Magnet Installation helper / tool

  Did a quick tutorial / how to for a magnet installation tool that takes the guesswork out of magnet polarity and makes installing them easier.  Someone may find it useful??

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!!!!

Finished the new wave of DropZone Commander stuff...

  Wow, give me a whole Sunday and I'll get a tiny bit of work done.  I took my next wave of DropZone Commander UCM (United Colonies of Mankind) forces painted up and table ready. 

  I still need to hit some of the tiny details, maybe.  The headlights and sensor domes, but these are so small, who would notice?  Do I really want to be "That guy" who paints the 1mm headlights?  meh...  

  Anyhow, here is a look at the boys.  Many pics, so I tossed in a jump break.  The scheme I used is an alpine panzer grey, but very heavily grimed up and weathered.  I don't know why I like weathering these, but not my 40k stuff??  Odd.  Also, I have not touched the infantry bases yet at all.  I may not ever, or I may just dab some colour on them just for variety's sake...

  Here ya go, hope you like.  A few hours with an airbrush and some home-made washes...

The whole lot of them.  Ready to kill, kill, kill...

Dropships, the heart of the matter, so to speak

A bomber and her escorts, or as I like to call it, death from above!

 More after the jump...

Quick tip (egg crates) and Craft Finds!

  Hey guys,  Just a quick tip that I'm sure everyone knows, but I don't see a lot about.  When building squads of figures, I very often leave a lot of poieces off to make painting easier.  Keeping trak of all those spare bits (shoulder pads, weapons, backpacks etc) used to a pain, then I discovered egg cartons.

  Here in the states, our eggs come mostly in these cheap styrofoam (compressed, not beaded) cartons that are just great for 10 man squads.  We can also get 18 packs of eggs that have even more room.  These aren't that handy if you build and paint right away, but if you're like me, projects seem to drag on sometimes :)  Let the pictures speak...

All the squad members fit in the holes and the bases can go into they're own hole.  Makes finding all the parts easy!

In the hole is the shoulders, guns, and any flashy bits (grenades, purity seals etc) that I have for that guy.

I also managed to brave the local craft store (Hobby Lobby) and found some great sales today.  Check these out...

2 pack texture mats for making cakes.  Cooks use this for Fondant for cakes to texture it, we can use it to make a ton of bases.  This could also be used for molding floor textures and lots of stuff.  Super cheap too

Again, Some very cool texture molds for Green stuff or putty or whatever your basing weapon of choice is.

  So, that's it for today!  Hope everyone had a great holiday!  See ya soon!

The Darkwing Knights... or changing my fluff

  Well, I did it again...  I changed my fluff for my chapter.  At least I haven't painted a whole mess of them yet...

  Why you ask?  Hell, I don't know.  I was just never happy with the Black Templar background, so I am playing it down quite a bit.  I have always loved the Raven Guard and the Blood Angels.  My play style is WAY more BA than RG though, so I am going down that road.  I will be using BA for my main CAD and using BT as allies to maintain the proper fluff/game ratios :)

So, the banner...  At the top we have the chapter logo, no it is not a Batman logo :)  It is close though.  I have been associated bats for as long as I can remember.  Everything from call-signs to Squadron patches and logos have been bats.  I like bats.  It's my chapter, back off ;)  Also, bats are terribly under-represented as far as I can see searching google for chapter ideas! 

  Under that is the Latin "Post Tenebras Lux" which translates to "From Darkness, Light", yes, we spread the light of the emperor!  (It is actually, After Darkness, Light, but it gets the same message out :)

  Next is the Imperial Aquila, Hail the Imperium!

  Then, the crossed swords of Loyalty.  Loyalty to the Imperium, glory to the Emperor!

  Beneath that is the Laurels of glory in battle!

  The Darkwing Knights scroll follows that.

  On the peals are the symbols of the Blood Angles and the Black Templars, in homage to our parent chapter(s).  In the center is the flaming skull, an homage to our desire to strike from the sky in a burning hellfire of the emperor's truth and glory!   Yeah...  Boom, there it is...

The decal and Symbol of the chapter;

The Darkwing symbol, in black and red, to honour the mother chapters and the cross, our symbol of knighthood.

  And the new, improved paint for the marines;

  Simple, easy to paint and looks pretty decent, I think.  Sergeants will have red helms. 

  Vehicles will be black, with some attempt at camouflage!  They will also have the Teal and Red on them for flavor.

  So, that's it, the new look...  for now...  until I change again!  LOL

Blood Angels Sanguinary Guard Edition Codex Unboxing

Or...

Oh boy, oh boy... My blood angels stuff is here.

Yeah, I got my 2nd Gift box filled with goodies today, here is the Vid.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Happy Holidays!

Deathstorm - Unboxed and reviewed

Well, I dun it again, and I share with you!  Deathstorm reviewed on video...

Enjoy!

Yearly Chaos Incursion - Be Wary!

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Begin Transmission

Repetition of General Directive 264-A-XCIV

To: Distribution, Sectorium Primus

From: Office of The Grand Inquisitor, Ebineezar Grinchanius

Re: Yearly Chaos Incursion

This purpose of this notice is to remind the forgetful of the annual visitation by the minion of Chaos known to the unworthy as Santa Claus.

+++ The Emperor's Light Banishes the Shadows of Heresy +++

As the diligent will recall, the incursion occurs regularly every 8742 to 8766 Terran hours, roughly corresponding to a Terran year. This trespass has occurred with disturbing regularity since at least the Horus Heresy, and

perhaps longer, as many records were misplaced.

+++ Love and Obey the Emperor +++

The faithful will recognize the target on sight, as his garb and gear mark him immediately as an agent of the abominations.

Santa Claus is a corpulent, bloated creature approximating the human form. It wears a crimson tunic the color of fresh blood, marking him as a possible follower of Khorne. It is bearded, mocking the honorable Squats, and its

hair is a sallow shade of gray, betraying its unnatural age. Be advised that despite the creatures fearsome name, no claws have been observed, and the former is likely a ruse.

The target has been observed in the company of smaller creatures having the appearance of thin (less than 30 kg, approx.), stunted (1.5 meters) humanoids with pointed ears. Their appearance suggests the involvement of

the decadent panzee, and although that race denies involvement (*reference the Rudolphian Campaign [index 4111-BGE-MMXCII-Primus], specifically the Battle of Yukon Coneliaus IV [ibid., index 6]*), agents are advised to be prepared for their involvement, as the panzee are known for their deceitful ways.

Santa Claus is conveyed by means of a grav-sled powered by unnatural livestock as detailed below.

The target's vehicle is a grav-sled. It has superfluous runners which are used only on landing and take-off. Despite the appearance, no frozen water is necessary for its operation (another ruse). The vehicle's resemblance to the foul Palanquin of Nurgle should not be discounted, even though the colors continue to be reminiscent of Khorne.

The device is powered by the unholy ministrations of eight or nine quadrupeds. Ordo Malleus scholars have identified these creatures as warped versions of an extinct species of Terran mammal known as a Moose (reference 900002-ER-CIV). These beings single-mindedly pull the target's vehicle during its yearly invasion. They are outfitted with belled harnesses which are apparently imbued with the ability of flight. These beasts have been likened to the Fiends of Slaanesh, and such a comparison should not be dismissed too lightly, as the creatures shed a luminous substance as effluent as they move. Inquisitors should take care to avoid exposure.

Perhaps more disturbing is the variable number of the minion-creatures. On occasion, a ninth Moose has been observed, placed before the other Mooses.  This creature radiates a sickly reddish glow from its snout, as a psychic  beacon to other followers of the Vile Ones. This Chaotic device has allowed the target to navigate despite our best efforts to jam its navigation systems.

+++ Blessed is the Virtue of Blind Faith +++

Santa Claus gains entry to the domiciles of loyal Imperial Citizens (see below) and leaves small Chaos Rewards to tempt the faithful.

Inquisitors are reminded to confiscate and incinerate these items before any lasting damage is done. As a localized temporal distortion field is in effect around the target, these items are secreted in the habitations of the

Imperium at exactly 2400 hours in every location defiled by the creature. It is therefore possible to gain entry to the citizens' quarters and remove the items (often cunningly hidden in footwear) before the citizens are aware of the heresy that has been committed upon them.

In other cases, removal of the items after the citizens have discovered them is possible. In such situations, small children are occasionally loath to surrender the items, as the tainting of the juveniles has already begun. Executions of the above are to be handled in the most expedient manner possible.

Often, juveniles that are well within the Emperor's Grace are given small blocks of graphite ore rather than the more tempting gifts visited upon the less faithful. The identity of these individuals are to be recorded, as future recruitment into the Inquisition or Adeptus Terra is possible [Note: Inquisitors or other agents who do *not* receive the graphite stones should be watched carefully].

Santa Claus enters the domiciles be way of heating ducts and waste vents.  The size of the opening is not a factor, as the creature can adjust its mass and displacement by means of psychic manipulation. Mining these openings with frag, krak and other demolitions has proven unsuccessful.

The creature egresses by the same means, after ritually caressing his nostrils. No mucus has ever been recovered.

+++ The Death of Emperor's Enemies is the Only Gift We Can Give +++

Although all previous attempts at the destruction of Santa Claus have failed, Inquisitors are urged to make such an attempt whenever possible.

However, of more importance is the suppression of cultist activity associated with the yearly incursion. The Tainted have been known to erect shrines in their homes in the form of shrubbery adorned with baubles and lights [Note: the shrubbery is often highly inflammable, and offers a discrete method of executing the offending heretics without calling undue attention to the operation].

Other warning signs include:

Hallucinations involving sugared candies during slumber;

Excessive singing;

References to "a magical time of year" (note the influence of Tzeentch);

The construction of effigies made of snow; and

The performance of Slaanishi rituals while underneath plant clippings of the genus Phoradendron flavescens.

Once again, executions should be handled in an expedient manner.

+++The Emperor Protects+++

End Transmission

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Editor's note - I did not originate this, I saw it a few years back and pilfered it!!!!  I am not sure where, but please don't think I'm the one behind it!

It's Here... Horus Heresy Book 4 - Overview

  It's here, it's really here!  Like Christmas in November, my forgeworld box arrived today!

  Alas, the tale is bittersweet, as the book's slipcase suffered damage in the journey to my doorstep.  I doubt if I will ask FW for a replacement, since it is only the slipcase and not anything on the inside, but I may just email them pictures in hope that they toughen up their packaging.

  For those who do not know, this book covers Horus' actions after the Isstvan events, as he starts his 'crusade' into the imperium towards Holy Terra.  It covers a bunch of Knight houses, the Solar Auxilia of the Imp Guard and more Mechanicum goodness.  There is also a new campaign system, something I always look forward to in hopes it can be adapted to 40k easily.  I'm dying to get into bed and start reading this bad boy!

  I will not be reviewing the book just yet, I always say I will, but I hardly ever get to it.  This is just an overview of what came in.  On with the pictures!!!

 The slipcase with ye olde eye 'o Horus on it.  You can kind of see the damage here on the left side and the two bottom corners.  On the back side is the much better Imperial Aquila!

   Closeup of the worst damage.  At 90 pounds ($140), I kind of expect better packaging, so I may just fire off an e-mail tonight on this.

   But on to the innards... or 30k goodness.  On the left is the double sided, very heavy stock, twin sided poster.  More shots of this later, suffice to say for now that it is beautiful.  In the middle, the meaty bits, or the book itself.  On the right side, the 4 card stock laminated reference sheets.

  As always, a beautiful presentation, gilded pages, metal edges, all very nice.  It looks like they changed the way they glue the picture onto the cover, for there are no raised corners and it seems slightly inset into the cover.  Hopefully no more delamination issues.

   Gilded edges.  That gap is caused by the bookmark, not damage or spine problems.

   The four reference sheets.  One each for special rules and notes, Weapons of the Mechanicum, Weapons of the Space Marines, and weapons of the Solar Auxilia.  A very nice inclusion, I think.

  The two sides of the poster.  It is printed on very heavy card-stock, very durable.  This might be a candidate for a frame, but it would have to be back-folded and mounted very well in order to look good.

  So, there ya go.  The package in a nutshell.  Hopefully I'll get the guts up to review the contents, but I'm always leary of that, since I'm a newb!! :)

GW Project Box and more...

  Okay, okay so I'm weak.  I am also a sucker.  Sue me :)

  I did it, I ordered one of these project boxes and the cutting mat that goes into it.  I just had to it.  Mostly because of Sundays.  Sundays means Football or NASCAR in my house, and that means sitting in the living room, not the hobby room.  I reasoned that if I had a handy-dandy project box, I could do stuff in the living room while I watched... yeah, that was it.  So I took the plunge.  While I know it's not for everyone, and it is a pretty 'useless' extravagance, it is kinda cool... kinda.  And because I ordered other stuff too, it came in this awesome GW-40k awesome re-giftable box of 40k goodness!

  The cutting mat is... well, a cuting mat.  It is neither exciting nor ground-breaking in any way, but it certainly has that cutting mat property and is self healing.  It does, indeed, fit into the little niche provided for it in the lid of the project box. 

  The "palette pad" is just glossy paper that paint won't seem to let the paint soak in.  For that matter, it will not function as a wet palette either, so I would advise avoiding those.

  The gift box is, well, it's kind of awesome.  It has great art and great symbology on the outside and the inside!  It has a sealing strip and easy opening zip-top, so you can use it as a great gift box for that someone special in your 40k world.  After the jump, there are a bunch of pictures with captions so you can see what I mean.

  The project box is also pretty cool.  When you open the locking sides, the top comes off to reveal... the inside.  The top flips to be a work station and has some great designs cast into it.  It has little feet to protect your desk or table, but I may have to swap them out for some rubber feet to keep the 'slide' factor down.

  Just inside is the paint tray that holds a crap-ton of paints (49) and is removable, so if your current project doesn’t include paints, you can leave that behind.  Inside is open wells for glues, tools and other stuff, including your project that you're working on in the project box... hence the name.

  I thought, at first, that the tool holder design, with the raised 'ramps' was a bit of space waster, but I actually found it was handy to see the tools and brushes pretty easily and grab the 'safe' parts rather than the cutty-stabby bits.  (When you have 50 year old eyes, that's handy...)

  There is a lot of room in the box for stuff, and the locking lid makes it kind of handy.  I can see tossing this in the car for the weekend getaways so I can some work done when wifey goes to sleep.

  Is it for everyone?... no.  Is it pretty decently designed and useful?... yes.  Is it a 'must have ground-breaking 40k improving thing'?... nope.  Would it make a decent gift?... yes.  Will your 40k circle of friends laugh at you for having one... probably :)  But screw them, it's your life.

  If you have to take your toys on the road, or need to switch rooms now and then, get one, it's just cool enough to work for that.  (oh, and make a wet palette according to my instructional video and use that...)

  After the jump, tons of pictures and captions...

Leviathan - A Review

  It's here, it's here!!!  I was able to go to Active Imagination (my FLGS) on Friday and pick up a copy of Leviathan.  I was really jazzed, since it sold out almost immediately from the website (thanks Ben!!!)  A bout with kidney stones kept me from reviewing it right away, but here goes!

  Very cool, all in all.  The box set is divided into two books, one fluff and one rules.

  The rules book is pretty solid with six new Echoes of War missions that recreate the fluff battles from the other book.  They each have a little twist, but they are also rather limited since the sides are set.  Two of the missions are for Adeptus Sororitas (Sister of Battle) vs Tyranids and the other four are Adeptus Militarum (Imp Guard) vs Nids.  But that could be remedied easily enough, we all know how to do that...  The design of the missions do seem to capture the feel of the fluff from the book, so that makes them pretty cool.

  After the missions comes the Cities of Death rules, which are, again, pretty cool.  Cities of death used to be it's own book, and I bet they will release a book for these as well, in a separate release.  It comes with 66 new objectives tailored around a seriously urban terrain setup.  In fact, to do these missions, the seriously recommend that you have at least 6 good sized building/ruins terrain pieces.  Of course, the more, the merrier.  All objectives in these missions have to be in buildings or ruins.  There are also 6 missions with deployments and set ups.  It all looks very interesting and should add some spice to your game table in the near future.  There are no stratagems or campaign rules, which I had kind of hoped for, but the rules for achieving the objectives and the 66 new 'cards' will certainly capture the feel of an urban war, I think.  As always, keep in mind that city fights tend to equalize shooty-heavy armies with opponents that might not be that good at more open terrain.  Having limited lines of sight and tons of cover makes for more close-in fighting...  Me likey!

  Following the cities of death is the Death from the Skies section.  Regurgitated from the previous two incarnations (Crusade of Fire and ... errr... ummm... I forgot where they printed these before) and have nothing new at all.  Just the bare bones rules for fighter aces that cost +35 points and give some odd benefits.  Some are very cool, some are useless for the points.  Still, it might be a fun twist to add by mutual agreement in a pre-game discussion.

  Then comes the Tyranid section.  All the new Tyranid stuff is all here, the data sheets for the new and improved models as well as a few new formations for the Nids.  I'm not terribly familiar with the Nid formations, but these do seem to offer some flexibility that I am sure Nid players will really enjoy.  I will not let the wife see this book :)

  So, the rulebook is pretty solid, overall and worth the effort to get. 

  The fluff book is the heavyweight here and is, as could be predicted, gorgeous!  152 pages of some very well done, if a bit drawn out, fluffy goodness.  I am only about 1/3 of the way through a full reading of it, but it is very good throughout.  This book presents the forces of the Astra Militarum and the Adeptus Sororitas against a splinter of hive fleet Leviathan.  An odd choice of forces for the first book in what they describe as a new campaign series, but they tie it together in a way that makes sense.

  The part of it that makes me laugh a little is how open ended it 'seems' to be.  From the mapping (and the title... duh) we know that this is going to be the debut for the roll-out of the Blood Angels.  There also seems to be a lot of spots for almost anything to be added to this framework.  For me, I cannot wait for the BA release to see if they will be vanilla, castrated marines or if they will have some flavour remaining.  I fear that they might bring them out neutered (like so many other codex releases) and then pump them up down the road.  I hope not, but it might happen.

  There is a great deal of art in this book, lots of armies on parade pictures too.  There is also a great deal of well written fluff in here that ties the whole thing together.  I like the snippet stories that are all through the book and give that 'history as it happens' feel to the story.  I almost get the feeling that the last chapter is not written yet, as if it was like the old days with the world-wide campaigns??

  So, to wrap up, this is a very good set, IMHO, with very few disappointing aspects to it.  Some parts are just cobbled in from other things, but it does make for a good reference for all the recent releases.  For the first time in a while, I can justify saying that you are getting what you pay for here.  It's a solid release with a little bit of something for everyone and a treasure for the Nid players.  If you can get your paws/claws/hands/augmetic limbs on one, go for it.

New (small) rulebook and Nid Dice...

  Picked up the new, smaller rulebook from GW on the pure chance that it would be cool.  While it is smaller than the big rulebook, it is not smaller than the paperback rulebook that was in the Stormclaw set.  This leaves me really confused about where this thing "fits" in the product line.  Let me show you...

A tiny bit larger than the paperback version.

A lot thicker than the paperback version.

  I guess it fits in because the Stormclaw was a limited run thing, so the paperback copies are kind of rare, and this version will be on the product line for a bit.  So, the Pros and Cons...

Pros

• Very easy to read format.  Will be handy at the table and in lower light situations (like tournaments, where I can never seem to get enough light)
• All the rules presented in order...  :)
• 3, count'em three bookmarks.  (sounds silly, but it is handy to have certain sections marked out)
• The reference and index sections from the big rulebook.  very handy!!

 Cons

• $58.00
• The most recent FAQs are NOT in it.

So, I can recommend this if you want to make your kit smaller and you have the spare change...

More pics to follow for completeness sake.  At the end is a couple of pics of the Tyranid Dice tin.

Tablesscapes - from Secret Weapon Miniatures - a review

Well, another thing that came in while I was away was my order from Tablescapes.  These are 1 foot by 1 foot terrain boards in themes made by MisterJustin over at Secret Weapon Miniatures.  They were supposed to deliver last October, but through a series of unforeseen events, improvements and flat-out delays, they just arrived now.  Boy are they worth the wait!!!

Enjoy...

War Machines of the Lost and the Damned

Ok, I did a video overview of the bundle as it came in, enjoy.

  A very good offering from the guys at Forge World!  Hopefully I will be able to blog about how cool it is soon, I'm off to read it now...

Thoughts on Sanctus Reach

  Now that Sanctus Reach has come, and presumably gone, I'd like to offer some thoughts on the set, all the products in the 'range', if you will.  I can sum up my thoughts pretty succinctly, I think.  A missed opportunity, and a great effort.

  I say this because, as always, this is a great presentation from the games workshop folks.  The two boxed sets are very nicely done, if a bit pricey.  The rulebooks are very nice and the novellas look very interesting.  I have some time on the road coming up, and I am bringing both books to read.  They are big pront, so it whould be easy to get throguh.

  The Stormclaw set is pretty sweet, if I do say so myself.  The new orks and space vikings are very cool, brilliantly executed and you do get a lot of value for the money in the set.  I'm not a big fan of the grey canine keepers, but I do like me orkses, and me gotz lotz of kool orkses.  The models have a great character to them and will look good in any Space Wolf or Ork army.

 The campaign game that comes with Stormclaw, and is extended in the 2 boxed sets is pretty decent, I think.  It has really good feel to the missions and as far as I can see, it follows the narrative pretty well.  It's always nice to read a piece of the fluff and then be able to duplicate it right away.  I think that is a really good way to bring people into the game, in small chunk like this with good rules, good presentations and a good "look and feel".  What's really nice is that you get the models you need to do the campaign missions in the box.  Nothing else to buy.  Sort of.

  You see, herein lay the problems as well.  The Stormclaw box has the nice small rulebook, the minis you need, the campaign books with the missions and all the nice stuff.  Alas, the box is missing dice, rulers and templates.  Now this is not really a big deal, but how much of the 97 cents worth of plastic to add those items would have hurt the bottom line?  Really?  This means nothing to long time players and gamers, that stuff is easy to get, but what about the new guy?  The guy just starting out.

   The problem here is also two-fold.  They made this a limited edition.  So it's gone now, not on the shelves, unless you're lucky.  So that new guy that is looking for a way to get in on the hobby doesn't have that resource anymore.  Kinda sad.  It would almost make sense if we see a whole bunch more of these themed campaigns in the future.  Then this would all make sense, but if not, this is a product like that I think missed the mark.  It is probably well sold out, so it had a positive effect on botttom line, but I think the long term lack of foresight will bite old GW again...

  So, I guess I am really glad to have all these items, it's a good set of items and I feel like I got what I paid for.  But all in all, I see it as another small mis-step in the marketing the GW does.  Maybe this is just the first of many small campaign box releases, and if so, I'll eat these words.  But if not, I think they missed a big chance here.

Grukk agrees!

     

Conquest: The Card Game - Unboxing Vid

  Hey folks!  The fine folks at Fantasy Flight Games have given us a CCG (Collectable Card Game) to play in the 40k universe!  Yaaaaaaay...

  Here is the unboxing video....  hopefully tomorrow, or soon I can get a play test video out!

Here is the link to the game on Fantasy Flight's website...

Enjoy!

Easy Wet Palette build

Well, YouTube has "about 67,000" videos with the key word wet palette, so here is 67,001 :)  Seriously easy and cheap to make, and they help out tremendously.

Space Hulk... The unboxing

Yep, I did it ... made another video...  I'm sorry :)

Enjoy!

2 Quick WiPs - Storm Eagle and Podcast

  Had a little chance to work on the interior of the Storm Eagle recently.  Still have to dirty it up, after all, it is a troop transport ;)

  I also need to magnetize the doors, I think I will have to resort to the crossbar idea again.  There is just not enough 'meat' anywhere else to mount magnets.

  And, the plans for the Podcast are moving forward.  It is not a 40k podcast, there are already too many of those, but it is more about board and counter wargaming.  Oi, this is going to be an adventure...

  Just some of the toys I invested in :)

  See ya soon, sicker than a dog today, can't keep anything down...  I blame the wife, she's been home 3 days with this crud...

40k Podcasts - Mini-Review and opinions

  Howdy folks!  I am an avid podcast listener.  I listen while at my computer, and I have a laptop in the hobby room for watching youtube painting videos and listening to podcasts as well.  What follows is just some musings on the podcasts that are out there and the ones I like.

  If I don't mention a podcast, it's because I have nothing nice to say, or I haven't listened enough to make a decent opinion.



The Independant Characters (Yes, Carl, I spelled it with an A just to make you mad :)   The hands down favorite for me.  They cover something fun on every show and they have a certain style and 'savoir-faire' about them.  They cover topics and issues without degenerating into nerd-rage.  I think of them as one of the few podcasts for adults.  I think it is also one of the best edited shows out there.  Along with the overlords, my favourite by far.

The 11th Company. Serious info for serious gamers and stuff.  Seriously, these guys put on a good show and talk alot about the nuts and bolts.  They sometimes go into nerd-raging hate radio, but usually it's for a reason.  If you listen to all they have to say, you will learn some things and you will discover fun new ways to look at stuff.

Screaming Heretics.  An infuriatingly excellent podcast.  Infuriating because alot of times it boils down to hate-radio and there are times it goes completely into chaos, but most of the time, it is pretty well thought out and organized.  This podcast is alot like a group of friends sitting around talking, each with their own thoughts and opinions.  You may not agree with all of them, but the discussion is usually lively, alcohol infused and fun.  More often than not, it's just fun listening to Joe try to control the group (focus!!) :)

Signals from the FrontLine.  Reece Robbins and the Frontline gaming crew (Team0comp).  This is a short (30 minutes-ish) Tuesday and Saturday show.  These guys are the shizzle, for realz.  Reece does everything in the hobby, store owner, tournament organizer,  tournament player.  They have the real chops and when they say it, you can take it to the bank.  The show is fast, hard hitting and fun.  Reece and Frankie really play off each other and Frankie always manages to pronounce something wrong, and Reece loves it...  A great listen.

Imperial Vox Cast.  Brilliant show.  These guys take a topic, codex or something and really pull it apart.  Lots of really in depth knowledge and tons of fun.  They are engaging and fun to listen to.   

After Ullanor.  Wow!  All I can say is wow!  This one is way different.  They don't cover the hobby (much) but they cover the Horus Heresy book series from Black Library.  And I do mean they cover it.  They do one episode per book (or more, depending on the book) and they really cover it.  If you have not read the books, do not listen, because they will tell the whole story during the recap and discussion.  They go deep into the bowels of the books, and how the book moves the storyline and how it interacts with other fiction.  Seriously good podcast!  

Forge The Narrative.  I have just started this podcast, having been a lurker for a while on the Monday night YouTube show they do.  It's very good and I like the way they cover the hobby and almost never go to the hate-radio/nerd rage aspect.  They stress alot about having fun and making the game your own.  More people should take this tack :)

Noobhammer / ODAM.  This is actually 2 podcasts, and they are both pretty fun and engaging to listen to.  Definitely worth a listen to, both of them.  They may or may not be your cup of tea.  I enjoy the banter and the atmosphere here.

Life after the Cover Save. Another one that you have to make up your own mind about.  Some days it is awesome, others it can be very iffy.  The guys are very experienced and have alot to say.          

The Overlords.  Bang on podcast.  Simply one of the 2-3 best 40k podcasts out there.  Pure Brit thought and a little US invasion :)  If I could only have 2 podcast in my life, it would be Independent Characters and this one!!

  There are others, and some that I just will not listen to, because they are morons, or they are filled with to much hate radio/nerd rage.  There also probably some I have missed totally...  let me know...

Next time...  You-Tube channels worth watching!!!  :)

So... you think you know Nagash???

Was going through some old WD last night...  lookie what I found :)  I have to say, they're getting better at this stuff :)

and the link to the ad from the WD Magazine...

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7798976/Naggy.pdf

A pretty far cry from...

We've come a long way baby :)

Companies of Fenris - Mini Review

  Hey folks, just a quick note about this book.  I picked it up on a lark, since I am not even a space wolves player.  I have to say though, it is very nicely done.

  The first part of the book is a look at four different units from 4 of the great companies.  It is a great overview of the great companies and how they different from each other and how they might appeal to you.  It's a good, meaty section of the book and it shows how you can have a lot of variation within the chapter. 

  After that section comes the painting section.  This is the largest part and it is really nicely done.  It's not quite like some of the other painting books, but still similar.  Oddly enough, it doesn't show you in the picture format what brush to use, but it does have a newer paint icon that shows the color a bit better, I think.  In the test of each step, they cover what brush to use and how to get the effect.

  What is really nice is that they cover a lot of detail work that you don't always see in some of the paint splatter articles or elsewhere.  There is even some new ways to achieve effects, such as the runes and even some OSL, although they don't call it OSL??

  The last section is the 'space wolves catalogue' or 'pleasse, buy our minis' section...

  As a whole, this book was far better than I expected and 90% of the techniques and ideas are not limited to the space wolves.  All in all,  I gave the book a very solid A, or a B+ because of the cost ($33).  Definitely check it out though, maybe split the cost with a friend or two and save some coin?

Ciao... for now.

3d Printing a new Brush Holder

  Well, I have to say, I am pleased.  I have finally designed, printed and assembled my first 'thing' with my 3d Printer.  Oh, i have printed a lot of things that I downloaded, but this is the first object that I designed from the ground up.

  What is it?  Why it's a brush holder.  I had an older one I made from wood, but I always found it a bit... lacking.  Oh it worked just fine, but it only held a few brushes and it was kind of a kludge, all things being equal.

  So, off the Sketchup and Blender I went.  It took a while to knock the design up the way I wanted it, but in the end, it came out just the way I wanted it.

  What does it do?  It holds brushes when I am painting.  I have never been good at holding brushes in my hand for 2 and 3 brush blends, so this helps out there quite a bit.  It also holds the brushes horizontally while they dry.  While storing them in a cup is completely viable, I have heard from really good painters that storing them horizontally helps keep the water from building up in the ferule and causing premature rot and other bad things.

  I designed the ends with holes for nails or small screws, but I ended up gluing them to my base after all was said and done.  I also used offsets on each end so that you can 'stack' 2 or more of them to create even bigger holders.  I actually printed 4 of them so I could make a double stack.  I may make another for some other brushes I have around as well :)  Here is the whole thing in pictures;

 The finished, printed items.  Very nice even at normal resolution.  I didn't even think about fine resolution since printing 2 at a time was about an hour and forty five minutes.

   A side view, showing the way they interlock. 

Quick Tip: Airbrush practice with cardboard and milk??

  Hey guys, just a quick tip here...  I have seen a bunch of video's and posts lately on practising with an airbrush to get better control.  now, I don't now about you, but I'm a cheap bugger, and I hate wasting paint.  When you start practising your dagger strokes and dots, as well as fills and swipes, you go through alot of paint.  There is also a huge group of folks who always tell you to get your paint "thinned to the consistency of milk" for best performance.  I don't know about you. but for me to judge the "consistency" of something is pretty tough.  Here is what I did...

  Spray milk through your brush onto cardboard.  Yep, you heard me.  A small glass of milk will last you a long time of practice.  The cardboard needs to be the kind from cereal boxes or the like.  It will absorb the liquid, and show you how your doing, but it will also dry reasonably quickly so you can re-use it for hours.

  Why milk?  Well if you spray water, you'll get the same practice on your strokes and designs, but it dries very quickly and you don't get a feel for the effect of the right consistency of paint.  Water spiders very quickly, the milk doesn't.  By using the card and the milk, you can semi-duplicate what it will be like to shoot real paint on a real model.  Just keep in mind, the model will not absorb the paint.  You will get alot of practice and be able to try different pressures and distances from the object.

  So, if you're just getting started with airbrushing, or you want to do more than basecoat, give this a try...  You'll be glad you did.  And at worst, you can spray it into your mouth and try atomized milk?  LOL

Starting the Storm Eagle - ugh - We're in the warp now!

  Howdy!  Well, I have started the Storm Eagle.  I have to admit I was very nervous about starting this one.  First, because it is a pricey model and second, because it was pretty warped to start with.  But after a while of hot water, and an aluminum plate, I have them relatively straight.  At least the sides.

  I plan on getting the sides and floor done, as well as the bulkhead and the door so that I can prime and paint the inside areas.  Even though you can only see it from the front assault ramp and the side doors, I just feel like I have to do it.  It would be weird to build such a nicely detailed model and not have the interior done.

  So, for the warpage.  I had to boil up some water then let it cool for a short time.  Then the whole side went in for a few moments, not even a minute.  I didn't want it to turn to mush!  Once they were out of the water, they were soft, I must say.  I had to get them down on to the aluminum plate quickly.  Mostly because the pieces were hot...

  I could not put them square on the aluminum sheet, because the pieces are not flat, they have a lot of raised details.  I had to pre-plan a method to get most of the surface area onto a flat plane and then know that I might need to use a blow dryer or even another hot water bath to adjust the rest of the piece.  They actually came out pretty well, considering how they started...   Here is the blow by blow for the progress thus far.

The original warped sides.  Warped across 2 dimensions too, so it would be harder to straighten...

The floor of the craft.  Massively warped, but very easy to fix with hot water and a few moments on the aluminum plate.

Here they are clamped to the aluminum plate.  You see how I had to fit them on in a way that didn't warp them around the raised details that they have on the inside.

Clamping on the engine covers and landing gear bays.  They were epoxied on with 5-minute epoxy for strength.  You can also see the engines are built, but I'm not going to attach them yet.  They will get primed and painted first...

  So, there it is, started.  A lot of work to do going forward!  Getting a lot of inspiration from TemplarsCrusade01 and his Thunderhawk build...  Thanks mate!!

Imperialis Basing Kit - Reviewed

Well, I saw it, I bought it.  I'm like that.  It actually looked kind of cool.  So here is the review...

I have to say, it does not suck.  It's actually pretty nice.  For the low, low price of $33 (US) you get 5 40mm  and 20 25mm base toppers and 2 bags (not just 1, but 2!) of rocks.

  The Base toppers are very well detailed, and they certainly follow the gothic theme of all the GW terrain, especially the new boards.  As you can see in the photos, they're pretty nicely done.  The detail is very deep and clean on all of them.

  At first, I thought $33 might be a bit much, but then I compared to Secret Weapon Miniatures, and the same amount of product from them was $30, but without the rocks.  (A quick note on the rocks.  As opposed to some of their other basing kits, these rocks look like they were put through a wash before being bagged.  There is not a whole ton of dust in the bags.  Nice!)

  Now, some folks will yell that SWM makes full bases, and these are just toppers.  Well, yes, but they have the same detail and they are more flexible in their usage.  You can break these apart to make even more bases if you need to... so there! :p

  So, all in all, a pretty nice kit, decent price point and essentially, two bags of free, clean rocks.  Who can beat that?

See ya round!!

Etched Glass, A building and The Battlestar Pegasus

Wow, crazy times.  And I just had a power failure... so it gets even crazier.

Just wanted to share what I have been working on lately, and by lately I mean the last two days.  With work, traveling to Hawaii (for work) and a myriad of other things, I have been not as busy as I want to be lately.  I also have to admit that I have been working more on the model railroad lately too.  Resurrected that blog too...  But I'm trying to get back to the 40k stuff!...  Here are some projects that came in lately...

First up, my air etched glass.  The logo was a one-off stencil that my wife drew up for me.  I used my new air eraser brush from Master (link to amazon here).  I think it came out very nice.  It's the logo of my space marine chapter.  (But I have to admit, I'm getting all Orky over here...).

I used the aluminum oxide powder that came with it to etch the glass.  This is my very first effort ever, and I think it came out pretty well, for the first try ;)

You have to turn the air pressure up pretty high to get this to work, and I was afraid it might peel up the frisket, but it didn't budge at all, even at 60 psi.

So, I guess I know what everyone is getting for Christmas around here ;)


Next up, was the painting of the Battlestar Pegasus.  I know, I know, it was the Battelstar Galactica that got all famous.  But I liked the old storyline with Commander Kaine and the Pegasus, so mine is the Pegasus... Only things left are the engines, decals and clear coating...

And last but not least, The building I built so long ago is finally getting some love.

Here it is, all grey coated.  I have to say I got motivated by Duncan Rhodes' video on painting buildings, so I am going to try his methods.

   The building is pinned at each level, so that I can use the floors individually or gang it all up into one big ruined building.  Still thinking about whether or not to add a base to the bottom.   Later today the wash goes on.  Looking forward to trying my new mix of Payne's Gray wash.  Hope it works :)

  That's all for today, see ya soon!