Friday Project Update: 30 Oct 09

I only managed to get one model finished this week due to some minor family issues. This is my Tomb Kings bone giant. This model was a blast to paint and turned out much better than I originally thought it was going to.

With this model I am now about 90% finished with my Tomb Kings.

I have been working on Fantasy models for about 2 weeks now and it has got me thinking that I may just start another blog dedicated to Fantasy Battles. When I started this blog I wanted it to be about my experiences with 40K. Well, I enjoy doing this blog so much, I figured I could do the same for Fantasy Battles as well. I haven't made a final decision yet, but if I do I will post the info about it here.

So onto 40K, really this week has been a slow 40K week for me. I did make my FTW collaborative post, and I have worked on a few new lists for my Sisters of Battle. I am trying to work in 2 Witch Hunters to give me some better psychic protection. I plan on posting some ideas next week and getting some feedback so please watch for that post.

I have also been working on some adjustments to my Chaos Marines. I am looking for a way to work in a unit of Chosen. Speaking of Chaos, I am getting a Chaos Daemons army from a trade I did with my buddy Brandon (the guy I painted the Space Wolves for), so I have been reading up on the army and thinking about how I am going to build a my Herald of Tzeentch on a chariot, so I know that will be a future article for the blog.

Well that is it for this week. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and as always all comments are welcome.

-BJ

My Must Have Unit: Sword Brethren

Ron over at From The Warp, has asked all of us members to take part in another collaborative post with the topic of our Must Have unit. In Ron's own words he is looking for " the one unit you always find a way to squeeze into your army, regardless of how well it does or how points effective it may or may not be".

This was an easy topic for me. I fell in love with the Black Templar Sword Brethren the day I bought my codex and first saw their models. I thought they were some of the most amazing Space Marine models GW had ever created and to this day I still do. I couldn't wait to get my own and start painting them.

Now as far as a unit goes I am sure some people will tell me I can do better, and I am sure I can, but I never play my Templars without these guys. They cost 19 points each and have the same stat line as the 16 point Templar Initiates, but where they really shine for me is the fact I can get two power weapons in the unit and have a choice of Furious Charge, Counter Attack or Infiltrate for free.

I run my unit as pictured above, an 8 man squad with 6 armed with BP/CCW, 1 BP/PW and 1 Pair of Lightning Claws. I give the unit Counter Attack and then mount them in either a Rhino or my Crusader depending on what list I am running. This unit has been very effective for me even though they seem far inferior to Codex Marine vets. When combined with my "Accept any Challenge, no matter the odds" vow this little unit can become quite a killing machine.

So there you have it, my must have unit is my Sword Brethren. They have become a permanent part of every Templar army I run. They may not be the most points efficient unit out there but I love the unit. The models are fantastic and their fluff is just how I would imagine Templar veterans.

-BJ

What is your life?

My honour is my life.

What is your fate?

My duty is my fate.

What is your fear?

My fear is to fail.

What is your reward?

My salvation is my reward.

What is your craft?

My craft is death.

What is your pledge?

My pledge is eternal service.

Friday Project Update: 23 Oct 09

Just a quick projects update. This week it has been all fantasy for me when I have had time to paint. I managed to finish off my Liche Priest that I will be using as my Heirophant. This is actually the model that came the the Casket of Souls. I think he is wicked looking so I use him as my Heirophant.

I also managed to complete my Tomb King mounted in a chariot. I made my of Flail of Skulls for him but using a flail from the Chaos marauders along with some skulls from my Vampire Counts.

I was also working on my Bone Giant but did not get him finished in time for this post. Also i am sorry the pics are poor quality, my camera batteries died and I was stuck using my wife's camera which I suck at using.

Next up are some Dwarf Thunderers, and more than likely more Tomb Kings, as I try to finish off my Tomb Kings and Dwarf armies.

Space Wolves Display - Assault on Magnir's Crag

I am not sure how many of you check the GW site daily but I do and yesterday they had an amazing article showcasing a large cinematic Spacewolf Vs. Tyranids display made for Games Day UK. Not only was this large display amazing but the article shows tons of close up views of the display and even goes into how some of the dioramas on the display were made. I am very happy to see GW doing this sort of thing again and the article is definitely worth the read. I am linking to it as well as posting a pic on the display.

Assault on Magnir's Crag Display

My Battle Fleet Gothic Fleet

I was messing around with my DIY photo light box today and took some pictures of my Sisters of Battle Imperial Fleet for Battle Fleet Gothic. I know I still need to work on my lighting and all but for my first use of the box it worked out great.


The ship to the left is my Mars class Imperial Battle cruiser the "Caelestis Praetor". This is my flagship for my fleet until I get my Emperor class Imperial Battleship painted. I love launch bays and prow torpedoes and this little lady has them both!



This ship to the right is one of my favorite Imperial Cruisers, the Gothic class "Ancile". Armed with its prow torpedoes as well as port and starboard lance batteries make this ship a pretty destructive force in my fleet.






This next ship to the left is probably my favorite ship in my entire fleet. The Imperial Light cruiser, Dauntless class "Arma". Along with the Arma I have 3 other Dauntless light cruisers. Their speed and firepower make this smaller ship a force to be reckoned with.

Well that is all I am going to post here, if you are interested in seeing the rest of the painted portion of my fleet you can check out my Basic Training website where I am showcasing my armies as I get pictures taken of them.

As always thank you for stopping by my blog and all comments are welcome.

-BJ

Friday Project Update: 16 Oct 2009

Just a small update this week. First up I built and finished my Black Templar objective markers. The first and my favorite is the mortally wounded Templar leaning against the wall. The second is just an ammo dump, and the third is a ruined dreadnought hull. They were all fun to build and I think I will do custom markers for every army as I complete them.

Next up this week I finished 2 more test models for my Imperial Fists. I decided to go with my 3rd and final test model as the process I will be using to paint my Fists.

Next up on my plate is several miniatures from my Fantasy armies. For 40K I will be finishing up my Sisters of Battle. I will post more as I get things finished in the upcoming week.

-BJ

Imperial Fists: Test Model #3

Well here is my 3rd test model for my Imperial Fists. This model was primed with white and then had several thin layers of golden yellow applied over the entire model as a base coat. Next I proceeded to paint all of the other details continuing with the 3rd company theme.

Once the model was fully painted, I used badab black wash on the metal areas such as the bolter and pack vents. I finished by carefully going over all the yellow components with Gryphonne Sepia, being sure that the details got filled in and no heavy areas of wash were on flat surfaces of yellow.

This is easily my favorite of the 3 test models. This will be how I paint my Imperial Fists. The only change I will do is to add more highlights before the wash as I can see areas where more highlighting is needed.

I really like doing the test minis first as it allows me to see a few variations of the armor as well as paint schemes. Originally I was going to go with 5th company but I just did not like how the black looked so I decided on 3rd instead. I was able to do this way before I touched any models that were actually going to be in my army thanks to my test models.

Well that is all for now, I have a few projects in front of my Fists but I will be sure to post updates here as my Sons of Dorn come to fruition. As always comments are welcome and thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

-BJ

Imperial Fists: Test Model #2

Here is my 2nd test model for my Imperial Fists army. I only have two shots because I followed the same basic painting as my previous post Imperial Fists: Test Model #1. The only differences were that I used a white primer this time and I took the advice of Siph_Horridus and used less of the sunburst yellow and more of the Golden yellow.

In the finished model below I changed to 3rd company colors and added squad markings and fist logo. I am much happier with how this model looks. It still has a nice yellow color but also has the worn look that I am going for and I really love the red instead of the black on the shoulder pads. Of the two I have done so far this is by far my favorite.




My next test model will be primed white, I will be skipping Iyanden Darksun and just painting golden yellow as my base color. I am also going to be doing the wash towards the end of painting this time to see if I like that effect more.

Thanks for reading my blog and as always any feedback is welcome and greatly appreciated.

-BJ

Friday Projects Update: 09 Oct 2009

Well I know it is technically Saturday now but I got home late from my daughter's Volleyball game so I am running behind. I don't have much to update on this week. First up is a last minute addition to my buddies Space Wolf commission. I was just about to mail them out to him on Tuesday when he called and asked if I could throw a jump pack on 1 of each of the special weapons. I proceeded to unpack the box, find the special weapons guys and get to work. The picture to the left is the final result.

The only other thing I finished this week is my Black Templar Predator that you can see below. The exciting thing about that model is that I am now finished with all of the Templars that I own. I may pick up another model or two but for all intents and purposes that army is finished.

Next on my plate is to finish up my Sister of Battle, along with the Adepta Sororitas I will also be painting Dwarfs and Tomb kings for Fantasy. While finishing off those armies I will be working on a few small projects, my objective markers for the Templars and continuing my practice models for the Imperial fists.

Well that it for this week, thanks for reading and as always I welcome all comments.

-BJ

Imperial Fist Army List ALPHA

I have Black Templars as my primary army so naturally when I decided to do a Codex Marine army I went with their founding chapter the Imperial Fists. The list below is a 2000 point list which I am going to use as my "to buy" list for my Imperial fists.

Eventually I will want to collect enough to make the entire 3rd Company, but I am going to buy the models for the list below as my starting point. I chose 2000 points because the majority of games around here are 1850-2000 points, so I figured to go to 2000 then I can subtract what I need to get to 1850.

OK so here is the list I am trying to build. Please feel free to critique it. I am trying to make a fluffy but competitive list.

2000 Pts Imperial Fists

HQ:
Captain Darnath Lysander @ 200 Pts

Space Marine Librarian @ 125 Pts
- Null Zone; The Gate of Infinity
- Terminator Armour

Elite:
Terminator Squad @ 205 Pts
-Power Fist (x4); Storm Bolter (x3); Heavy Flamer
Sergeant
-Power Sword; Storm Bolter

Terminator Squad @ 205 Pts
-Power Fist (x4); Storm Bolter (x3); Heavy Flamer
Sergeant
-Power Sword; Storm Bolter

Troops:
Tactical Squad @ 240 Pts
-Bolt Pistol (x9); Bolter (x7); Plasmagun; Missile Launcher
Sergeant
-Bolt Pistol; Power Fist
Rhino

Tactical Squad @ 230 Pts
-Bolt Pistol (x9); Bolter (x7); Meltagun; Heavy Bolter
Sergeant
-Bolt Pistol; Melta Bombs; Power Weapon
Rhino

Tactical Squad @ 230 Pts
-Bolt Pistol (x9); Bolter (x7); Flamer; Multi-Melta
Sergeant
-Bolt Pistol; Melta Bombs; Power Weapon
Rhino

Scout Squad @ 165 Pts
-Bolter (x4); Sniper Rifle (x4); Heavy Bolter w/Hellfire Shells
Sergeant
-Bolter; Teleport Homer

Fast Attack:
Attack Bike Squad @ 50 Pts
-Multi-Melta

Attack Bike Squad @ 50 Pts
-Multi-Melta

Heavy Support:
Vindicator @ 125 Pts
-Siege Shield

1 Whirlwind @ 85 Pts

Thunderfire Cannon @ 100 Pts
-Techmarine Gunner

Total Points: 2000

So far I own 5 Tactical Squads, 1 Terminator squad, 2 full scout squads, a Devestator Squad, 2 Attack Bikes and Lysander. I am getting an Assault Terminator Squad as payment for a commission I did, so that will leave me mainly vehicles and a Librarian to purchase.

Well that is my list I am working towards. Please let me know what you think. I think it is pretty balanced and fluffy. I just need to figure out what to remove to get it down to 1850.

-BJ

Space Wolf Commission Finished!

Well today I finished my Space Wolf commission for my buddy Brandon. I had fun painting the Wolves again but I am glad it is over for now. There will be a second round of Space Wolves I will be painting for Brandon but that is a few days off at least.

So now that I have all of his Wolves finished I am going to be moving on to finish some of my armies that are very close to finished. I will be starting off with my Black Templar Predator to finish off that army. I will also be painting some Dwarfs, Tomb Kings and my Sisters of Battle over the next few weeks.


Once I finish those armies then it will be a toss up of what to paint next, but right now my Imperial Fists are in an early lead. Like I said it was fun painting the Space Wolves again, it even led me to start re-reading the Space Wolf Omnibus by William King, until I pick up the next few books in the Horus Heresy. Now I think I may take a break from painting today to watch some college football, but I will be back soon updating on my painting progress.

As always thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

-BJ