A Day of Malifaux...

I needed a bit of a break from mass production of armies so I decided to grab some Malifaux as that usually relaxes me and re-invigorates my desire to do hobby...

...before today I would have said always relaxes me...but...well...

...one of the things in the above pile was designed by a sadist...or some-one with three hands...at least one of which has some kind of tentacle attachment with a built in microscope...with precognitive abilities...on the bright side I now have enough pictures to do four of those un-boxing features that are so inexplicably popular, lol.

Sonnia Criid went remarkably well. This was in part due to the fact that the Witchling Stalkers are single part models.

Though Samael Hopkins makes up for this by being in quite a lot of pieces...seven of which make up his belt and the equipment on it. I'll cover the issues when I do the un-boxing article on them which should appear early next week. I put them on rocky bases this time rather than the sand ones I did for the old crew but I can still tie them together with a bit of colour matching.

Filled with self confidence I moved on to Pandoras 'No Shelter Here'.

In the not so distant past I made some cobblestone bases for a tutorial and as I was intending to base this Pandora crew in that way it seemed silly to make some unnecessarily. This meant that I only needed to make three. The only downside to this is that I'll need to undercoat the models that are going on the pre-made ones separately in order to prevent having to re-paint those bases...they also have moss on them as well. these also went together quite simply...

Then I started on the Ramos crew....

First I should probably say that when assembled the models are gorgeous so I wouldn't let my troubles with them put you off getting the crew. Just make sure you don't make the mistakes I did...and make sure you aren't in a rush, lol.

My issues (in no particular order) were Ramos's arm needing to be sandwiched in between his shoulder joint and his cloak, Josh having three spindly little bits of tubing as part of his mechanical pieces, an eight legged spider where all the legs are separate and slightly different and Howard Langston (the M2E version of Steampunk Executioner) not fitting on the base when you put the legs where they're meant to go...

Why couldn't Ramos model all his creations after things with two legs...

I'll cover the issues in more detail (as usual) in the upcoming un-boxing article (It'll appear next week or possibly the week after along with three others) but lets just say I was hoping to be further along than I actually got. I had made the mistake of cutting all the parts off the sprue and de-mould lining them so even the instructions weren't any help. I would emphatically suggest that when assembling the Brass Arachnid and Steampunk Executioner that you remove parts one at a time and follow the instructions...very...very...carefully...

Unfortunately I was then stopped by my bodies need for food...and the fact that what I had left to assemble was also fucking spiders...

I have a wedding to attend tomorrow so this is the stage at which they'll remain until Monday...

As soon as I can I'll get these done as un-boxing features together with some handy assembly guides built in as well as a few un-boxings of some of the older metal miniatures that still might interest some of you. I'll also do some 'old vs. new' size comparison pictures as people seem to want to know the differences which I;m presuming is for the purposes of matching models from new crews to older ones.

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.

Plague for Warpath - Part 4

Part 3 can be found here. Unlike what I said last time, on this occasion it's probably worth skimming the other parts so the bit in this post discussing the army list makes sense...but it's not mandatory or anything, lol.

So this post is to answer a couple of questions asked about the project, show some piddlingly minor progress I've made and to show you my prototype colour scheme. Okay then, after adding a second layer of Army Painter Red Tone wash to all the models I then gave them all a dry-brushed highlight of P3's 'Menoth White Highlight'.

I then had a couple of discussions with a few people who were more familiar with Warpath than I was about unit configurations which together with a clarification by a gentlemen on a Mantic Facebook group about my list that I received yesterday gave me a few more ideas.

It was suggested that I could use the third generation plague that are armed with knives as Warriors rather than Troopers. I originally rejected the idea as I was under the mistaken impression that I only had eight models with knives and I couldn't really afford to lose a 'solid' unit as that would subsequently reduce my units of that type by one and as a consequence also reduce my Hero and/or Monster choices by one. However on closer inspection I found that I actually had nine and one with a knife in one hand and a Machine Gun in the other so that unit became re-purposed without needing any conversion...once I'd checked that they could take a Machine Gun that is. It was also pointed out by one of the Managers at my FLGS Titan Games that my unit of Second Generation Plague also 'counted-as' a 'solid' unit which unlocked another Hero or Monster choice. He discovered this via the rather innovative method of reading the unit entry properly.....

I then had a sort out of my models so I could see how the units would now need to be configured...

I switched out the Machine Guns for Grenade Launchers in the Troopers which gave me enough spare HMG's for another Heavy Weapon Team and divided them up between 'guns in hands' and 'guns in air' so I no longer had the issue of working out a way of marking individual units. I'm still one model short but I'm getting around that by purchasing a second Dr Simmonds and converting her to a different pose and therefore making my unit leaders quite distinct...I haven't done that last bit yet...hence the nine model unit in the above picture.

I then decided to do a prototype model for colour scheme as I've been told it's a good idea and I'm notorious for procrastinating at the 'decide on a colour scheme' stage of painting. At least this way I'd be doing something, lol.

It's a bit of a cliché but I decided on a prison scheme in that orange jump suit style that you always see in prison dramas...Of course the style of outfit varies wildly depending on what sort of 'drama' you're watching...

I'll fine tune a back-story for the overall force later but it'll be some trope filled prison experimentation thing most likely...there's no need to over-think these things after all, lol.

Anyway,

I made it look like a one-piece outfit by simply painting the trousers and shirt the same colour and I selected Games Workshops 'Squig Orange' for the colour scheme. This stage was helped by the fact that I was sitting at a painting table at Titan Games which was right next to several racks of paint from Games Workshop, P3 and Army Painter so if anything I had too much choice...luckily my better half and local painting advisor's were there to nag motivate me to make actual decisions...

The Jump Suit is Games Workshops 'Squig Orange' with a 'Fuegan Shade' Wash. The belt and boots are P3's 'Beast Hide' and the gun and grenades are P3's 'Thornwood Green'. The bandages are P3's 'Menoth White Base' with an Army Painter Soft Tone wash. The Knife is Games Workshops 'Boltgun Metal' (though I've no idea what the current equivalent is called) with their new blood effect technical paint on the tip and blade edge.

It's a bit rough but hopefully it gives you an idea of the overall look I'll be going for. The finished models will have some more work done on them than this concept one...but I needed a guide...and now I have one...

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.

Mantic Newsletter - It's Sale Time

Who doesn't enjoy a sale?

We’re stuffed with turkey, wearing our new penguin socks, and hoping you’re all enjoying the holiday season! Before Christmas we had run out of a range of packaging materials, so we decided to put some cracking deals together on these select lines so that you can get some awesome new miniatures to kickstart the New Year with - it's sale time! Cavalry! 30 Sisterhood Lancers are going to be running rings around your opponents on the battlefield. Including Sisterhood Lancers, Stormwind Cavalry and, in very limited quantities, Fleabag Riders! Vehicles! Including Raptors and Jotunn Cannons! Infantry Including Corporation Marines and, in very limited quantities, Trolls and Mummies! Head on over to the website now and see just what we've got on offer! Crazy, crazy nights! The Crazy Box is sticking around for the New Year! This is some of the contents of last year's box. Quite a lot huh? Packed full of goodies (the contents of which have now been tweaked!) the Crazy box is packed full of models at a superb discount - ideal for getting to know our ranges, getting some bits for your bitz box or getting a whole load of miniatures at a ludicrous price! Get two and qualify for free shipping to the UK and Europe.

Hawk Wargames Newsletter - Previews Round-Up

An informative round-up of all the upcoming models featured in Hawk Wargames's Christmas previews and a release round-up as well...

TABLE OF CONTENTS • Merry Christmas from Hawk Wargames! • Christmas Previews Roundup • 1) UCM Katana Light Tank • 2) UCM Fireblade Light Tank • 3) UCM Eagle Heavy Gunship • 4) Shaltari Tarantula Battle Strider • 5) Shaltari Birdeater Battle Strider • 6) Shaltari Caiman Heavy Grav-Tank • 7) Scourge Stalker • 8) Scourge Ravager • 9) Scourge Harbinger Assault Dropship • 10) PHR Helios Jetskimmer • 11) PHR Angelos Jetskimmer • 12) PHR Mercury Scout Drone • BONUS PREVIEW: Orbital Defence Laser • New Release Roadmap for Q1, 2014 • Tickets Selling Fast for Invasion! 2014 IN THE NEXT NEWSLETTER Release Information More Images Merry Christmas from Hawk Wargames! I'd like to take the opportunity here to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from the Hawk Wargames team. It's been a fantastic and jam packed year here for us at HQ and we have many more exciting things to come in 2014! We'd also like to say a big thank you to all those who have supported us and to all those who have helped us to continue to grow the Dropzone Commander community! Christmas Previews Roundup We hope you all enjoyed our previews advent calendar! We've been reading all your comments and have decided it would be best to answer many of them in a summary newsletter, detailing more information on all these exiting releases for Q1 of the new year! As usual, shots of the real miniatures, along with full background, information and rules will be available to download as the models become available to pre-order. 1) UCM Katana Light Tank The Katana is built upon a lighter, nimbler version of the more common Sabre-type chassis. In a further effort to save weight, UCM military engineers have also adopted a less power-hungry weapon system; a twin high-velocity cannon. This armament has a superior rate of fire to the more common railgun, although it does not have quite the same punch or range. 2) UCM Fireblade Light Tank The Fireblade is based on the same chassis as the Katana and features the same increased speed as its sister. Unlike the Katata, the Fireblade has a very specific battlefield role; to expunge enemy infantry from structures with its formidable flamethrower! 3) UCM Eagle Heavy Gunship The Eagle is essentially a weaponised variant of the condor which sacrifices its transport capacity in favour of devastating firepower. The Eagle packs a pair of heavy railguns as well as two independently targeting multi-rocket pods. This allows the Eagle to lay waste to virtually anything on the ground! 4) Shaltari Tarantula Battle Strider The Tarantula is a smaller, more agile version of the towering Warstriders. Battle Striders feature anti-grav assistors and clamps on their legs and feet, allowing them to climb sheer surfaces to attack from above! The Tarantula's primary armament is the highly advanced Gravatic Magnifier, a weapon which delivers crushing fore to anything with mass. The larger and heavier the target, the more devastating this weapon becomes! By its very nature, it is also effective against skimmers. It is also armed with a nose mounted micro-laser, a small but deadly accurate weapon well suited to destroying lightly armoured targets from great distances. 5) Shaltari Birdeater Battle Strider The Birdeater is an anti-air variant of the Tarantula, armed with the familiar and lethal twin ion-cannon. It often employs its climbing abilities to gain a commanding view of the battlefield - a highly useful ability for an anti-air unit! Since it is less agile than the Kukri, it is better suited to more static defensive roles, where its superior survivability makes it a favourite of the Shaltari Warchiefs who favour heavier units. 6) Shaltari Caiman Heavy Grav-Tank The Caiman is truly formidable battlefield predator whose agility belies its massive size. Its primary armament is the Gauss Triad, a weapon designed to reliably cut through heavy armour at long range. It is also armed with a pair of micro-lasers on traversable turrets. Although less well armoured than Warstriders of equivalent size, the Caiman's agility can be used to deadly effect by the more subtle of Shaltari Warchiefs. 7) Scourge Stalker The Stalker is a highly aggressive frontline tank hunter unit, designed to deliver crippling damage to the heaviest armoured units at close range using its frighteningly powerful eletro-web caster. It fulfils a role similar to the smaller Prowler, although the Stalker is more suited to direct, frontline assaults where its much heavier armour lends it greater survivability. 8) Scourge Ravager The Ravager is a flexible anti-air unit, usually employed by the Scourge when long term air defence is needed. As a walker, it has much lower power consumption than the more aggressive Reaper skimmer and is often employed by Scourge occupation garrisons on conquered worlds. Coupled with greater survivability and independently targeting weapons, this makes the Ravager an excellent choice for vanguard defence. 9) Scourge Harbinger Assault Dropship The Harbinger is a large dropship which features heavier armour than the more common Marauder type and is designed primarily for frontal assaults. The Harbinger is often equipped with plasma bombs - devastating freefall weapons which can be deployed from its tail proboscis. It can also be upgraded to carry a small arc caster, allowing it to assist in the decimation of enemy fliers around the Dropzone. The Harbinger is employed primarily to deploy Stalker and Ravager walkers, although it has been seen delivering other horrors direct to the thickest of the fighting... 10) PHR Helios Jetskimmer The Helios is a high speed attack unit, designed primarily to hunt down enemy aircraft. While somewhat less manoeuvrable than the true skimmers employed by the Shaltari and the Scourge, it can still use its speed to great effect in battle. It is armed only with the RXs-5 'Galaxy' multi-rocket launcher. For what this weapon lacks in power, it more than makes up for in terrific rate of fire, where the sheer quantity of shape charge munitions can even pose a threat to enemy armour. 11) PHR Angelos Jetskimmer The Angelos is a multi-role fast strike vehicle. It is armed with a single RXs-120 smoothbore heavy cannon (the same weapon employed by the Enyo). Coupled with the Angelos' speed and advanced targeting systems, this can be used in both the anti-structure and anti-armour roles. The Angelos also features a limited transport capacity, allowing it to drop small strike teams of infantry if required. 12) PHR Mercury Scout Drone The Mercury is an unusual battlefield unit, in that it is totally unarmed. Instead, it carries a highly advanced full spectrum sensor package. This is sufficiently advanced to scan structures to assist ground troops in objective and intel searches as well as normal scout functions. The Mercury is normally carried into battle by the Triton Strike Dropship, which can also be armed with a pair of heavy anti-armour missiles designed to work in tandem with the Mercury's sensor package. This transforms the Triton into a capable anti-armour gunship once it has delivered its pair of Drones to the frontline. BONUS PREVIEW: Orbital Defence Laser This is the largest miniature that we have developed so far (by quite a large margin!) It is a massive directed energy weapon normally employed to engage enemy spacecraft and dropship armadas from very long range. It is unwieldy as a tactical, battlefield weapon due to its slow speed of traverse and constrained mount. It is an almost ancient design by UCM standards, and has been in service since before the Scourge invasion. As such, it is a common sight on both Cradle World and UCM military instillations. This will be the centrepiece of our upcoming line of Scenario Packs! New Release Roadmap for Q1, 2014 Here is a general summary for the expected release dates for all these new and exciting releases (precise dates to follow in the new year): January: 1) UCM Katana Light Tank 2) Shaltari Tarantula Battle Strider 3) PHR Angelos Jetskimmer February: 1) UCM Eagle Heavy Gunship 2) Shaltari Caiman Heavy Grav-Tank 3) Scourge Stalker 4) Scourge Harbinger Assault Dropship 5) PHR Mercury Scout Drone 6) Monorail Scenario Pack March: 1) UCM Fireblade Light Tank 2) Shaltari Birdeater Battle Strider 3) Scourge Ravager 4) PHR Helios Jetskimmer 5) Orbital Defence Laser Scenario Pack Tickets Selling Fast for Invasion! 2014 Tickets are selling fast for our upcoming official 2 day Dropzone Commander tournament - there's still space at the venue to expand, but be sure to grab your ticket in time! The Hawk Wargames Open Day is also attached to the tournament and is free to attend. There you will be able to view all of these new models, meet the team and grab anything you need to expand your collection. If you're interested in attending, more information is available here