AAAaaannnnnnnnd I'm back in the room

So, for the few of you that follow this blog may have noticed that I haven't posted for a good few months and the only reason for this is I'm plain lazy so my apologies.

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That`s not to say I've not been busy painting and playing and I've finally got a 1750 army list I am happy with and have had some success with.

Company Command squad

Company commander

Astropath

Master of the Fleet

2 x Melta gun

Chimera with hull Flamer

Veteran Guard Squad

Veteran Sergeant

2 x Melta gun

1 x Auto cannon

6 x Guardsmen

Chimeria with hull Flamer

Veteran Guard Squad

Veteran Sergeant

2 x Meltagun

1 x Autocannon

6 x Guardsmen

Chimeria with hull Flamer

Veteran Guard Squad

Veteran Sergeant

3 x Meltagun

1 x Autocannon

5 x Guardsmen

Chimeria with hull Flamer

Leman Russ Executioner

Sponson Plasma Cannons

Leman Russ Demolisher

Hull heavy Flamer

3 x Vendetta

Veteran Guard Squad

Veteran Sergeant with Shotgun

3 x Flamers

6 x Shotgun armed guardsmen

Demolitions

Basilisk

Guardsman Marbo

I think it seems to be pretty standard amongst the 40k Guard tournament players (which I don't play) but I have to say that this list was mainly an evolution of many defeats and chin wags with the 3 other chaps I play regularly with who are tournament players so my list has had to become rather streamlined in order to try to win a few games.

Also been trying my hand at some converting, made myself a Marbo figure which I`ll get some photos of once I rescue him from Brads garage and some converting (not much but I'm happy with them) for my air assault vet squad which I've got some photos of but they aren't that good so Ill post when I've got some more.

Also been going through my "painted" miniatures and given some of them a touch up or complete repaint to get them to a standard I'm happy with.

I'll get some posted in the next week or so. Hopefully I will start to post semi regularly again.

Thanks for reading

We took a hammering Sir!!

Last night played Cpt_Yukka with his Tau and what a pasting I took!!

I took a gamble and scout moved my Vendetta gun ships to try to remove his hammer head turn 1 and banked on seizing the initiative which failed and they all smoking wrecks after his shooting in turn two. With my Chimeras and Demolisher's getting immobilised or knocked out I was never really able to get to grips with his army. When I did manage it I hammered him but good but by then it was too little too late. He had me flanked and spanked (and the dice gods were with him) at one point he made nine 4+ cover saves with a single unit. I missed a charge with Marbo (what a guy!!) and he got cooked plasma style buy fire warriors.

The game has got me thinking that perhaps the demolisher's might not be worth their points, sure the big ass S 10 AP 2 pie plate is nice but the short range was a real draw back in this game but for the 5 points less I can get a standard Russ with a lascannon with a much bigger range but I loose 2 points of S and 1 point of AP.

I don't know if 3 vet squads in 1500 points is enough but Ill keep plugging away at it.

If anyone has any thoughts lemmie know

Rick

Fire from the Skies

Finally got my first Valkyrie kit a couple of weeks ago to start to get the last few points of my 1500 point list done.

Built it over the following week n between moving bits of my house to storage and what a pig this kit is to build. Partly my fault for not reading the instructions properly and checking bits were going on the right side of the model but the tail section would not fit square no matter how much I tweaked, repositioned and faffed about with it. The next couple I build I hope will be better but who knows.

Its taken all that time to get it built and basic colours on it, then I thought I might have a go at paint chipping and kinda went a bit daft. I figured the Imperial Guard/Navy wouldn't take the time to repaint just repair and rearm so I spent about 4-5 hours weathering the edge of the plates. It needs decals, the cockpit painting and I need to get the forge world vendetta kit ordered, painted and fitted then based. I`ll be doing that once I get the other 2 put together and basic paint job on them so I can game with them. I'm playing a League game next Thursday so I have until then to get them done, I might even manage to get some bonus points for having them painted if I make/buy Marbo (what a guy) in time.

I decided to paint the cockpit , I didn't want the glass showing through so I thought some groovy one way glass was the best option (and I didn't have to paint the crew inside which I`ll use on another project I have in mind. A good site to look at is Cammo Specs, I just hope the technique scales up to 28mm.

The basic paint is a mix of 3-1 Chaos Black and Dark Angels Green which I washed with 50/50 water and Badab Black then painted neat Badab Black into the lines between the plates. The paint dried a little bit inconsistent and looks almost a really greenish/blue in some places which adds further to the weathering look. After that the simple, but lengthy job of attacking the raised edges with a thin Bolt Gun Metal/water mix, I think Ill use a thinner brush on the next Valk.

The kit as I said was a swine to assemble and the next one ill paint before I glue the wings on coz painting the damn heavy bolters is proving to be problematic as I just cant get the the damn things.

I'm Back

Well it's been 3 weeks since my last post and my apologies for my absence. Allot has happened in the last few weeks and that has had to take priority.

Last night was the first time in a month I managed to roll my guard out to take part in the friendly league my regular gaming dudes are playing in and what a showing they gave!!! Brad emailed me a new army list he thought might go down a storm and I thought I'd give it a bash. Up-to now I've only build armies around the models I have and the list he sent me included some tasty, tasty figures I'd never used before.

Lord Commissar (with power weapon)

Guardsman Marbo (what a guy!!)

2 x Vet squads in Chimera (3x Melta Guns per squad)

1 x Vet squad in Chimera (3 x Plasma Gun)

2 x Demolisher's

1 x Basilisk

3 x Vendetta Gunships (with heavy Bolter Sponson)

All in all about 1500 points

The list works well, very well. I fought Neils Ork List and I thought I'd lost really early on at the beginning of turn 2 but massed fire power, pie plates and Guardsman Marbo stopped the Horde and then Vendettas knocked out all the really nasty threats out or stopped them coming at me early in the game (a huge sigh of relief that the battle wagon with the death roller spent 4 turns immobilised). It also helped that every chimera he assaulted exploded killing huge numbers of his own boys squads!!.

I wish I'd taken my camera and done a battle report but maybe next time or Neil will do one with a bit of luck.

Someone asked for a tutorial on how I did the heavy weapon teams and I've started it but I'm having to move home so it's going be a little longer (then you can improve on it and put mine to shame).

Cheers for reading

Rick

Gun teams

Since I started this blog I've seen some fantastic painting, conversions, dioramas and some truly lovely armies.

It started me thinking, I've been gaming on and off since I was about 10 and I'm not the ripe old age of 33 and I don't ever remember converting or modelling anything. I think its because I was always worried about making a mistake that would ruin a perfectly good miniature and look like a splat on a base.

I have to say I've been truly inspired by some of the blogs out there of which there are too many to name but if you have posted anything about modelling, painting or converting I'd like to say thank you.

I wanted my weapons teams to be different, to look like they were dug in and going no where, I also wanted them to have a bit of character. This idea started because I was a bit lazy and didn't want to paint the gun crews (I actually gave myself more work) but I'm pleased with the results.

So Below is my first proper attempt at something of my own!!