Linus' february hobby challenge part I

I jump right into this one with both feet knowing it will be a little mountain to climb. But I thinkk it is managable. My goal for february is as follows:

1. Finish these guys off. They are just as is from the Dark Vengeance box set and is my sort of getting back into the hobby project:

2. Find a new, smashing and unique color scheme that suits this guy and of course painting the brute from gory horns to stinking toes as well. Don't be surprised if I deliver some nurgly and gory details onto him, or maybe I end up with something completely different...:

3. Become a better airbrusher, with both the Biltema variant and this interesting thing from Badger...

February 2013 Hobby Challenge

It appears that 2012 wasn’t too productive a year, hobby-wise, for us. There’s one notable exception, of course, but the point of this article is not Ørn’s servitor-filled crypt and the many points of stabby killy space-elves of death (and possibly a little fluff) he makes them paint for him.

No… Not at all.

The point of my rather convoluted rambling is to kick off a group effort to help us focus on the development of our collections of miniatures, terrain and other hobby-related paraphernalia throughout 2013. In short:
The TSB 2013 Hobby Challenge.
January may have come and gone, but that still leaves time enough to attempt ten challenges this year. (July is often a slow month as far as hobbying goes, anyway.)

What now then?

First order of business is for each participant to pledge a more or less reasonable hobby pledge, typically along the lines of build and/or paint these models or piece(s) of terrain. Then we’ll at least do a show-and-tell by the end of the month, showing off the finished project. There may or may not be posted Work in Progress articles as well.

So without any further ado: Let's have at it!!!

Revenant Titan - the beginning

Revenant Titan with 2 pulsars.

After a very nice trip and visit to Games Workshop Nottingham, I came home with a lot of resin parts. In particular, an Eldar Revenant Titan. Beeing a bit concerned with the project, I decided that I just had to go a head with it. I decided that I would pin as much as possible, and abandon the thought of magnetizing the model. Luckily the Revenant is a lot less complicated to assemble than the Warhound titan.

 Step 1: The head is only fixed temporarily as it is to be painted white along with all of the shoulder plates, shields etc.  Standing only on it`s knees it`s twice the size of a wraithlord

Step 2: I cut the base from MDF and decided for a dynamic pose for my Revenant. I was a bit surprised that when it was standing on its feet, it was a lot taller than I expected, and the detail of the model is really nice. I was very satisfied with the way the model came to life after I got it on the base.

Step 3: Primer, Angel green from army painter, not quite the color that I would like, but after a wash and some shading it turned out very nice. The head, weapons and shoulder plates has been painted white and to give you guys a sneak peak of how it`s gonna look like I fixed the head, a pulsar and some shoulder plates. The green and white color scheme works really well on a large scale. I also added some battlefield debris on the base.

Step 4: Washing, shading and highlighting. I used the armypainter Greenskin spray, spraying downwards from a distance. A bit cleaning up and detailing, I am quite pleased with the effect. So time to put down the brush and cans, and not overdo it.

So please guys and girl, let me know what you think and if you have any good ideas, please share!

My workspace IV

So I thought I would join this fun series and show my messy workspace.
I have stolen the guest room, so I am not very soical when I paint, I am usually miles away listning to a Black Library book. (look at the realy good blog I am  reading at the moment!)





Behind me lies all the projects wainting to be finished, especially the eldar corsair, eldar, dark eldar project that some day will se the light!

40K Gaming board - desert - with terrain - finished

28. December I posted pictures of my desert gaming table, happy that I was “finished” ahead of schedule…. Unfortunately, the EZ water effect I used for the river section “cracked”, and I had to remake the river section (witch included removing all the resin water effect…).

To morrow I am having my first game on this, now finished, gaming board against Jørn (who has helped me in the initial stage and called "dibs"), and thought I should post updated pictures of both the board and terrain (finally finished – this evening) to go with it. I know some of the pictures have been posted earlier, but hey – this has been hard work and time consuming!

First out, the gaming board itself. I was inspired by a You tube video uploaded by “rubbish in rubbish out”. A desert mesa themed board with elevated positions surrounding most of the board, creating a “centre”. I also wanted to include a river / stream. As my first attempt at a river did not work out, once I got a second chance, I went with something Jørn suggested; a river with different depth. This was quite easy as the main problem of my first river was that the river sections were to long, creating to mutch heat when the resin hardened, cracking when the resin hardened. I studied various pictures of deserts, trying to decide on the colours. Many of them (most of them) showed a distinct reddish colour, but my eye caught some pictures from north middle east, showing a “colder” and darker brown / yellow colour scheme. I went for that one. Anyway, here are some pictures of the construction of, and the finished, desert gaming board. 

I wanted to make some terrain that would block line of sight, give cover, and that tied in with the concept of the desert gaming board. Rock spires have been made before, and I wanted something a little different. The board does not have “space” for large mesa terrain, so I went fore something in the middle. Anyway, here are some pictures of the construction of the rock formations, as well as a temple, and of the finished terrain. 

For more options I decided to add some woods. First I thought about “palm trees”. But looking at photos I realised that more “ordinary looking” trees was common next to “desert rivers” / “canyon rivers”. I have never been a fan of the new GW trees. But, when visiting Warhammer World before Christmas, GW trees with a more “lush” built than what each kit provide caught my eye. Especially those woods painted in an “autumn” style. Thinking this would “pick up” colours from the river and look a little “dead” / “struggling for survival”, I bought 2 kits, adding extra leaves handed my by a fellow hobbyist. This is how they turned out.

As I am altering the colour scheme on my gaming tables and texture. I therefore retextured and re painted some of my old scenery to give even more options.

Looking forward to use this gaming table. I know the design does not give me the same options as a flat gaming board surface with modular terrain, but I really wanted to make a “themed” table, and hope that the new terrain features gives me some options to create variety.

Cheers, 

Ørnulv

TSB clothes

Thought I should post pictures of the current “range” of clothes with the Team Stormbolter logo. Team members can order these high quality products by contacting me. Delivery time, between 2 – 4 weeks.

Cheers,

Ørnulv

My workspace III

She-who-comes-first tend to frown upon me being too antisocial in the evenings, so I do most of my hobbying on the end of the dining table. I do have a desk downstairs in my hobby-room, but this is usually reserved for large/messy/time-consuming projects.

Next to my desk there's a couple of guest beds - the kids' old ones that I kinda got stuck with. Luckily I also have several sections of IKEA shelving units that I've set up underneath the beds. This gives me quite a lot of storage space - and should be sufficient once I can sort through it once more...

Update (2013.01.28)
A couple of example pictures of where I do most of my hobbying, when I'm not doing something too messy.

My workspace II

Following up on Linus “my workspace” post, well this is mine! Nothing “clever” about my “set up”. I use the whole of the living room desk as my "hobby desk", also fore storage of tools, bits related to current projects, paints etc.

What I like about my workspace is that it is centred in the living room so I can participate in what is happening elsewhere, and also have a view to the telly. As you can see I too use a “transportable board” witch a friend made several years ago as a large “tank diorama base”. Once finished with a hobby session, I place “things” back into the desk and move the "hobby board" into the "battle bunker". Fast and efficient, it works.

I have a larger storage facility in my “gaming room” (battle bunker) witch also holds my armies, terrain and storage of various “bits and parts” from current and earlier projects.

Cheers,

Ørnulv  

My workspace

Ok, no battle report or project log, but simply a few pictures showing what I do when I delve into my hobbying at the dinner table at home.

As you know I have no bunker or dedicated room or desk for painting and modelling, but I have found a way that is very functionable. The key is super quick set up and transportation from the place my two work stations are stored. And as you can see, I have found out that combining painting and modelling only makes a big mess. One station for painting and one for modelling works perfect.

What about the rest of you Team Stormbolter guys and girls. How does your workspaces look like and how are you organized? If you want post som pics of your über smart soltuions and maybe we all can pick up some great ideas.

Have a nice day folks!

+++Linus

New Blood - Battle Report - Chaos Space Marines vs Necron

Back in November, at Ørn's all weekend gaming event, we'd invited a handful of players from outside the Team. One of them in particular seemed to hit it of with the Team members he played with/against, so we thought we'd ask him to join. He's already introduced himself, and done a little show and tell. If you haven't seen those articles already, do have a look!

He came over to my place with his Necrons a little while ago, so I thought I'd do a battle report with a new twist to commemorate it. Instead of a tactical play-by-play report I've gone for a more narrated style, as seen through the eyes of my two characters.

+ + + conciousness re-initiated + + +
Disturbance...
No! An intrusion.
+ + + external sensor logs responding + + +
+ + + data flow activated + + +
A particular energy signature as well...
+ + + log query + + + data response + + +
The systems had not registered something like this since the times before the Sleep.
Soldiers of anti-structure must be close to the crypt entrance...
It must remain hidden!
+ + + running activation protocol 4567890 + + +
+ + + war host readiness in 0.00178 local stellar cycles + + +

The Necron army: (...if memory serves me) Overlord (Warscythe, Command Barge) 8 Lychguards 10 Immortals (Night Scythe) 12 Warriors 12 Warriors 6 Tomb Blades (TL Gauss Blaster) 1 Canoptek Wraith (Whip Coil) 1 Annihilation Barge 1 Doom Scythe

Architecture of Aggression (...the CSM army) Kratos Drak'ftae (aka Kharn) Dark Apostle 20 Chaos Cultists 10 CSMs (AC w/P.Sword, 2 Meltaguns) 10 CSMs (AC w/P.Sword, 2 Meltaguns) 10 CSMs (2 Plasma guns) 4 Chaos Bikers (AC w/P.Sword, 2 Meltaguns) 2 Obliterators 2 Obliterators 5 Havocs (4 Heavy Bolters)

Scenario: Deployment:

The Scouring Vanguard Strike

Chaos won both the roll-off to choose table edge and for deployment. With Night Fight in play for the first turn of the game, Chaos opted to set up first.

One pair of Obliterators set up on the southern flank, with a Melta squad led by Kratos to the north. In the centre, the Plasma squad and the other Obliterators squad set up in a ruin. To their left again, close to the northern short table edge and behind another ruin, was the other Melta squad led by the Apostle. Behind them, in a crater, was the Havocs. The Cultists started in Reserve.

The Necron army deployed 30+ inces away from the Chaos lines, the Command Barge and Annihilation Barge on the northern flank. The Lychguards on their left marked the tip of a blunt spear-formation, with one Warrior squad behind the building next to the Lychguard. The other Warrior squad guarded another objective in the corner farthest from the Chaos army, with the Wraith and Tomb Blades in front of them.

Necrons declined to roll to Steal the Initiative.

The Word Bearers moved forward under the cover of darkness. Most of them was getting into their initial firing positions, but Kratos and his squad ran up towards the large ruin across the road. One of the half dozen impact craters in this area was in there. A few las-bolts shot overhead, but it didn't seem the Obliterators hit anything.

The Plasma squad  (closest) and Zelos' Melta squad moves into firing positions.

On the northern flank,a Acolyte Zelos spotted a couple of Necron skimmers approacing. They started from just inside Bolter range, but it would be pointless to even fire at them unless they came within range of his squad's Meltaguns.

As the sun came up, Kratos spotted the eight constructs striding into the ruin next to him. With a few running steps he built the necessary momentum to crash through the broken window and thundered towards the enemy squad. Three glittering skulls was sent spinning through the air with but a single stroke from his axe, and another two was sent sprawling from his squad's charge before a single automaton cleaved a Marine in two. Then... As he prepared to lunge on the remaining two, the entire squad simply blinked out of existence. The three skulls never even reached the ground. First Blood to the Word Bearers.

Command Barge and Annihilation Barge lines up shots at Kratos' Melta squad.

Zelos noted Kratos successfully repelling the Necron spearhead unit, but could also see the two skimmers next to his position pivoting towards the ruin they had charged into. Before he could vox a warning, both the two vehicles and another units of humanoid automatons emerging from behind the inly intact building in sight opened fire. Fully half of Kratos' unit collapsed where they were standing, as green energy beams practically flayed first their armour then their skin and flesh off of them.

The remainder of Kratos' squad quickly fell back out of the ruin again to regroup and administer emergency field repairs to their armour. They re-emerged from the window they'd entered through just in time to see one of the Obliterator squads fire a stream of projectiles and open a ragged hole through what looked like a metallic Whiptail Crustacean.

With Kratos back out of sight of the foe, Zelos knew they would have to shift their battle formation forward in order to engage. It was with a sense of resignation he realized where the robotic army's attention would shift to, and told his own squad to brace as another silver and red vehicle came straight towards them at high speed. He also saw the two skimmers moving up and turning their way before he ruin and his squad was bathed in that hellish green lightning. Another handful of Legionaries fell, and a unit of large metal warriors had appeared right in front of him.

This picture is from before Tom-Erik had finished moving his Night Scythe and deploy the Immortals, but I forgot to take any more pictures after this.

From his position by the front door of the ruined three-storey building, Kratos could see Zelos' squad coming under the same kind of fire his own squad had been subjected to. His pulse rose as he saw the surviving Chaos Marines storm from the ruin and charge a group of larger automatons that had appeared in front of their position. A Lascannon beam from the Obliterators up in the ruin on the other side of the street played across the flyer's fuselage of the flyer passing over them before igniting something close to the engine exhaust and sending it screaming back out over the desert.

As Zelos' Crozius fragmented its second gleaming skull and his squad's chain swords separated metal limbs from polished bodies, their opponents kept disappearing instead of collapsing. There would be no trophies to be had today, but it did make it easier to reach any enemy warriors still standing. As the last few vanished, his squad's champion voxed a warning. Another flyer was speeding towards them, and he could see the two skimmers moving in and powering up their weapons. By the time he made it back to his squad's original position, only a few Legionaries remained on their feet.

Tracing the energy beams back from Zelos's squad, Kratos realized that one of the skimmers must be almost on top of the impact crater he'd denied to the first enemy unit he'd slain. He spotted it as soon as he jumped back into the ruin again, and led his squad straight for it as they thumbed a Krak grenade each. The skimmer burst into flames and exploded before it too disappeared. The flames washing over him merely singed the edges of a few of his impurity seals.

Retaking their firing positions in the ruins where they'd started, Zelos saw that the remaining skimmer lay askew in the ruin next to it. As he judged the distance, thinking to bring it down in hand-to-hand, the robotic lord on top of it fired another salvo at his squad. As the green glow dissipated only Loth, the Meltagun specialist remained by his side. Kratos was left with only his squad's champion, and the Plasma squad had lost both their weapon specialists.

No devastating last volley came from the enemy positions, however. The silent warriors were all gone - leaving nothing but burn-marks and fallen Legionaries.

Chaos Space Marines Necrons

Four objectives (1+2+2+3) First Blood (Lychguard) Dead Fast Attack (Wraith) Two objectives (3+4) Line Breaker (Doom/Night Scythe)

8 1 1 10 VPs 7 1 8 VPs

Strategy rating 4!??

I guess it`s not everybody, except perhaps Jørn and Tom Erik, that remembers what strategy rating was all about- back in second edition that is. After that, it just kinda faded out of game history, until it`s all gone.
Strategy however, is part of the game, a vital one. The Eldar can deploy a very good generic character with a neat strategy rule, and a selection of wargear and weapons, to make a difference on the battlefield.

The Autarch.

At 125 points, he is equipped with a shuriken pistol, haywire grenades, plasma grenades, 4+ inv. save and an 3+ armour save. In addition, my Autarch has been given, mandiblasters, power sword and a fusion gun. For mobility - a warpspider jump generator.
This guy ads +1 to my reserve rolls, if I want him to, and if I have 2 Autarchs, it accumulates to +2.
With a high ws, bs and initiative he can really hold his own in both cc and a gunfight. The drawback is only s3. But all in all, this guy is teaming up with my warpspiders, making them a bit more versitile and able to go after armour 13 and 14.
He will be appearing at battlefields near you

Necrons pictures

As promised here are some pictures of my Necrons.
The army is about 2.200 points now, but at the moment I am painting up more infantry and some stalkers. Aslo need some more Tomb Blades, love those models!
As i am learing to play with these robot types I have found out that infantry is the thing! And some Crypteks with "veil of darkness"....
Hope to take them out for a new battle soon.

And at last a little teaser of what to come...

( very much vip as You can see...)

Battle report - Dark Eldar vs Necrons 2000p

Crusade (4 objectives) – Dawn of War – Night fight turn 1

(We skipped the rules for mysterious terrain and objectives, reckoning the scanners of the 41 millennia would revile their secrets anyway…)

Again it was time for the annual “new years game” with Per on one of his splendid gaming boards (TerranScapes). Having spent the last month on building terrain and new gaming boards, I really looked forward to an all evening of gaming (my first in 2013) and lots of good food and drinks!

DEPLOYMENT

The Necron army deployed first. To the northeast of the battlefield two units of Warriors and a unit of Destroyers. Destroyer lord. In centre a Doomsday Ark, Immortals with an Overlord and a unit of Destroyers. To the southeast a Monolith, two units of Warriors and a unit of Destroyers. A lot of 4+(3+)/5+ bodies…. One objective is hidden behind a large mesa (rock formation); another is hidden behind a rock spire to the southeast.

To the northwest the Dark Eldar deployed a Venom with Trueborn, a Raider with Warriors, a unit of Scourges and a Ravager. In centre, a unit of Scourges, two Raiders with Wyches, two Venoms with Trueborn (one with the Arcon), a Venom with Warriors and a Ravager. To the southwest a unit of Scourges, a Ravager, a Raider with Warriors and a Venom with Warriors. One objective is hidden behind a rockspire to the northwest, the last objective behind a large mesa (rock formation) in centre west.

Combat drugs – D6 – 6 – Feel no pain!

TURN ONE
To the north a Warrior unit moves out into the river, advancing slowly against the Dark Eldar. The second unit to the North moves onto the abjective behind the mesa. The Doomsday Ark advances, taking cover behind some rocks. The centre Destroyer unit moves forward and takes position on top of a low hill in centre, opening fire on the centre Scourges, killing one. To the south both Warrior units advance on the Dark Eldar, one of them securing the objective behind a rock spire. The Monolith adjusts its position.

Darkness had saved the Dark Eldar from the Doomsday Cannon and short-range weaponry of the Necron army. It was time to revenge the fallen Scourge. The whole of the Dark Eldar army adjusted their position, trying to find fire lanes against those of the Necron units that had advanced, and trying to keep in cover from the expected barrage of Gauss fire next turn. To the north the Warrior unit in the river was reduced to half strength. In centre the Doomsday Ark blew up, and the Destroyers in centre where all destroyed (first blood). To the south a Warrior unit took heavy casualties. Reanimation protocols – both Warrior units managed to maintain a decent unit strength.

TURN TWO
The Necron army altered their initial “get into Gauss rapid-fire range strategy”. To the north the Warrior unit in the river tried to get behind cover, but moved very slow. In centre the destroyer unit adjusted its position and took a defensive “reserve” strategy. To the south the Monolith headed east and took cover behind a rock spire. The two Warrior units to the south took cover behind a rock spire. The Necron army opened fire but did not manage to inflict severe damage.

The Dark Eldar did not intend to let their prey get away, and the whole army surged forward in pursuit. To the north the Scourges and Venom took up fire position against the northern Warrior unit, leaving a Warrior unit to guard the objective. In centre a second Warrior unit was left behind to guard the centre objective. The rest of the army moved forward, landing on top of mesas and finding fire lanes between rock spires. To the south a unit of Scourges moved up close to the river, flanked by a Warrior unit (bold move as they where out in the open…or where they – bate?). Again the sky was filled with Splinter fire and Dark light energy. The Destroyer unit to the north where destroyed, and one of the two Warrior units to the south was also destroyed. But the Warriors and Scourges, with support from Venoms, did not manage to take out the last Warrior unit to the south. To the north the Raider and Venom moved fast hiding behind the mesa that protected the Necron Warrior units and the objective to the north. They where joined by the two Raiders from centre with Wyches.

TURN THREE
The last Necron Warrior unit to the south broke cover and took up rapid-fire position against the Scourges on the other side of the river. The destroyer unit held in reserve to the south backed them up. The centre Destroyer unit mowed slightly north behind cover. The Monolith adjusted its position. The Warriors to the north surrounded the objective, and the smaller unit guarded the riverside (northern flank). Gauss fire lit up the reed desert. To the south the Scourge unit where wiped out, but one Warrior survived from the Warrior unit and managed his morale test.  

Revenge! Three Venoms took up fire position to the south towards the Necron Warrior squad who had wiped out the southern Scourge unit, backed by the centre Scourge unit. A unit of Warriors left their transport advancing on the Necron line to the south. A centre Ravager moved over the river to get a clear shot at the Monolith. On the centre Mesa, the other two Ravagers took up position to get a clear shot at the centre Destroyer unit. The northern Scourge unit moved over the river threatening the Destroyers and/ore the Necron Warriors guarding the northern objective. To the far north the Venom with Trueborn moved up, backed by three Raiders, one of them unleashing their Wyches. The Necron Warrior unit to the south took a severe beating. Again the Reanimation Protocols saved the Necrons, and the unit was still at good strength. The centre Ravager blew up the Monolith. The Ravagers and Scourges wiped out the centre Destroyer unit, but the Destroyer lord survived! To the north the Dark Eldar managed to inflict several wounds on the Warrior unit guarding the northern flank, but again – reanimation protocols. Ok, lets get personal! The Wyches charged. Crappy dice…. They did not manage to wipe out the 5 remaining Necron Warriors. Damn.

TURN FOUR
To the south the remaining Warriors moved back behind cover, protecting the Necron objective to the south. The Destroyers to the south moved west closing in on the Warriors and Venoms. In centre the Immortals moved towards the Ravager that had taken out the Monolith. The Warrior unit guarding the northern objective adjusted their position towards the centre Scourge unit. The Destroyer lord moved north. To the north the Warriors did not manage to destroy any of the Raiders or Venoms. In centre rapid fire killed four scourges, the remaining falling back. To the south the Destroyers blew up a Venom and the Immortals and the Overlord destroyed the Ravager.

Backed by fire from the Venom and Trueborn to the north, the second unit of Wyches supported the first squads assault. Nothing decisive in close combat (S3…..) In centre one Ravagers continued its hunt for the Destroyer lord, who where killed, but who cheated death! Irritating thing! To the south the remaining Scourge unit closed in on the river taking up fire position on the Immortals. Their where backed up by a Venom, a Venom moving over the river and a unit of Trueborn who left their transport (big mistake). To the far south the Warrior unit closed in on the river backed by a Venom with Trueborn and the Arcon. The last Destroyer unit was wiped out, and the Immortals took a severe beating, but not enough, and the Reanimation protocols saved ALL of the inflicted wounds!   

TURN FIVE
The Immortals adjusted their position and wiped out the Scourge unit to the south. The southern Warrior unit did not manage to inflict severe damage to The Dark Eldar. The Destroyer lord to the North assaulted a Raider behind the Necron line, but the Jink saved it. To the north, the Wyches finally wiped out the Necron Warriors. Power form paint – S4 – finally! They consolidated towards the Necron Objective to the north.

To the north the two units of Wyches closed in on the Necron Warrior unit guarding the objective. They where backed up by a Venom and a unit of Trueborn. In centre, the behind the flank Raider, a centre Raider and a Ravager took up fire position on the Destroyer lord. To the south, the three venoms, a Ravager, a unit of Trueborn with the Arcon, and a unit of Warriors massed upon the Immortals and the Overlord. To the North the Venom and pistol fire reduced the numbers of the Necron Warrior Squad. Then, the Wyches wiped out the Necron Warrior unit in close combat and claimed the objective. In centre, the Dark Lances killed the Destroyer lord, who again cheated death! Damn, damn, damn (irritating thing)! To the south the massed fire killed both the Immortals and the Overlord (who did not manage to cheat death). 

TURN SIX
The Destroyer lord flew towards the Wyches who guarded the northern objective. To the south, the Necron Warriors made a last heroic stand, knowing they would be shot to peaces in a moment… The Destroyer lord did not manage to charge run the Wyches og the objective.

The whole of the Dark Eldar force to the south massed upon the remaining Necron Warrior unit, wiping it out. Trueborn and Lance fire killed the Destroyer lord (again), this time – he died!

RESULT

Necrons 0 – Dark Eldar 12