Rodge Podge 2011

Success!  I had an amazingly awesome time at Joe Roger's warhammer event, the Rodge Podge.  I was successful in getting my Blue Balls of Fury army painted in six days.  It was so much in theme with the event, that I will abstain from posting it here.  In fact, I was very happy to give a couple of the overly-themed conversions to Hastings and Golke when they called dibs on them.  Most importantly, I was successful in winning the Ryan Golke Certificate of Achievement that went out to the loser that put together an army entirely of his own models, and even worse, painted it in a matching theme.  Oddly, there were no other contenders for this award.  So I won it "my favorite way, by default."

Game 1, I faced Klemic's world record template artillery army.  Hellcannon, dwarf cannon, lighting cannon, trebuchet, pigeon bombs, rocket battery, doom rocket, brass orb, and three mortars.  He decimated everything before it touched him except for my bruiser general and giant.  Thankfully, they rampaged through his artillery backfield to get over 1400 victory points.  I have played Klemic at at least 4 tournies now, and we always have a great time.

Game 2, I faced Bruin's army of combat plus a lone troll.  We had reviewed the published tourney lists on our ride up, and we had identified Bruin's list as a strong contender with his beast banner, khorne marauder horde with great weapons, and phoenix guard.  My ironguts took 9 wounds from his marauder charge, but dealt 24 back even before stomps.  Somehow, he still beat me...or maybe I should have checked his math.  I guess did blow up my tzeentch herald on turn 1 with a miscast.  Bruin's was a superstar opponent.

Game 3, I played Horstmann's army of dwarfs, bloodletters, dryads, and skinks.  We were not in the running for overall, so we got to know eachother by chatting for a half hour and then we got some turns in.  One of my mangler squigs finally hit something - his skaven warlock.  He hilariously charged his brettonian paladin into my squig herd in the tower, killed one, and then got ripped to shreds.  On the other hand, his skinks caused 4 wounds with a stand and shoot reaction to my giant's charge.  Then they killed him before he even got to attack.  He fell on the skinks killing 8 of the 10.  His dwarf horde with hand weapon shield surprisingly held up my irongut horde for a few rounds, but I pulled ou the win.  Playing Horstmann was a great way to wrap up a great event.

This was yet another of my favorite warhammer events put on by the Pointhammered pack.  Awesome players, awesome facility, awesome beer, awesome partying with friends = awesome time!  Roadtripping, playing games, and hanging out with friends made the event.  A huge thanks to the Rodge and his support minions for putting it on and reinforcing why warhammer is my singular hobby for life.

Rodge Podge 2011

Got most of the conversion work done on the army tonight.  My final conversion was inspired this morning while listening to the latest PointHammered podcast!  Definately not for public viewing.

I also got a start on basecoating.  I planned ahead and took Thursday and Friday off work to make sure I have enough time to finish the army.  I believe it will get done pretty nicely.  Plus, I've got friends (Domus!) betting against me.  So, that will just make it that much more satisfying.

Rodge Podge 2011

Lord knows I should be painting, but I want to share my progress.

Over the weekend, I finished pinning and assembling the ogre BSB and basing the ogres.  I thought I'd share a bit on the technique I use to get pin holes to line up.  I'm starting from the point that you've already done any necessary carving for the parts to fit up in the desired orientation.

First, I determine the placement of the pin that will provide the most depth for the holes and avoid drilling through thin wall sections.  Basically, I want to drill in the most "beefy" section of the joint I can locate.  I choose one of the parts, and I twist the point of the exacto knife where I intend to drill to give a starting location that will help the drill get a bite in the figure and avoid the drill bit "walking" off location.  I then drill the first hole.

Then, I use a bit of poster tack.  I push it pretty flat on to the surface of the part that hasn't been drilled.

I place the parts together enough that the drilled hole will leave an impression in the poster tack, but lightly enough that the poster tack won't stick to the piece that has already been drilled.  The impression in the tack will leave a raised area where the hole was, and that is the location to drill the second piece. I use the exacto knife again to twist a starting location.

Then I remove the poster tack, and drill the second hole at the appropriate angle.  I find the angle doesn't matter as much if I use the smaller, thinner paper clips for my pins.  I roll green stuff skinnier than the hole I drilled, and I cut off a length about the depth of the hole.  I use the exacto knife to place the green stuff in the hole.  I then do this to the other hole.  Then I add super glue to the green stuff-filled holes, add the pin, and shove the pieces together in the correct orientation.  The green stuff fills the hole around the pin which makes it a solid joint.  The super glue plus the green stuff makes for a really strong bond, and it dries quickly.  So make sure to get the pieces together before it sets, which may be less than 30 seconds.

So, I've finished assembling the army except for a couple finishing touches on the Tzeentch herald on disc.  It was a great feeling to get everything primed tonight.  Now, I have a few days to paint the entire army before we depart on Friday for the tourney.

Gotta admit, I'm pleased with the giant conversion as well.  Definately in theme with army and the event.  Warning: Giant nuts ahead.  And yes, that is a squig.

And lastly tonight, I got the bases basecoated.



Rodge Podge 2011

Progress...

I finished stripping figs using Simple Green.  That is one aspect I really like about metal figs is the ease of re-use.

I got the squigs, herders, and hoppers glued to their bases.  Both the herders and the squigs were going to have a lot of issues with ranking up.  So I based a lot of them at angles instead of straight forward.  Also, tilted the long herder pitch forks upward so they could rank up as well.

I also got a good amount of them based with pumice and cork.  I was concerned I wouldn't be able to afford the extra time to use pumice instead of gluing sand.  However, by using pumice, I was able to skip the step of filling in or taping over the gaps in the base slots.  The pumice doesn't sink in to the gaps like sand does.  So, I don't think using pumice added much time at all.

I also found the fig I am using for the tzeentch herald, but more on that later.

Rodge Podge 2011

I got the 24 squig hoppers deflashed, filed, and pinned when needed.  Some were used and are soaking in simple green to remove the paint.  I've super glued the rest to bases.

Some of the squig hopper figs have one foot raised.  This creates a dilemma.  I don't want the support pin to be visible on the final fig.  However, if I cut it off, the remaining metal fig joint to the tab is very fragile.  So, on the ones that only had 5mm of support pin, I plan to leave it and hide it with basing.  I only trimmed the right foot of the ones shown on the left here.  The OOP figs, like on the right, have a more substantial joint to the tab making this a non-issue.

Rodge Podge 2011

I got the 45 minis for the two squig herd units deflashed, trimmed, and filed.  I wish the night goblin squig herders had more than 4 poses.  Lots of opportunity for conversion work there, I guess, but not at a time like this!

I'm planning on fielding the unit of 15 squigs and 6 herders 7 wide in 3 ranks.  I guess the unit of 15 squigs and 9 herders could be 6 wide or 8 wide depending on the frontage of enemy units and amount of shooting they have.

Rodge Podge 2011

Alrighty then!  I'm attending an extrememly unique warhammer event with a few bro's of mine called The Rodge Podge.  It is a single-day, 3-game, warhammer event in Steven's Point, Wisconsin, put on by the Pointhammer podcast host, Joe Rogers.  Joe is a veteran tournament organizer of great acclaim with a major strength in creating top notch tournament game scenarios.

The Rodge Podge is a particularly unique event because players are allowed to build armies using army selections from every army book in one force!  That's right.  It is going to be absolutely insane.  Also, the only points scored are victory points.  There is zero focus on painting, composition, or sportsmanship.  There is a "Ryan Golke Certificate of Achievement" for painting your hodge-podge army specifically for this tournament.  The next two weeks, I will be blogging my progress as I shoot for this particular award.

Army lists were due last night at Midnight.  I turned mine in with 6 minutes to spare.  It was very challenging to wrap your mind around the idea that you could select heroes and units from any army.  We had aspirations of conducting a thorough evaluation of every unit's capabilities and value to optimize our lists.  That didn't happen.  We thought it might be fun to forget about winning and just focus on knocking other people out of the tournament with large/unbreakable/stubborn/unkillable units.  In the end, and on the day that lists were due, we identified themes that were exciting enough to motiviate us to build and paint entire armies in less than two weeks.  Brilliant!  Here's mine:

BLUE BALLS OF FURY

2000 Pts - Rodge Podge 2011


HERO
Bruiser General, 169 pts (Heavy Armour; Crown of Command)
Bruiser BSB, 170 pts (Standard of Discipline)
Herald of Tzeentch, 160 pts (Disc of Tzeentch; Master of Sorcery)

CORE
11 Ironguts, 598 pts (Full Command; Rune Maw)

SPECIAL
15 Night Goblin Squig Herd, 138 pts (6 Night Goblins)
15 Night Goblin Squig Herd, 147 pts (9 Night Goblins)
8 Night Goblin Squig Hoppers, 96 pts
8 Night Goblin Squig Hoppers, 96 pts
8 Night Goblin Squig Hoppers, 96 pts

RARE
Mangler Squig, 65 pts
Mangler Squig, 65 pts
Giant, 200 pts

Composition Report:
Points of Lords: 0 (0 - 500)
Points of Heroes: 499 (0 - 500)
Points of Core: 598 (500 - Unlimited)
Points of Special: 573 (0 - 1000)
Points of Rare: 330 (0 - 500)
Total Roster Cost: 2000

So this will be my tale of building and painting an 86 model army in less than two weeks.  I will be painting the latest standard models for the squigs, squig hoppers, and night goblin herders.  The squigs basically represent the blue balls of fury of the army theme.  I will post about the mangler squigs when I get to them.  I won't be able to post much about the Tzeentch Herald because the content of the conversion will not be appropriate for public browsing, but it will be very much in theme with the event.  Below are pics of the 3rd edition ogres I will be using for ironguts and the bruiser general.  I'll be using the chaos ogre standard bearer for the bruiser BSB (if I can find a right arm for him!).  Also below is a pic of the giant conversion concept using a giant of Albion and a squig hanging from his genitals.

Evil Dwarfs

Okay, I have spent a few paint sessions with @ginger_buddha and Tupp, and I followed miniature mentor video instructions.  I am too embarrassed to display any results, but I am a HUGE fan of the following painting techniques now:

- Thinning paint for better graduation and leaving detail
- Using a hair dryer to speed up drying
- Glazing to tint
- Shadowing down and highlighting up
- Using A LOT of light
- Mixing paints for color interest and increased subtlety in transitions

I am satisfied that extra effort is very much worthwhile, and that I can keep the increase in painting time per fig from becoming boring.  I'm going to try another test fig this weekend, and I'll post the results.

I've also gotten a lot of feedback on my army list.  Plus, I watched renowned dwarf general, Gary Luthor, play a game or two at the Midwest Rampage to pick up some dwarf tips.  The primary decision for me is whether to 1) spend max allowed points on a lord and runelord, 2) to increase unit sizes, or 3) to add a unit of hammerers.  My 2000 pt army list below is aimed at option 3) to maximize troops and having five unit banners for a fortitude of eight.

2000 Pts - Dwarfs Roster
Runesmith General, 127 pts (Shield, Rune of Stone, Master Rune of Challenge; Rune of Spellbreaking x1)
Thane BSB, 155 pts (Master Rune of Gromril; Rune of Preservation; Rune of Resistance)

10 Thunderers, 165 pts (Mus; Std; Light Armour; Shield)
10 Thunderers, 165 pts (Mus; Std; Light Armour; Shield)
20 Longbeard Rangers, 345 pts (Mus; Std; Great Weapon; Heavy Armour; Shield)
      Runic Standard (Ancestor Rune x1; Rune of Determination)

20 Slayers, 238 pts (Mus; Std)
20 Hammerers, 258 pts (Mus; Std; Great Weapon; Heavy Armour)
Cannon, 125 pts (Rune of Burning; Rune of Reloading; Engineer w/ Brace of Pistols)
Grudge Thrower, 160 pts (Rune of Accuracy; Rune of Penetrating x1; Rune of Reloading; Engineer w/ Brace of Pistols)

Organ Gun, 120 pts
Gyrocopter, 140 pts

Composition Report:

Points of Lords: 0 (0 - 500)
Points of Heroes: 282 (0 - 500)
Points of Core: 675 (500 - Unlimited)
Points of Special: 781 (0 - 1000)
Points of Rare: 260 (0 - 500)
Total Roster Cost: 1998

Evil Dwarfs!

It is time!  Time to start my next army.  I am really psyched, as I have been planning this one for some time.  I've got conversion plans and creative use of OOP figs and new components for the signature units.  I have locked on to a paint scheme, and I hope to spend the next eight months laboring on conversions and appearance to help me garner appearance soft score points at tournaments.  I am aimed at unveiling the army at Waaagh!Paca in January 2012 - hands down, my favorite tourney of the year.  Unfortunately, the tourney is only 2000 pts.  However, that means I have less figs to get done for the unveiling, and I can add later to build up for the 2400 pt tournies.

And the army will be - DWARFS!  What, yes I do already have a dwarf army.  However, I have plans for 7 separate dwarf armies.  The first one I painted is an above ground ranger expedition with no gunpowder.  This one is something I have never seen anyone do, and I have never heard anyone else talk about doing it.  I'll be fielding EVIL DWARFS using the regular dwarf army book.  I call them "evil" instead of "chaos" for this reason.  I will not be using the chaos dwarf rules - at least to start out with.  Also, you won't see the typical chaos dwarf hats or beards.


At this time, my 2000 pt list is as follows:

Dwarf Lord, 266 pts (Great Weapon; Shieldbearers)
 Runic Weapon +1 to hit GW
  - Master Rune of Kragg the Grim
  - Rune of Snorri Spangelhelm
 Runic Armor re-rollable 1+, no KB
  - Rune of Resistance
  - Rune of Stone
  - Rune of Preservation

Runesmith, 122 pts (Shield)
 Runic Talisman
  - Master Rune of Challenge
  - Rune of Spellbreaking x1

Thane Battle Standard Bearer, 155 pts
 Runic Armor re-rollable 1+, no KB
  - Master Rune of Gromril
  - Rune of Preservation
  - Rune of Resistance

15 Thunderers, 250 pts (Musician; Standard Bearer; Veteran with Brace of Pistols, Shields)

20 Longbeards, 275 pts (Musician; Standard Bearer; Shield)
1 Runic Standard (Rune of Determination)

18 Slayers, 216 pts (Musician; Standard Bearer)

19 Hammerers, 291 pts (Musician; Standard Bearer)
1 Runic Standard (Rune of Battle; Rune of Determination)

Cannon, 125 pts (Rune of Burning; Rune of Reloading)
1 Engineer (Brace of Pistols)

Grudge Thrower, 160 pts (Rune of Accuracy; Rune of Penetrating x1; Rune of Reloading)
1 Engineer (Brace of Pistols)

Gyrocopter, 140 pts (Flyer)

Composition Report:

Points of Lords: 266 (0 - 500)
Points of Heroes: 277 (0 - 500)
Points of Core: 525 (500 - Unlimited)
Points of Special: 792 (0 - 1000)
Points of Rare: 140 (0 - 500)

The hammerers, stone thrower, and cannon are for effectiveness. I have to have the slayers, thunderers, and gyrocopter because I have conversion plans for them, and I'm a fan of the gyro. I don't *have* to have the longbeards, but need to keep 500 core. I considered two unit of thunderers, but better to have one of each unit in a "painter's army". Could trade in the hammerers to make the other units larger...we'll see.  Reloading and engineers with BoP on the artillery to keep them alive and firing.

Wood Elf Update

Here are pics of my wardancer-themed wood elf army for Waaagh!Paca 2011.  I spent a lot of time on the conversions, and it was painted to this stage in just one week with intense nightly focus.  A huge thanks to my friends Joe Rogers for paint night input and inspiration and to Caius for help with the color scheme and help basecoating.  I went 2-2-1 with it, and tied for second place sports.  I'm looking forward to carrying through with more highlights, details, and an involved display base.

Wardancer-themed Wood Elf Army for Waaagh!Paca 2011

Eternal Guard (with Mage and General on front right)



Glade Riders (front)



Glade Riders (side)



Glade Riders (back)

 

Warhawk Riders



Wild Riders

Wardancers

Dryads (front)

Dryads (top)

Treekin Unit 1

Treekin Unit 2

Wood Elf Update

Got the dryads assembled and based except for their heads.  I am loving the dryad bits on daemonette bodies.

Wood Elf Update

I have gotten organized to assemble my dryads which are converted with daemonette bodies and to assemble my warhawks.  With luck, I'll get these mostly done tonight.

I've realized I will only have 1 week to paint the entire army.  So I will be using washes galore.

Wood Elf Update

I converted two standards, a wild rider and a glade rider.  I used decorated elf swords on the tops of the standards.  Note, the glade rider's quiver goes under his hair.