Tag: Tyranids Page 1 of 2

Getting Back Into The Swing

After a few weeks in which I really haven’t been doing terribly well, a mixture of illness, the black dog and fatigue, I am really trying to get back into the swing of life, and actually do some stuff.

So lets try to get stuff done and not simply be depressed and sleep my life away!

Heresy Camp

Some cool lads led by Scottish Graham are running a Heresy Camp next May, and this is the list I am think of taking, bringing the Ultramarines out of Storage, and using some Legiones Auxilia.

XIII: Ultramarines

+ Rite of War: +

Rite of War: The Logos Lectora (UM)

+ HQ: +

Centurion
. Master of Signals: Artificer Armour
. . Bolt Pistol
. . Chainsword: Chainsword
. Master of Signals

Praetor: Warlord
. Legion Praetor: Argyrum-pattern Boarding Shield, Artificer Armour, Master-craft one weapon, Thunder Hammer, Volkite Serpenta

+ Elites: +

Apothecarion Detachment
. Apothecary: Bolt Pistol, Power Armour
. . Chainsword: Chainsword
. Apothecary: Bolt Pistol, Power Armour
. . Chainsword: Chainsword

+ Troops: +

Assault Squad
. Legion Assault Sergeant: Bolt Pistol, Heavy Chainsword, Power Armour
. 7x Legionary: 7x Bolt Pistol, 7x Chainsword
. Legionary w/ Options: Bolt Pistol, Power Axe
. Legionary w/ Options: Bolt Pistol, Power Axe

Tactical Squad
. Legion Tactical Sergeant: Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Power Armour, Power Fist
. 17x Legionary: 17x Bolt Pistol, 17x Bolter, 17x Chainsword
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Legion Vexilla
. . Chainsword: Chainsword
. Legionary w/ Options:: Augury Scanner, Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. . Chainsword: Chainsword

Tactical Squad
. Legion Tactical Sergeant: Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Power Armour, Power Fist
. 17x Legionary: 17x Bolt Pistol, 17x Bolter, 17x Chainsword
. Legionary w/ Options:: Bolt Pistol, Bolter, Legion Vexilla
. . Chainsword: Chainsword
. Legionary w/ Options:: Augury Scanner, Bolt Pistol, Bolter
. . Chainsword: Chainsword

+ Fast Attack: +

Storm Eagle Gunship: Twin-linked Heavy Bolter
. Two Hull (Front) Mounted twin-linked lascannon

Storm Eagle Gunship: Twin-linked Heavy Bolter
. Two Hull (Front) Mounted twin-linked lascannon

+ Heavy Support: +

Fire Raptor Gunship: Four Hull (Front) Mounted Tempest Rockets, Two Sponson Mounted Gravis Heavy Bolter Batteries:

—————-

Allied Detachment

Legiones Auxilia (Ultramarines)

+ HQ: +

Tactical Command Tercio
. Tactical Command Section: Auxilia Vexilla, Command Vox
. . Aurox Transport
. . Auxilia Captain: Auxilia Captain, Heavy Void Armour
. . . Pistol and Combat weapon (Sub-menu): Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol
. . Auxilia Companion: Lasrifle
. . Auxilia Companion: Lasrifle
. . Auxilia Companion: Lasrifle
. . Auxilia Companion: Lasrifle

+ Troops: +

Infantry Tercio
. Line Command Section: Auxilia Vexilla, Command Vox
. . Auxilia Troop Master
. . . Pistol and Combat weapon (Sub-menu): Close Combat Weapon, Laspistol
. . 4x Auxilia Veteran w/ Lasrifle: 4x Lasrifle
. Rifle Sections: Augury Scanner, Auxilia Vexilla, Vox Interlock
. . Auxilia Sergeant: Lasrifle
. . 19x Auxilia w/ Lasrifle: 19x Lasrifle
. Rifle Sections: Augury Scanner, Auxilia Vexilla, Vox Interlock
. . Auxilia Sergeant: Lasrifle
. . 19x Auxilia w/ Lasrifle: 19x Lasrifle

+ Fast Attack: +

Carnodon Strike Squadron: Solar Auxilia Carnodon, Solar Auxilia Carnodon
. Turret Mounted Volkite Culverin
. Two Sponson Mounted Volkite Caliver

+ Heavy Support: +

Armoured Tercio
. Leman Russ Strike Squadron
. . Leman Russ Battle Tank: Heavy Bolter
. . Leman Russ Battle Tank: Heavy Bolter
. . Leman Russ Battle Tank: Heavy Bolter
. . Turret Mounted Vanquisher Battle Cannon and Co-axial Mounted Autocannon

I am going to be printing the Solar Auxilia dudes, as they are going to be specifically for only use with the Ultramarines.

I have printed the Assault Squad, alongside two new Sgts for the Tactical Squads, and I will be printing a second Carnodon.

I will need to buy a new Vanquisher however.

But I am planning on getting most of this ready by the end of January.

What I Am Modelling

I started out the week with a bunch of stuff to add to the Dark Angels, starting with a Company Master.

Then a Lieutenant armed with a Power Sword

And to finish this trip of officers, a Librarian of the Deathwing

Plus a unit of Aggressors

And here is a unit of Space Wolves Reavers for their Combat Patrol

I then painted up a unit of Neurogaunts for the Tyranids, which completes all the models from Leviathan

I needed a palette cleanser so I started work on my Aurox for the Solar Auxilia, painting with an Urban Camo scheme, that I am quite happy with

As well as a test model for the Ultramarines Auxilia allies, who will be the Calth High Guard 105th Regiment

After that I painted these Paragon Warsuits for my Argent Shroud, all armed with Multi-Meltas

And finally some Rockgut Troggoths to complete my Gloomspite Gitz Spearhead!


So what’s up next

  1. Blood Angels Land Speeders
  2. Domicile Shell x 2 & Guardian Idol
  3. Dark Angels Invader ATV x 2
  4. Ardboyz x 10, Itonskulz Boyz & Warchanter
  5. Treelord Ancient
  6. Leman Russ Vanquishers x 2
  7. Squig Herd x 20 & Herders x 4
  8. Dark Angels Redemptor Dreadnought and Deathwing Company Master
  9. Space Wolves Intercessors x 10
  10. Karazai

What I Am Reading

Currently listening to Reaper Man by Sir Terry Pratchett and I have to say the new recordings are exemplary, really something just so good about them.

Also enjoying The Saint by Dan Abnett, its a big book though and will take me some time I think.

What Tabletop Games I Am Playing

Had my first game of Spearhead against Paul, using the Orruk Warclans Kruleboyz Spearhead

As per usual I lost, but not terribly so

What Video Games I Am Playing

I finally finished God of War (2018), I will still be going back to clear up some collectables, and overall it was a decent game.

Not gonna lie, tempted to add it to Steam if I can get a good deal sometime.

I also started playing Space Marine 2 on Stream, got two campaigns going, one on my own as a single player!

And a second one I am starting with Chris and Graham!

I also started a playthrough of Marvel’s The Avengers on PlayStation 5

Originally I was gonna play it on the Steam Deck, but it only had a Silver rating on there from ProtonDB, and apparently the PS5 version has Spider-Man and the Steam version doesn’t, so yeah, no brainer

I picked up the disc for £5 when the live service side shit down a while back

What I Am Creating

The second Combat Patrol Magazine Battle Report got published, and it included the debut of my new intro video!

What I Am Spending

I got issue 3 of Combat Patrol to add a squad of Infernus Marines to the Dark Angels

I also treat myself for my birthday in a few weeks to the Hyperkin DuchesS, a controller release I have been looking forward to a lot!

I also got a few more Army Painter Fanatics paints, mostly replacing very well used Citadel ones

And I added to my Steam games library


Meet Smokey & Goodbye Jenny

We got another cat, meet DJ Smokey Suchong, aka Smokey, aka Smokey boy, aka Smokerson aka Smokestack!

Yeah he already has a lot of nicknames!

He came from Yarm Cat Rescue and since he arrived he has been a very shy timid and quiet boy, slowly adjusting to us

Most hiding behind the sofa, coming out at night, we are spying on him with the camera we have for Megan to monitor the bunnies when we are away

I did try to give him some tuna one Sunday as a treat, but alas, he savaged my finder and he must have thought he was being picked up, which he is not yet comfortable with, and gave me a nasty bite on my finger, which got very badly infected, resulting in two hospital visits, two courses of antibiotics and lots of pain. He is lucky he is cute!

But shortly after Smokeys arrival, Jennifur, our beloved old lady fell ill and after a short illness she sadly passed away at the age of 17.

It took us by surprise as until very recently she had been in perfect health with zero issues, and we are all very much devastated by this.

Jenny was a special girl and we are all going to deeply miss her.

3D Printing

The 3D Printer developed a fault just before WorldCon, the touchscreen died and could not be fixed via software.

But credit to Elegoo, they were super awesome and when provided with video and photos of the error shipped a replacement screen right away, and with the video they provided, was a quick 10 minute fix.

I now have it running fine, and figured out where to find the timelapse videos from, which is cool, kinda tempted to print something really big just to see the video!

Yeah I can see myself getting addicted to this particular hobby!

What I Am Modelling

So my 3D printer is now up and running and Turing into a little bit of a minis factory!

So I started off with this Overseer for my Imperial Fists, a new Consul without a model yet, and now he is gonna be part of the options I have for the Fists.

I then went on to paint up 20 Genestealers for my Tyranids, along with a Broodlord.

These were the classic models, but I popped them onto 32mm bases, and had to grab a couple extra sprues to have the minimum sizes for the latest codex

And then I painted up my two models of Roboute Gulliman, one that I got with the Triumvirate of the Primarch and the other with Imperium

After that I got some Squig Hoppers done, two units of 5, but thanks to unit size changes, I need another box of these

And this was followed up by a unit of Barbgaunts!

And then I finished up a Mega-Boss on Maw Krusha


So what’s up next?

  1. Blood Angels Landspeeders x 2
  2. Dark Angles Captain, Lt & Aggressors x 3
  3. Paragon Warsuits with Multi-Melta x 3
  4. Domicile Shell x 2 & Guardian Idol
  5. Space Wolves Reivers x 5
  6. Rockgut Troggoths x 3
  7. Dark Angels Invader ATV x 2
  8. Ardboyz x 10, Ironskullz Boyz & Warchanter
  9. Treelord Ancient
  10. Leman Russ Vanquishers x 2

What I Am Reading

I finally finished reading The Heart of Iuchiban by Evan Dicken, which was good, but I am not sure why it took me so long to read, a review will follow in time!

Siege of Vraks by Steve Lyons was good, I wanted a bit, I dunno, more from such an iconic war when put to prose, but it was fine.

I read Edge of Catastrophe by Jane Killick and who could imagine a book about failed potato crops could be so thrilling!

I have now started on The Saint by Dan Abnett, which I have been looking forward to a lot, and I am listening to Reaper Man by Sir Terry Pratchett.

What Video Games I Am Playing

I finished Assassin’s Creed Rogue on Twitch

And I started and finished a playthrough of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine in time for next weeks release of the sequel!

And myself, Graham & Chris started playing some Space Marine 2 together!

What I Am Creating

The next episode of Edge of Empire was published

Doing some battle report videos for the Combat Patrol Magazine and published the Issue 01 video

What I am Spending

Got a few bits for some 3D printing!

First off some new resin to play with, following everyone’s recommendations I grabbed this bottle of Sunlu ABS-Like Resin, cause literally everyone was telling me this is the best sort to use!

Of course I then grabbed a 3kg bottle when I ran through the 1kgs worth!

I also grabbed some IPA to clean this with.

And a couple of pickling jars to put that in and do the job!

I also got the final issue of Stormbringer for the Dragons, this time just the bases, not so sexy, but oh so useful!

And I also got the last two issues to build Swampboss Skumdrekk, with the one from my subscription to be used to build a Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker Beast!

And I got the first issue of Combat Patrol

Plus a single copy of the second one

In terms of other video games, I bought the Capcom Summer 2024 Humble Bundle which netted me

Humble Choice for September got me

I also bought


Resolutions Update – May & June 2024

Sorry for not getting this out sooner, but its been a funny few months!

Complete 6 Combat Patrols – 50% Complete

By the skin of my teeth I completed the Chaos Space Marines Combat Patrol, but I had to do the transfers for the Havocs on the 1st July.

I did also get a few bits for the Tyranids Combat Patrol finished and built the stuff for a Custodes and T’au Combat Patrol!

Bring My Gloomspite Gitz to 2000 Point – Complete

This month we added to the Gitz, an Aleguzzler Gargant, some Sneaky Snufflers, Boingrot Bounderz and Sportplatta Fanatics!

This means I am now on 2470 points before the next edition drops!

Still to finish I have a couple of units of Squig Hoppers, some Squig Herds, a Dankhol Troggoth, Skragrott the Loonking and some Rockgut Troggoths.

Get My Drukhari To 2000 Points – 58% Complete

No progress, need to buy some more units, I have some more Helions and Reavers to paint, but that’s it right now.

Want some Wracks, but having issues getting them.

Complete My Video Game Geek Hardcore 10! – 60% Complete

This month I completed Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster, it’s one of the alternative three, so will only count at the end of the year if my main ten aren’t done

I have now started on God of War (2018) after abandoning it at the end of 2022, I have decided to start over again from scratch

I also finished Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and have started on Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry

So this is where we stand now

Alternative Three

Read 40 Books – 75% Complete

This month I have read/listened to

Start the Combat Patrol Battle Reports

We got a single report published in this period

Painting At Last

Since Insulationgate last October, at least one wall in every room of the house has needed a coat of paint.

And yeah it’s a bit depressing, due to disagreements between the insulation contractors, the landlord and the government, we decided to cut them all out and decorate ourselves.

It’s not that we couldn’t have just waited for them to sort it out, it’s more, we want to avoid massive disruption, so we are doing this ourselves at our own pace.

Megans room is the first to be done, we had to start with a mist coat, which was very runny.

That was done on the Monday, two coats overall.

The on Tuesday, we did three coats of Brilliant White, yeah it’s full, but it’s what the rest of the rooms are painted. When you rent it’s often easier to keep what the landlord had, so we don’t need to redecorate too much when we eventually move out.

It took three coats, but we got there in the end.

The next room getting done is mine and Lindsay’s bedroom and we may at the same time do the ceiling in my studio.

The studio is going to get a bit of a refurb at the same time, we are adding the 3D printer there, so taking the time to change a few things up, especially now that Lindsay works up there and I will never be using the gaming table again as a result.

So yeah that’s about it, gonna do Lindsay’s room next week, and that will be fun!

What I Am Modelling

I started off with the Von Ryan’s Leapers for the Tyranid’s Combat Patrol

All that’s needed for this one now is to finish off the Barbgaunts

Then I painted a Vindicator for the Inperial Fists

After that I started on Krondys, Son of Dracothion

I also painted up this Guardian Idol

And I have a box full of Stormcast stuff that’s never been touched, so I am thinking of painting them up as Hallowed Knights, I already have Gardus Steel Soul painted up.

So I used the Gamer Grass base I got from the UK Game Expo to paint up this test model, which I am rather happy with

I then painted a Hellbrute for the Chaos Soace Marines Combat Patrol

Followed by two units of Sporesplatta Fanatics for the Gloomspite Gitz


So what’s up next for me then?

  1. Deathwing Terminators x 5, Terminator Ancient, Bladeguard Lieutenant & Apothecary Biologis
  2. Chaos Havocs x 5
  3. Paragon Warsuits with Heavy Bolters x 3
  4. Spirit of Durthu
  5. Sisters of Silence x 10
  6. Blade Champion
  7. T’au Commander
  8. Escape From San Canciano Gangs x 8
  9. Dark Angels Assault Intercessors x 10
  10. Genestealers x 20 & Broodlord

What Tabletop Games I Am Playing

Played my last two league games, first against Neal and his Genestealer Cults

And then I played Leon and his T’au!

Lost both games, and right now I am wondering if I lost the games, or if I won the Wooden Spoon!

What Video Games I Am Playing

Not much this week, but I did get a single session of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag streamed!

What I Am Winning

Won a copy of Football Manager 2024 from a Twitter competition on Twitter, which is nice, especially with Euro 2024 going on!

What I Am Backing

The Colour Forge Signature Series was fully funded, so hopefully soon I will get a nice can of spray paint and some stickers and cards!

What I Am Spending

I went ahead and bought my first Legions Imperialis models that aren’t Titans or Aircraft and grabbed myself a pair of Solar Auxilia Baneblades

Decided to LI that I am gonna go heavy on the Auxilia with only small amounts of Marines in support

I got myself a bargain and bought Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection for Steam.


An Election

So there is going to be an election, I don’t have much to say on the matter.

But get to know your candidates and vote for the person you think would do best for your area.

But what I would like to say is that right now, the UK is broken, schools are falling apart due to dodgy concrete, the roads are full of potholes, rent is stupidly high, the cost of living is out of control and things are just broken.

So with that in mind, I think we need to make a choice on who we think is best placed to fix whats gone wrong over the past few years.

What I Am Modelling

I started out with a Mega Boss on Maw-Krusha to join my Ironjawz

After that it was a Pshycopage for the Tyranids Combat Patrol

Followed by some Boungrot Bounders for the Gloomspite Gitz

I then painted up some Glaivewraith Stalkers I had sitting in a box, they were in a weird state, a bit of disreppair, no idea how I came into ownership of them, but I didn’t build them, so there was a bit of work involved, but they give me a chance to try out some new rust techniques.

Its my intent to go back to the Nighthaunt and rust up their weapons a bit when they next come out of storage!

I also had some Myrmourn Banshees in a similar state, so I got those painted too,

Both these sets have awesome bases, but I think they are a bit too detailed for what they are, basic stuff for beginners.

And I got the Ultramarines Invader ATVs painted up as well, the first with a Onslaught Gatling Cannon

And a second with Multi-Melta


So what’s up next?

  1. Tree-Revenants x 10 & Branchwych
  2. Chaos Space Mariens x 10 & Dark Apostle
  3. Blood Angels Captains x 6
  4. Imperial Fists Vindicator
  5. Von Ryan’s Leapers x 3
  6. Krondys
  7. Deathwing Terminators x 5 & Terminator Ancient
  8. Sporesplatta Fanatics
  9. Chaos Havoc x 5
  10. Paragon Warsuits with Heavy Bolters x 3

What I Am Reading

I listened to Living Legend by Scott Gray which was a charming bit of fun!

What Video Games I Am Playing

Played some more Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

And some Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, which I finished!

What I Am Backing

CARnage 2 was funded successfully and as I said, I backed at £1 so I get access to the Backerkit afterwards

What I Am Winning

Won a copy of Ghosts of Tsushima on PC from @gameolder2024 on Twitter, so super happy about that!

What I Am Spending

I had an Amazon voucher from a redund, so I grabbed Bayonetta 3 for the Switch, just need to hunt down a copy of the second game without being ripped off now!

And I managed to grab this dock for my Steam Deck for just £5, and it works pretty well!

I also bought on Steam


Grifters & Gamergate 2.0

Gamergate was an utter debacle; it was horrific, disgusting, and merely an excuse to abuse and harass women and minorities in the gaming industry.

It was never about ethics in gaming journalism. If you believe it was, you’re seriously mistaken and need to reconsider, basically take several seats.

At its core, it was a jilted ex-boyfriend’s revenge plot that spiralled out of control.

Following events like Race Fail and the Sad/Rabid Puppies controversies, it was a dreadful time for enthusiasts like me. All my passions, including gaming, sci-fi, and fantasy literature, felt under attack by far-right zealots.

It took me years to regain my enthusiasm for gaming as my love for it waned alongside my interest in literature.

Now, there are opportunists attempting to ignite a new Gamergate to make themselves relevant again or simply to stir up anger for profit. I refuse to let this happen again.

Take Mark Kern, for example, a once-prominent figure now irrelevant since being ousted from his company in 2013 due to his egregious behaviour.

And it’s disheartening to see creators I once admired, like Lady Decade, getting involved, which really stings.

Yet they persist, desperately seeking to spark a new “scandal”. Their efforts with Sweet Baby, who actually advised for widely praised changes in games, have failed.

They’ve targeted Stellar Blade, lauding it as “Game of the Year” material solely for its characters tits and arse and ‘jiggle physics’, blatantly ignoring the story and gameplay, they never mention that at all, so I have no idea if the game is actually any good.

Now, they’re criticising a tabletop RPG adaptation of Tomb Raider because it focuses on uncovering historical truths rather than grave-robbing. Clearly, they’ve never engaged with the Survivor Trilogy, which explores similar themes.

Furthermore, there’s constant griping about the portrayal of women in games, claiming they all should look like porn stars with heavy makeup.

Take Aloy, for example; they call her ugly when in fact, she’s stunning and lives in a post-apocalyptic world devoid of beauty salons. And Mary Jane in Spider-Man is portrayed beautifully in a realistic way.

So, if you see me confronting these chuds, know that I’m not backing down this time. This is my hobby, and these ignoramuses need to understand it’s not just a space for cis-het white men!

What I Am Modelling

Started the week with some Tyranids, specifically the Neurolictor

Then the Neurotyrant and its Neuroloids

As well as rebasing my Lictor on to the new 50mm base size

I then painted some Thermic Plasma Regilatoes for Zone Mortalis

And a Haemotrope Reactor too

After that I worked on some Wulfen for my Space Wolves

After that I turned to the Flesh Eater Courts and painted the Royal Beastflayers

Then a couple of Teleport Homers for the Blood Angels

And a squad of Seraphim for my Sister of Battle

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6Aa20RI99h/?igsh=OHk4aDU2YW00czY=

The Boarding Actions Terrain was finished up as well. This stuff is going to be used for my Zone Mortalis table mostly, the idea being it’s going to be the neglected and horrible service corridors of my hive

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5_H27rNeyy/?igsh=MXZjb2g5c3ZpdTFrZw==

I still want to add the marketplace stuff, a gang stronghold and some promethium containers, perhaps another set of shipping containers, but for now, I am quite happy with this!

And these Dark Angels Aggressors were finished as well!

https://www.instagram.com/p/C6C9y6qI-dA

So what’s next?

  1. Sisters Repentia x 4
  2. Hobgrot Slittaz x 10
  3. Drycha Hamadreth
  4. Sneaky Snufflers x 12
  5. Lasrifle Section c 20
  6. Arco-Flaggents
  7. Dark Angels Intercessors x 10
  8. Space Wolves Infiltrators x 10 and Battle Leader in Phobos Armour
  9. Paychophage
  10. Mega Boss on a Maw-Krusha

What I Am Reading To

I listened to Mort by Terry Pratchett my first of the new Discworld audiobooks, a real classic story and a hell of an update with a stellar cast!

I weirdly find it far easier to listen to the Discworld books than read them, dunno what it is, but the structure just seems to work better in audio, for myself that is!

Then I moved onto The Natural History of Fear by Jim Mortimer which was fairly interesting, but depressing, but a really cool twist at the end!

I have now started on Deathworlder by Victoria Hayward and am almost through it!

What Tabletop Games I Am Playing

I played Alex and his Tyranids in the 40K League on Thursday

https://www.instagram.com/p/C58zbCNNUk8/?igsh=MTN1Zm4yanMxZ2R1Mw==

The game went ok until it started and then my army was dismembered, I did ok on objectives, but it was a solid loss

Then on Friday I played Edward and his Aeldari, also for the league

https://www.instagram.com/p/C5_KInENPnH/?igsh=MWFkNnN3N285cGd6cw==

And that was a game in which we both thought I would be tabled by turn 3, but I managed to keep it going and survived the whole game, still a major loss!

Think I am gonna win the leagues wooden spoon!!!

What Video Games I Am Playing

Not much this week, Megan is anxiously waiting on something so I have leant them my Steam Deck to help distract them, they are mostly using it to play Disney Dreamlight Valley, on my Xbox profile I might add!

But I did play some Boltgun

What I Am Creating

We published a new episode of Edge of Empire, this one was a Solar Auxilia special!

What I Am Spending

Not really anything this week, I grabbed a HDD caddy to add a further 2TB for the PLEX server

From a mystery bundle on Fanatical, I got Internet Cafe Simulator 2 and GRIP, and also purchased Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition.

I also bought the Train Sim 4: Top Up Your Timetable bundle from Humble Bundle, which scored me

  • West Somerset Railway Route Add-On
  • Southern BR Class 313 EMU Add-On
  • Hamilton – Oakville Add-On
  • Hagen – Finnentrop Route Add-On
  • Duisburg – Bochum Route Add-On
  • Aschaffenberg – Gemunden Route Add-On
  • Marseille – Avignon Route Add-On
  • Boston – Providence Route Add-On
  • Brighton – Eastbourne & Seaford Route Add-On
  • Mainz – Koblenz Route Add-On
  • DB BR 101 Loco Add-On
  • Cheyenne – Laramie Route Add-On
  • DB BR 363 Loco Add-On
  • Ambergate – Chinley & Buxton Route Add-On

And my Saints Row IV key from a previous Humble Bundle finally landed in my account!


Battling Fatigue

The chest is feeling better, I am coughing less and I am able to climb stairs without needing my inhaler halfway up.

But the fatigue is another thing, I think I have spent more of the last couple of weeks in bed asleep, than awake, and its pretty annoying.

It having a marked effect on my memory as I am forgetting so much, and I have become a real burden on Megan and especially Lindsay as she has family stuff going on right now.

Hopefully I can push though it, and I will try as much as I can, that’s all I can do right.

What I Am Modelling

I started the week with a Nexus Syphon for my Age of Sigmar terrain box

And then a couple of bases of Ripper Swarms for the Tyranids

Then two units of Stabbas for the Gloomspite Gitz

And a Knight-Judicator for my Celestial Vindicators

After that it was 20 Termagants for the Tyranids

Then I painted a trio of Ork Warbikers!

I am currently working on Khagra’s Ravagers for Underworlds

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So what’s next?

  1. Khagra’s Ravagers
  2. Dark Angels Intercessors x 5
  3. Imperial Fists Heavy Bolter Heavy Support Squad x 10
  4. Spite Revenants x 10
  5. Penitent Engine
  6. Vigilors x 10
  7. Nexus Syphon
  8. Chief Librarian Tigurius & Ultramarines Primaris Librarian
  9. Homunculus
  10. Bloodletters of Khorne x 10

What I Am Reading

I finished The Talon of Horus by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, which was really, really good!

I then listened to Flip-Flop by Jonathan Morris, which was quite unique, but a lot of fun. And then I moved on to Omega by Nev Fountain, which was ok, not amazing, but not terrible.

I am now listening to Creed: Ashes of Cadia by Jude Reid which is quite good so far, and absolutely makes me want to collect a Cadian army!

And I am still reading The End and the Death: Volume III by Dan Abnett, which is a very compelling book, but a big read, especially when I have fatigue issues!

What Tabletop Games I Am Playing

A couple of games of the 40k league, but the third one I was due to play today, I utterly forgot about cause of the aforementioned issues, utterly unfair on my opponent and I feel like such a dickhead for it.

What Video Games I Am Playing

a bit more of Yakuza 0, its a weird game, but I am loving the story.

I also returned to the Halo Infinite campaign, the last time I had fired it up until last Thursday was the day Mary passed away, so I guess that explains why I didn’t pick it up again, especially as we moved house shortly afterwards.

What I Am Creating

I published the next battle report of Combat Patrol, this episode features the Drukhari taking on the Vangaurd Space Marines of the Ultramarines Chapter!

What I Am Backing

Nowt new, but I realised I forgot to pay for shipping on the Firefly: The Game – 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition project, so we got that done, and I cannot imagine we will get it until later on in the year and not in the main wave!

What I Am Spending

A few video games were bought

I picked up a copy of Stormbringer with a Loonboss on a Giant Cave Squig.

I also bought some Deathwing Terminators for the Dark Angels army that I am NOT building!!!

And a sponsor sorted me out with a set of the Boarding Actions terrain.


Space Marines Are Not A Good Starter Army

I said what I said!

But back in the day, Space Marines were the default starter army, S4, T4 and hitting on 3s with a 3+ armour save, they were decently tough, and didn’t need a lot to make them work well.

Plus they were really easy to paint and make your own.

But these days, they are not a good starter set, they have a bloated list that half the time makes little sense.

Here is the thing, how would you recommend starting a Space Marine army, its always been to recommend the Battleforce/Start Collecting/Combat patrol as they always included a Troops/Battleline, that you could build your army around.

But today, the Combat Patrol doesn’t contain a Battleline unit, the Infernus Marines aren’t one, and its a pretty elite force, simply not one that its easy to build an army around.

And even then, look at what is available, its so many units that its hard to actually look at the list as a beginner and figure out how to start an army.

A kid I know who wants to play Ultramarines was genuinely confused, because, they simply couldn’t figure out how to build an army, what they absolutely needed and how to synergise the army.

Look I am not saying Space Marines are now crap, its just really difficult to build a list as a beginner, and there is no starter box that represents the army as the very basic units which can form a decent core.

How would I fix it, well I would love to see a Combat Patrol with Intercessors at its core, the ETB Redemptor Dreadnought, and a Lieutenant.

Heck, why not release the sprue from Dark Imperium which had the Intercessors, Ancient, and two Lieutenants, then throw in an ETB kit, perhaps the Invader ATV, or as I suggested the ETB Redemptor Dreadnought.

Here is the crack, I ended up recommending the Dark Angels Combat Patrol, or the Blood Angels Combat Patrol, as these have generic units, one of which is an Intercessor Squad, a HQ and a couple of other interesting units. Actually, if you can, get both, they synergise well together, and just sell the upgrade sprues!

What I Am Modelling

I started the week by painting a unit of 10 Gutrippas for my Orruk Warclans

Followed by Snazzgar Stinkmullett the Fungoid Cave Shaman for the Gloomspite Gitz, which means I have now painted all four of the Harbingers of the Malign Portents!

Then a unit of Suppressors for the Space Wolves

After which I painted a Warlock Bombardier from the Skaven range

And then an Arch Revenant for a new Sylvaneth army

As well as Ylthari’s Guardians.

Then it was time to deal with some Tyranids, and I got the Tyranid Prime with Wings completed

And finally a Screamer-Killer.


So what’s up next week?

  1. Termagants x 20
  2. Gitz Stabbas x 40
  3. Ork Warbikers x 3
  4. Knight Judicator
  5. Khagra’s Ravagers
  6. Dark Angels Intercessors x 5
  7. Imperial Fists Heavy Bolter Squad x 10
  8. Spite Revenants
  9. Penitent Engine
  10. Vigilors x 10

What I Am Reading

I started to listed to The Talon of Horus by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, it’s a book I have started a couple of times, but never gotten past the first 30 minutes cause I get disturbed then forget about it.

But this time I am determined to listen it all!

I am also plodding on with The Tower of Nerek by David Guymer.

What Tabletop Games I am Playing

I played Matthew in the Hartlepool 40K league, and won 50-41, but that was only secured due to painting points!

I also played Edward, and I lost that game very badly to an Aeldari alpha strike, a wonderful game, even if I was hammered!

What Video Games I am Playing

I have started on Yakuza 0 and so far its interesting but werid!

I was horribly ill on Sunday, so played through Portal on my Steam Deck for the first time since 2007, I want to play Portal RTX but my 3070 struggles with it!

I did get a bit of streaming in, but its been difficult of late with Lindsay changing her work schedule.

What I Am Spending

I bought the Bloodletters I needed to complete the Chaos Daemons Combat Patrol from eBay

Along with some Genestealers, I only need four to top up my two existing units to full 10 grubby units, so if anyone wants four more to do the same…

And I got the Datacards for the Adeptus Mechanicus

We needed a KVM for the studio to allow easy switching between the media server and Lindsay’s laptop. This Ugreen one was on special offer on Amazon, so we grabbed it and it does what we need.

I also bought a few games

I also bough the Twin Sails Bundle on Humble Bundle, which got me:-

The rest of the games were given to Lindsay and Karen as I already had them.

I got some books too, The End and the Death: Volume III by Dan Abnett, both as an ePub and MP3 audio book, plus Sons of the Emperor as a MP3 audio book.

Of course I got Lords of the Lance by Graham McNeill, as a ePub and MP3 audiobook, and the Shamanslayer MP3 audio book by Nathan Long.

From Big Finish I got Dad’s Army: The Radio Series by Jimmy Perry & David Croft, Poppet by Lauren Mooney & Stewart Pringle, Danger and Deception by Alan Fennell, Fugitive of the Daleks by Jonathan Morris.

From Marvel, I got Moon Knight: Age of Anubis by Jonathan Green, and Doomgate by Jeffrey Lang as an MP3 audiobook.


A Little Bit More in the Studio

The past couple of weeks have been a bit boring, but I did do a touch more work to improve the studio

First up I bought the last bits for my controller board, and fitted them leaving me with this as the final result!

Really happy with how this turned out, and it looks super cool.

What we have on it, are:-

Playstation Controller (USB)DualShock 3NES ControllerSNES Controller
Tribute 64Gamecube ControllerGamecube Wavebird
Mega Drive Controller (USB)Mega Drive 6 Button Controller (USB)Saturn Controller Model 2 (USB)8BitDo SN30 ProHyperkin Duke
PC Engine Turbo Pad (USB)A500 ControllerUSB-C CableMicro USB Cable8BitDo Neo Geo CD ControllerShelf with some adaptors
Hyperkin XenonDualSenseSwitch ProXbox Series XAmazon Echo Dot
Google StadiaAmazon LunaSteam ControllerNVIDIA Shield

So yeah really happy with how its turned out, expensive but worth it!

And I also mounted the Xbox Series S under the desk, just to keep the desk top clearer, becuase it was in a funny situation with no where to be because the place it was, was no longer an option as the new monitor was in the way.

I imagine the next few weeks will be more of the same, just getting stuff better and more tidy, I still may wall mount the PS5 and/or Switch, but lets wait and see.

What I Am Modelling

I started by finishing some Chaplins for the Ultramarines, and a Judicar.

After that it was a Spartan for the Death Guard

Then a Rotor Cannon Support Squad for the Imperial Fists

Followed by 20 Termagants with Devourers

And finally a pair of bases of Rippers!


So whats up next for me?

  1. Chaos Familiars
  2. Loonboss & Zarbags Gitz
  3. Ultramarines Infiltrators x 10
  4. Battle Sister Squad x 10
  5. Baal Predator
  6. Lilth Hesperax 
  7. Ork Trukks x 2
  8. Putrid Blightkings x 5
  9. Shootas x 20
  10. Minka Lesk x 2

What I Am Reading

I listened to Bang-Bang-a-Boom! by Clayton Hickman and Gareth Roberts, which was

I have read with The End and The Death: Volume II by Dan Abnett, and that was a hell of a book is all I will say!

I have started listening to The Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath and that’s pretty good so far, very surprised that they had yet to do this story!

What Tabletop Games I Am Playing

Got a game of Horus Heresy in at club on Friday myself and Russell started a campaign, and well I wiped the floor with him, but I did have 3250 points to his 2500 so it was an unfair match up!

What Video Games I Am Playing

I finished Assassin’s Creed III Remastered, which I have been streaming!

I also played through Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – The Lost Archive, which you can see here on YouTube.

We will be playing The Tyranny of King Washington next!

What I Am Creating

I made a little experimental video about the army list I took to Scotland at the beginning of October.

Also a little short on painting lights!

What I Am Spending

It was Humble Choice this week, so for my £8.99, I got the following

And I bought myself Yakuza 0 and Yakuza 3 Remastered as well.

I also picked up the Space Marines and Tyranids datacards for Warhammer 40k.

And a Vindicator to add to my Imperial Fists.


A Big Bunch of Stuff

This is a big update, life has been a bit all over the place and its taken this long to sort out putting out a new blog post, sorry


My dad turned 60 earlier this month so we buggered off to Suffolk for a birthday meal, we were in the county for less than 24 hours which felt too brief as I was unable to get any quality time.

Would have liked to have spent more time with the nibblings, but it was nice nonetheless.

It was a Sunday dinner at the pub and I had lamb, cause I love lamb and so rarely get to have it.


I turned 41 as well, which was fine, but my birthday plans failed and it’s left me somewhat deflated.

I am on the verge of giving up any attempt at celebrating it from now.

I did get a pair of AirPod Pros for my birthday, mostly cause I needed the ANC


This weekend I went to Stirling for a Horus Heresy event runs by some friends of ours, an event with lots of Conpany of Legends DNA, which is really cool cause we never get to play in our own event!

That’s not me saying they ripped us off, we love that they have taken our concept and turned it into their own thing, it’s absolutely brilliant, although we did provide them with Chris’s scoring/pairing spreadsheet.

I am gonna put up a vide with my list next week.

It’s been a really fun event, my first game was against Matts Whit Scars, a beautiful army that I was able to really push and give it a hard time.

The game went rather well for me, I did lose in the end, but it largely came down to a mixture of great tactics by Matt, poor decision making on my part and of course rolling double 1s on Plasma Pistol Chainfire on my Moritat resulting in him dying in his first turn out of the Rhino!

The second game on Saturday was against Chris’s Custodes, and yeah at 3.5k points, Custodes really get to shine as they can take a lot of the nicer toys that 3k kind of stops them taking

I got hammered in this game, my list just struggled to handle the sheer amount of 2+ Armour

Wonderful guy as well and a beautifully painted army, makes me want to get my Custodes out the box!

On Sunday I faced Mark and his Ultramarines, in a very challenging game, for a good part of the game, I was dominant on one flank, distracting him with stuff on the other, but once he had taken care of those units, he quickly wiped out my whole army!

And my final game was against Michael and his Space Wolves, a great army with a Thunderhawk, my first time facing one of those bad boys!

I did okay, but eventually folded and was tabled, a mix of poor choices on my part and great tactics on Michaels.

A great weekend and the lads put on an amazing event, really good, absolutely loved my time there.

Insullationgate

Not my name, but it seems apt, on my return Stirling, we were having some insulation work done by the landlord, the contractors said, it was all external, but when they arrived, we were told its actually all internal!

So we had a chaotic week, with every room in the house being torn apart, and it ended my #HobbyStreak 🙁

It is what it is, but we are only just getting the place back together, and it still needs painting.


In other news, I am back into therapy and mental health treatment, I need it, and the waiting period was awful.

Initially my medication has been adjusted as they build an idea on how to help sort me out.

What I Am Modelling

I started off painting some Blood Angels but got bored partway though so got painted up my Questoris Knight Styrix for House Taranis

Then I finished the Phobos Lieutenant for the Blood Angels

Followed by the Suppressors

And the a squad of Infiltrators

After that a Ballistus Dreadnought for the Blood Ravens