Monthly Vox: 7 (November, 2021)

Hey hey hey! Yes, I know it's late but I've been distracted by Halo Infinite and stupid Uni assignments*.

This month has seen some decent growth for my hobby portfolio, mostly in the form of my newly acquired Necron force, courtesy of Imperium Magazine. 

Modelling and Painting

Necrons (WIP)

I'm feeling lazy so I'm just gonna lump all the Necrons in here together. They're not all completely finished and need basing but, until I order in some more Armageddon Dust, they'll do. All in all I have about 600 points of Necrons and I intend to run them as Nihilakh Dynasty. After all, they are the most blinged-out of the Necrons. Perhaps they're in the Gannach System seeking ancient artefacts and treasures. I honestly don't know. 

My Necron force is as follows:

• Overlord w/ Voidscythe + Resurrection Orb
• Royal Warden
• 10x Necron Warrior (Gauss Flayer)
• Canoptek Plasmacyte
• 3x Skorpekh Destroyer
• 4x Canoptek Scarab Swarm

It's not much but it'll make a fun slow-grow side project. Necrons are pretty quick to paint. I painted all of this in about 8 hours on and off. Pretty happy with it. Pics below:

Marshal Reinhardt, Phobos Armour

I received a Phobos Librarian in one of the recent issues of Imperium Magazine. Naturally, as a Black Templar player and collector, I wouldn't be caught dead running a filthy witch as part of my marine force. As such, a quick and cheeky conversion gave Marshal Reinhardt yet another loadout option for his armoury. 

Primaris Company Veterans

Seeing my complete lack of cheap and durable units for holding backfield objectives and slapping into table quarters to score 'Engage On All Fronts', I deemed it necessary to bash together some Company Veterans. These guys are great because of their small unit size, needing only two models. This keeps them cheap and perfect backfield objective-sitters and action-bitches. 

I chose to build two identical units of two veterans, with the sergeants running Power Axes and their comrades running Power Swords. This keeps them cheap while still giving them punch. Each of the units are also fully-equipped with storm shields to help them weather small arms fire and give them a bit more longevity to complete actions and hold quarters, even more-so if I give one of them the Icon of Heinmann** or Crux Obsidian. Each of these 2-man units costs 

Master of the Forge, Wernher (WIP)

This chap is a hard WIP. I just got too excited to share him. Not totally WYSIWYG since he's wearing Gravis but I just couldn't resist using Iron Father Feirros, along with a few small Templar bits, as the basis of Wernher, my 'Master of the Forge' Primaris Techmarine. He's also my first real attempt at painting marine armour that isn't just black. My Mephiston Red paint also decided to completely solidify into a brick so I had to mix a lot to get the right tones of red but it gave him plenty of gradients and tones. While he definitely isn't finished, I'm super happy with how he's looking so far. 

Closing Statement

Another quiet month, lads. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, the blog has had to take a minor backseat due to work and Uni stuff but I've been steadily chugging away at some of the larger posts crawling their way down the pipeline. I'm happy to see that, despite my lack of regular content, the blog is still pulling a surprising amount of page views so thank you all for that, sincerely. 

Anyway, until the next Monthly Vox, I hope you all have good Christmas, or whatever holiday you may celebrate. 

Until next time!

Cheers,

Ryan

*Okay, mostly Halo but shhh...

**Probably not, it's way more valuable on a big squad of Bladeguard Veterans. Source: Trust me, bro.

Monthly Vox: 6 (October, 2021)

 Hey all! It's that time of the month again!*

October saw some awesome Warhammer releases including, but not limited to, the Black Templars box. Naturally, I was there for the pre-orders and, after some Sergeant Castus-related delays, the box arrived to my joy. While, I'm still not finished painting it up, I have had a few games with the new codex and I must say, I'm rather happy. I will be releasing a full competitive codex analysis at some point, to the best of my abilities. 

For now, take a look at what I hobbied this month!

Modelling and Painting

Emperor's Champion, Reynauld

Easily my favourite model in the boxset, I used the release as a perfect time to renew the appearance of the Gannach Crusade Emperor's Champion, Reynauld. I opted to grab a few nameplates from Versatile Terrain due to their custom name orders and I'm very happy with the result. Expect to see many more nameplates on here in the future. It certainly looks nicer than crudely writing names on the bases with a brush.

Bladeguard Sergeant, Klaus

October has been a month for remodels. Klaus, combined with a few other small projects has lead to me prying a variety of shoulders and heads from their still-painted models, mostly because I'm too lazy to buy more IPA and strip them, but hey! Klaus has always been a badass on the tabletop as a Bladeguard Sergeant. However, the new templar rules have made Bladeguard so damn good! As such, I deemed it needed to make him a bit more interesting than the standard Bladeguard veteran model so I transferred his head to the heavily converted body of the Captain from Imperium Magazine. 

While I am happy with him, I still need to give him a new shield and I may swap his arm for a magnetized one so I can give him a Plasma or Heavy Bolt Pistol, though I normally run Neo-Volkites on my sergeants anyway.

Hellblaster Squad

Another remodel. I opted to rejigger my E2B Hellblasters from Know No Fear. I barely used them before and needed some incentive to get them on the table so I stripped them down and remodelled them a little. I am opting to use Mk3 Helmets in my crusade to represent non-Gravis heavy-explosives/plasma specialists like Hellblasters and Grenade Launcher Intercessors. 

Auto Bolt Rifle Intercessor Squad

After over a year of just proxying standard bolt-rifle intercessors, I just had to get some actual Auto Bolt Rifles in my army. As such, I decided to use the left over Assault Intercessor bodies from my recent addition of Primaris Vanguard Veterans. These guys will also be used to fill out any Primaris Crusader Squads I plan on running as an alternative to a standard intercessor squad. I currently haven't built any of these guys with grenade launchers because I don't have the bits and, to be honest, I can handle having one standard bolt rifle with grenade launcher in a unit of Auto Bolt Intercessors. Even my strict adherence to WYSIWYG can't be assed worrying about troop choices. That being said, the sergeant is fully magnetised. 

Closing Statement

That's pretty much my whole October. Very little of particular interest in terms of gameplay. No tournaments or special events this month and I continue to have weekly games at my local club :) 

I've been super busy with work and university so apologies for the content drought. That Templar codex analysis is coming so hold on in there! I've got more stuff coming fairly soon along with a potential big step in my life but we shall have to see about that. 

In the meantime, go and follow my Instagram (@fistfulofbeans) for smaller, albeit more-frequent, news and updates, as well as general memes and junk.

Until next time...

Cheers,

Ryan

*Yes, yes, I know it's late. Shut up.

Crossing the Rubicon: Primaris Vanguard Veterans REWORK

"Imagine carrying a child for 9 months and raising it to adulthood, only to find out that they run pistols on their Vanguard Veterans." - Me

Hello! It's finally here! My long-awaited rework of my original Primaris Vanguard Veteran tutorial I posted back in May. In fact, it was my first real post on here and to-date it stands as my most-viewed post. 

I'll stop gassing myself up now. Without further ado, here's the new and improved edition of Crossing the Rubicon: Primaris Vanguard Veterans.

What is 'Crossing the Rubicon'? 

Crossing the Rubicon is the name of a series* of posts I have on this wonderful site, detailing how to convert classic firstborn space marine units to a primaris/truescale proportion and aesthetic. These tutorials are not gospel and are designed to be fast and loose. For example, while technically most of the conversions will be 'primaris' you may be in a similar school of thought to myself, in that you still want them to read noticeably as firstborn. Hence why most of my firstborn>primaris conversions still feature classic mk4 heads and upper torsos, while sporting a noticeably primaris scale. At the end of the day, it's your models and you can do as you wish. 

By lore definition, "crossing the rubicon" refers to the often-deadly process of an astartes enhancing himself with all the extra features and organs that come with Bellisarius Cawl's new cookbook. Many space marines have made the crossing and many have died. Perhaps it is worth it in the name of progress. I guess astartes really like that +1 Attack.

Magnetising

While this tutorial won't explicitly go into magnetising your Primaris Vanguard Veterans, the process is pretty self-explanatory and I did opt to do it. All you really need to know is that I used 3mm magnets for the shoulders and 1mm magnets for the wrists. Pay close attention to the images in this tutorial for a better idea. 

Shopping List

First up, you'll need two kits:

Vanguard Veterans

Unsurprisingly, this is a must-buy for this conversion. The Vanguard Veteran kit from games workshop is an excellent source of power weapons and jump packs. I highly encourage you start here. 

Primaris Assault Intercessors

These serve as a strong base for the conversion, offering dynamic and mobile poses for that 'charging in' look. Do note that this kit contains enough bits for 10 marines. As such, when you finish this conversion you will have a spare assault intercessor squad. Alternatively, pick up a second box of Vanguard Veterans and repeat the conversion process on them to make use of the extra bodies and field yourself a 10-man (highly recommended).

Assembly

Begin by deciding which pose you would like to use from the Primaris Assault Intercessors kit and snip out the required components. Next, use your snippers to cut off the bulk of the upper torso, making sure to leave the "tummy plate" and the smooth curved edge it offers (see image). Be careful not to cut too much off as it could disrupt the fit later on. No biggie if you do, a simple green stuff job will have it looking slick again.

Do this for both the front and back of the torso, as pictured above. Note that the pose will only really apply to the legs and torso. The arms will typically be fixed with what comes in the Vanguard Vet box so try to think ahead if you aren't planning on magnetising.

Next, select a torso style of your choice from the Vanguard Veterans kit. Carefully cut and file down the base of the torso where it would normally affix to the legs until it is a smooth curve. Your upper torso pieces should be looking like the pieces on the right side of the image above after some time. This step is simple enough. 

The next step is to put it all together. Stick together the legs and lower torso, as well as the upper torso (which should fit together like a clamshell). Try to nest the curved tummy plate of the Assault Intercessor into the curve of the Vanguard Veteran torso. This may take some dry fitting and some back-and-forth with the file/scalpel so be patient. 

If you're having real issues with it, simply use a blob of green stuff to tack the two pieces together. This also helps for filling in any of the gaps, such as any underneath where the power pack would rest. This can be filled in easily enough by just wetting a blob of green stuff and smoothing it into the gap with a smooth tool.

When the two halves fit nicely together simply throw on the head and jump pack as you would expect to, slap it on one of the numerous 32mm bases you'll have from the kits, and you're ready to choose your weapons. I recommend the power weapons that come with the Vanguard Veterans kit for the firstborn look but feel free to use whatever weapons you have in your bits box. 

Be careful when attaching a head. Many of the Assault Intercessor poses incorporate a strong forward lean which can lead to the models head being pointed at the ground. It's generally a good rule of thumb to make the marine's head point "up" as this will give it a more direct-forward gaze.

If you plan on magnetising I would suggest drilling your holes into the sides of the torso before attaching it to the legs, at least if you don't plan on waiting for the glue to fully cure. Simply drill into the shoulder of one of the many arms provided in either kit as seen above. 

If you have no intention to magnetise, I admire your decisiveness. Unfortunately for me, I lack that quality and am doomed to have baggies full of unpainted magnetised bits of varying painting qualities from how far apart they were painted. 

Finished Product

And there we have it! If you followed along closely you should have at least a 5 man squad of "Primaris" Vanguard Veterans! These guys will absolutely slay ass in all 4 corners of your kitchen table, especially with the new 'Psalm of Remorseless Persecution' rules in Codex Supplement: Black Templars, but more on that at a later date 👀.

As I mentioned at the start of the post, this is a rework of my original attempt. I consider this one a lot more informative but if you're curious to see the old one, simply click here. 

Until next time, remember: If you run these guys with pistols, you're fucking dumb.

Cheers, 

Ryan.

*I say "series" like I haven't only ever made one post about it...

Monthly Vox: 5 (September, 2021)

 Howdy ho! September's Monthly Vox will either be late or certainly cutting it close, I've just been so busy! This month has been pretty crazy for me. I turned 22 and I'm going back to Uni to study Software Engineering on the 2nd. This combined with work is gonna slurp up most of my free time but I'll still be doing my best to post here. Anyway, I digress. This blog is about hobbying and warhammer, not my life. 

Both have certainly delivered over September, no doubt about that:

Modelling and Painting

I haven't had much time to take an inventory of models this month but I can certainly say the number has gone back up and will continue to climb over October as I hoover up all the upcoming Black Templar releases. 

Bladeguard Veterans w/ New Templar Scheme 

 

This month, I've been trying to rework how I handle painting my Black Templar force. The current method I have was fine while I was first learning to paint but I think I can do better. I'll be slowly trying to repaint my force over the coming months to deeper reds and a more "cobalt" looking black armour, as well as a few smaller tweaks like power sword and plasma colours. 

I painted up one of the spare Bladeguard Veterans I had and also converted the Indomitus Primaris Lieutenant from Issue 1 of Imperium Magazine since I already own the exact model. I figured he would make an excellent Bladeguard Sword Brother. 

Neither of the models are perfect but they're both a step in the right direction for the scheme, in my opinion. It also helped me gain more confidence with edge highlights and non-metalics.

Assault Intercessor Sergeant w/ New Templar Scheme

One of the original test models I used for the new scheme was this Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Power Fist and Plasma Pistol. I run this loadout frequently on my magnetised Assault Intercessor Sergeants so I used some of my spare bits to make a static model for the loadout with a cooler pose, since posing is generally sacrificed a bit when you magnetise. 

He's a bit rough around the edges and isn't quite finished since he was more of a proof of concept, but I thought he deserved a mention.

Royal Warden 

The first Necron (not counting bases) that I've painted, I chose the Nihilakh dynasty because they have bling and seemed like one of the more interesting Necron schemes to paint. All in all, very little to say. I think he turned out alright. Possible Necron force joining the Gannach conflict? 👀

Imperium Magazine delivers again. Very nice. 

Inquisitor Greyfax (Repaint)

I took some time to strip Inquisitor Greyfax (oi oi) and repaint her a little more carefully than the first time, also making sure to put her on her intended 32mm base. The base still needs to be dry-brushed but I'm sure I'll get around to that... right? If you want to see her original paint job, I featured her as an example in my Martian Terrain Basing tutorial a few months ago.

Gameplay

Winter Apocalypse

This month, I've alsobeen able to get in my normal weekly game down at the club, including a massive 7-person Apocalypse-sized game that took all day and featured some questionable rule choices in the name of the Rule of Cool but it was super sick! Plenty of knights, titans, walls of tanks, wraithknights, and a sizable Black Templar force (reinforced by some loaner dreadnoughts) fighting for the centre of the table. 

Free super-heavies, 30 Command Points per turn, and the ability to bring back characters and super-heavies at the start of each round, while not being the most competitive method of play, made for absolute carnage and was a ton of fun when combined with baked goods and alcohol. 

Check out the pics below:

Closing Statement

As always, big things on the way. Still plenty of ideas and projects in the pipeline so stick around for that. Within the next few days you should be seeing a rework of 'Crossing the Rubicon: Primaris Vanguard Veterans' from back in May, since I feel as though the it could have been more informative. Stay tuned for that! 

Additionally, you may have noticed we're a .com site now! Fistful of Beans now has it's own domain. All the previous blogspot links should still work fine, redirecting to here, regardless, but hey, it scratches the itch. There has been an uptake in traffic since so it's clearly done something.

As always, thanks for the support and thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Ryan.

Primaris Chaplain Grimaldus! New Black Templar Release

 As I mentioned towards the end of my consolidation post of all the current* Black Templar releases, along with the recent GenCon reveals, our favourite Chaplain would be worth the wait. 

Grimaldus, the man who literally shouted the princeps of an Imperator Titan back to life, is back from his trip across the Rubicon. The famed reclusiarch is sporting an awesome new model, complete with Mk X power armour and his signature plasma pistol. While I'm not a fan of how weirdly he's holding his Crozius, the model still looks fantastic.

Grimaldus isn't the only one getting a makeover, however. His cenobyte servitors, each carrying a relic of his relatively shitty time inside the hive city of Helsreach, have also received awesome new models. 

While, in my opinion, nowhere near as cool as the new Primaris High Marshal Helbrecht model, I'm still hyped as hell to see one of my favourite characters get a fresh plastic kit and will definitely be picking this guy up.

Grimaldus' stats are also something to consider going forward. Seeing as he is crossing the rubicon, we can most likely expect to see him gain and extra wound and possibly an extra attack. I am also expecting a bit of an aura rework for both himself, and Helbrecht. But I can hardly comment on that currently as we still have no stats for any upcoming templar releases besides the Pyreblaster.

So what do you guys think? Like Grimaldus' new model? Let me know over on my Instagram, @fistfulofbeans , or in the comments below.

Posts may be even more sporadic going forward as the university term begins for me. Stick around still! There's still plenty more posts on the way. 

Cheers,

Ryan.

*At the time...

A First Look at The New Black Templar Marshal Weapon Options and Sprue

 Hey all! Pretty interesting news today over on reddit.

After mishap with their Hexfire order, Reddit user u/jazzhandskreiger accidentally received the unreleased Black Templar Marshal model, fresh on it's sprue, in place of the recently-released Castellan Crowe model.

The reddit post also gives us a good look at what the sprue will look like for the new Black Templar Marshal, as well as giving insight into possible weapon and wargear options!

The wargear options I can discern from this sprue are as follows:

• Power Sword
• Power Axe
• Combi-flamer
• Plasma Pistol

I'm hopeful that this will be the first Primaris* Character we've had in a while that actually has flexibility in it's loadout options, allowing more of a mix-and-match, as opposed to set loadout variants. 

One thing I am confused to see is a complete lack of closed-off helmet options, with the sprue appearing to only contain open helmets and empty heads. I will probably be putting a helmet/alternate head from my bits box on here, especially if it coincides more with Marshal Reinhardt.

This guy may just be the spiritual successor to the Black Templar Marshal of old. It's always great to see older models reimagined. 

It's refreshing to see some actual wargear options on what is presumably a monopose kit. I'm looking forward to magnetising this guy or, alternatively, having some extra power weapon bits complete with chained wrists for my bits box. 

Just a short post to quickly jump on this news! See you in the next one!

Cheers, 

Ryan.

*Yes, technically he could still be firstborn. Especially since Primaris would not be caught dead with a combi-weapon but hey...

Games Workshop Celebrates A Million Online Customers with Exclusive Sergeant Castus Miniature

 Games Worshop seems to be squeezing the most out of October's Black Templar releases by releasing an exclusive miniature for orders over the low price of £150 ($205). They recently announced this massive milestone in a Warhammer Community post along with a short promotional video.

The model itself appears to be an Assault Intercessor Sergeant with Chainsword and Plasma Pistol, featuring an awesome-looking 40mm scenic base. As someone who will be throwing money at GW come October, I'm looking forward to grabbing this guy. My only issue is the game legality, similar to sergeant Jovan, Castus comes on a 40mm base which, while legal since its the one he comes with, is irritatingly inconsistent. But of course, he's a display model so I'm nit-picking.

The mind boggles at what HQs this chap could be converted to with that 40mm base and cool-ass pose. Sergeant Castus will be available to grab for free with orders of at least £150 from now until the 28th of October. 

What about you guys? Do you like this limited-time model? Hit me up in the comments or over on Instagram (@fistful of beans).

I've got very little going on today so I hope you guys are enjoying an afternoon full of small posts :)

Cheers, 
Ryan.