0 What's in the Project Queue? (Undead Legions)

As 2014 winds down, I find myself with many unfinished projects in the queue. For my personal projects, I've been focusing on my Vampire Counts. With the Tomb Kings book in hand I can add some Nehekaran undead to the ranks to form a mixed Undead Legion. A few items immediately sprang to mind that would lend themselves to Vampire Counts-themed versions of Tomb Kings selections:

 

Nagash

 

Obviously, Nagash is at the top of the list. He's still in a state of partial assembly. I need to do some sculpting and conversion work before painting him. I definitely want to have him finished by the end of the year.

 

 

Skeleton Archers

 

I've had these old metal skeletons kicking around for the longest time. Back during Storm of Chaos, I'd planned to convert them into crossbowmen, but never got farther than swapping a few arms. They seem perfect for gothic-looking archers, so I'll use some Tomb Kings skeleton parts to arm them them bows. (Another micro-distraction to keep me from working on Nagash!)

 

Tomb Prince Selketta

 

Tomb Kings and Princes can confer their Weapon Skill to a unit they are leading, and that's too good a bonus to pass up. I've got a few copies of this Tomb Herald, so I can build one for a Tomb Kings army and convert another to be wearing "traveling clothes" so he won't look out of place in my Vampire Counts army.

 

Necro Colossus 

 

The last item is a Warhammer giant. I bought this kit when it was first released. Back then the rules allowed any army to field a giant, but they fell by the wayside in 8th Edition. It's a shame, because there were plenty of converted undead giants out there. It seems that a zombie giant would be perfect for representing a Necrolith Colossus in a Vampire Counts force.

 

'Til next time!

Detail: What's in the Project Queue? (Undead Legions)

0 Spreading Like the Plague

My Skaven army has been mainly Clan Skryre-themed up to this point, but I've always wanted to add some of the Pestilens models. With my Doom Wheel finished and the Hell Pit Abomination underway, I can finally start filling out the plague-ridden ranks of the Under-Empire. So, here's a look at what's in my Skaven project queue:

Hell Pit Abomination

I started this guy a while back, and he's been sitting on the Shelf of Shame for the past few months. While I was working on the Doom Wheel, I painted the accessories for the Abomination. Once I work up the motivation to paint the flesh, the remaining details on its body will be easy.

 

 

I replaced the masonry with the remnants of a Warp Lightning Cannon. The parts are left over from the plastic Warp Lighting Cannon kit. The bases for the Doom Wheel, Abomination, and Catapult were all painted together in a single batch. I'm really looking forward to finishing this thing.

 

 

 Plagueclaw Catapult

Now we're getting into Clan Pestilens territory. I've spoken at length about how I cannibalized the cannon parts out of this kit for my Doom Wheel. What's left over is the catapult itself. I've made a few modifications, like adding a "slop bucket" and ladder going up to the top deck.

 

 

The original bellows operator from the Doom Wheel was swapped with one of the crewmen. Since the machine is mostly wood and metal, I should be able to knock it out pretty quickly.

 

 

Plague Monks

I picked up four boxes of Plague Monks, so I'll be able to field two units of 40. In my spare time I've been cleaning the torsos. They're glued to foam core strips, ready for their arms and heads. I need to get these guys painted fast, and I'll show you my process as this project progresses. 

 

 

Warlord Spinetail and Skweel Gnawtooth

The Spinetail model will make a nice Pestilens warlord. And I still need to paint up the Skweel Gnawtooth model. I think I might paint him with a green color scheme and use this one with my Pestilens army and keep the converted Skweel with my Skryre army. 

 

 

Screaming Bell/ Plague Furnace

When did this kit come out? Well, I finally broke down and bought one. I really dig the Plague Priest that it comes with. Looking over the sprues and directions, it looks like it might be pretty easy to build the kit so the parts can be swapped out for use as either the bell or the furnace. When we get there, I'll be sure to show you how I did it.

 

 

'Til next time!

Detail: Spreading Like the Plague

0 2013: Where Did the Time Go?

I think I've solved the problem with traveling at the speed of light. Shows like Star Trek would never work because when the Enterprise travels at light speed, everyone in Starfleet that wasn't on the ship would grow old and die because time passes more slowly for a ship traveling close to the speed of light (if you believe in crazy theories like "physics").

My wife and I just purchased our first home and moved in. It seems like the last time I checked my watch, it was October. November and December flew by like they never even happened. Now that the move is finished, things are resuming their normal pace. I can logically conclude that time actually sped up for us during the process.

So– What happens if you buy a house while traveling at light speed? The time distortions will cancel each other out, of course, and the ship can approach the speed of light without the time dilation. Boom. Problem solved. Somebody with science things get on that.

2013: A Look Back

This was a pretty big year. Despite neglecting the blog most of the last quarter, we grew by over 100 followers (316 as I type this), and the Facebook page gained even more. Thanks to everyone who came aboard, and to everyone who stuck with me during my absence.

I wanted to increase my commission and definitely did so.  I managed to build ten commissioned terrain tables, and painted more than 100 models for the dioramas and other projects.

Looking back at some of the displays: 

 

Of the five Wrath of Kings displays, I think the Shael Han rooftops was my favorite.  The colors came together really well, and the wall texture worked out perfectly.

 

The Sedition Wars tables featured some of the most extensive Led lighting I'd used to-date.

 

The Wild West Exodus Terrain was certainly the most expansive of all the projects. Something like 23 buildings and a combined total of 36 square feet of table area. Yeesh!

 

I think I had the most fun working on the Rivet Wars diorama, though. between the zeppelin, the explosions, and the little rivet dudes, it was just a blast.

 

I only managed to get in a handful of games this year, but one of them was the largest game of Warhammer I'd ever played. Check out the battle report if you haven't read it; it's truly epic.

 

Unfortunately, there were a lot of things I didn't get to. A few of the Vampire Counts models on my Shelf of Shame remain unfinished, but the most egregious offenders are the Terrorgheist, Corpse Cart, and Garden of Morr. I also promised a more in-depth tutorial of the bunkers I made for the Rivet Wars diorama. Definitely things I need to address early next year.

 

 

2014: A Look Forward

Now that I have more space (and won't disturb the downstairs neighbors) I'll be able to set up the equipment to have a dedicated resin-casting station and produce some terrain kits.

On the gaming front, my friends and I have been working to get together a map campaign or slow-grow league for Warhammer. Possibly a combination of both. If we can swing it, I'll be sure to post about it here.

'Til next year!

Detail: 2013: Where Did the Time Go?

0 What's In the Project Queue? (Oct 2012)

My wife and I just completed the move to our new place, and my studio is finally unpacked and set up.

I've got more floor space, and I think I'll get some lumber to make a permanent worktable to go in the center of the room for those large terrain projects and (on the off chance that I ever find time to play again) to serve as a game table. Haven't had this much open wall space in a while. Got to get some posters up there...

New Facebook Page

For those of you who follow me on Facebook (or are thinking of it), I'm starting a Rob Hawkins Hobby Blog fan page: 

The Rob Hawkins Hobby Blog on Facebook.

I hope you'll follow me there. I'd also like to get this blog on a more consistent schedule. I've been putting up a post every week, but it would be nice to have a regular day for blog posts. The Facebook page will be useful for little updates and random discussion, and then have the major content here once a week.

The Project Queue

In addition to my freelance and commission projects (which can't be discussed until after they're finished) I'm using this move as an opportunity to reorganize my personal projects and set some goals for the rapidly approaching end of the year.

The Legion of the Infernal Skull

I've been giving a lot of attention to the martial aspects of the army– The Blood Dragon vampires and their legions of Grave Guard, Black Knights, and regimented skeletons. There are quite a few projects brewing that will give more attention to the feral side of my army– Dire wolves, ghouls, and all manner of monstrosities whose names utilize the prefix 'var,' the suffix 'gheist,' or a combination of the two. I've been promising a tutorial on my Dire Wolves pretty much since I began this blog, so they're at the top of my to-do list. The Terrorgheist came with a Ghoul King that's so awesome in combat, it's just itching to be the next incarnation of Marduk the Wolf.

Skryre Lord Skreekits' Lightning Engineer Cult

My Skaven army is the only one without dozens of half-finished projects lying around. Those unfinished Globadier models are starting to tarnish that record, so I really need to finish them off. Shouldn't take more than a quick afternoon or two of painting.

Black Templars: Axalon Crusade

I've put off painting my Space Hulk set for far too long (like a year, to be precise). Those Blood Angels Terminators are going to get Templarized to fit with my army and while I'm at it I'll work on the Space Marines from the DarkVengeance starter set.

Terrain

I'll finally put the Garden of Morr to rest (get it?) and finish off a few cityfight pieces. I've got a lot of resin sets and kit-bashed rubble piles on the painting block. From there I'll start tackling my plans for more ruined buildings. They'll be useful for 40K and I'm considering getting into Infinity. From what I understand, it requires a lot of urban terrain.

So, the goal is to put a significant dent in all of these projects by the end of the year and, in the process, work in some bits and bobs that could turn into sellable products for next year. 

'Til next time!

Detail: What's In the Project Queue? (Oct 2012)