Figz 2016 - a really short review

A week before Figz I got a cold. On Friday and Saturday I was in bed with a fever. I came this close to cancelling my "Working with foamboard" workshop and going to Figz at all. But I went anyway (after taking a ton of painkillers - I'll be reporting to the doctors office first thing on monday).

As it is, I spent most of my time at the table for the demonstration feeling rather unwell, but making the best of it. In the end, a little over half a dozen people actually spent time with me, asking questions about how to approach this and that kind of scenery, but no one took my offer to have a go at foamboard modelling themselves, sadly, so I had brought quite a few extra bits for nothing. Such is life. I did spend some time however trying out a new cutting method from my regular one, by leaving 5mm openings in the foamboard before glueing the wallsections together so you would have a seamless cut, but I either cut too deep or made the gap too narrow so it ripped when folded over. Since I find just wallpapering a bit of paper over the seam to be just as quick if not quicker I don't see any ups to the method and I will not be trying it again.

What did I make? Well, I had a go at my idea of a (very basic) Necromundan Waste Air Processing unit....though if it spews noxious fumes or actually sends out fresh recycled air is a good questions. Just one A4 sheet of foamboard, a vent from the DIY I had lying around for ages, and some cardboard.

Nothing fancy, just a concrete colum (well, preformed slabs really with a bolted steel shell) and a good LOS blocker in the Underhive. Also a logical exit point for a gang that has Vents added to their territory. I will add bolts to the cardboard, cut out a proper cardboard door and glue that in place, and coat the doorway bunker so it looks more like poured concrete. I'll leave it pretty featureless otherwise. Top will stay bare and flat so I can lay plankways from there to other levels and back again. Still plenty of work to do.

I took 2 short breaks to have a stoll around. The area was split down the middle (entree), to the right were the displays by various painters (and me), to the left were the traders and display games. Modern War, Post Apocalyptisch, WW2, there was something for everyone to look at. All the way in the back was a workshop for making your own trees, very nice. Sadly, no pics from me.

In my first round I traded with people who wanted stuff from me (some books and all of my 28mm Germans), in the second round I visited the 2nd hand kit trader stand who is always good for some nice buys. I picked up the following:

A Roden Pakwagen. Some don't like Roden but I never had much of a problem with them, I have loads in my to be built collection, and this one was missing.

I picked up this one to do as a wreck. But I just realised practically all of it is made out of wood! Still, a wreck is planned and so shall it be.

Whenever I can I pick up this box. This contains a complete latewar Panther G plus optional steel wheels and a Panther F turret. The Panther F turrets I have been collecting for Panzer IV Neu conversions ever since I bought one off Piers now.....8-10 years ago.

For future NATO goes Hot games. Goes well with 1/600 aircraft. Can be buillt waterlined with no effort at all.

For future NATO goes Hot games. Goes well with 1/600 aircraft. Can be buillt waterlined with no effort at all.

Normally I would not buy so many kits in one go, but he had a big pile of them marked "5 euro each"  The Roden or the Hasegawa kit alone go for almost 20 euros in the local hobby shops here, the 1:1250 ships seemed more practical then the 1:600 English cruisers and Destroyers he had laying around and a wreck-base for a fiver is a good wreck if you ask me. I also picked up these:

I picked these up from Wendy's Miniatures. Quite expensive, the small left cabinet is 1 euro, the right cabinet is 3,50 euro. They are made for 28mm scale. I will sand flat the backs and make a few greenstuff copies of them to put inside my ruins, be it the TNT ones or the Mordheim ones, they seem to fit both..

 Sadly, I was not able to put more work in La Maisontaal during the day. It was nice to see so many familiar faces again and the output was pretty good for this small but free show on what was a very hot an sunny day (by Dutch standards, 28 degrees Celcius).

And now I'm really knackered. Goodbye.

Edit: I tried to go to sleep. But a friend wanted my take on Tau, as he wants to restart/do over his Tau, so he asked me to draw my Tau as how I want to/will paint them. Pretty simple (even if it took me 15 minutes).

Why yes, that is the Eastern Empire version of the Tau focussed on City Fight. Don't change a winning idea. As I never plan to go beyond a small Kill Team all of the heavy equipment is not of my concern and lots of little conversions are. Must get back to these chaps soon.

100 euro Tau

Did I ever mention I am easily distracted? :)

Planning the Kroot made me realise I could use them as henchmen for a Inquisitor, as henchmen for Tau, as henchmen for another Alien or Rogue Trader or as a stand alone force. Nothing wrong there. But while googling I found this PDF again.

Years ago, before it came out, Modhail (Erik) had shown me a link to a Al'Yon'Kor'Vesa.

A what? Well, this (the drone in the centre):

As I love robots, drones and cyborgs I wanted to make a few, so I contacted the maker, Sebastian Stuart, for details about the build. He was very quick to respond, sent me a complete parts list used and wished me the best of luck. I then managed to find enough parts to make 2 drones minus the small antenna and even painted 1 in police colours.. I tried to find pics but I have nothing left from the era, sadly. I tried making new ones last year to get back into the hobby, but found getting parts (by trading) to be very difficult and abandoned the project.

So fast forward to 6 weeks ago, when I wondered if it would not be nice to have a Tau force for Inquisitor as well. They would work for other Sci-fi games too, and if I would stick to drones and infantry it should not have to cost much. So I gave that some thought for 2-3 weeks and then several Tau lots popped up on Marktplaats. Most were already made up, basecoated or partially painted, and while cheap, made me say no due to the amount of work involved in stripping and cutting them apart for reposing. But one was selling boxes of them, as new, for around 60% retail, so I made a bid on (too many) boxes. I was told no, as the price was the minimum price, so I settled for a box of Tau Fire Warriors and a box of 3 XV-8 Crisis suits, which gives me a good solid core to base a force on for Inquisitor or Kill Team. I then managed to win a lot of sprues with left over Crisis bits on them (which I have just finished picking clean), a large lot of made and unmade drones plus some other bits and pieces to make Tau scenery from, directly copied from the COD PDF linked above. Added to that I won another 12 unmade Tau Firewarriors and I had spent 100 euros getting it (excluding shipping)

Now what? Well, the beauty of Sebastians Tau is that he has website for them, eastern-empire.com and on that website he details how he painted his Urban Tau using mostly Vallejo colours. Excellent!
I like his scheme an he has a tutorial too, what is not to like? :) I do feel his orange may be a bit brighter, bu the rest is nicely subdued and perfect for my painting style. Purple lenses? Love em!
Conversions made? They bring out the copycat in me, which is a feeling I have not had for more then a year now.

I have also copied a ton of pictures of Tau Drone conversions, enough to keep me happy till the end of the year. I have even managed to find parts for most of them.

I think I have found the perfect force to get me back into painting stuff, after a 18 month hiatus :) And I can even paint them at a GW store, how about that :D