An actual Crusade!

Two posts in a year?? What sorcery is this? There goes that low bar. So yes, another post, not that I think anyone will actually see this. But it seemed appropriate to make one anyways. Things have been happening and going on, and well, why not share it?

First off, the title. Yes, I'm taking part in a 9th ed 40k crusade league. In all honesty, 9th edition has been sort of a let down for me. GW really cranked up the rules bloat across the board and I found the game extremely intimidating and confusing, which is why I haven't played it. Well that changed last week as my local game club started up a Crusade league and I got tired of sitting on my horde of models. So I mostly dusted off my necrons and went in to see how things were. I got completely stomped, for a large variety of reasons which we won't get in to, but overall, decided that it could be fun with the right army. That and pretty much everyone there told me that the only way to learn 9th edition was to play it, as trying to read the rules and absorb everything that way was just too hard. And they seemed to be right. So I'm taking the plunge with an Imperial Knight army. I probably won't win much, but I think I'm getting a handle on the rules for IK and I think I can have fun with them.

Next up, I played some Bolt Action recently. My buddy Robert (and yes, I do have a few more friends than just Robert...but yeah, same Robert as in the other posts..) came over and we threw down with a small game of BA. I played my dashing Italian Bersagilieri vs his less dashing British. 

Yeah baby! Pictures even to prove it. All things considered, I think the table didn't look too bad. I even own just a couple more pieces of desert terrain that I could toss in. I really need to buy/make a well though for an oasis. Any ways...the game was actually pretty intense, but the Italians won the day. The hero of the match was the Italian Sniper. He accounting for the British heavy MG, the mortar, and the LT. Meanwhile his counterpart was only able to kill as single infantryman. The Brits pushed along the two flanks while the Italians held the center. I was very lucky that Robert is not more aggressive as he could have totally swung around the two building side and crushed me, but he was focused on keeping the objective and didn't see that tactic. His Brits made a heroic push on the other flank, but the Italians were able to pour their fire into the squads and keep them pinned and taking casualties. His final charge was thwarted by heavy fire that cut them down to the man.

It was really nice to play a game, and it really showcased to me how awesome Bolt Action is. I gotta play that game some more.

Also, I finally got a 3D printer! Now its still literally in its box. I have however, purchased the horde of other products needed to get started. I have resin, rubbing alcohol, spill mat, UV lights, and screen protectors. So I'm basically all set to try. Now I just gotta find a place for it and take the time to prep. Who knows, maybe this weekend will work. Kind of exciting. I've been collecting a ton of STL files from various patreon artists. So who knows, with a little luck, I could be showing off some prints...you know, the next time I post...which should be about nine months from now. :D

Not only that, but I think....I do really think...that I'm done with buying models. My collection is quite large and at this point, buying more seems wasteful and unnecessary. Not that I intend to go crazy making models either. But for my current needs and mostly my "I wish I had..."s, I am done. I never actually thought I could get here...but there we are. 

So what is next then? Well I should have a Crusade update later this week. And then, I might be able to prep the 3D printer. However, I do have other non-hobby stuff going on which could impact that. So no promises. Well, until next time....just don't hold your breath.

One post a year, a new bar has been lowered!

 So sue me. Not like anyone is actually even reading this. This is just a place where I can come and procrastinate from doing real work. You know it, I know it, might as well say it.

Lets face it, the last couple of years have been crappy for most. For me, not so much, but that is because I'm introverted and not socializing isn't a big loss for me. Not only that, but I've been very lucky in that most of my friends and family have been playing it smart and staying healthy.

So why am I posting now, after a whole year has gone by with nothing? Well again, I'm procrastinating and I actually have something I wanted to share. So there :P

I could talk about how I've gotten into Kill Team by GW. I didn't jump in to the first edition game, but the 2nd ed box set was just too good to pass up. Turns out the game is pretty good too. But that isn't actually why I'm here today. The real reason is because of Battlefront's Team Yankee.

Team Yankee...or actually now it is called, World War III: Team Yankee, is Battlefront's take on what would have happened if WWIII had started in 1985. Now this game has been out for a few years. Originally, I completely passed on it even though I'm a pretty big fan of Flames of War, their WWII game. Something about the modern tanks and such just didn't appeal to me.

Well, here we are, years later, on a newer edition (2nd I believe), and I've finally taken the plunge. Okay, not so much a plunge, more like a toe dip at this point. But the plunge is coming, oh yeah...its coming.

My friend Robert, who by now must seem like my only friend...not true...but not far from false either, has been interested in TY for some time. Not sure what it was about it...but he kept a steady eye on it over the years. My flat refusal to even entertain getting the game though probably held him back from taking his own plunge...at least for a while. Some time last year he did manage to collect some US forces. He started talking about it...saying how great a deal the starter was...and yada yada. I listened, as any good friend would, but again...no interest in getting it.

And then the bane of my existence stepped in. Mindtaker.org. A more wretched hive of scum and villainy you will not find.... no actually, they are fine people and Mindtaker.org is one of my most favorite place to shop...in fact, I've probably spent more money there in the last few years than anywhere else. Well recently they received some TY collections and posted them up for sale. Nothing draws me in faster than a chance to save money on stuff I really don't need. The nail in the coffin was a very nice batch of West German forces, new in box. I nearly went in on the whole collection...but thankfully, surprisingly, my common sense won out and I held off. But it did basically make me research the game, the army, and everything Team Yankee for about two days. 

"and that is how you set the hook..." said the cruel universe. 

So, now I'm hooked and to complete the bonding, a purchase has been made. Now originally, there was no intention of a purchase. I went to Geeks and Games with the sole purpose of buying the new Genestealer Cult codex, and talking to my friend Adam, the store owner. He has one of the few stores around that even carry Team Yankee, if not the only one. Plus, he's a good guy and a player of Battlefront's games. Well he wasn't there...boooo....but the starter set was, and it was at a very good price. Also, I know Robert is going to take the US forces from the box off my hands as I'm going Warsaw Pact all the way.

So here we have the BMP-3, a recon vehicle that can also be used by mechanized infantry. Let me tell you, this kit is nice. First off, check out that detail. Second, that turret is also magnetized, so it turns freely, yet securely. Honestly, one of the nicest models I've put together recently. 

Emboldened by my success, I then went on to the T-64s. Also a very nice kit. the side skirts were a bit of a pain, but no cursing...so pretty good. I ended the night with a T-80 (sorry, no pic) and I have three more to assemble. But wow, I was just having fun building models. My wife laughed at me as I was driving them around my little table making vroom noises and going pew pew. Because who wouldn't?

I am super impressed. These models rocked. Great looking, and actually fun to put together. As I'm a bit obsessive compulsive when it comes to collecting, I have sort of planned what I intend to do next. At this stage, unless an unusual opportunity pops up, I'm done until the new Warsaw Pact book is released later this year. Also, they have previewed two new army sets and one of them is actually a Mech Infantry one. I love infantry in FoW, so will probably wait on that box set before doing any more. Not only that, but I don't want to get too distracted by TY while I'm finally actually playing Kill Team.

Anyways, it was worth sharing and I had taken pictures. I mean if that isn't a reason to make a blog post, well...then fine, everyone is allowed their own opinion I guess.

And if this thing actually gets some views, maybe I'll take pics of my Kill Team stuff and start posting that up as well.

To Printer or not to Printer, that is the question

 Hello sports fans,

So today instead of models or games, we are going to talk printers...3D printers that is. The gamer in me totally wants to jump into 3d Printing. I've been watching it with interest ever since it first came out. Who wouldn't be interested in the ability to make my own models at a fraction* of the cost I'm paying now right?

I've been a casual observer for the last few years...keeping an eye on things and looking at the items that a few friends have made. Recently though, probably due to the pandemic and the isolation it causes, I've really taken a notice at some of the great models being made and the advances in the medium. Costs have been coming down and it does seem quite reasonable to get a printer finally. Also, the investment of time and learning seems to have shrunk as well. All great things. 

That being said, now that I started to really consider getting one, the actual use of the printer has to be examined. And I mean seriously examined. I own a lot of models. I mean a lot. I have fifteen 40K armies. I have battletech, Age of Sigmar armies, Warhammer FB armies, Flames of War armies, Bolt Action, Dystopian Wars.... a lot of models.

Do I need to make more? I look at what is being done by Excellent Miniatures for their 10mm line. It almost makes me drool. Those models look fantastic. They purchased licenses from various model makers and are printing and selling those models. I just saw them start to sell models that I actually kick started. So I could buy from them...or I could get my own printer and make them myself. But do I really need to. With the hill of models I currently possess....do I need to start cranking out more?

The above model is by WizKids. I paid $15 for it. It is very nice and priced extremely well. Could I go out and find an STL model that would do for this and print it out myself? Probably. But would that cost be anywhere close to the $15 I spent on a perfect version, pre-primed and ready to go? Probably not.

But making my own would be really really cool!**

So what would I really want to use my printer for. Well, I'd want to print out cool minis as I found/bought them. I'd want to do terrain and possibly create custom movement trays for certain games (like Kings of War). I don't really see myself printing armies though, at least not 28mm scale. But 28mm terrain...yes please. Hence the "need" for a larger printer. Ugh, this is why I keep going around in circles. I can see a good use and need for it, and I can see it gathering dust as well.

Thoughts?

* as long as the cost of doing the printer pays out in the long run.

** my inner child is a pain in my ass.

Wizkids Paint Night Models Review

 Hello hobbie fans!

Sorry for the hiatus. It's 2020 (a lame excuse but one that cannot be argued against). Also, part of the reason for the delay is that I promised that the next post would be a review on the Wizkid's Paint Night Manticore model. Wow...so it was months ago that I picked it up and was at the time, really impressed with the kit. A nice model, 12 paints...all for $20. Well, since that time I also picked up the Ogre Zombie paint night model. So lets review.

Let us talk about the contents. One decent plastic manticore model appropriately sized and based for D&D. It also comes with a round plastic base to put it on. Then there are 12 small paint pots with themed colors of vallejo paints, two brushes, a water pot (with lid!) and even mixing areas in the plastic holder. 

Wow...very impressed with this. Honestly, the two brushes are decent, the closable water pot is nice, and they even put mixing areas on the plastic frame. All of this for $20? wow..color me impressed. Since I now owned two kits, my wife and I sat down for a date night paint night.

The above photo was taken probably around 30min to an hour in to the painting. My wife was actually watching a video on how to do the manticore, while I just dove in on the zombie. We both stuck with the paints in the kit, although she did grab some extra brushes.

Lets talk paints. For the most part, they work well. Good coverage. If anything, you need to water them down a little. Besides the paints, they also come with washes as well. The zombie kit comes with three washes and nine paints. I think the maticore had two washes and ten paints. Not 100% sure on that...

If there is a complaint to fit in here, I'd say it was the limited pallet. Some of the colors were very close to each other which I think they could have just had the darker ones and then let us lighten then up as needed with the white. However, the pallet was good enough to paint the whole model and keep mixing to a minimum if desired, which is not a bad way to go with a paint kit.

In the end though, really happy with how they turned out and my wife was really thrilled to spend time together that did not involve a TV screen.

My wife was not a fan of the wings. She let me play around with it a bit and I did some light shading with a water downed dark wash to add just a bit more depth. But again, I think had they included a different color for the wings, that might have helped. The manticore really did seem to be all neutral tones.

I liked the way the zombie came out. Same kind of thing, I had to go back with a few extra dark washes to really bring some depth to the model, but all in all, very pleased. Total paint time was probably about three hours with dry time added in at various stages. I would have loved a nice grey color to use for the bandages and such, as the light tones really blend together. I suppose I could have used the same fur brown color again, but wanted to try to use as many of the colors as I could.

I would actually suggest grabbing some other models to paint at the same time as these. Most of the time, I was able to close the lid on the paints and get a good seal, but a few times the paints got on the edge of the lid or pot and I know will cause them to dry out sooner. There was lots of paint left over. So really, no reason not to bang out several models to get the most out of these colors.

All I know is that I'll be picking up the next paint night model when it is released. These are fun, don't require a whole lot of planning, and produce some nice results.

These are also perfect for teaching someone about model painting too. One kit has everything they need. Good job Wizkids.

Hopefully this has inspired my wife and I to do more painting during this crappy pandemic and you might see more work done on my chaos marines. Until next time...

Welcome to the battlefield

 Hail and well met! (sniff...miss EQ)

Well howdy gentle readers. How are you? I'm not doing too badly. I know this update was supposed to showcase the new Paint Night Manticore model from Wizkids. That will be coming up, but instead today I wanted to show you what happens when a grown man gets obsessed with an idea.

So last update, I shared a review of the new command terrain expansion from GW. I was pretty impressed with it. So much so, I went a little crazy. I immediately went out and got myself another one. Also, as I recall, I talked about how the new bigger terrain set looked like a good deal too. Well, so I went and got one of those as well. Upon further reflection, I realized that was a lot of the same type of terrain. So to mix it up a bit, I went to old ebay and found myself a nice mechanicus set from Kill Zone. The results speak for themselves.

You'll have to excuse the poor photography, I'm still trying to figure some of this stuff out. With the flash, this is what the table looked like. Lets talk terrain. All of the terrain from the new box sets are snap together. None of that terrain is glued at all. The mechanicus stuff did require some glue, but more on that later.

Oh, and pardon the mess of my basement. The last few years we really haven't been using it much and it sort of became a storage area. I cleared space off my table to be able to set this up. Back to the table. 

As you can see, pretty darn good coverage. The lighter grey terrain seems to be the mechanicus stuff. The aesthetics with the newer stuff fit right in. The mechanicus stuff, while not snap together, does have some modularity to it. The platforms use a peg system and thus you can really go to town with how you decide to lay them out. I thought that was pretty cool. So in terms of space, you can break down 90% of this terrain for easy storage.

Ugh, that flash was not helping. So I turned that puppy off.

Oh, I should point out that from the new Vertigus set, one piece is not push to fit. See that structure in the top corner...that had to be glued. Seemed a bit odd to me that they would include a piece like that. But not complaining...more terrain is more terrain.

All told, with online discounts and the like, this setup came to about $400 which is the most I have spent on GW in quite some time. That being said, I'm really pleased with the purchase. I own a few battlefield mats already, so I wasn't sure about the cardboard mats, but honestly, I like them. Two sided, so I can either go Mars red or a dark grey. The dimensions are GW's minimum specs so it is really easy for me to lay out a field for any size game. 

Another thing to mention is that the mats in Vertigus are different from the command expansion. The command expansion basically fit down to 8x11 or close to it. The Vertigus are more like 8x22, or 16x11...basically, due to the larger box size, they made less folds. So while they won't fit in your backpack as nicely, less folds looks nicer on the table.

Okay, so now I gotta paint this crap. Thankfully I own an airbrush, so fingers crossed, it won't take too long. Not that its high on my priority right now, not like I'll have anyone over for a game anytime soon.

Okay, so nice time, manticore. Promise.

GW's 40K Command Edition Terrain Review

 

Morning everyone,

So this weekend I was feeling a little down and decided I needed some retail therapy. So I headed down to GG and just started browsing. Now normally I am not a browser. I figure out what I want to buy after hours of research and consideration. So just heading into a store with no idea of what I want to get is not something I normally do. I found myself in the 40K section looking around and my eyes descended onto the Command Edition terrain expansion. A good amount of terrain and a battle board for $90.  Considering some of the terrain prices I see from GW..this looked fairly decent. Plus, I'd be supporting my local game store. So what the heck, I picked it up and bought it.

Now I get home and immediately stuff it in my Terrain area (don't judge me). That said, my curiosity was nagging away at me so a few hours later I pulled it out and opened that puppy up (it went to the terrain area because I'm not planning on playing 40K any time soon with Covid roaming about). First off, the terrain is all snap to fit! Sweet. Any time I can avoid glue, the better. So clippers in hand and an exacto knife for clean up, I began building. Took maybe 20min of time and the whole set was assembled. There is maybe one piece that I will go back and use glue on, but the rest...no reason. It is all stable as is. I then popped out the battle board. Time will tell how durable it is. The cardboard itself is fairly thick, I'm a bit worried about the joints lasting. But at least so far, looks okay. The two sides are a nice urban dark grey, or a mars red. Both useful for 40K. The terrain pretty much covers the board too. All in all, pretty sweet.

Then it hit me, wait a minute...I need two of these boards. Some quick research and I figured out why GW put out this box...it is for people who bought one of the new starters. Those all come with a battle board. Add in the contents of this box, and you have a minimum size play area and a good deal of terrain to go on it. But I didn't buy one of those. I got the indomitus set...which didn't come with a battle board. No worries, I can just buy battleboards...in a two pack...which still leaves me with an odd board. Dang it.

So I immediately went to ebay...surely I could find a battle board there. And I did..for the tune of $27. Screw that nonsense...GW asks 2 for $50. Hmmmm, a few more google searches later and I come up empty. I mull over it for a while and eventually come back to the computer to research some more. I start looking at the terrain again and the boards and look at GW's pricing. What I discover is that this is a really sweet set.  For the money, it is definitely one of the best buys from GW. Assuming $25 for the board, that leaves all that terrain for $65...which is more terrain than you get for GW's $60 set. So now I go back to ebay to see what kind of pricing I can get for this set there. $76 with free shipping was the best I found so far. Again...really good. However, my search also brought up GW's Command Set starter. Same terrain, plus necrons and marines. Ebay you can find it for $133. I nearly jumped on that. The one thing that stopped me...the terrain board. Apparently one side of the terrain board has markers in it, A thru E. I'm sure its for some scenarios in the starter...but for me..I didn't want a board with markers on it..plus, I didn't need the models. That said, if those don't bother you..that is an excellent set for the money.

So instead I grabbed another terrain expansion. This way I'll have more terrain and another battleboard. And that is about the best thing I can say about it...so good I bought it twice. The terrain is excellent. Each piece seems to be pretty durable, and still look really good. Easy to put together too. And the battle board means this is pretty much a must-buy if you already own one of the new starter sets.

By the way, GW has another terrain set on pre-order called Vertigus. It is $150. It comes with two battle boards and a bit more terrain. I would also put this as a good buy and might pick it up myself. That would give me a full sized board with four mats and a few different pieces to add. I would recommend this to anyone who got indomitus. Had I done my research, I probably would have skipped the Command edition and just waited for that. That being said, I don't regret my purchase at all. It was still a good buy. It is nice that GW is tossing out good options for people no matter how you got into 9th edition.

Up next, a review of Wizkids Manitcore set. Until then....

Quick Update

Hey All,

Been a crazy few weeks. Myself and my family are staying healthy <knock on wood> and just trying to navigate this twisty curvy race that is life right now. I could probably be doing more with my hobby stuff, but what can I say? I doing some stuff though. 

So first off, did a little more painting. So before I did that black orc test model...now it really wasn't for black orcs, it was to test out a technique for my wife to use with her Sisters of Battle army. Well then GW went and released some new paints and wanted to give them a try. So I painted up another one.

So here is Mr. Black Orc from last time. Used leadbelcher primer and then wildwood contrast over the armor to dirty it up. Well then I tried out the new brass color from GW.

Oh, I also got a new camera and am trying to work it out on how best to use it, so if these photos aren't great, hopefully they will get better in time. Hmmm, maybe a back shot would work better....

And then here is a back shot of the leadbelcher for comparison...

So you can see, not so dark. Now originally, after using the same technique basically on both, just applying a different base coat, the new brass was pretty bright. I then had to go an extra step of doing nuln oil over the armor. That helped to darken it and really bring out the depth. In the end, my wife chose the new brass base with the extra step. And currently three sisters are primed and ready for some paint. However, she needs to figure out the other colors she wants to use first. So if you have any suggestions, feel free to post them in the comments. 

The overall look she is going for are sisters that have been through the wringer but are still fighting strong, So nothing too bright or clean. Oh, I should also mention that blogger just went through an update and changed the way you make posts...so the images might be a little different from before. Please compare to previous posts and see if there is a major difference.

So other than helping my wife, I've been getting ready for a college reunion trip. Can't wait. A whole week of gaming with friends of over twenty years. Nerdvana. 

Hope everyone out there stays safe, please wear a mask in public, and wash your hands frequently. Until next time...