Weekly Finds #13

This weekly digest is only a week behind better then last Fridays which was put up 4 days ago. And unlike last Friday and most weeks this one has some gaming content...

Painting fur... the hard way by Ron from FTW - Not sure I would call this the hard way... rather it is the long way to go about it. However, the extra time is worth it as there is more control over where the paint goes. I've found in my few goes at painting fur that is it easier to create contrast with this approach. And contrast is something that you really need for table top miniatures that are viewed 2 feet away some great examples can be seen here as well as more here.

How to Run a Platoon by Sir Biscuit from 3++ is the New Black - I don't play Imperial Guard, so I'm not going to pretend I know what I'm talking about. But it seems like his thoughts are accepted by the experienced Guard players in the comments. Plus the guy has written stuff for Danny Internet over on Bald & Screaming.

Painting Dark Eldar skin tones by Ron from FTW - My favourite tutorial out of those from this week. Now I've always liked the way Ron painted the faces of the Raven Guard scouts can see picture of them in the link but the purplish Dark Eldar skin looks killer. I'm going to give it a go when it comes to collecting/painting the missus' Dark Eldar/Slaanesh army.

Raven Guard icon freehand by Ron from FTW - This is the third and final tutorial by Ron for this week. And although it will have no use for me, it may come in handy for someone else. If you click the link it is possible to enlarge the picture. And if your after inspiration for a Raven Guard army then you can't skip SCC's thread over on the Bolter and Chainsword.

Friday Quick Tip: Space Wolves Armour by Grey Death from The Painting Corps - I'm more a fan of DV8's Space Wolves as their grey looks more like the 13th Company who are totally awesome. Can see the completed miniature here as well as a description here of how Grey Death went about painting the fatigues of his Wolf Scouts.

User Content Friday - The 4 Things Every 40K Army Needs to Have by Sandwyrm from House of Paincakes the back 40k - This should be read by every new player that wants to play at a competitive level. I've linked to this article multiple of times on the Bolter and Chainsword when new and old players are looking for advice in building a list.

Stormraven for Everybody...

... except the xenos, non-loyal astartes and well non-astartes!

We've heard mysterious whispers that the Storm Raven will be made available for EVERY Space Marine Chapter in a future White Dwarf article. Just imagine how good a Storm Raven would look in your Chapter colours?

Pre-Order The Storm Raven *cough*oneword*cough*

I'm definitely getting one for my Space Wolves!

- Wayland Discount Newsletter

P.S. there is no particularly reason for my absence... but the Weekly Fridays and Music Monday posts that were lost in the warp will be found soon. And happy Ozlandus Day.

Music Monday - Wild Thing

The song is awesome, 'nuff said...

Weekly Finds #12

Okay, so two weeks in a row of me not putting this up on Friday night... not like my imaginary friends mind or anything...

Imperial Guard Advisors by Drathmere from 40k Hobby Blog - It isn't so much this post that I wanted to highlight, but rather the last few posts by Drathmere over on his blog. The effects he is pulling off with washes would work great for some nice table top standard miniatures. Ron from FTW actually has some advice on using washes when it comes to painting miniatures which can be found in this weeks Warp Report.

Dreadnought Drop Pod (With Templates!) by Myles from There is Only War - I came across this awesome post through the Warp Report it really is a great addition to the blog-o-sphere by Ron.

Skaven: Painting the Hell Pit Abomination by Jim Sowter and Nick Bayton from Games Workshop - This is probably one of the best tutorials put out there by Games Workshop so far. Especially as it shows how to paint such large areas of flesh.

Painting a Glowing Powerfist by Ron from FTW - Although this isn't a technique I plan to make use of in the Victorian Crusade, it is still one of those cool tutorials I wish I was able to pull off to a satisfactory level. However, if you are interested there is also this tutorial by Drathmere and this other post by Ron.

Praetorian MkIV-I Gatling Gun by Col. Gravis from Col. Gravis' Praetorian Imperial Guard - This is one of those cool little bits of background that really takes an army to the next level.

Behind The Last Stand of the Crimson Fists by Volomir from Volomir's Blog - What can I say but WOW. The sheer amount of work that went into that project is just mind boggling.

Field Report: Dantes Painting Tips by Grey Death from The Painting Corps - For those who haven't seen the amazing works on Dante's Inferno then now is a perfect opportunity. The quality is on the same level as the guys from Massive Voodoo. I'm glad Grey Death pointed out this collection of useful tips... especially like the advice on brush stroke direction.

Black Templar Thoughts: One Week Later by Nikephoros from Bringer of Victory - This article follows on nicely from the one written the week prior. I share alot of Nikephoros' thoughts... especially when it comes to HQ choices and the pros/cons of Crusader Squads.

Stormraven Model Leaked - Take III

More pictures have found their way onto the interwebz. And with these has come the realisation of the hordes that it isn't as ugly as originally believed... if only they had seen the error of their ways earlier on they would look smart like me...

... the lesson for today is don't judge a book by it's cover.

Edit - Shortly after this post was published Games Worshop decided to put a bunch of some Blood Angel stuff up for Advance Order. And it just so happens that both the Stormraven and Furioso Dreadnought are included in this second wave of releases. Scheduled to hit your table tops this February. 

Music Monday - Crusader: Rise of the Templar

I'm completely psyched about this album EP being released.

... and is this metal enough for you The Antipope?

I R Stupidz...

... because I went onto BoLS and other reasons. Now not all BoLS contributors are of equal stupidity. It is more like a spectrum. On one end you have Spacecurves and on the other you have Brent we love you. But this is one of those special articles that makes me want to eat my hands to escape the keyboard. It has opinionated opinions, generalisations, hyperbole and stupid comments from the unclean masses.

I now find myself at a multi-cross road. I can simply ignore this article, snowmobile the crap out of it, or join the unclean masses and stick my opinions down some throats in the hopes of being in next weeks FNIF.

Weekly Finds #11

So this is going to never be seen as it didn't go up on Friday and now everybody is posting like mad men about the new FAQs. My excuse, and it is a good excuse, is that I had a lunch date and then an engagement party following it... didn't get home till 2:30 in the morning. Unlike last week which had lots of interesting articles this week only has three actual articles and the rest are stuff on the new FAQs.

Creating custom sized bases by Ron from FTW - Really glad that Ron posted this. Future project is to do a 2500 point Daemons army for the missus. She likes the Daemonette and some Dark Eldar models. So this tutorial is great for building bases for chariots. My only thoughts is rather than using two square bases could use a rectangular bases and then cut it in half to remove the excess.

High Elves Sea Guard Pt 4 by Volomir from Volomir's Blog - This is the fourth part in the continuing series that is giving a step by step look at painting the Sea Guard from the Island of Blood set. Although it is leagues above my skill level, it is still worth a look. Especially if you use an air brush and want to see what others achieve.

User Content Friday - Interchangeable Rhino to Razorback including Las/Plas! by Lauby Nick from HoP IDICBeer - For Space Marine players with the option to use Las-Plasma Razorbacks so not Black Templars this is a great tutorial that is well worth a look. For those of us that dare live in Ozlandus, The Combat Company is a great source for magnets.

BLACK TEMPLARS 5TH EDITION FAQ: THE DAY HAS FINALLY COME! by Nikephoros from Bringer of Victory - So someone was so happy with the release of the new BT FAQ that they didn't notice they hit the Caps Lock... but we forgive him because he summarised everything into nine easy to read points.

Instead of listing all of the different bloggers who are trying to suck up as much viewers as possible with the FAQ release. I am going to instead link to just a few. Click me, and me, me too, me three, your not the third link, shut up, just click me, ignore them, MoD has lost it....

Forge World: Newsletter 262

The latest newsletter from the guys and girls over at Forge World...

Hi There,

Happy New Year from all at Forge World! In this, our first Newsletter of 2011, we have two new Space Marine releases to start the year, along with additional Badab War content now available to download and news of the first three events that we’ll be attending this year.

Thanks,
Ead Brown

Tyberos the Red Wake, Available to Pre-Order Now

Tyberos the Red Wake is a uniquely detailed multi-part resin kit designed by Will Hayes. Tyberos was presumed to be the commander of the Carcharodons Chapter during their unlooked-for and savage intervention in the Badab War, leading his Terminator-armoured brethren in bloody assault after bloody assault from the notorious battle barge Nicor.

Tyberos gained a dark fame for his brutal combat prowess and the two unique power weapons with which he carved a path of mangled and shredded corpses through the Secessionist forces. Known as ‘Hunger’ and ‘Slake’ these ancient relic-gauntlets, which combine barbed power blades with an inner maw lined with vicious teeth, are of a pattern and manufacture unknown to the Adepts of Mars. Unlike Lauby, I have no problems showing these "awful and pornographic" images.

With devastating special rules published in Imperial Armour Volume 10: The Badab War Part 2, Tyberos the Red Wake adds deadly close combat capacity to a Codex Space Marines army, and allows a unit of lightning claw-equipped Assault Terminators to be chosen as a Troops choice. This sinister special character is available to pre-order now for despatch in the week commencing the 24th of January.

Black Templars Transfer Sheet, Available to Pre-Order Now

Zealous, fleet-based defenders of Mankind, the Black Templars have waged a 10,000 year crusade against the alien, the heretic and the witch. This new A4 Black Templars Transfer Sheet, designed by Paul Rudge, is packed with over a thousand individual Chapter badges, Crusade heraldry, mottos, litanies and blazons that can be used on vehicles and infantry. Impressive number of transfers... but I have a dislike for transfers.

The Black Templars Transfer Sheet is available to pre-order now for despatch in the week commending the 24th of January.

Additional Badab War Content Available to Download Now

The Forge World warehouse has been relentlessly shipping Imperial Armour Volume 10: The Badab War Part 2 for the past few days, and we’re glad to announce that all pre-orders for this extremely popular book have now been despatched.

Alan Bligh’s first draft contained several extra scenarios that we didn’t have room to print in the book, and the first of these is now exclusively available to download here and here. They look like fun for custom missions. To get the most out of these scenarios will require Imperial Armour Volume 9 and Imperial Armour Volume 10, as each provides a unique tactical challenge based on some of the major engagements in this most bloody conflict. You can also find two new special characters, Arch-Centurion Carnac Commodus he sounds like a pussy compared to the Space Shark dude and Master Harath Shen after reading Helsreach I have found myself disliking the Salamanders even more then usual. This guy doesn't change those feelings, to add to the bloody legend of the Badab War on the tabletop.

Dates for Your Diary unless you live in Ozlandus – Forge World 2011 Events News

With the New Year only a few days old, here at Forge World we’re already planning our calendar of globe-trotting events for 2011, and we’re proud to announce the first three: Who is going to hold their breath and see if Forge World attends Games Day in Sydney this year?

AdeptiCon, Chicago – 1st to 3rd April 2011
For the very first time, Forge World will be attending AdeptiCon 2011 at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Centre in Chicago, IL. We’ll be bringing a wide selection of our resin kits, modelling products and Imperial Armour books, and hopefully a few currently unseen new releases as well!

We are now taking reservations for AdeptiCon, and this is the best way to guarantee that we will have exactly what you’re looking for. You can place a reservation order either by telephoning the Customer Service team on 011 44 115 916 8177 or by sending an e-mail titled ‘AdeptiCon reservation’, including your name and a list of the items you’d like to reserve, to ForgeworldReservations@games-workshop.co.uk for AdeptiCon.

We must receive your reservation orders by January 24th to allow us to process and ship them in time, so don’t delay!

The Forge World Open Day, Nottingham – 3rd April 2011
Warhammer World in Nottingham will play host to the fifth annual Forge World Open Day on Sunday the 3rd of April. We’ll be bringing you huge participation games, our annual Painting Competition and the return of our Charity Titan Raffle.

What’s more, our entire Studio team of writers, sculptors and graphic artists will be present for you to chat to, and they’ll have displays of work-in-progress miniatures, artwork, and forthcoming Imperial Armour books for your perusal.
Our vast sales stand will, as always, be packed with our full range of products including some top-secret new releases.

Stay tuned to our Events Pages for more details about this ever-popular event, which will again be free to attend.

Salute, London – 16th April 2011
The ExCel centre in London will be the venue for the popular Salute show which we are excited to be again attending. Our sales stand will be jam-packed with a lavish selection of the Forge World range of products as well as new releases and Warhammer Historical rulebooks.

Keep an eye on our Events Pages, where we’ll be bringing you more information about our presence at Salute 2011.

Music Monday - Tribute to the Greatest Song in the World...

Chapter 666 - Incoming Grey Knights

An email that I'm sure lots of my imaginary friends have also gotten...

'We are the warriors of the Grey Knights, armoured in Faith, shielded by Devotion and armed with Purity of Purpose. But greater even than these, we carry the light of the divine Emperor of Man into the dark places to purge the daemonic wherever it may be found.' - Brother-Captain Stern of the Grey Knights, Prior to the Purging of Xoedic Binary 978.M41

In April the Grey Knights, an elite and secretive Chapter of Space Marines, will stand ready to fight the forces of Chaos and the horrors of the Warp with new reinforcements. Take a look at the Astronomican today to see the Studio's Incoming! article for more information about the legendary heroes that are the Grey Knights. The link isn't worth it. Just a longer version of this email... although it does confirm the rumors that it will be called Codex: Grey Knights.

Weekly Finds #10

The new year has already kicked off well with a bunch of amazing content on the blog-o-sphere... and there is alot of stuff like alot.

Painting Fur and Feathers pt. 1 by Mananarepublic from Bell of Lost Souls - First of a two part series that looks at painting fur and I assume feathers at an above TT standard...

Do Not Miss Out: December 2010 by Volomir from Volomir's Blog - Just like the above article, as well as several more, this is from last year. This is probably my favourite of those included in the list... need to read the comments to get an idea why. Edit - The link is NOT child or work friendly. Dave, from N++, presents an informative view on Appropriate Themes for Hobbying over on his blog . For those curious, and hopefully none of you are, this is the 'worst' diorama I have seen... it is by a Golden Daemon Winner and makes the other diorama look PG.

Rogue Trader Friday: Forgive or Forget? by Brian from FTW - This motto will need to somehow find its way into the Victorian Crusade. Probably add it as a watermark on Army Roster...

Friday Quick Tip: Don't Drink and Paint by Grey Death from The Painting Corps - If you missed out on reading this then now is your chance. I'm tempted to get drunk just to see how much my painting improves.

Making a wet palette.... and why by Master Manipulator from Every Store Needs One - This isn't the first tutorial on how to make a wet palette. There are several all over the interwebz, including TPC. But this one makes the distinction between needing a plain palette and a wet palette.

Painting Recipes: Gold by Munky from Painting Munky Style - This is the without a doubt the best tutorial out of all of those included this week... shows several different approaches to painting gold. This is well worth a read.

Blood Angels and Rhinos. I present my case by Archnomad from The Pinktastic Blog - This was wrongly perceived by the unclean masses as a direct comparison between Rhinos and Razorbacks, with the conclusion that Rhinos are better. As usual the unclean masses completely miss the point. Although not a tactic it does include diagrams to illustrate how fire points can be used and leads on nicely to this army list for Centurion... hence forth any list that spams Rhinos shall be known as a Crash.

Basics: Metals and armour by Ron from FTW - This is the second last article in the Back to Basics series. The entire series is worth a look as it points out little ways to help get more miniatures painted for games of 40K or fantasy if your into that sort of thing.

How to Increase Traffic to Your Blog (Part 1: Content) by Rob from Warhammer 39,999 - To all you bloggers out there, this ones for you. If you want to increase your readership, then this series is for you.

Working with red by Ron from FTW - I've include this not only because Ron gives some useful advice on how to paint red, but also for the inclusion of two links to tutorials on painting red.

Grid Revelations by Erin Palette from Lurking Rhythmically - I enjoyed Tron Legacy... not as much as the first, but it was still good. And Erin's analysis of the film has given me a different perspective. I'm looking forward to the sequel/s.

And on a final note, Happy New Year to Papa JJ and Rob who both wished me one in older posts. I figured they are more likely to see it here...

Profit, Sales and Mehh...

This is what I think whenever something like this is talked about...

... if the plastic crack makers announced they were bankrupt then this dammit can't find a clip of the chickens in the movie Chicken Run panicing is what I'd think.

White Dwarf 373 January 2011- Skaven

Inside this month's issue:

A Tale of Infamy: Adam Troke risks his sanity to find out more about the machinations of the Skaven. Risking his own whiskers he sets off on the trail of the designers to find out more about the Skaven reinforcements that are out in January.

Tactica: Dark Eldar: Phil Kelly gives us an insight into Dark Eldar game-play, providing you with the most fearsome tactics with which to destroy your enemies swiftly and with style.

House Rules: Mat Ward and Jervis Johnson take a look at the rules for multipart buildings in Warhammer with this article on how to get the best from them in your battles.

Battle for Bludhof: Clan Skyre's machinations unleash Ikit Claw and a vast horde of Skaven into the Empire. Can the Empire defenders of Blundhof hold out long enough to thwart the Skaven? 

Armies of Middle Earth Part 1: The Free Peoples: The White Dwarf team (and guests) take a look at the Good Armies for War of the Ring and offer some collecting and gaming advice.

Army Masters: Studio army painter Chris Peach's Dark Eldar army takes centre stage in this stunning showcase - behold the Wych Cult of the Red Grief.

Standard Bearer: Jervis talks all about the history of painting miniatures. 

Modelling Workshop: Colours of the Under-Empire: The Studio's team of crack hobbyists have used the new book now available to buy at your nearest Games Workshop, Uniforms and Heraldry of the Skaven to inspire the colour schemes and heraldry of their Skaven regiments.

Hall of Fame: Martin Footitt nominates the chosen of Gork and Mork. 

Wonder Weapons of Skavenblight: All of the war machines and weapon teams in the Skaven army are now available to buy - this articles showcases them in glorious detail.

May you live in Legendary Times: Renowned Black Library authors Graham McNeill and Dan Abnett explain the joys of delving into the background of the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 universes.

You'll also find full details of all the latest releases to buy and news, a directory featuring all of the hobby activities in your local area.

Stormraven Model Leaked - Take II

First post of the year will not be about my new year resolutions, or a long recap of the year that was. Instead it will be a short post about the new Stormraven picture that has made its way onto the interwebz to be chewed on and then spit out by the unclean masses. Now unlike the previous picture that was leaked by Games Workshop we can assume it was intentional this one has been taken from a much better angle.

It looks boxier and the wings don't seems as tiny. As Bigred pointed out it is still front heavy, but it doesn't look as bad as this. Mind you I never really had an issue with the other picture, but the interwebz had a shytfest. There was also a leaked picture of the Blood Angel Dreadnought sprue. Can see it in the background of the older Stormraven picture... but who cares unless you play Blood Angels and maybe Grey Knights.