Lots of hobby done over the week.

Yup, I've been hobbying like a mad man. Been painting my Sanguinary Priest, Furioso Dreadnought, and the Baal Predator which I managed to finish.

I magnetized the doors with the sponsons since it gives me a good option of saving points and it makes it easier to transport it.

I was also assembling the Chaos Decimator Daemon Engine. I started assembling this from 12 in the noon till 5:30am. Give and take a few hours for lunch and dinner. It was really difficult to assemble as the pose is influenced by the multiple joints and funny angles.

Got around airbrushing it with Gunmetal and highlighting it with Chrome Silver. Both are Tamiya paints of course.

Just a nice size comparison of the Decimator and a Dreadnought.

I'll be focusing solely on Flames of War this week. Gotta get everything done at least a few days before Bagration begins.

Back from the dead!

I only found the title fitting since I haven't posted a single thing for almost 2 years!

To put a little timeline to this, I'll just summarize my years.

2010:

I just had to put Dead Space 2 as the comeback picture for my blog post as I've finished playing the game over and over. It's really good. Apart from that, I went out with some friends and played lots of Left 4 Dead 2. Currently I'm into Diablo 2 again, since I can't wait for Diablo 3.

I moved to my own apartment during that time, and dedicated a lot of hours into making Hobby Forge the store it is today.

I also managed to finish a brand new Blood Angels army within 2 months. I did it so quickly just because I wanted to participate in a tournament that was organized by Oliver Woo from Just Wargame.

I managed to win 2 out of 3 of the games, 1 of them being a draw, but I got the highest overall score. I was shocked when I was awarded the best painted army since I myself knew that some of the marines didn't have their details done yet. Nevertheless, the biggest objective of participating in the tournament is to visit a store that's located in a state at least 1,600 kilometers away.




A shot of the army after it's completely painted. I changed the colour of the power weapons to make them look interesting from a distance.




The Death Company part serves as an expansion to my army, though I really need to finish my Death Company army. More on that later.



I also dabbled into proper IG as I would like to have a nice IG army someday. But now I gotta focus on what I need to finish.



2011:

I think this is the year where I'm super broke.

Went for Games Day UK 2011, stayed in UK for 2 weeks. Spent a crazy amount of money there.

Went to Australia for 2 and a half weeks. Spent not so crazy amount of money there.

I started the ball rolling on the Badab War thing in my store. Managed to get quite a lot of guys interested in the campaign. But the campaign came to a grinding halt when we realized that Forge World is slowly releasing Badab War goodies. Everyone is hoping that their chosen chapter gets a release soon. I too, hope for Forge World to release Chapter Master Lias Issodon.

I chose the Raptors as I think they're the coolest in terms of tactics, rules, and hobby opportunity. You don't normally get to do camo on Space Marine vehicles, so this is the only chance.

I did something different with my Raptors, I tried digital camo. Again, more on that next time. As you can see, some of the vehicles are not done yet, but of course, that's just me being distracted with something else for now.





One of the projects that really got me going was the Ultramarines project. I wanted to paint up an army for beginners to try when they come to the store, a combination of the Battleforce and the Commander box goes well for this purpose. So I pulled a super fast paint job on these.

I think the total painting time it took me to finish them was around 2 weeks, but that 2 weeks was spread out to at least 2 months. Towards the end, I got sick and tired of the Scouts. Not really my thing at all. I took less than 3 days to actually assemble, base, and finish all 5 of them. I wouldn't mind painting the marines, but Scouts? No thanks hombre.






Towards the end of the year, I took part in Legio's Ghemehaal Annihilation Campaign. I played my Alpha Legion in this campaign, and it was totally amazing. I managed to learn a thing or two about running campaigns now, so hopefully I can finish crafting my own campaign in time.

I've also built a German army for Flames of War to participate in the Legio campaign. Didn't take me too long to finish them, but I'll be repainting the Tiger Tanks since they're so dark.


2012:
Now, I'm actually working on the Iron Warriors, I plan to finish this army before the next Chaos codex comes out. So when the Codex is out, I can just bring out the pain and unleash it on the enemy, Iron Warrior style!



I haven't taken photos of my latest progress, but as you can see from the main header picture above, I'm actually done with the Dreadnought.

I'll do my best to post more this time, and not neglect my blog. I also need a constant reminder to finish my last commission project. Not like I need so many months to do it, just 1 or 2 focused painting days and I'll be done. Seriously though, no more commission jobs for me unless it's super easy.

After looking at most of the pictures here, I think it's time for me to invest in a proper camera and rely less on my phone.

Do check back again, I'll be posting more progress on my Iron Warriors.

Amazing entry for the Golden Demon.

Note, the images and work below are not produced by me. I was browsing through Cool Mini or Not and saw this amazing piece of work and thought that I would like to share this with everyone.

Makes me want to restart my Tyranids since I've sold them.

Click the links below to view the work in progress:

Construction

Carnifex

Ultramarine

Base

Completion

"Was busy assembling more and more stuff... Will update on that soon."

Alternatively, you may use this link to take a look. Since I just noticed the image doesn't work.

http://coolminiornot.com/237768

Holy Crap! (and post #100)

I've read about it over the internet, but I didn't get to watch it since my connection was so slow. Since I saw it, I think everyone should see it.

Real nice! The game's for xbox 360.



Oh, and I actually hoped that they would do a CG animated trailer instead of using in game graphics. Man, THQ can really kick our you know what with their CG trailers...

New Stuff: Kosarro Khan and Vulkan Hestan

Latest installment from Bell of Lost Souls.

These two here are on their way in from GW. You will definitely be seeing them during the 2nd wave of Space Marines along with the Planetstrike, probably in June.

Some people are complaining about the minis, though I think it's not that bad... If only they're more up-to-scale then it would be interesting. GW should start making their marines up to scale... A power-armoured marine shouldn't be that small...

"This is good news for all the players who wish to put Khan in a Land Raider and Outflank with it. But it seems like the IG has a better hand at playing around with reserve rolls..."

The best Battleforce set for value? Part 2, Battleforces Overview

Ok, maybe I was a bit too harsh when I said that I would talk about the worst valued battleforce, there is not even a need to open up a poll to find the worst since it already shows at the poll now...

But I think we can discuss about whether you would buy a second or third battleforce after your first. Remember, it's not necessary for a battleforce to be useful, but when you spent and thought you "saved" money, you find those redundant models that you will never use accumulate, you'll be wondering if you either saved or actually have spent more by buying more battleforces.

I will be setting a rating system here from 1-10, 1 being less chance for me to buy it the second time, 10 being that definitely I will be buying it again if I were to build an army. I will also go through the contents of all the battleforces (except the Imperial Guards for now, since they aren't open to the market yet).

Oh, and heads up, battleforces have a new price already, at 55 GBP per box, I think the price hike will occur in either June or July. But the Imperial Guards Battleforce already has the new price tag of 55 GBP. A 10% increase, sigh...

I hope and pray that the GW web crawlers (if they do have some to find and sue people's butt off for copyright infringement) to watch this so they know what we want and what we think ain't so useful in the battleforces.

Rating: 7/10

Good starting point, but the people don't seem to want the Possessed. They should be replaced with something else. I wouldn't buy a second box just because of the Possessed.

Chaos Space Marine Battleforce:

15 Chaos Space Marines There's nothing wrong with having more CSM in the army!

8 Khorne Berzerkers Only useful for Khorne Worshippers, but it can easily be sold off.

5 Possessed Chaos Space Marines Err, I don't think Possessed are actually useful at all due to their randomness.

1 Chaos Space Marines Rhino Rhinos are always a welcomed.

Rating: 9/10

Good for a full biker army, for those who intend to use the White Scar's army list but use Dark Angel parts for conversion, this is good.

Dark Angels Ravenwing Battleforce:

6 Dark Angels Ravenwing Bikes Dark Angels parts anyone? These many bikes in a box can save you a load of money. Not to mention the Dark Angel parts.

1 Dark Angels Ravenwing Attack Bike A 2 wound bike? Fear me.

1 Dark Angels Ravenwing Land Speeder Land Speeders are cheap, efficient, and annoying to the enemy.

Rating: 6/10

I don't know much about the Dark Eldar since I started playing last year.

Dark Eldar:

20 Dark Eldar Warriors Ain't that a good load of warriors?

5 Dark Eldar Reaver Jetbikes Jetbikes are fast, and this really fits the Dark Eldar to use them to harass the enemy.

1 Dark Eldar Raider I don't know what this thing here does, but it looks good.

1 Jungle Trees set Who doesn't love free terrain? :)

Rating: 3/10

I won't recommend this for a starting player. Starting Eldar players must plan their army list before buying anything so you won't regret any redundant purchases like I did.

Eldar:

5 Eldar Dire Avengers Having so little Dire Avengers, it won't be effective as having a full 10 men squad.

8 Eldar Guardians No thanks, with heavy weapons all they do is sit and shoot. When being shot at, they will run off the table.

1 Eldar War Walker Now this is cool, "9 War Walkers outflanking in reserve" will be the last thing you want to hear from an Eldar player.

1 Eldar Heavy Weapon with 2 Crew Yeah, but not so useful... Maybe to me it isn't useful...

1 Eldar Wave Serpent This is the more expensive and faster version of a Rhino, still, the best thing in the box...

Rating: 10/10

The must buy thing for a new Necron player, I like the contents of this box, having 2 of these is good enough for a medium sized game if you add in a Necron Lord. Always good to have a second box.

Necrons:

28 Necron Warriors The only Troop choice in the army, tough as hell and they're good at shooting.

7 Necron Scarab Swarms Great choice to use for tying down the heavy weapons team and stop the enemy from shooting.

3 Necron Destroyers Good for tank hunting, they're very mobile too.

Rating: 10/10

Best starting point for a new Ork player. Though the points in there is little, but it will keep you occupied a long time.

Orks:

22 Ork Boyz There can't be enough Boyz.

3 Ork Warbikes There can't be enough Warbikes.

1 Ork Trukk There can't be enough Trukks.

Rating: 9/10

Good starting point for new players. especially the number of Marines and the points this battleforce can give you. But some players just don't like scouts. I would consider the scouts a bonus.

Space Marines:

15 Space Marines Core of the army, this is the reason people play them anyway!

5 Space Marines Assault Squad Always good to have some, for the parts and the cool factor of flying marines!

5 Space Marines Scouts Good for some, but some hate painting faces, but these boys here should not be underestimated.

1 Space Marines Rhino Rhino's are always welcomed.

Rating: 8/10

The variations in this box is huge! Lots of choices for a new player to switch in between models to use different tactics. I'm not all that familiar with the Tau.

Tau Empire Battleforce:

12 Tau Fire Warriors Core of the army, must always have more of these guys.

12 Kroot Carnivores Looks good to model and paint, but some just prefer a full Fire Warrior army and they might not want the Kroot.

1 Tau XV8 Crisis Battlesuit I heard that this can be modeled into a broadside?

3 Tau XV25 Stealth Suits Good for sneaking around enemy lines and distract them.

6 Tau Gun Drones No idea what it does, but nothing wrong with having more.

1 Tau Markerlight Drone I suppose that this helps the army shoot better.

1 Tau Devilfish Is this the transport? If so, this is a good vehicle to have.

Rating: 10/10

Best starting buy for a new player. I bought 4 of these to build my army. A real money saver. This box also allows the player to play right away as it fulfills the Force Organisation Chart!

Tyranid Battleforce:

3 Tyranid Warriors Synapse Creatures, 2 wounds, immune to instant death, the Tyranid Warriors can either be a HQ, Elite or Fast Attack choice of the army, so mathematically, you can have up to 72 Tyranid Warriors in an army!

8 Tyranid Genestealers Best close combat fighters in the game! Rips everything apart, I love them!

8 Tyranid Termagants Meat shields of the army, their shooting is seriously dangerous as they can churn out a good number of shots. A well planned shooting phase can wipe out a Terminator squad.

8 Tyranid Hormagaunts Well planned use of them can really scare people out of their pants! Only advice is to make them Initiative 5 and let them have Strength 4, marines will die from them, but currently overpriced in the Codex.

1 Tyranid Carnifex This is the main focus in the box, nobody should buy a separate Carnifex, always get this from the Battleforce!

(10 Ripper Swarms, 2 Ripper Swarms with Spinefist) *These were not listed, but it's in the box.* Consider these free, as they come as a part of the Warriors and the Gaunts.

"There you have it, all these comes from what I think, comment away guys! Oh, poll is still open for those who haven't voted."

The best Battleforce set for value?

Whenever somebody wants to start a new army, we tell them to get the battleforce. Reason is, buying in a huge bundle from GW seems to be the best way of saving money, but is it ever the best idea? No doubt that battleforces are a great way to bolster your army (sounds like GW?), they provide more models for less money.

I have bought 4 Tyranid battleforces so far for my Tyranid army, that's what I call a good value in a box! I realize that most battleforces are just a throw in of some stuff that we'll never ever use, and some of them just have the best value of all that we can ever think of...

I won't be including the Imperial Guards as they are being released next month and you will have to get your hands on it to know whether you would want another. All the battleforces are of the same price, I hope the rumour of the battleforce price increase won't be true...

Here's a run down of all the battleforces in sequence...

Chaos Space Marine Battleforce:

15 Chaos Space Marines

8 Khorne Berzerkers

5 Possessed Chaos Space Marines

1 Chaos Space Marines Rhino

Dark Angels Ravenwing Battleforce:

6 Dark Angels Ravenwing Bikes

1 Dark Angels Ravenwing Attack Bike

1 Dark Angels Ravenwing Land Speeder

Dark Eldar:

20 Dark Eldar Warriors

5 Dark Eldar Reaver Jetbikes

1 Dark Eldar Raider

1 Jungle Trees set

Eldar:

5 Eldar Dire Avengers

8 Eldar Guardians

1 Eldar War Walker

1 Eldar Heavy Weapon with 2 Crew

1 Eldar Wave Serpent

Necrons:

28 Necron Warriors

7 Necron Scarab Swarms

3 Necron Destroyers

Orks:

22 Ork Boyz

3 Ork Warbikes

1 Ork Trukk

Space Marines:

15 Space Marines

5 Space Marines Assault Squad

5 Space Marines Scouts

1 Space Marines Rhino

Tau Empire Battleforce:

12 Tau Fire Warriors

12 Kroot Carnivores

1 Tau XV8 Crisis Battlesuit

3 Tau XV25 Stealth Suits

6 Tau Gun Drones

1 Tau Markerlight Drone

1 Tau Devilfish

Tyranid Battleforce:

3 Tyranid Warriors

8 Tyranid Genestealers

8 Tyranid Termagants

8 Tyranid Hormagaunts

1 Tyranid Carnifex

(10 Ripper Swarms, 2 Ripper Swarms with Spinefist) *These were not listed, but it's in the box.*

The poll is on the top right of the blog. Remember, vote based on value and usefulness of the content in the battleforce. It's a multiple choice poll, so choose your favourites...

"After the poll closes, I will talk on the worst valued battleforces... I noticed that the Space Wolves Battleforce isn't for sale anymore in the GW Website, does that mean something? You can't order the Codex anymore too."