Weekly Finds

After last month's Weekly Finds focus on utilising Focus Fire and the Movement Phase to kill more things... it seems appropriate to take a look at ways to win against the Tau Empire. According to the interwebz they are the new cheese...

How to Beat New Tau by Matt-Shadowlord from the Pinktastic Blog - The beginning of what promises to be another excellent series by Matt-Shadowlord. The look at objective placement is a great way to challenge the thought process of how you may regularly deploy objectives. I know I've made silly mistakes with selecting table sides and then furthering it with poor placement of objectives.

Deployment 101 Against Tau by Kirby from the Pinktastic Blog - Kirby uses some games of his to illustrate common mistakes as well as encourages players to get into the habit of thinking where they want their units to be during the game. This is reinforced with him highlighting the mistake of putting the Aegis Defence Line in your backfield rather than the midfield... something very important to consider. Especially, in tournament play or at local game stores that lack a decent amount of terrain.

Weekly Finds

The Truth About Cover Saves in 40K by Matt-Shadowlord from the Pinktastic Blog - The beginning of a series that takes a look at using Focus Fire to it's full potential. In this article we get a look at one way to approach the rules in regards to Area Terrain and Ruins. Regardless of whether you agree with Matt or not there are some great tips. This article is a must read before going further in the series...

Focus Fire Part 2: Taking your shooting to the next level by Matt-Shadowlord from the Pinktastic Blog - Continuing with the focus on focus fire... once again Matt empowers gamers of all skill levels with insightful tools. In the previous article he mentions using focus fire on models further back in a unit with pistols pre-assault to avoid widening the assault range. In this article, he takes a deeper look at this concept.

Focus Fire Part 3: When have to kill everyone in the room by Matt-Shadowlord from the Pinktastic Blog - In this final article we get a look at killing Tankstars... against Tau this is a must have tool in the utility belt. It is also useful against Lysander or even the Skulltaker.

Weekly Finds

Last Minute Golden Demon Entry by Tyler M from Mengel Miniatures - A beautiful diorama for the UK Golden Daemons. Although I like the new Space Marine Captains that have come out for Apocalpyse... I have never been much a fan of non-combat poses for gaming pieces. Some of the Captains look like they are giving pre-battle speeches or the such. However, with a simple head swap and a sword Tyler has given me some ideas.

Pre-Heresy Death Guard by Durfast Spiritwolf from the Bolter & Chainsword - Another Horus Heresy collection to add to my growing list of must watch... I normally am not a fan of the Mk II armour due to the weird legs. However, it seems perfect for Death Guard.

Chapter of the Ruined King by noctus cornix from the Bolter & Chainsword - I'm loving the background fluff for this Horus Heresy collection. But what really jumps out at me is the Raptors. The combined use of the new Raptor bodies, the old Jump Packs and World Eater helmets is brilliant.

Huge Mistake by Gotthammer from Collegia Titanica - A departure from the usual look associated with the Brass Scorpion.  It is neither brass nor red. However, this approach could be used to create a cohesive look for several different daemon engines... although, painting all those lines and circles would drive anybody insane. But then that is what happens when you meddle with warp things.

Sons of Mortarion by Midian from the Bolter & Chainsword - And another Death Guard collection to keep an eye on. Especially if they turn out anything like Midian's Maze of Minotaurs...

The Truth About Cover Saves by Matt-Shadowlord from the Pinktastic Blog - A depart from this weeks looks at traitors, rebels and all around bad guys to look at Cover Saves... although, this tutorial on painting concrete features a depraved Dark Eldar.

Weekly Finds #92

Helmet of Horror Concept by Lil Loser from Lillegend Studio - A unique variation on the Talos Pain Engine.  It's nice to see an old haemonculus miniature being used. However, the current model is more suitable as it adds to the illusion of hanging from the helmet. The Penitent Engine pilots would also make for suitable victims with some minor alterations. Regardless, this is a stunning kit bash and could easily find itself in a Chaos Space Marine army. Possibly even an Ad Mech themed Imperial Guard army.

Mariners Blight Sneak Peek by Lucky No.5 from Eye of Error - This is one of the many armies I keep coming back to see the steady progress. Lucky No.5's ability to convert miniatures is disgusting with a great blend of kit bashing and sculpting. However, my favourite element of this growing army of decay is the weathering.

Masterclass Snow Effects by Jarhead from Massive Voodoo - There are heaps of tutorials on how to apply snow to bases with this being the third by Roman... my favourite methods are those shown by Mister Justin using how Secret Weapon Miniatures crushed glass.

Terminator Chaplain by RuneCast from RuneCast Blog - I love Rune Cast's Black Templar miniatures. They are mind blowing. Mad Matt does them justice with his painting. However, it is frustrating not being able to find the source of those hobby chains as the link Rune Cast provides is broken.

Saturday Night Report and Banana Milk by Jarhead from Massive Voodoo - Some great Work In Progress pictures of this bust. Get an idea of how it has progressed when compared with pictures from this post...

Shooting at Vehicles in Cover by David from No Turtles Allowed - This article caught my attention as it highlighted a minor but critical change from 5th to 6th Edition. The top of the vehicle hull has no relevance when it comes to determining vehicle facing. This was huge for me as there are several players at my FLGs who play with flyers... damn Necrons.

How to Airbrush Leathery Bat-Like Wings by Lucky No. 5 from Eye of Error - This looks to be a stunningly quick result. And I imagine the results could be further enhanced with techniques taken from David Soper's own tutorial on panting Scourge Wings. I also strongly suggest his guide on stippling.

Sixth Edition Big Yellow Book Missions Pt 1 by Kirby from The Pinktastic Blog - A simple break down of the new and, in my humble opinion, superior missions from a competitive point of view.

Weekly Finds #91

Not much to show for this week...

The Exeter Crusade by Krikey from The Bolter & Chainsword - The stippling effect or dry brushing or what ever on the Land Raider Achilles creates a really nice weathered black. I also like the look of his Dreadnought Chaplain and WiP Terminators... his regular initiates lack the same sort of weathered look that the Achilles and Chaplain share.

Back-to-Basics: Creating Bubblewrap in Sixth Ed. by Kirby from The Pinktastic Blog - Bubble wrapping  was not a tactic I found myself using very often in 5th Edition. My vehicles would usually castle up and then slowly move into the mid field. However, with my Land Raider Achilles almost built I may find myself considering using Terminators as protection against deep striking Necrons and their haywire guns.

Weekly Finds #79

Highlighting Black by McVey from Studio McVey - A different look at painting black by the extremely talented McVey. This technique is something between wet blending and extreme highlights...

Gothic Sentry Tower by 2500kgm3 from Bolter & Chainsword - These are a bit rough when compared to the kits coming out from Games Workshop et al. But then again these are hand crafted. Overall  fan-fraggin-tastic and would look great in a war torn themed table.

True Scale Dark Angel 5th Company by Angels Blade from Bolter & Chainsword - These are more in-line with Lamenter's Artscale Space Marines than Doghouse's Truescale Space Marines. Regardless they look great. I particularly like the mix from different kits and marks of armour.

Sci-Fi Machinery by Morback and Urlok from Le Blog e Kouzes - The Walker Pilgrimage and the Bismork are my two favourites out of these. Both fit in great with the background. Especially the Bismork, pictured below, which looks like it is held together by sheer will power of the gretchin crew.

Colour Theory for Miniature Painters by Pirate Viking from Pirate Viking Painting - A look into colour theory from a miniature painter. Sandwyrm has done an extensive and highly detailed series on the same topic. If you want a quick read then give Pirate Viking's article a go. If your after something more head over to The Back 40K.

The Bastion by Stelek from Yes The Truth Hurts - This is a tactic I'll have to try with my Terminators... having two squads of them offers in theory two bastions. This method of deployment works particularly well for me as placing my Terminators centrally ensures that their Storm Bolters have greater reach of the board.

Weekly Finds #66

Going Made On Icicles by Roman from Massive Voodoo - A chance to see Roman using his tutorial on making icicles. The below picture as well as the WiP pictures in the link give an idea on how using this tedious technique can produce some great results. Especially if you used some of Secret Weapon Miniatures' Crushed Glass on the base to enhance the winter feel.

Target Priority

Head over to Iron Mitten for more humorous artwork and hobby related material.

Weekly Finds #58

I DUCKING PASSED!!!! It was a great relief to log on Wednesday and see my results. Just ignore the fact that the server had crashed in the morning and had to wait till mid-day to see the results. Thankfully the missus got up early and looked for me before it crashed to make sure I passed everything. I've been sick since Wednesday and working today and tomorrow so not sure when I'll celebrate. Hopefully when this post goes live I'll be throwing some dice at the Tin Soldier. Attendance has been poor last few days due to a Planetary Empire campaign on Thursday nights draining all of the 40K players. Anyways... below is collection of some articles that jumped out at me over the past week.

Best of November 2011 by Corvus from Corvu's Miniatures - This missed out on being included in last weeks post. Of the articles that Corvus included two in particular jumped out at me. The first is the source of the picture below. A step-by-step tutorial on painting metallics... in a way you hardly see in the 40K community. The second is this jaw dropping gorgeous miniature painted by former 'Eavy Metal painter Darren Latham.

Weekly Finds #57

What I've learned about varnish and powders by Ron from FTW - I've been following Ron's series of articles on using weathering powders as can be seen here and here. It is interesting to see Ron's process in experimenting with varnish, hair spray and alcohol. That sentence could easily be taken the wrong way out of context. It was a good idea of Ron to ask Mister Justin to share his own thoughts and give a video tutorial... I was wondering how long it would take for Mister Justin to get involved. As I pointed out here he is an advocate on the use of varnish and he provides a wealth of options on his webstore when it comes to weathering pigments. Check out the new release of tank traps at a dollar each and don't forget the sack of skulls.

Weekly Finds #50

Liquid Green Stuff Review by Sandwyrm from the back 40k - This review has got me curious on how effective Liquid Green Stuff [LGS] is. From what I have read on the interwebz it needs to be thinned if any plans on using it. And from what Sandwyrm has said it has a lot of potential.

Weekly Finds #39

40k Battle Tactics: The Art of the Multi Assault by difsta from A Plague Spreads - This is possibly the best guide to mutli-assaulting that I've come across. Difsta doesn't assume that everybody knows the rules... and doesn't assume that everybody has a good enough imagination that they can just picture what he examples.

Weekly Finds #38

Despite it being a relatively lazy week in real life, I haven't been keeping my eyes open for articles. So this week there really isn't all that much to show...

How To: Breaking Bubble-wrap by Kirby from The Pinktastic Blog - A somewhat complex concept is simplified with the use of pictures. This article could benefit from a follow up which shows a few other examples to help reinforce the points being made. For those curious, here is the article on tank shocking that Kirby mentioned without providing a link bad Kirby.

Weekly Finds #29

Another slow week with only three articles... but this week has a greater focus on competitive play.

Rhino Tactica by Stelek from Yes The Truth Hurts - This is the sort of tactical guide the interwebz needs. Trust Stelek to know what to do and how to explain it. Always nice to see that the things you do on the table top are consider good by the competitive elite.

Weekly Finds #18

First week of University has come and gone. I've found out my clinical placement schedule so far it looks good and once again there is a bunch of retards running the show we have to do a poster as an assessment. Ducking idiots. This week covers a range of topics...

Black Templar Information by Marshal2 Crusader from The Bolter and Chainsword - M2C is always throwing up useful posts for Black Templars when it comes to background details. Sadly of course the sub-forum has fallen in terms of quality of posters... alot of idiots are letting their thoughts known on topics like Black Horde and Assault Marines.

Tutorial: Re-Posing a Terminator by The LeadHead from The LeadHead - Came across this tutorial thanks to Ron and his new blog Black Dot Barrel Studios. Although I'm quite happy with the poses that can be produced using the existing miniatures, this post may be helpful for others.

Top Tip: All you're Bases are belong... by b.smoove from A Gentleman's One - There are some great bits of information all over A Gentleman's One. One example is his tip on scoring your bases to increase surface area. It is also yet another post that helps reinforce the importance of pinning your miniatures. Another post on the topic of pinning can be found on Ron's new blog.

Spacecurves' Tactics Class: Flame Deflection by Spacecurves from Bell of Lost Souls - Another great post by Spacecurves. I even learnt something from the comments in regards to positioning flamer marine into second rank to achieve the same results.

Showcase: Darkwynn's Kabal of the Orange Blossom by Bigred from Bell of Lost Souls - Added this here so that it is easy to find pictures of Darkwynn's Venoms. They look great except for the spikes which are facing the wrong direction. I also like the imagery of flowers on the hull... reminds me of Brandon Palmer's stunning Eldar with anime imagery. Also, on the topic of venoms, here is Stelek's Venomspam list...

Tutorial: Working with Crackle Medium by Roman from Massive Voodoo - I've never heard of crackle medium. So when this post popped up I had to find out what it is about. Turns out there is stuff that actually produces a cracked effect as it dries. So the pictures it looks like a great tool to have handy. Especially, when it comes to creating unique bases or weathering. Dried mud comes to mind...

Multi-assault question. The rules say what? by TheGraveMind from the back 40k - A rule post that looks at the workings of multi-charging. The discussions throw light onto how there is alot of misinterpretation of how this works resulting from the misunderstanding of beginning of combat and beginning of the assault phase...

How to Guide: Ogryn Ripper Guns Tutorial by MWC from Miniature Wargame Conversion - As pointed out in the comments for the identical post on 3++ this may look like an easy conversion, but it isn't. Especially, since MWC is drilling out his own barrels instead of using plastic tubes

Back to Basics: Assembling and Basing Dark Eldar Mandrakes by RealGenius from The Painting Corps - A basic guide on preparing Dark Eldar Mandrakes with a focus on basing them. I like the suggestion to apply the basing material before glueing the mandrakes down. Avoid the sinking effect that sometimes happen. It isn't a hassle for Space Marines due to their armoured boots. But on miniatures like Dark Eldar, Imperial Guard and even Sisters of Battle, this is a great suggestion. And if you don't already use toothpicks I highly recommend them. They are great for apply glue, including super glues.

Also a shout out for Gareth's BlogDex. For those who haven't already found out about it, this is a great addition to the online community with loads of potential.

Weekly Finds #16

Another week with me behind on posting this...

Freehanding: When to do it by Ron from FTW - I actually like this post for the simple reason that it talks about something I haven't seen mentioned by others before. When to do freehand. Plus the miniature below looks gorgeous...

FoW Antenna Tutorial by Matt Varnish from Drunker Gamers of Ottawa - This is an awesome find by Matt Varnish. This tutorial could easily work well on 28 mm miniatures. Especially, on something like this.

An Often Overlooked Cover Save Trick by CVinton from Dark Future Games - Possibly cheesy, possibly breaking rules as intended. But it seems like something that could be legal from RAW point of view. Plus it makes complete sense from a real world point of view...

Transfers the Easy Way: You were all right! by Drathmere from 40k Hobby Blog - Yay! We were right about something. Plus he goes into detail in the comments on how he managed to get the transfers onto the curved surface nicely... I hate transfers.

Bubble-wrapping 102 by Kirby from The Pinktastic Blog - Another article I think for Kirby's Back-to-Basic series. They are all turning out great, especially with the added pictures to illustrate the point being made. Shame Kirby is cutting corners and not taking the effort to place units in the best positions...

Chaos Lord revamp by Ron from FTW - Although this isn't a tutorial or guide or whatnot... the conversion looks awesome. And for that reason has been included after all there is no set purpose for these posts except to display things that I find over the week.

Why "Dicing It" Doesn't Work - Statics, Probability and Bias by Purgatus from Best Overall - Your brain may owie after reading all that... but on the bright side it may owie your enemies brains as well. Plus it is another weapon against the legions of the uncleaned masses who spew out idiocies every chance they get.