Secret Weapon's Rapid Assault Vehicle

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Considering all of the new stuff that I got for Christmas, why am I painting on this second hand Devilfish? I don't even have anything else for that army ('yet' as Murl would say). However its cool looking and...

...we now interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to show you my latest toy...

So having been drooling over the CAD concepts, as soon as this went on pre-order I ordered the new Rapid Response Vehicle from Secret Weapon Miniatures. Yesterday, it arrived, behold:

Here it is, straight out of the box, no gates/mold lines trimmed or anything.

Yup, that's really cool looking! It vaguely reminds me of the South African Rooikat. Of all of its weapon options (and as you can see there are several), the hull mounted flamer & high velocity cannon above look the best I think. However that cannon doesn't really have a 40k analog (i.e.: its a realistic size for a modern day cannon, unlike say, a battlecannon). The multi-laser & support cannon (the two in the low-center) are a toss up for the next best looking options. I was thinking of painting this up to go with my Infinity-turned-VOR models, but that would be consigning this to a life on the shelf. So I think I'll opt for the multi-laser option, using this as Inquisitor Coteaz' personal Chimera equivalent.

Its roughly the size of a Chimera, though just where that size comparison photo went to I'm...not quite sure. Here it is with the hull of my new Predator tank. It could work as a Razorback, however it lacks side doors. Besides, having the wheels kind of fits better with the Chimera's 12/10/10 armor. It does have two small exit ramps in back. I wouldn't want to have to crawl out of those under combat conditions though. It also has two rear gun ports per side, though I may limit the number of those firing out to 2 rather than the normal 5 as there is no roof troop compartment hatch.

Of course, this being a resin kit, and a new one at that, it has some issues. Odds are you've already spotted the huge air bubble on the one tire, and the mold apparently slipped on the other side. To render that invisible would require GS skills far beyond what I can manage. However as this is a $45 kit (shipping included) , I popped off an email with attached photos saying as much to see if they would send me replacements. I figured I'd get a response in 24-48 hours, as per the usual for online inqueries.

About 45 minutes later when I came in from taking down my Christmas lights, there was already an email in my mailbox from Mister Justin himself, apologizing for the defects & letting me know that replacements will be shipped out ASAP! For a small online sales gaming company, with whom I've never dealt with before, that's as good as it gets from a customer service point of view!

...and now back to our regularly scheduled Tau nonsense...

...here is the color scheme that I came up with. Chaos black with Hawk Turquoise & codex Grey trim. Looks pretty good so far I think. Neverness gave me the Spearhead vehicle upgrade sprue for Christmas, and while I don't care for the look of the 'saddlebag like' sensors, it does have some interesting looking sensor array-things to go on the front. I had no idea as to what they were till I googled the Tau spearhead upgrade images and found a pic waaaaay down the list that had them. First & only time I've ever seen them used, so liking the uniqueness of that, I'll add those in after finishing up with the chin turret.

Happy Monday...

Nothing starts the day better than the combination of google telling me that the 'auto save' isn't working followed by a browser crash that wipes out my almost finished Monday morning post.

Anyways...

Murl commented he other day that he was thinking of ordering the Heavy Gear Paxton army starter, and so I thought I'd paint another gear. Makes sense really. We only had a general idea of the rules when we stopped playing (damned real life interference) and now several months later we've probably forgotten what little we did understand.

This is a Mauler Bear for my WFPA Highlander squad (Dragoon squad to the rest of the Northerners). I've seen comments on the DP9 forums that point-for-point, the Mauler bear is probably one of, if not the worst gears in the game! The WFPA does use a lot of obsolete equipment though, so I suppose that's fitting.

The twin medium rocket pods are good anti-everything weapons, however they're woefully short ranged and inaccurate. Aside from machine guns, all it had was a light grenade launcher (and both of those are really only good at killing infantry). However the simple upgrade to a heavy grenade launcher seriously improves its threat level as its a fairly long ranged (though still inaccurate) anti-everything gun. Looks like all that I really need is a northern GP squad to flesh out the ranks and my little WFPA force will be complete (I'll put that on my 'to buy' list).


Going back to VOR, here's the last of my Infinity Line Kazak minis. Of the three that I have, I like this one the most. He has kindova 'Hollywood mercenary' look to him. I'm now out of infinity minis to paint so will have to p/u another blister of them as well (and yet again my 'to buy' list grows longer).

I've rather enjoyed these last couple minis. After so many years of playing 40k, its a nice change of pace to not just be painting yet another Space marine or Guardsman. I dunno. I'm wondering just what the future of 40k holds for me. My love of fluffy beer & pretzel lists seem to be getting continually crushed under the current mindset of 'THIS IS GOING TO DESTROY YOU!!!!' I mean, is it really necessary to have every list be either MC spam, Alpha strike, or fielding a Death Star unit (if not several)? Here, this unit will hit & wipe you out without you ever needing to roll a die.

Because that's so much fun right?

Everybody apparently loves that feeling because they all feel the need to field a comparable unit that does the same to their opponent, so everybody can enjoy the feeling of getting your teeth kicked in with no chance of fighting back in every game.

Yaaay, I so want to experience this every game...

Murl commented the other day that due to the 'net list' & tournament mentality that the game seems to be going in that direction whether we like it or not. True perhaps. Dunno, maybe I've outgrown the game or something. I don't really have any urge to sell my minis (various mini purges have left me with the bare bones of what I really like) but I also don't have too much urge to buy 40k stuff or even paint it (as I'm sure readers of this blog have noticed here of late).

...shrugs...

Yeah, that looks more like a proper soldier...

o/

Well I only managed to get one of the other two Infinity (turned VOR) Kazaks done (though the second is in progress). This guy's pose looks far more militaryish (I don't think that's a word) than the 'battle babe' that I posted earlier in the week.
As I said in the last post, I will be spreading these guys out among various squads in order to make for a more motley appearance, hence the roman numeral II (for the 2nd squad) on his base. I made his back pack a lighter shade of green (and the third guy's will be tan) to further the lack of conformity.

In the event that you're really interested in how the Kazaks are supposed to be used, go & check out the dicerolla. True, Papa JJ doesn't really know what he's doing with Infinity (yet), at least he's giving it a go, whereas I'm not even going to bother.

Battle Babe

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As I stated earlier, I have no interest in the game Infinity (nor does anyone else locally) however I do like the minis & have purchased a handful for use in a possible VOR army. Whether or not that ever really happens, it does give me the excuse to buy & paint something different (an spares me of dealing with people getting their hopes up were I to paint a Warmahorde mini). Most of the minis I like are from the Ariadna faction, so if that game ever takes hold here, then I guess I'll already be set.

Anyways, I bought a blister of (3) Line Kazak minis via ebay and this is the first one. Its (sadly) one of the usual 'need to make her look as sexy as possible while wearing body armor & holding a gun' kind of models. Actually, of the three in the blister, this one I like the least. The others to actually look like they're supposed to be soldiers (as opposed to a recruitment centerfold). But whatever, I figured I'd paint her first to get her out of the way. The roman numeral 'I' on the back of her base denotes squad number. The army is planned to have four squads, which will come to 18 infantry models total. Plus the APC in the linked post above (although Secret Weapon Miniatures is working on an awesome 28mm wheeled AFV that I may get if it ever comes into production).

This week looks to be predominantly rainy, so maybe I'll be able to get the other two painted up for my late week post.

Another random side project...

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While odds of VOR miniature game reaching the '2.0' stage are at best theoretical and at worst laughable, I still periodically entertain the idea of building another VOR army. Locally, there is one other guy who plays the game on exceedingly rare occasions, however he's thinking of opening an FLGS of his own (again), so future games of VOR may be possible...

Going with that, I was thinking on building another Union army, though a considerably different one than I've fielded in the past. The 'Union' is the amalgamation of the US, Canada & Mexico. They have hover tanks, drones, uber technology, etc. However when the Union formed, many US military units went rogue, formed militias of the quasi legitimate (and completely illegitimate) natures, 'confederate' regiments formed who would only defend the territories of the former USA, and three US states even tried to secede (Utah, Montana & Wyoming, which was pointless as they were completely surrounded). As such many of these rogue/renegade units still exist and the Union's military often carries out 'hunts' (that's what it says in the book) to exterminate them. So my thought was to use the Union force list (mostly) to recreate one of these renegade units. Thus far, I have two models which I painted over the weekend, first my Commander:
This is actually an Infinity Ariadna model. The scale is slightly smaller/thinner than an Imperial Guardsman. He'll be equipped with his assault rifle & power armor (although its not really a full suit, its close enough). The Ariadna have a quasi-Scottish theme, hence the tabard (which on the Infinity site is painted in a Scottish-like tartan pattern). I really wasn't sure what to do with it, till it struck me as a good place to add an old American military star (from a WWII model kit that the Orks had claimed). No idea what the serial number on the shield is for, but the military often festoons it's equipment with serial numbers, so it seemed like a good place to add one. There look to be enough minis in the Ariadna range to build 2-3 Union squads for VOR (if that ever comes to pass).

I said I would be using the Union list 'mostly'. One nice thing about VOR is that there are rules to create your own units/weapons/vehicles. While a bit cumbersome, they are useful. Being a renegade band that's cut off from proper logistical support, I'm sure that the Drones, hover tanks & what not would have fallen out of service (indeed the Commander's power armor will be the best piece of gear in the unit). Instead simpler vehicles would come into use, such as the good ol' army truck:
This is an Old Crow model (with a modified gun barrel using a GW bit). It's about the length of a rhino (w/o the plow) and the width of the rhino hull (i.e.: w/o the sides). I didn't much care for my original paint job on this, as it struck me as a bit bland. So I changed some colors, added some washes (still can't seem to avoid streaks on large flat surfaces), decals (again from the WWII model kits) and overall I rather like it. Well, not so much the streaks, but for something that'll get used once in a blue moon (if ever) its fine. Speaking of decals, the tire pressure ones fit perfectly between the wheels. Rather pleased with that!

Currently the US military LVS & HEMTT transport trucks have a cab that is similar in shape to this, however they are 8x8's. The Union's formation is still some ways off though (200ish years if I recall) so the odds of a 6x6 army truck of a similar cab design entering service and then getting passed off onto the reserves as obsolete (I would guess they have hover trucks to follow the tanks) are decent enough. Anyways, add in some 'hillbilly' armor and a small MG cupola and it's a perfect APC for some gun toting militia wackos!

Odds & Ends...

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Not much happening on the hobby front. This year (like last year) i will not be able to go to Vegas to meet up with some friends & family. :-( So I'll treat myself to about $100 of toys (funds for which will come from the income tax return). As such I've just been pondering what to buy next for the Exodites. Also as I build up that army, my loyalist IG will continue on their way out via ebay. I'll still be able to field a combat patrol sized penal legion using the Pig Iron minis (whom are primarily set aside for VOR), So that idea hasn't been totally scrapped.

Also, in our ongoing Dark Heresy campaign, my Adept (click on the transfer form at the end of that post) has taken a bit of a turn for the worst in the opinions of most. There was an 'incident' in our prior adventure where he tried to call in an orbital strike for no other reason than he suddenly realized he could. His plans were thwarted, and the Inquisition seems to take issue with such actions. For this adventure he was fitted with an explosive collar (ala a penal legionnaire) in an attempt to keep him in check.

The following are some excerpts from his latest report to our inquisitorial handler. It shows just how poorly that idea worked. Suffering from delusions and grandeur (such machinations are the result of his twisted mind manipulating the realization of his impending doom to his own precieved benefit) Boris now sees himself 'on the cusp of divinity' (yes, that's how I explained it to the DM & party). He has also taken a career turn towards that of a cleric, though the rest of the party refuses to acknowledge this (and he acquired both an insanity & corruption point as a penalty for such madness).

One thing of note is that his 'halo' is the explosive collar worn about his neck. He has painted it gold, hence the name.

Personal note: In past missives I’ve addressed you in my usual respectful terms (i.e.: Honored Sir, Milord, etc.). However in the time between my last missive and the present, I was granted a vision from the Almighty Emperor of Mankind. He has requested my assistance at an approaching time of his choosing, whence I shall be martyred and then transform into the divine state. Once said transformation has occurred, I shall then be able to assist the almighty Emperor through the Imperium’s future perils. While I now obviously hold a superior rank to those in the mortal realm, I have decided to continue the use of our previous terminology, even though it should now be clear as to who is regarded as the superior.

...and a few pages later...

The market seemed a bit more agreeable than most places we had so far visited, and doubly so when in one stall, my halo was discovered by the proprietor. Our conversation went something like this:

‘What’s that?”

My Halo, for I am a living Saint.’

‘Uh huh, and what’s a halo do?’

‘When the Almighty Emperor needs my assistance, he will enact my martyrdom so that I may join him to offer my guidance.’

‘Martyrdom meaning?’

‘It’ll explode. (this seemed to cause him and all present quite some consternation)

‘Could it kill me?’

“Everyone in the room I would imagine, though such concerns are beneath my concern.’

Indeed the other patrons quickly left the premises, and the stall owner was quite accommodating in meeting whatever my provisional requests were with exceptional urgency...

{:-D

VOR: The Maelstrom

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Just wanted to post the flyer below to try & spread the word. Skuzzy (the game's creator) is trying to raise funds to publish/produce a revision of the old Vor game. It was a fun game that we've played on and off over the years. My 144th Podunks (the story for which goes all the way back to my 2nd post) was originally used for VOR & is in the process of being reorganized to pull double duty between VOR (again) & my Renegade IG.


Anyways, please check out the VOR forum (where I go by my old online name of 'Red Corsair') & kickstarter if your interested.

Thanks!

Ok, so maybe I should read the instructions....

o/

Well I got a new digital camera, a Canon A3000. It was kinda late last night, so I just pulled it out of the box, snapped a few photos, uploaded them to my computer and figured that was good enough.

Did I read the instructions? No.

Did I try to find the correct setting? No.

The result: Kinda grainy.

So I suppose I'll have to actually read the manual a bit to see what I'm doing wrong/not doing at all/etc.

Anyways here are a few shots...

An Aurora Scout, one of the few I have painted.


My new Demon prince-turned Greater Demon of Malal (which is why there are no wings).

Inquisitor Proust and two of his 'slaught troopers' (warriors w/hellguns). I have enough to do a full storm trooper squad and these boys (they're old VOR Rad Troopers) have obviously been inhaling too much in the way of drugs, thus their emaciated appearance & my justification for the 4+ save. After all, it doesn't hurt when you're high! The inquisitor is an old SM mini that was featured recently on the Gentleman's ones (well his mini, not mine), and posted for comparison purposes at B.Smoove's request.

Screen shot! (sorta) I'm still using a PC keyboard on my Mac mini, and as I don't have an apple key, I can't take screen shots. Anyways this is my cash cow in EVE online, its an asteroid mining ship classed as a 'Hulk' and named Lou Ferrigno. Asteroid mining in EVE is as much fun as watching paint dry, which is why i often paint minis while mining (so I really am watching paint dry). From past conversations via in-game local (solar system), corp (like a guild), and alliance channels, there are quite a few miners that are painting minis while mining in EVE.

Geek Multi-tasking FTW!

Anyways that's all I've got for this week. I'll be fielding my CSM army this weekend to try out the Greater Demon. By just arriving on the table top he'll be garnering a victory for Malal (by the way, if you don't know who Malal is, click here), as it'll kill an aspiring minion of one of Malal's rivals. Most of the army is unpainted still, and has once again raided the Imperial motor pool for rhinos & a predator. While I call my CSMs the 'Blood Eagles' the 'Scavengers' seems more appropriate...