WHITE LINE FEVER!!!

White Line Fever!

This last weekend was the first three game system Victorian Inter Club Championship. All the big clubs came out to play (and a few smaller groups) sending their best and brightest to drink, move wardollies and make merry. That was the intent anyway. I would like to start by saying that Rojo and the other organisers did an outstanding job setting everything up and making the event run like clockwork. From a player’s perspective the VICC”s ran smoothly and (for Victorian tourneys) almost on time.

The VICC’s were intended to bring the clubs together in a fun atmosphere. Generally this was the case but with the Best Club 40K trophy and Overall Club Trophy up for grabs the competition started to get to people. Don’t get me wrong I wear my heart on my sleeve and I get wrapped up in the hype of an event. It is part of the fun of it for me I suppose. I guess it would be better if I slept better before and during these things.

Anyway, it was really disappointing to see members from a number of established and well known clubs engaging in fairly shifty to downright underhanded tactics on the weekend. I thankfully skipped most of the internet foreplay to this event but I heard about it plenty on the weekend. This led several clubs to outright badmouth one club in particular over the course of the weekend. I am becoming more like my Grand mother everyday I think. If there is something you need to say about someone say it straight and be nice. It just got old. Rivalries I get I suppose.

Cheating on the other hand? OK, Cheating is a strong word, but as we had two experienced fantasy players rolling up with two games of 40K experience as half our 40K team who fell victim to rules manipulation on multiple occasions. Club interpretations of the rules are one thing what I am talking about is blatantly trying to take advantage of less experienced players. And after speaking with other clubs during and after the event we were not the only ones to hit this wall. I can also say that I witnessed one blatant act of cheating. Rubbish like this has no place in our 40K community let alone at an event promoting the advancement of the hobby through the supportive club growth. This combined with repeated warnings from the TO that REALLY low sports scores were regularly happening… Really is this the place for stone faces and chipmonking.

It is my belief that people just got a case of the “White Line Fever” and just had to win. The last time I experienced it in a tourney in such a pronounced manner was the Masters. Can’t we as one of the TO’s put it “Chill the ^&*^ out and remember we are playing a GAME!!!”

Tourney report to follow. This being said… The VICC’s were AWESOME and I am really looking forward to next year!

B

Grey Knight Controversy.

Well Grey Knight Black boxes hit the stores this week and there have already been a pile of interesting developments. First of all the "limited edition" inquisitor model from a few years back is back in the webstore as a direct only model (glad I didn;t kill myself for one back then)...


In interesting news after 20 plus years of my playing GW games they finally give us pictures of the old RT 40K weaponsmiths... The Jokaero have a model. Yes it looks like a monkey and lot of people have been complaining endlessly about the look of the model. I think it looks exactly like it should. I also think that I won't be buying them...

That being said I do like them...



Speaking of models people love to hate, do I even need to get into the Dread Knight debate?



The look of the model aside, lots of people have complained that the DK is not as powerful as the one in the "leaked" dex. But at Strength and toughness 6 with 4 wounds and lots of weapon options I think it is about on the money for points. I like that it isn't too crazy and that in the field it needs support to deal with large squads with power fist type weapons. With a Termie save and a 5 up inv it should be able to do what it needs especially if it has a teleporter to get it what it wants to go (and to avoid where it doesn't want to go)...

Now to the real sticky...

To appease those Inquisitor players who ran little to no GK's and lots of guard support they have henchmen squads in the new book. Henchmen are basic humans that can take crap loads of options including bolt guns and power armour (sisters anyone?) You can take one squad per inquisitor (meaning two max)... But what if I had an all storm trooper army... Enter Coteaz. He used to be a hammer of righteousness. His fluff has changed a bit and he is now the head of a major spy network. Basically he turns henchmen squads into troops... Now there is a funny bit of wording that states that these squads do not fill troop slots... Sooo some people are arguing that somehow they fulfill troop requirements and that you can take 30 squads of three dudes with melta guns as your army. I hope that GW FAQ's this quickly as this sort of thing ruins the feel of an otherwise super fluffy and cool squad. I hope that they just become troops. That would be an easy fix for all involved I think...

I am already having bad ideas about an adeptus mechanicus army using these the new dex and lots of henchmen (but in sensible squads with no more that 6!

Anyway... Out of time...

Progress report on the eggmen (troll army soon!)

B

The Test Model... (Egg Robot Trolls)

Well here is the basic test model for the Throgg troll army. Thinking of 36 of these guys and a larger one to be a throgg... Add a really big four legged version for a hell cannon add a few characters and shazaaam... a 2400 point army...

Thinking a hand for one arm (or some kind of blade gauntlet) and a hose cannon for the other arm with tubes that feed to something mounted on the back.

I have added "warts" and bubbles to a few other torsos... I am going for a chaos dwarf steampunk kinda feel...

Throgg will have a cockpit I think with a chaos dwarf hanging out of it. Still working that one out. The legs bend. Have to make one walking next.

Thoughts?

I'm BAAAAAAAACK!!!! (with another ridiculous project)

So as always it starts with a tournament. Empire in Flames is coming up in a few short months and it is being run by my good buddy Chris Cousins (who helped me paint my wyches)... Empire in Flames is a 2400 point WFB tourney with no rules changes which I am pretty excited about. It also allows Special Characters which I was initially nervous about BUT pondering things I came across another one of my hair brained completely sculpted army ideas...

I am using Throgg (The Troll King from Warriors of Chaos) to do a troll army. I was initially inspired by the Yeti tribe at the beginning of the Wulfric novel but after my orcs I am super tired of sculpting fur. I wanted to do something different...

Sooooo....

I was inspired on a few sources to come up with a steam punk/ magic robot army using the troll army rules... Think the golden army from Hellboy 2.


Throw in some old comic love... The Nanny from X-Factor (back in the day)


And some love from the Incredibles Robot:


Throw all that together using cut plasticard tubes, green stuff, Styrofoam egg shapes, and push pins...


To make something that will look like this:


As you can see I have not really figured out the arms yet.... They will probably look a bit like the legs... The cross on the front is a track that the eye lens travels on (ala the Zack Mobile Suit from Gundam)...

Time to cut back to cutting plastic tubes...

I would love your input...

Assorted Test Models That You Might Like...

Lets face it. Over the years we have all had army ideas that never took off. Sometimes the biz were too hard to get. Sometimes we loose interest but (in my case) usually something better comes along.

Here are a few projects where I got all the bitz and then lost interest. I might do them yet BUT for now the test models are sad and lonely by themselves...

Up first: An all beakie army of marines called the head takers. It is supposed to be a drop pod list so the models are all stoically advancing out of their pods (hence the walking legs). I was planning to have busts of gunfire coming from all of the guns. The whole army would have the skull shoulder pad and every marine would have his name on his scroll. The skulls hanging from the back with the pouches is to cover up the models lack of a behind...





Space wolves using the new plastics and the other half of the chaos warriors I chopped up for the project above.... This one involved more cutting and pasting than I had time for at that point in my life. Might come back to this one soon as I love the look of the models...





Chaos "Raider" Marines... Love these guys... Will do them someday...


Planetary Governor Body Guard army...
Hey it was an idea...

Space Marine Showcase (update)

Months ago (March or April) I started a little project with friends where I gave out a marine in pieces to the best hobbyists I know. I asked that they paint them and send them back for the blog. Many months later I am still harvesting marines from around the globe. The models coming back are really good (humbling). They have far exceeded my initial expectations.

While I wait for all to come back home I thought I would update with some quick dirty pictures (I will have pro bases made custom to fit in a display board when the last come back with plaques per model. I will then have professional photos taken... Til then... Here is a taste).

(see if you can name all the chapters (two are pre-heresy... all are GW)

(As always Click to enlarge Images)

From the land of loches:






From Canada:


New Zealand:


USA:


France:


Australia:





Here is to hoping more come home soon...

Scottish Guard Conversion Packs

So prompted by our old buddy Dave Taylor on his blog I decided to take a good look at the Victoria Lamb Website to check out her kilted guard conversion packs.... OMG...

I LOVE THESE MODELS!!!



These kit comes with three sets of legs, backpacks and three rebreather heads. All cast in metal.

This is what they look like with the GW kits.


At $35 for a set of 15 (aussie dollars which are equal to US $ these days)... I think this conversion pack is good stuff...

Might have to pick some up sooner rather than later...

Her site if you want to order your own:
http://www.victorialamb.com/