30 Dec 2013

Spirits be praised

Remember my target by end of 1st Jan? Well reached it today. Very happy indeed with the progress so far.

This means I can now try to get the Fire Prism and Crimson (Purple) Hunter completed in their 3 colour basics by end 1st Jan. If I can do that then I can spend a bit more time on the Spiritseer who is demanding non-speed painting as he's in charge...


So what have I achieved so far then? Well see the picture above.



All these models now have 3 colours so could go on to a battlefield near you. They need some tidying up, especially the Wave Serpents around the cockpits, but they are basically ready to go. If time is short then I'll just add some grey basing (same style as my World Eaters) and go with the army as they are above.

Hopefully I can find some time to get the other blues and purples involved and get them highlighted up like the sole Wraithguard below:


So 2013 ends with a hobby bang; let's hope I can continue this once 2014 dawns and work re-enters the frame.

26 days to go

28 Dec 2013

Colouring in Eldar

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone.

The weather finally broke on Xmas Eve and out came the spray cans: everything turned a nice shade of Alien Purple courtesy of Army Painter. I'm pretty sure my face also went an interesting shade thanks to the wind...

Since then Christmas has interrupted and I even managed to take this army out for a spin on Boxing Day. Yesterday though was painting day and it took 4 attempts to get the colour scheme anywhere near something I like.

Here's the Wraithguard tester who has about 4 layers of paint on his gun before the blues you can see. Tell you I'm terrible at choosing schemes on the fly.

So yes he's purple and blue. Yellow just didn't want to work properly for me and as I'm speed painting I decided to go for colours I know work together... and I need to sort the cable out.

The body is Alien Purple with highlights of Genestealer Purple and Lucius Lilac (first time trying Citadel Dry paint and it's really rather good). The blues are Caledor Sky, Teclis Blue and then Lothern Blue.

At the minute the score is:
1 Wraithguard to be based
4 Wraithguard to be highlighted
5 Wraithguard to be blued
1 Wave Serpent to be blued
Spiritseer undercoated
Everything else at Alien Purple stage
2 Vypers to be delivered

Aim is to complete the Wraithguard, Wave Serpents and Wraithlord by end of Jan 1. Then I'm back to work so time will become a challenge again!

27 days to go


23 Dec 2013

Rollin, rollin, erm, skimmin, skimmin, skimmin...

Well something quite momentous has occurred. On Saturday I picked up some pieces for my new Eldar army - Wave Serpents, Fire Prism and Wraithlord. As of today the 3 skimmers are built and ready for painting!

I know. Wargame items being purchased and built in the same weekend; I believe Armageddon is next week... poor old shelves didn't even see these boxes and several words were exchanged between these new upstarts and various items that have been sat on said shelves for years.

Anyway, here they are. Have to say the Fire Prism cannon is a monster!

As with the flyer I've decided to stick the canopy down ahead of time so I can paint over it; afterall what self-respecting Ghost army actually uses pilots??

One final question: how the hell do 5 Wraithguard and a Spiritseer fit in the back of a Wave Serpent?!

33 days to go.

20 Dec 2013

I make whooshing noises...

When this bad boy flies





Decided to cheat with the canopy and fix it in place ahead of painting. This way I can save time by not painting the cockpit and pilot.

A fighter plane in the 41st millenium really won't need windows right? Probably use iOS to prevent crashes...

Ahem.

Now to design the base diorama or bits strewn about as we like to call it. Hope some decently dry weather appears over Christmas so I can get this lot sprayed!

37 days to go

19 Dec 2013

Velc-Jenn go Airfix

Well OK not quite Airfix but building the Eldar Flyer took me back to my youth (yes, they did have model airplanes then and no I didn't have to hunt down dinosaurs for glue).

Nice looking model this Crimson Hunter and has gone together very nicely so far.





Oh and the Wraithguard have now been completed.

Finish off the plane tomorrow and then decide what diorama to build for its base as I have a few spare parts floating about...

38 Days to go

18 Dec 2013

Velc-Jenn Challenge Day 2

Second Wraithguard squad nearly complete. Just need to add the arms and head. Will do this tomorrow night as need the glue between torso and legs to dry first... otherwise it starts swiveling when putting the arms in place!

Not a bad effort as I didn't get to the hobby table until 10:30pm tonight.





Tomorrow I'll finish this squad and start in on building the Crimson Hunter.

After that it's a trip to Triple Helix on Saturday to pick up any of my order that has arrived including some purple spray. I'm thinking purple and yellow as their main colours and then maybe a touch of blue, black and something else for any jewels. No doubt that will change as time progresses...

39 Days to go.

17 Dec 2013

Trees!

'Citing ain't it!

Bravo to the Silverfox for leading the charge by challenging himself. I on the other hand have been (slightly) productive. The Silverback sourced some great little trees that are perfect for DZC and seeing he acquired them it was the least I could do to prep them ready for use. I decide to mount them on to strips for ease of use and they should look pretty good lining the road ways of our city board.



I've also been slightly distracted painting some beasties for some old RPG friends of mine. Nice figs to paint as a change from the normal things that linger in my painting queue.

Next up are the reinforcements for my Shaltari.

Velc-Jenn Craftworld appears from the darkness of space

Not sure it needs saying but I'm a nutter.

You'll have noted, possibly, my lack of posting and truth to tell I've not done any hobby stuff for at least 6 weeks possibly longer. Massive hobby slump right now.

I have completed a whole host of PS3 games but that's not really helping to clear the shelves now is it??

Now I'm someone who builds and paints to a deadline. If I set myself a target I find I get motivated and can crack on. In the past this has come from attending tournaments but as they've become less I've kind of dropped off the painting radar...

Until now. Sat on my shelves are parts of a new Eldar army: I've always had a hankering to do an Iyanden Ghost Warriors army and now I needed a target date. What better than a 1250 tournament at the end of January 2014 I hear you ask? What indeed.

So that's my target. A brand new 1250 point Eldar army by the 26 Jan 2014. Now that's a challenge and at least I know what I'll be doing over Christmas! All I need to do now is work out a colour scheme, buy some bits, build it, paint it and learn what the rules are. Easy right?

My army list as it stands (designed to keep the model count down)
Spiritseer
5 Wraithguard + Wave Serpent
5 Wraithguard + Wave Serpent
2 Vypers
Crimson Hunter
Wraithlord
Fire Prism

Here are some of the boxes on Sunday (Day 0):


And here's what I have built as of end Day 1 of the challenge:
 

So that's 1 squad and my HQ built. Don't get me started on the superglue + finecast excitement involved with the Spiritseer: if you look closely you'll see greenstuff acting as the holding material...

40 Days to go.

15 Nov 2013

Flames of war - airplane special

So, I bought these planes for FoW really quite early on in my playing days. I just never got around to painting them.  Perhaps it was the fact that there were three planes in the packs and I couldn't face it.  Perhaps it was the fact that they were notoriously bad at taking paint as apparently battlefront used a different resin for them to that they used for their tanks. Or perhaps it was my massive paint queue :)

Anyway, they live right at the top of my storage boxes and so always appeared when I played to shame me (I keep my other unpainted stuff as close to the bottom as I can to avoid this) so I decided to just get on with it as the new FoW rules mean you only need one plane to represent the flight on the tabletop.

So here they are, a Stuka, an HS-129B3 (with the MASSIVE GUN) and a shturmovik. Now I just need to resist the urge to tie invisible thread around them and hang them from my ceiling :)





5 Nov 2013

WWWWHHHHOOOOSSSSHHHH!

Yup! Finished another Eldar flyer.

I'm not especially happy with how the custom transfers came out as the decal melty stuff seems to have left bubbles and a touch of misting. Oh hum. The ones at the front on the red are the most obvious and they look okay so I'm not going to be too upset about it.

Just the base to do now!

For the Eldar I still have a unit of lovely Shadow Spectres (thanks guys!), a wraithseer, a wraightknight, a fire prism, and some guardians and some Dire Avengers to do. So quite a bit left to do then.


23 Oct 2013

Hoboxes....

...are finished!

Loving these kits. Dinky and fun to put together and paint. Well done Warmill!

TTFN.


21 Oct 2013

Eastern Front re-opened!

So, Nick and I decided to re-open the Eastern Front and so my Soviet soldiers stood ready to counter-attack the aggression of the invaders….. They were pretty much the same lists as last time we played as neither of us had done much to our armies. We also realised the last time we’d played was the final week pre-twins, so about 15 months ago!

So, my forces were going to be attacking 3 objectives and Nick’s elite FJ were going to defend 3 objectives and he got to remove one of them on the 6th, 7th and 8th turns, so I was going to have to get a move on to capture them.



Both our armies set up on the table and I sent a small platoon of 7 bases to sneak up the left flank to keep the defenders there honest and frankly everything else set up threatening the right flank. And then just steamed forward in a Warhammer type formation :) The wood is chock full of infantry and the armour are T-34/85s, SU-57s and SU-122s on the far side.

I did include air support this time and it either didn’t turn up each turn or only had 1 plane arrive – see the blue dice for proof!

Anyway, opposing the Soviet advance was a platoon of dug in FJ, 5 marders (horrible little things) and 4 P4s who appeared out of nowhere in ambush, but fortunately at long range given the Soviets swift advance forcing them back a little.

I couldn’t hit Nick’s forces due to the extra modifier from Hen & Chicks, so over to Nick in the shooting gallery…… which was utterly woeful as Nick’s brand spanking new dice deserted him. The upshot of 16 high calibre shots and an accurate mortar barrage was one wrecked SU-57 and 5 other chaps bailed out across the platoons (you can just see them standing behind their vehicles) as Nick couldn’t buy a Firepower test on 3+ to actually destroy anything….. The P4s, so stunned by their lack of success, failed their stormtrooper roll to get into hiding.

So, the brave Soviets shot back and the T-34s were outstanding – needing 5s to hit from 6 dice, they hit 5 times….. and passed all of their firepower tests on 3+ to add insult to injury. P4s all destroyed (mainly because they failed their Stormtrooper roll on the last turn). The Marders were taken down to the last vehicle, who then failed his morale check and ran for the hills. So, in the middle of turn 2, Nick had all of his armour destroyed and it looked grim….

My planes also decided to turn up and at least pinned the defending FJ platoon and my massive 25 stand infantry unit ran into the open and found themselves in assault range - Losing 5 out of 6 hit bases to defending fire wasn’t great though, but the asssult was on!

Only 3 bases made it close enough to attack and needing 4+ to kill, promptly rolled a 2, 2 & 3. Ah. Oops. The FJ counterattacked and got 7 (!) bases close enough to attack and only needed 3+ to kill bases. This could well embarrass the Soviets and ruin the attack…… but Nick promptly missed with 5 of the 7 attacks! The Soviets took heart and the swirling melee continued for a number of rounds (you keep having rounds until someone breaks off) and the upshot was only an HMG left to the FJ (who also lost their CiC in the melee) and the Soviets down to half strength. The Kommisar having to shoot one stand as an example to the rest of the platoon to make them hold their nerve in the middle of the fight.

As the dust settled, it appeared that my consolidation moves had accidentally claimed me the objective (the two teams in the distance hiding bravely behind the house) and Nick was unable to get anything close enough to the objective to contest it.

So, we got a game in, re-learnt some rules and Nick’s horrible turn of shooting followed by a great turn from my armour really put the FJ in a hole that they couldn’t getout of. Nick’s contempt for the Heer continues to grow as they let the FJ down yet again, the P4s in particular have always done poorly for Nick, so I think his idea of getting the FJ to crew his soon-to-arrive 88s is a good idea :)

Jump the queue.

I always try to have a clear pecking order when it comes to my painting queue but somethings are just too pretty to wait! Now everyone needs to wish the rain away so I can actually get outside to spray it!

Special thanks go out to the Silverback on this one. Ain't it a beaut!


11 Oct 2013

Mock not......the OCELOT!!

'Coz he doesn't like it!

I got a couple of re-enforcements at Colours and I've finally gotten round to knocking them together so they can take their turn in the painting queue. The dreaded but badly named Ocelot with its uber-gun and the much more intriguingly named Dreamsnare. Hmmmmm mysterious!

I also picked up some Hoboxes. Nope! Not a new skirmish game involving women with dubious pasts locked in hand to hand combat but in fact a set of dinky sci-fi urban scatter designed to keep those annoying homeless 'Hobo' types all neatly tucked out of sight. As with the other WarMill sets I have made I found these to be fun to put together and are just lovely interesting pieces to have for the tabletop!


4 Oct 2013

Welcome to Dreadball Tonight!

“Hi, I’m Bob Johnson”

“And I’m John Bobson, and welcome to another fascinating evening of Dreadball Coverage on the home of Dreadball ISPN1!”

Who’s on the slate tonight John?”

“Well Bob, it’s a double header between the Neutrinos and Dorxmund”

“Wow John, should be a great couple of games, with the fights as the Home and Away fans change places between games almost as entertaining as the action on the pitch!”

“Ha, ha, good point Bob, it’s great for the fans to be able to mix fighting with sports viewing”

“Mixed fortunes for the teams so far John, meaning Dorxmund get a while posse of additional players as the underdogs”

“That’s right Bob, just a shame only Jacks and Guards have turned up, Dorxmund have plenty of those already…..”

“Anyway, without further ado, here’s the first launch!”

“And that’s Garyth Bayull with the great pick up for the Neutrinos…. He runs up the side of the pitch….. he cuts inside…. He shoots for the 3 pointer with the Orx Guard in his face….. And he scores!”

“Wow John, that’s 3-0 to the Neutrinos in almost no time at all!”

“The fans are going crazy Bob and the ball is re-launched……Doxmund happy to have some possession here Bob….. and that’s a well worked move that’s netted the Orx a 1 pointer!”

“Well worth keeping the scoreboard ticking over John, especially with the Jacks needing to score little and often”

“So, on the re-launch, the ball is picked up by Mykul Owain and he’s off into the 3 point zone after a really deft pick up”

“That’s true John, he went longer than we expected there, the intervention of the coach on these first two drives with great play calls (DB cards) has really allowed them to push the envelope”

“And he scores!  Another 3 pointer to take it to 5-0 Bob”

“Wow John, this really is quick scoring and Dorxmund appear shell shocked”

“That they do Bob, but they aren’t letting it stop them and they’ve got the ball….. Oh no they haven’t, their jack has spilt it trying to pick it up and the ball is loose!”

“Terrible luck there John, but the neutrinos are onto it in a flash….. they line up the 2 point shot….. And they score for the 7-0 win in 7 drives!”

“I’m not really sure how to sum that one up Bob…..”

“Me neither John, but Dorxmund had better get their heads in the game as it’s the mirror match straight away…..”

“And look at all that cash Dorxmund have generated from this game Bob, that’s enough for more coaching (cards and dice) and leaving them a tidy sum for a rainy day”

“That’s true John, and the Neutrinos get more experience and more coaching (dice) out of the cash from the win”

“Just time for a quick word from our sponsors – Nuka Cola Corp – and we’ll be right back with you………..”

……….

“….. and welcome back Sports fans, it feels like only 5 minutes that we were last with you!”

“Errrrr, that’s because that’s exactly when it was John”

“Good point Bob, let’s get on with the action”

“So, John, with the teams still apart of experience, Dorxmund once again get plenty of help from extra players……but the striker still eludes them with only Jacks and Guards turning up with their boots”

“That’s terrible luck again Bob, they really could have used that striker”

“And the ball is launched!”

“The Neutrinos sat way back this drive Bob, probably worried about a first rush beating from the Orx Guards”

“I should think so too John – and it hasn’t stopped them as the lunatic Orx players have barrelled in and there are a host of players in the injury box and on the floor!”

“Ouch Bob, I don’t think that human jack will be out again”

“Not without his legs that Archibald Merriweather III has ripped off, John”

“Chalk him down as a casualty Bob”

“Lots of ineffective possession here John from both teams”

“Indeed Bob, especially as they’ve both spilled it and the ball is spending plenty of time bouncing around on the floor”

“another crunching tackle there and the Neutrino striker is surely dead after that hit!”

“But wait Bob, he’s got really lucky (skill re-roll) and the lucky rabbit’s foot on his armour has just managed to deflect the worst of that strike leaving him injured for a while”

“but the Neutrinos have it Bob and they’ve gone for a 2 pointer….. It’s in!”

“that’s a small crumb of comfort in a game with the most ineffective scrum of guards in the middle John”

“That’s right Bob, looks more like they’re holding hands and singing Kum-By-Yah as opposed to trying to hurt each other”

“Not what the fans paid to see John”

“That’s right Bob…..But they did pay to see this as the Orx cause another casualty and run the ball up for a 2 pointer to level the scores!”

“Wow, what a play John, the Neutrinos are now two players down and the scores level again….”

“Sounds like it’s time for someone to step up Bob”

“And here’s Mykull Owain John…. He picks the ball up….. dodges a couple of tackles…. Makes his way to the 4 point hex….. and with the coach shouting instructions he nails it!”

“That’s a big score so late in the game Bob – will Dorxmund have time to come back?”

“Let’s find out John… the Ball is re-launched….. and the orx are ignoring the ball and have just taken the head off the neutrino number 5!”

“A third casualty in the game Bob?”

“That it is John, these orx have really brought their A-list pain game to this one”

“And here’s their attempt to score at the death with a deft steal…… But the neutrino player dodges away and the final hooter goes”

“Close one John, only that one score separating the sides”

“True enough Bob, and plenty of neutrino players separated from their limbs too”

“Half a team for the Neutrinos to hire there John, but an absolute avalanche of cash for Dorxmund after that one – those jersey sales really went through the roof as the casualties mounted”

“That they did Bob and Dreadball is all about the money after all…… errrrr, and the game too”

“That’s right John, so here’s us signing off – thanks for tuning in sportsfans”

18 Sept 2013

Latest Dreadball Results



Welcome sports fans to the thirty second sports roundup on DBTV1. And what a week it has been!!

We've seen surprise victories from the underdogs! The Maidens and the Wasps have both managed to pull out stunning victories despite being fighting against the odds!

The Brickies are proving to be stoic in the midfield having recovered from their early defeats at the hands of the Neutrinos who themselves have seen their almost perfect score line marred by a shock defeat! Still the rest of the league has a lot of work to do to catch up with the Neutrinos and their runaway score line.

Lastly we need to mention the Orxs and what a horrible week they've had. Two defeats and a fatality at the hands of the Dreadball launcher can only have been partially made up by their mauling of one of the Dwarf players. Bitter Sweet revenge at best!

We're at the half way mark for the 2013 league and it is still open. Can the rest of the pack catch the Neutrinos with their games in hand or have the Nuka-Cola boys done enough to capture the Trophy?

We won't know until the final whistle so make sure and stay tuned to DBTV1 for what is proving to be rip roaring season!

Next up tonight on DBTV1: Just how fast is the Dreadball Launcher?


11 Sept 2013

The dreadball season continues!

"Hi, I'm Bob Johnson"
"And I'm Jon Bobson"
"And welcome to Splundsday night Dreadball"
"What's on the slate for tonight Bob?"
"Well Jon, we have a double header between the Neutrinos and the Brickies and Dorxmund play their first game of the season tonight against the Wasps"
"Gosh Bob, that's a salivating line up"
"It sure is, especially for the Orx guards who look like they're trying to eat their assistant coach!"
"So, you can catch up on the action in the Dorxmund/Wasps game over on ISPN2 and we'll be covering the Neutrinos/Brickies matches"
"And that's kick off Bob!"
"Wow, straight from the opening launch the Neutrinos striker, Mykul O'wen has scooped up the ball, tiptoed down the sideline and slammed the ball in for a 3 pointer!"
"What a sensational start Bob!"
"The Brickies are looking to retaliate with their best players Jon.... And their Guards have put 2 Neutrinos players back into the dug out, including Mykul O'wen"
"That'll teach him for showboating Bob"
"It will Jon, especially as the Brickies have nailed a one pointer there!"
"Great work by that striker Bob, there were holes everywhere in the Neutrinos backfield"
"Ok, we're back in play and the Neutrinos are really pushing that ball Jon"
"That they are Bob, and with a little ducking and diving, that's another 3 point strike! This one converted by Garyth Bayull"
"Gosh Jon, the Brickies are looking a bit overwhelmed in their debut game"
"That they are Bob..... But wait, their star guard is looking to clear a path the through into the Neutrino 3 point zone"
"What an idea by the Neutrino jack, Tobias Redshirt, who has run interference and slammed into the Brickies guard to try to halt his momentum!"
"That's brave play Bob"
"Some would say foolhardy Jon as his head is quite literally knocked from his shoulders by the surging forgefather!"
"That's gotta smart Bob"
"And the Brickies drive appears to have run out of steam..... And Garyth Bayull has stolen the ball from the Brickies striker, dodged into the 2 point zone and ended the game on rush 5!"
"Now that was a game and a half Bob..... Well, it was half a game at least"
"It was Jon and it leaves plenty of time for a word from our sponsors, Nuka Cola Quantum - all the chemicals you need to boost you through the day!"
"Great thoughts Bob, I might just reach for a Quantum now, can I get you one?"
"Yes please Jon, although it in no way impairs our objectivity of this game, right?"
"That's right Bob! Anyway it's a quick turnaround here and the Neutrinos have been strengthened by the addition of a new guard and a new striker, with Tobias Redshirt sold for parts"
"Always nice to see people recycling Jon"
"Anyway, the ball is out and the Brickies are darting around it..... Oh no, their striker trips on a poorly tied shoelace and crashes into the hex with the ball!"
"That's ok Jon, the ball hasn't gone far and the striker is back on his feet"
"Not for long Bob as the infamous Neutrino guard, Vinnee J'ones has crashed into him"
"And Mykul O'wen has scooped up the loose ball and scampered in for a 3 point strike!"
"Wow Bob, what can the Brickies do from here?"
"They can try to score Jon! And here is a striker who has got to the 2 point scoring zone and has extra help from his coach for this one! Surely he can't miss from here......?"
"......Sadly he can Bob, just doesn't seem fair, does it?"
"Anyway Bob, Garyth Bayull has the ball and is swooping towards the 3 point zone"
"And the Neutrinos new guard has decide to teach the Brickies striker a lesson for trying to score Jon"
"Ouch, that's gonna hurt..... Especially as Vinnee J'ones has just delivered a tremendous blow to the back of the star Brickies guard's head, sending him to the bin for 3 turns"
"What a turnaround Jon! The Brickies striker saw the guard coming and has pole-axed him with a level 2 injury!"
"It really is a funny old game Bob..... But Garyth Bayull restores some sanity by converting that 3 point strike"
"It's a mountain for the Brickies to climb now Jon"
"But climb it they'll try Bob - whoa, where did that Veer-myn striker come from? He's got to the 4 point strike hex!"
"He's their underdog bonus Jon and the Brickies seem to be playing patta-cake with Garyth Bayull in their strike zone Jon, he's dodged 2 tackles so far"
"That's right Bob but the Brickies striker has the ball and is trying to launch it to the Veer-myn player...... Oh that's a poor throw, but the Veer-myn player is stretching to get it....... Oh, bounced off his fingertips and the ball is loose!"
"So unlucky Jon, they'd have been right back in it if that Hail Mary play had worked out"
"That's right Bob, but here comes the Neutrino striker Luthor Blissit to recover the ball in his own strike zone.... And Garyth Bayull is making himself available for a play....."
"So he is Jon, and Luthor picks up the ball with ease and scoots around the Veer-myn striker"
"Did I just see the Brickies coach say 'snake-hipped' Bob?"
"You did Jon and there's the throw from Blissit.... And it's the perfect throw, which Bayull makes a meal of but just manages the catch"
"This should be all over now Bob"
"Indeed it is Jon as Bayull waltzes in and converts the 1 pointer to end the game on rush 7"
"Great couple of results for the Neutrinos Bob and a tough introduction for the Brickies"
"I'll tell you what though Jon, I'm looking forward to the Brickies games against Dorxmund, they could well be very brutal indeed!"
"Too true Bob, too true"
"So, that's all from us at ISPN1, enjoy the rest of the intergalactic time units remaining in your local day/night cycles folks!"

10 Sept 2013

Olimpik Orxerre in training

Here they are, my new "other" team for dreadball. Black and blue are the colours for Olimpik Orxerre and whilst they won't be in this league of dreadball, they may well be in the next......
......Or alternatively just used in exhibition games to further the reach of dreadball to new players :)

6 Sept 2013

It's all to play for!

The league has started.

The trophy stands ready and the only thing left to decide is.............

....who the winner is!!

Good luck to all!

ps COME ON YOU WASPS!!

4 Sept 2013

WHAT A SHOCKER!



“AWWWWW and he has missed it!” *

“That’s right Buzzzz the Z’Zor’s toss has gone loose in the Maiden’s end.”

“Pharr Pharr eh Buzz?”

“Sorry Buzzzz! I just realised what I just said! Sorry to the folks at home! It’s just really easy to get caught up in the moment when the players get so very close to slamming one in the hole!”

“I’m hearing you Buzz! The excitement is really mounting as the Wasps are still trying to press home their advantage in numbers but they just don’t seem to be able to get to the climax of their plays”.

“I know Buzzzz! The Wasps have tried several times now to slip one in past the Maidens defence but the girls have been fast to close up the gaps to their holes”

“Correctamundo good buddy! The girls are putting up a valiant fight and their early lead seems to have really rattled the bugs from the West Side”.

“Oh Crunch! It looks like the girls have had another player taken for treatment”

“Indeed Buzz! I wish I could tell you which one it was but I really can not tell the humans apart. All I know is that she didn’t see Crab Ronidae, the Wasps Guard, as he thundered into her. Another blow for a team low on players to start with. This was only made worse, earlier in the game, when Wasps Lineman Chrys Ididae sent one of their team to the morgue with a slam that we could almost feel up here in the commentator’s box let alone down in the ladies end.”

“Of course Buzzzz that we must take a moment to send our thoughts out to the family of……?”

“Pussy Galore Buzz?”

“Yes there is Buzzzz. But let’s stay on Topic for the folks at home.”

 “Yes indeed Buzz. The girls have taken a hell of a pounding! It’s been bloody gashes everywhere!”

“Absolutely Buzzzz! There is so much blood out there it looks like we’ve had the painters in!”

“But the losses aren’t holding the Maidens back Buzz…no siree! They’ve even managed to turn around a small lead from the bugs with a devastating play to steal back the lead! Awesome play from the humans!”

“But what’s this Buzzzz!?! The Wasps are making a play for it. I can see that there are only seconds left on the clock and the ball is in the Wasps end with one of the jacks, Tory Midae I think, he's making a play for it.”

“Tip Hiidae has seen what he is doing and the striker is going for the Maidens sweet spot! He’s there ready! One quick toss into the maidens end and they will have it!”

“Tory’s claw has gone back! HE’S THROWN IT!!!”

“IT’S WIDE! The ball has gone wide and there’s the whistle! Game over for the Wasps and what a win for the valiant Maidens who have earned that win despite the odds being against them at the start!”

“Indeed Buzzzz. A great win for the plucky ladies and some serious questions to be asked in the Wasps Changing room”

“I should say so Buzz as the Wasps strikers spent far too much time on their backs when they really should have been taking advantage of the maidens whilst they were on top”

“I couldn’t have put it better myself Buzzzz!”

*All translated from the Z’Zor language to Galactic Common.

3 Sept 2013

LET'S GET READY TO RUUUUUUMBLLLLLLLLE!!!!

"Hi, I'm Bob Johnson"
"And I'm Jon Bobson, and welcome to the start of the dreadball season folks!"
"Well, thanks to the magical opening ceremony that errrrrr..... Over-ran a little...."
"But wasn't the wardrobe malfunction a thing of beauty to see Bob?"
"It was Jon, that's why we all love slightly fading intergalactic megastars trying to get more attention by getting themselves naked"
"Anyway Bob, we the opening game was on ISPN2 and what a game it was - here's a still from the game"

"Indeed it was Jon, the nuka-cola neutrinos got a quick couple of 2 point strikes and killed 2 of the Maiden Hammer Jacks"
"Wow Bob, surely there was no coming back from that"
"You would think that Jon..... But those plucky bunny girls scored a 3 pointer and then after the neutrinos missed a 4 point attempt they narrowly missed the chance to win when one of their strikers fluffed a catch in their final rush"
"Wow-ee Bob, what a game!"
"And what a game from the neutrino Guard Vin-ee Jo'ones who killed 2 opposing players and mashed another one for a 3 turn injury"
"How do the Maiden Hammers come back from those injuries Bob?"
"We'll find out real quick Jon as we join their game against the West Side Wasps in progress with the Maiden Hammers 2-0 up..... And another Jack killed in a stroke of horrendous luck!"
"AND THE Z'ZOR HAVE JUST MISSED A 4 POINT ATTEMPT IN RUSH 7! So with no further ado, we'll go to the game....."


20 Aug 2013

Finishing Eldar

I have finally managed to actually finish some of the Eldar units I have had on my work desk for some time. I'm still a fair way from finishing all the Eldar I have but a bit of progress is nice.

Completed are 10 Wraithguard with D-Scythes, 15 Jetbikes and 3 War Walkers. I'm quite please with how the transfers worked on the Jetbikes with the change of colour going on underneath.

I've undercoated a load of Dire Avengers so once I've finished my Crimson Hunter Flyer I'll be starting them and ...........Dun Dun Daaaa....The Wraithknight. Oh yeah!







16 Aug 2013

Bloodletter champ and something for infinity

In my haste at getting the bloodletters posted, I talked a lot about the champ, but only went for the "really far away and hard to pick out" angle to show the outcome.... Oops!

So, as I've not really done any conversions in the troops, here he is with a chum to show the differences.


Chunkier, big horned, more upright and armed with an axe. Now why do I get the horrible feeling that this still won't be enough to remind me that he shouldn't be standing at the front to get shot to pieces first?!?!?

And here is something else that I've been tinkering away with. Inspired by the rolling TV ad things on tube stations these days I figured that the world of infinity would have something similar, but more space age. So here is a curved wall section with printed transfers added to it - one advert and one Yu Jing news bulletin. I wanted to do transfers to give it a translucent feel and I'm pleased with the outcome.


15 Aug 2013

Yet more daemons!

I'm just a painting machine at the moment :)

These 20 blood letters bulk the army up nicely and leave only the elite and HQ slots to be filled before I get to 1,500 points - exciting stuff!


The champion deserves a mention as he has legs and face from a new bloodletter, an axe from an old bloodletter, the body and arms are from a beastman gor, the back of his head is from a chaos spawn, his tongue is from a dark eldar agoniser and his cloak is from an empire white wolf knight! I so like rummaging in my bits box :)


40k is real, and so is time travel...

As you know I am working at the fire service college and I am stopping over in the local village. The village is very proud of the relationship that they have with the college and the wide and diverse range of students that have passed through the village from around the world. The Redesdale arms for example has a display of different badges and patches. I stood there waiting for a colleague to check out and my eyes wandered onto the display. A familiar shape hit my eyes. It would appear that either time travel has been invented and the Adeptus Astartes have come back to use the FSC as a training location, or somebody has convinced the Redesdale Arms that the Adeptus Astartes is a branch of a Fire Service from somewhere around the world.

Ready for the big kick off!

"Hi Sportsfans, I'm Bob Johnson"
"And I'm John Bobson"
"and welcome to the Channel 9 pre-season coverage of the GoG worlds' inaugural Dreadball season"
"Thanks Bob"
"No problem John"
"What's on the cards for today Bob?"
"Well John, we have coverage of the newest team, only just formed in time for the pre-season, the Nuka-Cola Neutrinos!"
"Wow Bob, I'm really excited for this new team - can you break down where they came from for us?"
"I sure can John, as a starter, they're sponsored by the Nuka Cola Corp"
"Wow Bob, and their kits match the new bottles of Nuka Cola don't they?"
"They sure do John"
"Errrrrrr... Bright aren't they?"
"They sure are John, but that's the colours that extensive Market Research, and a little industrial espionage, told the Nuka Cola Corp would play really well to the fans and so increase sales of merchandise"
"And they're the important ones aren't they Bob?"
"The Corporations?"
"Errrrr, I meant the fans Bob"
"Errrrr, yes, them too John!  Heck, without them, who would buy the merchandising and the great new tasting Nuka Cola?"
"Good point Bob, I might just crack open a refreshing can now"
"Great Idea John, if you need a pick-me-up, just reach for the Teal and Gold!"
"Wise words Bob, this is Channel 9 coverage signing off"
*Burp* "G'Night viewers"


14 Aug 2013

And another unit....

The thing about not being able to start a project/unit and get it finished in one go is that I often have lots of things "nearly complete".  Now, this can be quite demoralising at times as nothing seems to actually leave the painting table and it only seems to get more crowded..... An at other times I can get loads of things finished in a really short space of time which is massively encouraging!

The flesh hounds continue the trend of things being finished and here they are. Nice and simple, ready to snap away at heels on a gaming table near you soon :)

13 Aug 2013

The diseased daemons of the plague god

Here they are, proof that my attention span does last long enough to get something finished!

These are lovely figures from GW and I really enjoyed painting them. Chock full of character and nice to put together too.


Dark green basecoat and two dry brushes for the main body, white pustules with red wash, glowing blue eyes and pinky/purple intestines. Rusty weapons seemed appropriate and here they are, ready to bring contagion to a battlefield near you soon....


10 Aug 2013

Dreadball Flies In

Good evening and welcome to another non-40K post.

Today we will be mainly viewing this little fellow who has turned up with his mates (and a few from the other side). They will soon be blazing a trail through the skies over Rural England.

Have you seen a black and white dog?
Yes Wings of Glory has now appeared in the GoG World. I've been resisting the lure of this one at every wargames show for years but finally gave in at Attack! in Devizes this year. Not sure where Snoopy is but the Red Baron is on the scene ready to add to his tally.

But it's not all about the pre-painted WW1 aircraft, oh no. Please say hello to a couple of members of the newest franchise in the GoG Dreadball League:

Bruisier Dorxmund has arrived and is ready to tear up the opposition, sorry I mean the League.
High Five!!!
I was going to call them the Orx Griffons but thought better of it. And originally red was not going to feature much but Yellow and Black just wasn't doing it for me.
You! Yes you with the funny hat. You're mine!

Just need to stick them in their hexagonal bases and all will be right with the world.

What's next? Well I have some FoW Fallschirmjaeger that have been very, very patient: time to dig them out and take stock of what needs to be done. That Eastern Front isn't going to fight itself you know...

8 Aug 2013

An Ebay Bargain!!

One of my usual Ebay suppliers, The Troll Trader, posted a gaggle of auctions recently rather than just the normal discount Buy-It-Nows. These auctions intrigued me mainly because they were for a load of different Spartan ranges. There was stuff for Dystopian Wars, Dystopian Legions and even stuff from the new Spartan scenery range.

I took a punt on a couple of auction but was quickly outbid and it became apparent that there was quite a lot of interest in them when one in particular caught my eye. A 28mm scale Invincible class gunship designed to be tabletop scenery.

Now I have any found it annoying that all these Sci-Fi games we play seem to be so devoid of aircraft both in the games and as objectives/scenery. Thankfully this has changed on both counts now with the abundence of flyers in the game and now with HDF scenery making large scenery pieces more viable.

So when I saw the auction for the Invincible I just had to have a punt. To my surprise I won! I also got it for a really good price saving nearly £40 from the listed price. I suspect that, as scenery, it was something that people were not as stressed about compared to some of the other items on the Troll Traders auctions.

anyway......it made me happy! ;-)

As the box says.......570mm long!

Oh yeah baby! I'm feeling a spaceyard themed scenery set coming on!

6 Aug 2013

Some progress.....

....on the mountain of Eldar I have to do.



The war walkers and jetbikes only really need a few bits picked out and then they are ready for a nice transfer for the front of the bike. I've been scratching around for a design I like but haven't found anything yet.

The Wraithguard are only just started so they'll need their guns, gems and loincloths doing but that shouldn't take long.

This leaves the following still to paint:

2 Spiritseers
28 Dire Avengers
16 Guardians
1 Fire Prism (unconstructed)
1 Wraithknight
1 Crimson Hunter (Started)
10 Rangers
1 Wraithlord (unconstructed)
1 Autarch
1 Fire Dragon Exarch

So...umm...yes. quite a bit to do yet.