The Lure of Old Stuff

Hi!

Well I have finally found my paint but not had chance to actually put it to use yet but hopefully I will be able to get a chance to put it to use this weekend but I have been ruminating on the oddness of my hobby. What is it that keeps luring me towards games that are out of production?

As so many folks in the Oldhammer community have posted their wishlists of figures I thought I would cover some of my much wished for stuff but unlike other folk I am more interested in the big boxes that date from the early to mid 90s!

Man O War

Games Workshops Best Game?

Often hailed as the best game that Games Workshop ever produced, the game itself was quite a departure for them at the time but was also brilliant fun and came with literally hundreds of tokens, templates and ship cards, so many so that despite the fact the game called for a 6x4 board, the playing area was actually 4x4 with the remaining space taken up with record keeping.

Despite this the game ran smoothly and without bogging down at all. Sadly I had two copies of the game but sold them both in times of hardship and now I once again hanker after fantasy naval battles.

The miniatures were characterful but are fearfully expensive to get hold of these days and have been plagued by villainous types recasting them making them largely suspect. If I do manage to collect the game box, Sea of Blood and Plague Fleet, I will be more than happy as I will be either proxying the ships or sculpting my own entirely!

Epic Spacemarine 2nd Edition

Epic!

Another game I loved the concept for, even more so because of the artwork and paint schemes used by the studio. Remember this was the third big game for Games Workshop up until the mid to late 90s?

Originally intended to cover battles fought during the Horus Heresy, it had a rather intuitive system which worked really well and some of the figures are truly iconic such as the mighty Titans and the brick like Thunderhawk gunships or the characterful Orkish war engines!

I used to have a huge Squat force but it too went the way of ebay but I live in hope of getting hold of the game and form there its not too difficult to begin work collecting some small forces to get on with and once again theres plenty of companies that I can get proxies or even second hand figures without breaking the bank.

Warhammer 40000 2nd Edition

40k Goodness!

Without a doubt this is one of the big games of my teenage years. The rules were great fun and the painting and models of the era had a real character of their own. Back in the day my impoverished Imperial Guard regularly got thrashed by Eldar and Chaos armies but it doesn't matter. It was my first experience of proper wargaming and as such will always have a special place for me!

I have actually managed to get hold of the templates, army books and rulebooks and even a few of the figures but its one of the few games I actually have a wishlist of miniatures for and here they are in no particular order:

Commissar Yarrick

Yarrick is one of the great figures that marked the early release of 2nd edition of 40k and unlike the newer version, he has buckets of character, especially as he is festooned with looted Ork gear and one unfortunate victim of Yarrik has been incorporated into his Storm Bolter! Needless to say he was one of the few individuals of the Imperial Guard who could hold his own in close combat and was lots of fun to paint.

Classic Marine Chapter Captains

Before Games Workshop became obsessed with purity seals and plastic tat, they produced some lovely Space Marine Captains which were rather heavily influenced by historical sources and not the newer grimdark priest types seen by the arrival of later editions.

Ork Nobs and Warbosses

The pic of the old Ork nobs and warbosses are absolutely brilliant figures that blow the space apes of the new editions out of the water. The Badmoon is a particular favorite of mine and I would love to get hold of one!

 Eldar Walkers

The old Eldar walkers are some of the most iconic designs in 40k and the Vampire Spirit Walker is one of the less often seen but fondly remembered of them. Along side him theres the most excellent War Walker and Dreadnaught which are also on my watch list for possible future addition!

Eldar Ghost Warriors

Back in the day, Citadel gave these little fellows away free in each blister packed Dreadnoughts and they are also great models too. They would make excellent light mechs in small scale skirmishes where a full on Dread would be overkill. I'd love to get one or two of them to act as bodyguards for an Eldar leader.

 Blood Slaughterer

This fellow actually predates 2nd edition but I remember him because he featured in the first White Dwarf I ever bought and he is rather a fun figure too.

Chaos Dreadnought

The Chaos Dread is one of the best figures I have ever seen for 40k and was far better than the big box they currently have. Overgrown with organic weirdness but still recognisably a Dreadnought, its a lovely piece of kit and some of the old White Dwarf mags show some lovely painted examples with the classic giant banners that mark the period!

Deathwing

Remember when the Dark Angels Deathwing were based on native Americans and not warrior priests? These cracking models were festooned with feathers and lots of nice little details that really worked well once they were painted in the bone white that the elite of the chapter wore. 

There are literally dozens of others which I would dearly love to get but purely from a painters view the ones I have mentioned are worth noting as I far prefer something thats interesting to paint than a game winning or tough unit!

All the best!