Saturday, December 31, 2011

Merry New Year!!! (Last Post of 2011)



Hello All,

I want to wish everyone a happy new year and give a little update on what has gotten done at the end of 2011.

On thee hobby front I have amassed 611 point on my point tracking system (A modified system based on the one Lone Pilgrim came up with a few years ago.)

Here is his system reprinted here:

From: http://lonepilgrimredux.blogspot.com/

"In order to motivate myself to paint I give each model a score based upon it's size.

Infantry = 1 point
Large infantry, Cavalry, bikes = 2 points
Monster or Dreadnought = 5 points
Vehicle = 10 points
Superheavy vehicle = 20 points

My aim for 2009 is to score 100 points or more.

Total points for 2009 = 81"


Here is my modified list taking into account I play Fantasy and 40K.

Infantry: 1 *
Large Infantry: 2 **
Cavalry: 2
Bikes: 2
Monster: 5
Dreadnought: 5 ***
War machine: 5
Vehicle: 10
Super heavy: 20
Titan: 40

*Includes Small 6mm vehicles and escort size fleet scale star ships
** Includes medium 6mm vehicles (eg: battlemechs) and cruiser sizes Fleet Star ships
***Includes Large 6mm vehicles (eg: Ogre Tanks) and battleship scale Star ships

This is a little lower than my 2010 total: 983 points
I account the lower number to work and becoming a NOVA staff member.

If anyone is interested in the really cool spreadsheet the wife came up with please let me know. I will be happy to share.
---------------------------------------------------


BATTLE 2011

With January bringing the re-release of VAMPIRE counts for Warhammer Fantasy I decided to give the current book a go before it goes away. My opponent played Skaven (My opponent always plays Skaven)

2000 Pts - Skaven Roster - GS Morstorm's Chittering Horde



Grey Seer On Screaming Bell
Chieftain (Battle Standard Bearer) with Standard of Discipline
Warlock Engineer with Doomrocket
Warlock Engineer with Warp-Energy Condenser

Core
24 ×Stormvermin, Full Command
30 Clanrats, Full Command
Poisoned Wind Mortar Weapon Team
20 Skavenslaves with Pawleader
20 Skavenslaves with Pawleader
20 Skavenslaves with Pawleader

Special
24 Plague Monks: With Full command and Gleaming Pennant

Rare
Plagueclaw Catapult
Hell Pit Abomination

2000 Pts - Vampire Counts Roster - Vampire Lord Glick



Vampire Lord- Dark Acolyte, Avatar of Death (Shield)
Vampire (Battle Standard Bearer)- Avatar of Death (Shield), Wailing Banner
Necromancer- Invocation of Nehek, Raise Dead, Vanhel's Danse Macabre

Core
10 Crypt Ghouls with Crypt Ghast
25 Skeleton Warriors with full command
26 Skeleton Warriors With Full command + Spears

Special (23#, 383 pts)
19 Grave Guard with full command and The Banner of the Barrows
4 Fell Bats (Total Crap!)

Rare
Terrorgheist
Varghulf

The battle went for the full 6 turns and by the end it was officially a draw. There were around 220 points difference in our scores. Unofficially The Skaven had the extra 220. I have to say the the Hellpit is a pain in the butt! I like the current Vampire army and I am sad that i did not play it more often. I look forward to the new edition when it comes out.

Well that is all for now...

See you next year


RGH


Sunday, December 25, 2011

HAPPY HOLIDAYS



Greetings,

Merry Christmas! (Santa is a Necron)

From the RGH

BTW: I got two really nice GW gifts this year from my inlaws. (Bless Amazon Wish lists)

I got a Necron Monolith and a Winged Nazgul

I will post progress when I can get to them.

Have a great Holiday and a happy new year!

RGH

Saturday, December 10, 2011

The Jabberslythe- Model Review




Hello All,

RGH her with a quick review of one GW's newest models the Jabberslythe. The beastmen are finally getting some love this month with the release of two new kits. The plastic Ghorgon/Cygor and the Finecast Jabberslythe. I decided that the Jabber was the way to go since it seemed that Finecast monsters were pretty good (at least better than the infantry sized models) since I had such good luck with the Cockatrice over the summer. Boy was I wrong. :(

Although the finished model looks pretty sweet the build took three evenings to complete as I had to wait for the green stuff to cure before I could move on. The main problem I had was that the peices did not fit properly together. They were close and they did fit after a fassion but they always left gaps. sometimes BIG gaps that had to be puttied and cured before anything else could be done.

and I now own stock in greenstuff!

This model reminded me of the old GW metal models from the 90's that honed many of us "old timer's" to our sculpting skill levels. The days where quarter inch gaps were not unheard of. The only saving grace was that since it was resin I did no thav to pit it as well...

Here are some pictures of the assembled model.

&

&

RATING: (* Total Crap) Through (***** IT's the best EVER!)

Detail: ***** (Lots of interesting textures on the model that will make painting it fun)
Quality: *** (It's Finecast so it will only be so good)
Casting: ** (Way too many gaps. this is not a model for a beginner)
Finished apperance: ***** (this thing looks like something out of a nightmare I really like it)

Overall score: **** (Actually 3.75)

This is a good looking kit. I just wish the folks at GW would make sure it works before putting it on the Shelf. For 66.00 US it really should fit properly!

I will post pics of the painted model when I finish it.

Later

RGH

Monday, December 5, 2011

Road to the NOVA #2 Supply list

From the 2011 build project

Terrain Supplies list- Expanded

Hello all,

I have compiled a list of the most common Items the NOVA terrain build team will need to complete our projects by “Showtime” 2012. I have included what I think are best places to find these items as well as the most common uses, pros, and cons for them. Please feel free to add any ideas for materials or products that might help.

Glue – Craft Store (Michael’s or A.C Moore)

a. Elmer’s All Purpose Glue (Elmers Wood Glue share most of the same properties except it is also great for wood projects.)
  • Advantage: can be found almost anywhere
  • Great for gluing sand or flock to a base or terrain piece.
  • Dries a little slow
  • No good for adhering materials like plastic, metal, or plaster.
b. Aleene’s Tacky Glue
  • Easy to find at craft stores and chain stores like Wal-Martii. Dries quicker than Elmer’s
  • Fantastic for plaster (Molded Bricks and rocks)
  • Works well for adhering scenery to bases
c. Aleen’s Clear Gel Tacky Glue
  • Dries clear (but glossy)
  • Slow Dry time
  • Most of the same properties as regular Aleen’s
d. Hot Glue – Requires Hot glue Gun
  • Stupid fast drying (cooling) time
  • Good for the “Quick Fix”
  • Good for adhering scenery to bases
  • Tends to be messy (Glue strings)
  • Can be adjusted with applied heat
Glue – Hobby Store- (Games Workshop, Hobby Works, Game Parlor)
a. Super glue- Bob Industries, Games Workshop, and many others
  • Great for a "Quick Fix”
  • Fast dry time
  • OK for plastic scenery
  • Good for Metal to plastic adhesion
  • Can be messy (fingers sticking to scenery or fingers sticking together)
  • Best for resin models and scenery
  • Krazy Glue and cheap superglues should be avoided
b. Plastic Glue- Games Workshop, Bob Industries, and many others
  • Best for plastic kits
  • Not good for much else
  • Medium set time but strong adhesion once dry
Foam Board- Craft Store (Michael’s or A.C Moore)
a. Black-
  • Best for scenery (hardest to find around here)
  • Great for 40K Buildings
  • Great for Fantasy houses
  • Will work as a base but may warp over time.
b. White
  • Most common type (Can be found at craft stores and also places like Wal-Mart, some drug stores, and grocery stores)
  • Great for 40K Buildings
  • Great for Fantasy houses
  • Will work as a base but may warp over time.
c. Black on one side white on the other
  • A Hybrid of the above (I have only ever found them at Michael’s)
  • Great for 40K Buildings
  • Great for Fantasy houses
  • Will work as a base but may warp over time.
Pink foam (Home Depot or Lowes)
  • Look here for example
  • Good for walls and some types of buildings
  • Cuts with a hot wire foam knife
  • Best for hills!
  • Will warp
Foam board Knife- (Craft Store)
Hot wire Knife
  • Usable on construction foam (pink/blue) and Styrofoam
  • Use in a well ventilated space
  • Toxic fumes
  • Fastest way to cut foam
  • No good vs. foam board
  • Example
Basing material (Craft or Hobby stores)
  • Sand
  • Texture base
  • Small gravel
  • Because sand by itself is boring
  • Flock Good for color contrast
  • Can be mixed for interesting effects
Wood bases- (Home Depot or Lowes)
  • Sturdy!
  • Has to be cut at store into small enough pieces to be used in wargaming.
  • Store will cut to size
  • makes scenery pieces heavier
Craft Paint (Michael’s or A.C Moore)
Black
  • Best basecoat for 40K scenery
White
  • Can be used for extreme highlights
  • Mixed with black to get shades of grey (also great for 40K)
Brown
  • Great for Fantasy terrain
Other colors as needed.
  • Metallic’s for highlights (40K)
  • Reds and Greens for accents

Texture Spray Paint (Michael’s, A.C Moore, Home Depot, or Lowes)
  • Color is not important
  • Texture is the important part
  • Great for adding quick texture to a terrain piece before painting
  • MAKE SURE IT IS DRY BEFORE BASECOATING
This is a list of opinions on some of the materials for making terrain. next time I will try to start a building tutorial to show the process we will be using to prepare for the 2012 NOVA Open...
I look forward to any other ideas or comments

Later

RGH

Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Road to the NOVA 2012 Part 1



Hello all,

It has been a while since an update and a bit has happened. First off I am now the "Minister of terrain" for the NOVA 2012.

Not sure what the NOVA is? Look here and here!!!

What this means is that I am responsible for making sure the terrain at the NOVA is good to go for all systems running at the NOVA.

This means a LOT of work.

The NOVA staff and I (Along with an army of volunteers) will be having terrain building sessions starting in January.

This mission will have 2 parts-
1. Pimp my terrain: Taking existing terrain and putting a shine on it
2. New stuff: building new terrain for 40K, Fantasy, Warmachine/Hordes, Infinity, and Flames of War.

Here are some pictures of the example pieces I acquired. These are from the NOVA 2011.









Well That's it for now...

Till next time

RGH

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Big Hobby Update (long post folks)

Death From Terry Pratchett's Disk World Novels



Hello All,

RGH here with the hobby update I have been promising for some time.
What have I been up to since the NOVA? Quite a lot really. So without further BS from me lets get started...

Chaos Marauders- I pulled these guys out at random just because I wanted to paint some Chaos one day. The one in the robes is from Mordheim.



Zombies- These guys are from "Wargames Factory" MODERN ZOMBIES!!! I really like not having to use Fantasy Zombies for everything. I like the Guy in the suit and tie and the doctors in their scrubs. You get 24 Zombies for 15.99 at the War Store. I am thinking of using them as Summoned Demons for my Chaos Marines.



Siege Equipment- This is the old 5th edition Siege defense set for Fantasy. All Metal all the time... I decided to assemble and paint them because I am trying to consolidate or reduce my unfinished model collection. I think they look good for their age. :)



Grey Knights- My Grey Knight Army is coming along. As you can see I am focusing on Inquisitor squads at this time. The theme colors are red and purple. My goal is to make them look like gangs of adventurers from dark Heresy. I also did a miner conversion on the Black Templar Emperor's Champion converting him to a GK Brother Champion. What do you think?







Room Reorganization- I decided to reorganize my workspace to make it more efficient. So far so good. one of the innovations I decided on was to add incentive and motivation to my storage option. Notice how uncompleted models are stored with their respective army. This motivates me to get them out and work on them rather than have them forgotten in some closet.





Ralthozian Commission- I have finally finished the Fleet commission for Warboss. These are for use with Firestorm Armada and Full thrust. 18 ships in total.

Brood Class Battleship and Hive class Carrier


Swarm Class Cruiser and Drone Class Frigates


Stinger Class Escorts


Terran Alliance Cruisers and The Entire fleet in close quater drills




Lord of the Ring deal of the year- at the end of September I happened upon a website called (Hull's Angles) it is run by a man named Ross. He is selling bunches of his GW stuff to help with a brick and mortar store in England. I saw that amongst the 40K and Fantasy deals (most of which were stuff I already had) I noticed a box of LOTR figures with a cost of 50 pounds. No list was given for this but the box was full to the top and I noticed that some of the miniatures were good ones. I enquired about the box and was told that he could not remember what all was in it but it was a full "White Hand" army. I decided to bite and agreed to get it. (I almost didn't when I saw that the shipping cost was almost as high as the asking price.) But what the hell my curiosity was peeked and I went ahead and bought it. Much to my relief I did the right thing. The box weighed 7.5 pounds (thus the high shipping) and had over 380 miniatures in it. A lot of them needed a little love and attention after traveling so far but a few days later they were ready to go. The full list of items is listed below. In total it cost me around 150 US dollars but the cost to buy all this stuff retails for over 1400 US dollars.







Here is the Breakdown Prices are in ()- (Above) means the item is sold in a set with the figure listed above it
Pay no attention to the number of duplicates as this list is for reporting Purposes only!
Created with Army Builder---

Unlimited Pts - Forces of Darkness (Full List) Roster - What I got for 150 Dollars
Total Roster Cost: 7554
Hero (2#, 625 pts)
1 The Necromancer, 250 pts (30.00)
1 Sauron, 375 pts (41.25)
Hero (15#, 875 pts)
1 Nazgul, 65 pts = (base cost 55 + Horse 10) (27.25)
1 Nazgul, 65 pts = (base cost 55 + Horse 10) (27.25)
1 Nazgul, 65 pts = (base cost 55 + Horse 10) (27.25) *Cost + shipping paid in full at this point
1 Nazgul, 65 pts = (base cost 55 + Horse 10) (27.25)
1 Nazgul, 65 pts = (base cost 55 + Horse 10) (27.25)
1 Nazgul, 55 pts (6.66)
1 Nazgul, 55 pts (6.66)
1 Nazgul, 55 pts (6.66)
1 Nazgul, 55 pts (6.66)
1 Nazgul, 55 pts (6.66)
1 Nazgul, 55 pts (6.66)
1 Nazgul, 55 pts (6.66)
1 Nazgul, 55 pts (6.66)
1 Nazgul, 55 pts (6.66)
1 Nazgul, 55 pts (12.25)
Hero (6#, 490 pts)
1 Witch King, 105 pts = (base cost 70 + The Crown of Morgul 30 + Two-Handed Weapon 5) (12.25)
1 Witch King, 105 pts = (base cost 70 + The Crown of Morgul 30 + Two-Handed Weapon 5) (12.25)
1 Witch King, 70 pts (12.25)
1 Witch King, 70 pts (12.25)
1 Witch King, 70 pts (12.25)
1 Witch King, 70 pts (12.25)
Hero (2#, 250 pts)
1 Khamul the Easterling, 130 pts = (base cost 120 + Horse 10) (27.25)
1 Khamul the Easterling, 120 pts (Above)
Hero (2#, 250 pts)
1 Dark Marshal, 130 pts = (base cost 120 + Horse 10) (27.25)
1 Dark Marshal, 120 pts (Above)
Hero (3#, 365 pts)
1 Saruman, 170 pts (12.25)
1 Saruman, 170 pts (12.25)
1 Grima Wormtongue, 25 pts (12.25)
Hero (8#, 520 pts)
1 Lurtz, 60 pts (12.00)
1 Lurtz, 60 pts (12.00)
1 Lurtz, 60 pts (12.00)
1 Gothmog, 135 pts (12.25)
1 Shagrat, 55 pts (20.00)
1 Gorbag, 45 pts (Above)
p1
Created with Army Builder® - Copyright (c) 1997-2011 Lone Wolf Development, Inc. All rights reserved. Download it for FREE at http://www.wolflair. com!
1 Grishnakh, 45 pts (12.00)
1 Ugluk, 60 pts (10.00)
Minor Hero (3#, 155 pts)
1 Orc Captain, 40 pts (7.50)
1 Uruk-hai Captain, 60 pts = (base cost 50 + Shield 5 + Heavy Armour 5) (7.50)
1 Uruk-hai Captain, 55 pts = (base cost 50 + Heavy Armour 5) (7.50)
Minor Hero (9#, 450 pts)
1 Barrow-Wight, 50 pts (7.50)
1 Barrow-Wight, 50 pts (7.50)
1 Barrow-Wight, 50 pts (7.50)
1 Barrow-Wight, 50 pts (7.50)
1 Barrow-Wight, 50 pts (7.50)
1 Barrow-Wight, 50 pts (7.50)
1 Barrow-Wight, 50 pts (7.50)
1 Barrow-Wight, 50 pts (7.50)
1 Barrow-Wight, 50 pts (7.50)
Minor Hero (13#, 429 pts)
1 Castellan of Dol Guldur, 65 pts (7.50)
1 Castellan of Dol Guldur, 65 pts (7.50)
6 Black Númenórean Warrior, 54 pts = 6 * 9 (30.00)
2 Shade, 200 pts = 2 * 100 (30.00)
3 Spectre, 45 pts = 3 * 15 (15.00)
Uruk-hai Horde (177#, 1765 pts)
4 Mordor Uruk-hai , 32 pts = 4 * 8 (20.00)
2 Mordor Uruk-hai , 18 pts = 2 * 9 (base cost 8 + Two-Handed Weapon 1) (10.00)
15 Berserker Uruk-hai , 225 pts = 15 * 15 (86.25)
32 Uruk-hai Warrior, 288 pts = 32 * 9 (54.40)
1 Uruk-hai Warrior, 39 pts = (base cost 9 + Banner 30) (7.50)
23 Uruk-hai Scout, 184 pts = 23 * 8 (31.74)
29 Uruk-hai Scout, 261 pts = 29 * 9 (base cost 8 + Orc Bow 1) (40.02)
29 Uruk-hai Warrior, 290 pts = 29 * 10 (base cost 9 + Pike 1) (47.85)
8 Uruk-hai Warrior, 88 pts = 8 * 11 (base cost 9 + Crossbow 2) (46.00)
34 Uruk-hai Warrior, 340 pts = 34 * 10 (base cost 9 + Shield 1) (56.10)
Artillery (18#, 485 pts)
1 Mordor Siege Bow, 40 pts (22.00)
2 Ork Crew, 10 pts = 2 * 5 (Above)
1 Mordor Siege Bow, 40 pts = (base cost 50) + Orc Siege Crew 65 (22.00)
1 Ork Crew, 10 pts = (base cost 5) + Orc Engineer Captain 70 (Above)
1 Orc Engine Captain, 65 pts (Above)
1 Uruk-hai Demolition Team, 80 pts (6.80)
1 Uruk-hai Demolition Team, 80 pts (6.80)
1 Uruk-hai Demolition Team, 80 pts (6.80)
1 Uruk-hai Demolition Team, 80 pts (6.80)
Warg Rider (15#, 195 pts)
5 Warg Rider, 70 pts = 5 * 14 (base cost 12 + Throwing Weapons 2) (21.25)
5 Warg Rider, 60 pts = 5 * 12 (29.25)
5 Warg Rider, 65 pts = 5 * 13 (base cost 12 + Orc Bow 1) (21.25)
p2
Created with Army Builder® - Copyright (c) 1997-2011 Lone Wolf Development, Inc. All rights reserved. Download it for FREE at http://www.wolflair. com!
Orc Horde (108#, 700 pts)
2 Morannon Orc, 16 pts = 2 * 8 (base cost 7 + Shield 1) (2.76)
2 Orc Warrior, 60 pts = 2 * 30 (base cost 5 + Banner 25) (15.00)
18 Orc Warrior, 108 pts = 18 * 6 (base cost 5 + Two-Handed Weapon 1) (24.84)
20 Orc Warrior, 120 pts = 20 * 6 (base cost 5 + Orc Bow 1) (27.60)
30 Orc Warrior, 180 pts = 30 * 6 (base cost 5 + Spear 1) (41.40)
36 Orc Warrior, 216 pts = 36 * 6 (base cost 5 + Shield 1) (49.68)

Validation Report:
Regular: Tournament
Composition Report:
Heroes: 38 (0 - 0)
Minor Heroes: 16 (0 - 0)
Warriors: 31 (0 - 0)
War Machines: 6 (0 - 0)


(Page 1 Total: 544.75)|
(Page 2 Total: 765.41)
(Page 3 Total:118.68)
Total Retail cost: $1428.84





LOTR Troll- Speaking of Lord of the Rings. I also painted up a Mordor Troll as I was so inspired by the great deal above.



Actually getting some games in- WOW who would have thought I could actually use these miniatures in a game or two... What’s that about?


Wood Elf Eternal Guard- Recently I repainted my wife's eternal guard unit to make them fit in better with the rest of the army. This unit helps represent winter in her "Army of all seasons."





Well that’s all for now. I hope you enjoy and as always I look forward to hearing from you.

RGH