Horus Heresy: Betrayal at Calth

A pic heavy post this morning, but after painting up the box contents for the new Horus Heresy game, I'm spent!

These are full sprue models, with all the options and bits you've come to expect from a detailed 40k GW kit. I thought I'd challenge myself on yellow and I'm pretty happy with the results. I wouldn't call these guys 'rushed' by any means, but the deadline to have them done and battle ready in the store is this morning!

I'll get some more pics up soon, until then, enjoy!

Speaker for the Dead

So I haven't been painting, what have I been doing?  Reading.  Lots and lot of reading.  I cancelled my World of Warcraft subscription a while back and decided to get back to my real love; books.

So somewhere in the maelstrom of books that I've been churning through I read (re-read) Ender's Game just prior to the movie coming out.  As usual I forgot how awesome the book was, and I was very pleasantly surprised with the movie.

So, the book was good but I had never read the sequel, albeit it's so far removed from the first one it can stand alone no problemo.

I absolutely loved it.  It hit close to home on several counts.  There's an incredibly strong religious theme running throughout, there's an even stronger anthropological component, and of course it's still good ole science fiction.

The bugs, humanity's dire enemy, were wiped out to extinction.  The ramifications of this weren't fully felt until after the war; Humanity, Ender, wiped out an entire civilization.  After colonizing the stars, three thousand years later, humanity finally found their second sentient alien, the 'piggies'.  The Piggies are a primitive, forest-dwelling tribe that were found in the backwoods of a colonized backwater world.  The world being governed by Hispanic Catholic dictate that is now host to an outpost of xenologers (anthropologists who study aliens).

Those are the ingredients, the end result was a nice mixture of philosophy, tension, action, and some smarts to boot.  Is it a sequel to Ender's Game?  Not really, Ender's in it, there's mention of the 'buggers' but the story has moved on (and grown) so much they're not in the same boat really.  Plus, Orson Scott Card ain't no hack, the style of books one and two are completely different too.  If you loved the first book, and who didn't, you may not neccessarily love the second, though I enjoyed this Ender 'sequel' even more than the first.

Sci-Fi Trooper Bases

This has been in the 'draft' file for, oh, over a month!  I never wrote it up, bah, there you have it.

All right, those sci-fi troopers have had a few more coats of paint as you can see, and I usually save the bases 'til the end, they're just about done.

I went with Citadel Foundation Calthan Brown, put it on heavy, and then used the edges of their coats to drybrush off the excess from the brush.  Also, I didn't bother going back and touching up boots, so they'll have an overall weathered feel to them.  I then went back with a lighter brown, did the requisite drybrush over both the basecoat as well as their coat edges.

You can see I've got rifles, helmets, masks, armor...pretty much everything else already wrapped up.  I still need to finish the two, non-helmet commander heads, then we'll call it wraps on these guys.  This is where I say, 'Enjoy!' and thanks for sticking around!

More Sci-Fi Trooper Progress

It seems a lot of my posts have "It's been a while..." in the introduction, well whoa be to me to break tradition.  Continuing to plod along with these Wargames Factory troopers.  They're actually a lot closer than the above pic might indicate.  It's a race to keep the blog updated and the bench moving forward.  Above you can see I've got the coats done, layering up dark blues with a little stark lighter blue contrast for highlights.

All those little GW bits went to great effect on these models, which would've been a bit plain looking without them.  I kept the palette simple since I had eighteen individual kits to paint up, so I alternated between the same green and brown.  

The gas masks and lenses were begging for a bright, almost glowing green, so I obliged.  The masks themselves were a ruddy olive drab, with a green wash.  The lenses were a bit more labor intensive as I worked up three shades of green to bright, leaving it a bit 'sloppy' around the edges for an ever-so-slight object source lighting effect.

Finally, what's a trooper without his gun?  I painted their primary weapons good ole M41A Pulse Rifle green, threw in a wash, then did a little highlighting.  Again, eighteen rifles meant keeping it quick and easy.  The ventilated shroud I went with a similar bright green as I did the mask lenses.  I tried something else, but ended up not liking it whatsoever and had to repaint the barrels from scratch.  Meh, live and learn, I really like how they ended up so it worked in the end.  Next up...bases!

A Trio of Infinity Figs

It's been quite a while since I posted anything about these guys, last time they were assembled only and left in a state of limbo.  I painted them longer ago than you'd think, but Infinity kind of faded away and I never took a proper pic of them finished.  Still not proper, on the paint desk with a camera phone, but proof of life nonetheless.

Infinity hit the table the other night, as in 2014-the-other-night, so expect to see these guys again, next time hopefully in action.  I made it a goal to get figs on the table in 2014, and so far so good.  Looks like Hordes and Infinity are getting the nod to move up to the front, and we've already played games of both, great news!  

There's a beast of a 15mm sci-fi endeavor lurking in the depths as well, but best let that stay in lurk mode for now.  Until then, enjoy the above; a jump pack equipped melee monster Rasyat, a sneaky, shapeshifting, infiltrating Speculo Killer, and finally a sniping, crouching, camouflaging Noctifer.

Sci-Fi Troopers WIP

New year, new goals. Here's a small platoon of troopers I've got brewing. Wargames Factory forms the basis of these guys, they're not slated for anything specific, just painting up a small force to get back in the saddle. I wanted to do some Pig Iron head swaps, but didn't have any on hand and didn't want any more delays, so here we go. I like the idea of a battle robot thrown in there too, nothing fancy, but a frame for general combat duty. The humans are your basic footsloggers, so I'm calling him a slog-bot, cobbled together using a Mechwarrior body as the basis. 

The box has got x18 troopers in so I've made a small platoon of two nine-man squads. Each squad can be further broken down into three three-man fire teams. There's a squad leader and a special weapon trooper per squad. These figures are a fantastic value for the money, but do leave a fair margin to be desired, especially in the weapon department. To that end I opted for a couple of GW weapon bits to supply a flamethrower and a plasma rifle. 

Spicing them up just a tad in the kit department are some more GW bits. I put a pouch, knife, canteen, or the like on all of their belts just to flesh them out a little further. Slows down the painting a bit, but the finished payoff is well worth it. 

I like this project, it'll be its own little army, maybe not hugely ambitious but when it's done it'll be a compact, efficient, and cohesive force. Now the bane of a lot of armies is the lack of vehicles. Whereas the troopers I've got might not be all that ambitious, I do plan on adding a pair of Pig Iron IFVs, one for each squad. I also plan on doing a light combat/recon aerial drone, and a recon jeep that it launches from. So there's where I'll be pushing myself a bit, again, I'm looking at the overall gameplan and eager to get the brushes dusted off!  Until next time, enjoy!

The Final Thor's Day Hero: James Tiberius Kirk

Who else could cap off the great run we've had here at the Thor's Day Day Heroes other than Captain Kirk himself? This is the character I'd want at the helm of this whole enchilada, and when those snap decisions need to be made under the most stressful of situations, this is the guy I want in the captain's chair.

Sixty seven weeks of heroes later (over a year!) and I've gotta say I hope y'all have enjoyed reading these as much as I have had writing them. When I think back there are dozens more heroes that never made the cut, and I'm sure some new heroes yet to be introduced to. As for this list, we're stopping it here for posterity. Here's to Captain Kirk, you have the conn.

Thor's Day Hero: BMO

BMO may not be the first robot among the Thor's Day Hero ranks, but it is definitely one of the most unique of our A.I. friends to grace this esteemed cast. BMO is a supporting character on the excellent cartoon Adventure Time, which you should check out if you haven't already. What is BMO? Kind of a cross between an original Apple computer and an original Game Boy, with classic Atari controllers and is filled with self awareness.

BMO has got some chops, but its main contribution it to just hang out with everyone, BMO is your buddy you can count on and life just seems better with BMO around. It will surprise you though with its resourcefulness and come up with a solution just when everyone else has given up. I couldn't imagine traversing the cosmos without 'him'. It also comes pre-loaded with over a dozen great game titles. Welcome to the ranks BMO, now who wants to play some Portender Defender?

Thor's Day Hero: Kl'rt the Super-Skrull

All the powers of the Fantastic Four, combined, as well as the sheer ruthlessness to use said powers to their fullest potential. Super-Skrull was always a cool "bad guy" in the comics, but it wasn't until I read the Super-Skrull four issue series as part of the Annihilation Wave that I became endeared to him. He's a great concept for an arch-enemy, and an even cooler canvas for some serious depth if handled by the right author, such as what Grillo Javier-Marxuach did. I haven't considered "power levels" in the Thor's Day Heroes (how do you put a power level on Ridley Scott anyway) but if I did, Super-Skrull would be near the top of the charts. This isn't the only reason for his induction, but it doesn't help!

Thor's Day Hero: Samurai Jack

The television cartoon Samurai Jack is going to go down in the long run as one of those gems that just can't be outdone. The character of the title name, Jack, is a time-displaced samurai fighting across a post-apocalyptic world to find his way home. The apocalypse in this case is the rise of the Shogun of Sorrow and his enslavement of the planet, and beyond. The future is the ultimate, four-colored dystopian melting pot with creatures and races from worlds over mixed in with sentient machines and cyborgs. Even a talking dog or two. In the middle of it all is Jack, stranger in a strange land, stoic to the end, determined and deadly. I think he would see his membership into the Thor's Day Heroes as a pragmatic move, so I'd hate to let him down!

Thor's Day Hero: Marshal Law

I'm not into comics like I used to be, but for about twenty years there I'd say I was a 'serious' collector at the very least. This also meant that I was reading pretty much all of the current titles out there, and when the first issue of Marshal Law came out of that brown paper comic book store bag I knew I had something unique on my hands. I was blown away, it was a force of nature, a slap in the superhero face, a superbly written, wonderfully drawn, satirical anti-hero comic. I really didn't know what to think. I loaned it to my friends and they handed it back to me with polite smiles. Law is a hero hunter, a government sanctioned 'cape killer' whose job is to eliminate genetic super soldiers back from the war who tear apart the fabric of civilization. The stories are dark, perverse, and gritty but also excellent. I would say "welcome" to Marshal Law, like I do all inductees to the Thor's Day Heroes, but he might kick my teeth in.

Thor's Day Hero: Sarah Connor

The ultimate tough chick, Sarah Connor. From oblivious waitress to hardcore mother of the leader of humanity's resistance against robot overlords, Sarah Connor has more in the hard-as-nails department than anyone we've seen here at Thor's Day Heroes, male or female! She is tough but more than that, as a recurring theme of my favorite characters, she is fractured and her psyche is beyond repair. She has seen the future...in the form of homicidal, unstoppable killer robots sent to destroy her and her son. If they succeed, the world of mankind ends. No pressure, right? Welcome aboard Ms. Connor, make yourself at home but try not to carve anything on the picnic tables please.

Thor's Day Hero: Ellen Ripley

The character of Ellen Ripley is a pretty dynamic one. Ripley spans over two hundred and fifty years within the Alien franchise timeline, and as an actor, Weaver played the role four times over almost twenty years, 1979-1997. This is just the character's longevity, let alone her force of will and on-screen presence. Ripley's shining moment was alongside the colonial marines in the second movie, but her performance in the first Alien film is actually a bit better. The third film saw her character come full circle and she was at her most vulnerable. By the time the fourth movie came about, we had a cloned Ripley much changed and in a new future that was both darker and more sinister. She knows how to wield an M41a Pulse Rifle, she can operate a power loader, she's got a commercial spaceship license, she hates it when androids offer her corn bread, and her maternal instinct meter goes to eleven. You gotta induct Ripley into the Thor's Day Heroes, the first truly strong heroine I can remember in film or television

Thor's Day Hero: Dr. Peter Venkman

Let's face it, those of us in a certain age group just love Ghostbusters. Now we all have our favorite Ghostbuster of the group, but for me it was Peter Venkman. I feel a closer connection to him than the others. Ray was lovable and good-natured but too innocent. Egon was too brainy and socially awkward. Winston was a little too blue-collared for me, so in the end it was Venkman. Flippant, sarcastic, and kind of just along for the ride at first...until he makes contact with the supernatural. He's still flippant and sarcastic after ghost contact, but determined to take the fight to the foe, or at least goad his buddies into attacking first. It's kind of hard not to imagine the Thor's Day Heroes without Venkman somewhere on the roster, welcome aboard!

Thor's Day Hero: Rick Deckard

This is the second week in a row an inducted member into the Thor's Day Heroes is shown using chopsticks! Having a little snack here is replicant hunter Rick Deckard, also known as a 'blade runner'.

Dystopian Los Angeles of 2019 (just six years from now!) is still a pretty decent place to raise a family, well, except for the renegade androids running around. Bring in the no-nonsense, straight shooting character excellently portrayed by Harrison Ford and you've got both a great movie and a new member to Thor's Day Heroes! Deckard of course would brook no such fanfare, he's just doing his job after all.

Mass Effect Rogue Space Wrap-Up

A rogue Geth, a Quarian, and a Turian walk into a bar...

There was a bit of a hiatus but just last night the boys and I wrapped up our roleplaying game of Mass Effect using the excellent Rogue Space rules.

I've talked about Rogue Space  quite a bit in the past, but to reiterate here; it's a great game.  It's put out by a gamer just like us, is dirt cheap, and let's you hit the table fast and furious without a lot of being bogged down by the rules.  Check it out here.  I would also be remiss if I did not mention the excellent, fan-assisted source material that Señor Swenson has been cranking out for Rogue Space found here.

Anyway, this was a short story arc of a campaign, just something to get the players into some sci-fi dice rolling.  I think it lasted three nights all told?  Rumor has it those knuckleheads over at Minions of the Monster Master have some actual play episodes of the game.  It concluded on an open-ended note, so there's definitely room in the future for more adventures of the crew.  Below are some eye-candy shots for the players to put a visual with some of the things they encountered last night.

 

Above we have the Normandy, which was blown up in our game mind you, and in the distance is the massive Citadel.  The Citadel was found tech left over by an ancient alien race.  It is seat to the galactic council, the four races that make up said council being the four races that stumbled upon it.  It's not just a space station, it's huge, small moon-sized huge.

 

This is a mass relay, also left behind by the same ancient aliens who built the Citadel, presumably.  These mass relays are all over the galaxy and make FTL travel between systems possible.  Without these, galactic expansion would not be nonexistent.

credit goes to "Raven" over at the Mass Effect Universe forums for this image

Finally we have the Voidbat.  As I mentioned, I blew up the Normandy in the game.  I wanted the group to start off on the same path as the main character from the videogame series, but didn't want them stuck to it.  What's a crew without a ship?  So here we a have a modestly sized, modestly armed vessel of Turian design and manufacture.  The group had three working options at the starport to commandeer and escape the planet; a huge and slow Salarian cargo hauler "Swollen With Nutrients", a fast and tiny Batarian attack fighter "Seeker of Woe", and this one which was a nice compromise between the first two. 

We set out what we planned on, a short little sci-fi RPG romp in a fun universe.  There are no plans at this time to return, but anything is possible.  If we do, there's a ship and plenty of source material ready to roll.  Until next time, enjoy!

Thor's Day Hero: FBI Special Agent Dana Scully

We don't really think of the X-Files television show nowadays, I don't anyway, but it did kind of open a lot of doors to a lot of the shows around today, just like the shows Twilight Zone and Kolchak kind of paved the way for the X-Files. But when the X-Files was in its prime, man, it was hard to beat. Also hard to beat was Agent Scully, the incredibly skeptical and incredibly hot FBI 'straight man' to her partner, the rogue Fox "I believe in aliens" Mulder.

She was tough, she was smart, and she didn't take any guff. She was also a medical doctor and decided to trade in her surgeon's mask in order to go on adventures with an FBI badge and a gun. A lot of these adventures were 'monsters of the week' but some were longer lasting alien twists, of course all of it was wrapped in government conspiracy. As I type this it will be an entire year before Scully's official debut of which you're reading right now, so until then, err, now, welcome aboard the Thor's Day Heroes Agent Scully!

Tuesday Art Leftovers: 'Bots and Scots

My opening piece for today's art leftovers is a fave of mine, not because so much of what it is but where it was.  Back before Christian's Destination Unknown, really before blogging in general, and way before his Loviatar 'zine he wrote Scrollworks Press.  Well this robot graced one of the covers of that indie gaming magazine a long, long time ago.  It was really cool to get it in the mail, see my art on the cover, and know that a lot of other people were seeing my art as well.  There's another Scrollworks piece floating around in the archives, I just don't know when it'll pop up.

I think I plug those ill-fated and little known LEGO wargaming rules of mine a little too much to be honest, but this next piece was a test from that.  We didn't know if we were going to use stat cards or what, but the idea here was to have a closeup, profile shot of the character on the card.  This was a "warpainted" Islander head atop some scale-mail. 


There's not much to say on this one.  It's supposed to be a Scottish Terrier.  Get it?  Scottish.  Terrier.  Ahem, moving on...

Last but not least is basically a doodle taken directly from a note page.  Also it's apparent that I can't seem to divide four into nine hundred without writing it down.  So basically you've got a fantasy version of Star Wars mixed even more so with the wild west.  The Texas Rangers/Jedi of the setting were monastic knights who had these "magic" swords made of a rare crystal.  Maybe it's a crystalline entity.  I don't know, the idea never got past the "crystal sworded knights" idea.  Looking at the pic I may have been thinking "ruby" not crystal.  I really don't know, you know how it is; you think of an idea, you jot it down, file it away. 

Until next time!

Thor's Day Hero: Dragun

This might be where it all started. The Shogun Warrior known as Dragun. I'm a kid, four years old, but I had this heavy, die-cast metal robot. I have no idea where I got it or who gave it to me, but it was awesome. It had these fists that were spring loaded and would launch at the touch of a button. He also had an axe too, but that got lost easily enough. Was it a man in armor? No, even as a kid I could tell this was a warrior robot through and through. He also had a cape. What's even more inexplicable, was the fact that had two of them. The above pic I found online, but coincidentally it's exactly as I remember my own.

There were four Shogun Warrior figures in the 1970's 5" die-cast line, and all of them were cool. How I ended up with two identical ones is beyond me. This was my toy though, lots of backyard adventures and the like were had with Dragun. We didn't have cable television or whatever, and I don't recall the packaging even, so I never knew Dragun's name or what he came from, just that he was awesome sci-fi robot goodness. So today Dragun, better known as GX-18 Getter Dragon, joins the ranks of the Thor's Day Heroes.

Tuesday Art Leftovers: Psykers, Spaceport Chicks, and Supers

Welcome to another Art Leftovers!  Today's trio could almost be thrown into the same genre together, almost.  I'm sure I've plugged the LEGO skirmish battle rules a buddy and I came up with a very long time ago.  If not, here you go!  The rules were written around '97, so the above image (which went with the rules) is about as old.  It's a psyker from the game; sci-fi mega-mind powers trooper.  Ride the lightning!

Up next is a spaceport chick.  Nothing much else to say, she's the kind of local you'd find hanging out at a spaceport.  She's tough, she's alien, she's hot (in an alien sort of way), and she can more than take care of herself, hence the blaster.  I don't know if she's wearing a head wrap or a bandage.

 Last up is a superhero based off a radio handle based off real life.  Once upon a time I was a delivery driver.  Our driver cohort numbered four and we had color-themed handles to use with the dispatcher.  Not happy with just colors we went a bit further so in the end there was Soylent Green (above), Blue Phantom (me), Agent Orange, and Red Menace.  Dispatcher was Echo Base.  It was a fun gig to have in your twenties, and the pay was decent enough.  Above is my buddy Oz who has made several cameos here over the years in his Soylent Green guise.

That's all the leftover art we have this week, thanks and enjoy!