New Sentinel with Plasma Cannon & Sprue Pics and Bye Bye for Now!

John on his blog John's Toy Soldiers has posted pics of the New Sentinel with Plasma Cannon and of the sprues, note especially the details of the leg assemblies. I wont repost everything that he's got, but his blog is well worth a look, there's several nice bits an pieces to be found there, go LOOK!







Other then that I'm off on my travels in about 10 hours heading for 18 days travelling across the USA from San Fransico to Dallas, we might even drop in on the Bell of Lost Souls guys depending on how much time we have left!

See you all in a couple of weeks!

Colonel Gravis, Leman Russ 2 (Part 3) and more...

One last hobby updated before I head off on my holidays!

First up is Leman Russ 2, there's been no where near as much progress as I'd like, partly down to a two leg inter-club tounament which has been on the past couple of days with my club the Exeter Inquisition vs Ryga's Roughnecks the other local club (not gonna hide the fact I'm delighted that we won!). However the sponsons and hull mount are painted and in place and I've started work on painting the turret, this'll be my first painting job when I get back, hopefully I'll get it finished fairly promptly.



With the upcomming codex, and in a bid to cut back on how much space they take up unassembled I'm also getting on with my other Russ, with hull mounted Heavy Bolters for the other four standard Russ, as well as a set of sponson weapons which will be for one of three sets of magnetised weapons. Finally a Lascannon hull mount converted with the standard hull mount but with the Lascannon itself replaced with one of the new plastic heavy weapon sprue - this will go on the Company Command Tank, a Leman Russ Vanquisher, three more Lascannon hull mounts will follow for the other 3 Russ of the Company.



Finally for now, Colonel Gravis! Big thankyou for everyone who voted in the poll, I really did'nt expect so many votes! I'm gonna go with the majority vote and give the Colonel a Pith Helmet, however thats not quite the end of it, following discussion on 40k Online I'm going to have another crack at sculpting my own heads, which may lead onto another project at the same time.

New Leman Russ or Just Great Conversion?

Get out your Salt Shakers folks - and then go get those of your neighbours because your gonna need ALOT of salt with this one.

I might regret posting this if it turns out to be a complete hoax, which is almost certainly is however I'm gonna bite and post it and let people decide for themselves. The picture in the below image was posted on Warseer by a new poster named HaveBlue09, in a newly created Photobucket account HERE in the The Dudes IG Rumour Roundup IV thread, the implication being that this may be a prototype or similar or indeed actually the model for a new Leman Russ kit.

Many people, myself included are taking it for a conversion based on a Baneblade chasis, which it obviously takes many components from. Assuming it is a conversion it's a damn good one and whoever did it deserves alot of praise, but there is the issue of if it is'nt.

I'll admit I'm not as 100% sure as I was that it is a conversion, as having looked a bit more closely at it I picked out on some of the points below in my comparison image. That said I still think it is very unlikely, not least because it's such a complete redesign on a Russ, while leaked pictures from the codex have pointed to no change in this tanks classic design.

Imperial Guard Rumours - One Last Blast (Updated 19/3)

As ever there is an excellent Imperial Guard rumour summary on Warseer put together by The Dude, much praise for him, go take a look for confirmations of all previous details including the leaked French Summary sheet - and now for some new rumours.


HQ

Basic Company Commanders are around 50pts.

Power Weapons come in at 10pts.

Officers are NO LONGER Independent Characters.

The new Advisors, Officer of the Fleet, Master of Ordnance and Astropath are around 30pts each, Sanctioned Pyskers are no longer Advisor upgrades.

Bodyguards are around 15pts and allow you to allocate two wounds which would affect their Officer against them instead.

Medics now give the unit the Feel No Pain USR.

When embarked on a Chimera, it's 'Mobile Command Vehicle' rule allows Command Squads to issue Orders from *inside* the vehicle.

Mogul Kamir and his unit are subject to Rage.

Sly Marbo has a Demo Charge and does indeed always wound on 2+'s in assault, he also retains his Sniper Pistol.

There is a Tank Commander upgrade, called Sergeant (?) Pasc, he gives the tank a BS of 4 and has an additional special ability against tanks and Monsterous Creatures, he costs around 50pts.

ELITES

Stormtroopers are indeed 16pts each, you may pick one of three missions, Behind Enemy Lines which grants the USR Move Though Cover, Recon which grants Out Flank or Arial Assualt which gives them a reroll of scatter dice for deep strike and Valkyrie disembarks.

The Pysker Chior starts at around 60pts for an Overseer and 4 Pyskers.

Ogryns are Stubborn.

TROOPS

Infantry Platoons consist of, Command Section, 2-5 Infantry Squads, 0-5 Heavy Weapons Squads, 0-3 Special Weapons Squads, 0-1 Conscript Platoons

The 2-5 Infantry Squads can be marged into a single unit.

Infantry Squad come in at 50pts, weapons options come in at 5pts for Mortars, 10pts for Heavy Bolters and Autocannon, 15pts for Missile Launchers, 20pts for Lascannon, 5pts for Grenade Launchers and Flamers, 10pts for Meltaguns and 15pts for Plasma Guns.

Heavy Weapons Squads start at 60pts with 3 Mortars, and each weapon can be upgraded as follows, 5pts for Heavy Bolters and Autocannon, 10pts for Missile Launchers, 15pts for Lascannon.

Special Weapons Squads are able to take 3 Demo Charges.

Conscripts are Lasgun only units.

Commissars come in at about 35pts basic.

Veterans Squads may take Carapace, 80pts for a unit IIRC before Carapace.

FAST ATTACK

Valkyrie - Multilaser, Hellstrike x2 (S8 Ordnance, but not blast) can replace with multiple rocket pods 5" Blast S4 AP5 or 6 not sure which.

Vendetta - Basic armament 3x Twin-Linked Lascannon(!)

The Heavy Sentinel may possibly also have a Multi-melta option.

Roughriders now have a Laspistol & Close Combat Weapon inaddition to their Hunting Lances - which sadly remain one use only weapons, 5 Roughriders starts at 55pts.

HEAVY SUPPORT

Leman Russ come in between 150-190pts basic depending on type, all have access to Heavy Bolter, Heavy Flamer (other reliable sources say no now), Multi-melta and Plasma Cannon Sponsons startingat 20pts for the cheapest option. The Executioner is the most expensive variant which with Plasma Sponsons will come in at about 230pts.

The Colossus specificly can not fire in a direct fire mode, it must fire indirectly.

Hydra has two twin-linked weapons.

Camo Netting improves a stationary tanks cover save by +1.

Draft Ork List Mk.2 - 1500pts

This is the second draft of my prospective Ork list for the Tournament enviroment.

Mad Dok Grostnik @160pts

30 Boyz inc. Nob with Boss Pole and Power Klaw @220pts

===> The Mad Dok Leads one big unit of Boyz granting them Fearless and Feel No Pain

24 Boyz inc. Nob with Boss Pole and Power Klaw @184pts

24 Boyz inc. Nob with Boss Pole and Power Klaw @184pts

===> Two more big Boyz mobs, nothing more needed to be said really.

24 Gretchin & 2 Runtherd @92pts

===> Operation Gretchin Shield, these guys will provide a cover save for the main body of the Orks.

10 Gretchin & 1 Runtherd @40pts

===> A cheap unit for skulking around holding objectives.

5 Burna Boyz @75pts

===> Burna's, a fairly cheap unit, these guys will mostly come into play against horde armies, especially Assaulty horde armies, in which case they'll probably 'borrow' the Nobz Truck to get into position.

Battlewagon with Killkannon @150pts

===> Big template, big fun, and tough enough to draw some fire and hopefully live to shoot again, plus can shift small mobs around if needed.

10 Nobz inc. 7x 'eavy Armour, Pain Boy, 3x Power Klaw, 1xBoss Pole @345pts

(Pain Boy with Armour, Power Klaw with Armour, Power Klaw with Armour and Boss Pole, Power Klaw, 4 with Armour, 2 Bare)

Trukk inc. Red Paint Job, Armour Plates @50pts

===> Nobz, what more needs to be said, a hard hitting Nob unit with a Pain Boy for the Feel No Pain, not quite as nasty as the previous version to cut cost's, but still quite krumpable.

1500pts

Colonel Gravis (Part 1) and Manticore Conversion

Okay, not quite as much of a prolific day as I'd planned, but it was beautifully sunny, indeed it was possibly the best day we'll get all year here in soggy Devon(!), so a trip down the coast was in order. I have done a few things, which will see the light of day in due course, but as this was my last weekend at home before my Easter Road Trip in America, travelling from San Francisco too Dallas over just over a couple of weeks with some friends, it'll probably mean no more chances to get lots of stuff done in one session.

Anyway, onto work!

There was some interest in what was fairly obviously my plan from the last post, a conversion based on the DKoK Commissar drawing his sword, who will become none other then Colonel Gravis, Regimental Commander of the Praetorian 4th. I've only done a little too him so far, the head and breathing appartus has been removed (the head kept for future use), the greatcoat collar having been bent down to a more natual angle with the pipes removeal and a new head added. The head I've chosen is the standard Cadian Sergeants head, with the mic removed.

Right now though I've come to a little bit of a dilemma as I really like the look of it with just the bare head, but I'm not sure if I should'nt just go ahead and add a Pith Helmet, because it's the Praetorian thing to do and for consistantcy.

What do you think, should he get a Pith Helmet, or perhaps one modelled on the base fallen? I've opened a Poll to the right hand side of the blog, please do have a vote, but also feel free to post your thoughts in the comments!



Incidently, the arm with the power sword is not glued in place, just bluetacked on for the moment to give a better idea of how the model will look.

Finally here's the converion I mentioned previously for a Manticore, it was done by a friends brother some years ago that I've borrowed so as to have a play around with using the new Manticore rules from the new codex. I'm planning on converting one largely similar at some point, with a hull put aside for this purpose but thought I'd share it now as inspiration, personally I love it, much more infact then the FW version.

Missiles up...



Missiles down...

Rockets and Autocannons and Forgeworld Oh My...

That it, all my existing Heavy Weapons teams are now based, and boy am I glad to get that out the way, though it has made me a little aware of the fact that the Autocannons could do with perhaps a little more work, they're not perhaps as nice as they could be by my standards. Still they'll do for now!

1st Rocket Battery

1st Autocannon Battery

With these done I'm gonna get on with other things again now, and hopefully will be able to show a little progress on a few different projects tommorrow.

For now though I leave you with this thought,

A lovely FW DKoK Commissar... he would'nt, would he?

Dakka Dakka Dakka - Gatling Gun Batteries Rebased

Well thats the Gatling Guns rebased for the new codex, only a battery of each of Rocket Troughs and Autocannons to go now, with the Rocket Troughs almost finished, all going well they'll both be done by the end of the day.

While I've been doing this I've held off on other work, but next up will be the Leman Russ which now has it's sponsons (okay not entirely held off then!), and finishing the forward portion of the titans interior, I've also got it in mind to get on with some Advisor conversion's/sculpts and have a nice Manticore conversion to share, not my own, but one which I intend on copying, gonna be a busy weekend in terms of hobby I think!

1st Gatling Gun Battery

2nd Gatling Gun Battery

More Rebased Lascannon's

Thats the second Lascannon Battery rebased onto 60mm bases for the new codex, it's taking far longer then I'd hoped to get the rebasing done, though I'm hoping the remaining Heavy Weapons, two Batteries of Gatlings and one of each of Rocket Troughs and Autocannons will be far quicker, I'm gonna go and undercoat the next portion of the titan now though while the rain holds off!

2nd Lascannon Battery

Venatio Accipiter (Part 2)

Thanks to another heavy snow fall I had the best part of a day working at home, which of course also gave me more time for hobby! Having succumbed to ordering a Shadowsword (I know, I know...) I'm really keen to get the Warhound finished and so it's been the focus of work.

The rear portion of interior detail as a result is pretty much finished, a few gaps to fill and then paint now the three sections which make up this part of the hull are joined need doing, but otherwise I'm quite pleased with the result. That said, please forgive the fact that it's flash photography, which detracts from the work somewhat.



The legs have also seen some more work, it's now pinned to the new base, having replaced the original with a MDF Clock Blank I came across, I've a little more filling to do on the toe mounts, then I'll add the toes themselves and build up the base a little more around the feet before I get this ready for painting also.



For now though next up will be the forward part of the hull along with the gun servitors, it's basis is assembled, some gaps need filling then it's down to prepping for painting.

Hobby Fund (1st March)

Okay, so February has'nt been quite what I'd hoped in terms of the hobby fund with a loss overal, however that is perhaps slightly decieveing as a portion of February's Sales Fee's are for eBay auctions which have not yet finished.

Purchases this month have included some more bits and pieces for a yet to come Imperial Guard Epic force, rare earth magnets for further tanks, oh and a big toy rocket for my forthing comming Deathstrike Missile Launcher conversion, sales have mostly included a number of Death Korps of Krieg units.

• Starting Balance 1st February (Previous Sales) = £35.26


• Sales in February = £80.84


• Sales Fee's in February = -£9.80


• Purchases in February = -£76.91


• Misc Income/Outgoings = £1.55


• Balance 1st March = £30.94

This month really should be cheaper in terms of expendiature, not least because I'll be ending to America for a holiday at the end of the month, despite the lovely new Shadowsword release I've promissed myself that I'll hold fire on any more Super Heavies until two of the three which I already have in progress (Baneblade, Warhound and Leviathan) are finished. That said I did treat myself to a small forgeworld order out of some birthday money I recieved, with one of the lovely Death Korps Commissars (a conversion in mind) and some Imperial Fist's Terminator pads on their way. I've already a number of eBay auctions on, which end in the next couple of days including my old WFB Bits Box, a few more Death Korps and a few other bits, I'll be listing more soon!