tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75782740521361562402024-03-05T01:55:07.144-08:00The Ancient TrackThe Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-78261654641909987142020-09-27T06:45:00.003-07:002020-09-27T06:46:38.675-07:00LOTR: Mounted Citadel Guard & Beregond<p> I haven't felt that I have had any 'finished' things to show off for getting on for a year. Even though I don't currently have any opponents for Lord of the Rings, my fondness for the game and its models has not abated. Now that Games Workshop is Under New Management and has really made an effort to unite, balance and reinvigorate the Middle Earth range I have found the lure of it irresistible. </p><p> Unfortunately, there are still many, many gaps in the official model range, including discontinued and Out Of Print models, alongside ones that never got an official release to cover the options available in the rules. 3rd party suppliers have tried to fill the odd gap, with mixed results. These three models are by Unreleased Miniatures, and were the very devil to put together, with big gaps needing lots of green stuff to fill in and smooth over. <a href="http://unreleasedminiatures.eu/free-men/17-castle-white-guards-mtd.html">They weren't cheap</a>, either, but I am glad I've given them a go.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6tMhXTSpDdUhfh9-sYDCFMUWn29gms8BjJvhG4OxRvTdnn4YTxn2x0ePgRUDSMr51kJCKGad1hYhZT9HnSKlNosY5rgPbeEwLcVc4bUnQRErdx6TJ7cHvsOyqWscJ4h7p1sSNMeR0m6A/s1200/SideTro2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6tMhXTSpDdUhfh9-sYDCFMUWn29gms8BjJvhG4OxRvTdnn4YTxn2x0ePgRUDSMr51kJCKGad1hYhZT9HnSKlNosY5rgPbeEwLcVc4bUnQRErdx6TJ7cHvsOyqWscJ4h7p1sSNMeR0m6A/s320/SideTro2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VOaM6Rh0G0LL6UZPevpw5cR_fkyHXnYsKtYOcNArsZ3lL9SpdJ-aQ0PNe7z7UMbVx3noLI95UcxLXhLS1t37BY75dN4tpo3yzDwWCuFwPQMYkGR_OC81zosuIAFyrchSYICrHypT0Os/s1200/SideTro.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VOaM6Rh0G0LL6UZPevpw5cR_fkyHXnYsKtYOcNArsZ3lL9SpdJ-aQ0PNe7z7UMbVx3noLI95UcxLXhLS1t37BY75dN4tpo3yzDwWCuFwPQMYkGR_OC81zosuIAFyrchSYICrHypT0Os/s320/SideTro.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p> The bases are from Dragon Forge, and I used brass rod to pin the pewter models to them. There was an unfortunate incident involving the squished looking one on the right hand side, and eventually the back legs will tear / snap. When that happens I'll have to re-pin and re-paint bits of it but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!</p><p> I used a Dheneb Stone <a href="https://shop.instarpaint.com/product/iv-06/">equivalent from Instar paints</a> for the stone of the base, washed it with Agrax Earthshade, then drybrushed Ulthuan Grey. I tried various colours around the edge of the base to emphasise the pale stone but none of them worked so I just went right back to Chaos / Abaddon Black which I think works best.</p><p> Next, I am going to work on the official GW models of these figures dismounted!</p>The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-35518265288919289582019-10-02T04:04:00.000-07:002019-10-02T04:04:57.052-07:00EPIC: Space Wolves Vehicles I haven't posted in a while!<br />
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I have managed to get some energy for painting my Epic, concentrating on my Space Wolves. This is due in part to finding a local person who has been kind enough to really teach me the rules of Epic: Armageddon and about list building.<br />
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These Drop Pods are figurative models, used more as markers than actual vehicles in the game. Technically you could just use a marker for them but I mean, that could be said about absolutely anything in wargaming! They had an in built base but I worried about it getting chipped in handling so I glued them to Renedra 40mm round bases.<br />
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These Predator Annihilators are anti armour tanks. These are the original Games Workshop models, which are a bit chunky. As with most of my GW models they are from the last hurrah of Specialist Games just before the range got scrapped in 2013. As such they are latter day casts and are a bit wonky but paint hides a lot of sins!<br />
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These Predator Destructors are the much more modern and svelte fan-casts which are sadly no longer available. Predators in Epic can be mixed and matched in pairs, so usually I deploy them in formations of two of each so that they can target both enemy armour and infantry effectively.<br />
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These Razorbacks have a rather muddy yellow on them as I started painting them with discontinued colours half a decade ago and couldn't face the rigmarole of stripping and repainting them from scratch! I thought I wouldn't be using them so much but now I'm wondering if I should have more.<br />
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These rhinos have some symbols on them from when I used to fuss and get incredibly over ambitious about projects without actually finishing them! One is a Warhammer 40k scale Wolf Guard Terminator shield, one is a Forge World brass etch, the other four are resin symbols, again from Forge World.<br />
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These tanks were ones I had started painting with now discontinued colours years ago - but I stuck with them, repainting them in Army Painter 'Wolf Grey' and I'm really glad I did!<br />
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On my table next are more Wolves, but I have got some Orks and Tyranids on my mind as well!The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-22002424784365196642019-02-18T14:09:00.000-08:002019-02-18T14:09:02.807-08:00Epic Space Wolves: Now With Snow! Things have moved on a bit!<br />
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I don't have as much painted as I would like, which is an Eternal Mood, alas.<br />
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I have been challenged by someone new I have met at a local gaming club to concentrate on Epic and really get at least some of one of my own armies ready to play with. So, I went and properly polished off my infantry and salvaged the first of a series of Space Wolf tanks, variously from Games Workshop or third parties.<br />
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When I started these, it must have been half a decade ago. I finished a single Rhino tank on a Flames of War base and it wasn't bad for essentially a 'first properly painted model'. Since that time, though, Games Workshop have, in their eternal wisdom, decided to change their entire paint range. In addition, third party suppliers have either provided their own paints to compete through quality, or to compete through offering gaps that Games Workshop have opened in the market by discontinuing older colours that long term fans may be a fan of.<br />
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I've decided to make the main colour of all of my Space Wolves the Army Painter 'Wolf Grey' paint. I think it's a good compromise between the different shades that official Space Wolves models have been painted by Games Workshop over the years.</div>
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It's all still a learning process but have decided to try for better contrast and brighter colours as I evolve as a painter. The Whirlwind tanks up above are much brighter with grungy but still eye catching dirt painted into their recesses. The tanks I began painting years ago are being painted anew to give them the same look, and mounted on round Renedra 30mm bases so they 'look right' to my eye.<br />
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I found a problem with the 'strip' bases. Epic are 6mm scale troops, small but with chunky base bottoms, designed to fit into slots. Games Workshop stopped selling those bases along with all Specialist Games stuff in the Great Dying of 2013, but thankfully, third party bases sell equivalents, the best ones currently available being sold by the excellent Vanguard Miniatures.<br />
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I finally had a couple of games at a local club to learn the rules, thanks to a chance encounter with a new friend. I struggled with some of the basics of Epic: Armageddon, which is very different from the old Space Marine game I used to play as a kid, but I think I am getting the hang of it after a couple of games.<br />
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I managed to get a hold of some wonderful Eldar proxies in 6mm, but I want to force myself to concentrate on the Space Wolves before splitting my attentions between two armies. One 'cheat' I've found is the new texture paint from Games Workshop, 'Valhallan Blizzard'. I was very skeptical of a lot of the new Citadel range as they are very hit and miss for me, but I gave this gritty fake snow a try and it works a charm. They claim you can peter it out a bit to make it look like slush but I haven't managed to get that looking right. I also tried using the Citadel gloss varnish called 'Ardcoat to do that but again, didn't get the right look. In any case, I've found it a superior addition to these bases compared with how the old Citadel Snow white flock looked.<br />
<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-10871122449115035882018-08-21T16:24:00.000-07:002018-08-21T16:26:41.530-07:00EPIC: Space Wolf Infantry Formations These are not technically finished units, as they are unvarnished and have no snow or scatter on their bases. However, I wanted to post something to prove I'd made progress.<br />
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First up are some Blood Claws. The fan-made Space Wolves army lists in Epic are still being play-tested. This means that I might simply proxy these as Tactical Marines in a vanilla Codex Astartes list. With all of these models I went for brighter colours than might be expected - favouring red on the chainswords and bolt pistols, as well as on the backback exhausts. I wanted different units to 'pop' and be 'readable' from across the table.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HDy4xxI0lKgb5MbUzSTwdK-ZWSrlbUlYw7A4u4vTvZxxgzBHxAP28qD8aNEsAXPyetTxUmJUwFL6Q95F1Bb5jo9O5frJb9aM2jB1zGf57LKVuRMZF3uIVDwmLf0-qSEn23S8W55vIxY/s1600/EpicGreyHunters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="900" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6HDy4xxI0lKgb5MbUzSTwdK-ZWSrlbUlYw7A4u4vTvZxxgzBHxAP28qD8aNEsAXPyetTxUmJUwFL6Q95F1Bb5jo9O5frJb9aM2jB1zGf57LKVuRMZF3uIVDwmLf0-qSEn23S8W55vIxY/s320/EpicGreyHunters.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These are the Grey Hunters, who are ostensibly the backbone of a Space Wolves force. They lack heavy weapons but that can be compensated for by having Razorbacks supplement their free Rhino transports. The younger Skyclaws and Bloodclaws I painted with red and pale hair and beards, with the Grey Hunters and Scouts having more black and brown hair, to suggest their relative age and experience.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZRpngLf3_oPozKKq9uKcRj8lO7dFT9UY3wWvRwRwRMokVcr1h96-41dhCH_8yUaqrYZ8ffD2a4XlUpnrq17ThlzIZc0VRQ6-1vUdpMLwEVAoTE6kGFlKMBRjITztAz5GM5gbjHqwj3A/s1600/SWScouts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="1000" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWZRpngLf3_oPozKKq9uKcRj8lO7dFT9UY3wWvRwRwRMokVcr1h96-41dhCH_8yUaqrYZ8ffD2a4XlUpnrq17ThlzIZc0VRQ6-1vUdpMLwEVAoTE6kGFlKMBRjITztAz5GM5gbjHqwj3A/s320/SWScouts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Scouts are quite small and fiddly, their official colours dominated by blue-grey, which made them a bit duller to paint. The trousers they wear are a khaki though, which adds some contrast. They're not technically meant to have sniper rifles unless you pay for them as an upgrade but I needed to add those so as not to use duplicate sculpts on each stand.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-YF88CcjVne49RKPQ7dQFsrQWY5s-UGwJzXJrDzvhxKfzOyW55QK1oM4YwDulDuFb7UHyYTjjW9_hSgG02S-CI5PdpFj4-vf8j3um6uMfIxgYwt8K2QhGfNxmXz1_QMvli0ElZraf2w/s1600/SWSkyclaws.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="1000" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-YF88CcjVne49RKPQ7dQFsrQWY5s-UGwJzXJrDzvhxKfzOyW55QK1oM4YwDulDuFb7UHyYTjjW9_hSgG02S-CI5PdpFj4-vf8j3um6uMfIxgYwt8K2QhGfNxmXz1_QMvli0ElZraf2w/s320/SWSkyclaws.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My finished Skyclaws are my favourite. Essentially the same sculpts as the Blood Claws, just with jump packs instead of backpacks, these break up the outline of the model and allow some bright blue exhaust colour to add contrast.<br />
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There was lots of fiddly detail all over these models, such as wolf pelts and wolf tail totems. I'm sure I probably missed something here or there, but there's point where you're squinting at tiny little toy soldiers a quarter inch high and you realise there's only so much effort you can put into them!<br />
<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-21313830285738429662018-07-04T06:46:00.000-07:002018-07-04T06:46:18.148-07:00EPIC: Space Wolves WIP I've been wanting to learn and play EPIC: Armageddon for years. Space Marine 2nd edition, as it was then called in the early 90s, was my first ever GW experience, bought by my older brother, who collected Space Orks.<br />
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I never really stuck with a side as a little kid, barely understanding the rules and mostly making them up as I went along, hopping from one bunch of unpainted plastic to another playing on a bedroom floor. I enjoyed reading the background and poring over the artwork even more than rolling dice. Eventually I got a grab bag of Eldar 2nd hand to try out Epic 40,000, but again, that was moth balled.<br />
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Eventually it was Warmaster which caught on in my local club when I floated it, in terms of an obsolete, unsupported Games Workshop game, and that is where my painting and modelling energies went for a few years.<br />
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A few years ago I bought a mix of Space Marines, Grey Knights and Eldar but never got a head of steam to really paint them up properly. A couple of people in the new clubs I've visited have suggested an interest in Epic and it would be great to get people to dig out their own old abandoned projects and revive them.<br />
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So, I've dug up the models and I can see the really obvious mistakes I made painting them first time around, and how I've improved painting in the years between. In addition, a couple of Games Workshop colours I used no longer exist so I've had to figure out a new paint scheme. I've tried repainting some of the old tanks, using these Whirlwinds as a test formation and I think they're coming along really nicely.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0UC7kLy6ZitAqWsC1PbCeUvRjMdbUWo8xcmguiAsvaoVZRjdOcyAsMW1Uq-iFwpUcbpz1mD43HLdlWpdOLaOowaVcB3VPyoTVoTi4q815PfpX870KiU3oaE-N1JqlQrlyllqjeV4aEQ/s1600/EpicSWwip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="1000" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0UC7kLy6ZitAqWsC1PbCeUvRjMdbUWo8xcmguiAsvaoVZRjdOcyAsMW1Uq-iFwpUcbpz1mD43HLdlWpdOLaOowaVcB3VPyoTVoTi4q815PfpX870KiU3oaE-N1JqlQrlyllqjeV4aEQ/s320/EpicSWwip.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Instead of slathering wash / shade all over the models like I did in the past, I'm pin-washing; carefully applying shade into recesses. Also, I'm mixing orange and bright brown into a rusty looking glaze to suggest wear and tear and accumulated grime.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv75E_CDsihBdgdOnT80Al-Cw7Kcb111Of_Jye6Wfs8sT9GRlRl-pSiTYDL6dRcph6eQrSAySV3NS3q7NVQ416mjCqF1_wQexcGJDMJz9DrN9IwB5Hd8NPuaBCiTmb-lVYN4K3e4qsmJs/s1600/Skyclaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="1000" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv75E_CDsihBdgdOnT80Al-Cw7Kcb111Of_Jye6Wfs8sT9GRlRl-pSiTYDL6dRcph6eQrSAySV3NS3q7NVQ416mjCqF1_wQexcGJDMJz9DrN9IwB5Hd8NPuaBCiTmb-lVYN4K3e4qsmJs/s320/Skyclaw.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is my first test stand for infantry, starting with Skyclaws, who are in essence, assault marines for Space Wolves. I'm going for quite bright colours, more red and yellow than I would perhaps do on 28mm models because I really want things to stand out and be readable from a distance. I figure their Great Company shoulder markings might as well be Ragnar Blackmane, simply so that I get an excuse to do a flash of yellow on what might end up being very grey looking models, overall.<br />
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I'm really happy with these, so far. They're going more slowly than I would like but it's more progress in a fortnight I've made at all over the past few months or so.<br />
<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-10059443044569353842018-05-18T15:53:00.001-07:002018-05-18T15:53:35.480-07:00Still Alive!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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I feel like I've settled into the North East nicely, and it's lovely to be near more of my family.</div>
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I'm lucky enough to have a car so I can explore clubs that are further away from me than MAD Gamers was down South.</div>
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So far I've explored five, and experienced an exceptionally warm welcome in all of them!</div>
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Newcastle Warlords</div>
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Whitley Bay 3D Gamers</div>
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Contempible Little Wargames Club</div>
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The Rusted Revolver Gaming</div>
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Heaton Games Society</div>
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A useful website which collated a list of such clubs was the <a href="http://edgeofempire.co.uk/north-east-clubs/" target="_blank">Edge of Empire</a> podcast blog, which has a general North-East club list in the link, there.</div>
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People play all kinds of different games. Often the age range of the players determines what is fashionable at any one time. Clubs with younger folks definitely stick more to newer games and the systems that Games Workshop have currently available.</div>
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With that in mind I tried to get a hold of some Age of Sigmar figures and that's why I dug out my Space Wolves to paint some test figures for them.</div>
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Of course, being the self-sabotaging make-everything-difficult-for-myself kind of person I am, I decided that the paint scheme for my Stormcast Eternals should be one of the harder ones to do.</div>
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Instead of the "chapters" which Space Marines are organised into in Warhammer 40,000, the Stormcast Eternals are instead themed around "Chambers" with different colours and icongraphy. One which appealed to me is called the Knights Excelsior, with a mostly white, blue and gold scheme. The iconography of this faction is meant to be an eclipse, not the hammer of the starter set models.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdaRucbGAeemC6nZ-5NTJVtzG0KI3f7vPItnewssdEKb5ORsyamHoPCJwCh28G5Btd8sXEYr72avqcjwYECFUvhiST0OBWNIulFZq4Jd9kOsMSzLyt7vP0YxwhRFPKWsRCNMBOqOPcd5M/s1600/LiberatorBack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="951" data-original-width="701" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdaRucbGAeemC6nZ-5NTJVtzG0KI3f7vPItnewssdEKb5ORsyamHoPCJwCh28G5Btd8sXEYr72avqcjwYECFUvhiST0OBWNIulFZq4Jd9kOsMSzLyt7vP0YxwhRFPKWsRCNMBOqOPcd5M/s320/LiberatorBack.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
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However, there is a similarly coloured chamber mentioned in the Stormcast rulebook called the Maelstrom of Light. I thought that that was a good enough excuse to be able to mix iconography in my force. I haven't quite finished this test model, it's not been varnished and I haven't added any grass to the base, but felt it was good enough to show off a picture.<br />
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I also began my second 40k squad, this time of Space Wolf Scouts. Again, going back to models I glued haphazardly half a decade a go then mothballed reminds me of all the mistakes I made and learned from. There are so many fiddly, hard to paint nooks and crannies in these models due to how I glued them! I have to remind myself: these are not Golden Demon models, they just have to be good enough to push around a tabletop.<br />
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And here is evidence of me actually playing a game! At the Contemptible Little Wargames Club I demonstrated a game of Warmaster; Chaos versus High Elves. It was a lot of fun as Warmaster is the only game I can lay on entirely by myself, terrain and armies, fully painted. Even two full armies and terrain don't fill up too many boxes as it's only 10mm in scale. This photo is from me tidying up a lot of casualties at the game end, most of them mine!</div>
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A couple of other wargamers have mentioned that they might have some models for Warmaster lying around. It was never as popular as Epic but it does create some fascination in being an official Warhammer universe game in a smaller scale. I hope that if I convince others to join in for a game or two I might get some regular opponents - even if I have to provide the models!<br />
<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-35888973223385208352018-01-28T06:19:00.003-08:002018-01-28T08:50:13.249-08:00Warhammer 40k: Space Wolves Long Fang PackA fortnight later than intended, I have completed my first ever Warhammer 40k squad!<br />
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I learned a lot with these chaps and hopefully the next models in the army will go slightly quicker for me. There's still things that I haven't quite got the hang of yet like painting certain jewels or the eyes of Space Marine helmets, but my edge highlighting and glazes and layering are all improving.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMkcjsb6IdTd4phHRwOskzYWIuw4bP8S_BaFqhtHziadJPlJGYL6aVwzIAUfy6s1vJyVds3FiUufBM3TzTSWAS-pJR41D8a6N3r5Tk268VHuQpSUgXgFvL4JhLAygxxvKeD_jy0BblHk/s1600/LongFangFront2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="1500" height="103" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMkcjsb6IdTd4phHRwOskzYWIuw4bP8S_BaFqhtHziadJPlJGYL6aVwzIAUfy6s1vJyVds3FiUufBM3TzTSWAS-pJR41D8a6N3r5Tk268VHuQpSUgXgFvL4JhLAygxxvKeD_jy0BblHk/s320/LongFangFront2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I built these years ago without thinking about the logistics of painting
and getting my brush into corners etc. So there was a lot of wasted
and duplicated work on the chest / face / weapon as a result. The heavy
weapons are worst, I think the others won't be as bad. I actually find
the large, flat surfaces frustrating as I want to glaze them then
highlight them. In addition, free hand looks really awful unless it's
perfect. I gave up adding stuff to the purity seals as it looked
amateurish and I redid the text on the leader's shoulder pad twice until
the made up runes looked tidy enough.<br />
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I had some trouble learning how to do the Transfers as well. Unfortunately, Forge World have stopped producing the large Space Wolves transfer sheet which has the full range of Great Company markings, so I have to be extra careful not to mess up these ones as I put them on.<br />
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Games Workshop currently produces a Transfer Sheet but it focuses on the three most well known Great Companies and doesn't have as much variety as the old Forge World one. These folks have a mix of honour markings, runes on their knee pads and pack markings as I'm not going to be too concerned about creating perfect packs with matching symbols a I may need to swap around different weapons or change pack sizes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSJASIDvjvQbfcVRqdN4cHeGIVyaveTKS1VmNZKdjaeplbRhirkq4H39w6LlozNYJZcGm9UJFD20ViVMzUVI83Oaa8xgYQlDyR7Dt5isK39hMXI8bZ1To5_RTVxpHfVyDQ5Ta0qPmFTE/s1600/LongFang4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="950" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSJASIDvjvQbfcVRqdN4cHeGIVyaveTKS1VmNZKdjaeplbRhirkq4H39w6LlozNYJZcGm9UJFD20ViVMzUVI83Oaa8xgYQlDyR7Dt5isK39hMXI8bZ1To5_RTVxpHfVyDQ5Ta0qPmFTE/s320/LongFang4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These chaps are all from Gunnar Red Moon's Great Company. The Space Wolves have 12 Great Companies, roughly equivalent in size to the standard Companies of normal Space Marine chapters. Each is led by a Wolf Lord who picks his heraldry on ascending to the position.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD__japGOT4IYz8puGItgMtmi-JOD3km5-yetyiPUBHmhD3ni8iauaDw8B0MHhhkx-pXPH1H9GdfPjYRk8mghk6ESXdH58ddUK3JAQ0lKdgRGhF4MrVDgjz0hjV2Vnw7U67JS2pjiVB3w/s1600/LongFang5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="950" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD__japGOT4IYz8puGItgMtmi-JOD3km5-yetyiPUBHmhD3ni8iauaDw8B0MHhhkx-pXPH1H9GdfPjYRk8mghk6ESXdH58ddUK3JAQ0lKdgRGhF4MrVDgjz0hjV2Vnw7U67JS2pjiVB3w/s320/LongFang5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My rough idea, even years ago, was that I would like a Space Wolf army that suggests a mixture of different packs from different Great Companies, to allow different armour colourations and just generally to make it a more visually interesting army. In the Codex, the Wolf Lords are described as having particular preferences for different units and tactics - Gunnar Red Moon favours Long Fangs, hence my decision to give them his symbol on their left shoulder pads.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixT1lhd-44FhpsiVxMhqW9ySS28OYbHd9RTu3udSPNP_CnZwumXMjBQfUTmiStxGYnothoDwhZxUvH3b4wuLuVN1ehp4tG9iXFezJmpGNr1F0CpYYxrixX2PUeydDeRoAMTHFX96BfvEU/s1600/LongFang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="950" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixT1lhd-44FhpsiVxMhqW9ySS28OYbHd9RTu3udSPNP_CnZwumXMjBQfUTmiStxGYnothoDwhZxUvH3b4wuLuVN1ehp4tG9iXFezJmpGNr1F0CpYYxrixX2PUeydDeRoAMTHFX96BfvEU/s320/LongFang.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Before I put on any transfers I used a Gloss Varnish to create a smooth surface on the area. I used Games Workshop's "'Ardcoat" diluted with a little Lahmian Medium and that worked well enough. I used Vallejo Decal Medium and Vallejo Decal Fix, but confusingly the official video tutorial from the Vallejo Youtube channel contradicts the FAQ PDF file on the Vallejo website. One says to put the Fix on first, then the medium, and the other flatly says the opposite. In the end I went with the water based fixer first, then used the alcohol based medium to soften the edges of the transfer once it was in place. I used the medium several times and the edges of the transfers are much less noticeable now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCXDBhyphenhyphenJfnKhDKZdrtkMeL2sgAwW2V8yOsmJXeXStmRYQLQicDSt4-kDvP1qpGcp0Dut-SXDYx_mkoxjfgm_6BmkewxVx2qiCtec37MKVwiaG1OnPBvHahHya9NWCE31lax-DsJk4CyY/s1600/LongFangLeader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="950" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLCXDBhyphenhyphenJfnKhDKZdrtkMeL2sgAwW2V8yOsmJXeXStmRYQLQicDSt4-kDvP1qpGcp0Dut-SXDYx_mkoxjfgm_6BmkewxVx2qiCtec37MKVwiaG1OnPBvHahHya9NWCE31lax-DsJk4CyY/s320/LongFangLeader.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Another thing I had to learn to do was to get flat transfers to conform to curved surfaces. This is a bit tricky and required something a lot sharper than my bog standard Citadel Hobby Knife. <a href="http://fromthewarp.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/how-to-apply-waterslide-transfers.html" target="_blank">This tutorial from the From The Warp blog</a> was very helpful in explaining that it helps to, if possible, create relief cuts in the decal to allow it to conform to an uneven surface My Dad gave me a spare scalpel he had with a fresh blade and I went about giving it a go. The result isn't perfect but I am happy with it so far!<br />
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<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-87485966024962665512018-01-10T13:14:00.001-08:002018-01-10T13:14:10.752-08:00New Beginnings<br />
It is Future Year 2018!<br />
<br />
I have moved into a new area and am seeking out new life and new civilisations! Or perhaps i'm just after a chance to roll some dice in a new wargaming club.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, the closest club, the Newcastle Warlords, is only 15 minutes drive away. Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40k are popular there so I have dug out some neglected, amateur models from half a decade ago to give 40k a punt!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLmnkcQLQA3QJIRdk_bcK7EAe2WBbvNRyS6JQvFgTVaADKoL-aSa0ifnoBNCe3VPEIbSB5trpBlDcnIoZPMGx6hIpYcvZty86EAZ2fkBgPSJdgSZNNrdaojLrJB20lD528kuiXoAzxJU/s1600/LongFang.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="950" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLmnkcQLQA3QJIRdk_bcK7EAe2WBbvNRyS6JQvFgTVaADKoL-aSa0ifnoBNCe3VPEIbSB5trpBlDcnIoZPMGx6hIpYcvZty86EAZ2fkBgPSJdgSZNNrdaojLrJB20lD528kuiXoAzxJU/s400/LongFang.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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There's a lot of things wrong with these models - lots of mistakes in how they were put together. However, the time when I would have stressed out about that has long since passed and I am going to do the minimum of fussing as I prepare and paint them. I am trying new things as I haven't painted 28mm in years and what I did was for vastly different models such as Dark Age plastics for SAGA or Infinity Ariadna forces.<br />
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The picture above is the first finished "test model" of a Space Wolves Long Fang, a long range support model. I'm still learning how to use transfers and get consistent colours on such large, smooth surfaces that armour like this offers.<br />
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I hope to be posting a lot more here than over the past few months where I got very little done.The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-86663349870417701792017-12-03T15:23:00.000-08:002017-12-03T15:23:27.957-08:00Perfect is the Enemy of Good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sometimes I should just leave well enough alone. <br />
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A second attempt at spraying my LOTR chaps, this time with a pale grey, ended up with horrible "frosting" across much of them. This was an attempt to "fix" the initial grey paint which I felt wouldn't stick as a primer.<br />
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So - a month of off and on paint stripping, regluing, rebasing etc. began.<br />
<br />However, whilst that's been going on, some packages have arrived and I
have been busy prepping some new models. A mix of Unreleased Miniatures models and Games Workshop ones now make up my army, with some bases from Dragon Forge and Micro Art Studios. Now they are finally
"ready", if unpainted, it feels good to say there is some visible
progress!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZwMASGWDzYWBCX-zO0aVM3kv4y62I0aqUe8MuEq2-9NbUNLOwkaNrAsuO8o3xKQ1cCqXKtawY-tls99aSvztelY8xwjDN_FQeyqxO1dOZTdPB0Xzwr-f-2WiFRdiOFRGtWa6NAPk_s0/s1600/ForGondor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ZwMASGWDzYWBCX-zO0aVM3kv4y62I0aqUe8MuEq2-9NbUNLOwkaNrAsuO8o3xKQ1cCqXKtawY-tls99aSvztelY8xwjDN_FQeyqxO1dOZTdPB0Xzwr-f-2WiFRdiOFRGtWa6NAPk_s0/s400/ForGondor.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><br />I love the Kingdoms of Men generally and like the idea
of allied forces from different regions. My main desire was for
Fiefdoms with Minas Tirith allies. Frustratingly a lot of hero and even
troop models are OOP so I've had to be patient on eBay.<br />
<br />
I am hoping that with Games Workshop re-investing in Middle Earth as a setting in 2018 there will be opportunities for new models or re-releases of older ones as time goes on.<br />
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<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-20519040011478491222017-09-17T14:21:00.000-07:002017-12-03T11:18:39.916-08:00Autumn Beckons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Summer ended, not with a bang, but with a whimper!<br />
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I just realised that I haven't posted in a couple of months - mostly because I have ground to a halt, hobby-wise! I got most of the way through an Empire Knight unit for Warmaster and thought it looked superb. Here's the finished test strip with a coin for scale.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9oRhnsI7dTH0wDI4JVSzcdxIWhyBK6rPfz_TYF99WevTDKLAUaJPkug1SRtp4qzejOWDGeVwvWzropDGgV1LenLnBrSLPwa66cSBZeGFB6RvfZIYgS68XvzuolOhcUh1lq3imOWwZVw/s1600/EmKnightFin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1000" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9oRhnsI7dTH0wDI4JVSzcdxIWhyBK6rPfz_TYF99WevTDKLAUaJPkug1SRtp4qzejOWDGeVwvWzropDGgV1LenLnBrSLPwa66cSBZeGFB6RvfZIYgS68XvzuolOhcUh1lq3imOWwZVw/s320/EmKnightFin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Alas, I burned myself out and felt I must do something different, having spent so long doing nothing but Warmaster.<br />
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Then an unfortunate thing happened - I got excited about another army and game system!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUZFHGqMCnddASIG9Ub9qz2CBbzzs0kSXoaG-kJEBX34Oh5lUVUORjdxdNwjA14fkvh_z0vwvHSifV-0FO7rg3HVbRaIMjTogNW3mY7wbuda4q6s5Qw7gD-uD2rU4i27YkyNJtetUdcQ/s1600/DolArmy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="1250" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUZFHGqMCnddASIG9Ub9qz2CBbzzs0kSXoaG-kJEBX34Oh5lUVUORjdxdNwjA14fkvh_z0vwvHSifV-0FO7rg3HVbRaIMjTogNW3mY7wbuda4q6s5Qw7gD-uD2rU4i27YkyNJtetUdcQ/s320/DolArmy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So I have been on eBay and on the GW webstore and have some lovely Lord of the Rings armies of Good - namely "Fiefdoms" and Gondor. Essentially, Fiefdoms is a catch all for allies of Gondor - including all the things mentioned in the books that didn't even get a nod from Peter Jackson in the films.<br />
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I love the idea of having a pool of troops to make a small army or warband in a similar scale to a SAGA battle but with fantasy elements. LOTR focuses less on units but rather each individual model and it's placement and luck in combat is important, with different elements able to support one another.<br />
<br />
I splashed out on nice resin bases from Mico Art Studios and faffed about basing them and prepping them, then the first thing I did was make a huge cock up!<br />
<br />
I went to undercoat them with this <a href="https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Citadel-Basecoat-Spray-Mechanicus-Standard-Grey" target="_blank">grey spray paint I got from GW</a>.<br />
<br />
Well,
apparently, the non black and white colours that GW have are not
actually primers like the ones from rival companies are. <br />
<br />
They are still meant to be sprayed over primer.<br />
<br />
So
now I have 10 infantry and 6 cavalry which look OK to the naked eye but
I'm googling and getting mixed answers from people who say it will peel
and others saying it's fine. After leaving it for a day the paint did not scrape off even when scratching my nail across it. My current thinking is that - I can't be bothered properly stripping all these fellas, so I'll only strip the metal models as metal chips so easily.<br />
<br />
Then I'm going to buy an Army Painter white and blast them all with that. When I finish painting models I always paint on Vallejo Matt Varnish in a few coats, so I'm hoping that will be good enough to secure against my indiscretion.<br />
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Always read the fine print, kids!<br />
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<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-77537284442840826062017-07-09T07:54:00.000-07:002017-07-09T07:54:05.029-07:00Warmaster: Dark Elf Witch ElvesI just realised that I'd not posted this one!<br />
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With this final Dark Elves unit, I can say that I have a finished ~2000 point Dark Elf army!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjJzVvGRhtErY5QvHkYZqTxe62IeAEfg50X54ZohYuOa6a27AF5OiHfvkrR-iMmEDNzZK1xH7v4bNrS8WTRfy5theQkqAI3H7YICZ7tNJVYKs4oiy6Jfs18TGy4eUdBWX5vV9Tw9eA3E/s1600/DEWitchElves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="900" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEjJzVvGRhtErY5QvHkYZqTxe62IeAEfg50X54ZohYuOa6a27AF5OiHfvkrR-iMmEDNzZK1xH7v4bNrS8WTRfy5theQkqAI3H7YICZ7tNJVYKs4oiy6Jfs18TGy4eUdBWX5vV9Tw9eA3E/s320/DEWitchElves.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
These are Witch Elves, a fragile "glass cannon" unit which will probably break themselves in combat but take at least one enemy unit out with them in a frenzy!<br />
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I should probably put all the Dark Elves out on my desk and take a photo to prove I've done it.<br />
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---<br />
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I've had a fallow month where I've not done much of anything wargame related but I got some energy back and have been preparing a Warmaster Empire army to paint, next.<br />
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First thing I've had a crack at is a strip of Empire Knights.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVBV0UMD-_gwXSZ40l9pHLy9cIuG8WLdWz_3LYW5Ql9BvvJboZhcJosAHwKKu9UmdNaEVvpBs8nfQI0hJ_0GWPBC_jRarPI5wCEFuBk_0afp-Q-Bn5wR6B6XoBDvtq-kXRMZKPG5E0CU/s1600/EmpireKnightRightTest.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="900" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVBV0UMD-_gwXSZ40l9pHLy9cIuG8WLdWz_3LYW5Ql9BvvJboZhcJosAHwKKu9UmdNaEVvpBs8nfQI0hJ_0GWPBC_jRarPI5wCEFuBk_0afp-Q-Bn5wR6B6XoBDvtq-kXRMZKPG5E0CU/s320/EmpireKnightRightTest.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The entire Empire range is incredibly detailed - really wonderful models. I wanted to avoid simply painting it all in gun metal so I've gone for a lot of detailed paint and alternating colours. My general desire for the Empire force is that it will represent many orders or different regiments so will not be tied by a simple colour scheme like my previous forces.<br />
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<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-12175539630028458732017-06-11T15:24:00.000-07:002017-06-11T15:24:30.047-07:00Warmaster: Dark Elf Command Finally complete! Warmaster Dark Elf Command!<br />
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The original GW Dark Elf Warmaster Command blister is a slightly sorry affair compared with some of the others. It contains a single sorceress figure with guards, a mounted hero with flag bearer and a little Cold One chariot.<br />
<br />
I disliked the chariot; too big for a hero, too small for a General stand, I felt. My spare one is going to a friend in the gaming club who has had trouble sourcing Dark Elf figures.<br />
<br />
I scrabbled a spare sorceress and guards so that I could max out my command for 2000 points - 2 heroes and 2 magic users. Even though Dark Elves are an "elite" army with a smaller number of more expensive units compared with some other armies, they suffer from a fatal flaw. Namely, that if you roll a "blunder" on your command rolls (two sixes on 2D6), the hero responsible is either executed immediately or the General suffers a permanent penalty for the rest of the game! The Dark Elves are ruthlessly inefficient, it seems.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXmLEIswjcQVQc1aOSeT96dg82jGaM5EJZ_M-h1bqJsKB74PjL1GNeNwWIPjS09YtJSyiL7iqwdWRzgL8Y6n-8ISiw-zySy5v0T_R5wuQTSiPYU2ORVaVImaCoR-nSbG32Wzfmao7LKo/s1600/DECommandFront.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="900" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDXmLEIswjcQVQc1aOSeT96dg82jGaM5EJZ_M-h1bqJsKB74PjL1GNeNwWIPjS09YtJSyiL7iqwdWRzgL8Y6n-8ISiw-zySy5v0T_R5wuQTSiPYU2ORVaVImaCoR-nSbG32Wzfmao7LKo/s320/DECommandFront.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am extremely proud of of these little figures. The cauldrons of blood that I put on the stands are in fact plastic Warhammer 40k scale Blood Angel Sanguinary Guard grails. One from the plastic character clampack, the other from the generic upgrade sprue. I chopped the hand out of the plastic and glued the top to the bottom.<br />
<br />
If you Google Image search "warmaster cauldron of blood" you will see top of the list, a couple of excellent fan models. <a href="http://www.forum.specialist-arms.com/index.php?topic=5689.0" target="_blank">This one</a> inspired me to use the first version of the Avatar of Khaine from Space Marine / Epic. And <a href="http://2md.dk/gw-warmaster/images/armies/dark_elves/lothaires_dark_elves/Cauldron%20of%20Blood%20(Side).jpg" target="_blank">this one</a> made me want to put the cauldron on top of a pile of bones - a piece from the Tomb Kings command blister. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ88SQ66KHdldMnmAFY0YCpVdnmShznQd7UJCwyBmZ0MNRphXrTGJUl19LNSS_rR6A2llBeZGynzZhJER1KekCf7P7_NnSWGo1Ep0qeq4yOoYihSzvml0VCQdpbhAwdwqzxqB4vgXFjv8/s1600/DECommandBack.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="374" data-original-width="900" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ88SQ66KHdldMnmAFY0YCpVdnmShznQd7UJCwyBmZ0MNRphXrTGJUl19LNSS_rR6A2llBeZGynzZhJER1KekCf7P7_NnSWGo1Ep0qeq4yOoYihSzvml0VCQdpbhAwdwqzxqB4vgXFjv8/s320/DECommandBack.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I attempted something a bit different with the statue, attempting to paint it like black marble. The results weren't spectacular, but I needed to differentiate it from the other models, so that people wouldn't assume it was an animate or giant character and not a statue.<br />
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<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-45715571780554763482017-05-29T16:23:00.001-07:002017-05-29T16:24:09.157-07:00Clip Studio Doodles<br />
A while ago I saw that <a href="http://www.clipstudio.net/en" target="_blank">Clip Studio</a> was having one of its periodic sales so I bought it, installed it and mostly forgot about it. I fired it up and thought it didn't quite have the immediate ease of use of <a href="https://www.systemax.jp/en/sai/" target="_blank">Paint Tool Sai</a> in terms of deploying its tools.<br />
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This year I discovered that people sell large "Brush Packs" for art programs. I had spent some Christmas money on some for Photoshop and then on some for Clip Studio. Photoshop is a bit of a monster that my old computer groans a bit under so I let the license expire for it. It didn't feel like something that natural to sketch in in any case.<br />
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For Clip Studio I bought the <a href="https://frenden.myshopify.com/products/manga-studio-5-brush-super-set" target="_blank">Frenden super set</a>. I have barely explored the full range but I've found it an interesting experience. It's been so long since I've drawn but I used the soft "pencil" brushes and then used "acrylic" to layer over the top, mimicing the way that I paint my gaming models in real life.<br />
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These were doodles from imagination, without reference, to see if I could recall some basic anatomy and posing.<br />
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I haven't had the confidence to really draw digitally in a long time. I think this will be the program / tools which I use to get back into it.<br />
<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-37606495973259741582017-05-14T12:46:00.000-07:002017-05-14T12:48:51.692-07:00Warmaster: Dark Elf General on Manticore I've had this one lurking in the wings for a while now! Wasn't sure what colours to use, especially on the wings. Bought a Vallejo "Hexed Lichen" paint as a dark purple basecoat to mix with black - then the GW paint "Genestealer Purple" to water down and layer on as a glaze on the "veins". This didn't work quite as well as I hoped but the final result is good enough for tabletop, I feel.<br />
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The Lion body I ended up using Vallejo Khaki on as a base. Then I mixed in Vallejo Dark Sand to brighten it - again layering it on quite dilute to control it so that I kept the recesses dark where I had used an Agrax Earthshade wash.<br />
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Very close to finishing the entire Dark Elf army now! Only things left are a Witch Elves unit and four stands of command figures. Very satisfying progress this year.<br />
<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-62495517550802151532017-04-29T16:07:00.000-07:002017-04-29T16:07:22.469-07:00EPIC: Grey Knights Test Stand<br />
After a dozen Warmaster units, my brain rankled at the thought of more.<br />
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I tried putting Infinity and Blood Bowl on my desk but neither of them did the trick. <br />
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Then I dug out a bunch of EPIC models, most of which I'd bought years ago.<br />
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Someone on the Tactical Command forum had sold me some rare Imperial Flyers for no more than they would have cost from Forge World when they were still available; on the condition that I painted them - as he had never gotten around to it!<br />
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I washed, prepped and glued them to put alongside some Thunderhawks I've had lurking for years in a box and some Warhounds gathering dust on my bookshelf.<br />
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The big challenge awaiting me is always painting something, especially something unfamiliar or at a different scale. Warmaster, which I usually paint, is 10mm, whereas EPIC is a diminutive 6mm.<br />
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These fellows are the result of me grabbing the nettle and concentrating on just one stand of troops as a test before doing any others. As a guide I used the lovely <a href="http://taleofpainters.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/tutorial-how-to-paint-grey-knights.html" target="_blank">Tale of Painters</a> how-to for Grey Knights although, not painting them to that level of detail!<br />
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The base is a fan-made resin cast that I thought would look more dynamic than the old plastic strip bases. It looks good but it's easy to miss a bit on the undercoating or basecoating steps .<br />
<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-90679575018154917522017-04-22T11:30:00.003-07:002017-04-22T11:30:41.794-07:00Warmaster: Dark Riders<br />
Forgot to upload these!<br />
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With these three Dark Rider units complete I have almost finished my entire Dark Elf army for Warmaster. All that remains are command stands and a unit of Witch Elves to get to 2000 points.<br />
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I need to get a proper neutral background for taking photos as my Dad advised. Even adjusting values here in GIMP makes things seem washed out or very grey.<br />
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<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-87923520920720714692017-03-12T09:28:00.001-07:002017-03-12T09:28:09.333-07:00Warmaster: Dark Elf CavalryI have something to show off, hurrah!<br />
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I'm up to 9 painted
units so far this year, now! All three of my Cold One Cavalry units and
the first Dark Rider unit for my Dark Elves!</div>
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<br /><br />I
have a new camera that I am getting used to - the colours seem a bit
washed out. I tried fixing it in GIMP but I might need to play with the
settings next time around.<br /></div>
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Next up I have my remaining three Dark Rider units which I am batch painting after I think the test unit went so well.</div>
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<br /><br /><br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-26964906401851726742017-02-05T17:01:00.001-08:002017-02-05T17:01:45.836-08:00Warmaster: Dark Elf CrossbowmenSome more Dark Elves! <br />
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<a class="bbc_link" href="https://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1540288.jpg" target="_blank">https://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1540288.jpg</a><br />
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^
I tried to base my Dark Elves on something a bit different - super
pale, unearthly skin - like vampires, and weird gold. For the armour I
used the new Retributor Gold from GW, washed it with the new Coelia
Greenshade - then highlighted with Chainmail. For the flesh it's
Rakarth Flesh then after the wash Vallejo Heavy Warmgrey.<br />
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I wanted them to look - Lovecraftian, nasty, like they marched out of the sea to attack their warmer cousins.<br />
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Anyhow
- polished off these two crossbowmen units. I have some Corsair models that I might paint up
in future to proxy crossbows but right now I'm just trying to scrape
2000 points and say that I've finished another army.The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-23757444174463099132017-02-03T05:23:00.001-08:002017-02-03T05:23:44.132-08:00Warmaster: Dark Elf Spearmen BrigadeNot one, not two, but three Dark Elf Spearmen units!<br />
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It can be disheartening attempting a "block painting" of several units at once, but the pay off is worth it!<br />
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My mobile phone camera didn't want to co operate today so the photos aren't of a great quality, but these aren't high detail units so that's not a big problem.<br />
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These fellows are painted the same way as my first unit, using a lot of the new GW colours that didn't have analogues before. Snow is some Woodland Scenics a friend from the game forums kindly sent me.<br />
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These fellows are painted the same way as my first unit, using a lot of the new GW colours that didn't have analogues before. Freehand symbols were found by simply using internet image search to find "Dark Elf Banners". A while ago, GW released a couple of "uniforms and heraldry" books for Empire, High Elves and Skaven. The High Elf one had 3 pages filled with nothing but runes to use. Dark Elves apparently never had anything like that so most of their jagged symbols seem to be improvised rather than "canon".<br />
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<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-17615809174364880852017-01-20T11:50:00.001-08:002017-01-20T11:50:52.896-08:00Warhammer Art: A Dark Congregation One thing I have been striving for is the dark, crowded style of traditional Warhammer art.<br />
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I don't just mean that exemplified by John Blanche, but also artists who came later to GW like the late Wayne England or David Gallagher. <br />
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Codices and rulebooks were filled with lavish illustrations which veered from ink splattered, frenetic visions to meticulous illuminations. I attempted to do something approaching that with this picture. I put the pencil on the paper and told myself to fill the page, even if it was just very roughly or without precision. <br />
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I am very happy with the result, a dark congregation praising some blasphemous, forgotten God. Drawn for <a href="http://s3.zetaboards.com/The_Ammobunker/topic/7902286/1/" target="_blank">Khordal's topic</a> on the Ammo Bunker forum.The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-86883315800225727822017-01-14T16:14:00.000-08:002017-01-14T16:14:17.608-08:00Warmaster Game Day: Dark Elves vs. High Elves<br />
On Sunday 8th January, 2017, our local gaming club ran a little "Games Day" for Warmaster!<br />
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The plan this year is to have about half a dozen such days - where we can run the games which interest us and we feel others might be willing to have a go at with a loaner army even if they don't have the models / rules themselves.<br />
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My fellow club-member <a href="http://ttmadness.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/2017-is-here-hurrah-hurrah.html" target="_blank">Denis wrote up the first match of the day from his perspective</a> as I taught the rules to his son using a spare army I had brought along.<br />
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Denis took some photos of the 2nd game of the day for us; his Dark Elves vs my High Elves.<br />
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Denis's army is a work in progress as the models for DE are hard to get hold of, nowadays. As a result, he plumped out his list with magic items, which don't normally give a very good return on investment in Warmaster. Operative word there being "normally". With a bit of luck and cunning they can be a decisive factor if you get the right unit in the right place! The downside of this for Denis is that his break point is lower, meaning it should be easier to destroy enough units to defeat him...<br />
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<pre style="margin: 0;"><span class="army_name">Dark Elf Army, 1500 points
----------------------------------------------------------------
230 - 3 Spearmen
- 1 Battle Banner (50)
125 - 1 Crossbowmen
- 1 Banner of Shielding (50)
345 - 3 Dark Riders
- 1 Banner of Fortitude (50)
- 1 Sword of Cleaving (10)
290 - 2 Cold One Knights
- 1 Banner of Steadfastness (30)
55 - 1 Bolt Thrower
255 - 1 General
- 1 Crown of Command (100)
90 - 1 Hero
- 1 Sword of Destruction (10)
110 - 1 Sorceress
- 1 Ring of Magic (30)
----------------------------------------------------------------
1500 - 10/5</span></pre>
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</pre>
<pre style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> </pre>
Denis deployed in the corner, concentrating his forces and forcing me to come to him. <br />
<pre style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"></pre>
<br />
High Elf Army, 1500 points<br />
----------------------------------------------------------------<br />
180 - 3 Spearmen<br />
225 - 3 Archers<br />
220 - 2 Silver Helms<br />
200 - 2 Reavers<br />
190 - 2 Chariots<br />
70 - 1 Giant Eagles<br />
65 - 1 Elven Bolt Thrower<br />
180 - 1 General<br />
80 - 1 Hero<br />
90 - 1 Wizard<br />
----------------------------------------------------------------<br />
1500 - 14/7<br />
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<pre style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> </pre>
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<pre style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"> </pre>
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For myself, I deployed in a typical pattern - all infantry in the centre with cavalry on each far flank.<br />
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<b>High Elf Turn 1</b><br />
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<span id="goog_1147789095"></span><span id="goog_1147789096"></span><br />
<span id="goog_1147789095"></span><span id="goog_1147789096"></span>My first game against Denis's turn was characterised by my battle line barely even moving. However, I was off to a strong enough start I thought, here. The main block of infantry stubbornly refused to move, however, and more importantly, my elite Silver Helms cavalry dug their heels in too.<br />
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<b>Dark Elf Turn 1</b><br />
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Denis's Dark Elves steered out to meet me. I felt that I had a chance to bring things to a speedy conclusion... <br />
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<b>High Elf Turn 2</b><br />
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Best laid plans of mice and uh... elves! My chariot line shuffled forward into charging range... Then failed their command, even with the General's beedy eye on them! All infantry failed to move and my elites shuffled forward towards enemy crossbows and spears but no furth.<br />
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<b>Dark Elf Turn 2</b><br />
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Denis wasted no time in mashing his elite Cold One cavalry into my Chariots and Reavers, breaking the back of one of my flanks. Shooting and magic confused some of my Silver Helms, putting paid to my hopes of a decisive blow with them. Bolt Throwers wheeled closer to my infantry...<br />
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<b>High Elf Turn 3</b><br />
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An attempt to claw back some kills ended very badly for my surviving cavalry on the left flank. The Silver Helms that were still in order finally were unleashed, smashing into the DE infantry - as I planted my Giant Eagles behind as a threat to support them. My infantry shuffled forward but there were no great marches, there.<br />
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<b>Dark Elf Turn 3</b><br />
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The Dark Elves mopped up the last of the light cavalry - and made an attempt to rout the Giant Eagles and Silver Helms threatening them. <br />
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<b>High Elf Turn 4</b><br />
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Another appalling round of non-commands, nothing moving except on initiative as the Giant Eagles sacrifice themselves to shield the Silver Helms from an imminent hail of crossbow bolts.<br />
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<b>Dark Elf Turn 4</b><br />
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Dark Elves reposition to mop up the Great Eagles but fail to maneouvre to crush the surviving cavalry...<br />
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<b>High Elf Turn 5</b><br />
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Finally! Some forced marches seem to be happening! Reserves of the previously confused/lazy Silver Helms move in for the kill and the infantry surge forward and spread out, splitting off to tidy up the loose ends of some surviving Cold Ones. At this point, though it had been getting close - the successful commands pretty much guaranteed that the low Dark Elf breakpoint was going to be reached so we called it at that.<br />
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Something I thought was going to be a relatively easy, quick game with the High Elves having the advantage of numbers became something much more interesting - and a lesson for me on the strengths of the Cold Ones and of magic items...<br />
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<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-27128620034877268172016-12-30T11:48:00.000-08:002016-12-30T11:48:41.394-08:00Warmaster: High Elves Spearmen At last! <br />
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As the year ends - I snuck in some extra painting time and finally polished off these fellows who I have been ignoring for 3 years or so.<br />
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The command stands for some Warmaster units are so filled with detail that they can be very intimidating.<br />
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I think I did a very good job with these chaps on horseback. There's a lot of trim and barding which prompted me to break in a Series 7 Winsor and Newton brush because my knackered old GW brushes simply weren't cutting the mustard!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUBbUnHiHKRS8WbzBo5p3rYeVQHQssynPeZ-JeyBueWA8Wk-qY2iXgD8Wkksh04EAmT2wAWdaQFB4neozfzRu0Ad2vAxh7JL9-8ssNLbgnHHBTj_VSmRXeOihkdUeNWx2K9cujG-Cv00/s1600/HESpear.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUBbUnHiHKRS8WbzBo5p3rYeVQHQssynPeZ-JeyBueWA8Wk-qY2iXgD8Wkksh04EAmT2wAWdaQFB4neozfzRu0Ad2vAxh7JL9-8ssNLbgnHHBTj_VSmRXeOihkdUeNWx2K9cujG-Cv00/s320/HESpear.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Most importantly, with these chaps, is the fact that I now have a legal High Elf army that can go to 2000 points - FULLY PAINTED! No more bare lead or base coated models for this army at least.<br />
<br />
Now to move on to the half dozen or so other armies who are still bare metal or black undercoated!The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-60255631904186434162016-12-25T09:29:00.000-08:002016-12-25T09:29:43.898-08:00Warhammer Art: Land of Eternal AutumnFor Yule, I have taken receipt of a printer / scanner.<br />
<br />I have recently joined the "Inquisimunda" forum on <a href="http://s3.zetaboards.com/The_Ammobunker/index/" target="_blank">Ammo Bunker</a> and been inspired to share my pictures which have grown from that ferment.<br />
<br />
In fact I made a <a href="http://s3.zetaboards.com/The_Ammobunker/topic/9010259/1/" target="_blank">topic</a> to post my doodlings, but I felt I would edit them and repost them here for sake of record. <br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
I have a vague outline for a place which was in the very early stages of
what would eventually become a Hive World, but on being cut off from
the Imperium ended up regressing into a Knight World level of
technology. Parts are almost medieval, with a huge central city and
ruins and remnants of semi autonomous refineries/factories scattered
throught the world. Left to develop/devolve by itself for millenia,
heretical technology and beliefs have blossomed even in the apparent
absence of Chaotic influence.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
<b>"Arbite Bannerman"</b><br />
<br />
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<br />
This fellow - I have attempted to thumbnail at least a dozen times, and
draw full A4 at least once and it just doesn't want to manifest.<br />
<br />My
idea for the remnants of Arbites and law enforcement on this planet is
that they have split up and regionalised - becoming more and more
medieval the further away they are from the Capital and other large
towns and cities.<br /><br />Ironically, the higher ranks want to emulate
nobility - and look as individual and lavish as possible, looking more
like Warhammer fantasy Empire generals than soldiers, with feathers in
their caps and colloquial technology such as duelling flintlock pistols.<br /><br />I
liked the idea that recruits would be given the most useful weapons and
armour because they were not "fashionable" so you might have scrawny
kids with big ancient arbite helmets wobbling on their heads as the
mascot of a group, like a drummer boy.<br /><br />I figured that it in the
most rustic areas they might have recruited a fellow who had never seen a
gun fired in his life. He might have a family heirloom of a shotgun
that had only ever been used as an improvised club. One of my
thumbnails had this fellow staring dumbfounded at a bullet/shell given
to him as a reward by his superior, completely confused as to what he
was to do with it.<br /><br />Another idea was for some kind of boltgun to
be the symbol of an Arbite leader, but for the bolter shells to be so
rare that it was a purely ceremonial object. A "white elephant", it
could not be relinquished or disgarded, despite being a huge lump of
useless metal. Essentially some servant would be required to constantly
carry this thing wherever the leader went, perhaps strapped to his
back, as a symbol of office - in fact, maybe nothing else would be
acceptable as a symbol of office to all the peasants in the outermost
places. If you turned up with an "official seal" they'd think it was
suspicious and easy to copy - but some huge lump of intricately detailed
metal - well you'd have to be the real thing with that as a sign of
office!<br /><br />This fellow is veering towards medieval, with his metal
helmet, shotgun that could be club or firearm, and the fur of some dead
beast cloaked over his shoulders. Banners flutter in the wind, showing
symbols of the weighing scales - one of the few signs surviving that
these forces think of themselves as Arbites.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
<b>"Lanternman"</b><br />
<b> </b><br />
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<br />
<br /> The usual trope in mainstream 40k stuff is fire and flame, promethium, burning the heretics etc. etc.<br /><br />But
I rather like the idea of citizens worshipping light rather than simply
flame - light including electrical light. Venerating it almost as a
lost technology.<br /><br />This fellow is a Lantern Man, one of a great variety of penitents or semi religious nomads/tramps.<br /><br />They
provide illumination and navigation for caravans of traders, pilgrims
or monster hunters as they move between settlements or through tunnels,
having no real home, relying on the generosity of their wards for food
and shelter.<br /><br />His lamppost and battery backpack are hierlooms,
passed down from father to son, with almost no knowledge surviving on
how they work. Probably only a fraction of the mass of the backpack
actually generates the power for the lights, with slung together
technology having built up like sediment over the centuries. A forest of
different power adapter wires dangles from... somewhere, allowing him
to plug it into local power generators when he stops to rest. Whether
this actually helps or whether there's a gram of radioactive material
with a half life of 10,000 years ticking away inside - who knows? Every
Lantern Man is different!<br /><br />A variety of replacement lightbulbs adorn his belt, a bit like other characters would have spare ammo clips or grenades!<br /><br />He
clutches The First Bulb, a burnt out power unit turned into a relic of
significance for Lantern Men, a bit like rosary beads, allegedly the
very first bulb that one of his great gr. gr. etc. grandfathers would
have begun the tradition with.<br /><br />For his weapon, I imagined an
ancient, completely broken Power Maul, which is now simply a club with
some phosphorescent material inside it to make it mimic the appearance
of its former glory!<br />
<br />His weapon has a cable tied around his arm - this is
inspired by the way that Black Templars are chained to their bolt
weapons - I like the idea that he can never relinquish his "guiding
light" and therefore his responsibility in guiding travellers in the
darkness.<br />
<br />
He is bald with perhaps whisps of hair - with various burn marks over
his skin and scalp. He is a man constantly strapped to a lot of
electric power and I imagine that the urge to tinker and explore the
heirloom means that he is covered with scars with a lot of burnt off
body hair! His forearm and hand have a remnant of some metal on
them with half legible numbers on. Along with the equipment, the idea
is that the shreds of some ancient imperial adept uniform have survived
down the long years, the origin of the Lantern Man probably being some
splinter group of some very menial Imperial techs who only knew how to
change light bulbs in the City.<br /><br />The larger insect hunting moths
is some genetically modified dragonfly, fearsome to look at but much
venerated by the populace as one of the surviving bioforms from the
initial colonisation/terraforming, designed to make marshlands habitable
with a voracious appetite for mosquito and other pest type creatures.<br />
---<br />
<br />
<b>"Lanternman with Marrow Seekers"</b><br /><br />
<br />
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<br />
One thing I like about all the vignettes you get in Warhammer rulebooks
over the years are the little servitors / grots / cherubs etc. that snap
at each other in the margins. Mercifully, this seems to have survived
at least until 40k 6th edition and in the themed art on the GW webstore.<br /><br />Here,
it felt natural to add some ratlike creature on the tilting, damaged
lamp on the right. So I added a whiptail, a kind of rat sized lizard
creature, not really vermin but an ill tempered spiny creature in any
case. It's raising it's hackles at the perch of a dragonfly to the
left. If you want to eat moths for dinner, a Lantern Man's totem is a
good place to sit!<br /><br />I figure these gentlemen are Marrow Seekers,
moving across a mostly dried up lake bed (like the Aral Sea), trying to
find the remnants of what are, to the eye of a 40k player, Eldar
wraithbone constructs. These are brittle, porous and ground into a
power source which is used alongside the scant Promethium which is
occasionally wrung from dilapidated, semi-automated sources. <br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
<b>"Preacher of the Spire" </b><br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
There are many fragments of Imperial Ecclesiarchy left on this world,
whose energies have been turned to strange things in the virtual absence
of the light of Holy Terra.<br /><br />One such faith goes by diverse names
but is called in official channels the Church of the City Unattained,
but also goes by Faith of the Spire among lay people. Different
splinter sects of this movement regularly roam the planet, making
pilgrimages to places they believe are the foundations of a mythical
paradise city they were cheated out of when the planet was isolated from
the Imperium.<br /><br />The Capital city has many grand pillars and
attempted excavations that have since been built through under and over.
These great cisterns, caverns, pipes, tunnels, vast pillars and
girders were the beginnings of the long process of turning the world
over into a productive Hive world.<br /><br />The Faith believes that these
decayed fragments are an eternal reminder of the failure of the people
of the world to live up to the Emperor's standards. They are forever
chipping away at these remnants and turning them into holy "relics" even
though the vast majority of them are sewer maintenance parts from the
foundations. They have no real mental image of what a Spire or a Hive
even consists of, but they venerate the Imperial Eagle in their masks
and iconography as they see it on the ancient bulkheads that survive.<br />
<br />
I imagined the the flying buttresses and eagle heads from the Imperial
Sector kits would be a big motif for this cult. They would wear masks
which were just that kind of aquila pointing forwards or maybe blank art
deco masks like the Sigmarites have from AoS.<br /><br />I would imagine their cloaks are dyed differing shades of blue/green in mimicry of the Verdigris they would see on old ruins.<br /><br />The
holiest artefacts wouldn't just be torn up bits of pipes and plascrete
but rather, working or legible bits and bobs from thousands of years
ago. This fellow is attempting to read some huge bound manuscript which
in reality is probably a detailed treatise on waste water management
rather than the one true path to the Lost City.<br /><br />Mummified
servitors that have been torn from the walls of ancient tunnels are
sometimes turned into "living saint" type reliquaries.<br /><br />This Faith
is seen as something of a pest by the authorities as they travel around
the feudal areas encouraging the peasants to build bizarre, aimless
towers to appease the Emperor and encourage him to return and finish
building his Spires. This has the result that there are areas of the
planet littered with strange follies and earthworks in primitive
imitation of what the Administratum began to accomplish.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
<b>"Sin-Eater"</b><br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
I figured this chap to be a hanger on with groups like the Faith of
the Spire. He has sworn a vow of silence and communicates through the
countless strips of parchment and seals which make up his clothes. <br /><br />He
makes his living taking food / drink or some small coin to write down
the prayers and names of those living and dead who will never get to
live in the promised Spire. Essentially, he mourns the living and the
dead who never had the chance to live in the promised land of the Spire
Unattained. He will also take some of your sins for you as an
indulgence... Lighten your soul as well as your coin purse, of course.<br /><br />My
thoughts were that yes, he has a little airbrush type quill with an ink
reserve and a compressor on it. He has candles for wax seals aplenty.
His backpack would have all sorts of seal stamps and spare candles,
perhaps even a canister just full of hot wax and a little spigot to pour
it out as it's needed. His collar and shoulders are covered with the
latest promises, but his entire coat is composed of the oldest ones
woven into it to replace wear and tear. After years of travelling and
sin eating his coat is entirely made of cured leather, vellum and
parchment. He carries a coin box on his waist a bit like a Boxing Day
collection box.<br /><br />His staff top is probably an ancient servo skull
whose grav motors gave out centuries ago, with a scroll stuffed into
it's mouth, a good symbol for a sin eater.<br />
<br />
--- The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-51599308303596254492016-12-14T16:14:00.000-08:002016-12-14T16:24:44.642-08:00Blood Bowl: Orc Blitzer Games Workshop, despite it's flaws, seems to have turned a corner lately.<br />
<br />
They have finally begun a kind of community engagement; launching a new website, using Youtube and facebook more and overall becoming less of a Fortress of Solitude.<br />
<br />
Far more importantly for a contrarian such as myself; they've fired up a new Specialist Games division, which means they are revisiting some of the "greatest hits" from the past, and the first to reappear is BLOOD BOWL!<br />
<br />
Blood Bowl is one of the many, many games that appeared in White Dwarf that I would fantasise about playing even though my budget / attention span would not cover it. I used to pretend to play it or Dungeonbowl using the Heroquest set as a kid, without really knowing the rules!<br />
<br />
Now I finally get to be one of the cool kids and have a go, myself! The base game contains two teams; humans and orcs. I have plumped to paint them in the suggested colours for the sake of simplicity and am mostly following the official guide in the rulebook.<br />
<br />
I want them to look good but I also want to be playing sooner rather than later so am hoping not to fall down the rabbit hole of spending too long on each model! This is the first finished model, an Orc Blitzer, who I believe only really wants to break the limbs of his opponents, rather than do anything with the ball.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Over the years when Blood Bowl was not supported by Games Workshop, the fans built up rules and fan sites to keep the game alive. I was searching online and one thing that they do is to colour code the bases of the models.<br />
<br />
This is very similar to how I colour code my SAGA bases to show the quality of the troops. For Blood Bowl teams, red is the colour of blitzers.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
There's a little hole on the bases for these models - it's a new 32mm base which lets you put a little plastic ball marker in to show who has possession of it during a game. It's a very little addition and shows the thought that's been put into this new version of the game!<br />
<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7578274052136156240.post-56991104145570220962016-12-13T17:05:00.001-08:002016-12-13T17:05:29.377-08:00Warmaster: Dark Elf Spearmen Took awhile but I finally polished off the first rank and file Dark Elf unit!<br />
<br />
These are resin models, very brittle and likely to break. I am not putting as much detail into them as the High Elf models so only a rune on the banner, not on every shield!<br />
<br />
My fancy has been taken by Blood Bowl, lately, so I'm probably going to be taking a break from Warmaster for a little bit.<br />
<br />
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<br />The Ancient Trackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13919763020994350923noreply@blogger.com0