Dreadball - McDeaths

So at our FLGS (Worthy Games), we have started playing Dreadball, which you might have seen floating around.

If you’ve not seen/ heard of it, Its an action/sports game based around american football , played with your usual assortment of fantastical creatures (Humans, Orks, Ratmen and Dwarves so far), so obvious comparisons are drawn to Bloodbowl...although it plays a bit differently; its faster paced and the game mechanics make it feel (to me at least), like you are playing a well thought out and dedicated sports game.

The teams are nice and cheap at £15 and come in their own case, which are like foam filled VHS boxes (sure I’ve seen that somewhere else...).

I’ve gone for the Ork/Goblin themed ones and decided that they would need some corporate sponsorship. In the Demolition Man, it was Taco Bell who won the corporation wars but come on...it would really be McDs (who in my mind went on to buy and run America...so really these guys would be the US national team...). Hence, the McDeaths!

Relictors Space Marine Drop Pod Project - WIP Cont.

Many moons ago, I started this project to do 4 more drop pods to add to the Relictors Battle Company and accompany this Drop Pod, as you can see I didn't finish the project last Christmas when I posted my basecoat progress (Dec 11) and floundered right about there... but now progress has been made, I've finished all 20 Vanes/Wings, all 30 Harnesses, 20 Motor Blocks, 4 Interal Base Plates, 15 Harness Uprights, 15 Aquila, 14 Motor Vents and 1 Door...

Maybe I'm spending too much time on interior details like the harnesses where most people don't care and just do a quick drybrush at the most, but I am matching the standard of my first Pod so I know it's there if no-one else notices.

One Pod will have the Deathstorm Missile Launcher fitted and magnetized (see Here for Magnetizing Pods) so it can be played as this or removed and used as a Lucius/Normal Dreadnought Drop Pod instead. To set it apart from the other Pods, it has Chapterhouse Studio Armoured Door facings. A little hot water and rivet removal from the door itself and these went on fairly easily.

I'm also missing an engine vent, so a greenstuff press mould was constructed around another Vent and later when cured a new one was press moulded - I used Olive Oil as a lubricant to stop the Vent and new vent sticking to the mould whilst curing.

That only leaves whats left in the right hand side of the top photo... 19 Doors, 4 Engine Blocks, 3 Base Plates, 3 Central Columns, 3x Weapons, gubbins etc... I'll post when done, hopefully within less than a year this time!!

Weekend mini-project – Malifaux Ramos Crew

Last weekend I had nothing particularly exciting planned and wanted an excuse to pick up some new toys, so I decided to set myself a challenge and have a mini painting project.

Ramos

I wanted something that I could “finish” in a weekend but would still be a nice challenge. After some extended browsing I picked the Malifaux Ramos crew; a magic and construct controlling Master with a crew of mechanical-arachnid nasties.

Steamborg Executioner

Admittedly, these were some of the fiddliest metal models I have ever had the displeasure of building. They are all mounted on some nice Victorian-street themed resin bases I had lying around from a recent painting comp.

Steampunk Arachnid Swarm

For once, I decided on a colour theme in advanced and went for blues and greys; which fits the idea of mechanical constructs and electrical fire. To keep with the theme and to make them feel cold and mechanical I mixed greys in with the flesh tones and used thin blue washes on the metallics.

Steampunk Arachnid

Overall, it was a fun mini project and I think I only need to add a Brass Arachnid and Electrical Construct to make them complete. I might do this again on quiet weekends.

Iron Warriors – Dakkabrute

Finally – some 40K!!! Ok, I’ve has this conversion sat around for about 3 months now in various stages of build and painting... I got two sets of the Chaos figures from Dark Vengeance and despite liking the Hellbrute, its not overly Iron Warrior-y and I’m not a fan of having two exact poses for such big models.

Looking through the codex, I think it is obvious the best ranged build is the Autocannon and Missile launchers, so I set about building it (hence Dakkabrute). 

Rather than keeping the same pose though, I tried to change things up a bit, so separated the model at the waist (to make it stand at a different angle) and both arms (to try and make it more dynamic).

I also removed the toothed breastplate (?) and swapped the head out for a bionic one. A few of the horns from the top got lopped off and replaced by trophy spikes.

The Autocannon was a relatively easy conversion; the multimelta barrels got snipped off and glued on to pieces of plastic tubing, which were then mounted in the multimelta holes in the arm. Annoyingly, one of the tips is wonky - which I didn't spot until after it was painted...

To match the Terminator Reaper Autocannon, a close combat blade was attached to the end (a chainaxe and bayonet).

For the missile launcher, the power fist was removed and replaced wholesale by a missile pod from a Landspeeder.

 

Lots of greenstuffing was done to make the model fit back together again and try and give it an organic look where possible.

The Dakkabrute was then painted up to match the other one (I now have a daylight bulb - which is why these pics are brighter) although if I am honest, I’m not completely happy with how this one came out...maybe its the expanse of flesh compared with the other Hellbrute, the photos or the fact that I finished it piecemeal...but it doesn’t quite sit right with me.

Terrain and Scenery - Small Ruins

Well, from snowy England a good time to stay in the warm and pump some of these hobby projects out... the traffic system is already struggling and the news blow it all out of proportion - not like it happens every year, erm.. it's called WINTER... doh! Only a quick update, some simple Cities of Death ruins, based and painted up. Much better than grey plastic scenery we all battle over - join me in this year's fight against plain grey plastic scenery and do some. It's quick, easy and you don't need to worry about the fine details to look awesome...

 See my other scenery Blog posts to pick up some quick and simple tips and great ideas. Click here.

Thanks for reading, hope it inspires some of you to paint the more forgotten/neglected part of our great hobby!

Malifaux - more Guild goodies

Hi guys - I am working on some 40K goodness I swear, but no pics til they are finished (which admittedly seems to be taking forever...maybe because I keep starting up "side projects"), but in the mean time here are some nice Malifaux minis.

These are all for using with my Ortega crew, although I only need to include two more models and I have the Lady Justice crew as well.

First up is the Executioner. As you can probably tell from the model, he's a bit of a close combat beast that likes nothing more than long strolls on the beach and snipping off limbs. He's wasn't exactly the most detailed or interesting model to paint - but a bit of X-27 helps brighten up the model a bit.

Next up is Abuela Ortega, the matriarch of the Ortega clan and has a great rule that whenever she shoots her shotgun, she goes flying back an inch. Got to love a granny with a 12 gauge... I really must practice painting eyes though - simply leaving them out starting to get old.

And finally there is the Enslaved Nephilim; each of the Masters in Malifaux have individual totems which are cheap and fragile, but give a few little perks. This little imp can cast one of Perditas spells for her - which typically means 'Obey'...which typically means more shooting from Nino.

To keep them in theme with the rest of the crew, all the models are mounted on DCB miniatures resin bases.

Daemons Vs Ultramarines - 1850pts Pictures

Lord Halfpenny and I had a nice 1850pt battle using his Ultramarines and his Blogwars4 Daemons list, me controlling the Daemons to show Lord H how hard it is to kill daemons with marines these days - he now believes me! We thought we'd post some pics of the game for you to hopefully enjoy.

This above was the marine deployment with Tigurius and Corteaz with a mass of Sternuard up front and some Grey Knight Termies plus Assault Termies on the left flank. There are two objectives worth 3 VPs each - one in each deployment zone - chequered ruins and circular ruins

The Daemon list was a good balanced list without too much cheese flamers and screamers - nice. We were testing it out to see what could be changed ahead of Blogwars 5 later this year.

 End of Daemon turn 1 - Tigurius (Warlord) killed by lucky Soulgrinder shot! Squad of Flamers mishapped... Siph rolls 1's shocker...

 End of Marine Turn 2 - Rifleman Dread charged Flamers and died from Overwatch. Fateweaver shot to death by Sternguard and dakka Pred.

 End of Daemon Turn 2 - Flamers make mincemeat of Sternguard and Corteaz - damn Breath of Chaos.

 End of Deamon Turn 3 - Assault Termies killed by Soulgrinder and Seekers charge (seekers with 25 attacks). Grey Knights claim Marine Objective. Plaguebearers claim Daemon objective.

 Turn 4 - All over for Marines - Grey Knights surrounded in chequered ruins

 Crashed Aquila scenery - painted table looked awesome!

Marine Objective in nice painted ruins!

So, Flamers are awesome, Bloodcrushers are too slow, Marines don't have enough dakka - all the perks with low AP weaponry and Power Armour is negated by Daemon invulnerable saves and Breath of Chaos. Grey knights are suitably good against daemons but Paladins would have been better!!

Great fun, love this game, (I won my first of 6th!!) and painted table scenery add so much to it. Hope you like the pictures. Lord Halfpenny still loves it as they were both his armies... so it was win win, lol.