40k 8th Edtion? Yes We (K)Can(tor)!

Chapter Master Pedro Kantor, ready to take on some Orks!

This week we will be getting together to try the new 8th edition of GW's Warhammer 40k a try.  As we are a bit of a nostalgic bunch at times, for our first game we will be doing a modified re-fight of "The Battle At The Farm", the scenario that was included in the original Rogue Trader rules. We played this scenario back in 2012 as part of our acknowledgement of Rogue Trader's 25th anniversary, so it seems more than appropriate that we would go back to the well of the Rynn's World story for our group's inaugural attempt at the 8th edition of the rules.

This week will be an opportunity to blow the dust (literally) off of my RTB01 plastic Crimson Fist Marines and bring them out for a little battle, which is awesome, but as there is a small sense of occasion, I did want to bring a new figure out too.  I thought the central hero for the Imperial side from the original "Battle At the Farm", Chapter Master Pedro Kantor, would be ideal, so I managed a rush order to Sentry Box and hoped it would arrive in time.

Lots of detail to paint on this lovely sculpt, sadly much of it a bit blurred thanks to my blundering with priming. F*** I hate priming figures and models. SO MUCH.

The figure showed up in the mail Tuesday, and I managed to get it assembled, primed and gave it a very rushed paint job in time for Thursday.  Unfortunately, whether due to humidity or whatever other f***ing gremlins emerge so often to bedevil priming processes for me, the vallejo black surface primer really did a number on the figure, gooping over several spots of detail and generally softening the look on an otherwise lovely sculpt.  Oh well.  That's what I get for rushing. It still looks not too bad, and from a couple feet away it looks more than adequate for the table.

Huge back banner, in case fellow Crimson Fists have trouble finding him...

I really don't care for the Mark VII armour helmets, so I dug a proper "beakie" helmet out of the spares box for this figure, as it ties him well to the other Crimson Fist marines in his command, even though his armour is pimped to the max etc.  I was also sure to use a smaller sized base so he would fit in with the rest of the gang.

Newly painted and spoiling for a fight.  What could go wrong??

While the original "Battle At The Farm" had only a few figures per side (a measure of how much more involved the original Rogue Trader game was), we don't think an 8th edition game with only 15 to 20 models per side will last all that long, so we are bulking the forces up just a little bit.  But the thrust of the thing is still the same - Pedro Kantor and some surviving members of his command are trying to get to New Rynn City to rally the defences against an Ork invasion.  Will they survive? Or will Thrugg Bullneck find his buried treasure and gather a few more Marine skullz for his bosspole? Watch this space for a battle report soon...

Hey Krylon - Get Bent - It's Not Me, It's You

Victrix 28mm plastic Austrians all f*cked up courtesy of Krylon black spray

Late last year I ran into a little problem with some Krylon primer while working on a plastic model kit - a GW Predator tank.  I was quite angry, and vented on the blog.  Readers provided a number of helpful tips to avoid future repeats - clean the sprues first, make sure you don't spray in the cold etc.  All very sensible.

Many, many years ago, I used to use Krylon seal on my models, until it wrecked a set of painted figs. I have never gone back (it's Dullcote or GW 'Purity Seal' for me now).  But the Krylon black spray, with its elegant fan-style spray and much-less-awful odour, seemed like a real treat.  While I categorically refuse to use Krylon seal to this day, I figured there was no reason to avoid the black undercoat.

Then the incident with the Predator happened - probably a fluke, right?

Well, it happened again, this time with some Victrix 28mm plastic Austrians.  I cleaned the sprues, I sprayed indoors, so temperature wasn't an issue. And it still f*cked up the figures.  So I figured it was a bum can. I switched to a second, brand new can.  Cleaned the sprues. Sprayed indoors, so temperature would not be an issue, etc. etc. SAME THING - the photo above is the result.

So just a short post to Krylon - it's not me, it's you. Get bent!

I now remember why I refuse to touch your products. And I recommend to anyone else that extreme caution be exercised when using Krylon spray on plastic models.

"Army" Predator Finished

"Army" Predator for Rogue Trader Imperial Guardsmen

The quality of the prime time NFL games continues to be rough this year (San Diego at Jacksonville last night - gag).  But it's good for hobby productivity. In the end it was still a relatively quick project - despite a very frustrating incident with the primer - but the "Army" Predator for my Rogue Trader-era Imperial Guardsmen is done.

Half-way point - basic colours and dry-brushing done, ready for the gloss-coating before decals are applied

To try and deal with the primer problem, I added basecoat of black acrylic paint before starting anything else.  It did not mitigate the problem completely, but provided enough of a cover so that the effect is not too bad. It gives some areas of the tank's deck the apperance of having been hit with molotov cocktails or a heavy flamer or something a few times. At least I didn't have to throw away the model!

Evidence of the "primer incident" lingers in the paint - annoying, but not as bad as I had feared

Since the paint job was going to look "used" already thanks to the crinkling, I gave it some pretty hard weathering. 

I also had an incident with the decals - usually, I try and dab some dark gray with a sponge on the tactical numbers/markings to give the appearance of some wear.  I got mixed up, and "dabbed" really dark blue instead. So "wear and tear" suddenly jumped to "practically blotting out the front numbers" - OOPS! I had to paint them back in a bit, just so they would not disappear completely.

Here are some more pictures of the finished tank:

Side view of finished tank

Close-up of the commander - the figure is from Old Crow

The RT-era could Predator could still carry five passengers...not sure where, but hey - there is a door for them...

View from a roving Adeptus Mechanicus servo-skull

 
I was really pleased with the tank commander figure from Old Crow - I think he fits very well with the RT-era Imperial Guard trooper look.  This vehicle is now ready to face Dallas' "Red Star" Orks - or anything else we might throw at them (Tyranids, Eldar Space Pirates, rebel Guardsmen, protestors, etc).

On maneuvers with an Imperial Guard Tactical Squad

The Rhino crew breathes easier, knowing something else can draw all the enemy fire for a change...

Since I know one tank is sure to get zapped, I want to add a second one, and I would like to add more Rhinos.  The problem with that approach is that vehicles in Rogue Trader cost big-time points (as well they should, given they are much hardier in the RT game than the current version).  Predators are 600 points each! Rhinos clock in at 370 points a pop.  A mechanized tactical platoon would drop over 1400 points on Rhinos alone - never mind some Predators to back things up.

On the other hand, it's not like these things are going into a tournament, so who cares? Also, we've been bodging it up a bit, using 5th edition vehicle rules where it makes sense - on that basis, the Rhinos (without power fields etc) are much more disposable, and should allow the game to run smoothly.

And now I know I have to "wash" the models before I build them...

Primer(al) Rage

Hey - look what the primer did! Greg: "Motherf****r!!!!"

I thought this project would be pretty straightforward.  WRONG. I was priming the model in my garage this past Friday evening with my (previously) trusty Krylon flat black spray.  I gave it a coat, and left it to dry, as usual. When I went out to collect the model a little later, I was surprised to see a f**ked up crackle-type surface had developed on the primer. 

I've had bum primer before, but never with Krylon.  The weather has started to change to winter, so maybe that was it? The ambient temperature in the garage would have been about six degrees celsius that evening - hardly the worst that will happen this winter. What the F***??????

This would work if I was trying to paint a vehicle for one of the lame Chaos factions (look - a Slaneesh style overcoat to ensure fashionable drool resistance on the battlefield!), but I was pretty horrified of what this might do for the boring blue paint scheme employed by my Imperial Guardsmen.

I didn't want to throw out the model, so I painted some black acrylic on and hoped for the best....at least it wasn't a squad of plastic troops!

Anyone know what caused/causes primer to pull this kind of reaction?