Happy New Year

2016 has held my greatest accomplishments and lowest moments, I've gained a son and lost a father. Time will never heal these wounds and everyday feels like a blessing.

2016 has been a real double edged sword, luckily I have my hobby and good friends to hold onto. Some of you out there have no idea of the joy perusing your blogs brings to me; oldenhammer in Toronto, lead plague, somewhere the tea is getting cold, blue in VT, the privates eternal, chaos demons 40k, mr saturdays mumblings, takes from the big board, classic 40k, rabs digest, snikkit's tale and of course warhammer for adults are just to name a few that have really been a highlight on some of my darkest days and so I thank you.
I did manage to actually paint a couple of things; Vescin First Born my dark Heresy character

He's in his 5th career and now an inquisitorial legate investigator quite a step up from a lowly guardsman. I have a great GM who allows our team to investigate every facet of a mission which is what I play for, and on our own terms. So far we've remained covert and is very rewarding to play. Going in guns blazing does not fit the bill in my mind for secret agents of the Inquisition better to get in do work and be gone leaving no trace.Our games have great terrain and lush figs. I really enjoy all the background fluff which rewards meta game knowledge. 1st edition is where it's at for me, the new one has the ridiculous principle where you can buy skills and talent so from one unified list; better to be confined within your career I say. Otherwise it feels like a video game on paper which has no appeal to me.Be warned Dark Heresy is not for the faint of heart and death can come quite easily, the 41st millennium is unforgiving.
Ive also finished vanqual my elven envoy from whfrp

Not my favourite game system but better than nothing. Long live D&D 3.5 I say 

Ive tried to apply new techniques on both models and strive to make common practice. Each figure was completed in a single evening and I will attempt to put a half hour in everyday (Baby permitting) I will soon purchase a light box for better photos. Next up is my Genestealer cult, fat running patriarch here I come! I'm using the build from the yellow compendium not this deathwatch overkill crap although the cultists from dark vengeance are ok I guess. I'm on the hunt for an original magus with staff, the other with pistol and the payer with large head. If you have these and are willing to part I'd be delighted. 

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy 2017 friends!

Today's Progress; lessons learned.

Another 4 Eldar finished, 2 in powered armour and a pair with missile launcher (to be used as heavy plasma gun in dragon squads) 

Yet again I've changed the painting execution and I believe these to be the best looking troops in the army thus far! 

That is not to say these are exceptionally well painted; far from it. What sets these 4 apart from the others is the uniformity  of the green basecoat (XF 74 Tamiya). I've learned now the more uniform your basecoat is the more your fine line highlight will pop. All I have to do now is go back and repaint 25 figs. 

Nup. 

This sculpt is really epic, not only does it help with WYSIWYG for the Vyper squad (powered armour and shuriken catapult) but the pose itself is dead hard; as it should be considering the lethality of the shuriken catapult! 

I think the lenses turned out fairly spiff as well. This brings the army to 29 painted figs, 6 to completion. 

I am extremely burnt out with space elves and I'll be switching gears to a small antagonist project for a D&D 3.5 Campaign I've been mulling over for a very long time. 

Regular service to resume shortly (HA!)

Thanks for stopping by! 

Today's progress

Another 10 Eldar Pirates finished. These have been on the table for far too long.

A prefector 

Dragon squad leader

A nice warrior with lasgun.

These paintjobs aren't my best however in the grand scheme of things it really won't matter. 11 more to go and the infantry is finished, then on to a pair of war walkers, 5 dreadnoughts, 10 jetbikes, ghost warriors. 

No es bueno. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

I'm Still Here

It's been forever since I've posted, sincere apologies to you, my dear readers. I feel even worse about not following those to whom I subscribe; a true travesty, I am filth. Not the good Nurgle filth, I mean the 3rd edition Wood Elves filth, the kind you can't wash out.

I never make them but this time I have an excuse...

The greatest joy in my life arrived. I cannot say how he's enriched my life, and just over a month old and 62cm long, I hope the Alpha Legion, if not the Dark Angels are recruiting. 

Enough of that; Here's a work in progress shot of my Void Dragon Eldar Pirates.

I know, reduced to WIP shots, what has this Blog come to? Next it will be "look what I bought" posts.  

Disgusting.

I've got to say, the Rogue Trader Goodwin Eldar are the best ever sculpted. Period. If you disagree, beat it. Of course all the detail makes these guys a pain in the ass to paint compared to my beloved Skaven; such a joy, strangely they're nearly all Goodwin sculpts as well, God I miss them.

In that vein I got my big bastard repaired and pinned; 

Once these 10 Eldar are done I will get him finished. I can't wait to give my caster a scroll of summon greater daemon and see what happens, with my luck he will turn into chaos spawn. 

Thanks for reading feels good to be back, hopefully within the next couple weeks I'll have more.

Thanks for sopping by.

Happy birthday Ashtray

It's been 4 years since my simple little blog got started; in fact my last post was my100th, a poor one at that; however I've finished my third Eldar squad, a much needed dragon squad with heavy melta gun! 

They turned out ok 

Leader close up, I can't explain how nervous I was sitting his eye but I think it turned out pretty good

The formation grows...

Here's a shot of my latest acquisitions; I hate " look what I got" posts but it's my birthday so Excuse me.

A massive reinforcement has just arrived in the post and I couldn't be happier. 

Looks as though I'll not be changing gears army wise, The Eldar are my army for 2016 and it should be well over 5k once completed. 

My good "All things role playing" mate died in a bike accident, today is his birthday, 

We love you Lighter! (on right) even though you played sisters of battle, you are missed brother! 

Thanks for reading 

And then there were 10

2nd Scorpion Squad finished, the boring stuff is done, onto personalities and Dragon Squads!

The future will hold a vyper squad upgrade, it's just too good to pass up. 

Sorry nothing too exciting, just the meat and potatoes that go into any army.

Until next time! 

Today's Progress: Serpent Squad Completed(?)

It's been awhile working on these guys, today though I had some inspiration from somewhere and managed to get 5 of the 17 figures I need finished for the rogue trader game I plan to run in February. 

I'm not thrilled with the look of them; they're a bit sloppy and rushed looking which does not compliment the sharp angles and precise details of the sculpts. Even the bases look a bit crap and looks like I'll be using tufts after all. 

I did try tiger striping on the leader's helmet but I didn't pull it off. 

I did force myself to put some effort into the lenses on the helms and even managed a halfway decent job of the spot effect in the corners. The illusion is almost there. 

The fact of the matter is that these guys are taking too long. There is no way I'll have all 3 factions finished for the rogue trader session so I've opted to stick with the 'stealer invasion force with a quick basecoat and wash paintjob: 

http://www.miniwargaming.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=46148

I plan on having them as part of my hive fleet 'Spectre' which in its fledgling stages will be a purely stealer/lictor vanguard force operating in tandem with chaos genestealer cultists somewhere down the line.

I hope you're all enjoying your new year.