Looking back at the last 18 months or so

It has been a good couple of years on the hobby front and this blog has benefited from both the variety and intensity of my indulgences.

In early 2012 -13 I had been playing Warhammer 40k, my Dark Angels and put a lot of time and effort into the new models and some real learning from the games we played. Very enjoyable but large scale and a lot of effort required.

A change of pace was needed and so Star Wars X-Wing was discovered. We loved it. Totally new game mechanics and each game was of short duration. A blast to learn and play.

The game acted as inspiration. We had played many games over over recent years and recognised the joy of getting away from the large scale stuff for a blast of fun to break things up. Short sharp games with lots of action and dice rolling. Heroic acts where you could risk all and maybe, just maybe it would come off. A new game was born - Dark Crucible

Myself and the Dark Templar spent several months developing the game. The idea was to have something that most people with a small collection of models could play on a coffee table. We started with an agile, lightly armoured force, the Celts against the more heavily armoured and regimented force, the Romans. We wanted each side to have 5 -10 models and so it began.

We tried a few different systems of game mechanics. This was not easy but definitely great fun.

I had the pleasure of being the Celts and coming up with ideas to bring them to life. I wanted them to be fast and lightly armoured Tribesmen.

War band by Michael at 28mm Victorian Warfare

I started doing some reading and really liked the idea of having reckless, body painted/tattooed , semi naked freaks to give character. We also discussed the influence of magic or the druids. This was very important to the Celts. The idea of The Morrigan was born, influencing all on the battlefield.

I have recently discover this model, I just need to figure out how and where to buy it ;-)

Game development was great fun. We came up with the concept and the starter rules in the first couple of months and then began to develop stage two. To be honest I think we should have bedded in stage 1.  Finished it off properly and then launched into stage 2 but ..... excitement got the better of us. It was a great break from the norm though and something for us to revisit maybe later in the year.

At this point we rediscovered a long lost friend Blood Bowl!

There followed a manic few months where first I played by Orks and then my Skaven. It was pure joy. 

I launched myself into scenery building first for the Orks and then for the Skaven. This was all new to me and it added to the joy in a big way.

We had been away from the large scale games now for a while and Gameworkshop brought out the 7th Edition for 40k. We couldn't resist and new rules were purchased, new models bought and new armies developed.

First my 1500 point army which was victorious and then my Ultimate 2500 point Walker Army which did not fare so well. But it was fun all the way with great banter and name calling!!

Christmas has been heralded with the arrival of a new venture - Zombicide.

I am already deep in the painting phase and my Zombies are gradually becoming drenched in blood. Now that just has to be a great start to the year!!

Roll on 2015 and all the fun that it brings.

Happy gaming out there in hobby land.

My own sweet Fezglitch

When looking at the game 3 options for inducements I gave a lot of consideration to taking the maniac that is the Skaven Star Player - Fezglitch. Complete chaos in a single drive for 100,000gp.

Sense prevailed however and in the morning I did not take him.

However on the evening before I wanted to make sure that I had a model in place if needed so I paid a visit to the bits box.

I found an old chaos bit of chain attached to a skull. I glued a plastic marine head to the end of it and then covered in a very thin layer of green stuff before attaching it to some plastic rod that was on a tank sprue and hey presto I had something to represent the man himself.

But surely he has to have a 'fez'!

That famous' Tommy Cooper' hat. I am going to give it a try with some green stuff and lets see how it goes.

He he ...

Its the little things in life that makes the difference :-)

Skilling up a Gutter Runner - part 2

Well after game one we had lots of discussion about Skilling up a Gutter Runner

Following game 3 three I am now in a position to implement some of the advice received.

Defensive Gutter Runner
As you can see - Gutter Runner number 1 Plagueric Carbunkle has made great strides and now stands on 17 SPP's. I had given him Block, which served great in game 2, and am proposing to add Tackle for the second skill

This means that other players are not allowed to use their dodge skill when in his tackle zones. This also applies to Block dice 'Defender Stumbles'.

Plagueric is really starting to stand out and this will help to maintain his progress. He should be a menace from now on especially tying up the ball carrier or potential receiver. Dodge and Block to keep him on his feet and Tackle to prevent those agile types from using Dodge to get away.

Blitzing Gutter Runner

Treek Throttle blitzed the Dark Elf, Heartrender and killed him outright. It seems only fitting that he becomes the first Blitzing Gutter Runner build. His 6 SPP's have given him his first skill and I am thinking of 'Wrestle'. This will be to aid him in making Blocks.

Wrestle means that if 'Both Down' is the result of a block, both players are placed 'prone' (even if one has the Block skill) and it does not cause a turnover unless the active player has the ball.

The aim will be to combine this with a 'Strip Ball' skill. This will mean that even if the opposing player is not knocked down a roll 'Pushed' or 'Defender Stumbles' will strip the ball.

The result is that anything other than a 'Skull' would strip the ball. Now that is a potent combination!

Note

What is interesting is that now I have 3 players with skills I am starting to feel that 1 apothecary is not a lot of saves!

STOP PRESS

We had been playing the Apothecary incorrectly - having had the feedback we did a reroll. I got my Lineman back and Heartrender is miraculously returned, with a broken ankle.

As such I have spent my money on another Thrower taking my numbers to 13. Its where I wanted to be.

Dead (well broken as it turns out) but not forgotten

It seems such a shame. The Dark Elf Darkblades blitzer, 'Heartrender' has departed this life. The Dark Templar had gone to such trouble to represent his increased AG by bringing in a special plastic model to make him distinctive and then cutting out a suitable heart shape and mounting it proudly on his chest.

A real stand out thought. I would be a shame for all that hard work to leave the league ;-)

So the 'life taker', skaven Gutter Runner number 4, Mr Treek Throttle ripped that heart shaped symbol for the chest of his victim and is now proudly displaying it as am emblem of his outstanding blood bowl skill.

Here he is in all his glory on the practice ground this morning.

Can you tell? Its almost like there is a life force emanating from that heart. The spirit and agility of the dark elf, Heartrender lives on in the in the most fast moving of Blood Bowl players - Gutter Runner, Treek Throttle. Well named for his ability to 'throttle' the opposition and the 'full throttle' speed that got him to Heartrender in the first place - 9MA and 2 GFI's to give 10 movement and a successful Blitz action!

STOP PRESS

After a reroll of the Apothecary (we had been doing it wrong) Heartrender is returned to life, but with a smashed up ankle. I'm keeping the heart though - lol.

Learning the lessons of a Skaven defeat

This weekend saw a rematch between my Rats and the Dark Elves. The Dark Templar has done an excellent match report so I won't duplicate his excellent work. In essence I lost the game 1:2 - but why? What was the learning?

Well first off the Dark Elves played some different, and as it turned out, very effective tactics that forced me to use my Dodge skill much more than previously. From the get go he played an all out zonal defence using two lines of players to cover the board with two sets of tackle zones.

This was to defeat my previous tactics of opening two holes in his single defensive line and then pouring through with my speedy Gutter Runners causing chaos in the back field and scoring quickly. One hole centrally using Block and then a second on one of the wings using a Blitz.

However, I still should have been able to achieve my goal by opening a hole in the first line using Block and then saving my Blitz to open a hole in the second line directly behind the first. In order to do this I would play a refused flank which would bunch up my Gutter Runners to take full advantage of this tube like hole. They should still be able to pour though and fan out maybe using a 'Go For It' or two at the end of my turn to squeeze the extra bit of distance  out of the turn. This would pull back his defence, create some space and allow me to advance the ball.

So what went wrong?

In truth I messed up. I set myself up perfectly, concentrating to the right hand side of the line of scrimmage which is where I intended to make my breech. Placement of my Blitzers and Gutter Runners was the vital component. I counted out the squares needed in my head and I was ready. Then distraction.... I noticed that I did not have full coverage of tackle zones to the left and I thought about the Kick Off table..... what if he got the jump on me? He could flood through into the back field...... So just before the start I shifted my guys slightly to the left and in so doing moved my blasted Blitzer out of range for his vital move. IDIOT!! I shouted at myself (in my head) once I realised my error early in the first turn.

Now instead of a hole I had created a small bulge to the right hand side. Not my plan and was forced into a defensive 'cage' until I could rectify the situation.

And forced is the wrong word. I was stupid enough to advance the ball and form a cage with the rats which invited trouble. I could have easily hung back and used the Gutter Runners more wisely. Not only this but I moved my claw Blitzer to the side of the pitch. I promised myself never to this. The Skaven only have two Blitzers and it is vital to keep them central to the action if I am going to force the game. I learned this in the second half of the last match.

The Dark Templar brought the pressure, which I was to expect. He started hitting me hard and man marking my Gutter Runners. This is fine normally because I can suck him in close and then dodge out to create the much needed width and fluidity to my turn.

However not on this occasion. Over 3 turns I failed 6 consecutive dodge rolls (failed dodge followed by failed reroll) causing turnovers in the process. There was a limited amount of movement and Blocking in between, but limited is the right word. This allowed the Dark Elves to get really close and stay close and pummel me. Ouch, ouch and treble ouch. I started to lose players to the sidelines with high dice rolling by the Dark Elves. My dugout was filling up fast. I had only started with 11 players so this was going to be both a short and medium term problem.

At the beginning it was funny as I loaded up the new orderlies stretcher. It became less funny which each occasion!

I lost both Blitzers, the guy with the claw was my own poor placement. He got bundled into the crowd with some shrewd push blocking! One of my Linemen DIED! and I lost more to the KO'd box.

Any kind of recovery from this position would require a minor miracle and to be fair in the second half I nearly pulled that off with some extreme tactics and very lucky dice rolling which is alway spectacular.

Six to Throw followed six to Catch for my touchdown wan't bad! (but not to be relied on)

Learning

1. Make a plan and then focus on its implementation. Beware the distracting thoughts.

2. Reduce the need for dice rolling and where possible give yourself the maximum opportunity for success.

3. Blocking and Blitzing is better than Dodging. Bringing up a Lineman or two and Blitz your way into space with a Gutter Runner. This may be more guaranteed than Dodging. At least to get one guy free and give width to the game.

4. Position the Blitzers with care and focus them on the action. I was much better at this in the second half. I would Blitz out to the sidelines but then recover to a more central position. This also creates greater threat.

5. Rats need numbers. During a game it is clear that I will need reserves so make sure that there  are at least 13 players in the squad. Otherwise you may find yourself with a very thin defensive line a vital stage in the game.

6. Use the Thrower to pick up the ball - but don't be afraid to handoff to a speedy Gutter Runner. Speed and movement at the back of the field potentially opens up space. Moving left and right stretches the defensive and staying deep can just mean that there is more space downfield. Patient - be patient.

An unwelcome visitor

Todays game was the most spectacular and eventful clash so far. It was packed full of fun. Tiring in fact. And for the first time both sides had a visitor that no Apothecary could prevent & both tried.

Oh the soul can be chilled when the wrong dice appear.

I lost one of my Linemen. He had 2 SPP's and now he is gone!

But the big news is the departure of the main Dark Elf player. He had the additional point of AG and had been playing incredibly well. Picking up the ball despite multiple tackle zones. He was head and shoulders above everyone else.  Heartrender is DEAD!

He was taken down as he strode out for the end zone. I managed to get one Gutter Runner to him and then called for bold move. Treek Throttle, another Gutter Runner dodged out of one tackle zone, dodged through a second, moved his full MA and was one square away from Heartrender. I passed my 'Go For It' roll and then a second 'Go For It' roll to make the Blitz. It was a single dice Blitz and BAM down went Heartrender.

"I don't believe it" said the Dark Templar, but worse was to follow!

The Dark Templar was fielding this new model for the first time. He had painstakingly cut out a heart symbol and had it on  the chest all painted up.

But it did not save him. I rolled high on the armour roll and eleven on the injury table. 'Take him from the field' was the cry. And then we rolled again ...... and death made his second appearance of the day. There was no saving him. We were stunned. A minutes silence - pray!

More later - but what a day.

Fezglitch Star Player - inducement option

It would appear that I have 110,000gp to spend on inducements. I have had a look at the possibilities  and I can afford to take Star Player, Fezglitch. I am short on numbers anyway so this could be an interesting addition.

We have not used star players so far - so this might be interesting.

Statistics 

MA4 (low but he moves unconventionally), St 7 (amazing), AG 3 (average), AV 7 (average)

Special Skills

Loner - Can only use a team reroll if a D6 roll can be passed (4-6 = pass)

Ball & Chain - Can only make Move actions. Place the Throw-in template over the player (you can choose which of the 4 possible directions to face. Move one square in the direction indicated by the D6. Do this unto 4 times i.e. his MA. You can also do this for GFI. No dodge rolls are taken. You Block any occupied square that is passed over (friend or foe) and keep moving. A prone or Stunned player is pushed back and an armour roll made. You must follow up. If Fezflitch is knocked down it is a straight armour roll as Stunned results are treated as KO'd.

Disturbing Presence - You need to be within 3 squares for this to apply. Any Pass, Catch or Intercept subtract 1 from the dice roll. The Dark Elves don't Throw much but ....

Foul Appearance - In order to Block Fezglitch a D6 must be passed. (2-6 = pass)

No Hands - Can't pick up or carry the ball.

Secret Weapon - At the end of a drive that this player has been part of - he is sent off!! This makes him a 'one trip' pony and no mistake!

Summary

There is a lot to consider here. He is unpredictable and does not play well with others. He will only be on the field for one drive. So - how to play him.

I feel that he has the potential to chaos. I would want that to happen in my opponents turn. He could go through a cage like a knife through butter. Anywhere that players are bunched up. His strength 7 means that he is nearly always making a 2 dice Block move. And his Disturbing Presence means that he can impact the Pass, Catch from 3 squares away.

There will be an occasion when the Dark Elves want to hold onto the ball on a long drive. With Fezflitch on the field  he could help to force the issue to get me the ball back.

Questions

Has anyone used him / come up against him in a game? If so, I would welcome your thoughts.

Looking at Game 3

With the big game approaching (v the Dark Elves this Saturday) I thought I would review my Skaven, Boomtown Rats. We are in pretty respectable shape although down one member for this game. At least this reduces my team value but I am reduced to the bear minimum in terms of player numbers and this may be a problem if I lose someone early.

Opportunities - Gutter Runners

Two of my gutter runners (Stikck & Treek) are on 3 SPP's. They only need to get to 6 for a skill upgrade so it will be important to give them a shot at achieving this outcome. Even Garab is on two SPP's so he also has a shot. My main man Plagric is on 9 and has acquired Block. I think that I will be using him in defence for man marking and the like. He was very effective in the second half of Game 2 in this role. However if given the chance to score and then achieve MVP he could be looking at his second upgrade.

Opportunities - Blitzers

Well the claw is the obvious starting point. My team leader good old Bubonost (I have decided Bob for short after Bob Geldof, seems appropriate) acquired this honour by rolling a double after the last game. He has 7 SPP's. If he survives the game and gets MVP this will grant 5 SPP's taking him to 12. So he is close to a second upgrade at 16. I intend to use him to gain casualties and these grant 2SPP's each. In attack, any armour roll of 8 or more will cause a casualty so his chances are better than most.

My other Blitzer Pustitt has 2 SPP's. So if Bob doesn't get enough casualties then he will be a good candidate for MVP which would grant him an upgrade.

Opportunities - Linemen

Boilrost is carrying 2 SPP's from game 1. I would really like one of the Linemen to have the Kick skill so it will be important to give him every opportunity to achieve this by Blocking when he has the chance. Kick would improve ball placement at the Kickoff and therefore allow more extreme placement.

Summary

So what will a good game look like? Well I would like to get at least 2 touchdowns and have them scored by 2 different Gutter Runners, preferably numbers 3 & 4 Stikch & Treek granting them 3 SPP's each and an upgrade each.

I would like Bob to achieve a couple of casualties and have MVP for his second skill upgrade.

After that it would be good if my Lineman got lucky with a casualty and maybe my Thrower Compolk could deliver a successful Pass.

Clearly it would be good to win and get some decent cash and I am thinking of investing in another Thrower which costs 70,000gp. I have 30k in the bank.

Other than that I really want Bob to survive the game to keep his Claw in action, also it would be disappointing if anything happened to my Gutter Runner, Plagric. But hey thats Blood Bowl - you got to take the rough with the smooth but it would be nice for there to be more smooth than rough ;-)

It should be a fun game - bring it on.

Hakflem Skuttlespike - Skaven Star Player

Over the last few weeks I have been 'playing' with this model. He is a 3rd edition version and my guys are second edition but he still looks pretty cool.

He is expensive in the game at 200,000gp with base stats of MA9, ST3, AG4, AV7. His skills are Loner, Dodge, Extra Arms, Prehensile Tail, Two Heads.

Prehensile tail - opponent must subtract 1 from their dodge roll.

Extra Arms - add one to the dice roll when picking the ball up

Dodge - a Dodge reroll

Loner - has a 50 / 50 chance to use team rerolls

Two heads - add one to dice rolls when dodging (makes him AG5 when dodging)

What this results in is a player who is good at picking up the ball and excellent at dodging The MA9 and AG4 means he has the speed and agility of a Gutter Runner, ST3 means he has the strength of a Blitzer. Quite a weapon.

Here he is under lights and through the scope.

He has been great fun  to paint and there is a tremendous amount of detail. The scope and extra lighting has been a great help to see this and then pick some of it out.

I always found eyes to be a problem. The scope is really helping me on this front as is the GW Technical white paint. It has a consistency that means you can apply a really small white dot much more easily. I really recommend that people try it out.

Anyway - a small bit more work to do on him - but a great addition to the team.

Games Workshop Technical paints

Between buying cards and flowers and all that Valentines stuff (I think the whole world was shopping at lunch time today) I made a fruitful visit to the Games Workshop and had a very interesting conversation re their Technical paints.

They are more than just paint with some having texture and others that crack when dry - very interesting indeed and I can see that they would be very good for creating the effects required when terrain building. Its worth a chat to the GW guys if you have not done so already.

I bought two - 'ardcoat and Nurgles Rot. I have applied them to the Skaven Dugout and achieved some decent results. Especially the 'ardcoat which is a brush on gloss effect. I have it on the gloop in the pipe and it is giving a nice watery sheen. I have using the Nurgles Rot to seep from some of the cracks on the terrain.

Thanks for the recommendations guys. Forever learning.

According to ebay my next project is 'in the post'. I have purchased some drummers for the orcs. Well 4 to be exact. Should be a fun addition. I wonder if they will arrive tomorrow?

Dry brushing

I have been putting it off because I wasn't really sure how to tackle the dry brushing. All the advice was to use this technique to 'knock back' the strong blue. Well last night I thought to myself that the time had come. I mixed up some of the blue with some grey and started.

Didn't like the outcome. Then I added some white and went at it again. Didn't like the outcome. Then I just went for it! Bold strokes and some dabbing. While I was at it I added loads of colour to the gloop in the pipe and then a red ink and put some white splotches in for luck.

Anyway it was all very new to me and it was fun. Its a lot less blue now :-)

I was thinking that it must be good to do one of those oil paintings where you are using a knife to apply the paint. Lots of texture and boldness in the application of colour.

I think thats one of the nice things about the hobby. You find yourself doing new things and learning as you go.

Skaven Scoreboard

I spent some time yesterday working on a scoreboard for the Skaven. The Orc Scoreboard that I made earlier was really basic. (A cardboard box with two cocktail sticks) It looks good on the playing field but is very basic. This time I want to be able to have the team names and scores on something more traditional.

The Dark Templar has very kindly sorted me out with a logo for the Rats so - time to put it good use.

I printed it out to the size that I wanted and then used it to set the scale for the rest of scoreboard. I used a piece of cardboard (a pizza box) and then cut out holes for where the team names and scores would go. The cutting mat is new and really useful. I was getting tired of making a mess on the newspapers. I was ending up with bits of paper everywhere in tiny triangles, very messy. I even purchased a steel ruler and this is great to run the blade along. No more shaving pieces off the plastic ruler. The Rats logo will be in the square on the left.

Once this was done I constructed  a framework behind the holes so that I could insert cards with the names and scores. I used plastic card for this as it is more rigid. To be honest I should have done something very simple but got really caught up in it and it is way too complicated. It works - thats the main thing! But I have learned a lesson - keep it simple stupid.

Here it is in all its glory. As you can see I went with the logo colours of black and red. Lets hope that the scoreline reflects the next match ;-)

Skaven Dugout on track

Its been a good day for the hobby. I have spent some time on the skaven dugout and finally put some models in it. I think it will look good good on the next games day. I have the Reserves suitably chained up and waiting for the instruction to get out there and do the business.

For me, its still a bit too Blue. I intend to put a big scoreboard behind it so this should help but ..... I am having the feeling that I will change something. I like the stable area and McMourning coffin area. It was a great suggestion to put some advertising behind the KO'd area. I like it very much and it breaks the whole areas up. Slazenger and Hertz - I will never look at them the same again :-)

I have also been working on my orc cheerleader. So small, but so lovely. It is so difficult to get the detail right and I am finding it good to take pictures on the iPad and then look at where I have issues. So much bigger in the photos. My wife, Sue,  has suggested one of those magnifying glasses under a light. Might be worth thinking about. Anyway I like this babe a lot. She still a name ?

Bull obviously agrees! I do like a male that knows what he wants.

I would like to thank everyone for your constructive contributions. It has been great to see your ideas and then build them into the final model. Thanks guys I really appreciate your input. I do love the hobby and the proactive way that people are prepared to contribute.

Skaven Dugout Progress

Been a good morning on the construction and painting front. I have gone for a 'nest' type look to the Reserves area.

Between the rain showers I managed to get outside and throw some base paint on dugout. I then went for that shadow blue colour and the main stay.

I went for a green type colour for the fluid.

I added a few highlights in lighter greens and even some whites attempting to give a directional flow feel. I plan to hit it hard with ink and then cover it all again in pva so that it glistens. We will have to see how it works out.

I have gone for a dirty brown colour in the Dead area and a 'straw like' feel to the Reserves. Lots still to do. loads of detail to be added. However it has started out well.

This afternoon its Ireland v Wales in rugby. Huge match! Come on Ireland.

A brand is born - The Boomtown Rats

That old Dark Templar has been at it again and this time we have a Skaven logo to introduce. I give you the Boomtown Rats. I really have to sort out my Captain and call him 'Bob'.  lol.

Well lots has been going on at this end. I have paid another visit to ebay and had two more deliveries today. I do like the postman. We are getting on famously. I even have some bids on other items. Oh - it is going to be so fun revealing all.

The Dugout is coming along fine. I paid another visit to Hobbycraft today and made some purchases so all going well tomorrow will be productive! Especially as the weather is supposed to be terrible - rain, rain, rain. At least it is good for the hobby.

I got the old Astro Granite out today the the Rats have been out scurrying about getting used to the feel of the place.

You see what I mean - this is their surface. Enough of all that grass and sunlight.

Bring on the weekend and I might even get some paint on that Dugout.

Skaven Dugout building

I just love the idea of a sewer. I have never really got into Terrain building but the Orc Dugout was fun so I decided to go for the sewer option for the Skaven. I like the idea of flowing water and plan to use lots of Pva for this. The design is to have the main sewer at the back of the dugout.

The Dead area will have access to the sewer so that bodies can be 'dumped'! Loving this idea.

The KO'd area will have some kind of platform with an outflow and the Reserves area is yet to be decided.

First up was the construction of the main sewer. After some cutting and gluing we had the first results, not bad.

I put some card down the centre of it and loaded up the Pva for that watery look. I added a few bones for effect.

Next I wanted some stairs from the Dead area as access to a metal platform over the top of the sewer.

Then I stared on the central platform for the KO'd area. I also added an inlet pipe at the back with some fluid flowing into the main sewer. Through the main platform I created a low level outlet pipe and again used Pva for the fluid effect.

Then I measured out the size of tile required, cut them and placed them in a pattern to fill the space. The remaining areas were filled with square tiles prior to being glued into place.

What to do with the reserves area??

Game review and new project

Well I have had the chance to update the roster and customise my Blitzer in readiness for the next challenge. He seems to be right at home despite his rather large protrusion ;-)

I have had some deliberation time and it is obvious to me that the reason we lost was lack of fan support. Well what can you expect playing in the Orcland Raider stadium? Its the travel distance you see - no home advantage. And also - the rats don't like the light and the grass. This is serious and must be rectified.

So this evening a new construction project has begun!

Now where do rats live - well the sewer of course! Oh yes - bring it on. Home field advantage, those Darkside Darkblades will have no answer for this. Lets take them underground to the stench filled atmosphere that the rats are used to.

Astro granite - the playing surface!! No more Mr Niceguy.

Claw Conversion Skaven Blitzer

I got to thinking that 40k had quite a variety of claws. I have a couple of Chaos armies. My most recent is a Slaneesh force of 2000 - 3000 points : -

However my first love going way back in time is my Khorne army. I have several thousand points worth over many editions of the game. I love the way the Bloodletters changed, and I mean completely changed which each new issue. Khorne were my second army to ever play in tournaments and I loved them so. Many a great tale to tell!!

What this means is that I have a very decent Chaos bits box and surely it must have a claw or two for me to consider.

I got to thinking that I want something properly large and in your face. Something I would be happy to take a Mummy or Orge apart with. So off I go to the garage. Fingers crossed that I can find something suitable.

Then I got to thinking that I would be cutting up my Blitzer model. I quite like him. Should I be thinking ebay and buy another model instead. I went and got a cup of tea and then ............ copped myself on. Back in my Necromunda days I never had these thoughts. We played. we changed weapons in between games and played again. Hands and arms being chopped off weekly. Smacked myself on the back of the head and away to the garage. Its a game to be played!!

Happy, happy look what I found!

A proper big claw!! There were a couple of much smaller alternatives but this is a great OTT option. I am just going to love it the first time I decapitate some poor unfortunate Dark Elf with this baby!!

It is big so I will need to work out a good clean joint and give it a strong pin. I am not known for my pinning but in this case, needs must. I am going to go for the right arm and have it sticking out in front. I think the elbow will probably make the best joint option.

Ha ha - proper job!

I plan to get some green stuff on the upper arm so that it is more in proportion (as if proportion was the issue - snigger). Then maybe it can be fur to the elbow and god knows what I will do for the claw itself. Should I go purples and pinks to honour Slaneesh? Emmmm. A dark purple would help knock back the scale of the claw - lets see.

Blood bowl is an amazing sport - to think just a couple of games could bring on such an extreme mutation. Only in Blood Bowl ;-) I wonder if it happened over night? Old 'Bubo' went to bed one night and when he went to scratch his nose in the morning he got a huge surprise - lol.

Well after a little painting he is starting to look like this: -

And from the side: -

A weapon to stike fear into the heart of any opponent! Snap, snap - your going down Darkblades! Bubo is comin to get ya!! Can't wait to get him in play.