How about Gaius? He is the guardian of Merlin in the new incarnation of the Arthurian tales. what's more he was trained in the use of magic.

Great paint job by the way.

Lennysmash wrote:How about Gaius? He is the guardian of Merlin in the new incarnation of the Arthurian tales. what's more he was trained in the use of magic.

Great paint job by the way.

Gaius it is! Thank you for the name, and the compliment. Next up is chapter master Arturius.

I've got to ask Mutley sir, do you know if bland is fun yet? I've been wondering that for 3 pages

Loving your work mate, especially those scouts and the reason for painting them black! Brilliant!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Gaius' sword is epic too

tony_nids_10 wrote:I've got to ask Mutley sir, do you know if bland is fun yet? I've been wondering that for 3 pages

Hmmm....Hmmmmmmmmm....

So far, yes. I have enjoyed painting these chaps up, building the vanilla/codex force and learning the rules of the game by, y'know... playing it. More games need to be played and the army is finished up to a 3,000 point standard but so far it has been a blast!

kitch102 wrote:Loving your work mate, especially those scouts and the reason for painting them black! Brilliant!

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Gaius' sword is epic too

Thanks pal! The reasoning has proved sound enough. People do keep overlooking them, even now they are fully painted. Except of course when all those powerful, long range shots do horrible things to their infantry. The sword was something of an expermient in getting a decent, non blue power blade as it is a force weapon. I wanted to go for a magma effect. A quick thinned down brush of Red Gore, starting at the tip and brushing downwards to the hilt, so the paint thins and the black is left intact. Sort of instant blending. Then it was Blazing Orange for the edges and tip area, with a little Sunburst Yellow to highlight and finish it all off. Seems to have worked alright!

Well you got exactly what you were trying to achieve, all I could think was "flaming lava sword wielded by Psychic nasty bastard". That sir, is a win.

kitch102 wrote:Well you got exactly what you were trying to achieve, all I could think was "flaming lava sword wielded by Psychic nasty bastard". That sir, is a win.

Psychic Nasty Bastard. That has made my morning.

Ha - glad to hear it pal

Arturius, Chapter Master of the Angels of Seraph.




Nuthin' fancy.

And here we have one finished Venerable Dreadnought. I seem to have been working on this model for an eternity, at least it feels that way. Glad to have it finished and ready to give the enemy a thorough hiding.





And now five tanks need my attention. Five big white tanks. I am going to go mad!

Lovely, lovely work. I wish I lived nearby you. Do you have a spare room to rent?

Five tanks == Grey primer undercoat, and then a large tank brush, and thinned down white until you reach the opacity you want.

Looking forward to it!

--Brian

This blog is awesome! Can't believe I haven't seen it before!

Great work making the AOBR troops fit in. Loving the colour scheme. Nice touch using the 2 pences, gives the bases a less cheap look.

Librarian looks awesome with sword and cracking job on the captain.

Exalted.

Briancj wrote:Lovely, lovely work. I wish I lived nearby you. Do you have a spare room to rent?

Five tanks == Grey primer undercoat, and then a large tank brush, and thinned down white until you reach the opacity you want.

Looking forward to it!

--Brian

Hah! Not really looking to take a lodger. As it happens I have undercoated them all Chaos Black, then given them all a primary coat of watered down Astronomican Grey, just like my infantry. I do use watered down coats of Skull White like you suggest, so stay tuned to see me production lining these now that I have finished off a first shot prototype.

Emperors_Champion wrote:This blog is awesome! Can't believe I haven't seen it before!

Great work making the AOBR troops fit in. Loving the colour scheme. Nice touch using the 2 pences, gives the bases a less cheap look.

Librarian looks awesome with sword and cracking job on the captain.

Exalted.

Why thank you! I have really rather enjoyed this project and all the positive feedback just adds to the fuel spurring me on. Just as well. The total number of tanks has increased and it is going to take a lot to stop myself going nuts finishing them all off!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

I am really looking forward to Battle Reports from you. I guess I'll have to pitch a tent, nearby.

There are now six unfinished tanks sat on my desk. I am going to go loopy before they are all finished, I feel it in my rivets.

Until then, work continues on steadily. The Vindicators are nearly ready for the white to be declared finished. A few more coats should do it.

Work continues steadily on the army. The two Vindicators are nearly done, with just the two Razorbacks and the Predator to follow for my core Veterans Night tournament army (1750 points).

After that, one Rhino, a Devastator squad, an Assault squad, a Scout squad and two Tactical Squads remain and every marine I have at my disposal will be ready.

Today I ventured into Games Workshop as I have most Sundays for the past month or so. I enjoy sitting at the modelling tables, sharing techniques and tips with the staffers, other gamers and passing kiddliwinks. This is a thing of the past it seems. Gone are the tools and free use of the store paints (I bring my own brushes anyway). I can bring my own paints and tools, so that did not bother me...but the way that the staffers seem to have been ordered not to encourage anyone but new gamers from painting has saddened me a great deal. To be fair, a reason for the removal of 'squatters rights' at the modelling tables has been given. Apparently a chap came in with a 3000 point army (that he had not bought in store), sat down and used all the store tools and paints to get them ready, then was never seen/heard from again. The store apparently cannot afford this kind of piss-takery, so steps were taken to stop it happening again.

This all seemed to occur after the visit from the area manager, and the tables are now infested with nasty little oiks (tis the school holidays) who bring in non GW paints, glues, tools and so on...and knacker hundreds of quids worth of GW models. I actually saw some staffers gnashing their teeth, wanting to stop them...or at least correct and advise...but they are all new players and as such, to be pandered to and encouraged in their spree of purchase and plastic mutilation. Seemingly at the expense of everyone else.

Rant over. Game report time. Today I played a chap in the beginners leagues (I am still learning the ropes you see). 1000 points (ish) each. Basilisk, six heavy weapons teams, four squads, one Chimera, one Hellhound, one Leman Russ and one Demolisher, plus the required command squads. I say the chap was about 16/17 maybe? For my part, I had my Black Reach commander, two Tactical squads, two Dreadnoughts, two Vindicators and a five man Terminator squad. Cracking game. First turn saw my two Vindicators...well, vindicate themselves. First shots of the game saw the Leman Russ and Hellhound exploding. He did not despair and bloodied my nose by blasting my two Dreadnoughts to steaming bits and cutting down a good few marines. It was a take and hold objective, and my force commander took up residence and refused to budge. The Basilisk and Demolisher proved a headache, immobilising one Vindicator and blowing the weapon off the other. Thankfully they were parked around the commander so provided a nice screen for the volleys of (innefectual) Lasgun fire. As the Tactical squads closed in on the objective, and the remains of the terrified, surviving Guardsmen...the Terminators arrived via deepstrike. Right atop the hill that the Basilisk and heavy weapons teams were occupying. The Guardsmen on the hill swung Lascannons and Autocannons to bear, but the shots all pattered harmlessly off the Terminators, who gunned down a good few weapons teams for their trouble. The following turn was going to see the Terminators munching their way through the weapons teams and Basilisk in hand to hand, the Commander taking on the Demolisher in hand to hand now that the Tactical squads could dig in and hold the objective...

But the game ended there and as I was still on the objective, the day was mine.

I packed up, turned around to another table where a friend of mine (Grey Knights) was teamed up with another chap (Vanilla marines with a few Legion of the Damned) against two young Chaos Space marine players. 10-13 year olds. That I have played before. Not one model was painted properly (save the ones they had ordered pre painted from the net), most were half built and missing weapons and...for a 3000 point game there seemed to be an awful lot of them...

Turns out they were 900 points over, cheating like mad, changing weapons (explains why none of the tanks were finished properly) and generally being obnoxious little combat wombats. My mate and his ally were being good natured about it all, even as they were being destroyed by cheats (with no army lists) who threw tantrums when cornered on dodgy actions and were being rather unpleasant all round.

So, one good game, but a day spent being thoroughly depressed by what was going on all around me. I think I shall play a few more beginners games to get into the swing of things, then limit myself to Tuesday's Veterans Night and keep the rest of the hobby confined to my little workshop.

I love the way the army is coming out. Very clean look and a nice theme for loyalists.

That's just too bad about the gaming store though, I've seen that too. I only play friendly games or campaigns with players I know. I've played too many games against people that throw fits when they lose, or cheat like crazy.I don't have time for that anymore.

I picked up a bunch of the AOBR Marines too and I find them nice looking and not at all bad.

Love the scouts, very stealthy indeed!

You've been busy fella! That Librarian looks really good, nice piece of work on the sword in particular.

The Chapter Master looks great, for some reason his shoulder pads really play off the grey tabard on his chest. Sweet.

And by the time I saw the ven dread I threw up my hands in despair. You're churning out some very nice stuff!


I am getting over the infestation of my local GW to be honest - last time I was in there me and the staffers just rolled our eyes good naturedly at the young uns. These days I collect and paint but don't play - the kind of thing you talk about has definitely put me off but hey! that's life right?

Okay, so I guess I better start a log for my Brazen Minotaurs instead of just talking about it... Darn you...

Keep up the good work