Warmuster issue 1 - Summer 2009

In a bit of flashback reviewing, I'm tackling Warmuster issue 1 today.

Now, this magazine is over 11 years old, but it can be freely downloaded from the internet.  I came across it by accident earlier this week while looking for fanzines of all sorts to read, as I didn't know about it before.

Co-created by Lex van Rooy, a dutchman I had the pleasure of meeting over a decade ago in the convention circuit, this was a fun thing to see.  I knew he worked back then on the "Warmaster Trial Armies" volume of unofficial forces for the game, but never knew there was an accompanying fanzine.

So let's jump in and see what we had missed out on!

The theme of the magazine is "modelling Fantasy armies", and it is basically one glorious showcase for tiny 10mm forces, created for the Trial Armies book.  This means a lot of full colour eye candy, but also some in progress shots of models being sculpted especially for that goal.

The first force we encounter is a fantastic Dogs of War force, including pikemen, birdmen, Voland's Venators... truly a magnificent sight to behold.

But here are so many more eye candy articles and armies in the 17 page publication, like the Ogre Kingdoms, Albion, Goblins, Daemon Hosts, Wood Elves, Bretonnia,...

It certainly is a good magazine to get from the Warmaster community website, where the game (like epic on NetEpic) is held alive...

Holy Grail: Battle of the Five Armies by Games Workshop

Aaah, such a sad tale today to tell, as it is one of not missing out once, but twice on this boxed set I have had my eye, and heart, on since the day it was released.

Because it was a "The Hobbit Warmaster" game Games Workshop released back in the day, and Warmaster is still one of their most solid rulesets ever produced.

But when this game came out, it was the beginning of the online shopping "lifestyle", and ordering from Games Workshop was about as hard back then over the internet as denying a Hobbit three meals a day.  And as we didn't yet have a Warhammer store here in Antwerp, the boxed set (not to mention the blister packs) never reached the few small scale independant retailers.  So I saved up my money and planned to grab the box on the annual Canterbury trip that year... only to have the store closed due to a technical infrastructure issue.

As a result, I never came closer that year to the game then glossy pictures in White Dwarf and a locked door of a Warhammer store.

Flash forward to Crisis this year actually.  I was walking over the Bring and Buy, when I saw a "semi trader" there actually sporting a sealed copy of the game for about 90 euro.  I rushed to my table to grab my bills, about 20 metres further, turned back... and saw someone walk by with the box under his arm.  I never leave my stand anymore without the money in the pocket; because I came within an actual 20 metres of owning it at last.

Now I have sworn to myself that next time I do a closet clear out, I'm going to be stuffing the goldsies away in my Paypal account and bite a very, very sour bullet: pay the premium it costs on eBay (we're talking about 200 euro, not to mention the seperate blister packs that beg to be collected like Smaug or the Trolls) to have it in my collection at last.

But yes, this is one of my wargame "Middle-Earth Trinity" from Games Workshop (the other the metal base with footprints only invisible Frodo, and then there is Smaug) to acquire over the years...

From London to Shangai

Well, a bit of a mixed lot for this weeks entry, as I did some work on a project I had put aside for this challenge... as well as one that probably will be in boxes stored until challenge 9 should I manage to seduce me a spot then.

So let's travel the world!

The first batch of the entry are more 10mm ECW from the Lancer Miniatures range, this time in the form of a complete infantry regiment.  Mixed pike & shotte, the regiment is supported by a demi-culverin for some extra deterrent towards any opposing forces.

I really like Kieran`s sculpts, and think this was one of those "gems" sometimes hidden on Kickstarter.  With more and more big companies using Kickstarter as their pre-order platform, there are those small operation on it as well which at times churn out lovely figures for a good price, or even some oddities that you just want to have.

The pikes themselves are metal rods, and I can say first hand they hurt like hell when you accidentally put your hand on them...

The second part of my entry is this 28mm Chariot from the Shang-Zhao range of Curteys Miniatures, now under 1st Corps banner.  I think I bought this almost 12 years ago or so, and I don`t actually know why anymore, probably some fantasy project or such.

But as we get older, our intrests start shifting, and I bit the bullet that I will be building a Shang dynasty force for Mortem et Gloriam (well, if their chinese army lists re-appear on the site, then I know what to order because while they are in the index, the actual lists aren`t in the pdf's) and try and introduce those rules over at my club.

I really like the facial expression on the charioteer to be honest, he has that whole "umpf, you posh dandy" look next to the noble...

So points-wise, if I counted correctly, this should mean for this week:

31 infantry models in 10mm (12 pike, 16 shot, 3 crew) @ 1 point each
1 crew handled cannon in 10mm @ 2 points
and 1 vehicle in scale 28mm with 2 crew @ 25 points

This should further add a nice 58 points towards my challenge goal... and keep me on schedule.

Talking about the schedule, I might better start tossing down some "points bombs" of around 100 points minimum for one or two weeks, that way the target gets well in reach and more or less secured in case I should miss a week of entrying.  At my current speed, I`m more or less safe with my 25 - 50 points averaging on a weekly basis, but I don`t have any margin for error...

Thanks for watching!

10mm Lancer Miniatures New Model Army Dragoons

On this most jolly of days, I had the benefit of being able to paint the whole afternoon and get a third entry done for the Challenge.

Not that I`m a painting maniac, those small scales tend to paint quicker then large models, but the GF is knock out from last nights foodfest, and the fact she is a night shift nurse... so I`ll have the coming night all by myself as well with Gettysburg and the Dr Who special on the tele, and my brushes to keep me company.

But I get lost in chitchats... this entry is upping the scale a bit, as I went from 6mm of my previous entries to 10mm this time.  Around july I supported a Kickstarter from Lancer Miniatures, for a force of 10mm English Civil War models.  It got funded with a nice margin, and when it arrived I decided to put it to the side (like, about all my Kickstarters actually) just for this challenge.

You know, in case I would ran out of miniatures otherwise *cough*

The first unit I painted as such for the army are these Dragoons, 4 to a base and 16 in total.  I am going to make the whole force for the New Model Army, yet decided on a failry generic Parliament flag in order to not restrict the Dragoons to a specific battle or scenario.

It are rather lovely little sculpts in my opinion, and they are a great joy to paint.  I`m taking the Challenge as a way to get some forces either rounded out (my epic for example), or to start and perhaps even finish other project, like these little guys.

On to the next batch of models... before the time draught hits and my turn-out will invariably suffer from it ;-)

Haul Report 82: mostly about books

Welcome to another Haul Report, and what a week it has been as my library pile was extended by no less then 28 new additions.

But that isn`t everything I obtained, so bear with me...

The main haul this week came of course from the Boekenfestijn event past friday, a huge fair where you can grab new books for a fraction of the price.  These are books from, well, end of lines, failed sales, or just plain overstocks, and my purchases averaged less then 3 euro per book.

You can see more about those particular books in this YouTube video I made for it:

But those weren`t the only books I obtained, as my second part of my AwesomeBooks order arrived past monday, with three more novels for the reading stack...

Of course, reading requires a certain style, and my parents already gave me my birthday present 1.5 months early.  A new vaper, in the form of a pipe, to vape in class now :-)

The final haul where miniatures, a Kickstarter pledge by Lancer Miniatures.  A small campaign to "pre-launch" there new ECW range, I take a more detailed look in the unboxing video below.

So a lovely week for sure, and now I`m off to go and have a read ;-)

In the Westfold (10mm) - Lead Painter`s League round 5

Another well deserved loss against Laughing Ferret this time, what more can I say as you can see here.



The funny thing, as LF noted in the topic as well, is the fact it`s a mirror entry down to the orientation of the figures et all, was a nice touch.




Onwards we go now to round 6!!!

Project Lame-Ass 3: mostly chariots

Yes, I confess, I`m the new Ebenezer Scrooge. But I swear, if the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future appear, they`re going to regret it.

They will be known then on as the Ghosts of Priming, Basing and Varnishing!

So the X-mas weekend is past, and the calm serenity has been abused on painting models. Let others go out and sing chrismas carols (hmm, a choir sweat shop production line... bad thoughts Tomsche, bad thoughts there matey) I`m doing what i swore to do: paint, paint and then paint some more.

The yield of this set was the last 6 chariots of my Irish army (see earlier), the limited edition Crisis model of Leopold 2, a Behemoth mech for the Diamond Shark clan, 2 EuroFed infantry stands, Nocturne and yet another house... a drop on hot plate for the amount `to do` but we`re going steady and strong at the moment.



Next up: a bunch of Eldritch Caste troops, probably some Lizard Riders and then some things I might fancy, like another Gundam from Endless Waltz for example.

Till soonish (I hope)

Here come the Irish!!!

Finally it is done! One year and a month to paint up 1000 points of Warmaster Ancients Celtic Irish, and then I claim that small scales paint faster hehehe...

Well, to be honest, most went swiftly, except the last two units of chariots, that stood assembled on my paint table since the beginning of august... scandalous I know :D especcially since the first completed units already appeared in the League Painter League on LAF beginning of the year... so go figure how `speedy` I handled the project.



I don`t know if the force itself is going to be balanced, but I prefer the `rumble rabble` armies over small elite forces like the Romans and the likes.

In the end, and in all it`s glory, here are the sons of Finn McCool



Now to give Albert on our club that battle I promised him for almost 5 years, though at least my army got painted in the meantime :-DDDD

All things small

In between elves from project asrai, I actually managed to paint some other things this week (that way, everything gets going step by step and `line work` is avoided)

First, some more Kraytonias with a squad of Kurall skirmishers and, since I`m sick and tired of loosing Arkalests to airstrikes, a squad of Gerresh AA tanks to defend the main battle tanks



Next up are three classic Eldar Wave Serpents, for use with the Future War Commander `Eldritch Host`, or even as `alternative` Gara transporters for my Kraytonians.



Finally, after all that 6mm violence, another regiment of 10mm Irish Chariots, two more of these units to go and the 1000 points Warmaster Ancients army is finally finished.

Small is beautiful

Newest paint projects at current veer away from the usual 28mm / spaceships I usually paint up, as I am going for finally finishing smaller scale projects for various systems.

I just love the sight of massed armies of 100s of figures on the shelf space of a larger scale skirmish force, and with the `groups` decision to go and give Seeds of War a shot, it is the ideal moment to focus a bit on the little gems in wargaming.

On the `to do list` to make playable forces are at the moment a SoW Kraytonian force and a Warmaster Ancients Celtic Irish force, with sideprojects including 6mm ACW (both sides) to draw a mate in for the Johnny Reb 3 rules and as such steam him ready for next years ACW weekend, Warmaster 10mm War of the Roses York and Medieval Hussites (love the wagon train concept look), a 15mm scifi Critical Mass Khanate force, and a 6mm AWI british force.

So much to paint, so little time... the everlasting rant of the wargamer