And So It Begins

Last week I played 40K for the first time, but it didn't come about how I had expected. I was rushing to paint as much as I could before the club day on Saturday, when my 10 year old daughter Zoe asked if she could paint something as well. This seemed like a good idea, so we headed off to the nearest hobby shop to see what we could find. Her attention was caught by a poster of a Space Marine and a Necron, so we picked up a Recruit Edition starter box and she's been doing a very nice job of painting up both sides while I chip away at my Admech.

As well as some beautiful push-fit miniatures, the starter box includes a few basic missions to help learn the mechanics, growing in size and complexity until they use all of the miniatures in the box, and it was the first couple of these that were my first play through of the rules. As Zoe works her way through the rest of the box we will move on to the next ones.

Saturday came around, so we headed to the club and played a basic 500pt game against McZermof's Deathwatch.

As a learning experience it was great - we got to cover all of the basic rules, I got an idea of some of the shenanigans that are possible, and I was able to Neutron Laser a few Space Marines before I got overrun. There's lot to learn, but looking forward to playing again soon.

Next time: I have impulse bought a copy of 'Seven Days to the River Rhine', so hope to offer a few thoughts on that.

Richard's June

I started the month thinking it was realistic to average a model a day for all 30 days. That hope lasted for about a week. During the month I switched from working at home to being back in the office. This change was pretty draining, presumably due to having to interact with people, and I struggled with energy and motivation to paint in the evenings. When I did finally get back into painting, I found myself only wanting to do 40K, leaving a bunch of half finished historicals on the desk.

1. Painting 28mm FJ. 

I had been planning to complete a squad of Luftwaffe troops, but in the end just managed two figures.

2. Find a set of WW2 rules that I enjoy playing in 28mm.

We did have plans to play Battlegroup at the club, but life got in the way.

3. Paint a Landsknecht square for Impetus.

No progress.

4. Complete a Black Seas fleet. 

I painted three schooners, which wasn't a very pleasant experience, so the second half of the box remains undone.

This leaves just two cutters to complete the project. In the absence of a Warlord product, I have ordered some from Hagen Miniatures, but Deutsche Post is not currently delivering to New Zealand so I am not sure when they will arrive. 

5. Try out Battlegroup: NORTHAG, and write a review. 

No progress, although my hard copy of the rules arrived this month.

6. Complete some of the random FOW platoons that I have lying around. 

A little more progress with the Mediterranean British, completing a platoon of 4.2" mortars.

7. Syrians for Team Yankee.

No progress.

8. Put together an event or campaign of some kind. 

No progress.

9. Paint 500 points for 40K. 

I settled on the basing for my AdMech, decided to change the base colour that I was using for the Skitarii robes, painted four Rangers and updated the Vanguard to match. I still have two more figures from that first box, to be done as Alphas to make two minimum sized units, and then I've got a Dunecrawler to start.

June Summary

• Models Finished: 13
• Leadpile Size: Reduced, just.
• Month Rating: Meh

Richard's April

We spent most of April in national lockdown, but the restrictions have eased slightly in the last week, allowing non-essential businesses to open. I'm continuing to work from home under the new regime, which is being reassessed on 11 May. Much of the month was spent finish off the company's annual Asset Management Plan (if you feel like reading 400 pages on electricity distribution network management practices, you can download your very own copy), so I didn't get as much hobbying done as I would have like to.

1. Painting 28mm FJ. 

No further progress.

2. Find a set of WW2 rules that I enjoy playing in 28mm.

A couple of us are going to give Battlegroup WW2 a go, so that will be first cab off the rank once we're able to get together.

3. Paint a Landsknecht square for Impetus.

Nope.

4. Complete a Black Seas fleet box. 

I completed my Royal Navy First Rate. This was hard going, and I had to take a break halfway through to work on something else, but I got there in the end. The Black Seas resin/metal models aren't quite as nice as the plastics, and I was particularly concerned about the metal masts. They definitely won't take much punishment, but the rigging seems to stabilise them enough to be okay for use in games.

For my smuggler hunters, that leaves the following still to go:

• 2 x Cutter.
• 3 x Schooner.
• 1 x Gunboat Squadron.

5. Try out Battlegroup: NORTHAG, and write a review. 

I have written some first thoughts in an earlier post. I'm looking forward to the club being able to reopen in order to try it for real.

6. Complete some of the random FOW platoons that I have lying around. 

No progress.

7. Syrians for Team Yankee.

No further progress, but I did paint a pair of Geckos for my Soviets.

8. Put together an event or campaign of some kind. 

On hold.

9. Paint 500 points for 40K. 

A new one! I started painting my Skitarii during April. Only four figures painted so far, but I really enjoyed it. Now that we have moved out of lockdown I will order some bits to bring me up to 500pts of Adeptus Mechanicus.

April Summary

• Models Finished: 7
• Leadpile Size: Reduced!
• Month Rating: Quiet.

Richard's January

At the start of the year I set myself eight goals for 2020, with the intention of posting my progress at the end of each month. So, how did I go during January?

1. Painting 28mm FJ. 

I painted the pants on another squad, and bought a StuG to support them. I guess that counts as progress?

2. Find a set of WW2 rules that I enjoy playing in 28mm.

A couple of ideas for systems have been kicked around by people at the club, so I'm sure something will happen with this.

3. Paint a Landsknecht square for Impetus.

I took a few figures out of their boxes, looked at them, freaked out and put them away again.

4. Complete a Black Seas fleet box. 

I've been a bit all over the place on this. Last year I was heading towards a Spanish fleet box, but then I received USS Constitution for Christmas, so began looking at the US version. But then Warlord Games released their 'Smuggler's Run' campaign, and it looks great. So rather than a fleet box, I'm going to change this goal to be the ships for the campaign, both my own company and HM Customs.

My smuggling company will start with the two brigs and the frigate that I originally painted up as Spanish, and I will add to it when the Schooners and Merchants are released next month (assuming business is good and the company can afford new ships...), the incentive being that I can't add a ship to my roster until I have a painted model of it.

For the British, I need the following to be able to field all of the combinations that the campaign can throw at you:

• 1 x First Rate
• 1 x Third Rate
• 2 x Frigate
• 3 x Brig
• 1 x Sloop
• 2 x Cutter
• 3 x Schooner
• 2 x Gunboat Squadron

So, in January I painted and rigged two Royal Navy Brigs.

I still have have two Brigs and two Frigates left from the starter box, plus a box each of the Third Rates and Gunboats, so will continue by working on those in February. I will get the Schooners when they are released, and maybe even see if I can convert the second of my spare Brigs into a Sloop.

5. Try out Battlegroup: NORTHAG, and write a review. 

It sounds like this will be released at Salute in April.

6. Complete some of the random FOW platoons that I have lying around. 

I haven't painted anything, but I've had a good look through the pile, and have a bit of a plan.

• Early War British - complete this army by painting some armoured cars and Vickers MkVIb.
• Mid War British - repaint and rebase my old 8th Army support weapons to match my more recent work.
• Late War British - rebase my infantry company, and paint the kits that I have in order to make a 100pt force under the upcoming D-Day: British book.

I've also cleared the decks a bit by selling most of my MW British Armour, and may do another pass through the collection at some point because, to be honest, I have way too much FOW.

7. Syrians for Team Yankee.

No progress.

8. Put together an event or campaign of some kind. 

This is going to be the Smuggler's Run campaign.

Overall Theme: Uncompleted Projects

I've already failed here. I had toyed around with buying into 40K when the Chaos new releases came out last year, but in the end decided against it. Then this month I saw the Adeptus Mechanicus Pteraxii and Serberys Sulphurhounds that were announced at LVO, and I was immediately grabbed by the aesthetic.

Rather than going crazy and jumping straight in, I have picked up a second hand set of Skitarii Rangers sprues to see whether I like the models. They are my first ever GW models, never having played any of their games, and my first impressions are that they're amazing. The casts are beautiful, the sprues are packed with parts, and I'm looking forward to painting them.

January Summary

• Models Painted: 2
• Leadpile Size: Increased
• Month Rating: Poor