Enter Infinity!

Wargaming, I am back! Well sort of...

A few weeks ago a friend and I were talking, He stated that he was thinking of getting into Infinity. I immediately piped up and said, "Hell Yeah!" I have been in love with Infinity forever but didn't know anyone that played so never bought into it. With him getting into it, it gives me perfect opportunity to get and paint new mini's! WOOT!

Dystopian Wars Battle Report - Island Grab Pt 2

Turn 2

Prussians gain initiative this turn.

P1
Damaged Gunships press on and fire into the oncoming Assault Carrier. Side note: As the Prussian player, I forgot to assault the island.

E1 (no Pic)

Assault Carrier inched forward. Fired but didn't cause any damage.

New Dystopian Wars site

There is a new Dystopian Wars fansite. Check it out

Dystopian Wars Battle Report - Island Grab

THE SCENARIO

This scenario is built around the idea that there is a fortified island that is vital to the advancement of both nations. The fleets must converge on the island, assault and dispatch the local forces, and then fend of the enemy assault force,

THE OBJECTIVE

The fortified island, located in the approximate center of the board.

THE FORCES

Prussians

1 x  Emperor Battleship (w/ 5 fighter CAP)
2 x Hussar Gunship
2 x Hussar Gunship
4 x Stolz Destroyers
2 x Pflicht Scout ship
1 x Gewitterwolke Airship (w/ 5 fighter CAP)
1 x Black Wolf

DEPLOYMENT

Arriving from the South.

Empire of the Blazing Sun

1 x Sokatsu Dreadnaught (w/ 2 Escorts)
1 x Kiyohime Assault Carrier (w/ 2 Escorts, 1 x Recon Plane, 3 x Torpedo Bombers)
3 x Tanuki Gunships
3 x Yurgi Destroyers
2 x Nakatsu Cruisers
3 x Fujin Corvettes
3 x FujinCorvettes

5 x Fighter Planes
5 x Fighter Planes

DEPLOYMENT

Arriving from the North

TURN 1

EotBS won the initiative.

E1
Sneaking around the Eastern island, a squadron of Corvettes move forward.

P1
Squadron of two Hussar Gunships push forward, still out of range.

E2
Destroyers inch forward in the center.

P2
Second group of Gunships ignite the Tesla Generators and press forward. They fire into the oncoming destroyers, sinking the middle one and causing 1HP damage to the next.

E3
Gunships inch forward and retaliate against the Prussian Gunships. Incendiary Rockets cause 2 hits and a Raging Fire Token.

P3
Destroyers head into the fray and fire guns into the oncoming Gunships. They inflict a Critical Hit to the middle one causing 2HP damage and knocking the Generators out.

E4
Cruisers inch forward.

P4
Battleship ignites the Tesla Generator but does not gain enough power to move very much. CAP follows.

E5
Recon plane scouts the western edge of the battle.

P5
The Black Wolf charges up the Echo Generator to create a ghost of its self. Both echoes move forward.

E6
Dreadnaught and Escorts move forward and unload on the Prussian Destroyers with one sinking.

P6
High in the clouds the Airship lumbar over the south-east island. Tesla coils ignite but fail to do any damage to the Blazing Sun Fleet. The airships CAP follows close beside.

E7
Torpedo Bombers speed forward.

P7
Scout ships follow the airships lead.

E8
Assault carrier and escorts creep around the island.

E9
Far west Corvettes move forward.

E10 and E11
Fighter planes soar over the north-east island.

End Phase
The EotBS Gunships repair the Generators but the Prussians fail to put out the Raging Fires. In fact, the inferno is too much for the crew to handle and it increases in size (rolled a 6 for repair and received another RF token)

Turn 2 coming soon...

Broken Ties - Dystopian Wars Battle Report....lost!

Somewhere, somehow, the technology gods decided they did not want me to post the remaining turns and finally of the Broken Ties Battle Report. Magically all the pictures from the battle report had disappeared from my computer and/or the SD card.

I'm almost willing to bet that it was the maniacal machinations of a certain 6 year old that's been usurping my computer for "school work"...uh-huh!

I also was suffering from strep throat last week so no painting was accomplished. Last night, I did manage to prime the newest addition to my fleet... The Black Wolf.

Captain Vladimir Nikonov is what many call a criminal, but he thinks of himself more akin to a pirate of old. He has no allegiance to any nation, and will, for the right payment, bring the full, deadly force of The Black Wolf to a military engagement. A veteran of the Russian Coalition naval forces, Nikonov rose quickly through the ranks, and soon became the chosen Captain to command the latest technological achievement of the Russian Coalition, the Submersible приносящий смерть (Death Bringer).

But on its maiden voyage Nikonov, and his loyal supporters, stole the submersible and vanished. A year later reports of a devastating ‘underwater machine of destruction’ first appeared in a Britannian newspaper following the destruction of a flotilla of KoB warships in the waters around Greenland. Within 6 months the names Nikonov and The Black Wolf would be heard around the world… and death would soon follow.

Hopefully I'll get it painted soon enough.

p.s. I also have base coated all of my airships and inked them.

Curse of Zandri pt 1

I finished the Curse of Zandri ship for Dreadfleet last night. I took some pics this afternoon but I don't like them so I'll have to take some more pics once I have a bit more time.

The process:


I put the model completely together except for attaching it to the base. Primed the model in white due to not having any other primer colors at the moment. It was raining and I didn't feel like going out to get some.

Ushabti and Warsphinx thing - Vallejo Black base coat. Edges and marbled with GW Dark Angels Green. Highlighted the Marble effects and edges with Hawk Turquoise. Trim and Weapons: Mix of 1:1 Vallejo Gold and Privateer Press Umbral Umber. Then built up highlights to straight Vallejo Gold. GW Brown Ink was applied to the inlay and markings on weapons then picked out with Vallejo Gold.

Deck and Oars: Privateer Press Bloodstone.Washed them with GW Devlan Mud then dry brushed with PP Bloodstone.

Gold: Mix of 1:1 Vallejo Gold and Privateer Press Umbral Umber. Then built up highlights to straight Vallejo Gold.

Hull: Base coat of Vallejo Iraqi Sand. Wash of GW Devlan Mud.

Red and Blue Banding: blue was painted with Vallejo Prussian Blue and highlighted with GW Ice Blue. The red is GW Mechrite Red with a highlight of GW Macharius Solar Orange.

Weapons on Deck: Catapults Vallejo Iraqi Sand with wash of Devlan Mud. Bolt Thrower things. GW Chainmail washed in GW Badab Black

Water: Basecoat of  Vallejo Prussian Blue. Dry-brushed with GW Enchanted Blue, then with Ice Blue. Then a heavy wash of 1:1 of GW Thrakka Green wash and GW Badab Black wash. After wash dried painted Vallejo White on the wave crests. Bones and skulls were painted a basecoat of Vallejo Iraqi Sand and then highlighted with Vallejo White.

I tihnk that's about it. If I remember anything else. I'll post it when I repost pics.

Newest project

I recently purchased the new, pretty, Ogre Kingdom Thundertusk/Stonehorn kit. I've decided to build it as a Thundertusk. My goal is to paint it up really nice-like and sell it on Ebay or Ogre Kingdom player friend of mine.

Here's a WiP pic.

Long way to go!

Back

It's been a hectic month or two with starting a new job and starting a Master's degree Program and trying to be a good dad and husband and all that other stuff that comes with life. This doesn't mean I haven't been playing, painting, or modeling but it does mean that I haven't made time to post anything.

In the playing realm, I've been involved in an escalation league for Warhammer Fantasy. I'm currently in 1st place with my Skaven. I'll post a battle report or 2 soon.

In the painting realm, I am currently working on a friends Gnoblars for him. After painting Ogres he just doesn't have the patience to paint the tiny little guys that are Gnoblars. So, he's hired me to do them.

In the modeling realm....nada!

I feel like I am getting burnt out on Warhammer so I am trying to figure out what to do next. I've been tossing the idea of Malifaux or 40k. I have plenty of both to work on. I'll probably lean more towards Malifaux because it's not a GW product and I really like the models I have. AND because Puppet Wars is coming soon.

Temptation

Games Workshop are once again tempting me with Dark Eldar goodness. Why are they doing this to me now!?! 

 Curse you GW!

Delays

Over the last few weeks I've started a new job (from not having one for the last 2 and half years) and started a Master's degree program. Needless to say I am a bit overwhelmed and can't really concentrate on little soldiers at the moment. But last night my wife, being the good counselor that she is, is ordering me to take 30 minutes out of my day for me. So, that 30 minutes will most likely be miniature painting or building or something. I spent last night's thirty minutes cleaning off my desk!

As a side note, I have finally received the correct Vallejo colors to continue my US Army in ACU.  Also, due to some people asking how I did the ACU I'll be posting a Tutorial, sometime. I also received a Space Wolf Pack that I can work on my White Howlers, my Space Wolves successor chapter

And because I don't like posting something without a picture of miniatures here are pics of my Screaming Bell. Pics are a bit blurry but you can still tell what it is.

Until Next time!

ACU (digital camo) pt 2

Here is my second attempt at Digital Camo or ACU. This one is much better than my first attempt but not quite as good as I wanted. For some reason, when I painted the first model forgot how to paint or something. This one looks much better.



He is nearly finished. I need to add some highlights to his rifle and goggles. Maybe another layer of skin tone and some straps. I'm undecided on his back pack and pouches. I've seen some pics where the pouches are desert colors, and some where they are ACU. So, I don't know.

Edit: I wanted to ad some real life examples that I'm using as reference.

I am about to go on an anniversary trip so I won't be able to finish him or work on the others in the unit until I get back.

New methods

I've stripped the paint off those Caesar Modern US Army figures. Since my last attempt to paint them in ACU failed miserably (in my opinion), I've searched high and low for an idea of how to paint ACU on such a small scale. Eventually, I found a method I am going to use and see if it works on this scale.The figures below are 28mm where mine are closer to 20mm.

These are Empress Miniatures US Army miniatures painted by jas as seen on the Ambush Alley Games Forums here

Also, I have the rough shape of four buildings now. I'm not posting any pics until I get all the ones I'm building to a stage that I think is worthy of pictures. Probably right before I start applying the texture to the walls. We'll see.

Tale of the Fantasy Painter

My entry for this months Tale of the Fantasy Painter is a unit of 6 Plague Censer Bearers and a unit of 26 Plague Monks. I'm not completely finished with these units.

I still need to add some minor details like color for sores, puss, and runny noses. I also need to put writing on banners and whatever those other guys are carrying.

PLANNED FOR THIS MONTH: Either HPA or Stormvermin. The HPA is scratch built but I'm not finished building it. The Stormvermin are bare plastic. hmmmm decisions.

Building buildings pt 1

I've been building terrain for years. Most of my creations have been thrown away or given away. The biggest loss of terrain came when I sold my store. With it went all  but my most essential terrai, few hills, few forrests, few buildings. With me working on a new game, based in a modern setting, I need terrain for it so here I go.


The first of my Middle Eastern Style buildings was started about a week ago. But it is just a square foam board building, nothing that exciting and quite boring. So, I started working my second, more architecturally challenging, one yesterday. I'm using the same techniques and materials that can be found all over the web for this style of miniature architecture; Foam board, Xacto knife, Steel ruler, Spackle, blah lbah blah. As I get further along I may ad some other items and materials as needed.

Here is the initial pic of my second structure. It is just taped together to see how it all will fit together and how it looks. It will "square up" once I solidify it with glue and put it on a base. I still need to cut out some windows and other openings. Oh and in looking at the picture, I should have put a miniature on the roof or behind the wall or something to show scale. It is about 20mm or 1:72 scale.

US ARMY ACU Painting Test

I finally sat down and put a brush to the Caesar Modern US Army figures. I decided to go with the ACU pattern for their camoflage. It's "technically" their current pattern but it's
getting phased out to make way for Multicam.

I think that the pattern is too dark for ACU and the gloves are too green. I might try another figure tomorrow with a little shade lighter.

Upcoming League

This Tuesday (5/3) is the start of a Warhammer Fantasy Escalation  League at one of the local game stores. While I have some issues with they way they are approaching the League I will participate and utilize their league to play some Warhammer Fantasy battles (which is a rare commodity in this day and age).

Anyway, I've been contemplating what army I am going to play in the League and have finally settled on Skaven. Simply because I have more of them painted than any other army I have at the moment. After even more deliberation I've settled on a list...



750 Pts - Skaven Roster
Warlord (1#, 98 pts)
1 Warlord, 98 pts (General; Hand Weapon; Halberd; Heavy Armour)
1 Rat Hound Bodyguard

Chieftain (1#, 72 pts)
1 Chieftain (Battle Standard Bearer), 72 pts (Hand Weapon; Halberd; Heavy Armour; Battle Standard
Bearer)

Stormvermin (26#, 270 pts)
24 Stormvermin, 270 pts (Musician Mus; Standard Bearer Std; Hand Weapon; Halberd; Heavy Armour)
1 Fangleader (Hand Weapon; Halberd; Heavy Armour)
1 Lichebone Pennant


Skavenslaves (40#, 82 pts)
40 Skavenslaves, 82 pts (Musician Mus; Hand Weapon)

Giant Rats (21#, 78 pts)
18 Giant Rats, 78 pts
3 Packmaster (Hand Weapon; Whip; Light Armour)


1 Doom-Flayer Weapon Team (Doom-Flayer; Hand Weapon; Heavy Armour)
Doomwheel (1#, 150 pts)
1 Doomwheel, 150 pts (Causes Terror; Immune to Psychology; Large Target)
1 Crew (Warlock & Rats)

750 points and 90 models! I love an army of multitudes of Skaven.

And a pic of my Doomwheel, just because.

Force on Force update,

I've been reading the rulebook. I can't seem to find that much time to read. but what I've ingested so far I really like the game. The rules seem fluid and relatively easy to learn. I'll go more into the rules and stuff once I've actually played a game.

I've primed my squad of Modern US Army, got a base coat on them, and a wash of GW's Devlin Mud. I started working  some Middle Eastern Buildings which I hope to have pictures up soon.

New to the game

After years of being in this hobby, I've decided to start a blog about my miniature war gaming experiences. Here, I'll posts snippets about my painting, battle reports, or other thoughts about miniature gaming in general.

To start, lets talk about Force on Force by Ambush Alley Games. After reading a few different blogs about the game, I decided to visit their website and spend hours upon hours reading their forums. Three things are pulling me into this game...

1. The game mechanics seemed interesting, easy, fun, and fast paced. 
2. I've never tried a "historical" or modern miniature game.
3. I'm a miniature whore. Meaning I love to buy and paint new mini's.

A few weeks ago I pre-ordered their new, revised Force on Force rulebook and first new expansion Road to Baghdad published by Osprey Publishing (a great company who puts out incredible historical reference material). They arrived yesterday and a cursory glance through the rulebook gets me all excited about a new game! It's a full color hardback book, has lots of pictures and images. My only, small, complaint on first thumbing through it is that I wish some of the images were larger. But, I was too exhausted to delve into the books last night as I just returned from a long weekend at Surfside Beach, SC. I plan on getting into them tonight or tomorrow.

Also, to tide me over until I get get some metal miniatures,I've purchased some plastic 1:72 scale miniatures from Caesar Miniatures to use in some of my early modern battles. I ordered 1 box of Modern US Army (42 figs) and 1 2 boxes of Modern Militia (36 figs in each). The Modern Militia box represents African and Middle Eastern Insurgents and Rebels. For them to be so small and plastic, I am impressed with the quality of the miniatures. They'll do until I can get some metal mini's.

Here is a pic (a bad one at that) of my first squad of US Army. Washed, trimmed, based, and ready to be primed.

I hope to get these started soon. I'm still debating on camo pattern. ACU, DCU, or Multicam. Such small scale, I don't know.....