Halloween Special Edition

All Hallows' Marines

Hi folks,

Happy Halloween for all of those people who celebrate it. My local GW sent me the pic above, so I can't claim any credit for it; but damn they look cool, I had to share! Halloween is not a particularly big thing here in Australia, but we have had a few kids come around tonight hunting for treats regardless. To mark the occasion, I thought I would get all ghoulish and make some realistic gore for my Deathleaper base. Before I started, I read this article on Tale of Painters: How to Paint Realistic Blood and Gore. It was a cracker and gave me some great ideas on what to buy and how to start. I purchased myself some Tamiya Clear Red from my local Hobbyco and settled on a colour scheme to go beneath the glaze. Using a spare scrap of guts as a test, I decided to paint the thin ropy bits of gore Bleached Bone, and the larger tubular bits a lighter shade of Lich Purple. I really wanted to see how the different base colours would affect the overall appearance after the glaze.

After the base colours had dried I opened up my bottle of Clear Red. First things first: this stuff has some kick in it. During my other life as a synthetic organic chemist I handled some particularly nasty things, and I have to say Clear Red set of some alarm bells. The potential carcinogen warning it carries didn't bother me too much, I have worked with far worse things, but the volatility and immediate burning in my eyes was something else! Use it in a well ventilated area on a cool day if you can (it's pretty hot tonight in Sydney).

Three out of three Savlar Chem-Dogs recommend: Tamiya Clear Red!

 

I painted the first coat on and let it dry for about 30 minutes whilst I painted the Dark Angels helmet in Deathleaper's claw, then applied a second coat. The tutorial suggested Badab Black wash be added, but I resisted doing this. The purple base colour in some areas adds richness and darker areas to the gore without changing the colour of the "fluid" around it, making it look more bloody in my eyes. I may add some black later to add definition to some parts, but I really don't want to slather the whole thing.

To finish off the night's escapades, I added some blood effects to the neck of the Dark Angels helmet. After the Clear Red has dried I'll go back in and paint a bit of spinal structure in there just to make it look a bit more creepy.

I'm letting the tests dry overnight before I decide what to actually do with Deathleaper's base, I want to see what it looks like when it is completely dry first. I may end up painting all of the base colour in Lich Purple. All going well, I'll be able to finish the base over the weekend so that I can start painting the figure in earnest. I am also close to finishing another batch of Iron Snakes, which I am really looking forward to sharing with everyone.

See you across the table,

M4cr0

Armies on Parade: Victory!

Hi folks,

Today I attended the Armies on Parade competition at my local GW. As I have posted previously, my good mate Sgt Waz has been preparing a display board this year, so it was great to duck in for a while and give him my support. There were nine entries, which is a big increase on the three they had last year. That probably sounds like a small turn out to most people, but we don’t have as many players in this area. I’m hoping that with the right influences the community will keep growing and create some cool things.

The Sergeant’s display was epic, everyone seemed to appreciate the effort he had put into the board and the individual Nids. The pictures don’t really do the fire effect made by the LED’s any justice, for that I would probably have had to take a video! It really did look like the thing was burning. Sgt Waz won Gold for his display, a well-deserved result.

 

 

 

 

Looks like Deathleaper got his man...

 

There was a very cool Astra Militarum display, with some nice flyers and a Stormsword. I had a chat with the owner and he said that the tank took him a solid day to paint, which is just mental. I have a Shadowsword hiding in my garage that I wish I could paint in that amount of time. He’s had some success with the army list as well, which makes me wonder how I would take out something that big in a normal game (perhaps by using a Shadowsword…) I really liked the blending on the greys in this paint scheme, it looked quite smooth and contrasted well with the yellow. He was also one of the only other entrants to put a big effort into his display board; again, well deserving of the Silver medal.

 

 

 

 

There was a wicked looking Nurgle/Slaanesh marine army with a well painted Warhound Titan. The owner had put a lot of effort into weathering and corrosion, and the addition of a Slaanesh themed squad added some much needed and appreciated contrast. This was the clear Bronze entry to me, which was confirmed when the votes were counted (it’s nice to know democracy agrees with my personal opinion sometimes).

 

 

 

"You take the ugly one."

"Which one's the ugly one!?"

 

Apart from those three displays there was a well painted Necron force, some more Nids and an old school Crimson Fists force with 2^nd Ed. and Rogue Trader era figures (if only there were a few more of them on a spectacular board: COME ON OLD SCHOOL!).

 

 

 

Heresy.

 

Next year I think I’ll give the competition a go, if only to add some diversity to the gene-pool. I hope you enjoy the pics, I’ll try and get some more close up shots at some point.

See you across the table,

M4cr0

P.S. I showed the local GW some love by picking up one of these on the way out. At $90 the kit is going to have to go a long way. Thankfully, I have a few ideas where all those extra bits can go...

Iron Snakes: The Armour of Contempt(or)

Hi folks,

I have spent the past couple of nights getting the rest of my Iron Snakes miniatures prepared for painting. I am not sure if this is out of any real necessity, or just a type of procrastination. The painting of the Sternguard is going well, but I think I just needed to do something different for a while. Having said that, I have still managed to finish the designs on two shields, both of which are a little different to the original design brief.

The snake is depicted from a birds-eye view and has the tip of its tail emerging from the other side of the shield (this was a spur of the moment thing, but it made me smile, so I kept it). The lion I was going to do looked very Lion King, so I canned it. I have replaced it with a stylised scorpion, which was a little horror to paint. I don't know if it shows up at all in the photos, but there is shield detail underlying the scorpion's body that made it sooo hard to maintain a flowing brush-stroke. I'll have to see how it looks on the finished miniature, as I may choose another shield design without the detail in that position and repaint it.

 

The Master of the Forge has a lot of components that needed to be pinned, some of which I will be gluing at later stages of the painting process. This is really just a dry fit so that I can consider different posing options of the servo harness. I have noticed that the potential coil is bent as well; nothing a bit of hot water and patience won't fix. The pic is a bit dark, sorry! You folks will have to wait for me to start painting in some decent light before you get a clear look.

The character himself is inspired by Ajax, the son of Telamon, from Homer's Illiad and Odyssey. He is described as being of great stature, colossal frame and strongest of all the Achaeans: the "bulwark of the Achaeans". The film Troy didn't do much for Homeric mythology, but it did give us this depiction of Ajax:

Stop. Hammer-time.

Ajax is famed for carrying a colossal shield and being undefeated during the war at Troy, but failed in his bid to possess Achilles' armour after his death (that honour went to Odysseus himself), and fell on his sword broken hearted. In the underworld he refuses to speak to Odysseus for the same reason.

The Contemptor Dreadnought still needs some work, particularly on the extended left arm near the shoulder. Apart from that, I really like the way this Dreadnought is turning out. In case you are wondering, he is crushing a Fallen Angel under his foot. Now that is going to take some fluff to explain...

See you across the table,

M4cr0

Luthien Campaign Update

Scenario 13: Cat and Mouse

Equipped with three frontline Clan Omnimechs, the Dragon Claws returned to LAW city seeking revenge. Within the city’s sprawling industrial district, they found the remnants of the Clan Smoke Jaguar hunting cadre. Making no attempts at further subterfuge, the elite Draconis warriors engaged with their long range weapons, initiating a brutal battle.

In this battle the forces of the Draconis Combine were represented by a Hellbringer A, Stormcrow B and a Kit Fox B. All of the Mechs had received some damage during the previous battle, but would still benefit from the increased range and damage output that Clan weapons afford.

The Smoke Jaguar force consisted of a Shadow Cat A and a Cauldron Born Primary. The Shadow Cat A received 30 points of damage in 5 damage randomly assigned lots, to represent scars from the previous battle with Takashi. Likewise, the Cauldron Born started with 40 points of damage, including a 5 point hit to the head…

 

Cauldron Born Primary

 

The battle started with the Jaguars inside the city. The Draconis Mechs moved onto the mapsheet from the Rolling Hills end and manoeuvred to engage with their ER Large Lasers and Ultra Autocannons. During the first round of shooting Wade lined up quite a few shots but missed with everything. In return, the Shadow Cat A stripped armour of the Stormcrow with its own ER Large Lasers. The Cauldron Born targeted the much lighter Kit Fox in the hope of reducing the odds. A gauss rifle and medium laser hit put the Kit Fox in danger of being holed the next turn.

 

 

In response, Wade changed his tactics rapidly, aided by a much needed initiative win. The Kitfox moved to block my Cauldron Born sacrificially, leaving the Shadow Cat vulnerable. The Stormcrow charged within physical attack range of the Shadow Cat and unleashed its heavy autocannon and blistering laser arrays, dealing heavy damage. During the physical attack phase, both Mechs attempted kick attacks, which both missed. Both Mechwarriors failed their piloting skill rolls causing the Mechs to fall and take damage.

 

Bwah ha ha! Slapstick!!

 

My Shadow Cat lost its arm in the fall, whilst Wade’s Stormcrow took critical damage to its torso, sustaining two engine hits. Predictably, my Cauldron Born mauled the Kitfox, causing three engine hits and claiming the first kill of the night.

 

 

Kit Fox B = little guy with a big gun

 

 

The next few turns saw my Cauldron Born stalking the Hellbringer, which had found a place in cover to launch long range missile salvoes with impunity. The Stormcrow and Shadow Cat returned to their feet and blasted away at each other, though my little cat was seriously outgunned.

In the last turn the Stormcrow fired everything, jacking its heat scale all the way up to 28 in an attempt to annihilate the Shadow Cat and destroy the Stormcrow in the process, achieving the honourable death the Mechwarrior so craved (well, worth an extra 10 VP anyway…). Unfortunately, the Shadow Cat survived and had a golden opportunity to destroy the larger Mech in the return fire, but missed (curses, so much was hanging on that one shot!). The Hellbringer stepped out of its cover and lined up shots against both my Mechs, hitting with both fusillades. The LRM 20 caused enough engine damage to finish off my Shadow Cat, whilst an ER Large laser shot decapitated my Cauldron Born, thanks to the random hit it took before the battle (CURSES!).

 

 Hellbringer A taking heads

 

Incredible! What a finish to the last Classic Battletech game of the campaign. Wade’s Dragon Claws have their revenge but are still alive to feel the shame of their previous failure. They would be on the hunt for a beautiful death in the final Alpha Strike game. When we counted up the victory points, the Draconis force had scored 60 points for kills but lost 20 of that due to surviving the battle, putting them on 40 VP for the game. The kill I scored lowered that to 10 VP; a minor victory for the Draconis Combine. If the Stormcrow had failed any one of three ammunition explosion rolls, due to the intense heat build-up it had intentionally been subjected to, it would have been a different result. The campaign standings are now +50 VP, which pushes Wade into the zone of a decisive victory. I will need to pull of something spectacular in the Alpha Strike finale to claw back some glory.

See you across the table,

M4cr0