MarioR's excellently modeled and painted Ultramarines (he deservedly won Best Appearance):
Another angle:
Mario's dreadnought:
ChrisB's Tyranids (note that the big spore/drop pod thingy was made from a dog's chew toy):
DaveS' Nurgle Chaos Marines (his Blight Drone won him Best Single Figure):
GraemeB's Witch Hunters (he won Best Army):
Graeme's very detailed Sisters of Battle armoured personnel carrier:
ThurstonH's Saim Hann Eldar:
AlexB's Orks (the balloons are his Trukks):
Closeup of Alex's Bomma, heavily converted from jet to propellor power:
DaveB's Orks (the extra stuff is really funny):
DustinS' "Tonka Toy" Imperial Guard (yes, the vehicle crews have orange jumpsuits):
MikeM's Space Marines army, used by KeithG as the tournament "ringer" army in the case of an odd number of entrants:
BenI's Chaos Daemons:
BrockJ's Imperial Guard (he won Best Overall):
DaveG's Witch Hunters (he won Best Sportsman):
FabioF's "Death from Above" Blood Angels:
KevinN's "Tiger Marines" (using Codex: Space Wolves):
SteveB's Imperial Guard (note the Forge World model tanks):
My Eldar Swordwind (even shootier than earlier incarnations):
Here's a PDF of my army list (I gave a coil-bound hardcopy to each of my opponents):
http://www.deviantart.com/download/173050437/Asurmen__s_Academy_by_DaveV.pdf
Lots of great armies, playing cool scenarios on tables with varied terrain. "Hobby" style 40K doesn't get any better.
Next up, some pre-tournament thoughts.
Cheers,
DaveV
I find these armies really good. Winnipeg wargamers have nothing to learn from professional miniature painters. And judging from the "Tonka" army, the sense of humour is well developped in the birth place of Winnie thePooh.
ReplyDeleteVery nice work all around. Is it just me, though, or do most of the Astro armies not have very many models? How many points?
ReplyDeleteSylvain, from my experience Winnipeg has a very high average standard of modeling and painting.
ReplyDeleteDallas, it was a 1500 point tournament. The Ork and Imperial Guard armies were generally fairly large. However, fully mechanized armies are popular in 5th edition, and they are pretty small since you have to pay for all those tanks. For example, my Eldar Swordwind army had only 36 models - the lowest model count I've ever fielded so far at 1500 points. For the upcoming Mechani-kon, my mechanized Space Marine army has 17(!) models.
Some very good modeling and brushwork there.
ReplyDeleteI must say I gotta smile at the GW idea of an 'army' (or even 'force' for that matter). In most 'grande manner' horse and musket rulesets an infantry brigade, the smallest player-command is around 120-180 models. That is not counting any 'heavy support or fast attack choices' like artillery or cavalry. We're talkin' real heavy metal here (or kinda weighty plastic).
"Yeah, well, my Marshal Davout has six ST6 attacks, and if he's armed with his marshal's baton it acts like a power weapon so any wounds can't be saved..."
;)
Curt, I hear you. All these "armies" are really just reinforced platoons or, at most, companies.
ReplyDeleteEpic is a better rules set, and better simulates regimental action with its 6mm figures, but it's still 1-to-1 scale for the models.
Command control in 40K is functionally non-existent, except for the Imperial Guard who can issue orders. This would be an interesting rules mechanic if transferred to other codicies, and if you required morale tests for doing things like charging tanks with infantry.
Dave, you hit the nail on the head.
ReplyDeleteIf there was any one thing I've always wanted to see in Warhammer (both 40K and Fantasy) is a mechanism for army morale. I've always found it silly when battles wind down to a couple models still swinging handbags at one another in amongst the carnage. To me, megalithic forces like the Imperial Guard should be able to take monstrous battlefield losses before 'bottling out' whereas dying races like the Eldar should hit hard (as they always have) but fold like a paper bag if things start to get too bloody. The other thing is to use a D10 instead of the D6 to better reflect the gradient abilities of the various armies... But of course this is heresy and does not fit the tournament model that both 40K and Fantasy have built their business models upon. I always thought it would be cool to create a 'gonzo' set of 40K rules that incorporate these kinds of changes - sort of a 40K for grumpy old farts.
It is good to see so many nicely painted models. The Nova Open and War Games Con have been happening down South and the FtW crowd and others who think they are all that and a bag of chips online, seem to get all excited to push around unpainted pieces of plastic to prove who is the best.
ReplyDeleteI mean really why don't they play chess if they are such manly men and can't be bothered to paint like real miniature wargamers?
Muskie, I think that at a tournament you should be putting your best foot forward, as being a part of the public face of the hobby.
ReplyDeleteI don't really even play with unpainted figures casually.
Can you imagine a batrep, published online, with unpainted figs?
Stunning hobby efforts--and really, I wouldn't expect less. The 40K community is fortunate that Astro has taken their show on the road to other cities, but end of the day, there is a level of 'polish' across the board in Winnipeg that I have yet to see equalled elsewhere...and for those who would question that, I simply point to these images.
ReplyDeleteMuskie, I took a look at the Nova Open site and rules. It's interesting that they try cater to both the "hobby" and the "competitive" crowds.
ReplyDeleteThey require a minimum paint job on all figs. The two tickets to Las Vegas went to their Rennaissance Man (like the Astro "Best Overall") and the Tournament Winner ("Best General").
Chris, I truly think it's the long winters here. We gotta do soemthing when it's minus 40 Celsius outside.