Plague Hulk Underway

Where oh where are the new Greater Daemons? I've been told the old ones feature in the new books so what does that mean other than a potential long wait for the new models to arrive? Boo GW, BOO!

So for now my Plague Hulk will have to be my Nurgle army centrepiece. I suppose that as far as replacements go, this is a beauty. Albeit a very, very dirty beauty. Here you can see that I've base coated and begun using the shades/washes to build up colour. I'm going to use the fabulous new Fuegan Orange right across all my Nurgleites, bringing a solid theme to the rusty bits without resorting to tubs of dust (weathering powder), which really isn't my scene. As you can see, my daughter is starting to take an interest in Daddy's toys...

Spellcrow Plague Marines

I don't know, you wait for ages for alternative plague marines and then loads of people seem to be making them. This guy - a Plague Prince - is part of a new range of bits and minis from Spellcrow. He looks quite promising I think. According to Facebook this range will be available shortly.

Icon Of Chaos

This icon of chaos apparently appears in the new 'special edition' versions of the Chaos Daemons codex. I'm not sure whose work this is - it's rather brilliant though, isn't it?

Hellstriders Of Slaanesh - Out Of The Box

This weekend I've upcycled some toys through eBay. At least I think that's the phrase my wife would use from her interiors blogging. Anyway, I've sold old lead for new toys. Huzzah.

Here we have some Hellstriders of Slaanesh that will be joining the burgeoning ranks of my Realm of Chaos warband/legion. I'm adding legion to the description now because there's only one direction this army is going... Bigger. And it's great fun because I'm building it from the bottom up and get to play with these frankly gorgeous new plastics.

This is a box of five, which is standard for GW but annoying for me as all my units will be multiples of six, following proper RoC lore. Still, these are an excellent start. They're thoroughly other-worldly without being totally OTT. The mounts are incredibly detailed, with varying close textures all over their bodies, heads and legs. The riders are much better than I was anticipating. I'm of the mind that Slaanesh shouldn't be represented on the field of battle by muscular marauders. I prefer the idea of perverted regular troops - the Brentonnians being perfect. These chaps are ok though, because they're more twisted and mutated than others in the current range. I can imagine that in the story of my force they're especially favoured sadists. Happy thoughts!

In summation, this is a class A kit. GW are really banging out quality sets these days. What a fortuitous time to become a Slaaneshi cultist...

In What Can Pleasure Be Found?

Why, anything! Let your imagination run unbound by petty convention. Revel in the acts brought by your knowledge of Slaanesh. Even in the sternest discipline of arms there is satisfaction. So are the Lord of Pleasure's armies brought to the field, willing and ready for the fray - The Hidden Tome Of Slaanesh (RoC SD, p.205)

Imperial Fists, Very Early Stages And Planning

So on Friday I had a mini rant about Finecast. Not about how crap it is but about how much I like it. Well here is further evidence of what I was on about. Here you can see (part of) the very early beginning of my Imperial Fists. I've stayed away from power armour up to now, though as someone who spends a good dose of their week in one or the other warhammer universes I could hardly stay away from the Imperium for too long.

I chose the Fists because they're yellow and should be great fun to paint: simple as that really. I've chosen the models you see here because they're some of the most ornate marines currently available. None are specifically Fists - yes, you can see Ultramarines and Black Templars there. Yet thanks to the wonders of Finecast they need not be other than Fisty for long! Resin means easy conversion opportunities. For example, compare these two identical honour guards:

It's not difficult to see which will be easiest to convert to a Fist. And here's what will help me with the whole process - Forge World Imperial Fists etched brass.

This is brilliant value when you consider how much emblem bearing shoulder pads cost. There's enough here to change the insignia on a whole force. I'll be busy with Chaos for a while yet, but in the background I'll be patiently and quietly picking up marines from eBay, getting Finecast bargains every few weeks...

Are Total Wargamer 'Doing A Maelstrom'?

Anyone else out there had trouble with Total Wargamer? It seems that every weekend they're promoting a 30% OFF promotion, but I'm still waiting for a big order from four weeks ago, which on 11 Feb I was told would be 'dispatched in a couple of days'. I'm concerned they're 'doing a Maelstrom' - so to speak - and taking cash to pay for debts, thereby entering vicious circle of unfulfilled orders and pissed off customers. Perhaps big online discounts are indeed, too good to be true?

Finecast Plague Marines - Out Of The Box

*RANT COMMENCES* Why exactly - I hear you ask - are you bothering to do an Out Of The Box review of the Finecast Plague Marines, which are just reproductions of the Death Guard models from all the way back in 2002? 

The reason is that I thought it was about time that we revisited the whole Finecast story now that these products have been around for a fair old while. Doing this with Plague Marines, who are I must admit rather messy by their very nature, might be seen as a cop out. Fair enough. I also happen to have a batch of Space Marines sitting on a shelf too, and I'll talk about those when I do a companion post to this. But back to Finecast… 

Resin is here to stay. Or is it? The rumours are that GW would love to go all plastic in the future. When you see the very high quality plastic clamshells that are coming out right now - the new Daemonic Heralds for instance - it isn't hard to believe that this may well be the direction they'll take. It is possible. The trouble is, as far as I can tell they make huge profits from Finecast: it's cheaper than white metal and they used the switch to bump up prices. 

Plenty of people noticed and were pissed off with this. But as I seem to say all the time, show me a manufacturer who produces comparable quality models at a more competitive price? No one can, because there simply isn't anyone out there as good as GW. There. I said it. Am I a blind fan? Hardly. But I accept that all companies are out to make a profit and that's the deal we have to swallow. Again, it's worth stating that you don't have to follow the buy-an-army strategy that GW promote with their codex and army book range - it's your game so play it however you want! 

These Plague Marines are great. Much, much better then their previous metal counterparts. You can see all the detail. You can see all the flash - and there's plenty, but it's ok because it's simple to deal with. Mould lines are quickly dispatched. Drilling to pin is super easy, as is matching up the pins and holes. 

Finecast had a bumpy start and miscasts are bloody annoying. Yet GW have changed all miscast stuff I've had from them, no questions. And the ease of working through the early stages of a model means it's a far superior medium to white metal, where casting issues often doesn't come to light until a mini is primed or even base coated. 

These smelly chaps will form part of my Armies on Parade display - hence why I purchased GW after converting the Avatar's of War Corruptors. I am at a slight risk of becoming a Nurgle completist however... *RANT CONCLUDES*

Much Better Photos Of The Plague Drones

These are from the ever-dependable Faeit 212. For me, this seals the deal - I simply cannot wait to get my hands on some of these. I might even get six straight away if the options are good. 

First Impressions Of The Plague Drones

Well I must say, these aren't what I was expecting. But in a good way. I like how pathetic they look and there's a proper Nurgle vibe about them. I'll be picking up a box on release day without doubt. The only thing I find slightly disappointing is the apparent lack of conversion opportunities to build all of them into a Nurgle Heldrake. Perhaps the actual spruces will show a way.

Super Scibor Miniatures

Scibor miniatures are getting better and better. They really are one of the best manufactures of top-end resin minis on the market. Over recent weeks they've been posting photos on their Facebook page - like the ones below - showcasing their different ranges. I've included one here with Dwarfs because I ordinarily find the short folk rather dull. Scibor, however, are developing on a solid base of dwarf minis and introducing some truly characterful dwarf adventurers - like in the second picture. Miniatures like these are an absolute dream to paint. Now... why might I need some dwarfs...?!

Oldhammer Warbands Day - Slaaneshi Champion

Plenty of thought went into this beautiful androgynous lump of plastic bits. I've decided to go Slaaneshi in true Oldhammer style: newish models with a classic ethos. I like to think that's pretty much my approach to everything in the hobby. I want to live with every breath filling my lungs with Oldhammer fumes (although that could be the glue).

Slaanesh was an obvious choice for the Realm of Chaos warbands event. My reasoning is that the majority of folks with go with the Blood God, meaning two things: 1. I can add a little extra to my warband, expand it a bit to make up some numbers. 2. I'm likely to be in a 'last stand' situation with my fellow Slaaneshites (hmm that doesn't look quite right for some reason).... So anyway, yes last stand, overpowered by numbers and fortune. A true Realm of Chaos scenario!

Keep an eye out this week for how I put the rest of this champion's band of dirty perverts together.

Wickedness made flesh.

Please don't be awful. Please don't be cartoony. Please be classic Chaos. Please don't be shit. 

Plague Hulk!

Oh my goodness this model is amazing. For me, this screams (gurgles?) Nurgle more than any other model currently available - more so even than the Forge World Great Unclean One. I've got big hopes for the up-coming GW daemon releases, but until those land I've got this hunk of dirty love to keep me happy of a winter's eve. He was a pain to put together. Though I did get to put into action an idea that I had a while ago - using the new texture paints to add detail to a model. Here it's proved ideal so far for adding that degenerated look to the mechanised parts of the hulk, those plastic bits that come from the GW Soul Grinder. He'll make a perfect centrepiece for my Armies on Parade effort.

Isn't he gorgeous?

I think my wife might be jealous of the amount of time I spend with him  

A fantastic centrepiece from every angle

A closeup of the textured paint, used to create more Nurgliness

Happy Valentine's Day One And All!

Nurgle Blight Drone - Out Of The Box and WIP

Here's where it begins to get interesting in my quest to have an offering from Papa Nurgle ready in time for Armies on Parade. This Blight Drone is only my second Forge World model and my, is it a corker! I cannot believe how much detail there is on this hovering maggot. It took around 90 minutes to put it together, but there's no filler here, as all the parts go together very neatly. Some of the pipes are very thin though - I broke one and I decided to leave the flash on a couple, which will be disguised as goo. I decided, as you can see, to give it that 'shitting on the fly' look. The putrid green poo has come out very well and although there's a way to go on this model I'll try to keep the day-glo look. I'm going to use this scheme - which is almost entirely glazes so far - on my newly purchased Plague Hulk. An evening of sticking that fatty together awaits...

Nurgle Helbrute WIP

I'm utterly exhausted following a long day of meetings and a six hour train ride home, so all I'll say is: here's my WIP Nurgle Helbrute!

Nurgle Daemon Prince WIP

Here's a first look at one of the leaders of my Nurgle gang, the daemon prince. This guy started life being owned by my brother around 18 months ago (my how time flies! [intentional pun]). Now he's shaping up rather nicely with the signature paint job for this project. This is the first time that my bright highlighting has crept onto a larger model - what do you think? - I'm please with how he's going. Of course, it's such a superb model in the first place it's one of those where you can really get a sense of what the sculptor wanted to achieve. Plenty of nooks and ridges to play with - I only wish I wasn't away with work at the moment so that I could spend an evening in his company!

Oldhammer Warbands Day 2013

It's funny isn't it, you wait for an event to prepare your miniatures for and then two come along at once. Having decided to participate in the very current Armies on Parade (WIP Nurgle photos to follow in the coming days), I've now been absolutely hooked on taking part in the very nostalgic Oldhammer Warbands Day 2013. This is a very old school event that's planned to take place at Foundry in Nottingham, most probably in August. It will mark and celebrate the 25th anniversary of Slaves to Darkness. You can find full details here.

I have always adored the Realm of Chaos books so it's an absolute gift to be able to actually get together with likeminded folks for a big old fashioned wargaming bash. Next week when I actually have more than a minute to myself I'm going to sit down and try rolling up my warband. Depending on what I get, I'll either use the results or take the more straightforward route of picking from the miniatures I already have.

I'm very happy to use models from GW's and other current ranges - for me, being able to pick and choose that way is part of the essence of Oldhammer. And besides, the sculpts these days actually match up to the aesthetic of the art in those glorious Realm of Chaos book. So keep an eye out for the genesis and development of my warband...

Question Time: Should I Do Armies On Parade?

Ok online buddies, here's a question for you all: should I do Armies On Parade this year? It's Games Workshop's annual display-a-thon and I quite fancy a bit of that display board action. I've never taken my little fellas out of the house before, so this would be a big step for me. Worth a pop? 

I wondered if any of you had taken part before and what your experiences were? I wanted to use it as a good focal point, an excuse for modelling, painting and really tailoring a force - I'm thinking my Nurgle guys, boosted a little to make the sub-group that makes it on the board a full-on GW affair.

I do hope you all tell me it's a good idea... I've already got some new goodies on mail order...!

If you live outside the UK you'll have no idea who this chap is.

Zero Charisma Trailer #1 - An RPG Comedy?

Take a look at this trailer for RPG-themed indie comedy Zero Charisma. I say 'themed' because it looks as much about RPGs as, say, The Wrestler was actually about wrestling. Certainly looks worthwhile tracking it down though. Here's a synopsis:

Metal-loving gamer geek Scott Weidemeyer lives with his ornery grandmother and works a lousy job at a donut shop. But every Tuesday night, he is the omnipotent GM, guiding his role-players through a tabletop journey of fantasy and adventure. However, when neo-nerd hipster Miles joins his game, Scott begins to resent the admiration Miles receives from the other players. To make matters worse, the health of his grandmother begins to falter, and his estranged mother visits town, reminding Scott of a childhood he'd just as soon forget. Caught in a spiral of rage and delusion, Scott is forced to take drastic steps to reclaim his honor, and his identity as the GM.