Chaos Lord on Juggernaut Conversion #2

Here is the second of my Chaos lord on Juggernaut conversions.  This fella is armed with a Frost Blade and Storm Shield, plus extra goodies I don't remember because they are not modeled.  Again I built up the base with cork tiles to give a little more intimidating stance to the model.  To be honest this is my least favorite of the three for some reason. 

This model also has a collection of parts from many ranges listed below:

Legs are CSM

Torso front is also CSM

Torso back is from older Space Wolf sprue

Shield is from Fantasy Warriors of Chaos as the other

Head is Khorne Berzerker

Backpack is CSM

Chain is from Wal-mart

Loincloth(chain?) is from CSM

Shoulderpad is Khorne Berzerker plastic

Left arm is CSM bolter arm

Right arm is Fantasy Marauder arm

Frost Blade is bit from Be'lakor the Fantasy Daemon Prince(you used to be able to bit order awesome bitz like this, so I've had it for a while)

I think that is all the bitz used in construction.  I am very poor in the Green Stuff Fu department so most of my conversions are really just kit bashes that I try to blend together to make a cohesive looking figure.  There are a couple more views below.

Well, there you go a quicker post than my usual ramblings.  I'll get the third guy up tomorrow with a group shot and the Chaos Fenrisian Wolves I'm using.

Chaos Lord on Juggernaut Conversion #1

Okay, this is the first of three Chaos Lords I have converted on Juggernauts.  These will be used as Wolf Lords on Thunderwolves of course.  I have had these built for a while and Black Matt over at Black Matt's Black Legion Blog had posted a few pics of my stuff including some of these.  Since then I have found some small chain at the trusty Wal-mart and added this.  These are built to simulate riding a bull standing up(yeah no easy cover saves with these, oops).  The real purpose is that I can now just pop these off(they're only pinned with no glue) and use them on normal bases as Chaos Lords, well and I am a little lazy and didn't want to source proper legs for sitting, sculpting saddle, etc.  

This first one is armed with a Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield and the usual goodies.  He is built with parts from several ranges of GW minis.  The hammer is from Ogre Kingdoms, the shield is a Fantasy Chaos warrior one, the backpack is old school CSM, the right arm is old school Possessed arm(muscled to handle weight of hammer), wolf pelt from older Space Wolves set, head is Fantasy Chaos Warrior, chain tabbard is Chaos Terminator Lord kit, legs are from Khorne Berzerker kit, shoulderpads are Forgeworld Khorne Berzerkers, and that's about all I remember.  I wanted to make the bases on these more dramatic using some cork tile and old Rhino door.  This gives him a very aggressive pose which I like.  This is the most feral and menacing looking one I made and probably my favorite of the three(two of which I will be posting later this week).  Below are a couple more views.

 

Well, that's the first one of the three.  I'll have the others up in the next couple days.  I hope you like it, even if the standing pose is a little ridiculous and over the top.

"Hobby List of the Week": Introduction

Forgeworld Berzerkers with Landraider

One of my favorite parts of the hobby is to write up lists.  I am always scheming some kind of list from various army books depending on which Codex I am reading at the time.  I always buy every codex and army book for 40k and Fantasy and read each cover to cover.  While I don't always have time to sit down and build/paint models, I do usually spend 15-30 minutes reading each night before bed.

Where I differ as more of a hobbyist than gamer is that I like to write up lists that fit what I have read, not what will kick butt on the table(though I want some nuts in my list because I don't like to lose every time I play either).  I enjoy making lists and building a cool looking army to fit the "theme" that I am going for.  I have stacks of lists written and not all get built of course.  I thought I would start a weekly post showing these lists that I am always writing up.  I will just call this "Hobby" instead of "Theme" because I want to show lists that would be fun to build  and offer lots of conversion for hobby minded gamers.  "Theme" lists get thrown around a lot nowadays and not everyone's idea of a theme list is the same as mine(like 34 plasmaguns in IG army is NOT a theme list to me).  Below I will show a list I came up with to introduce what I will try to put across each week.  I plan on showing a list and giving some ideas for the conversions/model choice and fluff aspects of said list.  I am shooting for 2,000 pt lists each week and will give ideas on what to trim or add to change the size of the army.

The first one I will start with is a Khorne-themed and modeled Chaos army, but using the Blood Angels Codex.  The list will show why I think this codex choice is appropriate.

HQ
Astorath the Grim
     Use the Astorath model for this shaving BA symbols.  This model is Chaos looking and opens up the Death Company to more than 0-1.

Reclusiarch - plasma pistol - meltabombs
     Use the Kharn the Betrayer model for this.  He will add some hitting power and rerolls on everything for the Death Company unit he joins.

Elites
Sanguinary Priest - Terminator Armor
     For this use the Forgeworld Lord Zhufor model, which looks sweet.  Give Feel No Pain and Furious Charge to Terminator unit.

Assault Termies x7 - 6 with Lightning Claws - 1 with Thunderhammer & SS(maybe 5 to 2, not sure)
     Dedicated Transport - Land Raider Crusader - Multimelta
          This unit would be converted using Chaos Termies and Forgeworld Khorne Termie Torsos and the Landraider would be a Space marine Crusader with Chaos bits and Forgeworld doors.

Troops
Death Company x 8 - 1 with powerweapon, 1 with powerfist
     Dedicated Transport - Land Raider Redeemer - multimelta
         This unit would be converted with CSM and the Forgeworld World Eater Torso set.  Landraider converted like above.  Also uses Khorne's lucky number of eight in the unit.

Death Company x 8 - 1 with powerweapon, 1 with powerfist
     Dedicated Transport - LandRaider
          Same modelling as above.

2,000 pts
10 Killpoints
30 models
0 Scoring Units

Okay, so that's the small model count, no scoring unit, triple landraider rush list.  Yes it will probably get crushed every game played in your head where every opponent is packing a Leafblower style IG list.  Okay, realistically in normal gaming environments with your friends, this would be a very fun list to run.  And with such a low model count you can go crazy with all Forgeworld stuff, detailed paintwork or other nice conversions.  The Blood Angels Codex fits the Khorne theme very nicely and the ruleset makes these guys crazy bloodthirsty killers, which is what you should be going for in a Khorne-oriented army.

I will flesh out this "Hobby List" idea more in the coming weeks with a wide variety of lists from several codexes.  This was just a quick rundown of some of the ideas I have in store for this weekly posts.

How do you feel about building armies, would you rather build a super-competitive army that crushes all the teenagers at the FLGS or build a sweet looking, low model count list that puts every part of the hobby to the test.  Personally, this is one of my favorite list from those I have written, as it would look awesome on the table, and each model could get extra attention.  KILL, MAIM, BURN.

Selling Reminder: 40k & Fantasy on Ebay

Thought I would put up a quick post to my items I am currently selling on Ebay.  The auctions include a Wood Elf Fantasy army and lots of 40k.  The 40k stuff is mostly just single miniatures and characters from the Daemonhunter, Imperial Guard and IG range.  Check out the link at http://shop.ebay.com/ctreleheb/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1 .  At this point most of it is down to a couple days left on the auction.

I'll get back to the real hobby posts soon.  I have been spending most of my hobby time on one big project that will be making its way here soon as a series of articles.

How to: Hairspray and Salt Weathering Technique

 
 Today I'm gonna show you how I went about trying some weathering techniques for the first time.  I "borrowed" the models from my cousin for this experiment so I wouldn't mess up my own. Haha, sucker.  I'm gonna go through the pics and give my step by step for this method.  At the end I'll go over a couple things I learned that worked really well and a couple things that didn't go so well.

First up are the tools needed for this technique.  Above you can see the salt that I used for this.  It is very irregular in size and shape, so perfect for this.  Also it happened to be free as it was in the cupboard.  It does only costs a few bucks for 3 lbs though.  Below you can see that I used a Ruddy Brown primer from Wal-mart that costs 3 bucks.  This would give me a rusty, dirty look after weathering.  I also bought a 2 dollar can of hairspray, also from the walmart.  I was also using this exercise as an excuse for practicing some more with the airbrush, but you could just use some spray colors to get your desired effect.  You will also need an old toothbrush, some warm water and a toothpick is helpful.

 First prime all models used with the Ruddy Brown Primer

 Next spray a light coat of hairspray on the models and quickly sprinkle with salt before it dries

 Don't spray to many parts at once, just one at a time, then salt, then move on

 Top of Hammerhead after spraying and salting

 Side view

 Pic of bottom

 Next I airbrushed a light basecoat and then a darker pattern camouflage.  I need more airbrush practice, first time doing anything other than basecoating.

 Here you can see the salt still under paint, be careful while painting not to knock this off

After scrubbing the salt off using toothbrush and warm water.  You can also use the brush to weather the edges more if wanted. 

 Side view after weathering

 Other side view

 Rear view

 Bottom view

 This even worked on a couple crisis suits

The other Crisis suit

Group Hug Photo

Okay, so that was easy.  These four models only took me a couple hours from start to finish including waiting on everything to dry.  Granted i haven't touched any of these with a paintbrush yet, but they are definitely tabletop quality and ready to go with 3 colors.  Not perfect, but hey it's wear and tear after a long campaign.  Now for what I learned through this process to do better the technique.

1.  The undercoat can be any color you like, I just used the ruddy brown because it would show up well through light undercoat.

2.  You only need a very light coat of hairspray.  Don't overdo this step. 

3.  Make sure you let the hairspray dry for at least an hour depending on how much you applied.  I got to excited on this step and had some paint cracking issues.  I was able to cover these up with more coats, but I noticed on another model I did later that with a very light coat of hairspray and a longer dry time I had none of this.

4.  Let the paint dry for at least an hour after you apply over hairspray.  Again I got to excited here and in some places the paint came off too easily.   

5.  When brushing off the salt with toothbrush and warm water, DO NOT saturate the model over large areas.  On a separate project I had used to much hairspray and to much water.  This released most of the paint and I had to use a hair dryer to dry before it just flaked off.

6.  It is also very easy to remove the salt with a toothpick.  Just use the side and rub off.  This is also a great tool for weathering edges.  Just dip in water and rub the edges with side.  Paint easily comes off and looks great.

Well, I hope this has inspired you to try some simple weathering.  I would suggest you practice on some spare tank parts before going at a Landraider, etc.  It is very easy to do and gives good results.  The model I did after these worked out really well and I will be showing it off later.  If you have any questions about the process or if I left something unclear let me know in the comments and I'll try to give you an answer.  This was my first time doing this, but I feel like I learned a lot in the process that could help others not make the same mistakes I did.

Again Wanting New Stuff: Selling Wood Elf Army

 Well the time has come to sacrifice another army to my wants/desires.  I have been thinking hard about what I really want to keep and will have time to paint in my lifetime.  This time it is the Wood Elves that will hit the block.  I am going to put these on Ebay in a few days, but thought I would give someone the chance to get these at a good deal.  As with all the things I sell, I like to get back 65-70 percent of the retail value so I can "invest" in some new models or in this case rulebooks.  I am trying to catch up my 40k Codex collection as well as find the remaining books I need in the Legends of the Old West series from Warhammer Historicals.

I have some close-up pics of each unit if anyone wants to see them, but this army includes everything from the Wood Elf Army box that was released when the army book came out a few years ago as well as some extras.  I have:
Unit of 8 Glade Riders - built
10 of the old Wardancers
6 of the new Wardancers
12 of the old Waywatchers
3 new Warhawk Riders
2 Great Eagles- one built-one unbuilt
1 Warhawk
Some parts to make a Lord for steed - old metal model
Some parts to make a mage for warhawk - old metal model
Female mage - old metal model
Limited Std Bearer from army box
Lord with great wpn - new one
Floating mage - new one
Bits for Glade guard unbuilt below-how many came in army box?
Bits for dryads unbuilt below - however many came in army box?
Twilight Sisters on dragon - unopened in box shown
There may be other things in pic I didn't note

Well that's all of the Wood elves I have.  I will sell the entire army or just parts if you want certain things and not others.  The deal will be better for more models.  I'll give it a week on here then put the remaining on Ebay.  Email me at ctreleheb AT gmail DOT com if you're interested in any of this.  Next army on the block will be my 14,000 pts of fully built Fantasy Orcs & Goblins.  I'll post some stuff on them in the near future.

Do you play with "counts-as" armies to Win or Save Money?

Initially this post was just gonna show some pictures of some of my Chaos models that I had taken and never got around to posting about.  But then I started thinking about the great things about Chaos and using them for the multitude of power armoured armies out there.  I think lately with the release of Blood Angels and Space Wolves there are lots of Chaos guys out there that feel left out.  Chaos is probably the easiest army out there to use as a "counts-as" army.  All parts from every space marine model out there can be used in conversions. Below I will show some pics of models I have converted and what they are in the Chaos codex and what they can be in other books as well.  Some models will be easily moved from book to book while others may only serve one purpose.  This is okay, just don't try to pass off some half a$$ effort to make a model something it's not just so you can pull one over on your opponent for an easy win.  I only play with a small group so it is easier for me to play counts-as without looking like a jerk.  

 Iron Warriors Dreadnought, easily used in all books without discrepancy as is case with any Dreadnought

Another view, I like this model

Chaos lord with wings, Librarian, Chaplain, SM Captain, stretch to Dante in Blood Angels 

Chaos Sorcerer with wings, Librarian, Chaplain, SM Captain, stretch to Sanguinor in BA Codex 

Chaos Termies used as Abaddon's Bodyguard, Wolf Guard Termies counts-as 

Fantasy Pestigors used as Lesser Daemons in Chaos Codex, okay so just one use

I have more examples just no pics, like Plague Marines as Grey Hunters, Raptors as Assault Marines, Rhinos as Rhinos, Landraiders as Landraiders, etc.

I love building me some Chaos models as they are fun to build and look sweet.  I see no problem using most of the ones I have as other things using other rulebooks.  I don't do this to win, but to open up playing possibilities to vary my games.  This can also give insight into other armies that you may encounter and give you ideas on how to beat them using the ole' Chaos 'dex.  And if you're really into to Chaos stuff why not play with 3 or 4 different codexes to keep the game fresh but building and painting the models you enjoy the most. Which is what is important, this is a hobby after all.  And maybe you'll even save some money, but probably not if you're like me and want lots of this cool stuff.

So, in conclusion,  I think it's okay to use counts-as armies to a degree.  I still want the equipment be the same regardless of books.  It doesn't matter if the plasmagun has a few spikes on it or not, just that it is a plasmagun and not a meltagun or whatever you put in the guys hands. I think when playing "counts-as" that WYSIWIG is the most important element, not whether they worship Khorne or the Emperor.

Do you think all of the above models fit into the categories I put them in or do you think I am stretching the boundaries?  On the other hand do you think the boundary could be pushed further with some of them?  I know there are other ways to do a "counts-as" army besides using power armored dudes, but I think this is by far the most easily acceptable way in gaming circles.