Better Paint the "Big Ones" Then (Warhammer 40K Tyranids)

Well it looks after the little play test in the friendly Games Workshop environment I need to think about painting up some bigger models to frighten the local neighbourhood Space Marines Primaris. The first candidate is a mean up-close and personal Hive Tyrant that has HUGE crab like rending claws as well as hideous looking Scythed Talons. That's not mentioning the spiked thing on its tail and spear-like barbs emanating from his/her/its chest. I built it at random just to look nasty (see below, I am going with a Green/Brown colour scheme from a base of Airfix Primer Grey (01) washed in Vallejo Sepia Brown - The interior green was Vallejo Game Colour Dark Green dry brushed over with Vallejo Sick Green):

I like the Shade and Base colouring but it does need a highligt which I will draw back to using standard "wet" brushes rather than the flat "dry" brush ones. Vallejo Game Colour Scorpion Green and White will be mixed in fro the highlights (see below, the rear of the armoured carapace - also note the adrenal gland I couldn't help myself adding in):

Less advanced on the 'painting station' (a motorway petrol station in comparison to the deluxe holiday hotel from David Crook's blog) is a "friendly" [not] Carniflex looking absolutely vile and hideous in the best tradition of the Tyranids (see below, here the matt black spray [Humbrol Acrylic I think] can had come out to give a very solid undercoat - to highlight features [as everything was very black] I "dry" brushed a light white highlighter to help define its features [I was also experimenting with the new Citadel "gel" paints]):

This guy is bad - I was partly regretting not making him a "close combat specialist" as well, being lured into the large phallic long gun! In wargaming terms I know this just means I will have to buy another one [someday]. I was planning to adopt the same colour scheme Green/Black but "brown washing" seems inappropriate until he gets a little more colour on his pallet (see below, long range weapons always come in useful!):

I am going to take my time over the above and enjoy the journey ;)

A Walk on the Dark Side - A Warhammer 40K Tutorial (Adult Beginner)

Taking a leaf from a very respected ex-soldier who is avidly and earnestly promoting wargaming as a professional science to aid the military and political planners of the present and the future; when he said, "sneer at nothing!" I looked at the Warhammer 40K Core Rules, and in the same vein as the mouse in "The Gruffalo" - I looked at the rules and the rules looked good! So it was time for my Tyranids to fulfil their wargaming destiny against the deadly (and I mean deadly) Space marine Primaris of the Ultra Marines [the opposition provided by the GW shop, fresh from the demo table]. I took the opportunity of enlisting in an adults beginner's class which meant I took on the local shop's resident rule "doyen and GW Jedi Master" to me, playing the part of the novice "Padawan" (see below, my Tyranid Hormagaunts rush to seek cover behind some ruins [wargaming destiny fulfilled] - I was pleased to draw some very praiseworthy comments on my painting style from my Jedi 40K Master and we exchanged painting tips all night):

The enemy, these dudes are the "Space Marines Primaris" (SMP) [singleton figures of which are] currently being given away as an introductory offering to entice new blood (or in my case "old blood" lured back in a different direction) into the hobby. The thing to bear in mind is that the SMP are tough hombres taking two hits [traditional Space Marines only had one], shoot well and don't run away (see below, a sergeant and four troopers alongside a "hero" - Lieutenant [4 HPs]):

About that shooting! Six of my brood fall to a deadly hail of lead from the Space Marine Primaris' powerful bolters - despite my Gaunts being in cover. Well this looks like it is going to be a short introductory game - but I was informed much to my relief that the Tyranids are one of the 40K races that can ignore normal morale rolls due to in their case the 'hive mind' effect, that is until the 'mind node' (monster) is killed. This as an army or race of pure killing machines, which makes them very, very dangerous and respected by their opponents (see below, the "devastation" wrought on me and I had just been complemented for "not getting caught out in the open" by my Jedi master - then he rolled really good dice, still the show must go on):

Undaunted I charged out and just got enough distance to take it to the Lieutenant Tyranid fashion "tooth and [rending] claw" with my two surviving Hormagaunts [aka "grunts"] and my leader a pumped-up Tyranid Warrior acting as a Tyranid Prime. The attack seems to be successful as we hear the Lieutenant emit several painful grunting noises  (see below, the game seems already loaded with several satisfying player moments, even if I have a nagging sense of doom about what is coming next):

In pile the Space Marine Primaris to help their leader in his "hour of need" but mercifully "all the attacks" (and there were many a dice thrown) manage only "one hit" on my 6 HP Tyranid Prime (see below):

I "rend" back and rip the Lieutenant to pieces - "Man Down!" (I think I am getting into the mind set of the Tyranids nicely here) and earn myself a VP for the "first unit" kill [the "hero" counting as a unit]. Nevertheless the Space Marine Primaris' are throwing a lot of close combat dice again (see below, it is amazing to see that the lowly Hormagaunt is still alive):

Again those deadly "rending claws" show no mercy and this time a lowly Space Marine Primaris succumbs (see below, again the last Hormagaunt is frantically weaving and taunting the Space Marine Primaris Sergeant who is throwing a successive string of 1's an 2's which are just plain misses - too bad):

As the shop was about to close the game had to be called. The last Space Marine Primaris Sergeant attack kills my remaining Hormagaunt (boo hoo!), but I don't care as I am a Tyranid Prime [the local manifestation of the "Hive Mind"] and I am in the middle of eating a bunch of Space Marine Primaris and they taste good (see below):

I am down to half hit points [3] but think I would at least take another two Space Marine Primaris with me if the fight continued. I was awarded a respectable 2:1 win by my Jedi 40K Master, but more importantly, I was very pleased with "how" the rules played - although until you played them you don't know them. I thought on reading them I knew them but the run through highlighted some very important parts - some coming from the relative weighting effects of the troop stats. There were few (that I could see) opportunities for "wargaming cheesiness" and the fun element was coming through nicely. The pedigree of eight rule revisions shows. We ended the night in a discussion of where to take my armies next. It was very, very soft sell (I was fearing walking away with several more boxes of expensive models at a loss to explain why?) but rather the opposite I was encouraged to paint more of what I already had and come back for another lesson - which I will do! My next task is to try to explain the rules to the kids!

;)

Last unmade GW Sci-Fi (Hive Tyrant) model assembled

This little critter had been hanging around in a box for years (literally) so I decided over this Bank Holiday to at least put it together (see below, a GW Finecast Hive Tyrant):

I went for the up close and personal "tearing arms and ripping claws" look as I have never appreciated the Tyranids long range bio-morph weaponry as it does not "honest Sci-Fi" IMHO. This beast is destined to jump out on unsuspecting (unless they read this blog) Space Marines wandering aimlessly around in Space Hulks ;)

"Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's a Gargoyle! Run it's got a gun!"

Another case of me playing with GW 40K figures [in this case a Tyranid Gargoyle] and my Vallejo Game paint collection (see below):

I did this quite a while back, which sadly means I have forgotten how I painted it, but I remember the inspiration came from wanting to use up some pink paint, which I lightened up to "white bone" on teh model. Remember it's all for me kids really ;)

Next: I have to look at some Kroots for the Tau, they remind me Judge Dredd "Cursed Earth" inhabitants

Sci-Fi Continued: Original Space Crusade Genestealers

Having played one game of Space Crusade with fill-in miniatures I wanted to do full justice to the baddies, in particular the Genestealers. First of all they are primed Grey and given a thick purple wash by mixing Vallejo Red and Blue washes (2:1) together to give them an "evil look" (see below):

The terrible threesome are given a Vallejo Plague brown shade over the bone carapace armour (see below):

This in turn was layered  up with a Vallejo Bone White and Vallejo Off White highlight. The skin area was given a shade/base of Vallejo Impetial Blue and layered upbu adding successive amounts of Vallejo Stone Grey to create a patchy sickly skin (see below):

One is bad enough but three? (see below):

Never got to use them last game ... watch out Space Marines "if you go down into the Space Hulk today you are in for a big surprise!"

Note: I tried to be true to the original box cover art with the 'white bone and blue skin' colour scheme

Just Putting Plastic Things Together (40K Tyranids - Carniflex): Part IV

The Tyranid equivalent of an Imperial Tank, meet the Carniflex (see below):  

I copied he armament, but chose a different head and carapace (see below): 

One advantage of plastic over metal, apart from price (but at £30+ it is not cheap anyway) is that angled unbalanced poses can be secured by a small piece of blue tack Who knows when this chap will be painted, but the winter nights are closing in ;) 

Just Putting Plastic Things Together (GW 40K Tyranids - Gene Stealers): Part III

Another box kit of dormant plastic takes a step towards the painting tray. GW Tyranids, the classic Sco-Fi genre "Genestealers". Not only do they want to kill you but they want to steal our DNA too. Humanity is officially no longer safe (see below):

I literally cannot remember when I got these. I even went through a phase of thinking I positively had a box but hen could not find them, then behold, when looking for some thing else I came across these in the loft. Four armed monsters without much variation, multiple head poses, but their weapons limited to ripping claws (see below):  

I did six of the standard box lid style (enough for one brood) and on the remaining two try the other variation shown on he back of the box. A tentacled head (let's call it a 'mindflayer' head - because that's exactly what it seems to be) with scything talons. A weapon set hat is still "up close and personal". Can you spot them above and below?

At the end of the day it is one less unmade kit in the house ;)

A Little Bit of Painting Catchup .. GW (Again) Tyranid Warriors

This was more of a "painting push" than a project as I had expanded out my Vallejo colour paints range to cover the gaps made by "dried up" GW pots and I had a nice range of greens to play - Orky or Alien. So I went for "Alien".

Alien#1 = Nasty Claws for Close Combat and gory Sci-Fi "rending scenes": 

Alien#2 = Complementary Gunner with a Long Range Organic Bio-Cannon (Barbed Stinger?)  

Alien#3= Boss Alien Albino (Mutant Size) and a tribute to the individuality of my eldest son, wanting nothing of how GW says you should build the model, slaps on gigantic Scything Talons and he biggest cannon he can find (a Death Spitter?) :)

All painted, all hey need now is some astronauts to terrorize

Painting and Making Tray Update

Chaos abounds with the prospect of an imminent house move. The painting tray seems to have gone into "assemble bare plastic model" mode as an antidote to the "house move" stress (see below):

A bucket load of the Perry 'Renaissance' Plastics on the left (near enough two and a half boxes of pike/shot/crossbow and one box of archers/halberds) destined to be my Renaissance Swiss Impetus Army. I will have to dig out some mounted Knights from somewhere at some point, but right at the moment I'm concentrating on 'two legs'. To the right is a bunch of GW 40K flying Tyranids (Gargoyles) I put together with my eldest son for fun.Lurking in the shadows at the rear are some more old GW Empire "Handgunners" destined to be Renaissance "Harquebusiers" (released from a fate worse than death IMHO). See below for a closer look, undercoated with the Vallejo equivalent of Scorched Brown = Charred Brown:

The Holy Roman Emperor (HRE) Charles V is getting some attention, but it is a slow burner not gaining much traction and in need of some inspiration otherwise I will still be without a "general" stand for my next Impetus game (see below): 

Fear not fellow 'treadheads' 20th Century mechanical devices are 'mentioned in dispatches' too (see below):  

I now have a flotilla of four RN Tribal class destroyers in 1/1200 scale to attack the KM Bismarck at night and I picked up a wonderfully weird 1/72 HaT German assault gun that I didn't even know existed (a Pz III chassis that carried a150mm Infantry Gun StuIG 33B) in plastic from a Easter trip to Edinburgh and a visit to Wonderland Model shop on Lothian Road (***** = 5 Star). That's next up to be 'glued' together. 
 
PS Hope the leg/ankle is healing 'NZ Paul' (Plastic Warriors)

The Xmas Haul

I must have been a very good boy this year as Santa brought me some "clanky tanks" and much, much more:

These are two SHQ metal "early war" tank kits. The first being a French Char D2 (see above left) a French 1940 Infantry Tank (aka slow), a decent 47mm AT gun in a relatively medium/well armoured body, like a Char B1 bis without the 75mm hull gun. The other is the wacky German (original, see above right) Panzer V (no not the Panther aka 1942/3) but the 1940 "Propaganda Tank" version as shown in newsreels of the time. These were (three) mild steel prototype of the land-battleship multi-turreted "tank-ship" discounted from mass production and combat use after poor evaluation reports. The three fought as a unit in the Norwegian campaign, one being destroyed by German engineers after it bogged down in a Norwegian river blocking a German column. The "Propaganda Tank" was thought "so little of" by front-line troops that it was simply blown up "in-situ" rather than face a challenging salvage. The other two were sent back to Panzer training schools in Germany as static displays. I've always wanted them both so I am a happy lad. 

 
An unexpected model kit from my eldest brother, a 1/144 "Herky Bird" (see above), from Vietnam, to the Falklands to the realms of AK47 African and South American despots, a very, very useful acquisition indeed!

Something er, French from the wife (see above), I had asked or rather pleaded with her to pop by a local retailer who had unexpectedly started stocking a range of wargame period kits if she was stuck for a Xmas present. Imagine my surprise when I get a garbled telephone call while at work from wife in the said shop and I had to "talk her in on instruments" to the model isle and decipher the right ones from the wrong ones (if there is such a thing). I had mentioned my Napoleonic interests so I suggested something French and got the above box from Victrix. This is a long term 2012 project inspired by the artwork and painting prowess of Iron Mitten and other talented bloggers.

What I did not expect was that each of my children were also getting in on the act (the youngest son too young to choose was pitched in with the wife and the early Napoleonic French) and my daughter had selected a 15mm Flames of War piece of kit, Wittmann and his Tiger (see above). This puts me in several dilemma's, one scale 15mm versus 20mm, the Flames of War rules-set is one I don't possess (and has received many a bad comment in the press and wargaming fraternity, a game but not WWII simulation) and I do not knowingly chose to paint Waffen SS. Well I shall keep the model for "diorama" purposes and with an eye to acquiring15mm Plastic Soldier products and Zvezda 15mm vehicle kits for FoW and BFWWII, if you cannot beat it join it. Hmm, we'll see.My eldest son pitched in with a deliberate and well thought out purchase (see below):

I have dabbled in the kits for Warhammer 40K, out of more interest in the Sci-Fi figures than game system and my eldest son was always interested in my "good" reptiles (Tyrannids! Blame that on CITV and the animated karate dinosaurs and 'the like' for being "goodies", wait until Tyrannids start killing his Space Marine patrols is all I'll say!), in fact viewing them as part-ownership rather than Daddy's. He always liked the look of the flying ones and thus a squadron of Gargoyles.

All-in-all a bumper Xmas haul, watch this space for the pilgrim's progress  ;)

Attack of the "Inquisitive Six Year Old Children"

Hmm, parenthood, I didn't read this in the manual. I returned home to a concerned wife (well she was hiding her humorous interpretation of the event under the mask of concern) who remarked that while she was on the phone my son had shown his "friends" my room. Alarm bells began to ring at once. I investigated and found that a furious fire-fight had taken place. Thankfully the "shiny decoys" (GW 40K) had done their job beautifully, soaking up the hits and saving the more valuable, or rather more serious, wargaming toys from collateral damage. After a detailed scan the "body count was":

• Two "Necron Warriors" down (after the action reports seems to suggest they were taken out by an energetic thumb action, one at the ankles and the other at the midriff, by expertise akin to a Space Marine Veteran)
• One "Necron Warrior" MIA (transponder not showing up on screen, it could be anywhere in the known universe, possibly abducted by a six year old blue eyed boy and now sitting in a bedroom next to a Power Ranger or Bakuman) 
• One "Necron Warrior" managed to evade capture and I undertook a successful SAR mission retrieving it from underneath/behind a set of draws
• Two "Necron Scarabs" were "de-based" from their stands
• A "Necron Destroyer" suffered the indignity of a broken stand
• Two "Guant-type" Tyranids were debased cleanly at the ankles 

Despite the protestations of my son saying "he liked them better that way", the superglue made its way from the toy medical kit. All apart from the MIA Necron have been restored to a semblance of their former glory. My wife thought it was "karma" payback on me (she was now giggling at me) for actions to my older brothers Subbuteo figures (when I was aged fifteen months old, some forty plus years ago and the damage was to six teams of the the then, "First Division"). Personally I just hope I can attain a maturity consistent with my age, rising above the obvious hurt and "forgive and forget". The alternative Would be a revenge commando-style sabotage mission on the next "school parent's evening" (aka "taking out" two specific art models from Year One's work; I hope I have sound 'Intell' and they are clearly labelled).

No photos as I found the sight of my dead/mutilated models too distressing, despite their obvious "media copy" value. This episode has renewed my philosophy of distributed series of "model-kit caches" to the vaults of friendly wargaming clubs in the area to avoid a nuclear "lose-it-all" incident. You cannot under estimate the destructive power of six year old boys once they have a taste for it! Thank goodness they were oblivious to the location of my 20mm WWII plastics ;)

GW Space Marines: We "ALL" have some right?

Well I found a "Tactical Squad" of GW Space marines when I was going through some old boxes. Four Marines with "Bolters", a chap with a rocket/missile launcher that could blow a hole in anything and a imposing commander type who is bound to issue a stupid "Stand and Die" or "Attack" order.

These came free with a GW Paints Starter set, circa 2000 I think, when I was trying to figure this three-cell painting thing (shade, base colour and highlight). The "feathered headpiece" dude was a Space Marine Captain that I gave to my nephew to supplement his "Space Crusade" game. It ended up returned to me when he was de-cluttering his bedroom in favour of FHM/Loaded poster girls and the like. Was I the real winner here? Probably not.

When you "Dust-Down" on a remote planet the other side of the Galaxy what happens next? You stand around the Captain looking imposing, alert, ordnance at the ready waiting for something to pounce on you. When it doesn't you make a big safe and cosy "Space Tent", post a sentry and the rest of the squad make a "brew".

Naturally the sentry gets careless, just as something dangerous, with large teeth and animal cunning turns up to spoil the party. Oh here's one now:

I was always more of a Sci-Fi RPG collector rather than GW Codex Army builder and "the space" stuff is kind of fun to put together and paint with no historical boundaries to observe. If I were going to build an army/force of space things I would be more incline to go 15mm as there are some excellent manufacturers out there.

Footnote: I just realised I took the photographs of the grunts from the wrong side. rather than showing that the 40K world sill uses 21K numerals, I could have shown that they also use 20K insignia in the other shoulder.

In a Galaxy Far Far Away: Tyranids

The question is: "Brown and Green" or "Blue and Green"?

The "Blue and Green" is the "as-was" paint scheme.

The "Brown and Green" is the "could-be" alternative.

Sometimes when you take something back out of the box you don't like what you see. I vaguely remember an old saying: "Blue and Green should never be seen (together)".

My current feeling is to go "Brown and Green". There, dilemma of the day sorted (I think). Yes, and it is another way of using the last of the Games Workshop paints I so don't love anymore.