Friday, 29 May 2015

Carrier has Arrived

I've been busy working on the reinforcements for my Imperial fleet - Battlefleet Valkyrie. Last time I asked which way I should expand the fleet and the Exorcist & Dictator option won handily which I was pleased with as the lure of all those launch bays was very tempting.

Now the tricky part was that I didn't have an actual model for an Exorcist and didn't fancy buying one - they aren't cheap and I should probably focus on painting what I already have anyway.

What I did have were some rather abused plastic cruisers that I'd picked up as part of other trades... If only there was a way to convert them into something I could use as a grand cruiser...

Two new Capital Ships - The cruiser Ranger (Dictator) and grand cruiser Diligence (Exorcist).

Monday, 25 May 2015

BFG: Battlefleet Valkyrie

I've got something a little bit different to show today.

Over the last few months I've gradually been picking up more and more Battlefleet Gothic ships via eBay and various trade groups. I've always enjoyed playing the game and was involved in a campaign a few years ago which was great fun but since moving to Bristol I haven't had anybody to play against. So I've just been buying ships on a whim without having the motivation to actually get them painted.

Until now.

Battlefleet Valkyrie

Sunday, 17 May 2015

The Humble Thorakitai FO

The Thorakitai Forward Observer (FO, for short) is probably the best unit in Steel Phalanx - possibly even in Aleph as a whole.

Yes, in a faction with ODD-equipped Heavy Rocket Launcher wielding lunatics, Ballistic Skill 20 Snipers, four-armed murder TAGs and even Achilles himself, this simple 13 point model is unrivalled in value and stands out as a pinnacle of efficiency.

This is a bold claim I know, but one that I think I can back up. So let's take a detailed look at the profile and see if I can really justify this bold claim.

Thorakitai - the real heroes of the Human Sphere!

Pretty in Pink

In my last post, about Chaos Hounds, I mentioned that I had a Marauder Beast Handler next in line on my painting table, and I actually got him done fairly quickly.

I also took the opportunity to try out some Vallejo Metal Medium as I'd never used it before and really wanted to play with various strange metallic colours if I moved towards doing Tzeentch and Slaanesh warbands for both Fantasy and Rogue Trader.

So this is my first attempt. I have to admit that after I'd put on the first coat of pink I picked up the model, giggled in an entirely un-manly way, and ran over to show Emma what it looked like. I may have even exclaimed that 'he looked as pretty as a princess'!

"He looks expensive." - Emma

Sunday, 10 May 2015

Bark! Grr! Woof!

I also considered naming this article Doggy Style, but I was concerned that it would bring in the wrong kind of traffic and would leave people disappointed...

My quest to complete my collection of Chaos Hounds has come to an end and they've all been painted and based now. You can find my post about the beginnings of the collection here.

Undead, Two-Head, Hound 3 and Hound 5 were a very thoughtful Valentines present from my girlfriend. It turns out that the way to a man's heart is via small metal soldiers. Who knew? The rest were sourced from the Oldhammer Trading Group so thank you to everyone who helped me out.

Overall I'm really happy with the final result and I'm looking forward to getting them onto the battlefield. In the meantime though they'll have to settle for prowling around my display cabinet.

"I have just met you and I love you!"

Saturday, 2 May 2015

Salute 2015

I haven't been to Salute for a very long time. I've always though of it as being just too big, with long queues and quite far away on the far side of London.

But this year I was invited down by a friend to run Infinity demo games on the day. So with free entry, no queues and the chance to coincide it with a visit of nearby friends and family I was set to go, and I have to say I'm glad I did.

It was a lot easier to get to than I remember and travelling on the Docklands Light Railway is always enjoyable actually. You do get some nice views of some of the shinier parts of London and the station is pretty much right next to the venue too.

The huge range of games and traders was very impressive, although I was disappointed to find that the bring and buy had been axed previously. Still, I'd recommend it to anyone who is on the fence about attending next year.

For a one-day event, Salute is freaking huge! It's hard to see, and impossible to play, everything there.