Lets get into Wave 2 of Month 4!

Number of models painted:	1	Number of points :	182
Hours spent painting:	10	Crisis level (1-5):	2

Epistolary Librarian, Force Sword, Bolt Pistol, Conversion Field, Jump Pack, 182 Points. 

This month I worked on a Librarian for the “flying circus” part of my army. A jump pack can really help a Librarian get into position to fire off psychic powers. I have a really happy memory of wiping out a unit of Eldar Jetbikes using the Salamander power. I jumped next to the line of bikes and shot every single one of those dorks! I had the option of painting some bonus models, but decided to have some fun with the Webs of Uluru campaign setting instead. I managed to prepare four fields of Butorg using material from a door mat, and a selection of Gigarachnids. The spiders, in particular, were very fun to paint. I had a great time playing games with Martin and Adrian, as well as my son, using the campaign rules. Unfortunately, the models I have painted for the challenge don’t make for a particularly competitive army. They were never really meant to be used as a stand alone force, being more of a pool of mobile units to support my regular stuff. They got absolutely stomped by my own Tyranid army 15 VP to 5 VP! To wrap up the month I spent a bit of time preparing for the final stretch of the challenge. Things are going to get… busy… 

Wachtmeister:  I like the librarian and the thought of Dark Angels killing Eldar dorks puts a smile on my face, but to me the real winners of this entry are the spiders.  I really like the use of the tufts on the spiders!

Number of models painted:	6	Number of points :	408
Hours spent painting:	40	Crisis level (1-5):	4

Terminator Squad, 5, 1x Assault Cannon, 1x Chainfist, 4x Storm Bolter, 3x Power Fist, 1x Power Sword, 358

Techmarine, 1, Bolt Pistol, Frag Grenades, Power Axe, Servo-Arm, 50

Back on track this month having finished the Terminator squad (on the final day of the month!) and the Techmarine. The Techmarine was mostly painted during April, so it was a matter of mopping up the remaining bits. I used a darker red on his armour (Crimson Gore) to make him stand out a bit from the regular red of the Blood Angels. Next up was the Terminators, and even though they have no backpacks (hooray!) they still took a fair bit of time to do. Because of real life commitments my painting time was concentrated to the last week of May, which meant some serious hours spent at the desk! I had painted the Terminator Captain previously, so I at least had the colour scheme more or less nailed down. The Terminator squad in Codex: Angels of Death was my reference image, and I tried to emulate it as best I could. The banner was printed out in black and white and painted over with my regular paints. Even though it’s quite a simple design it really adds to the overall look of the squad. Bring back (back) banners I say! The Sergeant has a small shield on his sword arm, and since I could not find any photos of the Studio model from that angle, I decided to put a yellow chapter icon on there to match the one on the right-side pauldron. It worked out pretty well I think! 

Wachtmeister:  I agree with Ted about bringing back back banners.  I don’t like painting them but they look terrific!  I like how Ted used a different red for his Techmarine than the other Blood Angels, it helps keep the traditional look of the techmarine!  

Number of models painted:	18	Number of points :	186
Hours spent painting:	40	Crisis level (1-5):	4

Icon bearer, 1 model, carapace armour and bolt pistol, 67 points

Chaos cultists, 10 models, 9 with autopistol + chainsword, 1 with flamer: 76 points

Chaos cultists, 7 models, 6 with autoguns, 1 with flamer: 43 points

This month’s painting may have been the most challenging yet. I had a large number of models to complete, and with exams beginning here in the UK, work was very busy. I was also starting to run out of models I wanted to work with. I was able to pick up a few extra models at Partizan, a wargames convention I attended in the middle of the month, which helped out a lot.

Once again, the models are an eclectic selection: there are two show specials from Lead and Steel, a great Oldhammer event in Sheffield, plus figures in whole or in part from Warlord, Mantic, Northstar, Grenadier, GW, Copplestone, Wargames Factory, and a few unidentified makers.

The banner was a little ambitious, and I’m not 100% satisfied with it. The goal of this cult is to have minimal outright Chaos iconography – there are a few eight-pointed stars here and there, but mostly the images draw on the other Chaos runes from the Realm of Chaos books. The sigil on the banner is “illusion of normality,” which is a reference to that idea. I liked the idea of the rune’s vertical stem as a waterfall pouring blood onto the banner’s otherwise clean, white fabric, but I don’t know that it lands. Maybe the bottom half of the banner needs more of a gradient? Still, it’s done and I’m OK with that.

Wachtmeister:  I love the disparate figure collection making up these cultists.  The color scheme ties them all together which helps them look like an army, albeit a ragtag one!  I think James isn’t giving himself enough credit for the banner.  As soon as I saw it I thought it was terrific and it really stands out!

Number of models painted:	15	Number of points :	279
Hours spent painting:	12	Crisis level (1-5):	4

3 Tyranid Warriors 165

Deathspitters 18

12 Hormogaunts 96 

I’ve had a few things going on at home during the end of this month, I got my bonus models out of the way early, but my actual slice of 3 warriors I’ve only completed in the last 2 days.   This has been my most stressful month – but having the 12 bonus figures out of the way I always knew I would be able to enter ‘something’.  I now only have 10 actual tyranids in my possession that require painting.  That’s rare for me – even my most completed armies usually have a couple of thousand points of unpainted figures glaring back at me from dusty boxes. 

On a very positive note – the army has seen combat!  I realised I had 1500 points worth painted and fought a tough civil war against Martins current challenge tyranids – ending in a 6-6 draw due only to the uluru prediction rule where I predicted that Martin would win and he won.  We then got caught in a paradox whereupon because my prediction was correct he actually didn’t win so my prediction was no longer correct. 

Wachtmeister: Wow, two paradoxes in one entry!  Had Adrian not finished his Tyranid Warriors he would have had an entry but still would have been behind next month.  That plus his game paradox I don’t know up from down!  Either way it’s a great looking entry!

Number of models painted:	3	Number of points :	219
Hours spent painting:	36	Crisis level (1-5):	5

Bad Moons Nobz Mob, 3 models, 219 pts

-Missile Launcher(Frag and Krak), Power Axe

-Heavy Plasma, Powerfist

-Autocannon, Powerfist

This month was easily the hardest of the challenge.  I struggled a bit with this squad as I wanted them mostly black to stand out more from my other squad with yellow armour. They also have a bunch of freehand work on them. I finally made some decent progress towards them end of the month and then I put my back out of all things, so was completely unable to finish them until (past) the last minute. All that said I think they are my favourite models I have painted thus far in this years challenge, so I guess the pain was worth it? 

Wachtmeister:  It’s something of a tradition of mine to have to really finish a unit after submitting it so I can feel Georg’s pain!  His boys look terrific and they have some awesome freehand already, so I’m quite impressed!

Number of models painted:	6	Number of points :	150
Hours spent painting:	25	Crisis level (1-5):	5

Devestator Combat Squad 150
Lascannon 45 Heavy Plasma Gun 40 Veteran 33 Heavy Plasma Gun 40 Power fist x1 10

Have you ever had a cursed mini?

For month 3 I had planned to paint a devastator squad and a custom character, tying in the month special category. However disaster followed disaster and I had to mulligan month 3, so here I am submitting those models for month 4. The devastator squad went without a hitch, supplementing the combat squad I completed in challenge 3. The character has fought me every step, from failed sculpting, dropping while priming, dropping while painting, dropping a whole pot of wash onto his gun, falling off his base, transfers disintegrating etc etc. he’s done now, he’s going straight in a foam case and out of my sight! I might do him a character card later, but I can’t face it at the moment.

Wachtmeister:  He may be cursed but he does look good!  He may just have to end up as one of those Special Characters who died in the fluff!  Richard wrote to me that he had avenged his mulligan, and that leopard print alone, never mind the perseverance to finish, was certainly enough to make that claim!

Number of models painted:	2	Number of points :	159 points
Hours spent painting:	25	Crisis level (1-5):	4

Captain Aurelius Thrax, Power Sword & Bolt Pistol, 102 points                  

Techmarine Varro, Power Maul & Servo-Arm, 57 points  

In classic (for me) fashion I am sending yet another entry at the last possible moment.  My search bar defaults to “midnight in Denmark” everytime I type “mid” after seven challenges of sliding in at the buzzer, even when I’m only painting a few models that month.  Since I mulliganed last month to work on a Heresy army for a big event, my leopard spotted captain is a month late but has maximum leopard spots to make up for his tardiness.  Techmarine Varro is on the board so I can use the classic boxy dread that I painted in Blood Angel colors many years ago to provide inspiration to this current project.  I was also able to get a couple of hobby bingo points playing a great 4 way game this month with some of the many challenge particpants who live in my area.  The good Doctor’s new campaign module for Uluru is fantastic and I highly reccomend reading it or incoporating it into your next 2nd edition tabletop encounter.  Thanks to Wachtmeister, PygmyHippo and the great Dr TV.  See you all again next month, mere hours or minutes before the clock chimes midnight in Copenhagen.  

Wachtmeister:  As I always say consistency is the hallmark of success.  Normally I say it when someone screws something up and this case is no different. Denmark time is later than UST so if Jon is just barely on time for Denmark he is late on UST!  To quote Spaceballs “when will then be now?”  That much leopard print (a month “late” of course) sure looks terrific on his Captain, and the banner is just awesome!  Maybe next month Jon will try to be on time for Pacific Standard Time to balance everything out!

Number of models painted:	13	Number of points :	396
Hours spent painting:	30	Crisis level (1-5):	3

Commissar Yarrick, x1                                                    170

Commissar x2 , Power sword x1                      40+46 (86)

Guard squad x10, Missile + Grenade launcher,         100+30+10 (140)

Redemption month! I got my guard squad finished up and complete, aside from basing of course which will happen next month with the Engine Seers. Not 100% sold on the yellow for the goggles, maybe blue would be better.

I also did 2 Commissars and Yarrick, which make up a good chunk of points (for guard anyway). I’m actually quite excited to use him in the new edition seeing as he got some new rules.

End of semester is ramping up so my workload has been absolutely awful, but thankfully only having 3 additional to do kept the painting pressure down.

So now next month all I have left to do are the 2 engine seers and the two chimeras, so back on track to about where I had hoped to be. Also next month will be holidays from around the middle so I’ll have a lot more free time to get it all wrapped up.

Also I really need to work out a good way to use my new phone camera these images don’t look super good even with the photo booth, weirdly crusty looking.

Cheers, 

Psykka

Wachtmeister: Another contestant returns from a mulligan month!  I like the yellow goggles, I think they look better than a traditional blue.  I also like the extra work these bases have with the texture and added scenic effects.  I look forward to seeing them finished!

-Wachtmeister