The Cult Expands

 Got some more work on the Cult done - finished the Neophytes squad and added a pack of Aberrants.

Next on the docket for them are some Genestealers, and a pair of metal Lictors I found and reassembled.

All Hail the Four-Armed Emperor

 Whew, that was a long nap. Did I miss anything? ...what do you mean, "Cicatrix Maledictum"?

Hey look it's a Genestealer Cult Kill Team!  I combined the Orlock gangers with the GC upgrade sprue as I want to have some visual distinction between this Kill Team and a theoretical future GC Combat Patrol.  The colour scheme was dictated by the contents of the newest starter paint kit as I'm still attempting necromancy on my old collection of paints.

Sniper vet

A small side project, one Yukoni sniper veteran. I built him initially as a one-off for a competition, but I think he just became the prototype for what my vets are going to look like...

Behold, a legal army!

The last three members of the D Company Command Squad, the piper and two bodyguards, which means...



HQ and two Troops! Huzzah! Legal army! Fiiiiinally.

Goodbye, my lady.

This weekend I lost my best friend of six years, Emma, so it seems oddly appropriate that I post this now, since she was Dog Company's namesake and mascot.



There's the first half of the Company Command Squad, with, from left to right, the Company Sergeant-Major, the company 2IC (whose name escapes me at the moment), the Company Standard (bearing Emma's likeness and some very bad Latin saying "Bark and Bite"), and a Guardsman. Still to come are the company piper and the two Highlander bodyguards, but and this is the part I could use some suggestions on, I don't know what tartan to paint them in. For the Platoon Command Squads I used the base colour of the platoon, but I'm not sure what to use for the Company Command Squad...

One year later, finally did something

Well, it's been almost exactly a year since my last update, and I finally got around to doing more work on the Yukoni, after a round of intensive spring cleaning made my workspace usable again and got the juices flowing. Not to mention the shaming/nagging from Muskie...

First up, I finished Green Platoon's heavy weps squad, which means I have completed my Troops choices, at least for 1250 points. Two full, massive platoons! Huzzah!







Finally, one of my main stumbling blocks was the Colossi. I couldn't figure out how to do the actually mechanism, so I decided just to "cheat" and build an enclosed cab. It's still pretty rough, but it's my first scratch tank conversion of this scale...




Next, I'm going to paint the Company Command. ONWARDS!

Schtuff...

Blah blah blah overtime blah blah blah Mass Effect 2 blah blah blah excuses...


Pictures!

A WIP Colossus:

Yeah, I know I went a bit overboard with the barrel size, but at least I managed not to but chainsaws on it somewhere... That is just a mockup, and I'm a little unsure of how to proceed. Any suggestions, anyone? Are the Basilisk...gear...things...sufficient or do the mechanisms need more work?


Green/Heavy Weapons:



I forgot to get pictures of these guys before basecoating them, but I think the relevant details still show through.


And the Company Command squad.

Piper, Guardsmen and Standard Bearer:


Company Sergeant Major and Captain:


Bodyguards:





Also, in non-Yukoni news, I've been working on a kilted Marine for a competition over on the Bolter and Chainsword.

Not dead but napping.

Just a quick update tonight, as I spent most of the day either sleeping or watching Life on Mars (the UK version, naturally) with the wife. Finally got to the end of Series 1...

Anyways, here's a mock-up of what Green Platoon's Gun No.2 is going to look like. I say No.2 because No.1 Gun has the squad NCO and I haven't figured out what that one's going to look like yet.

The loader is not dead, he's napping. He'll have his hands under his head and his helmet tipped over his face, while the gunner is, uh, displaying his opinion of such behaviour through the language of gestures.

Green/Command, let me show you it.

Whee, Green/Command is done. I'm quite pleased with how the tartan on the pipes turned out, but of course the flash washed it out and made it look all pastel-y. Sigh.



Now I'm moving on Green Platoon's Heavy Weapons squad. I decided a short time ago that between the artillery and bajillions of lasguns, I have plenty of anti-infantry firepower, but nothing to hurt high-toughness baddies or transports at range and thus needed to switch the heavy weapons squads to have Autocannons instead of Heavy Bolters. Not wanting to rip apart the existing squad or make new ones, I've tried to come up with a conversion to the heavy bolter body that still looks like an autocannon. I think it works, but I'd love some opinions. It means I'll lose the awesome Vickers MG look, but I'll just have to live with that.

Alles klar, redux

Two updates in one night. I'm on a roll. Well, it's more of a scone, maybe a bun.

First few coats on the three remaining members of Green/Command.



It figures that the pics of what I was pretty pleased about came out not so good. I finished Green Platoon's Commissar, and did some more work on Red Platoon's. To whit, I tried highlighting them both with Fortress Grey followed by a slathering of Badab Black. I think it turned out quite well, even if the pictures didn't.

Green Platoon Commissar with and without flash.


The backside of 'em both.

A'sealing we shall go

Finished the two Sergeants and the two members of Green/Command.



I may have mentioned it earlier, but the pick thing the guy on the right is holding is, I have decided, a 41st millennium version of the hakapik, a tool used in seal hunting. Just an extra tidbit of Canadian in the army...

In addition to the rest of Green Platoon, I've started working on a model for the Boot Camp's "Fix Bayonets!" competition, but I can't show pictures yet. Not that it'll be hard to guess which model is mine...

Green/Command progress

Ahoy, bit of an update this afternoon. First few coats of paint on the two missing Infantry Sergeants and two members of Green/Command.

The last Infantry Squad

At least, the last one until it's not.

Green/D is done! All that's left now is Green/Command, which is next on the desk, then heavy weapons squad. Huzzah!

A year in review, and resolutions for the new year

Like many others of the wargaming blogosphere, I've been thinking about the past year, what it has brought for me, what I've learned, and what next year will hold. 2009 was a good year for me, not just in the hobby. My first game, [PROTOTYPE], was released to generally good results, I celebrated my first anniversary with my lovely wife, my extended family got bigger, and my career continues to advance in exciting ways. I also realized I've been working on the Yukoni for just over a year!

One of the many lovely gifts I received for Christmas this year was a copy of the Wolves codex along with Wolf Terminators. Stellar kit, and a great book! I think the only thing that I've felt a little let down about with the past few codexes, especially Wolves and Guard, was the lack of all the great conversions and non-stock models in the colour pages. However, I have the internet to fulfill that. ;) Anyways, I was toying around with the Wolf Terminator sprue, and I got to thinking about all the different ways I could make use of it, because I am chronically unable to use anything straight out of the box. So I've spent the past few days, when not visiting with family, trying to decide what army I will do once I've got 2000 points of Yukoni. Today, however, I was talking about 40k with some co-workers and I realized that 2010 will be the tenth year I've been in the hobby. Ten years! Kind of shocking. After an evening of pondering on that, and on how I've never been happy with my hobby skills, I've come to my New Year's Resolution: No. New. Armies. I mean it! I still have a lot of work to do on the Guard (four tanks, Marbo and Straken conversions, twenty Rough Rider, a Vendetta and a Vet Squad), but I think that, after ten freakin' years, it's time for me to learn to do stuff more better.

Painting especially has always been a chore, an arduous task I must grind through if I want to play. In fact, one of the major joys of the Yukoni is how easy it has been for me to paint them and get a result that doesn't make me cringe too much. From three feet away. If you squint a bit. In 2009 I've definitely learned a lot about painting and converting, but I would still consider myself barely a Table-Top Quality painter. Thus I came to the second part of my hobby Resolution: I will build, convert and paint a series of models from armies I don't play that I have no need for on the table-top purely as an effort to improve my skills.

This is the list of what I intend to do. It's still very preliminary and in no particular order:

Chaos Marines: Chaos Spawn. Lots of opportunities for more advanced sculpting, and maybe to try on some blending.

Eldar: Wraithlord. Ever since the plastic model came out I've been wanting to do something with it, and this is a good chance.

Necrons: A Lord of some kind. Seems a good model to practice metallics on!

Orks: A Warboss. Sculpting and converting practice, as well as skins and fabrics.

Black Templar: Okay, this one is cheating a bit since I'll be able to field it. A new Emperor's Champion for my kilted Marines (who use BT rules)

Iron Hands: Something. I don't know what. But to learn to paint black, and further develop my ability to convert bionics.

Space Marines: A member of my Thousand Swords Chapter. The model I have in mind will require reposing a Marine and doing some face sculpting. Plus, I really need to learn how to highlight properly.

Space Wolves: A Lone Wolf, howling defiance to the sky, with Frost Blade and Storm Shield. That or a Grey Hunter with a banner for the freehand practice.

Tyranids: A Trygon. It's a delicious model.

Witch Hunters: An inquisitor. Painting fabrics, and lots of sculpting work required for what I have in mind.


So yeah, that's the list. The only thing really missing is vehicles, and that's because I'm already going to be doing five of them for the Yukoni.


Also, I should mention that the resolution only applies to 40k. I mean, how am I supposed to resist plastic Warjacks? I'm weak!


Anyways, I'm done with the text wall. More pictures coming soon, I promise! I hope you all had a merry Christmas season, and a happy New Year.

The pipes are a'callin'

Whee, got lots done tonight.

First up, Green/D is built, minus their backpacks which will be done curing tomorrow.


And the piper is built, too! That means that Green/Command is also ready for painting. I can't decide whether to paint them or Green/D first...



And finally, the two Sergeants for Green/A and Green/B are also ready for paint. When I had to move all my lovely shotgun Sergeants into a Vet squad (obligatory fist shake, as that's my only issue with C:IG, and it's a feeble one at that) I was short two Sergeants, so these two got made.



In other news...um...oh, yeah. There's been some response to my post about the Special Characters, mostly about Pask. I've been recommended Bob Elliot of the 19th Field Regiment, but I know very little about him and haven't been able to dig up much yet, as well as Major David Vivian Currie, who was awarded the VC for his actions during the Battle of Falaise. I've also decided after all to swap Jack Churchill and Brian McMourne (really? Nobody gets that? Where are all the REH fans?) around, mostly because I had an awesome idea for the McMourne/Marbo model, and so that I could make a squad of Commandos around Churchill, with the West Wind Para heads.

Other than that, a little bird told me that my future may hold something...wolfy...

Flashlights 'r' Us

I think my ability to come up with words for these posts is inversely proportional to the variety of what I'm posting pictures of. First six of Green/D, minus their backpacks and some GS work for the Sergeant's breastplate.

So close now...

Green/C is done. I can almost taste how close I am to being done my infantry. One more infantry squad, one more Heavy Bolter squad and two Command Squads... It's good to be making solid progress on these guys again!

Running out of post title ideas...

Didn't get any work done yesterday, as we had the office Christmas party. I realized about halfway through the night that I was drinking with the guy who made Hot Coffee, as well as one of the guys who invented GTA. I love my job.

Anyways, here's tonight's efforts, finished the fatigues and pouches, etc on the second half of Green/C.


I also did some work on Green Platoon's piper a day or two ago, but forgot to post the pic. I'm not as happy with how these ones are turning out for some reason, even if I am building them better...




I was also doing some thinking about counts-as Yukoni versions of all the Special Characters. Straken is in my 2000 points list as Major Michael Brown, as is Marbo who I'm thinking of basing on "Mad Jack" Churchill. I'm thinking his background might be a high-born Praetorian adventurer who couldn't take the starchy discipline of the Praetorian regiments, got adopted by a Yukoni Highlander regiment and eventually became one of the founders of the Yukoni special recon division, or something to that effect.

Creed and Kell were easy: Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, a personal hero of mine, and John MacDonnel.

Pask I have no idea about. I guess I need to do some research into accomplished Canadian tank commanders...

Bastonne will, I think, become Captain Brian McMourn (virtual cookie if you can guess the origin of that one), last scion of a Riatan (I've decided that the Yukoni Highlanders' world is called Van Riatan's World, and is home to Byzantine politicking between all the various houses over trade, etc) who is seeking to regain his family's honour on the battlefield.

Harker, Yarrick and Chenkov don't really interest me in terms of their rules, so I may not bother with them. Al'Rahem looks like he could be fun, and I've been considering inventing a Riatan/Highlander character for him, as there aren't any historical Canadian figures that spring to mind. Mogul Kamir I'm on the fence about, as his rules don't really seem, to me, to fit with the Canadian cavalry in WWI.

More grist for the mill

First half of Green/C painted. Yay!


Just because I felt like, here's an army shot. I can't believe it's taken me over a year to get this far...






And, finally, I decided to have another go at sculpting faces. Here's the result. I'm pretty proud of it, but I'll let you judge for yourselves.