Salamander Update - Another Deathwatch Vet

A small article for a small update.  Some of you may remember the Sternguard Veteran I began work on earlier this year.  Work unfortunately was halted however mere inches from the finish line after I discovered I was woefully short a Deathwatch Shoulder pad.  Ever the optimist, I decided to wait until I'd purchased another set before getting the miniature finished.  Fast forward a month or two and he'd still not been completed, nor had the conversion pack been purchased.  So I did what anyone else would have done in my position....

Salamander Update - Sternguard WIP

Since I last wrote about my painting progress, my latest addition to my Sternguard was as you see above.  Since then, he's progressed in leaps and bounds to the point where I can do no more for him until I can secure more Deathwatch shoulderpads.  While this is unfortunate, the remaining element will take little effort to paint once I have made the purchase and received the conversion pack.

Salamander Update - WIP Sternguard

As part of my desire to get my first demi-squad of Sternguard completed, I spent this week making slow progress on the fourth member of the squad.  The sad part is, that the legs and torso were already painted when I started. Delving into my small collection of 'Heresy-era' resin armour pieces, I cleaned up and painted the arms before attaching them to the already painted torso.  In keeping with my idea for the design of the squad, I've armed the fellow with a combi-plasma.

While my level of progress isn't as I'd like it to be, I'm happy with the quality of my work thus far. I've run into a small issue insofar as I've run out of Deathwatch shoulder pads.  Hopefully this will only prove to be a temporary setback, as GW kindly continues to stock the upgrade kit I need to continue building Deathwatch Vets.  Until the kit arrives, I'll just continue to paint the marine as normal.

Catch you all later.

Trev

Salamander Update - Sternguard Edition

It's been a while since I last wrote about these guys.  Since last time, I've spent a good bit of time working on two new members that will make up the first demi-squad of Sternguard for my Salamander army.  The first of these is a standard marine armed with a bolter.  Nothing special and yet I feel he stands out nonetheless.  Perhaps it's the silver arm that does it.  For me, there's something about the fairly standard 'I'm-going-to-gun-you-down' pose that's particularly fitting for these guys.  This model also uses Forgeworld MK V 'Heresy' pattern armour on the arms and backpack, as it matches the plastic chest piece that comes with the standard plastic boxed set.

The next fellow has been recently completed and continues the use of combi-weapons to enhance the fire-power available to the squad as a whole.  With this guy finished, my merry band of veterans have swollen to a hefty three members.  Hopefully over the next week or so I'll be inspired to paint the next two veterans needed to complete the demi-squad.  Another combi-weapon and a Sergeant will be perfect additions I think.  Now to get them built and painted.

With this guys finished, the updated stats are as follows:

Miniatures Purchased: 8
Miniatures Painted: 41
Points of Painted Salamanders: 495 pts

Catch you all later

Trev

Salamander Update - Sternguard

This week has been a relatively unpleasant one for me having contracted the flu from a gaming friend late last week (I will leave the topic of being 'Fit for Gaming' for another time).  As a result of this disease, I've been unable to make much progress towards getting any of my projects completed.  It's times like these that I'm thankful I'm not as punctual with my updates as I could be, otherwise I wouldn't have anything to show you today.

With my Deathwatch Marines making the transition to the Space Wolf Codex, I've taken this opportunity to begin developing a replacement unit for use in my army as 'Sternguard Veterans'.  What I've opted for is a unit made up entirely of Deathwatch veterans that have returned to their home Chapter to continue their service to the Emperor.  In accordance with their return, they repaint their armour Green, however the left arm remains silver as they continue to wear the Deathwatch shoulder-pad as an on going sign of their past service.

With the first fellow completed and the second one well on the way, I'm quite happy with the interaction between the green and the silver. The red weapon also creates a point of interest that will grab your attention while looking at the unit as a whole.  Below is a series of pics of the second WIP squad member.

Miniatures Painted: 35
Points of Painted Salamanders: 275 pts

Catch you all later

Trev

Deathwatch Update - Of Grey Hunters and Wolf Guard

Recently (and by recently I mean over the past few weeks) I've been working hard to make progress on a number of hobby projects I've currently got on the go.  Amidst all the chaos of terrain projects, fantasy armies and my newly revived Salamanders, steady progress has been made on my Deathwatch.

While I'm yet to decide just how I want to build the army, the models are proving too irresistible and I've succumbed to their siren song.  As a result, I've managed to complete another Marine armed with a bolter and close combat weapon.   Hailing from a custom chapter that was created by a friend of mine (the name of said chapter currently eludes me like the winning numbers of a lottery draw), he has been chosen to don the black and has done so without a second thought.  Completed, he joins the ranks of my budding force (which shouldn't grow to anything over 1500 points - a perfect size for an allied faction for the new edition).  With a full unit of 5 now completed, I'm thinking it's time to add a bit of punch to the force in the form of a special weapon (or two).  

With this fellow painted, I'm going to move back to the Salamander Veteran I've been working on in the hopes of getting his paint job done in short order.  While he's not yet complete, I've included a teaser pic of his shoulder pad below.

Catch you all later

Trev

Miniatures Painted: 33

Community Update – Blog Spotlight

One of the greatest things about this hobby is the global community that comes with it.  Verily it could be said that for the most part, the wargaming community could be used as a model to facilitate world peace.  I know of very few other hobbies that actively encourage players to interact with one another to the scale that we wargamers do – using the marvels of technology to transcend borders and linguistical barriers in the name of having a good time with a bunch of mates.  One of my favourite ways of interacting with the global community is through the many blogs that numerous wargamers have created to highlight not only their hobby, but also the hobbies of others in their local community. 

In the spirit of promoting this fellowship, I wanted to take some time to highlight a couple of blogs (both Aussie and Global) that I always enjoy visiting and encourage you all to spend some time visiting them too.

Project Circle – Run by a good friend of mine, Mark’s blog chronicles his escapades across a swathe of gaming systems. A decent painter as well as an inventive converter and terrain maker, Mark’s blog is one of the first places I visit when I’m looking to try something new (which is usually code for blatantly stealing an established idea of his and using it in my army).


Red Scar Gaming Blog – A relative newcomer to the world of Blogging, Antman is a person of grand imagination and is someone who is not afraid of bringing his imaginings to life. His recent work on a Daemon Prince has been well received by the local gaming community, in particular, his impressive use of ash effects. While his blog only contains a couple of entries so far, I’m eagerly awaiting every new article, wondering what insight his latest writings will bring.

Brovitar’s Blog – An exceptional painter and modeller, Brovitar’s work is a constant source of inspiration for whatever 40K project I’m working on at the time. His painting style is quite distinctive, making every project unique while still remaining true to the context of the universe in which the model exists. His latest project with the Salamander Space Marines is a shining example of this.

Terrain Wench – Incredibly gifted, Terrain Wench’s projects continually raise the bar in excellence when it comes to adding character to your battlefields. Her constant attention to detail and inspiring use of lighting effects makes her works a triumvirate of wonder, inspiration and a dash of intimidation. Keep a lookout for the various ‘How-to’ videos that appear from time to time as they are immensely helpful for terrain makers of all experience levels.

Dice and Brush – A wonderfully well-rounded blog that not only includes inspirational painting progress, but also includes a regular review of the latest White Dwarf magazine. An accomplished painter, Space Cowboy is constantly producing impressive additions to both his Empire and his Chaos Armies, leaving me in constant fear of being so inspired that I find myself starting an Ostermark army of my own. Truth be told, an Ostermark Army would be a fine companion piece to my Chaos forces considering their background and the presence of Ostermark prisoners as unit fillers.

Before I go however, I cannot leave without providing you with a WIP of my latest project – a Salamander Deathwatch veteran. 

Catch you all later

Trev

Army Revelation: Why my Salamanders are no longer Space Wolves

Recently I've been questioning my decision to use my Salamander as a ‘counts-as’ Space Wolves. I'm not sure if it’s the fluff side of my shining through or if I'm just getting tired of being associated with ‘those people’. You all know the one or two of them, those who have a generic Space Marine army that jumps from Codex to Codex, capitalising on whatever the new hotness is at any given time. I'm not saying that there’s anything wrong with that from a legal standpoint, but it does seem to be a little unethical at times. It wasn't until I started preparing for a Kill-Team Tournament that Mark from Project Circle was organising (despite my keen desire to play, it was one I didn't get to attend), that I came to the realisation that I could no longer use my Salamanders as Space Wolves.

It’s true what they say that when one door closes, you notice the window that is slightly ajar. Upon coming to this realisation, I remembered the 30-odd Deathwatch Marines that are currently assembled and undercoated and sitting on one of my ‘To-Do’ shelves. These were built for the previous Space Marine Codex, the one that used the Trait System that allowed you to customise your Space Marine Chapter (a grand idea if you ask me), using the trait that gave all my Marines True Grit (back when that existed too). Since then they've been sitting on my shelf, gathering dust and remaining a very uninspiring Black (ironic really since the colour of their armour really isn't going to change much). I've decided that these guys are the perfect way for me to field a Space Wolves army without actually having to buy yet more marines. So without further ado, I give you... my Death-Wolves!!!!

Unfortunately the pic above is a little anti-climatic, considering the vast majority of them are still WIP. But on the upside, it does give me a brand new army to work on for the arrival of 6th Edition. Considering their highly customised load-out and the large concentration of Power Weapons within the 30-odd Marines, I'm considering a Logan-Wing build as a means of representing their 'Elite of the Elite' status which is fitting for the army. With that, I’m off to paint some more Deathwatch!


Catch you all later



Trev

Mini’s and Modelling Desks – This Month in Review

As a counter-part to the smaller articles that I’ve been publishing lately (not as many as I’d hoped, but some nonetheless), I’ve decided to run a monthly review as a means of bringing together all the progress that’s been made during the month.  While longer than the other articles that will be posted during the month, it won’t be a repeat of the articles that have come before it.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to provide some additional thoughts / experiences I’ve come across between the original articles and the monthly review.  Anyway, with the prelude out of the way, let’s dive right in. 

For the most part, September has been a pretty slow month for hobby-related projects.  With the release of Space Marine in early September and Gears of War 3 shortly after, I’ve spent a good chunk of time in front of my 360 rather than painting.  Understandably this has meant that I’m a little behind on some of the goals that I set for myself this month but no matter, it will all get done eventually.  Playing Space Marine has however, rekindled my love for 40K; prompting me to finish off some of the older projects I’ve had on the books for some time now (which is always good).  Ever since the 4^th Edition Space Marine Codex came out that allowed you to create your own Space Marine Chapter, I’ve had approximately 30-odd Deathwatch Marines sitting on my display shelf undercoated and waiting to be painted.  As this may represent a significant portion of the entire Ordo Xenos’ warrior elite, it has come to my attention that the Imperium of Man may be better served if these noble warriors were out there blowing apart alien scum rather than on my painting desk waiting to have the Chrome Detailing finished on their armour. 

To this end, I’ve been working on expanding the small unit that I started painting a couple of years back; boosting their numbers to a strength that will make them a viable choice on the battlefield.  Originally the unit consisted of a Librarian and four battle brothers, all hailing from a different Chapter (including the Legion of the Damned and the Relictors), however I’m hoping to expand on this number, building up the force as a whole while also adding a couple of battle-brothers that have left the service of the Ordo Xenos and rejoined the Salamanders Chapter.  

On the Warhammer Fantasy frontier, my Khorne Warriors continue to come together as a unit, the Bronze Spray proving to be possibly the greatest painting advantage I have in my arsenal.  Unfortunately my interest in painting rank and file infantry is waning; like the desert Sheik of ages past who is losing interest is his latest concubine.  However like the Sheik’s supply of women, my interests are many and it should take little effort to find another favourite housed within my expansive hobby-harem.  Still until that interest has disappeared completely, I’ve managed to paint a couple of warriors between posts.  My total Chaos Warrior painting effort is included below.

I’ve been painting Marauders as well, using the GW base-coating brush to great effect.  Thus far I’ve managed to get all the base colours for the skin and leggings done for all my undercoated Marauders bar my unit filler which remains black for now.  Like the warriors, I’m struggling to get these guys finished as they’re just not grabbing my interest in any major way.  Hopefully it’s only a temporary problem and will pass in short order as I’m not keen on dragging out this unit.  No doubt I’ll force myself to paint them just so they’re done within the next month or so. 

The final item I’ve been working on for my Chaos Army is a new unit of Nurgle Warriors.  This was a unit that I’ve been toying with for a long time now, trying to decide how I wanted to build it while also struggling to make the unit competitive.  I’ve had my eye on a particular combination of magical items for a long time now and never had the opportunity to try it out. Midway through the month however, my gaming group held a 5000pt team game (2500 a player) which meant that I was able to give the unit a run.  For the most part, the Nurgle unit played only a small part in the battle, copping abuse from the Dwarven Grudge Throwers for a good portion of the game.  While the Mark of Nurgle (MoN) seems to do well when it comes to ballistic skill-based shooting, against war machines their 30 point mark means nothing.  That said I really like the magical items connected with the unit as I’m able to force toughness tests for everyone within base-to-base contact with both my Exalted Hero and the standard bearer of the unit.  Equipped with shields and Halberds, they seem to be capable of dealing a decent amount of damage to the enemies they get a hold of.

With the unit a success, all I need to do is build it.  I’m not a big fan of the bloated pustulous look that GW embraces for the stereotypical Nurgle worshipper.  Instead I’ve decided to build them as I normally would using Warrior and Marauder parts but paint them in such a way as to give a more tarnished / sickly look that will be applied to the skin and armour of the warriors.  With the look of the unit firmly fixed in my mind, I quickly got stuck in and built a couple of test models, using the Bestigor  After building 5, let it be said, that while not impossible, attempting to manipulate a kit without first knowing what the heck you’re up to really makes things difficult.  Out of the 5 built, I’m sure all but 1 will require some GS work to fill in gaps that have appeared between the arms and torsos.  Depending on how well these guys go, I may use the same theory when building my unit of Khorne Warriors with Halberds.

And that’s this month’s hobby progress!  With all the progress I’ve been making this month, it’s hard not to be encouraged to greater effort over the next month.  Perhaps I shall spend some time getting my Legion of Everblight painted.  If I’m honest, there’s not that much there to paint.  The minor warbeasts are to paint and the most effort will come from painting the Blighted Archers, ensuring I can get their armour and clothing right.  You can be sure I’ll let you know how I go.  But until then, here are my updated gaming stats:

Number of Warhammer Fantasy Units Completed: 6

Number of Warhammer 40K Units completed: 9

Number of Hordes Units Completed: 1

Number of Points painted this fortnight:  244. 

Catch you all later

Trev

40K Update: First among equals – the Deathwatch have arrived!

So I thought I'd try something different in the way I format and post my Blog posts.  Rather than have one giant article, I thought I'd break then up into smaller articles with more photos so that's there's not as much commentary to wade through.  Let me know what you think about this new layout.

Anyhow, while working on terrain for my 40K board, I’ve succumbed to the siren song of Emperor’s finest and completed a couple of models that have been demanding my attention for some time now.  The first of these was my Salamander Chaplain who was introduced to this Blog during one of my initial posts.  Having him completed is both rewarding and frustrating.  Rewarding because I now have an exceptionally painted Chaplain model to use in my games and frustrating considering all that was left to do was the cluster of purity seals on the rear of his power-pack. 

In addition to this, I’ve been able to finish two of my Deathwatch Marines that I’ve had on my painting desk for quite a while now.  I’ve always loved the look and feel of the Deathwatch – the best of the best, all receiving elite training that will turn them into the greatest Alien-hunters in the Imperium of Man.  The fact that many chapters have had members trained in the Deathwatch means that I can indulge myself and paint a range of Chapter colours without being stuck with an army that is disjointed and hap-hazard.  The Sternguard from the standard Space Marine codex is the perfect unit to use as a basis for including my Deathwatch in games, giving me a powerful, yet very thematic feel to my games.  Of latest two that have been completed, one is from the Legion of the Damned (a very unfluffy choice I know), while the second is from a friend’s Custom Space Marine Chapter based around the Iron Hands.  These two will join my other 5 painted Deathwatch Marines who have been included in Photos below.  As always, any comments or criticisms are encouraged.