Neverness goes to Warhammer

Last weekend, the fiancé and I took a much needed weekend retreat to the Smokys, and on our 2nd day we decided to romp around Knoxville. Knowing of a favorite restaurant that I wanted my lass to try, I googled it's location only to have Google show me, rather prominently, that the place of my search was a block away  from Warhammer.

Warhammer? Games Workshop opened a store in Knoxville? After a more intensive web search I confirmed that yes, indeed, they did! It's only been open for about a month now, and from what I can tell, doing very well! Thus a planned excursion to the Turkey Creek area of the Knoxville metroplex was plotted and carried out.

So by luck, on the day I went, the store was show-casing it's first Armies on Parade event!

I was immediately captivated by the displays and dioramas that were located around the store, and after asking the proprietor, Mik,  for permission to take photos, I immediately began snapping pics. In fact, I was bit too enthusiastic about doing so and took way too many pics, so after some consideration I have decided to show you the highlights from the pics that I took.


This first thing that caught my eye was this impressive Dwarven fortress:

The army was nice, but the fortress that it's mounted on simply overwhelmed me. So many cool details in this thing.

The dwarven statues fascinated me, and I wish I knew where he obtained the dwarf statues or if he made him from scratch. Either way, very cool!

Next up was a scene featuring Chaos daemons vs. the Adeptus Mechanicus.  The models are nicely done though I found the setting was a bit simple compared to some of the other armies on display.

 Next up, here are a few models that seem to follow a Halloween theme. I dig the brashness of the Headless Horseman style jetbike rider.

More Halloween theme: Dwarves in a graveyard!

I spent a long time looking at this next army, perhaps pondering my own neglected Space Wolves?  However, mine aren't nearly as blood soaked as these chaps! I reckon a whole bottle of Blood for the Blood God was used on it!

I looked at the Space Wolf flyer for a long time. I have contemplated getting one of these for a long time now, but have been hesitant about it. I like the way this one turned out, and maybe I may cave sooner than later and finally get one for myself.

This isn't the first Space Wolf Imperial Knight I have seen (online I admit) but seeing this in person was very inspiring! Very nice result here!!!

Next to it was very bright green Necron army!

I particularly admired how he was able to get his green light effects to match the necron rods in the gaus guns. There are a lot of unique elements in this scene, and it was quite awesome!

Another Ad Mec army that was very fun to look at. I was particularly captivated by the multicolored robots..

Next up, Bretonnians! How cool it is to see this flashback to Warhammer 5th Edition and to Perilous Quest too (in fact, some of the card stock is from that campaign set!)

 Age of Sigmar! The models are well done, but the bases almost steal the show from them. Very interesting concept though...

Here is a BIG chaos army! Lots of details going on here,

But I have to save my favorite for last. I shall hold my comments, just look at the Eldar army by Zeke; simply phenomenal:

No doubt that's some nice airbrush work, and the results just speak for themselves! Very cool!

Well done to all who participated, it was a joy letting me, and everyone else, admire your work! I'm not sure I could display my figs like this, I am so paranoid about people touching, breaking or stealing my models, that I commend your bravery in participating and I hope nothing bad happened to any one's models. .

So, while spending my time all google-eyed and fascinated by what I beheld, I saw what the jaded nay-sayers in my local area would probably not expect: A lot of people buying Games Workshop, a lot of people engaging each other about these games, products and the modeling and painting hobby. Indeed there was a about a dozen or so teenagers and young adults feverishly painting armies at the table in the center of the store. It was very cool watching them do this. Mik was tremendously grateful to everyone he encountered and very helpful. There was no dumb questions to be asked, he was there to help and help all, regardless of age or knowledge. Compared to the last GW store I was at, the energy level in this place was just awesome! I hope the Turkey Creek Warhammer Store, and Mik, prosper and stick around in East Tennessee for a very long time!

How could I not be glad to see these old books?

And yes, I picked up some things. An audiodrama that I am eager to listen too still, Warhammer Visions (only the 2nd issue I have ever picked up, but the new size enticed me) and my fiancé got me another box of Fenrisian Wolves (yes, I was inspired by the Space Wolf army!)  And I got a free pen!

Arise Cerastus, arise!!! Part two (TSG post)

As you saw in the the previous post Doc TSG has been working feverishly on his Cerastus Knight Titan. So far, it's looking most impressive with it's base illustrating how it crushes anything in it's path. This first pic shows how he modeled the impression of the Cerastus' great weight, by having it crushing and bending the metal of a fallen Land Raider.  

However, this is only the framework of his vision, as he wants to have the tracks appear to pop and burst from the pressure of the war engine's weight. But in order to achieve that look, he needed more track pieces than he had available...

The solution: the greenstuff mold! By making a simple greenstuff press-mold (something I have always wanted to try out BTW), he solved his problem. He was able to model them around and get them to conform in a way that the existing plastic bit might not allow him to achieve. I will let the next batch of pics speak for themselves:

You can see how the greenstuff track links look like a slackened belt that has slipped it's gears. I like the buckling effect particularly. It's a lot of detail for a base accessory that's not part of the main model, but that's the point, everything you see is the model, and the base should help not just as a support for the model or a playing aid for the game, but to serve as part of the story for the model. Which this will do once completed. 

And here is the whole model up to this point.

And yes, those guns and arms are magnetized.

In part 3, which I already have pics for, the good Dr adds more texture to the base...

Chaos Bikers (part 3)

Here's the completed model of my Mark of Khorne Chaos Space Marine Biker, racing across the moss-lands of Backyardistan IV in search of more skulls.

"And blood. Don't forget the blood!"

Now, let's see the rest of the progression that got him up to this point since I wrote part 2,

With the bike mostly complete, especially the Blood Red armor of the bike and the rider, it was time to focus a bit on that mutated arm. I recall base-coating it with Dwarf Flesh and painting it up using one of the new range pinks (I don't recall the name, but it looks a bit like Pepto Bismol in color).

Then I used one of the new Citadel inks (the name escapes me and I can't find it on GW's site) to put the red back into it. Also during this stage I finished up the (human) leather seat. (Eeew).

Next up I tightened up some details and proceeded add 'chrome' to the exhausts, handle bars and areas that I hope are interpreted as recent battle scars.

And here he is mostly done. Mostly.

But you can't be done with a Khorne model without some blood FX right?

Here, a rather liberal splattering of 'Blood for the Bloodgod' was applied to the wheel spikes, side spokes and to the front of the bike. Especially that jugger-axe head. I am pleased with the results!

Now, for the longest time I was going to stick with using the old square cavalry bases for my chaos bikes, more out of frugalness than anything, but thankfully my sanity came back to me and I decided to go with the 40k bike bases. They truly do look better!

 And finally, the decal. Using decal solutions (I keep promising to talk about this stuff don't I?) to assist with adhering the decal to the Space Marine shoulder pad, I was able to get the decal to go on rather well. However the Micro-Sol has a habit of over-softening the decal and distorting the colors so I still had to touch it up with a dab of paint or two.

And presto, it's done!

Here he is once again racing across the mosslands...

...and through the Tzeentchian wastes of the Daemonworld Unicoi.

This post does not end this Chaos Bike series however, as I stated in chaos bikers part-one. I intend to next re-model, restore, and paint the rest of my Chaos Bikes in the up coming months as Black Legionnaires. Stay tuned!

Arise Cerastus, arise!!! Part one (guest post)

It's been some time ago, as far back as the dark days of 2014 when the first Codex: Imperial Knights was new, that Dr. TSG began work on his Imperial Knights. As far as I know the two "basic" Knights above are all magnetized and ready to get in line for painting. However his third Knight, a Cerastus Knight, is taking a bit more time and thought.

The concept here is that the Cerastus is standing, and crushing, the ruined hull of a Land Raider.

I asked him how he achieved the bent metal look, and he said he used a fine heat gun to soften the plastic to make it bend the way he wanted it to.

This is something I have been curious about doing and I am glad to see someone figured it. The effect looks pretty convincing I think, and it does add to the illustion that this machine is seriously heavy.

Arrising in it's full glory, crushing anything in it's path, this model will sure to be a fine centerpiece to his army, and indeed, his whole collection. (Jeez, have I turned into a pitchman or what?)

I suspect that the weapon/arm options will also be magnetized. I don't have any details yet on how, or even what, those options could be.

 In the next part, the Doctor continues the illusion...