Ricalopia

Sat 7 - Number Twenty Three

2012-01-28T11:31:00.000-08:00

Here we are, it is Saturday again! Here are seven posts that caught my eye this week:

- Zen 40k's Bloodstalker.
- Typhon from Plarzoid.
- Necron conversions over at Ten Inch Template.
- BBQ zombie hunters from The War Continues.
- Dave Taylor's corpse handler.
- Magnus goes over to Skorne on the PP Insider.
- Some troll warlocks over at the Hordebloods project.

Next weekend is the GottaCon gaming convention, Sat 7 #24 will appear the week after due to massive dosages of gaming! Until next round.

Iron Lich Asphixious

2012-01-26T08:17:00.000-08:00

Once a druid of the Circle, this iron lich has upgraded and joined Lord Toruk's party. His name is Asphixious and he is one of the most iconic warcasters in the Iron Kingdoms. He often pops up in the awesome rulebook fluff as he has a lot of nefarious plans to fulfill. In his pre-epic incarnation (yet to enslave a lich lord and raise an epic 'caster of is own) he is pretty bad-ass with a feat that refills his focus AND hurts everyone close to him. He rocks a monocle, hangs with undead ladies, and he has joined my Cryxian horde!

I will likely be using him as my main 'caster (with the Iron Lady as my secondary). I get evil chuckles whenever I read his stat card; sustained attack + feat + teleport. Cankerworm and him have a lot of fun on the battlefield, the little fella is an essential to any Asphxious list. His stats are decent, for a dead guy, and his other spells are lackluster but all-around-useful.

Nice rules and all, but the mini sells the whole package. It isn't over the top (like his epic self is) but regal and commanding. He has the presence of a leader who choses who, when and where he fights. He has a plan.

The 'classic' version suits me best, being thinner and not in motion like the 2010 version. Staying in the fluff (I am a rabbit after all) all my 'casters belong to Asphixious' mainland invasion deep in the Thornwood. All that remains of the army is Deathjack, a machine wraith, two necrotechs and a handful of zombies.

I also put together a marker, which will be used to represent the parasite spell. The ball and fire are putty mounted on a paperclip wire. The fun part was the spiral on the orb. There are still a few counters to make, I just can't resist making a complete set....

More soon, until next round.

Sat 7 - Number Twenty Two

2012-01-21T12:14:00.000-08:00

Here are again, it is Saturday! Here are seven posts that caught my eye this week. Prepare for awesomeness....

-Over at Fawcett Ave. a swordwind gets some more warmachines.
- Path of the Exodite made an excellent head for his titan.

- Santa vs the Yeti, by Ludstuff!
- No. 5's scourges have some nice lighting effects on them and his razorwings are wikkid!
- Die Vinci's MERCS are pretty cool.
- This is awesome.

Until next round friends!

Space Hulk Flesh Tearers - The Last Three (for now)

2012-01-19T08:58:00.000-08:00

The last three of the 'regular' terminators, almost finished the marine half of the Space Hulk box (two markers and the librarian to go!) These guys were a lot of fun...

Mr. Lightning Claws, he's one angry chap.
..and from the back...
A look at his shiny claws...
This guy gets a lot of flak, Mr. Flamer.

Odd that the guy with the flame-thrower is the most covered in parchment, and it is all on the front.

The instrument of purification in question...
This guy really hates the floor, or really paranoid.
..from the back...

After the imminent convention, the libby and some death co. are next, until next round.

Sat 7 - Number Twenty One

2012-01-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

*Saturday has been delayed due to troll.*
Happy Saturday everyone, here are seven posts that caught my eye this week.

- Daith's Forge has a really nice Deathmaster Snikch.
- Massive Voodoo shows us some nice finished minis.
- Heresy Workshop has converted a Blood Pact Herald, well done!
- Rust and the City's renegade sergeant is finished, I love this mini.
- An awesome shadowseer from the Painting Corps.
- A chaos war mammoth from the Madhouse, I might do something like that myself...
- A Thousand Sons' Falchion from Mordian 7th, nice model and a great paintjob!

That's it for this week, until next round!

Grimm, the Reaper

2012-01-12T08:56:00.000-08:00

Meet Grimm, a Cryxian Reaper. This big fella is the last 'jack needed for the tournament at GottaCon. That's right folks, no 40k for me this year (maybe next year Hive Fester or the Carnevil will be ready, or possibly fantasy....)

Back to Grimm. I wanted a different leg pose for him, so after some cutting and filing, he is bracing himself for when he has to haul in one of those big red 'jacks.

With such a low model count, I can go nuts on the bases without going crazy. (Wait a sec...nm.) The whole force still needs a purity seal (waiting for the weather to agree) and some dead grass hither and thither.

The Time of Cryx is drawing to a close, soon the Year of the Troll begins! Until next round...

Space Hulk Flesh Tearers - The Next Three

2012-01-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I find it difficult to keep the blog up to speed, these guys are a good example of that. They have actually been finished for a month now...

This chap is one of my favorites, "I am crushing your head!"

The 'nid bits are painting to match the 'stealers who were sent with these guys, I think I did pretty good.

The more osl I do, the easier it becomes.
Ah, the GPS-guy..
Still not sure what he is doing...
"There's a Starfort Coffee around the corner, and Brother Frank is there!"
And finally, the sergeant-like guy.
I love all the bling on these guys, have I mentioned that yet?

This project is still moving along, despite the GottaCon deadline approaching for some other projects. More soon, until next round.

Sat 7 - Number Twenty

2012-01-07T07:56:00.001-08:00

Welcome back to Saturday! Here are those posts that caught my eye...

- Eye of Error solves the break-dancing grotesque problem.
- Path of the Exodite shows us his warphunter.
- Drathmere almost makes me want some necrons.
- Mandrakes that actually look cool from Eye of Error.
- DFG's 13th Company is inspiring.
- How to make apocalyptic muscle cars, from the Hippo.
- What's best in life Sgt. Gorasan?

Some great looking minis out there...until next round.

Tidings

2012-01-06T09:52:00.000-08:00

The Kabal is growing, slowly. The bitz are gathering, the overseers are rising.
This year, the dark kin will receive some time on the Project Table, in due time.
The break in the tube will be fixed with some inventive gluing.

The Kabal will consist of Urien and his three apprentices, accompanied by their wracks and grotesques, flying raiders. Two squads of scourges and four venom-mounted warriors will give the webway portals covering fire. The beasts, chronos and talos, will exit these portals along side the evil clown carnival. Fast support will be provided by the troupe's jetfighter and jetbikes. A complete force-org of scary carnies.

The talos in question. His new arms just seemed right.
Until next round, beware of trolls.

Sat 7 - Number Nineteen

2011-12-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday, I hope all your hobby and gaming endeavors are going well. Welcome to the nineteenth installment of what caught my eye this week.

- X'Stacy (wip and finished) from Daughters of the Emperor.
- A pestigor from A Taste of Chaos.
- Camelsonart's sisters look awesome.
- Eye of Error has finished Asdrubael's court, very nice.
- Some nice looking Khador from Fabrice Tan.
- Scratchbuilding an APC over at BoLS (I will likely do something like this for my mercs).

Happy reading! Until next round, be well.

More Liches!

2011-12-19T08:21:00.000-08:00

Having more iron liches isn't a bad thing is it? I don't think so. These three are the Withershadow Combine, a trio of liches who graciously decided to help out the Cryxians. They bring some more tricks and sneaky bad stuff to the force, and I think they might be Asphixious' high-school buddies.

This is the brains of the operation, Maelevolus. He grants the trio Dark Industries, which is pretty nasty (if the Combine destroys a warjack it gets replaced with a shiny new Cryxian one).

I painted these three to a higher standard than most units, as they are a character unit. I am digging the very washed metal.

The whole Combine gets to roll an extra dice against 'jacks, which should help.

Another dead chick, woot! This one is Admonia.
Her power is to upkeep one spell for free, decent.
Book detail...

The third member of the Combine is Tremulus, the puppeteer. With Tremulus, I now have three puppet-spells for when I want to use my opponent's models.
At first I didn't like the puppet-skelly, but he has grown on me.

Until next round, be well.

Hell's Support Staff - Egore

2011-12-15T09:19:00.000-08:00

Meet Egore, necrotech and genius! This squat fellow has seen one game since he has been finished, did a good job too, but it brought up a question I hoped the blogosphere can answer; can I choose what damage boxes he repairs? It could mean a lot, and as far as I can tell I can fix a couple arms and swat at the enemy with them.

And makin' scrappers is knda fun too...

I was 50/50 about this model until I started putting paint on him, then he 'clicked'. Pretty happy with the way he turned out, and he is going to get some frequent use on the table.

Until next round, be well.

Large Alien Sacks

2011-12-12T09:02:00.000-08:00

Hive Fester got some reinforcements, some tyranid artillery. And yes, they are old school.

I am a fan of biovores. As much as I like giant killer monsters (like the other heavy support options), I am a guard player at heart, so I need some plates to drop. These guys can drop two large plates of decent anti-infantry barrage, and for less than 100 points.

The sacks were not big enough, so I enlarged them. The only other conversion done (other than the plague) was the tentacle-face, which is essential in Hive Fester.

This brings the swarm up to about 1600 points, they are growing....
Until next round, be well.

Sat 7 - Number Eighteen

2011-12-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday! Once again I have compiled seven posts from the last week that I thought were cool. Here they are:

-Kevin doesn't like his Vessel of Judgment, but I do!
-Maestro diorama from Massive Voodoo, crazyness...
-Jinn finished up his Samurai bust, it s awesome.
-A really good article on sculpting, from Massive Voodoo.
-More renegades from Rust and the City.
-SCW shows how to make a necron triarch stalker.
-A very cool Adeptus Mechanicus force over at White Scars.

What am I reading? Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds.

-Saturn's moon, Janus, decided to leave the system. It turns out that it is an alien artifact. Rockhopper, a corporate mining vessel, goes to take a look and is pulled along with it. There is some crazy political/mechanical stuff happening.

Until next round, be well.

Squirting Zombie Goodness

2011-12-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

These fellows, who once used to hang out in graveyards looking for meat, have died and joined the Cryxian army. Once ghouls (from gw), they are now my bile thralls.

As nice as the pp sculpts are, there is only a couple poses and I don't dig the bloated waddling thing. Digging in the Box of Lost Sprue I chanced upon some ghouls, ten of them. I put them on privateer bases, cut off some hands, added some tube bits and *poof* bile thralls.

It wasn't until painting that I noticed they don't wear pants. Pants are overrated anyway...

The guy with the body (aka lunch) is the leader-guy, because he is easy to identify (and he is the only one drooling). I like these minis, they have that special "creepy".

Tactics-wise, and keep in mind I am a noob still, I think they would only work well against units. With a low pow on both the squirt and purge, there would not be much they could do to a heavy 'jack. They could melt a light 'jack (especially with Mortenebra's recalibration), and decimate a unit (twice with eAsphixious). The thought is, run them up with Corey (my corrupter) who is immune to corrosion, and send them unit-hunting. Well, we will see how it goes....

And with another bum-shot, until next round!

Sat 7 - Number Seventeen

2011-12-03T11:30:00.000-08:00

It is Saturday. Pull up a comfy seat and pour yourself a nice drink, here are seven links from the past week.

-13th Company thunderwolves from DFG.
-Painting Munky Style has some nice looking wolves too.
-Eye of Error is up to some 'crons. The flayer conversion is nice, the scrapcrons are cool.
-A wandering friar from dieVincis, awesome work.
-Pirate Viking has a squad of Imperial agents, some nice conversion ideas...
-The Plastic Knight winners at Massive Voodoo.
-The Death Korps talks about earthshakers, (and reminds me that I got to paint mine...)

Until next round!

The Minotaur Herd Grows

2011-12-01T07:55:00.000-08:00

This is the second minotaur herd of the Host of Change. Some are new, others are old, and one has been primed forever and was covered in dust. Now, with new bases for some, they can go smash stuff together. What had happened was, when the new minotaurs came out I picked up a box and split the existing herd in two. The great weapon wielding herd got some paint, but these guys bullied the other models on the Shelf of Shame for months.

This is my Gorebull. Not only is he the shortest, but he has the most spikes and is the oldest sculpt of them all. He was painted for a while, but now he has a nice spot in the horde.

On the topic of Gorebulls, I really hate that word. Go ahead, say it out loud, Gorebull. It can make anyone sound like they just had a lobotomy. From now on we will just use a new word that doesn't sound dumb; like Slaughterbull for instance.

Yup, the Slaughterbull does not wear pants.

This fine fellow is the champion of the herd, the Bloodkine. (Maybe the other guy should be called a Gorekine? Nah, sounds like a pickle.)

There are some issues with the plastic bulls, and I am not a huge fan of them. The back humps are a little weird, I know that real bulls have them but it looks weird on them too. And what is wrong with hooves!? Minotaurs have hooves dammit! The gors have hooves, cloven hooves help make them evil, bring back the hooves!!

See, back hump and ankles.... -.- And the hair on their backs, it seems out of place...

Moving on, the flag-waiver.
Detail of the banner. Simple and beastly.

Giant back-hump, with a crack. Can you tell I did these guys up when I was sick?

When I add more bulls, they will be from other manufacturers....
This bull is armed with two hand weapons; fists.
This retired Blood Bowl player fits right in, and he has hooves!
..growing hair in strange places...

The Mordenhiem minotaur, has feet but makes up for it by using a bag'o'skulls as a weapon. Classy.

He has got a weird chest roll. Not sure about that, but he does have a blue face...on his belt. Seriously, Mordenheim minis has some weird stuff on them.

That is it for today, until next round!

Celyne - Warwitch Siren

2011-11-29T08:50:00.000-08:00

Here is another mini I finished up last weekend, Celyne. Named after an awesome nWo victim, she has already caused some mischief on the battlefield in yesterday's game against Mr. Terrible's Khador scum. Game-wise, she is a great addition to an Iron Lich's bag'o'tricks.

I am not 100% happy with the paintjob, and there is a nagging voice telling me to glue a screw to the base, but she is "table ready". Or it might just be the pictures. I will endeavor to go back to her, when the projects quiet down...

Until next round, be well.

Yo Dawg!

2011-11-27T08:58:00.000-08:00

I noticed something really cool today that made me a very happy gamer; Ricalopia has 150 minions! I really have to thank all you readers for dropping in and taking a look around, your views keep this little blog going. It has been a little over two years since my first post, and since then I have found the blogosphere an essential tool in my hobby arsenal full of some amazing hobbyists.

Since I started Ricalopia, the Ricalopians group on fb has been updating those who live there and providing a good way to set up games at the Rabbit Hole. The Rabbit Hole grew itself a blog, logging all the battles, events and odd projects that go on around here (with multiple authors for added fun). I really didn't think it would get this big, and I didn't dream I would be doing commissions...

So, when it all gets boiled down, thanks guys and girls for dropping by and taking a look, you all have impeccable taste!

Oh yeah, and I finished off a couple of warhounds. One is from Reaper (the one with three heads), and the other is an ancient lead-based beastie. Cute aren't they?

Until next round, be well.

Sat 7 - Number Fifteen and Sixteen

2011-11-26T07:02:00.000-08:00

Last week I was burning up, so this week I am doubling up! These weeks there were a bunch of things that caught my eye, and here they are;

-Corbania's Field Ambulance Squadron.
-Some lasgun conversions from AJ's Gaming World.
-Some Massive Voodoo, the Arkvenger.
-Rictus has been going to town on some killa cans.
-Over at Winterdyne the Hordes diorama is done (and looks great).
-The Magnificent Bastards show off a mining drill.
-Zen 40,000 has one hell of a Slaughtermaster.

-Rust and the City has been working on some renegades, and they are looking awesome!

-Daughter of the Emperor finished up a sweet steampunk picnic.
-DFG shows us CVinton's contemptor (I feel sorry for the Thousand Sons...)
-Wulfweb's clockwork planet idea is so getting stolen!
-And a Fey Hunter from those Magnificent Bastards.

That concludes the Sat 7 for this week, there is some really awesome stuff in there!

What am I reading, (which will show up here often):

Alistair Reynolds - Pushing Ice.
I have read a bunch of his other books and I can't say enough good things about him. I just started this one, which takes place outside his standard timeline, much closer to our age (most of the others take place in the further future). Reynolds writes some of the best SF I have ever seen, highly recommended!

Until next round, be well.

Flesh Tearers - Land Raider Crusader

2011-11-25T04:23:00.000-08:00

After a long wait, the land raider crusader is finished. I think it turned out well.

I love painting tanks, but this guy took more time than normal. It wasn't the model itself, it is just that I don't paint commissions when I am sick, especially with a fever. But once the fever broke...

This is the first of two, the second will be for the death company, this one is for those terminators (which are currently on the project table).

The sponsons are glued in, but not the other hatches/guns, for easy transport and aiming.

I got to say, weathering is way too much fun to do!
Until next round, be well.

Gorhlath, my new Beastman Shaman

2011-11-23T15:18:00.000-08:00

A beastman army devoted to the god of magic always needs more shamans, and I just happened to have this really old beastman lying around. Due to his antiquity he had to be a shaman. So I cut off the blade and gave him some bitz and smacked him around with a brush.

He will get some brown grass soon, along with the rest of the batch of finished models from the weekend. (The quest to clear the Shelf of Shame is progressing well!)

Until next round,be well.

A Dead Couch and Broadsides

2011-11-15T18:23:00.000-08:00

That couch was huge, heavy and uncomfortable. So I butchered it with a hammer Samalander helped), complete obliteration.

And that is why there wasn't much hobby done, but life is back to 'normal' around here now (albeit with more space!) Now on to pictures of models....

My first two broadsides got themselves finished last week, along with a couple of shield drones for back-up. This is Camo Team, which is still waiting for Camo Leader to get bought and converted.

I have to say, I love painting tau! Smooth lines, some nice sharp angles, and a distinct space/military feel make this army easy on the eyes.

Here is a shot of the gun. The thingy on top is a recoil dampener, not certain it is needed, but looks the part.

They are both upgraded with the thing that allows them to fire both guns, more shooty the better!

The gun drones are an all plastic, simple conversion. A couple of field emitters (pulse rifles) replacing the guns.

I think it gives them the same feel as the "dragonflies" that were causing such a fuss down in California.

And.....the other one!

I liked the swept-back look to the missile launchers, in fact, I tried to copy the forge world design as much as I could. Cause it looks cool and I never took to the shoulder-mounted guns (not gundam enough).

Now the dust has settled, it is back on the brush!
Until next round, keep painting, and be well!

Sat 7 - Number Fourteen

2011-11-14T08:18:00.000-08:00

There was a delay, the Rabbit Hole was being remodeled! Which means more light and less couch. So here are those seven things I noticed last week!

-Heresy Workshop's Lexandro is finished!
-Black Dagger has completed a Nurgle Lord.
-I really like Grim Angus from Winterdyne.
-Feralique shows off a sweet Eden mini.
-Massive Voodoo does some tau.
-Some awesome snipers from 42nd Cadain.
-And, Heresy Workshop again, with Angron!

And now that the couch has been banished, time to get back on it! Until next round, aim high, keep painting, and be well.

Black Dragon WIP

2011-11-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

Like the land raider, the black dragon does not fit in the photochamber which is why these pics aren't that great. But, bad pics or not, the black dragon deserves an update.

For the skin, I began with a dark turquoise and brought it up with a final of camo green. It still needs a black wash, but I hope it gives it a 'lizardy' feel.

The pointy scales were done in the same purple as the throne and dreadlord, to tie them together. His gums and tongue were done in a much lighter, fleshy, purple.

The one catch, so far, is the horns. I have a couple of ideas, though I would run them past the blogosphere:
-Dark brown, lighter at the tips.
-Bone, like the skulls on the riders.
-Midnight blue, to bridge the existing colors.
Comments appreciated! Be well, and keep painting!

Sat 7 - Number Thirteen

2011-11-05T14:10:00.001-07:00

Good morrow warlords, pirates and unicorns! Here is this week's Saturday 7.

-The GunGrave is building an aqueduct, nice.
-A scavanger from Independent Painters (I gotta get me one...)
-The Cult of Khaine shows us a champion of Khorne.
-Sheep's first post, (I am liking the IG army shot, and the stormraven conversion!)
-Some plague marines from The Grim Darkness.
-Black Dagger has this...gross in a good way!
-A very nice contemptor painted by Garfy.

Keep painting, convert often!

Flesh Tearers - Crusader WIP

2011-11-03T09:24:00.000-07:00

This land raider crusader has been dwelling on the project table for a while, but it is creeping towards completion with only a few bits left to do.

I divided the color with the sawblade motif, (which I saw somewhere on the interweb, if that was yours, nice work!) With the second crusader, the front edge of the blade will be completed (in theory).

The weapons have hazard stripes, but I am wondering where to place them on the sponsons (the outer edge or inner part?) I am thinking the outer edge....

Sorry about the cruddy pics, a land raider doesn't fit in the photochamber apparently...

Until next round, be well.

Sat 7 - Number Twelve

2011-10-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

This Saturday we have more than seven, due to missing last week's. So, here are some things that caught my eye over the last two weeks:

-Dave's Gutsman is pure win.
-Kevin shows us his awesome Menoth force (and some handy tactics if you're a zealot).
-Inq28 purifies a nurgle mini.
-A chaos ogryn diorama from Massive Voodoo.
-Hex hunters from die Vinci, some nice shadowy feel.
-I can see why this won a daemon, nice work!
-A display board/carry tray from SCW (I am so stealing this!)
-Rafa Coll shows us what guard do on their off time.
-Truescale dreadnought from Spikey Bits.
-...and the winner of their wreck challenge, "Seatbelts Save Lives".

Until next round, be well.

Sat 7 - Number Eleven

2011-10-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday Seven, Issue 11!

-This Archon from Rant in E Minor is wikkid.
-Death or Glory is working on some ogryn servitors.
-Big Daddy from Chris.
-Menoth, really nice Menoth....(Gentleman's Ones).
-Doomrider, Chaos Brushes rock it.
-Possibly the best daemon prince I've seen, Massive Voodoo.
-A great resculpt of Mephiston.

Until next round!

Mistress of the Forge

2011-10-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

Beneath Steamtown burns the Helzforge, a Cryxian 'jack factory. The ruling mistress of this underground labyrinth is the beautiful Mortenebra, accompanied by her personal skarlock, Deryliss.

Since I have decided to play in the Warmahorde tournament this year at GottaCon, I thought getting my choice warcaster ready. Although, we will see if that still holds when I run little Asphixious....

What I am most pleased about is that all her little legs stayed on the whole time during painting. I made sure to wash all the bits throughly, and used PP superglue, no pins anywhere.

I'm looking forward to having this little lich on the battlefield, her 'jack boosting spells and Recalibration...(insert evil genius laughter)....

She does seem a bit fragile, her skarlock can keep her out of some ranges, but I am likely to run her behind a corrupter or leviathan for cover/guard.

My current warcaster count: eAsphixious, with his ladies Mortenebra and Denegrha.

And Deryliss (note the corresponding runes?)

The poor guy is likely to be sent along with the assault force, (Mortenebra can allocate focus through him,) and will likely get hit by the odd 'jack. Such is unlife...

Like all skarlocks, he floats. It is the pincers and screw-eyes that win for me.
Until next round, be well (not 'a well', that's different).

A Chair for Really Mean Elves

2011-10-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

Thought I would post an update on the black dragon that has been terrorizing the project table of late. The throne is finished and ready for sitting.

You might notice the pin sticking up from the seat, looks uncomfortable don't it? Luckily, minis aren't real people and therefore don' have real feelings! The pin also proceeds out the bottom (currently into the Cork of Holding). Due to this mighty pin; the throne can accommodate either rider, or not be used at all.

The throne also got a crossbow so that whomever is riding can still take a couple shots at the peasants below.

So far, so good....
Until next round, be well (unless I tap my Time Elemental).

Scarabs!!1

2011-10-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

SCARABS!!1

Ahizras, Chosen of Tzeentch

2011-10-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

Ahizras, marked by the feathers of the bird-god, bearer of one horn, and leader of the marauder tribe of Tzeentch. (Read: marauder chieftain.)

This mini comes from the Anima Tactics range, with the exceptions of the base and shield. The detail on these minis are really crisp and fun to paint, (not sure why he wears raver-pants, I guess he's been to )'( ...)

I did notice that these guys are a bit taller than others, which is perfect for champions!

Well, off to whittle down the project pile...until next round.

Sat 7 - Number Ten

2011-10-09T11:15:00.001-07:00

It's Sunday?...so lets pretend it is Saturday and toss up seven posts that caught my eye...

-A barracuda from Xenos and Proud.
-The Brush Bro.s have a sweet mini from Infinity.
-Chaos Brushes gave me nightmares.
-Spikey Bits shows off an awesome Defiler.
-The Exodite is building a Rapier....
-Excellent dreadnought conversions from Mini Tim.
-Doc H., boo-yeah!

That's seven!
Back to the brushes!

Sat 7 - Number Nine

2011-10-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

As the Saturday 7 isn't that big on words....

-Some shenanigans from the Scrum.
-Those jungle dwellers show us Pete, the butcher.
-Building one hell of a diorama, from the jungle.
-Post-apocalyptic biker, from Sippin'.
-Hammerstien!
-Hear us non-painters, fear us and our hobby tools!
-Cannibals, loving the post-apoc, stay thirsty indeed!

Unless my maths are wrong, that's seven. Until next round, be well.

Life Sucking Robot

2011-09-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

Another helljack? I painted this fella at the same time as Sean (the seether), his name is Correy (the corrupter).

He enjoys sucking the life out of things and making other things explode, an all around nice 'jack. I built him more recently with a more elaborate base and a couple of trophy spikes.

There is lots of copper on Correy because he will likely be beside my 'caster, and the liches like them shiny. The vials were painted with an odd collection of colors, and I can't remember any of them...

Looking forward to smashing stuff with him.
Until next round, be well.

Soul Powered Engine of Destruction

2011-09-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

My iron lich's entourage swells, the most recent addition, a seether helljack. I call this psychotic machine 'Sean'. The rules for this..thing...are disgusting, it is no wonder they have to chain it down in between fights.

Rules aside, he just looks badass, so I had to get one. Only thing that bugged me was the head, it didn't sit well with me, so I switched it with a chaos defiler mask with the horns moved around to become tusks.

Sean is one heavy son of a forge, being all metal, definitely feels like 9 points. To digress, I find it easier to paint a model this size or smaller if it has some weight. A heavy model can rest in my hand, where I have to hold lighter ones. Ok, spiel over.

Hopefully I get the chance to let him run around smashing stuff with his bro (Correy) this weekend. Until next round, remember to thank the dice gods and be well.

Warp Wednesday 29: Steamtown

2011-09-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Gather, thralls and flesh-creatures, to listen to the story of Steamtown. It was not always the thriving necropolis it is today.

In 527AR, a group of prospectors from Cygnar located rich iron deposits within a hill westward of Blindwater. A small settlement was erected, and then grew, upon this hill. Soon, the settlement became a town and grew with industrial purpose. This town was named Steamtown.

The mines reached deeper into the hill. The deeper they dug, the thicker the bands of iron they found. They also began to run into sulfur pockets, which were both harmful and volatile. Although miners were falling ill, and fatal detonations began to be common, the mining continued.

Steamtown's morgue was run by a woman named Lilian, or Lily, and other than the gravedigger she worked alone. No one noticed the bodies go missing, with each of them assigned for cremation, it was almost too easy.

At the height of Steamtown's mortal life it provided great amounts of raw iron to the Cygnar capital. Being between two outposts, Steamtown's popularity with the kingdom grew, and dignitaries were sent into the Thornwood. Of course, Cygnar was not the only one who noticed the mines.

Lily was haunted by a being known to her only as Skar, who apparently was an emissary of his creator. Skar taught the mortician his master's lore of animation, Lilyy seemed to know half of the lessons already. When the delegation was set to arrive, Skar told her it was the time.

Ceremonies took place in a Steamtown glazed over with ornaments and streamers. The day was filled with cheers and speeches, while the evening was set to revelry. As Steamtown fell into a drunken sleep the morgue's doors opened and Lily began a stroll into town. Behind her came the town's dead.

Her thralls were crude creatures, just shambling automata bound to her will. Each of these zombies was built to contain a measure of sulfur and a mechanikal device. Lily was only one to watch the sun rise, but she had other things to do than watch the sun.

After her work was done, the townsfolk standing an undying guard inside the mines, she left. As agreed, Lily followed Skar to the Nightmare Empire, and was presented to Asphixious. She managed to stay in his favor, as his necrosurgeon, until his move to the mainland. She led the iron lich to the mines of her former life.

She saw that Steamtown had been repaired, likely by Khadorians, and then abandoned again. It was changed, but Skar and her were back home. The iron lich saw a more practical view. He ordered an underground complex made with mines and 'jack factory, it is called Helzforge.

Steamtown's ruins remain, picked clean and boobytrapped. The streets are infested by Lily's creations and the testing grounds for newly minted helljacks. Nice place to spend one's unlife.

Sat 7 - Number Eight

2011-09-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday, and here is seven things that caught my eye this week;

-Over at Chaos Brushes has a giant ork spida.
-Orkidus has a terrain party.
-A dark Eldar dragon, nice!
-Chompers, a smooth conversion I'd say.
-Legion of Plastic has a nice chat about conversions.
-A merc, Magnus, from Stuck Between Stations.
-Klaus shows us how to make an awesome dragon here and here.

Thats seven for this week, until next round.

Flesh Tearers - Assault Squad

2011-09-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

There has been much painting done of late, like finishing the other five assault marines for that Flesh Tearer commission.

The squad now boasts two hazard-striped meltas, carried by these friendly guys.
...snuck in some more stripes on the bases...

Working on the Crusader "Vehemens" with a large buzzsaw pattern (which my necrotech seems really interested in...)

Until next round, be well (and keep painting!)

Black Dragon - Dreadlord WIP

2011-09-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

The newest commission project has begun, and this time it is a black dragon of those not-nice elves. It has been built so that the riders (a Dreadlord and Sorceress) may be swapped, or be used unmounted. It was simply putting a pint in the chair poking out both sides and drilling corresponding holes.

This is the progress so far, the Dreadlord and a start on the throne. Purple was chosen as the primary color, with a lean towards the standard colors. So I stared at the box for a bit, and noticed how the metal was two-toned, which I like. I painted the metal like normal (boltgun/chainmail/mithril) then washed it with asyumen and a "spot" wash of ogryn flesh.

As the third color I chose a turquoise, and attempted to make it flow into the purple. So far, so good (I think...)
Until next round...

The First Lord

2011-09-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

Here, for your critique, is the first necron lord of the Legion.

I decided to go with an Ancient Egyptian feel with blue and tan, but desert bases didn't look quite right. Instead I decided on a dead-world feel.

I think he feels very synthetic with minimal metallics, almost eldar...
Comments welcome!
Until next round, be well.

Sat 7 - Number Seven

2011-09-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

It is Saturday, and here are seven things that caught my eye this week:

-An =I= from Legion of Plastic (PMW).
-Converted venoms on DFG.
-Inq28 shows us JRN's fantastic mini (PMW).
-Pig Iron Blog shows off some sweet WWII terrain (the batrep is pretty good too).
-More =I= goodness, from Path of the Outcast.
-Sorrowshard finished off some Reavers.
-Jay has some great terrain setup guidelines, of which I totally agree upon.

That's it for this week, see you next round.

Slow News Day

2011-09-14T19:55:00.001-07:00

The guy in the chair from the Space Hulk box, still waiting for the serf to bring him a new roll...

But, he is finished! After taking these pictures I noticed that his robes/litany were too pale, so they have since been washed. Jokes aside, this was a fun model to paint with consistent details to the other terminators.

...still waitin'...
Until next round, be well.

Tyrant Guard

2011-09-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

I got my tentacles on three of the old tyrant guard with lash whips and riot shields, so Fester gets some back-up. I like these guys, they already have the pox modeled on!

Of course, there needed to be a squid-face, it's a Fester thing...

Not much conversion on these guys, they are creepy enough, just some extra armour plates, new rending claws and new bases. They should help the tyrant live a turn or two longer!

Back to painting, until next round!

Sat 7 - Number Six

2011-09-10T08:55:00.001-07:00

It's Saturday, time for the seven things I spotted in the interwebz this week.

-Remember that Warpwolf from Lost Hemisphere? Well, he's painted!
-A converted scraplauncher over at Magnificent Bastards.
-Oddly named, but nice to look at; the Amada of Evil.
-A very awesome conversion; Valencia.
-A leman russ from over at Adeptus Malaysia.
-Chaos Brushes finished a Dark Apostle, nice.
-Dwarven 'jacks are sweet, like this one.

And that wraps up this week's Sat-7, see you next round.

A Question...

2011-09-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

This is the "new" legion of Necrons I have inherited through nefarious means. I plan to have this army up for auction/raffle at the next GottaCon, but how should I paint them? The glowsticks will be glued in and painted (likely some osl thereabouts) with a darker scheme overall, I think. So I open the floor to you for any suggestions and ideas....

Until next round...

I 33 - The n00b

2011-09-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

Finished up what might be the last of the 609th's leman russ tanks. This would be the ninth (second exterminator) in the motor pool. It is so new, the crew hasn't named her yet.

A tombstone hangs from the sponson, an armour division joke regarding "steel coffins" and tempting fate. It also has the usual amount of dirt, tank stripes of its division, and a shield designating the forge where the Mk II-VI hull was produced.

What is a little different from its kin are the grey markings and the rust effects, much like Lunchbox. The others will be getting the same treatment over time.

Until next round, be well.

Hand Me a Wench: Episode 5...Completion!

2011-09-04T11:15:00.001-07:00

Finally, after many weeks and a hiatus, the wenches are finished. They were a lot of fun, but I am glad they are done. So, without many more words, here's some pictures of pirate girls:

The champion.

The standard bearer.

The musician.

And the rest of them.

Until next round, be well.

Sat 7 - Number Five

2011-09-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

Another Saturday with seven posts that caught my eye this week:

-I really like Alex's Avenging Angel captain, some great purple.
-Monster 0's Drago pretty sweet for Khador.
-Wyches dancing on blood, from Sorrowshard.
-Wicked Warpwolf conversion and sculpting from the Lost Hemishpere.
-Great basing ideas from SCW.
-A cool radical =I= from the Outcast.
-Stahly has finished her Warpcannon, almost makes me want to play Skaven...

And that's it for this week, until next round.

Deathwatch Apothecary

2011-09-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

It seems fitting that the apothecary for a Deathwatch team would be a son of Sanguinus. This guy is part of the Flesh Tearer army I am working on, I hear he will be used for RPGing, nice!

Other than his armor, he is painted the same as the others. I used a different method for painting black so his shoulder pad would look apart.

Also...

His arms are magnetized, and he's got four to choose from (depending on how he feels that morning).

The concept of the Deathwatch, marines gathered from different chapters to kill aliens, is a neat one. It seems that Tristan thinks so too, lets hope they all get along.

The lucky astartes also has two backpacks!

On each of the shoulder pads (except the flamer) there is a buzzsaw, and on each pack a double helix.

Of course he has a glowing fist!
Arms...
Packs...
Until next round....

Warp Wednesday 28: Rabbit Thoughts

2011-08-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Wednesday! Lets take a look at what is going on around here, things have been shaking in the Grimdark future these days. Finecast, Grey, Blood, Wolves, not-nice eldar, and no "Summer of Fliers" (unless you read a WD lately). Haven't touched Finecast, seen a few nightmares, how is that quality control doing? Those SMurfs...not a marine player. Not-nice eldar were refreshing, with a nice 'dex and even better models, IMO. Would have been nice to have gotten a plastic hydra kit or a nightwing....

I also heard some such thing as "codex creep" (which makes me picture a skinny dude in the corner metagaming and reading rules), that apparently describes the phenomena of newer books being better than the older ones. (Keep in mind my Daemonhunters are now unusable and Sisters...well.) The codex is one part of the formula for a great game, not the whole part. Consider tactics; terrain, placement, movement and the like. Importantly; attitude (we ARE playing with toys here).

Witch Hunters bring me to this point, my opponents mortally fear the black codex of doom. I use tokens to track faith points and vary the list with Inquisitors or the Priesthood. Although not as varied as my other forces, one of my favorites. So, a WD codex, virtually no improvements and some nerfing. Where is the Redeemer? (I dare you to try and keep the Sisterhood away from flame cannons). Sadly, the girls will be shelved until a real codex comes out, I just can't.....

So I am going to work on my Radical Inquisition force and rules, unless GW does the only thing that can save the Inquisition: their own codex. Think of it, Codex: Inquisition, with the three ordos, mercenary xenos, psychic choirs and unbound daemonhosts. Radical dude!

Until next round, be well.

Team Green

2011-08-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

The second fire warrior team is 'finished'. With such a simple/basic color scheme, these guys were pretty easy to do. As with each team, the secondary color is different, while the rest is uniform.

As I was painting, the conundrum of weathering came to mind. I think I am against dusting effects, as they don't really apply to the basing scheme. Chipping is an option, but I don't want any metallics, so perhaps bone underneath the paint? The chipped effect would only apply to suits and vehicles....suggestions?

The yellow ties the entire force together when multiple teams are together, sorry, no pics of that yet...

Well, back to painting...until next round.

Hand Me a Wench: Episode 4

2011-08-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, but I got back on the wenches...that didn't come out right...

Either way, I finished their hair, wood and bone. Also, the command group got some turquoise to set them apart.

It is a nice break to work on a plethora of different models from different manufactures.

Next stage is the metallics, pirates need lots of gold.

Yeah, I know, purple isn't a 'pirate' color, but they are going to be part of a purple force (for a purple person).

MONKEY!!1

These ladies will be hanging out on the project table until they are done, which might be soon. Of late, I have three projects on the table (2 commissions, 1 of mine) and I cycle through them. It keeps my hobby-add in check.

Until next round...be well and listen to Army of the Universe.

Sat 7 - Number Four

2011-08-27T01:39:00.000-07:00

Without much intro, here we go...

-DFG posted some good advice about casting.
-Kevin has finished a nice-looking eAsphixious.
-This one is hard to explain......Wamammoth, check. Bugs, check. WTF, check.
-Inquisition, from Legion of Plastic (a new blog to my list).
-Another new blog, to my list. Why? Deff Choppas.
-Fabrice Tan has some really nice renegade tanks, mmmmm tanks.....
-The most amazing diorama I have ever seen. The Return of the Warlord.

happy reading, until next round....

Warp Wednesday 27: Odin Sigma-r37

2011-08-24T21:10:00.000-07:00

Getting to know the 609th, the priesthood of the Machine God. The combat-ready maniple known as Odin Sigma-r37 (or Gear-heads to the troops) stand ready to lend the 609th Armour a hand (and servo).

Magos-primaris Diemos maintains all the command codes for the maniple and oversees the well-being of the super heavies. Diemos is seconded by the Inquisition to maintain the health of their land raiders.

Odin Primary's forges are renowned for the quantity and quality of the heavy armour they supply throughout Segmentum Obscurrus, supplying to such chapters as the Flesh Tearers as well as the Inquisition.

Accompanying Diemos are servitors of varying ages, acquired or replaced during his long service record.

Of late, Diemos has been taken to the more aggressive servitor models and riding in the Gorgon super-heavy when his presence is required on the battlefield.

Eldest of Sigma-r37 is Magos Teej, chief of the 609th's motorpool. Such designs as the Mk I-IX 'cityfight' chimera, the MK II-VI 'Odin-alfa' leman russ hull and Mk I-V Hurricane bolters are attributed to his research coven.

Teej views the battlefield as the testing lab for the newest upgrade. The servitors that he brings with him consist of heavy energy weapons and an array of technical servitors.

During the Phasian War, Teej has also taken the OPDF's warmachines under his care. The venerable machines of the defense force have never run better.

Adept Phoboes represents the Cybernetica arm of Odin's preisthood. He designs and maintains the servitors required to preform the 609th's labors. These servitors are spread across the army, from the ships in orbit to the gunners wired into their weapons. Adept Phoboes interacts the most with the Medicae, albeit morbidly.

His personal servitors are all elder models which have been constantly modified on all levels. He prefers to maintain two heavy bolter gunners at all times, to 'delete errors.'

His experiments include controlled mutation, ogryn-modification and the Penance Engine (an engine that consumes half the fuel when supplemented by te agony of an interred heretic).

"Come play with Dolly!" This phrase is often heard being bellowed by Alt-Ogre-Ultima as it leads its fellow ogryn-servitors into battle. The modified creatures have proven to be much more transportable and controllable once the small amount of frontal lobe was replaced.

The ogryn-servitors are used as a solid defense 'plug'. When the armour is threatened, the brutes are sent in to smash the attackers and fill the gap. They can often be found accompanying Diemos in the Gorgon.

And, the obligatory daemon-bunny picture!

Until next round, be well.

Sat 7 - Number Three

2011-08-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the third Saturday 7! There's some good stuff in here...

-Marauders from the Madhouse, definitely some great ideas in there...
-Camelson has an awesome orc slaver.
-Some greenstuffing from Huron.
-I don't normally like Nobs, but these guys are cool.
-Hellions!!! in the Eye of Error.
-Miniature Tim is a recent addition to my blogroll, here's why.

See you next round!

Wraith Engine - Completion!

2011-08-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

Here he is, all painted and ready to claw his way through everything in front of him. There was a lot of him to paint, but it was both enjoyable and rewarding! Having a soul-powered-killing-machine is so worth all those weird angles.

He has been named; Wraith Nikodemius Gene, or Gene for short. (No, my iron lich does not have a knack for original names.)

The tubes are my favorite part, they seem to look almost organic.

It is a lot of base to deal with too. It was a similar experience as painting any other really large monster, plus a healthy dose of necromachanics. Althuogh I like the traditional Cryx scheme, I prefer a hell-spawned/steampunk feel, and I think the blue/black and brass bring it out.

Your thoughts? I would like to hear them.
Until next round, be well (and beware of soul-powered-killing-machines!)

Space Hulk Flesh Tearers - The First Five

2011-08-15T23:52:00.000-07:00

Five down, seven to go, and loving every minute of it! I must say, the bases are a great touch (being packed with stuff, and magnetized!)

Ah, the pointing guy, the first termie to get paint...

A powerfister, the most recently finished.

Mr. Thunderhammer. So far, he's a fan favorite.

I added some hazard stripes to the bases, heavily weathered. I think it helps tie them together but doesn't overwhelm.

Assault cannon guy got some hazard stripes too, sometimes I can't resist.
I hope you like, and thanks for looking. Until next round....be well.

Wraith Engine and a Photo Chamber

2011-08-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

Almost there, the wraith engine nears completion. It is a beast, with many odd angles, but so far it has been a ton of fun to paint.

All that is left are the rags (which I don't quite understand why they are there) and the base.

I also built a completely free Photo Chamber! Yay for better picture quality!
Most of the idea came from Massive Voodoo's lightbox tutorial. Thanks guys!

I grabbed a white bucket, cut a hole in the front. Put the bucket on a clear binder (with a piece of paper inside) and placed a light behind/above the whole thing.

The white bucket diffuses the light, sending it everywhere and reducing shadows, making the entire inside glow. I might pick up a second light (to place one on either side) but I think this is good for now.

Using a bucket has another bonus; storage. To put it away, the binder blocks the hole and the light fits inside, genius!

Until next round, be well.

Sat 7 - Number Two

2011-08-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Saturday Seven. I know, it's Sunday, but there was a delay. Without further text:

-Dave's Landship, nuf said.
-Attack Chariots are pure win.
-Mr. Chaos' Necrosphinx is gorgeous.
-Some awesome wracks, especially the bases.

- A very nice solution for industrial hills.
-A priest from Massive Voodoo.
-Eye of Error has some of the coolest dark eldar.

Hope you all had a good Ricalope Day, until next round....

Mk I-V Hurricane Bolters

2011-08-11T00:27:00.000-07:00

Long ago, I once assembled a set of Mk I hurricane bolters, which were metal. In addition to having a nice armour plate, they were also a pain in the @$$! With a Crusader sitting in the commission cue, there was only one option; Mk I-V.

I took the plastic bolters from the Redeemer kit, which were by far easier to glue together and would give a narrower profile to the sponsons.

The pivot/rack was trimmed down alot, and fitted so it still attached to the plate.
The axle was positioned central to the guns with enough space to rotate freely.

There is one small piece that needs trimming on the back of one of the scanners so that it can still turn all the way.

The axle was cut just after the first bump to give the guns room.
The ammo feed under the gun also needs trimming so the support sits flush.
Much easier...
Until next round, be well.

Flesh Tearer Update

2011-08-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

Space Hulk Terminators = awesome.
I am quite enjoying these guys, looking forward to more.
The OSL is turning out ok, well I think so...
The color palette suits me well, the blue really helps to brighten up the models.
These are terminators number 2 and 3. The plan is to finish the first five then move on to the Sanguinary Priest and back to the termies.

The Land Raider Crusader was the only model sent to me unassembled, so I put it together (I can't stand having an unbuilt tank in my house).
I suspect that this beastie will be carrying termies (or some important guy) so it got a couple crux terminatii (?) and a couple of the large plates.
The metal hurricanes are a pain, but they do have some really nice armour plates. The answer? The Mk I.V hurricane bolters!
Until next round...
be well.

Sat 7 - Number One

2011-08-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first installment of the Saturday Seven. Each Saturday I will post seven posts from the past week that stood out for me. I know there are other best-of-the-week lists out there, I anticipate and read each of them, and this is not to replace any of them.

There are two main reasons for the Sat 7. First is tha these are great posts that deserve reading. And the second is to have a reference for myself so I can quickly find those posts which inspired me. So without furthering this wall of text....

- Hal'jin has a sinister-looking Dark Mastermind.
- Faolain's Tyrannofex is shaping up nicely.
- Taking a Golden Daemon (likely in close combat) are the Mad Cows.
- A stunning piece from Daughters of the Emperor
- A very nice job on a lictor from Faolain.
- An inspirational post about the HoA table from A Gentleman's Ones.
- Loler's Eldrad is simply awesome.

Until next round, be well.

Lunchbox, an update.

2011-07-31T08:15:00.001-07:00

Lunchbox, officially called I-51, is attached to the Wolf Pack as their personal transport.

You might recall this vehicle from various battle-reports, or from this post, it is not new to the motorpool by a long-shot.

After the last game, where it was destroyed first turn (forcing the plasma-toting vets to walk), I decided it needed an update. It is one of the few tanks without track-guards, and I wasn't happy with the look, it needed to look more 'veteran'.

Once all the bits were on, and painted, the tank got hit with the weathering stick. There was also much washing, and a little repainting. I am happy with the end result!

Here it is in the in-between stage, just before painting began.
Plasicard bits, real bitz, and some moving bitz around. It got a wolf pelt, identifying it as part of the Wolf Pack. Some extra tread and stowage boxes, as well as struts for the rear ramp.

The dragon medallion (on the back) signifies the Medusa War, while the shield and seals represent the major engagements on Oden Prime. The wreath is the tank's battle honours, shown on the turret, and the skull represents the unit's membership to Delta Team.

Until next round...
Be well.

Space Hulk Flesh Tearer

2011-07-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

The first of many (12?) terminators for the growing Flesh Tearer army. You can see the rest of the first five in the background along with the assault squad. (They are getting there...)

These guys are pretty sweet, a ton of purity seals along with oodles of details, then add some brass etches. I have got to thank Tristan for letting me paint these guys! Since the "glowy hand of doom" and chainblade went over well, these guys are going to have some osl and hazard stripes too.

Bases aren't done yet (they are magnetized!), they will be done at the same time. Going to make this post short, must get on the other four!

To see the first post on these guys go here. And I have to give props to Ron for his tutorial and great-looking Flesh Tearers that he is doing, both inspiring and insightful.

That's it for today, until next round...

Fleash Tearers - First Squad

2011-07-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

The first five of the Flesh Tearer commission is table-ready, although there are some question marks still...

The intent was to match the bases of the marines with the genestealers already painted (not by me, they belong here.) I think they match quite well, the Flesh Tearers have entered the Space Hulk...

A squad shot...

The sarge and a chum (with plain black chainsword). The wings were changed from black to gold, to make them stand out, especially with the brass etched details.

I added a bit of gold to the jump packs.
Glowy hand of doom!

And the other two...(one with hazard stripes, does it add the 'right' color or is it distracting?)

Well, that is them for now,
until next round...

Fleash Tearer - Test Run

2011-07-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

The box came in yesterday, full of Flesh Tearers. This is the test model for the color scheme, your thoughts?

Almost all of the marines came assembled with nifty bases. But the best part is, the terminators from the Space Hulk box are on the menu!
Until next round, be well.

Wraith Engine - Vive la Morte!

2011-07-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

Alright blogosphere, here's your Wraith Engine update. He is getting closer to being finished, almost there...

Yup, I am going with an orange glow instead of green. Believe me, I am a fan of the necrofire, but I decided on a machinations of Hell feel. It feels more "Nightmare Empire" to me.

Here's a shot of the back, his spine looks much better with metal screws! There is still much brass and red to do, as well as the base. Stay tuned...

Until next round, be well.

Wraith Engine - Give the guy some bone

2011-07-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

Ever notice how happy the undead are? That big cheery grin, the dance-club poses. Just proves that having a soul is overrated.

The Wraith Engine got his bones done, and his arms were brought to the same level as the rest of him. There is still a lot of iron and brass to do yet, but first the hellfire-glow.

.............words go here..............
Yeah, not much to say, but at least there are some pretty pictures!
Until next round, be well...

Wraith Engine - Progress

2011-07-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

I need a coffee maker with a soul. It has been a couple of months since Icarus died, and I think the cheap replacement just kicked it. In order to serve me well, a coffee maker must be able to brew 2-5 pots per day, and not be found wanting.

The Cryxian death-machine is moving along. Sadly, a cold has forced my painting to a crawl...but I is getting better! The next color is the bone peices, also, I pinned the arms (not glued yet..) Wraith Engines don't howl as loud when they have paint on them ;)

That's it for now, until next round...

Wraith Engine - Underparts

2011-07-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

You can't see it, but the bits under the Wraith Engine's ribs are done. (You can't see it because my camera is not as awesome as this model). Painting is a little slow, but I am taking my time (and "work" keeps getting in the way).

This is a piece of art in my house. It is painted by me during Camp Awesome: Cabin Edition, and is titled "Continuation". Off topic, but it will happen more often...

I must apologize, I called the rules "meh" in my last post, that was a bit hasty. After reading this post on BoLS, I decided to re-think my thoughts. The main thing that comes up is soul-harvesting, it will be hard to share when there is few on the table. Not having to use focus (right?) is really nice, for guys like Asphixious, makes me want to pair it with a seether...

Next stage is the black-blue armor plates...until then, be well.

Wraith Engine - Painting Begins

2011-07-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

Primed.

He will be done in sections, so my head doesn't explode. I'm going to start with the under-bits and tail first.

He's so cuddly!

Got around to looking at the stat card while waiting for putty to dry, the rules are meh, at first glance. Lower damage, Def and Arm than many other helljacks, add a buff to incorporeal things. I guess the redeeming factor is that it cannot be damaged like 'jacks can. IMO

And here's a size comparison, yeah he's a big one...
Until next round....

Wraith Engine - Before the Primer

2011-07-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

As soon as the putty dries, painting will begin. Many of the cracks were in very deep recesses, which were annoying to get to.

The arms will be attached after painting, that way I will be able to get his under-parts. His arms are not too heavy, and hopefully using just p3 glue will work (it has with everything else...) I did bend the fingers, one is pointing at his next lunch, and posed them in that creepy undead crookedness.

And since I had putty left over, I put some flames on the prototype focus point marker.

Until next round, be well.

Wraith Engine - "Miniature"?

2011-07-04T01:23:00.000-07:00

This thing is freaking huge, but it builds easy. I cannot stress enough how much frustration was saved giving the model a bath.

Almost everything fit with a bit of filing here and there, and nearly all of the mold lines easy to get at (even the large shoulder vents). The only parts that gave me a problem were the shoulder tubes, they didn't line up at all. The resin has a bit of give, and I had to hold each piece for a couple of minutes to get them to bend and stay that way.

I can't help but think; Fester went transmetal! (I like creepy snake-things, whats wrong with that!?)

Time to fill some small gaps and prep the arms (the lucky guy might even get a head too!)

Until next time, be well. (...and beware of soul-powered killing machines ;)

Wraith Engine - All of Your Base

2011-07-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

...are belong to us.

After rummaging through the basing box, the cd-sized base for the Wraith Engine is ready. There is still the sand to do, and a bit of weathering, but I am saving that for when the beast's tail is glued down.

The small amount of contact area means that I am able to cover most of the base, although some bis might need to be trimmed to make room for the tip of the tail.

Now to clean up some vents and get to gluing. Until next round...

Wraith Engine - The Unboxing

2011-07-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

It arrived, the Wraith Engine. I resisted as long as I could (about two days) but I couldn't stand the screaming. Here he is all washed up.

Looking over the model, it looked pretty crisp and clean. Lots of vents and paper-thin flash, but nothing to drastic. The largest chunks are on the inside of the rib pieces, not nearly as big as FW vents.

There was a piece broken (the resin is very brittle and hard and has little to no give). It is a small break, and fixable.

One piece is miscast, the tail, by almost a millimeter. I will have to carve it down a bit, hopefully I wont take out any detail. What strikes me as odd is the amount of the model that touches the base, (that would be the circular chunk on the tail), it is about the same size as a regular base and very thin.

The first thing to do is the cd-sized base, until then!

Red Leader

2011-07-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

This is Red Leader, acting commander. He will enjoy the commanding position until I convert a suitably insane battlesuit, at which point he will be appointed to the position of bodyguard leader.

He is equipped with all kinds of nifty wargear, including a failsafe detonator (in case of fail).

Until next round, be well.

Hand Me a Wench: Episode 3

2011-07-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

Just a quick episode today. The flesh tones on the pirate girls is ready, and a bit of make-up.

It took a while because each of them have different skin tones, a kind of international pirate crew.

Well, until next round....

sigh...

2011-06-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

I am tired, it was a long day. Through the miserable sunlight, (I work nights, your sun is crazy bright daywalkers), I journey to GW to get primer. Just primer. It is not that I am boycotting, or irate over price hikes (cause I am), I just have a lot of projects to finish before new models. So I went in for a single can of primer.

They know the sun-time is bad for me, so the chatter is kept small, which was ok (I prefer to chat after purchase anyways, it's a hunter thing). I took a look around, briefly due to fantasy night starting up, and checked prices. Grab my primer and wait to pay

This is where things go badly. I know the upsell games, being a previous red-shirt myself, but this was something else. It was about White Dwarf, how I should get it for the pretty pictures, and feel guilty for not having it. Two staff members accosting me for my decision to trust in the Blogosphere over a 100-page advertisement.

No, I don't read White Dwarf anymore, I think it is useless now. It didn't used to be, and I have the issues to prove it. Really GW? Is your magazine selling that badly?

Two Broads and a Fish

2011-06-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

Blue Team's Devilfish is ready.

I set to painting it as though it was built with different coloured plastics, like a Ban Dai kit, but with shading and highlights.

As far as the latest set of rumors regarding the new 40k rules; I am averting my eyes. Until I read the new rules I don't need to speculate over what-ifs, the rules are secondary anyways.

The weather sucks, being windy and all, which will make priming the next phase difficult. Time to clamp boards to my balcony...

I am still at a loss as to the army logo, and what colour to make it. I was tempted to steal the Macross logo until I watched a couple episodes....oh yeah....

And, on to the Broads!
Apologies for the teaser, it was as far as I got before I got K.O.'d for the night.
This is Camo Team, friendly aren't they?
Railcannon, the most badly warped gun I have ever met....
Until next round...

Something Heavy....

2011-06-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

Until next round...

The Young Ones.

2011-06-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

I am building a Tau army, I just can't resist manga 40k dudes. And it is ok if they are cow-people, they have droids.

So I went with a Gundam-like theme. This is the majority of Blue Team. During painting, I decided to represent each squad with a colour (the other fire warrior team will be green).

This is Red Leader, (and of course, his droids). Yes, he has stabilizers.
I opted for a larger shield generator made from vehicle parts.

Isn't it amazing how entire armies can appear out of nowhere and completely derail all one's projects?

The Horizon, It Is Epic

2011-06-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

You might have noticed, Ricalopian posts have gotten a bit few in the last while, my batteries are getting low. My apologies, this is being remedied with a MeWeek. A hole week of relaxation and, of course, hobby. Although I have no set obligations, there are a few projects that I am leaning toward....

1[- Terrain, cause there is always more....
2[- A light-box *(does anyone know where there might be a good tutorial?)*
3[- The Angelis Project.
4[- Tony, the monster.
5[- Imperial Interceptor, which is almost done...
6[- clowns for the clown god
7[- BACON!
8[- Scratchbuild a mercenary titan (cause I'm crazy and ok with it).

Of course, loyal readers, I will keep you updated...and any comments about them projects are worth their weight in titanium ;)

Until next round...

The Wild Minotaur...

2011-06-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

...in their natural habitat. Note how cheerful they look as they skip through the forest.

With the exception of the big plastic guy, they are touched-up and re-based. Being such long-time campaigners, they needed those touch-ups.

KMFDM was kind enough to send me extra swag in my last order, so I did what any reasonable hobbyist would do; make a billboard out of plasticard.The old metal guys have green stuff headdresses and one's got a beak (because, thats why).

The banner...
...and the other side.

The scattering of terrain is 'new' (as in 'sitting-around-forever-until-it-gets-painted-new'). Yup, trees, chaos rocks, a rubble barricade, and a billboard.

Well, until next round, be well.
Ricalope.

Vampires Next Door, Encore

2011-06-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

Just a quick commission, a couple of grave markers.
Be well...

Hand Me a Wench: Episode 2

2011-06-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

Progress on the wenches, the main areas of their clothes are done.

Purple tones were an essential for the client, so they will still fit in with the rest of the army.

Skinstones, then leathers, brass, gold and metal. Then they should look more pirately.

Until next round,
be well.

Dais of Doom - Finished

2011-05-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

The Dais of Doom has finally been completed, and I am quite pleased with the results.

It was hard to keep the brush off the model, it just begged to be painted (and to go kill astartes...) Unlike many other minis, he just kind of zipped past the painting table.

I think I am finally getting the balance right between the different colors while keeping to the predominant bone tones.

Until next round...
Be well.

Space Elf's Giant Lizard

2011-05-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

Well, well. Look who made it back to the painting table....

You might remember this guy from long ago, he is the chompy monster that my exodite dragon prince will ride into battle. It being the Year of Eldar, the dragon prince is one of those dusty projects that are being given some brush love.

Mr. Chompy is done, time to move to the rider. Even for a badly proportioned metal model, I really like him and think he turned out well, but we will see when everything else is done.

Until next round,
be well.

Failed My Eldar Save

2011-05-24T17:59:00.000-07:00

The Cult of the Unkind has begun. If you follow this blog already, it is easy to tell that I love the eldar range, but we will start at the beginning. The dark eldar was my first 40k army, they were evil and elven and the background was....we will say inspiring.

Years passed, and so did the Kabal, and I eventually moved on to craftworlders, templars, then the Imperium, and the evil space elves were lost to time. (I am only counting the armies that became playable forces, there were a ton of others...) Life was a youthful mess, and when it stabled out, I started collecting eldar again. As we know, GW re-vamped the dark kin, but I resisted. I was holding out to some misguided notion of eldrich 'good'. As you can see, I finally caved in.

I think what broke me was the venom and talos kits. With the new codex, it is even more feasible to mount a small, swift and deadly army of nightmares. The army will begin with two five-man units of warriors in venoms, five grotesques and nine wracks in raiders, two flights of five scourges, all lead by a couple of hamonculi. And of course, a talos and a chronos. I am not too fond of the new grotesques, wracks or hamonculus, and until I see them in person, I will be planning some sik conversions.

These five are the first unit of the "House Guard" of the Cult. The Unkind, as the enlightened among you will already know, is a cult devoted to the god of ambition known as Nekra to some, Eldor to others, and is always identified with the sigil of the burning/crying eye. This ambition transcends concerns of the flesh, reducing it to a medium through which the soul can achieve. Although most of Apseraph's civilians are unaware of the cult, it does have a seat at the craftworld's governing council. The Unkind are unleashed only upon deserving foes of Apseraph, they are their hidden army.

Until next round, be well.

Hand Me a Wench: Episode 1

2011-05-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

At first glance this might seem like a pile of random bits, but it is much more...

What is this strange new project with so provocative a name? A squad of ten pirate girls, yar!

You might have noticed, none of them are GW, the only reason being is that they don't have pirate girls. You also might notice Ral Patha, Reaper, Privateer and some other less recognizables.

This should be a fun project to paint up, stay tuned for updates....
Until next round, be well.

Vampires Next Door, Finished!

2011-05-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

The final episode, I will let the pictures speak for themselves....

Until next round, be well.

The Brotherhood of Edam - Grill

2011-05-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

Brother Grillean, it is told, was the first to awaken after the Scattering. Resolute, and loyal to the Brotherhood's goals, Grill has always been most well known for his pyromania.

Unlike most veterans, Grill has never attempted to rise in martial rank, he has instead devoted his time to the Pyrae cult within the Brotherhood. He holds the rank of Magi Primaris within the cult.

Brother Grill supports the main terminator elements, supporting them with both flame and battlefield wisdom. His other shoulder plate displays the Two Serpents encircling the Eye, a hunter's sigil.

Brother Grillean is of the Second Seven, which comprises of the tactical element of the Brotherhood.

Vampires Next Door, Episode 5

2011-05-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

With the majority of the vampires finished, it was time to do some work on the display base. And the corpse of course.

This project was quite enjoyable, (I haven't painted old skool fantasy in a while), especially since I got the opportunity to make a display base.

The gravestone and gargoyle are pretty neat, I don't know what manufacturer they are from, but it is cool to paint things I'm not used to. They had almost no mold lines and nice crisp detail (I'd like to know where to get some...)

Next episode of VND will be the finale, see you then.
Until next round, be well.

The Quardraped

2011-05-17T18:01:00.000-07:00

This plucky little fellow is commonly referred to as the Quadraped around the Holes and Dens. You might recognize him from various battle reports and as part of the Black Legion I did for a friend. Yeah, it took a while to finish him...

The theory behind its design was to build a fast, light, armor-killer, that and I'm also not that big of a fan of defilers. So he got armed with a twin-linked multimelta and some big claws.

After a few games we realized that his rules (very much like a possessed dreadnought) didn't fit right, so I thought to revamp them. Tell me what you think...

Fast Attack. Points: ????
WS 4, BS 4, S 6(10), F 12, S 12, R 12, I 4, A 3. Walker, beast (fleet, 12" assault)

2 dreadnought ccw's, twin-linked multimelta, twin-linked bolter, daemonic possession, smoke launchers.

How many points would you spend for a quadraped?

In Progress - Dais of Doom

2011-05-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

With commissions on the go, Monday is designated "My Stuff Day". This gives me a chance to try to keep up with all the various projects that accumulate in the Rabbit Hole.

This Monday I made some progress with the Dais of Doom.
The more I look at this model, the more I like it.

The next steps are the blues, touching up and finishing the bone, then some markings and gems.

Poor guy, has no feet...
Until next round, be well.

Vampires Next Door, Episode 4

2011-05-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

The painting of the vampires has begun. I think I might have used three different ways to paint black.

For a couple of old sculpts, they didn't seem too bad for mold problems. (Although Manfred's face is...odd, and Isabella has massive hair.)

The metallics I stayed with silver, to keep with the gothic look. The blades had some red mixed into the metals, I think it turned out well.

Until next round, be well.

Vampires Next Door, Episode 3

2011-05-15T00:52:00.000-07:00

This episode, the Von Carsten's yard gets some foliage and sand. Sadly, the tree idea was scratched...

I think they are toasting each other, or the gargoyle, (or the corpse, not sure).
Time to prime.
Until next round, be well.

Vampires Next Door, Episode 2

2011-05-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

On this episode of Vampire Next Door, we are going to take a look at the Von Carsten's yard.

It is watched over by a very nice gargoyle (origins unknown) and a random trespasser.

Go ahead, ring the bell...
The small bases are detachable, for when there is blood-letting about.
Until next time...

Vampires Next Door, Episode 1

2011-05-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

In Episode One of the Vampires Next Door saga; the blueprint.

Beginning at the lower right corner, Isabella Von Carsten (the classic sculpt) will stand holding her chalice 'o blood. Behind her, a crooked tree will arc over to the other side of the base. This is where Manfred will be standing (again, classic sculpt) upon a broken tombstone. The base will rise to the left, using plastic brickwork, and be centrally guarded by a gargoyle, with a bell.

Until next episode...