Slann Mage-Priest Painting Part VI

I did more work on this guy too. Made quite a bit of progress actually. I picked all the various little critters crawling around on it, finished up the tiny leaves, and highlighted the scrawling branches with Vermin Brown. I then started working on the little skink dude. I wanted to emulate the way they had done him in the book. The sort of albino/bluish color but I apparently fail at working with whites and getting colors to blend that smoothly. I'm not very happy with him and he'll probably go through several more iterations before I'm done.

From Slann Mage-Priest I

From Slann Mage-Priest I

From Slann Mage-Priest I

From Slann Mage-Priest I

Really all that's left to do is get the horns to look the way I want them, figure out how I want to do the pieces that currently the dwarf bronze color, and finish off the little skink guy. Then I'll have my first completed model!

Cold One Cavalry Painting Part I

Rather than continue showing off models I'm not happy with, I thought I'd take a moment to share some of the models I've been working on that I am proud with. These guys need washes and highlighting still but here is the basic approach I'm going to be using for my Cold Ones.

From Cold One Cavalry

From Cold One Cavalry

From Cold One Cavalry

From Cold One Cavalry

From Cold One Cavalry

Skin was done in Gretchin Green and the scales were done in Orkhide Shade. I'm planning to highlight the scales with Hawk Turquoise.

Saurus Warrior Workshop

Here's where I'm at with my Saurus Warrior test model currently. Basecoated with Mechrite Red then did the skin in Blood Red and the scales in Scab Red. I'm going to experiment with some washes today and see how things turn out with that.

From Saurus Warriors

I think this gets me the contrast I need but I won't know how it will look until I experiment a little with some washes. I'm also wondering if Red Gore or Mechrite Red for the scales would have been a better as Scab Red is almost purpleish in color.

Temple Guard Workshop

Here are the samples I've been painting up to test some ideas for the temple guard.

This first one is basecoated Leviathan Purple and the scales were coated with Liche Purple.

From Drop Box

This one used Mechrite Red with the scales in Liche Purple. Experimenting a little with the idea from my previous post. I'm not sure I like it.

From Drop Box

On the other side of the previous model, I tried scales in Leviathan Purple (shoulder) as well as scales in Warlock Purple (leg).

From Drop Box

On this model I tried basecoating with Warlock Purple and scales in Liche Purple on the shoulder. On the leg I basecoated with Leviathan Purple and did the scales with Warlock Purple.

From Drop Box

What do people think of the different color schemes? Right now I'm thinking I'll scrap the red/purple combination I was thinking of and go with either the Leviathan Purple/Liche Purple combination of Leviathan Purple/Warlock Purple combination.

Saurus Painting Workshop

I've spent a good chunk of the day playing around with my Lizardmen some more and trying to figure out how to move forward with painting some of them. Mostly I've been basecoating several cold one cavalry and finetuning some minor details on my slann's palanquin.

The big things I've been playing around with though are these guys. My saurus warriors and my temple guard. Here is a sample of the work I had done on them previously that I'm not very happy with.

From Impact Hits

From Impact Hits

I actually really like the temple guard model but am disappointed with the way the skin/scales turned out. I want my temple guard to be purple in color to represent their elite almost royal role in Lizardmen society. To that end, I had painted them Liche Purple, washed them with Purple Ink, and then drybrushed them with Liche Purple again. The issue I have is there isn't enough of a difference between the skin and the scales for me to be happy. I want the scales to be the deep, vibrant purple with a lighter, similar shade for the skin. Trying to figure this out is where I'm failing though.

A test model I've been working with (unfortunately no picture due to dead camera) used Leviathan Purple as the basecoat. I then started picking out the scales in the Liche Purple. I'm not sure this is going to get me to the final effect that I want though. The Leviathan Purple contrasts with the Liche Purple extremely well but it's unfortunately a dull purple and not really what I'm looking for.

I've considered using the Warlock Purple instead of Leviathan Purple but I'm thinking I would rather have that as the drybrush highlight on the Liche Purple scales. I'm also thinking that would take it too far away from the royalty type colors I was hoping to achieve.

I am having the same problem with the normal Saurus warrior models. I wanted them to be red based (all of my Lizardmen species are a different color) and so my initial try (the ones seen above) were all basecoated in Scab Red and then washed with Badab Black. I love the way the scales looked afterwards but I'm not happy with the way the skin looks once again. I want a brighter red for the base of the lizardmen with the scales the darker color.

To this end I decided to start one of them from scratch and basecoated it with Mechrite Red. It's a very nice color but unfortunately is not bright enough to achieve what I wanted for the skin. I attempted to paint a basecoat of Blood Red onto the skin but began experiencing extreme difficulties getting an even coat on that looked uniform. It would appear that red is a very difficult color to work with. Would anyone have any ideas on a good way for me to get a basecoat of Blood Red on them or am I just going to have to layer it several times to get what I want? One solution I was thinking of was to just heavy drybrush the whole model with Blood Red and then darken up the scales from there to create the contrast. Any suggestions on what might work would be much appreciated.

One last thought that just occurred to me. To create a more uniform army look, maybe I could paint the temple guard with dark red skin and the purple scales and the saurus with bright red skin and the dark red scales. Show a transition of saurus to temple guard over time as the elder saurus warriors became more elite and their skin/scales darkened over time.

I will hopefully get an opportunity to take some pictures in the morning. When I get the chance, I'll toss up the pictures for everyone to see what I've been working with. If I can, I'll try to paint up a few rough test examples of what I'm thinking for everyone to take a look at and offer suggestions.

Weekend Painting Progress

I've been making a lot of painting progress this weekend. Unfortunately, my cell phone that I use for taking my pictures has died and since I'm not at home, I don't have a good way to charge it. I'll be posting pictures later this week of everything I've been doing but I thought I'd give an update.

The main thing I spent some time on was my Salamanders which I am pretty happy with. They're mostly finished, I just need to complete their eyes and then I might try to find a way to make their back fin and other "webbing" type parts stand out a little more. I'm unsure what I want to do with that so they will probably be stuck in limbo for a while until I decide.

I also decided to take another shot at my Saurus Warriors and Temple Guard since I decided I wasn't very happy with the way their scales were turning out. I didn't feel like the scales were standing out enough from the base color of their bodies so I took one of the saurus and started a new test model base coated with Mechrite Red and I took one of the Temple Guard and base coated it with Leviathan Purple. I'm going to try to build up from there and see if I can get a result I'm happier with.

I spent some time on my slann picking out the last of the leaves on the palanquin. Now I need to go back and highlight/wash them before I pick out the rest of the little critters riding around on it.

The thing I'm most happy about though are my Cold One Cavalry. I was inspired by one of the color schemes in the Lizardmen book and basecoated the entire cold one with Gretchin Green, did the scales in Orkhide Shade, and then drybrushed the scales with some Hawk Turquoise. It really looks fantastic. I'm going to need to experiment with washes some still to get the right shading I want but I am really excited about the way those test models are starting to come together.

The Bellower #3 Review

The Ogre Stronghold recently released the latest issue of their webzine "The Bellower". You can check it out here. My Ogres are in a holding pattern for now while I wait for the new book rumored to be out some time next year. I don't have much interest in relearning Ogres for 8th edition when it will all be for naught soon enough and my play time is as limited as it has been recently but I still enjoy reading about them and day dreaming of a future in which I lead my hungry Ogre horde to dominion over the lesser races of the world.

This issue is chock full of awesome stuff. I wasn't a huge fan of the first two issues but this one really got me excited.

As far as Ogres go, they have a really nice guide to all of the magic items. They break them down in much the same way I've been doing for Lizardmen and a lot of the advice they give is very useful. They even have their own ratings system to let you know how good each item is.

My favorite part though has got to be the Blood Bowl section. One of their authors converted a Goblin team out of Gnoblars and offers lots of tactical advice on how to win with them. I don't play much Blood Bowl and know very little about tactics but I sure love the idea of a bunch of Gnoblar running around the field!

Some of the sections are a little too fluffy for my taste (like Ask Aunty Doreen) but its worth skipping those pages for the meatier articles. If you've never checked out the Bellower before, now's a good time to take a look.

Krielstone Bearers Assembly

I haven't completely assembled these because it occurred to me that attaching the stone to the Krielstone Bearer would make it difficult to paint the stone. I am considering trying to do glowing glyphs for the stone and if I'm going to do that, I'll need to paint the stone before attachment. So for now, I'm going to have to field the unit not completed.

From Krielstone Bearers

From Krielstone Bearers

From Krielstone Bearers

I ran into some minor difficulties shortly after these pictures were taken. I tried to use my clippers to tweak the models so they would fit the slots in their bases more firmly. Unfortunately, the bearer himself has a very weak joint connection in his left foot and I snapped it off at the ankle trying to twist the slotting piece. I had to file it back down and re-glue it. Unfortunately its such a small joint that there isn't much surface area for holding it together and there isn't enough space to try to pin it. I'm not sure how I'm going to keep the model from falling apart in the future.

Pyg Burrowers Assembly

These guys didn't require much assembly. All but the leader were one piece models. I attached the arm to the leader and then twisted their slots slightly so that they'd stick in the bases without glue. I'm not sure how I'm going to base everything in the long run so I don't want to glue them in permanently.

From Pyg Burrowers

From Pyg Burrowers

From Pyg Burrowers

I absolutely love the character of these models and from what I've read online, they can also be quite devastating on the battlefield when comboed properly. Very eager to take them for a test run.

Borka Kegslayer Assembly

Got my second warlock assembled! I'm looking forward to trying him out and seeing how he does. I've been really excited about this guy and can't wait to see him in action.

From Borka Kegslayer

I ended up pinning his hands on because it wasn't the strongest connection. The rest of the model fit together really well and I was quite impressed. After this picture was taken I used some green stuff to fill in the base and stick the peg on his left foot through it. It should hopefully create a much sturdier grip.

Stone Scribe Chronicler Assembly

During my first day of recovery, I've been slowly but surely assembling my recent Trollbloods order. Progress has been slow due to my regular need for breaks to rinse etc. but I have been making progress. Thus far I have most of the new models in various states of assembly. I've washed all the pieces and trimmed off excess mold lines. I even busted out some green stuff to fill in some gaps which you'll see when those pieces are completed.

For now, here's the finished Stone Scribe Chronicler.

From Stone Scribe Chronicler 1

I was actually really disappointed when I realized this wasn't the model I thought it was. I had meant to order myself a Stone Scribe Elder and ordered this guy instead. Whoops. I guess I know what's going in my next order!

August Competition Results

We have the results from our August Competition!

I managed to win painting and come close/compete in all of the other categories.

Asmo beat me out in blogging (just barely). He had some really good articles this past month. If you're interested in Hordes, I highly recommend checking out his Skorne articles. He also finished a really nice series of articles about Dark Elves in 8th edition.

Rob managed to take the construction point. He put together a ton of new Khador stuff and really earned this one. I'd love to see some pictures of it all. How about a blog update Rob?

Frans won playing again with a whopping 10 8th edition games at varying point levels. If only he would write up some battle reports we could all read about them!

This brings the current totals to:
Minute (2)
Asmo (2)
Frans (2)
BK (1)
Rob (1)
Nathan (0)

You can see a summary of what everyone did here.

This was the first month that we had with some real competition. Several of the categories were close and it brought out what is in my mind a slight problem with the scoring system. The goal of the competition is to encourage people to devote time to all aspects of the hobby. However, by only giving points to the winner, we have created a situation in which it is far better to specialize each month than it is to devote equal time to all aspects.

I'm hoping to start a new competition for the 2011 year when this competition is up and I'm proposing the following changes to the scoring system. Every category you don't participate in is -1 points. For every category you win, you get 3 points. For every category you contest the first place winner in, you get 1 point. What do the other competitors think of this new scoring system for future competitions?

Blog Shout Out

I wanted to take some time to draw your attention to some of the blogs I've been enjoying recently.

Trollblood Scrumm:
This is a really fantastic site for everything Trollbloods. Great tactical advice etc. It's given me a lot of ideas and gotten me really excited to expand my collection.

Dei Greci:
Wow. This guy custom builds everything and it is all amazing. I wish I had half the talent he does.

Kevin's Miniatures and Hobby Table:
Kevin has painted a lot of Lizardmen lately and I've been tracking his progress and collecting ideas for my own work. I really like how some of his stuff has turned out. Particularly the stegadon and his kroxigors.

Manic Workbench:
This guy has been moulding his own custom lost temple bases and they look fantastic. I'm starting to think I may need to give moulding my own stuff a shot some day.

One Inch Warriors:
Great lizardmen paint jobs here. I love seeing how people paint their lizardmen and its been a source of inspiration and even some small amounts of jealousy!

N810's Lizardmen Blog:
More cool lizardmen minis.

Son of Slann
I'm also a fan of the Lizardmen stuff here. Really inspiring.

Drinkin' and Modelin':
This is where I go to satisfy my Ogre Kingdoms fetish.

I'd also like to give one final shout out to The Trading Post. It's a very nice site that compiles information from the various Warhammer Fantasy blogs/communities together for easy discovery. I support any efforts to build a better community and appreciate someone taking the time to do this work.

Lizardmen in 8th Edition: Lore of Beasts

Right about now I will either be in or just getting out of my wisdom teeth surgery I am unfortunately having to undergo. However, I prepared a handful of posts ahead of time to keep you, my loyal readers, entertained. After today though I'll be taking some time to relax, recover, and work on some minis so there may not be any updates for a while depending on how I'm feeling.

Wildheart (Lore Attribute):
Pretty cool attribute that makes the spells easier to cast against everything that isn't Infantry.

Wyssan's Wildform (Signature Spell):
Pretty cool spell. I wish you could 12" AOE it like the other augment spells in this line. As it is, it's the most universally useful spell in this list. It'll work well with all of your units. It will even make rank and file skinks into something to be feared. I like the idea of pairing this with Cold One Cavalry myself to give them some extra punch and defense. T5 with a 2+ armor save is nothing to sneeze at. They'll even be S6 on the charge. Toss a scar veteran or oldblood in with the unit and cast Savage Beast for even more ridiculous devastation.

The Flock of Doom (1):
I think this is a terrible spell. 2D6 Strength 2 hits means you're getting on average less than 2 wounds per roll of the spell against a lot of units. It's dirt cheap though and slann can get a free power dice per attempt so if you've got a spare die, there's really no reason not to cast it.

Pann's Impenetrable Pelt (2):
Cool spell that will help keep your characters alive. I'm not sure how often you'll cast it though but I could see it being partnered with other spells in this lore to send a nasty character to take on a monster by himself.

The Amber Spear (3):
I actually like this. It gives you a great tool against monstrous creatures. Nice range and the upgraded version is fantastic if you can hit a unit of monstrous infantry on a flank. Unfortunately a slann in a temple guard bunker is not too likely to get such a flank shot.

The Curse of Anraheir (4):
Fun spell especially if you end up with lots of terrain on the board. Noone is going to want to enter any terrain with this on them (hills too!) and if they are already in terrain, they certainly won't be moving them that turn. It's also a nice penalty to shooting and combat units.

The Savage Beast of Horros (5):
I think this is a fantastic spell. It makes any character instantly awesome at combat including even the lowly skink chief. The boosted version of this spell to make all nearby characters fantastic is also great. There's no need to make your characters killy if you can just rely on this spell to do it for you. I also love the idea of a skink chief with stegadon warspear that has this spell. 6 Strength 9 attacks (10 if you synergize with Wildform) and 2D6+2 strength 6 impact hits? Yes please. The downside is you

Transformation of Kadon (6):
Very cool spell. Slann can't use it (see the Lizardmen FAQ) so it doesn't really matter how good it is.

Other Lizardmen Thoughts:
I don't really like it for Lizardmen. I think it'd be fun to make a list built around it with a mobile slann and a bunch of cheap scar veterans or even skink chiefs to do some serious damage. I think it'd be a fun list to break out every once in a while for a fun game but I don't see it as being overly competitive. The real problem I have with this lore is that it is great for enabling your characters to take on things they can't beat normally but you have to commit your characters in the movement phase and then have no guarantee you get the specific spells you need off. If Pann's Impenetrable Pelt and The Savage Beast of Horros could effect the entire unit, I'd be all over this lore.

Trollbloods vs. Cygnar 8/28/10

I also had a chance to play my first game against a Warmachine faction this last Saturday. I took my Trollbloods warpack against Nathan's Cygnar battle group.

This was a pretty straightforward game with unfortunately few pictures. The map we set on had a river with a bridge for crossing. I used my axer's animus on the impalers to send them through the river to either side of the bridge and moved the axer across the bridge with Madrak behind. Unfortunately, Nathan had some really good dice going for him and in two rounds of shooting, he managed to knock out one of my flanking Impalers before he could really do anything and charge the other impaler with his heavy jack.

On my turn, my last Impaler did manage to put a severe beating on the heavy jack and cripple his Quake Hammer (I think that's what it was called). And my axer charged a wall that his shooting jack was behind but promptly whiffed on his attack rolls.

In his next two turns, Nathan finished off the impaler and moved his heavy jack into combat with Madrak. He also managed put a severe beating on the axer. I made one last valiant effort to get Madrak into combat with Nathan's caster but whiffed all of my attacks and then conceded the game. Nathan was well on his way to slaughtering me to a man.

Trollbloods vs. Legion 8/28/10

I played my first game against Rob and his Legion warpack. He took the warpack and I took a modified list consisting of pMadrak, 3 Trollkin Champions, and two Impalers.

We set up the board.

From Hordes 2010-08-28

And then deployed.

From Hordes 2010-08-28

I had the first turn and had no choice but to advance.

From Hordes 2010-08-28

Rob moved his stuff up and into the forest. I quickly realized that Eyeless Sight and that forest in his deployment zone were going to be major pains. On my turn I rearranged my guys and advanced a little more. One of my Impalers critical smited one of his many Shredders knocking it back out of the forest by 5 inches.

On his second turn, Rob began his assault shooting with both Lylyth and the Carnivean to kill one of my Champions. Then it was my turn to try and get even.

From Hordes 2010-08-28

I moved my Impalers to the flanks and took shots at another Shredder and the Carnivean. I managed to critical smite the Carnivean and knocked him down. On his turn, Rob sent one of the Shredders in to tie up two of my Champions and used Lylyth's shooting to knock out another Champion.

From Hordes 2010-08-28

He then had his Carnivean charge one of my impalers where it promptly demolished it.

From Hordes 2010-08-28

On my turn I had Madrak take potshots at the Carnivean, the two champions kill the Shredder, and the remaining Impaler advance and also take a shot at the Carnivean. I missed with the Impaler and hit with Madrak but didn't do a whole lot of damage. I had my last Trollkin Champion charge the Carnivean and do quite a bit of damage to him but it was unfortunately not enough to have any lasting impact.

On his turn, Rob had Lylyth shoot at and kill the champion in combat with the Carnivean and then moved the Carnivean into combat with Madrak. At this point it was all over.

From Hordes 2010-08-28

It's a real shame the Trollbloods Warpack and the Legion Warpack are so different points-wise as I would have really liked to have been able to take my axer against Rob but the points just didn't work with the models I have.

Lizardmen in 8th Edition: Magic Weapons

Taking a quick break from the magic lores to spice things up a little bit.

Blade of Realities:
This is a fun item with all sorts of uses. Put it on an oldblood and watch your opponent sweat. It is actually less good in 8th edition now that a BSB can let you reroll all failed leadership tests.

Blade of Revered Tzunki:
You can only give this to an Oldblood for 6 strength but for 5 points less you can give him the Giant Blade that has the same end result.

Giant Blade:
This is probably a little over kill on a guy who is already strength 5. Strength 8 is nice if you know you're going to be facing monsters. I'm not sure you need that much strength in general though.

Sword of Bloodshed:
Excellent weapon. Scimitar of the Sun Resplendent was a 7th edition favorite of mine and for just 10 more points you can give your Oldblood an extra attack. Pair this with maiming shield and enjoy a whopping 9 attacks. Add the Potion of Foolhardiness and enjoy a breathtaking 10 S6 attacks on the charge.

Obsidian Blade:
Not really worth it. I'm not a fan of negating armour saves unless it comes from strength.

Scimitar of the Sun Resplendent:
A 7th edition staple made obsolete by the Sword of Strife.

Stegadon War-spear:
Fun item. I don't know that it's good but you can guarantee that stegadon is going to mess up whatever it charges.

Ogre Blade:
You probably don't need much more strength than this so I recommend it over the Giant Blade. It is too pricey for skink chief or scar veteran and there are better options for an oldblood.

Sword Of Strife:
Scimitar of the Sun Resplendent but cheaper. Nice item when you want to get some defense on your oldblood or want a killy scar veteran.

Fencer's Blades:
This is more of a defensive item than an offensive item and there are better defensive items out there. I don't really like it much. Though I do find the idea of pairing this up with Glittering Scales and Aura of Quetzl to make a virtually unhittable character very humorous.

Staff of the Lost Sun:
I could see it being useful on a Skink Chief in a unit of Terradon riders but it would make the unit a little too expensive for how fragile it is. Very situational and opponent dependent. Putting him in a unit of skirmishers would be throwing him away.

Piranha Blade:
It has some uses but I personally wouldn't take it. There are more versatile options out there and you have better ways of dealing with nasty monsters.

Sword of Anti-Heroes:
I don't really see a situation where this buys you much. At best you're going to get +1 strength, +1 attack out of it but only when fighting characters. It gets you nothing against monsters or elite units.

Spellthieving Sword:
I would never take it. If you're hitting a spellcaster, you're probably killing him. There are of course exceptions worth considering (daemons, warriors, vampire counts, etc.).

Sword of Swift Slaying:
If you want to attack first, take the Lore of Light on a slann. It'll go much further. There are much better items.

Dagger of Sotek:
I don't see many reasons to take a Skink Chief let alone equip him with this.

Sword of the Hornet:
Exact same as the Sword of Swift Slaying above.

Sword of Battle:
Very basic. Good for a cheap magic weapon.

Berserker Sword:
Makes a unit immune to psychology. You're lizardmen so you aren't really worried about psychology though.

Sword of Might:
Very basic. Good for a cheap magic weapon.

Burning Blade of Chotec:
I like this. Gives a cheap hero a way to deal with regen and armour. Toss on something like a cheap scar veteran and stick him in an infantry unit. Gives bonuses for assaulting buildings and dealing with cavalry/war beasts for an extra perk.

Gold Sigil Sword:
Much like the Sword of Swift Slaying, there are better ways to strike first if you want to.

Sword of Striking:
Let's you hit on 2s instead of 3s. Nothing really special though synergy with lore of light for I10 and ASF is fun to think about.

Biting Blade:
Ewwww.

Relic Sword:
You're already doing this unless you're beating on a steam tank or you're a skink chief. Not much point.

Shrieking Blade:
Fear isn't that fantastic any more and there are other ways to get it. Take a real weapon.

Tormentor Sword:
If you're beating on a guy, he's already in combat and this isn't going to do much unless he kills you.

Warrior Bane:
What I said for Tormentor Sword.

There's a lot of cool items to pick from and I'd love to try some of them out. You can make some truly terrifying Oldbloods with these. Unfortunately, I love my slann and rarely get to try some of the awesome weapons as a result. My biggest Fantasy regret might be not getting a chance to try out Blade of Realities under 7th edition! Though I can't wait to field a Sword of Bloodshed Oldblood some time.

August Competition Progress

Update for the month of August. I've taken part in all major categories this month but there's only a few that I think I have a shot at. For details on the competition, see here.

Blogging:
I did a lot of blogging this month. It was easily my biggest month. I increased traffic by over 1,500% and hit a new high of 149 visits.

Modeling:
I assembled my first order of Trollbloods. This included the Trollbloods Warpack, a Trollkin Champions unit, and a Dire Troll Bomber. I also tackled pinning for the first time.

Painting:
Slann Mage-Priest
http://impact-hits.blogspot.com/2010/08/slann-mage-priest-painting-part-iv.html
http://impact-hits.blogspot.com/2010/08/slann-mage-priest-painting-part-v.html

Salamanders
http://impact-hits.blogspot.com/2010/08/salamander-painting-part-i.html

Engine of the Gods
http://impact-hits.blogspot.com/2010/08/return-of-stegadon.html

Playing:
I played a 10 point game of Hordes and three 15 point games during my lunch breaks against Asmo. I played a 2500 point game of Warhammer Fantasy (Lizardmen vs. Skaven) with The Vermin Lord. I also played two additional games of Hordes against Rob and Nathan.