WTF, you ask?
Well, with those, a bag of plaster of paris and a bit of time, you can create this, this or even one of these!
And when I saw this miniature on eBay, how could I refuse?
I just won, so he should be on his way soon.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
From the front line
I want one of these.
WTF, you ask?
Well, with those, a bag of plaster of paris and a bit of time, you can create this, this or even one of these!
And when I saw this miniature on eBay, how could I refuse?
I just won, so he should be on his way soon.
WTF, you ask?
Well, with those, a bag of plaster of paris and a bit of time, you can create this, this or even one of these!
And when I saw this miniature on eBay, how could I refuse?
I just won, so he should be on his way soon.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
From the front line
Not a good day for the forces of the Adeptus Astartes, especially the Dark Angels.
Following last week's game, the roster looked slightly different. The Commander was replaced with a cheaper Chaplain, who was attached to the assault squad. I also took a 10-marine Tactical squad (all armed with bolters) and a Devastator squad (2 missile launchers for anti-troop/light armour and a Lascannon for anti-vehicle work, plus 7 marines for short range fire power). The Deathwing from last week were replaced by a Predator tank (Autocannon turret and two Lascannon sponsons) and a rhino for the tactical squad. The Dreadnought and Landspeeder were retained.
This force seemed to be a little better balanced, with plenty of shooty troops supporting reasonable fast attack units. I nearly went for an all-shooty army with no assault at all, but relented.
When I saw my opponent, I wished I had.
The tyranids are a race I have only faced once, but did remarkably well against. It's not often you can take 'nids down in hand-to-hand, but I have managed it - it gave my opponent of the time a new respect for the Dark Angels - see my campaign info on the website for more. But I digress.
I'm not sure how "normal" the force I faced was. A couple of Carnifexes, a squad of four things with guns (I don't know what they were) and three units of Genestealers.
The one lesson to remember is "Do not get into combat with 'stealers". Stay in cover. Keep your heads down. And keep on firing.
The Landspeeder was well worth it’s points. It single handedly wiped out one unit of stealers, and also finished off one Carnifex. My Devastator’s did not do so well, having trouble being able to hit anything. Mind you, I was distracted by someone’s cry of “those marines are illegal – that’s not a Space Marine!”. He was referring to one of my ‘beaky’ marines (in Mark VI armour from the original Space Marine boxed set from the early 90s!. Young ‘uns these days!
The model was older than he was…
Taking multiple vehicles worked well. Incoming fire was spread around more, and I didn’t lose any to shooting. Hand to hand combat against the vehicles was nasty. Not only did I eventually lose the Predator, Rhino and Dreadnought to ‘stealers, but the tanks both exploded, killing the units attacking them! Revenge is sweet!
With only the Land Speeder and the Tactical squad left against a Carnifex, a few stealers and the squad of Tyranid warriors (?) I decided to concede and let someone else have a go.
A good game, even though.
I think the army list wasn’t too badly organised. Perhaps a couple of Marines fewer in the Devastators, and a couple more Assault troops.
I’ll soon be ready with this, as the close combat bits and extra Lascannon are on order from Battlewagon Bits and should be here soon.
Well, here's the roster used:
HQ
Master of Sanctity (136 points)
Croziuz Arcanum (Power weapon)
Rosarius (4+ invulnerable save)
Bolt pistol
Jump pack
Elites
Dreadnought "Old Faithful" (135 points)
Twin linked Lascannon
Missile launcher
Troops
Tactical Squad Caecilius (200)
Sergeant Caecilius - Bolter (not power sword)
9 marines - Bolter
Rhino transport
Devastator Squad Sheriden (185 points)
Sergeant Sheriden - Bolter
1 Marine - Lascannon
1 Marine - Missile launcher
1 Marine - Missile launcher
6 Marines - Bolter
Fast Attack
Assault Squad Morden (120 points)
Sergeant Morden - Plasma pistol, chain sword, Krak grenades 120
4 Marines - Bolt pistols, chain swords, krak grenades
Landspeeder (80 points)
Assault cannon, Heavy Bolter
Heavy Support
Predator (138 points)
Autocannon (turret mounted)
2 Lascannon (one in each side sponson)
Pintle-mounted storm bolter
And, finally, some photos (Click for a larger version):
The 1,000 point army as described above.
Old Faithful
Ravenwing Land Speeder
Predator
Following last week's game, the roster looked slightly different. The Commander was replaced with a cheaper Chaplain, who was attached to the assault squad. I also took a 10-marine Tactical squad (all armed with bolters) and a Devastator squad (2 missile launchers for anti-troop/light armour and a Lascannon for anti-vehicle work, plus 7 marines for short range fire power). The Deathwing from last week were replaced by a Predator tank (Autocannon turret and two Lascannon sponsons) and a rhino for the tactical squad. The Dreadnought and Landspeeder were retained.
This force seemed to be a little better balanced, with plenty of shooty troops supporting reasonable fast attack units. I nearly went for an all-shooty army with no assault at all, but relented.
When I saw my opponent, I wished I had.
The tyranids are a race I have only faced once, but did remarkably well against. It's not often you can take 'nids down in hand-to-hand, but I have managed it - it gave my opponent of the time a new respect for the Dark Angels - see my campaign info on the website for more. But I digress.
I'm not sure how "normal" the force I faced was. A couple of Carnifexes, a squad of four things with guns (I don't know what they were) and three units of Genestealers.
The one lesson to remember is "Do not get into combat with 'stealers". Stay in cover. Keep your heads down. And keep on firing.
The Landspeeder was well worth it’s points. It single handedly wiped out one unit of stealers, and also finished off one Carnifex. My Devastator’s did not do so well, having trouble being able to hit anything. Mind you, I was distracted by someone’s cry of “those marines are illegal – that’s not a Space Marine!”. He was referring to one of my ‘beaky’ marines (in Mark VI armour from the original Space Marine boxed set from the early 90s!. Young ‘uns these days!
The model was older than he was…
Taking multiple vehicles worked well. Incoming fire was spread around more, and I didn’t lose any to shooting. Hand to hand combat against the vehicles was nasty. Not only did I eventually lose the Predator, Rhino and Dreadnought to ‘stealers, but the tanks both exploded, killing the units attacking them! Revenge is sweet!
With only the Land Speeder and the Tactical squad left against a Carnifex, a few stealers and the squad of Tyranid warriors (?) I decided to concede and let someone else have a go.
A good game, even though.
I think the army list wasn’t too badly organised. Perhaps a couple of Marines fewer in the Devastators, and a couple more Assault troops.
I’ll soon be ready with this, as the close combat bits and extra Lascannon are on order from Battlewagon Bits and should be here soon.
Well, here's the roster used:
HQ
Master of Sanctity (136 points)
Croziuz Arcanum (Power weapon)
Rosarius (4+ invulnerable save)
Bolt pistol
Jump pack
Elites
Dreadnought "Old Faithful" (135 points)
Twin linked Lascannon
Missile launcher
Troops
Tactical Squad Caecilius (200)
Sergeant Caecilius - Bolter (not power sword)
9 marines - Bolter
Rhino transport
Devastator Squad Sheriden (185 points)
Sergeant Sheriden - Bolter
1 Marine - Lascannon
1 Marine - Missile launcher
1 Marine - Missile launcher
6 Marines - Bolter
Fast Attack
Assault Squad Morden (120 points)
Sergeant Morden - Plasma pistol, chain sword, Krak grenades 120
4 Marines - Bolt pistols, chain swords, krak grenades
Landspeeder (80 points)
Assault cannon, Heavy Bolter
Heavy Support
Predator (138 points)
Autocannon (turret mounted)
2 Lascannon (one in each side sponson)
Pintle-mounted storm bolter
And, finally, some photos (Click for a larger version):
The 1,000 point army as described above.
Old Faithful
Ravenwing Land Speeder
Predator
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Opulence
Fellow Hobblings will appreciate how exciting it is to meet a favourite author and talk about his/her work, and will understand why I was thrilled when I learnt that Joy Kirton-Smith, the artist whose work I love, was going to be at the local gallery to meet people.
It turned out that, in addition, it was also a chance to see the new range of her work including the original pieces!
I arrived and wandered around looking at Joy’s latest work whilst the staff frantically finished off setting everything up, and then the gallery manager brought Joy over and introduced us. The gallery provides headed paper for dedications (it’s a little harder to bring the paintings along than books!) that can be added to the pocket on the back of the painting.
We then talked for something like 30-40 minutes, about where she gets her inspiration from, to how she manages to get such dynamic figures in her painting, to Renaissance history.
It was funny that Joy was nearly as nervous as I was, finding it strange that people would want to come and meet her when it is the paintings that they ‘know’.
Eventually Joy was dragged away to talk to some of the other people, and I had a second look at the paintings. What was interesting to note was that even when side-by-side it is very hard to tell the original from the print, unless you look at the price tag!
It turned out that, in addition, it was also a chance to see the new range of her work including the original pieces!
I arrived and wandered around looking at Joy’s latest work whilst the staff frantically finished off setting everything up, and then the gallery manager brought Joy over and introduced us. The gallery provides headed paper for dedications (it’s a little harder to bring the paintings along than books!) that can be added to the pocket on the back of the painting.
We then talked for something like 30-40 minutes, about where she gets her inspiration from, to how she manages to get such dynamic figures in her painting, to Renaissance history.
It was funny that Joy was nearly as nervous as I was, finding it strange that people would want to come and meet her when it is the paintings that they ‘know’.
Eventually Joy was dragged away to talk to some of the other people, and I had a second look at the paintings. What was interesting to note was that even when side-by-side it is very hard to tell the original from the print, unless you look at the price tag!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
From the front line
(Note : I'll be using this heading for all gaming stuff from now on, so those who aren't interested don't have to read it!)
First up, a couple of links. This one, to a series of WH40K-inspired comics, Turn Signals on a Land Raider. I've had a look last night, and there are some great ones in there. The other place worth a look is Battlewagon Bits. These were recommended - essentially you can by individual components through a US company instead of the entire sprue/kit. Useful for conversions, or for my troop modifications that are planned (more later).
My baptism of fire into the new edition of the rules for the game went relatively well. 500 points against a 15 year old munchkin, where I was able to prove that youth and enthusiasm are no match for age and treachery (plus some lucky dice rolls). A city fight which, after the commanders and retinues had duked it out in hand to hand, ended in a scene close to the Block War from Judge Dread. Luckily, my Lascannon was more accurate than Munchkin's missile launcher, and I was able to pick his troops off one at a time.
Next up was 1,000 points of my Dark Angels (but treated as Space Marines as I only have that Codex) against Eldar. I started off well, with the Tactical squads all in cover, allowing the assault squad and Deathwing to advance into the enemy territory. The two Falcons proved troublesome, first dropping off a squad of Banshees in front of my assault troops, then providing a scary amount of covering fire. Fortunately, the Deathwing, led by their Commander, were able to hold their own easily, and the remaining Banshees were mopped up by the assault marines. I was losing men to the fire from the Warp Spiders, who kept ducking back into cover after firing, making them impossible to kill.
The dreadnaught "Old Faithful" did manage to draw an awful lot of fire away from everyone else, mostly as it was the only thing I had that posed a threat to the Falcon tanks. He has been renamed "Fire Magnet".
The assault troops were wiped out in a salvo from the Falcon, caught out in the open after wiping out the Banshees. The Terminators decided that Honour and Valour were things for other people that day and ducked into the nearest cover to join the remaining troops. They were wiped out, at which point the commander coughbrokeandrancough and since the table edge was close, the bugger managed to rout from the field leaving the two remaining troops to attempt a last ditch break for the objective. "Butch" and "Sundance" will be honoured appropriately, whereas the commander has been summarily executed for being a pansy.
On the plus side, I did cause some embarrassing casualties to the Eldar and learnt some useful lessons:
(1) The game is much faster paced than 2nd Ed.
(2) Eldar are still evil little pointy-eared gits.
(3) Commanders are of limited use in the new rules. Better to go for a Chaplain as the HQ choice, put him with an assault squad and let them get on with it. He's got some useful traits that can help close combat troops.
(4) Terminators are not good at walking into combat. I already knew this, but don't have any transport for them and didn't like the sound of the Deep Strike rules on teleporting into combat (which was my usual tactic). A drop pod would solve this as the cheapest option, but a Land Raider Crusader is now on the Christmas list...
(5) The Marine option for carrying a heavy anti-tank weapon is even more pointless now than before. Far better to place them all in a single Devastator squad with a few standard marines to act as cannon fodder.
(6) Dreadnoughts still rock, but are not good when fielded with no other tank support (my Land Speeder was on the other side of the table)
(7) Land Speeders still rock, but are more vulnerable to incoming fire than I am used to. A second one to support it would help, as well as making better use of cover.
(8) Eldar are going to become even more evil pointy-eared gits when the new Codex is issued.
(9) Tank-Shock can be effective. More troops need Krak-grenades.
(10) Close combat is nasty. The weapon options on marines are limited now, so tactical troops do not carry bolt pistols etc. Also, power weapons and plasma pistols are not standard Assault Marine upgrades, so some modifications to my models will be needed.
(11) Marines need to be kept as squads of 10, not broken into smaller groups of 5. They need to be able to bring more bolters to bear on the enemy. This also applies to Assault squads, who I think need at least 8 men.
(12) Weapons have changed! Several weapons are no longer used, or have been modified. The Warp Spiders web spinner things are just a rapid fire weapon (although that is about to change) They will be lethal if they get the template weapon back! Imperial Guard can no longer have assault cannon (making my sentinels redundant). Assault cannons are just as effective as ever against light vehicles and troops. They seem to be less effective than I remember against vehicles.
(13) The mission options are pretty slick, adding a more interesting twist to the games. The second game was aiming to capture table quarters, for instance.
More later.
First up, a couple of links. This one, to a series of WH40K-inspired comics, Turn Signals on a Land Raider. I've had a look last night, and there are some great ones in there. The other place worth a look is Battlewagon Bits. These were recommended - essentially you can by individual components through a US company instead of the entire sprue/kit. Useful for conversions, or for my troop modifications that are planned (more later).
My baptism of fire into the new edition of the rules for the game went relatively well. 500 points against a 15 year old munchkin, where I was able to prove that youth and enthusiasm are no match for age and treachery (plus some lucky dice rolls). A city fight which, after the commanders and retinues had duked it out in hand to hand, ended in a scene close to the Block War from Judge Dread. Luckily, my Lascannon was more accurate than Munchkin's missile launcher, and I was able to pick his troops off one at a time.
Next up was 1,000 points of my Dark Angels (but treated as Space Marines as I only have that Codex) against Eldar. I started off well, with the Tactical squads all in cover, allowing the assault squad and Deathwing to advance into the enemy territory. The two Falcons proved troublesome, first dropping off a squad of Banshees in front of my assault troops, then providing a scary amount of covering fire. Fortunately, the Deathwing, led by their Commander, were able to hold their own easily, and the remaining Banshees were mopped up by the assault marines. I was losing men to the fire from the Warp Spiders, who kept ducking back into cover after firing, making them impossible to kill.
The dreadnaught "Old Faithful" did manage to draw an awful lot of fire away from everyone else, mostly as it was the only thing I had that posed a threat to the Falcon tanks. He has been renamed "Fire Magnet".
The assault troops were wiped out in a salvo from the Falcon, caught out in the open after wiping out the Banshees. The Terminators decided that Honour and Valour were things for other people that day and ducked into the nearest cover to join the remaining troops. They were wiped out, at which point the commander coughbrokeandrancough and since the table edge was close, the bugger managed to rout from the field leaving the two remaining troops to attempt a last ditch break for the objective. "Butch" and "Sundance" will be honoured appropriately, whereas the commander has been summarily executed for being a pansy.
On the plus side, I did cause some embarrassing casualties to the Eldar and learnt some useful lessons:
(1) The game is much faster paced than 2nd Ed.
(2) Eldar are still evil little pointy-eared gits.
(3) Commanders are of limited use in the new rules. Better to go for a Chaplain as the HQ choice, put him with an assault squad and let them get on with it. He's got some useful traits that can help close combat troops.
(4) Terminators are not good at walking into combat. I already knew this, but don't have any transport for them and didn't like the sound of the Deep Strike rules on teleporting into combat (which was my usual tactic). A drop pod would solve this as the cheapest option, but a Land Raider Crusader is now on the Christmas list...
(5) The Marine option for carrying a heavy anti-tank weapon is even more pointless now than before. Far better to place them all in a single Devastator squad with a few standard marines to act as cannon fodder.
(6) Dreadnoughts still rock, but are not good when fielded with no other tank support (my Land Speeder was on the other side of the table)
(7) Land Speeders still rock, but are more vulnerable to incoming fire than I am used to. A second one to support it would help, as well as making better use of cover.
(8) Eldar are going to become even more evil pointy-eared gits when the new Codex is issued.
(9) Tank-Shock can be effective. More troops need Krak-grenades.
(10) Close combat is nasty. The weapon options on marines are limited now, so tactical troops do not carry bolt pistols etc. Also, power weapons and plasma pistols are not standard Assault Marine upgrades, so some modifications to my models will be needed.
(11) Marines need to be kept as squads of 10, not broken into smaller groups of 5. They need to be able to bring more bolters to bear on the enemy. This also applies to Assault squads, who I think need at least 8 men.
(12) Weapons have changed! Several weapons are no longer used, or have been modified. The Warp Spiders web spinner things are just a rapid fire weapon (although that is about to change) They will be lethal if they get the template weapon back! Imperial Guard can no longer have assault cannon (making my sentinels redundant). Assault cannons are just as effective as ever against light vehicles and troops. They seem to be less effective than I remember against vehicles.
(13) The mission options are pretty slick, adding a more interesting twist to the games. The second game was aiming to capture table quarters, for instance.
More later.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Gardening...of a different sort
I spent the afternoon tending to trees.
Very small trees.
For those who are interested...it's the pack of tree from GW. Each is mounted on a piece of plastic cut from an ice cream tub lid, and the larger area (to represent the extent of the wooded area inthe game) is a double-thickness piece of ice cream tub lid.
To paint...base coats of Goblin Green for the fronds and Snakebite Leather for the trunks. Then a wash of 1:2:6 Dark Angle Green:Scorched Brown:Water over the greenery and 1:2 Scorched Brown:water for the trunks.
Finally, a coat of Goblin Green on all the plastic bases, and a coast of flock (remembering not to sneeze over it, this time!)
Easy. Total cost, £3. Time, 3 hours. Result, 2 woods!
During a battle, woods give cover to troops within the area of the base, and are harder to see.
Below, a Vindicare Assassin makes use of the cover of the trees to pick his next target.
Very small trees.
For those who are interested...it's the pack of tree from GW. Each is mounted on a piece of plastic cut from an ice cream tub lid, and the larger area (to represent the extent of the wooded area inthe game) is a double-thickness piece of ice cream tub lid.
To paint...base coats of Goblin Green for the fronds and Snakebite Leather for the trunks. Then a wash of 1:2:6 Dark Angle Green:Scorched Brown:Water over the greenery and 1:2 Scorched Brown:water for the trunks.
Finally, a coat of Goblin Green on all the plastic bases, and a coast of flock (remembering not to sneeze over it, this time!)
Easy. Total cost, £3. Time, 3 hours. Result, 2 woods!
During a battle, woods give cover to troops within the area of the base, and are harder to see.
Below, a Vindicare Assassin makes use of the cover of the trees to pick his next target.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Is it just me, or...
...the more I blog here the less the rest of you seem to?
If I fail to post for a week or so, everyone goes on blogfrenzy. This week, when I've posted several times, it's dead elsewhere.
Weird.
If I fail to post for a week or so, everyone goes on blogfrenzy. This week, when I've posted several times, it's dead elsewhere.
Weird.
Monday, September 11, 2006
New planter and roses
The new planter, that I made out of a couple of old pallets and log edging strips. All it needs now is a plastic bag for a liner, and some compost. And plants, obviously.
As you can see, it neatly covers one of the drains in the gravel.
More shots of the current minitaure roses:
Not as productive as Dr. H's garden, perhaps, but coming together nicely!
As you can see, it neatly covers one of the drains in the gravel.
More shots of the current minitaure roses:
Not as productive as Dr. H's garden, perhaps, but coming together nicely!
News Story of the Day...
From www.aero-news.net
Captain Kirk Decides To Boldly Stay On Ground
Contrary To Song, Shatner Is No Rocketman
We admit this next story has only the thinnest ties to the aerospace community... but it was simply too ironic to pass up.
William Shatner, the 75-year-old actor best known for portraying Captain James T. Kirk on the evergreen "Star Trek" television series, has turned down an offer to fly onboard Virgin Galactic's first suborbital passenger flight in 2008.
Why? He is too scared.
"I'm interested in man's march into the unknown but to vomit in space is not my idea of a good time," said Shatner to the Daily Mail. "Neither is a fiery crash with the vomit hovering over me."
(Note: There are few ways to guarantee your words will be selected for ANN's Quote of the Day feature -- but combining the words "fiery" and "vomit" in the same sentence certainly improves your odds -- Ed.)
"I do want to go up but I need guarantees I'll definitely come back," Shatner added.
That's perfectly understandable... although for a free ticket into space (valued at $215,000), we'd expect the man best known for uttering the phrase "to seek out new life and new civilizations... to boldly go where no one has gone before" to, well, suck it up.
After all... Shatner never faced situations as frightening as Sigourney Weaver, star of the "Alien" movies, did... but she's already booked her space on the flight.
In the end -- and contrary to his oft-maligned rendition of the classic Elton John song -- William Shatner is no "rocketman" after all. But Captain Kirk's reach will still extend into the stars, even if the actor who portrayed him won't.
That's right... Virgin's first spaceship will be called the "Enterprise."
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Aeroplanes for Dummies
The big tube with windows is the "fuselage". This is where the people sit.
The big tube has a pointy end, and an end with sticky-outy bits.
The pointy end is the "Nose", also called the "Front". This is where the driver or "pilot" sits.
The big sticky-outy bits are the "wings". These are for storing fuel and hanging the engines from. Oh, and keeping everything in the air.
The sticky-uppy bit at the back is the "VTP". The sticky-outy bits at the back is the "HTP". These help keep everything pointing in the right direction.
The wheel things underneath are the "undercarriage". Although it is possible to land without these, they do make it easier to taxi to the terminal building.
Inside the big blobs hangining under the "wings" are the "Engines". These are important. They keep the pilot cool - watch him start to sweat when they stop going round.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
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