Can't catch me..

 This weekend knowing that I needed to work on some Jetbikes for NOVA I broke out some of the ones I have already started on and the ones I've picked up here and there. Still wish we would get some new models for these but for the price I got them for isn't bad!

 I started to clean the edges on the pieces and started to break apart some of the ones that were pre built when I got them. He did a decent job on putting them together but cleaned none of the mold lines. I also want to use different bodies and heads. Awhile back I made some jetbikes and used Dire Avenger/Guardian bits to make them look decent... but that was a long time ago and they don't look anywhere as good as I'd like them to so I'm going to break them up and add some different bits to make the riders look cooler.

 They will also get different paintjobs..

 I've been trying to think of something cool to put on the bike's front shell but the things I've tried just look off and cheese .. I added the black flame like designs to the one amove awhile back but didn't like it. Even with the blending I was going to do on them I don't think it will be what I want to see .. I have a couple new ideas that I'll try and I'm sure it's going to be some trial and error 8)

Right now they are pretty much ready to head to the airbrush station. I'm going to do the bikes first and then the riders. I'll need to order the plastic Farseer to make the other seer but I think that will be all I need.

Go go jetbikes! 8) haha

NOVA Open 2014 - Planning, Painting, Preparing..

The NOVA Open 2014 is fast approaching and I need to get into the preparing mindset. If you haven't gone I highly recommend it, I had a great time last year (with the exception of the crazy Buffalo Wild Wings --ouch.. I will be skipping those this time around haha). When it was over I thought it would be one and done for the experience of the whole thing and I was TIRED! But it was such a good time that within a month I was already thinking I was going back( Here is the post about last year if interested in checking it out ). It started out as being the Trios as I thought a cool team tournament could be very interesting plus its more of a hanging out playing a crazy game.. less competitive which is nice since I have no plans of being the champion. Then I started thinking hell I'll be there I might as well play in the GT haha.. so now I'll be playing in two of the competitions adding on another day, I expect to be crazy tired.

So lets get into it..

The Trios
I'll be teaming up with Evan and Ron from FTGT in a crazy mix of armies if there ever was one. Eldar, Necrons and Nids.... what? haha..  At least Evan has finally locked in what army he's going to play (we think but there can be no real guarantees haha) Evan came up with the idea of mimicking the Good, the Bad and the ugly so I've been working on a graphic for the team. I was also working on lists, for this you need a 1K and a 2K list .. The 1K was giving me some trouble but I think I have it worked out as well as the 2K list though it needs a little work now with the 7th change.

I'll go into the lists in more details later but for right now the models I know I need to get done are:

3x Rangers - I normally use three of my old Rangers when playing 10 but since they completely don't match the rest of the army I need to get three guys done. I love painting these so this will be no problem 8)

1x Warlock on Bike - If I stick with my list, but with the wait Psy is working now I think I'm going to swap this out completely.

5x Jetbikes - I have a bunch of bikes in the list and with only 4 done in the new style I like I need to make a few more up. I now have over twenty jetbikes so it's just about getting some painted up.

Revenant needs his details finished up - Thats right I'm bringing the big guy to smash some faces.. He's never seen the table so this will be a perfect opportunity!

The GT
NOVA announced the updated rules for 7th so it gave me the ability to plan somewhat accordingly. I've mentioned it before and having had my first game of 7th I still don't like it. The Warp Charge thing sucks as bad as I thought it was going to.. I could only consistently get off one power per turn.. going from three to one hurts on that 100pt model but there really aren't that many other options for the army I'm going to take. But moving on .. Thankfully this year it will be very light for work that has to be done.

1x Farseer on Bike w/ Witchblade - The conversion I made last year has the singing spear but trying to keep it what you see I want to make one up. I would like to have another either way so this will be a double good reason.

So now a ton ..  of models anyway. I want to make a wild display board and I've been slowly bringing in all the stuff I'm going to need to make it. Yesterday the lights came in for it.. I thoughts I'd already be to that point but with the drill bit still in a truck somewhere I couldn't work on the main part I'm going to light. While taking the train in today I was thinking of a new ways to make the lighting stand out and how I want to do the center of the board. It will be a little more cutting and a lot more dremel action but would look very cool. This weekend at some point I want to get the steps cut and the decks figured out, I was going to Mag them last year and didn't but this year it will be a must as I'll need to be taking a bunch of the pieces off. The last thing I plan to work on is a rolling cart for it .. It might be a little over the top but I don't really want to carry this thing around haha.. it's going to be pretty big and heavy..

Hero Hammer

 I was planning on working on my display board last night but that didn't end up working out. I needed a large wood bore bit so went to the Home Depot near my house which was a mistake. It quite literally is the worst, it never has anything I'm looking forward and the people are typically useless. They don't carry Irwin bits any more which stinks and they didn't have a replacement for the adjustable large bore bit (other then hole saw bits that are $30 each... not worth it when I'd need two and only need to cut one hole for each size. Not to mention it isn't really designed for that). So I just got annoyed and left..  I ordered the bit from Amazon but it wasn't Prime so now it looks like it will be at least a week in coming.. Boooo.. I wanted to get all those pieces cut and ready. I guess I'll just have to work on the stairs for it before hand though was hoping to wait so I could eye it up and figure the exact layout of the steps. That right now is the biggest thing I Need to figure out..

 But.. anyway... I went and started painting instead. I have the Games Day BA Sarg almost done. He needs more clean up and maybe some blending but he also needs his BP/JP done and his gun also needs some love.

 Sadly it's hard to see all the blending in these pictures .. it was late last night and I was just trying to get the pictures of them wrapped up.. The blends are looking very clean and smooth which is very cool. The gun doesn't have much done to it and really is going to need some work. I don't want it to just be the same looking metal color so I'll work in some brass or coppers..

 The pic above is one of the better ones to see the blends other then his fist which has a little reflection on the figures of the PF.

 I also wrapped this guy up... he could use a little more work but he's rank and file so that's enough.. sorry Johnson. I think he still looks cool and came out very nice. I did a little extra blending on him.. I was working on both so I figured he could use some more highlighting.

 I added some white and very light purple to the cloak to add a little more transition. I could add more to give more of a wear feel but like I mentioned it was time to put him on the shelf.

 There's just something about dual chainswords that screams I'm a bad ass 8)

So far I'm pretty happy with the way the extra blending is coming out. More is always better except when you factor in the time it takes to knock them out haha.. It does take a bit longer and I clean out my palettes a lot more now but the models are looking much cleaner.I'm also writing down the formulas I'm using so I'll add on to my Painting Blood Angels Tut soon.. When I get time I will also post up some of the mixtures that have been working for me in case people are interested in playing around with them too.

Stand...d and Deliver....r

 A little more work done on the Guild Riflemen, they are far from done but I wanted to get their heads somewhat done so I could attach them. I'll be getting another game in something this week/weekend depending on the time I'll have free and would like to try these guys if possible.

 These models have a ton of detail and that will take time but should look very cool when done 8)..

 Added in reds to add to the Guild feel and also has a cowboy feel.

 There still needs to be a ton of blending .. I like the leather look but it takes a bunch of time haha..

I have a good bit of Malifaux guys that are being worked on as I go.. if I'm doing skin on one I'll usually do it on all that need it so when I get to those models they will require less.. in theory at least 8)

Tonight I'll be working on the display board some more, I want to get that really moving along for Nova..

A solid foundation is required...

 What are you looking at here? Well it's the beginning of the new Display Board I'm making up for Nova this year. I was pretty happy with the one I put together last year but this year I should have a little more time to get this one all done up right... "should". I don't have nearly as much to paint up as I did last year so it really shouldn't be too much. But, the Tour de France will be starting in less then 2 weeks and that will take away some of the hobby time haha.. But anyway...  Last night I got the three deck plates cut, two of them are exactly the same and there will only be a slight gap between them to run the lights and such.. the other smaller deck will be the second floor of the platform.

 When the two are joined they should be able one inch thick giving me the room to run whatever I need.. On the upper of the two decks I'll be cutting seams into it so light can shine through. I used EL wire last year and while it did look nice it was hard to see unless it was darker then normal. This year I want it to glow more 8)..

 I cut the main vane (sounds a bit dirty haha) that will be center mounted. I still need to cut out the hole for the warp vane to pass through. You can see it below on the paper template. I want to get all the structure done in advance so all I need to do is work on the extra detailing.

Stand an fight..

 Worked on the Blood Angel Sarg, I've done a little blending but mostly it's just been getting the base colors on. So many things sitting on my table and I want to clear some of these guys off 8)

 I also haven't painting up a Blood Angel in awhile and figured this would be a good one... I'll work on more blending then normal on the Sarg hopefully..

 I think his pose really looks cool with the old school JP, I added the magnets but haven't really touched them with paint other then base reds.

 I also worked a bit on the other BA guy I've had sitting here for a long while..  he needs to get finished up and moved into the finished cabinet.. hopefully in the next few days ..

I changed the GS'd cloak I made again, now going with a purple look. I think it's looking ok but still needs some work. The blends are going pretty good and once I cut down the sheen I think it will pull it together a bit more. Either way he's going to have a purple shoulder cloak, it's not getting painted another color again haha..

Lets get this started..

 Last night Sean and  I went to Games and Stuff to get in a few games after work, G&S is a LGS that is on my way home from work and they have a pretty large player base. The Wyrd Henchman and one of the guys Sean knows were going to be up there to play me in a game of Malifaux. This would be my first actually game of Malifaux that wasn't Josh and I walking through the rules haha.. Sadly I only have one picture, I had taken about 10 videos of my kids last weekend and apparently they were quite big haha.. So the pic above was the start of the game.. I missed out on some cool battle pics but the game was very fun and I learned quite a bit. I played Sonnia again and it was pretty much the TnB box except I switched out the Flame for a Death Marshal. Which ended up being a good move by the end..

35 SS
I had:
Sonnia
Reincarnate
Imprint
Sam
Witch Hunt
Witchling Stalker
Witchling Stalker
Witchling Stalker
Death Marshal

We were playing table corners with Reconnoiter (table quarter thing), Bodyguard and Plant Evidence. I picked something different if it was available even though I was thinking Sam wasn't going to survive.

He used:
McMorning
Sebastian
Nurse
Belle
Belle
Flesh Construct
Zombie Dog
I'm not sure the names of his upgrades..

From the get go I knew killing wasn't going to be my main objective since none of my schemes needed a lot of killing. Kill what you need to but that's pretty much it really.. I started moving to my left and when Matt moved that way I went back the other way. My first two turns were mainly just moving around and that was fine. I started getting the quarters and getting some points. Sonnia's firewall was the big winner of the game, the center had lanes around a big ol piece of wood but they were tight and with the firewall I could lock out one side or the other and block LOS. I kept blocking the Belle's lure with it and just moved into position.

He started to move forward on me as he figured out I wasn't planning on moving up and throwing down so in the middle we had a throw down between a Stalker and his Gholem, He did manage to kill the Stalker but I Rezzed him as Sonnia was close and kept the thing in combat. I then lined him up for the Death Marshal, the next turn his decomposing butt was in a Pine Box haha.. Thankfully I had gotten that off .. whoot.. I really wanted to pull that off.. it's nothing too tough and the thing had a low Df/Wp .. sweet.

I started to plant evidence and was trying to keep him distracted so ran up some Stalkers to which got lured and then engaged. When it activated it died being too close to Sebastian but I wanted him to die, he went out in a boom doing 1 da and putting up burning 1 on the two Belles and the dog. Now Sam could do his thing and laid into them killing the dog and a Belle, the other burned to death which was all the sweeter. The DM just back tracked with the monster in the box to keep the quarters..

Matt had killed another Stalker and raised another Flesh Construct which he got into range with Sonnia, I wasn't too worried as the game was coming close to the end. If they fought her they left Sam alone 8) .. I charged Mcmorning with a Stalker doing some damage but wow .. I flipped 4 Black Jokers throughout the game.. and was having a hell of a time with weak damage haha.. Either way Matt started to bump McMorning around which put him in Range of Sonnia. Hitting the Construct didn't matter so I just wailed away on McMorning killing him .. take that traitor!

I ended up winning 10 to 7.. It was getting late for me and was taking me some time to understand the point system but as we were talking about it before leaving it made sense. Malifaux is a very fun game and completely different then most others with the addition of using cards.. it is also all about your schemes, fighting is cool but sometimes it can mean very little to you.. Another game down and I picked up more of the rules.. a couple we were playing wrong and I think I'm good with most of them now.. A little longer hopefully should have them all down.

 The Sonnia Crew 99% finished.. her head still needs a little bit..

 Sam is also pretty much done.. I didn't want to make him flashy at all so he's just very muted ..

 I did add some of the Secret Weapon leaves to the base and I really like them.. adds a flash of color to the dreariness .. 8)

She's almost there..

A bit scattered..

 It's been hectic the last few days and honestly have had a little case of burn out. Tonight I'll be getting in another game of Malifaux and it should be with someone experienced with the system so I can make sure we've been playing correctly haha.. But last night I started working on one of the Hired Sword chicks.. She's a wee lass, I mean really.. this model is small .. but it is a pretty cool looking model. The only down side to the model is the way the scrolls on the back are molded .. they are really long (hard to explain) They should have been molded separately and them added on.. would have given a better look 8) But that is a small grievance..

 I mainly worked on blending the red dress, It started out with an overall airbrush blend then went in with the brush. Right now (top picture) I've gone with:

Airbrush:

Prime Black
DPM - Indian Red
Golden - White
DPM - Crimson Lake
VAC - Scarlet Red

Brush:

Black Wash (shadows)

1:1 - VGC -Squid Pink : Blood Red ( highlights)

I'll be blending out the robes a little more and going back with some more VGC Blood Red to blend it a little smoother. 

Here is the stuff I'm currently messing with (not counting the Plaster Bricks or Eldar Display Board), I put together most of my Malifaux models and have at least got them primed. When I was airbrushing the model above I also started on the Ltd Blood Angel Sgt..  I can't stand the non helmed head so went with a full helm. He'll end up having a ton of gold all over.. I want him to look very bespoke 8)

Nova announced their ruling for list building and I'm happy with how they are doing it, I'm doubly glad there will be no Lords of War in the GT. To me that is too much .. I've pretty much locked in my list and it's going to be most of the things I like and I'm not really caring about how it does 8).. The display board will really be my main focus.. I now have all the stuff I need for it .. or at least think I do. I have to figure out a few things to make it work the way I want it to but hopefully it will 8) I cut the base level of it out but it's been too hot to go out in the garage and mess with it anymore.