Chimera (mostly) done!

She's ready for battle! (sorta)


     So here it is!  I like the way it came out.  I hemmed and hawed about so many details, and honestly it was worth it.  This being the first test for what should be a fairly large number of vehicles for my Imperial Guard army, it was very important to get it right.  I think there are certainly some larger risks I can take with subsequent vehicles, now that I've tested some theories.

     I'm going to make sure that I do more to hide the decal outlines.  I used the Micro Sol agent on the skull and the 501, but it didn't dull the look enough.  I'm going to make sure that on my other vehicles I paint over the clear portions lightly enough to take that plastic sheen off.  I hit it up with some matte finish, but it's still there.  All of the infantry didn't show the decals like that, granted they're significantly smaller decals.

     What am I referring to when I say that it's "mostly finished?"  Well perhaps you've noticed it already but the hull weapon is unpainted.  I've magnetized the two choices but I somehow forgot to prime them.  I'll just make sure they get primed next time I've got the airbrush out and filled with primer.

Army Parade


     I've decided that I'm going to participate in the Games Workshop Armies on Parade competition.  One of my early experiences in this hobby, from a competitive point of view, was an early "Army Parade" deal done at the Games Workshop store in Grapevine Mills mall in Grapevine, Texas.  The result of that was a little disappointing to me, but I learned some important lessons:

1.  Size matters! -  Big models get big attention.
2.  Bases count.  -  Dull bases?  Pffftt.... shows you didn't try.
3.  Bring a converted Tau tank you've turned into a Titan.  -  Yeah... for real.
4.  Don't get your hopes up for prizes.  -  It'll be a book... a... book.

     1 and 2, take those to heart for sure.  3 is still important because that happened.  The guy's army was painted ok.  I would say better than average, but it didn't matter because of the massive converted Tau Titan.  Stole the freakin' show.  But number 4 also happened, so I didn't feel so bad about losing.  Hah!

     The main challenge for me, on a personal level, with this competition is going to be the display board.  I've never done terrain, apart from bases, and I'm only moderately competent in that.  This is going to mean lots of foam carving and plenty of mistakes, I'm sure.

     Next up?  Valkyrie!  Until then, here are some more pics of my Chimera, enjoy:

Streaming Live now! Painting a Chimera!

UPDATE: I completed all the painting I was going to do for the evening around 2215 EST.  Please check back tomorrow as I'll likely but yet more time into my Imperial Guard Chimera.



I'll be working on an Imperial Guard Chimera tonight.  I've laid down the camo, but tonight I'll start doing more of the detail work.  I'll be happy to answer any questions you have!

Firestorm Armada!

A new system?!


I've passed my three year mark in war gaming. It has been strictly 40K all that time. I've really enjoyed the hobby, and the gaming, but the prices... a little less enjoyable. As I mentioned before, the recent price increases from GW got me thinking about the future I had in all this stuff. While I'll still stick with 40K, and I have no plans of abandoning my current list of 40K projects, I have decided that a bit of a breath of fresh air might be in order.

I've been looking through all the current major game systems out there, and I was really looking for something that was approachable, wouldn't break the bank in the long run, and seemed like it was backed by a good company. Firestorm Armada looks like it will fit that bill.

They have certainly checked a bunch of boxes here: good models, interesting rules, sci-fi setting, great starter sets, and the game represents a big step away from the tactics of 40K.

I've yet to play a game as I'm taking my time reading up on the rules, and I'll likely purchase another starter box so I can enjoy those models and learn how the different fleets play. Thankfully the costs of these starter sets are such that it lends itself to experimentation.

If you're interested in checking out the game, here are a few relevant links:
Spartan Games Firestorm Armada background site
Spartan Games Firestorm Armada store
CorSec Engineering - Nice movement template and awesome dice docks that glue in over the base of the flying base, allowing you to lock in dice to represent damage numbers. Perhaps a better alternative to the little card markers the game comes with.
Studio Burgstrom - Neat little potential fighter/bomber/interceptor models you could use instead of the card markers for those too.
Litko - Or you could use these to indicate the fighters, bombers, etc. Looks like it would be easier to spot on the table, and easier to move about. Price is a little high, but that's Litko for you.

I purchased my starter fleet and rulebook from the fine folks at The War Store. Love that place.

Now for some 40K


This update will not be total heresy. Here is a picture showing the progress I've made towards my first Imperial Guard vehicle. All the base camo work is done. I've got some supplies incoming to help me with the next couple of steps. I'll talk about that when appropriate.

Don't worry, that's just the base camo. I'm going to be doing much more detail.

If you're in the area...

I live south of Baltimore, near Arundel Mills mall, and if you're interested in Firestorm Armada, and maybe wouldn't mind taking a newb to school, gimme a shout. I've got to finish painting the fleet, because I never play with unpainted models, but I'd be interested to know if there was anyone out there that could teach me this game.

How to camo a camo paint job

And for my next trick...


     So I bought this little cheap hummer model you see here. It was green camo, but I'm going to paint it a different camo. I must be bored. Not really actually, I'm using this here $2 model as a test bed for the camo techniques I hope to use on my Imperial Guard vehicles.

     Early days here, obviously. All I've done to the model is remove the very cheesy Army stickers, put silly putty over the windows (which is really just another test) and I've primed it. Of note though, I did use my new airbrush primer from Vallejo. I must say, this is the awesome way to prime. No stink, not horrid over-spray, no "fluffy" models, no detail lost. Stuff goes on like a champ. I'm thinking I'll likely be priming all my models like this now.

     I did apply this primer coat rather thin. I'm not wanting to waste the little amount I have on this $2 model because the primer actually costs more than the model. This coat should be good enough. I'll be sure to try and take a few progress shots as I go. If that's the sort of thing you're interested in, stay tuned.

     Oh and I put my little bulldozer in my display case along with my other guard. Looks rather awesome in there. Good for a chuckle. That's all I have for now. Quick update, thanks for stopping by.

Command Squad Vox Caster completed!

Finally some progress!


     I have to apologize for, what I feel, was far too long of a break from actual painting updates. Silly finger injuries aside, I have been away from my painting table for too long. Ever get that feeling that, no matter what you're doing with your time off, it might be better spent painting? I do... I  might have a problem...

     So this Vox Caster marks the end of my troops. I have more infantry to paint, sure, but as I mentioned in my last post, those will be Storm Troopers, and I'm holding off on those until after my vehicles are done. Which is pretty exciting to me, because I haven't painted a 40K vehicle in seemingly ages. I think my last vehicle that I painted up was the Deff Dread for my Orks. I did paint my Koptas after that but, as we all know, those are technically vehicles, right?

     So next up should be the wacky Japanese bulldozer. This represents my weathering tests for how I'd like all my land vehicles in my guard army to look. Just the weathering, mind you, as I also have a camo test coming up too, but that'll be another model.

     So here are some additional pictures of the Vox Caster:

I liked the idea of painting him looking off to his left. I felt posture looked like he was turning. 

Ah the Dead Elf Head! The only good Eldar is a dead one. I wanted the glyph to look nearly worn off.