I HATE metal minis :-/

On his soapbox again...

The last two days, and the last two that I have painted (namely Kharn and this Commissar), have really brought home to me how much I really hate painting metal minis. I appreciate that metal minis have more depth to them, but I really find them a pain to paint and I've yet to paint one that I dont think I could have done a better job of if it had been in plastic.

In interviews, Jack White from the White Stripes always says that one reason why he uses cheap guitars that barely stay in tune is that he likes the idea of struggling against the medium to produce his art. I feel like this about metal minis, but I don't like the struggle. at all. Leaving aside the issue of having to pin large models or that even superglue is not sufficient in some cases, the main issue for me is undercoating. With plastic minis, I can just put on a thinned black layer and then its ready to go. With metal, it's another story. If i put on thinned paint (after washing the mini in hot water and letting it dry) it just doesn't work, staying on in places but not in others. Even when i spray it, i find that the paint still doesnt stick everywhere (there are places on the Commissar where it was beginning to chip off by the second highlight). In fact if you look closely you can see bits of silver shining through on the finished one (or is it just my imagination?!)

The result of all this is that I'm constantly struggling against the mini to get paint to stick and in places paint over cracks rather than do nice detail-y things that I would do with a plastic one.

If anyone has any solutions, I'd love to hear them. I know people who say that they just put an undercoat on, that they have never had a mini chip ever etc etc. A GW employee once told me was the secret was to wash the mini in washing up liquid; that didn't work at all. Another told me to put three layers of spray paint on. I did it and ended up with a mini that looked like the michelin man, albeit black, and I had to spend a day stripping it back. Either that, or could GW pleaaaaaaase release all its minis in plastic??

Vendetta Gunship Complete

One of the things that got me into the Guard was that I loved the look of the Valkyrie model. I didn't have much room for one in my 1k Guard list, but in my move to 1.5k I now have space for two of them as Vendetta gunships carrying Veterans:

Combat Patrol: Imperial Guard Vs CSM (and Chaos)

"Prepare to die for the Emperor!!"

Had my first real go at Combat Patrol today, fielding 500pts of Guard Vs CSMs and Chaos using a couple of the missions from the tournament over in Philly. I forget the exact results, but I know I definitely one won (wiped out Chaos in 3 turns), got hammered in one, and drew in another. Hopefully, next time I can try out a CSM list and maybe work though all the Philly missions.

My main thoughts on the games generally were:

*500pts: This was a nice level to play at with each game taking about 50-60 mins (albeit at a relaxed pace with lots of chatting). What I especially liked about 500pts was that it focused your attention down on each point that was on the table and made you think more strategically rather than trying to spam with more units or multiple units for the same job. When i lost a 10 man squad in one combat round, that was over 10% of my army gone.

*Autocannons and multi-lasers, yay: Leaving aside my meltaguns on the CCS and PCS, the stars of the show were really the 3 autocannon squads and the multi-lasers on the chimeras. When the CSs managed to hit anything, they were lethal, it was just a case of rolling those 5s and 4s. The Chimeras were also useful with their multi-lasers, although I didn't really exploit their transport potential, typically using them as either mobile gun platforms or circling them like wagons.

*Scout Sentinels, boo: The sentinel didn't fare so well, aside from being a nice speedbump, tying a squad of CSMs up for a round or two of combat. It will be going on the Bay of E in the very near future...

*Orders: 'First Rank, FIRE! Second rank, FIRE' is a GREAT rule.

*A New List: The sentinel is going to have to go and be replaced with a special weapons squad with 4 flamers (making up the points by reducing the number of meltaguns to 3 in each CCS):

HQ

CCS (3x Meltaguns, Boltgun) 82

Chimera (Multi-laser & heavy flamer) 55

Troops

PCS (3x Meltaguns, bolt pistol) 62

Chimera (Multi-laser & heavy flamer) 55

10 Troops (Grenade Launcher, autocannon) 65

10 Troops (Grenade Launcher, autocannon) 65

10 Troops (Grenade Launcher, autocannon) 65

Special Weapons Squad (3 flamers) 50

Imperial Guard out on (Snow) Patrol

"Look, someone is taking our picture! Look sharpish, lads!"

I woke up this morning (as an old bluesman might say) to find a lovely blanket of snow outside, so I quickly gathered up my 500pt IG Combat Patrol army and got some pictures of them before it all went. The pictures came out a bit darker than I would have liked, but I love the look of the snow. The snow was deep but not compacted so the Chimeras started to sink down.

All things being equal, I'm hoping for two gaming outings this week - one with my Daemons and one playing Combat Patrol with my Guard.

A Quick Post: A Muddy Chimera

Will post some more thoughts on Combat Patrol later. In the meantime, here are some pictures of a Chimera that I've just finished. I painted it and thought 'hmmm, this needs more' so i ended up experimenting with weathering and battle damage:

Thinking about Combat Patrol

I've been thinking a fair bit about 40K Combat Patrol (AKA 40K in 40 Mins) recently, especially since I started my Guard army as CS would be a great way into starting to game with them before I reach 1k, 1.2. or 1.5k. Combat Patrol was part of the 4th edition rules, but was ditched from 5th edition arguably because GWs current emphasis is on bigger games (i.e. 1750pts is the new 1500pts, Apocalypse, War(hammer) of the Ring) rather than smaller, skirmish or narrative-based ones (i.e. LoTR SBG, Mordheim, Inquisitor, Necromunda).

The rules for combat patrol are pretty straightforward:

*Armies are no more than 400 points

*You must have at least one Troops choice.

*You may include a single HQ choice, but no more than one.

*You may spend remaining points on anything else in the codex

*No model can have more than 2 Wounds.

*No special or Unique characters.

*No model can have a save better than a 3+ or 4+ Invulnerable.

*Vehicles cannot have a total Armour Value greater than 33.

*No Ordnance weapons.

There are a few other optional rules such as you have to operate on WYSIWYG and that once your force is down to 50% you have to start taking leadership tests.

Several sites and blogs contain extra rules or refined rules or even attempts to update the original rules to make them fit better with 5th edition realities. An interesting example of this, and the blog that inspired me to write this posting, are the updated rules posted over at The Realms of Equinox. These take the initial rules and update them in several interesting ways, most notably:

* upping the points from 400-500

* restricting the number of Elite & Fast Attack choices to one each respectively

* an express ban on HQ, Heavy Support choices and Monstrous Creatures

* No single choice should cost more than 200pts

I've posted some initial thoughts on this, but my more detailed reflections would be:

*One Louder: I'm not convinced of the merits of upping the points to 500pts. I agree, as I said above, that the general move in GW is to reduce points for units and up the points for games (to sell more plastic crack), but I think the strength of CS is the way that it forces you to think within limits.

* You Can Stay At Home: While I can see the logic of restricting some elite choices and Monstrous Creatures (would Terminators be on a patrol?), I'm not sure about a complete ban on FA, HQ & HS. For example, it would fit within the fluff for a Marine patrol to comprise of at least one speeder, a Guard patrol to have sentinels etc. (in fact, one site has rules for a sentinel HQ). Equally, for HS & HQ: sure, you can try and include a turbo-charged HQ choice (Ahriman leading some Thousand Sons), but that is going to chew up points quickly and most likely break the Unique character or invulnerable save rules. By leaving it open, you are implicitly forced to take a low-level HQ choice (i.e. a bog-standard SM captain for 100pts minus the frills), which is, of course, more fluffy anyway. The 'No HS' rule is also, again, already covered with the AV rule

*I Need My Wheels: I don't think I will be fretting too much over the 'no choice over 200pts' with my Guard, but I would seriously struggle with this with my Marines and CSMs. Again, it would be fluffy for them to be travelling around in a rhino, but this (10 marines in a bog-standard rhino) would easily go over 200pts. 10 CSMs just walking around with meltas, a powerfist, and flamer would also push it over (esp. if they were Berzerkers). I think it makes more sense to, again, keep this open: so you want your troops to be 10 marines in a rhino? OK, but that is going to eat into your 400 pts and mean that you can't take, for example, Vulkan or Marneus Calgar (or much else for that matter)

My own sample Guard List (under the existing rules) would be:

HQ

Company Command Squad (4x Meltaguns) 90

Chimera (Multi-laser & heavy flamer) 55

Troops

Platoon Command Squad (4x Meltaguns) 70

Chimera (Multi-laser & heavy flamer) 55

10 Troops (Grenade Launcher, autocannon) 65

Fast Attack

Scout Sentinel (autocannon & Smoke Launcher) 65

The next question would be what missions would we play? The original rules just have annihilation, but there must be more (hopefully) fluffy ones that could be devised, covering, for example, ambushes, scouting etc.

Imperial Guard Project: Over half-way there

Managed to do quite a bit of painting this week, finishing of my 3rd 10-man squad and a platoon command squad. I'm now hovering around 610pts, although Im going to repaint 300 pts of that (my 2 Leman Russes) once my spray-gun arrives.

Progress has been slowed a bit, though, by the general lack of Chimeras around. GW are releasing a new version in March and so at the moment you can't get one for love nor money in stores or online, and all the ones on ebay that (don't look they have been painted by a blind chimp armed with emulsion) are going for over 20 quid inc postage.

My main project this week was putting together the first PCS:

On the list they have 4 meltas, but I just modelled them with what I liked the look of.

Really impressed myself with this one - esp. the gold braid and the medals.

Inspired by my recent reading of Mechanicum, I also painted up a Forgeworld Techpriest and Servitor. Also really impressed myself with these, although I'm still getting used to the red as it is a much brighter shade than I'm used to using:

Re-done Armoured Sentinel

As I said in the last post, I wasn't 100% happy with the paint-job on the armoured sentinel, not least because it didn't match my 2 Russes. Soooo, I've added a layer of khaki to it and now it looks at least a bit better:

More Guard (and Rolf)

OK, the highlight of my week has to be:

As well as meeting Rolf, I've spent this week working some more through my Guard project. My plan is (still?) to build up a 1k list and then see how i like it and then maybe upgrade to 1.2 and then 1.5k. My initial list (painted items in red) being:

HQ

Company Command Squad (4x Meltaguns) 90

Chimera (Multi-laser & heavy flamer) 55

Troops (2)

Platoon Command Squad (4x Meltaguns) 70

Chimera (Multi-laser & heavy flamer) 55

10 Troops (Grenade Launcher, autocannon) 65

10 Troops (Grenade Launcher, autocannon) 65

Platoon Command Squad (4x Meltaguns) 70

Chimera (Multi-laser & heavy flamer) 55

10 Troops (Grenade Launcher, autocannon) 65

10 Troops (Grenade Launcher, autocannon) 65

Fast Attack

Scout Sentinel (autocannon & Smoke Launcher) 45

Heavy Support

Leman Russ 150

Leman Russ 150

(Kudos to Ravendove over at Librarium Online for his advice)

Anyway, on with the new pix. First up are the second troop squad:

I equipped this squad with a pile of flamers because I loved the look of the mini. It's not codex-legal, so they will just be proxies for lasguns.

Inspired by the really nice comments that I've had about my previous Guard paintjobs, I really pulled out the stops for my mortar squads, trying to have each one tell a story in a way. They wont be included in my 1k list, but hopefully I should be able to work a few into the 1.2k list:

And finally a scout sentinel (again proxying an armoured one for a basic scout):

TBH I'm not 100% sure about this one. The colour-scheme is a bit dark and I'm sure I could do a better job. I'll either hawk it on the bay of e and build the one that came in the second battleforce or try and redo the paintjob somehow.

EDIT: Since the first version of this entry, I've now finished the 2 Russes:

And finally a couple of shots of the lead tank:

The plan for this week is to paint either a Chimera or the PCS - or maybe redo the Sentinel.

Imperial Guard Project: 65pts in

Painted first 10 of my IG this week (65pts), with 10 more about 80% done

My aim is to have my first platoon finished by this time next week.

I have some more to keep me going lol

The Guard Project Begins!!

One of the simple, albeit not cheap. pleasures in life has to be opening a 40K battleforce box.

I came home from work yesterday to find the first of two that I have bought from Maelstrom Games had arrived, officially signalling the beginning of the Guard Project.

My plan is to try and paint up 500, then 750 and then finally 1.2k points over the next few months, using them as an opportunity to work on faces/skin, lighter colours and new basing techniques.

The only downside to the project so far is that, as occurred with the CSM project, the Guard project has also been cursed with bad ebay purchases. I bought 2 Leman Russ tanks before Xmas and they also arrived this week. However, one of them is missing half its treads and some other bits and bobs, meaning that I have enough bits to make 1.5 at the most. I'm currently haggling with the seller over a refund or more treads.

On a related note, I've completed an initial draft of the W40K fanfiction project article. More about that, though, next week...

New Year, New Decade, New Army: The Guard

Well, after mocking them, Ive finally been tempted over to try some Guard this year. My plan is to work up 500pts for skirmish games, and then up to 750pts. I can't see myself going over 1k with them, but who knows.

I'm just working out colour-schemes: Khaki or camo?

My initial list is going to be essentially the Cadian Battleforce plus a tank:

HQ

Platoon Command Squad (Power Weapon & Heavy Flamer) 60

Troops (1 Platoon)

10x Guard 50

10x Guard (Missile Launcher & Plasma Gun) 80

1x Heavy Weapons Team (Autocannon) 65

Fast Attack

Scout Sentinel (Lascannon) 50

Heavy Support

Leman Russ (Lascannon, Sponson Heavy Bolter & Stubber) 195