Defiler Construction part 3

What I have done today. The sockets for the third arms will be built hopefully tomorrow. 

Defiler Construction part 2

They are a little closer to full assembly. I build them in small chunks and then position them and glue. I have to repair some of the parts in my Defiler kits. I first bought two from my ULGS. When I opened them I notice the exact same legs were broken in each box. I contacted GW and they sent me 2 more lickity split. BUT they too had the EXACT same break in the leg. So instead of asking for even more replacements I just informed them of the problem continuing. At some point I figured they would think I'm trying to get away with something. So I just settled for having to repair them. Lucky me.

Now I have a bunch of extra parts so I've decided to build a Brass Scorpion. So in a way it is a bit of good luck as I don't have to buy the parts to make it. It's slow going as GW took down their tutorial. And the internet didn't have much in the way of DIY articles. I have the main body together and have partially assembled the tail with gun. Hopefully the final building will happen tomorrow along with some photos.

I have found a great use for the power lashes I'm not using. Each Defiler is getting a Twin-link Lascannon. I didn't like how on the original didn't have power feeds going from the turret to the weapon. So I cut up so lengths of the power cables in the lashes to go from the gun and feed in to holes where the Autocannon magazines fit.

3 Defilers for my new Plague Marines

After last night's lost to the Nyds I decided Vindicators have too short a range. I bought four Defilers a while back and dug them out to assemble them. While the Defiler's gun isn't quite as potent the range is a must. Also if the nasties get up to the beast it can attempt to defend itself which the Vindicators couldn't. I have one finished from before that I call Blinky for his three eyes on his noggin. I added those after his horns snapped off in a transport accident. All will be armed identically with a Battle Cannon, Twin-linked Lascannons and 3 Dreadnought Close Combat Weapons.

Thousand Sons/Iron Warriors warband versus Tyranids today.

It wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. I thought I was going in the right direction with the Thousand Sons as their Inferno Rounds negated nearly all their normal saves and the invulnerable saves make them great survivors (dice allowing). I did mow down quite a few Hormagaunts and Genestealers. In fact one full salvo from a ten-man Thousand Sons unit leveled his Carnifex. The Iron Warriors brought the heavy metal in the shape of a Demon Prince and 3 Vindicators. They we're unfortunately rendered nearly useless with their short range Demolisher Cannons and the velocity of the Tyranid advance. Stealers lurking behind a nearby building blew one up in close combat detonating it and slaying troops in the vicinity on both sides.
The Demon Prince was so-so versus the Stealers that blew up the Vindicator. Actually most of my army was kind of performing a holding action. They didn't stop much of anything today. Just delayed it. I figure maybe as fluff the rest of the Forces of Chaos off-board were regrouping to drive them back with the time my army bought them.

But the really cool thing about today's battle was getting to duke it out with James. Even when he was going through my forces like they were butter he doesn't make you feel like a stump for it. He makes the losing battles more fun.
Some people in the past completely demoralized me with their terrible behavior. Like it was a given they were gonna stomp me and playing the game was just a formality.
I knew the Nyd's had a lot of new tricks and critters with awesome abilities. Also that even with the thinking ahead I did that it probably wasn't gonna be enough for my first game against them. So I lived and I learned and in the end you just have to keep moving forward!


So what's next?
James and I discussed what I should try in the next battle. Maybe Nurgle with Toughness 5 and Feel No Pain. A unit of Chosen with Lightening Claws. Maybe some Chaos Fighters and Bombers as Nyd's don't have AA mounts. Soon I will lower into the depths of my workshop to think about the future.

Explorator's Report: 001

Tonight we(Chuck the Marine, Nathan and I) started playing Jim's Rogue Trader game. It was a ton of fun. Even if my dice were against me tonight. I was striking out with my Power Axe pretty much most of the battle we had tonight. I think I will put a die in my heavy-duty vice to teach the others a lesson!

Report from Regias Cutter:

While on deep space en-route to the periphery the Rogue Trader was contacted by the Inquisition. They asked him and his command staff over to discuss a mission. We we're asked to find the Reliquary of the Fatima. It was lost in transport to raiding Orks. They in turn crashed on a planet and needed to be found. In return for the relic the Rogue Trader would be privy to a hidden vault of treasure the Inquisition acquired from a trader of dubious standing.

With the RT's sage adviser at the yoke we made planet-fall safely. The planet itself was a homey environment devoid of plants and with a thick atmosphere of smoke and pollution. At the L.Z. we discovered a crashed Ork drop shuttle stuck in the ground at a steep angle. Like a dart thrown at the ground. While many xenos had perished inside, a number of them had cut their way out and escaped. A single Ork tried launching one of their crude Deff Koptaz but was quickly grounded by a dozen hits from an orbital railgun satellite. His dead corpse still at the wheel pinned in place by many rod-like darts piercing his body. Oddly these Orks were of a very dark skin tone. Quickly we burned the two vehicles and their passengers.

We spotted footsteps leading off further into the wasteland and we followed. Walking for nearly three-quarters of a day we we're ambushed by three Orks in some ruins. We lost the support weapon trooper first who marched with us to a well place shot . The Void Master charged an Ork ahead of us hiding in a ruined building. Meanwhile the RT and I jumped a low wall to regroup from the filthy xeno ambush. The RT engaged the Ork that killed his assault gunner while I fought the third. I managed to smash to pieces my attacker's choppa with my power axe. This deterred my attacker very little as he then tried to pulverize me with his massive fists. Dispatching his foe the Void Master ran back to help finally drop my opponent as the RT slew his.

After we policed the corpses of the Xenos. I found a copper bracelet with some Orks glyphs on it. The Void Master's first kill dropped a bizarre hand weapon he pointed out. When the Ork first attacked his weapon looked like a crude power sword complete with glowing blade. The wielder now dead, the weapon reverted to a baton like an Adeptus Arbites would use for riot control. I tried to pick it up to examine it but it jumped from my hand like when two similar magnetic poles are brought together. The RT came up with the idea of flipping it into the dead trooper's cape and stashing it in a hole in the wall. We would retrieve it on the way back to the shuttle. As the Void Master and I chatted we turned to see the RT holding the weapon in his bare hands and smiling...

End of mission report.

Hitler learns about the debate of Doom of Malantai

...and my Chaos Space Marine Codex slips further back behind the curve. I'm barely seeing the leader anymore.

Sex Cyclons... This is really sad... No the bad kind of sad. No ha-ha.

Tired of trying to find a real girl friend but don't want some lifeless plastic doll? Well this freak has your answer. Roxxy the sex robot.

Is it my imagination or does it kind of look like Donna Noble(Catherine Tate)? See, she even has her arms bent like she's about to give the Doctor a tongue-lashing (ugh no)... a mouthful(yikes, bad choice)... a stern talking too.

I'm gonna sort my bitz. I think...

It has been a year at least since I've put them back into some sort of order. It has been a year of me rummaging through them for things and I'm sure I have a bunch of stuff mixed in the wrong bags. But first a trip to the dollar store for some cheap zip lock bags just in case.

 

The secret to my system: Dollar Store plastic shoe boxes and lots of cheap sandwich baggies!

Painting a figure for a friend.

Nathan chose a figure to be his Void Master for Rogue Trader. But I wonder why this figure he chose? I wonder if he just grabbed him at random? What's his character's back story? I'll have to look up Void Master in the book cause I can't remember what he does. Anyways this is what I have done so far. I think I will go back and highlight the gas mask. but otherwise he's ready to rock the universe of 40K.

More shots of the Drop Pod.

As requested.

Pappa Nurgle-borg needs his children's help!

Gather round my Nurglings cause Pappa Nurgle-borg needs help naming his Drop Pods!

If you have been following my blog you know that I have constructed some Dreadclaw drop pod proxies in the shape of mechanical flies. But I'm terrible at thinking up names for vehicles. I'm looking to give each one their own name. Sometimes I hit on a good one once in a while like for my Nurgle tank the Pus Bucket.

So can you give me a hand and throw some names my way? Thanks!

256 visits in one day?

I think I've been invaded by spam botz! Normally I hover around 40+ visits per day. Weird!

The pus cocoon opens and a lovely fly of Nurgle emerges!

After blazing through my homework I came home to get the latest project done. It actually started yesterday with a black primer coat. Next it was dry-brushed with IWM Steel, followed with a dry-brushing of GW Tin Bitz. Then I lay down a towel to basically drizzle the whole model with really watered down orange paint. It settles into all the nook and crannies nicely. Then she gets to sit till it completely dries. 
Today she was dry-brushed with GW Bolt Gun. The fleshy parts were painted GW Dark Angel Green and highlighted with IWM Green. The tubes running from the cockpits to the fuselage were followed up with a sweep of IWM Light Green. The cockpits started with a base of IWM Dark Brown. Next they were dry-brushed with Reaper Maroon, then IWM Demon Red and finally IWM Orange. The wings were dry-brushed with crisscrossing IWM Granite and Reaper Ghoul Gray sweeps.

In total the model takes less then $10.00 in parts. Now she is ready to launch from the Battleship "Bookshelf" and rock the world of 40K at my ULGS! And this all started from a Dean's Milk Chug laying around in one of my parts bins.

New evening TV viewing.

I have taken Conan O'Brien's comment on cynicism to heart, but I still can't quite get past NBC dogging him the way they did. Do I know everything that happened? Hell no. But from what was leaked, openly said and implied. I have to say there's no reason to turn to NBC local channel four anymore.

Conan was doing an excellent job as host of the Tonight Show in my opinion. And to expect him to draw an audience equal to Leno in less than a year was stupid on NBC's part.

Now I'm jealous of my alternate reality counterpart who still gets to watch Conan on The Tonight Show. So after finishing my Industrial Laser Operator certificate I'm going to go for the Einstein-Rosen Bridge Operator certificate. I wonder how much WCTC will charge for that?

CLAUSTROPHOBIA! It arrived!

After getting home from school my prize from Asmodee was waiting for me on the counter! Suh-weet! I only took a cursory look at it as I have homework. But from what I saw it is very cool. Nice quality! I'm gonna see if Nathan wants to give it a spin tomorrow.

Protype. A little closer to complete.

The Stilt-legged Fly Pod got its wings and legs installed today. She is really coming together. I worked on her at the ULGS. A game of 40K was being played so I was able to compare its size to a GW drop pod and it is very comparable. We have an unwritten rule around the store that proxies must be of comparable size. It's only fair after all.

 

Some of my Plague Marine Havocs are giving her a look over while she is still on the production floor. She still needs some green stuffing to include an "Alien Queen-like sphincter" on the rear to squirt out the troops. And then I intend to see how many 40K bitz I can put on her.

Chrysalis. Drop Pod construction continues.

 

 I'm onto the landing gear and came up with this design. I was on Wikipedia the other day and the Today's Featured Picture was of a Stilt-legged fly. I'm liking this as it sits the vehicle in a more upright angle to the ground. With its butt only an inch or so above the ground. Dread Claws in a way are like that with the iris door inches above the table top and the CSMs inside jumping down to exit. So I think I'm on the right track. But unfortunately I don't have enough tubing for the upper leg so I'll only get 4 of the 6 legs done tonight. So tomorrow it's ROAD TRIP!

England are you kidding me?

So are Saturday Night Live writers naming your national parks now?

This is gonna be a bad month for Greg.

BUT A FREAKING AWESOME MONTH FOR ME!!! MUH-HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!

I believe it was before Christmas that I signed up for a contest to win a copy of the board game Claustrophobia. After the holidays I kind of forgot about it till today. I went to my first Industrial Math 1 course today. My instructor is nice and I checked out the extra tutoring and then came home. I flipped on the computer and low and behold there was a congratulating message informing me of my prize. Now if this could happen everyday going back to school 18 years later wouldn't be so bad! LOL! But I will take what I can get.







Hell gates are open…there’s no escape!

1634. Humanity wants more, Hell is the next target.
In this tactical survival game, one player controls the human group that explores the infernal underground and confronts a steady-stream troglodyte’s army, and your opponent plays the demon group who tries to stop them.
In this game you will find high quality materials with pre-painted figurines, combined with easy to learn rules that allow you to set the game up quickly. This game takes some of the best features of Euro board games mechanisms, (character skill management) as well as American (random combat resolution). Be ready to make Claustrophobia you’re next favorite head-to-head board game.
The six scenarios included in the game will provide you hours of gaming in the dark and gloomy New-Jerusalem Underground. When the scenarios no longer have any more secrets for you, you will be able to create your own or go on the Claustrophobia website where you will find unseen scenarios and a FAQ. If that is not enough, Croc himself (the author) will provide you some advice to help you on your Hell’s adventures. Follow the link to get the latest news on Claustrophobia.

www.claustrophobia-theboardgame.com/en/

Features:
17 finely sculpted pre-painted figurines
A modular board (36 tiles), each game will be different
Easy to learn and quick set-up game



So hopefully it will arrive soon and my friend Nathan and I can give it a spin!

Metamorphosis. As the drop pod turns.

Today's progress.