Project Menoth update.

The dudes and I have jumped into War Machine/ Hordes with both feet! I have chosen to play Protectorate of Menoth. The zealous holy crusaders of the War Machine world.





              


Protectorate Reckoner Heavy Warjack.

So, my Protectorate force is as follows.

Warcaster: Kreoss

Vassal of Menoth Solo

Choir of Menoth

Knights Exemplar Unit

Exemplar Errant Unit

Exemplar Errant Unit Attatchment

Crusader Heavy Warjack

Redeemer Light Warjack

Revenger Light Warjack

Then I have 2 Heavy Warjack kits that I have magnetized (the pictured Jack is one of them...) so that they can be one of three Heavy Warjacks

The first kit can be: Crusader/Templar/Vanquisher

Next kit: Reckoner (pic)/Sanctifier/Castigator

So, I haven't posted a new blog in a VERY long time. For that I am sorry. There are a few reasons that I will quickly explain.

First, My last blog posts here were just hobby and gaming updates leading up to Blood in the Sun, which I was not able to attend. That was frankly heartbreaking. I was REALLY looking forward to going to that, and having that be not only my first WHFB tournament, but also the start of my regular attendance in the tournament scene around where I live in Southwest Michigan. I'm actually in a really good spot, not terribly close but within comfortable driving distance of Chicago, Detroit, and Indianapolis. However, Crohns disease has forced me to take a step back for the time being. My hope is that I will be able to make another go of it in the near future.

Second, as I mentioned above Crohns disease. Because of that I am back in college full time in an effort to retrain myself into a field where I can be successful even when I feel like absolute crap.  I just can't seem to get to where I feel up to putting the time and effort in to doing what it takes to be a tournament player. By that I mean the practice games, painting, and learning other armies and how to deal with possible lists I may see. That being said, the new treatment I am on seems to be working well, so here's hoping that sometime in the near future I will be able to expand to some tournament play.

I've had a couple friends ask me why I want to play in tournaments. Simple. I've been to a few Blood Bowl tournaments and played in some local 40k events, and I enjoy the competitive atmosphere. I like playing against good players, seeing really good looking models, and a day or weekend of gaming is just fun. I have always been a competitive person and Warhammer fantasy is my favorite game. So for me it seems natural. Take the game to the next level.

As far as gaming and this blog go, there are a few things I hope to talk about here going forward. One of them being that I have in my possession a couple forces I have acquired from friends and family.  One of them I now own outright, that is a High Elf force of about 1800 points. Basically I have an Island of Blood force, plus a Batallion box and the set that has the mounted Mage and the mage on foot, as well as the box that has the mounted hero as well as the hero on foot. So. I have all the characters I'll ever need. I'll just need to flesh out the units and paint them up. As a person who has always played evil armies, the thought of High Elves is actually pretty appealing.

The other force that I have here is made up primarily of my Brother JJ's stuff. About 7 or 8 years ago he had some disposable income and had the intention of learning the game and joining us. So, as GW does when they release a new book they had put an Army box together to coincide with the release of the Britonnian book. He bought that, but then moved to Florida where it sat in a closet. I was visiting over New Years and picked it up off of him with the understanding that it was still his, but I could play around with the models and get some games in. I have always wanted to paint up some Brets... I love the idea of the individual knights and the different heraldry. So, I also have those.

Going forward I'm hoping to blog at least weekly, if not more often. It will cover my hobby work, games of fantasy and 40k, also I'm playing some War Machine/Hordes. So I'll talk about my new Menoth force that I have sitting on my desk now waiting for paint and the games I'm playing there... I have some thoughts on GW that I want to get out and see what others think.

Thanks for taking the time to read, I'm looking forward to posting more soon!

Tim

Ogre Progression

Just a quick update:

Painting and modelling has been moving right along. Gaming has still taken a back seat as Jackie is working a lot of overtime.

This past weekend I did happen to make it to Battle Bunker in Downers Grove Il (Chicago for everyone who doesn't care about the 400, 000 burbs around that town) for Headbangers ball 2, a blood bowl tournament.

I took Norse, and loaded them up with Frenzy. My goal: KILL EVERYONE! Maybe win a game or two.

As luck was in my favor I took home the trophy for most casualties. I actually took the tournament champion right down to the wire. He had to score on his last turn to beat me 2-1. Next time your ass is mine, Extreme!

Jackie has been painting, and for a rookie doing very well in my opinion.

So, clearly unpainted... Whatever...Primed with Army Painter Barbarian Flesh Primer.Painted, washed, and slightly highlighted Ogre. No basing yet. We are waiting for Citidels new Texture pots to arrive so we can give them a try. We are going to use the light grey and drybrush white to give the model the look of walking across a light dusting of snow. Mountains of Mourn style, bitches.

Next time I'll have some pics of my lord on Disc, and maybe a battle report.

Coming out of hobby limbo

Its been a few since my last blog post. There is a reason for that... I haven't done anything. Sad I know. Lets recap though, if we can, the past month.

Jackie has started painting her Ogre Kingdom army. This is her first foray into painting and modelling and, though her work has taken most of her time, she has been fairly enthusiastic about what most folks consider a chore.

She used Barbarian flesh from Army painter as a basecoat. With her first Ogres it looks like she has basically painted and washed and the results are just fine. Honestly, her first models look FAR superior to my first attempt at painting.

I have done very little. I did finally get my Lord of Tzeench on disk and painted the disk. It turned out well, I layered Tin bits out to shining gold and the effect is nice. I apparently have finished the 'Remission' stage of Crohn's disease and am in full blown flair up again which just saps my energy. So, most of my last month has been work, doctors appointments, tests from doctors, and home with the kids. Honestly, I am getting a little worried about BiTS. Will I be ready in time? I hope so.

BIG NEWS!!!

Hell Cannon in Finecast! As anyone who has talked to me knows, this was a must for me. I did NOT want to assemble that metal mess. So, when I saw the release on GW's page I actually giggled like a school girl. A fat, hairy, old school girl. I must have soon!

Big news part 2!

I have obtained a completely painted Daemons of Chaos army. This lot includes:
1 Bloodthirster
1 Lord of Change
6 Bloodcrushers
90 Bloodletters
30 Pink Horrors
12 Flamers
3 Daemon Princes

All for less that $200. Yep... Fukken Uber!

Now, I need ideas for mounting them on round bases as opposed to the square ones they are on so I can use them in both WHFB and 40k. My thought is to buy some round movement bases I have found online. Also, I have seen pre-magnitized 25mm round bases from Galeforce nine. Anyone have any experience with these?

Peace folks, thanks for reading.

Is Painting overwealming?

Dear Reader,


Are you swamped with primed plastic minis? Do you have shelves filled with beautifully modeled minis just screaming for a drop of color? Do you break out in a cold sweat, and convulse of the floor at the very thought of washing and highlighting the mass of plastic sitting in your foam case? If this is, in fact, the situation then maybe I can help. Lets start by not getting our hopes too high. I think that would be better for everyone involved.

First. A word about where I stand. I own many Warhammer 40k and Fantasy Battle Armies. I currently own Necrons (Painted), Chaos Marines (Painted), Ultra Marines (Mostly Painted ~90%), and Orks (about half painted). On the Fantasy side I have Warriors of Chaos (They were painted 15 years ago, I'm currently replacing old models with new hotness), and Ogre Kingdoms (Jackie is painting... Someday). I have had an Orc and Goblin army which was fully painted and based when I sold it. I also had a Dark Elf army and Imperial Guard, both painted before I got rid of them.

My current policy is to never, NEVER sell an army. I wish this had been my policy forever as I would still have some sweet armies to play games. Oh well.

I have painted hundreds, maybe over a thousand models. I will never win a painting award. Will not happen. That being said, I think I'm fairly good. My models are shaded, highlighted, and based. I would say I'm high-middle tier at most events. Like I said, I wont ever win an award, but I like to think that my models add to a gaming table rather than take away from one. What I'm saying here is that anyone who has put the time into painting, basing, and building movement trays knows that it takes just a little away from the game when you're playing an army full of proxy pieces, black primer, and trays that don't fit.

If you happen to be 'That Guy' understand that it's your prerogative. It's your time, your money, and in the end your decision on what your happy putting on the board. Its a question motivation. If its important to us, we find a way to make it happen.

Now, a few tips to get you moving. First, and this is important: Models never unpaint themselves. I have 180 Ork Slugga Boyz, and 80 Ork Shoota Boyz. How did I get these painted? One at a time. Guess what? Eventually they get done. You just have to put the ass in the chair and the brush to the mini. Make it a point to paint SOMTHING everyday. I'll join you in this endeavor. I have a lot more to do with my Ork army, as well as Warriors of Chaos.

Next. If you're looking at a lot of unpainted minis, or about to begin collecting a new army... consider dipping. Most experienced painters will scoff at this, and in their defense a dipped mini wont hold up to a nicely painted mini at close inspection. However, a dipped army does not look inferior to a hand painted army at table level. Don't know about dipping? Watch here:

Now, this is using Army Painters Quickshade. I have in my possession Minwax Polyshades. It's about a third the cost of the Army Painter shade and its exactly the same stuff. Go to Lowes, Homedepot, or any local hardware that sells wood stain. Make sure that you get their dark stain, tudor, or walnut. You will also want a can of Testors Dull coat to remove the shine from the minis.

Another good way to trim some of the time out of painting minis and still get solid results. (We are doing this for Jackies Ogre Kingdoms project) Get yourself some Army Painter colored primer. In this case I firmly believe the Army Painter product is the way to go. For Ogre Kingdoms we got Barbarian flesh, and we are priming the entire model. Painting painting paints, boots, weapons, and hair... then using washes to add shading.

Now while you're painting you may want to enjoy a few podcasts dedicated to the hobby. A few of my personal favorites are Garagehammer, Ohio Hammer, and The Painting Tabled. The last one, you guessed it, deals very directly with the subject at hand.

Whats this? You suck at painting so you just don't do it? Well, in this case you will always suck. Frankly painting is indeed something that some people are just really good at doing, while the rest of us have had to practice. Like I said earlier, its all about putting the ass in the seat. Most everyone sucks at first, and if you never do it, you wont ever get better.

Now, go get yourself a good set of brushes. Again I'll point you to Army Painter. They have a 3 pack of very good brushes for about $16. A fine detail, 'Standard', and drybrush. Citidel also makes good brushes. Just make sure that your brush comes to a point. No matter what size it is it should come to a nice point.

I tend to use Citidel paints, as these are just the paints I have always used. I understand that Reaper paints are very good. I know that they come in a dropper which I find interesting. I actually am thinking of picking up a set here in the next few months and trying them out.

Alright, in closing. Just do us all a favor and paint your stupid miniatures. Don't hire it out. Don't slack off... you spend a lot of money on these things, paint them! Do us all a favor already!