2007147:55
pm
Gizmo’s got the update
Well, I've had exams all night, but I came home to find this little post waiting for me at The Waaagh, so I thought I'd put it up here to chart the progress.
There are two reasons im updating the progress on the boss tonight.
1: Ein is in some sort of exam as i type so he cant do it
2: I aint letting him go a day without seeing some pictures of what ive done.I have Sculpted the lip on the boot that makes the buckle look like it is doing something and also the overhang part of the pants (its an american model so ive gotta call trousers, pants )
When all this dries im going to maybe add a wee clip holding the buckle to the bit of rope (im really hoping that made sense) on the boot and drill out some wee holes to enforce that the clip is actually doing something (it didnt did it, oh well you will see in the next update). Im not sure if the lip on the pants stick out enough for eins liking, if not i can extend it quite easily. The tread on the plasticard will be getting blended in a bit better and i will also add tread to the underside of the foot (the visible part that is). After all that is done i dont see anything but an armour plate on the knee (just like the stock GW warboss) that needs done before i can start on somewhere else.
Giz
I think it's coming along great, honestly. The bunching around the bottom of the pants isn't as large as I thought it would be, but that doesn't mean it doesn't look good! Question for you guys, though: Do you guys think the back edge of the boot by the buckle is good? The idea was to make it look like the clasp is holding two halves together, but I'm sort've on the fence - it didn't look all that bad in this one and I want to know what you guys think. Leave a comment if you have any feedback, eh?
2007137:27
pm
Look at ‘dem legs!
Gizmo and I have been chatting for a good while about the Boss while he sculpts things, and it's looking good. There's a bit more to be done with the pants and boots, but it is coming along really nicely, and Gizmo's really good about me being a huge pain in the behind with particular details. Here's the latest batch of pictures!
He's already doing a vastly better job than I could have done, I'll tell you guys that much. There's a bit more to do on the pants (around where the boot and the bottom of the leg joins) and he's cleaned the tread up a bit since those photographs.
It's looking really good, though, and I'm glad he's coming along. Stuff like riveting on the boots and all will be delayed until the boss's trip back to the States, where I have the bits and plastic to do such detailing properly.
20071310:46
am
Primarch Photos
This mini has an interesting history to it that I'd like to start off with.
There's a company in Italy called Ronin Miniatures that apparently has made a couple models of characters. Usually, these characters are the Primarchs or individuals central to the 40k universe - for example, there are miniatures to represent Sanguinus of the Blood Angels, Mortarion of the Death Guard, and my two favorites, Horus and the Emperor. A couple buddies and I managed to find a source for these, so we ordered a bunch, and I got Mortarion for myself. I acually got to see the other models, and I'm wishing I had grabbed a Horus instead, because it's such an awesome model. Oh well!
Anyhow, I have been toying with this mini for a bit since I've gotten it. Just barely pinned it together, really, so I could get a sense as to how it all went together. The model's a decent attempt, but whoever sculpts for Ronin Miniatures has a spotty sense of proportion at best. Mortarion looks a bit static from some angles, and the cast is a bit iffy. All the same, it still looks pretty cool in pictures!
All in all, it's a cool miniature, and it's great to own - there's only 200 of them made, and I have one! I do plan on simply assembling him and painting him at some point, though since seeing the mini I've started to seriously consider maybe making my own from scratch around another mini so that it would have the proper proportions necessary - he just looks very static, and there's so much more that could have been done with that scythe! I think I might use this model as a reference for making my own, in any event.
Here's a shot of the Primarch next to a termie body:
He's a nice big size, for sure. I'll have to see what I can do with him - he looks great from some angles, like the one above, but from the side his profile is somewhat lacking.
2007116:45
pm
Team effort
Well, here I am with a bit of an update on this whole project.
A couple of months ago, I bought a warboss from my good buddy Gizmo that was a considerable size. He apparently sculpted the whole thing from scratch, which I found pretty impressive, and it was a really good model. I mentioned it on the main blog a while back.
I was impressed enough with his sculpting abilities that I figured I'd ask about him helping me out on this Bigboss project. It seemed to make a fair bit of sense, as I wasn't too comfortable with picking sculpting up again. So, off my warboss (Now named "Gargrim "'Uge" Mungus", as you might glean from my slowly developing army backstory) went to bonny Scotland where Gizmo began work. I get a few new pics from him on what seem to be a daily basis, which is nice, as I can give him a fair bit of feedback about things.
We've chopped both his hands off, and for good reason! I was inspired by this little bit of artwork...
I found that juicy piece of artwork at this site, and I thought it might be worth taking the boss in something of that direction. Or at least the power fist! So, off both hands went, chopped at the wrists. Gizmo's going to completely sculpt a new left hand for the boss to hold a choppa in, and when he sends the model back I'm going to plasticard up a power klaw of similar design to what you see in that image above and fit it over the stump on the right arm.
Gizmo, in the mean time, has been working on the legs. He capped off the toe of the unfinished boot and has been putting the foundations for pants onto the model's other side.
More folds, patchwork, and stitching will go overtop of this, and the boot's going to be capped off with the square chunky teeth like on the illustration. We're also going to remodel the cloth around his waist to sit a lot higher, and maybe cinch it with a belt.
200794:54
am
Shades of Grey
Introducing my Grey Knight brother-captain...
He's a fun model. Here's an inventory of the bits he's currently wearing:
- Iron Warriors Head
- Marneus Calgar Legs
- Marneus Calgar Torso
- Grey Knight Terminator Psycannon Arm
- Nemesis Force Halberd (2nd Edition)
- Staff arm from a Librarian in Terminator Armor
The idea for this fellow was actually lifted from Agis Miniatures, where an enterprising soul had already made something similar using Calgar's body as a base. The head is a nice touch, but it looks a little out of place on Calgar's torso, so I decided to go with something a little different. Take a look:
He was actually using a Grey Knight Terminator sword arm until I managed to get my hands on the Librarian arm - I felt that his weapon should really be a focus on the model, and that new Librarian certainly has an impressive force weapon, so on it went. The book on the shoulder fits the Grey Knight iconography really well, too, so I can't argue with it.
I took a quick photo of the force weapon so you guys could get a gist of how it went together. It is an outstandingly simple cut and swap, but I think it looks worthy of a Brother Captain or Grand Master.
It's pinned, as is everything else I make, simply out of a neurotic prediction of one day dropping the model. You really can't argue with the extra stability, too, though it's a bit stressful to pin something just slightly larger than the drill bit itself.
There's a couple things to be done on this model before he's up for painting - namely, covering up the remaining Ultramarine iconography on the torso and legs, and filling in the gaps between the shoulder and body. Both of those should be pretty simple jobs, though. The thought to put an SMT LED inside that head of his has occured to me, but the eyes are so narrow that I don't think I could effectively hollow them out to begin with, so I think I'll have to forego it on this mini.
200747:42
am
The Holy Hand Grenade (launcher)
Every so often the mood strikes me that I should field an Inquisitor in my Daemonhunter army as more than an excuse to bring an assassin into play. I did a bit of research, and figured out my ideal setup - two heavy bolter 'servitors', one plasma cannon 'servitor', two 'sages', one 'familiar', and the Inquisitor himself armed with a Psycannon. It's a wonderfully shooty setup that I think plays to the Inquisitor retinue's strengths - the Sages allow one reroll per turn, so I usually reserve it for the Plasma Cannon guy in the event of an unlucky roll, and they also boost the Inquisitor's BS up a point, so that Psycannon becomes even more dangerous. The familiar is there to basically eat a wound, as I almost never use psychic powers.
In a Grey Knight army, with such nice models, I really am loathe to use those silly-looking servitor models. It just didn't seem to fit my Inquisitor's style - they're supposed to hang around with elite and hardened guys, not fleshy meatbags with gears and guns attached. Add onto that the fact that they're considerably difficult in obtaining, and I quickly found myself considering alternative models I could use to represent the Inquisitor's henchmen.
I decided to go with the plastic devastators kit. It seemed a decent fit - it comes with all sorts of interesting weapons already, and even includes a couple servo skulls that I could use for Inquisitorial purposes. It fit well in a very marine-themed army, anyway. The only downside to this plan was that the 'servitors' that carry the heavy weapons have a 4+ save, while devastators wear power armor, which implies a 3+ save. I thought I might put the Devastator torsos on scout legs to make up for that, but that looked really silly, so I just figured my opponent would have to deal with it. Most of the games I play are pretty relaxed, anyway. The heads are from Catachans - I originally put them there just to have the model assembled, and didn't plan on actually using them... it was just as a replacement, because I don't have any marine heads lying around that I liked. However, I might actually just leave them on there - they make the weapons look a big bigger and more intimidating, and they have a fair bit of hardened character in themselves.
Here are some individual model pictures...
And lastly, a whole retinue shot:
200735:18
pm
Impatient for the Apocalypse
Had a fun day of enormous battle that I thought I might share.
One of the guys at my local game store challenged me on Wednesday to see how many points of orks I could pull out on short notice, if I'm given VDR and Forgeworld approval and have to stick to force org. I put together a 2,500 list to match his guardsmen. It had 60 models. I find that hilarious. 60 models in a 2,500 point army, guys.
Here's what came along:
1 Warboss (HQ)
Choppa; Power Klaw
'Eavy Armour
Attack Squig
-----------------------------
1 Gargantuan Squiggoth (Heavy Support)
Bolt-on Big Shootas (x5); Zzap Gun (x2); Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha (x4)Onboard this squiggoth:
8 Flash Gitz (Elites)
Shoota (x4); Big Shoota (x4)1 Big Mek (HQ)
Kustom Force Field
-----------------------------
1 Gargantuan Squiggoth (Heavy Support)
Bolt-on Big Shootas (x5); Zzap Gun (x2); Twin-Linked Rokkit Launcha (x4)Onboard this squiggoth:
9 Tankbustas (Troops)
Slugga & CC Weapon (x6); Rokkit Launcha (x3); Frag Stikkbomz; Tankbusta
Bomz1 Nob
CC Weapon (x1); Rokkit Launcha; Frag Stikkbomz; Tankbusta Bomz
Ammo Runt [4]
-----------------------------
1 Shielded Super Heavy Walker (890 points)
Structure Points: 3; Front Armour: 14; Side Armour: 14; Rear Armour: 12; Walker; War
Machine; Speed: Agile (Souped-up Engines); Power Fields (x3)
Long-range Blast Kannon
Long-range Blast Zzap Gun
Long-range Blast Zzap Gun
Gattling Twin-Linked Big Shoota
Close Combat Weapon
Close Combat Weapon
Skorcha
Armor Plates
Grot Bomb Launcher Upgrade
-----------------------------
12 Slugga Boyz (Troops)
Slugga & Choppa (x9); Burna (x3)1 Nob
Choppa (x1); Power Klaw (x1)
-----------------------------
9 Trukk Boyz (Fast Attack)
Slugga & Choppa (x8); Burna (x1)1 Nob
Choppa (x1); Power Klaw (x1)1 Trukk
Big Shoota (x1)
5 pt. Armour Plates
Grot Riggers
Turbo Boosta
-----------------------------
9 Trukk Boyz (Fast Attack)
Slugga & Choppa (x8); Burna (x1)1 Nob
Choppa (x1); Power Klaw (x1)1 Trukk
Big Shoota (x1)
5 pt. Armour Plates
Grot Riggers
Turbo Boosta
-----------------------------
Models in Army: 60Total Army Cost: 2499
The Long-range blast zzap guns are particularly insidious, because the blast upgrade gives it a template, while zzap gun rules state that the weapon automatically hits. And it's AP2. So I'll be throwing around auto-hitting random-strength AP2 Blast templates the whole game. I expected my opponents to stick to cover based on that, which is why I brought the burnas along as well.
Anyway, I'm happy to report that despite the ridiculousness of my list, I came out on top in a 3-way, 7,500 point battle - we had a cron player show up at just the right time. Lots of images below, but I'm not writing a batrep, because I don't hate myself that much. I'll try and hit some of the highlights.
A look at my full 2,500 points. It's hilarious. I had the smallest army on the table, in terms of models.
A look at things post deployment. We didn't feel like figuring things out about who goes where in a 3-way ffa, so we all rolled scatter dice and basically chose somewhere around where the arrows pointed. We were supposed to be equidistant, but the cron player got a little too overeager and deployed way too close to the guard player, honestly. Precision was not our goal. The Guard player was using that big white bitz bin as a stand-in for a Baneblade, while the 'Cron player had his monolith there to represent some ridiculous VDR creation. I felt bad that my dudes weren't painted, compared to the other two, but damnit, at least my models look something like what they're supposed to.
The Lith stood for something the dude called a 'Tomb Stalker', which was basically a 'bend horde armies over and have your way with them' machine. It cost, apparently, twelve hundred points. On the first turn, it ponderously floated forward, and proceeded to drop ridiculous amounts of blast templates on everything within range. The guard player lost an enormous amount of casualties in that first round of shooting, and a couple tanks.
Of course, he had packed them so absurdly densely that he deserved it. You have no idea how much the ork tactician in my head squealed at the thought of dropping a few large Strength 8 blast templates on this:
The formation I set up with my orks was pretty damn tight, as well.
It was a big wall of killing death. The Big Mek aboard the middle squiggoth gave everything around him some love - from hull down on the gargant to invuln saves for both the squiggoth he was riding and the one adjacent to him, and the boyz pooled around the squig's feet. Best use of points ever, ever, ever.
On my first turn I realized that the necron warmachine was full of hate and pain and would easily wipe me off the board given the chance, so I began to hammer all of the necrons I could find within reach to try and phase him out. The gargant's blast zzap guns made a right proper mess of the necrons deployed closest, and promptly removed the entire warrior squad and necron lord. (The lord is being proxied; a tau model is in his place.)
Guard also took tremendous losses to squiggy shooting. I had to split the squiggoths up due to terrain, so I sent one brave creature off into the middle of the board to tempt fate while my gargant spent the following turn sprinting up the side of the board making a mess of the stormtroopers in it's way. By this time, the baneblade had managed to put three structure points worth of damage on the VDR'ed cron machine, and it was almost done, so he turned his attentions (and his tanks) to me. Unfortunately for him, by the time he managed to do so, I had used my zzaps to disable both ordnance weapons on the baneblade and prevent it from moving, giving me a wonderful shot at the superheavy's side armor.
The downside to the size of the heavy choices I had were that they had to single-file it up the side of the board, so I had to pull one squiggy back. Smarter deployment in future!
In the end, Guard had eaten up the Necron warmachine with ridiculous amounts of lasguns, and I had dropped unheard of amounts of heavy weaponry onto the guard, which thinned them out in a hurry. I also had a great deal of luck with the two trukk boy squads, which spent a large portion of the game running at full-speed towards the melee - I figured I might as well throw them in without any hesitation. One of the nobz actually survived the rest of his squad being destroyed, and proceeded to spend the remainder of the game introducing the human command squad to his power klaw.
My boss was sorely dissapointed. He spent most of the game running just a little bit ahead of the squiggoths. He has requested that in future games he gets a trukk of his own.
I ended up winning by a fair amount, as I detonated the 'cron player was wiped before he could really bring his guns on me, and the guardsmen were too flimsy to get in the way of the heavies. There were a few admirable attempts at wounding the squiggoths - each had three wounds by the end of the game, courtesy of his autocannons - but they both performed amazingly well. The Gargant also survived excellently, as well - of the three structure points and three force fields it had at the outset of the game, it was left with two of those structure points by the end, and had one of it's zzap cannons disabled by a cheeky basilisk shot. The Trukk Boyz took some serious losses, but only after eating up more than double their points in guardsmen.
I think I would have done way better had I been able to keep my 'killin' wall' formation, and actually had range the first few turns to bring all my mean guns to bear. In any case, the list performed admirably! And stuck within Force Org, even, though nobody else did. Very fun, all in all, though I can't help but wonder if this list would even be feasible under Apocalypse rules. A couple strength D weapons would do me in right quick!
200719:33
pm
Lights, Camera, Squiggoth!
In sticking with my youtube promise for this project, this should hopefully help to clarify any questions.
200717:59
pm
Plumbing the depths of madness
Oh ye of little faith, behold!
Ya might have thought I was crazy, but tell me if this looks all that bad.
Barely a seam, eh? Alright, there is a seam, and there are a couple marks on it, but nothing that greenstuff can't superficially fix. This all gets easily hidden underneath the howdah anyway.
But wait!
A hatch! And underneath? Batteries and the circuit to amplify the speaker, in a compact (hah, not really...) box!
Enjoy this! It's a view that nobody will ever see of a squiggoth's rock solid resin insides. About two hours of dremelling with a very dedicated sanding drum carved this out.
It's alright, guys. You can say it. Come on, do it with me.
Woohoo!
I might not have been as mad as I seemed. 
Youtube video will be coming up soon as an overview, once I relax a bit.
2007319:48
am
Hit it with the biggest choppa!
I'z been shown a vishun uv Gork and Mork, an I hadz ta get to werkin' on it!
DIS CHOPPA IZ TOO WEEDY FER DA JOB, SO I'Z UPGRADED TO A 'UGE CHOPPA!
It wot took me'z bout half uv one-a dem 'ours to chop my way out da uvva side, but I didz it!
Ya'z see, I'z gunna hollow it out and put all da worky bitz inna 'iz gutz, and close 'im up, but not 'fore I putz a hatch in da top fer changin' da batt-rys. Dat way it'z all sealed up good so'z I can put wot-evah howdah I wantz on da top!
I ain't no zoggin' madboy! Just youz give me a little bit ta prove it.
(It was an astonishingly good cut, actually. I missed everything of importance with the saw - avoided the armor plates, the legs, even the squig-wang on the underside. I'm going to hollow it out and remove the top of him as a hatch which will hopefully be hidden or concealed by the howdah. There's a couple cuts there as I worked up the nerve and broke jewellers saw bits that were far too weak to do the job, but those can be easily concealed, and the actual cleft cut itself is a nice and simple repair with a bit of greenstuff 'round the underside that nobody actually sees.)
But wait! It gets worse!
It's times like this I wish I knew electronics so I didn't have to bother with all this work, but so be it. That marked out block is going to be removed tomorrow courtesy of my dremel.
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