Tank Brush

Wreck Markers

2011-12-27T21:00:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month I built about two dozen wreck markers. I had been thinking about making some for a while now, ever since Sean Morris (theterrainguy) posted a process video on RHQ's YouTube channel.

I'm pretty happy with the end result and hope that these markers will see action on the table very soon... as long as it's not my vehicles getting destroyed! (more images after the break).

I followed Sean's instructions with only a couple of minor alterations:

I used Foliage Clusters instead of Clump-Foliage (both from Woodland Scenics). Honestly, it was due to the fact that I couldn't find the latter anywhere - but the end result makes me think that the former might be better suited to the task anyhow!
I used Wood-Glue instead of Wellbond. I stuck to the same mixture of glue-water-dishsoap, but the yellowy Wood-Glue has a ridiculously strong bond, and I had some extra from a repair project I had just finished.
I used metal Washers instead of coins as the bases. It was a little difficult attaching the wire to the washer, even after scoring the top with a utility knife. But they're a bit larger and heavier than coinage and provide a stable base... plus it's not illegal! ;)

There's a trick to painting them that Sean hinted at but didn't fully expand upon. He mentioned priming them in grey and then "underspraying" them with black (leaving the tops grey). When painting the flames I found that a similar style of pattern worked really well:

The key is to not cover complete areas, but to work your way up from the base, kinda like the garland on a Christmas Tree (Holiday Appropriate Content!). Leave some areas untouched to simulate the forming smoke - it helps if there's already bulbous areas of foliage. The key is to try and stick to the undersides of things, and to quickly diminish the amount of paint applied as you move up the smoke column.

I then picked out a few spots higher up in the column to speckle with some flames - simulating both the flames reflecting off the smoke, and rising embers.

As for paint colours, I started out with GW Mechrite Red Foundation for the basecoat and highlighted that with a spot-coat of GW Blood Red and then picked out a few spots with GW Blazing Orange.

I think these could work equally as well for destroyed 40K vehicles, and with some modification could even be used as smoke trail markers for FoW rocket batteries or 40K vehicle smoke launchers.

I highly recommend subscribing to Sean's YouTube channel.

D-Day to Victory

2011-11-09T09:04:00.000-05:00

We're coming up on Remembrance Day here in Canada, and I wanted to share an Online Experience we built at Secret Location (my employer). It's called D-Day to Victory, and was created on behalf of History television to promote a docu-series of the same name.

But before you go and click on the link, it's (unfortunately) Geo-locked to Canada only, and most of you reading this won't get to see the actual site. I've uploaded a series of images (slideshow) and made them available online so you can kinda get a feel for it. However... read on as there's still some goodies for our foreign readers...

The 3D team did a great job recreating some scenes and really captured the "miniature battlefield" aesthetic. This was the first time that my time spent hobbying actually informed the digital work that I was doing (usually it's the other way around)! I got to work with the modellers as a sort of "expert" on WWII miniatures and even passed along links to this blog and that of the Tabletop Tacticians.

I only wish I could have been more involved - I only came onboard half-way through this project and was too busy with other work to really sink my teeth into it. The good news is that I think we'll be getting more of this type of work.

Before I started working for Secret Location, they released an amazing site called Storming Juno; again for a History Television docu-drama. This was a site that I admired since its inception, and I'm not alone; it's won several awards including a Gemini (Canadian version of an Emmy) for Best Cross-Platform Project - Non-Fiction. Luckily this site isn't Geo-locked!

Tweets from WWII

2011-10-21T17:32:00.000-04:00

Nothing much to report on the hobby front, but I wanted to share this great link that I got forwarded: Real Time Tweets from 1939! Pretty interesting to see that stuff coming in...

I've been doing a lot of trades/sales, mostly to build up my Flames of War collection, which seems to be the only game/models I have any interest in of late. I'm not foregoing all other companies' games, but I've narrowed down my interests considerably.

I recently acquired a good batch of Germans for my late-war Panzergrenadiers. More and more, it looks like I'll be running the Lehr list. While life has kept me busy as all hell for the last six months, I'm hoping to get some hobby time in again this winter, even if only a little bit. I'll post updates when I can!

Ghouls On Commission

2011-06-20T22:43:00.002-04:00

I mentioned earlier that I was selling off some armies. Well... considering the fact that I have zero interest in playing WFB, and the fact that I'm unlikely to change my mind anytime soon - I've decided to part with (most of) my Vampire Counts collection.

I've already sold the painted figs, including these 15 Ghouls I painted up as a commission.

More pics after the jump.

Another 15 Ghouls from the same commission job.

I have to admit, while I was painting them up I thought "what am I doing selling these? I still like this army!" But I quickly reminded myself that even though I like the models, that doesn't mean I'm ever going to use them. Better to paint them and get some enjoyment out of it, and then pass them along to someone who'll actually get them on the tabletop!

The idea was to paint them up to a tabletop level without spending too much time on them. They were required to match a previous batch of 40 ghouls I had already painted. Since I had used the same philosophy on those models, it was easy to get these ones to look the same. I employed extensive use of washes, assembly-lined the details, and used the same resin-cast bases.

Single model detail

So What Exactly Is My Hobby Anyways?

2011-06-17T22:28:00.002-04:00

I've come to the realization that I have more projects on the go than I care to have, and when it comes to completing armies, I have a terrible track record. Just looking at my current projects and picturing the amount of time and energy that would have to go into finishing them made me tired!

I've also drawn the conclusion that I don't play nearly enough games of ANY system. Just look at the standings in the right column of this site. Currently, that means only seven games played in 2011 (one a month), and heck - all 3 of those 40K games come from a single day tournament! It's not that I don't like playing, but more that I never make the time to get a game in.

These points lead me to two very honest self-observations: 1) I really don't like painting full armies, and 2) I'm not much of a gamer either.

So where does that leave me?

Well.. I think I'd be happiest painting showcase pieces; taking a lot more time per piece, building some nice bases, picking and choosing the models I want to work on. I've started trimming some of the fat in my plastic horde; some unpainted forces have gone out the door, and I'm working on the rest. I'm holding onto a few things, but won't be growing the collection anytime soon - or at the least only by one model at a time!

Lehr Anti-Tank Stands

2011-06-14T22:32:00.000-04:00

I've been working on building a Late-War list that incorporates most of the models of my Mid-War list. It hasn't been so easy. But then I discovered the Panzer Lehr Panzergrenadiers! They'll work great - Just needed to add some AT stands to my Combat Platoons.

I dug through my assorted figs and scrounged up enough Panzerfaust teams (with bases from my old Panzer 3J Platoon box) to get 6 stands!

Of course, then I discovered that they're supposed to be Panzerschrek teams. DOH!

Mid-War City Fight!

2011-06-07T13:02:00.004-04:00

I was in Ottawa again this past weekend and found a few ours to head over to Pripyat's and have a Mid-War FoW game on his new cityfight board! It was ultimately cut short, but we had a very engaging and enjoyable battle.

Video after the jump!

Prip's already written up a great AAR on the Tabletop Tacticians' site, so I won't bother repeating all that detailed info here... go check it out! However, I was taking video, so I've posted those below.

So, my thoughts on the outcome of the battle (highlight to see):

Things were looking good for me on my Right flank, but the left was still a big mess. Pripyat mentioned that I should have been more aggressive on that side, and he's right. Had I positioned my 2nd unit of PzGs behind the tanks and moved up through the ruins from the start, I would have been in a great position to take the far side objective!

There were a lot of Soviets left on the board and the battle could still have gone any way... I'm calling this one a draw. Great game Pripyat!

Total War in Ottawa!

2011-05-24T01:39:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago the Tabletop Tacticians ran the first Total War battle for their mid-war escalation league. Hosted by Pripyat, the game was played out over a 12x4 board loaded with beautiful terrain!

With 4,000 points per side and seven players, it was a heavy event - and the battle went on for almost eight hours!

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but haven't finished adding titles & descriptions to the photos just yet... I'm still working on it, but here's the link anyhow:

FoW Total War - Flickr Set

Mid-War update; Panzer III Js and Nebelwerfers

2011-05-15T15:59:00.003-04:00

I haven't been able to post in a while, but I did get 95% of my stuff painted for the Total War game in Ottawa. It was a stressful week, so taking a break was a welcome change of pace.

Above are my three Panzer III J's. As you can see, I've fixed the barrels so they are now the proper (longer) ones. I am super-plus'd about how the stowage turned out.

More photos after the jump!

Considering these guys took only about 4hrs total from unboxing to varnishing, I am quite pleased. I had to skip a couple of steps - primarily adding decals, but I will likely revisit these soon and add those along with a bit more weathering.

I made extensive use of my cheap $60 airbrush for the basecoat and cammo. I really like how it looks, but I think I am going to have to upgrade to a better brush (one that has controls for paint AND airflow) and a proper compressor. Maybe by summer's end? My current one is still good for basecoating and such, but lacks the fine control required for detail work.

I'm always using Citadel washes as well; in particular Devlan Mud on tracks and bases, and Gryphon Sepia as an overall blend.

I also finished the Command AT Section gun, one half-track and two infantry bases. I spent maybe a total of 8 hours over 2 weeks working on all these models, but that's pretty decent in my opinion - not too much time spent on them and they turned out looking good!

I wasn't able to finish a second half-track, and was only able to find Kubelwagen models on my way to Ottawa, so I had to borrow a couple of models, but that's ok.

Now to figure out what to bring to the 1500 pt battle!

Great smoke markers tutorial

2011-04-29T03:45:00.000-04:00

RHQ-TV snagged Shawn Morris (TheTerrainGuy) for their Terrain Studio segments, and this Smoke Marker tutorial is a great start!

Menoth assembly & Bases

2011-04-27T16:23:00.000-04:00

While working on my Flames of War assembly last weekend, I used some of the leftover Apoxie Sculpt to touch up the resin bases for my Menoth models… as well as finish assembly of the Starter box.

I find that I'm usually mixing too much Apoxie Sculpt for the project at hand, so I tend to have a few extra models on hand that need gaps filled or bases built up.

Above you can see my Crusader; I'm pretty happy with how he turned out - Head-swap and all!

More photos after the jump.

Rounding out my Mid-War Germans...

2011-04-26T01:51:00.001-04:00

The Tabletop Tacticians are hosting a Total Battle for the 1000pt round of their FoW escalation league. I wasn't able to make it to Ottawa for the last round, but will hopefully be there for this one!

Here's the list I plan on bringing:

1000pts Mid-War Gepanzerte Panzergrenadiers
HQ w/ RW43 Püppchen AT section
2 Combat Platoons w/ 3 squads apiece
Rocket Launcher Battery w/ 3 15cm NW41
Mitlere Panzer Platoon w/ 3 Panzer III J (late)

I'll have to make a trip to my local hobby shop to get that AT gun section, but most of this force is already painted (totally out of character...)! Hopefully I can get the rest done this week, but I've already assembled the tanks and the rocket battery:

I used Apoxie Sculpt to base these guys... it's still more expensive than drywall compound, but it's WAY nicer... so much more control, and once dry it's solid - no chipping or cracking! You can't see it in this shot, but I was able to get some tread marks in the mud around the launchers. It's a little extra effort, but I think on these large bases it's worth it.

Here's my Mitlere Panzer Platoon. Can you spot the mistake I made assembling ALL THREE of these guys? No? Check my list again... that's right - these are Panzer III J (early) tanks - notice the short barrel. It's an easy fix though, and I'll swap those barrels out tomorrow. The additional stowage is actually leftover bitz from GW's Space Marines and Space Marine Scouts! Their smallest pouches actually work well as large satchels!

Menoth Battlebox - Part 2

2011-03-28T20:13:00.002-04:00

I mentioned in my previous post that I wanted to customize my Menoth Jacks - especially their heads. I wanted to go with a more "templar" look and feel. I've been using Warhammer Fantasy helms from the Empire and Bretonnian range, along with some metal cable. While I didn't have any process shots of the Crusader or Revenger conversions, I did manage to take some (sorta blurry) shots of the Repenter (after the jump).

I still have to finish this guy off, but I am liking how these fellas are turning out!

Menoth Battlebox - Part 1

2011-03-26T22:34:00.001-04:00

I started working on the Menoth models a couple of weekends ago. The resin models are amazing - great detail and pretty easy to work with. Kreoss (above) is a pretty amazing sculpt - lightyears ahead of the previous incarnations. As you can see I've based him on a stack of two of my resin cast bases. They look pretty ridiculous right now, but they're just the groundwork for what's to come.

I've decided to try and paint the bases separately from the model this time around - so the pin holding Kreoss in place hasn't been glued yet.

I also put together a couple of Jacks - photos and more after the jump.

Here's the Crusader - the Heavy Jack that comes in the Battlebox. I really like the aesthetic of the Menoth models, however one thing that bothered me about their design was the daffy-duck-style heads. I opted to try something different - something more reminiscent of Templar helms. Using Bretonnian bits and some metal tubing I got the desired effect.

Same head-swap treatment for the Revenger - different Bretonnian helm though. I really like how pose-able these new resin kits are and am looking forward to putting together some more. I'm currently working on the Repenter that comes in the box and will post it (with process shots of the head-swap) soon!

Starting yet Another Project...

2011-03-26T22:17:00.001-04:00

So I haven't had a chance to talk much about The Lost's Tag Tournament that I went to earlier this month. Unfortunately all my photos turned out blurry and worthless, so I don't have much to show you guys - but suffice it say that it was a really fun event!

Since Brett (Pripyat) couldn't make it down I was paired with Erik and his Eldar. Turns out to have been a near-perfect substitute as Erik's force was heavy on the long-range shooting, leaving my Orks to take the front-line role they were designed for!

I'm still not sure how it happened but Erik and I came away with a tournament win! We fared quite well in 2 out of three games but had our collective asses handed to us in game two. I'm still trying to figure out how we managed to stay in the running...

I walked away from the event with a gift certificate for J&B Books (where the tournament was held), and decided to use it to buy something new; something I didn't need... I bought the Protectorate of Menoth starter box for Warmachines!

I've been interested in starting up something new from Privateer Press (other than the Legion of Everblight - more on that later) and Menoth seemed interesting. I like the zealous religion theme and the crusades-style minis. I wanted to start up a force using Kingdom of Heaven and Assassin's Creed as inspiration.

I've already started putting the models together (and converting them) - I'll post more soon.

Bad Moon Rising...

2011-03-15T09:28:00.001-04:00

Here's the last Kan I got done before the tournament. Because it's one of the new ones I decided to give it a little more attention. I've been using a sponge technique to apply the scuffs and scratches to the paintjob and I think it turned out well.

The Kans actually performed quite well in Trenton, and I'm thinking of fielding two units of three more often. The Grotzooka isn't the best weapon, but like most Orky shooting - it's kinda fun!

I'll post more about the tournament soon.

Evil Suns Killa Kans!

2011-03-13T21:28:00.001-04:00

This weekend I took part in The Lost Forums' Doubles Tournament in Trenton. I had posted my pseudo-list last month, and set another goal to get some models painted. Things seemed to be coming along nicely, but life found a way to muddle things up. Again.

Friday night I finished off a few Killa Kans. I think they turned out pretty good for a "rush" job. A couple more pics after the break.

Progress on the Killa Kans!

2011-02-27T19:32:00.002-05:00

I got some work done on my Kans... not as much as I had hoped to accomplish, but at least the main one (the above Bad Moons one) is turning out pretty good. I still have a lot of detail work and weathering to do, but I want to tackle the basecoats on the other Kans first.

Orks - Doubles Tournament

2011-02-26T00:03:00.001-05:00

So... March 12th the Lost are hosting a 40K Doubles Tournament in Trenton. It's 1250pts a player, and here's the list I've put together. I'll be playing alongside Pripyat's Death Korps, so I've taken an assault-heavy list.

Warboss w/ Ammo Grot
Big Mek w/ Oiler Grot
12 Boys w/ Big Shoota
8 Nobs w/ Power Klaws
3 Deffkoptas
3 Killa Kans w/ Big Shootas
3 Killa Kans, 2 w/ Rokkit Launchas, 1 w/ Grotzooka
1 Deff Dread w/ 3 Close Combat Arms & Kustom Mega-Blasta
1 Deff Dread w/ 3 Close Combat Arms & Big Scorcha

The Nobs, Boys, Koptas, and Warboss are all painted, but the rest is barely basecoated. Gonna try to work on the Kans this weekend though.

From oversized to pint-sized!

2011-02-18T01:12:00.001-05:00

After yesterday's post on the Looted Wagon I messed around a bit with some spare Orky bitz and managed to kit-bash this little guy. I'm currently referring to it as the "Grot Karr" but at some point it'll need a better name too, methinks.

So how can I use this guy in a game? Currently I'm contemplating just running him as a warbiker, but I could potentially run him as a Deff Kopta, which would open a few more options for weapons...

Looted Wagon

2011-02-17T02:16:00.001-05:00

So I finally got the Leman Russ body I needed to finish my Orky Looted Wagon. The turret's been sitting around since last summer! I was inspired by Jamie Hewlett's Tank Girl, but with some more Orky flare... The whole thing is commanded by a single Ork (mek maybe?) and crewed by a dozen or so grots (four are visible).

I built the whole thing from the Leman Russ (the base for the body), and then various parts from the Ork Trukk, Battlewagon, and Stompa kits. There's also a bunch of parts from various other Ork kits mixed in. This is going to be super fun to paint - and I think I finally found a model for some of hte more garish ork decals in my collection!

I've been trying to pin down a name for this thing: Doom-Busta? Boom-Grinda?

Germans vs. US: Tank Battle

2011-02-15T23:20:00.000-05:00

Sgt Poole and an accompanying Sherman lead the US in an attempt to take the village objective.

Last Saturday I was in Trenton for a FoW scenario; a German vs. US tank battle. I took a bunch of photos but rather than post them here I found it easier to upload them to Flickr... and add captions to describe the action going on.

Check out the Photo set here.

If you have a Flickr account and want to make comments feel free - otherwise you can always leave me a note on the blog :)

Working on my first Mid-War list

2011-02-08T17:48:00.003-05:00

I found some time to prime the rest of my models, thought I probably won't be using them for a while.

Well, I am trying to put together that first 600 point mid-war list.

Command HQ w/ SMG Panzerknacker
PzG Platoon w/ 2 squads | cmd SMG Panzerknacker
PzG Platoon w/ 2 squads | cmd SMG Panzerknacker

And now I am looking at some options to round out the list:

Tank Hunter Platoon w/ 2 Marder III Hs
More Infantry bases? (add an extra squad per platoon?)

I've magnetized all the turrets! Some don't turn so well, but as long as they are secure and can easily be removed, I'm fine with that! Used a dremel tool to cut out the holes and glued in some earth magnets.

I think the Marders will add some dedicated AT strength to the list that I find is lacking with just 'knackers... however I am worried about not having enough troops - even if this was an SS list, it would be pretty tiny.

Then again, this is only 600pts!

January's Done...

2011-02-02T11:39:00.003-05:00

... and so is my first wave of Germans!

Initially this was 600pts of late-war badness (minus the Tiger), but then I discovered I was using outdated rules and had some extra points to spend. I added on an extra PzG squad & half-track to compensate.

Unfortunately I never made it out to the THMG tournament, but I still got my painting done!

Now I am seriously considering a visit to Ottawa in March to attend a 600pt Escalation League event - but it's mid-war! Once again this leaves me with some additional points and so far I am conflicted on what I should take.

Expect some more posts with list ideas...

More pics of Infantry

2011-01-31T13:08:00.005-05:00

A couple more pics of the Panzergrenadiers. A bit more detail on one of the infantry bases - less glare from the lights on this one, so it gives a better idea of the glossiness. Won't be fixing that until spring, but at least the models all got a really good protective layer of varnish. Typically a gloss varnish protects the models much better than a matte one, and you can always apply a thin matte coat on top to reduce the amount of glare.

Here you can see the bases after they were primed. The one on the left was based using greenstuff, and the one on the right was done with spackling paste (aka drywall filler). The spackling paste is a little more difficult to work with (it can get messy), but it's a LOT cheaper than greenstuff.

Drywall filler doesn't take as much time to apply, but it will take longer to dry, and will be a lot more brittle. This is actually a good thing if you end up needing to remove guys from the base (as I did), and once everything is painted, flocked, and varnished - there's virtually no difference.

German Infantry

2011-01-30T16:10:00.002-05:00

Today I finally finished varnishing my infantry (well, the stuff I was going to bring to the 600pt tournament at least). There's not much there! Only 5 Squads of Panzergrenadiers, 2 Platoon HQs, a Company HQ and their 2IC.

The supposedly matte varnish turned out somewhat glossy, but I can live with it for now; the models are protected until I can spray varnish them in the spring - to get the gloss out.

I didn't spend TOO much time on the finer details, but the result is pretty convincing - at least enough to get by as an above average tabletop army (at least in my humble opinion).

I'm quite happy with the flock, which is a mixture of Games Workshop products; GW desert sand, static grass, and old school flock. Static grass is a bit too tall and I would have left it out completely, had it not already been mixed in this particular brew (originally intended for 28mm fantasy figures). But now I might have a change of heart (see below).

The close-up below shows a bit more detail.

Once the flock was applied with white glue, I'd gently brush off any excessively large bits of rock and then let the glue die. I like the way it turned out; a few large strands of grass surrounded by rocky, grassy terrain.

Half-tracks

2011-01-15T15:28:00.009-05:00

I got around to finishing those five other half-tracks this week - complete with passengers and decals. Since I had the decals out, I finally added some to my Tiger 1E, which was painted ages ago. I took some macro shots and photoshopped some images together:

I based all my infantry bases using drywall compound & Pro-Create and then used gesso to prime them. The drywall compound was a bit of a pain to work with, but Pro-Create might be a bit too expensive for the job. I'm sure I can find a cheaper alternative.

Return to the Flames of War

2011-01-12T11:46:00.009-05:00

It should be painfully apparent that the November challenge was a complete bust; I got no more work done on my Legion models beyond priming and a basecoat of skintones on half the models. Really, I should probably avoid these kinds of self-imposed deadlines. I'll get back to those models in time...

But moving along, it's a new year! Coming up on the 22nd of this month is a Flames of War tournament being held at Dueling Grounds by the Toronto Historical Miniature Gamers. I'm nowhere near ready to play in that kind of event (having a scant three games under my belt), but I'll be volunteering my time to help the organizers run the event... good way to meet some local players!

Because there's a chance I might be asked to play as a ringer, I've taken on the "challenge" to finish 600 points of Germans. I haven't done much since the last time I posted my FoW, but at least everything was based and assembled, and I even had basecoats done on most of my halftracks.

I finished my first transport last night and have another five not far behind. Working on the models is moving along at a fast pace - a nice change from the drudgery of 40k, and I am confident to have the rest of the force playable for the 22nd.

Company HQ & 2iC SMG Panzerfaust teams w/ Kfz Sd 251/1
Two Platoons of Gepanzerte Panzergrenadiers, each comprised of:
- HQ SMG Panzerfaust w/ Kfz Sd 251/10
- 2 Squads w/ Kfz Sd 251/1

That's a total of 595 points, eight Halftracks, and twelve bases (eight infantry, four command)! The good news is that I'll have made a dent in the work needed to get a decent Mid-Late War force done.

November Challenge

2010-11-01T12:43:00.003-04:00

I was able to get all my Legion models primed using Gesso (works really well) before the first of November, so I've decided to try and get everything painted by the end of the month! It's not a lot of models (26 models; not even 50pts on iBodger), but I also have a very busy month ahead of me - so it's still going to be a challenge to get it done.

The plan is to paint everything to a standard that's slightly higher than tabletop, and to make extensive use of time-saving techniques such as airbrushing, washes, and batch painting.

I'll post as I make progress, so stay tuned!

Incubi

2010-10-19T10:28:00.001-04:00

Blighted Legionnaires

2010-10-18T12:27:00.001-04:00

Ork Boyz

2010-10-16T11:52:00.000-04:00

Here's a couple of units of Ork Boyz. There's still more to paint up, but I figured I'd post the finished ones now. My only regret? Topknots! Maybe I'll go back and cut 'em off... I think my Warboss has a hate-on for that hairstyle. Mohawks however... they're still pretty cool!

Warmongers

2010-10-15T10:25:00.001-04:00

Raptors

2010-10-14T08:21:00.002-04:00

I slightly customized the unit leader by giving him greenstuff reigns; the rider's left hand just looked awkward just sitting there, not holding onto anything.

Vayl, Teraph, Carnivean, and Shredders

2010-10-13T11:13:00.000-04:00

One of the forces I started building out for Privateer Press' Hordes game, is the fantastic Legion of Everblight range! I'll admit I've had these models for a long long time, and am only just getting 'round to working on them.

I've finally finished assembling (read: lots of pinning) and basing the models, and will probably start priming soon. I was reading about undercoating with Gesso on my friend Anthony Watts' blog. I'll be giving that a try soon, and hopefully will be able to prime all winter!

Dire Troll Blitzer

2010-10-12T12:11:00.001-04:00

Borka Kegslayer

2010-10-11T12:09:00.001-04:00

Warboss

2010-10-09T13:16:00.000-04:00

Taking a break from Privateer Press stuff to upload the first Ork HQ I ever painted! When I first bought the Assault on Black Reach starter set, I didn't really have any ambitions to collect an Ork army.

I decided to blast through the models and get them painted to a tabletop standard as quickly as possible. Thing is... I had such an enjoyable time with the project - from building straight through to varnishing these models, I decided to expand my force.

My Orks now comprise the largest force I've collected, and I've been having a great time converting and painting the lot of them!

More to come...

Fellcaller

2010-10-08T11:41:00.000-04:00

Trollkin Champions

2010-10-07T12:03:00.003-04:00

While nowhere near complete you can kinda get an idea of the airbrushed technique I used on the skin for all the Trolls.

A Pair Of Trolls; Axer and Impaler

2010-10-06T11:35:00.000-04:00

A while back I started painting some Trollbloods. I was really drawn to the models Privateer Press was releasing (now more than ever), and got a selection of them to paint. The Trollbloods are among my faves - really cool models. I haven't gotten really far with the painting, but here's two partially finished Warbeasts - an Axer and an Impaler.

New stuffs!

2010-10-05T21:39:00.001-04:00

Wow. It's been a very long time since I've updated this blog. While I haven't really been painting too much, I do have a lot of stuff assembled and will try to update the blog as often as I can.

I no longer have the setup I had to take great shots of my minis, but will eventually get around to building another one.

There's a lot of stuff to update, but here's a sneak peek of my new Vampire Counts! After the release of the new army book, I decided to retire the Bretonnian Undead and go with a classic Sylvanian themed force.

Here's my custom-built Vampire Lord. He's been cobbled together using several sets; the Empire Wizard, Ghouls, Grave Guard, and the Corpse Cart Driver. I'm still adding some small finishing touches to the paint, and eventually I'll take some better shots.

The Witch's Wagon

2008-11-01T00:04:00.000-04:00

The Witch's Wagon
Bretonnian peasants know to fear this unholy coach, and tales of whole villages falling prey to disease or famine after it has passed through abound. The Old Crone has lived in and traveled with this gypsy-style wagon for over 200 years, and while looks like a decrepit ruin, the magic trapped within keeps it together and gives it an unearthly strength and speed.

Covered in moss and thousands of strange artifacts and blasphemous relics, the coach is the centrepiece of my army. It was based on the Mordheim Carnival of Chaos Wagon, but is nearly all scratch-built. White Dwarf Canadian Supplement (when it existed) ran an article I wrote about its creation.

German Command

2008-07-23T13:46:00.001-04:00

Stealth Suits

2008-06-19T15:55:00.000-04:00

Devilfish

2008-06-09T23:43:00.000-04:00

Malface Cadavron, The Wight King

2008-05-28T13:19:00.000-04:00

Malface Cadavron
Malfort Cadavron's noble father, Jean-Lucien wanted a son to carry on the family name, but "Malface" (as he would soon come to be known) was born with a grotesque facial disfigurement. Furthermore, Malfort's mother became ill in childbirth and died a few short weeks later; his father held him responsible, and never forgave him. Jean-Lucien tried desperately to fix his son's face; if only to save himself the embarrassment of having a hideous freak for an heir. Although the finest surgeons of Carcassonne tried, they only made matters worse; crisscrossing the boy's face with scars.

As Malface grew into a young adult, he continually tried to please his father, who had long ago given up on his son and instead embraced a bastard as his heir. Malface had become a feared combatant among the ranks of the Errant Knights, but his father remained blind to his accolades. While lauded on the field of battle, no Ladies of the court would offer him their favour at tournaments, and Malface could only find kinship among the dregs and most downtrodden among the peasantry. Eventually, Malface left everything behind and embarked on a Grail Quest.

Malface never completed his quest, as he was killed defending a helpless village from Beastmen raiders. The villagers entombed his body in a shrine that many Grail Pilgrims would visit over the next 100 years.

When the Old Crone came across his tomb, she used her dark magic to raise Malface from the dead as a Wight. To transfix his attention and control him, the old witch placed a wooden Grail in his possession... but to Malface, it appeared to be real! His perception of reality was grossly skewed; the Old Crone appeared as a young Damsel, Merle as a defenseless child, and the hordes of Zombies and Black Knights seemed a glorious army of Bretonnia to the risen Malface. Trapped in this illusion, Malface lead the undead horde across Bretonnia, all the while believing he was fighting for righteousness and chivalry!

Crisis Suits

2008-02-12T16:00:00.000-05:00

Pathfinders

2008-02-08T13:18:00.000-05:00

The Witch

2007-12-28T18:12:00.001-05:00

La Vielle Bique (The Old Crone)
She's the antithesis to the Bretonnian Damsel; while they are young and beautiful, she is ancient and grotesque. The Old Crone has haunted the Bretonnian countryside for generations; though she is rarely seen. Parents frighten their children with warnings that the crone comes to collect misbehaved brats to boil into potions or feed to her horrible pets.

Merle, the vampire girl

2007-12-20T22:07:00.000-05:00

Merle
The young girl who eventually grows up to be the Old Crone! Originally I used this model to represent a young Crone in an escalation campaign... I even submitted her origin to the Blood Keep's Concept Competition (link). Lately I've been using her in armies alongside the Crone, as a young disciple of sorts... and I'm tempted to use her as a child-vampire with the new release.

The model itself is from the Mordheim Mob, and was converted to look more like Samara from The Ring movies.

Grave Guard

2007-12-20T21:54:00.000-05:00

Sniper Team

2007-11-18T13:15:00.000-05:00

Kroot

2007-11-12T12:34:00.000-05:00

Fire Warriors

2007-11-08T01:14:00.000-05:00

Ghouls

2007-11-03T18:45:00.000-04:00

Sept World D'Va'por

2007-11-01T16:34:00.000-04:00

D'va'por
("Twin Oceans" - lit. "Twin Great Water")

A small Tau sept world of the Third Phase Expansion, D'va'por is tactically insignificant, but holds some cultural value and is known throughout the Tau Empire for its Drone Racing (see below). D'va'por is a world covered largely by two great oceans, belted by an equatorial archipelago consisting of thousands of islands, large and small. Stretching from the frozen poles to the tropical equator, each ocean is capable of generating massive storms that can batter the islands with fierce winds and torrential rains.

D'va'por also has a modest Kroot colony who have slowly evolved to include the genetic traits of their largely seafood diet. These Kroot live in simpler villages built on the island shores, making their living predominantly as fishermen.

Perhaps the defining feature of this Sept world is that it marks the origin of Mont'vash'kan (lit. Battle between kilometers) - drone racing. Teams of earth caste engineers build and race custom drones as part of their training, but the races also have a massive and dedicated spectator following. Mont'vash'kan has grown into the Sept's primary recreation, with events held almost weekly on various multi-island tracks. Each year, just before storm season, the racing teams - or Ko'shi'lissera (lit. Team that strives for victory) - compete in an endurance race that spans the entire equator: Kyse't'ya (lit. Belt of the World)!

Skeleton Warriors

2007-10-31T03:06:00.000-04:00

Samurai

2007-03-12T16:04:00.000-04:00