The plan grows !

So following on from yesterdays pics and provisional list...i have further developed the plan for the army

As i mentioned before, its all being done on a £30 per month budget with any unspent money rolled over to the next month. I have now planned out my purchase list for the project.

I am still torn between the overall army theme though. I don't know whether to go with empire or brettonia as the victims of the ogres dress sense. It's a big decision as the Maneaters will be the most heavily influenced and converted unit. As much as i love some of the gw Maneaters, i don't like the hefty price tag attached to a small unit.
Instead i plan to convert them from the spare models left over from the ogre and irongut sets. I have a box load of odds and ends from empire and brettonian sets so the conversion bits shouldn't be hard to come by.


Models Needed
Ogres x 2 @ £23.00 each
Ironguts x 3 @ £23.00 each
Iron Blaster x1 @ £20.50
1 Slaughtermaster (skrag the slaughterer model) @ £36.00
1 Bruiser bsb (golgfag the maneater) @ £23.50
1 Butcher @ £23.50
1 pack of Sabretusks @ £10.00
Mournfang x2 @ £22.50 each.

That brings me in just shy of £275 (£273.50)

So here is my plan. SB= Starting Balance
January SB £30.00 - 1 x ogres box @ £23.00 carry over £7.00 (£30 - £23 = £7)
February SB £37.00 - 1 x Ironblaster @ £20.50. Carry over £16.50 (£37 - £20.50 =£16.50)
March SB £46.50 - 1 box of Ironguts @ £23.00 + 1 box of Mournfang @ £22.50 = £45.50 carry over £1 (£46.50 - £23 - £22.50 = £1)
April SB £31.00 - 1 box of Iron guts @ £23.00 carry over £8 (£31 - £23 = £8)
May SB £38.00 - 1 box of Ogres @ £23.00 Carry over £15 ( £38 - £23 = £15)
June SB £45.00 - 1 box of Ironguts @ £23 + 1 Box of Sabres @ £10 Carry over £12 ( £45 - £23 - £10 = £12)
July SB £42.00 - Skrag the slaughterer @ £36 carry over £6 ( £42 - £36 = £6)
August SB £36.00 - 1 x Butcher @ £23.50 carry over £12.50 ( £36 - £23.50 = £12.50)
September SB £42.50 - 1 x Mournfang @ £22.50 Carry over £20 ( £42.50 - £22.50 = £20.00)
October SB £50.00 - 1 X Golgfag the maneater @ £23.50. Army complete

Well that's the initial plan anyway. I may look over the purchase list and change the order at some point in the next couple of days.

Thoughts

i will grind your bones to make my bread

So a little rethink has meant my army for the 'tale of fantasy gamers' on swchq has changed.
Well more like it took a metric ton of steroids, went to one too many all you can buffets and then got a really bad attitude.

Those gobbos grew into ogres.

But..and i like this....
It's working.
I have a list ready and whats more...despite being a hobbyist for over 25 years and never being able to paint flesh....

I have finally cracked it!

Look pics!

Lords –

Slaughtermaster, Level 4, Glittering Scales,Dragonbane Gem,  Fencer’s blades, Ironcurse Icon Lore of the Great Maw.

Heroes -

Butcher, Level 2, Great Weapon, Ruby Ring of Ruin, Dispel Scroll

Bruiser, Battle Standard Bearer, Crown of Command, Enchanted Shield, Biting Blade, Heavy Armour

Core –

9 Ogres, 2x Hand Weapons, Full Command.

9 Ironguts, Full Command, Banner of Swiftness

Special –

6 Maneaters, Scout, Stubborn, Full Command, 3x Extra Hand Weapons, 3x Great Weapons, Gleaming Pennant

4 Mournfang Cavalry, Standard Bearer, Bellower, Heavy Armour, Ironfists, Dragonhide Banner

1 Sabretusk
1 Sabretusk

Rare –

Ironblaster

Army total 2400 points

So there we have...apparently i can paint flesh and that mean i can have an army of mini-me's on the tabletop!!

A tale of fantasy gamers

Whilst i'm waiting to resupply on the paint front in a couple of weeks, i need to sort my other projects out.

I have a 2400+ point army of high elves that in all likelihood will end up getting sold off in the future as i just cant bring myself to paint them.

But that leads into my next project. I am a long serving member of the space wolf forums and it has been decided that from January we will do a 'tale of gamers' type project, focusing on warhammer fantasy battle.

£30 spend a month, can save unspent money, but never 'overspend' for more than one month.
Point allocated on the usual purchase/assembly/painted scheme.

This all got me thinking about how nice it would be to actually field a painted army once again. Carol (my long suffering fiancee) has been plugging away at her tomb kings and in all honesty puts me to shame.

But .... there is always a but.

I need to pick an army.

 Out for certain are the High elves, Wood Elves and Tomb Kings.

Aside from that pretty much anything is viable. But i just cant decide. I posted this in frustration on the SW board and it sums up my dilemma perfectly.

'Never thought choosing an army could be so difficult.

Like the colour and variety of daemons.
Like the prehistoric nature of lizardmen.
Like the executioner models of dark elves.
Like the white lions of the high elves.
Like the glade guard of the wood elves.
Like the basic humanity of empire.
Like the chivalry of brettonia.
Like the weirdness of Skaven.
Like the craziness of Orcs and Goblins.
Like the uniqueness of Ogres.
Like the Egyptiology of Tomb Kings.
Like the Vampires of vc's.
Like the feral non human nature of Beastmen.

Like to sigh and be confused.'

Sums up my state of mind perfectly.....

The german army ran out of fuel, me i ran out of undercoat :(

So my forward momentum on Project Pegasus has come to a screeching halt.

A quarter of the way through undercoating the bridge etc, my undercoat spray gave a final splutter and died. 3 weeks to payday 3 weeks to replacements.

So i tried to turn my attentions to other unfinished projects. Namely the 2400+ points of assembled High Elves that have been crying out for paint for in excess of a year.

But it seems no matter how hard i try, when it comes to the moment. I just can't motivate myself to paint.
It's a problem that's been with me for a few years. I am a seasoned vet of wargaming and it has hit a point where this 'issue' is about ready to make me call quits and give up.
I don't know if it fluff, i don't know if it's the models (this is the case with several different army attempts), i don't really know the cause. But every time i think to myself 'hey i got a few hours before/after work' or 'oh a couple of days off lets paint'. I get to the moment to start and my motivation takes off down the road faster the schumacher in a turbo charged Ferrari.

Any psychologists or hobbyists out there with a cure or even advice on a cure. I really have hit a low and am seriously contemplating ditching something that's been as much a part of my life as breathing.

Rain rain go away

So the great British weather has put play to my thoughts of sealing the bridge and getting on with the painting.

But that stiff upper lip and blitz spirit is still alive and kicking.

So instead of bemoaning my luck, i have been cracking on with other bits of assembly.

All the wooden kits are now completely assembled.

Here's some pics.

Recent work all in one place.

Telegraph poles (sure they should all be laying flat after work by le resistance)

German bunker that was opposite the AT gun position on Pegasus Bridge (it was made after destroying two adjacent houses.

Cafe Gondree, The first house in France to be liberated on d-day. also home to Mdm Gondree who with her husband provided the British with accurate up to date intel on the bridge.

And now, off to work i must go. Have to earn a few pennies to appease the bank manager after killing my account this month.

Send the signal 'Ham and Jam'

So after 3 days of building it is done.

Pegasus Bridge is assembled and ready for paint.

I have had highs and lows building this mammoth kit. I have turned the air blue in frustration. But it's all been worth the effort.

For once i am not gonna blather on.

So enjoy the pics.

Next up for me...putting paint onto the beast.

Project Pegasus Bridge update***

Not sure how much more work will get done this evening as we have to settle in another foster dog.
After chasing the previous one all over north walsham this morning, it was all to clear she wasn't really right for us as she was just too scared of us :(.
So this afternoon we got a new foster furbaby in and he is settling in fine.

In between those events, i got a good chunk of work done on the central section of the bridge. Only need to complete the walkways and a couple of other small bits to actually finish the bridge construction off.

Here's some pics to enjoy!

The bridge in all its unpainted wooden glory.

The gubbinz at the heart of the raising and lowering of the bridge

Now those pics don't truly convey the scale of this beast.

So here's a couple of scale/barry shots with sgt.noname of the 42nd Octavian Rifles after taking the bridge single handedly from no one in particular.

Well there you have it, works progressing well.

I would just like to publicly say a big thank you to both Warlord Games and Sarissa Precision. There has been a initial problem with the kits missing a couple of 'Bracers' for a gantry. I had discovered this last night and contacted them. It has become apparent that this issue had already come to their attention and they have already made moves to rectify the issue and send out the replacement parts for the affected kits.
 Not only is this a more than satisfactory remedy, it also displays a level of forward thinking and pro-active problem solving, that i have not seen from other well known companies. So good sirs, I salute you.

I love the smell of burning mdf in the morning

So i got in a fair chunk of time on the Bridge today.

It has so many pieces and i want to do a good job and not screw it up in any way. So i was a tad thrown by a couple of missing components. But that's all being addressed and i was able to move on to other areas of the bridge.

First up here's the work so far, both 'entrances' to the bridge.
The one on the left houses the control room and gantry for raising and lowering the bridge. The one on the right has a road block (but that's being painted in parts and not pre assembled).
In the middle is the massive counter weight for raising the bridge and sitting onto of it is the mid section of the bridge.....yup the bridge is much wider than the little unit its sat on.

The next 2 pics just show a couple of sides of the bridge control rooms.

That 2 storey control room always brings it's own dilemmas. How to paint the interiors. To just paint the walls, or to try and make some mock up machinery etc. I imagine during ww2 the upstairs would have been a commandeered by the commander overseeing the bridge.
Guess more research is needed!

Hope you enjoy the bridge wips

It's heeeeeeeeeere

So at 11:34 am on October 4th 2013 it happened.

After much waiting, building excitement levels and general impatience. My copy of 'warlord games - Pegasus bridge ham and jam' arrived.

The delivery man had been warned. Hold until relieved. Unlike the legend that is Mjr John Howard, he didn't have to wait hours...or even minutes. It was more like seconds between his knuckles crashing against the door and his arms being relieved of a mighty and when i say mighty i mean MIGHTY box of goodness.

Like a kid at xmas who has to wait though, other matters meant only a cursory inspection could be done.

Until a little while ago that is.

What follows maybe unsuitable for those of a nervous disposition.

I was going to attempt a 'video unboxing' but quickly realised that my inane gibberish, squeaks of delight and giggling may have rendered that video unwatchable.
So i settled for a few pics and the following article.

Warlord Games - Bolt Action - Pegasus Bridge - Ham and Jam edition.

Delivery.
Delivery was via DPD couriers and was swift. 24 hours from dispatch to delivery.
The packaging for the whole set was very secure with copious amounts of packing chips used.

The sets.
I wasn't sure what to expect.
But i know i wasn't truly expecting the box to be so huge.
The Pegasus bridge box is a mammoth sized box and bigger than anything i have ever encountered in wargaming before.
Then there was an additional large box with 'ham and jam upgrade' on it.
It seems those lucky ones who have ordered Ham and Jam have the additional items hand picked to boost the set.

Here's the boxes

I must mention the great artwork on the Main box, it is simply fantastic.


Now the Contents...what you really want to know about.

Ham and Jam upgrade set.

The contents in the words of 'warlord games'

The Ham & Jam! Collector's Edition adds 6 resin sandbag emplacements (which can be put together into 3 machine gun emplacements), 3 more MG42 machine gun teams, 6 dead livestock models, a resin sandbag emplacement for the top of the control tower, 8 more telegraph poles and 12 resin Dragon's teeth tank traps. In addition to this are 20 more plastic Germans, a Marder III Ausf. M tank destroyer, and 20 plastic Royal Marine Commandoes led by Lord Lovat and Piper Millin. We've even added a copy of Osprey Publishing's Raid: Pegasus Bridge book to give you even more reference material, giving a full historical account and detailed uniform guides!
 

So my thoughts.
How much extra booty!!! The scenery is well cast and detailed. The Marder III is relatively flash free and simple enough to assemble from inspection. The plastics are well cast with a normally acceptable level of flash. The metals...oh metal not resin or resin-plastic....metal models are well cast, a decent level of detail. My only gripe is the flash on them, but experience with other metal producers show this to be pretty nominal levels.
There is also a blister of dead cattle...burgers anyone..even horse burgers if your so inclined.
In addition there are some wooden telegraph poles from Sarrissa precision. Which look simple enough to build and nicely cut.

Then there is the Osprey 'Raid- Pegasus Bridge' book. Giddy bloody god blimey. This book is Fanbloodytastic and that's coming from someone who owns 'Stephen Ambrose's Pegasus Bridge' book. It has everything from photos of the main participants and areas, to original recon photos, maps showing all the positions and right the way through to a list of every soldier on each of the 6 gliders in their glider units.
As a historical reference, it is a must have. For me, it's even more to the story behind my old army regiments most coveted battle Honor.


Now onto the beast.

That simply shows the artwork...glorious amid excited yelps of 'up the ox and bucks'.

On opening the box the first thing you see is a pile of wood....lots and lots and lots of wood.
This is what constitutes Sarrissa Precisions  Pegasus bridge, German bunker and the Cafe Gondree. The level of detail is outstanding and i find myself daunted by the challenge. I want to do this kit justice and i just hope i am not found wanting.

Once you remove the wood pile your confronted by more metal, plastic and resin. It just never seems to end.
Like the stuff in the 'ham and jam' box. It is all well cast, with acceptable amounts of flash. Only puzzling piece is a large block of what i assume is flash on the underside of the Anti Tank gun pit. I can imagine it being a bit of a SOB to remove but it is a minor niggle in reality and really just nit picking at what is a amazing set.
There is a nice little scenario book that allows you to play through the battles of d-day from the minute the first glider punched through the barbed wire in front of the bridge. Right through to fending off the desperate German counter attacks.
There are plenty of little info points in the booklet describing everything from the regiments involved, through to their experience levels and training.

Here's a nice yummy pic of the Pegasus box contents.

For sheer mouth watering fun...here is the entire set weighing down my desk and shelves in the hobby room.

I should point out that the Stephen Ambrose book and bolt action rulebook are not included, but its today's hoard and reading material.

So in summary.
I am one happy wargamer, i have been wanting something related to Pegasus Bridge all my hobby life and now i have it.
Does it live up to my hopes. HELL YES.
Is it worth the £275, it's a purely personal decision but for me again its a massive yes.

Am I daunted and a tad terrified by the prospect of all that plastic, metal, wood and resin?. In truth yes i am.
I have never made a Sarrissa model before so that will be a learning experience. As to the rest, its more a case of wanting to do justice not only to this fantastic set, but also to the Brave men who at 00:16 on June 6th 1944 Landed in occupied France and went into battle as the first fully functioning allied unit and executed what remains today a text book example of a coupe de main operation.

and then it happened

Oh hey...yeah i am back.

It's kinda weird being a hobby butterfly or suffering from ADOS.
Its also strange when your whole life has been about gaming, mostly with GW systems but occasionally with other suppliers. And then one day it just loses a chunk of appeal.
Painting becomes a chore, books lose their fluff appeal and you just lack any motivation.

Its been like that for years for me. A model comes along occasionally and really gets my attention and i paint it. I try to build a list around it and then the appeal dies.
In truth as a painter/gamer recent times have been a big fail. I haven't fielded a fully painted force since the mid 00's and then it wasn't a gw game.

It was flames of war. In its own way that made me wonder if i had 'matured' as a gamer.
I have looked back over my gaming life and thought maybe it was armies and changes but i do wonder.
All my life i have had 2 big loves outside of wargaming. Medieval times and the second world war.

Back at the start of my gaming life it was bretonians that got my attention but i never really got on side with them in.
Back when i started making models, it was my uncle Jack. He was an avid military modeller, he had cabinets and units full of ww2 models with every member of the family represented in one way or another. I think it was this man that was solely responsible for my early love of models.
But back then i was a little kid and re-enactments involved setting the models up and lobbing rocks at them. Yes i know, i hang my head in shame nowadays. More so because so many of the models were lovingly crafted and donated by my uncle, he has passed on now, in hindsight and with years behind me, i regret those actions so much.

But that's a tangent off topic.

So my loves in life should really be reflected in my hobby.
Back when i was playing flames of war, i was the only one in my little group. They all played 40k, warmachine and necromunda. But there was one guy at the local club who did play and he played the arch nemesis to my 7th armoured division force...the dreaded Afrika Korps. Every week we would meet and play and no other game mattered.
Times change and i moved away though. The local scene is more 40k,but the 'coltishall cowards' club is open to all sorts.
The plot thickens...

Over the last week a little spark became a fire. A fire last night burst into a raging inferno in this old gamers heart.

GW and there Armies On Parade has always appealed to me. Talking to a few other hobbyists on twitter got me thinking. A small bretonian force for AOP, a great way into a small army of well painted models. Itch created. Family heraldry researched....small idea sparked.
Then last night the spark reached inferno.

Sat watching the footy...as one does. I saw a little advert for the pre-order of Warlord games latest bolt action release....Pegasus Bridge.
Hmmm Something stirred deep inside the old Royal Green Jacket in me, it also tweaked the nipples of the ww2 fanatic.
A few mouse clicks and it didn't so much as stir and tweak...as bound around slapping the face of my hobbyist self whilst jabbing the historian with a thousand pointy sticks.
Oh me oh my...warlord games take my money....
Then it delivered a swift steel toe capped rugby kick to the groin.....
£175 for the basic set, £275 for the 'Ham and Jam' collectors set. (ww2 historians should know the significance of 'ham and jam' to Pegasus bridge')

Cough and splutter.

But then rational thought got the body slam and big leg drop hulk hogan style.

Over the course of 3-6 months i blow that on failed gw projects.
My other half and long suffering wargamer fiancee even made positive arguments. Commenting that if she didn't like the game play then i could always take it to the local club. She knows my enthusiasm for ww2, shes had to sit through the films (though she enjoys many more modern ww2 films, she hates the B&W ones).

So there's a burning in my hobbyist/historian heart and an even bigger burning sensation in my wallet. Well not yet but payday is only 8 days away.

I don't know which set i will be able to afford yet, but 1 will get purchased.

A reading of the review pages even indicates that the game should be good fun, but then when Rick Priestly and Alessio Cavatore are the writers....you expect decent rules that work.

Keep your eyes peeled....come mid October (expected release date) this demeted wargamer might just burst back onto the scene in a full tilt boogie way, hamming and jamming and jumping out at people screaming 'up the ox and bucks, up the ox and bucks'

Whats that coming over the hill?

Is it a monster?
Well no...but it is a big feck off robot intent on kick arse and taking names!

Been quiet lately, partly due to work commitments, other projects and finishing this off.

So without any further waffle here it is.

Well i hope you all enjoy the fruits of my most recent labours!

TFI Friiiiiday!!!

And that means a day off work. Yay.

Come midday I'm heading to the hobby room to get m head around the trollblood flesh colours. Though i must confess to being completely underwhelmed by the idea of an albino troll...

I hope you have all been having a productive hobby time. I haven't due to work etc...and i have just been bad and ordered dreadball to boot.

But it's all part of my 'drop GW' stance.
I have Kings of war for Fantasy.
Dreadball for bloodbowl
Malifaux for mordheim/necromunda
Warmahordes for 40k.
Dystopian for dreadfleet.
X-wing for Battlefleet Gothic
I am still looking at other games, like dropzone commander, firestorm armada, Dust to name a few. As and when i find them i will be sure to post my thoughts.

Have a good Friday all and for those of you lucky enough to not be working this weekend (not me :( ) Enjoy your weekend!

blue is the colour...hordes is the game

A little update though not too much to sing about...

But first of i want to say a big heartfelt well done to the people at Firestorm Games.
I ordered my Hordes stuff on Friday. Got a reply to say some was out of stock within a couple of hours. Phoned the guys and changed the order slightly. Next morning bright and early and the parcel arrives. Impressive considering it was sent via the good old royal snail mail.
Now with the changed order came a little boo boo. Namely that i received the Warmachine prime rulebook instead of Hordes primal.
Easy enough mistake to make especially in a  rush to get the order dispatched in time.
So i sent the guys a e-mail explaining the oopsie. I was automatically offered a replacement (expected) and asked to send back the original (expected). This i did Monday evening.
A nice email got back to me Tuesday explaining the return had been received (my god the royal mail managed it twice) and that my primal book had been dispatched. Also attached to the e-mail was a voucher code to cover the costs of postage i paid plus a little extra as an apology. I didn't expect that bit and it shows how highly Firestorm Games value their customers.

So here it is, a LARGE pat on the back and hearty 'good job' to Rob and the guys at Firestorm Games, i highly recommend you all to give them a go for your hobby needs.

Right, now onto the progress.
A quick pic of last nights wip on my trollbloods. Yes i know its not a lot. But between working and returning to the gym (to try and dismiss the myth that all wargamers are fat...well at least this one is) I haven't had as much hobby time as i would like....oh and finally (yes i know I'm behind the times) sitting down and watching 'Game of Thrones'.

Wip Trollbloods

One last thing. I got a second hand gaming table a while back. Been trying to figure out what to do to improve it as its pretty beat up and it's also plain green. I want to turn it into something for warmahordes or more precisely something legion/trollblood themed. Anyone with any ideas, please share as i have run into a proverbial brick wall with it.

That be all for now folks. If you don't hear from me within a week, end a search party to the gym, i will probably be collapsed in the corner!!

A different kind of fantasy

Ok ok calm down and stop giggling. Not THAT sort of fantasy you deranged bunch of perverts...shheeeeesh!

As eluded to in previous mumblings, i have become more and more disillusioned with GW and their ways. This is both good and bad. Bad because of the money i have invested over the years. Good because it has forced me to seek pastures new.

Dystopian wars was the first venture and when time allows i will delve fully into the game and get the rules straight in my head. The models are fantastic for such small scale creations.

There's also x-wing. This is my drinks n dice type game. Fast, simple and no hobbying needed.

I have also started hordes by Privateer press. I know the company and game. Whilst no cheaper than GW really, i feel PP still have the hobby at heart.

But over the last 24 hours i got the itch to stretch the Tolkien and 'fantasy' element of myself. Enough sniggering you lot.

Now i normally have an avenue in my mind towards what game or where. But with this issue i genuinely had no idea where to turn. So off i went googling away to my hearts content, checking various blogs and sites and chasing down names from yesteryear.
That's when Alessio Cavatore's name was spotted alongside Mantic games 'Kings of war'. Interest piqued.
A lot of looking over the models, swearing at a retarded printer and then downloading of the rules onto ipad followed.
Now i am not a fan of the elves or their 'evil kindred'. But the undead, orcs and dwarves are pretty cool. Hey they even have Felix of 'avatars of war' on board....so you know there are gonna be some kick ass sculpts.
The price ....cheap by the bucket load....now that gets the wallet interested too.

But lets face it, the rule set is where it needs to work.
So off to proxyville (pop 2) i headed today.

What can i say about the rules and game play.
Well the negatives first. The 'starter' army boxes definitely need balancing. Whilst the dwarf force rallies in at 400+pts, the undead struggles to 300. But that's a minor issue.
The rules themselves are simple, pretty clear and very concise. The game play is fast, fun and bloody. The way damage works is just fantastic and lends itself to the idea of war on a large scale.
 I literally sat down to read the rules at 9am and by midday we had run through 2!!!! 250 point games. Both complete bloodbaths.

So my overall thoughts on 'Kings of war'? Even if your not a fan of the models (you can always proxy) give the rule set a go. It is well written and works a treat.

Oh hello paypack...goodbye pay packet....

Yay so Friday finally came.
A trip to the old gaming store on Elm Hill was sadly fruitless. So off to the good chaps at firestorm games i went.

Initial order went in with some of it not available. A few mumblings and a changed order later and I'm now waiting for the nice royal mail type person to show up with.
Legion of everblight battlegroup
Trollbloods battlegroup
mk2 softback rulebook
2 x trollblood paint set
card sleeves
PP template set.

No idea how the 2 sets will play against each other, but it's going to be a fun learning curve for me and carol.

In the meantime i need to figure out how to turn this....

Into a nice hoards gaming table for legion and trollbloods to fight over. I don't honestly even have a clue where to start lol. Suggestions more than welcome!

tick tock tick tock wait and wait for pay day

So hey happy, weird and occasionally normal readers, how goes it out there.

Having worked 7 straight days I'm pretty whacked. But looking forward to Friday and payday.
Why you may ask, well it's a hobby related and blog and besides my dogs and charity work (football don't count!), the hobby is the only other thing to bounce about.

So much thinking has gone on between myself and my better half carol. Mostly concerning new avenues of wargaming fun. Slowly its come round to Privateer Press and their games. Much talking later and it has gone down to hoards.

Its here we have a sticking point though. Playable fun factions for learners.
I have many moons ago played warmachine so i understand the basic mechanic and have a fair grasp on fury etc. But i have to learn Hoards and teach it at the same time.
Looking over the models we have it down to 3 sets of models each.
For me its
Circle (who doesn't love werewolves)
Trollbloods (just make me think drunk scots who got a little carried away with the blue)
Skorne (steampunk samurai....word)

For Carol its
Circle (uh oh see the problem developing)
then a join second between
Trollbloods (yup that problem) and Legion.

So with those clashes in choice i hit the proverbial wall. With only 3 days to payday...

Options i can see is to either
Go for the 2 player battlebox which seems fantastic value for money.
Or go for the slightly more expensive trollblood/circle warpack boxes and a separate rulebook.

But to be honest i don't truly know which is the better option, i hear from some that the circle is one of the worst starter sets in hoards and i don't want to taint the first ventures into the game with the feeling of an unplayable force.

For Carols part though she isn't as keen on the legion models as she is the circle, the legion seem to better suit her play style. She plays nids in 40k and believes in the charge forward and gobble everything up tactic lol.

Me I'm a little more cautions and a thinker, though i also like fun.

Comments are open and i welcome any thoughts from you the general wargaming world.

Regards.

From the geeky kid to the bully. GW losing it's way

First off let me apologise for the lack of updates this week on the Dystopian Wars front. 7 straight shifts has destroyed what little hobby time i hoped to have.

I want to just say this isn't a straight up 'gw hate post'. Just the thoughts of a long standing and increasingly disillusioned gamer.

Somewhere in the darkest past, maybe 25 or 26 years ago now. I stumbled into GW Hammersmith. It was the first proper GW retail store and based on Dalling Road. All i had was a MK1 Landraider and a desire to learn more. I wont bore you with the whiffs and woes of time thought.

Fast forward to the current end of times.
Over the last few years i have struggled in the hobby in all ways to be honest. Now i have been an almost exclusive GW gamer, apart from Henchmaning for Wyrd, not much else has been played etc.
But just recently i got back to thinking what had changed and where my enthusiasm had gone.....

I'm no saying it's the same for everyone, but i think for me it's been the changes overall at GW.
The warning signs were there the day Andy Chambers and co walked off the good ship Workshop.

For me a minor irritant had been the 'bully boy' tactics GW have started employing over the last few years. Now I'm not meaning the whole chapter house crap, for me the had it coming as they were in blatant infringement of IP. I don't personally blame GW for protecting their IP, BUT i do think they have gotten somewhat out of hand in their approach to online retailers, bits suppliers and 'compatible part manufacturers'.

A big part of the hobby is converting that awesome mini, and now it seems GW want you to have to fork out £50 for that extra shield from the big kit box. For me bits suppliers don't hurt GW, they still have to get the bits, we still have to pay.  But lets not get off track, it's one needle in a haystack of needles.

For me the biggest blow has been the stores.
My local GW is Norwich. Its not open Monday or Tuesday for starters, Monday is one of the few days off i get.
Then there is the destruction of 'veteran nights'. I used to work at GW years ago, vet nights were great fun. As an ex-staffer they were even more fun. Guaranteed games, banter and general hobby enthusiasm.
But finally there's the trend in staff now. As a member of staff and as a customer i used to love banter with the customer/staff/fellow gamers. Talking army tactics, painting ideas etc etc. Nowadays it's a case of. of your struggling with that eh...here but this, oh and this and don't forget this. I got more years in the hobby than most of the staff have in their lives. I think i can figure out whats wrong with an army. If I'm talking about my list/scheme it's because I'm trying to share hobby enthusiasm, not looking for the auto build costalist.

I do love the background of Warhammer/40k etc. But for me a combination of the above has reached a point where i feel GW's policies are in danger of destroying the hard work of those who went before them. I find no joy in visiting the store, reading White Dwarf or getting 'buy this' mind waves off their blog.

A large part of me regrets parting with nearly £250 in gw a month ago, but maybe given time i will find some joy in returning to the High Elves of Ulthuan. But a large part of me doubts it.

I know some of you will say, just go to the indy stockist. Hey i live in Norfolk and we have NO indies. I could order online i know, but then if i am going to order online i might as well look into the other games out there that also lack 'bricks and mortar' stores.

Well that's my little rant over with me thinks. Im' off to trawl the internet and see what games might tempt me. Maybe Warmahoardes will call or something. All i know is my GW stuff is now on indefinite hold until something refreshes my desire to play the game.

I will of course continue posting on this blog as i want to share the adventures in Spartan games and others.

D.I.Y miniature light box

So work sucks, we all know that so enough said there.

After last nights poor pics, i decided to resurrect my old DIY light box. Only it was more destroyed the done.
No problem though, i would just make another. Then i thought hang on, why not share it and maybe help a few hobby fanatics along the way.

So here it is. The not so milky light box.

Step 1. Purchase a large milk container and drink the contents. I prefer to do this with something we Brits call Tea.
Once empty you should have one of these.

Technical eh...
Brace yourselves it only gets worse.

Step 2, remove the lid, then find a point about half way up (in this case there is a nifty little 'indent' all the way around for me to follow). Make a small hole, then use scissors to cut the carton in half. Like so

Rocket science this one eh!
Step 3- line the base and back with some white card, i use blue tack to hold it in place.
Something like this.

Step 4 -  Position lights close to the sides of the box, i use 2 angle necked lamps to light up my light box. The plastic acts to diffuse the light and even it out.

Step 5 -  enjoy the fruits of your labour. This small box is useful for small miniatures only, maybe a 6 pint carton would work well for slightly larger models. Bigger than that, is still a quest I'm on...though i do have an idea....

Oh btw, unless you want a funny smell and a visit to the dog house courtesy of your parents/other half....i would suggest washing the carton out multiple times before letting the lamps cook it.!!!

Just for the sake of comparison.

Normal not light box set up pic

And light box pic

I hope this helps some of you out there.

Kingdom of Brittannia Battlegroup wip

So a quick update for the weekend.

I got started on the Dystopian wars models (yay me).

I must admit that the models although small, are fantastically detailed. Even the little frigates which are tiny have a fantastic amount on them.
I can however see my sanity as well as my eyesight going before i finish lol. So to try and prevent this i stepped back and tried using a heavy amount of inking and drybrushing to bring out the detail and prevent me going cross eyed.

Here's a couple of (admittedly very poor) pics from last nights progress.

They are very much work in progress, but its a start and i hope to finish them as the week goes on (far too many work shifts this week booo)

I was asked about my technique for them thus far. Which i described on the relevant post, but will happily share here.


The red and Wood are both really really simple.

The red
Base coat of Khorne red. You could paint this on, i use an airbrush for speed.
Heavy ink wash of Nuln Oil and allow to dry
Moderate drybrush of Khorne Red, focusing a little heavier the lower down the hull you get.
Final very light drybrush of Wazzdakka Red to pick out the rivets and raised areas, also used on the front and back edges where the port and starboard hulls meet

For the wood, it's a technique i stole of my fiancee Carol.
Base coat with Averland Sunset, usually takes a couple of coats as you want an even colour.
Very heavy ink wash of Seraphim Sepia and leave to dry.

A final note would be that all those paints are from the newer GW range. Like myself a lot of you out there probably still use the older stuff too. So i dug the conversion chart up as i know not everyone would have it easily available.

Enjoy your week all, i hope to post some more updates as the week goes on, if time allows. But seeing as it's Monday, remember the weekends already a day close than it was yesterday