Guitar Hero?

 o/

Naturally, a robot would be playing an electric guitar...

Lacking any opponents with which to play a game of anything with (again) this past Memorial Day weekend, I painted up another of my Robot of the Month Club among other (still work-in-progress) things. 

Was aiming for a shiny, dancefloor-esque base.

Not sure if I achieved that or not.

I've been meaning to paint this one up for a family friend for awhile now. Sadly, he recently was diagnosed with cancer (a treatable type at the least), so I'm hoping to lift his spirits with this, as he's slogging thru the hell of chemo at the moment. 

This is the second droid that I've gifted away, with a cyborg-lab mouse awaiting a paint job before I gift it to it's recipient. I have three more robots awaiting paint, two for me to keep and the third is kinda meh (so is way down on the list). The prototype for June's bot looks awesome though and you can see it in that link above. 

My new 10th Ed 40k army?

 o/

Well, yeah sorta. 

You should get 20 Skitarii out of one boxed set!

From what I understand, Imperial Agents aside, allies are most likely going away in 10th ed 40k, which is a frightening prospect for my multitude of side projects:

The Inquisitors and haughtily find themselves above such concerns.

The Incandescent Coyotes were recently eBayed off, much to Zzzzz's dismay.

The Eldar were transferred to Neverness.

The squad of Demiur-uh, Votann will go to Rob when I next see him. 

The Iggies  are...kind of in limbo at the moment (I like them, but loathe the financial costs of expanding them). 

The Chaos marines and cultists are likely to suffer the same fate as the Coyotes. 

Lastly, the Adeptus Mechanicus has (by 9th ed point values) recently doubled in size!

This exploded view of the Dino-bot is missing it's ribcage which covers the engine in the main body. This kit looks soooo much nicer than the actual mini in my opinion.

Currently they're sitting at the 500 point mark, with a 3D printed dino-bot (Ironstrider) still in pieces as it will be a paint-as-I-assemble model due to all of the recessed nooks and crannies once it is built. I didn't mention what specifically were my purchases from Wargame Exclusive in my last post, but it was the aforementioned dino-bot, and their oh so excellent Skitarii conversion kit. 

After assembling a 2nd squad of Vanguard to go with the first, I used the conversion set to build these Rangers.

As you can see, they seamlessly fit with GW's excess parts, though head positioning angles are a bit limited without some minor trimming. 

While GW's multi-option kits make sense for them from a logistical point of view, everyone who's ever bought one of said kits ends up with a LOT of wasted plastic. Sure, we all like bitz, but I'd rather have both squads, or two separate squad boxes at a lower price point. Or, a conversion kit that lets you make both squads from one boxed set (and for about $20 less than buying two Skitarii boxes).

Aside from a pile of unused 25mm bases (from both GW & WGE), these few parts are all that was left over from the Skitarii box.

Wargames Exclusive's Thank You Miniature

 o/

Easily the coolest postcard that I've gotten in a long, long while!

Long time no post. 

Life is busy, been painting Battletech, blah, blah...you know, the typical real life TM getting in the way kinda thing. I'm still here though and recently received a 'thank you for donating to Ukraine' miniature from Wargame Exclusive. 

He's gotta pretty good likeness to the print above.

Despite the wannabe Next Great Russian Tzar trying to ruin life for literally everybody in the Ukraine, Wargame Exclusive is still soldiering on, selling minis and conversion parts. They're located in Lviv and thus are closer to the Polish border than they are the front lines. That said, they're still within ballistic missile range, so if you're order goes missing you know who to blame. 

Ukraine's national emblem adorns both his chest and shoulder.

Tasteless jokes aside, my two orders with them in the past year have arrived in the usual month or so timeframe. Indeed my first order arrived in a third of the time it took to get some decal sheets from a US based, 3rd party producer from whom I made a purchase on the same day! The latter did however have a bad stroke of luck, apologized, sent discount codes and thus shall neither be named nor shamed on here. 

Once painted, he'll likely join my two NOCF Ukraine raffle warlocks in my display case, as I'm suffering from no lack of Inquisitors and/or Iggy Officers.

Both WGE's casting and (now) 3D printed quality are top notch and I highly recommend their products! Just remember that while shopping for some new toys, to donate some extra funds to help 'em out as their nation slogs thru hell.  

I thought the donations were just to keep their business afloat, but it seems they're passing the funds on to the national cause instead. 

Those 'Wild Boys' from the 7th Company

 o/

Firstborn Lieutenant Wild of the Ultramarines' 7th Reserve Company.

In the Indomitus era, Primaris Space Marines are king amongst the armies of the Imperium. Primaris Marines form the bulk, if not the entirety of most chapters' battle and veteran companies, whilst the Firstborn, recently graduated from the 10th company's scouts are relegated to the reserve companies until they've proven themselves worthy of crossing the Rubicon divide. 

Amongst the ranks of the Ultramarines, the Firstborn of the reserve companies spend most of their time performing such vital tasks as standing guard in the various hallways and thresholds of the unassailable Fortress of Hera on Macragge, practicing's parade drill for the tourists of Ultramar, and if they're particularly lucky, garrisoning some imperial backwater, freeing up the Primaris marines to do the real work of smiting the Imperium's foes. 

Lt. Wild is headquartered in the Fortress Of Hera's Obsidian Tower. Here he is seen surveying the wreckage of said tower, as upon hearing of his new orders, Lt. Wild suffered a very Kylo Ren-esque temper tantrum and the Obsidian Tower suffered heavily for it. 

The reserve companies are lead by by a hidebound, prideful and some would say an embittered cadre of officers who steadfastly refuse to cross that Rubicon divide. Indeed they see the Primaris marines as an afront to the Emperor's great work in creating the Space Marines. Lieutenant Wild is one such Firstborn officer, who is assigned to the Ultramarines 7th Reserve Company.

Recently, the Ultramarines'' 7th reserve company was rewarded for their particularly efficient cleansing of the roadside trash along the Roboute Guilliman (no longer) Memorial Expessway's entire length. Thus they were honored with the privilege of guarding the porta-johns along the parade route leading to the Imperial palace on the forthcoming Day of the Emperor's Ascension celebration on Holy Terra.

Note the bionic arm, his biological arm was lost in combat with the treacherous Red Corsairs.

 As the 7th company prepared itself for it's sacred duty, thru what can only be explained as a clerical error, Lt. Wild, a combat squad from one of the 7th's tactical squads, and a razorback transport and it's crew were requisitioned to detach from the rest of the company, sully their newly polished armor by repainting it in urban camouflage of all things, and report to the staging grounds of the 3rd Battle Company's Strikeforce Horridus where they were to be attached in support of an unspecified mission.

Outraged at these various indignities, Lt. Wild and his accompanying marines nonetheless followed their orders to the letter and presented themselves to the 3rd's staging ground in time for the boarding of their transports. Puzzled at the Firstborn's arrival, and in matching camo no less, the 3rd's Primaris Chaplain paused in his exhortations of 'In the Emperor's name, GET YOUR ASSES MOVING!' to inquire: 'Are you little guys lost?'

Orders or not, the camouflaging of his armor could only go so far...

Thus far, most of the 7th's 'actions' have been spent guarding the halls of their Strike cruiser from the depredations of  chapter serfs who have lost their way, or their landing zones from the local flora and fauna. The Primaris marines of the 3rd company have taken to calling their firstborn brethren 'The Wild Boys' in mockery of these ridiculously mundane tasks. 

On the rare occasions in which 'The Wild Boys' have been engaged in combat, they operate more in conjunction to, rather than in support of their Primaris brethren. Indeed the only support that they've directly provided on the battlefield is the transport of Primaris casualties* back to the transports via their Razorback. 

*For those who insist that Primaris marines cannot fit into a Razorback, I would like to remind you that those would be 'whole' Primaris marines, whereas casualties tend to not be...

How long does it take to build a squad of Hellblasters?

 o/

Most folks would agree that it takes just a few hours, and they would be right. In my case, it also took just a few hours though said hours were delayed by 15 or so months between the time of purchase and the removal of the box's shrink wrap. 

Here of late my poor marines have been finding themselves increasingly outgunned on the table top, with only my Hellblaster squad seemingly able to hold the line effectively. That said, I only had 6 of them making the squad both over-taxed and easily eliminated. However now that I have 16 ready for battle, I'm hoping that they'll even things out a bit for me. Only time will tell though...

These two combat squads will each gain 3 more marines

out of my pre-existing squad.

The Smurfs are now my only marine army with the Incandescent Coyotes (all 23 of them) currently redeploying to the Illy-Noise subsector. Their fully painted 'Woolly Bear' Razorback has taken up residence in my display cabinet, whereas the Coyotes' half-painted rhino was reprimed in anticipation of being (eventually) repainted in Ultramarine colors. 

Not many of the unpainted Coyotes were retained due to all of the Space Wolf Coyote accoutrements. Like the also defunct Silver Drakes, the remnants of the Coyotes were folded into the Smurfs making it a rather large army at this point. 

Full circles are painted models, empty are unpainted, and half circled are works in progress.

DreamForge Games Grav-Stug

I hope that everyone had a good Day of the Emperor's Ascension, and that you found all of the hidden Tyranid eggs. Don't worry if you didn't though, because whatever was in them will soon find you!

I have wanted one of these for so, so long! 

I backed both failed Kickstarters to no avail, and figured that that was that. Then I saw one of these pop up on Dwartist's Facebook page where he stated that they were being sold by Dreamforge as 3D prints in limited runs. I found one on eBay, hesitated...and it was gone. Fuck.

While it did require assembly, it was easy and quick to build.

Last week, on a whim I looked again and there one one left (this one) out of the eight originally available. 20+ people had it in their watch lists, hesitating as I had. I learned my lesson though and bought it immediately!

No vindicator is complete without a pintle mounted stormbolter (and hatch leftover from the Kratos) for point defense.

I'm thinking that this will be a prototype grav-drive Vindicator to go with my handful of Firstborn Smurfs. Sure the cannon barrel isn't obscenely over-sized in proper 40k fashion, but it ought to fairly obvious as to what the gun is. 

Not sure what these bits are supposed to be exactly...

Perhaps it's the anti-grav drive protected by spaced armor plating...

Not sure how soon it will be till I fully paint it, but I do need to paint the recessed areas under the forward side, spaced armor. Given how little they will be visible, am thinking they'll just be leadbelcher dry brushed over black.

Alternate main gun options.

Honestly the railgun/lascannon to the far left is the best looking of the main gun options, but there really is no space marine equivalent that I can think of for it. Unless of cource I put a Tau hatch on there instead of the stormbolter equipped one and use this as a counts as (Hogziliary?) Hammerhead with no burst cannons...

This week in random paint jobs (part 1)

 o/

With no games planned, Saturday night seemed a good time to finish off several half-painted minis.

I believe this was February's Robot of the Month Club's offering.

I love these things. I have 3 more to paint (Including a cybernetically enhanced mouse which arrived Friday). This bot is currently staring win awe in amongst my wife's house plants. I do wonder how long it will take her to notice...

These are from Diehard Miniatures' E-Corps range. Am guessing that they're sci-fi mercenaries or something of the like.

These two have a very old school 40k feel to them which is why I bought 'em.

I have no clue as to what I'll do with these two blokes. I like their cobbled together, sorta or perhaps at one time formerly fully powered armor. Paint wise they don't match anything else that I have in my collection, but who knows, maybe I'll find a use for them at some point.

Characters and squad leaders (currently just this one) have fancy bases. 

The shady as fuck livery from their parent Forge World of Hel is on full display. 

This is the entirety of the painted portion of my Skitarii force. 

I finished off my Skitarii squad as well. The squad leader's colorful base has the markings of the Mordian Iron Guard on it. Whatever happened to those guys anyways? I guess they didn't survive the transition away from metal armies (which is ironic considering the plastic cyborg standing atop said base). 

Also present on the left is my Skitarii warlord, Techno-Archeologist 808 Linum, as well as the Ordo Adeptus Inquisitor MS-D05 on their right. MS-D05 has been most perturbed here of late by whispers in the warp saying that he won't be able to ally with the forces from Hel, though the veracity of that has yet to be proven...

What's part 2 you ask? Well, you can see that here.