Squad Sahrael complete. Nerd League results.

Well, this has taken about a month longer than I hoped or cared for, but finally, Squad Sahrael of the Sixth Company is finished after I tidy the bases!  Nothing else to add, except I won't be painting any Tactical marines for a while (I wish, I have at least two more squads I need to do), In the background you can see that my Deathwing squad have had their Seraphim Sepia wash and are just drying.

The Nerd League results for this week were...interesting. I played Danny's Tau/Space Wolves list, and let's just say it didn't go to plan. I was very conservative with my deployment, and suffered at the hands of Danny's Crisis Suits. Having two separate missile pods each is hideous to fight against, and he was hammering my army from turn one. By turn four I had very little left, and as such conceded. I don't think I could have done too much to change the game, maybe going second instead and being more aggressive with my Deathwing and Drop Pod deployment. But it was a fun game, and that's all that matters.

In Gandy and Pootank's game, there was a shocking win for the forces of Chaos! Gandy played much better than recently, and I think some of our advice is starting to sink in. It also probably helped that one of his champions managed to roll up Dark Apotheosis and turned into a Daemon Prince! Gandy's was obviously delighted with this game, and as I'm facing him next week it should be a good game all round.

Grey Knight list and Honoured Imperium

I painted this during the Bank Holiday weekend just gone. Weather was glorious, and we've needed some new scenery in the Nerd Garage, so...well....here he is.

Also, I'll be running this Razorback heavy Grey Knight list tomorrow in our break between Nerd Leagues. It's quite a 5th ed list, but hopefully it'll come good. Any thoughts? I'm sure the main thing I'd change is swapping the Purgation Squad for another Psyfleman, but that's the only thing...

1500 Pts - Grey Knights Roster

HQ: Inquisitor Coteaz (1#, 100 pts)

   1 Inquisitor Coteaz, 100 pts ((C:GK, pg. 45); Infantry (Character); Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Artificer Armour; Psyber-Eagle; Bolt Pistol; Master-crafted Nemesis Daemonhammer; I've Been Expecting You; Independent Character; Psyker (Mastery Level 2); Spy Network; Stubborn; Warlord; 6E Psychic Disciplines: ; Divination; Pyromancy; Telekinesis)

HQ: Ordo Xenos Inquisitor (1#, 88 pts)

   1 Ordo Xenos Inquisitor, 88 pts ((C:GK, pg. 44); Infantry (Character); Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Psychotroke Grenades; Ulumeathi Plasma Syphon; Power Armour; Bolt Pistol; Chainsword; Independent Character; Psyker (Mastery 1); Stubborn; Upgrade to Psyker)

Troops: Grey Knight Strike Squad (11#, 290 pts)

   1 Grey Knight Strike Squad, 290 pts ((C:GK, pg. 28); Infantry; Psybolt Ammunition; And They Shall Know No Fear; Brotherhood of Psykers; Combat Squads; Deep Strike; Preferred Enemy (Daemons); The Aegis; Hammerhand; Warp Quake)

      1 Justicar (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Storm Bolter; Nemesis Daemonhammer)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Psycannon)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Psycannon)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Rhino ((C:GK, pg. 33); Vehicle (Transport, Tank); 10 model capacity; Smoke Launchers; Storm Bolter; Psychic Pilot; Repair; The Aegis; Fortitude)

Troops: Grey Knight Strike Squad (6#, 171 pts)

   1 Grey Knight Strike Squad, 171 pts ((C:GK, pg. 28); Infantry; And They Shall Know No Fear; Brotherhood of Psykers; Combat Squads; Deep Strike; Preferred Enemy (Daemons); The Aegis; Hammerhand; Warp Quake)

      1 Justicar (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Storm Bolter; Nemesis Daemonhammer)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Psycannon)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Razorback ((C:GK, pg. 33); Vehicle (Transport, Tank); 6 model capacity; Smoke Launchers; Psybolt Ammunition; Searchlight; Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter; Psychic Pilot; The Aegis; Fortitude)

Troops: Grey Knight Strike Squad (6#, 171 pts)

   1 Grey Knight Strike Squad, 171 pts ((C:GK, pg. 28); Infantry; And They Shall Know No Fear; Brotherhood of Psykers; Combat Squads; Deep Strike; Preferred Enemy (Daemons); The Aegis; Hammerhand; Warp Quake)

      1 Justicar (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Storm Bolter; Nemesis Daemonhammer)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Psycannon)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Razorback ((C:GK, pg. 33); Vehicle (Transport, Tank); 6 model capacity; Smoke Launchers; Psybolt Ammunition; Searchlight; Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter; Psychic Pilot; The Aegis; Fortitude)

Troops: Grey Knight Strike Squad (6#, 171 pts)

   1 Grey Knight Strike Squad, 171 pts ((C:GK, pg. 28); Infantry; And They Shall Know No Fear; Brotherhood of Psykers; Combat Squads; Deep Strike; Preferred Enemy (Daemons); The Aegis; Hammerhand; Warp Quake)

      1 Justicar (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Storm Bolter; Nemesis Daemonhammer)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Psycannon)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Nemesis Force Sword; Storm Bolter)

      1 Razorback ((C:GK, pg. 33); Vehicle (Transport, Tank); 6 model capacity; Smoke Launchers; Psybolt Ammunition; Searchlight; Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter; Psychic Pilot; The Aegis; Fortitude)

Heavy Support: Purgation Squad (6#, 236 pts)

   1 Purgation Squad, 236 pts ((C:GK, pg. 29); Infantry; And They Shall Know No Fear; Brotherhood of Psykers; Combat Squads; Preferred Enemy (Daemons); The Aegis; Astral Aim; Hammerhand)

      1 Justicar (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Storm Bolter; Nemesis Daemonhammer)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Psycannon)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Psycannon)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Psycannon)

      1 Grey Knight (Assault Grenades; Krak Grenades; Psyk-out Grenades; Power Armour; Psycannon)

      1 Razorback ((C:GK, pg. 33); Vehicle (Transport, Tank); 6 model capacity; Smoke Launchers; Psybolt Ammunition; Searchlight; Twin-Linked Heavy Bolter; Psychic Pilot; The Aegis; Fortitude)

Heavy Support: Dreadnought (1#, 136 pts)

   1 Dreadnought, 136 pts ((C:GK, pg. 35); Vehicle (Walker); Smoke Launchers; Psybolt Ammunition; Searchlight; Twin-Linked Autocannon; Twin-Linked Autocannon; Preferred Enemy (Daemons); Psychic Pilot; Reinforced Aegis; The Aegis; Fortitude)

Heavy Support: Dreadnought (1#, 136 pts)

   1 Dreadnought, 136 pts ((C:GK, pg. 35); Vehicle (Walker); Smoke Launchers; Psybolt Ammunition; Searchlight; Twin-Linked Autocannon; Twin-Linked Autocannon; Preferred Enemy (Daemons); Psychic Pilot; Reinforced Aegis; The Aegis; Fortitude)

Nerd League Round 2 results, and more WIP pics

We played round two of the Nerd League this week, and I was up against Gandy and his Chaos Marine list. He was roundly tabled in his first game against Pootank, and was looking to get back into the running. He set up first, and then, for the second game in a row, I promptly stole the initiative. This set the tone for the game, where my luck was beyond belief. I blew up a Maulerfiend in close combat with a Tactical Squad using kraks before it even swung! The game was a complete murderfest, and by the end of my turn 4 Gandy had 6 marines and a Rhino on the table, at which point he conceded. So I've now gone two for two! Pretty hapy with that, especially as I've taken a list I wouldn't begin to call optimised. I think my success has come from two factors, the cautious deep strikes of my Deathwing, which I've been using to make sure I get my twin linking and ensure optimal Standard of Devastation deployment, and the aforementioned banner. It's been an absolute beast, and the amount of bolter shots you can throw out are obscene. Couple that with a Librarian using the Divination table and you have a solid base to an army that can take out most threats.

In the other game, Danny and Pootank went toe to toe. The game was back and forth, and both sides could have won at any point. In the end, Pootank had about 8 Space Wolves left on the table, meaning Danny took the game. However when we totaled the scores, there was two points in it, which is due to Pootank sticking to taking objectives, which when you're playing can sometimes be easily forgotten in the rush of playing.

So next week is the deciding week. I have a strong advantage having not lost a game yet, but there's all to play for, and I'll be having a very tough game against Pootank. 

And finally, I did some more work on Sahrael. I really need to get my act together and get these finished. I only need to do the Warpstone Glow highlight on the armour and then it'll be time for the details. Really gonna pull my finger out and see if next week can see these marines done and dusted!

Librarian Conversions, a new list and Nerd League game one results

I've been building a variety of Librarians recently. I had to build one for my Nerd League list as I don't like the standard Terminator Libby, and wanted to give him a Deathwing twist. With a bit of converting, and the use of a Nemesis Force Staff, I ended up with the below...

I've got lucky with the pose, as I feel it makes him look like a guardian of secrets. Which is kind of convenient really! 

I also decided it was high time to build a Libby on a bike, as I have a few ideas for Ravenwing based lists, and a biker Librarian is always useful. He also allows access to Ravenwing Command Squads, and that in turn leads to the Standard of Devastation...

You see where this is going right?

We played the first round of the new Nerd League this week, and with the roll offs, I ended up facing Danny's Tau/Space Wolf list. I took a shoeing last week with my Grey Knight list, and with Danny taking the same list, I was concerned that I would struggle. The game was fast and furious, with high volumes of fire coming from both sides. My Deathwing Standard Bearer alone took over 40 shots in turn two on his own! However, in the end the combined might of the 1st, 2nd and 6th companies were too much for the Tau, leaving me with a 12-7 win! It was nice to take vengeance against the blue skinned xeno, and both myself and Danny agreed it had been a cracking game. In Pootank and Gandy's game, the Space Wolves of Pootank* were too ferocious for Gandy's Chaos to overcome, and Gandy suffered a 11-3 loss. It was a rough game for Gandy, and his luck just wasn't there. For the next game Danny will be taking on Pootank whilst I'll be playing Gandy. I'm sure that I will have a hard challenge ahead!

And finally...I've been making lists with Ravenwing Command Squads to take advantage of both the new FAQ ruling, and the usefulness of the Standard of Devastation. With a quiet day at work, and a lot of hard decisions, I've come up with the below. Thoughts and comments are always welcome!

1500 Pts - Dark Angels Roster

HQ: Librarian (1#, 120 pts)

Auspex, Power Field Generator, Bike

Ravenwing Command Squad (5# 245 pts)

Standard of Devastation, Ravenwing Grenade Launcher

Elite: Deathwing Terminator Squad (5#, 250 pts)

Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield x1, Cyclone Missile Launcher

Troops: Tactical Squad (11#, 205 pts)

Plasma gun, Plasma Cannon, Drop Pod

Troops: Tactical Squad (10#, 170 pts)

Plasma gun, Plasma Cannon

Troops: Tactical Squad (10#, 170 pts)

Plasma gun, Plasma Cannon

Fast Attack: Ravenwing Attack Squadron (6#, 181 pts)

Meltagun x2

Heavy Support: Devastator Squad (5#, 135 pts)

Missile Launcher x3,Lascannon x1 

Total - 1496

*I may have said before that Pootank would be taking a Tyranid list. However, he felt that it was time his fledgling Space Wolf army got an outing. An outing with five Thunderwolves (!). Pretty sure this is gonna be the winning list, but hopefully I can ride my luck...

Defending my Crown

The Nerd Garage has begun to once again shake with the sounds of warfare. In the wake of the last campaign, it became clear that the First, the Sons of the Lion, were victorious in conflict, bringing honour and redemption onto their very souls. However, new and dire threats have emerged in the Coventrius sector. Reports of unidentified, bestial Space Marines in allegiance with the xeno Tau. The broken Alpha Legion renewing themselves for battle, their command structure allowing them to evolve and infiltrate planet after planet. A splinter of Hive Fleet Behemoth, having not fed for two hundred years, awakening and beginning to consume...and in the midst of this carnage and mayhem, the Dark Angels resolutely and staunchly protecting the Imperium, following their own, mysterious objectives.

So, in real terms, after setting the scene, the Nerd League Round Two is beginning! There's been new lists written, and a burning need to wipe out some debts. We're following the same format as last time, whereby we all play each other once, keeping it nice and simple and meaning we don't overplay our armies. 

This time Danny K has gone for Tau with Space Wolf allies, Pootank has gone for Tyranids, Gandy is going with Chaos Marines and I have gone with Dark Angels. Three out of four of us are sticking with the same type of army, however these leagues are great for learning what ticks and what doesn't in our gaming group, and helps to get our armies lean and mean.

So, I've come up with what I think is a very different type of list for this round. I've gone Deathwing heavy, while having a solid amount of Greenwing Support. The Standard of Devastation is there to make my bolter units absolutely fearsome to face, while the small Ravenwing element is there to get the Deathwing down safe, and to hopefully melta a tank or two in the face. As for the Deathwing Knights, well, they're just cool and I really want to see what they can do. The only obvious weakness to me is a lack of transports for my scoring units, meaning they'll need to make sure they move towards objectives, losing some of that glorious Salvo 4. 

Anyways...the list!

1500 Pts - Dark Angels Roster

HQ: Librarian - 100 pts

Terminator Armour; Force Axe, Auspex

Deathwing Command Squad - 320 pts

4 Deathwing Command Squad - Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield x1, Cyclone Missile Launcher, Standard of Devastation

1 Deathwing Champion 

      

Elite: Deathwing Knights - 235 pts

4 Deathwing Knights

1 Knight Master

Elite: Deathwing Terminator Squad - 250 pts

4 Deathwing Terminator Squad - Thunder Hammer & Storm Shield x1, Cyclone Missile Launcher

1 Deathwing Terminator Sergeant

Troops: Tactical Squad -170 pts

9 Tactical Squad - Plasma gun, Plasma Cannon

1 Sergeant 

Troops: Tactical Squad -170 pts

9 Tactical Squad - Plasma gun, Plasma Cannon

1 Sergeant 

Troops: Tactical Squad - 90 pts

 4 Tactical Squad - Lascannon

1 Sergeant

Fast Attack: Ravenwing Attack Squadron - 164 pts

4 Ravenwing Bikers - Meltagun x2

1 Ravenwing Sergeant - Combi-Meltagun

I'd really like some C+C for this as although it feels fairly solid, more advice is always welcome!

Squad Sahrael of the Sixth. Brother Knight Aneases walks. Exitus Acta Probat. The Nerd League finishes.

So with the Black Knights finished, it's time to look at what will be next for the Dark Angels. And that, as seen below, is Tactical Squad Sahrael. This is a ten man squad with a Plasma Cannon and Plasma Gun, which I've been running with great results in my recent games. They will be a pleasant change from painting massive amounts of black, and will help get a large chunk of my army finished as well! They do have a Rhino as their transport, but I'll tackle that after I complete these guys. After these and their Rhino are doneI'll be cracking into my Darkshroud, The Lion's Shade.

The first of my two Grey Knight Dreadnoughts, Brother-Knight Aneases has been built. The Venerable Dreadnought is a great kit, and gives you lots of extra bits. However, I decided to Knight up my Dread by using bits from the Grey Knight, Grey Knight Terminator and Dreadknight kits. It's mostly purity seals and shields  but I also made sure he had an appropriate head from the Terminator kit to make him appear part of my strike force. Looking forward to getting some paint on him, and I'll be working on him at the same time as Squad Sahrael to make sure I don't get bored with either.

I remembered that I had an old, badly painted Vindicare Assassin in my bits box, and thought he could use some love. I dug him out and stripped his bad paint job using Fairy Power Spray (an absolute godsend. I use it to strip paint from any models including plastic). I'm not sure what colours to use, but am thinking that Charadon Granite would look especially good on him. He'll be useful in my Knight army to snipe out sargeants and special weapon guys from enemy squads.

As a side note I remember buying this model at Games Day...1997! It's been that long!

And finally, we played the final round of the Nerd League this week. A tough game for me against Poot's Tyranids. It was back and forth all game, and I had to actually think while playing (as anyone who knows me will know, I tend to move first, think later). However, my firepower started to take its toll, and Poot struggled to throw the numbers he needed at me. I focused on his Tervigons, killing two out of three, leading to hordes of Termigants being removed from the table in the process. After five hard fought, tense turns, the game ended with a convincing 19-12 win to me, meaning I won the league without a loss! This was a surprise to me as in the previous League I had come stone cold last, but it shows that by learning both your army, and creating an effective, balanced list, anyone can do much better in their gaming. 

This means that we're not going to be playing the Nerd League for a couple of weeks to give ourselves time to recoup, play some fun games and then start list building for the next League. However, I'll be trying my Standard of Devastation list and seeing how that copes. With any luck my Angels can defend their streak and bring honour to the Lion. Failing that, the Deathwing can catch some Fallen from Gandy. Hopefully Danny will have his new Tau ready by that time, throwing in a new and dangerous army as well.

The 4th Brotherhood. Nerd League Round Two.

Been a while! I didn't really get much chance to get any modelling/painting done over the last few weeks, due to staying at the GF's house for a week, and then having a stag do in Bristol over the Easter weekend. However, I did get more work done on the Black Knights. Pouches, weapons and bases to go, so not too much...

I have been looking at what I need to build/paint to get my Grey Knight Brotherhood up to scratch. I have been digging through my army case, and have pulled out the following.

Castellan Crowe. He's not a massive priority, seeing as he's only in my army to unlock Purifiers as troops (Crowe tax!). However, his sword was always slightly bent, due to the joys of Finecast, and eventually snapped. Which would have been fine if I hadn't painted him already...! So, new sword time. I'm going to cut off the remains of the sword and look to either use a standard Nemesis Force Sword, or try and look for a suitably Chaotic replacement.

Strike Squad Dumias. These guys used to be Interceptors, but I realised I had a lack of basic power armoured Knights in any army I ran. So off came the vanes. These guys are what I consider a standard loadout for GK's - a five man unit with a Daemon Hammer and Psycannon, mounted in a Psyback with Heavy Bolter. For under 170 pts you get a unit that can pump out shots and present a strong threat. I have ordered a box of Grey Knights and will mix them with the models from this squad to give me two of these units. I also have a Razorback on order.

Grand Master Larandis. Standard Kaldor Draigo conversion. He does need a Force Halberd though, as the sword is a throwback to 5th Edition when combat was a lot more dangerous, and a 3++ save was the bomb. Nowadays, especially with challenges, being able to kill your opponent before they strike is much more important, and I7 is going to give me that option.

Librarian Hyperion. The name is a reference to The Emperor's Gift by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, which I cannot recommend highly enough. It really shows what happens to the Imperium after a massive battle, and the results are not pretty. He needs a storm bolter strapped to his wrist, but I'm not sure what Nemesis weapon to give him in his right hand. I really want him to avoid combat, but need to keep him ticking if he gets there somehow. Ideas?

A Dreadknight to be built. This guy will have a Heavy Incinerator , as he will be able to flush out models behind cover using torrent and then beat them in the face. Plus, it's always been a cool model. Always.

     

And I think you can guess what these are for. They're ordered and waiting for their new arms :P

Round Two of the Nerd League was played last night. Gandy and myself went head to head in an extremely tight game. Poor rolling from myself lead to me having a 5-0 deficit by the end of turn two. However, Sammael did what he does best, absolutely turning the tide of battle. On his own he killed two units of Chaos Marines, a unit of Havocs and took out Gandy's Warlord in combat, scoring three points for this one act alone. In the end the Dark Angels were too much for the forces of the Alpha Legion, leaving me with a 12-7 victory. Two for two, which is about the best run I've ever had :P In Danny and Pootank' game the Tyranid hordes were voracious in exterminating Marines, setting the stage nicely for next week's game to be a decider between Pootank and me. It will be a hotly contested, exciting game, with all to play for!

Also, a promise. The next post will have my finished Black Knights, even if I have to press gang people into helping me finish them!

Squad Numiah finished, Nerd League round one, and The Red Murder

Squad Numiah is now finished! I'm really happy with how they've come out, but I decided in the end to leave the wings as my freehand is not up to scratch. Little bit disappointed with that, but I think you have to know when it's time to stop painting a model and walk away...

Pics

Next up for the Dark Angels is completing the last three Black Knights, and then either my second Ravenwing Attack Squad or a complete tactical squad. Just have to see what I feel like!

We started our Nerd League this week, and I was drawn to play against Danny's Salamanders. His list consisted of 40 footslogging marines, two Preds, two Rifleman Dreads and five Hammernators. That's a lot of 3+ to put down! However, Danny went melta heavy without taking Vulkan, which could have made the army absolutely awful to deal with.  The game was close throughout, but really did come down to the last dice roll of the game...which left me with a 12 - 10 win! I was happy with my performance, but in hindsight I was very aggressive with my Ravenwing, and really should have let Danny come to me and reacted as I had the speed and maneuverability to attack weak points. But a win is a win! In the other game Pootank had much better luck this week against Gandy, and produced a wave of Termagants that Gandy just couldn't compete with. I know the general internet consensus is that Tyranids are underpowered, but in all the games I've seen with them they always do well...maybe the Internet underestimates a good Tyranid general? (I know, the Internet getting something wrong?!?!? :P) The next set of games in two weeks will be Danny vs Pootank, and myself vs Gandy, which I'm looking forward to to help Gandy with some of the tactics and complexities...I dislike winning just because someone hasn't played as much!

Finally, as I have felt the need to paint something for fun, I have felt the call of the Blood God! I have been reading Betrayer by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, which is a fantastic read, and have started to fall in love with the World Eaters. I feel that Khorne Berzerkers aren't just blood crazed, but save their notorious rage for when it is needed. More of a needle than a blunt hammer! So, I have decided to paint a test piece to see if I can be inspired to start an army of Angron's finest. I present to you Kalak Scraan, The Red Murder.

 This was the best model release of the recent Chaos Marine update in my opinion, and is just a beautiful model. I want to try my method of painting red that I have been using on my Dark Angels on a whole model, and hopefully can do this guy justice.

Squad Numiah WIP 2! Rumblings in the Nerd Garage!

These guys are at about 80% now. I need to finish the weapon casings,, complete the wings (ugh) and then base, so, time permitting, they should be done by Wednesday (he says)!

It's nice to get near to the end of my first Greenwing unit, although having looked closer, it appears they aren't quite the same shade of green. I have been looking at them under terrible light though, and to compensate I have given the darker Marines an extra layer of highlight, which has helped to tie them together. They look fine for tabletop though, and I doubt you'd notice if you're just having a quick nose!

The Nerd Garage is rumbling with the sounds of war. Mighty armies clash in the heat of conflict. Ancient scores will be settled, and new rivalries will emerge. But in the End Times of the 41st Millennium, there can only be one victor...

At which point you're bound to be asking what I'm waffling on about!? I'm pleased to announce that we will be running our 40k League once again in the Nerd Garage. Danny is using Salamanders, Gandy's using his Chaos Marines, I will obviously be rocking the Dark Angels and Pootank is going with Tyranids. This means there should be a challenge every round, and the lists we will be running will have to deal with a variety of foes. I'm sticking with my list, as I need to get a feel for it more, and I hope to get the rest of them up soon. Hopefully I will have a better showing then last year, where I struggled to win any games and had terrible luck. Time will tell, but I feel confident and have a much more flexible list than the Grey Knight list I used last year (no weapons over 24"! I know, what was I thinking?). I'm especially looking forward to my games with Gandy as not only will they be tough games, but I can redeem the honour of the First Legion by capturing the Fallen!

Squad Numiah WIP + The assault of the Great Devourer.

I have been steadily painting away at Squad Numiah, mostly focusing on the robes. These are coming out really well IMO and hopefully they look like thick cloth. I have also found a nice simple green scheme that is quite easy to crank out, looks dark and means all the marines are roughly the same shade. The only issue I have had is with the robed marines, as I tend to paint the robes first, and this means taking my time with painting on the green around the robes. I'm a messy painter at the best of times, so you can imagine this isn't fun for me having to go slowly :P

Getting there though!

Also, I had a game yesterday against Pootank and his Tyranids. I have a mortal fear of Nids, due to how much the big bugs tend to give me issues. However, the game was very, very close, and ended as a 10 -10 draw! I'd like to think this is due to my superior skills, but probably is due to Pootank's bad dice rolls that saw two of his three Tervigons run out of Gants in turn one to start, and only got worse from there. Was a good chance to run my list against the kind of lists that I thought might give me trouble, and for my first game I was happy. I do need to remember that I can't assault from a Scout move on turn one though...

Squad Arael rides to war! (Guest starring The Nerd Garage)

And done! Really happy with these guys. They're definitely better than just table top in my eyes, but I would say that. I thought painting Sergeant Arael would be a chore, but he was surprisingly easy to do. I just need to remember that when I paint, my models only tend to come together at the end, and that they always look a mess just before finishing.

Enough talk. Picture time!

 They look quite happy, and will be running around melta-ing the Fallen soon enough...


So now my first unit is complete, time to line up the next thing. Which is...

Three Ravenwing Black Knights! These guys are half of Squad Kushial, which is the elite part of my army. I've decided to paint these in two halves as this will mean I get less bored with painting the same thing six times over, and to reward myself for finishing my first unit. The second half will get painted after I complete something else significant (possibly either Sammael or my Darkshroud).

I say reward...I looked at these guys again yesterday and realised the amount of detail on the models. Gulp.

Also, I thought it was time I mentioned my gaming group. We usually play at my friend's garage, which we have christened The Nerd Garage, here in Coventry on Wednesdays. There's four of us in the group, Gandy, Pootank, Danny Kastigaunt and myself. It tends to be a bit of a 40K free for all, with Danny and Pootank running tournie lists against each other, while Gandy and myself like to kick back and play casually. Gandy is the newest gamer to our group, and has only just started playing 40K. He runs a Chaos list and is starting to get very good at working out threats and creating havoc. His janky dice rolling doesn't help either :P

Next week I will be running a Ravenwing/Greenwng list against Gandy, who's only gone and bought himself a Heldrake. It promises to be brutal and I will try to get the battle report up on here...if I don't lose too badly that is! (Edit - I found out that this won't be happening next week but the week after, so probably 27/02/2013. I'm really sorry about that, but as an apology here's a copy of the list I will be using and am currently painting towards


Sammael (Corvex) 200
6 Ravenwing Black Knights - 1 x Grenade Launcher - 252
10 tact - Plasmagun, Plasma Cannon, Rhino - 205
10 tact - Plasmagun, Plasma Cannon, Rhino - 205
5 tact - Lascannon - 90
5 devs - 3 x Missile Launcher, 1 x Lascannon - 135
3 x Ravenwing - 2 x melta, Combi-Melta, Attack Bike (Multi Melta) - 165
3 x Ravenwing - 2 x melta, Combi-Melta, Attack Bike (Multi Melta) - 165
Darkshroud - 80 pts

I will definitely do a battle report now to make up for the delay!)


Kobrakei