Imperial Patrol

Hi!

Well I am on my holidays and a much needed break from the hectic excitement of work! Who would think that working in a bookshop would be so much hard work but I love it so I can't complain too much.

Still I'm now on holiday and getting stuff sorted for our upcoming wedding so unsurprisingly hobby time is once again minimal but I have managed to scrape together a few moments to paint up some more gubbins in the form of the basis for an Imperial patrol:

 Ultramarine Combat Squad

I must admit that I do love the combination of detail and ease of painting that 15mm scale provides as painting a similar force to a decent standard in 28mm would take an awful lot more work and with limited time and space, I think that 15's are a good alternative.

I still need to flesh them out to a full strength ten man squad but quite like how things are looking thus far. They are Ion Age retained knights but look the job as the Empress's finest in my alternative Imperium and I look forward to adding to their ranks.

Next up, there's some lowly PDF troopers of the Imperial Guard:

 

Lowly Grunts

I went for the traditional black and grey with brown accents for these chaps as a nod to the classic 40k illustrations and quite like how they've turned out. Inkeeping with my reimagined Imperium, they are a bit better kitted out than of old with more believable armour and autoguns and are originally from Ground Zero Games. I may yet rework the helmets though as I think that the red stripe needs to be a bit bolder...

With a bit of work, I think I will have a decent squad of these chaps sorted out soonish too before moving onto some xenos types and assorted villains to menace my frontier settlers with.

Here's a quick shot of the completed models thus far:

A cosmic cornucopia 

It's been quite a lot of fun painting skirmish forces but I have also recently picked up Horizon wars which seems to be really getting a lot of interest out there so I am going to try it out in a couple of battle reports in the coming months too!

 

 Eldar Warhost

 Ultramarine Strike Force

 Squat Brotherhood

Mercenary Armour

Looking at my current Epic collection, I can't help but feel that I am missing some mechs to lord it over them so will need to rummage around for some suitable proxies as well as adding Imperial Guard, Chaos and Orks to the mix.

Hopefully I will manage some hobby time this holiday so do check back!

All the best!

Squat Re-Inforcements And Orkish Marauders

Hi!

Well I have the day off at last and have finished off a few bits and bobs for my Epic project as well as adding a couple more sculpts to my SD Orks:

 Squat Warrior Squads

The Squat Warriors have been on my painting table for some time as they are the most involved Epic figures that I've encountered as they need so many colours to get them looking right but look cracking once done and round out my infantry force nicely.

 Squat Infantry deploy

I've got another Thudd Gun underway at the moment which will give the little guys some more ranged firepower and also want to add another heavy weapons squad but that should then be the detachment complete! Looking through my small stash of unpainted Squat gubbins, I have enough to add a robot unit, some more bikers, artillery and berserkers but want to move onto another force for my next update as my Ultramarines are in need of some new additions too.

On a related topic, I've been pondering the possibilities of playing a game of 2nd edition 40k using 6mm miniatures and think I may have come up with a bit of a cunning plan but it's going to require quite a bit of planning to work out as I need to order some bits and bobs as well as tracking down suitable miniatures and adding quite a bit more scenery to my collection before a decent game can be played but I will update the blog here once I have things sorted!

I am also quite interested in the upcoming Osprey game called HORIZON WARS which sounds quite good and I think I might be picking up a copy once it's released:

Horizon Wars

Next up, there's a couple more Orky marauders for my SD project which I've been pottering around with over the last few months:

Bloodaxe Marauders

I still need to add a heavy weapon and a few more close combat troops as well as a Dreadnaught and some sort of transport but they are heading towards completion at which point I will be starting work on some Space Marines or Imperial Guard to oppose them. Interestingly, I find painting the little guys a breeze compared to 28mm scale s think I could do with making a few more too...

I also have a couple of weeks of holidays coming up which I am looking forward to rather a lot but my job is going to be requiring a lot of artwork over the coming weeks and months so I am not too sure how much time I am going to have spare to work on my various hobby projects but we shall see what we can do!

In the meantime, All the best!

Thunderhawk!

Hi!

While I was in Tesco's the other day picking up some shopping, I happened across a rather nice Diecast Star Wars Republic gunship that looked like it might be handy for Epic gaming so I picked up one for £6.00 and cracked out the paints to see if I couldn't convert it to something more suitable and am rather chuffed with the results too!

 Thunderhawk gunship Athena

The sculpt itself is really nice and clean and took paint very well without stripping off the previous coat too and with a new Ultramarine livery, the Athena is ready for action!

I used a bit of brass rod for the flight stand as it's quite a heavy beast and did initially think of magnetising it all to allow it to land, I eventually just glued it on as it was a little wobbly. I do plan on perusing more of the Star Wars toys in future to see if I can find any more suitable gubbins for use in other projects!

Scale wise, the Athena looks suitably imposing when seen next to Epic scale infantry and actually looks like it could transport an infantry platoon, unlike the official Thunderhawk and it fits in rather nicely with my reimagined Imperium where tech has actually moved forward rather than stagnating.

 Ultramarines deploy from the Athena

But the Imperium's finest aren't the only ones who got some attention as I finally finished my Squat infantry command:

 Squat Warlord 

Once again, I can't get over how much I am actually enjoying painting small scale projects, especially when I chop and change between them which seems to be succeeding in stopping me from burning out and is actually encouraging me to paint more and I am really enjoying my hobby again!

Squat infantry detachment guarding a bunker

I am also working on some more Squat infantry to round out my current detachment with more Warriors and another Thudd Gun which should allow me to then see if I can find some suitable vehicles for the little chaps to move around in and decimate foes with macro weapons fire!

I must admit that painting my Thunderhawk has got me wanting to paint some more superheavies too so watch this space!

All the best!

2015 Yearly Review!

Hi!

Well it's almost the end of 2015 and it's been a busy year here with mixed success in my assorted hobby related activities.

I started the year with a selection of 28mm scale gubbins for my alternative 40k project but things quickly stalled and for several months my hobby went absolutely nowhere and I almost despaired of ever getting anything done but eventually I seem to have got back into the swing of things with my Epic Project!

First up, there's my Saim Hann Eldar warhost:

 Eldar!

The warhost is coming together nicely but do need to get their Aspect Warrior and Windriders sorted out as well as a few more Dreadnaughts and Warwalkers to give me some more ranged firepower and they will be ready to do battle against the Imperium.

Next up, there's my Ultramarine detachment:

 Ultramarines

I've not added much to my elite warriors of late but I do think they need some more ranged firepower too as well as getting a squad of assault troops sorted out too. At some point, I want to add a Thunderhawk but we shall see what we can do in the coming year!

Next, there's the Squats:

 Squat Brotherhood

My Squat brotherhood is starting to come together too but I still need to paint a fair few troops to get it up to scratch as well as some heavy hitting vehicles as that's what makes the Squats iconic in Epic. Lots of massive artillery pieces, superheavy tanks and possibly a Gyrocopter or two!

Looking back at some of the older pieces in my collection, I realise I should really finish off my Mercenary combat team too:

 Mercs

I've got lots of vehicles but very few infantry so will by trying to sort them out with a motorised infantry platoon in the new year too as well as a command element. I love the Brigade models vehicles to and wouldn't mind bulking out the force a little and add some more heavy firepower like the assault vehicle I converted by adding a heavy Vulcan cannon to an artillery vehicle.

But what does 2016 have instore for my ongoing hobby interest?

Well looking at the bits and bobs I've started, there's going to be several new forces making an appearance in the spring.

 Space Wolves

Amongst the several ideas I have for the new year, I want to build an arctic tundra board to play on and that means a new force suited to the frozen hell of such an extreme place and who better than a battle company of Space Wolves to get things going!

 Chaos Renegades

While I have very much re-imagined the imperium for my own setting and Chaos being done away with, I do like the idea of fielding some Renegade marines who have spent rather too much time out on the rim and have gone rogue so expect to see some small detachments too!

Squat Renegades

But there's more! There's my Renegade Squat Oathbreakers who will be forming a small but powerful force as and when I get the chance.

So that's the Sci-fi side of things, now onto the Fantasy forces!

I have slowly been putting together a Horned Folk force for my Aeroth setting and want to continue expanding my fantasy forces into playable levels.

 Horned Folk

At present, I have enough stuff to put together a small force but want to expand both the size of the force, and the choice of units as well as one or two larger warbeasts too. 

 Grey Elves

The Grey Elves are a bit of a slow burn project at present as they are rather time consuming to clean, convert and then paint but I will be persevering with them in the new year.

Dwarven Wargolem

I also want to get my Dwarves started up in the new year too but at present, I only have a few Wargolems so will need to explore picking up some more gubbins as the year progresses. I will also be adding a backbanner to the fellow above to make him more inkeeping with the Leviathan vibe!

Now I have no doubt there will be other projects that will distract me over the next 12 months but I do seem to have found something that I am really getting my teeth stuck into so long may it continue!

So that's how my year has shaped up and hopefully next year will be just as much fun but for the time being, All the best and I hope everyone has a cracking new year!

Richard

Epic Squat Force Takes Shape

Hi!

I've been slowly working on my Epic Squat force for a while and thought I'd share a couple of pics of progress thus far!

 A Squat force taking up positions near an industrial site

At present I have still to add another squad of warriors to bulk up the infantry platoon to full strength and need to put together an infantry command team which is currently primed and awaiting paint but I do like how they are turning out thus far!

 Fast attack formation

I have plans to add some fast wheeled vehicles to the unit to allow the force to move and deploy quickly before I move onto painting up some heavy tanks and artillery to give me some heavy hitters too. I suspect some of the old plastic Ork Battlewagons will be converted for use as a rapid strike vehicle once the big skull has been removed from the front...

Warrior Platoon with Thudd Gun support

I also have enough plastic Thudd Guns and Mole Mortars to provide a rather decent light artillery section should I wish to and even have an airship lying around waiting paint so I will have some Overlord support too!

I've also been thinking about what sort of game I want to play with my slowly expanding forces. Much as I'd love to play vast games of 2nd edition Epic, I don't have nearly enough space for such an endeavour so have been pondering using Epic 40k as a basis for some smaller scale games.

Epic 40k

For those not in the know, Epic 40k was the third and least popular edition of the Games Workshop's Epic game. Doing away with much of the crunch of individual weapons fire, formation cards and whatnot, Epic 40k was a fun and streamlined game that I really enjoyed but seems to have been reviled by most in the gaming community which is a real shame as it's rather good.

With this in mind, I have perused through the old issues of Firepower magazine and found the Squat list but a brief peruse leaves me thinking I may need to tinker with it a bit as there's several bits and bobs missing that I feel would suit the Stunties at war.

The general plan from here is to build up some small formations of 2-300 points each and play out a game or two and see how things go. I will be using the 2nd edition 40k codexes as a guide too with Characters, Squads and Support being taken into account and must admit that I am finding the whole process rather fun too and there may even be a weird 2nd edition 40k sub game played out in tiny scale at some point too but we shall see!

In the meantime, All the best!

Epic Shenanigans

Hi!

Well lo and behold, I have two days off in a row! Wonders will never cease apparently so I figured I would post a quick pic or two of my ongoing Epic project.

 First up, here's a quick shot of my new fast attack vehicle for my Eldar, the venerable Vyper Jetbike:

Vyper

For an old plastic model, the vehicle is surprisingly detailed and rather fun to paint too which has been a reel boon in stopping me becoming bored with the project. It's actually starting to feel like I actually have a proper force for Epic related games and am looking forward to trying out a game of Gruntz using my Eldar and Ultramarines.

 Eldar and Ultramarines clash over a crashed shuttle somewhere on the border

I think I could do with a support weapon for my Eldar to give them some long range punch but am quite pleased with how they are turning out and once I have the Dark Reapers sorted, think they should be quite a decent force.

Next up, here's a pic of something I've been pondering for a while. I love the Squats in Epic with their oversized vehicles and terrifyingly shooty warengines but they are quite pricy to source second hand these days. Instead I wanted to find something suitably high tech and inkeeping with my alternative Imperium so found this chappy in my bits box:

Heimdall Monitor Tank

It's a Battletech sculpt for one of their superheavy battle tanks and I love the look of the beast from it's aggressively large gun to the sloped tracks and with a little bit of conversion (ie the application of a shield boss) I think it would make a super addition to the Squat force I am slowly putting together.

The only thing that's holding me back is trying to choose what colour to paint the beast so suggestions would be most welcome!

Another force that I am very keen to get to grips with is my Ork forces. Looking at my bits boxes, I do seem to have a fair number of Boyz and some Battlewagons but seem to be missing an awful lot more. I am going to put up a page of WANTED stuff and see if I can't trade some of my unwanted lead for stuff that I am wanting to paint so do check back over the next day or two!

In the meantime, All the best!

Epic Eldar

Hi!

Not only do I have a day off but it's snowing which is rather exciting!

Better yet, I've had a bit of spare time on my hands for the first time in ages and actually sat down and painted something in the form of some reinforcements for my Epic Eldar!

Eldar Detachment

I am never going to have enough space to play a proper game of Epic with the little chaps but have plans of playing some games of Gruntz in 6mm scale which will allow me to field a platoon strength force with some armour assets which is fine by me as the eventual army is going to be more akin to 2nd edition 40k in size rather than an epic warhost.

Upcoming Warbands?

I currently have some Howling Banshee's and a Warlock stand on the painting table which will give me the command and close combat troops that I need and also plan on painting up a couple of support weapons for my Guardian squads before fielding them against my Ultramarines and Squats!

 Ultramarine Veterans 

I don't know what has brought on the sudden urge to paint tiny figures but I am rather enjoying it and suspect that my Alternative Imperium is going to get some more attention soon which will be fun as I have quite a lot of Epic figures which will allow me to field multiple small forces of Eldar, Imperial, Squats, Orks and other assorted riffraff.

Squat Brotherhood

With a bit of work, I think I can get the Eldar finished today and even add a few reinforcements for my other units which will allow me to get some games in the coming week but I do find myself in need of some scenery suitable to the scale so will be rummaging around to see if I can't find some bits and bobs to bodge together!

I've also been inspired to re explore my 6mm fantasy stuff so am aiming to finish off the wartowers for my Horned Folk force and possibly even add a few bits and bobs to my Grey Elves...

 Horned Folk Warband

Looking at what I have, I need to paint up another four stands of Beastmen and two more wartowers and my Horned Folk will be complete for the time being, although I am looking for some larger warbeasts to add a bit of visual punch to the force...

 Wartower

The Elves on the other hand, need quite a bit of work as converting the spearmen is quite time consuming and a bit boring to be honest but I only need a few more before moving onto archers and warbeasts which is handy!

 Grey Elves

I must admit that I really want to get some of the Microworld miniatures as they look so much better than the Irregular fantasy stuff I have at present but my budget won't allow for it at the moment so I suspect that my plans for a Dwarven army will have to wait till next year...

I think that I am going to have enough stuff to keep me going for the remainder of the year though which is good and better yet, it's varied enough to stop me becoming bored!

All the best!