30K terminators and a dollop of Dystopian Legions

I put these terminators together in Aug 2015 and they have been languishing in a foam tray ever since. They represent the start of another push at getting more 30K stuff done and some games played. I love the setting but we’ve given it a woeful amount of time especially in light of the number and quantity of forces we have.

These were put together from Scibor bodies, Anvil heads and shoulder pads and GW terminator arms. I liked the chunkiness of the Scibor bodies and thought they looked good as prototype Terminator armour.

I’ve done heavy battle damage and wear on all my previous 30K stuff so these took a similar pounding from the sponges to distress them. I like the look of it on the power fist knuckles. Looks like they been smacking the crap out of stuff!

I’ve also been getting all of the DL stuff undercoated and it all stands ready now. Sadly they weren’t paying attention and the GoGX Sylvaneth army slipped into the queue in front of them. I still do intend to get them to the table this year.

The termies have helped my Net tally but the recent Sylvaneth haven't. Figures for the year are now:

Purchased: +85

Painted:      -48

Net:            +37

I'll need to concentrate on the Sylvaneth over the next few months to ensure that they are done to deadlines however I am still determined to get the bulk of my unpainted 30K stuff finished and make good inroads into the DL & PC stuff.

TTFN.

Areonef Marking part Deux

Adding the extra little detail markings to the US Nefs has spurred me onto doing the Brit ones as well. I'd always thought they were lacking but had struggled to be inspired with ideas for what I could add. Whilst searching for the US ones I saw World War One aircraft markings and that is where I drew the inspiration for the tail details for theirs.

So I started in the same place for the Brit ones and wasn't disappointed. So using the tracing paper approach I ended up putting roundels and identity letters onto all three British Nefs. The tail colours have ended up being quite 'tricolour' but hey it still looks a load better than the plain colours in my opinion.

I also added the funnel colours which make a big difference.

This is another three finished this year so:

Purchased: +20
Painted: -20

Net: 0

Thankfully I'm not anticipating buying much else other than the next two Nef when they are finished so getting some more done should put me well into a net negative number. It would be nice to get to -365 but this might be a tall order depending on the occasional bouts of weakness that result in naughty internet purchases.

We shall see.

TTFN

3 More!

Totals up to 341!

This also means that the VSF project now involves paint as these are the first items for the game to be painted. I need to have a snoop around for some embellishments like decals but they are basically finished now apart from the bases.

Oxford Class Skyship.

Aether launches

Perhaps a little drab but that will change when the Scarlet Jackets of the Queens finest are on board!!

I tried, when designing them, to allow for as much deck space as possible. I've got a romantic notion of boarding actions and such nonsense when we finally get round to playing.

Looking over the figures for this, most are prepped but a handful still need filing and sticking together. I will confess to not being hugely excited about the prospect as going back to metal figures after sooo many plastic and resin ones is somewhat onerous. They're a real pain to prep!

TTFN

Letting myself get distracted.

With only a few weeks to go for the painting deadline I should have my nose to the grind stone getting the last figures painted for myself impose challenge. 60 still to do so what do I do?

Something else completely different of course!

Being so close to the finish line my mind has wandered off into 2018 with a view to setting some goals for next year. Yes yes I know I haven’t finished this year but it’s just how my mind works!

Sat around my study over the last few years has been the collection of Dystopian Legions (DL) stuff that I purchased ooooh sooo long ago. I’ve always been interested in the Victorian Sci-Fi but never really got to have a crack at it gaming wise. I even had a copy of Space 1889 but never played. That desire is what lead to all the purchases of DL and also the 6mm Dystopian Wars (DW) stuff. It had been niggling at me that nothing had come of these so I became resolved to do something about it. Well that was over a year ago and still nothing happened. Well apart from Junt and I conning Urn to buy loads of stuff for it as well. 

We had come to a consensus that it would be fun to take DL to Mars. I suspect that this may have been driven by me but I will deny it if so accused. However that notion stuck, germinated and started to grow. First it stemmed into the idea of a couple of funky Aeronef flyers to supplement the land forces we already had and then, like so many of the notions in my head, it got out of hand.

Long story short …..Aeronef started getting designed. Then I balked at scratch-building all these ideas. Then it occurred to me that they might be good in MDF. Looking around there are a few people making Aeronef but they weren’t what I was looking for or were too big. So I resolved to contact a manufacturer to see if some could be made. I had to good fortune to choose Blotz as my first port of call and I am very pleased that I did. Since the early contact the idea was well received and handled in a stress-less manner. So in just a short time the first two designs from the project have gone from concept sketches to scale drawings and onto being finished things. I have to say it has been fun! Slightly surreal getting your own design through the post as a kit to put together but fun none the less!

The first two were the Kingdom of Britainnia ones primarily because they were the simplest designs on which I could get some idea of how to proceed with the drawings that Blotz would need. I will admit to being quite pleased with how they have turned out.

A Patrol boat for HM’s forces…..

…..and a light launch to ferry troops around.

As this had come from the DL perspective I’d intended the large ones to be ‘sky tanks’ and the smaller ones to be ‘Sky APCs’. I suspect however that the DL rules will be thrown out of the window, due to them being poorly received, and a new rule set will be found which will give the Aeronef a life of their own.

Given that we have five DL factions between the three of us that have DL, then ten designs are required in total. The first two are finished, the next is now with Blotz and the fourth will be pinged over shortly. I’ve been scribbling away on new design ideas trying to make each new one markedly different from the others which is a fun challenge.

I keep having to rein myself in with the practical limitations of size. I doubt the Long Haired General at home really wants a house full of massive sky ships. Shame. I’d love it. ;-)

If you like them then head over to Blotz where they are available to buy or keep an eye out for the new ones in future.

TTFN

He looks a bit Goofy at the moment...

...but this bad boy is destined to become a DREAD SAURIAN!!!

Quake in fear!

Yeah. Looks a bit dum at this stage but there'll be modelling clay round the horns to merge them into the body and some extra armour plates. I'll be adding some harness straps to hang Seraphon-esque adornments from. Quietly hopeful on this one.

The Seraphon painting pile is also enjoying progress and the big infantry mob got their yellow wash last night. Now its the long task of picking out all the spears, jewelry, shields & claws etc etc. I really want to smash this job and have the lion share done before Xmas.

Lunchtime work is also coming along as I continue to prep other stuff for the 365 challenge. Firstly more Dystopian Legions.

A Kingdom of Britainnia Tank....

...and a Prussian Zappy Killy artillery thingy.

I nailed the last two Pulp City figures and also knocked together the free White Dwarf Gorechosen figure. Great game. Ask the Silverfox. He lost his head over it! Twice!  ;-)

TTFN

0 : 6/359

And so it begins

Junt, Urn and I have been egging each other on quite a lot this year and the result seems to have manifested in to a challenge.

What challenge? To paint 365 figures in a year. This obviously equates to one a day which seems daunting but casting my eye back over the last year I seem to have painted well over 200+ items and that includes big scenery pieces that have taken more than a week for each one. I’ve also prepped and made lots of figures and scenery. Given that I often batch paint big groups of figures the target of 365 seems less scary.

A year dedicated to clearing some of the backlog of figures? Yeah I’m up for that.

Junt also mentioned that we should try and maintain momentum with the gaming itself and suggested 52 games in a year. Given how easily life distracts us from fun things, I think this is going to be HARD but hey…..I’m up for that challenge as well!

The 365 figures that I’m hoping to get done include:

40+        40K Eldar

140+      30K Marines, Mechanicum & Solar Auxilia

20+        Pulp City heroes and civilians

80+        Dystopian Wars for both the KoB and PE

70+        Seraphon

50+        Dystopian Legion for both KoB and PE

150+      Massive Darkness figures yet to arrive from a Kickstarter.

Okay, that actually total in excess of 550 figures which will be something of a reach to achieve but that’s the reason for the challenge. Soooooo many figures waiting to be painted. I wish it were all that is sat unpainted in my study. Gotta start somewhere I suspose!

I was planning to start on January 1^st but I need to get cracking on the Seraphon for February and as such I’ve started the challenge already. 11^th December 2016 is the day of commencement and by this time next year I want to have completed at least 365 figures from the list above. We shall see.

The GoGs are heading for Nottingham on 10/02/17 and I need to have an army ready. I have the BFG’s seraphon on loan under the condition that I paint it and this is a convenient starting point. I’ve got 2 months to paint 70+ figures and I’ll be happy to get 30+ figures done per month as it’ll show me how difficult it is to keep on track.

Now the Seraphon should be a quick paint….

  

…but as usual I find a way to complicate the process. I’ve gone for a wash effect for the main colour scheme but I wanted to have their armour plates in a different colour but also tonally similar to the main colour. This means adding a base colour to parts of the model prior to the quick wash. Probably doesn’t actually take much longer but just feels like it when you’re trying to do 37 in one batch! Probably will only take one more evening to finish the first stage and then onto applying the wash.

Only one thing left to say.

0 finished in 3/362 days

Gulp!

TTFN

After a week away...

...I finally got the chance to finish the first of my DW KoB land forces.

I've quite enjoyed painting these but it is nice to have finished them. Time for a break from DW as I switch my attention to getting The BFG's Seraphon ready for massed painting!

This is the first of three cavalry units. There are 3 units of saurus' as well as Kroxigor, skinks, big dinos and a Lord Kroak. Plenty to keep me busy for a while.

I also managed to get a warmill kit together ready for spraying thanks to Urn's donation of the sign for the roof.

TTFN!

Washes really are rather good aren't they!

I'm still plugging away at my DW KoB forces. I finished the tracks last night and managed to get some Badab Black wash on some of them. The effect it has is great.

It makes me wince sometimes seeing the pre-wash colours. They're sooooo gawdy!

One coat of wash and the metals are toned down, details picked out and crevices shaded. Its a long way from blobbing on Humbrol enamels which is how I started painting miniatures back in 19......no lets not dwell on how long its been.

So tonight I'll finish off the black wash and start on the bases.

  
Managed to get this fella together today. body and legs are pinned as are the arms. You can't see all of them but there are three spindly spines on its back which I nearly left off as i thought they'd be early casualties in the figures case. However.....I persevered and managed to pin all three despite them being only slightly big than the drill bit.

Given that infinity seems to have grabbed me and Urn I suspect that this fella might get a pass to the front of the painting queue.....along with some friends.

TTFN

How is it.....

...that the tiniest of tanks seem to take ages to paint?!?

Main colour going on to the KoB tanks now. These will probably need two coats but the coverage from the green isn't too bad. After the green the tracks will be steel colour then the whole lot gets a black wash which should tone down the brass, pick out the details on the green and give a nice finish on the tracks.

TTFN

Now for some ever so slightly better pictures.

The Infinitys guys got a lick of varnish and base trimming last night. Here are some slightly better photos but I am coming to the conclusion that I really must invest in a light box to get a better quality of piccie for the blog.

 Zhanshi follows the original colour scheme that I'd used apart from me adding a bit of white detailing on his torso armour. I also used a slightly lighter grey to paint the weapons, one which seems to show the gun details better after the addition of the army painter.

The two Domarus are mainly monchrome white and grey but there is colour is the underlayer.  

Like the Zhanshi, the celestial guard is pretty consistent with my previous limited pallet choices. I think this style of painting suits the infinity figures pretty well.

After those were done I cracked on with the KoB.

Gaudy aren't they! The main green colour will go on after the brass and then the steel for the tracks. Then they'll all be given an total wash of Nuln Oil to bring all the colours right down. Hopefully the brass will be subdued down to just being bright rather than the painful bling it currently has. The green seemed to take the Nuln Oil well on the test and the steel always comes out looking really nice under that wash.

Ever hungry to get more done......I finished construction of the pile'o'crates at work today. Weather permitting tomorrow, I might be able to get a spritz of paint on these in the car park during tomorrows lunch break.

TTFN

On to the next thing.

So PE DW land forces wave one are finished. Phew. I enjoyed painting them but staring at the same figures when batch painting does wear....a ....little thin after a couple of weeks.

So to provide a nice change I slapped some paint on a couple of, soon to be deployed, infinity troopers. A Celestial Guard, two Domarus and a Zhanshi. These, along with several I already have painted, will provide me with my first proper 100 point 2SWC list. Urn and I have flirted with Infinity but now it is time to get serious, engage fully with the rules and escalate the conflict!!!

I am really looking forward to this. It is a scenery heavy game which I really like and between Urn and I we have some really nice scenery to play on.

I'm sticking to the limited pallet that I used for my other Yu Jing so these shouldn't take that long to do. I hope.

I also got some reinforcements through for my DW KoB forces. The KoB were rather outnumbered by the PE so I decided to even the match at bit. Trimmed, bases textured and sprayed today in time to go home this evening. I'll be starting on them as soon as the infinity figures are done. More big batch painting but it'll be worth it to finally have the bulk of the DW forces done. After that I'll have to get some scenery knocked together.

I really do have a lot of toys.

:-D

TTFN

An inconsistent week but....

...I've still managed to make more progress on both the DL figure prep and the DW PE land forces.

Wave one of the DW PE are all but finished now. I only need to glue a couple of shrubs to the bases to break them up a bit and they will be totally done. the next challenge with these is to work out what to store them in?

I'm about half way through the DL figures but of the ones I have left there are a fair number that will need extra pinning work. Hopefully most of the standard infantry types will be prepped next week.

I fairly pleased with how these PE tanks have turned out. I'm glad I resisted the urge to try a camo scheme as they probably would have ended up looking to 'busy'. I'm not sure the choice of the grey for the electro bits on the sides worked out but I was hesitant to have more metallics on such a small figure.

  
I'm also quite pleased that i'd textured the tracks behind the tanks. A bit of Devlan Mud picked them out quite well without them being to obvious. Shame about the one that I'd managed to mess up by having the tracks come out of the front of the model. Doh!

 All in all this lot is about 1900 points which I suspect is more than enough basic forces. Still to add is wave 2 made up of artillery, massive robots and several Zeppalins.....oh and the ginormous land aircraft carrier.

I suspect however that I will do the basic KoB forces first to give me two fieldable forces.

What next? Well more DL at work during the lunchtimes and also a small amount of KoB DW stuff to bring them closer to being at a similar strength to the PE.

I might have a break from DW for a week and get a couple of Infinity figures done. Especially as it appears that I have another game scheduled for Thursday. :-D

TTFN

Starting to muster the troops

Another lunchtime and some more progress.

This time just some infantry.

I really should decide on a paint scheme for both forces. I think I'm pretty much going to stick to redcoats and blue trousers for the Brits but it is the Prussians that I keep changing my mind on.

Do I go with a very historical grey uniform or opt for something different? I saw a nice sandy desert style colour scheme that someone had posted on the Spartan forums and a few with dark green tunics that look good. Decisions decisions!

TTFN

Progress on all fronts

Despite my children's attempts to stop me getting anything done I still managed to get some more done on the first wave of my DW PE last night.

I gave them all a wash of Devlan Mud. I was hoping that it would pick out the detail a bit more and to some extent it has but it also added a touch more mottling than I would have hoped for. That aside I am still fairly pleased with how much of the detail has been retained on these models.

Just the basing to do on these and I'm not quite sure how to proceed with that as I normally do a black base highlighted up with browns for 28mm figures. Somehow I think that will be odd looking at this scale. I shall quiz the Spartan forums to see what others have done.

Also managed to get a couple more DL done at lunch today.

The pile is growing.....slowly.

TTFN

Trundling along.

Got some additional bits prepped for DL.

This time the KoB tankies and a specialist weapon for the PE.

Still loads to do but I have a sneaking suspicion that these might get bumped in favour of some Age of Sigmar stuff.

We shall see.

TTFN

Absolutely spiffing!

Managed to get another couple of figures popped together over the last few lunchtimes.

All the Dystopian Legions figures that I've tinkered with so far have all been really characterful. Colonel MacDonald is especially so!

He is great and I'm really looking forward to painting him.

Next up is the General Conveyor. A dinky little APC type thing for the KoB infantry. Nice simple model that goes together really easily. I might have to acquire some more in the future.

TTFN