maanantai 27. huhtikuuta 2009

Hello.

Slow blogging for a few days, time for me to paint a bit. I "tested" the army sunday, and was properly thrashed by a nurgle army and its pet Plaguereaper... So... Army list will evolve a bit. more on that later.

The Boss, just a small picture:





As of my list's current version, he is a Master of the Forge on a Bike, with a conversion beamer... Typical flying space brain, made from a toy bought 2 euros. The Eldar on the base is the only GW model in this army.

perjantai 24. huhtikuuta 2009

Lunchbreak Oi!

Today, army list, and a few before/after pictures of the flying saucers (FLYING SAUCERS! I could say those words for ever...).

Army list (Space Marines codex):

Master of the Forge
Scouts (5) 4 snipers 1 heavy bolter Camo Cloaks
Telion

Dreadnoughts MultiMelta/Heavy Flamer (3)

Tactical squad (10 marines) MeltaG/Missile Launcher
Rhino strom Bolter Search Light

Tactical squad (idem)

Land Speeder Heavy Flamer/Multimelta (3)

Predator AutoCannon/Heavy Bolter sponsons (3)

for 1500 points

Confession time: it is not my list. I found it on the website of M. Stelek, and I just ripped it off. This is the worst case scenario: you find a list you like, you use it for a turnament without the slightest idea about its playing style, etc. Not gonna work...

Anyway, the list allows me to make a lot of funny things (preds, dreads, etc), so I took it. It also seems fairly intelligent, based on vehicles (that are harder to bring down in 5th edition, or so they say), with a nice core holding your objective and a lot of threats for your opponent to consider. Land speeders are quick and good tank hunters, or heavy flamer toting anti-cover saves monsters. The predators make me wonder a bit, because of cover saves. But they unleash such a massive firepower for such a small cost... I have a second list for later, a dread/drop pod list.

Now with all these vehicles, I have been busy turning construction materials into ... hum... FLYING SAUCERS!

Ok, so what is this?















Indeed, the cap from an exhaust vent, with an "inside metallic spring closing system". No less. Bought from a DIY shop. A few euros.

But the truth is that, under this mild-mannered shell hides the alien menace, cunningly disguised:

"Rhinos":




























And a "Predator":














See? Just close the cap with cardboard, add a round bit of plasticard (or in my case the plastic covers for some electric components), and stick some guns. For the Rhinos, the guns are a bit of plastic rod and the upper half of a New Year's Eve round explosive charge, the kind you detonate in the street to please your drunken friends and annoy your neighbors. The cycle of life being what it is, I used to be a drunken friend, I am now an annoyed neighbor ;-) Those I found on the sidewalk on January 1st. Remember, modelist: on the first day of the year, always look on the floor. The opening ramp for the second Rhino was a bit of work. I just cut a piece of the cap I had used and added a flight of stairs with mesh and plastic rods from the trusty bits box. After that, I inserted a strong metallic wire through the flight of stairs, and had it coming out at the lower extremity of the ramp. So now the ramp touches the base of the mini and also acts as a support for the all vehicle. It wil be clearer on the finished pictures, I swear.

The predators used the same technique. The sponsons metallic guns are from Hydra, nice alien-looking stuff:














So we have the vehicles. The dreadnoughts? Stock minis from monsieur Beauchamp:



















I just added a Heavy Flamer hose and the flames sculpted with green stuff.

As for the scouts, again, stock Hydra and a few components added to represent heavy weapons:

















I have also simplified the color scheme in order to save time:



All Valejo:

Charred Brown (a great color, excellent covering and good base)
Desert yellow
Bonewhite
White for the edges

I try to go for a style where the large, flat surfaces are treated not so much through blending than through a mix of blending and weathering. I "create" chips, lines, and movements on the surface that are not sculpted. For example, in the test mini, I added lines from his eyes in order to give him a sort of threatening gaze. It is difficult to explain. Check Steve Dean's website for good examples of that technique. It makes the figurines very lively, and is quite significantly quicker than smooth blending. Another thing in my case is that smooth blending is way out of my league.

The technique needs to be clean, though, and well-thought. I still struggle with basically any aspects, but I might be slowly getting there... I also need to find a nice touch for the energy rod thing of their guns.

For the bases, I decided to go for a Red Planet Mars type of sand-gravel. I also found in a construction site these large, shunky pieces of slate that I will use as a repetitive motive in the army's bases. For the basic robots, everything is very straight: PVC glue, then sand. Do not buy sand in a modelling shop, this is ridiculous. Get some somewhere, it is free and will be less even, with the odd pebble or bigger chunck. This is good, it makes it more lively.
The sand is primed black, then given a coat of Charred Brown+Terracota, then drybrushed Terracotta, then drybrushed quite heavily bonewhite, terracotta+white or light grey, whatever is at hand at the moment. The question is whether to put the sand before or after painting the mini. In that case, when there is a clear division between the mini's feet and the base, I base after painting the mini.

Ok, and the shape of things to come. Heavy weapons:



More electric components behind... Land speeders, just so you know...










Ok. Next time, maybe a little story and ... the Boss, mister alien robot menace himself.

keskiviikko 22. huhtikuuta 2009

Robots? where?

So here I am, blogging... Wau, everything is so nice and shiny... So much potential. Well, let's not be too carried away. Hum... So! Robots, was it? Let's see...

I have been painting and playing for about 15 years now, so I have quite a lot of stuff lying around. However, I seem to always find some reason to buy more. This time, I blame Hydra Miniatures' boss Matthew Beauchamp. Go there to see what I am talking about, take the tour, and come back in a minute...

*Hears noise, rises head from painting desk* Already? Ok, so you see? Retro Sci-fi stuff, especially those nice 50s robots? Good sculpting too, multipart... Classic. These had to be mine. I ordered some, the casting was good, I ordered more...

So suddenly I had a whole bunch of robots and dreams of flying saucers... What to do?

Now, whatever you think of Games Workshop and their flagship system Warhammer 40k, in my neighborhood everybody plays it. And whatever you think of Space Marines in the game, their codex offers a wealth of options for inventive "count as" armies. So it would be Wh40k in order to be able to actually play the army without having to single-handedly introduce a new game system at my local gaming store, and it would be Space Marines for the versatility of the codex. I tried Necron, Eldar, even tyranid lists, but nothing was really satisfying.

Now something you must know is that there is a turnament in my town at the beginning of May. So that gave me a goal. As a slow painter with little time on his hands, that was also a difficult goal. Hence the blog. Not that I expect anyone to actually bother with my little robots, but the very idea that there might be someone looking over my shoulder should keep me at work on this project. Or so I hope...

So let the story begin. Can I convert and paint a "count as" Space Marines army based on M. Beauchamp's robots before the turnament? That's three weeks. Stay tuned!

And to give you something to chew, the test model for the color scheme:





















Next time: the army list, more painted robots, and some flying saucers...

*Goes back to painting*

PS. To see superb painting on some of the robots, go there. Agis Neugebauer might have odd musical tastes (RUSH? please...), but he is certainly a painter extraordinaire. And super quick, too! This guy paints like a Speedy Gonzalez on crack. Now if only Steve Dean could lay his talented hands on some of these robots... Miam.