Updates Soon

I had planned to finish a bunch of models today and photograph them tomorrow. Unfortunatly, I was struck down by a rather bad migrain today and have only just started working on some tonight. I should still get a couple of them photographed and uploaded within the next day or so, but sadly not as many as I'd hoped. Still, some is better then none I guess.

A Sportsmanship problem video

And this is one of the main reasons that I never played competitively.

What can you do with Glue?

So my Xeno equivalent of a Daemonhost is getting close to completion and today I was hit by inspiration (and it really hurt). Turns out my super glue has gone gluggy (it's the only way I can describe it.....is gluggy even a word?) and when moving it over a surface, it leaves a sting-like effect. So now I'm trying to make it look like a liquid-like substance is dripping off it's fingers and various claws. I then plan to go over it with the GW 'Blood' effect paint, giving it an appearance that blood is dripping off the creature. It's already painted in a fleshy colour and a slightly watered blood effect washed over it, so it gives this creature an image that it's constantly leaving a trail of blood as it goes around. What manner of inhuman monster have I created?

This is my first time using this effect and I may alter or remove most of it if it doesn't work.

Project Updates 23/05/15

So the wizards have been slightly set back due to the details I'm painting on them. Not very good at this free hand stuff and it's taking longer to fix parts up. On the other hand, taking breaks in between has given me a chance to work some more on a few other miniature projects that have been building up.

I also have a few new photographs I want to put up, but they need to be fixed in photoshop (lighting etc), but given I have very little skill in that department (my course used photoshop, but they were more focused on magazine covers then actual photography work) so I'm basically gessing with what I'm doing.

Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll have both project types uploaded in some form or another. In the meantime, I'm looking up various tutorials on voice over/voice acting. Hoping to give it a shot and start getting better at it.

We'll see.

And they wonder why..

$62...


..........$62 for THIS!!!


I know I've gotten the shits with GW products before, but this one really takes the cake for me. People have asked why the hobby has been suffering so and this is part of the reason. This is a single blister pack, a pack used to sell the games heroes. These packs can range from $22 all the way to $38 max, but now we've reached a new price level.

The cost of living in this country has been getting worse and I can no longer buying most box sets, so most of the miniatures I buy now are those of these single mini blisters. This is where I draw the line though. Why sell this as a blister if you want so much for it, chuck it in a box if it's so great. It's things like this that is the reason I'm turning to other miniature companies for models to paint and it's crap like this that GW pulls and yet wonders why their profits aren't rising. As people begin tightening wallets to because of increased living costs, don't be surprised if people stop buying your products because you keep raising their costs. Heck, I know places that sell miniature game blister packs for other games from between $8 to $12 and they are still great fun to paint. I could get the products cheaper, but GW policy stopped a lot of overseas companies from selling us their products cause even with the delivery costs it was still cheaper then in their stores and any store here that would have sold it cheaper has stopped selling GW products due to their dissatisfaction with their dealings with GW.

I know ranting is pointless, but I feel better for doing it.

Something new to display

Went out to pick up a bottle of Coke and came home with this little beauty. Suits my computer desk display area perfectly.

Seriously?

So apparently this is now a thing.



And yes, it tastes like chocolate with that hint of Vegemite. If you've ever tasted Vegemite, you'll know what I mean.

Blasted Freehand

Quick update - it's ticking me off.



Edit: Let me explain. Trying to do the roses seems easy in theory, but when put into practice it becomes alot harder. Perhaps it's because I need a better or more appropriate brush or simply better paint. Who knows, but it's ticking me off.

The Lord Of The End Times Not-So Short Review (Spoiler Heavy)

WARNING: This review is spoiler heavy because I can't talk about it without spoiling so much. Do not read this if you don't want important key points or the ending spoiled.

*sigh* So it's finally come to this. I've held off doing this for too long and so yesterday I finally got the book and read through it and despite my feelings over the End Times, I have to be fair to the book. It's a good read, though as with the previous books you will need to have read the previous books and/or have a good knowledge of Warhammer to understand it.

The book is broken into three acts as like the others. The first part is the fall of Middenheim, the second takes place (mostly) in Athel Loren and the final takes place in the ruins of Middenheim. As usual, the book is filled with the killing off of many named characters as they try to wrap things up and if you don't know the ending by now, then you've managed to avoid it well. Too bad that ends here. So let's start with a story summery, so yeah, this will spoil Nealy everything.

The fall of Middenheim is based around four characters: Valten the exalted of Sigmar, the knight Wendel Volker, Supreme Patriarch Gregor Martak and the Chaos Warrior Canto Unsworn. It also brings forth the godspark of Ulric. Thanks to the Skaven, Archaon's forces easily invade and it's a blood bath. We see a couple of named chaos heroes, with Valnir the Reaper killed by Wulfrik the Wanderer in a duel to see who fights Valten, with Wulfrik being killed by Valten. The flame of Ulric dies, but the God hides in Martak, but in the end they realise they can't escape and so Martak passes the visions and the god spark to Volker who flees. Martak dies by Archaon and before the Chaos Lord can kill the Valten, the Verminlord Deciever kills him from the shadows, causing Archaon to want vengeance on the Skaven. We also learn from Valten's conversation with Martak early on that Luthor Huss is also dead. The Hammer of Sigmar is now in the Lord of End Times possession.

The second act takes place close to a year later, with the remnants of the Empire, Dwarfs and Bretonnia fleeing to Athel Loren in search of allies and it's here they meet the remaining Elves. I won't go into the whole cast of characters for this one as it's very long and would take some explaining. As expected, things don't start off well and it's only made worse when Nagash and co arrive. It's here that two revelations are made (for those who weren't paying attention). The first is that we get the slowly evolving plot that Karl Franz is not who he is and that he's dead and that Sigmar is inhabiting his body. The second is that one of the Elves is Lileath, the Elvish Goddess in mortal form, that was the one who manipulated Teclis to start these events and that she is the Bretonnian's Lady of the Lake. We also learn that she had no hope in saving this world and was only using the Elves and Bretonnian's to create another, one which she now has lost her connection with and could have already be destroyed. The Revelation also causes the Bretonnian faith to collapse, with them leaving the group to return to join the last stand of Bretonnia, knowing that everything they had ever known was a lie. This follows with Bel'akor showing up and with his capture, learn that Archaon has found a third gate of the Old Ones and by activating it, it displaces the order of balance and would destroy and suck the world into the void that is the Realm of Chaos.

It gets worse as Archaon lets the Bloodthurster Ka'bandha to lead a Blood Hunt against the Emperor, whom they still believe is Karl Franz (it's also pointed out that Archaon had killed Kairos Fateweaver for his failure to kill Karl Franz).By this point the Bret's leave, the Daemons attack and by this point Lileath sacrifices herself so Teclis can teleport everyone to Middenheim, but it doesn't go well.

The final battle has the various forces split across Middenheim as they fight to get to the Temple of Ulric. Here the remaining Chaos Heroes are revealed and are sent to fight back (it also mentions that Archaon killed one of the Verminlords and even Thanquol). Most named heroes die and the Incarnates head to the centre, the temple of Ulric. It's reveled that also Grimgor is the Incarnate of Beasts and that Malekith tricks him into wanting to kill Archaon. It's by this point that the final part of the book reaches it's pinnacle, but does try to add actual emotion into, as it's refered to as, the last roll of the dice. The Dwarfs make a last stand, the Daemon Ka'bandha arrives and kills Caradryan, who by this book now is the Incarnate of Fire. Sigmar is reunited with his Hammer, which had the other half of his soul and thus is once more the mighty Sigmar, Founder of the Empire and it's God. The final battle goes ahead and despite Grimgor's death at Archaon's hands, Teclis still attempts the closing by channeling the powers of Fire and Beasts through himself. Sigmar beats Archaon, revealing a tragic story behind the fallen man and is thrown into the void. But as anyone who's followed thus far knows, it all goes wrong. Mannfred Von Carstein, who by this point despite everything going wrong because of what he does and still refusing to believe he is to blame, kills Belt and boasts how he'll gain the power to be like Nagash. This one act fails, stripping all of the Incarnates of their power and killing Teclis and Nagash. Archaon somehow emerges from the void and drags Sigmar into it. And so we finish with the love story of Arkhan and Neferata, followed by the final moments between the Queen and her cousin Khalida. The world ends, it's final passage suggests hope and a miracle.

I know a lot was cut from that summery, but with so much to go through that I did cut a few plot points out, but let's get back on track. How was the story. Like most of the books in this Saga, it cuts some major pieces out (like what did happen at the battle of Averheim?), but if you look past it the book is not that bad. I was aware of how it would end (we've known for a while), so I wasn't surprised that the good guys lost, but found that there were parts that I was emotionally attached to. The final battle of the Dwarfs got me misty-eyed and the final moments for Arkhan, Neferata and Khalida was heart breaking. I really enjoyed it, though I must point out I really hate these sad endings.

I do have a few complaints, but I can't tell if it's because of the novel or due to Games-Workshops Lore in the final book. First off, did Archaon really kill Thanquol? It was mentioned so quickly that I was unsure if it was true or not. I've looked around on the Internet to see if anyone mentioned it or if it could be confirmed, but to no avail. I just don't understand how a major contender in the series would be killed off without a mention. Every other major player got a part, yet nothing on the great Grey Seer.

My second revolves around the Dwarfs. No Dwarf was at the battle around the gate. How is it that a race that's played such an important part in the world suddenly gets shelved as Incarnates? It just seems wrong that the Elves got four and the Dwarfs got none. Sure the Dwarfs first had two, but they just got rid of them and handed them to others. I just feel that with the world now ending, that with all that's occurred, the Dwarfs never got a part. I mean, they even bring in the White Dwarf himself, even a quick part with Malekith to conferm that he was indeed his old friend Snorri, and yet even he never got a part as an Incarnate (though he did show up at the last battle of the Dwarfs on a shield borne by Gotrek and Bugman, which is bloody awesome). Again, these points may have been decided by those above and so Josh Reynolds may not have had a choice. I don't know.

Overall, if I put aside my distaste of the End Times, this was a good book. I still prefer the fourth (Skaven) one, but this would be a close second, mostly due to the feels. I'm just glad to be done with all this.




And thus, the end has come. Lost-lost is Man-things, Elf-things and those blasted Bearded-things.
.............
Wait-Wait, this means Skaven gone too. No-No, Skaven can't loose, Great Horned Rat saved us no? Are we truly dead-gone. But.....if world gone.....how am I still here?
~Grey Seer Skratchnsniff

I ask myself that everyday.
~Zargooran

Of Deathwatch and Cults

So there have been mixed rumours regarding Deathwatch and Genestealer Cults and the fact that those rumouring it seem confused means I'm confused. Some say they'll be separate releases like all the other 40K armies have done recently (possibly with a supplement campaign), some say it'll be a board game like the Assassins (shudders with fear) and some say it'll be a verses box set like Dark Vengeance.

Personally, I'm hoping more for a Dark Vengeance like box. Dark Vengeance costs $160 here as opposed to the Assassins board game at $210, plus it comes with more models which technically count as a legal army for both sides. If they are separate sets, then I hope the codex's are of the cheaper format, given that I know I'll have trouble justifying model purchases ($66 for a 10 model pack). Also, a while back I gave a quick look at the book Deathwatch, which is the story of a Deathwatch team and their first mission that so happens to involve a Genestealer Cult, so a themed box set like Dark Vengeance is so much more suited to the two.

Or perhaps I'm just deluding myself.

Freehand Problems

So I decided to go one step further with these wizards and attempt to do some freehand designs on their robes. I felt there designs and colours were the norm and so wanted to add something to make them stand out. The problem is I'm not very good at freehand work (to be truthful, I'm not very good at painting miniatures either) and this got apparent when I went to start on the Amethyst wizards robe. Despite there being lots of pictures of freehand roses, there are no tutorials on how they do it. My only hope is to use a few videos on freehand painting of roses on finger nails and see how it goes from there. This means further delays to the project while I look into this.