Whee! Well its boiling outside (its after 8pm and our thermometer is registering 27 degrees celsius which isn't too bad for Scotland!) and I have decided to set myself a little bit of a challenge to get my painting mojo back and clear through some more of my leadpile!
The challenge is thus:
Find, convert and paint up two rival warbands in 15mm scale as well as a playing surface and scenery with the aim of playing out a small scenario within 2 weeks!
Further complicating matters, I also aim to have each warband numbering no less than 5 figures and one vehicle or mech each and to add a little spice into the mix, I also want to try pushing my painting forward a bit too!
The full details of the proposed scenario are still to be worked out but it will require an interesting selection of terrain and some objectives to fight over and I will be spending a little time over the next couple of days but I do want to have an excuse to come up with some original terrain and warbands!
More to follow!
Friday, 25 July 2014
Thursday, 24 July 2014
Rediscovering The Joy Of 15mm!
Greetings!
Well its my day off again and lovely weather to boot! I've mooched around outside and enjoyed soaking up the sunshine but have sought shelter to post some hobby related gubbins!
The purpose of this blog entry is to ponder on my rediscovery of 15mm sci-fi. Many moons ago, when I first really got into blogging, I created The Special Corps, a blog dedicated to the Stainless Steel Rat in 15mm scale.
Back then, there was only about two or three companies who actually produced 15mm scale sci-fi figures so I had to be a bit creative when it came to sourcing figures, combining classic old sculpts from Laserburn and newer stuff from various historical ranges.
I must admit that the whole process of collecting and painting small forces for a couple of quid was really satisfying and in more recent years I extended my collecting into sculpting fantasy stuff as well but for many reasons, interest in the whole project waned due to assorted shiny syndrome issues and the little chaps have been languishing in a box pretty much ever since.
Skoot forward to now and I find myself being drawn back to the idea of being able to throw together a decent sized skirmish force, scenery and gaming surface for virtually nothing and thinking nothing of playing out a couple of entertaining rpg lite type skirmish scenarios over the course of an hour or so.
What I am also finding is that there are now literally dozens of manufacturers out there producing all manner of great sci fi stuff that could make for great additions to my collection. Its also a plus that I can create a 2x3 foot board that is perfect for small skirmishes, buildings and all manner of different environments for my tiny figures to fight over without having to break the bank while keeping it all stored in a relatively small space!
Now I have been rambling on about collecting some of the classier 28mm stuff and think I may well still do this as I enjoy painting stuff with a bit more in the way of detail than can be found on most 15mm scale figures but I am not sure I will ever find the time or space to game with them. Recent experience of spending ages making one or two pieces of scenery that I don't really have space for has taught me that I could be onto a bit of a winner trying something smaller.
Of equal importance is the fact that I can easily paint about a half dozen 15mm scale figures to a great standard in the same amount of time it takes me to paint a single 28mm one! This will allow me to keep a rapid turnaround of small skirmish type warbands with one or two vehicles or mechs to accompany them and even create variations on the same force by painting two identical units but with different camo, uniforms and so on to represent a single force operating in different environments.
Finally, I do think that I have the opportunity to create some really amazing looking scenery and backdrops for my 15mm scale forces to fight over rather than the more usual flat board with one or two small trees on it!
With the intention of actually practicing what I preach, I have even been sat rummaging through my 15mm lead pile and have sorted out a small warband and converted them extensively to give each that extra bit of character that I felt they needed. I still have a few more finishing touches to do on them before moving onto the painting stage but hope to have one or two updates done within the week and who knows, it may even be possible for me to challenge myself to create, convert and paint a warband a week going forward if things go according to plan!
All the best!
Well its my day off again and lovely weather to boot! I've mooched around outside and enjoyed soaking up the sunshine but have sought shelter to post some hobby related gubbins!
The purpose of this blog entry is to ponder on my rediscovery of 15mm sci-fi. Many moons ago, when I first really got into blogging, I created The Special Corps, a blog dedicated to the Stainless Steel Rat in 15mm scale.
Back then, there was only about two or three companies who actually produced 15mm scale sci-fi figures so I had to be a bit creative when it came to sourcing figures, combining classic old sculpts from Laserburn and newer stuff from various historical ranges.
I must admit that the whole process of collecting and painting small forces for a couple of quid was really satisfying and in more recent years I extended my collecting into sculpting fantasy stuff as well but for many reasons, interest in the whole project waned due to assorted shiny syndrome issues and the little chaps have been languishing in a box pretty much ever since.
Skoot forward to now and I find myself being drawn back to the idea of being able to throw together a decent sized skirmish force, scenery and gaming surface for virtually nothing and thinking nothing of playing out a couple of entertaining rpg lite type skirmish scenarios over the course of an hour or so.
What I am also finding is that there are now literally dozens of manufacturers out there producing all manner of great sci fi stuff that could make for great additions to my collection. Its also a plus that I can create a 2x3 foot board that is perfect for small skirmishes, buildings and all manner of different environments for my tiny figures to fight over without having to break the bank while keeping it all stored in a relatively small space!
Now I have been rambling on about collecting some of the classier 28mm stuff and think I may well still do this as I enjoy painting stuff with a bit more in the way of detail than can be found on most 15mm scale figures but I am not sure I will ever find the time or space to game with them. Recent experience of spending ages making one or two pieces of scenery that I don't really have space for has taught me that I could be onto a bit of a winner trying something smaller.
Of equal importance is the fact that I can easily paint about a half dozen 15mm scale figures to a great standard in the same amount of time it takes me to paint a single 28mm one! This will allow me to keep a rapid turnaround of small skirmish type warbands with one or two vehicles or mechs to accompany them and even create variations on the same force by painting two identical units but with different camo, uniforms and so on to represent a single force operating in different environments.
Finally, I do think that I have the opportunity to create some really amazing looking scenery and backdrops for my 15mm scale forces to fight over rather than the more usual flat board with one or two small trees on it!
With the intention of actually practicing what I preach, I have even been sat rummaging through my 15mm lead pile and have sorted out a small warband and converted them extensively to give each that extra bit of character that I felt they needed. I still have a few more finishing touches to do on them before moving onto the painting stage but hope to have one or two updates done within the week and who knows, it may even be possible for me to challenge myself to create, convert and paint a warband a week going forward if things go according to plan!
All the best!
Saturday, 19 July 2014
The Deadly Multiplying Project!
Hi!
Well its been an interesting week here with all kinds of shenanigans going on with work which, while in the short term are going to be something of a pain, over the longer term, should bear fruit!
But enough of my wailing and gnashing of teeth! Onto the reason for my post! I have come to a bit of a stalling point with my hobby and am working my way through a few options to see if I can't reboot it with a fresh influx of ideas.
The problem I find myself with is that the old school figures I am painting at present just don't seem to be keeping my attention for very long and I am finding myself distressingly uninspired by them.
What my project needs is a shot in the arm to revitalise them and it has got me to thinking about my re-imagined Imperium. Whats the point of me spending ages coming up with fresh background for a new Imperium, full of interest, intrigue and a higher level of tech, if I am going to just stick with the same old figures?
I think I want to try to use the old school vibe with my games, being scenario driven and with a definite narrative to them but the figures I am using are just a bit too dull to keep my flagging interest. I think this is why I have now created four or five small warbands but can't seem to finish any of them off!
Can I try a more modern design aesthetic such as Dark Age, Infinity or any one of several other ranges whilst influenced by a more entertaining, retro type of ruleset? It makes for a bit of an interesting concept and could well prove to be of use to other folks wanting to dip their toe in the Oldhammer type of game without having to trawl ebay or wargames shows for the pre-requisite figures of a certain 1980's charm.
Therefore I have decided to split my current endeavours in two. The first will be to work up a few small and highly individualistic warbands in 28/30mm to represent forces from my re-imagined Imperium (who knows, I may even discard it entirely for something different!) The second will be to bring my Battletech project back from the stalled pile of meh that it is currently. I plan on doing this in 15/18mm scale and using whatever mechs, vehicles and infantry I fancy but bringing in the cyberpunk/barbarian version of the future that Battletech encompassed.
With both projects, I really want to challenge myself to develop my painting and conversion skills including trying out some NMM, weathering and individualizing each and everything I paint with the intention of really trying to get the most out of my hobby again.
A good example of this has been my Mechs for my Battletech project. At present, they are acceptable if a tad uninspiring. Now what if they were more like the machines detailed in the background, wartorn, chipped, dirty and highly prized relics I want to festoon them with kill signs, insignia, personal touches, comms arrays, stowed gear and lots more! Will it drive me mad? Quite possibly. But I do believe it will be worth it to create something a little bit special!
Hopefully I will have an update or two in the coming week with some actual newly painted figures but in the meantime; All the best!
Well its been an interesting week here with all kinds of shenanigans going on with work which, while in the short term are going to be something of a pain, over the longer term, should bear fruit!
But enough of my wailing and gnashing of teeth! Onto the reason for my post! I have come to a bit of a stalling point with my hobby and am working my way through a few options to see if I can't reboot it with a fresh influx of ideas.
The problem I find myself with is that the old school figures I am painting at present just don't seem to be keeping my attention for very long and I am finding myself distressingly uninspired by them.
I find thee boring to paint...
What my project needs is a shot in the arm to revitalise them and it has got me to thinking about my re-imagined Imperium. Whats the point of me spending ages coming up with fresh background for a new Imperium, full of interest, intrigue and a higher level of tech, if I am going to just stick with the same old figures?
I think I want to try to use the old school vibe with my games, being scenario driven and with a definite narrative to them but the figures I am using are just a bit too dull to keep my flagging interest. I think this is why I have now created four or five small warbands but can't seem to finish any of them off!
Can I try a more modern design aesthetic such as Dark Age, Infinity or any one of several other ranges whilst influenced by a more entertaining, retro type of ruleset? It makes for a bit of an interesting concept and could well prove to be of use to other folks wanting to dip their toe in the Oldhammer type of game without having to trawl ebay or wargames shows for the pre-requisite figures of a certain 1980's charm.
Therefore I have decided to split my current endeavours in two. The first will be to work up a few small and highly individualistic warbands in 28/30mm to represent forces from my re-imagined Imperium (who knows, I may even discard it entirely for something different!) The second will be to bring my Battletech project back from the stalled pile of meh that it is currently. I plan on doing this in 15/18mm scale and using whatever mechs, vehicles and infantry I fancy but bringing in the cyberpunk/barbarian version of the future that Battletech encompassed.
With both projects, I really want to challenge myself to develop my painting and conversion skills including trying out some NMM, weathering and individualizing each and everything I paint with the intention of really trying to get the most out of my hobby again.
Battletech!
A good example of this has been my Mechs for my Battletech project. At present, they are acceptable if a tad uninspiring. Now what if they were more like the machines detailed in the background, wartorn, chipped, dirty and highly prized relics I want to festoon them with kill signs, insignia, personal touches, comms arrays, stowed gear and lots more! Will it drive me mad? Quite possibly. But I do believe it will be worth it to create something a little bit special!
Hopefully I will have an update or two in the coming week with some actual newly painted figures but in the meantime; All the best!
Thursday, 17 July 2014
The Temptation of Dark Age!
Hi!
I've been keeping an eye on the previews coming out for Dark Age and must admit I am liking what I am seeing thus far!
Whee! It all looks really rather good, even from a non Dark Age players perspective, theres lots of suitable proxies for the likes of Rogue Trader and so on but I must say that I am becoming increasingly tempted to give the game, or at least the setting a bit of a bash as the figures have loads of character and its intended for the size of forces that I enjoy the most, small skirmishes at warband level!
Thats not to say that Infinity isn't looking really appealing too but I think I will be making a small purchase over the next few days to test the waters so to speak and have a bash at writing up a bit of a review of the figures and then try to paint them up. As the figures are rather more detailed than my usual miniatures, I think I am going to take the opportunity to try really pushing the envelope with my painting and see how I go!
All the best!
I've been keeping an eye on the previews coming out for Dark Age and must admit I am liking what I am seeing thus far!
Whee! It all looks really rather good, even from a non Dark Age players perspective, theres lots of suitable proxies for the likes of Rogue Trader and so on but I must say that I am becoming increasingly tempted to give the game, or at least the setting a bit of a bash as the figures have loads of character and its intended for the size of forces that I enjoy the most, small skirmishes at warband level!
Thats not to say that Infinity isn't looking really appealing too but I think I will be making a small purchase over the next few days to test the waters so to speak and have a bash at writing up a bit of a review of the figures and then try to paint them up. As the figures are rather more detailed than my usual miniatures, I think I am going to take the opportunity to try really pushing the envelope with my painting and see how I go!
All the best!
Wednesday, 16 July 2014
Casting Machine for Sale
Hi!
Just a quick update to say I have a Centricast casting machine up for grabs if anyones interested before it gets listed on Ebay!
Its a Centricast C300 and sadly has never been used. I got it several years ago with the intention of starting to cast my own miniatures but alas, it was not to be and the machine itself has never even been out of its box!
It costs £800 new so I am open to any serious offers and am more than happy to cover the cost of postage to the UK.
All the best!
Just a quick update to say I have a Centricast casting machine up for grabs if anyones interested before it gets listed on Ebay!
Its a Centricast C300 and sadly has never been used. I got it several years ago with the intention of starting to cast my own miniatures but alas, it was not to be and the machine itself has never even been out of its box!
It costs £800 new so I am open to any serious offers and am more than happy to cover the cost of postage to the UK.
All the best!
Sunday, 13 July 2014
Whatever Happened to my Battletech Project?
Hi!
Well another long day at work is over and I find myself perusing back through the many rambling posts I have made over the last couple of years and am struck by one series in particular. In AN ALTERNATIVE BATTLETECH UNIVERSE, I pondered the creaking monstrosity that is Battletech, a game with so much going for it if it wasn't for the creaky rules and frankly rather terrible mech designs.
In said article, I spent a great deal of time waffling about how great the setting was (it still is!) and what a shame that the rules and figures didn't quite live up to the setting. Following this I spent a fair amount of time painting up some Davion mechs and one or two bits and bobs for a Draconis Combine force too before suffering the usual wargamers malaise and flitted onto other projects.
At the time I thought the mechs looked great but comparing them to my newest Mechwarrior Darkage repaint, I must admit I'm underwhelmed. Combine this with the joy of unpacking them after moving house to discover that several of them were in multiple pieces, and you can kind of see how the project ground to a halt.
But wait! If I compare my Battletech post with what I've been doing with Rogue Trader, its interesting to see how both are starting to cross over. This has given me a fresh bout of enthusiasm for dusting off the stuff I have, repainting it where required and trying to make a fresh go of breathing a bit of life into the setting and reliving a future originally penned in the 1980s which is every bit as involved and interesting as the 40k one but with a healthy dose of hope running through it! Yes the place has become a neofeudal tech poor shadow of its former self but it doesn't mean that humanity isn't still inspired to try to improve itself!
In other news, I am also still pondering the possibility of giving both Dark Age and Infinity a bash but I am going to wait till the end of the month when I get paid to decide whether I want to test out the waters or not!
Either which way, I hope to be able to do some painting of more of my leadpile before I shell out any more of my hard earned pennies on new shiney things!
All the best!
Well another long day at work is over and I find myself perusing back through the many rambling posts I have made over the last couple of years and am struck by one series in particular. In AN ALTERNATIVE BATTLETECH UNIVERSE, I pondered the creaking monstrosity that is Battletech, a game with so much going for it if it wasn't for the creaky rules and frankly rather terrible mech designs.
In said article, I spent a great deal of time waffling about how great the setting was (it still is!) and what a shame that the rules and figures didn't quite live up to the setting. Following this I spent a fair amount of time painting up some Davion mechs and one or two bits and bobs for a Draconis Combine force too before suffering the usual wargamers malaise and flitted onto other projects.
Davion Mechs in action!
My Davion Force
Draconis Combine!
Mech V Mech Slugging Match
Davion Ace Mech Pilot Kitty deVries
Mechs on maneuver
At the time I thought the mechs looked great but comparing them to my newest Mechwarrior Darkage repaint, I must admit I'm underwhelmed. Combine this with the joy of unpacking them after moving house to discover that several of them were in multiple pieces, and you can kind of see how the project ground to a halt.
But wait! If I compare my Battletech post with what I've been doing with Rogue Trader, its interesting to see how both are starting to cross over. This has given me a fresh bout of enthusiasm for dusting off the stuff I have, repainting it where required and trying to make a fresh go of breathing a bit of life into the setting and reliving a future originally penned in the 1980s which is every bit as involved and interesting as the 40k one but with a healthy dose of hope running through it! Yes the place has become a neofeudal tech poor shadow of its former self but it doesn't mean that humanity isn't still inspired to try to improve itself!
In other news, I am also still pondering the possibility of giving both Dark Age and Infinity a bash but I am going to wait till the end of the month when I get paid to decide whether I want to test out the waters or not!
Either which way, I hope to be able to do some painting of more of my leadpile before I shell out any more of my hard earned pennies on new shiney things!
All the best!
Friday, 11 July 2014
100 Followers Prize Update!
Hi!
Well its been a while since I announced the winner of my 100th Blog Follower competition and said winner, Graccus got in touch to let me know he would like a Squat Dreadnaught so with a bit of pondering I set to work and here's the progress thus far:
I must admit that I had a bit of a head scratch about what a Sqaut dreadnaught would actually look like and did produce quite a few different designs but settled on the ball shaped torso and massive arms as my favourite. Armed with a multi barrelled cannon and mighty powerfist and festooned in sensors, lights and whatnot, I am quite pleased with how he has turned out. All that remains to do is to give him a decent paintjob!
All the best!
Well its been a while since I announced the winner of my 100th Blog Follower competition and said winner, Graccus got in touch to let me know he would like a Squat Dreadnaught so with a bit of pondering I set to work and here's the progress thus far:
I must admit that I had a bit of a head scratch about what a Sqaut dreadnaught would actually look like and did produce quite a few different designs but settled on the ball shaped torso and massive arms as my favourite. Armed with a multi barrelled cannon and mighty powerfist and festooned in sensors, lights and whatnot, I am quite pleased with how he has turned out. All that remains to do is to give him a decent paintjob!
All the best!
Saturday, 5 July 2014
Further Non-Oldschool Musings
Hi!
Well its been an interesting week here but more on that later!
I am still finding myself drawn to trying out a new game but the plot thickens as I just can't decide on which one to go for. As previously mentioned, I've been perusing Infinity and Dark Age, two of the newer generation sci-fi skirmish games on the market. Both have really different aesthetics and gameplay but infuriatingly, I just can't seem to choose between them.
To make matters worse, I met up with an old friend the other day who plays Warmachine and extolled its virtues to me as well which got me itching to try it out! To be honest, how any game plays is going to be of secondary importance to me as I am primarily a painter and if I can get a game or two in as well, thats an added bonus but it's of less importance than enjoying painting something.
I suspect the solution is to pick up one or two figures for each system and see how I get on with painting them and can always drop them into my Farpoint project if I find myself not wanting to get more.
Another possible fix would be for me to just incorporate them into my Rogue Trader project, providing a pleasingly hitech, post apocalyptic or even steampunk additions to my existing forces. This would allow me to use rules I know well and enjoy as well as keeping up the momentum with my existing hope of painting my way through my lead pile!
We shall have to see how things go but I just can't justify spending the pennies on figures this month so will be waiting till next month to decide but in the meantime, I will be taking a bit of time to read the rules, backgrounds and gawk at the pics of painted figures!
All the best!
Well its been an interesting week here but more on that later!
I am still finding myself drawn to trying out a new game but the plot thickens as I just can't decide on which one to go for. As previously mentioned, I've been perusing Infinity and Dark Age, two of the newer generation sci-fi skirmish games on the market. Both have really different aesthetics and gameplay but infuriatingly, I just can't seem to choose between them.
To make matters worse, I met up with an old friend the other day who plays Warmachine and extolled its virtues to me as well which got me itching to try it out! To be honest, how any game plays is going to be of secondary importance to me as I am primarily a painter and if I can get a game or two in as well, thats an added bonus but it's of less importance than enjoying painting something.
I suspect the solution is to pick up one or two figures for each system and see how I get on with painting them and can always drop them into my Farpoint project if I find myself not wanting to get more.
Another possible fix would be for me to just incorporate them into my Rogue Trader project, providing a pleasingly hitech, post apocalyptic or even steampunk additions to my existing forces. This would allow me to use rules I know well and enjoy as well as keeping up the momentum with my existing hope of painting my way through my lead pile!
We shall have to see how things go but I just can't justify spending the pennies on figures this month so will be waiting till next month to decide but in the meantime, I will be taking a bit of time to read the rules, backgrounds and gawk at the pics of painted figures!
All the best!
Thursday, 3 July 2014
Non Oldschool Gubbins: Interesting Developments
Hi!
Just a quick message to say that I will be spending a little bit of time away from my Tales From Farpoint blog as there have been one or two interesting developments both at work and with my sculpting over the last couple of days.
I can't say too much at present but all will be revealed in time!
Thanks for reading my jabberings and hopefully I will get chance to come back to Farpoint at some point in the future!
All the best!
Richard
Just a quick message to say that I will be spending a little bit of time away from my Tales From Farpoint blog as there have been one or two interesting developments both at work and with my sculpting over the last couple of days.
I can't say too much at present but all will be revealed in time!
Thanks for reading my jabberings and hopefully I will get chance to come back to Farpoint at some point in the future!
All the best!
Richard
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