Well what do we have here? Setting the scene.

+++Transmission begins+++
+++3015013.M41+++
+++REF: Atron II.+++
+++SEL: Journal - Atron City.+++

The planet is beautiful, truly a gift from Him on Earth.

I have been sent to Atron II by the order of my superiors to investigate rumors of excessive Xenos interaction and tech trading amongst the (and I use this term loosely) noble families of the planets ruling hive and the delegation from one of the more amicable rogue traders in the sector. It is my strictest understanding that there is another currently operating on planet, a fellow Ordos Xenos hopefully, this should allow us to combine our knowledge on the issues and provide a swift retribution to these heretics.

The daily bustle inside the city walls reflects highly of the ordered and strict enforcement of the ruling councils laws. Of the rumoured over-fraternisation with the trader and his alien allies, I have yet to see anything more than the typical diplomatic and trading issues. I have dispatched two of my agents into the spires and another pair into the workers precinct.

Though this planet is under Imperial law, the ruling council are the scions of the one-time pirate families that used the planet as a trading hub. Personally, I believe their guilt is guaranteed. Though further investigation will most assuredly prove this.

+++Thought for the day: His light is all. Damnation is eternal.+++

+++Transmission Ends+++


So it's been almost 3 months since my last log and what a waste of 3 months it has been.

I've got roughly 6 weeks to get 3000 points of cult ready for an Apoc game and what better motivation than the scorn of the entire internet?!?!

More will come with the weekend, but there's a few bits I'm working on at the moment.
Including a rather angry young man with a fascinating view on inter species relations.

Until then ladies and lads.

The family loves me, the family cares for me.
Four arms. Four arms. Four arms of freedom.

Winter Of Discontent

It's spring and my winter hobby freeze is beginning to thaw. Mainly I just had nothing worth blogging or things stalled half way through. 

This is where this fellow stalled. I am not happy with the claw and he needs a 32mm base. I've put him aside for now. 

Next, I began work on an Epic Eldar army, with the all but finished Blood Angels force, I hope to play some Space Marine Second Edition with. 

A company of Falcons and one of Guardians. 

I've pinned the grav-tanks so that they look like they are flying once fixed to bases.

I air brushed on a coat of yellow and then gloss. 

And then gave them a wash of oil paint for that old-school panel line look. This is where these stalled. The first reason is that the oil paint took ages to dry enough before I was confident to lay a matt coat over the top in preparation for doing the details. The second reason is: 

 

The Age Of Sigmar!

Goldie here was the only model that I managed to paint since the last post. 

Age of Sigmar has certainly made one hell of noise in our quiet hobby world. So much hate poured onto the Internet. It's been quite extrodanary and, if I'm honest, quite off putting. On more than one occasion I've thought about going on a long, long online holiday and leaving all the anger and stupidity behind. 

The up shot of this is that AoS fits our little group very well. We've been playing it and enjoying it. After three games  I'm starting to see it as a subtle little game that has given us the freedom to do whatever we want with hobby and models. It's also brought all sorts of half finished projects out of cupboards and sparked many more future plans. All great things in my mind! 

My forces of chaos fighting my dwarfs in our first game. Lesson: synergies are king!

Warriors of Chaos v a loose coalition of Aelfs, Free Men and Stormcast. Lessons: Chaos Chosen are mighty. Synergies are the king of kings.

Warriors of chaos with chaos dwarf allies v Aelfs. Lesson: princes on dragons are crazy good and should be targeted with anything that deals out mortal wounds ASAP. Numbers do eventually show in combat. 

All this gaming led to me putting together the khorne half of the new starter set. It was a few weeks of work during the darkest days of winter. Trulely some fantastic models! 

And since then to this; 

I've made good progress on these evil little bastards and will post some more WIP shots as I go. 

I'm also thinking about re-basing some of my chaos army. Round bases just look better. I don't know why but they do! It'll be a painful job so I'm putting it off. 

That's it. Hopefully spring will be more fruitful hobby-wise than winter! 

The Warhound and the Cult

I've got a couple of projects done since my last post. I've not had the time for much hobby sadly. Real life stuff like getting a new oven installed and an increasingly tiresome job have got in the way.

This has taken up most of that hobby time I've managed to steal. It seemed to take forever to get done. Every time I finished one thing five more loomed. The red and the stripes are air brushed. This sped up the initial colouring but it lead to lots of additional work touching up and pin washing the details. It felt a little arse about with getting the bulk of it done in a couple of nights then spending weeks on small things. 

I was very lucky to get this model. It was one of those right place right time things. I understand not many were made and that it is no longer available. 

It has turned out ok. Though I fear it may lead to a new Epic army using modern style models. White Scars on city fight bases would look great. 

And I've finally got the second two cultists with some support done. 

I'm not sure what stopped me from getting these done. I was overthinking it and they became more difficult in my mind than they needed to be.

I'm really happy with this crazy bug-eyed madman.

With the gun-servitor I really tried to add a thick patina to made it look as if it had been in use for a few thousand years and was no longer in the best condition. I imagine a heretical cult has to make do with whatever it can get its hands on.

All self respecting cults need a subject for their veneration. 

Inspired by this little bit of progress I've raided the bits box and come up with this "blessed" cultist.

Don't know about him, as others have suggested, he may be too much like a He-Man villain. Options and ideas are always welcome.

--Richard

(Hobby) Life Goes On

Just an update. Nothing new or exciting I'm afraid. Just life, and hobby (which are one and the same IMO), continuing. 

Epic comes into its own once you have Titans stalking the battlefield, I think. No point in Epic without huge behemoths hurling ordnance capable of flattening whole cities at each other. It brings a real sense of scale. And they are just plain cool! 

I've done some more work on the Rapax Dominus. It's been slow because I've not wanted to make mistake (there are plenty) and because I've been trying to channel the late '80s/ early '90s style of eye watering brightness. The next major thing are the banners. For a hint of what I'm going for think of '80s heavy metal album covers. I'm happily humming Twisted Sister's We're Not Going To Take It as I type this.

Sixty scouts all done. These are head and shoulders taller than the tactical marines. Clearly they were made long after the other parts of the range.

Twenty terminators. They are much, much bulkier than the normal marines so they stand out nicely. 

And the current project; three Knights. The total lack of variety of these has made them a bigger challenge than I expected. The easiest way around that is to do different heraldry on each but that means lots of freehand work that I'm not really in the mood for. I've been sorting through old decal sheets tonight so that may offer a solution.

The red is much better. More martial, more honour guard. I need to nail the skin though. It'll need to be pale but also still living. Some blue-greys I'm thinking. And a bright red bionic eye to draw the viewers eye. 

It's amazing how hobby, like life, goes on without you noticing it sometimes.