Fail

Just like Last year I failed to complete the Dreadtober challenge. I've got quite a bit of progress done on the new Dread but he is not complete. I will get some photos of him tonight and post up my shame. He only needs a few hours more to be complete.

Dreadtober Returns!

Hey gang I'm going to try to participate in DreadTober again this year.  I did some ok progress last year but failed to complete my dread on time.  This year I'll be working on a Primaris Redemptor Dreadnought I picked up at WarGamesCon for a steal.  Head over to the DreadTober blog and follow along.

He'Stan has a brand new ride!

So this year for my birthday I bought myself a small present for my Salamanders.   The Land Raider Achilles I've been drooling over for ages.  Spent some time the other day getting the kit together.  There are some minor issues with the build instructions that made a small headache getting the main body together but than things just fell into shape.

I've still got to puddy in some gaps and then its on to painting!!!!

Dreadtober week 1

Week one did not end so well.  Time issues kept me from getting any prime and base coats on the dreads.  As I had a free weekend this past weekend I looked forward to making a lot of progress.  Well that didn't go as planned.

The dreads and some other models sitting around got their black prime coat done with only a small airbrush issue.  That was fixed early Saturday morning with a friends advice who uses this same basing airbrush more often.  Base coats on we gave them some time to cure and fired up the new green.

Well that just sucked.  The paint came out with a consistency of water, making it next to impossible to get a good coat on the models.  Due to his smooth surfaces the contempotor finally took a solid coat after three passes.  He has now become the focus of my efforts for the time being.

I have two new bottles of paint on order and hopefully it was a bad mix.  We shall see when they get here later this week.






Brother Ashmantle did not fair so well, with his volume of detail and sharp edges the paint just rain off him or pooled in places that had to be caught quickly.  He's the one I really wanted to concentrate on this cycle as I've had him sitting around for quite awhile.

There is your update for week one, hopefully week two will be much more productive.  I still think I'm on a good track for the contemptor but  now a very tight track for Ashmantle.

They return

Slowly but surely the marines take shape once more. I started out with an extra sprue ordered off of ebay so that I could maximize the amount of special weapons available to the new force.
 What is shown here are all of the heavy bolters and plasma guns built out. I've also got one each of the other weapons. The plan is to build each squad with a melta an missile launcher as standard and then have a few flamers and plasma to augment. The heavy bolters will probably form the core of my devastator squad. I really want some of the new HH era heavy weapons but I don't need 5 of each!!!

Not shown here are the 6 packs of salamander shoulder pads and the metal tactical and assault team shoulder pads picked up from the GW store Wednesday.

Reforging

The time has come to rebuild the Salamanders.  I have been unhappy with them for some time.  I've never been able to get a consistant color mix for airbrushing, thus most of the army shares a single base color but it shifts all over the place.

I've opted also to start with the heresy era mark 4 marine armor.  The snout has a draconic look and I think lends well to salamanders.  I've already played around with this when I built my custom sternguard some time ago.  I'll be keeping that squad, the scouts, and a few single models here and there.

The core of the new force will be the models from a Betrayal at Calth set.  I will probably be trolling ebay for some additional sprues to fill out three full squads with special weapons.

My goal is to build a demi company so I'll be picking up a dread and assault team at some point.

Look for changes around this site to reflect the rebuild.

Thanks!

SOOOONNN!!!!!

Please FW take my money!!!

Help some heros win an army

There is currently a raffle going on over the pond to win an amazing Salamanders army.  So really why not buy a ticket, help some folks out, win the best marine army around.

Project Management for Gamers

So recently there has been a small band wagon among my gamer friends to start a project board for our gaming projects.  It was started by a great pod cast that outlined how to use standard project management techniques, to wow actually manage our gaming projects.

As I've said before I have the project ADD of a Ferret.  I start stuff, either put it in the bag to use it or start something else before its finished.  The number of finished mini's I have compared to stuff in progress is sad, very very very sad.

So over here to the right under Fifth Chapter Readiness you'll see a new link for Project Board.  This is the public facing display of what I'm working on for the Salamanders.

Dono if it will help me work faster, but its shown me how bad I've been at working on Projects.

the Salamanders Project Board

Air Salamander

Flying boxcar of doom!!!!

So its been awhile since I've updated. Honestly I've been cheating on my Salamanders with the Tau.

I'm sure they will be best buddies when I get them on the table together, at least that's what the main rule book tells me. I did decide though that I needed to put the Tau down for a few days and work on a project that's been sitting around for quite awhile.

The storm Eagle!!!

I bought this kit last year as a birthday present to myself.  I figured I should go ahead and spend my birthday day off this year finally putting it together.   That was a mistake.  Worst way ever to spend my birthday off, this kit almost got to fly under its own power.  I've assembled a fair share of ForgeWorld kits, each brings their own challenges.  This one how ever is probably one of the hardest I've ever tackled.   Even after extensive heating and alignment, nothing went together they way it was supposed too.  The kit is fully assembled with the exception of the windshield that will go on last.  It will probably take me another full day of gap filling and cleanup before I can start the painting process.

The cool part, with this kit being almost 75% resin, it will cost me very little on Ebay to pick up enough parts to make a Storm Raven out of the leftovers!.  That will give me a Talon, Raven and Eagle.  Of course I have plans to replace my current talon with a much better model, but that is an update for a later date!

Now I just have to hope they don't finally come out with the plastic Thunder Hawk kit, then I'll truly have to have a fully air mobile Salamanders force.

Well Great

I really really really didn't need a new project, I still have to finish the little bird, and build the big one.  Now they taunt me with this!

Predator Infernus

Photos from WarGamesCon 2012

The event was a ton of fun but tiring.  Battle reports coming soon.

WarGamesCon 2010 Photos

Austin or Bust

Well I'm off to WarGamesCon.  I haven't played in a large scale event in a long time but it should be a blast.  I've already lost out on paint scores between models being unfinished and a nice frosting of dull coat to most of my models.  I'll try to get photos of my games and post battle reports as I can.

Storm Eagle unboxing

So my first foray into an unboxing video.  The kit is really really cool and I can't wait to get it built.  Enjoy and try not to laugh too much.

The Eagle has landed!

So I came home late Saturday night to find a wonderfully huge package on the front step.  The Storm Eagle had arrived from the UK!!!  The wife was amused by my sitting in bed reading over the assembly instructions at midnight after a long day.   I will try to do some sort of official un-boxing tonight, but for now gaze upon the resin glory! 

My wallet cries tonight

So giddy I could cry, and its already painted up in the right colors!!

The Un Announced, Un Released Marine Storm Eagle

http://www.forgeworld.co.uk/Home/Space_Marine_Stormeagle.html

***Update 4/6/2012  My precious my precious has been ordered!!!!

Forgeworld hates me!

I really really think they hate me, I think they have it in for me.  How can I possibly afford the awesomeness they released today!

Salamanders Venerable Dreadnoght Brayarth Ashmantle this guy isn't just Vulkan made...he was MADE BY VULKAN!

and for my decorating needs Salamanders Etched Brass Icons

I didn't learn the first time

So I went against the rule I made at the HTUD double tourney, "build the army then enter the tourney".  I've signed up for the local escalation league at a new game store here in town.  Granted I have the start of my army mostly painted, but for the end games I'm going to need to get cracking on some of the bigger units.

Look for more updates soon.

Oh Shiney

So after a very very long afternoon with my previous airbrush it was time for an upgrade.  Today my new baby came in the mail.  I am now the proud owner of a Badger 155 Anthem double action airbrush!  She's all shiny and new.  Now if I just had time to fire her up.

W.I.P

It was a slow weekend at the forges, not much accomplished.

First up is our experiment in painting, our Chaplin in Power Armor.  I was intrigued by an article over at the Vanus Temple about painting black using layers of inks and washes only.  I misread a crucial step and washed with the wrong brown town on the second step, but it just took a couple more washes of black.  He doesn't look to bad.  My biggest issue with the technique is the issue of cleaning up if you slip up doing detail work.  With a normal base coat you can come back later with a touch up, but with the washes there is no such ability.  I'm having to be very very slow on all the detail work.  I've also opted to go with a very dark version of the green I'm using on the rest of the force for his trim.  I figured lets keep his whole theme dark.

Next up on the WIP parade is the impulse buy from Sat.  I was at a local game store that tends to carry older out of print stock.  I was looking for a specific sisters Sgt which no one seems to have.  I found this guy lurking in the back and got excited and bought him with out really thinking.  He is going to work perfectly, but I thought he was out of print.  I really should have checked first!  I could have picked him up later.  Oh well I present Company Champion Dugal.  He's got a combat shield ad on to take him from Emperors champion to Company Champion and it looks better then I dreamed once I got it in place.


That's all for now, still on the painting table is squad 2, and the rest of the Assault squad.  As well as our dear friend the Dreadnought.