Malign Portents: Sticking with Herzberg Irregulars

I was planning on switching back to my Renegades for the next couple of weeks but have instead cracked on with the Herzberg Irregulars. The main reason? Malign Portents! Since this campaign is running for a while I thought it made sense to get my new AOS army up and running as soon as possible so I can at least get a few games in. This will also hopefully speed up my building and painting backlog.. we shall see! I have started work on Forge World's excellent Elspeth Von Draken on Carmine Dragon kit and thought it best to magnetise the wings to make transporting this beastie a bit easier.

Carmine Dragon WIP #1 - Magnets added to wings

Carmine Dragon WIP #2 - Wings attached

Herzberg Irregulars Progress Report #1

Well these last 2 weeks have flown by! I have managed to get a fair chunk of my Herzberg Irregulars assembled and based. I'm so glad I pulled the trigger on the DragonForge Bases, these compliment the models perfectly. The next 2 weeks will be spent back on the Renegades but before that I thought I'd make a progress report. As always with my purchases from Forge World there were issues with some of the models. Both the Empire Command set and Manann's Blades Command had issues, dodgy shiny resin, soft detail and missing parts.. all the things that have unfortunately become the norm for Me when I order from Forge World. I have sent customer service an email with issues along with photos so hopefully when the hobby project rotates back to the Herzberg Irregulars I will have the replacement kits to work on. Anyway here is current progress:

20x Ironsides inc Command

Ironsides Closeup

Ironsides Command Closeup

10x Manann's Blades

Manann's Blades Closeup

Herzberg Irregulars and Painting Comp

As mentioned previously I have decided to split my hobby months into half AOS and the other 40k. Since we are in the first part of the month work has finally begun on the Herzberg Irregulars. So far I have managed to assemble a 10-man Ironsides unit, 3 Manann's Blades and a model that has been sitting in a box for the last 5 years: The Event Only Warrior Priest.

Ironsides

Manann's Blades & Warrior Priest

And lastly here is my entry for the painting comp I mentioned in my last post. I was one vote away from 3rd place. Was a bit of a rush job and took about an hour to paint, wish I had some lighter colours to make bits stand out. 

Aetheric Navigator

First Post of the Year! 40k Renegades Project is Underway!

First post of the year. I have decided to spend the first 2 weeks of a month working on my AOS Empire army and the last 2 weeks working on my 40k Renegades. Work will begin on The Empire models from the 1st of Feb and thought I'd spend an extra couple of days getting work underway on my new Chaos Renegades project. I have made good progress so far and have put together 2x 10-Man Marauder squads (armed with shotguns) and also 5x Renegade Ogryns. I was also lucky enough to get a Valdor Tank from my Fiancee for Xmas but as with my usual luck when ordering from Forge World their non-existent quality control made sure that work on that would be delayed by "3 weeks due to how busy we are to get the faulty part cast". Why they cannot take a replacement part from one of the others in stock and send that to me to speed things up I have no idea. People always rave about the excellent customer service they provide with replacing parts but shouldn't the mark of good customer service be checking the parts BEFORE sending them out so people don't receive poor quality models that they charge premium prices for? Then add to that making the customer wait weeks before the issue is resolved? Very poor indeed. Anyway, enough moaning.. it is what it is. Here are a few more pics of my progress so far:

10-Man Marauder squad #1

10-Man Marauder squad #2

5-Man Renegade Ogryn Squad

Regnak vs BPPV vs Hobbytime

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been out of action for last 3 weeks due to BPPV (Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo) that triggered with the slightest movement of my head. I have spent the time basically lying still in bed or on the sofa. My Netflix backlog has reduced considerably but my hobby progress has been ALMOST non-existent. The last couple of days I have felt better and managed to get in a bit of hobby progress. I have almost finished my first 10 Marauders (waiting on a couple of special weapons and a shotgun I ordered from a bitz store) for a Renegade army I want to crack on with in the new year. They look like fairly simple conversions but it was actually a little tricky getting the torsos to sit right on the legs and required lots of cutting, trimming and gap hiding. Evening though they were fiddly I think they work really well and these test subjects will pave the way to a full army in the new year. That's all for now, hoping to add an update or two over the festive period once I'm off work.

Zombicide Black Plague

In a mad quest for forbidden knowledge and ultimate power, the necromancers have unleashed the apocalypse upon the living. Zombies have destroyed the King’s armies, and now roam the land, spreading chaos and death. Is it the end? Are we cursed to die, huddled in our homes? It’s a dark time, but not for those with a will. Draw your sword, span your crossbow, and ready your spells! For the few, the brave, it’s time for… Zombicide!

I have been meaning to pick up one of the Zombicide sets ever since Morpheus brought along his copy of Zombicide Prison Outbreak to one of my gaming groups boardgame nights a few months back. Since his game was set in a modern prison setting I thought I would pickup something a bit different to add a bit of variety to our community games pool. I set my sights on Zombicide Black Plague as I really liked the sound of the theme: Swords and Sorcery.. AND ZOMBIES?! SIGN ME UP!  I recently picked up a starter set at a very reasonable price on FEEbay. The set was listed as open but in mint condition and I am pleased to report thats how it arrived. The seller also included a few extra Survivors which I assume were bonuses from the Kick Starter set which were not mentioned in the listing but a very welcome addition. 

From a modelling/design perspective I really liked the look of the "Special Guest" packs that were released alongside the core set that include new survivors designed by well known illustrators like Adrian Smith and Karl Kopinski. I went with the set designed by Edouard Guiton (artwork above) and this will give my group a nice selection of characters to choose from.

I got in a quick couple of games with a friend so we can familiarise ourselves with the rules in preperation for the main group giving Black Plague a go in a few weeks time. I went with Kaila from the Edouard Guiton set and we got stuck in with the tutorial mission. Although we got swamped at one point were were able to complete the mission thanks to Kaila's excellent ability that allows you to remove an additional zombie of the same type as one that you just killed, Brutal!

Come Get Some!

At some stage in the future I hope to get some paint on these mini but for now gaze upon bare plastic! Another Zombicide update will follow once we have had our meetup.

Hobby is Happening.. Honest!

Sorry for the radio silence. Life has been getting in the way but I've managed to get a few things done. First up is a Warboss on Giant Cave Squig from Forge World. This model is oozing character, he is the perfect transition between the old and new look Goblins Grots. I repainted the squig several times and in the end settled on the classic red colour scheme which I think compliments that dark robes of the moon clan perfectly.

I have also begun work on Grom the Paunch and his chariot. I am happy with how his paintjob is turning out but am having a surprisingly hard time with Niblet. For some reason I can't seem to get him right, I have tried twice now and keep screwing it up. He's currently sitting in a bath of paint stripper ready for another attempt... when I have the patience that is. Third times a charm right?

And last up something non-Grot related. I have begun construction on a Marienburg Landship! A great looking kit that I am assembling for my future Empire army. I have the army in boxes/FW packets and this will become my next project once the grots are done (...or at least nearing completion :p). More updates coming soon!



Progress on the Wheat Field

I managed to get in some hobby time in today and the Wheat Field is nearing completion I need to add some “Stirland Battlemire” to the sides of the doormat to hide the black rubber that is peeking out in a few spots and also finish off highlighting the trees. As a final step I will spray the base with some watered down PVA to help it survive in the world of tabletop gaming. Here are a couple more pictures including one that shows the "Wheat" sections removed so models can move through the field.

Next up I will continue work on the Merchants Cottage and also get some base colours down on an Arachnarok Spider for my Night Goblin army.

Man O'War eBay Score!

Everything included in auction

As I get older I find myself looking back with fondness on all the games I used to play as a wee nipper and wanting to recapture some of this childhood magic in my adult life. One of the games I used to play way back when was "Man O'War". I ended up getting a cracking deal on a set in very good condition. The previous owner had basically assembled the ships, pushed the tokens out of their surround and then packed everything back in the box where it has remained ever since. The cards are still sealed and the ship sails/banners unused. Even the box was described as being in good condition with just a small knock on one of the corners.
 

Some extra ships included in auction

Also included in the auction was an Imperial Greatship (undercoated, one mast needs a slight repair) and a Dwarf Nautilus squadron (basecoated). Buying stuff counts as hobby progress, right? Expect some Man O'War posts in the future but for now my Night Goblins will be taking priority in preparation for a big AOS game my group has planned for a months time.

Iron Maiden - The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Progress, Progress, Progress!

I had a few days holiday from work and was surprisingly productive. I completed another 10 Night Goblins bringing the total to 20 so I now have the minimum unit size that can be fielded. As usual I had lots of fun painting these models, I mean look at them! Whats not to love?! This unit includes a few of the old "Netters" and "Clubbers" models and I plan on adding another 4 in a future update.

Next up is one of the old Squig-Herder teams. Unfortunately the light was crap when I took this photo so the colours have come out looking a little flat but they are painted in the same way as my other Goblins.

And last up for my painting accomplishments is the White Dwarf Subscription Goblin Warboss. This guy was really fun to paint. I did a little work on him every night for a week and I think he ended up pretty good. As mentioned in a previous post the mushrooms are a mixture of the ones you get with the Mangler-Squigs and the ones I reviewed from TheBattleForge. I overdid it a bit with the weathering powder on the rocks and plan at some stage to tone this down. I also need to redo a few of the red and white "Fairy Tale" mushrooms to match the 2 realistic coloured ones but for now I'm calling this done! 

WIP project wise I threw together some simple LOS-blocking scatter terrain using some of the many resin accessories I have accumulated. I have also primed a few bits of terrain such as the Cottage and Wheat Field and pictures of these will follow once I have made some progress painting them.

And talking of the Wheat Field, I found this guy in my bitzbox and think he might come in handy for watching over the crops. He's an old Mordheim model from the "Frenzied Mob" set.

And lastly this Box O' Fun arrived. More details on this soon...