tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57600695945411726632024-02-20T23:46:05.112-05:00Alladin's Hobby BazaarA Project Space - Powered by Pseudo-A.D.D.Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-53966223423779801942016-05-29T03:18:00.001-04:002016-06-09T22:21:32.866-04:00Hive Fleet Ceryx - Paint FormulasThis post will be pretty boring, as I am just outlining the paint ratios/techniques I used for my Tyranids. It's mainly a post for my own reference, so apologies to my legion of rabid fans... <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcwiQeN_7A3cdY6hcXJhhs-mROXo2JEYL-lfAAKpTocP486LIEhvdyRE5TYOnCHnp9KgxqDvtR5vlIqldefLKuyNVy46OUPUGwH18nrXxVPV_iE8aEEtE5c70T77B54BF9oCbB7FFqF0/s640/blogger-image--461158517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBcwiQeN_7A3cdY6hcXJhhs-mROXo2JEYL-lfAAKpTocP486LIEhvdyRE5TYOnCHnp9KgxqDvtR5vlIqldefLKuyNVy46OUPUGwH18nrXxVPV_iE8aEEtE5c70T77B54BF9oCbB7FFqF0/s640/blogger-image--461158517.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>--<br><div><br></div><div>First I primed the models using Rustoleum Grey Spray Primer. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I painted the bases next because there is a lot of messy drybrushing that I did not want to get on the model itself.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Tyranid Bases:</div><div><br></div><div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:1 - VGC Charred Brown : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This was applied as the basecoat.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:1 - VGC Heavy Ochre : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">First Layer, allied everywhere but the sides and the recesses.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:0 - GW Agrax Earthshade Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A nice coat over the Ochre to get the shading down.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:3 - VGC Heavy Ochre : GW Yriel Yellow</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This was the first drybrush. Applied more liberally to bring out the brightness. (n.b. I originally used VGC Sun Yellow but this is a shitty shitty paint that separates and flakes like a mofo, so I have substituted it. I am sure it won't make a big difference in the overall look.)</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:0 - VGC Bonewhite</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This was a light drybrush to pick out the raised detail in the bigger rocks & rock slabs.</span></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><div style="text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Tyranid Skin:</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:1 - VGC Somber Grey : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This was applied quickly over all the regular "skin" areas.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:0 - GW Drakenhof Nightshade</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A wash over the skin areas. Make sure to get all the nooks and crevasses, the smaller bugs are especially tricky for this.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:0 - Somber Grey </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This was a quick drybrush to lighten areas that were washed too dark (and likely unnecessary, but is done so quickly that it does not slow down paint time at all)</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:0 - VGC Cold Grey</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Another drybrush as a highlight, also relatively quick and dirty.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:0 - Magic Wash </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This just gives the skin </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">a nice sheen.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><b>Chitin:</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:1 - VGC Cold Grey : Magic Wash</span></div><div><br></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">This is relatively straightforward.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:0 - </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> GW Nuln Oil</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Easy - just wash all chitin areas with a thick layer of wash. Don't be stingy! (Edit: I may have done two coats, or at least one good one and then added a quick second layer in the recesses for more definition.)</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:2 - VGC Cold Grey : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This first step is mainly to lighten the chitin, using a wet-brush technique, feather all areas of chitin, pulling the brush from the inner part of the plate to the edge. Do this a few times over each plate to get the ridge effect started.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:1 - VGC Dead White : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As above, but try and make the lines thinner. Many quick feather coats will be required to give it the proper texture.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Afterwards, use the ratio above to edge highlight the chitin plates to finish them up.</span></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Claws/Teeth:</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2:1:1 - VGC Heavy Red :VGC Black : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Go over the claws and teeth/gums with the above ratio. 2 coats may be necessary. (For teeth/gums, skip to last step)</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2:1 - VGC Heavy Red : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Use one or two coats to start bringing the dark base up to a proper red. Leave the base of each claw the original colour, and apply it to the last 90% (approx) of the claw. With each subsequent coat, apply to a smaller percent of the claw, going from dark to light as you get to the tip.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:1 - VGC Gory Red : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Same as above, focus more towards the end half of the claw. For larger class, Consider adding some streaks into the darker bits for texture. </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:1 - VGC Bloody Red : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This is the main edge highlight for the claws/Tyranid models, but may need to add more gradients to the bigger Monstrous Creature claws. A few streaks, edge highlighting, focus near the claw tips as above.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:1 - VGC Dead White : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Use this to pick out the teeth with a fine detail brush</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Maws/Tissue & Joint Ribbing:</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This to me is the most tedious step, because you are painting small, often recessed areas while trying not to ruin the paint job around it. There may be a more efficient way of doing this, but I can't think of it.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2:1 - VGC Heavy Red : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Apply this to the maw area around the teeth/gums, and to any ribbing/exposed joints. Two coats will be required at a minimum, due to the stupid nature of VGC Heavy Red.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:0 - GW Agrax Earthshade</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Carefully apply this wash to the areas painted above, making sure it does not bleed to other areas.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:1:1:1:? - VGC Dead White : VGC Fiery Orange : VGC Bloody Red : VGC Heavy Red : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">(Not exactly sure about the ratio of wash, 1-2 is probably fine) This makes a lot of paint for a very small area. However, there is no easy way around it. Basically you are using this with a wet-brush technique to edge highlight the ridges on the skin and the maws</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:0 Magic wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As with the skin, this just makes it a bit more glossy and organic.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Eyes:</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:1 - VGC Dark Green : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Easy, just go over the entire eye, may need two coats to get a good green base.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:1 - VGC Escorpena Green : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Again, go over most of the eye with this. Leave a bit of dark green in the deeper part of the eye.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:1 - Dead White : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">This would be used to add a little reflective "dot" on the eye of bigger Tyranids. Don't bother on the smaller models.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Tongue:</b></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1:1 - VGC Royal Purple : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Use this to basecoat the tongues of your models.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2:1:2 - VGC Dead White : VGC Royal Purple : Magic Wash</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This is the edge highlight for the tongue.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">(n.b. For the larger bugs, you can consider washing the purple basecoat with either a GW purple wash or possibly just Nuln Oil. Then use a mid purple as a mid-tone before adding the highlights above.)</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">--</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">And that's it! Will add more to this as I get to it (i.e. Leathery wings, various Tyranid guns, Zoanthrope brain tissue, etc.)</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 15px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div></div></div></div></div>Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-63984734713227976992016-05-28T23:12:00.001-04:002016-05-29T02:54:51.526-04:00Long overdue UpdateWell, 8 months seem to go by quickly when life gets in the way. As alluded to in my previous post, there have been lots of things in the background that have taken a lot of my focus away from the hobby. Some good (I am now a new dad) and some not so good (My father's ongoing struggle with cancer). The end result is much less time to devote to hobby-related activities. Unfortunately, my blog has been hardest hit, with me preferring to spend my precious time mainly on painting.<div><br></div><div>Now that I am up at all hours hanging out with my wife as she feeds baby, I figure I can get some blogging done. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Therefore, I have some completed work to show! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">The first project I completed since getting back into things has been the rest of my Inquisiton models. I had picked these up years ago as part of my Grey Knights army, only to have them stripped away from the Codex, along with my Assassin. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">I don't have a good picture of them unfortunately, but enough to get a good idea:</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2inp2ivZxIYP4fjTVjQVLlqOrZ4kOJ5xaOB4MuzR9gO3tZt8CVQTd3koTIbMelbHshDSDapZjKrYIkN3WwObIyJn0Fy3tRM9Etk3pVT_UKxaRt3sdrWQDbxDpf6F980gwvE_WD9QNhM/s640/blogger-image--161541242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2inp2ivZxIYP4fjTVjQVLlqOrZ4kOJ5xaOB4MuzR9gO3tZt8CVQTd3koTIbMelbHshDSDapZjKrYIkN3WwObIyJn0Fy3tRM9Etk3pVT_UKxaRt3sdrWQDbxDpf6F980gwvE_WD9QNhM/s640/blogger-image--161541242.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">The job was 2 Servitors, 2 Crusaders and Coteaz.</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Next I went back to my Dreadknight, which I had started back in the fall. I am quite happy with how he turned out, and found out I much prefer painting the large centrepiece models, if only because they tend to have less tiny little details that have to be picked out over and over again (like on a 5-man Strike Squad box).</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">I took pics of him in my ghetto light box, making them slightly better than the one above:</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjubLj10ejnvf4_5ACd1cPDrgmyZ-2EhUGhyphenhyphenu3izjO755Uc5gDp0pHArc-QyJ9vYHX1obBnZepDqwDnw6oMMjNkkBX47L648ohG94j8OPkjhmoqY3gkKkzPhugsjYMvCaWN4hFD5BVpqZQ/s640/blogger-image--2011155142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjubLj10ejnvf4_5ACd1cPDrgmyZ-2EhUGhyphenhyphenu3izjO755Uc5gDp0pHArc-QyJ9vYHX1obBnZepDqwDnw6oMMjNkkBX47L648ohG94j8OPkjhmoqY3gkKkzPhugsjYMvCaWN4hFD5BVpqZQ/s640/blogger-image--2011155142.jpg"></a></div></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zG5SvETvgWrx0LTJetz7BS7RRW1TqI7ATavc68v_oK1dFKT7Yw-PI89x6XRwSFNGvt8eZOE1ju6R6YguPtiX48H7Oe8ddoMppDrUVDfjEsuUFXlLxR63kBmjlDvdq_4eZmrmv6gB_Sw/s640/blogger-image-844586905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zG5SvETvgWrx0LTJetz7BS7RRW1TqI7ATavc68v_oK1dFKT7Yw-PI89x6XRwSFNGvt8eZOE1ju6R6YguPtiX48H7Oe8ddoMppDrUVDfjEsuUFXlLxR63kBmjlDvdq_4eZmrmv6gB_Sw/s640/blogger-image-844586905.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaTGMmI2WcPsRhP8tIIJA08_gkcpDgEcqS-pEGOESgA0TZLWLf60Ga1Xo8Ma_cfPE3B1B2TO-OoBwODABUzRnnjrXSIxcqsDRCK5Cw5JKpmqVJmdnWLHC6f3von8N3beTWCVhJu6xJ14/s640/blogger-image-889902156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaTGMmI2WcPsRhP8tIIJA08_gkcpDgEcqS-pEGOESgA0TZLWLf60Ga1Xo8Ma_cfPE3B1B2TO-OoBwODABUzRnnjrXSIxcqsDRCK5Cw5JKpmqVJmdnWLHC6f3von8N3beTWCVhJu6xJ14/s640/blogger-image-889902156.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxsWmtLJB0d9JO5GZZSVo-9DW63lUxl71YWEgOKlbzig0umwDpYP6ZEd1nwJfDJ0LR7xCMt8Whok14H2Q5qEbhZji52R3XSR-rsxnVBR8Xjur58ZJPfwqL33XP0HQS5UYxeTIC5OUiNM/s640/blogger-image-644405923.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxsWmtLJB0d9JO5GZZSVo-9DW63lUxl71YWEgOKlbzig0umwDpYP6ZEd1nwJfDJ0LR7xCMt8Whok14H2Q5qEbhZji52R3XSR-rsxnVBR8Xjur58ZJPfwqL33XP0HQS5UYxeTIC5OUiNM/s640/blogger-image-644405923.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFK6W6xulgwNtzzMsitjoXdXrhDVSkGC1L-UAKMKTYtD99D3GqkC2e-HqonlXBjuemkoHHioJydMA-adcBKDm7sIuql1bQC0za5Kr8bNbxA52QMCMKgQEaiu7SCciV4NdLNDbxUimazI/s640/blogger-image-1143956633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFK6W6xulgwNtzzMsitjoXdXrhDVSkGC1L-UAKMKTYtD99D3GqkC2e-HqonlXBjuemkoHHioJydMA-adcBKDm7sIuql1bQC0za5Kr8bNbxA52QMCMKgQEaiu7SCciV4NdLNDbxUimazI/s640/blogger-image-1143956633.jpg"></a></div><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">I am quite happy with how he turned out. I played with some newer formulas for the golds in particular, and feel they look a bit more natural than my previous method.</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">From my original batch of GKs, I still have to finish my Rhino and 5 Paladins. My goal for the year is to get, at a minimum, those two completed. Of course, what did I do after I finished my Dreadknight? Buy 15 more Strike Squad GKs, 10 Terminators, a Storm Raven, and the Betrayal of Calth box to eventually start my Alpha Legion 30k. Then, instead of opening any of those kits, or start on the two projects listed above, I tackled </font><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">10 more Hormagaunts, which are currently a work in progress. Ahh well as long as I am doing something... (Doesn't make it better knowing I also want to pick up a IK Renegades box, along with a Shrine of the Aquila terrain and a set of the new Armoured Containers to round out my terrain collection once and for all...)</span></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">My next post will outline the paint formulas for my Nids, and then I will update some other posts with paint formulas that I have been meaning to put on here for posterity.</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">This may take another 8 months, but hey, if it does I should have a few more models completed to showcase. Until then!</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div>Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-40306554484576284332015-10-10T13:31:00.001-04:002016-02-22T23:05:02.561-05:00It's never too late for an update?Well, life has kind of gotten away from me since my last update. A lot has happened since then, some family issues, a new job and issues with that, some more family issues, and here we are in October.<br />
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That said, I had a fair amount of hobby time, which I tried to use pretty wisely, I have not had any motivation to post. However, now I am on vacation and my wife is watching last year's Nigella's Christmas Special with her friend, so I have some time to kill.</div>
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(I am posting this via the Blogger app on my phone, so I have no access to fancy editing).</div>
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Last time, I had left a sneak peek of a Ripper base. Well, those are done:</div>
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This got me motivated to keep working on Tyranids, leading to this:</div>
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That's right, a whopping 10 out of 40 Hormagaunts are done! This wasn't on my annual to-do list, but I am happy to see my main army taking form. I am also really happy with my bases - simple yet make the models stand out well.</div>
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Rather than going back to my to-do list, I decided to go on a big tangent and work on my gaming table. When my FLGS posted that they were getting FATmats in, I took the plunge. I have no pictures, but I got the Urban Combat one, along with two 6'x2.5' folding tables from Costco. Of course, once I had this, I felt I needed to round out my actual terrain.</div>
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Starting with these:</div>
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I decided to turn 3 into generic "rock" terrain and 2 into more thematically-appropriate rubble bases. Even though the rock terrain won't really go with the Urban FATmat, I needed something. So we end up with something that looks like this:</div>
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For my rubble terrain I added some cement slabs, loads of brick-like rubble, pipes and rebar bits, some plasticard I-beams. I did start painting them, but like everything else, I got distracted:</div>
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Yep, you can see one of the WIP rubble terrain pieces in the background, but I did complete my set of Objective Markers, because why not?? Not sure if I love the rainbow colours, but hopefully they will be easy to tell apart.</div>
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Finally, one would think that at this point I would settle down and back to my planned to-do list, but no. I decided my Grey Knights needed a bit of attention:</div>
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Yep, I started my Dreadknight... These pictures are actually old, I have since basically finished the leg portion and am starting on the torso.<br />
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So that about does it... I hope to have the Dreadknight done before Christmas, but we shall see how much time I have from now until then.</div>
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Hopefully I will update a bit more frequently going forward. I am really tempted to buy new kits, but am so far keeping my obsessiveness in check. </div>
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Also, I need to update my to-do list, as I have decided to opt out of getting a Airbrush kit... I don't think I would get too much use out of it, and the $500 would be better spent on other hobby stuff!</div>
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Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-44387731853146191502015-06-25T11:27:00.001-04:002015-06-25T11:27:42.417-04:00Surprise Picture Attack!Whaaaaaaat?!?!?!<div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIAgXbj_kxWpGbhXADinguIXq8IW7E5CNzL4BRHAnyepmiYDOCo3X2EwACSo4nAuh6kv3gseem_0fKIt8va0bPepdoZATQOcm7MO6OTIRWQU-Ph3y-jnPe3xC6AJyuEHi7cr-xG4S3Os/s640/blogger-image-1481540373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHIAgXbj_kxWpGbhXADinguIXq8IW7E5CNzL4BRHAnyepmiYDOCo3X2EwACSo4nAuh6kv3gseem_0fKIt8va0bPepdoZATQOcm7MO6OTIRWQU-Ph3y-jnPe3xC6AJyuEHi7cr-xG4S3Os/s640/blogger-image-1481540373.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Forgot some edge highlights and cleaning up the base, but my first test model for Hive Fleet Ceryx is otherwise complete!!</div><div><br></div><div>For comparison, this was my reference:</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbjgDNiEweZVmLCVTGcvtnu0o5lnKeBUQmZl2gTZxwfJLpNK2ghdH4kv8OlvL_O47ttlbq_m0MwhEY_ap7DGAtZsRbtdXqn_iwGVbu57KyipJDD5nldKUyfmB5PCx7MYcj_PsYDoAoKc/s640/blogger-image-394563043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWbjgDNiEweZVmLCVTGcvtnu0o5lnKeBUQmZl2gTZxwfJLpNK2ghdH4kv8OlvL_O47ttlbq_m0MwhEY_ap7DGAtZsRbtdXqn_iwGVbu57KyipJDD5nldKUyfmB5PCx7MYcj_PsYDoAoKc/s640/blogger-image-394563043.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>And a shout out to iPaint on Warseer for his impressive scheme which I borrowed the Maw colouring and Bone technique:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?235088-Hive-Fleet-Ichor-iPaint-s-Tyranid-Log">http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?235088-Hive-Fleet-Ichor-iPaint-s-Tyranid-Log</a></div><div><br></div><div>I will eventually post my ratios for future reference, but as this is a surprise ambush post, I must be in and out like a ninja!</div><div><br></div><div>Out!</div>Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-62747851926587727462015-06-19T17:24:00.002-04:002015-06-19T17:24:31.765-04:00Alladin's Morning Coffee Musings #9 - Slow it down, GW!Haven't had the luxury of writing up one of these in a while, but with another chunk of painting backlog complete I thought I owed it to myself to wax poetic about the hobby for a bit, rather than jumping back down the painting rabbit hole.<br />
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Today I want to talk about Games Workshop and the steadily acceleration of major releases. This topic has been covered elsewhere, but it seems everyone has an opinion on it.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65IEWtkbkHKyCcuR98zMGWKZrsZfYDu0bTIT3petNjwpxerXLR9CrsPvKLhO48wtJu4ipSpMO-cyiOEKOHSd63VvAGG7Y0tlqyefbnlC1h9W_pGsLhX-exgDFHS6Ih6tbH7KDld2uBw4/s1600/GW+Runaway+Train.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65IEWtkbkHKyCcuR98zMGWKZrsZfYDu0bTIT3petNjwpxerXLR9CrsPvKLhO48wtJu4ipSpMO-cyiOEKOHSd63VvAGG7Y0tlqyefbnlC1h9W_pGsLhX-exgDFHS6Ih6tbH7KDld2uBw4/s640/GW+Runaway+Train.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Why did you have to bring John Voight into this, GW??? WHY???!?!</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>First off, I don't claim to be an expert in all things GW, nor have I charged and plotted their releases or created some sort of mathematical algorithm to prove my point.</div>
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That said, it's plain to anyone with even a cursory knowledge of GW's release history over the last few years that things have changed. And continue to change...</div>
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I fell back off the GW (and tabletop gaming) wagon back in early 2012, shortly before 40k 6th Edition was released in June. We are now almost exactly 3 years from this date, and a lot has changed. Not only did we see a new edition (7th Ed.) get dropped on us out of the blue a year ago, but in this span they have updated every Codex, as well as released countless supplements, campaigns (and in the case of Tyranids, a substantial new wave models for an army that had fairly recently received a new Codex AND a substantial amount of new kits at the same time), and, as if to show they can do it all, at least one completely new army in Adeptus Mechanicus (Imperial Knights and Daemonkin don't count).</div>
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This is the "good" side of the argument. For the first time in forever, most armies were on a relatively level playing field (note: in terms of updated rules, not competitiveness. Dear heavens no...)</div>
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In their infinite wisdom, GW then decided that their 6th Ed. Codices were not compatible with the direction they were going 7th Edition, so in the last few months we got a new Eldar Codex and just recently a Space Marine Codex, both are less than 2 years old. We are also on the cusp of a Dark Angels release, which is comparatively long in the tooth at about 3 years...</div>
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I don't know. For someone like myself, who devotes a significant time into the hobby but just paints very very slowly, it is getting to be s but too much. </div>
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I know a part of this is my fault (and the sole reason I started a 'Nid army, so I could actually play while I paint my GKs) but I feel that GW is setting a dangerous precedent here. Are they able to keep going at this pace? Their initial ramp up at the start of 6th was impressive, but now they are seemingly going even faster, and I expect that eventually they will have to slow down.</div>
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And what happens then? From a hobbyist point of view, I would welcome a breather, but the investors now expect a consistent level of output.</div>
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Let's take a quick look at Age of Sigmar, and even the whole End Times arc they finished. It was a very slick campaign, punctuated by some top notch models, and well-padded campaign books. I am not a WFB player, but I constantly drooled over each release. But it's done now, relegated to history as they switch gears yet again. The models are still usable, I suppose, but those really nice looking campaign books have outlasted their usefulness. It seems a lot of effort was put into the design, and background fluff for End Times, and it really could have been an event that spanned a year or two, rather than a paltry 6 months.</div>
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I guess it was fairly well received and they sold out of the books they printed, but why limit yourself, GW??? I know we are in the ADD generation, but compared to video games, people who choose to paint and play tabletop games NEED to have some modicum of patience. Even for fast painters, it takes a while to collect, assemble and paint a new army, let alone find the time to play enough games to make it worthwhile.</div>
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I'm not a marketing or sales guru, but I feel that GW left a LOT of potential money on the table by rushing through the campaign and then putting it aside so quickly. In fact this is a whole other sub-topic on the subject - limited print releases: What the HELL are you thinking???!</div>
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Who in their right mind says, "I only want to make $500,000 on this product." I guess it's a guaranteed profit if you plan sales that way, but can you imagine if Apple did that? Would they be the most profitable company in the world if they limited their iPhone to say, 10 million units? And their fanboys are way more ravenous than GWs, but they are smart enough to know that these most loyal customers aren't their entire market, so they don't shut out the other 100 million people who eventually bought an iPhone. Why? Because it's good business.</div>
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Anyway, this is getting a bit long-winded so I will wrap it up.</div>
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Bottom line: GW seems to be chasing the quick buck at the expense of consistent sales and growth. Maybe there is a reason for this, but I don't see it.</div>
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I think there are a lot of people in my shoes, who want to expand into other game systems but need to be reassured that they can do it at a reasonable pace without being made obsolete. Even with 40k, my MAIN system, I feel I am losing touch with all the changes and releases. How is this a good thing???</div>
Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-59681366387553132472015-06-19T10:05:00.000-04:002015-06-19T17:25:11.178-04:00Another longer-than-anticipated absence...Well, after a month and a half, I have finally come crawling back to my blog.<br />
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While life was particularly busy in May, I have since have had plenty of opportunity to update, yet decided to spend my time on other aspects of the hobby. Specifically, I finished painting my 5 converted Unsanctioned Psykers from the <strike>Grey Knights</strike>Inquisiton Codex. While the likelihood of me actually fielding these models is low, I feel I must still complete them as penance for my hobby sins (I.e. Buying a crap-tonne of models without painting any).</div>
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It was my first real foray into flesh tones and hair, and overall I am pretty happy with the look. Of course, the job took me double my estimated completion time to actually finish, but that's not new for me.</div>
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Pictures after the break.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCoAdhUbR_HZysRX1-OvrMGVniRrtFhfpa7FARkn_kwwbkwWRH-Sz0_wSS1fI1NWTeZnsxy-99z4w5NNTbfqEd4uvEkRIVryiIVOgYrHGozS34PcPTelcn2zhyJOhJtuffsDcMNFFFQI/s640/blogger-image--2040551726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCoAdhUbR_HZysRX1-OvrMGVniRrtFhfpa7FARkn_kwwbkwWRH-Sz0_wSS1fI1NWTeZnsxy-99z4w5NNTbfqEd4uvEkRIVryiIVOgYrHGozS34PcPTelcn2zhyJOhJtuffsDcMNFFFQI/s400/blogger-image--2040551726.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I am pretty happy with how they turned out. The skin is a bit splotchy in some areas, but that was mainly my lack of effort to smooth everything out, since these are not high-priority models. The hair turned out quite well, overall, and I will add some of my recipes here for future reference.<br />
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(PAINT RATIOS HERE, future me) <br />
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Otherwise, things have been generally quiet on the hobby front. I have been spending too much of my monthly hobby dollars on comics, which is probably a good thing as it has prevented me from creating more of a painting backlog.</div>
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I will hopefully try and post a few other updates soon, one in particular outlining a recent game I had with my Eldar opponent, and perhaps some general thoughts on GW and their amphetamine-induced release schedule.</div>
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That's it!</div>
Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-82893499100239149722015-04-07T11:55:00.001-04:002015-04-07T11:55:22.295-04:00The Battle for Angel Square (Post-Battle Fluff)As promised a few posts back, here is the fluff-piece I co-wrote with the Ork player. It is a bit long-winded in the beginning, but I wanted to set the stage for the first real battle of our Campaign.<br />
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For those who dig this kind of stuff, enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1amIHSFTcMau3ZVK5_sr5BzqjWeMTPDhKWtVD9X6Xm7krECE0KS-WNa0RkwUmkzRPAk1qtEkeGTN9Iuwihy2uxYPg7ayRa01ZCSBOn0MTXZTswyrmekAxkwOmUiytnRiuUNeK0CYfBho/s1600/orks+tyranids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1amIHSFTcMau3ZVK5_sr5BzqjWeMTPDhKWtVD9X6Xm7krECE0KS-WNa0RkwUmkzRPAk1qtEkeGTN9Iuwihy2uxYPg7ayRa01ZCSBOn0MTXZTswyrmekAxkwOmUiytnRiuUNeK0CYfBho/s1600/orks+tyranids.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">The
Square was quiet as the morning sun crept over the foothills to the
North. The blazing light ushered away the shadows of the night and
illuminated the once great city of Exodus. It had sat quiet for
almost three weeks now, ever since the skies exploded and blazed with
the infinite colours of the Warp as it tore the Hades Gamma System
apart. Those on the planet's surface who witnessed the birth of the
storm would say that it was the most beautiful sight they would ever
hope to see; while undoubtedly true, this fact matters not one bit
since they are all long dead.</span></span><br />
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</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Angel
Square - so named after the Power-Armoured Angels who came down from
the heavens over 10,000 years ago to reclaim the planet for the
Emperor of Mankind. On this quiet morning the name seemed truly
fitting, for it was a scene of perfect serenity. The streaking light
bathed the open area in a warm glow, transforming the floating dust
motes into tiny shining diamonds and set them dancing to the silent
tune of the breeze.</span></div>
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</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />In
contrast to this tranquility which bathed the bright morning, the
darkness of the fading night was witness to a number of events which
would shake the very core of the city in the coming days; lights in
the sky - not residual Warp storm activity, but rather those of
sentient beings - which soon became larger and larger, culminating in
a series of landfalls around the city limits. Some were punctuated by
thick trails black smoke and rumbling explosions, while others were
fluid and trance-like. A few even pulsed in an eerily organic manner
before colliding with the surface in what sounded like a series of
wet thuds. But the darkness was now gone and, perhaps with it, so too
these nightmares of light and sound?</span></div>
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</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />As
the wind picked up a bit and lightly rustled the dead grass that
dotted Angel Square, a tiny tremor began to permeate across the
ground. The dust motes made no notice of it, happily content to keep
dancing their brilliant dance. The tremor quickly built into a low
rumble, and the rumble into a bowel-shaking quake. It seemed to be
emanating from a point due east of the Square, where a two-story
Administratum building with a clear sight to the impressive statue
anchoring the middle of the Square stood. Suddenly, the building was
torn open with a shuddering explosion of ferrocrete and Itruvian
marble that made up its stately facade. A dust cloud momentarily
enveloped the immediate vicinity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />As
the cloud dispersed, a different scene took shape. In place of the
left wing of the building stood a massive tracked war machine. It was
crude in design, seemingly put together in great haste by “craftsmen”
who had little concept of aesthetics and absolutely no intention of
working together in its construction. It belched thick black plumes
of sooty smoke and rumbled with the ear-splitting sound of an engine
that was one loose bolt away from self-combusting. In spite of this
shoddy design, the tank cut an imposing presence as it slowed to a
halt. In part, this was due to the cannon positioned on top of the
tank. The barrel was so large that it seemed to defy the physical
laws themselves, and to further emphasize its deadly intentions, the
cannon was flanked on either side by two smaller but still
high-caliber armaments. </span>
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</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">Even
more imposing than its deadly payload, however, was the presence of a
massive Ork Warboss leaning over the front of the chassis. He was
easily the biggest specimen of Ork seen in this part of the Galaxy,
and was decked out in a suit of deadly Mega Armour. The bulging and
chorded muscles of his left arm were supporting a Power Klaw of such
magnitude that that could comfortably fit around a Space Marine in
Terminator Armour and crush him just as easily. Surrounding his right
arm was another mechanical monstrosity, a giant double-barreled
Shoota. In his Klaw, the Ork held a small nondescript stick. For all
of his fearsome aspect, he held the stick gingerly between two metal
blades, as if with a mixture of fear and respect. Suddenly realizing
how ridiculous he must look, he gestured to a nearby Gretchin, who
was given the mysterious relic and ordered to fasten it to the top of
the Ork's already imposing Bosspole.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Satisfied
with the result and with a quickness that belied the bulky armour he
was wearing, the Warboss jumped off the Big Trakk, pulverizing the
pavement below his feet. He let out a deafening bellow, so loud that
it temporarily drowned out the cacophony of the war machine behind
him. Pointing his Klaw past the vastness of the square toward the
Palace complex beyond, he then said, "<i>Der
it iz Boyz! I reckon dat big buildin' iz where da action will be, or
my name izn't Tuskk Klawgrakk! All youz mutts outta da Trukks, we iz
foot sloggin’ it from ‘ere! Send da Trukks back fo’ da rez of
'em!</i>"</span></div>
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</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Between
the perimeter of the Square and the imposing Palace walls stood the
ruin of a church, a former edifice of the Emperor's glory now reduced
to a few dilapidated walls and crumbled archways. From their
distance, it was hard to make out any more detail as the area was
carpeted with what seemed to be a very dense fog, likely remnants of
the cool moist air of the passing night.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />A
horde of Boyz rushed past the Warboss and assembled into three rough
mobs. For a race of crude and brutal savages, the Warboss had a
respectable command of tactics and strategy. The three mobs split and
began maneuvering to secure the Square, two on each flank and the
middle group heading toward the towering statue. Suddenly, a moving
shape flitted across the open ground with an unnatural quickness. It
looked like a shadow, but when the Warboss looked up his eyes were
greeted with nothing but a blue sky and the warm globe of the sun.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Knitting
his prominent brow in concentration, Tuskk scanned the area again for
any signs of trouble. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The wind
must have picked up, he realized, as the mists surrounding the church
seemed to be churning faster than before. Before he could turn his
head and shout out another command, the quiet was shattered by an
alien roar as if a thousand nails were being run across a chalkboard
and amplified one hundredfold. Shortly after, a cacophony of various
noises took flight, as if the city was transformed into a rain forest
at night. Some were the high pitched screeches reminiscent of avian
origin. Others were bowel-loosening in their aspect, low and
menacing. The mists began to swirl with a lifelike kineticism, and
dark shapes - some small, some large, all terrible - appeared
momentarily before being re-enveloped.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />The
Warboss could smell a proper fight brewing, and a big toothy grin
crawled up his face. He began barking orders: "<i>Lobbas,
take up behind dat wall. Lootas, git up high an’ dakka any ting dat
moves." He then turned to a small group of soot-covered Orks
holding Burnas. "Stay ‘ere and proteck doze Lobbas</i>"</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />His
retinue of burly Nobs came to his side, as well as Bagrad, a dopey
looking Big Mek holding an even more ridiculous-looking Shokk Attack
Gun. He was deep in concentration trying to lick his own ear. Tuskk
lumbered over to him and gave him a wallop over his head. "<i>Oy,
ya weedy git! Go ova’ and sit wit da Lootas. Kill any ting dat
ain’t greenskin and dat iz movin’</i>"
Bagrad lumbered over to the building where the Lootas had taken up
firing positions.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Within
moments, what was previously a chaotic mass of greenskins was now
organized and deployed for battle. Suddenly, the fog to the left of
the church exploded with motion as a herd of what looked like large
alien dogs burst forward toward the Ork position. They half-ran, half
leaped toward their would-be prey, with two razor sharp talons
piercing forth from their forward appendages ready to sink into Orky
flesh.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Another
wave of his Klaw signaled the launch of a Lobba artillery barrage. A
stream of whirling and whistling shells flew over the Square and
landed surprisingly accurately in the midst of the herd. When the
smoke cleared, nothing remained but a few craters and various piles
of charred limbs and steaming viscera. The Ork Horde let out a howl
of approval; this was going to be easier than they thought. The
Lootas took aim at another mass of bodies forming on the opposite
side of the church, and the giant tracked monstrosity shot its cannon
inside the ruins where the fog was thickest. From the Lootas came a
withering hail of incandescent projectiles, ripping up the concrete
surface of the Square, exploding several fleshy creatures in the
storm. From within the ruins, a monstrous explosion emanated,
followed by a pressure wave and a shower of rocks and debris. The
opening salvo from the Orks had been delivered, but its effectiveness
could not be determined, as the ruins and smoke obscured visual
confirmation.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">“<i>Bagrad!
Shokk Attack!</i>”
screamed Tuskk. But only silence followed and no shot came from
Bagrad’s position. Little did Tuskk know, but the Big Mek was too
busy admiring the pebbles at his feet to hear the order from his
Warboss.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />An
eerie calm settled over the Square. A section of the church wall
collapsed in a heap of noise and dust. Had Tuskk’s overwhelming
firepower scattered the enemy? It would not take long for Tuskk to
get his answer. From within the many ruins, two large creatures took
to the sky on massive, leathery wings. Their sizable bulk shot into
the air at alarming speed, the smoke and dust swirling behind them.
The hideous Harpy and imposing Hive Tyrant swooped over the square
and brought their bio-weapons to bear. At the far end of the Square,
past the church in what appeared to be a burnt-out Mechanicum
facility, a group of Warriors could be seen, aiming their weapons
with frightening precision.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">Suddenly,
the mob of Boyz advancing on the right flank was overwhelmed by a
writhing mesh of barbed strangler seed pods. Within seconds, throats
were constricted and tracheas probed as the squealing Orks were
killed off, one by one. A sickening torrent of corrosive acid shot
out of a darkened alcove in the ruins, melting flesh, bone and steel
alike. Ork Boyz screamed at the horrendous pain, their legs buckling
beneath them as a result of the rapid deterioration. Piercing shrieks
and gurgled death rattles echoed across the square as the mysterious
fog enveloped the right flank, concealing the final fate of an entire
mob of Orks.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">Tuskk
signaled a helmeted Gretchin, perched high on the battlements to his
right. The tiny creature stood up and waved two tattered flags over
his head in a frantic manner, one red the other white. Almost
immediately, the deafening roar of jet engines screeched over the
Square as a blindingly fast Dakkajet flew over their heads, black
contrails tracing its path through the sky. It swooped in and opened
up its Supa Shootas on the Harpy. The crack and rattle of tracer
rounds pierced the air, as several bullets found their mark. Holes
were punctured in wing and flesh. The Harpy let out a chilling scream
as it barreled down toward the ground, its bulky form disappearing
behind another dilapidated building ringing the Square. Losing sight
of the beast, the pilot let out a raspy “whoop!” of excitement.
However, the expected crash of impact was never heard. The Dakkajet
maneuvered around for another run to confirm the kill-shot, but as it
approached the area where the Harpy went down, a horrendous
supersonic screech burst his eardrums and the beast swooped up toward
him, cork-screwing away moments before impact and unleashing another
deadly barrage from its twin Stranglethorn Cannons toward an Ork mob
below - it would take more than that to fell the terrifying creature.
</span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">Sensing
the danger in the skies above, the Hive Tyrant swooped in from the
West and fired a torrent of parasitic projectiles at the Dakkajet.
Unlike the rest of the chittering horde, he moved silently toward his
prey. Through sheer luck or disturbing talent, a number of
brainleeches pierced the cockpit canopy and lodged themselves onto
the wailing pilot. Tuskk watched helplessly as his supersonic dakka
machine careened to the East and disappeared behind some Hab Blocks,
a distant explosion and tower of smoke all that remained. More
shadows shifted within the surrounding ruins, the chitters and
shrieks seemed to surround the Ork force now.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Frustrated
by the lack of progress, Tuskk screamed, “MOAR DAKKA!!!” and his
lines opened up again, an ear-splitting chorus of booming artillery
thuds and shrieking Loota salvos. Dozens of advancing Termigants were
eviscerated by the Loota fire as the Lobbas pelted the surrounding
ruins with saturating bombardments. On the left flank, a mob of Boyz
were being overrun by a pack of Rippers. The Orks hooted and howled
as they engaged in a brutal melee with the bio-creatures.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">“<i>Bagrad!
Shokk Attack</i>!”
screamed Tuskk. But only silence followed and no shot came from
Bagrad’s position. Little did Tuskk know, but the Big Mek was too
busy choreographing a dance routine with two rats.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Tuskk
began to seethe at the Big Mek, wherever he was. But he didn’t have
long to seethe as something horrible happened. A low rumble shook the
ground beneath his feet. His retinue raised their weapons and scanned
the ruins ahead for enemies. But none were there. The rumble grew
louder and louder until suddenly, the ground beneath their feet
heaved upward violently. Tuskk and his retinue were thrown aside as a
Mawloc emerged from its subterranean tunnel. It reared up and let out
a bone-chilling scream. Tuskk got to his feet and his Nobz ran to his
side. Finally, a target within his reach. Tuskk charged the Mawloc
and his Nobz followed. They all smashed into the serpentine flank of
the creature as it swung its scythed arms at them. Axe and klaw and
blade gouged at the creature until its entrails spilt across the
ground and Tuskk drove his power klaw through its skull. Tuskk looked
up with a smile on his face as the mob of Boyz securing the square at
the foot of the statue howled in approval of their Warboss’s feat.
But their celebration was short-lived as they too were enveloped in a
deadly cloud of Barbed Stranglers spores, killing them one by one
with cruel efficiency.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">“<i>BAGRAD!!!
SHOKK ATTACK!!!</i>”
screamed Tuskk. But only silence followed and no shot came from
Bagrad’s position. Little did Tuskk know, but the Big Mek was too
busy eating rats.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />With
the same piercing wail that punctuated the beginning of the Tyranid
assault, another shadow swept across the battleground. The shape
zoomed toward the Hive Tyrant that had downed the Dakkajet with a
supernatural quickness, and where only one nightmare once existed,
there were now two. They looked almost identical, however Tuskk
noticed that the new creature had a more prominent head crest. More
obvious still was the fact that, unlike its near-twin, this one was
anything but silent, filling the air with a banshee's howl. United in
their thirst for carnage, the two large shadows descended from the
sky and turned their attention towards Tuskk’s rear flank. The
Lootas and Lobba crews were devoured by the sustained brainleech fire
coming from the Tyrants. </span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">Tuskk
could only watch as his rear flank collapsed and his Lootas were sent
running in all directions, their morale completely broken. Tuskk
looked at the centre of the square to see the ruined corpses of a mob
of Boyz. The Gretchin crews for the Lobbas screeched and wailed as
they scattered to find a hole to hide in. In a powerful blast, the
Big Trakk toppled over from incoming fire and smoke billowed into the
sky from its wreckage. Tuskk came to a grim realization: his
firepower had been silenced. At that moment, a blinding beam shot out
from the building and careened off towards the church. The deafening
roar of the Shokk Attack Gun had finally been unleashed, its blast
centering on a floating creature with a massive brain. It was
completely engulfed in wreathing flames, but when they finally
dissipated the creature still remained, its form surrounded by a
shimmering Warp field. Tuskk shook his head.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">With
his forces scattered or eaten, Tuskk knew he needed to regroup or his
campaign on Exodus would be short lived. He gathered his retinue and
motioned for the retreat. As he headed back to his base camp, he
looked over his shoulder to see a more creatures emerging from the
ruins to engorge themselves on the fallen bodies of Tuskk’s
reconnaissance force. He was filled with rage, but it did not blind
him. He knew what needed to be done, but for now, he needed to lick
his wounds.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="center" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">_______</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="center" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">Tuskk
traversed the makeshift Ork base camp in long strides, taking his
mind off of the day's earlier events by surveying progress. The scene
was a mosaic of motion and turmoil, which was to be expected when
thousands of Orks are put to work in close confines. Tuskk was
content with what he saw but there was still more to be done.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">After
falling back from the battle at Angel Square, the Warboss and what
remained of his initial scouting party passed through what looked to
be the City's Railhead Depots. Dozens of massive storage buildings,
Manufactorums and holding stations dotted this part of the city.
Here, the Ork forces were gifted with a nearly inexhaustible supply
of raw materials to construct their twisted engines of war. Tuskk
immediately sent word to his team of Mek Boyz & Engineer Orks to
assemble a raiding party while establishing a secure perimeter around
the Depots – after his run in with the filthy Xenos from before, he
was not taking any chances with another surprise.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">The
chaotic scene now playing out in front of him was the result of this
chance discovery. Sparks flew from hundreds of saws and cutters as
metal was shorn apart, while arcs of plasma danced in the darkness as
the various pieces were refastened into deadly new utility.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">The
Warboss' path eventually led him back to the Ork Command Station.
Grimy, cracked viewscreens doused the room in a pale green glow,
flickering periodically as power was drawn to satisfy the needs of
the many construction crews outside. In one corner of the building, a
lone Ork sat upon a pile of rubble with his head turned towards the
sky above. He was holding some sort of apparatus and mumbling to
himself. Tuskk lumbered over to the Mekboy. “Oy <i>Bagzob,
you makin’ anyfink outta dat buggy signal weez keep pickin’ up?</i>”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">Bagzob
was a relatively scrawny Ork with a wild shock of white hair. He was
wearing a pair of tarnished brass goggles, each lens tinted a
different colour and whirring as they focused and refocused at his
command. The contraption he was holding was pressed into one ear. It
looked like a roughly beaten copper tube, with the far end gradually
expanding into a wide opening. It was bent at obtuse angles and
covered in wires, transistors, and light bulbs, as well as bits of
string, feathers and bone fragments. It looked like it belonged to
three separate universes, none of them being the one it currently
occupied. “<i>Sorry
boss, dis transmogrifier only ‘ears da original fing, iz makin’
no sense. Iz da same girly, sing-song voicez az befo’. But sumfin
weirdo iz happenin’ wif da device. Iz all bugged out now, keeps
repeatin’ da same ting ova’ and ova’</i>”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Tuskk
took the tube and placed it into his hear. A transistor pulsed gently
as the voice returned. There was considerable interference, but the
words came out clear enough:</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">“.<i>..Ash
Dras'i Garoth... ...Ash Istar Fraocch... ... La Elehar'sub, kan
novars yi Atherakhia...</i>”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />This
repeated again before he removed the contraption in his ear and
scowled at Bagzob. “<i>Makes
it talk Orky ya weedy git, I can’t makes no sense of it.</i>”
he growled. The anger from the battle was coming to the fore again,
and the fact that he was also being stymied in this pursuit was not
sitting well. The Mekboy, clearly aware of his Warboss' rapidly
rising choler, began to stutter. “<i>Boss,
I dun’ axed Gork and Mork for help, but dey no ansa. Dis
Transmogrifier juz will not wor-</i>”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">At
this, Tuskk let out a roar and crushed the device in his muscular
hand before shoving it into Bagzob’s gaping mouth mid-sentence.
Suddenly, the Mekboy's eyes turned into his skull and the corneas
started glowing a pale blue. The air turned heavy and slick around
him. Tuskk was smart enough to take a few steps back.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">Even
though the transmogrifier was severely damaged, the various lights
and tubes lit up and quickly increased in intensity, eventually
becoming searing white supernovas before popping in a tiny shower of
sparks. At the same time, static began to emanate from the unit, or
was it from Bagzob's mouth? It was hard to tell as they were
currently one and the same. Then, the words came forth, with the same
melancholy sing-song form as the first time, but inexplicably, this
time in an Orky toungue, and Tuskk’s ears pricked up.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;">“<i>...The
Shadow's Lament... The Silent Fury... One Mind, yet four wings of
Destruction...</i>”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div align="justify" class="western">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
</div>
Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-21480522245413306102015-04-07T09:16:00.001-04:002015-04-07T11:33:27.138-04:00O Alladin, Where Art Thou?<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hey all! I am here!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's been a bit tough trying to carve out some time write up a few. Lots of stuff going on, both hobby related (good!) and unrelated (still generally good, but boring!). The plus side of this is that my free time has generally been spent painting, modeling and gaming. The downside is that this newfound hobby motivation is keeping me away from the blogosphere, and I am missing lots of cool stuff.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On the modeling side of things, I am still working on finishing up odds and ends of my Tyranids. Mainly magnetizing weapon loadouts, with the largest part being the 5 Brainleech Devourer arms still waiting to be built.<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooZdm9fV953vGuAi8h1fuJym1THhYbeELfEb0w0tnfTuQOhZEpm3VsTHG13X-yEilp9lVd4hoFwD15x3byO_hYSdPm3MvPvsL9qq-mxNwbmNvQkpRFY5OyIFxOzzrsbOAVDrM5qMrWMc/s1600/tyranid+eldar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooZdm9fV953vGuAi8h1fuJym1THhYbeELfEb0w0tnfTuQOhZEpm3VsTHG13X-yEilp9lVd4hoFwD15x3byO_hYSdPm3MvPvsL9qq-mxNwbmNvQkpRFY5OyIFxOzzrsbOAVDrM5qMrWMc/s1600/tyranid+eldar.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One game I played looked like this, except the exact opposite. Read more to find out how!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On the painting side of things, I really want to finish up the rest of my Inquisitorial Henchman Squad. The Ripper bases were technically next on my to-do list to paint, but I think I will opt for the Unsanctioned Psykers instead. It will be my first foray into flesh tones, so am nervous/excited about that!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I also have chosen the colour scheme for my Tyranid bases. Even though the plasticard flat-rock design is identical to my GK's, I felt a different colour would work better. Plus, having all my armies based identically would be a bit bland, methinks. That said, I will try and remember to put a test photo up soon.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
From the gaming side of things, I played another two games, the first being a wholeheartedly disaster of an affair vs a Revenant Titan and support. I went into it pretty cocksure, with some decent strategies I thought would be able to win me some Maelstrom points and neutralize the Str D pie-plate hurt, but once the dice started rolling I made some pretty boneheaded moves, coupled with Eldar being generally tricksy buggers, meant an abysmal outcome for me.<br />
<br />
Without going into much detail, We played Vanguard Strike, and he hid most of his support units in the back end away from harm. I rolled poorly for first turn, but with Escalation bonus and Strategic Warlord trait, I managed to get my Seize the Initiative roll to 4+..... and promptly failed it. Then, he wiped out all of my Shrouding, plus my Crone and TFex in one round of Revenant. My Flyrants were still good, so I thought I still had a chance.... until a poor positional play by me allowed him to target a lone hormagaunt with his blasts and StrD my poor Swooping Flyrant due to scatter. Also, 3 Hornets with 12 Str8 Ap2 shots helped by Guide felled one Flyrant on Turn 2. By the top of Turn 3 we called it, as I had a Warrior Squad and some scattered gribblies from Endless Swarm left, and he lost all of 2 HP on his Revenant. My goal wasn't even to engage it, but positionally I had fewer options. If I had went after his Hornets first, and kept my Flyrants well away from my foot swarms, I could have at least neutralized his ground forces pretty quickly. Alas, it was not the case...</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The next game I played was the long-awaited "Title Match" for our Campaign. I had controlled the Palace from Turn 3, and was challenged by Tau for Turn 4 (almost a month ago!). I will write up a quick battle rep if I have time (didn't take any pics, damn it) later this week.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Aside from that, I have a 2vs2 match scheduled in a week or so. 1750pts per player, Nids/Nids vs Tau/Orks. Should be interesting, the other Nid player and I need to decide how cheap we will go (he plays assault Nids exclusively, but after being tabled by the Tau player he is contemplating some Dakka as payback). Will hopefully get more into that in a future post.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And that's it! I will try to post a few more times this week and next, but after that you my not see me until mid-May, as renovation and other events keep me occupied. Hopefully I can jump right in after the dust settles and keep my current productivity pace.</div>
Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-52596490525961633842015-03-31T16:25:00.003-04:002015-04-07T09:04:56.681-04:00Two more Models Done! (Post updated with actual content!)Hey Everyone! <br />
<br />
This will be an extremely short post. I will elaborate later in the week, but to prove I am not just dilly-dallying around, here are some pictures of my Vindicare Assassin and Jokaero Weaponsmith.
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
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The painting itself took about 9-ish hours total for the two models, so much better than my 11 hr/model average for my Grey Knights, but the Jokaero especially was pretty simple in terms of colour palette and model complexity, so lots of time was saved because of that.</div>
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I didn't really keep a record of paint ratios, since it is unlikely I will be painting the same models again anytime soon.</div>
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Compared to the Grey Knights, these were a blast to paint. This was mainly due to the aforementioned lack of complexity, and the fact that it was only two models, and both were different. The batch painting method really does save time (and lord knows I need it!) but it creates a less dynamic and exciting painting environment.</div>
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I still really struggle with metallic highlighting - I have a plan in place, but then I just go crazy and start adding highlights everywhere. I think before my next round of painting I will look at some tutorials, I haven't done much of that lately and I think it will help. (The metallics may look nicely highlighted in the picture, but that's natural light making my work look better than it is)</div>
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That's it for now. Based on my Project list, I should be focusing on my Tyranid Ripper bases next, but I think I caught an Inquisition bug, since I have prepped my 5 Unsanctioned Psyker conversions to be next on the painting table.</div>
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More updates soon!</div>
Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-32664633793160631242015-03-13T09:36:00.000-04:002015-03-13T21:24:35.592-04:00Alladin's Morning Coffee Musings #8 - Oops, I did it again...Well, it's sure been a while!<br />
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Things have been busy over on my end, with lots of Hobby-related (and unrelated) things keeping me on my toes and away from posting. To get the boring stuff out of the way, the last few weeks have seen me do a bunch of painting in my house, as well as installing new closets to maximize space. The only advantage is that my Office/Hobby room now has better organization, allowing me to store more of my gear!<br />
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From the hobby side of things, there is LOTS to share!<br />
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First, I tried my hand at painting my Vindicare & Jokaero, but quickly realized I needed a few extra colours so that derailed progress. In the meantime I worked toward wrapping up the remaining hits on my list. The bad news is that I caved in and went out and bought a Hive Tyrant kit plus a box of Gargoyles...<br />
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<a name='more'></a>...I know, I know... WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP... : ^ \<br />
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...but wait! I have a good reason! I am currently in the midst of a 40k Campaign! It's a pretty cool set-up. There are 5 players (originally 6, one dropped out) and each started around a map of a city. Then, every turn (each week, but if people can't find the time to play their designated matches the turn can be extended) you can move into the city and secure different "sectors." All sectors have a points value, and some of them have additional benefits or rules (i.e. +1 to reserve rolls, a free bombardment at the start of your game, etc.). The game ends after 5 turns, or if any player has taken (and held for 2 turns) the Palace in the centre of the map. Otherwise, it is based on total points at the end of the 5th turn.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaq4gSMsHyvRryJzRhCn8wqLD95NbumINtF18h4a_A9v5adRCk6mnzjqKvhHtHf0pMSjcpjVPi92ElZIcHrGvyDDNh2GprgFGQLkgAxxoSPvE8EaPh4IX0j_jHqklMDGGV6xWyNPyDtiA/s1600/Exodus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaq4gSMsHyvRryJzRhCn8wqLD95NbumINtF18h4a_A9v5adRCk6mnzjqKvhHtHf0pMSjcpjVPi92ElZIcHrGvyDDNh2GprgFGQLkgAxxoSPvE8EaPh4IX0j_jHqklMDGGV6xWyNPyDtiA/s1600/Exodus.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planet Exodus - the setting of the Campaign</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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So far it's been a cool campaign, but because one player quit early in the process, the opportunity for battles has been limited. We are currently on Turn 4, and only 2 battles have been fought. However, it looks as if there will be at least 3 this turn, and probably another 3 on Turn 5, unless the person holding the Palace survives the challenge this week and takes it all...<br />
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...and somehow that person is ME! Muahaha! I secured the Palace unmolested last turn, after winning my first game against an Ork player the week before!<br />
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Now I just have to withstand a challenge from Tau (aka not a snowball's chance in hell) and I am the winner. Let's be clear, I do NOT expect to win against Tau. Even though I have an extra 300 points I can use on Fortifications, the models I have are not optimized to manage him adequately. That's not to say I won't give it the old college try, but he has won against every army he's faced (outside of the campaign and in).<br />
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We will likely be playing the following weekend, at 1750 pts. The only Fortification I own is an Aegis Defense Line with Quad Cannon. I may mash up a Comms Relay too to help with my reserve rolls, though, to be honest, I am still not sure about using the extra points. If I lose, it makes it look even worse. If I win, I won with a leg up on my competitor. I know it is more of a narrative campaign, but still I like my wins/losses to be clean.<br />
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But on to the better news, I WON MY FIRST GAME! It was a fun affair, but the Ork player severely underestimated the strength of dual Flyrants and a Harpy, and did not prepare his list accordingly. The other 'nid player he faced outside of the campaign was a pure assault army, so he expected me to behave this way as well. Therefore, he spent his points on Boy mobs and blast templates. I won the game without losing much more than a unit of hormagaunts and a few termigants, thanks to my Venomthrope giving most of my ground units a 2+ due to a massive ruin near the centre of the board. I also rolled on the Strategic Chart, and got the Stealth (ruins) trait, meaning my flyers were always a 3+ in any ruin, allowing me to circle the board. Finally, I had 8 Psychic dice to none, so between Cover, Flyers and the Psychic Phase he had no answer. By the end of the game my Flyrants were circling his backfield Psychic Screaming and Brainleeching everyone to death. I don't think he will make the same mistake twice, however!<br />
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I would post a battle rep, and still might do a *really* quick summary, but it was almost 2 weeks ago now and my memory is fuzzy. However, I do have a post-battle fluff summary co-written by the Ork player which I will probably put on here shortly. This will have to wait since I am determined to get back to painting miniatures today, so I am now off to go run the few errands I have and then back home to my hobby desk!<br />
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Updates soon!Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-55804558800507048442015-02-14T00:27:00.002-05:002015-02-14T00:27:58.732-05:00Alladin's "Step-by-Step" #1: Grey Knight Strike Squad (pt.10) - COMPLETED!Well, after almost 16 months (on and off, clearly) of work, I *finally* have my 5 Grey Knights painted. This brings my count up to a whopping 10 fully painted figures for my GK army.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBBSxrdwY2DeZmALh9hxghVmyxIn9VC5g5h_DquH6u_pggfMKfdUvwkHBal8Q3Wjyv8dNm5nwUCYDvxCv_QHVf74SFN1B1cIt1TnV0Vx_lpWfpQrlJ_cJtPzblQWgyJshdFdqfy86fG4/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBBSxrdwY2DeZmALh9hxghVmyxIn9VC5g5h_DquH6u_pggfMKfdUvwkHBal8Q3Wjyv8dNm5nwUCYDvxCv_QHVf74SFN1B1cIt1TnV0Vx_lpWfpQrlJ_cJtPzblQWgyJshdFdqfy86fG4/s1600/1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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The final step was the Nemesis Force Weapons. I had squirreled away my ratios somewhere, over a year ago, and managed to find them, which gave me at least some base to work with.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>First off, I painted the whole weapon in the medium blue base. This gave both the darker and lighter blues an anchor to display their colours properly, compared to a black basecoat.<br />
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">NFW Basecoat:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2 : 1 : 3 - Glacier Blue : Imperial Blue : Magic Wash</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuD7kPeKmem6bTGNURkRlmlHfLCP1jRYke-ivaEt8FiUCDOpPf6R4AfKT-_RV3Ao9qPOX4mPrJ78Q1GHcH2ButsIgUfWgAMOFRiHCo8HV0KIecpUNxh9i59p2jSOTnBDDU2X49igT6VBs/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuD7kPeKmem6bTGNURkRlmlHfLCP1jRYke-ivaEt8FiUCDOpPf6R4AfKT-_RV3Ao9qPOX4mPrJ78Q1GHcH2ButsIgUfWgAMOFRiHCo8HV0KIecpUNxh9i59p2jSOTnBDDU2X49igT6VBs/s1600/1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> As you can see, it gives a good starting point.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The next was to block in the dark blues. Here I just used Imperial Blue (note: I <i>really </i>need to get a new bottle, mine is complete junk).</span></div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">NFW Shading:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 - Imperial Blue : Magic Wash</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgDSQpctqP4IDAQxx8hqQHOi6751_Ji5gqsTPYXV95EM8wPhPopfVc8lx9JuYii2AvoZlZ9a-AQOBPTWYGm3Ns6bpePtowim85UzKr7MYB2SuFvKMl2L0K9i041GwC4MGhGgqO6yfQTE/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgDSQpctqP4IDAQxx8hqQHOi6751_Ji5gqsTPYXV95EM8wPhPopfVc8lx9JuYii2AvoZlZ9a-AQOBPTWYGm3Ns6bpePtowim85UzKr7MYB2SuFvKMl2L0K9i041GwC4MGhGgqO6yfQTE/s1600/2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So far, nothing fancy. In fact, I probably added a bit too much dark, but the "blending" stage fixed that. Then I block in the lightest blues.</span></div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">NFW Highights</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 - Glacier Blue : Magic Wash</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CMafkgXDhJU/VN4pnw3KTVI/AAAAAAAAAmE/rz8H4Axf1kI/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CMafkgXDhJU/VN4pnw3KTVI/AAAAAAAAAmE/rz8H4Axf1kI/s1600/3.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">At this point, you get the gist of where the weapon is going. I went back in and added in the medium blues, since some areas (especially the top section of the blade in the above picture) have almost none.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9N6EyJb3Q-s_WzBxWD8oOQool-9R7NvtR-4xgMqVeockCXkopRxGOzKWY7giZWOVDxFI9C7YXFD-1EB7tkgwZTYG4S7UhwO7GEQbuQ8ZcUw09r8oeaCHHwXRtfDxIROOUZHXAQHC9EY/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk9N6EyJb3Q-s_WzBxWD8oOQool-9R7NvtR-4xgMqVeockCXkopRxGOzKWY7giZWOVDxFI9C7YXFD-1EB7tkgwZTYG4S7UhwO7GEQbuQ8ZcUw09r8oeaCHHwXRtfDxIROOUZHXAQHC9EY/s1600/4.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">From here, I just used my brush to "blend" all the colours in. I used a fine detail brush at times, which creates somewhat of a jagged look. I think with more time (and more dilute ratios, like a 1:2 or 1:3 of each) I could have done pretty impressive blending, however I decided to forgo my Golden Daemon skills (HA!) and just go for above average tabletop quality.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJDM4ih0cfl3XM4WIL7wSQchYRgwIDV69BWaxf2hXER4MsKEdKt0zALUGVPQc9lTJfnvf7vuxfZ_ckAL7258n0a-UQzOZyZ2imdjPLssQ6hBzDGSXVtKndmSfFxQ_fIf8_eQPSaleavY/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJDM4ih0cfl3XM4WIL7wSQchYRgwIDV69BWaxf2hXER4MsKEdKt0zALUGVPQc9lTJfnvf7vuxfZ_ckAL7258n0a-UQzOZyZ2imdjPLssQ6hBzDGSXVtKndmSfFxQ_fIf8_eQPSaleavY/s1600/5.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This is essentially the completed blade, minus the edge highlights. Those were done with simple Dead White. My ratio is below (note: I actually used 1:1 initially, but I found that the paint would dry too quickly, making it hard to do the line in the middle which delineates the top and the bottom parts of the blade. Next time I will use the 1:2 I wrote below).</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">NFW Edging:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 2 - Dead White : Magic Wash</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-TmyiwCYmjkB6xCybBOkeXVEZruYxw0ikefOA6J0oeWqJ2q6iX4Z3stPfN78vHUFwxIx_k3zxBJhMrmrqMZV5zm5BpEjWguFXzQ0Xae91f7lO5FTNVjNnto1NVhXbsqDIkHCB7ICZbc/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-TmyiwCYmjkB6xCybBOkeXVEZruYxw0ikefOA6J0oeWqJ2q6iX4Z3stPfN78vHUFwxIx_k3zxBJhMrmrqMZV5zm5BpEjWguFXzQ0Xae91f7lO5FTNVjNnto1NVhXbsqDIkHCB7ICZbc/s1600/6.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">And there you have it! Two more to do, and I can finally say my 5-man "squad" is complete! Part of the reason the time is higher than expected is that I spent some time touching up the bases (black around the sides) and then gluing everyone on. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1470g7Dm8AzR-5U52Yw6I7DNAl7zAOrHsOh198DgjTfOq3xf0t4kLfFJ4NREsniSeVYcnQilI5A3eOdLz6sD8Jz0o6AtDMPJ-vp9nUfApMc2OwGfn3gp6bFFEroDk4dr5tl_rlys3Y9s/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1470g7Dm8AzR-5U52Yw6I7DNAl7zAOrHsOh198DgjTfOq3xf0t4kLfFJ4NREsniSeVYcnQilI5A3eOdLz6sD8Jz0o6AtDMPJ-vp9nUfApMc2OwGfn3gp6bFFEroDk4dr5tl_rlys3Y9s/s1600/2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I will take pictures of some more angles with my DSLR in a few days when my DSLR returns to me. :)</span></div>
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<b>T</b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>otal Painting Time for Part 10:</b> 3 hours, 45 minutes over 2 painting sessions.<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Total Painting Time to date:</b> 54 hours, 10 minutes over 43 painting sessions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">____________________</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Overall I am quite happy with them. There are lots I can do better, but in this case time was getting to be a factor and I just needed them to be done. The Purifiers look really striking compared to my regular GK marines, which is good as they are the elite detachment so they should look better.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So I guess that concludes my first (and probably last, at the rate it took me!) tutorial. One day, however, I will compile all the steps into a single post and make a Tutorials Page.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hope this is of help to somebody other than just myself!</span></div>
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Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-16708213279107812402015-02-12T11:05:00.000-05:002015-02-12T11:05:02.607-05:00Alladin's "Step-by-Step" #1: Grey Knight Strike Squad (pt.9)So here we are, the second-last part of my first Step-by-Step. Almost 2 years in the making, we are at the final countdown. This one will be a big one, as it encompasses pretty much all the remaining "fine-detail" work aside from the Nemesis Force Weapons. I have been trying to find the time to get this part written up for a while, but haven't been able to until now.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMf9fgEOLy30i0wCUUHspQY0G5zZKPEFaXgPqlzAu_Z1BjP1I_nZfFyPwGXYC1lRxUL8Yy-NIHVHNaGN24BX-vvUev8m34xl-toaBbfZXOAqu7XaO2qnCcvun5ncXnPPaGOZJyLV6Zw3w/s1600/FullSizeRender2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMf9fgEOLy30i0wCUUHspQY0G5zZKPEFaXgPqlzAu_Z1BjP1I_nZfFyPwGXYC1lRxUL8Yy-NIHVHNaGN24BX-vvUev8m34xl-toaBbfZXOAqu7XaO2qnCcvun5ncXnPPaGOZJyLV6Zw3w/s1600/FullSizeRender2.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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I finished up the parchment/bone sections first. They looked pretty good after my wash, but I needed to add a bit more depth with some lighter colours. The formulas are below:<br />
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Parchment Midtone:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 - Bonewhite : Magic Wash</span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This took a few coats as it was pretty thin, but gave me the effect I wanted.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<div style="text-align: start;">
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Parchment Highlights:</i></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2 : 1 : 3 - Bonewhite : Dead White : Magic Wash</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This was probably too thin for its intended use. In hindsight I would have liked the highlights to pop a bit more, but there is no stopping this train so we just keep on rolling!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This step took 30 minutes over 1 painting session.</i></div>
</div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></i></div>
<div>
Next, I finished up the remaining white highlights. This really doesn't add a lot aside from some subtle highlights on the white parts of the shoulder pauldrons, and around the helm edges. Same formula as last time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">White Highlights:</i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 0 - Dead white undiluted</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Next up was doing the blue highlights and edging! This was a bit tricky to find out the ratios, but I settled on something decent I think.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Blue Highlights:</i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2 : 1 : 3++ - Magic Blue : Electric Blue : Magic Wash</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I added the "++" because the above ratio was still a bit strong, and unless you are very good at blending (aka not me) or in a hurry (aka kind of me), I would recommend a stronger dilution and more thin layers. The edging was more straightforward, just remember to wipe your brush down a lot so the line is controlled.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Blue Edging:</i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 - Electric Blue : Magic Wash</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Finally, I finished up the blue flame Heraldry on the pauldrons by adding some light flecks using the formula below.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">White Flame Tips:</i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 - Glacier Blue : Magic Wash</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This step took 1 hour, 40 minutes over 1 painting session.</i></div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></i></div>
<div>
With that out of the way, I decided to add the blue tinge to the metallic armour. I forgot how I did this the last time so I had to go in blind, but was pretty happy with the result. My patience seems to get the best of me when doing this stuff, and instead of building up with many thin layers I go for a few thicker layers. The problem becomes tide marks. That said, on flat pieces of armour they are easy to fix, but I should really take the time. The formula is below.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Metallic Blue Glow:</i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 10 - Imperial Blue : Magic Wash</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Quite dilute, as you can tell, but required to get that glow look. I had my brush loaded up fairly full, but again, thinner layers are your friend. To fix my hasty work, I used the formula below. Again. I needed a few layers especially were the rise marks really coalesced into thick bands.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Metallic Tidemark Fix:</i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 2 - Chainmail Silver : Magic Wash</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This step took 1 hour, 35 minutes over 1 painting session.</i></div>
</div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></i></div>
<div>
Afterwards, I looked at the grey ribbing at the joints and felt it was too light for my liking. I went over it quickly again. It looks a bit better, but another set of focused highlights would have made them pop even more. That said, time is not on my side.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Grey Piping Highlights:</i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2 : 1 : 6 - Somber Grey : Black : Magic Wash</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This was a fairly dilute mix, and was lightly rushed on with a fine detail brush. Afterwards I finished up the gold highlights. This was pretty quick, just going over the areas I felt would get more light.</span></div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></i></div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Gold Highlights:</i></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 - Shining Gold : Magic Wash</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This step took 1 hour, 45 minutes over 2 painting session.</i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The final step in the metallics section was to do the edging for both the silver metallics and the golds. For this, I just used slightly diluted Silver and lightly ran it across the edges I wanted to pick out. It may take a few runs with the brush to really get the effect to be noticeable. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Metallic & Gold Edging:</i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">2 : 1 - Silver : Wash</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I still find trying to highlight with metallics to be extremely challenging, due to the way light plays on the surfaces. You just kind of have to have a plan for each area and start dark and buld up to light. At certain angles it looks really good, while on others it just looks "silver" or "gold." I will still continue to do it this way, as it will improved overall shading skills.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This step took 1 hour, 35 minutes over 1 painting session.</i></div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></i></div>
<div>
The next step was to get all the parchment writing up. This was fairly quick, done with a fine detail brush and the formula below.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Parchment Writing:</i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 : 2 - Black : Charred Brown : Wash</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Here, you just have to make sure your brush isn't overloaded, so that the lines are nice and thin. I also used undiluted Gory Red, and Magic Blue to add some colour to some of the pages on the various books.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">FINALLY, we get to the rest of the blue glow. This part took a long while, because I was trying to get the ratios correct, and also a fair amount of touching up had to be done to the whites afterward.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">First, for the areas that weren't already light (i.e. Stormbolter ammo clips, vents on the NFW, vents on the rear of the armour "hoods" (if visible), I painted them quickly with Glacier Blue.</span><br />
<br />
<i></i><i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Glowing Blue Basecoat: </i><br />
<div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 - Glacier Blue : Wash</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This was the easy part - just go over it a few coats and make sure it's a nice solid colour.<br />
<br />
Afterwards, I did a very dilute wash using the formula below. This is the main "glow." As with the metallic glow, I overloaded my brush in an effort to be expedient - this just meant I had to go over the tide marks with many coats of the Glacier Blue formula above to blend the tide marks away. It works, but probably not ideal. Anyway, forumula!<br />
<br />
<div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Main Blue Glow:</i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 15 - Imperial Blue : Wash</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As you can tell, it is quite dilute, but when painting it over white it still shows up quite a bit. If you do it the proper way (i.e. without a loaded up brush) it should take multiple coats. Try and focus your brush strokes from the outside of the glow inwards, so that the paint collects closest to the source of the glow. For the small areas like the NFW vents, you just dab it in to get the blue.<br />
<br />
After doing this, I spent a fair amount of time fixing the whites as best as I could. I have some "before and after" pics for reference:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShSciDDYc2mIsoNy8en0Q49xhQkBHO7xjC8vJOzOvV0XwMxcv3kpPlBR4hCS3IdzuRsMdStaw02XM7gURV-9U8aV4YEK6qlbXDL75BpYzC0UeAYT1mMOfKs8lpp6bnviR0QUP-eztLVk/s1600/FullSizeRender4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgShSciDDYc2mIsoNy8en0Q49xhQkBHO7xjC8vJOzOvV0XwMxcv3kpPlBR4hCS3IdzuRsMdStaw02XM7gURV-9U8aV4YEK6qlbXDL75BpYzC0UeAYT1mMOfKs8lpp6bnviR0QUP-eztLVk/s1600/FullSizeRender4.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before (see area around eyes)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpH-yuR20xW0uyPTnUhtgmPhorNu-YFFMcXmsDDduYtmGB-bp5rq_B4JmBOt4Gu-QOV-YX42iMY37anyq_qLRx1b9dgUb7Xub5YzzzZwygs957cciirqeeYNY9LbeMJ4BtlMLcUehbyNA/s1600/FullSizeRender3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpH-yuR20xW0uyPTnUhtgmPhorNu-YFFMcXmsDDduYtmGB-bp5rq_B4JmBOt4Gu-QOV-YX42iMY37anyq_qLRx1b9dgUb7Xub5YzzzZwygs957cciirqeeYNY9LbeMJ4BtlMLcUehbyNA/s1600/FullSizeRender3.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
To finish up this step, and wrap up Part 9 of this Step-by-Step, I did the highlights for the glow, in two fairly quick steps.<br />
<br />
<i>Blue Glow "Highlight":</i><br />
1 : 2 - Electric Blue : Wash<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Blue Glow "Edging":</i><br />
1 : 2 - Glacier Blue : Wash</div>
<div>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></i>
I kind of messed this up, and is a evident on the first pic of the Psycannon, where the blue glow from the weapon is a bit sloppy. This is because I forgot about the middle step with Electric Blue, so I had to go in and re-do my work. However I was tired and grouchy, so the blue glow isn't as smooth as I'd like. Next time will be different!<br />
<br />
In this stage I also did the glow for the Nemesis Daemonhammer. Basically followed the steps above, but then adding some "lighting" designs on each end. It looks OK. The pic below does not demonstrate this, but when I finish up the rest of the NFW's it will be shown with the rest of them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSHDGpAFbUoNmwpq8OEnxUjtmxzTgUpLXL2bOAumiWsFl5Incwj8F5azoCnBjbI9qT_i_FyACDzePDbRzOomazY6CZ0wgwGKIfvMmSkIz4ZRaqiITj7Ca-YCkSLEtdFWOrwwXRmf3y_M/s1600/FullSizeRender1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSHDGpAFbUoNmwpq8OEnxUjtmxzTgUpLXL2bOAumiWsFl5Incwj8F5azoCnBjbI9qT_i_FyACDzePDbRzOomazY6CZ0wgwGKIfvMmSkIz4ZRaqiITj7Ca-YCkSLEtdFWOrwwXRmf3y_M/s1600/FullSizeRender1.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This (MASSIVE) step took 3 hours, 55 minutes over 3 painting sessions.</i><br />
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>T</b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>otal Painting Time for Part 9:</b> 11 hours over 9 painting sessions.<b> </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Total Painting Time to date:</b> 50 hours, 25 minutes over 41 painting sessions.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">____________________</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;">
<div style="text-align: start;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;">
<div style="text-align: start;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wow... I just broke the 50 hour barrier. The good news is that all I have left is the NFW to do. The bad news is that I think those won't get done very quickly.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">I will try and take my time on the final step, and will include more pics detailing each step, as I know the NFW glow is considered the trickiest. I don't assume that mine look amazing, but for a mid-level painter, they should rock the table-top standard for sure. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">...this weekend WILL mark the end of this Step-by-Step. With my wife abandoning me for 4 days to visit family (over Valentine's day, no less!) I will have plenty of time to get this thing done.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Until then!</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-39290691208779336802015-02-10T12:40:00.000-05:002015-06-19T10:06:56.970-04:00Alladin's Bat-Rep #3 - 1500pts Tyranids vs Eldar<div style="text-align: justify;">
This past Tuesday I had a chance to get my third game in, with the same Eldar player as before. We both changed our lists dramatically. My motivation was finding a combination that gave me more tactical flexibility. I believe his motivation was to give me a fighting chance.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We decided to play a Dawn of War style deployment, since that is the only type of deployment I haven't played yet.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was a well-fought game. Teaser: This is the first game that actually went to completion.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a name='more'></a><b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u></u></b><br />
<b><u>Terrain Placement:</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We
placed terrain similar to last game, except this time he had some more Roman-style ruins. We used those to create area terrain sections. Since none of his terrain has a base on it, we discussed how we were treating each piece, and came to a consensus (we never bothered with this before, the rookies that we were). </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I still feel this table is too bare. This is probably close to tourney-level terrain coverage, but for my needs it leaves a lot of open space in the middle. See picture below:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IgZOJSaxH8WR8MoQwP8nTCuB8e3ip6Xvhuvs4GWbUctSs1lLUk5B85Cyrx2iThaAOv251_uApxnyPPXpyzKUeV8e4Eq31xbNcV0yDh7OtKrovGbV_5C-VuFPE_Pjk9Pg6oZoeR48vx4/s640/blogger-image--1579513737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IgZOJSaxH8WR8MoQwP8nTCuB8e3ip6Xvhuvs4GWbUctSs1lLUk5B85Cyrx2iThaAOv251_uApxnyPPXpyzKUeV8e4Eq31xbNcV0yDh7OtKrovGbV_5C-VuFPE_Pjk9Pg6oZoeR48vx4/s640/blogger-image--1579513737.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
For future reference, I will use this perspective when describing the flow of the game.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u>Mission:</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We
played Maelstrom, this time Mission 1, "Cleanse and Control." The
deployment was therefore Dawn of War, which I felt gave me a bit of an advantage between his mid-long range shooting and my mid-short range.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u>Army Lists:</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
As mentioned, the lists be both brought were quite different than the previous two games. My list is featured below.<br />
<br />
<i>Primary Detachment: </i><br />
1x Hive Tyrant - 2x TL Brainleech, Wings, Electroshock Grubs, Regen*<br />
<br />
1x Zoanthrope<br />
1x Venomthrope<br />
<br />
2x 3 Ripper Bases (Deep Strike)<br />
<br />
1x Hive Crone (Reserves)<br />
<br />
1x Carnifex - 2x TL Brainleech, Adrenal Glands<br />
1x Tyrannofex - Acid Spray, Electroshock Grubs, Adrenal Glands<br />
1x Trygon Prime - Miasma Cannon (Deep Strike)<br />
<br />
<i>Allied Detachment:</i><br />
Deathleaper (Deep Strike)<br />
<br />
1x Lictor Brood - 2 Lictors (Deep Strike)<br />
<br />
10x Termigants - 5x Devourers<br />
<br />
I was hoping to go with a list that combined as much "Surprise!" shenanigans as well as maximizing my tactical flexibility with Deep Striking. My Goal was to use the Lictors/Trygon Prime as either a Wave Serpent hunter (try to get an Immobilized result to limit their maneuverability) or to assassinate his Jetbike squad.<br />
<br />
However, his list was Wave Serpent-free (see what I mean, with him feeling sorry for me?). He also only took 1 Psyker. It's as if he was begging me to win.<br />
<br />
His list looked something like this:<br />
<br />
Farseer in a 5-man Jetbike Squad<br />
Avatar of Khaine<br />
6 Dire Avengers<br />
6 Swooping Hawks (Deep Strike)<br />
1 Crimson Hunter Exarch (Reserves)<br />
3x Hornets with some S8 Ap2 shooting<br />
3x War Walkers with Scatter Lasers & S6 shooting<br />
Wraithknight with Scatter Laser and 3 blasts<br />
<br />
Compared to his other list, this one should be way easier to manage. No Ignores Cover shooting, no 60" ranged Serpent Shield. Only 1 Psyker.<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u>Warlord Traits:</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I
rolled on the Strategic table again and got the same Warlord trait as last game -
one that allowed me to infiltrate up to 3 units. This was unfortunate for me, as you will see later.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
He
rolled on the Command table and got the trait that
allowed him to Move through Cover? He was not impressed.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u>Objective Placement:</u></b></div>
Having learned my lesson, I ensured that the Objectives were evenly distributed. There was one in each of the 4 corner Area Ruins, 1 in the middle ruin, and 1 on the hill beside the ruin.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u>Psychic Powers:</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For
Psychic Powers, I had 3 rolls for 2 Psyker units. I rolled Warp Blast and Psychic Scream for my Tyrant, and I can't remember what for my Zoanthrope.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
He had 3 rolls for his Farseer, and got Psychic Shriek, Guide (Eldar power, similar to Prescience) and Prescience.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u>Deployment:</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My opponent won the roll and decided to deploy first. He deployed his Jetbikes near the upper left ruin, his Mechanized units and Avatar near the centre behind the middle ruin, and his Wraithknight and Dire Avengers in the upper right ruin.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For
my deployment, I placed my Flyrant, Venomthrope and Fex in the lower right ruin, for a sweet 2+ cover save. My Zoan and Termigants were placed in the lower left ruin, and in a bone-headed move, I infiltrated my Tyrannofex behind the middle ruin. Not <i>inside</i> the ruin for a 4+ Cover Save, but behind, for jack squat.</div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u>Turn 1:</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The first turn went very quickly. Essentially, he moved his Hornets over to get a good look at my Tyrannofex, and then unloaded on him. Twelve S8 Ap2 shots later, there was a pile of goop where a Tyrannofex once stood. This was probably the turning point of the game, which is sad because it was only the top of the first round. Last 2 games, he had very little Ap2 shooting, so I assumed I could 2+ save my way to freedom. Should have looked at his loadout better.<br />
<br />
His War Walkers unloaded on my hidden Flyrant, scoring 1 wound. Finally, his Wraithknight moved across the board and destroyed my Zoanthrope.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
--</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I spent my turn crying over 250 points gone splat. My Termigants failed their IB, but didn't run away which was good. Nothing was in range, and after the extreme show of force that the Eldar did on my Tyrannofex, I wasn't prepared to move my Flyrant/Fex/Venom out of cover until at least turn 2.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
At this point it was 1 - 0 in VP's for him.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u>Turn 2:</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Both his Swooping Hawks and Crimson Fighter came in. Between the Hawks and his Wraithknight he cleared that unit off the objective. He didn't bother shooting at Shrouded Flyrant & Co., out of spite more than anything, which was his mistake - if he focused all his energy into the Flyrant he may have killed it eventually. His Crimson Hunter came in from the left side, but without any good targets it just ended up moving near the lower left ruin and lined itself up to zoom towards my Flyrant. Out there by its lonesome, it sure looked like a juicy target for my Crone, if it came in this turn.<br />
<br />
--<br />
I rolled for my reserves, which have been hot the first two games I played. This game was no different. Both my Ripper Squads came in, as well as my Lictors and Deathleaper. However, my Trygon Prime decided to hold back, likely after hearing what happened to Ted the Tyrannofex. With my eye on his Crimson Hunter, I rolled for my Crone last... and came in! </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I placed my Lictors & Deathleaper near his Jetbike Farseer. I placed my Rippers by his Dire Avengers in the upper right corner. However, one of them suffered a mishap and went back into ongoing reserves. The Crone came in swooping with the Crimson Hunter in his sights.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Once again, my Hive Tyrant and Co. stayed wedged in the ruins. My Lictors launched their flesh hooks into the Jetbikes, killing one. The Rippers got into position to contest the objective.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Hive Crone barrelled into the Crimson Hunter with a vector strike. I rolled to see how many hits I got - and my hot streak continued, rolling for 3! Long story short, 2 Pens and a Glance later, there was one wrecked Crimson Hunter. It was GLORIOUS. Whatever the outcome of the rest of the game, this was the defining moment of the game for me.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Also, my Flyrant regained a wound this round from Regen.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At the bottom of turn 2, it was 2 - 2 VPs for Eldar.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u>Turn 3:</u></b><br />
On his turn, the Eldar Jetbikes ran away from my Lictors, down to the lower left ruin. His Wraithknight fired at my Lictors, who were partially obscured by the ruin. He ended up taking 1 wound off. His War Walkers and Hornets both fired at my Crone, but only managed to take 2 wounds off, and I passed my Grounding Test. His Dire Avengers shot at my Rippers, and then charged them, removing a total of 6 wounds and leaving one full base left.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
--</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My second unit of Rippers arrived, this time without mishap. My Trygon Prime also came in, and I positioned him near his Jetbike squad in the lower left. He would likely get shot up next round, but with his 12 shots and Miasma template I should get a good chance of causing his Jetbikes to fail a morale check and hopefully flee back into my Lictors.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My Crone decided to fly off the board as he couldn't reach the Jetbike unit with his template, and was otherwise looking very vulnerable.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My shooting phase was all Trygon Prime. His 12 standard shots were useless, as he saved all of it. The Miasma template, however, was awesome, hitting every model and killing 3 bikes. This forced a Morale check as I had hoped, with a LD8 due to Shadow of the Warp, but unfortunately he passed. My Rippers in combat were finished off by the Dire Avengers.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
VP total was 3 - 2 for Eldar.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<u><b>Turn 4:</b></u><br />
This is where things got a little bit more interesting. The Eldar Jetbikes moved far away from the Trygon. I feel this was a cursory maneuver, as his Hornets obliterated the Trygon moments later in the Shootig Phase, and was primarily done to protect his Farseer's fancy wardrobe from splattering Trygon entrails. Case in point: after the guts had stopped flying, he moved his Farseer right back down to the same ruins. His Swoopig Hawks landed by the upper-right ruin to support his Dire Avengers. They both shot at my second Ripper unit but only removed one base from play. Finally, his Wraithknight charged Deathleaper and made quick work out of him.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
--</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
With the clock running out and the Eldar having scored 3 VPs this turn, I felt it was time to do something. My Flyrant took off toward the upper right ruin to clear off some of the Eldar infantry and keep them from th objective up there. The Dakkafex and Venomthrope also made a bee-line toward the other cover. The Crone came back on, and while I should have Vector Stuck his Jetbikes, I opted to hold off so I could fire teo weapons.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Shooting was actually useful this turn, as my Carnifex and Flyrant removed both his Dire Avengers and Swooping Hawks. My Crone pooped out a Template (still think MCs can shoot 360 degrees, right?) on his Jetbikes, which unfortunately did no damage due to his saves. The Tentaclid flew into his War Walkers but I missed.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At the end of this round it was 6 - 4 for the Eldar, and turn 5 looked to be interesting.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u>Turn 5:</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Not a lot of maneuvering here, the Avatar took off toward the Flyrant, and his mechanized cohort took aim as well. His Wraithknight positioned to charge the remaining 2 Lictors. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The shooting phase was anti-climactic, he unloaded the might of the Eldar into my Flyrant hoping to shoot him out of the sky, but managed only 3 wounds. I had to take a grounding test, but luckily I survived, saving a Slay the Warlord VP by a hair.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
--</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Flyrant flew towards his back line to get a better angle on his Hornets. The Fex and the Venom changed their mind and ran away from the Avatar back into the lower right ruins. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The Crone moved toward the Hornets as well.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">I shot the Avatar with my Fex, removing 3 wounds. My Crone fired its last 2 Tentaclids, but my rolls failed me again and I missed both. My Flyrant shot at his Hornets, but after a poor showing on the Armour Pen roll, his Jink Save negated all the hits. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">We rolled to see if it would go another round, but it did not.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Final score: 8 - 5 for Eldar.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<b><u>Final Thoughts:</u></b><br />
The game itself was more exciting for me, and we had a couple of cool moments where it came down to some hot (or cold) dice rolls. Even though I lost against a lower-tier Eldar list, I still felt good about the game... in light of some really dumb mistakes.<br />
<br />
To the dismay of Ted the Tyrannofex, I definitely should have respected his Hornets and their 12 Str8 Ap2 shots. I should have read his list a bit deeper and opted to keep him in cover. My miscalculation of his shooting strength lost this game for me.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My strategy was to overwhelm him with targets, but I let him pick off 2 of my MCs without providing any tough decisions. I think the first round of shooting made me decide to turtle in the corner and be more reactive instead of PROactive. Unfortunately the remainder of my list wasn't designed to handle my Flyrant and Dakkafex taking 4 rounds off of shooting.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
That said, I think I did play the mission a bit better this time. The Mission format itself helped, limiting his cards to 3 or so for most of the game, but leaving me with even less.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The result could have been much worse for me if he got a bit more luck with his cards, and if my rolling wasn't so hot (and his so cold). Aside from a few odd ones, we both felt my rolls were way better this round.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Deathleaper and Co. were a bit disappointing, but that may have to do with his new list. I thought I could use them to eat up an immobilized Wave Serpent or two, but the only real target was his Bikes, which were too mobile. If I could have pinned them......... different story.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
I liked the Deep Strike heavy list, but the problem becomes keeping your guys alive until backup comes. My lists are limited by the models I own, and a few purchases in the future should help bolster my ranks.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I keep mentioning it, but the Eldar are so fast! I think the hordes I ran last few games limits their maneuverability, but I need more targets for him. I also need a Wraithknight hunting squad - Gargolyes or Toxic Hormies?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That's it for now, I had to write this post twice since I didn't save my first draft, so I am happy it's finally done! My next game should be in a few weeks, this time against Orks. Very different army, so looking forward to the challenge.</div>
Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-54998805198444513462015-01-20T11:36:00.000-05:002015-01-20T12:25:05.810-05:002015 Hobby Resolutions<div style="text-align: justify;">
This post comes a bit late in the year, but most of my effort is being put toward finishing up my current batch of Grey Knights. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I wanted to make a hobby road-map of sorts for 2015, as I have a ridiculous amount of small (and not-so-small) projects lying around from 2013 and 2014, and clearly not enough focus to complete much of anything.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My intention is to keep it short, and focus on a few things at once so I don't get distracted. Additionally, I will associate the completion of certain landmarks on my road-map with incentives, typically the purchase of new kits or other hobby-related stuff.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, without further ado, the list:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><b><br /></b></u></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><b>Phase 1:</b></u></div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Complete painting 5x Grey Knights</li>
<li>Complete painting Vindicare Assassin & Jokaero Weaponsmith</li>
<li>Finish plasticard rock basing for the remainder of my Tyranids (+ 5 GKs)</li>
<li>Finish putting together 5 GKs</li>
<li>Finish Magnetizing odds/ends of my Tyranids</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Reward:</i> Hive Tyrant kit</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd7AVzGuUG3G74NoBzwwnGLu9HhAgpCwV7Kqj0wvb01oeWwhO6ioApaqX7_frtUuTFPr4FhLSQTJjvYwuWx5o19TBT-8MFNPyjdM-3VvrhmxERDa930elpVKxLBMejdOAQ7MuJbgwGuY/s640/blogger-image-1527056480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd7AVzGuUG3G74NoBzwwnGLu9HhAgpCwV7Kqj0wvb01oeWwhO6ioApaqX7_frtUuTFPr4FhLSQTJjvYwuWx5o19TBT-8MFNPyjdM-3VvrhmxERDa930elpVKxLBMejdOAQ7MuJbgwGuY/s400/blogger-image-1527056480.jpg" width="386" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I hate to follow the masses, but this is the simplest way to eventually get myself in the Win column.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><u></u><br />
<u><b></b></u><br />
<br />
<u><b>Phase 2:</b></u></div>
<ul>
<li>Varnish my completed GK miniatures</li>
<li>Add basing grass tufts to varnished miniatures</li>
<li>Build Tyrant to level of completion of remaining army</li>
<li>Glue sand/pebbles to all of my Tyranid Bases</li>
<li>Glue sand/pebbles to my styrofoam hills</li>
<li>Paint my 6 Rippers to completion & varnish</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Reward:</i> Tyranid Tyrannocyte kit</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzHf0EYnWIzRb9IWfewZM9B2dQvm6KQUxY16tLUmEyVTq3-5y4Wg7jwAnMvSkMhyphenhyphenLGryCFndYNY_2_8S1Tl9LvZGc05VlW1YFhhSrzK0MNlQv7OvUxjZxp6SxWz3BkvHw53A0TPRg41Q/s640/blogger-image--2018398482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzHf0EYnWIzRb9IWfewZM9B2dQvm6KQUxY16tLUmEyVTq3-5y4Wg7jwAnMvSkMhyphenhyphenLGryCFndYNY_2_8S1Tl9LvZGc05VlW1YFhhSrzK0MNlQv7OvUxjZxp6SxWz3BkvHw53A0TPRg41Q/s400/blogger-image--2018398482.jpg" width="387" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The problem will be transporting this guy...</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u><b>Phase 3:</b></u></div>
<ul>
<li>Paint my 2 Crusaders</li>
<li>Build my Tyrannocyte to level of completion of remaining Tyranids</li>
<li>Paint my 2 Servitors</li>
<li>Paint my 5 Psykers</li>
<li>Finish basing my Sector Imperialis building so that it is ready to paint</li>
<li>Finish basing outlines for remainder of my ruins</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Reward:</i> Grex Tritium Airbrush Kit. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVEm8fg5zhd9uyGoirDRwSyMT-c3YFrj5lzOFvSw7QlryLSnuajlpUgggEX2d9VWy-sZMim8LFkgImWLVlsqLmufmr8OhKOMfn8s6ltXK7F1VeH7Mxbaw7MfTNUuxdgmJ9BrOc5ziDmA/s640/blogger-image--271764845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVEm8fg5zhd9uyGoirDRwSyMT-c3YFrj5lzOFvSw7QlryLSnuajlpUgggEX2d9VWy-sZMim8LFkgImWLVlsqLmufmr8OhKOMfn8s6ltXK7F1VeH7Mxbaw7MfTNUuxdgmJ9BrOc5ziDmA/s400/blogger-image--271764845.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh yes. It will be mine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is my very own Holy Grail of Rewards for 2015 - it will help tremendously with my Tyranids, as well as all the terrain I have in various stages of completeness. Once I get to this point, I will re-evaluate my priorities and make up a new list, which will likely be along the lines of "airbrush <i>EVERYTHING</i>."</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I feel I am being quite ambitious, at least based on my 2014 output, but am confident in my new-found hobby mojo, and am hoping to have the Airbrush in my hands sometime in the summer, so I have a few months of playing around before the weather kicks me out of my garage.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Alright, that's it for this post!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-34314683358223453572015-01-15T16:45:00.001-05:002015-01-20T12:24:38.549-05:00Alladin's "Step-by-Step" #1: Grey Knight Strike Squad (pt.8)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Unlike the spectacle of my previous post, I will *really* try and keep this one short and sweet. Here we go. THIS IS A PICTURE OF GOLD SHADING AND MID-TONES:</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3M074JWcyFqa6Bn0tmKPeISIpVTFd-rzY07mBc7K1Aa0vtS4pldMrjLxkXw4xrM4rLLJgQINJct4AgQOPeFwBdb3-U64bbrptL_HbkFBvNSDgyiV8cPaynomRPNPDh6Y_2xuQjoy98zY/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3M074JWcyFqa6Bn0tmKPeISIpVTFd-rzY07mBc7K1Aa0vtS4pldMrjLxkXw4xrM4rLLJgQINJct4AgQOPeFwBdb3-U64bbrptL_HbkFBvNSDgyiV8cPaynomRPNPDh6Y_2xuQjoy98zY/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">
The I applied the formula below to areas which I felt could use a bit more definition (see the halberd and the shoulder-pad in the picture above). The picture does not do it a lot of justice, but getting metallics to behave on camera is always difficult. FORMULA:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Gold Shading Wash:</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 : 2 - Sepia Shade: Black Shade : Magic Wash</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The next step was the gold "mid-tones." This was a bit tricky, due to the fact that it is really hard to blend metallics, and I am incredibly lazy to do so even if I wanted to. Instead, I mixed VGC Polished Gold with Brassy Brass, which was a bit too Gold and not enough brass for my liking. Formula below:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Gold Midtones:</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 : 2 - Polished Gold: Brassy Brass : Magic Wash</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If one wanted to do a proper shade, they would have to include an intermediate later (with more Brassy Brass) prior to the layer above. Then they would have to do another intermediate later (with more Polished Gold), followed by straight Polished Gold, followed by a Silver edge highlight.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I won't bother with the two intermediate layers, because of aforementioned laziness, and because I am simply not that crazy. If this was a HQ unit, I definitely would, but not here, and not now.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Instead, I plan on a quick highlight with straight Polished Gold (diluted of course), then a Silver edge highlight which will be applied quite sparingly.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I also used this Midtone layer to do all the rivets in gold. (Clarification: Only the rivets located on Blue areas were done in gold, all the rivets on the Gunmetal parts will remain silver, with a highlight of course).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">That's it for this step. Next is the white midtones and highlights.</span></div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This step took 1 hour, 50 minutes over 2 painting sessions.</i></div>
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The white "midtones" were a pain in the ass, especially my Justicar's Halberd. I think I put down 15 layers on it. I used the same formula as before, copied below:</div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">White Midtones:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 : 2 - Dead White : Glacier Blue : Magic Wash</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkLCFDKaGoT0y6BzSMUbjjXSmIOIBfZ82sMIu-s0PcsZ62RTl8FcEAjuHX8ybcg-Oo95b5tLjaZcf5HSRI3fgDXbqE9utJ2cQ6LCai6DWUqLP7LAf41lkLXi2NJTY8NqnCPiXSeFWRug/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkLCFDKaGoT0y6BzSMUbjjXSmIOIBfZ82sMIu-s0PcsZ62RTl8FcEAjuHX8ybcg-Oo95b5tLjaZcf5HSRI3fgDXbqE9utJ2cQ6LCai6DWUqLP7LAf41lkLXi2NJTY8NqnCPiXSeFWRug/s1600/image.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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I then followed up with my red midtone. I went over all the wax seals, hitting the higher bits, and then the Stormbolter on my one Strike Squad member. As before, I tried to focus on areas that I thought would be lit up, or just went with whatever looked the most appealing. The formula is below:</div>
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<i>Red Midtone</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 - Gory Red : Magic Wash</span></div>
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I wanted to get my Reds complete, so the next step was my Red Highlight. I used this sparingly, and probably could have gone a bit more dilute to give a better blend. The formula is below:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Red Highlight</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 - Bloody Red : Magic Wash</span></div>
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The VGC Bloody Red looks almost like a pink, but it blends well with the other reds beneath the layer to create a decently bright red. If you go dilute, a few layers will be necessary. I learned my lesson with the blues, which I will discuss later. Finally, I did my Red Edge Highlights. Formula Below:</div>
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<i>Red Edge Highlight</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 : 1 - Gory Red : Sunblast Yellow : Magic Wash</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This actually turns it into an Orange, but if used sparingly I feel it adds a good dimension to the model. My VGC Sunblast is completely destroyed, and so I ended up with little orange "bits" as I was too lazy to try and go buy another bottle today. This kind of sucks, but I really want these guys done, and it's not terribly noticeable. That said, I will be tossing this bottle out ASAP. See picture below!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwoDagEkh_UV3Bwy69JvlqN1OUD8cuPziCOnwvrvJ4YX8k2J5EfHqa-2MqJay_jsApyE_dsYQONVVm4Vyd5YDQo6jmLpUY5VtEiR3ZrH0_pm-u6tqTSUi7dE0rh3STk8euhHiZ0SX8a6g/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwoDagEkh_UV3Bwy69JvlqN1OUD8cuPziCOnwvrvJ4YX8k2J5EfHqa-2MqJay_jsApyE_dsYQONVVm4Vyd5YDQo6jmLpUY5VtEiR3ZrH0_pm-u6tqTSUi7dE0rh3STk8euhHiZ0SX8a6g/s1600/image.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">That concludes the Red family of colours. Forever. (Not really)</span></div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This step took 3 hours over 3 painting sessions.</i></div>
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As I am now getting into the nitty gritty, these are becoming longer posts with fewer "big" visible changes. I will stop here.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>T</b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>otal Painting Time for Part 8:</b> 4 hours, 50 minutes over 5 painting sessions.<b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Total Painting Time to date:</b> 39 hours, 25 minutes over 32 painting sessions.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">____________________</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Puritan; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; text-align: start;">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span></span>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">I really feel that I am getting closer and closer to completion, but the OSL and Force Weapons will be a time sink. I was hoping to finish these up under the 50 hour mark, but that is not going to be likely! Ahh well. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white;">For Part 9, I will be doing some final highlights/touching up the parchment and the whites, as well as finishing the blues for the Purifiers. These are already completed, I just need the time to upload pics and type it all out! I will also likely try and finish the Metallic and Gold highlights, leaving only the OSL/Force to do for Part 10. This has been quite a journey...</span></div>
Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-90920701993633705652015-01-15T09:11:00.000-05:002015-04-09T08:42:39.837-04:00Alladin's Bat-Rep #2 - 1500pts Tyranids vs Eldar<div style="text-align: justify;">
Last weekend I had a rematch with the Eldar. I felt that I learned a lot from my spanking last time, and was determined to prevent a repeat...</div>
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<br /></div>
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...<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Let's just start by saying I was schooled once again.</span></div>
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This time we played at his place, he had a decent table with an Imperial Sector kit and some hills.</div>
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<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u>Terrain Placement:</u></b></div>
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We placed terrain similar to last game, except the bigger LOS blocking pieces were on the flanks near the centre, with a larger hill in the middle. A few other hills and smaller buildings were then distributed on either side.</div>
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<b><u>Mission:</u></b></div>
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We played Maelstrom, this time Mission 3, "Tactical Escalation." The deployment was therefore Hammer & Anvil, which had me a bit nervous. We rolled for night-fighting,</div>
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<b><u>Army Lists:</u></b></div>
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The lists were almost identical to the first game (see first post HERE) except I added a Venomthrope, gave my Carnifex fleet, and grouped the 3 Zoans into two units of 1 & 2. To fit these changes into my list, I shaved a few Hormagaunts and tweaked a few other smaller things that didn't work well for me.</div>
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<br /></div>
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My opponent added a Farseer to his Autarch Jetbike unit to combat my Psykic advantage last turn, and replaced his Warp Spiders with an additional unit of 2 War Walkers. He also replaced his Fire Dragons with Striking Scorpions.</div>
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<b><u>Warlord Traits:</u></b></div>
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I rolled on the Strategic table and got a seemingly decent Warlord trait - one that allowed me to infiltrate up to 3 units. However, the terrain was deployed in such a way to deny me any decent infiltration opportunities.</div>
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He rolled on the tactical table (being a smart guy) and got the trait that allowed him to get an extra objective on his first turn.</div>
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<b><u>Objective Placement:</u></b></div>
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I <i>COMPLETELY</i> messed up Objective placement, and it ended up placing more objectives on his half than mine (3 on his half, 2 centred, and 1 on mine). Not sure what the hell I was thinking.</div>
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<b><u>Psychic Powers:</u></b></div>
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For Psychic Powers, I had 5 rolls for 4 Psyker units. I rolled Onslaught twice (not terrible for Hammer and Anvil) and The Horror THREE "@&!ing times. THREE.</div>
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He had 6 rolls for 2 psykers, and got both Invisibility AND Psychic Shriek (plus some other lame ones).</div>
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<b><u>Deployment:</u></b></div>
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My opponent won the roll and decided to deploy first. He kept his units back out of range and fairly well covered.</div>
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For my deployment, I placed my Fex, Malanthrope and 2 Zoan unit in the middle, with my 2 Hormagaunt units as a shield. The Termigant blob was behind them, minded by a single Zoan. My Tervigon was on one side behind a ruin, and my Mawloc and Flyrant were on the other flank trying to hide behind another ruin. I made another bonehead move by not reserving my Mawloc AGAIN. I did use him as a shield for my Flyrant on Turn 1, but still. My gargoyles and Crone were reserved.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I2vUdGYlwAMNwYLXLlireSYkcWD5U311Jn5zCd9_F_dBP6OCByYRXCvq1VALU6d6nhC9Yp6S3EoO5lQ_oQiaroTr8x-sLYDuVfuCGr4Pe0iC6gIlFR-FNYF_k1otEvvU5NYAX7XL1w8/s640/blogger-image--1176138902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1I2vUdGYlwAMNwYLXLlireSYkcWD5U311Jn5zCd9_F_dBP6OCByYRXCvq1VALU6d6nhC9Yp6S3EoO5lQ_oQiaroTr8x-sLYDuVfuCGr4Pe0iC6gIlFR-FNYF_k1otEvvU5NYAX7XL1w8/s640/blogger-image--1176138902.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Turn 1:</u></b></div>
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He played conservative, kept his units hidden, and managed to cast Invisibility on one Wave Serpent, feeling bold, he plunked this Serpent on the middle hill. He also managed to shed 3 wounds off my Mawloc, which was better than targeting my Flyrant. He also cut up a handful of Hormagaunts.</div>
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On my first turn, I ran my vanguard up towards his units, my Tyrant straight into the ruins, and my Tervigon on the other side of the tall ruin in the back of the picture. My Tervigon made 13 babies. My Termigants blob moved up a bit too, toward the Tervigon.</div>
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Psychic Phase was a waste, I cast Onslaught on my spawned Termigants.</div>
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Shooting. Pretty useless. All in, I think I managed to take 1 HP off a Wave Serpent from my Flyrant, getting a "Crew Shaken" result. I forgot it was night fighting, so my shots were near useless.</div>
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I won't even bother listing the VP totals, they got out of hand quickly.</div>
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<b><u>Turn 2:</u></b></div>
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The Eldar moves like the lithe bastards that they are. Invisibility was cast on his unit of 2 Walkers up near the Tervigon.</div>
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His shooting was once again mild. I think he shaved 2 wounds off my Flyrant but I saved my grounding test. Some more Hormagaunts blew up, and perhaps some damage to my Fex. Finally, he blew up my unit of two Zoans, severing the Synaptic link between for my Fex, Hormies and Malanthrope.</div>
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I believe he then made his biggest mistake by charging my Terv with his two Walkers. It was like watching two kittens trying to fight to the death by to cuddling each other. Sad.</div>
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However, he still managed some decent VPs by getting good cards, like "manifesting 3+ powers for D3 points" and rolling well to get 3 VPs consistently.</div>
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On my turn, one unit of Hormies ate itself for 6 wounds, the other got Rage, my Fex somehow passed his Leadership test, and my Malanthrope fell back 11 inches.</div>
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My reserve rolls were good again, and both my Crone and Gargoyle unit came in. I positioned my Gargoyles in the lower ruin, and my Crone in the far corner of my zone, to Swoop up to the tall ruin. I kept running up my vanguard to try and get assaulting.</div>
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Psychic phase, who needs a psychic phase?</div>
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In the Shooting Phase, I managed to reduce his unit of Walkers by 3 HP, killing 1 and immobilising another thanks to my Flyrant. My Crone launched some Tentaclids into the Wave Serpent, to no effect, and my Carnifex popped open the damaged Wave Serpent somehow.</div>
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I assaulted his Striking Scorpions with my Hormies, killing 4, but he killed more of my guys so they fell back (not in synapse), luckily he did not make his sweeping advance.</div>
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I think I managed 3 VPs, total now being something like 9-4 for him.</div>
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<b><u>Turn 3:</u></b><br />
This is where it all came apart. Like more so than usual.</div>
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He moved. Then he Psychic Shreik-ed my Flyrant for massive damage, aka SPLAT.</div>
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His Swooping Hawks touched down behind my units and tried to snipe my last Zoanthrope. He forgot that he has a 3++ so nothing really happened there. Shooting deleted my Fex pretty fast. The rest of my units were not really in range for him so that was the gist of his Turn.<br />
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My Movement Phase straightforward. My Crone raked across his Jetbikes as it flew off the board into Ongoing Reserves, removing one bike as a casualty. My Mawloc Terror'd over his 2 Walkers, since his other units were either too close to the board edge or not juicy enough. After scatter, I did get a hit, but both were undone by poor rolls and I periled. He decided to place the Mawloc on the center hill, in perfect range for a great round of target practice next turn. My Termigant blob reared back around to go after his Swooping Hawks. If anything, I was determined to give someone the wrath of my 50+ shots between the Devourers and Fleshborers.<br />
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Psychic Phase was useless.<br />
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Shooting was essentially me taking revenge on his poor Swooping Hawks. Let's just say they did not survive.<br />
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At the end of this turn, the VPs were something like 12-4.<br />
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<u><b>Turn 4:</b></u><br />
We ended the game after his Psychic Phase. He Shrieked my Mawloc into oblivion, and at the start of his Shooting Phase I was left with 1 Zoan, 30 Termigants, a Tervigon in mortal combat with a Walker, a few spawned Termigants, and a Crone that would show up on my board edge and be essentially useless.</div>
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He still had a Wraithknight, Wave Serpent, 2 War Walkers (+1 in combat), his Jetbike/Autarch squad, and his Dire Avengers. He was up 13-4 on VPs, and would have likely sniped my Zoan and most of my Termigant blob by the end of this turn.<br />
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Another crushing defeat at the hands of the Eldar.<br />
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<b><u>Final Thoughts:</u></b><br />
<br />
I realize my list isn't really a competitive list, and while his isn't excessively cheesy either, it really highlights the disparity between the two books. Eldar can dish out a surprising amount of pain, while taking a fair bit themselves with all their jinking and invulnerable saves. Additionally, they are generally way more mobile than I can ever hope to achieve without either going for a full flying circus or full Tyrannocyte army.<br />
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Synapse really really takes the fun out of our army. I know it's been said for a while now, but requiring a babysitter for all of my hordes (and even, ideally, our MCs) is a real pain. My opponent didn't even take the smart route and focus on removing my Synapse first. He wasted shots on a Mawloc and Hormagaunt blob the first round. I had two bad Leadership rolls over the last two games which prevented my Crone from shooting at anything that turn because it wanted to assault. Really? It CAN'T assault that turn. What a smart rule.<br />
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At this stage in the game, I am no Tactical Genius. In fact, quite the opposite. I do not really "play the mission" because, with my list at least, it is quite difficult to contest objectives in his end when I am foot slogging the bulk of my troops. I also will be hard pressed to get points for controlling more objectives than he does, as my synapse web is just too weak and my two Swooping Flyers don't count. Finally, he always seems to get cards that offer VPs for killing Flyers and Psykers, which I have an abundance of relative to him.<br />
<br />
I feel the only way I could win is by adding another Flyrant, maxing out
on Tyrannocytes, and podding/Alpha striking his stupid Serpents/War
Walkers to the ground. The sad thing is, he could easily double his
Serpent total in a 1500 pt list, and then I am not even sure my strategy
would be enough. Looking at his list, he has 5-6 units who can
potentially "delete" any one of my units with a good round of rolls. I
have 2, and they both carry Brainleech Devourers. The Crone and Mawloc
have been disappointing, which I should have been expecting.<br />
<br />
The next two kits I will buy are a Tyrannocyte for my Fex, and a second Flyrant. I am also considering a Malanthrope + Adrenal Tyrannofex charging up the middle. Finally, I know they are almost universily panned, but I may try to use a Trygon Prime as another source of rear armour shooting, possibly providing Synapse support for my stupid Carnifex. This would give me 3 Brainleech Platforms, some disruptive shooting from the Tyrannocyte, another 12 shots + Miasma Cannon from the Prime, and then some Eshock Grubs and Acid Spray coming up from my side of the table. I may experiment with the Harpy, but with his lack of large troop blobs, I likely would be smarter to place those points elsewhere somehow, as the Crone's 4 Tentaclids just don't butter my bread.<br />
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Anyway, that's enough rambling. In the meantime I will keep re-tooling my list and try to figure out a way to catch him, or at least not lose by such a big disparity.</div>
Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-84201224260119446022015-01-08T18:43:00.003-05:002015-01-20T12:23:07.403-05:00Alladin's (Pseudo) Bat-Rep #1 - 1500 pts Tyranids vs Eldar<div style="text-align: justify;">
So here it is, my first battle report! I am calling this a "pseudo" bat-rep because:</div>
<ol>
<li style="text-align: justify;">I am missing lots of information, as my main focus during the game was to get comfortable with the rules, and</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The game itself was called at the top of Turn 3, due to timing (and the fact that it didn't look like the outcome would change all that much).</li>
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It was a 1500 point game, pitting my Tyranids vs Eldar. My opponent brought a pretty fair list, and mine was the one posted on the <a href="http://alladinsbazaar.blogspot.ca/p/other-wh40k.html" target="_blank">Hive Fleet Ceryx</a> page. His list was something along the lines of:</div>
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Autarch (?) on Jetbike with 3 other Jetbikes</div>
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5-6 Dire Avengers in a Wave Serpent</div>
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5-6 Fire Dragons in a Wave Serpent</div>
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5-6 Warp Spiders</div>
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6-7 Swooping Hawks</div>
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Wraithknight</div>
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1 unit of 3 Eldar Walkers?</div>
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All in, a varied list of units with no repetition aside from the two Wave Serpents.</div>
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We played Maelstrom of War, Mission 6 I believe, which means we deployed diagonally. The table had a decent amount of terrain, including a big Sanctum Imperialis placed diagonally, splitting our sides in half, plus at least one 2-storey building on either side and some low hills interspersed. I would have liked a bit more to keep my guys covered, but we worked with what we had.</div>
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I deployed first, keeping my Crone and Tervigon in reserves (Tervigon Outflanks due to Hive Commander). I feel that I deployed poorly, ultimately creating a bottleneck with my Hormagaunts which prevented my Carnifex from being too mobile. I also deployed a bit defensively with my Termigant blob, neutering their use as well. I tried to shield my important guys with the LOS blocking terrain, in case I went second. My Zoans were basically just behind my troop blobs, making sure they toed the line.</div>
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His deployment was unremarkable, with the Wave Serpents behind the same LOS terrain, his Jetbikes and walkers behind them, and the Wraithknight on a far table edge, chillin' like a villain.</div>
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I ended up going first. This turn was basically a waste for, as I moved my gribblies feebly across the board. The Hormagaunts and Carnifex went toward his Wraithknight, hoping to block it in and tie it up for a few turns. The Mawloc just sat around waiting to Burrow on Turn 2. The Termigants and Gargoyles shuffled about nervously, and my Hive Tyrant valiantly flew forward, parked in front of the tall Sanctum building, and eyed one of his Wave Serpents.</div>
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The Psychic Phase was fun, as he only had 3 Dice and I had 5-6. I <i>believe</i> that I actually counted wrong since, upon second reading, I found that each Zoanthrope brood (even if it is only one model) counts as ML2, which means it should have been 8-9 Dice (depending on whether or not Tervigon was deployed or not). I may be wrong, and will revisit that section again.</div>
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For my powers, I managed to roll at least one Catalyst, 2 Onslaughts, 1 Paroxysm, and 1 Horror. On this first turn I got Catalyst through on my Tyrant (and the Gargoyles hanging out near him), as well as Paroxysm on the Wraithknight. However, in the process, my Tyrant suffered Perils, losing a wound (but luckily not getting grounded). This was the first bit of bad karma for me.</div>
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For my Shooting Phase, only my Tyrant was in range, so I unloaded on the poor Wave Serpent. 12 attacks, twin-linked. 11 Hits. Bam. I felt <i>reeeally</i> good. He decided to Jink, as he was out in the open. I rolled to glance/pen. I think I ended up with 5-7 successes. I <b>*still*</b> felt <i>reeeeally</i> good. That jink? He saved EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.</div>
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Not even a scratch. $#%*& me. I ran with the rest of my guys (but without actually knowing the run rules, or the move through cover rules, OR the fleet rules, so basically I ran on the spot) to finish my turn.</div>
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I think I ended up with 3 VP based on the Mission Cards.</div>
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For his first round, he did some moving about, nothing notable. For his Psychic phase, he cast Invisibility on one of his troop units. I think he sent his Warp Spiders to attack some Hormagaunts, and fired some templates at my Hormagaunt/Carnifex blob from his Walkers, which removed a few Hormagaunts and one wound off my Fex. He then shot at my Carnifex with his Wraithknight and put two more wounds on him. Finally, his stupid Wave Serpents attacked. One targeted my Hive Tyrant. All said and done, he put 2 more wounds on the guy. I now had to roll for grounding - if I failed, he would be dead. Luckily I passed - my first bit of <i>good</i> karma. The other Serpent could not see my Tyrant, so I think they fired at the Gargoyles? Not sure, lost a few at some point.</div>
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By the end of his turn, he managed to do a fair bit of damage, but only one VP.</div>
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Second round: Both my Tervigon and my Crone come in from reserves. The Crone Vector Strikes the Wraithknight (shedding a wound), stopping behind a ruined building on his end of the board. The Tervigon appears on the opposite board end, where his Jetbikes were hanging out. Outflank was quite useless with this deployment type and not sure if I would use it again on my Tyrant. (Of course, I forget to roll for my Tervigon spawning, so I lose out on some backup) For the rest of my guys, my little guys move generally toward his guys, the Mawloc Burrows, the Carnifex takes his sweet ass time, and the Hive Tyrant makes a Hail Mary (stupid move) and runs right dab into his mass of Wave Serpents/troops/Walkers.</div>
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Psychic Phase: Can't really remember. I think I cast Paroxysm on his Wave Serpent (stupid, as BS is so low anyway) and did not get Catalyst off this time for some reason. I got an Onslaught though (but forgot to use it so meh).</div>
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Shooting Phase: The Tyrant shoots at another Wave Serpent. 11 Hits again. This time, 8 Wounds. More Jinking. However his luck doesn't hold, and before I am half-way through my dice, I have dealt enough penetrating hits to blow the sucker up. This is my second (and last) bit of <i>good</i> karma, and really it's just getting even for the crappy first round of shooting. At this point, I think there were still troops in the vehicle, but I think my opponent forgot to roll for wounds after the explosion (I believe this is done? Could be wrong, but he is new too, so I don't begrudge this kind of thing). All in all, I know that the Tyrant is basically done next turn. The Crone fired its Tentaclid at the other Wave Serpent, and I can't recall if it did anything useful. The Tervigon fired her Stinger Salvo and Electroshock Grubs at the Jetbikes. I managed to get rid of one biker and put a wound on his Autarch. No big deal. That completed my second round.</div>
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I believe I gained 1 VP somehow, bringing my total to 4,</div>
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For his second round, there was a bit of shuffling in the movement phase, mainly his Warp Spiders and Swooping Hawks jockeying for better position, and his Jet Bikes ran away from my Tervigon's Claws and toward an Objective he needed. Shooting was a joke, he destroyed one of my Hormagaunt Blobs, as well as my Hive Tyrant AND Carnifex. And based on his Objective Cards, he gained like 9 VPs. First Blood, Slay the Warlord, 3+D3 for having 3 units in my deployment, plus 1VP each for killing a Psyker and a Flyer.</div>
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So now the count was 10-4 for him, and me without my 2 biggest sources of firepower.</div>
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My third round was pretty uneventful, just trying to keep my guys going forward. The Mawloc had a decent Terror from the Deep, almost wiping out his Dire Avengers, my Termigants finally shot something (and wounded one Jetbike), not sure if I even fired any Tentaclids - actually I rolled on the IB chart and got the result that did not allow me to shoot, though I think I didn't roll for leadership to evencheck if I had to roll on the chart. I tried charging with some Hormagaunts and my Gargoyles, but was denied both times, and that was that.</div>
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Zero VP's for me that round. <i>Whomp Whomp</i>.</div>
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At this point, we had already played for over 3 hours (I know, ridiculous, but we both needed a lot of time to consult the rulebook, although it was mainly me), and we decided to end it due to time. He would have mopped the floor with me in his Shooting Phase, what little I had left.</div>
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So that's that. It was really fun, but kind of a bummer outcome for me. I think if I had destroyed his Wave Serpent in the first round, I would have been a bit better off. Also, if I actually knew the rules for my units, and took advantage of them, it may have been closer. I probably lost 6-12 inches of ground with my Hormagaunts because I wasn't running them properly, and this would have put more pressure on him. I was also playing the Tyrant too aggressively, as if it was 6th edition and he could land and assault in the 2nd round. I will do better next time.</div>
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I don't think his list was fundamentally better than mine, so I can't blame that. He did have some pretty sweet (and relevant) Tactical Objectives, which really helped him rack up the points in the second round, but he just played a bit tighter overall and went for the objectives.</div>
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Anyway, that concludes my first bat-rep. I have a rematch scheduled in a few days, where I will tweak my list a bit to include a Venomthrope (he has little/no ignores cover shooting, I believe), as well as a few other tweaks. Will post that a bit later!</div>
Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-33291107503226608972015-01-08T09:58:00.004-05:002015-01-20T12:22:33.613-05:00Alladin's Morning Coffee Musings #7 - 2014, A Year in Review<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's been a while since I've updated, though I have been meaning to for a while now. In fact, I have various bits of half-typed posts littered about, that I will hopefully get to publishing. This is the first!</div>
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Now that the craziness of the holidays are behind us, I have finally found some time to get back on here and do some updating. The last few weeks have been predominantly hobby-free, unfortunately. Part of it has to do with all the family stuff that goes on this time of year, and part of it with my newly rekindled obsession with comic books. Without getting into too much detail, I dug out my old books & read them again for the first time in 15-20 years, then re-bagged them in nicer bags for future display in my office/hobby space. I should have stopped there, but then I went out and started buying all sorts of new issues and back issues of old series I never completed. The good news is that I have basically scoured all the local comic stores for back issues, and can stop obsessing over it for a bit and get back to the tabletop gaming side of things.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Better than Death of Superman</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxbLP9f17eUuvP4KF3ZH9YaWtNbL27p1crDvhdF19qe9IMdLRV9gMGuRPagBr0KyNaPywpnwB00LsMnEWsihRxRZwPB6qBhYJUJF0Bf9_eB8-dDCEiyQV5Wgu9YbH8jodjlSzYMoTKAo/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxbLP9f17eUuvP4KF3ZH9YaWtNbL27p1crDvhdF19qe9IMdLRV9gMGuRPagBr0KyNaPywpnwB00LsMnEWsihRxRZwPB6qBhYJUJF0Bf9_eB8-dDCEiyQV5Wgu9YbH8jodjlSzYMoTKAo/s1600/image.jpg" height="400" width="260" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>One of my favourite series!</i></td></tr>
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From the painting side of things, I don't have much to show yet. I will, however, carve out a few sessions next week and try to push myself to complete my 5 Grey Knights and move onto my next batch. I am really *really* wanting to get them all painted up this year so I can move on.</div>
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That said, I didn't completely ignore my the hobby side of things, as I did assemble my 3rd box of Grey Knights (short of a magnetized backpack or two, and all of the extra bits) and, more importantly, I actually played my first tabletop game!</div>
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Yes, it happened. I am no-longer a 40k Virgin. The owner of my FLGS set me up with another new player, and we ended up throwing down on the 30th of December. It came down to the wire, but at least I can honestly say I completed that New Years Resolution! I will be posting the battle report up shortly. It's lame, but I learnt a lot!</div>
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Speaking of Resolutions, lets look back at my list I put out in the beginning of 2014:<br />
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<li><strike><span style="color: blue;">Play your first game. Any game.</span></strike><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> - </span><i>Success!</i></li>
<li><strike><span style="color: blue;">Stop wanting to buy every new shiny thing that comes out.</span></strike><span style="color: red;"> </span><i>- I will call this a success, but it was close. I didn't blow my hobby budget, but I did buy a few small things I didn't actually need this year.</i></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><span style="color: red;">Be more dedicated to completing your painting/modelling goals. </span><i>- I clearly dropped the ball on this one. Out of my entire list that is hanging out on the side of this blog, I completed one bloody thing, making a lightbox. I do feel really bummed about this, and I hope that 2015 will be a much more productive year for me. I am optimistic!</i></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strike><span style="color: blue;">See 2). Seriously!</span></strike> <i>- Clearly a joke, but what wasn't on this list was me signing up to be part of a blog-roll, and that was accomplished early in 2014.</i></span></li>
<li><strike style="color: blue;">Fail miserably at 2) by purchasing the new Tyranid Codex + enough to have a 1500pt starter army.</strike><span style="color: blue;"> </span><i>- Really kind of a stupid resolution, considering #2 on my list, but hey, it allowed me to have an army that I can play games with, so will count that as a win.</i></li>
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So, on paper, it looks like a successful year, but really, Resolution #3 was by far the most important one, and I completely dropped the ball there. That said, aside from the holidays, I have been pretty motivated painting-wise the last few months, and I feel confident this will continue into 2015. I hope that next year I will have a lot more of my "to-do" list crossed off.</div>
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That about wraps up this post, I will have lots more coming in the next little bit, as I work on my 2015 Resolutions, and get my hobby head-space in order!</div>
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Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-66089146126320601252014-12-11T09:16:00.000-05:002015-01-20T12:21:49.249-05:00Alladin's "Step-by-Step" #1: Grey Knight Strike Squad (pt.7)<div style="text-align: justify;">
A bit of a delay getting this one up, but as usual I got distracted with
other things and that spread out my painting time dramatically.</div>
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With
this post, I have officially started on the highlighting (mid-toning, I
guess, but still! Progress!). As mentioned in the previous post, I have
done all my washes for shading purposes, and now I am at the point of
bringing out the colours one by one. Without further ado (and because I
have so many bloody formulas to copy down), here are some pics:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcD-pidy9z0ICOtFU1Tr6VWKR0Wo8cC5SaZSfm_Lhc_4O_MLViXdTxgFjgDQ0tPxpOrhBvMjFqLnhsG8A-_YgbxjVYCfVDI8Hkx5hK-PVL8VjDVhNDAVE6W0iNkM6yGEjVRX2T9V3e6JM/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcD-pidy9z0ICOtFU1Tr6VWKR0Wo8cC5SaZSfm_Lhc_4O_MLViXdTxgFjgDQ0tPxpOrhBvMjFqLnhsG8A-_YgbxjVYCfVDI8Hkx5hK-PVL8VjDVhNDAVE6W0iNkM6yGEjVRX2T9V3e6JM/s1600/image.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPuMbUE21MX-xocm2OqIPl8mTgrL3dfgTwEzX5N8nfADOarmXCpbPg0I-xdhxswv-WCnOH10jmnSQepNNc64QDyxuodR9hJu8NF4OUBfatS7hXHnsr8UzgfxbYYIn3Uf_5Wm_SqTquC0/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPuMbUE21MX-xocm2OqIPl8mTgrL3dfgTwEzX5N8nfADOarmXCpbPg0I-xdhxswv-WCnOH10jmnSQepNNc64QDyxuodR9hJu8NF4OUBfatS7hXHnsr8UzgfxbYYIn3Uf_5Wm_SqTquC0/s1600/image.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>These
two highlight the shading for the reds (mainly 1st pic), and the beige/parchment (lower pic).
They will look much better with further highlighting.</div>
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With the reds in particular, I went pretty random with the way the light hits the stormbolter. When doing shading, I try to pick a "virtual light source," generally coming from above, and try to stick to it, but after about 30 seconds I just throw any principles out the window and go somewhat random. At this point in the game, my skills are simply not that good to replicate realistic light physics.</div>
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Maybe, after I paint 50 of these buggers, I will have a better grasp of light physics. For now I just tried to make it look *somewhat* plausible, and hope that I don't end up associating with superior painters down the road, so I am not secretly mocked at my impossible light sources.</div>
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More pics &
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These next two pictures show some of the blue shading. As with the ones above, these are not super clean either, but will look better with some more highlights.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1fGuSbYNeIXym9I__BgMs-atFL5KqKUCcnQaWJclGeldTmfY73O-wkuUprM2o2E4uG5S8Ba0x9WTdkAXzxbAFd5UcDWNBWV2H-5iaZuh5d9v_AE0DpUoXADBciH8HBgjZDhgexh8NcM/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn1fGuSbYNeIXym9I__BgMs-atFL5KqKUCcnQaWJclGeldTmfY73O-wkuUprM2o2E4uG5S8Ba0x9WTdkAXzxbAFd5UcDWNBWV2H-5iaZuh5d9v_AE0DpUoXADBciH8HBgjZDhgexh8NcM/s1600/image.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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You can also see the "blue" wash on the white areas in these two. This wash is especially rough looking on the Halberd, and am hoping that I can bring it up to a better standard as I reapply the "white" mid-tones.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZPj8SxI5tJkruoaFFARRF2Xmg0rYczi-d33ZkpM1CkoAJhaYhnYystETFXWYgryjmFAFHko4SriPqkyXpos_S5iacdED09Wem0FlxdcpldOBvvXXPY2qV91lxdaJBJOY0LCNeQmPdaw/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZPj8SxI5tJkruoaFFARRF2Xmg0rYczi-d33ZkpM1CkoAJhaYhnYystETFXWYgryjmFAFHko4SriPqkyXpos_S5iacdED09Wem0FlxdcpldOBvvXXPY2qV91lxdaJBJOY0LCNeQmPdaw/s1600/image.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>(<i>Editor's note</i>: These close-up pics definitely give a better sense of what I am talking about, from a step-by-step sense, but man do they really emphasize the small errors and mistakes. I guess that's only natural, but I need to apply some sort of a haze filter or something, it's making me look bad!)</div>
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Now, on to the formulas!</div>
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The first thing I did for this part was go back and give the gunmetal areas some selective washes. This was done as I realized some areas in particular (hand joints, seams between metal panels, ridges along the backpacks, etc.) did not really end up remaining noticeably dark during my first go through building up from black to gunmetal. I don't really have pics for this, but, as a rule of thumb: If you look at your model and find areas that *should* have a defined dark border between them but dont, then this step is a good idea.</div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Metallic Shading Wash:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 2 - Black Shade : Magic Wash</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">For this I just loaded up my brush a bit, and selectively applied it to areas where I thought would help. It's quite a light wash, and won't have a harsh darkening effect, but I do feel it helps subtly. You can also go with 1:1 ratio instead, giving you a fair bit more darkness, but this would be less forgiving if you get it onto areas that you want to remain lighter.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The next part was my beige/parchment wash, which had to be done in two parts, as I felt the first coat was not heavy enough. I used this on pretty much all the beige areas, so parchment, skulls, etc. Formula below: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></span>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Parchment Shading Wash:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 - Umber Shade : Magic Wash</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Some may ask: <i>If you found the coat was too light, why did you dilute it in the first place, dummy????</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Now, the answer to that is simple. First and foremost, if you have read some of my other posts, you may know that I have had a lot of problems with Vallejo's Shades, in particular with them going off-colour as they dry. This has happened to pretty much my entire line of Shades<i> </i>at some point. It is supremely frustrating. I have found the dilution with the magic wash reduces the occurrence of this travesty to almost nothing. This, in my books, is more than worth having to do multiple washes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Second, I do find their Shades to be a bit too thick, and even if the off-colour thing didn't occur, getting the wash to settle in the recesses nicely seems more difficult when they are undiluted.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Happy?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Next, I did a quick "leather" wash, which really just included the back of Mr. Justicar's tabard/loincloth/whatever you call it. I did one wash, but looking at it now, would probably benefit from a few more.</span></div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Leather Shading Wash:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 2 - Black Shade : Magic Wash</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Finally, I washed the first round of the remaining Purifers' white helms and heraldry, using the same formula as the first go-around (see pt.5 for reference).</span></div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This step took 55 minutes over 1 painting session.</i></div>
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The next session was just a quick go-over the sections that I needed to give a second coat to, namely the parchments and the white helms.</div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This step took 10 minutes over 1 painting session.</i></div>
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The next part was shading of the reds and blues. Since these are fairly flat surfaces, the main challenge (as I mentioned above) is to shade them naturally so it looks like the light is coming from one source. Mixed results for me. I generally had to do a few (3-5 in some cases) coats, but they were pretty thin and I used a blowdryer on low to speed up the drying process if needed. Formulas below:</div>
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<i><br /></i>
<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Red Shading Wash:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 : 2 - Sepia Shade : Black Shade : Magic Wash</span></div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Blue Shading Wash:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 : 2 - Blue Shade : Black Shade : Magic Wash</span></div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This step took 50 minutes over 1 painting session.</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I was going to keep going but this post is getting really long, so will split it up into two. Besides, that basically covers most of the shading anyway.</span></div>
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<b>T</b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>otal Painting Time for Part 7:</b> 1 hours, 55 minutes over 3 painting sessions.<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Total Painting Time to date:</b> 34 hours, 35 minutes over 27 painting sessions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">____________________</span></div>
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The shading was a fairly successful step for me, as I feel I am quickly getting to the end of this journey. Unfortunately, at the end, all that awaits me is more of these buggers...<br />
<br />
The
next step will focus on the gold trim, getting it all the way up to final highlights, as well as the white areas on the purifiers (which I will finish today, hopefully).</div>
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Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-22445848966598622292014-11-28T13:17:00.000-05:002015-01-20T12:21:11.281-05:00Alladin's "Step-by-Step" #1: Grey Knight Strike Squad (pt.6)<div style="text-align: justify;">
While Thursday was Thankgiving for our southern neighbours, it was just another day off for me. The result? Another productive day of painting. I managed to get the blue mid-tones completed, and I feel the momentum building to finally finishing this project. I used a new paint colour - VGC Magic Blue - and while I initially thought it was still too bright, I am happy with the result. I still need to do some selective washes for shading, and then a lighter highlight for some edging. The results are shown below.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMMXPk5m1prsQz4EKXO5hEHZlLUEAY9fYAPdITpWJlXamVTs9jfFg06cxIJFm8k9ujfOtX-xHNRCozospIia-4-YbqW9i2ct_LDQNZtiDRfhLhMuHdSokxaXH_nmMqOsUNtzbr6sLkbs/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMMXPk5m1prsQz4EKXO5hEHZlLUEAY9fYAPdITpWJlXamVTs9jfFg06cxIJFm8k9ujfOtX-xHNRCozospIia-4-YbqW9i2ct_LDQNZtiDRfhLhMuHdSokxaXH_nmMqOsUNtzbr6sLkbs/s1600/image.jpg" height="138" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you can see, it's a lot more "blue" than the basecoat, but the brighter look pairs well with the white accents. The formula used is below.</div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Purifier Blue Mid-tone:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 2 - Magic Blue : Magic Wash</span></div>
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To get to this point, I used multiple thin layers, allowing each a bit of time to dry between coats. If my skills were better I would have tried some shading/blending with the darker tones, but will use washes to accomplish the bulk of that. </div>
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Additionally, I forgot to paint the ribbed joint spaces so used this session to quickly get the one layer down. Formula below.</div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Joint Basecoat:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 2 : 4 - Somber Grey : Black : Magic Wash</span></div>
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No real comments on this, Just try not to go over your metallic bits. I will likely give them a light wash and then subtle highlights. Easy-peasy.</div>
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As the detail starts to show, some close-up shots will help showcase the different steps better, so as a bonus, I have a tighter shot of 3 marines below. On one you can see my white helm washed and highlighted, as well as my flame heraldry attempts, which need a bit more highlighting on the flame tips.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-_3VdxaKRtPmK-Snk_xi3BKnurWAe9zu2tFpd612UoVx94Z-q6y1Nt01yP_TI-BLjvcp3QJ0tzFG2yU302btLiXJaKumCA_hrtdXeVjvIlanFAXTgb9M7NnQPoNKSgfTCQYEEZqoRSc/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-_3VdxaKRtPmK-Snk_xi3BKnurWAe9zu2tFpd612UoVx94Z-q6y1Nt01yP_TI-BLjvcp3QJ0tzFG2yU302btLiXJaKumCA_hrtdXeVjvIlanFAXTgb9M7NnQPoNKSgfTCQYEEZqoRSc/s1600/image.jpg" height="170" width="400" /></a></div>
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So that's it! Total painting times, and final commentary below.</div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The blue mid-tones took 2 hours, 30 minutes over 1 painting session.</i></div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The joint base coat took 15 minutes over 1 painting session.</i></div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br /></i>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Total Painting Time for Part 6:</b> 2 hours, 45 minutes over 2 painting sessions.<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Total Painting Time to date:</b> 32 hours, 40 minutes over 24 painting sessions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">____________________</span></div>
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The next step will be a series of washes to fill out the shadows and prepare for final highlights and other detail work. With the aid of my trusty blowdryer this will hopefully go very quickly. Should have time to get that done this weekend.</div>
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Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-40522128728835592862014-11-25T10:03:00.003-05:002015-01-20T12:20:22.759-05:00Alladin's Morning Coffee Musings #6 - Alladin's State of the Hobby Union Address, plus Random Pictures of Doors!<div style="text-align: justify;">
I haven't done one of these in a while, and though my coffee is now thoroughly stone-cold, I think it still technically qualifies.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyn664ADdkeyUqMHiN-qNWImmh5ZCK-5A0RnSaNweZKujnwcV1UzttEWxpkDOHrRmZN9SkaffcbjDH0u3it-xLtHCiBRrRuFWeXwibuCwoZi72vEx7_PFJIhFilXQy2kxRLa8gZXh66F4/s1600/iced+coffee.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyn664ADdkeyUqMHiN-qNWImmh5ZCK-5A0RnSaNweZKujnwcV1UzttEWxpkDOHrRmZN9SkaffcbjDH0u3it-xLtHCiBRrRuFWeXwibuCwoZi72vEx7_PFJIhFilXQy2kxRLa8gZXh66F4/s1600/iced+coffee.png" height="400" width="323" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Notice: Above-mentioned coffee looks nothing like this.</i></td></tr>
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Forwarning: This may be a long one... </div>
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<a name='more'></a>Lately I have been thinking about my hobby habits, and how I relegate my free time towards my interests in general. I must say that I feel quite lucky to have a job that allows me 2-3 full days off during the week (plus every other weekend as well), which provides me with an abundance of time to explore my interests.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsARebI4_r2CkL_6rox-eP1pjw5gWsyTVHudDABLssyran9nkgPE8QQv7nRSsfEjrBbeIDel_bGNI2kA2B35gt2_4796EWuP_h8n-JmCjXoLTwWUgeHFqOv0MMI88EcC1zJZKqGGCfXE/s1600/DSC_0318e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsARebI4_r2CkL_6rox-eP1pjw5gWsyTVHudDABLssyran9nkgPE8QQv7nRSsfEjrBbeIDel_bGNI2kA2B35gt2_4796EWuP_h8n-JmCjXoLTwWUgeHFqOv0MMI88EcC1zJZKqGGCfXE/s1600/DSC_0318e.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3R6oMJc8CNqB_FxuRnzBgGKQrEEwtX4RuRUeRwPHAwcHlVyDNb7_3Kq8ngCyT-G1Us333acADQagcuFKXI1roZWYKHzZwzdUsI1IsUG0HXqYv3pW4VM0oRcDC0VtmP9WgFT0-DortFI/s1600/DSC_0320e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3R6oMJc8CNqB_FxuRnzBgGKQrEEwtX4RuRUeRwPHAwcHlVyDNb7_3Kq8ngCyT-G1Us333acADQagcuFKXI1roZWYKHzZwzdUsI1IsUG0HXqYv3pW4VM0oRcDC0VtmP9WgFT0-DortFI/s1600/DSC_0320e.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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I spend a fair amount of time surfing the webs for hobby-related content, whether it be rumour & news sites, painting blogs, tactica, or other general hobby blogs similar to my own. When I stumble upon a particularly productive person's blog, and see huge fully-painted armies (some at a very high standard, no less), I wonder how much time other people must invest into the hobby to achieve such results. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9BXE_VcIgWgkrg827x5Cz4ZU_rtcv_26IP5cmyhgxajMfaWl8MOi_pt23_1xvqJqmmPVGnj3Jz3lnVoJxNX3zHOSsN85SBBfQiRW-p5eBD_SBInmvemAK56Hn6D3LgN-aG3kuf0lpGc/s1600/DSC_0344e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9BXE_VcIgWgkrg827x5Cz4ZU_rtcv_26IP5cmyhgxajMfaWl8MOi_pt23_1xvqJqmmPVGnj3Jz3lnVoJxNX3zHOSsN85SBBfQiRW-p5eBD_SBInmvemAK56Hn6D3LgN-aG3kuf0lpGc/s1600/DSC_0344e.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjH-E1ju9Kmawsfeg8LcaJE5MCy8iXMtoFaDkunJ7Js3X81vo3PmOa-Dp6qACw3PGeLIZXnlF7DqUx7HiMbIMRXkj-8K7Y8kotmdCn2-Jop1b9PZQ-1wXDvNA0f_qQJ7p5VrZ5QtypNhA/s1600/DSC_0569e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjH-E1ju9Kmawsfeg8LcaJE5MCy8iXMtoFaDkunJ7Js3X81vo3PmOa-Dp6qACw3PGeLIZXnlF7DqUx7HiMbIMRXkj-8K7Y8kotmdCn2-Jop1b9PZQ-1wXDvNA0f_qQJ7p5VrZ5QtypNhA/s1600/DSC_0569e.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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I do know that many people have been in the hobby for many years, and their body of work will naturally reflect that. I also know that I have been <i>very</i> delinquent in keeping up on my painting, and further to that point, I know that I spend way more time than I should painting my miniatures. However, I see examples where people have put together a brand new, 1750-pt (or whatever) full army, assembled, based, painted, etc., in time for a tournament that was a few meager months away. Sure, the end result quality-wise may not be up to my standard (not that I feel my standard is amazing, but I do aim for above-average tabletop quality), but in a lot of cases, they still look damn good, at least from what the pictures show.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVtQ94-ueVWffQcS6-f6aJBdRyOFBYZ7TqdRMAo_sU0ReN9yZEuoeBN19n1dDdtqcfP4SMTCiaIYh2fL-fMlGmRayDEReUn2di8ZcxQAeT_sujXvbYixrVMNk8pAKwIUhCFOmOtG6nIg/s1600/DSC_0342e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbVtQ94-ueVWffQcS6-f6aJBdRyOFBYZ7TqdRMAo_sU0ReN9yZEuoeBN19n1dDdtqcfP4SMTCiaIYh2fL-fMlGmRayDEReUn2di8ZcxQAeT_sujXvbYixrVMNk8pAKwIUhCFOmOtG6nIg/s1600/DSC_0342e.JPG" height="400" width="263" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHdEJJdECdhcFoj3icPWA_Vyl-CInvizIJa90MRCCnZGW66_kvdHJbvn475UkbDGNbpRUkuTniutIwyEdKAagKHfc8FZWGG8bpuVJDCRp_2XYQ3i6OBCYIKFMY2MjHvoyDQuYtAOOzcI/s1600/DSC_0343e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilHdEJJdECdhcFoj3icPWA_Vyl-CInvizIJa90MRCCnZGW66_kvdHJbvn475UkbDGNbpRUkuTniutIwyEdKAagKHfc8FZWGG8bpuVJDCRp_2XYQ3i6OBCYIKFMY2MjHvoyDQuYtAOOzcI/s1600/DSC_0343e.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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I guess some people are more involved in this hobby than I am, which is fine (and, admittedly, quite admirable, since I can barely sit around for a 2 hour painting session at a time). However, I assume that the average person in the hobby must have other interests besides the hobby itself, whether its TV, movies, video games, or anything else that diverts their time elsewhere. I know I sure do. <i>Am I wrong in this assumption? Do other hobbyists have the ability to bend the space-time continuum to their wills, allowing them to accomplish seemingly super-human feats of productivity while I struggle with the constraints of a 24 hour day? Is there anyone out there?</i> Perhaps I am a bit ADD in this regard, I don't know. I just do not have as singular a focus as others seemingly do. And this, combined with my glacially slow painting speeds, sometimes bums me out. Just a bit.</div>
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At this rate, my GK army (which, after the new codex, isn't even really a GK army but a 30/70-ish Unbound Inquisition/GK split) won't be complete until 2018, and that doesn't include buying more kits to turn it into a legal army. I sincerely hope this is not the case, and lately I have had way more motivation to paint so I aim to keep plugging away and get 'er done sometime next year. Anyway, yadda yadda yadda I need more focus. End of topic.</div>
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In other (more positive news), it looks as if I may be in line to actually play a game by year's end! The owner of the FLGS that I frequent hooked me up with another new player who is looking to find other gamers, so we touched base and will try and meet up for a game. Tyranids vs Orks, should be fun until someone drowns under the weight of all the dice that are required. Actually playing a game of 40k was one of my hobby-related resolutions for this year, so while it took me almost 12 months to set it up, I may actually be able to cross that off my list.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-K6GF0rYuSw0ZztSjNNGZPuEnjx2IbqgUbAurN94Ds8NUHFrFA9F87pVH4w1GABJlXBfAyWn1fUU4mMuQSMg0tU4thPopvFO8bd8CmSlO1IxFnSfzY_d1R0QJDLuVi8leJ4G3RSEwxA/s1600/DSC_0994e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-K6GF0rYuSw0ZztSjNNGZPuEnjx2IbqgUbAurN94Ds8NUHFrFA9F87pVH4w1GABJlXBfAyWn1fUU4mMuQSMg0tU4thPopvFO8bd8CmSlO1IxFnSfzY_d1R0QJDLuVi8leJ4G3RSEwxA/s1600/DSC_0994e.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>WARNING: Not a Door</i></td></tr>
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In conclusion, I hope you enjoyed my random Greek Door-and-Door-Related pictures, which clearly are intricately tied to the content of my post. Hopefully I will find time today to stop into my FLGS and pick up some blue paint so I can continue on with my painting instead of rambling on here like a crazy person.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge30rYClKUqy28ZVvXD_fncPfwlZZK9bpNfNhY58ypIUxSthB2se9B2q5JAGmFOTQ5unbYrEibWOB6cR0UFR8M0SBH-HyjiwNbKrwNLLoUHBK_kpZ0H7T6AycxrPpJbP85mi_5v2ccscw/s1600/DSC_0321e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge30rYClKUqy28ZVvXD_fncPfwlZZK9bpNfNhY58ypIUxSthB2se9B2q5JAGmFOTQ5unbYrEibWOB6cR0UFR8M0SBH-HyjiwNbKrwNLLoUHBK_kpZ0H7T6AycxrPpJbP85mi_5v2ccscw/s1600/DSC_0321e.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36Zek-n4-m21SALJqCt_AYqLxHitmvpPp_hU6ZLZqy5ysar5NYyebKkZ_KS3Fg_5-vq8BZQ06z-FN14HnpNq-FUTxewyeNjBYqjP2kkSqkCqhyZ-joHZ8RQBVmTAEc4Y0gq_C2g1O2tg/s1600/DSC_1361e.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36Zek-n4-m21SALJqCt_AYqLxHitmvpPp_hU6ZLZqy5ysar5NYyebKkZ_KS3Fg_5-vq8BZQ06z-FN14HnpNq-FUTxewyeNjBYqjP2kkSqkCqhyZ-joHZ8RQBVmTAEc4Y0gq_C2g1O2tg/s1600/DSC_1361e.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I shoot horizontally, too!</i></td></tr>
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<br />Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-44234031151331325242014-11-21T08:45:00.002-05:002015-01-20T12:16:15.018-05:00Alladin's "Step-by-Step" #1: Grey Knight Strike Squad (pt.5)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, yesterday was a productive day on the painting front!</div>
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I managed to get the base layer done for all the purity seals/books, so, aside from the NFW and other glow-y bits, my models are now fully base coated.</div>
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It's amazing what a little beige does for the look of a model, I remember getting to this point with my last batch of GKs and feeling the first real sense of accomplishment. Of course, I still have a ways to go, but hopefully now that I am done the uphill scramble it will be smooth sailing from here on in.</div>
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Here is another shoddy group shot of the WIPs:</div>
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To start, I used some Beasty Brown mixed with Sombre Grey (for its superior coverage property) to go over all the areas that will be beige and/or brown leather. The formula is below.</div>
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<i>Beige/Leather Undercoat:</i></div>
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1 : 1 : 1 - Beasty Brown : Sombre Grey : Magic Wash</div>
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This generally required two good layers to cover the black. Nothing special.</div>
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For the parchment (and random bits like bones and skulls that GKs seem to like carrying), I then went over this first layer with straight up Bone White. I did not dilute this, as I felt it was unnecessary and I wanted to get it done quickly, but at most a 2 : 1 mix with Magic Wash just to give it a bit more fluidity. The (highly complex) formula for this step is below.</div>
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<i>Primary Parchment Basecoat:</i></div>
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1 : 0 - Bone White : Nothing!</div>
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The leather bits (i.e. the garter around the right leg of the Justicar, and the utility belt optional bit) were done very much the same way, straight up Beasty Brown.</div>
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<i>Primary Leather Basecoat:</i></div>
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1 : 0 - Beasty Brown : Nothing</div>
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That's about it for that part of the Step-by-Step... <i>...or IS it!?!?</i></div>
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Because I was anxious to see how I will fare with shading and re-highlighting the helmets/shoulder pads, I decided to have a test run and throw caution to the wind.</div>
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I used the formula below to create my light blue wash.</div>
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<i>Purifier White Shade:</i></div>
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1 : 1 : 6 - Blue Shade : Black Shade : Magic Wash</div>
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As you can see, it was diluted significantly. I ended up using 2 washes, speeding up drying time by using a blowdryer on low heat (don't melt your mini!). I did not take any pictures of this step, but will do so when I follow up with the remainder of the group. From here, I used the same formula from Part 4 to build up my mid-tone white. Then, I used pure Dead White to edge highlight.</div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Purfier White Highlights:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 0 - Dead White : Nothing</span></div>
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Overall I am quite pleased, although I am not sure if I want it a bit darker for next time, perhaps a 1:1:5 ratio is in the cards. Painting totals below.</div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The beige/brown under coat took 1 hour, 45 minutes over 1 painting session.</i></div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The primary beige/brown base coats (+ Purifer shading test) took 2 hours, 30 minutes over 1 painting session.</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Total Painting Time for Part 5: </b>4 hours, 15 minutes over 2 painting sessions.<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Total Painting Time to date:</b> 29 hours, 55 minutes over 22 painting sessions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">____________________</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">If I get time later today, I will continue on my painting rampage. Next I plan to do all the shading washes. After that, who knows?</span></div>
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Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-88072357363770434612014-11-18T11:49:00.000-05:002015-01-20T12:15:35.558-05:00Alladin's "Step-by-Step" #1: Grey Knight Strike Squad (pt.4)<div style="text-align: justify;">
AKA, I hate painting white.</div>
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Well, after struggling through 4 painting sessions, I finally have finished with the white layers on the Purifier helmets and shoulder pads. What a bloody pain.</div>
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I am not sure if VGC Bone White is just crap, or if my bottle specifically is crap, or if I am crap, but the amount of layers I put down to get a decent white coverage is obscene. The sad thing is, if I really wanted to, I could keep going, since there are still some imperfections. I just can't be bothered..</div>
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Check out the shoddy progress pic below:</div>
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I guess I am pretty happy with how they look, and I definitely learned some lessons:</div>
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<ol>
<li>If you are painting helmets a different colour than the body, do not glue them in prior to painting</li>
<li>If you are painting anything white, do not undercoat black, dummy</li>
<li>Don't pick armies that have white in them AT ALL</li>
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That said, I am happy that they are starting to stand out from the regular Strike Squad GK, so at least my hard work wasn't for nothing.</div>
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To achieve this Golden Daemon quality white basecoat (sarcasm), I used the ratios outlined below.</div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Primary White Basecoat:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 : 2 - Skull White : Glacier Blue : Magic Wash</span></div>
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This was a bitch to apply, and required at least 5 coats to get anywhere, sometimes much more. I guess I could have done a progressive mix of 1 : 1 Sombre Grey to Glacier Blue, followed by 1 : 2 Sombre Grey to Glacier Blue, followed by Glacier Blue, followed by the recipe above, but I was lazy and this was my punishment for said laziness.</div>
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The next step for the whites is to do a very light series of washes using blue & black to darken the recesses and add some shadows, followed by a touch up and then a highlight of straight Bone White. This however, will have to wait, as I plan on doing the beiges and browns next, which, aside from the Force Weapons, should be the last remaining basecoating I need to do. After that, we go to washes and then highlights! Now on to my totals and final thoughts:</div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">This step took 4 hours, 25 minutes over 4 painting sessions. Sonofabitch.</i></div>
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As suspected, rediculous. I REALLY hope that I don't mess up when I wash these areas, as I would hate to have to repeat any of the above work.</div>
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<b>Total Painting Time for Part 4: </b>4 hours, 25 minutes over 4 painting sessions.<b> </b></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Total Painting Time to date:</b> 25 hours, 40 minutes over 20 painting sessions</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Well, I've now surpassed 5 hours per miniature and I still have a ways to go. I really hope the total does not clock in above 10 hours per miniature...</span></div>
Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-66290836807516248372014-11-18T11:15:00.001-05:002015-01-20T12:14:48.624-05:00ZoaMG!!!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, once again I have been delinquent in maintaining this dusty space in the corner of the attic of the internet.</div>
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I will blame the recent deluge of Tyranid releases, which had rendered me unable to speak, type or otherwise function as a normal human being. I always suspected a Zoan/Venom kit was in the works, but I didn't dare to dream that it would come out so soon after the Codex wave of new kits. Sadly, now my stand-in Zoan Warriors can be ripped off their tiny styrofoam pedestals and used as actual Warriors, otherwise known as "never."</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWbfVeTnjPxrA3yhxK2-cOJfzciwcAllaAICwjQ72_ald65v5T8eqBlPQ54uE5Y2DL5qHSkGYjWSl6rvsYa-az3nl9RmqbMN9QnNqW-usN0EZK2YdPmz6PMSheMrtS9RkD0kA2XhVTVo/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWbfVeTnjPxrA3yhxK2-cOJfzciwcAllaAICwjQ72_ald65v5T8eqBlPQ54uE5Y2DL5qHSkGYjWSl6rvsYa-az3nl9RmqbMN9QnNqW-usN0EZK2YdPmz6PMSheMrtS9RkD0kA2XhVTVo/s1600/image.jpg" height="320" width="309" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hello ladies, how YOU doin?</i></td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a> Of course, this means an extra expenditure of money which I was not planning to make, but the models are so yummy delicious that GW has not given me a bloody choice in the matter.<br />
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...as for the Neurothrope, Tyrannocyte, and Toxicrene/Uselesseptor, these are all just ichor icing on the biomass cake. I started Tyranids with the new codex, so the loss of Mycetic Spores and Doom never really hit me as hard as others, but nonetheless I am excited to see them both "back" in their new forms. I will definitely pick up a Tyrannocyte down the road, and as for the other new kit, as cool as the Toxicrene looks, I am still not sold on it, compared to a Exocrine. A close combat monster delivered via pod sounds like more fun to play, of course, but I can always pod in my Carnifex and keep my Exocrine in the back. Regardless, the fact that we actually have <i>choices</i> now is enough to make me happy.</div>
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Today I plan on popping into my my FLGS and pre-ordering a box of Zoans for next week, and maybe, if I am lucky, schedule a low-points introductory game for next week. Part of my resolutions was to play at least one tabletop game this year, and time is running out!</div>
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As for the other side of things, I have also been squeezing in a bit of painting from time to time, which will be outlined in the next blog post. Yes, two in one day!</div>
Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5760069594541172663.post-26117533381994788292014-10-10T17:08:00.002-04:002015-01-20T12:13:58.295-05:00Alladin's "Step-by-Step" #1: Grey Knight Strike Squad (pt.3)<div style="text-align: justify;">
For the third part of my Step-by-Step, I am focusing on completing the basecoat colours for the remaining sections of the models. As we are getting into the finer detail on the miniatures, this starts to make sense as you want to minimize the damage done from errant brushstrokes.</div>
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The first colour to go on was VGC Heavy Red. I use this for my purity seals, as well as the main accent colour for my Strike Squad and Terminator troops. At first I was applying a 1 : 1 ratio of Heavy Red and Magic Wash. However, the Heavy Red I own is one of my least viscous paints, and diluting it further made it act more like a wash than a base paint. As such, I applied it "uncut" and it seemed to work quite well. Even so, I still needed to go over a few coats on some areas to get good coverage.</div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Heavy Red (uncut, if your paint is thicker, a 1 : 1 ratio with Magic Wash will do)</span></div>
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Moving on to the blues, I used VGC Imperial Blue as the basecoat. Now, I have a strong suspicion that my bottle of Imperial Blue was defective to begin with. When I opened it up to add in my "paint mixing pebbles" I found a large chunk was gooped together. Using a toothpick and a lot of patience, I broke it up pretty good, and shook the ever living crap out of it, but I still feel that it is not behaving well. The paint that comes out is quite liquid, and seems to act like an ink rather than a paint. Also, it dries quite matte, unlike most Vallejo Game Colour paints, which have a slight sheen to them.</div>
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+++Begin Mini-Rant+++ I am not sure about others' experiences, but my experience with the VGC line has been a bit underwhelming. When they work, they work really well, but there is not enough consistency along the line. I feel, however, that this may have more to do with buying bottles that</div>
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have been languishing on a shelf for too long rather than a quality control issue with Vallejo. Whenever I buy new bottles, I try and give them a good shake and get a sense of their freshness, but I have still been disappointed as it's not always possible to get a true assessment until you open it up and start poking around. I thought that the dropper bottle design was supposed to preserve the paints better than the paint pot style, but I may have to reconsider my future paint purchases, which is a shame because I really like the selection you get with Vallejo. +++End Mini-Rant+++</div>
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While most of this blue will be covered by another lighter layer, I found a single quick coat of plain Magic Wash gives it a nice sheen and matches it better to the other colours being used.</div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Primary Blue Basecoat/Shadow Areas:</i></div>
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VGC Imperial Blue (uncut, but likely due to suspected paint defect. Otherwise, up to 1 : 1 ratio with Magic Wash)</div>
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The last colour to put down was VGC Sombre Grey, to be used as the basecoat for the white areas. Here, I used a 1:1 ratio of VGC Sombre Grey : Magic Wash, and applied it to the required sections. It goes on quite nicely, but I still needed a few coats to cover the black undercoat adequately.</div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Primary Basecoat/Shadow Areas:</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">1 : 1 - Sombre Grey : Magic Wash</span></div>
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The final part was starting on the shoulder pad heraldic for my Purifiers. These will be painted white/blue to match my colour scheme. Unlike my Strike Squad Knights, I decided to forgo the checker pattern and try my hand at a flame pattern. This will likely end in tears, but if I don't push myself I will never improve.</div>
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The right shoulder pads were originally painted Sombre Grey, and I did an outline of the flames in Imperial Blue. It turns out to be much more difficult to paint consistent flame shapes compared to simple checkered squares, but I still have a few coats of each colour to add so hopefully I can adjust it and get some semblance of order by the end result.</div>
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You may have noticed that this part of the tutorial is slightly lacking in photographs. I decided not to bother with documenting every minor step, as it is difficult to see transitions. That said, I have the two pictures below which show progress to date:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFxos0XtXKf6lQyQazbzp-baSPyv-bGEeGzgHzqGmLPYOv6xorHX_HQ81eZXcsmd6gy42L7yxI56Z06CcXUtG5FdNXVScIT0j8-r_egxW86e8pI3CfcKMNSE6yWTtd0XluGAKuziQ7bQ/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFxos0XtXKf6lQyQazbzp-baSPyv-bGEeGzgHzqGmLPYOv6xorHX_HQ81eZXcsmd6gy42L7yxI56Z06CcXUtG5FdNXVScIT0j8-r_egxW86e8pI3CfcKMNSE6yWTtd0XluGAKuziQ7bQ/s1600/image.jpg" height="300" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0E8QtPscH8hMqmCR_N-TJ2bwp1_VGe2BmjPxz7vRitGdEZNCSVfcBrAiGELmSzt_-wCoeotQ3bjKmdvgy0YQN4MaO_bjhhJRDpKpjIHpHM02dJA7I6eB-E8DRh1keDdoLzd2-k-yEv_U/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0E8QtPscH8hMqmCR_N-TJ2bwp1_VGe2BmjPxz7vRitGdEZNCSVfcBrAiGELmSzt_-wCoeotQ3bjKmdvgy0YQN4MaO_bjhhJRDpKpjIHpHM02dJA7I6eB-E8DRh1keDdoLzd2-k-yEv_U/s1600/image.jpg" height="283" width="320" /></a></div>
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This leaves only the parchment/bone/leather areas and the Nemesis Force Weapons/glowing tubes/eyes left to base coat. The parchment/bone/leather areas will be started in the next section, but I will leave the NFW/glowing stuff as one of the final parts. I will also start working on the mid-tones for the whites/reds and blues.</div>
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It's taken a long time, but I am finally starting to see some cohesiveness coming out of these guys.</div>
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Speaking of time, below are my painting totals:</div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The red base coat took 2 hours, 25 minutes over 2 painting sessions.</i></div>
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<i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The grey and blue base coats took 5 hours, 30 minutes over 3 painting sessions. Yikes.</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Total Painting Time for Part 3: </b>7 hours, 55 minutes over 5 painting sessions.<b> </b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Total Painting Time to date:</b> 21 hours, 15 minutes over 16 painting sessions</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">____________________</span></div>
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If I used all the hours I have invested into this hobby to calculate Pi instead, I wonder what decimal I would be at... </div>
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Alladin the Paladinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511944547698978283noreply@blogger.com1