EDITORIAL: The Future of Warhammer Fantasy

April 29, 2015, 8:00 am

≪ Previous: INTERVIEW: Josh Reynolds, the Lord of the End Times

By now you have most likely heard the 50 different rumors that have been making the rounds about the imminent 9th edition of Fantasy. Everyone seems to be going into panic mode and chucking their armies out the window, but it's not nearly as bad as you think.

Lizardmen, Tomb Kings, Dwarfs, and Brettonians are gone, square bases are a thing of the past, there is going to be a new Space Marine equivalent holy warrior army, half the production line is getting canned. Those are just a few of the rumors I have heard about the future of GW's oldest game system. If you believed all of those, it would be easy to see why so many people are rage quitting and moving on to other games. There is just one important thing to keep in mind, they are all only rumors.

Here are some other rumors. The End Times was originally said to be just two books. Tomb Kings were going to be getting a Hierotitan model and Aborash was going to be riding a flying chariot with the Nagash release. Brettonians were supposed to come out last summer. The Archaon release was going to include a new Chaos Dragon model. A new skirmish level starter set for Fantasy 9th edition with Forces of Light versus Chaos was supposed to go on pre-order last weekend.

What's the one thing that is common between all those rumors? None of them panned out. When these rumors first hit the internet they were 100% true, from reliable sources, that will definitely happen, now that's been disproven.

The dreaded Round Base Picture reportedly from GW

Already we have heard a few different versions of the dreaded round base rumor. First it was everything was switching to round bases, then it was everything is staying square, then we heard square bases except for characters and war machines which were getting round, now the latest says all round again. That's all within the span of a few months. At this point I feel pretty confident in saying that the new rumors contain at most, about 10% truth.

Personally, I feel a mix of trepidation and excitement about what the future of Warhammer holds. Yes, I am worried that maybe my beloved Tomb Kings may become relegated to using an outdated army book for eternity, but there is nothing to confirm that. In fact, the only reason I am even worried about something like that is because of these rumors that seem to have no purpose other then to stir up fear and rage.

The potential for the new Warhammer is almost limitless. I think the play style will stay more or less the same, with maybe some skirmish rules thrown in to help the game scale better. As far as the fluff goes, it's anyone's guess at the moment. Here is what I could see them doing. The Elven lore states that everything goes in cycles, so why not the whole world?

After the end of Archaon the world as we know it is gone, but some godly essence clung on to its dying embers and breathed new life into it. The world starts anew with the departed Lizardmen returning and acting as their own Old Ones. History progresses in much the same way, with the rise and fall of nations and races, leaving us with a world very similar to the one we last saw, but subtly different in important ways. Maybe Tilea, Estalia, and Kislev are now merely provinces in a greatly expanded Empire. Perhaps the Elves resolved their conflict long ago with all branches of their kind living amicably under one king, but still with the three kingdoms of Ulthuan, Naggaroth, and Athel Loren. Maybe the continents are even in different shapes and places due to the will of the Slann. Skavenblight could exist outside of the normal dimension, having teleported away before the conclusion of the End Times, the last true survivors of the Old World. The possibilities are endless, and truthfully I see the End Times being more of a tool for GW to toss out some old Finecast kits they don't plan on redoing, reshape their world to be a little more unique, and rebrand some of their races with a more trade markable name.

Honestly, until 9th hits (which now the rumors say will happen in July) we don't know. I don't think we will hear anything really solid until a week or two out. So keep playing 8th for now and keep your hopes high. The writing in the End Times series has been some of GW's best to date, so whatever direction they plan on taking Fantasy, I'm sure they will do a good job at it. I wouldn't even put it past them to provide rules to play pre and post End Times to keep everyone happy. Also, keep in mind that the new Total War: Warhammer was just announced, and is said to be the first in a trilogy. This game is clearly set in the classic Warhammer setting since it has both Karl Franz and Mannfred in it. GW doesn't actually make that much money off of licensing their IP. The main advantage for them is using it as a gateway to draw in new players to the tabletop. Just look at how many new people came in from Dawn of War. What would be the point of having a gateway game out there for a game that isn't even recognizable from the one in the video game? Heck, maybe the miracle that godly essence performs at the end of Archaon is to turn back the clock to before the End Times?

In short, don't panic, keep on painting and playing. Fantasy isn't dead and won't be going anywhere anytime soon. All of the rumors are just that, rumors. While I will definitely keep up to date on any news coming out about 9th, I will be taking everything with a grain of salt. There is no point in getting bummed out about something we don't even know anything about. While you may want to hold off on making any major purchases until the dust settles, which is perfectly reasonable, I am sure the majority of us have a large back log of models to get through and paint. I for one will keep painting my Tomb Kings, despite what the naysayers claim.

#FantasyStrong

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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Mini of the Week 5-1-15

May 1, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: REVIEW: Deathblade

≪ Previous: EDITORIAL: The Future of Warhammer Fantasy

Welcome back to Mini of the Week, where every Friday I will find a miniature from around the web that exemplifies an aspect of our hobby and share it with you.

Dead Silence by Johny Be Good on Cool Mini or Not

Dioramas are always a lot of fun, especially when it sets a mood rather than just being a snap shot of a battle. This one really captures a feeling for me. The use of the cold blue flames for the Liche Priest and the warm orange for the adventurer work really well with each other. It definitely has a horror movie/adventure vibe to it. The conversion work on the models themselves is very subtle and easy to miss, which is nice when you are trying to create a scene and not steal the show. I am most impressed with the scenery. It is very simple, but works great with the diorama as a whole. I particularly like the swarms of scarab beetles surrounding the Empire solider. One aspect of it that is almost too subtle are the effects of the Priests spell on the solider.

I really like how he is slowly aging and rotting away the closer he gets to his enemy. I only wish that it had been more pronounced on the mini as a whole. As it is, it's very easy to miss unless you are looking at it from a specific angle. That's just me nitpicking though. The painting itself is very smooth with a suitably subdued palette, letting the flames acts as the main source of color. I also like how he not only painted the glow from the flames, but he also painted in the shadows. What I mean by this is he painted the areas not affected by the glow darker, implying a lack of light. It's not something you see often.

Be sure to check out more views of it on Cool Mini or Not and show the artist some love if you like it.

Until next time,

Tyler M.

What do you think of this model? If you have any models or have seen any around the web that you feel deserve to be the Mini of the Week feel free to send them to me at tylerm@mengelminiatures.com with the title "Mini of the Week" and a brief description of how you painted it or a link to where you found it. There is also a dedicated board on the Mengel Miniatures Forum for Mini of the Week where you can discuss past entries or post of minis you think are deserving of the title.

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REVIEW: Deathblade

May 4, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: GALLERY: Tomb King Archers

≪ Previous: Mini of the Week 5-1-15

This novel was a bit of an odd one as far as the End Times go. It is almost a sidebar, not something you absolutely need for the series, but it of course acts as a cap to the Malus Darkblade storyline. So how did this book fare?

I have to preface this by saying I haven't read any of the Malus Darkblade books. I have read a few of the comics way back when, but thats about it. That being said, I know who he is, and I do know the basic gist of his storyline ("possessed" by a demon, absolutely hates Malekith, etc). The one thing I didn't know anything of going into this though were the supporting characters, besides Spite, his Cold One.

The novel itself is split into three parts, with the first section of it taking place in Naggaroth, before Malekith abandoned it. It tries to fill you in on a few of the other characters, like his mother, his lover, and his "loyal" friend Silar. For the most part though I was fairly uninterested in what was going on. There was a plot to kill Malekith and steal the throne, which was supported by some other elves of dubious intent. I'm sure this tied into a storyline from a past book, but I had no clue. The assassination attempt itself was a little boring and it seems like it probably wasn't planned when the Khaine source book was written. It almost feels like it was shoehorned in to fit around the events we know about from Khaine, predominantly, the council of war Malus attended where it was announced they were striking out for Ulthuan. Essentially that whole storyline felt unnecessary and really had little effect on the rest of the novel.

From there we go into part two when they sail to Ulthuan and lay siege to the Eagle Gate. There was a pretty cool assassination attempt scene aboard the black ark that somewhat tied into the plot line from the first part, but nothing could be proven. Once they land at Ulthuan the plot line more or less follows what was written about in Khaine.

My interest in this book came and went as I was reading it. Some parts really grabbed my attention and others did not. It's not even like it was split between battle scenes and non battle scenes. Some of the battles were quite interesting, others I could have passed on. I think my biggest complaint about Deathblade is that I didn't really care about any of the characters outside of Malus himself. I know I said I haven't read any of the other books in the series, which I'm sure would have made me care a bit more. However, I haven't read more then one other book in the Gotrek and Felix series too, and I still cared about what happened to the characters in Kinslayer. This is because the emotional connections between all of the characters were re-explored in Kinslayer, and let new readers become invested in them. I just never got that feeling in Deathblade. I understand they are Dark Elves, and are ruthless, but even still.

My other major complaint is the fact that it didn't even really feel like a book about Malus. It felt more like a book about the events Malus was involved with, and he just happened to be there. The ending wasn't even very strong for him and if I was a Malus fan I would have been disappointed with it. I understand that it has to follow what's already been written about him in Khaine, but I would have liked to see inside his head more. Instead it just kind of felt like, "and then this happened, the end". The story even continued on a bit after his storyline was done. I will have to say though, the last bit on the very last page with Spite brought a tiny tear to my eye, then Drusala had to go and ruin it. In fact, I really disliked her character all together, plus we all knew her secret the whole time, just saying.

Deathblade was an enjoyable read, but not anything that stood out from the crowd. It read more like a pulpy battle novel instead of something dealing with the characters. If you want the whole End Times experience or have been reading the Malus Darkblade series and want to see how it ends then I would recommend picking this up. It wasn't horrible, it wasn't great, it just was.

Final Score - 3/5

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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GALLERY: Tomb King Archers

May 6, 2015, 8:03 am

≫ Next: Mini of the Week 5-8-15

≪ Previous: REVIEW: Deathblade

After painting my Crystal Brush entry and yet another character model it was nice to relax a bit and paint some rank and file models.

These guys take a different approach to painting then my character models. For starters I painted them in groups of ten. They were all primed with a bone colored primer from Army Painter. This alone helped cut an hour off my painting time, easy. They then all got a wash of Agrax Earthshade.

Instead of just slathering the wash all over the models, I was a little more careful with my application. I was careful to keep the wash mostly just to the recesses and not to get any on the large flat areas of bone on their arms, legs, and skulls. It takes a little more time, but saves me a lot more later on when I don't have to neaten it up as much. From this point on I kind of break them down into groups of five. I paint the color section I'm working on all the way to completion on my first five, then do the same on the second five before moving on to the next color.

So for example, I would finish the bone completely on all ten of them, before moving on to the white. I drybrushed the bone, before going back over it with a solid coat of paint to smooth it out. This all then got a line highlight of white. I did the drybrush to make certain thin areas, like the ribs and fingers, were easier later on, and to act as a sort of rough guide for highlights. The white was painted with a base coat of Rakarth Flesh, the recesses washed with Agrax, and then given a light coat of white. I let the base coat show through a bit here so it's slightly off white. This is the highlighted with pure white.

The other details were picked out with Charadon Granite, Hawk Turquoise, and gold and brass. To break up the bows and quivers a bit I painted either designs with lines and dots, or hieroglyphs copied from the Army Book. I also weathered them a bit with tears and stains.

The command section obviously took a little more effort. I tried to make them look more important by painting some of the skull decorations as gems. This took very little effort but makes them stand out and look like they are painted to a higher quality then they really are.

This is actually a trick I use on a lot of rank and file models. I will paint just a few select areas or colors to a higher standard then the rest of the model. By doing this it draws the eye to those areas and lets you get away with a few mistake in other spots.

In total this probably took me about eight hours per group of ten, maybe even less. When compared to the close to 100 hours I probably spent on my Tomb King on Chariot, you can see why I use this method for rank and file minis. These guys already make my spearmen look less finished. I painted the spearmen almost three years ago now and relied more on drybrushing.

I often post in progress shots of whatever I am painting or modeling on Twitter and Facebook, so be sure to follow me there for daily content!

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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Mini of the Week 5-8-15

May 8, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: GALLERY: Savage Orc Big Boss

≪ Previous: GALLERY: Tomb King Archers

Welcome back to Mini of the Week, where every Friday I will find a miniature from around the web that exemplifies an aspect of our hobby and share it with you.

Eversor Assassin, painted by Ben Komets, Sculpted by Mati Zander on Putty and Paint

The first thing I need to point out about this model is that it's roughly 54mm tall and completely scratch built. I think it's always interesting when someone takes our heroic scale models and upscales them into more realistic proportions. What's even more interesting is how it was built by one person and painted by another. Ben Komets is an astounding painter and a multiple Golden Demon winner and this model is no different.

I really like how he choose a warmer color for the black. It's something you don't see very often. He almost has a graphite like quality to it. The scenic backdrop really adds a nice touch as well and helps frame the scene. You can really imagine this guy creeping through the sewers to take out his next target. I don't know what else to really say about it, it's a fantastic model and a great example of a collaboration between two artists.

Be sure to check out more views of it on Putty and Paint and show the artist some love if you like it.

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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GALLERY: Savage Orc Big Boss

May 11, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: EDITORIAL: The Value of the Codex (or Army Book)

≪ Previous: Mini of the Week 5-8-15

Some of you who follow this site may be thinking, isn't this the Orc he won a Golden Demon with back in 2012? Almost. It is actually a pretty close duplicate of that same paint job. Why would I paint a duplicate of the same model? Several reason actually.

I just finished this guy up over the weekend to give to my dad as a birthday gift this past Sunday. He likes to show off some of my models in his office. Previously I had painted up a Ratling Sniper for him and when I asked him what he wanted this year he suggested one of my models I would be willing to part with.

Well that's easier said then done. It clearly has to be a pretty well painted model, since I want it to show what I am capable of, but all of my top shelf models have either been sold or I want to keep them for myself. When I was looking through what I had I found this Savage Orc Boss that was about 75% done, and has been in that state for over two years. After I had won my first Golden Demon award with a Savage Orc Boss I put on a painting class at my local store at the time, in Austin, TX. It was a Golden Demon workshop where I went over all of the techniques I had used to paint my winning entry.

When the store told Games Workshop what they were organizing with me, GW was kind enough to donate a bunch of the plastic Savage Orc Boss models to use as well as a bunch of paint. I ran the class twice, and used the guy above for both of them. They ran about eight hours a piece (the store's entire business day on a Sunday) and most of the people who came to the second class had been at the first.

So when I found this guy again on my shelf this weekend, the only things I still had to were some of the straps, the base, touching up a few areas, and a few other odds and ends. I actually ended up tightening up a few of the highlights and lightning them up in spots as well. It was interesting looking at this model, that although it wasn't exactly the one I had painted for the Demons, it was pretty darn close, and finding things on it that I would improve now. My painting style has definitely evolved since then and I would say I'm less afraid to push my highlights now compared to then. I also prefer really sharp, thin lines, sort of like the 'Eavy Metal style.

I have been saying I was going to finish this guy for years now. My original plan was to finish him and sell him on eBay, but all it took was my dad's birthday to finally motivate me to push that final bit. I may have lost out on a sale, but hopefully it will suitably impress my dad's co-workers from his desk top. Who knows, maybe I will even get some commission business out of it?

Here are some pictures of my actual Golden Demon Orc model. You can see a few differences, like the face paint, and blood on the axe, but for the most part it's the same thing. I also used different colors on the two, since the original was painted with my own paints, which were primarily the older GW line at the time, while the newer one was painted with the store's paints, which were all new colors. The main difference is the green, the older equivalent was much brighter. It was Knarloc Green for those interested.

The other thing that really stands out to me, is how much my photography skills have improved. I won't lie, it's a steep learning curve, but I think I have it down now. I think I am going to retake the pictures of my older model sometime soon, so look for those when I do. I'll even throw up a side by side comparison of the original and the duplicate when I do. You can read a Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 from when I was painting him for the Demons back in 2012.

As always, please be sure to vote for him on Cool Mini or Not here.

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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EDITORIAL: The Value of the Codex (or Army Book)

May 13, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Mini of the Week 5-15-15

≪ Previous: GALLERY: Savage Orc Big Boss

One of the newer complaints I have heard a lot is how quickly Codexes are being updated and replaced. While this is certainly a valid complaint, I just can't get behind the idea of people saying they won't buy a new book because the rules will be invalid in X number of years. All of these books are a treasure trove and here's why.

I have been collecting and playing 40k and Fantasy since 3rd and 6th edition respectively. I was mostly a 40k player that whole time, so I have plenty of codexes. For Space Marines alone I have four different versions and for Chaos Space Marines I have four as well plus two supplements. Of course only one version of these books is still valid as far as playing the game is concerned, but if you are buying Army Books and Codexes just for the rules then you are missing out.

Just saying.

On average the rules portion of any book is only about 1/3 of the content, a half at most. The rest of it is filled with evocative background lore, art work, and beautifully painted collections of miniatures. This to me is whats most important, and that's because it lasts. When the new version of the Space Marine codex comes out in a month or so I will still crack open my 6th edition version to pour over all of the artwork and lore.

They'll never spot our guns with these tactically sound bright red casings

I still go back and read bits and pieces from even older books; the Eye of Terror and Armageddon campaign books being some of my favorites. With even older books, such as the 3rd edition Imperial Guard book, I enjoy looking through the older collections of models. Most of those sculpts are no longer available and I find it infinitely fascinating to look at how our hobby has evolved. The paint jobs alone are worth looking at. There was so much red back then, seriously, pretty much every gun casing was red.

Taking the term "Space Wolf" literally since 3rd edition

For me these books have only lost a fraction of their value with their outdated rules. Even here though I find inspiration for my current force. Sometimes I can look at older units that either no longer exist or have changed in some way and think to myself, man, it would be cool to have my unit reflect this older style more. This is especially true for special characters.

Now that is a sweet Doomrider. Thank you 3rd edition codex.

As we all know special characters have been dropping like flies recently when their books get updated. Anything without a model, or with an extremely dated model, is getting left out of the newer publications. While it may no longer be possible to field these guys in your army with special rules, it's still entirely possible to convert a model to represent this hero on the tabletop. Does anyone remember Captain Cortez, or Chaplain Xavier, or Doomrider? How cool would it be to have a 3rd War for Armageddon Salamanders army led by Xavier? He may be dead in the current timeline, but nothing says you have to build your army around the current date, 30k is a perfect example of this.

Just a portion of my Codex/Army book collection, they wouldn't all fit on one shelf

So before you bemoan the changing rules and newer editions of Codexes and Army Books that are coming out, just think about how you now own a chunk of history. Your outdated book is now a treasure trove of information just waiting to be rediscovered in a year or two. Certain aspects of the lore change or get left out, artwork gets replaced, and models get updated. So now instead of only having access to what's new, which is a very narrow swathe of our hobby, you can look at the old and the new and take what you want. Why not play out an alternate End Times storyline for Fantasy based off the Storm of Chaos campaign book, or play a few games from back when Lysander was just a Veteran Sergeant leading Tactical squads and chart his rise to Captain of the first company. These things are source books, and if you treat them merely as rules pamphlets you really are missing out and depriving yourself of a majority of the value right from the get go.

So, what are you favorite older Army Books or Codexes that you still flip through from time to time? My 6th edition Tomb Kings book has been out on my table almost as often as my 8th edition one while I've been building my army.

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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Mini of the Week 5-15-15

May 15, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: GALLERY: Battle-Brothers Izdubar and Ammenon

≪ Previous: EDITORIAL: The Value of the Codex (or Army Book)

Welcome back to Mini of the Week, where every Friday I will find a miniature from around the web that exemplifies an aspect of our hobby and share it with you.

Tribute to the Fallen by Volomir on CMoN

This model looks like a piece of art from an Army Book brought to life. First off let me say, an Elf riding a lion is just plain cool. The lion chariots have always been one of my favorite models from their range, so I may be a little biased, but this just take it to another level. The lion itself is converted excellently with a very natural and realistic pose. I also really like how he has taken the typical High Elf helmet design and stream lined it a bit. The giant wings on the sides of their helmets can look too cartoony if not done correctly. Here he has taken a more realistic route and made the wings follow the shape of the helmet a bit more.

The painting is fantastic as well and definitely maintains that traditional High Elf vibe. They are all about blues and whites and I really like how he tied the shade of blue into the color of the water. That water has to be one of my favorite part of it too. The wave crashing against the rock is very subtle, yet powerful at the same time. It helps reinforce this very archetypal image and just adds to the regal nature of the whole thing. The technical side of the painting is top notch, so there's not much to talk about there. Smooth blends, crisp lines, check. The blue shading on the ax is a nice touch. All in all this is a great mini diorama and is pretty much a Fantasy painting brought into the world of the three dimensional. Love it.

Be sure to check out more views of it on Cool Mini or Not and show the artist some love if you like it.

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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GALLERY: Battle-Brothers Izdubar and Ammenon

May 18, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: HOBBY: Developing a Story for your Army

≪ Previous: Mini of the Week 5-15-15

Having decided to finish my Astral Claws army for Adepticon next year I figured it was best to get started on what I have. The last few models I had painted were Sternguard with lots of detail, so I decided to scale it back a bit with some Tactical Marines.

Battle-Brother Izdubar

Izdubar was recruited from Badab Primaris during the beginning of the war and through Huron's methods, had his ascent to a full fledged Space Marine accelerated. As the Tyrant's forces began to feel the toll of attrition many member of the Scout company were promoted to regular Battle Companies ahead of schedule to replenish the ranks. Izdubar was one of those Marines, assigned to Squad Illinos. Unlike Squad Numas, which mostly consisted of seasoned veterans, Squad Illinos had been reduced to just a handful of seasoned Marines during the outbreak of the war. This was a common occurrence with how brutal the fighting was. Instead of lamenting the loss of heroic Space Marines however, Huron saw it as an excellent opportunity to pair up the new recruits with Veterans. He hoped this would help the recruits gain experience faster under the tutelage of the existing squad members, as well as balance out the overall skill level of the squads.

Izdubar was a very dependable Marine, although not particularly exceptional in any way. He passed all of his tests and could be relied upon to preform any duty assigned to him without question and to the best of his ability. This made him the perfect line Marine for the Astral Claws, devoted, unquestioning, and capable. Having been raised through the ranks after the Astral Claws had already begun their slide into heresy, he saw nothing wrong with their casual disregard for human life, and the pension for cruelty. This, however, did not mean that he himself enjoyed such things, and would often try his best to avoid inflicting unnecessary casualties amongst the Tyrant's Legion. However, if it was his life, or one of his Brother's lives weighed against even 100 mortal lives, the choice was clear. Through all the many battles, Izdubar survived until the end, fighting in defense of the Palace of Thorns. With the loss of their Captain, Corien Sumatris, aboard the orbital defense platforms, Squad Illinos was under the purview of the many ground commanders abroad on Badab, with Huron at the head. Izdubar fought for the Tyrant until his last, falling to a Star Phantoms bolter amongst the burned out ruins of the Palace as his squad desperately sought to pull back to the inner defenses.

First off let me say that I really like the 32mm bases. They add a ton of bulk to the model without having to actually make the models any larger. These are also my first guys from the new Tactical Squad set. The differences from the old one are subtle, but powerful.

My standard Astral Claws are about 90% silver, so once I get past that step it's all smooth sailing. My silver is actually a mix of the old Boltgun Metal and a little bit of black. I scrounged together some half used pots of Boltgun so I think I have enough to finish the rest of my infantry. I think I may have to switch to standard Leadbelcher for my vehicles though so I don't use it all up.

I'm really looking forward to retrofitting my other finished models with the 32mm converter rings to make their bases larger. Like I said, it will really add a lot to the army.

Battle-Brother Ammenon

Like his Battle-Brother, Izdubar, Ammenon was accelerated through the ranks of the Scout company to help alleviate the mounting casualties from the war. Unlike Izdubar, he excelled at most things he was tasked with and developed a penchant for boarding actions. He also began to take a sick joy in testing his skills against the loyalist Marines. This was not out of place within the ranks of the Astral Claws, and was actually encouraged, especially later in the war. Due to his natural skill when it came to close quarters fire fights he was gifted with the experimental Badab-Pattern Combat Shields. These light weight and small shields were typically attached to the wearer's left arm. Besides adding an extra layer of armor it also contained a small refractor field generator. More often then not it wouldn't deflect incoming fire, but the extra layer of protection it added to the Marine was sometimes the variable between life or death. This Combat Shield was developed illegally by Armenneus Valthex, the Astral Claws errant Techmarine. The technology was condemned by the Adeptus Mechanicus and lost after the Chapter fled into the Maelstrom.

Ammenon quickly became one of Squad Illinos' chief assets and racked up an impressive kill tally. During the defense of Badab itself his skills were essential in allowing the surviving members of the Squad to make it to the safety of one of the escaping vessels. He often acted as a scout, stalking through the ruins of the palace and ambushing the loyalists as they approached his squad mates. Caught between the fire of Ammenon and the rest of the squad, they were either cut down or forced to retreat and regroup. He was last seen boarding an escaping Thunderhawk with other surviving members of the Astral Claws.

Post-Badab War:
Ammenon made it into the safety of the Maelstrom after the chaos of the Badab War. There he flourished as a piratical Red Corsair for many decades, making the best use of his aptitude for boarding actions. Ever the pragmatist, he was last reported to have switched allegiances during the Pandorax incident and now fights under the colors of the Black Legion. It is assumed he now serves the Arch-Traitor and is part of the force massing within the Eye of Terror.

This guy was a lot of fun to build. I really wanted to get a special-ops kind of feel to him, which I think I achieved. The legs are from an assault marine and have been cut and repositioned. The joints between the armor plates had to be re-sculpted in some cases, but it wasn't too hard.

The "Badab-Pattern Combat Shield" is just one of the shoulder pad shields taken from the Terminator kit. It's something I have been doing since I started this army and only involves me dremmeling the back of them a bit to give it a rounded surface to sit flush with the arm. I mostly did it because I thought it looked cool and added bulk to the model, but it's also a nice way to add some more blue to the color scheme.

I paint all of my black leathers with a basecoat of Eshin Grey and then give it several washes of Nuln Oil. This gives me a little bit of a softer and warmer black which I think is perfect for a leather or rubber look. I also did this on the soft armor between the joints and any rubber hoses. I then line highlight it with Dawnstone Grey and a final highlight of Administratum Grey.

The gun pose was achieved by re-sculpting his right wrist with a little bit of greenstuff. I also had to glue his left arm down a little bit further to accommodate how far down the gun was. I hid this by positioning the shoulder pad on that arm a little bit higher then I normally would have.

Lastly, I got his combat knife from the Cadian box. I really like the idea of it being mounted upside down on his shoulder pad for easy access. It really helps to reinforce his no nonsense nature.

Be sure to check out the video below for some 360 degree views of the model. The music has once again been provided by Adam Harvey. It is the score to the The Lord Inquisitor Grey Knight trailer. You can follow Adam on his Facebook page and listen to some more of his music on his Youtube channel. Enjoy!

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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HOBBY: Developing a Story for your Army

May 20, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Mini of the Week 5-22-15

≪ Previous: GALLERY: Battle-Brothers Izdubar and Ammenon

We all love our armies and often form lasting connections with some of our models. Why not give them a more lasting place in our hearts and the grim, dark world they hail from?

I used to just paint the main chunk of my army to get it done and be "there" for my games. The only models I held dearly were maybe some of my characters or a lowly Tactical Marine who somehow manages to take out a Land Raider in almost every game. I would rush through painting the meat and potatoes of my army to get to the good stuff and lavish all my time and thought on them. Often just gluing my models together in the most basic (read: boring) pose possible because it was the quickest. Then came the great wargaming internet boom of the 2000's and I got to start seeing how other hobbyists out there really lavished as much time and detail on every model of their force. Not just with painting either, but with establishing a back story, a name and lore that gave tactical marine 37 some more substance and depth.

This is easiest to do with a small elite army, such as Space Marines, since you generally have less infantry models. When I started my newest Marine army, my Astral Claws, I was determined to give it a shot. In the lore Space Marines are described as being larger then life heroes, even the average line trooper and I wanted to reflect that with my army. You can do this several ways. You can establish a story before you even start to build your model and use your story cues to influence your design choices. You can finish your model entirely and then write your story based off of his finished appearance or you can do a little of both as you go along. This is generally what I do. I start with a basic idea: This guy is a little unhinged, or this guy is quiet and brooding, and use this to influence my design. I then flesh out the rest of the story at the end.

I also did quite a bit of research into the Astral Claws overall character before I started which gave me the little nugget of information that they are supposed to be somewhat influenced from early Babylonian design. Hence all of my names come from a Babylonian name data base.

Here is an example:

Balathu

Balathu was recruited from Badab Primis itself. In his youth he had joined a local hive gang to survive and became a ruthless murderer. When the Astral Claws went throughout the hives to recruit, one of their number was attacked by Balathu, who saw it as a chance to prove his worth and either join the astartes or elevate his position within the gang. He was defeated, but not without nearly slitting the marine's throat. Normally this type of attitude would not be tolerated within the astartes, but with Huron's drive to expand his chapter to the strength of a full legion Balathu was given a shot, he clearly had the martial talent.

Once within the ranks of the Astral Claws his brutal attitude made him a perfect fit for the Retaliator squads that were being formed. He served amongst their number for a decade before a lucky greenskin managed to take his left leg. The bionic replacement slowed him down to much to keep up with his brother retaliators and he was re designated as a Tactical marine. While he was a more then competent warrior he did not get along well with others and mostly kept to himself. He connected most with Sin-Nasir and Rihat and to everyone's surprise Arshaka. His friendship with Arshaka was merely a means to an end however. He knew that Numas was wary of him and did not fully believe in Huron's plans so he used Arshaka to keep tabs on the Sargent. Before a boarding action against the Red Scorpions Arshaka confided in him how Numas planned on switching over to the "loyalist" side if things became to dire, unfortunately Arshaka, Numas' only true ally, never made it off the enemy ship. Underneath the Palace of Thorns it was Balathu who slit Numas' throat and led the remnants of 2nd squad back to safety. The one item that Balathu always kept with him since his youth as a ganger was his combat knife, which was refitted with a mono-molecular edge after becoming an Astartes.

Post-Badab War: Since the end of the war a marine fitting Balathu's description, known as "the Flayer" has been seen leading groups of warriors in the ranks of the Red Corsairs. His bionic leg has since been replaced with a mutation granting him all the stealth and speed he could need after receiving the blessing of the dark gods and he adorns his armor with the flayed skin of his enemies. His rank is unknown, some say he is a Sargent while other claim he has formed his own warband within the ranks of the Corsairs. What is known is that even other members of the renegade chapter keep their distance from him; his friends have a tendency of turning up with their throat slit and their face missing, only for it to reappear stretched across Balthu's armor.

Balathu's fluff came from his menacing helmet, his bionic leg, and most of all his unique combat knife.

Kuri

Little is known about Kuri's past, in fact it has been rumored that he was originally a member of the Tiger Claws chapter before being absorbed into the Astral Claws. He is considered massive even for a Space Marine and stands a head taller than most of his peers. He largely keeps to himself and rarely is seen without his battle plate, despite this he is not cold or cruel like other members of the squad. It may take a lot to gain his friendship, but once you have you would be hard pressed to find anyone more loyal. Kuri never showed any animosity or favoritism towards the members of squad Numas but consistently would put his life on the line to save any of his battle-brothers. This steadfastness and loyalty has made him the rock upon which second squad would often rely. No matter what the situation, Kuri could be relied on to keep calm and continue to lay down suppressing fire until the squad was clear. Due to his massive frame he was a natural fit for the heavy weapons specialist in the squad and is as equally skilled with a Lascannon as he is with his favorite Multi-Melta.

As the Badab War escalated Kuri continued to follow whatever orders were assigned to him without question. It was noted that he was less brutal with the mortal allies within the Legion but he certainly did not show them any compassion either such as Numas did. During many campaigns second squad's survival was attributed to his unwillingness to back down, having single handily saved several of their lives on multiple occasions. When thanked for his help Kuri would simply grunt an acknowledgement before moving on to the next task. There was only one time when he was known to have turned on one of his battle-brothers. Underneath the Palace of Thorns after Balathu took Numas' life Kuri strode up to the psychotic marine and back handed him with enough force to crack his helmet and send him sprawling several feet backwards. When everyone thought he was going to kill Balathu he simply stood over him and said "Never again," before continuing with their retreat, leaving his brothers to help the marine to his feet.

Post-Badab War: A Marine matching Kuri's description known as "the Bull" has been seen fighting with the Red Corsairs on several occasions. If battlefield reports can be believed he has grown even more massive since retreating to the Maelstrom. He does not appear to have gained any sort of command and still commonly carries a heavy weapon to war although it is not unknown for him to close into assault either. On the few occasions where Balathu and Kuri have been reported fighting together it has been noted that the former tends to keep his distance from the latter. Whether this is out of fear or respect is unknown but operatives within the Inquisition are currently devising way to exploit this discovery.

Again much of my fluff was influenced from the model. I said he was tall because due to the way I posed his legs he did end up being about a head taller then an average marine and something about his pose just struck me as the silent type. Its also worth noting that at this time he was the 5th or so marine to get a back story so his story was influenced from those before. It helped me evolve a mythology for this squad that interconnected.

I really find this type of storytelling enhances my modeling projects because I care so much more about the end result. Its exciting for me because much of my story for this army is not planned out and just kind of evolves in the moment, so I don't even know where the next one will go. The last two from Monday had their stories developed as I was writing them. I have already started thinking about how Squad Illinos' story will progress. Do I want them to be as twisted as Squad Numas, or will they be more down the middle? I really enjoy bringing a little more life to my models since I spend so much time modeling and painting them. I even do this with my Tomb Kings, but only for my characters so far.

Have you done this for any of your models?

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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Mini of the Week 5-22-15

May 22, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Happy Memorial Day!

≪ Previous: HOBBY: Developing a Story for your Army

Welcome back to Mini of the Week, where every Friday I will find a miniature from around the web that exemplifies an aspect of our hobby and share it with you.

Crimson Fist Captain Visadar by Darren Latham on Putty and Paint

The man, the legend, Darren Latham. That name may sound familiar to you, and thats because he was the lead painter on the Games Workshop 'Eavy Metal team from 2001 - 2011 and a member of the sculpting team since then. It's no surprise then that his personal models are stellar. This is the first of two versions of this captain model that he has done, the second being a fantastic Iron Hands Captain. What is even more interesting is that the Captain mini is one of his own sculpts, and yet there is still conversion work done on it. All of the changes are pretty simple, swapping the head and power fist, a different right arm, and lastly Pedro Kantor's banner (with the design scraped off so he can paint some free hand of course). It's no surprise that the conversion work is seamless, making it appear that the model was like this way right out of the package.

I really like the color choices on this mini, they are bright, but not distractingly so. Of course the painting is flawless and a prime example of the 'Eavy Metal style. Again, no surprise, since the 'Eavy Metal style as we know it today was most likely designed by Darren. The purple cloak isn't something I would have thought of, but it makes sense when you consider how much red is already on the mini. All of his display bases are very simple, yet always have enough detail on them to catch your eye. They are used to frame the model and not distract from it. There's not much more I can really say about it, Darren Latham is the very definition of a painting (and sculpting) master.

I know GW probably has rules against it, but Mr. Latham I would love to interview you for the Miniature Painting Masters series if you are able and willing. Heck, it's practically named after you.

Be sure to check out more views of it on Putty and Paint and show the artist some love if you like it.

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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Happy Memorial Day!

May 25, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: RETRO-REVIEW: Nagash the Sorcerer

≪ Previous: Mini of the Week 5-22-15

Happy Memorial Day to all my American viewers! Since I reside in that mitten shaped state in the US, I will also be taking it easy today.

This Memorial Day I am up in northern Michigan, trying to take a break from the bustle of life. I am now relaxing in the same house I was in when the news about Nagash began leaking back in late August and I can't help but feel a bit of that same excitement about Warhammer Fantasy. 9th Edition is coming, and sooner rather then later, and I for one am eagerly awaiting it.

There is still a lot that is unknown about what the future holds for it, and it's even muddier with the release of those pictures of the Lizardmen army on BOTH round and square bases from the Warhammer World event.

There have also now been pictures of Fantasy character blisters that people have purchased recently that come packaged with both styles of bases. This leads me to believe that whichever base you use will have no effect on gameplay in 9th. This would mean that the ranking system is most likely gone, which would be disappointing, but I'll roll with the punches and I'm sure whatever the system for the game is it'll be fun to play. Alternatively the round bases could just be for the skirmish version of the game with square bases and ranking still being used for the larger battles. This seems unlikely though since they would want to use the skirmish game as an introduction to eventually get people to buy enough models to play the larger games. Having different bases between the two would just be an unnecessary roadblock.

A few of the definitively positive things to come out of these leaked pictures are the inclusion of certain models. Firstly, the Lizardmen are on display, which means they are not dead and gone like a lot of fear mongers have been saying. Secondly, there were several special characters who had been killed off in the End Times who had been rebased to be on round bases. If these characters were really dead and gone I don't see why they would have taken the time to rebase them.

Although there is a lot of uncertainty with what's coming in the near future, I have to say the new displays for Warhammer Fantasy at Warhammer World have left me excited. They are fantastic and apparently at least one of them will feature in the new 9th edition rulebook so it bodes well for the directions of the lore and existence of certain armies. Well I have already written more then I intended to for what was supposed to be a simple "I'm taking Memorial Day off" post, so I'll just leave you with some more pictures of those awesome displays!

All of the images were found on Natfka, the Bad Dice Facebook page and Recalcitrant Daze.

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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RETRO-REVIEW: Nagash the Sorcerer

May 27, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Mini of the Week 5-29-15

≪ Previous: Happy Memorial Day!

Being a Tomb King fan, the Nagash books from the Time of Legends series, is of course, a favorite of mine. I read Nagash the Sorcerer back when it was first released and decided to give it a second read recently between other books. So, how did it hold up?

This book was the first to really delve into Nagash as a character, and not just a boogeyman of the Fantasy world. We of course now have all of the End Times material which features the Usurper, but at the time this was it. He is also a much different kind of monster at the start of his tale than at the end against Archaon. I purposely used the word "monster", because there is no mistaking that's what he was even as a mere mortal.

The story opens with Nagash already having been in power for centuries, and now all of the city states, except for Numas, Zandri, and Bel-Aliad, are in open revolt against him. The priest king of Ka-Sabar stands defiantly against the Usurper and the opening battle is a great way to see how far Nagash has already fallen. The other cities of Nehekhara have no clue that he has power over the dead at this point, and are taken almost completely by surprise when the enemy soldiers they just killed rise up again to tear and claw at them. I was entertained by pretty much all of the battle scenes in this novel, and they are all pretty varied so you don't get bored. The chapters switch between being set during the cities' revolt against Nagash and his rise to power two centuries before.

It's pretty interesting to see how he learned Necromancy and stole the throne from his brother. There really never was any point in time when Nagash was not a horrible person. You will definitely not sympathize with him. For me though, the main story is the revolt set during the "present." Mike Lee did a ton of world building in this book, making each of the Nehekharen cities feel distinctly different from each other. This was almost entirely his work, since there wasn't much detail written about them before besides a few throw away lines. He also worked on their pantheon of gods, expanding them and explaining how they work in more detail. In general, the entire Nehekharen culture is expanded upon and made to be a believable, and working society. We get a ton of nods to current Tomb King units, such as the steam powered giant scorpion and giant constructs created by Lybaras. We even get to see their modern contemporaries in use as Nagash takes inspiration from them, creating the bone versions we know now.

The major players in the story are Nagash, Arkhan the Black, the priest kings of Ka-Sabar, Rasetra, and Lybaras, and a priest of Mahrak, Nebunefer. Each of these characters is equally as interesting as the others, even though most of them don't ever interact with each other. One of my favorite parts was the feint that Ka-Sabar's army executed against Bel-Aliad and the unintentional horror that ensued. The cities wage war according to a certain code of ethics, which Nagash has no intention of honoring. This forces all of them to adapt or be annihilated, which they come pretty close to several times.

The story in Nagash the Sorcerer is enthralling and entertaining and has some of the best world building I have seen in awhile. I would love to see more books set in the time before Nagash turned Nehekhara into the land of the dead. It's extremely rich and deep and even across the entire trilogy we only see the very surface of it scratched. This is no fault of Mike Lee's, as he just had so much story to cover, and a lot of Nagash's story in the second two books doesn't take place within Nehekhara, so our time is split. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is a Warhammer fan, and especially if you are a Tomb King player. It's definitely Warhammer, but it has its own distinct flavor since it is set so long ago and in a completely foreign land. The story of Nagash's rise and fall is the basis for the entire Undead faction in Warhammer and much of the story that comes after, so it's pretty essential to the Fantasy world.

The picture at the top is from the cover on the German version by the way, which is a larger format and extremely awesome! I would love to get that cover in English (hint, hint Black Library).

Final Score - 5/5

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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Mini of the Week 5-29-15

May 29, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: TUTORIAL: Photographing your Miniatures

≪ Previous: RETRO-REVIEW: Nagash the Sorcerer

Welcome back to Mini of the Week, where every Friday I will find a miniature from around the web that exemplifies an aspect of our hobby and share it with you.

Dwarf Engineer by darkwrath on CMoN

I saw this guy in this month's Warhammer Visions from the Golden Demon coverage and was immediately impressed. I generally liked all of the models that came out of the newest Dwarf release last year, but I did not like the new Engineer special character very much. He just seemed to cartoony and ridiculous for me. Well, I have been proven wrong. By simply using the open left hand option over the one holding the gun and swapping the head with the Slayer model this hobbyist has completely changed the feel of the model. There was a little bit of sculpting work to make the new head fit the body and cover the gap where the mohawk normally went, but beyond that I believe everything else is just plastic. The sweep of the beard and manic look in his eyes really help reinforce the way he is thrusting his axe out. I can just imagine this guy yelling something about killing some dirty Grobi.

I'm usually not overly enthusiastic about NMM paint jobs, but this one is just to nice to ignore. Sometimes I feel like it can just come off as showing off, but it really helps reinforce the model here. The red of his skirt is nice and subdued as well to let the metal and skin take center stage. The scenic display is simple, but undoubtably Dwarfish. It doesn't distract the eye at all, but has enough detail to keep your attention. This is the perfect balance to strike when making a scenic base for a model. You can't tell from these pictures, but there's a busted up miner's railway leading to the doorway behind him. All around a great mini and one of the most unique things I have seen done with the new Dwarf models.

Be sure to check out more views of it on Cool Mini or Not and show the artist some love if you like it. You can also find more pictures and other models at his personal blog, Goldfish of Justice.

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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TUTORIAL: Photographing your Miniatures

June 1, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: HOBBY: Converting a Black Templar Marshall

≪ Previous: Mini of the Week 5-29-15

Model photography is something that takes some trial and error. There are plenty of guides out there, and they are all helpful, but unless you are a professional studio photographer you will probably have a bit of a learning curve. It's okay though, lets take a look at a bit of what I have learned.

Let's start off with looking at one of my older pictures and one of my newer.

This is an old Fire Hawk terminator I painted up when I was still deciding on which Badab War army I wanted to do. There are a few things that stand out right away to me looking at this picture. The colors are overly saturated, the whites are too blown out, the focus is off, and it's a little grainy. I most likely just took this picture against a white piece of paper using my daylight lamp that I paint with. A lot of the issues came from me trying to "correct" the photo in Photoshop. Due to improperly lighting the model from the get go I had to try and cover up my mistakes. Now let's look at a newer picture.

I took this picture only a few weeks ago and you can immediately see the improvement. The most obvious difference is the black background as opposed to the blank white of the older one. This is a little bit down to personal preference, but I find that black makes the colors pop more, plus it seems to be a favorite amongst other people as well. I have put two versions of the same model up on Cool Mini or Not, one with a black background and one with a white one. The black background has consistently outscored the white one by at least a full point each time. Keep in mind I'm talking about the same model. The other differences come down to better lighting as well as keeping my Photoshop manipulation down to a minimum. All I did on this one was lighten the exposure a bit and then play with the white balance.

This is my new photo set up. The light box is a huge help. You can see that I have a light on each side of the box as well as one of my daylight lamps from the front. This helps get even lighting all the way around. I elevated my side lamps a little bit so that they are shining at a downward angle, but also because I have elevated my models now too.

I try and put all of my models on some type of display plinth or box every time I take a picture now. This helps with shadows and also lets you light the model strongly without also lighting the backdrop.

When using a black backdrop it's important to have the settings on your camera's exposure correct. Your camera is going to want to set the exposure to have the black backdrop properly lit, not the model. To fix this I always set a piece of white paper behind my model, then adjust my exposure settings. Once I have them where I like I remove the paper. Your camera will tell you that the exposure is too low once it's just the black backdrop, but it's not, it will be just right. The model will be nice and bright, while the black will be suitably dark.

Here is a slightly older picture where I used a piece of white paper. It's still miles ahead of the Fire Hawk, and that has to do with properly lighting it like above, but also knowing other important factors. There is a ton of depth on this mini, so to make sure it was all in focus I set the F-Stop to the highest possible setting and set the camera as far back as I could and zoomed in all the way. The last important thing to remember is to have your ISO as low as possible, this will reduce the grain. A higher ISO will make it easier to photograph, but will add grain, so it's better just to make sure you are using the proper amount of lighting. I also use a tripod for all of my pictures and a time delay on the shutter. Due to the high F-Stop, my exposure times are usually several seconds long, which means if I touch the camera at all the picture will be blurry. The delayed shutter allows me to set it all up and then let it take the picture on its own.

When I'm posting pictures while I'm painting I generally just use my phone. With today's phones these pictures can end up being almost as nice ones with an actual camera. I don't worry to much about lighting with these and generally just hold the model close to a ceiling light if it's at night, or in front of a window during the day. I then use Instagram to adjust it a bit and get it to a level I am happy with.

I'm sure a year from now I will have learned even more and hopefully further improved my photography skills. Maybe I will have moved on from black backgrounds and back to white, or even a texture or another color. I hope that this helps you a little bit with taking pictures of your own models.

My top suggestions for you are:

- Invest in a light box. They aren't too expensive and they will massively improve your photos. You can even make your own using paper or cloth sheets and some ingenuity.

- Invest in at least three lights. Lighting your model form multiple angles will help eliminate shadows as well as make sure all the time and effort you put into painting is visible for everyone to see.

- Get a tripod and a camera with a time delay on the shutter.

- Keep trying and changing things around if you aren't happy with how your pictures are turning out. It takes practice and patience.

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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HOBBY: Converting a Black Templar Marshall

June 3, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Mini of the Week 6-5-15

≪ Previous: TUTORIAL: Photographing your Miniatures

It's not often that I have a reason to do such an elaborate conversion outside of a competition. This Black Templar Marshall (or captain) is a commission I picked up recently and it really let me flex my sculpting muscles.

When I was given the commission the guidelines were simple. I was provided with the old metal Vanguard Veteran Sergeant, a new head, shoulder pad, and sword to use and told to sculpt on a cape similar to the Sword Brethren models. When I looked at the model a few things stood out to me that I know I would have to change.

Since this guy wasn't going to have a jump pack I figured it would be best to remove him from his pile of rubble he's leaping on. That meant sculpting him a new foot. Originally I was going to sculpt the new foot entirely from scratch, but after a few frustrating attempts where the model would fall of the pin I had used to attach him to the base and squish all my work I changed approaches. Searching through my bits box (which includes heaps of Space Marines after years of collecting) I found a model I had already borrowed some parts from. Since I wasn't going to be able to use it anyway, I borrowed another part, the tip of his right foot. I glued it on to the metal model at the angle I wanted, pinned him to the base and quickly sculpted the rock he is stepping on as well as the gap between the two foot parts.

The next thing I noticed were the jump pack cables going across his chest. Without his jump pack it would look a little silly. Luckily Black Templars are big fans of tabards, so after discussing it with the client I chopped off the cables and started sculpting. The top portion was done all in one go and I am fairly happy with how it turned out. I have found that the key to a convincing sculpt, regardless of whether it's cloth or not, are sharp edges.

Clearly the more gentle folds wouldn't have sharp edges, but the "lip" of the collar would, so I spent a good amount of time making small adjustments to it as it dried to get it just right. I did the lower part in three stages. First I did the main shape with the folds near the crotch. Once that was dry I extended it a bit to be longer and did a few more folds near the center of it. The last step was to extend the fold all the way to the bottom and sharpen up the corners. Most of this was done on different days so there was plenty of time to dry in between.

Replacing the head and shoulder pad were pretty straight forward thankfully, since the arms were separate pieces. I did have to re-sculpt the back collar near the head though, but it is a fairly basic shape. During once of these sculpting sessions I had some leftover greenstuff so I decided to ad a laurel to his helmet. It only took my a few minutes per side and I think it really helps reinforce the Templar feel.

The hardest part by far was the cape. I have never sculpted a cape before, and this one had to have motion in it too! I first made the basic shape with a flat piece of greenstuff before attaching it to the model. The Sword Brethren cape also attaches to the front of one of the shoulder guards.

Once it was on the model I teased it into shape and then used poster tac to help hold its shape while it dried. All I did was stick clumps of it between the model's base and the underside of the cloak. I had to make sure I put them in the right places though, since they more or less determined the shape of the folds. I did have to check on it a few times during the initial stages of drying, since it will want to droop, but after a certain stage I was able to leave it alone.

Once that was completely dry I started adding the detail to it in the form of more folds. I stuck even more poster tac underneath it so I could press down on the cape while sculpting without breaking it off the model. I did the detail in four stages. I started near the dip where it's going between the shoulder and the back since it was the most interesting and would also have the most folds. After the first session about half the cape was done.

The next day I did the folds on the other half as well as adding a few more to the first half. The third session saw me sharpening up the corners and during the fourth and final session I filled in a few gaps on the underside. I also gave the whole thing several coats of extremely thinned down Liquid Greenstuff. This helped cover the few remaining fingerprints in the putty as well as blend all of the sculpting together. The final bit of detail on the model was to ad a heraldry shield to his shoulder to act as a brooch for the cape and hold it in place.

I really like how the cape turned out and it's much more dynamic then I was even originally hoping for. I'm really starting to like sculpting, from this cape, to my chariot's constructs, to my 100% scratch sculpted Squig. I have even started sculpting something else that I hope will be the start of something big, you may have seen my post a teaser on Twitter awhile ago.

This guy is ready for painting now and I hope to start on him next week. Now for a bit of self promotion. Remember, I do take commissions (like this model I'm showing off!), so if your interested you can contact me at tylerm@mengelminiatures.com. You can get an idea of my pricing with my pricing guide up near the top of my site, but every project is different, so contact me for a concrete quote on what ever you are thinking of getting done.

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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Mini of the Week 6-5-15

June 5, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: REVIEW: Betrayer

≪ Previous: HOBBY: Converting a Black Templar Marshall

Welcome back to Mini of the Week, where every Friday I will find a miniature from around the web that exemplifies an aspect of our hobby and share it with you.

Imperial Fist Veteran Sergeant by Thor Intararangson on Putty & Paint

This model is so simple, yet almost perfect for it. The pose is not over the top, and with the options available in the marine kits nowadays most likely has very little sculpting work. The yellow is a perfect muted yellow, but not as mustardy as I have seen sometimes. All of the blending is very smooth and pretty much flawless. All of these things make a great miniature, but what really stands out to me are just a handful of things.

First off, that head is great. I'm not sure if it's from somewhere or if he sculpted it, but either way it's unique for a marine and really fit the pose of the model. He even has eyebrows, which isn't something you see very often on minis. Secondly, the battle damage on the armor is phenomenal. It's so minute that it almost gets lost in the paint job. The smallness and randomness of it though is what makes it so realistic looking. Most damage on a giant suit of armor like that would just be a bunch of tiny scratches and chips. It may not look like much, but I guarantee that took a lot of time to do. The last few details that really stand out to me are the chapter symbol and the base. The Imperial Fist symbol is so neat and precise but still has a little bit of damage on it. The base would almost get overlooked, but that Imperial Eagle on the broken concrete really grabbed my attention once I noticed it. Again, it is very precise, but the damage done to it and the amount of concrete dust that has settled on it is what really elevates it. To me this model really shows that a mini doesn't have to be big and flashy to be noteworthy. Sometimes it's just about getting all of the tiny details just right.

Seriously, that battle damage is something else.

Be sure to check out more views of it on Putty and Paint and show the artist some love if you like it.

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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REVIEW: Betrayer

June 8, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: OPINION: Top 5 Horus Heresy Books

≪ Previous: Mini of the Week 6-5-15

When I finished up Betrayer by Aaron Dembski-Bowden back when it first came out I described it as suffering from what I call awesome book syndrome. I finished it way to quickly and just wanted more.

Aaron's books are known for the layered depth he manages to bring to our favorite post-human warriors and their liege lords and Betrayer is no different. The story picks up immediately after The Butcher's Nails and a few months or so after Isstvann V with Lorgar's Shadow Crusade in Ultramar in full swing. Without spoiling to much, the goal of the crusade is to finalize the process that Erebus started on Calth and cut off the Ultramarines from the rest of the Imperium. This is done through copious amounts of bloodshed as they slaughter their way from planet to planet.

The real meat of the story are the characters and this book follows several. If there was one weak point I had to pick on for this book its that I don't really know who our main protagonist is supposed to be, it is more of an ensemble with no central emphasis. On the Word Bearer side of the novel we follow Argel Tal, Lorgar and a few other surprise secondary characters and with the World Eaters we get Angron, Kharn and Lotara, the ship captain for Angron's flagship. We see the effects of the Butcher's Nails on the legionaries and the degradation of the World Eater's legion as a whole. This is given even more contrast by the inclusion of Lhorke, the former Legion Master from before the reunion with their Primarch and currently a contemptor dreadnought. Lacking the Nails and having been in hibernation for extended periods of time he sees the degradation of the legion in even more personal terms. This novel continues the trend of seeing the traitor legions fall more into the embrace of Chaos, especially the Word Bearers. The World Eaters have the Nails to blame where as Lorgar's lot has no excuse.

Lotara is quite an interesting character in that she is a mortal and shows almost no fear towards Angron or Kharn, the latter of which is a good friend of hers. She clearly has rank on several of the legionaries and flexes her power on a few occasions which is a new dynamic we don't see very often. Aaron seems to have a penchant for writing strong female characters in a lead role in most of his books, Lotara, Cyrene, the Fenresian Inquisitor from The Emperor's Gift, again a nice change of pace from what we normally see in 40k fiction which is dominated by overly muscled men. Having just seen the new Mad Max movie, I would have to compare her to Furiousa in terms of a strong female character.

One of the more interesting inclusions in the novel is Magnus, not someone you would expect to see in a World Eater centric story. Lorgar and him have a very genuine and believable friendship and when you no longer have a physical body and are the second most powerful psyker in the galaxy, time and space don't pose much of a problem. Angron's story is fleshed out a lot more with much of his mysterious past explored in a believable and emotional manner. One of my favorite things about him is the way he speaks, with frequent "hngggs"s and other guttural noises scattered throughout. This makes it very enjoyable to read his dialogue and brings another level of realism to the whole affair. Kharn and Argel Tal are the only stable tie between the two legions, both of whom seem pretty disillusioned with the war. Kharn is strangely sympathetic considering what we know he becomes in the future, which makes his eventual fate even more tragic. He seems to be the only one who can still think clearly, well, most of the time. Argel Tal's story in this novel revolves around his brotherhood with Kharn, his last true friend. The First Heretic dealt with his faith and his fall from grace while here we see him trying desperately to hang on to the last thing that grounds him and makes him human. While their story is interesting they are out shined by their Primarchs.

The battles are fast paced and interesting with a little more realism then what is generally shown in the Black Library novels. City warfare has never seen more brutal and intense then on Amutara. Some of my standout moments include a collapsing cityscape, a desperate boarding action, violent planetary forces and a duel for the ages.

This is one of those rare Black Library novels where the action is intense, the characters believable and the quieter moments are deep and revealing all in equal measure. It was hard to put down and I am strongly looking forward to Aaron's next Heresy novel, and with a title like The Master of Mankind who wouldn't be?

Ready the Ursus Claws! - 5/5

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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OPINION: Top 5 Horus Heresy Books

June 10, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: Mini of the Week 6-12-15 and a Charity!

≪ Previous: REVIEW: Betrayer

Since I just posted a review of Betrayer on Monday and recently picked up the latest book in the series, Legacies of Betrayal, I have been thinking about the Heresy series lately. I immediately thought about my favorite books from the Horus Heresy and came up with my Top Five. Take a look and see if you agree.

5. Angel Exterminatus

The first novel to feature the Lord of Iron, Perturabo, really hit it out of the park for me. I wasn't expecting much from this novel going into it, not because I expected it to be bad, but there just wasn't much written about the Iron Warriors at this point. Graham McNeill really did a great job at fleshing out a legion and Primarch who were pretty much a blank slate up till that point. Perturabo became an extremely tragic figure and really one of the most human and relatable traitor Primarchs. He realized that he had made a mistake, but it was too late and he was committed at that point.

It was also really nice to see all of the connections that were made with the 40k classic Storm of Iron and of course it also had a very engaging and action packed plot. This, in my opinion, has the best characters from the Shattered Legions I have seen so far in the series. Who doesn't love a Raven Guard ninja?

4. The First Heretic

Aaron Dembski-Bowden's debut novel into the Horus Heresy didn't pull any punches. This book spanned the largest chunk of time we've seen so far, showing the fall of the Word Bearers legion in its entirety. Yet again, another Primarch who hadn't had much screen time finally got his time to shine. Lorgar may not be the most tragic character, and honestly his choices are pretty poor and petty at times, but there's no doubt that his fall is captivating. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion, of course the Emperor's choice of punishment shares some of the blame.

We are also introduced to one of the series' fan favorites with Argel Tal. Aaron has a talent for taking someone who would typically be the bad guy and making them sympathetic and relatable, even when they are committing mass genocide. This is also are first real look at the Custodes and what they are capable of, as well as our first peak at Aaron's take on Konrad Curze and Sevetar. All in all, The First Heretic is pretty much a must read.

3. A Thousand Sons

I remember thinking this was the best Warhammer novel I had read back when this first came out, period. I think the Thousand Sons are still seen as the single most tragic of the traitor legions, since they were pretty much forced into turning. Most of my favorite books involve some form of world building and Graham McNeill did plenty here with establishing the legion's culture. They really seemed unique from the rest of the legions, probably too unique, which lead to everyone else being afraid of them.

There are just too many great moments to list here, the Eldar titans, the council of Nikea, the actual razing of Prospero. This was one of those novels that was impossible to put down once you started. I am definitely excited for McNeill's next Heresy novel, The Crimson King. More Magnus is always a good thing. Now it's time to see how they actually turn to Chaos.

2. Horus Rising

How could I have a list of my top favorite Horus Heresy novels without including the one that started it all. This is the book that kickstarted an entire franchise and brought us one of the communities absolute favorite characters, Loken. Who could forget the first time they saw a Primarch brought to life on a page? There was so much to take in that first time you read it, the Primarchs, the 30k setting, the Imperial Truth. It was all so different from 40k, yet at the same time familiar.

This one is a little odd since it's just part of a trilogy, but I would argue that it is the strongest of the three.

1. Know No Fear

Know No Fear is by far, my absolute favorite Heresy book. The tension and action just keeps ramping up throughout the whole book. The mark of Calth counting down towards the moment of betrayal the whole first half was awesome. There are just so many cinematic moments in this novel, such as the first shot fired, the space ships falling from the sky, and some top grade Primarch action.

I have loved all of Dan Abnett's contributions in the series, but I don't know if he'll ever be able to top this. He took the Ultramarines, who are widely ridiculed in 40k, and made them one of the coolest legions around. Roboute Guilliman was great, even though he was absent for a large portion of the story and the Word Bearers really got to show their true colors for the first time as a whole legion. If there is a Heresy book I am going to reread first, it'll be this one.

Well those are my top five Horus Heresy books. I pretty much had the top three decided from the get go, but the bottom two were hard. There were so many other great books that could just have easily been in those spots, like Betrayer, Legion, Fulgrim, Mechanicum, Scars, and Prospero Burns just to name a few. That's not even including the short stories, which if I had to choose The Last Church might win out in that bunch.

What do you think of my list? Do you agree or would your top five be completely different? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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Mini of the Week 6-12-15 and a Charity!

June 12, 2015, 8:00 am

≫ Next: GALLERY: Tomb King Chariot

≪ Previous: OPINION: Top 5 Horus Heresy Books

Welcome back to Mini of the Week, where every Friday I will find a miniature from around the web that exemplifies an aspect of our hobby and share it with you.

Salamanders Librarian by Jay Goldfinch

This is my favorite type of conversion, the one where you wouldn't even know it's not an official model if you weren't familiar with the mini it's based off of. I love how the generic Space Marine Librarian has been made so completely into a member of the Salamanders. It's always nice to see more effort put into customizing a Marine model beyond just painting their armor a different color. The elements used to convert this guy are subtle but important. Both the cloak and the bottom half of his tabard have been replaced to look like a drake skin. I imagine these are from the Dark Elf Corsair kit with some greenstuff work. Another subtle change that helps differentiate this guy from the stock kit was the new head on the staff. There is nothing distinctly Salamander about it, but it's a nice touch nonetheless.

The base is suitably scenic as well, with the flames being a particularly nice addition to really hammer home the Promethean flavor. The painting on this guy is top notch as well. It's nice and crisp with bright colors that stand out. Sometimes Salamander faces can look weird with their "coal black" skin and glowing red eyes, but I think it was handled very well here. It looks as realistic and convincing as it can look.

Normally I don't include a second photo in these articles, but I wanted to show off the painting on the drake skin cloak. Not only do I really like the shade of green and the brown used for shading, but I also really like the texture painted on to the flat areas. It definitely has a lizard skin feel to it.

The last important thing to mention is that this guy was painted for a charity raffle! That's right, this model was painted as part of a Salamander's Space Marine army that has contributions from a multitude of hobbyists and painters. The whole army is being raffled off to one lucky winner as part of Rob's WAAC (Wargamer's are All Against Cancer) charity raffle with all of the proceeds going towards Macmillian Cancer Support. You can see what's been finished for the Salamanders army and what's yet to come here. So not only do you have a chance to win a fully painted Salamanders army including the awesome model above, but you'll be supporting a worthy charity and showing that us wargamers and hobbyists can really make a positive difference in the world.

So if you want to but a raffle ticket for a chance to win the army, or just to contribute to the charity, then be sure to click the link above or right here!

Be sure to check out more views of it on Cool Mini or Not and show the artist some love if you like it. You can also find more pictures and other models at his personal blog, Dark Eye Studios.

Until next time,

Tyler M.

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Battle-Brother Izdubar

Battle-Brother Ammenon

Post-Badab War:

Balathu

Kuri

5. Angel Exterminatus

4. The First Heretic

3. A Thousand Sons

2. Horus Rising

1. Know No Fear

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