Progress: Terrain And Tanks!

So with Xmas and the New Yearhaving passed, I hope everyones had a good time and are cracking on with hobby projects! I've been pretty busy so taken some better photos of what I've been upto so here they are.

The armoured containers were nice and easy to build, and painting was similarly fun too. I undercoated them all with Rhinox Hide, then based with chosen colours on top. Red took two coats, orange took 3 with a bit of touching up, but green went on easily in one with some touch ups. Now I find weathering and bare metal work to add a great contrast to colours and it also helps unify models over different colours. Its also a great way alternative to highlighting so I went nuts on these!

I used some watered down Gorthor Brown to add rust drips, and some more Rhinox Hide to add as a backdrop to put the Leadbelcher on top to created the worn edges and patches were things were knocked against or perhaps gunfire ricocheted off. 

As you can see I also added a couple of transfers just to add some depth and make them stand out a little. 

I've also been cracking on with the Necromunda terrain and the smaller aspects of the containers box, getting some rust out on these has been fun as its been ages since I've used it. I've got loads more of these to do and these need finishing off also. I've got 6 barrels in orange with numbers on too for objective tokens that I'm adding drips too.

Also over Xmas I wanted to rework my Imperial Guard army. Having previously been painted (but never finished) in grey, they just looked unfinished as it was a similar tone to plastic. Thats no good! Some thinking soon provided me with an answer....

THUNDERHAWK BLUE!

While basing my tanks with Thunderhawk Blue I wondered what to do in terms of highlighting and/or camo. Lighter tones, darker tones, I just wasn't sure. Going back to my earlier terrain painting though I enjoyed playing with rust. That was it! 

I added plenty of rust to the tanks, not so much in a camo pattern but it certainly gives a similar effect. I've still got some last few bits to do to these but I also have another Chimera, a Vendetta and a mighty Stormlord to finish off too!

 

In terms of background with my intention to use some of the Necromunda gangs as infantry the idea is that with some sort of invasion to a hive world the old tanks were found then repurposed by the gangs and some of the Astra Militarum trying to get a defence in order to repel the enemies attacking. With the defence a success the rust was kept as a blessing to the Omnissah and now chemicals are added to the vehicles by Tech-Adepts to rust up in the name of the machine god. It works for me anyways!

So what have you guys been upto? Post photos or get in touch if you'd like your work showcased!

Santa Khorne

Happy Xmas everyone! I know you're more likely to be enjoying a quiet/frantic evening/night of relaxing/wrapping/prepping before a busy Christmas Day but I don't think I've shown much of the skull love here. I picked up a Khorne Daemon army up from a fellow club member after he was downsizing (I mean downsizing in a loose term) and while most was painted already (and I'll probably go over a bit) there was some fresh there to go on with. Including a Khorne Herald from the Skull Cannon kit. I fancied an alternative one on foot so stuck him on a suitable base and painted him up quite a while ago!

I was working on Mazarall the Butcher too, but having been broken into, losing all my miniatures and then regaining them the motivation to game and paint had become almost non existent. More in that in a different post though! With my motivation coming back I'm gonna slap some paint on these brutal looking Bloodcrushers soon!

Rumours abound that after Xmas we'll be seeing a Codex Daemons book coming for 40k so I shall finish rebasing the army (Most of it was on the old fantasy square bases) and then getting more painted to go with the book. Surprisingly theres not an awful lot of Chaos forces at the Gwent Reavers although our resident Blood Angels player, aptly surnamed Angel, has painted up some very disgusting Nurgle Death Guard (which I'll have to grab some pics of some time along with other peoples armies to show off on here) so some Daemon support for him would be well appreciated I'm sure. Never used Daemons in 40k before but it will be interesting to see how they play in the new edition. I can get Mazarall finished and use him as a counts as Skarbrand plus I have a Blood Thirster who needs re-attaching to his base (Not looking forward to that) and some other units to get upto standard. 

2018 is looking to be a busy year hobby wise and I can't wait to get stuck into all the projects I've been putting off. Blood Bowl, Necromunda, Warhmmer 40000 and perhaps another attempt into the realms of Age of Sigmar. Then the heaving under all the board games and rpg's that will be out I'll want to get stuck into too! 

Expect a couple more posts before the new year, hopefully I'll have some progress to show on the Escher, finish the Goliaths off and get some terrain done too for 40k and Necromunda. Beast mode will be initiated! First though, the pickings of roasted Tzeentch, seductive Slaanesh stuffing but certainly avoiding those Nurgle sprouts! 

Merry Xmas for tomorrow all!

Xmas Wishlist

Good grief, Xmas is just 2 days away! I was pondering about what I fancy getting myself for Xmas as the old biddy asked so picked up a couple of the small scenery kits for 40k, the containers and the plasma engine thingys. But it made me wonder, what would I REALLY like for Xmas, if money wasn't a problem and it was hobby related? 

Lets start small. An entire Chapter of Space Marines please. Cause who doens't want the 100+ Space Marines, various HQ models and vehicles? I'd also like them painted ready for use in colours of my choosing please. 

Ah a Leman Russ. But, I don't want a Leman Russ. I want a company of these bad boys! 9, to group in threes, along with a Tank Commander. I'll paint these myself though, but perhaps include a few Basilisks to go with? Failing this Epic scale Leman Russ tanks to paint up so I can have a couple companies of them and play those massive tank battles I always dreamed of as a kid.

Next up, I'd like a Forge World voucher because there will be a lot of Necromunda and Blood Bowl models released I want in my hobby needing clutches.

Also, Games Workshop store birthdays to bring back the buy two get one free deals they used to have that I remember so fondly. They were good days!

A personal Land Speeder for general use getting around. I know it'd be cold and the wind insane, but imagine speeding over the roads not caring about roads? Thats living the dream! Also if theres some twats about blasting them with a multimelta shot surely isn't a bad thing.

Storage space. Lots more storage space and cases to put everything in! I've got limited room as it is and running out of space its getting difficult, so perhaps a complex to store everything and play games in would be nice?

A good white paint. I know they exist, but I always seem to get a bad pot. It dries too quickly inside the pot, goes lumpy, and I weep like a Blood Angel going through the red rage. 

No Xmas would be Xmas without some cheese. And quite often cheese visits us in our tabletop games too. So for Xmas, NO CHEESE! I'm done with competitive gaming, when people take lists to obliterate others with its just no fun. I understand the tourney scene but what happened to having fun? Over the past couple of years my gaming time has gone down as a result of this. Its not even spam lists, but rules that seem a little ott and when people take advantage of that then grumble if said rules get nerfed somewhat. 

A job at Wizards of the Coast working on campaign ideas for Dungeons and Dragons. Self explanatory really, but I have so many ideas swirling around in my head for campaigns in D&D that they're falling out before I can write them down. A party accompanying awell known Bard touring Faerun, visiting all the big cities as he performs for the rich and powerful. A Shadow of the Collosus style compaign where a party of monster hunters are tasked with destroying a number of monsters that themselves are absolutely massive. There are so many, and one day I shall write them down and detail!

I think for now thats it. That'll do for now but whats on your Xmas list, fantasy or realistic? Let me know down below!

Negative Creeps.

I'm just gonna come out and say it. 

I'm getting pissed off at people who continually criticise Games Workshop.

Over the last 6-12 months more opinions are thrown around as to why Games Workshop are the devils.

"They make you buy loads to be powerful and make big games look good so you'll buy more!"

"Kill Team is terrible because its small scale!"

"Their pricing is terrible!" 

"Matt Ward!" 

"Ultramarines!" 

"Because other people don't like them I have to fit in too!"

Scuse the last one, but thats how it feels quite often. 

Now then, lets clear one thing up. You can hate Games Workshop all you want, it doesn't mean I may hate you. But, if you keep typing about why GeeDub is the spawn of satan on the internet all the time chances are, I have no respect for you. Its all too easy for people slag other people or opinions off. I've recently been involved in a couple of threads where I've been chatting to people about the creative aspect of GW, for instance the Necromunda campaign I want to get going, and people seem like they have to comment negative things about Games Workshop. Why be so negative when others are being positive about the hobby? I don't hijack other peoples threads saying why certain other companies don't appeal to me, and there are a lot out there that are incredibly popular that I just don't 'get'. If people are enjoying talking about the games and hobby aspects they love who am I to preach otherwise? So why then do people insist on doing this to Games Workshop based subjects? 

Perhaps its easier for people to be negative about something they hate or dislike, than it is to be positive about the things we love. Perhaps they go both together, where to praise something, we must first knock something down thats competition. It could relate to human instinct, that its easier to lash out than it is to embrace, but surely, as an 'evolved species', we're beyond that now? Far from it, it would seem. But thats getting too deep, and I'm no expert on delving into the human mind. 

Theres argument that Games Workshop are targeted for being the biggest wargaming company in the world, and therefore open to criticism. Does that mean anyone who becomes successful should be questioned and laughed at? What happens when the companies you admire so much become more successful and start doing things you don't like? Will they become targets for insults also? 

The thing is, Games Workshop has been around for so many years and influenced so many generations, that people will be fans of certain eras. Therefore, certain editions of games, models etc will be loved by some and hated by others. The same goes for how the company runs also. When it first started, GW sold many different games. As they started making their own models they wrote their own rules, and gradually were able to sustain themselves on purely the games they themselves have produced. Shouldn't this be the target for all companies? 'Oh but they're money grabbing bastards'. Well, heres news for you. To be a successful business you have to make ways of grabbing the money. Without it, you can't grow or sustain what you do, its simple. Even I have questioned some of the decision making of GW in terms of pricing, but then I compare it to other companies and for myself, the higher price point comes with a better quality of model.Obviously the aesthetics of a model can always be questioned, but arguing over opinion is the most wasteful consumption of time two people can have. Who cares what we like and don't like? Enjoy what you like and matter not what others do. 

The other thing that irritates me about people slagging off GW, is the fact a lot of them may never have even heard of wargaming had it not been for a Games Workshop store. There still isn't enough gaming shops in towns, and its a shame. I'd love for there to be some sort of store nearby to go play, buy models etc, but the fact of the matter is, we're in a niche hobby. Not being in the mainstream means getting new people involved in what we love doing can be difficult. So when someone walks past a GW store and see the models and tables inside, intrigue perks up. This is how many of us got into the hobby, its our first taste of wargaming and opens up a whole new world of hobby goodness. 

 See my main problem is that I've become so passionate about this hobby. almost 20 years ago I was introduced to this world, and after having around 15 years away I found a group of people nearby and have been firmly embedded into the hobby since. Everytime someone takes a jab at the aspects of the hobby I love, I feel like they're being personal. Someone in the hobby who is highly respected recently brought this up too, and likened it to religion, and he's right. We've all been the subject to someone who is passionate about their beliefs and preach to us why we should feel the same, well thanks, but no thanks. But they keep trying, on and on. And thats where it gets truly annoying. Why spend so much time preaching to other people about the negatives of what they believe in when you don't give them reasons to believe in your own passions?

I'm sorry if this has seemed like an inane ramble, but if you're a regular reader you'll be use to this by now. I'm sure you can all relate to this, even if you don't like the GW side of the hobby. What would you rather listen too or read...

"This game I've got into is amazing, theres some cool background, minis aren't too expensive but look pretty cool and its fun to play".

Or...

"Play this instead, GW games are shit, expensive and the rules are crap. Its all about the latest models that are always overpowered and then something else comes out that beats that in a couple of months so why bother."

Which honestly sounds more appealing? Theres probably a lot of points I've forgotten to mention, but I think this will do for now. I've seen a lot of hypocrisy where people have said things to slag off GW then use things from those worlds to benefit themselves to get a few more likes and attention over social media.

I'll tell you why I love Warhammer 40k.

Its tactical, while people see new units come out being overpowered my brain enjoys the challange of finding a counter to new threats, and despite whatever outcome on the table, whether its a win, loss or draw, I always learn something new.

The background is just out-fucking-standing. It competes with Star Wars in terms of depth, I mean how many scifi worlds can match that? Star Trek is probably up there I'm sure, but little else comes near to how many stories are told in that one universe, and what that means is its incredibly immersive. Not only do I enjoy reading about things that have happened in these worlds, but I love creating new stories through games. Little events in games isn't just 'this space marine rolled a six on overwatch'... its 'Brother Radimax quickly swung around while reloading his heavy bolter as a genestealer bolted towards him. Ditching the heavy weapon he quickly unholstered his boltgun leaving the genestealer with a gaping hole in its cranium.' I just love coming up with little stories for things that happen in games, and with such a rich background its not difficult to then be inspired from these to create stories for more games.

The models. This is where personal opinion comes in, but the quality of the plastics is amazing. I absolutely love cutting bits up and changing things, and the GW plastics are probably the best for this purpose. If you don't like the armies in the GW universe, then thats fine. Not everyone will be pleased by what a company can produce and thats true in so many mediums like films, music, videogames etc, Personally, I love the look and feel of the worlds and cannot ask for more.

The social aspect. I've met some awesome people since getting back into wargaming, and the laughs and tears we've shared are incountable. From amazing comebacks and close fought draws to getting thrashed or having insane random dice moments, they've always been entertaining. When I joined the Tredegar Reavers, I didn't just meet some fellow gamers, I met some new friends. This, is what the hobby should be about.

Its simple ladies and gents. Show passion for the things in the hobby you love, not disdain or hate for what other hobbyists enjoy no matter your opinion.

Boundaries of Wargaming

 

With all the changes going on at the club, its made me think about changes elsewhere in the hobby. The club, which has now been renamed to The Tredegar Reavers (much better I hope you agree!) will hopefully be joining the GCN within the next month or so, we're rebranding the website, and generally getting inspired. With all this, Dark Vengeance, and Games Day approaching theres a lot to look forward too. But it does make me wonder about other aspects of the hobby that could be expanded.

Games Workshop are starting to produce small clips that accompany new releases, which I'll be honest I find pretty cool. Hearing about inspiration for new rules and models coming straight from the cold one's snout. It really helps convey the thought process they go through to get to where they are, but I feel its something they may, and perhaps should, take a lot further. Why not produce a once a month 30 minute video where they all talk about the new releases, perhaps tease things that have been teased in White Dwarf, have interviews etc... With HD being readily available online its an ideal way to show off some models. They could even do this. When I was a teen, there was a videogames programme called Bad Influence. At the end of every show they used to show a few pages of text which included cheats, reviews etc in as many seconds. The idea was to record it, then pause it to read. Didn't work to be fair, but its something that could now be used. Just an idea!

Something I'm hoping to do soon is to get my videoblog underway. With how things are busy at the club, its been on the backburner but I did last monday capture some footage to put towards making us a promo film. As our hobby is incredibly visual and social, sometimes writing about it isn't the best way to represent... hence why the video which we can post about to entice new members. I'm also hoping that perhaps some members may be intrigued with doing a little talk every now and then, about new releases, rules, just a little topical debate I guess. After thinking about how GW could move forward doing video, its made me wonder if I can do the same.

Its been a while since I've felt so inspired about something, but being part of the club has done just that and I'm willing to put my heart and soul into it and the hobby. Why settle for the same old method when you could try something new and exciting? I'v ebeen watching some great v-bloggers on youtube, and I think its time to join them. Its time to be ambitious, its time to make an entity.

Transition and Evolving.

This post is a little different to normal, as it doesn't focus so much on the models, rules, my own army or someone elses for that matter. Its not about the direction that Games Workshop are taking any particular game, race or hobby materials, and its certainly not about the next even deadlier batch of Tyranids. This is about community, and in particular, the gaming club.

Having joined Tredegar Wargames Club just under a year ago, we're soon looking to enter a transitional period. In just a few weeks time, we'll be losing three of our most regular members. All three guys have been at the club far longer than I, and I think its fair to say help make the heart of the club beat greatly. Monday nights will surely be a little quieter thats for sure! So what does this mean for the club?

First of all, I think its fair to say we're a small club. We have at least 20 members, but many of these have the rigours of life that keep them away, be it work, children etc. This leaves us with around 10 or so regular members. This still gives us plenty of variety in games, whether its 40k, fantasy, specialist games, or non GW games being played at our venue. While the gap left by those leaving to pastures new will be noticeable, we still have other members who give greatly to the club in terms of inspiration and soul. The thing is, we now need to evolve.

A few months ago, I was asked to be Chairman of the club. To be part of the club for a short period and asked to take up this position was a great honour, and the longer I've been in this position the more I've seen how much needs to be done. With three people leaving, we need to recruit more members and fill our ranks. The more people we have, the bigger and better our club will be. With more members comes more money, which, with good planning could go from us surviving, to growing. I personally would love to see us grow with new members, take part in friendly tournements with other clubs, put on special events, and be able to buy more things for us all to use. The question is how.

Part of the reason of this post is to see if any of you have had good ideas about making your club better and bigger. We're currently floating a lot of ideas around, posters, fliers, promotional video etc, but everything is unproven. We have a great venue, and we need to start using it to its capability. We recently ran our first all day event there which you may have seen recently on my blog, and we'd love to run more like it. The lads who are leaving for university will still come back to visit, so we'd love to run some more all dayers to coincide with their returns.

Its only in the 11 or so months that I've been in this club that I've rediscovered my love for the hobby, and the people at the club are an incredibly huge part of that. I've built an army of my own, started a second, been to Warhammer World with the club for a huge battle, once to spectate and once to game, I've even had an interview at Games Workshop to work on the White Dwarf magazine. My love for videogames has been put on a backburner as the batteries in my Xbox pad last longer as I toil away painting at my desk long into the night. This hobby hasn't just caught my imagination, it coiled its delectable tendrils around my brain and simply won't let go... and I welcome it. 

This is why I want our club to evolve into a larger and even more enjoyable place. So just how do you attract new members to the club? How do you show them your own enthusiasm and passion for this hobby and inject it into them? I ask these questions to you, the blogging universe. 

The Community.

On our clubs trip to Warhammer World, I had previously mentioned about a couple I met and got talking too. James and Angela Askins, a couple who live in Nottingham and are both incredibly embedded in the hobby, couldn't get rid of me for many minutes, and I apologise for keeping them from sculpting and painting! I think James gave me a wee present to get rid of me, and here it is.

I wish (and hopefully will soon have) a photography set up to take much more detailed pics so I could give this justice, but you can still probably see how awesome this looks. James (who is a member of The Dogs of War) was telling me that he'd had a tryout for a miniatures designing position at Games Workshop, and one of the things he was tasked with was to copy the Grimgor Ironhide model. This head is the decapitated head the Black Orc waves cheerily in his hand. As soon as he showed me it I was impressed, the slight sneer on his face, how you can sculpt that much detail I'll never know. However, seeing how impressed I was at this face James said I could keep it as a momento of the day. What an absolute gentleman! His partner Angela was also incredibly lovely, talking about painting, showing me her current project (which was looking sick!) and they both shared stories about the hobby, from Games Workshed to John Blanche and even vikings hanging out with Gandalf. Which is the subject of this post. 

As someone who has been into videogaming for a very long time, and seen the birth of online gaming, it often appalls me at how people act on there. Swearing and abusive comments being commonplace. Incredibly annoying I'm sure you'll agree. Well, experiences in wargaming, for myself, are very much the opposite. Everyone seems genuinely helpful, either to give tips, gaming advice etc. You only need to be on here to find this out. 

FTW, WhiteScars, Faeit 212, Sons of Isis, and Wargames and Migraines have all been incredibly helpful in any matter I have so wished help with or simply been amazingly friendly to talk too. It really shows just what a great hobby this is to be involved in. You only have to walk into a Games Workshop and fight the over friendly staff off to see what I mean! I've only been re-involved in the hobby for about 8 months and already I feel like I never left it for almost 10 years, the people at Tredegar Wargames Club have been so welcoming and helpful, and its an honour to say I'm now a part of this. Part of what we do at the club is to try and make it grow, from gaining new members to improving what we have to enhance the gaming aspect, everything is being looked at and its an honour to be able to help the club in this way. 

When I was young and was first shown the hobby by my brother in law, I felt that this was something I wanted to do in more than just a past time way. That feeling has started to resurface, hence why I'm blogging about it, and trying to get the club I'm a part of improve as much as possible. 

Cheers everyone I've mentioned and also to the people I may not have.