Monday 29 April 2013

Imperial APC

I've finally got the upgrade kit for the generic APC nailed down. This converts the standard APC to an "imperial" version.

This is available in the web store here: http://www.lasercutcard.co.za/vehicles

The pack of three works out to under $20 a model even after to you add in postage (which is only $5)

The upgrade kit makes these parts

If you look closely you can see that the autocannon can be modeled with the breech open.


This is what the upgrade kit looks like in kit form



Perspex flight stands

I have decided to address my many frustrations with flying bases by making my own out of perspex.

Before I go any further, these are available for sale in the web store here: http://www.lasercutcard.co.za/accessories

In all cases they are at least half the price of the GW ones.

First up is a 60mm round flying base (this is called the Type 1 base). The blue stuff in the photo is a protective film that comes over the perspex to stop it getting scratched... you just peel it off. 
I am going to use these for my destroyers, tomb blades and anything else small and skimmy.

Next up is the Type 2 base. I am intending to use this for my scratch-built flyers (more below)

Then there is the type 3 base. The same large oval base as the one above but a shorter stand. This is going to be used for my ghost arks and monoliths as it provides a lot more stability

All of the stands have a small perspex tab at the top.


This is to allow it to be slotted into your scratchbuilt kit without having to cut a huge hole in the bottom. The fuselage rests on the crucifix shape and the tab slots into the actual body.

Of course, the crucifix shape is also perfect for mounting magnets on as there is a lot of contact space for the magnet to be firmly glued. 

This is what I have done with mine.


I snapped off the top tab of the Type 1 base and glued on a rare earth magnet. This is a 2mm x 3mm one which is actually too thick but I have ordered some 1mm x 5mm ones that will be perfect.



After that it is simply a case of gluing another magnet to the bottom of the model.

I did the same with the type 3 base

Now my ghost arks are FAR more stable and when the 5mm magnet  arrives I will be converting my monoliths too.

I am using the Type 2 to convert my scratch-built blight drones into proper flyers and might also use them for  flying monstrous creatures.

All three types of base are available for sale here: http://www.lasercutcard.co.za/accessories






Monday 22 April 2013

A productive weekend

Many projects were inched forward to completion this weekend.


The conversion kit for the tracked APC was completed and painted up. As soon as I have a final price for it this can go into the web store.

Here's a comparison shot between the tracked APC and a GW Chimera.


I assembled and filled my new Helldorado demons. These will be heralds in my nurgle demon army.

I modified my scratch-built blight drones to fit on the new flight stands (which are also now in the shop)

I started adding some extra detail to two of my art deco ruins - many many thin strips of scale model ship planking to represent wooden floors.

If only I had time enough to actually play games :)

Friday 12 April 2013

Battle report: Orks vrs Necrons (1000 points)


Introduction

The Warboss surveyed the scrap field that was the remains of the human city from the back of his battle wagon and grinned. The stuff was lying everywhere. The big mek would be especially pleased… perhaps pleased enough to finally build him that mega armour he had been hinting about. The thoughts of the mayhem he could wreak once he had *that* made him chuckle quietly, the orange/earth of contentment almost dripping off him. The scrap was there… all they had to do was collect it.

“Boss?”

The warboss turned, seeing Gitrippa, the nob of his personal guard climbing onto the back of the wagon. He was excited – his waaagh (which the warboss interpreted as a combination of smell and colour) manifesting as blue/sharp. But strange;  blue streaked with white/burnt: excited and  … scared?

“Boss – we got company”

The nob gestured with his power klaw towards a distant container terminal. The warboss turned and focused, the crude bionics in one eye automatically switching to magnification.

In the distance, amidst flashes of green fire, metallic figures were appearing.  As they swam into focus, the Warboss felt a quick, unexplained chill shoot through him. Some ancient strand of DNA, written into his kind billions of years earlier, recognised what he saw even if he did not. These were creatures his kind had been bred to survive and even overcome. But these great existential conclusions happening at a cellular level resolved themselves far more simply in the Warboss’ mind.

His brief flash of fear was quickly replaced by red/ozone as his fury grew.

“Round up da boys, Gitrippa. They’re after our loot.”

Overview

1000 points, Big Guns Never Tire, deploy on long board edges, 4 objectives

We actually rolled the diagonal deployment and then decided it was too much of a fag and rerolled. We also decided to skip the warlord traits.

Armies:

Me (orks)

Warboss, big mek, nob and 17 boyz all in a battle wagon
Nob with 11 boys in a trukk
Nob with 21 shoota boyz
12 stormboyz (jump packs)

J (necrons)

Destroyer lord with 3 wraiths
Triarch stalker
Annihilation barge
20 warriors
20 warriors

J won the deployment roll and set up first

He set up his warriors in cover in the container terminal, his annihilation barge and triarch stalker in the centre and his destroyer lord and wraiths (all jump infantry) on his far left.

Looking at this, my battle plan was fairly simple. The shootas and stormboys would go for the two objectives that were on my left (opposed by the destroyer lord and the vehicles)

The warboss and trukk boyz would go for the objectives on my right, starting with trying to wipe out the 20 warriors in front of them.

Here is our deployment, with the objectives marked



Turn 1

I  failed to seize initiative and night fighting was in place for turn 1.



J went first (green arrows) and moved his vehicles more into the centre and one squad of warriors forward. He moved the other squad of warriors to face my battle wagon and hopefully glance it to death.

A combination of night fight and the battle wagon’s force field meant that it only took one glancing hit from everything he threw at it. The other squad killed a few stormboyz.

In my turn I made a small change in the plans. I really needed to wipe out the entire squad of warriors that was in front of the battle wagon in one go to make sure that they did not get their RP rolls.

To do that I needed to make sure that for my turn 2 assault, I only had them to deal with so I needed to draw off the other squad. The stormboyz were tasked to take this suicide mission. They jumped 12”, rolled a 5” for movement and easily made the charge to get into assault with the other warrior squad. They took a lot of over-watch damage and didn't really kill anything but they survived the assault phase and locked that unit in place.


On the other flank the trukk and the battlewagon charged forward, the trukk moving flat out to park between the two squads of warriors.

Turn 2

J easily blew up the battle wagon with his huge squad of warriors but this left them facing 20 angry orks.

The triarch stalker and the annihilation barge immobilised the trukk.

In his assault phase the warriors and the destroyer lord and wraiths easily wiped out the stormboyz squad.

In my turn 2, the trukk boyz and the warboss charged the other squad of 20 warriors and wiped them out and my big unit of shootas moved into the ruins in front of them.


Turn 3

The triach stalker moved up to take on the warboss and trukk squad and everything in J's army shot at them
This ended up with the trukk boyz breaking and falling back, losing an extra boy in the process to the bosspole :)

In my turn the warboss moved up towards the objective in the container terminal and the trukkboyz passed their rally roll and consolidated into the ruins onto the objective close to my DZ.

The shoota boyz decided that enough was enough and charged out of the ruins to assault the annhilation barge, blowing it up.

Turn 4

With all the guns and J's attention focused on the warboss, his squad was quickly whittled down. The triarch stalker marched up and flamed them, which did not help. The wraiths and lord charged the shootas but neither side got an advantage (although the lord killed the nob in a challenge)

In my turn the warboss charged the stalker and destroyed it, leaving his original squad of 20 with just him plus one boy. They wisely consolidated onto the objective to hold it

Turn 5

The remains of the other warrior squad charged into the shoota boyz and this, combined with the lord and the wraiths was enough to break them. They fell back exactly enough to land on top of their original objective.
In my turn they rallied and the game ended.

This left the orks holding 3 objectives



 Thanks to J for an enjoyable and relaxed game.




Monday 1 April 2013

Ork Trukk (converted tracked APC)

This is an ork trukk conversion based on the generic tracked APC kit. It is based on the open topped version.







WIP shots


I started with the open topped kit and added some ork glyphs and rivets



I scrounged up some bits from the bits box, including something that I hope will look like a monstrous engine.

I made a little engine plate with a belt and glued that onto the back of the engine compartment. Having the orky upgrade engine extend into the passenger compartment felt right.
I did not want to model the legs of the driver so I blocked off the driver compartment with another glyph.


The engine was mounted sticking out of the compartment (da normal wun wuz too weedy)

For painting, I started with a matt black spray overcoat.

After that, two different airbrush coats went over this in two different reds so that the coverage was not homogeneous.

It was then drybrushed and a dark brown wash applied to all the plate edges.