Imperial Guard Codex Campaign Update

Space Marine Codex Build-a-Character Rules

Some Space Wolves I've painted recently on commission

These are some of the more recent paint jobs I've done on commission for a customer.  This is the Space Wolves character on a cyberwolf, whose name I forget because I don't play them.  

 Base was left unfinished for the owner to complete to match the rest of his army.

Below are three pictures of the most recent Space Wolf Terminator Sergeant I painted.  The project took way longer to complete that I wanted, but I wasn't motivated as I don't like the Space Wolves, and never have liked them.  However, when commissioned to paint something, you sometimes don't have a choice in what you paint.  I like to be inspired because it makes the painting fun, here I had to make myself inspired to get the figure to look right and to get the colors to work with the figure.  So, I hope you enjoy the photos, as the customer was pretty positive about the quality of the paint job.

  The right shoulder pad was a pain to get right for Logan Grimnar's heraldry, as they do not make a decal of the wolf rampant in white, only in black.  So, I had to free hand paint the whole thing white on black, which wasn't easy or fun.  However, it came out looking okay, and it is fairly close to the decal in black.

 Here is the cloak from the rear view, lots of highlights, blending and shading, which came out alright as well. Perhaps not perfect, but pretty decent.  Sorry for the gloss coating, but I do it to protect the paint job while the figure is in transit.  

The other side view of the terminator sergeant, just a bit of highlighting and shading going on here, perhaps better in person than in the photo, but it works.  

I hope you enjoyed the photos!

M

Chaos Space Marine Codex Build-a-Character rules

Well, that was a heck of a long hiatus to be gone from blogging, but then again, that is what happens when life throws you a few curve balls!  So, in the past several months since my last post, the Ratte has finally gotten built and I'm working on a paint job for it.  It is so huge and heavy it isn't an easy task.  I would hate to paint one in real life worse.  All that up and down on the ladder!

The gaming group is again in transition as new airmen join our group and the others are transferred to other bases or PCS as it is known.  Others have finished their tour and elected not to re-enlist and gone home to go to college or to a job back home.  The difficulties of living in a military town where you have an influx of gamers every few months with some just now finding the store - (because Craig's List is such a great option for advertising, right?) - to those who are newly transferred to this base for their tour of duty and immediately join in the fun that we have at Kelly's Komix.

In the next few months I will be documenting more fun rules and scenarios to try in Flames of War, Warhammer 40K, and other game systems, as well as documenting our next big endeavor at the store.

So stay tuned - or at least come back and check the page once a month.  Stats never was my thing - and this isn't a paying gig - so be kind on the comments for my lack of progress!

M

RATTE Replacement Parts

Now, since the last post was an "out of the box" description of the new Ratte model from West Wind Productions LTD, and I got it broken.  I sent them ONE email - attached the photographs which I posted on the blog.  I got a response almost instantly asking if the lead/pewter parts were damaged.  (They were in perfect order)  I advised that they were not, and Wendy said - The Replacement Parts are in the Mail!  Now that is excellent customer service!  Also, the model is exceptionally cool - and will be seen in several games I have planned for the future!  So, KUDOS to West Wind Productions LTD and to Wendy who responded so quickly and took care of the problem!

Cheers - and I can hardly wait for the replacement parts - so I can get this thing built!!

M

There's a Ratte in my Game Room!

Indeed, there is a Ratte from West Wind Games - the huge hypothetical vehicle designed by Hitler which was never started other than as some drawings and specifications.  However, it would have been exceedingly fun to have witnessed it built and then sent off into combat - almost like steampunk without the steam!

So, here is the "out of the box" review - first off this thing is HUGE - it easily dwarfs probably every model you own.  Even if you own a Forge World Titan - it is still HUGE - it is easily larger than a Baneblade tank in length and size and the turret is simply amazing.  For starters this thing weighs in at just under 6 pounds (figure that out in kilograms if you would like).  That is WITHOUT the metal bits which go on it which should push it up to right at 6 lbs.

So, here is the picture of the Ratte with a Games Workshop Valkyrie on the flying base RIGHT BEHIND IT!  Yes, it is HUGE.  If you have played Warhammer 40K, and you have seen a Valkyrie on a flying base before you have some idea of what size this thing is right out of the box.  Yes, in the back on the right, that is a Forge World Warhound Titan in the process of being built as well as several other Forge World Tau vehicles.  Such is painting night and our painting table these weeks as everyone is gearing up for an Apocalypse battle.

Below is the hull right out of the box - note the broken hull piece which was located and fixed in the photo above.  This piece was the easy one to fix - it popped out clean and went back in clean.  A very simple fix with a drop or two of super glue.  Note in the photo above the damage to the rear of the hull assembly and the deck plate - a full inch and a half of shattered side plating, including the details of the ladder.  The corner piece of the deck plate which flared out also shattered off in shipping.

Here is the rear view of the hull - note the extensive shipping damage to the rear of the hull plate? These pieces shattered and were so small that even I could not figure out how to put "humpty dumpty" back together again.  These pieces are destined for the dust bin and it looks like my old friend epoxy sculpt will be paying a visit to fix the damage and hopefully I can repair that ladder as well.  Just a bit of anger here.

Here is a close up of the damaged to the rear hull side.  Nearly two inches of shattered hull side, including the damage to the ladder up the side of the hull.  I will see if I can get my epoxy sculpt to fix these issues - but it is going to be a several hour job of putty and sculpting tool work - and that is after I do some drilling to stablize the putty when it cures so it doesn't break off.

 This is the most disappointing part of the kit right out of the box - the rear deck plate with all of those beautifully sculpted engine grates was shattered into two pieces and the seam went right through two of the engine grates.  Also the corners of the model were destroyed for the part where they match with the front hull section.  They are just GONE - nothing but small flakes of resin from the model - so this will also require some difficult putty work to fix - that and some plastic card to stablize the deck and keep it from breaking again where it was glued back together with superglue.  I did not pin it because this resin is not like other resins I've worked with, it is much denser than other plastic resins.  So, there you have it - the Ratte - right out of the box.  I will try to get pictures posted of the man, many projects I've got going on right now, but it has been hectice - sometimes life takes you places you never expected to go!

So, if you like Steam Punk or Weird World War II games, this is a model which just might fit the bill for your games - whether it is in 15mm or 28mm - it is so big - it would work in either scale!  Cheers and happy gaming!

M