Why I love the hobby despite the rubish

The hobby is a painful affair at the best of times. If you let it it will get you down, kick you when you’re down, take all your energy and trample you into the dirt. And just when you think it can’t get any worse, Games Workshop will release the best model ever with the best rules and the highest pricetag, along with an encyclopaedia of supporting books, painting guides, transfers. Well you get the picture.

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There are also plenty of people in this hobby, who appear to lack any other way to find friends, you know “that guy”. Fortunately that guy doesn’t tend to stick around very long, and in general most people who play the hobby are good people. People who are just out for some fun.
That’s not really what I want to write about though. There are many aspects of this hobby that are enjoyable. Most people would say they still remember their first game of 40k or Warhammer. Most People probably remember the first time they were bought past a Games Workshop, and the first time they went in. I’m sure everyone remembers the first model they bought. Mine was the Space Marine Captain with terminator honours, I’m given away my age now.
Ultramarine Captain Terminator Honours
Finding a way to enjoy the hobby can sometimes be challenging. For me there is a constant temptation to play large games of 40k. After which I think we all lose. At least I will be too tired to relish the victory even if I did win. Which can almost feel like defeat. For me the appeal of a game of 40K is not to decimate your opponent, making them remove their models as fast as possible. For me the enjoyment of gaming is talking about each other’s armies, complaining about Games Workshop latest price rises, having a drink of grog and some potato chips. I guess that makes me a beer and pretzels gamer, another aspect I thoroughly enjoy is events, like golden Demon and Warhammer Fest where I can see the achievements of all the other hobbyists. There will be one very very well painted model, one clever little conversion, and the many wargames tables put together by Forge world which will make the ticket worth while.

Another aspects I’ve always found enjoyable is the vision of a finished squad, tank, character and how amazing it will look. Then there is the journey of problem-solving required to find the right bits, apply the paint in the best way, work out the colour scheme, even if I am copying someone else’s and then the skill of getting the paint on consistency and avoiding brush marks. All just to make that model looks like the vision it started from. Now often that process isn’t 100% successful and what we end up with isn’t the masterpeace we had intended,. However the process of getting there is no less enjoyable. And of course unveiling that model to friends through picture message in the whatsapp and posting on blogs, well as long as some positive feedback is received. It all adds to the pleasure, but somehow it would all be worthwhile without the affirmation.

And so again Games Workshop have managed to get me to part with my hard earned money. This time it was on plastic elder jet bikes, which so far have just sat in a there box, as I’ve moved on to assassins. One day they will be the vision I had when I placed that order. Until then GW will have my money so the box that was sat on their shelf can sit on mine.
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The vision I have actually got some paint on to lately is a Mk8 Sternguad squad. Unfortunately due to paint colour changes since I started on the squad, yes well over 10 years ago, I have no Ultramarine Blue, so I’m not able to finish it. So here is a work in progress shot.
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So thanks for reading my ramblings once more and good luck with whatever vision is in your mind today.

Emperors Children Landraider Proteus

Ben has been doing some more work on his Emperors Children Landraider Proteus. Ben originally decided to paint the tank in Codex Grey, This was primarily to allow him to use it in all of his Space Marine armies, both to save on money and time painting, but also to save on storage space in his garage which is overflowing with boxes of Citidle miniatures.

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Ben has now implemented stage 2 of his codex grey plan, which is adding removable chapter doors for his Emperors Children. Ben plans to do the same with his Spave Wolves and possible with his Blood Angels and Grey Knights. Ben has taken this plan one stage further and used the front door of the Forgeworld add on as extra armour. Ben had this to say.
“I didn’t think the side doors alone really gave the tank the look of an Emperors Children vehicle. While the front door on the Landraider hull, doesn’t look perfectly suited to the Proteus, it does clearly make it look like an Emperors Children tank and also means a Forgeworld panel isn’t waisted.”

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I agree with Ben (and often do) the front plate doesn’t look quite right maybe he should have tried a marine in the top hatch to solidify the Landraider’s chapter allegiance. I do understand his desire not to waist expensive forge world resin though. Maybe some sort of objective marker would have been a better use of the front hatch?

Rouge Trader Space Wolves – Ben’s progress

Ben has sent in this photo of some of his Rouge Trader Space Wolves, which he has recently been working on.

“These are the last few metal Space Wolves I have left to paint. After this there is one blood claw and one grey hunter, which I have no idea what I’m going to do with. N’jal needs a few more hours of attention from my Paint Brush, but Bjorn and the Blood Claw are almost there. It feels good to finally have paint in all the original rogue trader characters, even though it’s taken almost 25 years to do it.”

People who suffer from “the pile” or “stack of models in the cupboard” syndrome will probably relate to this achievement. I for one am looking forward to seeing what these models look like when they are “finished”. I think they are already looking pretty good.

Rouge Trader Bjorn the fell handed, Rouge Trader Blood Claw Sergeant, Metal Blood Claw Sergant

Rouge Trader Space Wolves

 

 

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Ben’s desk a year in review

Having given up on 40k and writing for ChapterMaster’s Ben has managed to kick out an amazing amount of Gaming standard models over the last year. Ben has this to say.

“This year has very much been a case of quantity over quality in my model painting. There have been a few reasons for this.

1)The ever increasing number of unpainted models in my collection.
2)The house I recently moved to having a lot less natural light reducing my ability to put finishing touches on models to certain times of day, when I’m in the office normally.
3)A general reduction in spare time due to work and famIly commitments.
4)Being disheartened by some of the releases this year, mainly codex causing me to abandon projects part way through such as my Tyranid, Grey Knight and now Blood Angels army.
5)My new airbrush. Which is good at covering models in paint but not so good for painting parts of models.

In many respects this has been the year of finishing the gaming table, which I’ve done both to inspire battle thirst and because I can paint buildings in poor lighting and while half asleep watching TV.

Space Wolves
2014 started out with Space Wolves, some of these Grey Hunters were technically painted in 2013 but I forget which. This intent was to complete a Great Company for Apocalypse however I’m yet to get any further than coating the dreadnought in frendress grey.

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The year also finished with Space Wolves as I tried to get my final remaining Rouge Trader Space Wolf painted, alas N’jal is no way need complete.

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These Thunderwolves are also far from complete, but are just about table ready.

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Tyranids
My long and troubled love affair with Tyranids ended this year as the studio failed to un break my hormaguant and geanstealers with a new codex for the last time, so I’ve moved to pastures Greener. In other word I quit using Tyraninds and started another attempt at an Ork Army. Before doing so I managed to finish base painting my Swamlord and got a Zoanthrope finished for what would have been my new Hive Fleet.

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Ultramarines
These Ultramarines were started during Christmas 2013, but it took me a few months to get to the last 3 marines. These were also my last plastic Tactical Squad for my 4th company.

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These devastator marines were painted for my last game of Apocalypse in order to add a few more heavy weapons to a devastator company. These are
Obviously a mix of old Rouge Trader power armour variants with Forge World Horus Heresy heavy weapons

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These veterans were from the very large box of metal marines in the cupboard. I’ve banned myself from ebay for my New Years resolution. We’ll see how many months I manage. These 3 models enabled me to field a full 10 man stearnguard squad.

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My final instalment of Ultramarines is Ureal Ventris and his command squad. While not quite finished, I’m very happy to field this unit.

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Imperial Knight
Time for the big guy. The long awaited model. Those that follow my blog will know I’ve been bugging the design team for an imperial knight since they did the BaneBlade. Again there is a lot still to be done to this model, but it’s fine for the table.

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Shortly after starting on the knight A friend and I discussed playing one of the 5th edition special missions with a mind field, so I finally and quickly knocked out these mines from the original planet strike release.

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Orks
As part of my drive to complete old models I had another go at the Black Reach set. This time I found the experience a lot more enjoyable, so there is hope I’ll finish of the job in 2015.

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Grey Knights
After picking up the last model needed to add a power armour Squad to my very small Grey Knight army, thanks Gaz. Unfortunately the new codex, which I understand had nothing wrong with it other than not being available in paperback, means continuing with my Grey Knights sits a long way down my priority list. So another project is on ice.

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Now to the buildings.

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And the good old moon scape

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Objective markers

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Emporer’s Children
The final work of the year was the Emperors Children and Hawk Lords.

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I’m not very keen on the Purple and Gold Emperors Children vehicles that I’ve seen. I also want to be able to use my Forgeworld tanks in all my marine armies so I’ve painter my Land Raider in codex grey an will be fitting changeable doors and extra armour.

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Eldar
This jet bike is not really mind but I quickly painted the helmet and nose for someone In December.

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