Monday, August 31, 2009

HRR 3- Day 5

Days remaining: 31

Models remaining: 49



Happy Merdeka!

I may come to regret this, but I decided to do some cleaning and organizing in the hobby room instead of cranking out maximum models. Today's "Unclean" deeds only include the following:

Chaos Lord highlighted, detailed, and based

First Terminator detailed and based

Two plague zombies detailed and based

Chaos Predator spray primed white

Tomorrow's plan is to knock out a bunch of zombie basecoats and a dip- let's see how it goes...

Lord Minthras is Done



After highlighting some extra details, here's my Chaos Lord in all his pestilent glory. Comments are welcome- there's more to come. In the meantime, here's a pic of the first model finished in my Chaos Terminator squad...

"The Dip" Is Good




Azlan and I have talked and talked about this, but haven't provided proof to the thousands of fans of this blog. Fear not, loyal readers. The proof is here!

Here are the steps I used to get the results above:

1- After assembly, the model was primed with Skull White spray.

2- I block painted the right side of the model Gnarloc Green, while the left side remained Skull White. All of the accent colors like Shining Gold, Boltgun Metal, etc. were all painted on. No drybrushing, blacklining, or any other special technique was used here.

3- After all the base colors were painted on, I painted on a liberal coating of Minwax "Provincial" wood stain. I let this dry for two days until it wasn't sticky to the touch.

4- Right before I took this picure, I sprayed the model with Tamiya "Flat Clear"

That's it! I don't know about you, but this is pretty sweet. Now, if this were a rank and file model I could just base the miniature and be done with it. However, being the infernal Lord Minthras, I'm going to do some more work to this and get him to that "totally sweet" stage.... muahahahaha

Until then, keep it stinky.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

HRR 2- Day 4

Well, I didn't get anything at all done on Saturday other than mull over Azlan's and Ivan's suggestions to include Rhinos. Unfortunately, no painting or assembly was completed.

This morning, I played around with the numbers and came up with a new list that I'm liking the look of. In addition to including two Rhinos equipped with extra armor, I've also increased the list's dedication to Father Nurgle. Now, I have seven units of seven. Blessed plagues shall spread, and the sores of the victims shall flow with the benediction of pus...



From this point forward, I'll post this list every time I make a Hobby Rush Report (HRR). The boxes on the right indicate the number of models for each unit, and what the progress is.

White is no progress at all.

Yellow indicates that the model is at the assembled, primed, or basecoated stage.

Orange indicates that the model has been dipped.

Green indicates the model is completely finished and ready for battle.

Today, I'm popping by the factory and picking up the four models I dipped on Hobby Night: Lord Minthras, a Chaos Terminator, and two plague victims. Assuming they are completely dry, I'll finish them off tonight and post pics if possible...

Praise Nurgle, For I Shall Live Forever!!!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Hobby Rush Report (HRR) 1- Day 2




Last night was a fantastic hobby night- my favorite thing about it was seeing Saleem and catching up with him. He's visiting home from Saudi Arabia, and it was really cool to catch up with him and see how things have been. He also brought some fantastic pasta with prawns for buka puasa- it was a bit spicy for me, but really tasty! ;)

It was also a very good night for The Unclean. I got Lord Minthras, my Chaos Lord, completely basecoated and dipped, along with the first member of the Chaos Terminator squad. I also finalized the painting scheme for the plague zombies, and they are getting the dip as well, but in a different color (Golden Oak).

I'm fairly new to "the dip", and even I was surprised how fantastic Lord Minthras looked after he got a dose of Minwax "Provincial". I was also really happy determining the final scheme for the Plague Zombie/Lesser Demons that my army will use. 28 demons are going to get done VERY quickly using this dip method. Yes, I could technically paint these guys to a higher standard, but for results vs effort I have never seen such a powerful tool as the dip. I'm going to take some pics of Lord Minthras complete, and I'm also going to do a stage by stage photo spread of one of my Chaos Terminators, so you can see for yourself just how cool "the dip" is.

Sorry no pics today, but they are coming, and this army WILL GET DONE before the start of the Season 3 40K League. The "Restless Blight" has arrived at Legio Malaysia, and its touch corrupts all to ruin...

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Hobby Rush for Season 3- "The Unclean"

Well, it's time to crank an army out. It's been too long since I went on a mad hobby rush, and with all the people blogging about it around here I figured I'd jump on the bandwagon and have a go. The goal? Assemble and paint the following list in time for the first night of the league, October 2nd:



I've assembled most of this already- I just need to put together 10 more Plague Marines and about 8 or 9 plague victims/lesser demons. I'm going with the new, high contrast paintjob I posted earlier. The other one might look marginally more rotten, but I like the pop of the new version. This will be a challenge- I need to average 15 models a week to get this done on time. I'll keep making updates and posting progress as I go along.

Let the challenge begin!

P.S. In case you're one of those hobby guys that likes a bit of background, here's my first draft of "The Unclean" concept... Cheers


Background History for “The Unclean”
Warband Essentials:
“The Unclean” are a Chaos Space Marine warband/company who has utterly dedicated itself to the worship and service of Nurgle. Commanded by Lord Minthras, The Unclean has become a blight on the Effadian Sector, Segmentum Obscurus since 831.M41. Little is known about them, but it is suspected that Minthras and his praetorian were originally loyal Astartes from the Angels of Redemption, and that they currently number almost 200 Astartes with many more traitors, mutants, and even daemons in their service. They have also become known for spreading a virulent, warp-spawned disease known as “The Restless Blight”, or simply “The Blight”. The last sighting of The Unclean was in 847.M41, after making a devastating attack on the principle city of Baalor Tertius, “Marcellus Magna”. They were tracked there by the rogue Inquisitor Heilegon, who has not been heard from since.

The Beginning
In 819.M41, a major Imperial crusade was launched to liberate three worlds in the Guljor Sub-Sector, Effadian Sector. Appointed by Governor Subsector Maximillian Wroth, Lord Militant Euminides was invested with a fleet and 4 Imperial Guard Army groups to retake the “Harvest Worlds” of Pindus, Agriminnus, and Koth from a sudden Chaos incursion. These worlds were a vital source of foodstuffs and Imperial Guard levies, and their loss was keenly felt almost immediately after they were lost in 793.M41. Little was known about the nature of the conquerors, save that they were led by a fiery demagogue calling himself “The Wormchylde”.
Due to the nature of the enemy Euminides was about to face, Lord Governor Wroth convinced the Ordos Effadian to send one of their agents. Equally concerned about the nature of the threat, the Inquisition sent Inquisitor Jesper Heilegon. A junior member of the Effadian Ordo Malleus only recently promoted from Interrogator rank, Heilegon embraced this new assignment and joined Euminides’ fleet in the merchant vessel Brightness.
In addition to the Imperial Guard forces at his command, Lord Militant Euminides petitioned Space Marines of the Angels of Redemption chapter for aid. It is not clear how Euminides was able to convince the Angels of Redemption to assist him, but a strike force led by Brother Captain Gregori Minthras was immediately dispatched by the reclusive chapter. By the time Lord Militant Euminides’ force arrived in the Koth system, Captain Minthras had already arrived and gathered enough information for an initial assessment of enemy strengths. “The Wormchylde”, it seemed, had total control of the Harvest Worlds. His forces numbered in the millions, and all loyal resistance had long since collapsed. However, no enemy fleet was present, and a blockade of the Harvest World was quickly established while the first action against the Chaos forces was planned by Euminides and Heilegon. Before these plans could bear fruit, Captain Minthras struck the first blow.

The Pindus Drop
Unknown to Lord Militant Euminides, “The Wormchylde” is the sole reason the Angels of Redemption had agreed to “aid” him. Had “The Wormchylde” not been mentioned, Euminides’ request would have been dismissed and subsequently ignored. However, the Deathwing of the Angels of Redemption knew that this “Wormchylde” one of “The Fallen.” In the secret records of the chapter, “The Wormchylde” is a known alias of Brother Borsa, who was a former sergeant and honor guard to none other than Lord Luther of the Dark Angels. His name and repentance would make a fine addition to the honors of the Angels of Redemption, and they sent 3rd Company Captain Minthras with the sole mission of finding and capturing Borsa. To the Angels of Redemption and Minthras, the agendas of Euminides and Heilegon were irrelevant. Borsa was the only thing that mattered.
To this end, after deploying his Ravenwing detachments, Minthras discovered that Borsa had fortified himself in an ancient coastal fortress on the northern continent of Pindus. Armed with this knowledge, Minthras ordered an immediate attack via drop pod assault into the heart of the fortress. He left one of his trusted sergeants, Brother Demeter, behind with an honor guard squad to attend Lord Militant Euminides and keep him from meddling in their affairs. Reluctantly, Demeter heeded Minthras’ command and joined Euminides’ fleet in the strike cruiser Lux Angelis. Meanwhile, Captain Minthras launched his attack with a furious orbital bombardment from the battle barge Triumphant, followed by his planned drop into the midst of the enemy.
The Agriminnus and Koth Campaigns
Upon learning of Captain Minthras’ sudden attack, Euminides weighed his options. He did not rise to the rank of Lord Militant solely through familial and political connections. Possessing a cold, calculating pragmatism that sought victory in any circumstance, Euminides kept his head where others allowed their choler to take over. Seeing a chance for sudden victory, Euminides made a bold move by splitting up his crusade army. His main force including Army Groups Aimon, Ganges, and Wor’sha would attack Koth, the primary planet and seat of governance in the system. Meanwhile, Heilegon took command of the newly named Army Group Heilegon, composed mostly of Krieg and Mordian armored regiments, and assaulted Agriminnus. Euminides gambled that Agriminnus would fall quickly if struck hard and fast, and after getting a measure of Inquisitor Heilegon, he believed the Inquisitor could get the job done.
As it came to be known afterwards, the “Heilegon Gambit” worked. Agriminnus and Koth were both taken in less than a week after only token resistance was offered. Most of the enemy forces were composed of ill trained, indentured peasants that had been easily swayed by the Wormchylde’s promises of freedom and end to bondage. Thinking their long labors on grueling agri-complexes were at end, the peasants took up arms woefully unprepared for the might of the Imperial fist. After punitive purges and decimations were completed to Euminides’ satisfaction, Koth and Agriminnus were quickly restored to Imperial rule, along with their vital foodstuff exports.


The Fate of Pindus
Soon after Minthras’ attack, all communications with the strike force were lost. Once the main fleet established orbit around Pindus, Euminides discovered that the Triumphant was gone- it was not in orbit, and all efforts to raise the vessel on intersystem vox met with failure. Despite all this, Sergeant Demeter managed to keep Euminides from attacking Pindus for almost two weeks, insisting that Captain Minthras would find victory there on his own. However, in the end, even the Astartes could not keep a Lord Militant at bay, and Euminides launched his own assault, landing the bulk of his main and reserve forces in the northern continent in support of Minthras’ last known position. Initial landings went according to plan, but the first reports from the surface were shocking. Incredibly vast plains of endless grain fields were instead replaced with rotting bogs and swamps. Unidentifiable gibberish polluted the vox nets, rendering them almost useless. Many units failed to report initially, and were never heard from again. Worst of all ground forces were still unable to raise Captain Minthras. Sensing things were much different on Pindus, Inquisitor Heilegon sent down his senior Interrogator, Mobion, to the planet to investigate.
As for exactly what happened on Pindus afterwards, few can say with certainty. What is known is that soon after Heilegon’s Interrogator left for the planet, the fleet in orbit received a transmission from the surface. The vox signal source was clearly identified as coming from the coastal fortress that Minthras attacked.
“The Worm is dead by my hand, and I shall never die.”
Imperial ground forces reached the fortress soon after, and entered unopposed. Reports stated that bodies were everywhere, and that disease was beginning to spread throughout the army. No sign of Captain Minthras or his cohort were found by ground forces, nor were any Space Marine corpses discovered. Interrogator Mobion reported in directly to Heilegon on an encoded vox channel as well, presumably with his own findings from the surface. There is no record of what information was passed to Inquisitor Heilegon, but immediately afterwards Heilegon managed to contact the Ordos and get a writ of Exterminatus immediately sanctioned. No forces, including Interrogator Mobion, were permitted to evacuate the planet, and upon receipt of official sanction Heilegon deployed a massive tectonic warhead from the hold of the Brightness, completely destroying the planet in volcanic fires and detonations. Sergeant Demeter and his squad departed the system soon after with scarcely a word spoken. With this action, the Euminides Crusade was declared complete on 820.M41.
The Aftermath
Upon completion of the “Pindus Affair”, Inquisitor Heilegon repeatedly tried to get the Ordos Effadian to start a full investigation into what happened to Captain Minthras and his men, and whether Minthras may have turned traitor. Pressures from the Inquisition Terra and the Angels of Redemption prevented this from happening, and after 4 years of unsuccessful petitions Inquisitor Heilegon declared himself on “Special Condition” and disappeared, presumably to investigate the matter himself.
As for Minthras, nothing that can be corroborated has been heard. Evidence of Traitor Astartes attacks throughout the Effadian sub-sector began surfacing in 827.M41, first in small raids, and then over the years in larger and bolder actions. Bearing many of the signs of the Death Guard, what few witnesses have survived or been captured have described a force calling itself “The Unclean”, led by a “Lord Minthras”. When questioned about the apparent connection with Captain Minthras, the Angels of Redemption have vigorously denied any allegations that Captain Minthras is somehow involved. However, forces from the Angels of Vengeance and the Dark Angels have been spotted throughout the sub-sector since the attacks began in earnest. What the connection there may be remains a mystery, as does the whereabouts of Inquisitor Heilegon and Captain Minthras.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

West Wind Heads are Cool


I've just finished painting and dipping my first Catachan squad leader, and he looks cool. I'll be sure to post a pic of him up this weekend after he dries. He's the first model I've used an aftermarket metal head from West Wind Productions. It looks great, and helps evoke the Vietnam theme I'm going after despite the fact it's a WWII head.


Take it easy folks- tomorrow is Hobby Night!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Pics as Promised



Well, here's the photos showing the final result of the new version Unclean? Whaddya think? Which one do you think looks the best AND looks like a devotee of Nurgle?

In less blasphemous news, I've also got a pic here of what my Catachans are going to look like. The guy on the left is the second one, and his was entirely dipped with Golden Oak, unlike Stinky on the right. For a quick, mass painting standard, I'm very happy with this scheme!


I'll have more news soon on "Project FT", once I have some conversions done and maybe a model painted. It's something I've wanted to hobby for a long time, and for some reason now seems like the time to do it!

Cheers

Monday, August 17, 2009

Hobby Will Resume Tomorrow...


As many of my loyal readers know (lol), I jumped on a plane Friday evening and blasted off to Hong Kong for a business trip. After a brief night's respite, I trundled across the border into China and visited a few factories for the glory of Battlefront Miniatures. While I can't discuss what dark secrets I am privy to from these places, I can say that I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the final product! :) Ave Hobby!


Today I'm back in Hong Kong, taking in the sights and waiting for my good friend and colleague Andy Wu to get some paperwork done with the local govt- bureaucracy is a hoot. However, I'm thankful he needed to do this, because it's given me time to have a look around and check out the sights. I plan on visiting "Fun Atelier" today and taking a look at what they have on offer for my hobby bones. I also want to get more info on the 40K GT they have scheduled on their website for September 26th and 27th. Maybe someone from Legio would be interested in a "road trip" for this thing- who knows. Regardless, I'll get the scoop and add it to the wargaming events calendar on Legio Malaysia. You know- it's the one at the bottom of the page that you don't read.... Ha. Ha ha ha.


After getting some much needed time with my wife when I get back to Malaysia tomorrow, I wouldn't mind getting an hour of hobby in if I can safely squeeze it in. Probably assemble Catachans and/or Chaos Marines, or work on my master model for an Imperial chainaxe. That's for a future project, folks.


Wednesday evening I'll post some pics up of the new test models I painted last week but didn't photo, and solicit some opinions from you good people. Hobby or no, it'll be damn good to get back home to Malaysia...

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Late Night with the Folks


Unfortunately, I didn't get any hobbying done yesterday. Lena and I popped over to her parent's place for donuts and coffee, and ended up spinning tales much later than I expected. Oh well.

So, tonight the "repaired" Catachan and the Mk II Unclean model should both be totally ready for basing and matte varnish. I'll see if I can post up a few pics either tonight or tomorrow for comparison purposes.

I've also got some Legio hobbying coming up next week- I'm starting on the "Martian Refinery" table first. Table construction, framing, and sanding should take place next week if all goes well, and I don't expect the scatter terrain to give me too much trouble. I'm also on the prowl for mosaic or tile patterned linoleum or wallpaper- if any of you know a great place for that stuff in the Klang valley somewhere, let me know!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Day 2 of Hobby Goodness

Wow, I'm amazed!

This makes two days in a row I've done personal hobby stuff at home after work! Woo hoo!

I did some organizing in my hobby room to make things easier to find, and I did a little hobbying. I finished assembling a Catachan squad sergeant, using a West Wind head with a steel pot helmet. He looks pretty cool. Tomorrow he gets primed black, basecoated, and dipped.

I also took an early Catachan test model and did a painting repair job for him. My first guy I tried I used Gretchin Green for the fatigues instead of Knarloc. This was not a good choice- the green was much too light and yellow. Azlan had it right, so we made the switch to Knarloc. So, I painted Knarloc straight over the old fatigues, and carefully restained them. They look great! Tomorrow I'll matte varnish and base him, assuming he's completely dry. I'll post a pic of what SHOULD be the final test/confirmation model. Much coolness.

As you can see, I also did some work on the Unclean...



I couldn't get out of my mind that the Camo Green was just not contrasting enough with the bone finish. So, I cracked out Knarloc Green for the second time tonight and painted another test model, followed by the dip. I know he's still shiny, and I know he's not based or anything, but I personally think the contrast between the two sides is much better than the first version. I'll get this guy completely finished, and I'll take photos of the two side by side. We'll do a Pepsi Challenge here on Adeptus Malaysia and we can vote on it or something...!

"The Dip"- Evil Deed or Mad Genius? You be the Judge


Well, last night I decided to completely finish the initial test models of two different armies. For both armies I'm employing what many call "The Dip"- a varnish coat of Minwax wood stain over a basecoat. I'll describe each, and you can see for yourself.

First, I completed a test model for my SPORE 2010 army- Vietnam-themed Catachans. That's the guy at the top of the page there. It's a mostly foot slogging force with no tanks, whose armor support will come from several Sentinels and one Vendetta. I'm building this force in conjunction with Azlan to make one big "Uber Catachan" army. It's a project I'm looking forward to completing.

Now, as a disclaimer, I must say that the top half of the miniature was coated in a different, much darker varnish then the lower half. I'm sure you'll agree he looks a bit dingy/dirty, but he'll be usable in the end.

Over a black undercoat, I painted the fatigues Gnarloc Green, the skin Tallarn Flesh, hair Iyanden Darksun, bandana Blood Red, and all the leather Calthan Brown. Metal was quickly drybrushed with Boltgun Metal. No attempt was made to do any highlighting or shading whatsover. These were just painted on quickly- for this fig it took me about 15 minutes.

After that, I coated the upper torso in Minwax "Provincial", and the lower half in Minwax "Golden Oak". I let this completely dry over the course of 24 hours. After that, I painted the base Scorched Brown, drybrushed it with Bubonic Brown and then Bleached Bone, and then painted the rim Bestial Brown. I then sprayed the entire model with Tamiya Flat Clear spray. For the last touch, I put a couple of blobs of PVA on the base and pushed in some standard GW static grass.

I think the result is decent, taking into account the incorrect varnish for the top half. I'm going to assemble and basecoat another Catachan tonight, and this time I'll use Golden Oak for the entire thing. I'll post that pic and you can see the difference. I think this army will be sharp when it's all said and done, with a minimal amount of painting effort. :)

The next project I'm working on are "The Unclean", a Nurgle-devoted Chaos Space Marine force. They are former Angels of Redemption that have fallen to the depraved worship of the Plague Lord, so the paint job will still reflect a 50/50 green/bone split. You can see the final result below:



I am REALLY happy with this one. Here's what I did to get this:

I undercoated the model with Tamiya Flat White from my airbrush. I painted the right side of the fig with a simple basecoat of Camo Green. I painted various metal details in either Shining Gold or Boltgun Metal. A couple of cables got painted with Mechrite Red. The horns were painted with Khemri Brown, and finally I blacked out the eye sockets. This all took about 20 minutes. I then painted on a generous coat of Minwax Provincial and left the model to dry. Once it was dry, I sprayed it with Tamiya Flat Clear.



I painted the boltgun seperately, and it did not get the Minwax treatment. I undercoated it in black, and then drybrushed Boltgun Metal. I then stippled on rough patches of Dark Flesh, Vermin Brown, and then Macharius Solar Orange to simulate rust. This was glued on the model after the model was varnished, but before the matte varnish.

I then sanded the base, painted it black, and drybrushed it with Fortress Grey. A couple of blobs of PVA glue, and I added some GF9 dead tundra grass.

I'm really pleased with the overall result, especially given the time factor. Once I get batches going, I should be able to average three models an hour (not including drying time). For me, that's pretty fast to get these kinds of results. Once I get a squad done I'll post them in a pic all together, and you'll be able to see how "table standard" these guys look. For me, they pass muster. :)

Saturday, August 8, 2009

The Plan is in motion...

After some chastisement from Joe about not posting in my blog, I realized I have indeed been absurdly negligent. Ugh.

As many of you know, Legio Malaysia is hosting a 40K tournament on November 7th. We're allocating 30 slots for this thing, which means we need another five tables. I spent much of last night's Hobby Night sketching out some ideas, and I think I have them nailed down. Here's the general theme behind the five tables...

1) Nothing fancy, just another brown/grass scrub table to match the other two we already have. With three tables, we'll be able to combine them together for massive battles. These tables are also really nice for Warhammer.

2) A black table with greenish highlights, that will tell the story of an abandoned effort by the Adeptus Mechanicus (my boys!!!) to unearth Necron structures and artifacts. Think half-buired monolith, abandoned equipment, big crystals, and an abandoned Mechanicum redoubt of some sort.

3) A Cities of Death themed table- grey surface with lots and lots of scatter terrain in the form of burned out buildings, rubbish piles, barricades, etc. Not much line of sight on this table!

4) A promethium-refining table- "Mars Red" color, with scatter terrain of rocks, scrub, and open pools of oil. One or two of these pools will have adjoining mini-prothethium processors sucking out oil. The cool central terrain piece would be an elevated oil pipeline, with enough room under it to still fight & draw LOS. It will also have a gantry down the length of the pipeline top, so models can jump/climb up there for a better view.

5) A massive underground entrance to a Black Templars reclusiam. Think a row of Roman columns with statues of BT heroes on top, stalagmites/stalagtites, tile floor, partial cave collapse, etc. One short table edge will be the "entrance", and the entire front facade will be a BT ossuary containing the skulls of many BT heroes from the past.


What do you all think?