Circushammer 40K

OK, this is something I would not have predicted: the melding of a pure, wholesome family comic and the grim darkness of future. Give that boy a power sword and a melta gun.

Happy Halloween!

New Additions to the Lead Pile

Before I get cracking on the next Lead Market Report, I thought I'd post a few pics of some recent additions to the lead family. Let's get things started by welcoming the newest member of my Giant family:


Time to slice & dice, frost-giant style.

This is Grenadier's Armored Norse Giant, #175 from Fantasy Lords (First Series). I dig his armor and bear-head helm/cloak look. I've never been crazy about his pose, although I like the fact he's about to go dual-wield on some poor adventurer.

These next two brutes came in the same lot as the giant, and they were slathered in thick coats of gooey enamel paint before they hit the Super Clean bath & spa. Now you can see them as they were sculpted! They are from Garrison's Sword&Sorcery line, and are known as SS6 Frost Giant with Mace and SS16 Two-Headed Troll Giant:


On second thought, let's NOT go after Conan.

According to the LMW, the Sword&Sorcery line represents Robert E. Howard's world of Conan. I think it's interesting that the giants are really just larger than average men - these two minis are only slightly taller than your average 25mm adventurer. Very cool old-school pieces, indeed. I'll be selling or trading them, as they are not something I collect.

Switching gears, we go to the far future where this is only war and large, stompy walking tanks. I picked up these next two pieces for the princely sum of $2.22:


Staring down the business end of an old-school combi-weapon.


They went that-a-way!

The first mini is an Inquisitor Terminator, circa 1991. The Citadel catalog calls him a Daemon Hunter with a combi-weapon arm and a force rod arm. I picked him up because I think he's a good fit in my Dark Angels army, even though he should probably be in the ranks of a Grey Knights army. Very ornate and gothic-looking iconography.

The second mini is unknown to me. He sure looks like a member of Ral Partha's Battletech line, but his base is devoid of any hallmarks and I haven't found his picture in any RP catalog or online database. If you know what it is and who makes it, please feel free to enlighten me.

Finally, I picked up a trio of siege equipment. They are from Warhammer Fantasy, and include a wheeled & covered battering ram, a catapult with a hand-shaped boulder holder (I don't know what the technical term for that part of a catapult is).


We're gonna huff and puff and batter your walls down.

And the wee little tower in the middle? The one with a pair of cannons and bristling with spikes? I thought I recognized it from a past LMR...yes, here it is. February 2011. It sure looks like the Chaos Dwarf Juggernaut, doesn't it? I'll take some more pics and give it a post of its own.

Repent! Repent! Interrogator-Chaplain Asmodai of the Dark Angels

Up until now, I have always painted my own miniatures. The thought of having someone else paint a miniature for me seemed fairly foreign. And it's not because I think I'm the Best Painter Evar or anything like that (far from it). I just enjoy seeing the fruits of my labor on the gaming table.

But blogging has changed that attitude. I've read a lot of excellent blogs out there, and have seen examples of some truly wonderful miniature works of art. So I contacted Ron Saikowski of From The Warp fame (FTW is a popular 40K blog), and asked him if he would be interested in painting up one of the characters from my long-suffering DA army. He kindly agreed, and the wheels of our deal were set in motion.

Ron was great to work with. He sent updates with WIP pics and took pains to ensure the project was heading in the right direction. The completed Asmodai can be seen here, and the WIP thread can be seen here.

I will once again thank Ron for his outstanding work. Asmodai is hands-down the best-looking miniature in my collection, and will no doubt serve as the centerpiece in my DA army for years to come. Now I just need to finish what I've started!

Dark Angels Tactical Trooper - Done!

As previously mentioned, I have had a WH40K Dark Angels army sitting around for the past decade plus, mostly unbuilt and unpainted. There are some units in various states of completion, including my scouts that are ALMOST finished but just need me to get off my ass and put on the finishing touches.

Anyhow, a couple of months ago I had an idea pop into my mind as I contemplated diving in and working on the backbone of my army - the grunts. The doggies. The foot-sloggers. But I wanted my first tactical squad to stand out, in part to inspire me to keep going and also to see if finished version of my concept matched up to how I imagined it in my mind's eye.

I don't think I'm ready to tackle the creation and completion of an entire Successor Chapter, but I did think a little background for the First Squad would be cool. Basically, the First Squad pays homage to the foot soldiers who were part of The Order, the original Dark Angels before they were known as Dark Angels. I could even attach a name to them, something like The Sons of Caliban if you will.

To complete my first prototype model, I started with a DA Space Marine from the Dark Angels Tactical Squad boxed set from a few years back. I used the legs, torso, arms, and right shoulder pad. Next, I added some bitz from more recent releases: left shoulder pad (with studs, braid, and small DA symbol), backpack with DA symbol, and Ravenwing Crusade helmet. And for some straight-up bling, a small Roman helmet crest and a Ruined Temple Base both from Secret Weapon Miniatures. I was going for a pseudo-Egyptian vibe on the base with the red and blue.

OK, the built-up model looks pretty good, but how will it look once painted? That, of course, is the real question. I've spent a lot of time scouring The Intertubes looking for "The Best Way EVAR To Paint A Dark Angels Army" and other such inspiration and advice. I finally settled on this tutorial on The Angel's Talon by Stitch, a Swedish gamer. At first, I had a hard time thinking outside the box color-wise. Orkhide Shade and Knarloc Green instead of Dark Angels Green? What kind of madness is this? Hmm, hey, what do you know, it looks great to me on my finished model, so Stitch must be on to something here...

And of course for information and inspiration, there is the Fortress of the Unforgiven. And I cannot emphasize how influential all the good peeps who run and contribute to blogs like From The Warp and Santa Cruz Warhammer and Dave Taylor Miniatures have been. The tips, techniques, and how-to articles are invaluable to average painters like myself. So I tip my painter's cap to you and give thanks.

But I digress. Now that I've had a half day to look over my completed trooper, I find myself very happy with the finished product. This is the start of what will be a nicely painted tabletop-quality DA army, suitable for play with my kids or against the local gamers at my FLGS.

If I had to pick three things I'm pleased with, I would say 1) the bitz all tie together nicely; 2) the SWM components rock; and 3) the 5th Company badge painted on the left knee looks how I hoped it would.

What about three things I'm less than thrilled with? 1) My freehand work on the squad badge (right shoulder pad) - I need to thin my paints when doing these and remember to be patient! 2) the gold braid on the left shoulder pad - it lacks depth, so I think I need to try adding some silver or white highlights (or maybe even try some gold NMM work and see how that pans out); and 3) the DA icon on the helmet bugs me, and I'm not sure why - maybe I should try it in red or green?

Now all I have to do is finish nine more battle brothers like this one and I'll have a completed squad ;) Wish me LOTS of luck as I move forward with this.

Paved With Good Intentions #1

My own personal road to hell is paved with the good intentions of tackling various miniature-related projects. I'm sure many of you can relate - you acquire some minis for a very specific reason (diorama, gift for friend, one-off encounter, etc.) - only to find that weeks/months/years later, the minis and your project are languishing in to-do hell.

PWGI #1 is my WH40K Dark Angels army. Back in 1999-2000, just before I jumped ship for my tour of duty at WoTC, I managed a FLGS in Bellevue (WA) - the now-defunct Games & Gizmos. Fun job, good crew, small but loyal crowd of regulars who hung out, etc. I was familiar with GW and WHFB/WH40K, but in name only. I had never played a GW tabletop game, and up until then, had never thought about playing one.

Of course, how are you supposed to talk and/or sell one of your larger product lines if you know nothing of it? My co-workers and the regulars all pitched in to help me learn the ropes, play an intro game of each, and things of that nature. At the time, I remember it being fairly easy to learn, and entertaining, if not outright fun.

When it came time to pick my 40K army, I did my due diligence and studied up on all the various factions available. There are several armies that caught my attention right off the bat: Space Marines, Imperial Guard, and Tyranids. The IG was appealing because of their armor-heavy roster and the themed units: jungle fighters, winter warriors, etc. The Tyranids are just badass, both in looks and unit composition. The Marines, though, were the most appealing in the end: variety of troops, armor, elites, and just their looks in general.

I chose the Dark Angels because to me, they had the most compelling history amongst the Space Marines. That, and I thought (and still think) their dark green armor just looks kick-ass. Their iconography is gothic and brooding, and I like the Deathwing and Ravenwing elements of their organization too.

So I used my employee discount and purchased my DA army. I started out by assembling two Rhinos and a Whirlwind:


The Rhino on the left is your standard Rhino, without details like the radio antenna, etc. The Rhino on the right is my first attempt at a conversion. I was inspired by the WWII hedgerow cutters attached to US tanks during the Normandy invasion. I took two Rhino cutters, snipped off the teeth, glued them together, and then glued on the teeth at the proper angles. The Whirlwind is a nice-looking model, and there is something reassuring about the weight added by the metal bitz on it. I also have a Land Raider or two, but didn't get far on them.

There are also two Dreadnoughts in my army. One is still untouched, and the other is about this far along:


Still a long ways to go, but I like the look of these metal monstrosities.

Enter the Deathwing:


My terminators started out primed white, then Bleached Bone, liberally applied with an ink wash, and then on to dry-brushing. I actually prefer a finished product closer to Ivory or Bleached Bone instead of Pure White. I don't know why, and I know it kind of goes against canon, but I like what I like.

I picked up another idea that is pretty much a project in and of itself, even though it is related to this army - swappable arms! Stitch over at The Angel's Talon (and The Other Talon) is a wealth of information on all things DA and 40K in general. Of course, when I will ever get around to it is a story for another time...

And finally there is the bulk of my army, still tucked away, still patiently waiting their day on the workbench. I don't even want to think about that! My goal is to finish what I've started at this point: Rhinos, Whirlwind, Dreadnought, and the Deathwing termies.

So there you have it! My first (and possibly largest) unfinished project I'll be sharing with you - with the primary motivation of trying to light a fire under me and get some of these projects cleared off my never-ending To-Do list.

If you feel up to it, leave a comment and tell me what's sitting around on your workbench - misery loves company!