Dark Eldar take on Chaos

Had a stonking game of 40K this weekend just gone. 1500 points of Dark Eldar versus 1500 points of Chaos Marines in the Relic scenario.

The game had a number of comedy moments including an Obliterator shooting a plasma cannon into a swirling melee nearly taking out his Daemon Prince commander, and then a Wrack nabbing the relic only to run off when his mates were wiped out dropping it along the way. Golden stuff but you had to be there to appreciate it.
Anyway I really enjoyed the game and seem to be getting into the swing of the new rules. In the end the Chaos scum won on the secondary objective of first blood. It just goes to show it is important play aggressively in the new improved 40K ruleset. Looking forward to some more soon.

Numberjacks

No, not the children’s programme that is a current fav of my little girl. Numbers on big, indeed Colossal, ‘jacks!
I put some dirty wash on the Conquest tonight but had 10 mins to spare while it was drying so started on some of the markings. I used an old Imperial guard transfer sheet to get some suitable numbers for his right shoulder pad. All the other ‘jacks in my army have a number on their right pad so the Conquest gets the same treatment to help unify the models. A little tip I have learned is to cut as much of the clear backing away as possible to avoid gloss later on. A pair of micro-scissors help.

After cutting the transfer is applied as carefully as possible and nudged around using a wet brush until I am happy with the result. I used the bolts on the bottom of the pad to help judge where each would go.
When the transfers are dry I apply a little micro-set to help keep them in place. When that is dry it will be on to the weathering …..

And voila, a little bit of scratching with a pin and the effect is achieved.

Conquest well on the way

I’ve used the Conquest in a couple of games already and I am liking the model and the way it plays.
Today I finished scrubbing off the salt, did some more weathering and got the base done to a reasonable standard. As a club-mate commented he looks pretty good already and I’m happy to use it like this. Over the coming weeks I’ll gradually add detail to bring him to the same standard as my other Khador ‘jacks.

Karchev Smashed (again!)

Had one of those really short anticlimactic games with Karchev this Sunday. He was facing a 50pt Skorne list with two bronze backs in a scenario with an explosive cache in the centre of the board.
Stupidly I assumed Karchev could get over the marker with his tow trick but it was not to be and he was left exposed facing backwards in the centre of the board. Doh! A bronze-back beat back the jugger in the way and had no trouble finishing Karchev off on the follow up.
Another one to add to the list of spectacular loses with the big guy. I do love him but goodness he can be a liability!

Conquest makes debut with Harkevich

I’ve airbrushed most of the base colours on the Conquest and had a chance to field it today. Across the board 50 points of Skorne headed by eMourghoul.
The Conquest looked very intimidating and plodded forward firing it’s guns with the help of Harkevich. It was something of an anticlimax as the guns failed to make an impression on the enemy but the Conquest did soak up a massive amount of damage and stood toe to toe with a Bronzeback and Rhinodon for most of the game. I like the model and it appears to be good but not broken in terms of game play. For me that’s perfect as it will get plenty of use but won’t be off putting to opponents.
As for the rest of the game it was an epic affair which eventually went the way of the Skorne Warlock as he lived up to his name and assassinated Harkevich.
A special shout to Ken for hosting the game on his rather nice Skorne themed table.

More Jokers

Having taken heavy casualties in the club mini-campaign I decided to paint up some recruits for my troop.
First up is Grusha and Fifi. I like the idea of a circus ringmaster and her performing animal but I have to say this sculpt is dreadful. The manufacturers picture looks ok but the production mini is poor. The first problem I had is that she broke at the ankle; next problem was that the hoop was bent out of shape and it is very hard to get it to look right again; finally the details on the tunic are poorly reproduced. Fifi, on the other hand, is a nice miniature and I had no problems with him/her/it.

Next up is Stipan. I like Stipan. He is cheap, a straight forward fugly clown with a baseball bat, and he has the very cool special ability ‘insulting belch’.

I’m feeling a bit Jokered out now. I have 11 models in my troop which gives me lots of options. Just hope I won’t be raiding the Eden box for more Jokers after the next club game!

Making bricks from real bricks!

I’ve been painting more Jokers this week. I have taken heavy casualties in the club mini-campaign and need more bodies in my troop. More about the new members soon, but I thought I would make a post about the bricks I am using on my Joker’s bases.
I wanted to create a post-Apoc urban ruins vibe for the my joker’s bases. One of the main ways I went about trying to achieve this was my using bricks. These are actually real bricks which have been cut down to a tiny size. I found them in an eBay shop and they are rather nice but not cheap.

Even these tiny bricks are too large so I cut them down with a set of clippers designed for breaking down mosaic tiles. These have a flat blade to help keep the sides of the bricks straight.

Simply glue the bricks onto your post Apoc base, and voila, with any luck it has helped create the desired illusion.