Abbadon and Loken... Thoughts.

So when I went to games day 2012, I was excited about seeing the first workings of Abbadon and Loken. Reading about their simmering rivalry was one of the highlights of a very good trilogy of books, I'm sure I'm not the only one! Well, Forgeworld have finally finished and released them! Without further ado, lets have a look!

So these guys on the display look great. There's interactivity between the characters, and the rubble looks pretty cool. Lost of nice little details there! 

 How awesome does Abbadon look? I can see people wanting this version with a bit of conversion (Daemon Weapon anyone) to use in their Chaos armies for 40k. The current model is in need of an update badly, and here it should be!

 Now Loken. I'll be honest, I didn't see him like this when I read the book so I'm a tad disappointed. I thought he'd look a little more like this guy...

Yep, this Space Wolf Blood Claws sergeant artwork is awesome, and this is who I pictured when I read about Garviel Loken in the HH books. Not as feral looking as this, but similar spikey hair and a rough 'I don't take no shit' look on his face. What FW released though looks a lot more retained and well looked after. Its a great model, but when you picture something in your head its hard for anything to live upto it, and thats whats happened to me! Its a great set though, although £55? When you think Angron has 2.5 other marines on it, and looks like theres more resin on there... yet its a fiver cheaper! Hmm, odd I think. 

What are your thoughts though ladies and gents?

Temple of Skulls and Drop Pod

Well hows about another update? This time we have my drop pod, and some terrain... the Temple of Skulls! I've literally slapped the paint on the Temple of Skulls in a few hours, and its to a standard that'll look good on the table. Firstly though, the drop pod!

I really enjoyed painting this, and didn't expect too. Its got some really nice shapes to it, highlighting it in the same way as my Termies was nice too, I think it looks gritty and used. I've also added some weathering in the form of paint chips.

I think they look ok too, I'm not going insane with small ones too for a realistic effect, it was just as much an experiment as it was to adding somehting that looks cool. Its definately something I'll be doing to other vehicles in my force!

And here is the Temple of Skulls. I've been in a frenzy to get some stuff done so wanted a quick but effective way of getting this done, and I think I've pulled it off. The basecoat was a mix of a couple of old pots of chaos black and skull white, remember those names? I drybrushed the entire thing with skull white, then washed generously with some agrax earthshade, followed by some Baal red and then a little Nuln Oil to add some shading to certain areas. Skulls picked out with white, and the Chaos Star in the middle was basecoated with the old foundation paint, Iyanden Darksun.

I'm really happy with how its turned out, if I get some time I'll do a couple more details but I could not help myself adding a blood trail up the steps. Adds to the whole effect of it being a place of unholy worship. 

So there we go! My next update will unlikely be until next week, as theres a busy few days ahead. We have a mini tournament at club on Sunday, so I'll be sure to take pictures and perhaps even a little video footage... I know I've been promising this for a while but I swear it shall happen soon!

Review: Death From The Skies

So my copy of Death From the Skies has arrived, and what follows are my thoughts. Theres been a fair bit of controversy around this by it being Direct Only, so lets see exactly how much it matters.

The first thing you notice that makes this different to the other releases in the 40k collection so far, is that its softback. Yes, the book bends! This matters little but it did catch me by surprise

Theres not an awful lot in here in relation to artwork, although it is nice to see this Helldrake illustration in a larger format than it is in the Chaos Codex. We already know this book is a compendium, so don't expect anything original.  The photography is pretty good too, some nice compositions and angles but again, I don't see much original.

So when the Stormtalon and Ork jets were released, there was an article in WD featuring a Necron, Ork and Space Marine campaign. Thats here again, although it feels a little larger and not having that WD to had is hard to compare. If you havent seen this already you'll enjoy the read however. What follows this are 4 new missions that take flyers into mind. Theres some nice ideas here including a couple of different deployment zones that I'll look forward to trying out. One mission, 'Scramble!', has the defender nominate 3 landing spaces or 3 skyshield landing pads where 3 flyers are given for no points cost, and these are grounded.You launch these flyers depending on the roll of a 6 or more, by adding the turn that you are on. The attacker gets D3 VP's bonus for each of these that are destroyed. Sounds like a great laugh, and reminds me of a battle report from a few years ago between a drop-podding Black Templars army and an Ork army that was set after the Armageddon campaign in WD.

So the missions are a great little addition. The rules for dogfighting are also included from Crusade of Fire, and should be a good laugh if you have a number of flyers to try them out. While there are no new flyers in here, it does mean that now my Space Marine chapter can take Stormravens.

This is a good feature, and having bought one several days ago I'm looking forward to putting it together and using it on the field. The only difference I can tell so far between the vanilla SM's and the BA's Stormravens is that the missiles vary a little. While both are ST8, the BA's are ap1. The Codex Marines are ap2, but are concussive. Minor difference, but it seems like a useful weapon. Stormtalons are now 10 points cheaper than they were originally, which is a good thing as they were'nt used that often, even though I love using them! The book also features the rules for the other flyers currently in the game, its just a pity they couldn't fit a new one or two into the book. 

Overall thoughts then.... Is the book worth £20? This all depends on how much of the material you already own. If you don't have the WD with the rules for the StormTalon and Ork jets in then you get the rules for these plus a story revolving around three armies and their flyers. If you already have these, you're paying £20 for slight changes that lets be honest, shouldn't cost that much. Why they couldn't put this update into a WD or on a PDF on the GW website I'm unsure, but it would have been a nice gesture to try and balance the feeling a lot of people have against Games Workshop. The GW online store has some bundles where you can buy multiples of flyers, but these offer no savings over buying them individually. Why not do these bundles and throw the book in for free? Come on GW, give the customer something back! 

Its a nice little book that will add to your games if you're an avid pilot in the skies of 40k, but you will feel its overpriced for what it gives you.

New additions and Giveaway!

So Death From The Skies has arrived rather quietly from Games Workshop's side of things, although we've known it was coming for a couple of weeks. I'm incredibly intrigued about the rules for flyers, and of course being a Codex Space Marine player I'm rather excited about the Stormraven being available for my Evandalists. Which is why...

I've got one for myself! Many thanks to Nurgle Command for his heads up that on the Hobbycraft Facebook page you can get yourself a 25% off voucher, so I indulged in this lot=] 

I've had a flick through the painting tanks book, and theres some great tips in there I'm looking forward to trying. I grabbed myself and Bam some spray, he wanted some white for his Orks, the Temple of Skulls and some woods to add some variety to our gaming tables at club, and of course, the Stormraven. Working out the price I paid just £31 for it instead of the hefty £50 at GW, amazing! Cracking deal fair play so head over there now as the offer lasts until the 24th I believe. Special thanks to my lady for taking me to pick these up!

The giveaway winner will be announced on the 26th of February, I've had some great entries so far so please keep them coming! Photos of you and your favourite miniature from any game or system to be emailed to vandalworks@hotmail.com

£20 GW voucher to be won so get on it!

Evandalists vs Chaos Batrep

So here we go again! 1600 point battle report me vs Chris. We've had several games now, so we sort of knew what to expect. I haven't lost to Chris yet 1v1, but you never know when that streak will break.

My rough list was Landraider with Chaplain, assault termies, shooty termies, sternguard with combimeltas in a drop prod, vindicator, two tactical squads and a storm talon. Chris had Chaos lord with termies in a landraider, chaos marines in a rhino, bezerkers in a rhino, helldrake, vindicator and an obliterator. Fairly similar forces then! We rolled for mission and got Purge the Alien. Victory points ahoy! 

Chris won the roll to set up and deployed his two rhinos fairly centrally, obliterator on a high up building, landraider to my right and vindicator on the left. I avoided the vindicator, and set up everyone more or less on my right flank. I failed to seize the inititive but did not mind.

Chris advances with his tanks, and the vindicator speeds over to get into range of something, which may take it a turn or two. His shooting fails to do anything, except the obliterator hones in on my vindicator, and blows it to pieces with a lascannon shot. First blood to Chris! 

I quickly strike back however, as the drop pod sternguard arrive near the chaos land raider, and my own land raider swivels into action to pin down the advancing rhinos. The sternguard score 4 hits on the land raider, glances with one and two penetrations with the others. One stunned and one explosion. Great start! That'll slow his chaos lord down, either he'll have to take out the sternguard or leave them harass them from behind as he slowly advances. The landraider takes aim at the two rhinos, and both follow suit of the land raider. Two rhinos blown up and the traitors no long have any transport. Never have I had such an efficient first turn! I kill a couple from the chaos marine squad with some bolter and plasma cannon shots and that closes the first turn. 

The helldrake comes on, and swoops in towards my tactical squad. I know where this is going.... The Chaos lord and termies spy the sternguard and advance towards them, guns aimed and chainfists whirring. The helldrake blasts a torrent of daemonfire into the building where my tactical squad are and kills 8 of them in one foul blast. Those things are horrid! The Termies take down one of the sternguard and the ensuing assault slaughters the rest. "They earned their points!" I scream as I shake my fist at the chaos scum! 

In my turn I disgorge the chaplain and termies and get ready to asasult the last of the chaos marines, but the storm talon fails to show up. Shooting is a little ineffective this turn, but the Chaos marines are wiped out in combat, although I lose one termie to overwatch. Chris turn and he charges in with his bezerkers and chaos lord. Now, I fancied my chances here as the chaos lord only had two guys with him, and there were only about 6 bezerkers left. After both units fired I only suffered 3 wounds. All needed invulnerable saves, of which I should have saved two. Yep you guessed it, I failed all three. I now felt I was buggered! The bezerkers charged first, and so I challanged their champion with my chaplain who dispatched the khorne fed bumpkin with his crozius. The lone termie however couldnt manage the shee number of attacks and died. 

My turn now, and I advance my shooty termies to take aim at the obliterator. The landraider moves again, but no storm talon! As all of Chris' troops are in combat I have little shooting other than to try and blow up his vindicator with my landraider. Whuch he does! I then fire the 5 termies at the obliterator, and miss with every single assault cannon shot. I score two measly wounds and mutter to myself wishing for some luck. Chris rolls to save the wounds and gets the snake eyes! Obliterator dead. Phew! The mistake I made here though in advancing the termies they would now be in range to be assaulted by the winners of the combat against my chaplain, who of course loses because of so many attacks. 

What happens next roughly is chris assaults my other termies, and wipes them out and then gets into combat with my tactical squad who manage to kill two in overwatch and through close combat. They are then butchered! The heldrake comes back on, and vector strikes termies just as the lord assaults them but I save. I then shoot at the heldrake with the LATE stormtalon, cause 3 hullpoints. And chris saves one keeping the flyer alive! The land raider takes aim, manages to hit, and BOOM! Chris saves the penetration! Ah bugger. I wanted to kill that flappy thing! My landraider does manage to take a shot at Chris' chaos lord, and wounds him once. If he fails, it would be a draw. If he makes the save, Chris wins 9-7. Chris rolls the die....

And I shake Chris' hand and congratulate him on beating me. Its been a long time coming but he thoroughly deserved it! We both had fun and had some really odd dice rolls, where it was either a pretty bad fail or really good dice. I'll get you next time!

Don't forget people that I'm having a giveaway, you can find details here. I'll be announcing the winner on the 26th of February, so send me your pictures by then! I've had some good ones in so far, including one or two well known faces in the community! Add yours to have a chance of winning a £20 Hames Workshop voucher!

Sternguard and Terminators Update!

So its been a wee while since I've shown you much progress with my Evandalists, but this past week or so I've been busy on these beauties. I've always fancied Sternguard, the thought of the elite Marines from the 1st company still armed with power armour and (special ammo issued) boltguns made an evocative image and was something I needed. I scoured what I had, and trawled through Ebay. I had decided that as the Sergeant torso was reasonably distinctive with its high collar, ten of these were added to the shopping list. What else? Phobos pattern boltguns! I picked up 9 of these, and also a Ferrox pattern bolter for the sarge to make him stand out a bit more. Also added were parts from a command squad I bought at the Cwmbran GW and plenty of veteran shoulder pads!

 The colour scheme is much the same as my main army, although a few new things were done. With the Veteran pads I did them silver, and when painting the armour after everything was basecoated, I covered the entire model except the face with nuln oil. I wanted a bit of a dirty grimy look to them, and I'm pretty pleased with how they've turned out. So much so that I may revisit other squads and repeat this technique!

Heres two of the Sternguard, as you can see I went for a black skin tone with two of the guys and then a more white tone with the others. I think the black skin tones came out well, and I shall be doing some more! 

Heres the Sergeant with a Powerfist, armed to take out the trickier things these guys may come across that their ammo may not hurt. How I use these guys I don't know, either as a nice defensive unit using the Kraken bolts, or drop pod them down to take out power armoured enemies. I look forward to fielding them though!

Ah Terminators! I've bought 5 ranged Terminators before, but they were the Assault on Black Reach ones and posing them isn't much of an option. I got myself a box of these at Firestorm Games in Cardiff and looked forward to fixing them up.

I posed the Assault Cannon Termie to look like he's balancing against the recoil, and I think its worked ok. Its so nice to have chainfists at last!

Two of the regular Termies. You'll note that I've not done the Chapter badge on these or the Sternguard, this will come when I've practiced it a little more! 

I'm quite happy with how the Sarge's face has come out. I love using Khemri Brown as a base, washing it and then adding little amounts of white 2-3 times to build up the highlights. 

Lastly is my other regular armed Termie, and I've posed this guy twisting as if reacting to a new threat. Needless to say its my favourite one, seeing such a bulky guy in a more dynamic pose is why I wanted to build some of these guys for myself! 

So there we go, some progress to show how the Chapter are growing. I'm still planning on getting some pics of the entire army set up, so eyes peeled for when I pluck up the courage to try and organise this. Don't forget, I'm having a giveaway to celebrate 20k views on my blog, so click here for details! I've got a couple of well known people in the world of gaming entering, so fingers crossed we should have a great gallery. So whats stopping you gettng a self portrait of yourself and your favourite miniature?

Warhammer 20k: Giveaway!

20k. 20,000. That, my friends and readers is how many views I've had to my blog in just over a year, and I feel pretty chuffed with that! Hopefully my blog will continue to grow, as I intend to expand what I cover, and include news and more club goings on from the Tredegar Reavers. But how to celebrate this milestone? Well, I feel like a giveaway! 

The prize shall be a nice fresh £20 Games Workshop voucher, something to go towards that new vehicle you've promised yourself or a box of troops to add to your forces.  But whats that did you say? "How do I enter Kev? How can I please your gaming appetite and gain this favour you large beast?" 

Well, thats a good question! Anyone who already follows me will be automatically entered. Also, anyone who follows my blog in the next two weeks will also be entered,  However, there is another way to gain extra chances... and heres how.

By combining my two loves, photography and Wargaming, I want you to take a self portrait of you and your fave mini. You don't have to have a great quality camera, use your phone if you'd like! Not only will you get extra entries, but I'll post your image on my blog in a feature, along with a link so all my followers will see your blog or page. Its a good way to share the love and feature what some of you guys do! To enter just send me an email to vandalworks@hotmail.com and you'll get a few extra chances to win the voucher.

Heres my example!

So what are you guys waiting for? Thanks again everyone and good luck!