2015 Yearly Review!

Hi!

Well it's almost the end of 2015 and it's been a busy year here with mixed success in my assorted hobby related activities.

I started the year with a selection of 28mm scale gubbins for my alternative 40k project but things quickly stalled and for several months my hobby went absolutely nowhere and I almost despaired of ever getting anything done but eventually I seem to have got back into the swing of things with my Epic Project!

First up, there's my Saim Hann Eldar warhost:

 Eldar!

The warhost is coming together nicely but do need to get their Aspect Warrior and Windriders sorted out as well as a few more Dreadnaughts and Warwalkers to give me some more ranged firepower and they will be ready to do battle against the Imperium.

Next up, there's my Ultramarine detachment:

 Ultramarines

I've not added much to my elite warriors of late but I do think they need some more ranged firepower too as well as getting a squad of assault troops sorted out too. At some point, I want to add a Thunderhawk but we shall see what we can do in the coming year!

Next, there's the Squats:

 Squat Brotherhood

My Squat brotherhood is starting to come together too but I still need to paint a fair few troops to get it up to scratch as well as some heavy hitting vehicles as that's what makes the Squats iconic in Epic. Lots of massive artillery pieces, superheavy tanks and possibly a Gyrocopter or two!

Looking back at some of the older pieces in my collection, I realise I should really finish off my Mercenary combat team too:

 Mercs

I've got lots of vehicles but very few infantry so will by trying to sort them out with a motorised infantry platoon in the new year too as well as a command element. I love the Brigade models vehicles to and wouldn't mind bulking out the force a little and add some more heavy firepower like the assault vehicle I converted by adding a heavy Vulcan cannon to an artillery vehicle.

But what does 2016 have instore for my ongoing hobby interest?

Well looking at the bits and bobs I've started, there's going to be several new forces making an appearance in the spring.

 Space Wolves

Amongst the several ideas I have for the new year, I want to build an arctic tundra board to play on and that means a new force suited to the frozen hell of such an extreme place and who better than a battle company of Space Wolves to get things going!

 Chaos Renegades

While I have very much re-imagined the imperium for my own setting and Chaos being done away with, I do like the idea of fielding some Renegade marines who have spent rather too much time out on the rim and have gone rogue so expect to see some small detachments too!

Squat Renegades

But there's more! There's my Renegade Squat Oathbreakers who will be forming a small but powerful force as and when I get the chance.

So that's the Sci-fi side of things, now onto the Fantasy forces!

I have slowly been putting together a Horned Folk force for my Aeroth setting and want to continue expanding my fantasy forces into playable levels.

 Horned Folk

At present, I have enough stuff to put together a small force but want to expand both the size of the force, and the choice of units as well as one or two larger warbeasts too. 

 Grey Elves

The Grey Elves are a bit of a slow burn project at present as they are rather time consuming to clean, convert and then paint but I will be persevering with them in the new year.

Dwarven Wargolem

I also want to get my Dwarves started up in the new year too but at present, I only have a few Wargolems so will need to explore picking up some more gubbins as the year progresses. I will also be adding a backbanner to the fellow above to make him more inkeeping with the Leviathan vibe!

Now I have no doubt there will be other projects that will distract me over the next 12 months but I do seem to have found something that I am really getting my teeth stuck into so long may it continue!

So that's how my year has shaped up and hopefully next year will be just as much fun but for the time being, All the best and I hope everyone has a cracking new year!

Richard

Pondering 2nd Edition (40k That Is!)

Hi!

Well boxing day is drawing to a close and I've once again been at work dealing with post Christmas shenanigans in the book trade. Between all the book gubbins, I have spent a few spare moments thinking about what for me is old school gaming, namely Warhammer 40'000 2nd Edition.

 2nd Edition

Now looking back at some of the posts I've made over the years about just what I like about the horrendously unbalanced but great fun game, I have been hankering after reliving some of the halcyon days of my youth and trying out the game again. I have the rules, the codexes and the cards somewhere too so what, you may ask am I waiting for? Crack on and get painting!

The problem is I am horrendously slow at painting and have precious little space to play out anything other than a small skirmish, Necromunda style. In fact, it's taken me best part of a year to paint about half a dozen figures for a couple of factions.

 Imperial Guard Killteam

I suspect that next year is going to be even busier as I am getting married in August which I suspect that is going to be taking rather a lot of my hobby time... 

Orkish Raiders

But is there a way to actually play out a game or two with limited space and in a more compact space? There seems to be a few options out there for creating the sort of game I am looking for.

On the one hand I could soldier on with the 28mm stuff and build small Necromunda style forces to duke it out. Secondly, I could scale things down a little and create a full sized army in 15mm scale and finally I can scale it down again and try to play a game in 6mm!

With a bit of internet searching, I happened across ANGEL BARRACKS and some of the fascinating skirmishes played out there in 6mm scale. Similarly, there's GUNNARS WARGAMING which features some really fantastic converted 15mm scale goodies for 40k gaming. I must admit that both have rather tempting features and either would make for a great project to get 2016 off to a flying start, especially as it will mark the 20th anniversary of the last 2nd edition game I played...

I think I need to put a bit of thought into what I want to do, how much work I can put into it and indeed how much I want to spend on getting it together!

Hopefully the next few days will also see a continuation of my Epic project too as the Squats now have an infantry command element waiting on getting based and I'm quite keen to explore a few gaming possibilities with it too!

For the time being though, All the best!

Eldar Terrain

Hi!

I'm just about to head out to work and the mayhem of last minute shoppers but have managed to get a couple of quick pics of an Eldar building that I've been working on:

 Eldar Wraithbone dome

Made from a coffee filter thingy and some greenstuff, I quite like how it's turned out. I still need to add some greenery to the hole in the centre but it's done enough to be game ready.

While the official GW line is that the vast majority of Eldar live in Craftworlds, my version of the setting has a resurgent Eldar seeking to take back its once glorious empire and are actively settling worlds again so some structures will come in very handy to represent hardy Eldar pioneer settlements and also gives my Saim Hann forces something to defend in some upcoming games.

I am going to build one or two more structures of various sizes as well as a Webway portal for the settlement and see how we go!

Eldar Guardians protect a lonely outpost

In other news, I have been pondering over 2nd edition 40k again. I am planning to try out a game using my multi based 6mm stuff but do have an urge to go for something a little grander but having looked at my collection and how long it took me to paint the various bits and bobs I have, I doubt I will be doing much more larger scale stuff anytime soon...

Still, in the coming year, I may be tempted to brave sculpting a few more bits and bobs for my Orks:

Blood Axe Warband in the making?

I must admit that I did love sculpting the little chaps and have thought of making a few resin casts of the next batch that I make and then doing some Marines, Guard and Eldar... Maybe it would be best to start out with a Necromunda skirmish sort of deal before getting too carried away but I will have to put some thought into it so watch this space!

In the meantime Merry Christmas!

Richard

Eldar Guardian Detatchment

Hi!

Well I am off to work in an hour or so but took the time to get some quick shots of my Eldar Host as it stands and am rather chuffed with the results thus far!

 Guardian Detachment

I still have a few bits and bobs to add to the Guardian detachment, especially as they are painted as Saim Hann Craftworld Eldar which will require them to have Wave Serpents to transport them around the battlefield in true lightning attack style.

For the time being though they are classed as Guardian Defenders so ar foot slogging it around. They will have a couple of Dreadnaughts to support them alongside a heavy weapon platform or two but they already have quite a good firepower rating for Epic 40k but really need the range that the Dreads and support weapons can provide.

 A Saim Hann Eldar Warhost deploys for battle

I am slowly adding detachments as I go but in keeping with my small scale game ethos, they're going to be no bigger than my Guardian force, averaging 10-12 stands apiece. I plan on painting up a Windrider host next with all the Jetbikes I currently have which will round out my fast attack force nicely too!

It's not all Eldar that I've been working on either! As mentioned in my previous post, I have been finishing off some air support for my Imperials and have based up one of the EM4 plastic fighters.

Imperial Harpy class fighter on patrol

I was going to mount it on a 40mm round base but went with the 30mm instead as it looked a little swamped on the larger base. The fighter itself may be a tad on the small side scale wise but as it's going to be soaring above the combat, it doesn't really matter too much!

I don't know if I'm going to have chance to post many more updates in the coming week or so but I do hope to add a few more bits and bobs to my growing forces and then who knows, I may even try playing a game or two!

All the best!

Epic Terrain

Hi!

Well I have a much needed day off work today as the run up to Christmas is most definitely the silly season in the book world which is great fun but rather exhausting!

Following my previous post, I have been having a bit of a rummage through my assorted terrain to see what would be suited to my Epic project.

As I plan on playing platoon level games rather than vast battles, I do feel the need to go heavy on the terrain to give the tiny troops and vehicles something to hide behind rather than being blasted to atoms from the other side of the board. I am also looking at expanding my supply of objectives for said tiny troops to fight over.

 Sensor Array 7

Looking back through my previous Epic posts, I do seem to be getting there slowly but surely as interesting pieces of tech have sprung up be they sensor arrays or industrial sites. There's mesa formations and broken scree, not to mention lots of fungoid growths and other bits and bobs.

 Rival Squat forces skirmish with an enigmatic stone head watching on.

I am thinking of making some larger pieces too though as at present, it's all a bit random. What about an Imperial Outpost, Squat Mine, Orkish shanty town or rebel base? I want to explore grav train stations, enigmatic ruins, crashed spaceships and lots more!

 Squats deploy amongst a copse of giant puffballs.

I have over the years collected quite a few interesting bits and bobs and am hoping to start putting it all to good use in the coming year and actually get a board put together that is worthy of some old school gaming with settlements being raided, landings being made and desperate holding actions against unspeakable horrors. Oddly it seems to be this small scale that has ignited my interest in my hobby like none have previously. Even my 15mm scale obsession of the last few years hasn't managed to elicit such interest in putting together little forces and bodging together interesting stuff for them so fight over.

 A Squat column is ambushed by Ultramarines.

Hopefully I will be able to get an update or two in over the coming week with some buildings as I make my first attempt at constructing a frontier settlement which will be a base of operations for my Squat Guilders and I also hope to start fleshing out the setting of my alternative Imperium, Farpoint and the many forces in the region who are fighting over it's control.

 Squat badland patrol

I am also doing a bit of tinkering with my Eldar at the moment so they should be seeing some reinforcements soon as will the Imperials with the addition of some airpower but more on that later as I have noticed that for an Imperial planet, it's oddly short of Imperial citizens so think the next force I am going to have to work on is the Governor General's personal troops, some PDF guards, mercenaries, smugglers and all manner of criminal riffraff to make things a bit more interesting!

Eldar raid an industrial site

I think I am going to make a few small purchases to get said forces going as well as trying to source some civilian figures to make things a bit more interesting but in the meantime, All the best!

Quick and Easy Epic Terrain

Hi!

While I've had rather a lot of fun painting up lots of tiny figures of late for my Epic project, I do seem to have neglected the terrain side of things somewhat so have decided to remedy the situation with some quick and easy pieces of scatter terrain to act as cover or objectives for games.

I don't have much time for hobby related activity so I quickly rummaged my bits box and found a couple of large bottle lids I had saved from something a while back, stuck them on a piece of spare plasticard and gave them a suitably grubby paint job.

Sadly the initial results looked suspiciously like two bottle lids so after a bit of head scratching, I added some wire pipework and glued on some plastic tubing too and think it looks a little bit more convincing, especially now the base is done too.

 Promethium? Spice? Water? Beer? Who Knows!

With the addition of a few other bits and bobs I have saved over the last few years, I have enough to represent a decent industrial site but figure it might be time to add some settlements and the odd hill to my terrain collection as my gaming surface is still a bit flat looking.

 Dark Reapers and Falcon transport seize the high ground!

I am also experimenting with some roads to give a bit of sense of scale to the project as it's not all going to be fought out over a flat expanse of wilderness after all so there's need for civilian vehicles, ammo dumps, spaceports and lots more as a good piece of terrain can be used to hang a narrative on and make a game far more interesting!

Close up

I also don't want all the terrain pieces to look grubby Imperial as there's need for Orks, Eldar, Squat and all sorts of gribbly alien stuff too so I think I am going to have another look at what I have and see if I can't throw together some more interesting pieces. 

Something else I want to try is to experiment with different types of terrain for different worlds too. Farpoint may be an arid desert of a place but I do fancy trying to play a game on a frozen iceworld or lush alien jungle! 

Hopefully over the coming months there will be ample opportunity to build a better battlefield to go along with my epic forces as they too expand. 

All the best!

Epic Eldar Swordwind Reinforcements

Hi!

I'm just getting ready to head out to work but have taken the opportunity to finish off a couple more bits for my Epic Eldar!

First up, I finished a couple more Mk1 Falcons to give me a bit of vehicle support and transport for my troops. The old plastic Falcon grav tanks paint up quite nicely and with a quick ink wash, the detail really shows on them but for some reason it doesn't seem to show too well on the left hand vehicle in the pics.

 Falcon Squadron supported by a Vyper Jetbike

Next up, there's some heavy firepower from two stands of Dark Reapers:

 Dark Reapers

I had planned on painting them in traditional 2nd edition colours but rather liked the black and bone armour finish so kept them at that. In keeping with their fire support role, I built up one of their bases a bit to give myself a mini vignette too which looks rather decent.

That gives me rather a decent little force to be getting on with too as all I feel I need to do at present is to add some more Guardians, the odd heavy weapon and some jetbikes as well as another stand of Howling Banshees and I'm ready to rock!

The Force Thus Far

With a little bit of work, I may actually have them sorted by the weekend and will then move onto something a bit different to keep me from burning out. I am thinking of fleshing out my Ultramarines a bit as well as my Squat force and even making a start on some Orkish raiders to boot so watch this space!

Epic Squat Force Takes Shape

Hi!

I've been slowly working on my Epic Squat force for a while and thought I'd share a couple of pics of progress thus far!

 A Squat force taking up positions near an industrial site

At present I have still to add another squad of warriors to bulk up the infantry platoon to full strength and need to put together an infantry command team which is currently primed and awaiting paint but I do like how they are turning out thus far!

 Fast attack formation

I have plans to add some fast wheeled vehicles to the unit to allow the force to move and deploy quickly before I move onto painting up some heavy tanks and artillery to give me some heavy hitters too. I suspect some of the old plastic Ork Battlewagons will be converted for use as a rapid strike vehicle once the big skull has been removed from the front...

Warrior Platoon with Thudd Gun support

I also have enough plastic Thudd Guns and Mole Mortars to provide a rather decent light artillery section should I wish to and even have an airship lying around waiting paint so I will have some Overlord support too!

I've also been thinking about what sort of game I want to play with my slowly expanding forces. Much as I'd love to play vast games of 2nd edition Epic, I don't have nearly enough space for such an endeavour so have been pondering using Epic 40k as a basis for some smaller scale games.

Epic 40k

For those not in the know, Epic 40k was the third and least popular edition of the Games Workshop's Epic game. Doing away with much of the crunch of individual weapons fire, formation cards and whatnot, Epic 40k was a fun and streamlined game that I really enjoyed but seems to have been reviled by most in the gaming community which is a real shame as it's rather good.

With this in mind, I have perused through the old issues of Firepower magazine and found the Squat list but a brief peruse leaves me thinking I may need to tinker with it a bit as there's several bits and bobs missing that I feel would suit the Stunties at war.

The general plan from here is to build up some small formations of 2-300 points each and play out a game or two and see how things go. I will be using the 2nd edition 40k codexes as a guide too with Characters, Squads and Support being taken into account and must admit that I am finding the whole process rather fun too and there may even be a weird 2nd edition 40k sub game played out in tiny scale at some point too but we shall see!

In the meantime, All the best!

Epic Shenanigans

Hi!

Well lo and behold, I have two days off in a row! Wonders will never cease apparently so I figured I would post a quick pic or two of my ongoing Epic project.

 First up, here's a quick shot of my new fast attack vehicle for my Eldar, the venerable Vyper Jetbike:

Vyper

For an old plastic model, the vehicle is surprisingly detailed and rather fun to paint too which has been a reel boon in stopping me becoming bored with the project. It's actually starting to feel like I actually have a proper force for Epic related games and am looking forward to trying out a game of Gruntz using my Eldar and Ultramarines.

 Eldar and Ultramarines clash over a crashed shuttle somewhere on the border

I think I could do with a support weapon for my Eldar to give them some long range punch but am quite pleased with how they are turning out and once I have the Dark Reapers sorted, think they should be quite a decent force.

Next up, here's a pic of something I've been pondering for a while. I love the Squats in Epic with their oversized vehicles and terrifyingly shooty warengines but they are quite pricy to source second hand these days. Instead I wanted to find something suitably high tech and inkeeping with my alternative Imperium so found this chappy in my bits box:

Heimdall Monitor Tank

It's a Battletech sculpt for one of their superheavy battle tanks and I love the look of the beast from it's aggressively large gun to the sloped tracks and with a little bit of conversion (ie the application of a shield boss) I think it would make a super addition to the Squat force I am slowly putting together.

The only thing that's holding me back is trying to choose what colour to paint the beast so suggestions would be most welcome!

Another force that I am very keen to get to grips with is my Ork forces. Looking at my bits boxes, I do seem to have a fair number of Boyz and some Battlewagons but seem to be missing an awful lot more. I am going to put up a page of WANTED stuff and see if I can't trade some of my unwanted lead for stuff that I am wanting to paint so do check back over the next day or two!

In the meantime, All the best!

Epic Eldar Reinforcements

Hi!

Gosh, I have another day off and have managed to paint some more stuff over the last few days. Wonders will apparently never cease!

I've managed to add a command element to my Epic Eldar force in the form of a Farseer and a unit of Howling Banshees to give my force some close combat clout and to break up the monotony of painting lots of red:

Eldar Raiders

At this rate I think I will be able to play a game or two before too long which will pit my Ultramarine Veterans against an eldar raiding party using Gruntz to see how things go. I am also perusing my old copy of Epic 40k with the vague notion of playing out a small game or two with the rules, which are by far my favourite of the classics. It's heretical I know but the fast play allows for a great game without the need to roll individual attacks and is one of the least appreciated of GW's specialist games!

I still need to finish off a stand of Dark Reapers, Jetbikes and possibly another Falcon or two but I am really enjoying the chance to work on some small warbands and have been rooting around my Epic collection for more interesting stuff to paint as well as seeing if I can find some suitable proxies for some of the rarer items from Epic too.

As with all things to do with my hobby, I have no interest in slavishly sticking to only GW stuff and plan on supplementing my collection with some gubbins from Ground Zero Games, Brigade, Ral Partha and many more!

The general plan is to produce a load of smallish forces, usually with a decent amount of optional extras and get gaming. Looking at what I have in plastic with a few metal bits, I am going to be able to field the following:

Defenders of the Imperium

Ultramarine Veteran Detachment (DONE)
Space Wolf Warband (STARTED)
Blood Angel Detachment
Dark Angel Detachment
White Scars Detachment
Crimson Fist Detachment

Rebellion Forces

World Eaters Warband
Thousand Sons Warband
Deathguard Warband
Emperor's Children (STARTED)

Xenos Scum

Squat Brotherhood (ALMOST DONE)
Outlaw Squat Brotherhood (STARTED)
Alaitoc Craftworld
Biel-Tan Craftworld
Iyanden Craftworld
Saim-Hann Craftworld (ALMOST DONE)
Ulthwe Craftworld
Goff Warband
Bad Moon Warband

As you can see, there are quite a few gaps in the lineup with Imperial Guard, Tyranid and several others still to be located but I think I have enough to keep me entertained for a while. Hopefully I will be able to post an update on the State of the Imperium over the next few days as well to give a bit of background to my alternative Imperium setting and more pics of forces as they develop!

In the meantime, All the best!