And Angels Descended from the Heavens….

Well, it looks like the new Dark Angels codex has finally been released and it looks good so far. I picked it up this past weekend and it has kick started my desire to start painting miniatures again. I’ve started priming the DA models from the Dark Vengeance starter set and the new Death Wing models that were released this past weekend. These new models are really well sculpted and the plastic moldings are crisp and as detailed as any scale model from Tamiya or Hasegawa.

It looks like they started using a newer molding process than they did in the past; probably copper lined molds. Regardless of what they used the final product looks perfect and I cannot wait to begin painting these models. They should paint up really nice and fit in really well with my existing Death Wing models

I’ll post some WIP images and some images of several of the completed Angels of Absolution models very soon. 

Cheers,

FH

Talk about a long overdue update...

We'll it's been nearly a year since my last update so I'll keep it brief. There have been a number of changes this past year that have had a negative impact my painting projects. Work and real-life drama had caused me to set everything aside until a later date. Finally, it seems that life is getting back to normal so it's time to pick up the paint brush again and work on completing some models.

I'm still working on my Angels of Absolution army and now that 6th edition is just around the corner it's at the top of the project list. I've completed the Stern Guard veterans and I've been working on completing the first tactical squad and their transport.

I'll post some pictures soon of the completed models and hopefully the project will move along now. My goal is to have the army completed rather quickly so that I can participate in some of the smaller events in the area for learning the new rule set.

Well, until next time...

Cheers

A Little Airbrushing Exercise

So last month I mentioned that I had started playing Flames of War. Well, I’ve been working hard on completing my 1750 US Tank Company but I took a break to help out a fellow modeler. One of the club members was having some trouble mastering his first airbrush. He invested in an Iwata airbrush but was having difficulties with thinning the paint properly and getting the brush to perform the way he wanted. He plays Germany and was trying to airbrush his models with the typical late-war ambush scheme. 

I spent some time one evening after gaming going over the basics and offering tips and recommendations for getting the mixture and blending correct. As an exercise, I began painting a FoW Panther G Tank model and this is a picture of the initial result. It was painted using Vallejo paints and Isopropyl Alcohol (91%) as the thinner. The results turned out really well because I normally only airbrush using Tamiya paints and Tamiya thinner. By using lower air pressure with the mixture, I was able to complete the ambush scheme without clogging or any overspray the usually plague an airbrush when painting something this small. 

This picture shows the model right after I completed airbrushing the initial scheme. I’ve since applied a coat of Future, applied the decals ad sealed them with another layer of Future. Once the future was dry, I applied a semi-gloss layer using a mixture of Tamiya Flat Base, Future and Tamiya thinner. It’s my opinion that this mixture allows me to work with the oil washes and filters a little better than if it were a completely flat or dull surface. 

I’ve started applying the washes, oil filters and dry brushing to the model and the scheme looks more uniform and blended together. I’ll take some pictures this weekend and post them up for a comparison.

Cheers…

A Long Overdue Update...

No, I’m not dead but I did just turn 40 yrs. old and busier that anyone ever ought to be. So it’s definitely been a while since I’ve last updated my blog but ‘real life’ took over and sadly my modeling and gaming have been moved to the back burner. However, while I am still insanely busy with work I have started playing Flames of War. 

If you haven’t played then I highly recommend that to at least try it out for one game. The rules are similar to 40k so transitioning for an experienced gamer should be fairly easy. It just takes a little adjustment of your mind set regarding a few things like terrain and the phases of the game. FoW uses a lot more terrain on the table than any other game that I’ve played and trust me it’s a good thing. They clearly define each form of terrain and the beneficial or negative impacts that they have. The assault phase is different in that you keep going until one side breaks or is wiped out. Players go back and forth with their attacks until either one outcome happens. There are other differences as well but for the most part the game flows very well and in some cases better than 40k. 

I’m also really impressed by the model range that Battlefront has put out. They have nearly every vehicle or unit that was part of WWII and they’ve broken them down into the eras. Early, Mid and Late War are the three sections of the game and the forces are very close to being historically accurate for the time periods. This method allows players to select the time period that they are interested in and then they can build an army for that era. In some cases by swapping out a couple of support units you can change a Mid War army into a Late War army. So it’s pretty flexible for most players to field both a MID or Late War army.

As for me, I’ve begun working in a Late War 1750pt. US Tank Company based on the 3^Rd Armored Division that landed in Normandy during Operation Cobra. I started with a tank platoon of five 75mm Sherman tanks and added two more Sherman tanks for my Company HQ. Then I added a tank platoon of five 76mm Sherman tanks and added the Warrior (see Special Characters) SSgt. Poole which has some added benefits to the unit he is attached too. 

Next, I added a Tank Destroyer platoon with two sections of M10 tank destroyers. This platoon features an HQ unit mounted in a Jeep and two M20 armored cars as support. These have an added benefit in that they can Ambush enemy units similar to a Lictor but the M10’s don’t have the best armor so they are a bit of a one trick pony. So far though, they have been very good in making their points back during my first five games. 

To finish out the list I added a light tank platoon of five M5A1 Stuarts and a Priority Air Strike of P-47 Thunderbolts. The air strikes have been very effective so far but I think that I’m going to have to add a unit of Artillery Support to keep units pinned down or smothered in smoke until my tanks get a little closer. The air strikes seem to have greater affect against tanks and dug in troops but it can be countered by Anti-Air weapons which can be mounted on anything from tanks to half-tracks to jeeps. 

One thing I liked about the Artillery Support units is that they can create a large smoke barrage that’ll prevent units from seeing through unless an opposing unit is within six inches of the smoked unit. However, they also have devastating barrages but from what I’ve experienced so far they have a problem with hitting some dug in and concealed troops. This is why I mainly used them for smoke so that I can get my tanks closer to where they can open up on the dug in troops.

Well that does it for me today but I’ll try to post a few pictures of the completed tanks and I’ll also publish my current list for everyone to review. 

Cheers…

Angel of Absolution WIP...

So here are some WIP pictures of my first models for the new army. I was finally able to get the macro settings adjusted properly on my camera and I have to admit it works really well; almost too well. I'm really surprised at the amount of detail that shows up in these pictures and the number of mistakes that I see on the models. Honestly, when looking at them normally, both under the modeling light and in pure sunshine they look really sharp but after looking at the pictures I see many areas that need to be touched up. Looks like I'll be digging out the ole' Opti-Visor so that I can get a closer look at things.

Anyways, here are the pictures and feel free to post your comments below:

These first three shots are of my actual test model, it's one of the Stern Guard veterans. The color scheme was taken directly from the Siege of Vraks - Vol. III book from Forge World. This one is mostly done with the painting part but as you can tell I still have add the base and static grass.

 The second model is the Sergeant from the Stern Guard set and I still have to complete the backpack and pick out some of the details on the power-fist. as with the first model I still need to complete the base and add the static grass.

So that is it for now, I'll post pictures of the completed models later this week.

Cheers...

A Brief Update...

Well, I hope everyone had a really good Thanksgiving holiday because I sure did. I cooked this year and I’m proud to say that everything turned out just great. The turkey was moist and just came out perfect and the stuffing and side dishes all complemented one another. My family was very pleased and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves because unlike years past they all just chilled out and watched football and a couple of movies until evening set in. After everyone left, I cleaned off the dining table and proceeded to but my modeling area back in order… gotta love being a Bachelor some days J nobody complaining about leaving stuff on the tables all the time.

Angels of Absolution

I mentioned previously that I started working on my first squad of troops for the Angels of Absolution army and I’m pleased to announce that the first non-test model is complete. One of the things that I have always taken pride in is the amount of detail that I put into my table top models. I’ve never really gotten why some people will just seem to slap some paint on a model just to have three colors on it and then call that table top quality. While I will admit that it takes me a long time to complete an army and I do play the occasional game with unfinished models. I always ensure that what is out on the table is well done and pleasing to the eyes. 

As many of you know, I worked hard this past summer to complete my pure Deathwing army and for the most part it is complete. The models look great and many of my fellow players have complemented the army and even awarded me the Best Painted Army award for the campaign. So with this new army I want to keep up that level of work and possibly surpass it by trying some new techniques.

 The first model was primed white and then I took a page from Les Bursley over at Awesome Paint Job. He has a couple of recipes for ‘soft body’ washes which I used on this model. I applied the initial coat of Vallejo’s Bleached Bone then washed the model using the Brown wash and then began highlighting the model. I thinned the paints this time using his water/thinner mixture and it worked out very well. The greaves, bolter and ornaments were all painted using Vallejo’s German Grey which I like better than GW’s Chaos Black because it has a touch of grey already mixed in. This effect makes highlighting easier and more subtle for the darker colors, I have to make less passes with the lighter shades to get the final colors. 

The interesting thing that I found about using Les’s method is how fast it seems to go. Usually, one would think that when using a blended or layered technique that it’ll be very time consuming; not the case with this one. This first model is nearly complete and as a result I have started the base/wash step for the other four models of the squad. With luck I may be able to report that the first squad is complete by Monday morning. 

I’m also considering expanding my original idea for the army to include members of other Space Marine chapters that took place in the Siege of Vraks campaign. I have the decal sheets for the campaign and it includes the markings for not only the Angels of Absolution but also the Red Hunters and Red Scorpion chapters. I discussed this idea with a buddy of mine and he thought that since they all use the same codex that it would be an original idea for an army.  

Most players typically focus their army’s on a single chapter, war host, company or mob but this would allow a modeler to expand his pallet and possibly his skill set. The majority of the army will be based on the AoA but I think that by adding a unit or two of the Red Scorpions and Red Hunters will add something unique to the army.  I’m thinking of adding a squad of RH Terminators to the army after I have my two troops and an HQ completed. I like the idea of adding RS Assault Marines to the mix because the Forge World models look pretty awesome. 

Well until next time…unters HunHhhhhhhhhhhhh

Happy Thanksgiving to All....

So it looks like the Blood Angels will be getting a second wave of models in February 2011 and there is some speculation that it’ll include the Storm Raven model. This image surfaced recently on the internet of what appears to be the actual model that GW will be releasing.

Responses on the various forums and websites are mixed but my opinion is that it fits very well with the rest of the Space Marine product line. My hope is that when it is released that there will be a set of rules that would allow other chapters to use the model that probably won’t happen until the next marine codex is released. However, I expect that we’ll be seeing more than a few of these hit the gaming tables in the near future.

I’m planning on picking one up when it is finally released so that I can add it to my new Angels of Absolution army. The reason is that I highly doubt that it will remain solely a Blood Angel or Grey Knights unit for too long and I think it would be pretty cool have in my display case. The new AoA army will be using the standard Space Marine codex instead of being based off of the Dark Angel’s codex. This will allow me to have the flexibility of using the Space Marine rules without be hampered by future updates and releases as I am with a pure Dark Angels army.

The Dark Angels army was not only my first army but it was what got me excited to get into the hobby. Sadly, we all know that their codex is outdated and non-competitive when compared to other army’s in the game. The AoA army will follow the more stringent Space Marine rules but take advantage of the newer units options, cheaper point values and special characters that are in that codex. Also, by making them a DA successor chapter it will allow me to mix a match the models in larger games and tournaments without suffering composition or fluff penalties.

This past weekend, I prepped the first Tac squad models for priming and decided that I’m probably going to go for a Multi-Melta/Melta Gun combo for this squad. I know that currently players are still leaning towards this combo so I figured that I would give it a try, at least with this first squad. I’ve got an extra Rhino lying around along with a set of Forge World the extra armor so I’ll be working on that over the holiday weekend. Hopefully, with four days off I can make some pretty good progress and have something to post next week.

So until next time, please have a good Thanksgiving holiday and keep modeling…