Back to the Beginning

I'm not normally a nostalgic person.  But, to make sense of this, a little history is in order.

25 or so years ago, I wanted to play warhammer 40k.  I'd heard of it from other people, and I was already playing a LOT of dungeons and dragons.  But I wanted to play 40k.  On holiday in Derbyshire, we had gone to Nottingham for the day, and I had finally got the Rogue Trader rulebook.  This was not long after the Compedium and Compilation had come out, but I knew nothing about them.  I just knew that I had now got the 40K rules.  I wanted to play Squats.  With Melta Guns.  Exclusively.  I was 13 or 14, these things happened.
When I got to school, I was soundly mocked for my goals.  There were army lists, and none of them had a force of just Squats with guns.  The rulebook sat on the shelf, and I was deflated.
Eventually, a birthday came around (or some other reason to have some cash), and my long suffering father took me on the underground to Tottenham Court Road, where I got to buy some of these toy soldiers.  Harlequins and Eldar Guardians as they were.  These were duly brought home, and painted (very very badly.  No survivng examples exist).  Finally, someone lent me the Yellow book, and I saw the original Eldar Craftworld army list.  I was hooked.  I wanted these.  These were what I was destined to play.... I never got that army.  I did get the red book, and the harlequin army list, and 3000 points of Harlequins (the contents of the box I had) regularly got cheesed (creamed, but goes on for longer to steal Pratchett's joke) by 3000pts of craftworld Eldar, playing lengthwise along the table.
I played these for several years, until, eventually, 2nd edition happened.  The eldar were shelved, and an Ork army was made from the contents of 2 starter boxes and A LOT of imagination.  These were awful too.  3rd edition saw me stop playing.  Forever, or so I thought.
Age has led to many other tabletop games, including lots of Fantasy Battle, and now some small amount of Age of Sigmar.  I moved away from GW games.  I had a few Eldar models that I had picked up, and even a couple of squads of Harlequins painted for old times sake.

Then I got a demo of 8th.  It wasn't bad.  In fact, it was fun, and seemed to have fixed a lot of the problems with 40K that had kept me away.  A bright idea goes off in the head, and I wonder if I could make a very small Harlequin army with what I had, but hadn't painted.....A quick trip to the big pile of boxes yielded, in addition to my 2 squads of Harlequins, a Void Weaver, A Shadow Seer, and 2 bikes (painted)
1 Box Dire Avengers
1 Box Fire Dragons
1 Box Shining Spears
1 Death Jester
1 Box Old Finecast Harlequins
1 Shadow Seer
1 Painted set of Striking Scorpions.....

Which feels like, with me wanting a new project, the start of a mixed Eldar/Harlequin Force.

I've started with the Dire Avengers.  Troop Choice - Check.  Small Model Count - Check.  Not enough models in the box to make a unit of 5 plus an Exarch - Oh, very very yes (Damn you GW).
So far, I've discovered how unforgiving Eldar Models can be, how bad the mold lines are on old GW model kits, and how sloppy I have got in my painting.  Still, mostly for my memory, here are the steps to painting Dire Avengers

Blue Armour - Caledor Blue - Teclis Blue - Hoeth Blue
Helmet - White.   Lots of Coats of White
Details - Black.  Any Black
Weapons and Other "hard" decoration - Bone washed Agrax Earthshade.

The final Avengers look like this.

Hans

    This weekend, having finished the Harlequins for my main project, I found myself at a loose end.  I knew that I wasn't going to have hours to spend on painting as I'm recently married, had had a tough week at work and therefore would like some time to unwind with the new wife.  However, I did want to get something done, and so there was some rooting through the "stuff waiting to be finished" shelf that sits guilting me above the work desk.

    I cam across Hans, the original metal sculpt for Malifaux.  While I considered starting work on my next commision (Deathstroke) he needed assembly and the weather was not great for undercoating.  My BMG Harley crew are undercoated, but I felt like I needed to dedicate a whole block of time to getting them started, which I didn't have.  So, without further ado, I give you (rather poor photos of, taken on my phone) Hans.

Next month for the ATONLG I will need to paint something extra for the Harlequins.  This will either be the second 2 Skyweavers that I have already, or I may need to get a third Troupe.   After I have both of those completed I will be able to fill my FOC and consider starting to play (probably very short, and one sided) games.

As well as that, I aim to reduce the size of the pile of half finished stuff on the the shelf.  So far, that consists of 

Warmahordes

Stormwall

2 Troll Impalers

Hunter

Malifaux

2 Thunder Archers

Fuhatsu

Lone Swordsman

Undertaker (Forgotten his name)

Vulture

Nicodem

Mature Nephilim

(Just needing Basing)

40K

Striking Scorpion Squad and Exarch

BMG

Harley Quinn

Joker's Daughter

5 Harley Henchmen

Gatling Brute for Harley

I know a few people read this, and so if anyone has any thoughts on which of these they would like to see worked on next, please feel free to comment.

Harlequin Squad 2

So, month 2 of the ATONLG is complete.  This month I went with a second squad of Harlequins to go with the first squad.  The initial squad was assembled, this time with 3 Harlequins Caress' and a Neurodisruptor and Kiss on the Troupe Leader.

Assembled and Undercoated

They were painted in the same colours as the first squad, with the idea being that they could either form a second squad of the Harlequins in transports, or they could join with the original squad in a larger foot based squad.

So in terms of points, for this month I will score myself.

Participation, Preparation, Painting, 1 Post, and Pictures for 9 points.

On the table for the rest of the month will be the start of my Harley Quinn Crew for BMG, along with a Deathstroke commision, and possibly some more work on my Warmachine or Hordes forces.  Any thoughts on whether anyone has anything they would want to see me work on, please feel free to comment.

Voidweaver and Month 2

So, I have completed month 2 of the Tale of Next Level Gamers challenge after only 10 days in.  I have successfully painted my voidweaver.  With this, I have now achieved 1 Troop, 1 Fast Attack, 1 Elite, and now 1 Heavy support for the army.  I am therefore only 2 Troops and a Fast attack off of having a legal army.

I have quite enjoyed painting the voidweaver, and it has followed the colour scheme as previously used for these forces.  I did make a rather huge mistake in that I painted the interior cockpit, and then glue the top and bottom hulls together rather permanently with superglue without putting it in.  That explains why the canopy is closed, and painted black, as the innards are not in there.

So the pictures....

As with the skyweavers, the masks have not been added to the models yet, and the squad markings are only roughed in.  I will be painting all of these in together when I have a clearer idea of what shape the final force is going to be and thus how I am going to squad things up.

I also haven't decided if the raised bobbles on the hull are going to be painted as red gems, or left as irregularities in the bodywork in the underlying colour.

As always, comments and suggestions welcome.

Work In Progress

So, since the last post, painting has been slowed due to working on the biggest project so far, my wedding.  However, last night I did manage to get some work done on the Batpod.  It looks a little Grey in the photos, and I am waiting to see it in some natural light to make a decision on whether to knock it back with some black washes or not.  Since the photo, the cloak has been finished, and now I just have the belt to paint and it can be called done.

I've also done some work on the Voidweaver.  This is currently in several sub assemblies, including all of the weapons and crew, and the hull is in 2 parts.  I've painted the green half of the hull, and that has been highlighted and shaded.  I tried using masking tape for the central line for the first time, and it seems to have worked.

I'm very pleased with how this has turned out, and just need to get the purple painted to the same style.

Comments and criticism always welcome.

First Month Completed

So, I have completed month one of my "A Tale of Next Level Gamers".  Not sure if anyone else is actually doing this, but, it has motivated me to get a fixed amount of models completed each month.  The fiance has helped, encouraging me to get the last of the models painted by the end of the month.

So without further ado, the models.

My Shadow Seer, painted in the same scheme as the squad that he is going to join.  Of note, unlike the other Harlequins, his mask is blank, and painted black currently.

I have also painted the first 2 Skyweavers, again in the same paint scheme as the first Troupe.  The shuriken cannon are removable, although I haven't as yet painted the Haywire Cannon to replace them.

Finally, there is a shot of the whole of the force so far.

So, by my reckoning I should get 1pt for participation, 2pts for Priming and Prep, 3pts for Painting, 2pts for posting, and 2 pts for pictures, which makes 10 of a possible 15 points, and losing points on playing games and player choice (which can only happen if there are more than just me scoring points for it.)

Comments and criticism are always welcome.

Harlequins Progress so far

So, I decided as part of a sort of "tale of (insert whatever) gamers" project here to start Harlequins as an army for 40k.  I've spoken about how they were my first army, I've waxed lyrical about the nostalgia part of painting them, and I've even shown a test model.  Well, as we come to the end of the first month, I thought that I would show the outcome of the first months work (well, nearly, I have 3 days left)

Troupe Master

This is the Troupe Master for the first unit.  Neuro Disrupter and harlequin caress.

As you can see, the rest of the Troupe stuck pretty much to the test pieces colour scheme, with the green and purple halves with yellow and gold accents and black gloves and shoes.  I've stuck with the bone masks despite some ideas regarding making them a more standout colour, as I think a little the contrast with the red in gems etc works ok.  The Shadow Seer, in contrast, will have a completely black mask, at least for the first one I am painting.

 The work so far on the Skyweavers.  These are almost finished, except for some work on the gemstones, and, of course, the riders, who are in progress as we speak.

So that means that I have to finish the crews for the bikes, and the Shadow Seer to make my 1st months commitment.  When I achieve that, I will then move onto month 2, where I will have to decide if I want a gunship or a transport as my first vehicle, and then add some more Skyweavers.  I also need to do some final work on the Batpod for BMG that I said I would do for the manager of the FLGS.

As ever, I would be most interested to hear thoughts, opinions, ideas etc.

Harlequin Test Piece

So, I have finally completed the test piece for my Harlequin colour scheme.  I am fairly happy with the colours, and I think that the green, purple and yellow work together.  I have always painted my Eldar as if they have bone weapons and equipment, and that is not going to change.  I like the idea of weapons grown from wraithbone, and I like the effect.

The bone itself may need another highlight, but given that the initial goal is to get these table ready within a time limit, this will do for now.  I am considering making a set of terrain to go with these, red desert bases with lots of towering wraithbone arches and the like.

Any comments and criticisms are very very welcome.  The plan is that the Troupe Masters will have increased amounts of detailing and patterning on their outfits to mark them out.

A Tale of NextLVL Gamers Month 1

So, as my previous post discussed, we have started a hobby challenge.  So, for the first month, I have purchased, all from LVL Up in Bournemouth,

I thought long and hard about what force to take for this.  For months I have been thinking about trying to start a 40k army, and debated whether I should or not.  I don't actually PLAY 40k at the moment, and my last few experiences of it some time ago were fairly negative, such that I was put off of trying it in future.  I read a lot of news sites, and there is always someone talking about the latest super army.  I don't even know what my local Meta is like, but I do know that I hate games where I might as well not have bothered turning up because I am so outclassed by the forces opposed to me.  I also know that I abhor painting units of models.
Nevertheless, I have been looking longingly at some of the models.  When I was 11 or 12, I got some toy soldiers from my parents.  I already had the Space Marine boxed game, but, of course, everyone I knew was playing 40k instead.  So, one day, I took a long trip up to central London with my Dad, and we went to the Virgin Megastore.  This was back in the day when Virgin Megastore actually stocked roleplaying games, and, from there, was purchased one Eldar Guardians box set, and one of the original Harlequin Boxes.  Of course, I had no rules for these (all I had at the time was a copy of Rogue Trader, purchased whilst I was on Holiday in Derbyshire, on a visit to Nottingham where I was also given my first copies of AD&D by my Uncle Robert and Aunt Margaret).  But eventually, I ended up with the rules, and the Harlequins were my first 40K army, and remained my ONLY army until I got the 2nd Ed starter set and decided to play Orks.  (at a grand opening of the Romford Store, not long after I passed my GCSE's)

So, for all sorts of nostalgic reasons, I want a Harlequin army, and this gives me a reason.  I have no idea what they play like, and they may never make it to the battlefield.  But, they should provide a pretty, force, and a link back to my past.

For Month One, I have purchased

Harlequin Troupe Box Set
Harlequin ShadowSeer
Harlequin Jet Bike Box Set.

So far, I have assembled and undercoated the infantry from the boxes.  The jetbikes will be my reward for finishing painting the normal troupe members.

A Tale of NextLVL Gamers

So, following a random comment on the Facebook by the owner of our FLGS, I agreed/decided/went ahead and organised a challenge based around the Tale of Four Gamers that has been done originally in White Dwarf.  I know it's not original, I know that at any time there are hundreds of these running on blogs all over the internet, but this one is ours, and should be a good way to motivate the few of us that were interested to paint some models and have some fun.  We decided that we weren't going to limit ourselves to one system, and so we have people signed up for 40K, DZC, and Batman.  Its still in its infancy, but at least we have a challenge.  The rules are below.

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A hobby challenge for all of us.

Objective - Some friendly competition amongst a group of players aiming to build some forces for tabletop games.

Plan - Starting with a force of up to £50 value, unpainted (but may be assembled), and increasing it by £25 worth of models each month, aiming to have completed each section by the time the month ends.  If your force is worth more than that months value for some reason (starter boxes costing more, etc), you can spread it over several months, and get all of the points available when you complete it.  At the end of the period, we shall see who has the most points - and thus bragging rights.

Points

1-Participation - have purchased/added £25 of models in a month 

2-Preparation - Models are assembled/undercoated

3-Painting - All of the models in that months section are painted

1-Playing - Each game you play with a force made up of that months models (ideally alone, or as part of a larger force) Max 3 per month

1-Posting - Each blog post/facebook post/engraving on stone tablets about your models and your progress (Maximum of 2 per month)

1-Pictures - Each one of the above gains you an extra point if there are pictures to support it (Max 2/month)

2-Player Choice - Each month, we could have a vote as to who's force is currently your favourite, be it best designed, best painted, whatever (we could change it each month)

This means that there are a maximum of 15 points per month available.

New Year, New Plan

A little bit of a status update on my painting and modelling.  Project by project I think, and mainly so I know what I have to finish.

Inifinity

My newest system.
Goals
  -Paint all models
    -3 Dakini Tacbots (1 With HMG)
    -1 Naga Hacker
    -1 Deva Functionary
    -2 Sophotects (I may only paint one of these, and dispose of the other)
    -1 Yudbot (2 if I can work out where the other one went)
    -3 Netrods
    -1 Atalanta
    -1 Spotbot (AKA the tiny robotic rabbit)
  -Learn rules system, play at least 1 game/month

Warmachine

System I have had for the second longest.  A collection of models that I painted a while ago, plus some newer bits.
Goals
  -Paint 25pt Nero force, to consist of
    -Commander Nero
    -Stormclad (Assembled)
    -Thunderhead (Assembled)
    -Unit Stormblades including unit attachement and stormgunners
  -Finish Painting Unit of Long Gunners that have been languishing for years
  -Repaint other Cygnar mechs
  -Play the game more, hopefully achieving at least 1 game/month


Malifaux

Probably my favourite system at the moment, certainly the one I am closest to having completed forces for, and the one that I played most last year.

Goals
  -Finish My Neverborn Models
    -Alternate Pandora, 2 Depleted, 1 Beckoner (Most of these are for my Lynch Crew though)
  -Finish My 10 Thunders Models
    -1 Oiran (For My Colette Crew)
  -Finish My Arcanist Crew
    -Avatar Colette (3 models), Angelica, 3 Mannequins, 3 Performers, 3 Mechanical Doves, 4 Coryphee (2 as a duet)
    -Some of the Mechanical doves, mannequins, performers and doves, as well as a Colette and a Cassandra are unnecessary for the crew.  I aim to sort myself out enough to try and sell these/give them away.
  -Paint the rest of the generic resurrectionist models
    -Alternate McMourning, 3 Canine remains, 3 Guild Autopsies, 2 Nurses, Rafkin, Rogue Necromancy, 1 Hanged, Miss Pack (Ltd Edition Model, scares me), Avatar McMourning
  -Decide if I am going to paint or dispose of my Kirai Crew (Kirai, Ikiryo, Datsue Ba, Seishin, 2 Onryo)  Not sure if I like the aesthetic of these enough or not.
  -Again, hoping for a game a month of this

X-Wing

Just started playing this.  I aim to get a small collection of ships so that I can play 100pt games.  Given the preferences of other players at the club, I shall probably go initially down the Rebel forces route.

Warhammer 40K

This game has slipped down my list.  I suspect it will be rare I work on this in preference to another system.  For what its worth, what I have that I need to do.

  -Complete my Iyanden Eldar to 1500pts.  This will require a number of models to be purchased, making it unlikely this will happen in the near to mid future. Sold on E-Bay Instead
  -Repair and finish my Dark Angels.  This project started years ago with an aim to have the complete 3rd Company of the Dark Angels.  I think that I need 1 more assualt squad to do this, and then to paint another 4 Rhinos, 8 Razorbacks, and probably some dreadnoughts and predators to go with it.  Another significant investment required.  More likely is that I will try to repair what I already have into a state where there are no missing arms/pads/weapons, and then consider selling/disposing of it.
  -Dark Eldar.  This project is even less close to completion than the other 2.  Will probably be shelved.


Warhammer Fantasy.

This game may be getting new rules this summer.  When that happens, I may sit down with the newish army book and try to come up with a playable list.  Until then, it can sit in the cupboard.  Sadly, most of what I have is not very popular in competitive lists, so I am unlikely to be able to shift it, even if I wanted to, despite it being reasonably well painted.

Where I am

Well, its time to have a little update on where I am in my painting and modelling.
Currently, the projects that are active.

Iyanden Eldar Army
  This is my first project, made, at least in part, from eldar models I had lying around.  I have no idea WHY I decided to paint a yellow army, since yellow is a total bitch to paint.  Except that, I love the idea of undead space elves.  Currently, I have completed a guardian squad, spiritseer, Vyper, Wraithlord, and the first squad of wraithguard.  Pictures below, although, as usual, my camera is my phone, and the lighting and quality will suck.














Malifaux.
  Amazing game.  Even more amazing models.  I have three starter sets painted and table ready, with plans for a few additions at some point.  I LOVE these models.  They really are amazing.  No photos of these as they are beautiful, and the camera won't do them justice.  As an aside, I want all of the artwork from the rulebook on my walls.







Warmachine


  This is all getting repainted.  That makes 3 heavys, 8 lights, 17 infantry to paint.  I think it is going to be worth it though, to get all of the blues the same.  Another good game, and one that I need to play more of.