Waaagh all night waaagh all day

Warboss Ror-Ruk, taken by Da Masta Cheef.

Finally, after far too many cancellations, the nefarious Masta Cheef and I had our Ork vs. Ork battle that we haven't had in far too long. We both took a copious amount of photos and he already did a blog entry about this as well (in fact he took that great photo above of my warlord in the trukk). We have had a lot of Ork vs Ork games over the years but this one was very different as I would be fielding a list using the current 7th ed Codex and he would be using the 4th ed Codex.In order to make this encounter work, we both agreed to leave the weirdboyz at home.

Ror-ruk's Ravagers assembled to waaagh. Note the corp. Sponsorship. 

Da Eleet Grot Mountin Duvishun 

Cheef won the roll-off to see who places first. I gulped audibly when I saw how many vehicles he had compared to my one trukk!

Da Eleet Grot Mountin Duvishun take the field and the fort

I pack my troops into the terrain as well as I could, with biggest mob in the middle and pointing straight at the ork fort. The lootas I placed up high in the ruins so as to maximize their potential and cover. The artilery were placed in the back on a ridge.

Turn one and the sneaky git steals the initiative! He surges forward, blasting as he goes. All of my dice rolling were shockingly bad, seriously, I rolled no die higher than a '3' costing  quite a few of my boys their lives or a wound.

My picture of Cheef taking a picture of his army sallying forth from the fort

End of Cheef's 1st turn.

 The end of my first turn changed the picture rather dramatically. Having switched out dice, suddenly my old crappy GW dice wanted to roll hot. I managed to cripple most of Cheef's vehicles and the Shokk Attack Gun dramatically annihilated the Grot Spee. Cheef was really upset over this, he totally hates it when this dies, but hey, after it put a wound on my Big Mek it had to go!

End of my Neverness Turn One

On turn 2, my Trukk carrying my Warlord and my unpainted Burna Boys was immobilized with it's weapon destroyed. So it sat there smoking for the rest of the game with one hull point left,

Eleet Grots bring the fight!!!

Charging Burna Boyz is never a good idea however...

(I ignored the grots)

Never-the-less, a fight was still to happen and Ror-Ruk found himself in a challenge with this scary looking character. Ror-Ruk snipped his appendages off with 'is powerklaw, however the burna boys themselves were all cut down by grots and goons.

Challenge!

 That melee carried over into my my turn 2, Ror Ruk found himself in another challenge this time with Schultz!

Cheef thought he was kunning by sending his wartraks around the flank to assassinate my Big Mek, but a well placed Shokk Attack template but an explosive end to that insurrection.

(Add wartrack bits to this crater).

Eventually my Shoota Boyz (who really were shooting the hell out this place) rush in and assist their Warboss.

They bring the ruckus.

...and, with victory on their side, turn their attention to another fight.

That "other fight" was an 11 ork squad of mine that attacked a Big Mek on a warbike, and they had been locked in combat for a few turns. However before my boyz could get there they were jumped by Cheef's Tankbustas, who were riding around on the top of his Battlewaggon, Da Matilda, for the whole game. It was stuck on some ruins, tearing up my Lootas, while my Shokk Attack Gun and artillery failed to do a thing to it.

The Tankbustas get stuck in, and die. 

At the start of the next turn my idiots fighting the Mek on the Bike, fail combat and break away, somehow not getting run down, while the warbike backs up, and sets up for another charge!

"Right, lets do dis again, all good and propa!"

The game ended at this point, and the following pic is the last one I took, of my Warboss taking selfies outside of his new claimed fort.

"Try to get me good side, the one wid da scarrs!"

 It was a fun game, and a good victory for Ror-Ruk's Reavers.

But more importantly, it was a better insight into this current Ork Codex than my previous go with them. The changes that were made to army from the previous codex seems so stupid!

• I can't believe how the Burnas were nerfed. They still work great as flamers and for Overwatch, but losing the power weapon option felt like a totally unnecessary change. 
• The Artillery pieces look better on paper, but they are very fickle and complicated unit to master in game. My artillery were virtually useless for the whole game. 
• Morale. Why this system? It is just goofy! However, I didn't feel like this was a game changer to me, and despite the additional losses, it did keep me in the fight as opposed to making me my unit run and get run down. But I do like the old 3rd-4th edition rules better. 

I did however like that the Shokk Attack Gun has the potential to produce a Vortex, but it will be a cold day in hell before I ever roll double-6s on that chart! (And I agree with Cheef, I really should paint this model finally, he really earned it this game!).

So, new Codex won vs. the old one. However, our armies were composed quite differently from each other, the diversity of which has been one of my favorite things about ork armies in general. But that diversity makes the outcome of a match like this difficult to blame or credit a Codex or edition on.

Clowning Around (part 2)

From my original bag of Harlequins I ended up thinking I had far more than I would ever need. So confident was I in this thought that I even gifted some away so that more Harlequins might hit the local battlefields (which they did, against me!). In recent times we are seeing GW actively bringing into production models that have only existed for decades as concepts and images in the WH40K's background, and one such boon from this is Codex: Harlequins. Reading through this book has been fun and inspiring and I think they would be a lot more fun to play with than their "win button" Kraftworld Kin.

As I touched on in the previous post it has inspired me to paint up some Harlies using The Reaper's Mirth Masque color scheme. Unlike last time, here's a bit of a step-by-step on the 2nd model:

Base colors applied. 

The black area painted up with a deep blue to a light grey highlight.

Black areas ink washed with Black Ink. Reds highlighted as well. 

Almost done!

The final pic shows the model almost done. With the white areas now white, the gold applied over the Tin Bitz, and the harlequin icons hand painted on. The hair is currently white and I am debating whether to give her a traditional rainbow color job on her amazing hairdo (I am a child of the '80s for sure).

Also, here is the the first of my five Deathjestors to get some paint.

More updates on this army will occasionally be posted as I really am just clowning around with them at this point.

Bad paint job purge

Here are some very old Space Marines, released in 1987 as boxed set RTB01 (That's Rogue Trader Box #1). I believe these models were given to me by Warfrog who acquired them as part of a bigger lot and he just didn't want to deal with the aggravation of having to relist them. So naturally, the miniature hoarder that I am, I gave them a home. I stumbled upon these all but ruined things the other day and decided it was time to clean them up and ready them for future projects. But first, let us pick on them:

Actually, I need to be upfront about this: I would never pick on, or attempt to discourage, anybody from painting models or doing any sort of art. Some people have talent right from the go, some need to go through a lot more trial and error before they get to even a modest level, but that's OK. If you have fun, and like your results, that's all that matters.

Having said that, I have no idea what the eff'n hell happened to these things!

This one came apart in the bag it was in. I am not sure what scheme was being attempted or imagined when the paint was being applied, but I am at a loss when I try to see. it. The belts are yellow, and a hideous version of it, I suspect this was a flat enamel of some sort, with blue on the rest of it. Then it seems that yellow was applied over it rather liberally for some reason, and where it was all still wet, colors blended to for an interesting green.

is another one, with similar coloration. The model is busted to hell and after I strip the paint I will need to rip off his arms and replace them.

Next up, more of the random colors that makes me think that a child, perhaps one too small to even be using these paints, was coloring these things. .

At least with orange and green they are opposite colors on the color wheel, so, props for an attempt at color theory I guess.

There are more models, most of which were never cleaned up properly and still have mold-lines and flash. I will soak these things just I did when I stripped the vindicator a while back. Afterwards, some of these may end up as casualties on a foe's base, or re-purposed as full fledged marines! Keep an eye on this blog, you will see these guys again!

Arise, Cerastus, Arise! -Part Three- (TSG Post)

The mad Doc has been at it since we last checked in on his Imperial Knight Titan project. It's important to note that the Knight in the following pics isn't the same knight in the previous posts, for the Doctor is working on three Cerastus Knight Titans at the same time!

As per the previous posts, the following  quotes are from the text messages that he has sent me with the pics

"Notice how the sword arm swivels. It is magnetized at the arm/body connection and the elbow."

Here is the side view of the arm swiveling. This sword reminds me of a carrot peeler...

+"Finalizing the rubble on the cerastus titan base."

He seemed proud of how fine the granulation of his basing materials were so he sent me multiple pics of it, and well, maybe someone out there wants to see some detail of it, so enjoy!

On one of his other bases, he did more green stuff work that incorporates more vehicle wreckage...

Here is another view of these legs and you can see where he had to make some corrections to the casting by filling in the holes and gaps with greenstuff.

When he sends me more pics I will post another update.

Beyond the Gates of Antares

Finally, I have the starter boxed set for Warlord Games Beyond the Gates of Antares game.  I have been following the development of this game for years, initially because Rick Priestley wrote and developed it, but even more so when I found out that the game mechanics would be based on Warlord's Bolt Action game. I don't do product reviews or unboxing videos but in this situation, I just can't help myself and I want to show people what a cool product this is.

The first thing that struck me was how much smaller the box is compared to a typical GW starter set. However, one needs to just pick up the box to quickly discern that this boxed set is packed from corner to corner with content. Opening the box up, one is immediately greeted by the hardcover rulebook, and I was pleased to discover that it is a full sized book like their Hail Caesar and Black Powder rules books and not small like the Bolt Action book.

After lifting that impressive tome from the box I discovered the Quick Start guide which also has assembly instructions for the models within. It's a great guide and it should be handy for helping me to teach others how to play this game.

After removing that from the box you find yourself admiring all the models that come with this boxed set. 20 Concord Strike Team figures, their support drones, and the 6 Ghar battlesuits. Great looking models, and a big improvement over Warlord's initial metal releases. I look forward to working on them!

The boxset comes with all the dice you could need to play, as well as some snazy, and unique templates and pin markers.

The templates remind me of the early days of 40k, when different weapons, psyker powers and vehicles required different templates to use them properly. I file this time of 40k in my memory under "fun".

So, with the box somewhat explored I took to the book, and it was difficult setting it down. The games has a 40k Rogue Trader feel to it, but with a cleaner presentation. It was very easy to dive into, and after skimming the rules I immersed myself in the background section of the book, which, like Rogue Trader, you get just enough info to get the ball rolling and know why it's rolling, with it clearly stated that future supplements, campaigns, etc with fluff it all out further. So far, I am digging it.

The art is mostly in color and pretty good. The cover art, reprinted as a nice spread within, has a layout that virtually mirrors the cover of Rogue Trader, and not only is that fine, I appreciate the gestalt and what it means. What it means is, Rick Priestley is back, and so is his ideal of a space age miniature game. And I am excited to play this game!

2015 in Review

What a year!

A year that saw me switch jobs (twice) and which saw the arrival of our first child, Son of Neverness, scourge of diapers! Not a lot of time for gaming or modeling but I squeezed some in where I could.

The first project of the year that I completed was this Sherman Firefly Tank for Bolt Action. It was a fairly simple paint job and I love how it turned it. During the spring I switched jobs and began working at one of the local hobby stores, where I was inspired by some of the local players to really get my British Infantry painted, but circumstances (not sure what those are at this time, so...um, "circumstances!") have kept me from finishing them.

Still on a bit of fantasy kick at the start of the year, I focused on finishing the leader of my Orc & Gobo army this Black Orc Warboss.  This was immediately followed by a runt,squig and a gobo. The gobo being a testbed for my entire night goblin army, however with the uncertainty leading up to the release of Age of Sigmar, and the release of it as well, my WHFB armies are all in "pause" state.  Sad, I was really enjoying that project too.

Much of my hobby projects in 2014 involved my Chaos Space Marines, particularly the World Eaters of Khorne, which I declared in the 2013 review. that I wanted to start on these guys and it's been a lot of fun, so 2015 saw this project continue. One of the hold-overs from the summer of 2014 was Kharn the Betrayer which I am thrilled to have completed and to have used in a few games, one of which was against the Khorne Daemonkin which proved to be a bloody good game.

My chaos army was always intended to be a large smorgasbord of options and incorporate all 4 chaos aspects, with the Black Legion being the unifying factor that holds them all together. So these first two marines were to see how well, and how fast, I could paint up Black Legion guys. I intend to do more work on the Black Legion chaps soon.

After that tussle with the Khorne Daemonkin (linked above) I was inspired to build and paint up my old juggerlord-of-khorne so that I too could run my own Khorne Daemonkin army. I am please with how he came out, and I look forward to doing more with this army.

As a backlash to both AoS and the current edition of 40K, some of the local players resurrected the old game Gorkamorka and have been playing it. I had hoped to join in with that ruckus, with inspired me to paint up this ork-nob. I am still working on his fellow gangers.

The big project of 2014-15 was this Khorne vindicator, which if you follow all the pieces you can see if go from a solid glossy black take to what it eventually turned out to be. I am pleased with it, but I was sad to realize that the Vindicator was left out of the Khorne Daemonkin list. Never-the-less, it will enjoy a support role in my regular Chaos army.

Also inspired by the local Gorkamorka craze, I decided to finish up my model of the original weird-boy. He shall inspire both fear and cries of "WTF?!" when he hits the table.

I got Codex: Harlequins for my birthday and I couldn't resist the urge to paint a few of my old models up. I want to paint up a few more and even play a few small games with these Harlequins.

I have started a massive project to refurbish some old 3rd hand Chaos bikers that I have been holding onto forever. The first one was this Khorne champion chaos-biker.

And to finish out the year, I completed a Daemon Prince that I can use for either Chaos Space Marines, Chaos Daemons or Khorne Daemonkin.

Looking into the New Year, I hope to complete more Black Legion models, and eventually move onto Nurgle and Slaanesh aspects of Chaos Marines and Daemons. I am also itching to do something with my Space Wolves and Orks. I would also like to finish up my British army for Bolt Action. And the Gate of Antares is truly beckoning...

Daemon Prince (Part 4)

I have achieved my goal of getting this model finished before xmas, with almost a week to spare! Yay!

I shall review the final stages of completing this model, continuing from where I left off in part-3.
After a few touch-ups, I went ahead and added the dropped Space Marine accessories -a combat knife and bolter- onto the base, and then applied Blood for Blood God on the rocks as well as all over the hand of the DP holding the helmet/head of the dead Dark Angel.

With that out of the way, it was time to attach the wings.

Left wing attached. 

Right wing attached. 

 Thus completing the assembly of my Black Legion/Khornate Daemon Prince!

 I like to imagine that this Daemon Prince is talking to this head, not unlike a familar or a companion.

I also visualize that he just tore this marine apart and is gloating at the severed head, so I guess either idea works. I'm sure my opponents will care not as they bring whatever they can to bear on it in an attempt to destroy him!

Next, and finally last, I added the static grass tufts. This is a mix of GW and (another company that makes railroad scenery-I'll probably edit that in later when I recall it)'s product, and I think they worked well together.

And ta-da! He is complete and ready to terrorize my unwitting foes! (Unless, of course, they read my blog, in which case they're probably very witting and pretty much anticipating him).

Arriving on the Daemonworld of Unicoi, where the temperatures are unseasonable for this time of year...