Monthly Vox: 1 (May, 2021)

Given my lack of motivation for most projects I begin, as well as general, borderline-dangerous, penchant for procrastination, I've realised I will certainly struggle to consistently produce meaningful content on a weekly basis. It is for this reason that I have began a new project for the blog (Hurray! Ryan is doing things!). Once a month, probably towards the end of the month, I will do a report on my hobby progress for that month. 

Obviously, due to life and other commitments, this will mean that some months will have a longer report than others and that's totally fine. This is intended for me to keep the blog active, without feeling pressured to come up with anything which would just feel forced. I will still continue to make topical updates and posts as and when I feel but the only consistent posting will this monthly outline of my escapades.

Modelling and Painting

Primaris Apothecary, Raphael (Modelling + Painting)

My first Apothecary in my crusade. After trying out numerous different list ideas in TTS and battlescribe, I came to the conclusion that one of these chaps are fantastic to have. The 6+++ given by an 'Narcesium' Aura ability may not seem like much, but when boosted to 6" by the Black Templar Relic, 'Crusader's Helm', coupled with the 'Chief Apothecary' Chapter Command Selection and 'Selfless Healer' Warlord Trait for a free model revive every round, Apothecaries border on auto-include for me. 

However, they are a commitment, with the aforementioned loadout taking up an Elite slot, Warlord Trait, Relic and 95pts. The cost is almost-always worth it in my opinion. Play smart and this fella will make up any CP or pts spent on him with free revives and heals.

The Primaris Apothecary kit from GW was great fun to build and paint. Naturally, I put a bit of my own twist on the model by giving Brother Raphael both pistol options after debating with myself which one I wanted him to be holding (A purely superficial choice as the Primaris apothecary takes both pistols anyway). There was a small issue to be had in that both pistol options came equipped for the Apoth's left arm. However, this was easy enough to deal with.

I clipped the Heavy Bolt Pistol from one of the right arms from the Assault Intercessors kit, a newfound favourite kit of mine, and detached the Absolver Bolt Pistol from it's arm within the Primaris Apothecary kit. From there it was a quick swap. The new pistol fit right at home on the 'trigger pose' hand of the assault intercessor. 

While this kit was a great joy to assemble and paint, it is not without its flaws. The mechanical arms on the top of the power pack look great but are just begging to snap off. While I trust this kit more than any finecast sword (looking at you, Helbrecht), it feels like only a matter of time before it's rattling around in my carry case, detached from brother Raphael here. Another problem with the kit is the pose. While standing on the chest of a fallen comrade whom presumably just had his progenoid glands removed, 'Temple of  Doom'-style makes sense for a stoic and no-nonsense chapter of hard-asses, like the Templars, it might not work so well for the more sensitive chapters like Ultramarines or Salamanders (I mean c'mon. Where's your bedside manner?). 

I'm proud of how this fella turned out and he will make a fine addition to my crusade.

Storm Bolter/Shield Veterans (Modelling)

I made these fellas from some of the left over 3D-printed Indomitus Storm Shields I had spare. Figured some company vets with storm shields/bolters would be pretty cool to run if I made a sergeant for them at a later date, just for picking up objectives, performing actions, and whatnot. 

I used one of the Assault Intercessor sprues I had left over from my Primaris Vanguard Veteran conversion as the basis, using some of the chainsword arms to how the shields since they had the right gripping positions. I made the "storm bolters" by bastardising some of the inceptors I went a bit glue-crazy with in the early days of my hobbying career. I used their assault bolters, clipping the shields and adding a second barrel. The result is a massive storm bolter that I'm not even sure if I like, but the result is certainly wacky. I look forward to finding somewhere to run these beasts. 

Magnetizing Helbrecht's Base (Modelling)

I recently signed up for a small 1000pt tournament next month at my local gaming club (more later) and realised that my army might not be the most competitively modelled. I try to keep a strict WYSIWYG policy on my models but I stirnly dislike putting characters on 32mm bases. As such, both Inquisitor Greyfax and High Marshal Helbrecht are affixed to 40mm bases. This, in my opinion, does a better job at setting them apart from the rank-and-file at a distance but is not technically tournament legal as neither base came with the model's kit. 

After discussing it with a TO, I agreed to move Helbrecht over onto his tournie-legal base. However, in an act of malicious compliance I decided to magnetise the rock I placed Helbrecht on so that I could switch bases on the fly. This is entirely unnecessary but I'll be thanking myself if the rumours of Primaris Helbrecht later this year are true. I am yet to move Greyfax over to her new base as I am currently focusing on models for the list I actually plan on running (more later) for that fat 10VP. 

Primaris Emperor's Champion (Modelling)

While I'm pretty happy with this mashup of a Primaris Captain and traditional EC, his right arm certainly leaves something to be desired. I regret using a phobos arm and giving him a "take my strong hand" look. I will definitely replace his stubby appendage before I get around to painting him. 

Primaris Captain w/ MC Auto Bolt Rifle & MC Power Sword (Modelling)

I very much like this conversion. Made using bits of Intercessor, Primaris Captain and Vanguard Veteran, it turned out great if I say so myself. I look forward to painting this fella. He makes excellent use of some 'Know No Fear' monopose intercessors I stripped earlier this month. (Read about it here)

Primaris Vanguard Veterans (Modelling)

As seen in my tutorial, I bashed together some Assault Intercessors with the firstborn Vanguard Veteran kit, as well as some magnets to make a versatile and powerful unit that looks great next to my mainly-primaris force. Just need to get around to painting them up.

Misc Images on Current Projects 

Because some stuff is too small or early-days to write about, enjoy a random image dump of misc projects and new purchases, some of which have posts of their own coming next month.

(Been running this dude on TTS for months now. Finally picked one up. Looking forward to getting this guy crusade-worthy)

(Making slow progress on the Venerable Dreadnought I was lucky enough to get for christmas. It's been a slow burner of mine for some time. Kinda pissed I forgot to prime one of the leg panels. I'm too lazy to whip out the Chaos Black just for it.)

(Been painting up Sergeant Jovan between projects as a bit of fun. Not sure how I'd even run him. Sergeants dont come on 40mm bases. Thanks GW)

(Magnetised some of the alternate weapon options for my Assault Intercessor Sergeants)

Gameplay

The Club

Rejoice! My local reopened this month. Due to tables being rarer than diamonds right now, the only games I've been able to get in have been 2v2s but I'm honestly just happy to be back rolling dice and downing pints. 

As mentioned earlier in this post, later next month my local club is also hosting a 1k tournie. While I don't have the most competitive units on hand, I look forward to whipping up a list and kicking some ass with my Templars. I'll most-likely be picking up some Infiltrators and more Bladeguard over June so I can at least stand a chance. However, my list is not finalised just yet. I'll probably reveal and discuss it during my post-mortem of the tournament coming in next month's vox. 

TTS

Thanks to Grandfather Nurgle, it has been hard getting frequent games in in real life. It's for this reason (among others) that I love TTS so much right now. The TTS portion of the 40K community is wonderful if you feel like quickly picking up a game via discord and is a great way to meet new people. This month on TTS, I discovered the wonders of the Relic Contemptor Dreadnought and it's 2x Volkite Culverin/ Missile loadout. Something about shitting mortal wounds on Custodes makes me very happy. 

I've also used this time to pick up and learn Chaos Space Marines, particularly Emperor's Children. I'll definitely be picking up some CSM when I have some spare time and money. Though I may wait for their new codex to drop first. 

Closing Statement

So it's been an interesting month. I'm looking forward to the tournie next month and working my way through all the helmets and decals my army has been without for nearly a year. I am not a patient man...

Happy gaming everyone! Look forward to more posts coming this month and another progress report in next month's Monthly Vox.

-Ryan

How to Strip your Warhammer Models

Sometimes, if you're like me, you look at some of your first miniatures and think: "This is okay, but it could be so much better" and that's okay. 

(1. Original, 2. Stripped, 3. Current (WIP))

All of us will have improved since our first time painting a model. Even if you only painted it 20 minutes ago, you've improved since. You will have hopefully learned something to help you paint better, faster, and to your own unique style. 

I'm not particularly proud of my first model by my current standards. The paint is too thick, the tones are all wrong, the highlighting is messy as all hell. However, I would be more than happy to put it down on the table to slay some scum when the time arises

That's not to say they couldn't look a bit better though, and that's where stripping comes in (not like that...). With just a crusty old toothbrush and a bottle of IPA, you'll be able to scrub the paint right off those old warriors to give them a fresh lick of paint. You may even get to be one of those lucky chaps on Reddit who discovers a layered tree-ring of old paintjobs, though this is more common on second-hand miniatures. 

WARNING!

Look, I know you're probably going to ignore this but just read it because it's important. IPA is toxic as shit and highly flammable. I highly recommend that you wear gloves when handling this stuff and, for the Emperor's sake, keep it away from any open flames or sparks. Wear nitrile or latex gloves too. I would even suggest doubling up. This stuff can soften your plastic gloves and make holes that can provide ample access to your skin. That being said, it's not the end of the world if it gets on your skin. Just rinse it under some water as soon as possible. It's alcohol after all. As such, it can dry your skin out and cause rashes and cracking. 

Another thing: Don't strip your whole army at once. And if you do, crack a window and wear a mask. Just because I subjected myself to this toxic shit for almost a whole day, does not mean you should under any circumstances. Do as I say, not as I do. 

So to finalise:

• Wear protection - Rubber gloves and even a dust mask can go a long way for your health and comfort while still remaining fairly cheap. 
• Ventilate - Crack a window, turn on a fan, open some doors. Things will get stinky and fast. You don't want to be in a tiny room like I am, either. Honestly, even doing it outside is a good bet. 
• Take a break - I was stripping minis from the time I got off work (4pm) to the time I went to bed (11pm) while following very few of my own safety guidelines from sheer laziness. By the time I went to sleep, I felt sick and had a headache. Take a break to let things ventilate and to give your body time to recover. There's no rush worth your safety here. 
• Do not ingest or put IPA near an open flame - If you smoke, maybe check out the previous advice and tie it into your break. Do not get open flames near this stuff unless you want to look like Vladimir Komarov (look him up at your own risk) and don't drink the bloody stuff, whatever you do. 

The Method

Now you've been briefed on not drinking the stuff, take a plastic Tupperware or glass jar and fill it with as much as you need to strip your minis. This will depend more on how quickly you plan to strip them as doing them one at a time will save you IPA from reuse while taking longer. I would also suggest making sure whatever container you use has a lid of sorts. This will save on ventilation issues and IPA quantities as this stuff evaporates very quickly. I used a coffee jar for this and it allowed me to strip an entire squad of space marines with a little finagling. 

Take your model and leave it in there for roughly 30-40 minutes. A good rule of thumb for me is to shake the container a little. if the paint looks like its coming off in a decent amount then it's ready. Be careful not to leave the model in there too long. Anything besides metal will probably warp, Citadel Finecast especially. This stuff is not something you want to leave your models in overnight or before you go to work. 

Moving forward, take your trusty old toothbrush, preferably one you don't plan on using again but you do you I guess, and give your model a firm but careful scrub. The paint should start shedding right off. Dip in some water to help with the excess and get a better view then scrub some more. You can put your model back into it's bath to soak a little if there's still some paint giving you trouble, then scrub again. Keep at it until your model is stripped to taste (not literally please!). 

(Even took the time to replace this dudes head with one more 'templar-ey')

Do also note, the plastic may be stained underneath and some paint may not come off. This is nothing to worry about and is usually not enough to notice once you've re-primed the model later on. That being said, if you really really want it off and scrubbing isn't doing it for you, you're welcome to take a file or scalpel to your model and scrape off the staining. Though it shouldn't matter much.

And you're done, (almost) as good as new. Simply wait a while for the IPA to evaporate, making sure to leave your models somewhere dry and ventilated, then spray on some primer and give them a fresh lick of paint.

I hope this was informative. I only recently stripped my models for the first time, myself, and it seemed easy enough. If I can do it, anyone can. 

Best of luck to you all!

-Ryan

Creating a Martian Terrain Base with GW Technical Paints

Want to make a Diorama set on the Mechanicus Forgeworld of Mars? Want to make your space marines look like a snapshot taken straight from Dune or an appropriately named Andy Weir novel? Look no further. Games Workshop themselves have provided, in their benevolence, a shortcut to quick and dirty Martian terrain bases. 

This, of course, comes as one of the many options accessible through the use of their 'Technical Paint' range (formerly named 'Texture Paints'). Look to this tutorial as a quick and easy walkthrough to making your own bases and terrain themed around the red planet. 

The example above of my lovingly painted Inquisitor Greyfax, arguably the baddest bitch in the imperium, is intended to accompany my black templar force into combat as a last-minute substitute for an Emperor's Champion in the event that I am fighting any pysker-heavy opponents. This model makes ample use of the Technical paints to provide the impression of martian soil and keeps Greyfax consistent with the Templars Force I planned for her to accompany. (Just Ignore the glue under boots...)

While the Black Templars already get a few options for fighting psykers ranging from the most dignified and trained Eldar Farseers, right down to the explosively-challenged Ork Weird-Boys, in the form of relics and warlord traits, a lot of them aren't worth taking unless you know you're up against a psyker-heavy meta (at least in my experience). As such, Greyfax's 'Psyk-Out Grenades' and 'Comdemnor' boltgun, as well as her  'Psyocullom' and 'Indomitable' abilities, make her an excellent threat to any psyker thrown at you.

Anyway, I digress. This is a post about basing, not a Greyfax appreciation post (Step on me). As you would expect from a basing tutorial. The first step is to decide which base to use. For my example, I have used a standard 32mm base designed to comfortably fit one of my many Black Templars infantry. It sounds obvious enough but you should take the base size you use into great consideration as each of the Technical paints will set you back roughly £5 and you'll need both Martian Ironearth and Martian Ironcrust for these bases to achieve the full effect. You don't want to be laying this stuff on too thick or you'll be making a trip back to the LGS.

Before you start laying on the paint, you may consider creating some sort of rocky outcrop or similar crags from chunks of cork or similar material. This option is entirely optional and I typically only really reserve it for characters and larger bases like Dreadnoughts or Knights but it's entirely up to you. Just blob some superglue onto your chunk of chosen material and press it firmly onto the base. Apply generously and give it a few minutes to dry and really take a firm hold then you can begin laying on the technical paint. 

Begin with Martian Ironcrust, laying it on roughly 2mm thick with a small spatula-like tool or old brush. The rounded end of a paintbrush handle can also work for this. Otherwise you can acquire various files and spatulas from places like Amazon, The Army Painter and Games Workshop. Once the base is fully covered, place the flat edge of your spatula down on the base and mess around with the technical paint. Martian Ironcrust contains tiny beads of plastic that will bond and set in just about any position you leave them in so have fun indenting, lifting and depressing them to your liking. 

Important Note: Ironcrust is still paint, as such it can chip or may appear slightly transparent if applied thinly. I recommend that you basecoat your base in a similar red or brown town (Tuskgor Fur from GW seems to be the closest colour I can find to the Martian Technical paints). This should help hide chipping later in the model's life.

Be sure to leave some low flat areas in your base if you can. This is where we'll put the other technical paint, Martian Ironearth (very unique naming schemes as always GW) to provide a cracked and dry appearance. Remember, you can always remove some of the technical paint if you laid on too much. Just wipe your spatula on a nearby rag or paper towel to remove the excess. I also like to run my spatula around the upper edge of the base rim at roughly 45-degrees to create a sort of 'bevel' between the rim and the top surface. This is, however, completely seasoned to taste.

It shouldn't take too long for the Ironcrust to start drying but I would still recommend leaving it for at least 5 or 6 hours, perhaps overnight, to really let it set in. Ironcrust's granular and sedimentary texture/consistency means that if handled a little too rough it can fragment and chip. It's worth saving yourself the repair work for the sake of a short wait. I would also avoid touching it during this time, as tempting as it may be. This could weaken it's bonds and even leave thumb prints, similar to fondling Green Stuff.

However, once it's sufficiently dry, you are free to apply Martian Ironearth in some of the troughs and dips of the terrain to give a sufficiently dried and cracked appearance. An important tip here: You can determine how big the cracks will be by laying on varying consistencies of Ironearth. This will come with practice but a good rule of thumb is that the thicker the paint is applied, the larger the cracks and 'chunks' will appear. It is also important not to lay it on too thick. Doing so could leave the paint flaky and grainy when it dries, leaving to fragments breaking off, especially during the next stage. 

Leave the Ironearth to dry for a similar length of time to the Ironcrust then apply as needed and you should end up with something like this. I cannot emphasise enough to let this shit dry or you'll be gluing on flakes of paint and sweeping your LGS floor for weeks. 

(Notice the chipping on the left? This demonstrates how important it is to let this stuff dry. I was rushing mine to get this tutorial done in one day and the end result paid the price. Do as I say, not as I do.)

The final step is bringing out some of those details. While I personally don't do it, you may consider running a thin wash of something like Agrax Earthshade over your base for more realistic tones. As someone who prefers the bright reds to contrast well with the cobalt armour of my Black Templars, I tend not to do this, keeping the tones light. Regardless of if you choose to wash, you should drybrush the base in a bright orange tone of your choosing. I like GWs 'Kindleflame' for this job. It's a drybrush specialised paint and it does a fantastic job bringing out the raised edges and details of the base. 

Dry brush generously and you're finished! You may even decide to drybrush the lower portions of your dreadnought's legs for a more convincing appearance of the dust it would kick up. Or perhaps you would directionally drybrush the tires and panels of your vehicles for the appearance of motion. It's yours to do as you will.

As always, all feedback is appreciated. If you have any ideas for tutorials or topics I am all ears. Drop a comment below or message me on my socials. 

Happy gaming!

-Ryan

Crossing the Rubicon: Primaris Vanguard Veterans

NOTICE: I'VE REWORKED THIS WHOLE TUTORIAL! CLICK HERE TO BE TAKEN TO THE UPDATED VERSION! - RYAN

I've never been a fan of the stubby appearance of firstborn marines. They're certainly stylised and have their place within the traditional 40K art style but with more and more Primaris marine kits releasing, the announcement of the new 'Beastsnagga' orks and the more realistic appearance of the newly announced 'Gaunt's Ghosts' black library guard models, truescale is definitely the in thing right now and I am completely okay with it. However, I'm not just a collector. I like to play with my toy soldiers and limiting myself to Primaris would lock me out of all sorts of cool models and strategy opportunities. There was only one thing to do. I had to kitbash a middle ground. 

As someone who is relatively new to the 40K hobby, as well as being a broke student, the thought of cutting up £50-100 worth of kits for the sake of one unit was a daunting one. That being said, the thought of having stubby little baby marines amongst my 2000pt strong crusade of Primaris brought even more fear to my soul. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle that sort of inconsistency without hating both the models and myself. As such, I bit the bolter.

I started by picking up a box of 10 Assault Intercessors from Games Workshop. The dynamic running poses and Primaris-scale parts made for an excellent baseline in my conversion, while being fairly cost-effective. It also meant that I could acquire the Assault Intercessor Sergeant's alternate weapon loadout options for the ones from the Indomitus boxset, whom I had already magnetized in anticipation for their full kit release.

My next purchase was the original Vanguard Veterans kit from Games Workshop. This seemed like the most obvious course of action for making Vanguard Veterans. I could think of few better methods of obtaining all the required loadout options and jump-packs for these fellas at this good a price. The helmets would also help in giving the Vanguards a noticeably firstborn appearance while still maintaining the more realistic  proportions of their Primaris brothers (more on this later).

While I don't have pictures, as this project was started and subsequently finished, before this blog was created, over the course of about 2 weeks, with the bulk of it being the drilling and magnetising of every arm and weapon (this step is obviously optional), I do have pictures of the current un-primed, 90% finished, first-attempts and I'm happy with how they turned out. 

I began by assembling the assault intercessor's torso and legs. As the legs and torso are fairly mono-pose, these fit together in specific sets assigned by the instructions they came with. It was as easy as reading which bits needed to go with which. At this point, I tested the Vanguard arms and helmet on my intercessor body and legs and noticed a problem. It looked too much like an Intercessor and not enough like a firstborn, let alone a Vanguard Veteran. I pondered this for some time before the answer slapped me in the face. I had all the torsos I needed in the Vanguard kit. 

With care, precision, and numerous scalpel holes in my thumb, I detached every Intercessor torso from it's legs, just above the 'abdomen plate' (See picture). I then cut and scraped the waist section of the Firstborn torsos down so so that the bottom of the torso was a smooth curve and test fitted onto the Primaris torsos. It would need some more back and forth with a file and scalpel but it looked alright. 

Do note that while some of the torsos didn't fit together perfectly, a blob of green stuff inside the abdomen, along with some trusty superglue, will help them fit together a lot easier and hold them long enough for you to at least get an idea. This did, however leave some gaps in the backs which I still haven't gotten round to filling all of. Perhaps more careful cuts can prevent this. Measure twice, cut once, as they say.

It was at this point, that I drilled 3mm magnets into the torsos, on each side, making sure to check the polarities so that any arm would accept any weapon for it's 'side', and glued on the jump packs and helmets. Note that while I could probably magnetized the jump packs to be replaceable with standard power packs, who the hell run's their Vanguard Veterans without jump packs? Clearly GW feel the same as I do because no standard power packs are included in the Vanguard Veteran kit. 

I do slightly wish I hadn't attached the heads this early as this was before I had glued them to their bases and the forward leans of some of the Assault Intercessor poses combined with the static positioning of their heads makes the finished products look like they've dropped a contact. Bare this in mind if following along at home. 

All that was left to do was drill all the required magnet holes in the weapons and arms. This is entirely optional if you have the money or balls to commit to decision on your loadouts. I envy your decisiveness but I'm a little bitch. It took almost a week of afternoons spent drilling and gluing magnets and magnet holes and left me with an impressive zip-lock of interchangeable arms and weapons I can attach to my vanguard vets in almost any array. 

I made a point not to bother with pistols, as anyone who runs Vanguard vets with pistols likely has a soft patch on their head and at this point I was sick to death of drilling and magnets, but it paid off. There was one exception, however. As an avid fan of not dying, I like to give all my VVs storm shields most of the time. This caused problems later on when I found that the VV kit only contained 4, despite having 5 dudes inside. I ended up cutting the hand off an arm I had in my bits box and slipping it's fingers under the bendy 3d-printed indomitus shield I purchased off of ebay a few weeks prior and needless to say it looks bloody brilliant in my own unbiased opinion. The larger storm shield helps set the sergeant apart from his squad (If they're all veterans, why are there even sergeants? I digress).

Regardless, here are the finished fellas (See the 'contact lens' problem?).  Again, I will mention that their arms and weapon options are fully magnetised so I'll be painting weapons and arms for weeks but it's all worth it for that sweet sweet WYSIWYG we all know and love. 

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed my first real forum post here on Fistful of Beans.

-Ryan

I have no idea what I am doing...

Okay so blogging is a thing people apparently do when they have important things to talk about. I'm a neet who paints toy soldiers and slams on a keyboard until 'computer do thing me want'. My name is Ryan and I hope that someone somewhere can find this engaging to some degree because I need the serotonin,  myself. 

Anyway, here's an outdated picture of me to hopefully draw some form of attention.