The Slicing Noose (Part 1)

After the recent Kill Team game, where I tried out some Wyches for the first time, I decided I needed to go all the way! I figured out that I needed the expanded cards and rules for the Drukhari (um, I mean Dark Eldar) that came with the Slicing Noose boxed set. And also, more Wyches!

Rules and... stuff! 

After reading through the background material and the short story, I decided it would be fun to actually run and play this Kill Team as presented. I am sure more of my local gamer-peers would prefer just to make up their own unique team, and normally I would too, but I also thought this would be a neat challenge. Each member of the Slicing Noose is named and has a corresponding miniature to represent them in the booklet. I want to build these Wyches to match the photos as close as possible, with the exception that their garments will have red highlights instead of green/blue-ish.

The entire Slicing Noose as presented by GW.

Matching these images up to the parts on the sprues quickly proved to be a maddening exercise in futility. So my solution was to simply assemble all of the legs at once and them match up the parts.

"She's got legs, and she knows how to use them."

The leader, Vylekh the Untouched, was fairly straight forward model to put together, despite my 3 year old jumping around and shaking the whole room like a maniac.  

GW's example.

 My Vylekh the Untouched. 

Keen eyes might spot that I am using Plastruct Bondene Styrene & ABS Plastic Solvent Cement for the construction of these Wyches. However while attempting to clean off the mold Lines in the pic above, Vylekh popped right off of her base. And that was after a night of curing! The bases I am using are a mix of Necromunda and Sector Imperialis bases. They are made from a harder plastic than the standard slots base, so maybe more cement was needed for the feet? I decided to not fool with it and just use Testors Cement for the feet/base joining.

These bases are tough stuff so I had to use my drill to make a small hole in these bases, then clip off the tabs, but leaving enough to fit into the holes.

Poser tool time! 

This worked out really well I think, although it took a bit of adjusting to get it to work right.

The completed legs. 

Now on to matching the torsos to the legs. This was a more challenging exercise than I guessed it would be, but fun none-the-less. It took quite a long time getting them right, but in the end I did. When it came to the blade and gun arms....well, that proved to be a royal pain in the rear. I got most of them right although there are two that I know for sure that got mixed up. Not a really big deal, but fixing them could potentially damage them so I left them alone. Matching the heads was fairly easy however, but in the end the whole construction/matching process was very time consuming, but I think I mostly succeeded.

The assembled Wyches.

And that's it for now, hopefully it will warm up enough soon for me to prime them and get the painting process rolling.

Something Wychy

Wyches!

Recently I managed to make it to my local game store for a game of Kill Team. Prior to going I had decided to use my Dark Eldar (Drukhari, as you noobs call 'em) but I wanted a bit more variety, so I figured I would take some Wyches to the game also. Only I have made zero progress in getting any of my plastic Wyches assembled (let alone painted!). I did have three of the older models kicking about that I primed and base prepped about two years ago. I decided way back then that they were simply not appealing to me any more and did nothing with them.

Wyches in their ...prime.

Until now.

I had about three hours to spare prior to the game. I figured if I was going to play a game chances are I would take photos for a battle report or a recap, and regardless of exactly what I would end up doing, I wanted to at least have these models basecoated. Using Rakarth Flesh as a basecoat on the flesh and Abaddon Black to darken up their garb, I was satisfied enough with this.

 Basecoated

But I was liking how they were turning out, and how fast it was going, so I proceeded into the middle layers. Reikland Fleshwash was liberally applied over the skins and Khorne Red was thinly painted onto their gladiator costumes.  

Middle coats added.

And that was the level they were at when I took them to last week's game. They performed admirably, and I was glad that I had painted them up to that point as they did appear in few prominent pics in the report I posted.

Game time!

Once back home I felt that I needed to finish these guys up properly and they did well for me in that game overall, and it will be awhile before I can give the plastic models the time they will deserve. Rakarth Flesh was painted over the Reikland Fleshwash, really bringing these Wyches to life.

Rakarth Flesh layer. 

Blood Red was painted along the edges of their armor.

Blood Red on the gladiator armor.

I used Craftsmart (formally Folk Art) Graphite to highlight the hair.

Graphite hair undercoat.

I then used Nagaroth Nightshade on the hair.  I liked how it turned out, and decided not to darken the hair further.

Nagaroth Nightshade wash on the hair.

I had to put some emphasis on that hair step in this post mainly because I have never done that mix before and I need to have a record on how I did this in case I decide to do it again.

Next up, the armor was highlighted first using Wildrider Red with a Sunburst Yellow highlight.

Armor highlights.

However I found that to be a bit too intense so I toned it down with a Bloodletter wash.

Finished Shardnet and Impaler model.li

I was unsure what that heck the thing on the belt was supposed to be. I interpreted it to be a flower so I painted as such.

 All of these models have a variety of tubes running all over their bodies. These I assume are to represent the combat drugs and stims that they are all amped up on. I am glad the newer miniatures don't have this design as it is a pain in the ass to paint these things. I opted to used Blood For The Blood God to imply blood coursing through the drug dispensers. Yeah, it clashes a bit with the armor,  but then I didn't neccesarily want to make this feature anything more than subtle.

Completed Wych.

This Wych seems to have the most I.V. tubes coming out of him. Seriously, that doesn't seem to me to be a wise thing to have going on with a gladiator does it?

Rearview of completed Wych.

This next guy performed above and beyond in that Kill Team game and held his own for many combat rounds against a Veteran Purestrain Genestealer. So I decided that he should have a commemorative Genestealer skull for his base.

Wyche bad-ass with Genestealer skull.

Again, Bloodletter really helped pull back that Sunburst Yellow. Their blades were painted using Bolt Gun metal near the edges, a Nuln Oil wash with a highlight of Mitheral Silver. I am pleased with how these blades turned out.

I should probably upgrade this guy in the next game as well as give him a name...

(Insert name here)

Here they are completed! I am surprised with how well these turned out, how relatively fast I painted them, and easy it was to paint these overly exaggerated miniatures.

The finished trio.

Yes, these sculpts are ugly. I expressed this quite a lot in a review I did of the original Dark Eldar line, however as gaming pieces go they do the job they were designed to do. And they do it well! They have a strong silhouette, or profile, and you can easily read what they are armed with. Although the newer plastics have vastly superior anatomy, details, and scaling, what they make up for in realism they lose some of the instant "reading" in the heat of battle. But that is a theory that needs to be put to the test, so consider this just an old guy's opinion for now.

Ready for their next fight! 

The last thing to do is spray a matte varnish on them, as these are metal and they can easily chip. I will have to wait until the weather here offers me an opportunity to do this however.

Death Castle (Part 12)

DEATH CASTLE PART 12

As Da Masta Chief  has recently (and kindly-ish) pointed out to me, and the followers on our Facebook Group,  I'm over due for an update on this project.

Death Castle in the present.

Last winter (2018) I set about painting the stone work on the walls of Death Castle. it was coming along decently. I got most of it finished over the course of about three Sundays. It started out with an Appel Barrel Graphite base coat over the entire thing. Thankfully Walmart sells that stuff in really big bottles so I have more than enough for this task and just about anything else that I use that color for.

Graphite basecoat. 

I slightly mismatched the highlight color with the tower, but I should be able to correct that decently with some touch-ups at some point. Overall, I like how it turned out. However it makes the upper quarter, the solid styrofoam sections, really stand out in an awkward way. And I was stumped on what to do about it. I brainstormed and discussed it with a few friends, but the answers I came up with didn't appeal to me. After many months of being stalled out on this thing, I came up with two workable solutions.

I swear that corner doesn't look that weird in real life!

Solution 1: Sheet styrene brick sections. Cut them to the pattern needed and glue them on. It worked out great on the roof top for this tower and I have made plans in the past to make other things using that stuff. I decided that this would be, due to the crude nature of this thing, expensive, time consuming, frustrating and likely to have crappy results.

Solution 2: Take a soldering iron to it and burn out some grooves. At first, I loved the idea. Then I thought about it and realized just how unforgiving any mistakes could be. One wrong move and I could really mess things up -badly!

After pondering on it for even longer, I have resigned myself to take my chances and go for it using Solution 2.  However, to avoid a house full of styrofoam fumes I will have to do it outdoors, so I likely won't do this until it warms up outside. So Spring/Summer is my penciled in expectation for the next time I will likely work on this thing.

It has been a long and strange trip for this thing so far, but the ride isn't over yet!

Disrupt Supply Lines

Finally! Finally. I had the opportunity to play a game.

Genestealer vs. Kabalite Warrior.

This time I played against Matt and his nefarious Genestealer Cult in a Kill Team skirmish against my Dark Eldar. This is to be my 2nd game of the current edition of Kill Team. I wasn't as prepared as I thought I was and didn't have pen or paper handy! So I looked on my phone for an app and found this brilliantly constructed app, that was easy to learn to use, called Kill Team Manager. If you play Kill Team and own a smart device I recommend giving this app a go.

(This is not a link)

Today's scenario was a fun one called Disrupt Supply Lines. I was the Defender and the Genestealer Cult were the Attackers. Basically I had to defend the 3 supply markers from the 'Stealers that wanted to destroy them. The scenario has special strategems that we can use our CPs to fulfill the scenario's objectives.

Dark Eldar deployment.

The Dark Eldar set up was very much a defensive one. I had every intent to maximize my gun line and blast Purestrains and the Abomination before they could close on my team.

Skulkers revealed. 

Matt's set up was a defensive one as well, He did not want to be caught in the open so he set up in a way that allowed for the most cover. Also, by keeping them hidden, when charges are declared he can avoid overwatch.

Matt's right flank. 

TURN ONE.

The Dark Eldar win the roll off for the turn. I decide to not move anyone and just Ready the whole team. Having not played since the day Kill Team was launched, I forgot that we play in turn at each given phase, so when suddenly the Genestealers break from cover and rush my force I was a bit surprised. The Genestealer Purestrain Veteran was nasty and he tried to make it to one of my objectives but I was able to counter his efforts to destroy it. In the shooting phase the Warrior with the Blaster vaporized the Abhorrent that was lumbering towards our lines. Two more Genestealer Purestrains were cut down in the shooting phase also. With the Genestealer Cult loosing 3 models on the first turn things were looking hopeful for the Dark Kin. Things were about to be shown to be more than they seemed...

Blasting from afar. 

The Genstealer Vet. had charged my Wyche Fighter with the Shardnet and Impaler. She had no hope and despite the Dodge ability and Power From Pain ability, she was taken out without hope of a counter-strike.

The Wyche Figher, bested with ease. 

TURN 2

Realizing that I had no targets, and that the Purestrain Vet was only going to get shot when he next charged a guy, I decided the best course of action was to try to take him out at his own game. I charged in with the two Wyches. One of them was killed by an Acid Spit Strategem. The other one put up quite the fight however. We both played the Decisive Strike Tactic which forced a roll-off to see who would go first. We both rolled 6s. I said "What are the odds we'll do that again?" And, we both rolled 6s again! So we rolled a 3rd time, and this time the Wyche  won the roll-off. The Genestealer made the save however and so did the Wyche when it was the Genestealer's turn to strike back, thanks to Power From Pain.

Wyches charge the Purestrain Veteran. 

Turn 3, and it was getting very annoying not having anything to shoot at, therefore I sent up a few warriors to try to flush out the leader. But the Cult Leader leapt through the window in a desperate gambit to get away.

A slippery escape attempt. 

He left behind another Purestrain Genestealer, who I had forgotten about, that charged one of the approaching Warriors.

>ulp!<

That warrior was butchered outright. The Genestealer Purestrain  Veteran and the Wyche continued their melee, with neither foe going down.

Turn 4

A critical and strategic maneuver was staged for Matt to strike hard against my force. His Purestrain Genestealer was about to charge into my Team Leader who was also holding an objective. She didn't have any close combat weapons so I didn't expect her to be able withstand a direct charge for a this killing machine. He declared a charge, and I responded with overwatch. And I rolled a 6! And it wounded! The blast pistol absolutely fried the Genestealer, ending his rampage!

Blasted by overwatch

Meanwhile my warriors had managed to achieve LOS on the Genestealer Cult Leader. Not wanting to see what the shooting phase was going to be like he decided to charge the closest warrior. He took a wound from the Overwatch shot, but managed to hold his own in the melee phase.

Hurt but not out!

Over to the never ending fight, and finally my Wyche took a wound, but he was still in it to win it, even if he was now a little less effective at it.

Turn 5 came and the game ended.

Dark Eldar 6 points to Genestealer Cult 1 point.

Never giving up!!!

Wow! What a fun and intense game that was! My Overwatch shots were sickeningly accurate and made a massive difference to how this game would go. So did the Power From Pain save. The Genestealers are quick and fierce (like they should be!) And the way Kill Team works now, Overwatch is crucial for survival.

The terrain set up was weird. Although the Dark Eldar were in a great defensive line, the fields of fire were too small to matter. The Purestrain Genestealers had no problem closing the ground when they charged from cover. The Aberration and the two Genestealers I killed on the first turn are an exception, but I shudder to think how it would have gone for these murder-elves if they had managed to engage them! Winning every roll-off to determine sequence order every turn was a huge benefit as well. Luck was clearly on my side, and Matt's Kill Team could have easily shattered mine if my dice had been performing in their typical manner.

Once again, good game, thanks to Matt for (re)showing me the ropes for this edition of Kill Team.


Thanks for reading Neverness Game 1 of 2019!

Krom (the Older) (Part 1)

Krom!!!

He was a gift from the local legend Kardos Dragonforge (aka Bryan) who gave me this model along with an original RT era Land Raider, both of which I am very thankful for. For reasons I can't recall, Kardos used the original Krom head for something else and stuck on a head from elsewhere (I think it's a Mordheim White Wolf head?). It works, and has lots of character, so I decided to leave it be.

Base size increased.

Krom was originally released right before GW subtly decided to increase the Astartes base sizes up to 32mm. This model was given to me on his original 28mm base. I decided at that time to just mount him onto a 40mm (Terminator sized) base as we was just far too dynamic for a 28mm base. A few years later he would be rereleased with a 40mm base, so I am glad I chose wisely with that decision.  Using the same method for building up that base that use for my old Terminators, I started by first building it up with greenstuff until I got it to the point that you see in the top pic.

And based and base coated.

I added the gravel basing material over that and applied an additional Ork skull from the Skulls boxed set.

Additional ork skull.

Krom Dragongaze is famous for his bionic eye, or the "fierce-eye", which is obviously missing from this head swap. I looked into my bitz bin and found this plastic marine Sgt head from the first Imperial Space Marine boxed set. I actually tried to remove that bionic eye, but that didn't go so well...so instead I will use this head as inspiration.

The inspirational RTB01 Sgt. Head. 

 I took out the greenstuff and made the tiniest of  balls and worked it onto the model's face. It took a lot of effort and focus, but in time I got a look for it that I liked.

The Fierce-eye is back! 

Once that cures, I will start the basecoats....

Intercessors of Fenris (Part 3)

I kicked off the New Year by completing the first model out of the 10 Intercessors. I'll tell you more about that model soon, but I also made some more progress on these guys:

Basecoats!

And more basecoats!

Once all the basecoats were done, I decided I wanted to take one of these models all the way to the finish; At least to the point of decal application, as I like to do them all at the same time (it's set-up thing).

Mid-coats.

All-in-all, the model painted up fairly fast. I used Russ Grey for the mid-coats, thinning it first before applying a thicker line near to the edges. The edges were brightened up with a dabbling of thinned Space Wolf Grey  before being highlighted with a thin line of White Scar.

Pretty much done.

I wanted to  break away from the typical pack markings that I use, and individualize each pack of five Primaris Marines. I designated this Primaris Intercessor pack as Pack 1, so one black fang on a field of red seemed to work well for this distinction.

Pack marking angle. 

The only thing left to do on this guy are the decals and flock,  but again, I'll get to those steps when I finish the other nine Intercessors...