14th legion Back online!

Internet has finally been installed into my new office and I have a bucket load of content to add. Despite the stress of moving into my first house, I still managed to find time to put paint to figures and play a game of Warmachine. Last week I played my first game using Bloody Baranabas and the Blind Water Congregation, it was a truly thrilling game with the winner being declared literally on the last roll of the dice! I am in the process of writing the battle report with pictures and look forward to sharing the game and my thoughts on the new Minion Faction.

So it is business as usual, expect all the usual news, tutorials and of course painted miniatures over the Christmas period and into 2011!

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

Site news: Moves, delays and Minatures

Firstly, an apology for the lack of updates. While the house move has gone well, I find myself without the key item: Internet! Secondly I apologise that this post will probably look ugly as sin since it is being posted from my iPhone. Fingers crossed both issues will be sorted by the arrival of 50mb broadband on the 20th of this month.

Warmachine: Koldun Kapitan Valachev

Privateer Press have previewed the first of 2011's Wrath figures (not including Torch). Based on the description, Valachev does what a Greylord normally does; of casting magic and protecting units; however the line 'Strength of the motherland to mercenary units' put an interesting twist on things. The first thing that comes to my mind is the allowance of Khadoran Feats to apply to Mercenary units led by Valachev.  Imagine Kommandant Irusk combined with the upcoming Ogrun Assault Corps, performing FEAT: Undying Loyalty or Butcher of Khardov's FEAT: Blood Frenzy.

Site News: Disqus Installed

Finally after much fiddling about, Disqus is now installed on this blog. Most people are already aware of what Disqus is and have an account. But for those who don't, this will basically means it will be easier for readers to leave comments and have me respond to them.

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

News: A different week and some arrivals

This week is going to be filled with randomness as I begin packing stuff away for my house move, so chances are I will not be able to sit at the paint table for at least two weeks...just in time for the Hordes: Minions book release. However the hobby clock does not stop ticking!

I picked up my Bog Trog Ambushers unit from the post office today, and am impressed with the little fish men. While fragile, the stats and special rules open up a host of very nasty plays; which I intend to go over later in the week; through a series of Blindwater Tactica. I have not forgotten my Khador though! There are plenty of Khador figures waiting to be painted and a number of tactica lost in the editing pile, something again I intend to get rolling once the move is complete.

I still have lots of goody bags which will be arriving namely my Battlefoam: Hordes bag, a full unit of Gatormen Posse and of course Kingdom Death's beautiful 'Wet Nurse'. So please be patient with me, this week will have far fewer posts while I move, but I intend for the few posts that make it, to be of wargaming relevance.

Thanks for reading,
DiStudios

The 14th Legion

New Blood Angels Figures on route?

Games Workshop's latest new letter states a second wave of Blood Angel's figures coming in February 2011. While this is expected, the question is what could possibly be on the cards? They explicitly state new never seen before figures will be part of the release. The recently leaked Stormraven pictures is the most obvious choice, combined with it's dual use with the upcoming Grey Knights codex makes this item inevitable. But what else could constitute as "New and never before seen". 

BattleFoam: P3 Expansion pack

Battlefoam; creators of the official Privateer Press bags have released a infomercial showcasing their latest Privateer Press licensed product, the "P3". This is great news especially owners of the current (and awesome) Warmachine and Hordes storage bags. The P3 pack is cited as a hobby extension, a very cool idea for people who like to bring art supplies on holiday (like me!). Boasting high storage capacity and inbuilt brush holders, Battlefoam are continuing to secure themselves as the best in figure storage,  naturally the foam itself  will be fully customisable meaning you can carry the right items at the right time. 

Wip: Swamp Pits Part II

Welcome to Part II of my Swamp Pit terrain build, for part I CLICK. Over the weekend, the piece was given two coats of texture (Vallejo Grey Pumice) and undercoated black. 

Tools

Large paint brush

Spatula

MIG Pigment Dust - Graveyard Earth

MIG Pigment Dust - Russian Earth

MIG Fixer

Dark Angels Green paint

Vallejo Water Effects

To get a more realistic look to my scenery and bases I use MIG Pigment dust, something that is used by many modellers to produce realistic weathering on figures with, they come in a variety of earthy colours and some very useful rust colours. The addition of a few mediums allows the dust to be applied in a number of ways allowing the modeller to simulate dry clumps of earth, dirt or thick wet mud. In the case of my swamp pits I wanted to keep it fairly standard so used it direct from the pot, I had tried wet mud before using gloss varnish as a medium but did not like the results. By taking a soft brush and dipping it into the MIG pot I generously but gently brushed it along the sculpted mounds. If I do this to quickly it brushes the pigment all over the place leaving mess over areas I want clean, so slow and methodical is the key. A added bonus with dusting, is that it can nicely fill in pits and gaps left by rushed textures or holes left by popped air bubbles. I do a two lair dust, the darker colour as a base is Graveyard Earth, the highlight layer is Russian Earth, any combination of dark and light dust will be fine and produce transition.

Hordes: Farrow Razorback Crew

Keen readers of Privateer Press' No Quarter magazine would have seen previews of the concept art for the Farrow Razorback. Hot on it's trail is the figure itself. Described as a crude rocket launcher, I expect highly inaccurate but with very high POW, which adds potential long range artillery to the Farrow's already impressive medium to short range fire power.

The Razorback crew finishes the known SKU's for the Farrow force, which could indicate no more Minions releases until the next Hordes expansion, time will tell. With Warmachine "Wrath" scheduled for June 2011, a big question mark is up concerning what will fill the void of 2011's first quarter.

For all your Warmachine and wargaming needs, visit: Wayland Games - Discount Wargames

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

Kingdom Death: The Wet Nurse NSFW

Finally some miniature loveliness from Kingdom Death games! The 'Wet Nurse' is the second large monster miniature to be released by this company (the first being the Gorm) and this creature looks just as monstrous. looking like some creepy Anime tentacle demon, the Wet Nurse has naked pregnant females attached by umbilical cords, the perfect demon birthing nightmare. The model while amazingly designed and sculpted is definitely for mature modellers and NOT SAFE FOR WORK, you have been warned...

NSFW Pictures

Wip: Swamp Pits Part I

I opted for a change of pace tonight after this weeks painting. After reading NQ33 I really wanted to do some swamp scenery for Bloody Barnarbas' spell "Swamp pit". Which means more opportunities to play with clear resin and pigment dust. I will eventually need three of these items and two more smaller versions for my games. The trick will be to make these items look as interesting as possible without hindering game play, so figures will need to be stably placed on them.

The base is made from thin plasti-card with mounds sculpted out of putty. To add a little details, tooth brush bristles have been cut off in clumps to simulate reeds, I also found some random shrubs I picked up from Skull Craft Scenic to produce more variety of foliage. Once dry, I then applied Vallejo Grey Pumice over to add texture (2 applications).

Tomorrow I hope to start painting and playing with clear resin.

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

Hordes: Minion Bull Snapper Review

Just finished reading through the latest No Quarter Magazine (33), the theme strongly set on Minions with more previews and a awesome battle report between Blindwater's Bloody Barnabas and The Farrow's Lord Carver. For those curious about the new Blindwater Congregation, NQ32 shows the Bull Snapper light warbeast hinted at in NQ32 as support beast to fellow gators with some melee punch. Naturally this opened up speculation of shield walling or even counter attack possibilities.

Statistically, the Snapper has average stats all-round for a light warbeast, at first glance the POW12 bite is unimpressive, defence low like all other gators and has a relatively low ARM of 14 which seems to move away from the idea of Gators being a ARM reliant force, or does it?...

Thrullg Complete

The purple magic eating Thrullg is now complete, but after some annoying issues. The main struggle was getting a decent hue to the purple, it started looking like a Ribena berry early on but a couple of blue washes brought it back to how I envisioned. Also the spine proved to be problematic, regular bone colour schemes clashed with the purple skin, so I defaulted to a grey to bone with hints of blue to tie it all in again. It was only after I finished the fine detail that it stopped looking like a purple lump and actually like the figure I envisioned.

Despite the set backs, I am happy to see it finished and on the shelf. I am carrying on the momentum and starting work on my Croak Hunter. I am looking at a personal best of 2 + figures in a month, no mean feat for someone who paints as fast as a one toed sloth :)

Inspired? Pick up our own Thrullg and wargaming supplies from: Wayland Games - Discount Wargames

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

Wip: Thrullg & Snapjaw

Progress with the Blindwater Congregation. The Thrullg has had it's base colour and wash shades applied, I am still deciding on the best way to highlight the skin and blend the spine. I played around with the tentacle positions to try and give a sense of motion, as the stock pose points straight down. I have noticed that despite thinning, Vallejo purple is quite a strong pigment and I expect the final product to 'pop' when compared to the drab brown bases and general sombre tones of the Gators.

I decided to put together Snapjaw today as I was tired of seeing the pieces on my work desk. It is a really nice figure, very different to the Wrastler, with a shorter Alligator snout and noticeably shorted arms. Snapjaw has a more powerful look and in some ways less comical due to the lack of out humanised clothing, something that Gator fans wanted consistent.

Privateer Press Army Bundle deals

The holiday season is coming into full swing with Privateer Press offering bundle deals on all the major factions, including the recently released Farrow. The bundles comprise of the new starter boxset, a faction warjack or warbeast, full infantry unit and solo (equating to a 35pts force).

To top is all off, the bundle deals are being sold with accessories, the following items come with the bundle deals: Tape measure, faction tokens and a Privateer Press dice set. This gives me hope that a separate Privateer Press dice set is around the corner (maybe even faction dice?!), to replace the very popular GF9 Facton dice released some years ago.

To see all the available deals visit the Privateer Press Holiday Wish page

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

Warmachine & Hordes Nov Errata

New errata released today by Privateer Press covering both Warmachine and Hordes, download here: Errata

Thanks for reading,
DiStudios
The 14th Legion

Wip: Thrullg & Bases

A nice and productive follow up to the completion of the Blackhide Wrastler. I have completed the bases for both Snapjaw and the Thrullg complete with arc markings, with only the resin to dry. At the same time I cleaned and constructed the Thrullg model.

The bases have turned out well as a theme, especially with the addition of different coloured static grass. The addition of a few garden twigs have also produced a much more authentic look to the swamp theme. I was keen to prime and get some colour on the Thrullg today, but the weather was not co-operating. At least tomorrow I can look forward to some solid painting. Being mostly a single colour figure (purple) I may be able to get it done quickly, however I do have some effects running in my head that may look good on this model.

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

Blackhide Wrastler Complete

Good morning! I actually finished the Blackhide Wrastler Thursday just past, but with the blog galleries and reviews to do I did not get a chance to write about it. I am very happy with the way it has turned out, the skin and scales is just as I envisioned and the base is a vast improvement on my usual 'sand and go' method. A proper 'glamour' shot will be done hopefully by the end of the month, with multi-angle shots and colour recipe break down.

With the first of my Blindwater Congregation figures complete, I am left spoilt for choice this weekend. At the same time as I was working on the Wrastler, I was also working on custom bases for Snapjaw, the Thrullg and Croak Minion hunter. I am thinking perhaps working on the Thrullg or Croak figures next to rest myself from Crocodile skin and play with other colour schemes and with the release of the Bull Snapper in December, I will have plenty of opportunities to improve my skin and scales technique down the line.

Inspired to paint? Pick up a Blackhide Wrastler or any of the full range of Warmachine and Hordes from: Wayland Games - Discount Wargames

Thanks for reading,
DiStudios
The 14th Legion

Forge World: Eldar Hornet

The Eldar Hornet was available in limited quantities during this years UK Gamesday. Forge World has now opened Pre-orders for this beautiful looking piece of kit. This vehicle is one of a number of new Eldar units from the upcoming Imperial Armour 11 book. For those who have have been suffering from Power Armour overdose recently, this might be the change of painting routine needed for less than the price of a Blight Drone.

Forge World also continue to add to their range of decals and brass etching including the Raptors chapter, a nice accompaniment to the recently released Badab War book. Let the wallet abuse commence.

Visit Forge World

Thanks for reading,
DiStudios
The 14th Legion

News: iBodger Blindwater Update and site Improvements

Lots of productivity this morning! I have been up since 6:45am working on my miniatures Galleries.  Previously I had major problems writing script for workable thumbnails but finally it is sorted! The galleries contain pictures of some of my old work and are a great way of seeing how I have evolved as a painter and model maker in recent years. You can access the Galleries on labelled tabs just below the site banner.

This morning my Croak Hunter and Vallejo washes arrived. The Croak Hunter  is smaller than I thought, but not in a bad way. Much like the Wrastler it is a far nicer model 'in the flesh' when compared to the stock photo. I think I may prioritise him for painting this weekend.

Privateer Press: Upcoming releases

Issue 33 of No Quarter will be a interesting one, with the two newest Horde's faction going at it in a battle report: Swamp Stomp will see a Minion themed battle report supported by a case file on Farrow Warlock Lord Carver. Fans of the Farrow and Blindwater Congregation should definitely get hold of this issue.

Available 10/11/10

Wip: Blackhide Wrastler

Arrived last Friday but due to real life issues, I was not able to even start looking at it until Sunday evening, I think for me (snail pace painter) I have done well. The Wrastler was a great figure to play about with. I opted to bend the left arm downwards and avoid the surfing Lucha Libre look, it's a minor  modification but one I feel goes a long way to improving the look of the figure.

Due to the scales and armour detail, this was a very heavily textured figure to paint and I wanted to avoid the dry brushed look as much as possible, as a result it probably took longer than needed to get to this stage. The ropes around the arms deserve special mention for annoyance as I individually picked out each knot to highlight, shade, re-highlight and re-shade. Again a lengthy process but one (I feel) has given good results. 

I am just waiting for the base to dry (24 hours) and am a little anxious as it is my first foray into creating swampy, muddy bases. I have tried to give the mud a wet look (using MIG pigments) but right now it is looking a little too glossy, I am hoping that some bits of 'swamp grass' will help break up the solid blocks of glossy mud and compliment the water effect...fingers tightly crossed.

Inspired? Pick up your Blackhide Wrastler from: Wayland Games - Discount Wargames

Thanks for reading,
DiStudios
The 14th Legion

Hordes: Blindwater Congregation

I have been a long time Warmachine fan/gamer, starting in 2003 and have collected nothing but Khador (I have every figure in the range with spare to go around) since I first saw the Faction starter box set, last weekend though this changed...

I did not really see the appeal of Hordes when it first came out, being so comfortable with the Khador play style and theme. There was something about the lack of guns that made it feel like bringing a primitive stone axe to a gatling gun fight. The release of the new Minion's book however changed that, I am still bringing a stone axe to the fight but I am also bringing a huge angry beast with it in the form of the Farrow & Blindwater Congregation. For those unfamiliar; the Farrow is essentially a army of man sized, mechanically altered pigs with guns and cleavers, while the Blindwater Congregation consist of Bayou style gator men, associated reptilian allies and lots of teeth. 

Whilst I managed to resist the Farrow, I did finally succumb to Blindwater...

Wip: Nurgle Plague Hulk

Finally I have gotten down to some serious painting for myself after weeks of real life distractions, commissions and of course general procrastination. At the start of this year I made a start on some major conversions for a Pre-Heresy Death Guard army, and while I enjoyed every minute working on the figures, I did not enjoying the prospect of painting yet another power armour army. At the time I had made a few major purchases, all Nurgle, and I felt it would be a shame not to be able to use them at all. Luckily over summer (in between all the Warmachine gaming) I was able to finish one of my trio of Blight Drones, but unfortunately most people I play with do not allow the use of Forge World rules (so into the cabinet they go). With those out of the way I am left with: Plague Ogryns (three), Great Unclean One, Mamon Daemon Prince and of course the Plague Hulk. The Mono-Nurgle List I am running, uses all but one of these figures, so Mamon goes back into the box while the very impressive Great Unclean One, Plague Hulk and Plague Ogryn sit on my desk awaiting cleaning/paint.

Privateer Press 2011 release Schedule.

Privateer Press has put up January 2011's release schedule. Still no sign of the missing units from various Warmachine faction books such as the Khador Man O War Bombardiers or Retribution Cavalry unit. As a result I wonder if the first expansion (Wrath) will be pushed back in favour of finishing the primary release schedule. Time will tell.

Warmachine

• PIP31085 Cygnar Lancer Light Warjack (1)
• PIP32081 Protectorate of Menoth Revenger Light Warjack (1)
• PIP34087 Cryx Deathripper Bonejacks (2)

Hordes

• PIP71049 Trollblood Trollkin Slugger Unit (5)
• PIP73044 Legion of Everblight Bethayne & Belphagor (2)
• PIP73054 Legion of Everblight Annyssa Ryvaal Light Cavalry Solo
• PIP74052 Skorne Venator Flayer Cannon Crew (3)
• PIP75024 Minions Gatorman Ironback Spitter (1)
• PIP75031 Minions Farrow Razorback Crew (2)

On the plus side, the Horde releases continue to pour in with more Blind Water reinforcements such as the Ironback Spitter (Gamera!). The latest stream of Gator figures has finally pushed me over the edge and hopefully this Autumn/Winter will see the starts of a Blind Water Congregation force.

To pick all the latest Privateer releases and Advance Orders, visit: Wayland Games - Discount Wargames

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion

GW:Paint Station & Cutting mat Advance Order

In true pre-Christmas sales fashion, Games Workshop has unveiled new hobby products in the form of the revamped Paint Station and cutting mat. The old paint station by comparison is a primitive looking affair made out of MDF, which despite the dated aesthetics has served me well over the 6 years of ownership. GW's latest offering however is made out of plastic and is ergonomically designed to sit on your lap via two grooves underneath the main section. Now the grooves are great for those who paint on their laps, but what about those of us who paint on a table? Well the provision of rubber feet will mean no slipping on flat surfaces, but what about heavy items sitting on the station, will the grooves underneath cause the station to dip under weight?

Kingdom Death: Forsaker Un-boxing

Back in August I previewed Kingdom Death's latest offering for their Fantasy range. It was not long after that I got my figures (great service as always KD Gang), but with all the Warmachine games going on, I forgot to open up the boxes and have a look! As always the packaging is a classy affair keeping in-line with the boutique figure seller tag the company has associated with itself since the beginning... 

GW: Dark Eldar Teaser

For those of us unable to make the UK Gamesday this year, GW have decided to 'treat' us with some pictures of the new Dark Eldar range coming out this Autumn. I have to say that I am impressed with the quality of the figures and many people's first impression is "It was worth the wait', however nice figures are one thing but a decent rule set is another. 

Enjoy the photos:

The pics show the improved quality of GW design and production with the Wyches actually looking feminine and lithe compared to the first edition releases. The above figures will be available for Advance Order on the 5th of October, I would assume online retailers will also allow pre-orders on this date.

Thanks for reading,

DiStudios

The 14th Legion