A Quick look at X Wing

When this turned up at my FLGS I knew I had to have it. The models looked nice and the previews of it showed a simple game mechanic.And at £26 for a starter set this is a nice and cheap out of the box game.

Mortis Engine with Kingdom Death

One of the Units from the new Vampire book that I really enjoy using is the Mortis engine. It has consistantly worked for me in the games that I used it. And the model is great. So I added a Kingdom death model to it. 

Skink Skirmisher Base

This is one idea I have shamelessly stolen. At my local club I have seen two different skirmisher bases and actually liked the way they look. So I thought I would make one for my beloved Chameleon skinks. The bases the army will be on are ruins with a scrubland look. I have ordered a load from Fantascape, hopefully here next week so I can finish off my skinks.

Two Possibilities

Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.
   Arthur C Clarke

The new XCOM demo is out on steam today!

Getting Schooled

Not sure if that is actually English but thats how I felt today! Had another 500 point game, one more to go. I got destroyed by Ogres. This is the only picture I really need to show:

I am Skink Hear me Squeak

Getting some lizards painted as they have 2 more games at 500 points and I would like to have them done before we get to 1000. They are base coated and washed now. I have also given them a quick dry brush with Skink blue.

Micro Management

I cannot work under your constant scrutiny!

Leave me alone!

The Midnight Mystery

In the giant package below there is quite a bit of randomness. So can anybody tell me what these are from:

   They look a bit Mad Max. But i cannot remember a game from that. So I am stuck. They do look quite cool though. Any help identifying them would be appreciated!

Thanks

In need of an Intervention

I have a problem. Its name is Ebay.

   I have been trying to build up an Epic 40k collection and have found my love of all the game I used to play when growing up. So to supplement what I found in my parent's garage I began to go onto Ebay to get the stuff that is missing or the stuff that I never got.

   However I have gone overboard and now hav unopened boxes of old epic, stuff still on sprues and more boxed game sets than i know what to do with. This weekend I bought a job lot with random stuff in it, someone else's garage find I expect.

Operation Zverograd Miniatures

   Along with the Hero Pack reviewed earlier the Postman brought me the Dust Tactic Operation Zverograd Set. This includes the new rules for Tactics bringing the SSU and Fliers into Dust.

   I will just be looking at the models here as I do not have the requisite experience under my belt to say if the units are any good. I could theorise but I have absolutely no experience of the SSU, only the Axis and Allies units. Sorry.

Woohoo I'm in the Club!

Little Things That Make You Happy

   On my way to buy a rice cooker, I know contain your excitement, I passed my local ModelZone shop. Which I cannot resist popping in. Usually I only buy some super glue or a bit of paint. However this time I saw something that made my heart race and pulse quicken. Natalie Portman was not in the shop but a beautilully formed spinney thing with just the right curves was! A Tamiya painting stand set. 

   Purchasing said stand I am now energised to undercoat everything. However everything I need to paint is undercoated. But buying this small object has made me so happy because spraying is going to be so much easier and is going to make my modelling life quite a lot smoother. It just feels so wrong to be happy over a piece of plastic!

I love you so much, just don't tell anyone!

Later

Russian Coalition

So after Collecting my FSA, although I have yet to finish the painting, when i saw the Russians (RC) I knew i had to have them. They are the opposite of my FSA in that they are up close and have lots of big guns. They seem an easy fleet to use as well, point forwards and get there as fast as possible.

   The models as with all spartan models so far are excellent. Made of a hard resin, the only thing I found you must be careful of is the flash on the base of the ships. If you are a bit rough breaking it off it can take a small piece of the ship too. 

   The Small frigates are a bit wierd but are groing on me and the more I see of them, especially when painted, I like them. The RC has some nice little toys and it will be fun playing them after the long range fun of the FSA

   However i am not impressed with the stats of the bomber. It seems like a bit of a suicide bomber as its stats are not impressive. Maybe it will play better than they suggest or as a threat that need to dealt with by the opposing player drawing fire to stop them crashing into his big ships.

 
   Painting wise I am going for a dark grey on their ships with wooden decks. All the base colours are now on I just have to wash and detail.

   However that is the fiddly bit!



Later!

  

   

  

First Games with Lizards

After having my first 3 games at 500 points of lizards my army held up quite well. Even with 3 games i only took one photo and even that is blurry! so i will just do a quick synopsis. Ithey are only 500 points so last about 30 mins each, with only 3 units to push around it is quite quick.

Game 1 Vs Skaven

2 units of clan rats 

2 warpfire throwers 

1 warplightning cannon

This is a lucky draw by me really at the end all I had left was 1 chameleon skink and he had one clan rat unit. The chameleon skinks had killed the cannon. My Skrox unit had been killed by warpfire and run down in combat. One unit of his clan rats ran off the table after being burnt by the salamander. 

    It all came down to the last turn where he charged my loan skink with a warpfire thrower hoping to get an easy kill, I was too close to shoot. However my brave skink killed the thrower in combat. Leaving us with only his cheap rats and my expensive skink. A draw!

Game 2 Vs High Elves

18 Archers

10 spearmen

Boltthrower

Lvl 1 wizard

Bolt thrower was shot up by my chameleons. Archers killed all the handlers from the salamander and monster reaction was stupid, at leadership 4 I was not going to get much use from him for the rest of the game. Ther archers were eaten by my skrox but this allowed a flank charge by the spearmen who beat me in combat as I could not get the kroxigors into combat. So they ran taking my chameleon skinks in panic. Next turn my skinks rallied but the skrow kept on going off the table. So it was basically my stupid salamander and Kinks vs the spearmen and his Lvl 1 wizard. However he had no offensive spells and i shot him to death and he paniced and ran off the board. A win!

Game 3 Vs Warriors of Chaos

Lvl 1 fire Sorcerer

2 x 5 Marauders

16 chaos warriors 2 hand weapons

Skinks attempted to shoot up his sorcerer 7 hits but he had a 4+ armour and ward save! 1 wound only. He then charged me with his sorcerer and i had positioned my skinks very close to him so could not stand and shoot. I decided to hold, which was a bad decision in hindsight. He won and ran them down.

  As shown in the phot above the skinks panicked the left unit of marauders  by shooting with javelins. The chaos warriors failed their charge so charged them. The salamander had died to a fireball. The combat went well for me, however they did kill my priest, and the warriors ran. However I could not catch them. At the end all I had destroyed was a unit of marauders and he had killed my general , salamander and chameleon skinks. A loss.

 Here are my initial thoughts

1. With a leadership of 6, even with coldblooded, I cannot loose a combat.
2. Skinks are very soft and kroxigors are very good. The unit works well but if the krox are not in the combat as happened against the elves I will lose.
3. Taking a lvl 1 at this points level with only one spell is practically useless. Too many dispel dice.
4. Chameleon skinks are great. But need good positioning as they will lose in combat, most of the time.

I have 2 more games at this level so hopefully I will have learnt  a bit more and be ready for 1000 points!

Later

Allies Hero Pack Model review

As a test for my lightbox I thought I would put up a review of some dust models that was just handed to me by my ever suffering postman. Fist impressions are that they are of the usualy good quality of all dust miniatures. On looking at them a bit more objectively 2 of them are great and one is ok. 

   First up is the Priest. He is a great model with a nicely dynamic pose which encapulates his secret agent vibe nicely. He is detailed and willl look good painted.

Next up is Action Jackson. Another great model which i really like, the Paratrooper cool with his Hannibal cigar gives off the idea of a calm leader in the thick of it all. 

 In my opinion one of the best Dust models so far which is better in the flesh than in the pictures that FFG supply.

Last is Johhny One Eye which i am disappointed in as the undercoating provided by FFG has just about covered all the detail on his face. The model itself and the sculpt are fine just not up to the quality of the 2 previous models. 

The set purchased for £15, from Arcane miniatures, is good value as you are provided with nice models and they are ready to go. So generally a good set. And they dont have bad stats either!

The light box itself seems alright. I will just have to keep fiddling.

Later

Starting The lizards

So the local club is starting an escalation league to get people to start new armies. I am in on this so have decided to start Lizardmen, as I usually play Vampires or Tomb Kings having to actually use psychology will be new. 

Starting at 500 points it will be quite limited. this is what i am using, as the lists are set once started it needs to be generic:

Skink priest lvl 1 with dispel scroll

Skinks x 20 with banner, 1xBrave and 2 Kroxigors

Salamander and 4 handlers

Chameleon skinks x 8

The general idea being i have some good salamder shooting, a nice core unit with some combat power, the chameleons should be able to take out warmachines or any light cavalry and a priest to be my general and cause some magical mayhem ( with only one spell though). Simple enough really.

 And I should be able to keep up with the painting!

Thanks

Restarting Epic

After a recent haul of epic found in a garage I have rediscovered the epic bug and am interested in getting in some gaming. Happily the local club has a small epic community and so this has got me moving towards restoring some of my old epic models, also a flurry of ebay purchases.

After the aquisition of some titans, most in an unpainted state, some of them are painted though and one in particular was heavily coated in black paint that has all but covered the detail on it.

So it has become my test piece for the stripping of old plastic. So into the jar it has gone:

Hopefully the paint will peel off and leave the plastic unmolested. Hopefully!

Welcome to my new blog

Well i have decided to start a blog up to put all my randomness on the web to help fill the internet with more non porn junk. This blog will be about all the stuff that i am doing mainly Epic, Dystopian wars, Warhammer fantasy and Dust. I also do a bit of 40k but that is mainly about the models.

  Thanks