New Insane Project

I finally got everything together for the 15mm sci-fi project. Everything above comes from the Kaamados Dominion range from Critical Mass Games. I think they're supposed to be a reptilian species. The general idea is that they grow bigger as they age, so you get an interesting range of figure sizes. I quite like the little peons scrambling around the giant battlesuits. As for quality, there was virtually no flash on the figures and the resin vehicles only required a minimal amount of cleaning.
My only problem now is figuring out what to paint them.

"Thudd"

Continuing with my Guard bits and pieces, I found a couple of more old Ebay acquisitions - Thudd guns! With their bonky template and quirky, pseudo-bofors look, Thudd guns were a fun and unpredictable support weapon for Imperial factions in the Rogue Trader game. I was able to get some crew figures for them too - you only need one per gun. Ideally, for the full RT effect, the crew would be servitors, but RT-era servitors are absurdly pricey on Ebay. The guardsmen will do the trick in the interim, until I paint up some servitors from the current GW figure lineup.

The models were a bit dinged (bent barrels, wheels not quite right on one etc.) but they would be a perfect add-on for my 40k PDF troops. In anticipation of tonight's Rogue Trader game, I finished painting them up last night.



Thudd guns are still around in 40K today - part of the Death Korps of Krieg arsenal -- note the price on that link does not include crew - ouch! Makes Ebay nostalgia acquisitions look down-right cheap.




The real challenge will be to see if I can get a template made in time for the game tonight. Cue the craft project...

Napoleonic Spring-Thaw Painting Challenge

First, my apologies for cross-posting but I wanted to make sure 'the word' got out.

In the interest of promoting a healthy lead-and-plastic arms race (and the mere hope of the end of Winter) I am hosting a 'Napoleonic Spring-Thaw Painting Challenge' to fuel the engines of productivity. The Challenge will be conducted along similar lines of the well-fought Fawcett Avenue Conscripts Fall Painting Challenge. 

Painting Challenge Rules:

'The Napoleonic Spring-Thaw Painting Challenge' will extend from February 2nd to midnight May 1st.

Participants are to be members of, known to or vouched by The Fawcett Avenue Conscripts (Home or Westside Chapter). Any others who may be interested in participating are to contact me via this post or on my blog.

All model submissions are required to relate to the Revolutionary/Napoleonic period (1789-1815).

Scoring:
1 point per 25/28mm foot or unmounted horse figure
2 points per 25/28mm mounted figure
2 points per 25/28mm artillery piece or limber

(Other scales/models points value to be determined by The Judge)

Figures can have been previously primed to the start date (Feb 2nd) but no colour can have been applied prior to that date. In order to be scored the figures have to be based and the groundwork completed. The honour system will be followed in relation to the completion and entry of figures to the Challenge. Woe goes upon the head of anyone who besmirches themselves in the painting of toy soldiers!

On top of general bragging rights, smack talk, etc. modest prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. (Prizes will be gift vouchers (or their equivalent) from an online hobby store.)

In order to be scored, photos of completed figures/units are required to be submitted to me (The Judge) for posting on the Analogue Hobbies blog. Updated scoring for The Challenge will also be tracked on the blog.

The Judge (me) will participate in the competition but will not 'place' as a scoring competitor (i.e. no prizes for me).

So, there it is. I hope you take up my thrown brush (with 'white feather' attached) and join me in getting a bunch of stuff done for 'The Beautiful Game'!

Some tweaks for the PDF

I have been reading the book "Titanicus" by Dan Abnett - a hugely awesome read that fellow conscript Curt tipped me off to, and I recommend it to everyone - and the book has inspired me to continue fiddling with my Imperial Guardsmen.

A bit of background...it was almost six years ago that I was able to acquire three boxes of old, Rogue Trader era plastic Imperial Guardsmen. I just love these figures - I still remember getting my first box of them from Campaign Outfitters on Corydon Avenue! My painting skills were not great then, but I would paint those guys, then re-paint them, then re-paint them...on and on. GW has since re-done the Imperial Guardsmen several times, and the design has moved very far from these old original plastics.

When I found these treasures on Ebay, it was cool (for a nerd like me, I mean) at so many levels. I assembled a "force" that could work for Rogue Trader games, or be used as troops in the current version of 40k. In the 40k fluff, the Imperial Guard stuff is focused on the troops raised and sent to warzones (Cadians, Vahllans, the god-awful Catachans etc.), but there is also some small mentions of "PDF" regiments, i.e. ones on hand to protect their own world.

To me, the Rogue Trader guys fit in this niche - PDF troops for Cadia. The size escalation of the GW figures actually helps this, as the RT-era figs look like lean, second line troops compared to the bulky lads of the first-line regiments. To help the flavour even more, I tried to blend the look a bit, using bits services to acquire the "current" lasguns, canteens and other bits from current Cadian plastics for these guys. Painting-wise, I tried to copy the RT-era markings (stripe on the helmet, symbol on the side, company ID on the shoulder and so on).

While they "work" for current 40k, I also wanted them to "work" for Rogue Trader - back before they had Chimeras, Leman Russ tanks and other stuff. So I did a Rhino for them - after all, the Rhino was just a basic, STC mainline APC for Imperial factions back in the RT-day, before evolving into the Space Marines' sacred door-stop. To match the "flavour" of the PDF guys (i.e. "new" equipment but old guys), I painted a new Rhino model instead of an old one (probably a miss there, but I have trouble finding the old Rhinos on Ebay).

So - the sum of this rambling was that on the weekend I upgraded the decals on the "PDF" Rhino (for RT games) and also finished some extra command guys to give another command group (so they can work for "current" games). I also did a mortar team (which, on reflection, I should have converted into a "mole mortar", but anyway :). Here are a few pictures:







Up next for the PDF will be a Predator or two (which used to be a generic Imperial faction light tank), a couple more Rhinos, a Dreadnought (once available to all Imperial factions, I think) and possibly some converted robots.

I might hunt for some old Rhinos on Ebay, and if you see any old Predators, flip me a link!! I am also hoping that for a "fun" game one day we can bodge up a "PDF Codex" and have a game in the current rules.

New Unit Done: 95th Rifles

I've been beavering away getting some stuff ready for a Napoleonic game we're having in Saskatoon at John's new place tomorrow. This one is just off the workbench. The 95th Rifles... Yeah, some Conscripts may smirk at this as they well know my acerbic opinion towards British Napoleonic gamers that just have to have a unit of the 95th before all others. Well, colour me green and call me Obadiah Hakeswill but I've succumbed and done one up as well. (I try to rationalize this in that at least I've painted some regular line battalions so I should be able to treat myself to fielding an elite unit from time to time. Yeah, I know, but the 95th? It's sooo... Sean Bean.)

Anyway, here are a few shots of the finished product. I wanted to do something a little different than a typical 'skirmishing vignette' and so have instead done the Rifles quickly assembling into line, with officers and NCOs bawling and shouting at the men to form up.  The trick was that the models are from two ranges with slightly different scales. It took a bit of MacGyvering to sort it all out but I think they came out alright. Anyway, if you want a more detailed 'expose' feel free to check out my blog post here.

Some more Valkyrie Spam finished

Last night I finished the third Valkyrie model for my blue-themed Imperial Guard forces. The storm trooper platoon will now be able to zip around the battlefield in style - or at least look great going down in flames.



I painted the Imperial Eagle motif straight on to this one, and I'm happy with how it turned out. Was much less hassle than fiddling with those complex decals. I weathered this one up with a sponge and used the pigment powder for exhaust. It doesn't look quite as worn as the other two vehicles, but still looks like it has been roughed up a fair bit.



Weapon-wise, the squadron has two ships equipped with multi-lasers and rocket pods, and a single ship with a lascannon and hellstrike missiles. I hope to use these to either carry around my Imperial Guard storm troopers, or just to fly a bit of air cover for for the guard armoured column. Similar to all of the other blue-painted vehicles I have, they can fit with either the regular guardsmen, Preatorians, or Roge-Trader-era PDF-style Guardsmen from my collection.

I hope for these to see their first action when we play a 40k Apocalypse game sometime this spring.



I am pleased to have now finished all of the Valkyries acquired from Maelstrom!

I've become quite used to assembling these models, but right to the end I have struggled with the canopies and the pilots. It seems no matter what I do to fiddle with the pilot models/cockpit, the canopies don't fit well. These blue ones are no exception, but thankfully it doesn't really show up from two feet away. I just don't know what I did wrong - I shaved down arms, lowered heads, removed skull-shoulder pads etc. and still struggled to fit the canopies over the pilot. In the end I think it comes down to the fact that I will never be a great model-builder. At any rate, it won't be a problem for a while, as I don't expect to build another Valkyrie anytime soon...other new and ongoing insane projects await!

♪♫Napoléon avait 500 soldats♫♪

When I was a boyscout, among the marching songs we used to sing was Napoléon avait 500 soldats. You can hear it here (wait a few seconds for the song to start. Then take the time to click on Fanchon, composed by Lasalle after the battle of Marengo, or any of the other songs.) Anyway, that song has now become an ear worm as I start a new insane project: Project Pratzen.
In the British military history tradition, Waterloo appears as the ultimate Napoleonic battle. But in the French tradition, Austerlitz peaks among them all. In Paris, there is a train station named after it. During the "Bataille des trois empereurs", the Pratzen Plateau was defended by the Russians and Curt suggested that I build my army to recreate the action fought over there.

This is Ivan, the first painted Russian figurine, from the Smolensk Regiment (indicated by the pink cuffs and collar). Let's see what will be coming next:

INFANTRY
- 6x Infantry Battalions w/ 24 figurines each.
- 1x Jaeger Battalion w/ 12 figurines.
- 4 command stands w/ 2, 2, 3, 4 figurines.
Total: 167 figurines

ARTILLERY
2x Horse Artillery Battery w/ 6 stands @ 4 figurines & 1 gun each
Total: 24 figurines & 12 guns

CAVALRY
2x Hussar Regiment (large) w/ 32 cavalrymen each
1x Cuirassier Regiment (large) w/ 32 cavalrymen
3x Dragoon Regiment (large) w/ 32 cavalrymen each
Total: 192 figurines (384 infantry equivalent!!!)

As the song suggest, there is something like "500 soldats" in this project. The cavalry appears as a daunting task. Even in "challenge gear" it would take me 6 months. I will have to segment Project Pratzen into smaller ones. Anyway, I will start with the infantry then I will take a break with another project.