Space Hulk Genestealers: A Saga

Genestealers breed in iterations...and apparently get painted that way also.

So, when Space Hulk first came out I got it as a present.

For some reason, I decided I didn't want to play it with the club until it was fully painted.  As the club drifted away from GW products, Space Hulk got shelved again and again.  Now that I'm no longer affiliated with that club, I find it's one of the projects I'm most keen to finish.

Iteration 1 - or, how to NOT use ArmyPainter Quickshade.

Problem is, I've tried this a couple of times.  I've got a couple of different batches of genestealers, each of them look slightly different because they were done at different times with different paints.  However, they are all done with QuickShade.  I'm not totally done with the genestealers for Space Hulk, so that means the rest of them will have to be done with QuickShade as well.

Iteration 2, wherein the application of medium has been more explored.

Overall, I've never felt comfortable with how any of these turned out.  This was my very first project to use Quick Shade on, and I made a lot of mistakes.  Such was the way of 2009-2011.  I tried out a lot of new products during that time, but Quick Shade was honestly one of the hardest to wrap my head around.

Getting the Quick Shade to do what you want can take a little practice.

Eventually, several projects after these, I would be able to actually use Quick Shade.  I had just been so used to not using such...blanket measures.  Once I had done a few, it became easier as I understood how the material would behave and what paint would look like once it was applied.  All in all, I still like Quick Shade, though I don't use it much.  There are more than a few projects I mean to use Quick Shade on, including the rest of Space Hulk.

I mean, I already started it.

I'm going to leave these as they are, much as it pains me.  I still have several Genestealers to do for the Space Hulk set, so we'll see if I've improved any.  Probably not, as it's been a few years since I used it.  Hopefully, I'll remember the lessons learned these years back and they will turn out much better.

Mostly not to be as sloppy.

Storm King's Thunder: Prepare to Die Edition [Part 8]

Prepare to Die!

WARNING:  Spoilers ahead for Storm King's Thunder.

View Campaign Page.

8.1 Doom of the Desert

The party releases King Hekaton by destroying the chains that bound him with the Zymorven Axe.  As the storm giant king rises to his feet, he is obviously displeased with the situation.  A quick-talking Starman mentions Serissa, and calm King Hekaton down as they fill him in on what has happened.

Incensed, King Hekaton uses the Conch to take the party to the Maelstrom.  Here they rest as King Hekaton confers with his court and tracks down the offender - Imryth, who is a dragon, as it turns out.  While they are here, Starman makes his love for Serissa known to the princess.

The party prepares to set out with King Hekaton with several of his retainers who have gathered at the court.  In a welcome and rare surprise, Harshnag appears at the court in the Maelstrom!  He explains he escaped the crumbling of the Eye of the All-Father by jumping into the divination chamber, where he had to wait for a passing wizard to help him escape.

The storm giants, the party and Harshnag set out on a fantastic journey.  They ride through the sea on orcas, through the skies on rocs, and finally arrive in the Anauroch near where King Hekaton divined the dragon's location.  The party approaches on foot.

As they approach the ruined amphitheater that is the dragon's lair, they accidentally discover a sinkhole, through which King Hekaton and one of the Storm Giants fall into.  The rest of the party take an alternate route through a nearby tunnel and enter the amphitheater's lower level.  After wandering a bit, they come upon a group of cultists in front of a giant pit.  They chant a lot, and then one jumps into the pit.

A strange, otherworldly voice utters forth from the pit.  Soon, the party is aware of the dragon as she appears from the shadows and sand, hissing at the cultists (who happen to be snake-men).  The exchange is unpleasant, and the dragon then attacks.

The fight is short.  The attack force makes short work of the dragon, and the snake men flee.  Satisfied, King Hekaton assures the party that he will now work with the small folk to make the world a better place.  It's what his wife would have wanted, and the party has convinced him small folk can make a difference.  Whether or not that means he will allow his daughter to marry one is another matter entirely, to be discussed at a later date.

The End

...?

Return to Storm King's Thunder: Prepare to Die Edition.

Jade Falcon Reinforcements: Razor Battlemechs

Reconnaissance units steal forth across the sulfurous wastes.

In the Dark Age, the various actors will all have to make due with what they have.  In the Falcon's Reach, several mech-factories have been captured.  However, the raw materials and imported technology that allows the factories to produce their specialized battlemechs has been heavily curtailed.  In response, Clan leaders have repurposed to make due with what they have.  One of the first things the engineers came up with was the Razor.

I got the CAV Bones Kickstarter and split it with my buddy.  The Razor is one of the CAVs I deemed worthy to include in the Falcon attack force.  I don't have any problem mixing and matching models if the scale is correct! ...or if it looks good enough...

I...belieb...dem bones...are me.

Mostly made up of legs, the Razor is swift and small.  It mounts several small to medium weapons, most commonly lasers and machine guns.  It is easily produced, as the most expensive section is the leg gyros.

Hand-primed the Razors with Mechanicus Grey for a dark base.  I wanted to try to get it close to the WizKids versions, but maybe not exact.  So the palette would probably be a lot of Gunmetal, Tin Bitz and Knarloc Green.  Secret Weapon Heavy-Body Black ink would tie it together, and we'd highlight the metal up through whatever looks correct.

Agrax Earthshade over the entire base, though - not just that one part.

Frequently deployed in groups of 2-4, these sections can make for fine flank harassment units.  More commonly, a star will have a Razor attached to perform scout and spotting maneuvers.  When properly equipped, they also excel at anti-infantry functions.

For the bases, I used scrap pieces from Warhammer Fantasy Battle modular movement trays cut to 40mm.  I used Hand Made Modern Cement Finish Dark all over the base and let it fully dry.  Over that, I applied Vallejo Black Lava, which was then inked and drybrushed Fortress Grey to match the Sulphur Fields.  I could have used the CAV hex bases, but honestly I don't like them for this project.

I feel like these guns aren't as big as I'd like, but that's the trade-off when you've got legs this long.

The cockpit and weapons sections are comparatively simple.  The cockpit is not heavily armored, but grants a wide field of view.  Some models have been equipped with jump-jets, though this variant is not widely distributed yet.

Clan Star on a suppression mission to a small enemy base. The RZR's will chase down any small craft attempting to escape.

Stats for Horizon Wars:

Element	Type	F	A	M	D	P	FC	Special
RZR-1A Razor	Mech	1	2	4	1	1	1	None
RZR-3N Razor	Mech	1	2	4	1	1	2	Jump Jets

Robot Affliction, Part the First - The Striding

In all, these CAV's are inexpensive to build and maintain even during the Dark Age.  As the Jade Falcon makes headway on Vindemiatrix, they are sure to be at the forefront of the battle.  The RZR-series excels at vanguard, scout, outrider or escort duties.  For the Great Khan!

Welcome to Planet Vindemiatrix, home of smelly holes.