Chaos Lives! Chaos Lord and Hellbrute updates

Its not very often the forces of Chaos get a dedicated post on Death By Die... but today they have found their way in. At our gaming club, the Gwent Reavers we chatted about the expense of the hobby and perhaps if we had a small collection of 40k things here people could at least try before they buy. Thinking further about it, I realised that I had a small Chaos force. Very small. But its something. With the Assassinorum boxed set giving me 15 cultists, a Chaos Lord and 3 Chaos Marines along with the the 6 beastly based Chaos Marines I modelled a while ago, it was a start. I'd also won a Hellbrute a couple of years ago in a little competition held by friend Adam, where he gave it away on his old Nurgles Command video. 

Out came the glue and paint! What you see below are what I've done so far, along with other things its not much but the Chaos Lord looks pretty good and I'm happy with the colour scheme. Its Thunderhawk Blue highlighted with Lothern blue, which I'd previously used on my Millenium Falcon(more of that soon).

 I'm especially happy with how his cloak came out, I think the green tones look nice and compliment the blue pretty well.

 And heres the Hellbrute! Same colour scheme, and I went with a very brown skin as it would work against the blue by being a little warmer in colour and the pipes, exhausts and bones would contrast the browns too. Note the added Imperial Fist helmet, which, somehow innocently, is Bams chosen army... coincidences heh?

Mikes also brought over his Tzeetch Thousand Sons army over for me to scavange from, a lot of work needs to be done on some of the models but the Chaos Terminators and Lord look very usable, as well as a few other bits. Its coming along slowly! Some of the models won't look that great but if it means the club has an army then its all good. 

Now a little chat about the new Chaos Terrain for Age of Sigmar. To make up the whole thing its £600+. Wowsers, thats a lot of pennies! It does look spectacular though, and I think some of the smaller packages are pretty good too in terms of visuality. I did wonder how it would look for other Chaos forces though....

And I'm really digging it in blue! I've changed the saturation in photoshop to what Tzeentch and Nurgle fortresses may look and I think the blue one stands out really well. I think perhaps some Tomb Kings accessories would help give it a more Tzeentch flavour, and for nurgle lots of ooze, lots of browns on there too. Be interesting to see how people paint theirs when its released.

Theres also rumours of a september release for a new Chaos Codex for 40k, along with a new Daemon Engine. What could it be? Who knows, a Chaos sized Knight titan would be good thats not Forge World, but I'm expecting something a little different. Who knows! What do you think will be new in the Chaos Codex?

Assassins and GW/Warhammer Branding

So as promised, yet another post of models I've worked on over the last month, but also some news regarding Games Workshop. It would appear that Games Workshop stores across the world will become 'Warhammer' stores. Theres talk of pricing, and while it doesn't include the prices coming down, Rountree mentioned “be looking to offer a broader range of price points.” Thats certainly something a lot of hobbyists will welcome. 

I think its worth mentioned the rumours regarding the leaking images of the 30k plastic sprue. This has many people in excitement, as it could mean cheaper 30k armies and more plastics with which to get into the HH side of the game. The box set rumours itself sound really intriguing, a contemptor, tac squads, praetor, all being available int he box set. Apparently too it'll be a game in itself like Assassinorum and Space Hulk before it, boarding party was mentioned too so interesting side of 30k/40k could be shown. Perhaps the possibility to mix the space board with that of space hild and executionn force to create our own scenarios or even for 40k roleplaying? Anyways... onto the Assassins!

 First up is the Callidus, it took me a while to decide what colour to do her hair as its a big feature of the model and I'm happy with the choice. Her eyes I've left white, but these may get changed at some point... a model is rarely finished! Shes also great in game for doing some damage to a nearby infantry squad and taking a lot of attention off your main army.

 Next up the very strange Celexus. I've not used him in game yet but he seems a good prospect especially if your opponent is using a psyker. The model itself is quite a simple one until you get to the head, and I wonder if I should have done the head like the Eversors skull to make it stand out more. Perhaps I will in the future, its easier to paint bone than it is black!

 I'm quite proud with how the Eversor turned out, and its probably one of my better painted models! Another model I've yet to use in game, but I think if left unmolested he'd be an absolute beast in combat.

Finally is the most used Assassin for me, the Vindicare. Pretty versatile on the table, and perhaps one of the simple models of the execution force to paint too. Definitely recommend giving him a go in your games, he can sit out of the way and just take special weapons, characters and vehicles out leaving enemy squads easier for your own to take out. 

Next up I've got a couple of Chaos models intended for the clubs Chaos army (which will be a slow burner) and also my take on the Millenium Falcon.

Mugs and Mini's... Winner!

First of all. thank you to all my new followers on the blog and especially to the people who sent in their pictures.  I'd like people to keep sending pictures in if they have some so we can have a gallery of our mugs and minis! I've had some great pictures, with some lovely models in them. So without further ado... lets have a looksie!

Chris Benner sent in this looted Dark Eldar raider, great piece and I think its been suitably Orkified!

Adam Such was a gem and sent in two pictures. 

"My fiancée painted this as a special treat for me when I was at work, I was absolutely 

speechless when she showed it me...only her 4th ever miniature painted and the detail 

is perfect, even free handed some lovely leopard spots. In the style of joey berry 

 I even gave him a nickname...stewie "griffon". Fair shout, Adams got a great fiancée,

you keep a hold of her because that Griffon is lovely. Just keep buying her lots of paints!

And speaking of Adams other half, here she is with her own entry!

"A picture of the high elf Mage I painted for my fiancée ;)
 
Notice the ring of flames he's standing on (he says fire lore is best as there only 

really Mages if they make things go boom lol) 
I enjoy painting and a lot of time and effort went into this as I know the pleasure 

my partner gets from well painted miniatures. I hope you enjoy this as much as he did! :D" 

I can safely say that mage looks cracking fair play, I can see a lot of jealous blokes wishing their other 

half painted would paint them some mini's as well as these!

The next entry was from Ieuan over at his Sons of Isis blog, and is well worthy of being followed! His Necrons are a treat to look at, so get yourselves over there! 

This entry is from the Tredegar Reavers own Huw, and is one of his Pirate miniatures from his very own game, 'No Quarter'. This mini was also the newest one he'd sculpted for it, its just a shame we can't see more of his pretty face! Keep an eye out for more of No Quarter in the coming months, we'll be making a video at some point to show off how it plays=]

The next entrant needs no introduction, its Joeyberry herself! She's chosen her Lizardman Slann Mage Priest and theres no wonder why. "Me and my favourite model. Tywin Slannister! Its a tie between him and Morgan Treeman but I've always loved the look and detail of the mage priest and the game of thrones theme puts him in as the winner." This is exactly what we need, more Game of Thrones themed minis!

John Burrows sent this picture with his precious! "The miniature in the photo is a Libby the Conqueror from Hasslefree Miniatures, she was the first miniature that I've ever painted from start to a finished state that I was happy with. Since she was my first ever entry into a painting competition and I was just getting back into the hobby at the time I decided to try out washes, freehand and other techniques that I've been reading about online. These techniques helped me win the competition and gave me a miniature that I was proud to have on display on my computer desk". Theres nothing better than doing a good enough paint job on a mini that makes you want to show it off, great job Sir Burrows! 

Regular readers know this venerable gentleman, its Mike, also from my own Tredegar Reavers! This was his first ever miniature from many moons ago, I think he mentioned in the mid eighties. Its nearly as old as me, and is Mikes pride and joy.

Any frequent follower of the 40k page on Facebook may recoginise the name of our next entrant, Mr. Nat Sinclair. "Attached is a rather unflattering photo for you!
Its fine, I'm a servant of chaos - I don't need to look pretty like Sanguinius :-P" Well that beard gives you the thumbs up in my book you handsome devil, great paint job too on one of Slaanesh's favoured sons!

Ah suddenly the noise of life dissipates, and the buzz of flies becomes increasingly loud... it can mean only one thing, its Nurgle Command aka Adam! He's chosen his Nurgle Sorcerer, and having seen this in person I can't say I blame him for this being his fave mini! He's done a great job with his greens, and the model is lovely. It also failed to kill my tactical squad so its good in my books! 

The beaming smile, the handsomely chiselled jaw, it can only be Templars Crusade himself. Not only could Brian not choose a model or a squad, he's sent a picture of himself with his Black Templars army, and wowser! How many of us would love an army not only this size but so well painted? I'd say all of us! If you haven't seen any of Brians videos on youtube I highly recommend going to the link above, and become inspired by this cheerful talented chap as he has some of the best videos on youtube!

Rich Chapman has had the pleasure of painting the first Primarch release, Angron. He must have enjoyed it as he chose it as his fave mini, and it looks great. This is such a stunning model, look how carefully those hard working hands hold the majestic crazed primarch. He enjoyed this so much he's looking to go all Pokemon on the Primarchs and collect them all... Can't wait to see this collection!

Another one of my Tredegar Reavers brotherhood, heres the elf boy Alun! Here he shows off his favoured mini, an Inquisitor! Its a great combo of kits and looks really nice, but I'm yet to meet him on the field of battle. Not only is Alun a handsome lad, but he's a great person to play against. Whenever we play we have a huge amount of fun, its all about the narrative when our forces collide!

And so, the moment you've been waiting for... the winner! 

Drum roll please....

Its this handsome fella! Koen Dijns, aka FearGFX and this lovely Tyranid Carnifex. I say lovely, I'd cry if this was coming at me from the other side of the table! Another one of the people you should be subscribed too on Youtube, he has some great tips on painting that you should all check out. Well done though Koen Dijns, you have been randomly selected as the winner!

If you would like to send a picture of you and your fave mini, I'm looking to collect them all and start a gallery somewhere, possibly on Facebook! When this happens I shall put a link up on here for you all. 

For now though, thank you to everyone who entered and followed my blog, lets see what I can do when I get to 40k views!

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!

Club Showcase

Welcome again folks, a nice picture heavy post today! I've recently been taking more images and making more of an effort to get better quality pictures of my models. This has two effects.... Firstly, the better looking the images the better looking my miniatures will be. Secondly, I can see more mistakes and thus it will make me be a lot more careful of my painting! Todays post however is decicated to two club members, Morgan and Louis. We've got some good painters at Tredegar Wargames Club, and I felt it was about time to capture in better detail what we have.

 Morgans Space Wold Lord

Morgans Space Wolf Scouts

 Louis' Rough Rider Character. Note added aged effect, though it looked good!

 Another of Louis' mini's, can;t remember exactly what it is though. Possibly something that accompanies one of the inquisitors? Looks great though, the parchment especially eye catching.

 Louis' Alpha Legion Dreadnought. Note the scales on the armour!

Louis painted this Space Marine Chaplain for Bam, and it looks great. Bam was a happy Bam!

Thats it for now, but there'll be a few more of these coming up soon, perhaps today, perhaps over the next few days. Keep an eye out!

New Photographic Setup.

So I've finally attempted to sort out the photography, as I am a keen amatuer photographer, and made myself a little box to take pictures in. They're not perfect by anymeans, but the images are a lot brighter and the white backgrounds, after some photoshop work, help create much better images overall. Which isn't that good a thing as you can now see mroe of my painting imperfections!

 

Its definately been worth the effort, and if anyone wants I'll make a wee post about how I did it. It makes your blog look a lot better, and helps you see what you need to improve on miniature-wise.

Legion of the Damned Terminator Test Piece

In a previous post, you may have spotted this guy who was in a half way stage. Well he's pretty much done with just a couple of touch ups needed. So though it a good time to share!

I'm really happy with how he came out, and was a nice change painting wise. I don't think I'd wanna do a whole army of them though!

Terminators and Texture Paints

Eugh. 

Probably not the best way to start a post but thats how I feel. I Woke up after an early night, after 3 hours sleep. I've been awake for 3 hours, and its currently 4:30am. Like I said.... Eugh.

Anyways, despite feeling a wee bit grim I thought I'd get a quick post up with my Terminators. Taking the pictures has shown me just how unfinished they are, so I'll be trying to do a bit to these tomorrow (aka today, but its not today til I've slept properly!)

Lightning claw terminators are awesome. Re-rolling those failed wounds in combat helps so much, especially, if like me, you team them with a Chaplain. Re-roll all failed to hits on the charge, and all failed wound rolls with the termies? Score! Can't be a bad thing!

Thunder hammer termies are a wee bit different. If you're the patient type who doesn't mind letting your opponent roll a load of dice before you do, these bad boys are your choice. Striking last can be a nuisence, but as long as they hit they kill! They're especially good against vehicles, which is why I usually employ a mixed squad of terminators in games. Hitting power comes from the claws, high strength from the thunder hammers.

Bit of a close up, and a wee look at the texture paint. More of this to come!

Heres a much better close up of the base. Astrogranite was the paint in the new range that made me jump with joy, an incredibly easy way to make an effective looking gaming base. Slap it on, wash with badab black (or whatever its now called) then highlight with administratum grey. I absolutely love the finished result, and am a big fan of these textured paints. Have a go of them if you can and let me know what you think!

So later on I'll be slapping a bit of paint on my termies, finishing my Legion of the Damned, and hopefully doing a wee bit more to my Land Raiders. I'm hopeful I'll be done, as I want an early night due to an early start wednesday morning for the big day. Club night was quiet but went quick as both teams discussed tactics, stragetic assets and whether Thunderwolves or Juggernauts of Khorne would taste better on a barbecue. I'm going to try and keep notes during the game, and take as many, if not more pictures than I did last time we went. May be hard as I'm playing for the first time but we shall see!