Settling into a routine

 

So, preparation for St Albans Smackdown continues apace. First up, I've assembled and undercoated my Defiance Breach Markers to use as Taighas. Pretty much every list I've tested has some, and they're incredibly useful for Shasvastii lists.

I've also cleaned up and undercoated the Defiance turret models so I can use one as a reaction turret for the mission that has it. With those done that's everything I might need to use assembled and undercoated, so even if I don't get my painting done on time, I can still play!

I had, however, forgotten that the Countermeasures mission requires three civilian (HVT) models, so I've dug out the other two I already had assembled so they can see some paint too.

My test missions so far have shown I'm almost certainly not going to want to use the E-drone or the Cadmus Hacker in my lists. However, a bunch of the drafts are ending up including Corax Hasht, and some are using a Nox Hacker. Now, I could use one of my painted Nox Troopers with Combi Rifles I already have painted for the latter, but getting him out so I can use the right model if I do well with the painting is a good shout.

I also got the supply crates and dead bodies cleaned in time to undercoat, although I didn't get to the consoles and doors. With this batch of undercoating done, they're going to the bottom of the pile as I switch my focus to painting for the next few weeks.

I was particularly pleased this week with how I got a little hobby done some evenings after work, and also managed to get in some undercoating on my lunch breaks while the weather was good rather than needing to wait for the weekend.

I got a commission back from That Mr Shy, and I'll be showing that off later as it deserves its own post. He was kind enough to include a miniature in the box for me to paint. The focus for now is getting ready for St Albans Smackdown, so I'll probably look to get her assembled in February after the tournament, unless I finish early.

If this was a video I'd insert a clip of me laughing hollowly at this point. When has my hobby stuff ever been early?

Also arriving to the flat were 16 miniatures from the Arcworlde Comic Kickstarter. I already loved the Arcworlde range, but these were the first computer sculpted miniatures for the range and they absolutely blew me out of the water. The detail they can get in single cast resin is incredible, and the larger models with multiple parts fit together incredibly snugly.

So, February's assembly roster seems to be one metal Reaper figure and 16 Arcworlde models. I should also probably look at getting some of my Salute purchases together. My, it's really piling up, isn't it?

Recent news from Corvus Belli has also changed my "what to buy" plans. They've announced that in April, the Morat Aggression Force is going to be discontinued. I have been planning for a while to expand into the wider Combined Army once I'd got my Shasvastii painted, and there's around 36 or so Morat models on the list for discontinuing that I don't have.

I have no intention of trying to hunt down that many models on the second hand market after they've been discontinued. So, Dungeon Bowl is sadly being put to one side as a target for now in favour of soon to be discontinued models for a faction I'm already playing.

Without a particular project deadline post St Albans Smackdown, I'm thinking spending a little time painting random cool models would be a good way of getting to the point where I've got enough painted to get the Morats.

This is feeling pretty positive. I haven't quite got regular hobby into my routine just yet, but it's feeling like I'm getting regular progress, which is good for my morale. Hobbies are things we should enjoy, after all!

A little slip in self control (new miniatures)

Obviously, as a wargamer, I never have a problem with irresponsible purchasing sprees when I should be trying to paint more than I'm buying, right? No, wait. It's that other thing.

So, it turns out Bits and Kits have a new pre-owned section, with pretty reasonable prices. They had some Inquisitorial Retinue models. Had. Now I have them. The Crusader has a pretty solid paint job and just needs some light rescue. The cherub sadly needs stripping. The other three only came undercoated anyway.

A guy on a Facebook group I'm in had sculpted up a cool looking robot figure. I decided to get one. My wife thinks it's ugly and hideous. I think he's amazing. Should be a nice and simple paint job, too.

I know, I know, I haven't painted my existing Arcworlde stuff. Why on earth am I buying more of it?

Well, it turns out when someone asked on the Facebook group about when the hobgoblins from the Kickstarter were coming out, and the answer was "those ones are limited edition, they'll be redone in the next supplement", I had to own them immediately.

This weekend is now planned to be a busy weekend of painting and assembly - some new stuff, some existing, but I'm pretty stoked about getting some stuff done!

Salute 2014 - Miniature Companies: Old Friends

I'm breaking down my Salute posts into something coherent and . . . aw, who am I kidding? This is the only way I'll get my Salute posts done at all. Aiming for coherency is just pushing my luck.

This post consists of photos I remembered to take during the day, so is rather erratic in its coverage and focus.

So first up are Heresy. They of the Dragon. In short, Heresy have been making a Dragon model for absolutely years. There have been epic number of delays, and the pre-order backlog is currently sitting at 164, with a handful actually sent out.

But they are still going, not dead, and starting to do the resin casting by hand, one by one. I have the utmost respect for that determination in the face of adversity.

This chap is the Netherlord, one of their old metal sculpts, redone in resin to help pay the bills. You may be guessing already that Sim had a teensy bit of a budget slip at Heresy. Some day she will not be painting a titan commission and hit some of her own backlog!

One of Sim's favourite purchases from last year, Troublemaker Games were there again this year. In addition to Timeline 300, they are now working on Defeat in Detail, which is a 6mm Sci Fi wargame with plastic pieces. It successfully funded on Indiegogo during the year, and there were plenty of examples available, which I'll be showing off in a later post.

There was also Taban. I was super tempted by the Puppet Master and the Escape board game, but I decided to leave that for another day.

I liked JoeK minis' stuff last year. This year I bought some! He's also planning a Kickstarter soon.

There were also a couple of miniature folk who we already know who I didn't take any photos of. Forge World unsurprisingly got a ton of my money, but didn't have any miniatures on display that I saw. Hasslefree also gleefully parted my darling wife from her money in a pretty cheerful fashion. Sphere Wars is also something I really want to get into - I'd signed up to demo games for them, but had to back out as work has gotten super busy. We also said a quick hello to Warploque Miniatures, who had a lot of the Kickstarter models for Arcworlde on display. Studio McVey remain awesome people who put out excellent stuff, although this year I didn't pick anything up - I still have to paint the one I got from them last year!

A bit of a fan moment about Arcworlde

Some of you may recall I bought a couple of Arcworlde figures at Salute this year. I'm definitely a fan - and given the young lad doing all these sculpts is only 20 makes it even more remarkable.

Warploque Miniatures has just started their Kickstarter for Arcworlde, and I'm already in. As is the way of things now, I've made sure I'm in for a second warband so that Sim can play too. She's bagsied the Undead Pirates incredibly quickly - I'm considering the Bayourks myself.

I did get sent a copy of the playtest rules, and it definitely looks quite interesting. Sadly, I never quite found the time to test out a game, but I did have a quick proof-read and sent back as many helpful comments as I could about bits I found unclear. These were happily few and far between - it was already looking like a slick, professional production when I received it!

In an effort to 'kickstart' my stalled painting progress, I dug out the little swamp critter I'd picked up at Salute and promised myself to do the next stage in his prep and / or painting over the weekend for each one of the household chores I completed.

This was sadly delayed as I realised that the MicroArt Studio bases I'd bought for him didn't really have much space to actually fit a figure on - and certainly not one that had a lot of flat contact with the ground. I actually had to dig through my basing kits to find a suitable thin flat piece of stone to bring part of the modelled detail up to the level where he rested flat on the bases at all.

Also, since I bought those bases, Warploque took the decision to use round bases for their models, but I decided to press ahead anyway, and work with what I have!

Isn't he the most adorable little thing? I painted him in a very short space of time, so I know he's not exactly display standard, but I think he's lovely.

So, to re-iterate, please go and back the Arcworlde Kickstarter so this poor lonely chap can have lots of new friends to play with!

Salute 2013: Just Shut Up Already: The Final Salute Post

I know, I know. I've been going on about Salute a lot. But there was a huge ton of stuff I saw, and there's just not been enough time to type it all up.

For the last bit of gossip, Mike McVey told me that a site redesign for Studio McVey is in progress, and it will no longer include Flash. Given that I keep on trying to show people Studio McVey stuff on the iPad and end up getting nothing, this will make me really rather happy.

The business card and flyer rundown

I did not loot as many business cards as I usually do! I already knew a lot of the companies there, so didn't think take every bit of cardboard and paper that wasn't nailed down.

First up, we have JoeK Minis, who are a part of British Indie. He has a bunch of nice models, including a range of creepy Wizard of Oz inspired stuff.

I was not as impressed with Urban Construct as I remember being. Don't get me wrong, the scale of their stuff is impressive, and they have a good range. Yet despite this, I am not a fan of their rough and ready approach, but it seems pretty affordable for what it is.

Dark World Creations are at the other end of the scale. This stuff is breath-takingly pretty, and highly detailed. They are putting together 70mm models, with a 2000AD license, the odd bust, and a lovely post apocalyptic zombie range. Their upgrade kits for cars and trucks are particularly impressive. One of the display models looked familiar, until I remembered that I'd seen it being worked on at a Platoon Britannica painting day...

My final flyer is from Battleboards, who do a few bits of terrain but really specialise in boards - and in particular, remarkably affordable custom made boards to order. If only I was swimming in money...

A few more people I like

These are a few more stalls I like where I managed to take photos. There are a ton more companies I love and adore, but didn't manage to get photos for whatever reason. Not being mentioned here doesn't mean I hate you - just that I failed utterly in taking any nice photos.

Hold on, I hear you cry - that stuff looks familiar. Yes, it is familiar because I bought a massive bag of it. These are the lovely people from Tablescape. They do a wide range of pre-painted pieces of terrain in a pretty robust foam, and its great to go straight from the box and onto the table.

While being able to buy terrain that doesn't add to my massive painting backlog is already a massive plus, what really endears them to me is the thoughtfulness of their designs. I had a rather hilarious moment in 2012 when they were saying terrible, terrible things about what 40K players were like before they found out I was one. It would have hurt less if my wife hasn't been agreeing with them so much. ;-)

The reason behind the anecdote is because all of their walls and scatter terrain are carefully designed to either be at 28mm chest height or obscure a model completely. They've been careful not to put in too many designs where it wouldn't be clear whether or not a model had line of sight - thus cutting down the arguments between those terribly competitive gamers who are often so associated with the 40K scene.

Next, we have the people who will be getting all of my money at next year's Salute: Warmill. They are another laser cut terrain manufacturer, similar to Sarissa, but they focus almost entirely on the Sci Fi end of things.

They have a nice coherent range, with much of the different pieces being part of this crazy little comedic dystopian sci fi setting they've come up with. Their fortresses and barricades are modular, compatible with other bits, and have upgrades which change in clever ways what they do.

They've also accessorised their smaller shop pieces nicely, so there are different brands of food retailer, or, should you feel brave, a cosmetic surgery booth!

This is, for example, the noodle booth. The plastic signs are the bits you can vary with your order to make different franchises.

All the buildings I saw had removable roofs so you can open them up to place models inside.

Their modular "Portable Utility Pod" had some nice demonstrations as to how you could use them differently - you'll see in the first picture a wonderful set of them in white with surrounding walkways that look very civilian, while in this picture, they dirty grimy yellow looks very much like some industrial or construction building.

They've also started a massive modular set which could be easily used for Zone Mortalis in 40K, or even Space Hulk or similar. It could be an underground lab, a space ship, or who knows what.

There's some lovely detail pieces, like these industrial waste bins. They're nestled in between some of their road terrain and one of their compound pieces.

This is an awesome elevated roadway, which can either sit close to the ground, or really raise up into a high flying piece.

This is one of the other PUP scenery pieces with the roof removed. Notice the alternatively painted PUP on the right, and the little watch tower and security fence at the bottom of the shot.

Here are the accessories - I love the communication towers and the process unit in the middle (I didn't get a good zoomed in shot of it). The barricades are all "quick deploy" fold up barricades, which is a nice touch. They also have an assortment of strange little portal things you can get.

A company that got a lot of the wife's money was Zinge Industries. They are a company with tons of awesome little ideas which are really cool.

Zinge do an amazing array of bits and bobs. Their tires and tracks are definitely useful, but nothing that gets me really excited. Unfortunately, I got no good pictures of their really clever stuff - flexible resin with an embedded wire that means you can carefully pose your chains, power cables and ammunition belts.

They've just released their first model, a tank bike. It's kind of adorable, but I don't really have much use for it.

They also had some lovely examples of what you could do with their stuff - this demon prince was a nice example of showing off what LEDs could do.

This is, of course, the money shot - showing that you can get a glowing light in behind a terminator helmet or head.

There's also scenery options, too - like this light up option for a command and control display.

Arcworlde is a new game being worked on by Warploque Miniatures. They are planning a Kickstarter (who isn't), and are currently beta testing their rules.

They have some lovely detailed models already available, and I picked up a couple of them at Salute.

There is an entire Halfling faction, which should keep people happy.

He had a whole ton of his greens on display to show people what was coming in the Kickstarter in August.

And now, the final company who impressed me, who are Model Mates. You can't buy this stuff direct from their website - they only sell direct at shows. But go and have a look at their website, as it lists the people who stock it.

They have a range of different sprays and brush on rust effects - some see through, some opaque. The metal plate is all effect - it genuinely looks like real rush in person, as well as in the pictures, but every bit of it is the stuff off the brush and out of the can.

They had quite a few examples of what you can do with it, from tanks to model railway cars to rusting to scenery.

They were also very proud of their verdigris...

Sim did get herself a few bottles of this stuff, although I am unsure if I will have any chance of getting any of it off her...