A Galaxy In Flames

Thursday, 24 July 2014

Angron: Lord of the Red Sands

G'day all, Macca here,

A couple of days ago I shared my freshly repainted Angron, and I decided to do one more thing with him, which was place him on a display base. So, I got in the internet and pulled up Secret Weapon Miniatures web page, ordered some display plinths and some etched brass. Here's what I used:

First of all, I gave the display plinth a good wash and scrub to remove any nasty mold release agents from the surface and gave it some time to dry. Most Primarchs have solid resin display bases, but since Angron has a single ring shaped 'display base' to go around his gaming base, and I had to make sure I painted within this, and at the same time didn't paint it all, as the glue wouldn't adhere correctly to the resin with paint inbetween. I thus decided to mark out the ring with a good sharpie pen.

After marking it with the pen, I used a small roll of blu-tac which I rolled into a snake, and I ran it around the ring.

Next, I applied some hobby tape, this is just the right width to use as a line for my brass.

I carefully cut the small and delicate brass from Secret Weapon using a sharp scalpal. The brass was then very gently dipped into super glue, then lightly placed onto the plinth, then I would move it with a toothpick, before pressing down on it with the scalpel in order to get a firm bond.

At this point, I peeled the tape off, revealing my brass work. I love the option of having consistent text embossed onto the surface, and the etched brass is perfect for this. I gently cleaned up any super glue which was sticking out as best I could, and sprayed the base in matte black.

After spraying, I picked out the brass letters in gold softly, this is so they have a more worn quality, (I just like it a little 'not perfect'). I then removed the blu-tac once the varnish had dried, and glued the ring onto the plinth.

So here he is, the finished Angron on his display plinth.

The plinth and brass combined was only $25, and for a display model that will sit on the shelf, I think it's money well spent. That's all for now, I hope you enjoy this post and can maybe pick up a thing or two,

~Macca

Thursday, 17 July 2014

Istvaan III Table: Habitation Block + Back2Base-ix Promo Code!

Keepy here,

Just a quick one today with a couple bits of news.

First up, progress on building number three for the Istvaan Table, a fairly stock and simple hab block. It uses the same method as the last two buildings with foundations and also has the layered roof, magnetised sections for ease of transport and will eventually get ceramic tiles in the bottom floor as well.

I actually got some photos during construction this time just for the the few that have asked. The first layer was build with floors added then mounted on the first foundation of cork board to ensure squareness. "I" beams were then added in and damaged appropriately:

Second layer then added with "I" beams and floors with some additional damage:

I added magnets in between the 2nd and 3rd layers, this also helped with building the floor so it matched without having issues with alignment. A bit fiddly but it worked a treat. Just have to be a bit careful when handling the top layer as it is only attached magnetically at this point:

I made the damage top floor with the tried and tested method from my previous buildings of cork board, plasticard sheet and "I" beams, this time removing the whole corner of the floor:

The top floor was then glued to the third layer giving it much needed support. The balustrade was then added as was the building supports at ground level. Ladders and ceramic tiles / extra damage to be added later.

So that is building number three, marking the halfway point in construction. It has been a massive two weeks of hobby and blog, and I have enjoyed it immensely. I will probably be a week or two in between my next batch of posts as work and other commitments come up, but another hobby "bender" has been planned and I really want to kick this project into high gear and get it done.

So the second bit of news: I have been chatting to a few of you recently about the Battleframe 5000 kits and what they can do. A few of you are still undecided but have got the creative juices flowing and may need a carrot to go ahead and jump in. Well, it seems that the Back 2 Base-ix crew have been watching our posts as well, and have been most impressed with the progress so far and are dangling said carrot with a bit of a deal!

To celebrate the halfway mark with the Istvaan III Table build, Back 2 Base-ix are offering 10% off on all Battleframe products until the end of July 2014! Just head on over to their website http://www.back2base-ix.com select your battleframe sets and when you are at the checkout, add the discount code " agalaxyinflames " like so:

So a big thanks to Aaron and Back 2 Base-ix for helping out the hobby community and taking a look at our Istvaan Table series. Remember, you only have until the end of this July to get the 10% Discount.

If you are a bit stuck on what to get, grab some grid paper and plan out your table and levels. Don't forget to add in things like ramps and alternate height tiles to really mix things up and get the most out of a three dimensional gaming table. Check out the first post in the series for a few more ideas.

Well that is all from me, and as usual I look forward to your comments, criticisms and suggestions.

Keepy

Links:

http://www.back2base-ix.com

Istvaan III Table: Concept and Design
Istvaan III Table: Battleframe 5000 Tile Construction
Istvaan III Table: Battleframe 5000 Tile Construction Complete!
Istvaan III Table: Road Sections
Istvaan III Table: Bell Tower
Istvaan III Table: Proxy Fit 1
Istvaan III Table: Governor's Residence
Istvaan III Table: Proxy Fit 2
Istvaan III Table: Habitation Block + Back2Base-ix Promo!
Istvaan III Table: Crater Tiles
Istvaan III Table: Building and RampTiles
Istvaan III Table: Battle Damaged Roads
Istvaan III Table: Table Update
Istvaan III Table: Comms Tower

On a tight budget? How to make a 30k army for under £200

There is one big misconception when it comes to the Horus Heresy and that is that it's too expensive. The most often used phrases I see in forums and online communities are:

"if I win the lottery, I'd buy a Forge World army" and;
"I'd love to buy some Legion models, but it's too expensive".

This is silly, and I am going to explain why: Games Workshop is expensive! For pretty much everyone outside of the UK, Forge World can actually work out cheaper! So, if you're on a tight budget, what do you need, and how can you get the best gaming experience for that cost?

The Guts: Cost and What to Buy

This is a standard bundle set, it costs £160.00, that's a bargain. You get 30 marines, and enough boltguns and upgrades to make a pair of 15 man tactical squads. Personally, I also buy a spare command upgrade with an extra crested helm (I like my squad leaders with plumes for easy identification), as this allows me to make 3 separate squads.

Next up, I buy a set of special weapons or heavy weapons. This is so I can kit out that spare 5-10 marines with special or heavy weapons as either a heavy support squad or tactical support squad. This costs an extra £11 per pack, (10 guns in a blister of special weapons, 5 in a blister of heavy weapons).

Next, I get a HQ, and for the best options, I prefer the Champion/Master of Signals combo. It is just £22.50, making it the cheapest by £2.50. I like this kit as it allows me to use either of these models in various ways (as opposed to the kits with banners), as I will run the Master of Signals as a Librarian 'counts as', and the Champion can be almost any of the HQ types, including Praetor, Champion, etc.
Running tally: £193.50 for 32 marines with 10 special weapons and 2 HQ's.

Added to this I would also buy some kind of entry-level vehicle, such as a Mortis Contemptor, however, as it stands, you have a reasonably competitive fighting force.

I will note at this time, that you don't have to buy legitimate Forge World, however I do encourage it, as the money goes back into making more of these marvelous kits, and the quality is fantastic. Of course, if you're extra tight, you could shop China...

What Points & Missions Can I Play Then?
Well, as it stands, a force like this would come in around 750 points, depending on your wargear selection. With the edition of the Mortis Dreadnought, for example, your force would now cost around the ~£250 mark, but would be about 1000 points. 1000 points is possibly the most under rated points limit going.

But why?

I will give you a little history here about me: When I started playing, it was in the days of 2nd Edition 40k, but I hit my stride in 3rd Edition. In 3rd Ed, 1000 points was considered a very respectable fighting force, and was the real standard at the time. Yes, whilst I recognize people made bigger armies, there was something about 1000 points which just worked, as a matter of fact, it still does.

1000 point games allow you to:

-Familiarize yourself with a small amount of units, rather then plunging into the deep of a 1500 point or higher game. Usually in HH we only have 4 or 5 different units in 1000 points. This is great as it makes it easy to learn how those units work.
-Play a game in around an hour. An hour long game, when was the last time you did that?
-You can use the time to allow you to get in more missions, so you can get used to multiple missions without struggling through your rulebook for 3 hours playing a single game.
-You don't have deal with crazy OP units at 1000 points, (an exception could be made for Mechanicum jerks), there are no Lords of War, and most armies can't afford the beefcake units and still be competitive.
-Because you get more games in, you can also try different Legion special rules, as you can quickly decide whether or not you like how your traits work.

As for the missions themselves, most of the missions can be played comfortably at 1000 points, however the campaign ones might be tricky. If I were to suggest any one game type, I would suggest Zone Mortalis or the 'Victory is Vengeance Campaign' from Horus Heresy Book III. This campaign is more of a skirmish type, and is aimed at the smaller force.

Afterword:

So, next time someone says "Forge World costs too much", tell them that for just £193.50, (that's only $350 Australian or about $330 American) they can own a sizable force. I will also be looking into the Victory is Vengeance Campaign in coming articles, so keep an eye out for it.

~Macca

Saturday, 12 July 2014

Istvaan III Table: Proxy Fit 2

Keepy here,

Another really quick post. I got a bit carried away with a test set up and took a heap of pics of a 3'x4' section of board with terrain, Secret Weapon Jersey Barriers and light posts, thought you guys would like to see what it all looks like so far. My apologies for the quality, this is a bit of an ad-hoc post.

And had a bit more of a play, this time with an alternate board set up using twice as many drain / trench tiles for even more dual level shenanigans:

Friday, 11 July 2014

Istvaan III Table: Governor's Residence

Keepy here,

The next building hot off the press for the Istvaan III build is what I have called "The Governor's Residence". No real reason behind the name, just figured it was a title worthy of another grand building in the Istvaan III district. Not only did I want to produce a building that looked good, it also had to be practical with model placement so I decided to design it with the back half destroyed. As with the Bell Tower, I cut all the building sections off the sprue and blu-tac'd the parts together and came up with this:

And just for a bit of size comparison, here is the proposed Governor's Residence next to the Bell Tower:

The base was constructed pretty much the same as the Bell Tower, with a tiered layer of cork acting as a foundation, and the first layer of walls pinned into the cork. The wall supports were also fitted to the lower foundation go give the same effect as the Bell Tower, rather than just sitting on the table I wanted them to look like they belonged on the table. "I" beams were also added in as structural supports and damaged appropriately.

Unfortunately I sort of just powered thru this build and forgot to take some WIP shots... Sorry. But I can tell you I used the same construction method for the floor. I also took it up a notch an decided to build in three main parts, and magnetise the third level as well as the top piece for ease of transport:

It worked a treat! I used 3mm x 2mm rare earth magnets nearly every "column" and the magnetic force was sufficient enough to hold the building together, even after a light knock. After the success of this building, I went back to the Bell Tower and magnetised the roof and bell tower portion as well.

Here are the completed shots, short of more battle damage and textures to the base: